22. WHATS NEXT?

WHAT'S NEXT?

" V ampires are real," Julian said to the camera, repeating the same words he'd spoken that had started this whole adventure. "And tonight we're going to start to answer your questions about them and even tell you how you might become one."

Julian felt a mixture of rightness and unreality as he stared past the camera at Christian who gave him a thumb's up and then at Daemon who smiled with benevolent pride at him. He felt the Vampire King's love and protection surrounding him. The nervousness he'd felt earlier was held at bay as he mentally grasped onto Daemon. Then he turned to his parents and he found himself blinking almost rapidly as tears burned behind his eyes. This was a moment he never thought he would experience. Not in his wildest dreams had he hoped to have them on Existence like this.

He had them back . They were right here . And still it was hard to believe.

His mother reached out and touched his knee. "We're here with you, honey."

His father was looking a little teary eyed himself as he said, "It's okay, Julian. We're here."

You've got this, Julian, Christian sent. They're here. Let the pain go.

The pain--the memory of their loss--was still there like an overlay to his current happiness. It was almost like he was living two parallel lives. One where his parents died and he vainly sought revenge against those responsible, yelling into the voice, and this life where they were returned to him--exactly as they had been--and he got to have them with him forever.

It's hard to believe this is real, he admitted.

Yeah, but it also feels meant, Christian answered. Like when we began this, it was always meant to end this way. Every step we took was to bring it here.

Julian covered his mother's hand with his own and squeezed it. He gave a watery grin to the camera and said, "For those of you just tuning in for the first time, my name is Julian Harrow. My best friend, Christian Thorne, and I started this show to prove to you the existence of preternatural beings."

A second camera was pointed at Christian who waved briefly at it even as he kept his gaze firmly on the viewfinder. His best friend still wasn't fond of being in front of the camera.

"We specifically wanted to prove the existence of Vampires, because…" Julian looked at his parents and then over at Caemorn who was standing very still, staring at the ground very much like Elgar did, though he held no skull. "Because my parents believed they were real and I wanted to prove they were right."

Caemorn lifted his head and stared at Julian at that moment. Shock was written large across his angelic face. He had fully expected Julian to talk about his parents being murdered by Vampires to keep the immortals' existence secret. But Julian didn't see the need to do that. What happened with Artemis-Kaly, Caemorn and his parents was in the past and it would stay there. The future was so much more important.

My Childe, Daemon said simply with warmth. You have chosen wisely.

Thank you for letting me figure this out, Julian replied.

Daemon hadn't told him what to say about this. In fact, the Vampire King had made it clear to one and all, including Rajani, that Julian and Christian would determine the content of the show. Whatever they wanted to tell the world about Vampires was their choice. And Julian was making that choice. He was the Vampire Prince and the security and safety of his people was paramount. He would not allow Artemis-Kaly to cause any more damage.

Caemorn, I forgive you. I said that before, but I want you to know it, to feel it, Julian sent to the Kaly Vampire. I know my parents are considering asking to be your fledglings and it's okay with me. In fact, I'd like that. They'd be safe with you.

Caemorn inclined his head. I would be honored.

I trust you, Caemore, and I have your back.

Caemorn nodded once more. His emotions pressed against the carefully constructed facade of indifference he kept in place. Daemon put an arm around Caemorn's back. Even Balthazar, who had retrieved Meffy from Sophia, pressed the cat against Caemorn's cheek. The Kaly Vampire lifted an eyebrow, but then patted the kitten on the head.

Julian felt his own throat grow tight with emotion and his face hurt from how broadly he was smiling. That wasn't the best when one had to speak to a camera. But he thought that showing his emotions would cause their audience to understand what a momentous occasion this was.

"What Christian and I had no idea about when we started this journey was that what we thought we knew about Vampires… Well, we didn't know the half of it." Julian gestured to his parents. "Which brings me to our guests tonight. My parents. Jack and Joanna Harrow."

His mother and father smiled and gave brief waves to the camera. His father slid one arm over his mother's shoulders. Both looked handsome and relaxed. Julian felt all eyes upon them in that room. There were those among the world leaders who couldn't quite believe that his parents hadn't simply been hiding out for a decade and a half. That they had been truly dead, their bodies destroyed, their souls still remaining Earth-bound seemed unbelievable to many. To think that Caemorn could create bodies for people who were long dead was just too fabulous--and too terrifying, in a way--to accept fully. Julian understood the conflict. Such power was godlike. And if the Immortals were capable of godlike powers, did that mean they were gods ? Did that mean they should be worshiped? Feared? Both?

"Sixteen years ago my parents died in a car crash," Julian said and swallowed the lump in his throat.

He had carried the burden of their deaths like a lodestone around his neck for all that time. He had flared with anger when people had claimed their deaths were an accident. He felt Caemorn's eyes on him again, knowing the pain that this belief had cost him before. These were words that he had sworn to prove false. But, now, he was happy to say them and for everyone to believe them.

"But, as you see, they're very much alive. These aren't actors. This isn't CGI or some Deep Fake technology. My parents have been brought back from the dead." Julian said. He asked the camera, "But how is that possible?"

How indeed! Daemon murmured. Kaly has exceeded even my expectations.

There's fear in this room and disbelief, Julian pointed out. Just as many people believe this must be fake as believe such powers are the work of the Devil.

Yes, fear is here. It will always be here, Daemon agreed. And we must take advantage of it. We must embrace it. But there will be plenty who will also see the wonder in what we can do. It is to those people that you are speaking now. You're doing well.

"You've heard that there are different Vampire Bloodlines, each stemming from a different Immortal," Julian reminded his audience. He saw world leaders glance at Caemorn. Of all the Immortals, except for Daemon, he was the one that fascinated and worried them the most. "The Kaly Bloodline has the ability to raise and control the dead. And Kaly, themself, has the ability to create new bodies and bring the dead to life. Among other things."

Julian smiled at Caemorn. The true extent of Kaly's powers were unknown. Caemorn and Christian were already testing boundaries that had never been pressed before.

He held a hand up to the camera as if anticipating the audience opening their mouths to ask millions of questions. The world leaders that were clustering about the interview area looked ready to start peppering him with those same questions.

"I know you have a lot of questions and concerns and ideas and we're going to explore all of them," Julian assured their audience. "But there's too much to discuss in any one program. If you don't hear the answer to your question tonight, there will be another show which will answer it. A website has been set up with answers to many questions as well and it's linked in the description below. But I think a good place to start is to hear from my parents themselves about their experiences. Mom, Dad, you died… and came back. What was that all like? Was there a light? A tunnel?"

His mother answered first, her eyes going slightly unfocused as she remembered. "There was a doorway. There was something beyond it. Something vast."

"We could see other spirits going towards it, going through it," his father added.

"Were you drawn to it?" Julian found himself asking.

He and his parents had only discussed generally what they would talk about on the show. They hadn't wanted to know the questions in advance because their answers might seem rehearsed and that would go against the candid feel he and Christian were going for. But he also hadn't had the courage to ask these specific questions before. He hadn't wanted to know if they had desired to leave this world for the next. But the question had left his lips and there was no drawing it back in.

But both of his parents shook their heads and he felt some tension bleed out of him. They weren't lying either to spare his feelings either. There was a concrete certainty within both of them that they hadn't wanted to leave.

"No, it wasn't time for us. There was a--a voice ? I can't quite explain it adequately." His mother's forehead furrowed. "I could tell it was calling the other spirits, but not us."

"We weren't ready to go," his father said. "And it didn't want us. It wasn't meant for us."

Julian shifted a little in his seat. "Was it because your deaths were unexpected?"

"I don't think so," his father answered. "There was just this feeling that our fate wasn't to leave. It wasn't because we simply desired to keep going, but it felt like there was a bigger plan."

"When Caemorn brought us back," his mother said and a camera swung towards the Immortal who stood very still and looked like an angelic master of death, "it was easy to slip back into a body again. It felt right. And then when we realized that we could become Vampires there was this sense…" His mother lifted her hands as if grasping physically at a concept, "that this was what we were meant to do."

"So you feel that you're fated to become Vampires?" Julian asked.

"Yes," she answered.

His father nodded. "Absolutely. I've never felt so certain of anything in my life. We're anchored here."

"Does the fact that I am one influence you at all?" Julian asked. "I'm sure that families are wondering what they would do if a sibling, a child, a parent or a partner would be chosen to be turned."

"Leaving you when we did, when you were so young, has affected us," his father admitted, clearing his throat. His handsome face looked bleak for a moment. "I can't deny that. The thought of healing that breach, of assuring you that we will always be with you, is important to both your mother and I."

"But it can't be the only reason to seek immorality?" Julian prompted.

Both shook their heads.

"We know there's something more than this life. Not out of faith, but out of fact. We know that for many people the next life is what is waiting for them and where they are meant to go," his mother explained carefully. She and his father linked their nearest hands together.

"Beyond your sense that you are meant to become Vampires, what else did you consider in making your choice?" Julian asked.

"I also believe there needs to be a deep understanding of what forever means," his mother said. "We've been talking to many of the Vampires of all ages to understand what it's like to have the world you were born into completely disappear without a trace."

"You have to be able to adapt. Some of the Vampires in this room were born before electricity, let alone motor cars, computers, and cellphones. We had some moments ourselves getting used to the new technology and we were only gone from the world for sixteen years," his father said with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"From everything the Vampires have told us, you have to embrace change. Want it," his mother added. "I think our drive for adventure and discovery helps with that. We're always searching, wanting to know and understand things."

"So would you recommend that young people--people my and Christian's age--be the ones that seek to be turned?" Julian asked.

His father grinned at him. "I actually think having more years under your belt is better, in general."

"I agree," his mother said. "Though you and the king were fated to be together, I think it would actually be better if most people who were older, older than 30, were chosen. Those who have enough experience of life, perhaps had children already if they wanted them, should be the ones that are turned if they meet the other criteria."

Julian, in fact, knew that Caemorn and Balthazar had chosen people all over eighteen to attend the first year of the academy. The students were from all age groups, professions, classes and backgrounds. It was very rare for a young person to be chosen for the very reasons his parents had stated.

"Now, you've decided that you want to become Vampires, but that's just the beginning of the choices to be made, isn't it?" Julian asked them. "There's the different Bloodlines and, of course, you have to find a Master or Masters that appeal to you and you to them."

His father nodded. "We've been very lucky in that a representative from every Bloodline has offered us a chance to join them."

"That's going to be a rare thing though," Julian stated more than asked.

"Yes, our position as your parents is obviously giving us potentialities that many won't have," his mother answered.

"But since we do have this opportunity it's a pretty incredible thing," his father said as he rubbed his thumb over the back of his mother's hand.

"There's also challenges because you're a monogamous couple," Julian pointed out and pinked slightly.

His parents gave semi-awkward laughs and flushed too.

"That's right. We're looking for someone who will respect that our relationship to each other and to you is paramount," his mother said firmly.

"And you've agreed to let Christian and I follow your journey in becoming Vampires from learning about the Bloodlines to meeting various individuals who want to offer you a Second Life," Julian said.

His father nodded. "That's right. We want to be as transparent as possible about what happens and our thought process."

His mother leaned forward and said earnestly to the camera. "We want people to see that there is nothing to be afraid of. That this is a marvelous thing. That the world is so much more than we ever knew."

"Our goal so long ago in our show, Believe , and in all our books and scholarly works was to inspire people to open their minds and their hearts to the supernatural," his father said. "We hope to continue that work."

Julian turned to face the camera once more. "Thank you for tuning in. This is just the first of many episodes that will capture my parents' journey in becoming Vampires. Christian and I will also be showing you some of the wonders of the Ever Dark, the academy and all things Vampire."

"Cut!" Christian called and the red lights turned off on all of the cameras.

Julian drew in a breath. His parents were smiling. This was just the first part of several they would film that night. But it was done . Other than the editing, which now would be handled by House Wynter Vampires, freeing him and Christian up to simply approve what they put together. His gaze met Christian's. His best friend gave him a satisfied nod.

"That went really well!" his mother said as she pulled Julian in for a hug.

He smelled the light violet perfume she wore and felt the warmth of her body against his. She was real. She was here. He held her fiercely.

"It will definitely whet people's appetites to know more," his father agreed as he slung an arm around Julian as well.

His father's spicy scent filled his nostrils. Julian remembered how he had sniffed his father's sweaters after he was gone, trying to remember his father's love and strength. He'd worn one of them for weeks on end. Now his father was right there. Julian gripped him back. He was solid. He was real. Neither of his parents would ever leave him now.

"You guys did great," Julian said to his parents as he pulled back from the hugs. "You didn't seem nervous at all."

"You made us feel quite at home," his mother assured him.

"I did not realize you heard a voice," Julian said.

"We did, but, like we said, it wasn't for us." His father patted his shoulder. "We knew we were meant to come back to you."

His mother pressed their foreheads together. "We're going to have the life we always should have had."

"Better than that," Julian said as his gaze slipped to Daemon. "Much, much better than that actually."

"Yes," both his parents agreed, "even better than that."

"Excellent work! Drinks all around!" Balthazar crowed as he pushed flutes of champagne into everyone's hands.

Meffy mewed triumphantly as he perched on Balthazar's right shoulder. Christian reached up and gave the kitten a treat. Julian took a deep swallow of the sparkling liquid as Daemon slipped an arm around his waist. He leaned against the Vampire King, relishing that solidity and strength.

Caemorn immediately went to his parents. They were speaking in low tones about what they should and shouldn't talk about in regards to the afterlife. Measuring carefully what information came out about that was one way to keep people from becoming afraid. Or too afraid.

In a flash, Fiona and Arcius appeared in their midst. Both were dressed in their finest Order robes of leather, chains and exposed skin. They had been teleporting between various of the cities where there were protests, observing and keeping the peace if necessary. Fiona's Wyvern Vampires were being kept busy just as Balthazar's Eyros Vampires were. Julian hoped that when the video was released that it would help things.

"Congratulations, everyone! I see you finished the first broadcast." Arcius beamed as he took a flute from Balthazar.

"You made it back in time! I knew you would!" Sophia beamed as she and Seeyr joined them.

"In time for what?" Fiona asked as she took a flute from Balthazar as well.

"For a toast, of course!" Sophia beamed.

"The academy will be an incredible success," Seeyr said with a smile. "And, Julian, you mustn't worry. Your words will reach many, even those who think they want nothing to do with us."

Balthazar's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really? Someone is going to come to the academy who doesn't want to be there? How could that be? I assure you that Caemorn and I have planned for everything. "

Christian let out a choked laugh as he laced the fingers of one of his hands with Balthazar's. "You do realize that you've just tempted fate big time there, right, Balthazar?"

"On the contrary! What could possibly go wrong with Caemorn and myself in charge?" Balthazar asked with an expansive gesture.

Christian shook his head. Caemorn's eyebrows rose. Arcius and Fiona laughed. Julian couldn't help but grin. A small smile played on Daemon's lips.

"King Daemon?" Sophia lifted her glass.

"Ah, yes, it's time. I propose a toast," Daemon said with a broad smile.

Everyone lifted their glasses.

The Vampire King brought the sparkling liquid into the light. "To what comes next."

"To what comes next!" They all cried in unison and they clinked glasses.

Julian drank down his champagne. It felt like fireworks in his veins. He turned so that he was now chest to chest with Daemon. He looked into those crimson, glowing eyes. Daemon leaned down and their lips met in a searing kiss.

With you by my side, Julian, Daemon swore, I am eager to meet every challenge.

Whatever comes next, Julian sent with all his love, will be wonderful and exciting and an adventure, because we'll be together, Daemon.

Always.

Thank you so much for joining us for this story. We can't do what we do without your enthusiastic support. We hope you continue this journey with us as the story carries on in Ever Dark Academy !