It resembled many of the other small towns he had visited throughout his travels, made up of a dozen or so houses, shops, a local church, and a tavern. If Sophia had not given the driver precise directions on how to reach it, Vynx would have completely forgotten how to even get back here. The village was tucked far on the other side of a forest and sat at the base of a mountain, in the shadow of an imposing castle. It was here where Vynx first took on the mission that brought him to confront the region's Vampire Lord.

"It's been about a year, huh?" Vynx asked aloud and shoved his hands into his pockets. He began down the street, not too worried about them being seen by the locals. 

"Indeed. It seems things are still the same as they were." Sophia maintained her unreadable expression, but Vynx sensed that she was relieved. After all, this was her original home. Despite a century passing since she had become a vampire, her attachment to the sleepy town was still evident. 

"I didn't take you for the sentimental type, Soph," Vynx admitted. "Or were you just worried?" 

Sophia pursed her lips as her eyes searched the houses. "I was. After our encounter with Conrad, I had to wonder if other vampire lords were seeking revenge using the people we know." 

"That's understandable. While the capital should be safe with the knights and Holy Order keeping watch over things, I have a feeling the vampires aren't going to take the death of yet another lord lightly," Soleil murmured. It was her first time in the village, and she couldn't help but stare at the foreboding castle looming in the distance. Even she had heard the tales of Vynx defeating the Vampire Lord of this region; after all, it was that feat that drew her to contacting him in the first place. 

Sophia's crimson eyes focused on one house nestled beside the leatherworker's shop. The candles were still lit inside, and she walked towards the entrance, only to stop in front of the door. 

Vynx stepped behind Sophia and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright; no one's going to be scared to see you," he assured her. 

"Y-yes, you're right." Hesitantly, Sophia closed her hand into a fist and knocked against the wood. 

It took a minute, but the door creaked open and a cautious eye peered out. The eye widened at the sight of the two, and the door flung open. "Sophia! Vynx!" A young woman exclaimed in astonishment. 

"Hey there, Penny! Good to see you—oof!" Vynx was thrown backwards as the dark-haired maiden lunged in for a hug, pushing past Sophia to wrap her arms around his waist. He shot the vampiress a panicked but apologetic look as he awkwardly patted the girl's back.

"I told you not to call me that! My name is Penelope, remember?!" The young lady huffed as she clung to him. "Oh Vynx, I was hoping you'd return!" 

Vynx let out a strained laugh as Penelope's arms cut off his air flow. "I—is that right? Well, I'm back in one piece. Sophia wanted to check in, and we brought another friend," he managed.

Both Sophia and Soleil gave the hunter dry, unimpressed looks while Penelope squeezed him tight. 

"Soleil." 

"A pleasure to meet you, Soleil! Come in, all of you!" Penelope grabbed Sophia by the hand and began pulling her through the door before she could get a word in. "You should have told me you were coming, Vynx! I would've cleaned up the place and gotten some bedrolls ready. I swear, I told you to write, but you never do!" she scolded him. "Take a seat, please. I'll put a pot of tea on." The interior of the house smelled faintly of herbs and dried leather. A few tanned hides were hung near the fireplace and from the walls, while leatherworking tools lay scattered on a workbench by the single window. It was a modest home with the hearth, dining table, and kitchen all in the same room. 

"Y-yeah, sorry about that." Vynx rubbed the back of his head clumsily as he strolled in with Soleil. He closed the door behind them and went to sit at the dining table while Penelope started for the kitchen to prepare the tea. Once Penelope was out of earshot, he leaned in between Sophia and Soleil to whisper, "Before you two ask, NO, I have never done anything with her."

"I wasn't going to ask," Soleil replied under her breath. 

Sophia simply rolled her eyes but put on a faint smile again as Penelope returned. "I'm glad to see you are still in good health, Penelope. Has there been any trouble in the village since…"

"Since I was sent off like a sacrificial lamb to the Vampire Lord and saved by you two?" Penelope smirked. "No, nothing too crazy since. We did have our fair share of adventurers and mercenaries visit after they heard the news. Plenty of fortune-seeking types came to ransack the old castle for treasure, but they at least kept trouble at the tavern to a minimum," she stated. 

"That's good to hear." Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. As she watched the younger woman flit to and fro around the cottage, she couldn't help but smile in earnest. "Speaking of the tavern, we'll likely be staying there for the night. I would hate to impose on you without notice like this."

"Aww, are you sure? It's no trouble, really! I've got the extra space now that grandpa isn't around anymore," the young woman insisted.

"Oh." Sophia's words were caught in the air for a moment. "Your grandfather passed away? I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's alright, he went peacefully. It was kind of a miracle he even lived so long! Figured it was only a matter of time before he finally joined ma and pa." Penelope shrugged before setting down four cups and pouring the aromatic tea. "It's pretty late, so I hope you three don't mind some chamomile. Then again, you don't really sleep much at night, do ya?" she joked, moving past the topic before the air could grow heavy.

"Those two, maybe. I still try to wake up early when I can," Soleil muttered and grabbed her cup to take a sip. 

Vynx leaned back in his chair, only staring up at the ceiling in thought while the conversation continued around him. He tried to recall the visage of the old man who first came to him for help when his granddaughter was chosen by the Vampire Lord. How the elderly leatherworker had wept and begged Vynx to save his dear "Penny" before she could be turned into another bride. How he cried in joy as Vynx returned with Penelope on his back when dawn arrived. Taking his cup, Vynx silently raised a toast to the old man before downing the warm tea. 

He was pulled back into the chatter soon enough by Penelope's prodding questions. Returning to his usual demeanor, he recounted his recent adventures to the maiden, putting on a dramatic voice as he narrated the party's heroics. Penelope hung on to his every word, her eyes gleaming in admiration through each tale. Vynx was even able to rouse a few amused snorts from the paladin and vampiress. 

Eventually, the tea party settled down as midnight arrived. Despite the excitement, Penelope had a business to open in the morning and pardoned herself back to bed. Soleil, also weary from the long journey, took up the offer to sleep on one of the spare bedrolls. Once the humans retired to bed, Vynx was left with Sophia at the table. Her tea was untouched, yet she kept her hands around the cup long after it had gone cold. 

"You doin' okay, Soph?" Vynx reached over to place his hand over hers. He could see that familiar look on her face: the one Sophia always wore when she was lost in thought. 

Sophia returned a small nod. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you again for bringing us back here." 

"Of course. It's your hometown after all; I totally understand why you'd wanna check in," Vynx said easily.

"My home, hm?" Sophia muttered. "Yes, that's technically correct." She sat back in her chair and looked towards the window. Even shrouded in darkness, she knew the Vampire Lord's castle stood in that direction. "I was born in this village… and also abandoned by them." 

"Sophia…" There was a long pause between them, with only the crackles of the fireplace providing a faint ambiance in the otherwise quiet cabin. 

Sophia finally broke the silence. "Is it wrong for me to still hold on to resentment from a century ago?" She turned her gaze back to Vynx, as if searching for an answer in his eyes. 

Vynx shook his head. "No. You have all the reason in the world to be upset about that." He knew that Penelope had been one of the lucky ones. There were days when he would make it in time and save his quarry from turning. But more often than not, he arrived too late, and there was nothing he or anyone could do but put a newly turned vampire to the blade. 

Sophia let out a wry chuckle. She felt Vynx squeeze her hand and lowered her eyes again. "I suppose there's no point blaming anyone for what happened. Everyone from that era is now long gone." A heavy sigh escaped her before she continued, "Penelope's grandfather… I saw the resemblance in him and recognized this cottage the last time we visited," Sophia admitted. "He was the son of my former fiancé." 

"Whoa. So you're like the age of Penelope's great-grandfather!" Vynx blurted out. He immediately felt a kick from under the table and winced. "Sorry! Continue, please." 

"You're possibly even older than I am, Vynx," Sophia shot back dryly. "But as I was saying…" she exhaled and brought her hand back to twirl a lock of silver hair around her finger. "I was engaged to the village leatherworker when I was human. His name was Isaak." 

"What happened to him?" Vynx asked, surprised that it was his first time hearing about this. He had known that Sophia was chosen by the village to be their sacrifice to the Vampire Lord a century ago, but she had never mentioned a fiancé before that.

"He continued his life after me, I suppose." Sophia glanced around the cabin. It was the same one that Isaak had lived in when she used to visit him, though the expansion of the workshop must have been added in recent years. "While I spent my years trapped in that castle, everyone else moved on." There was a coldness in her voice as she spoke of a time now far gone. Of decades watching over the village from a tower, counting the days that passed until her vampiric husband finally grew bored of her and sought a new bride. How she turned that festering resentment into fury when she betrayed her captor and led Vynx right to him so he could deliver a silver stake into the vampire's unbeating heart. 

"How I wish I could have met you long ago," Sophia murmured. "How I wish… someone had saved me back then." 

Vynx placed his hand on Sophia's chin and turned her face back to look at him. He could see her eyes shimmering with tears, and it stabbed him deeper than any knife could. "I'm sorry, Sophia. I wish… I could've been there for you too." All he could do was pull her in for a hug, holding her tight as she buried her face into his shoulder. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, letting his warmth brush over her cold skin. 

"I should be apologizing." Sophia let out a weak laugh. "I didn't mean to make you come all the way here simply so I could mope about the past." Her arms wrapped back around him, and she wiped her tears against his weathered jacket. "I know it isn't anyone's fault. None of us had a choice back then. Sacrificing one young woman for a century of safety… it was the obvious decision." She swallowed harshly. "Yet still… I kept praying that my betrothed would come and take me home." 

The hunter ran his hand over Sophia's trembling shoulders. "You may not be the same anymore, but you've got a human heart," Vynx said. "It's alright to curse the world for everything that happened. You still came back because you cared about the people here. You still helped me save Penny so she wouldn't have to go through everything you went through." 

Sophia nodded. "You're right. In the end… I'm glad that Isaak and his family could live fulfilling lives," she admitted. Seeing the generations pass was a bittersweet reminder of the life she could never have, yet it filled her with a nostalgic warmth regardless. At last, Sophia drew back, only to plant a gentle kiss on Vynx's lips. "And I'm glad… that I have you now, Vynx." 

Vynx formed a wide grin. "Ha. Hearing you say that makes this whole trip worth it." He returned the kiss, this time squeezing Sophia harder so she couldn't pull away. It had only been a year since they had initially met, but he was determined to share many more years with her and to show Sophia that morning always came after the long nights.