We make haste and follow behind him. I couldn’t help but wander around, noticing there are no roads, no concrete sidewalks. Only grass and long rivers. The tree roots reached over the rivers and carved to make passage on the other side. Nature is truly remarkable.

            “So what started this war in the first place?” I enquire.

       “Simple, werewolves invaded, declared this world should be theirs, witches rebelled. War ensued. The end,” Shade explains sarcastically and hurried more forward from the group.

       “Don’t mind him, he’s still upset from this morning,” Adrian assures me.

       “Why did the werewolves invade?” I ask Adrian. “Werewolves have always wanted to claim the world for their own. They just choose a world with the least amount of resident vampires to take over,” Adrian answers and shrugs. “That, and the witches who originally lived here didn’t want our help,” he adds with a sigh.

“Our as in you three?” I ask, and Adrian shakes his head.

            “As in our entire species, Syrus offered his assistance, and they refused.” Adrian stops for no reason. He looks around, scrunching nose and squints his eyes. He sighs and stares into the distance. I look over and find Bastion lining up at a food cart. My stomach growls in remembrance.

“Now look at this place, nature out of control and overgrown. Magiqs are outcastes, ferals mutated, and the werewolf royal family calls this world their home.” He finishes.

Bastion comes over with a takeaway box in hand.

 “uh, thanks,” I hesitantly grab the box feeling weariness grow in my chest. Bastion only shrugs. “So, this royal family you mentioned?”

            “Yep, there were three royal families, the original ancestors of the species. As time went on, disputes, war, murder, nearly all the Royals were eliminated. Now only one family remains,” he explains.

Bastion and Adrian insist we catch up with Shade. Carefully moving through the crowds, like a fish gracefully swimming in the water, avoiding all the rocks. We finally find Shade.

He leans on a tree root shaped into a barrier. Preventing anyone from falling into the large river cutting through the jungle city. The water is clear as crystal, massive koi fish gently swim around. Light glimmers on the surface, taking my attention to the centre. A large island and a beautiful Edo palace stand tall, untouched by the vines and shrubs, and beautifully constructed gardens are in place.

One tree differs from all the others, it’s smaller, not enormously mutated. It gives a faint glow, like bioluminescence, its leaves shine in different colours and patterns. If I were to touch it, would it be warm?

Ceres rested her elbows on the railing, the lantern glow dancing in her eyes as she stared at the island-palace and its rainbow-shifting crown. The river at their feet rippled with reflected light, and beyond, the Vitae tree pulsed in silent authority, its boughs creaking like the world’s own heartbeat.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Adrian agrees. We fall into silence once more, the boys seem to be lost in their own thoughts. I felt the weight of this silence, tensing every muscle in my body, wondering if I should say something, have a conversation, anything. “Someone start talking,” I blurt. “I keep hearing Mother Nature this, balance that. What is she, exactly, a goddess?”

Adrian leaned on the post beside me, the silver ring at his lip glinting. He gazed at the tree as if it were an old friend with secrets to confess. “Not a goddess,” he answers. “More like the universe’s nervous system. You pinch it,” his fingers immediately pinch Shade. The vampire flinches away and snarls back. “It flinches. She is the balance, but she’s not a micromanager. The scales tip, they tip back. If mortals break them completely,” he gestures at the twisted forest around us, “then she swings the hammer. After that, it’s on us to clean up the mess.”

I lift a brow. “So when he said ‘the universe balances itself,’ he meant Mother Nature?”

Shade snorted, brushing a smear of dried blood from his knuckles. “You know when a crossbow bolt should hit you, but a freak gust pushes it off-course? That’s her flinch.”

Ceres traced a finger through the air. “So she plays favourites?”

“Sometimes. Only to a rare few,” Bastion says, running a thumb along the polished wood grain of the railing. “Little nudges, lucky timings, changing your mind so you miss the five-thirty tram that would’ve flattened you. Tiny stuff that keeps the ledger balanced.”

“Ledger?” Ceres flicked a glance at the large tree, its leaves glowing emerald and gold. “And that thing?”

Shade straightened, expression uncharacteristically grave. “A Vitae tree. It is the only physical presence you will have of her. That tree controls nature, weather, mating cycles of squirrels, everything. In this world, that tree is the only magic left here, and it connects us into other worlds. Their magical root system are the doors, if you like the fairy-tale term,”

“Burn the tree,” Adrian adds, his voice low as a promise, “and you cut the cord. Magic dies, doors lose their connection to each other. Forests wither. Life dissipates, no survivors.”

I release the breath I was holding. “Well, it certainly likes opening up at random times.”

“Doors don't open at random,” Shade repeats himself. “Unless you have the witch's site to see the sigils.”

“Or a magiq is controlling them.” Bastion offered.

“Or maybe Mother Nature is guiding you.” Adrian quips.

I barked a humourless laugh. “Great. The cosmos is back-seat driving my life. Toward what, exactly?”

Adrian’s hand drifted to the hilt of his katana, thoughtful, not menacing. “Don't know. But i'm sure we will find out.”

“Sure, while we’re at it, maybe it can explain how I'm here.”

“Considering vampires don’t make babies, biology’s off the table. Yet here you stand, breathing.”

I cross my arms. “Maybe the stork was having a weird night.”

Adrian snorts; a crooked smile curved his lips. “Maybe, but our kind simply can’t conceive. Hybrids aren’t just rare; they’re impossible.”

“But I’m here,” I shoot back, my words almost a tremble.

“Exactly,” Bastion says, folding his broad hands on the railing. “Which means Mother Nature, balance, reflex, whatever you call her, allowed you to slip the lock. Maybe even slid the bolt herself.”

Shade blew air through his teeth. “Wouldn’t be the first time she made room for an impossibility.” He glanced at Adrian. “Our brother’s proof.”

“Yeah, who?” I cut in, hopeful to hear some kind of answer.

“Our King is the only vampire to be born as a human and turn into a vampire without another’s blood.”

“Wait!” my eyes widening. “King? Your brother is Syrus!”

“He sure is. Without him, we wouldn’t be standing here.” Adrian smiles wide.

“We owe him a great debt.” Shade relaxed, the tension slipping from his posture.

“Though he tells us not to worry about it.” Bastion added with a half-grin.

“Regardless of what he says, we want to protect our brother.”

I looked away, a hollow ache twisting in my chest. “What makes him special?” I cleared my throat, resisting tears.

Bastion shrugged, gaze drifting back to the tree. “On every monarch’s twenty-first birthday, he, and only he, turns without a bite or drop of blood.”

Adrian’s red eyes softened. “That part’s true, royal records confirm it. No other vampire has gone through this.”

Shade snorted. “As to why or how it happens, no one knows. Vampires of old theorise the same soul reincarnates with each king, but that’s just a theory.” Shade's grin widens, wiggling his eyebrows at me. “Though when I think about it, Syrus claimed he carried another man’s soul, always said it never belonged to him. But whether that’s truth or legend, none of us really knows.”

Silence fell, broken only by the tree’s slow pulse of emerald and gold. The mystery of those rumours hung heavier than any certainty.

At this moment, I only feel to have more questions than answers. If Syrus is a natural exception. One who is meant to exist then what am I?

            “The talks are next month,” Shade whispers, I barely catch his words.

            “I know,” Adrian replies. “And it’s important to make sure these talks succeed, another war would be chaos here,” he growls. “Besides all, we can do is wait and make sure they’re not up to anything.” Shade calms down and looks at Adrian and Bastion. The tree’s glow flashes and everyone stops for a second, watching in anticipation. Shade stiffens watching, muscles gripping the wood and snapping under his fingers.

“What talks?” I interrupt.

“The royal family knew this tree was special. That’s why they built the palace there,” he begins, and looks back at the tree. “Japan is the only country to stand on its own for the last two hundred years. Others have fallen since the corruption and have aligned themselves with the wolf family,” Shade explains, looking at me.  

“There is an old saying witches used to explain the creation of the world,” Adrian puts in, looking at the imperial palace.

            “Whatever is fiction in one world,” Bastion begins.

            “It becomes a reality in another,” Shade finishes.

            “Ideas, legends, stories told by people. If believed in so strongly, nature's reaction, nature's magic, creates. A new world is born, and that tree over there is the seed. It created all of this,” Adrian explains, emphasising the importance.

We all stayed quiet at this point. I ponder their words and stare at the Vitae tree.

All of this is too much. Just three months ago, I was graduating high school, attacked by a feral vampire, and learn about my origins. How did I even get to this point? There’s so much I need to learn, so much to take in.  Shit, how I can do any of this? I’m not - strong enough. . .

An icy hand grips my shoulder with a grounding firmness. I nod, swallowing my fear down and letting the emotions pass through me, like the trees in the wind, and relax.

            “You freak out too easily,” Shade taunts.

            “Shut up,” I hiss at him, and Adrian sighs loudly.

“Look, we’re tired, how about we head back home,” Bastion Suggested, knowing precisely what to say. Both Adrian and Shade nod. I take a deep breath in and nod as well. “Right, it settled let’s get going,” Bastion finishes with a big smile and leads the way.