Alex began gathering everything that could be eaten or used in the coming days; he was moving lightly and quietly while putting the supplies in his bag. He turned to Niloufer, who was watching her father's corpse with a final look full of pain and confusion.
Alex: "So, are you ready?"
Niloufer (firmly): "More than ever.. we won't return here until I know the truth."
Alex set off on his way, his mind boiling with thoughts. He thought about using his supernatural strength and speed as a "vampire" to reach the destination quickly, but he immediately backed down; that would mean Niloufer would discover his reality. He chose to remain quiet, acting like a real human, enduring the exhaustion of the road. After thirty minutes of continuous walking in the middle of the forest:
Alex (grumbling): "Seriously, this place is very far.. isn't there any other way we can use to reach faster?"
Niloufer (surprised): "Really? What is wrong with you? Anyone seeing you would think this is your first time walking in your life! Look there, there is a nearby village. How about taking a rest there before sunrise, then we continue our way?"
Alex: "No, if the sun rises we will rest and sleep.. for I haven't tasted sleep in days."
This was just an excuse Alex made so he wouldn't touch the sunlight that might reveal his body.
Meanwhile, in the vampire world, Leo was deeply immersed in his research to no avail. He decided in a moment of resolve to go himself to the human world to search for the Professor. Leo arrived at the Professor's house; he entered the place to find old bloodstains and scattered books. He began reading the codes he had learned from the Professor long ago:
"A bit of the Life Stone, in the hand of a hybrid, in a lake atop the Eighth Mountain.. then the color of the moon changes, and darkness remains sovereign."
Leo was surprised by the simplicity of the method, but he realized that searching for Alex or the Life Stone in daylight would be difficult. While he was turning the papers, he found a definition for the "Freezing Stone"; a rare stone that makes a vampire walk under the sun as if he were human, and its location is inside the Third Mountain of the "Mountains of Power." Then Leo made his decision: "I will search for the Freezing Stone first, for it is what will make it easier for me to move freely to find Alex and the Life Stone."
Leo left the house heading toward the mountains. He was walking calmly with his long white hair and sharp features, looking like a lost noble youth. Suddenly, a gang of thieves blocked his way; their leader stood laughing wickedly: "Welcome, young man.. what are you doing here alone? Are you lost?". Leo did not utter a word, so the thief continued provoking him: "Do you need help? How much money do you have? And these clothes.. how much do they cost? I will help you in exchange for everything you own."
The thief approached, and before his hand could touch Leo's shoulder, his head fell to the ground and rolled between his companions' feet without anyone seeing what happened. The others didn't realize what occurred until their heads began falling one after another. One thief remained trembling on his knees; Leo stopped in front of him and asked in a deep voice: "Where is the road leading to the Mountains of Power?". The thief answered in terror: "F-from there, sir." Leo said coldly: "Fine." The thief tried to thank Leo for leaving him alive, but he found his body falling without a soul. Leo wiped his hand and said with contempt: "Excuse me? What mercy are you talking about? Death is your inevitable fate, whether today or tomorrow."
At the same time, Alex was entering the village with Niloufer.
Alex (to the innkeeper Jack): "Hello, we are looking for an inn to stay."
Jack (greedily): "Welcome.. the room is 5 silver coins."
Alex (angrily): "Really? We want a room, not to buy the whole building, you thief!"
Jack: "If you don't want it, there are others."
Alex: "Fine.. we don't want it."
They continued walking until they reached a park in the center of the village. Alex sat on a worn-out wooden bench, watching the passersby with cautious eyes. The noise of the village annoyed him, and the human laughter seemed like meaningless noise.
Alex: "Times have changed a lot.. villages are no longer what they used to be."
Niloufer: "What time do you mean?"
Alex (observing the passersby): "Look.. whoever lives in this village possesses advanced weapons, and I see many mages and warriors wandering freely."
Niloufer: "This is the state of small villages now, Alex, but my father told me that major cities possess double the power and magic of these villages."
Alex: "Fine, let's rest here now, and we will look for a place to stay later.. and don't stare at me like that, save your energy for what's coming in the forest."
Alex held his heart for a moment; he felt a strange sting. He thought to himself: "Why does she still trust me? If she knew I was there when the last drop of her father's blood fell, would she still be sitting by my side like this?" He quickly brushed the thought aside; his mission was the research, and Niloufer was nothing more than a key to reach it.
As for Niloufer, endless questions were racing through her head. She looked at Alex; he seemed as mysterious as a forest on a dark night. "This man saved me, but he doesn't seem like the humans I know. His coldness, his speed, and even the way he looks at people... as if he sees them as prey, not neighbors." She nodded silently, while her hand touched the small mirror in her bag—the mirror that would soon change everything.
As for the Professor's crow, he was watching them from a distance, hiding among the tree branches to avoid revealing himself to Alex.
Far from them, Leo had already reached the outskirts of the "Mountains of Power" range. The weather was stormy, and fog covered everything, but Leo felt a strange energy emanating from one of the peaks. The cave entrance was not open as he had thought; instead, it was blocked by massive rock boulders covered in ancient incantations. Leo took a deep breath, then raised his right hand toward the rocks, and a thick black aura began to rise from his fingers. In a split second, Leo unleashed a wave of dark energy that shook the foundations of the mountain, causing the rocks to shatter and scatter like dust under the pressure of his terrifying power. Leo walked calmly through the rising dust, his eyes glowing a deep crimson red. He stopped and looked into the distance, where he spotted a cold blue shimmer breaking through the blackness of the rocks from afar. A smile of victory appeared on his face, and he said in a faint voice: "There you are, Freezing Stone... finally, I have found you."