The temple of ancient bumps, hidden between golden forests and enchanted towers of the arcane kingdom, seemed to breathe wisdom. His columns wrapped in living roots and sparkling mists kept more than silence: they kept forgotten truths. 

Axiel walked forward, followed by Elena, dressed in a navy-blue ceremonial tunic with silver details, and Loriel, which floated slightly, admiring the runes on the walls as if they were children's designs. 

- So this is such a counselor? Asked Axiel, looking around. 

"My mother's old friend," Elena murmured. "Almost no one knows she's still alive." 

In the center of the temple, sitting on a throne of living roots that whispered as a wind was the counselor Nyalan. Although millennial, a forty -year -old woman appeared, long hair braided with dried leaves, pale copper skin, shining amber eyes like ancestral embers. His features were beautiful, but marked by the wisdom and weight of ages. 

She stood up with grace and looked at Elena tenderly. 

- Daughter of Lysaria Van Lanfoi ... You are her mirror in youth. I miss the old queen. Aether rules well, but you are more like her.

Elena smiled. 

Nyalan then turned his eyes to Axiel and watched him silently. 

- Hello vampire ... was waiting for you .. your soul fragmented ... there is something pure in the shrapnel. Something familiar - she curved respectfully, seeing Loriel. 

- Is that serious? - Loriel snorted, rolling her eyes. - Nyalan, you promised to stop it. 

- Respect is eternal, even for those who forget who it is. - Said Nyalan, with serene humor. 

Axiel narrowed his eyes to Loriel. 

- Who ... or what exactly are you? 

"No big deal," Loriel said with a whistle, moving casually away to pretend interest in a carnivorous plant that spit smoke. - Just a fairy with a peculiar taste for sarcasm and ordained chaos. 

"First of all ..." said Nyalan, changing the subject. "I need a favor." I am being observed by the arcana and prohibited from acting. But I have been able to give some support. I need you to get someone. A simple address, a modest but important house. 

Axiel nodded. Without delay, he left the magic trail that led to the east of the Arcane kingdom. 

The house was simple but charming: magical flower boxes hung from the windows, and a sweet aroma of fruit filled the air. Axiel recognized the street. It was where Iris had said he lived. 

When the door opened, Iris's large, brown eyes stared at him. 

Both froze for a moment. 

"You ...!" she murmured. 

Axiel arched an eyebrow, disconcerted with the very reflection of the memory of the night of pleasure they had divided. 

- Hello, Iris. 

But before they could say something else, another figure came after her: Aurelia, the young princess of Solarius, her golden hair and eyes shining in arcane blue. 

- He is ... one of them. - Sibidated Aurelia. 

- What? Iris turned, confused. 

Without thinking, Aurelia launched a freezing beam in Axiel. The impact launched him out of the house, crossing a wooden fence and falling on the road. The symbiotic costume crackled, cracking like dark ceramics. His breastplate broke, leaving only torn pants covering him. 

Elena and Loriel, who expected nearby, rushed in a hurry. 

- Axiel?! - Elena shouted. 

- What is happening here?! shouted Loriel. 

Axiel coughed, seeing his chest regenerating with steam and blood evaporating from the flesh. 

Iris ran out, horrified to see vampiric regeneration. 

- No! Stop, Aurelia! He ... He ... - Iris stumbled, but put himself between the two. 

Elena stood before Aurelia and raised her royal voice: 

- Princess Aurelia of Solarius. In the name of Aether Van Lanfoi, stop the attack. 

Aurelia hesitated to hear the name. 

- Elena? 

The two recognized themselves. Aurelia lowered the guard. 

Minutes later, everyone was gathered in the house. Axiel wore a makeshift shirt and what was left of the pants. The pain in his eyes was less than the discomfort of being knocked down that way. 

- So ... Are you really a vampire? Asked Iris, trying to hide his nervousness. 

Axiel looked at her, serene: 

- I am. But, relax, I never used my powers in you. 

Iris bit her lip, relieved. 

Aurelia then approached her mother, the empress of Solarius, wrapped in magical bandages and critical condition. 

Elena knelt with reverence. The old empress smiled weakly, touching the eel of the Elven Princess. 

Loriel raised his hands. In an instant, all were teleported to the temple. 

Empress and Aurelia were welcomed at the Sanctuary of the Nyalan Counselor. 

After stabilization exams and spells, the counselor turned to Axiel. 

- Your costume needs to be regenerated. Symbions are resistant but vulnerable to specific elements. In your case ... extreme cold. 

She led him to an enchanted pool, full of black waters. The steam climbed as a living mist. 

- Enter. Water will activate its connection with the symbiote and, perhaps ... with its memory. 

While Axiel entered, Iris was talking to Elena under a truck. 

"I didn't know ... He was a vampire," Iris said, embarrassed. - If I knew, maybe not ... or maybe yes. I don't know. 

"He's not my husband," said Elena, firm, but with her pink cheeks. 

- Ah ... good party, even being a vampire. Iris shrugged. - He was ... intense. 

- Intense how? Asked Loriel, appearing invisible and being visible next to them with a perverted smile. 

Iris blushed. 

- It was just ... one night. 

"A night that interests us," Elena said, kneeling next to Iris with alert eyes. 

- Tell everything, don't hide anything! - Loriel also knelt with a magical block in his hand. 

Iris got even redder. 

- You are a nightmare ... 

Inside the pool, Axiel's eyes turned back for a second. 

Images emerged: 

- A sky on fire. 

- A figure of golden wings holding him and throwing him to the earth. 

- A naked woman surrounded by black light: Sekhmet. 

- Loriel, older, with loose hair, talking to Arkaaniel. 

"And finally, Arkaaniel's own face ... calling him a brother." 

Axiel widened his eyes as he emerged from the pool. 

- ...Brother?