Gavner stared pensively from the loft of the southeast tower. The Ixian Castle had 5 main towers, 4 of which were at the corners of the perimeter and the fifth, which was the tallest of all, in the center of the castle. With each edifice at least thirteen stories high, they were some of the most strategic lookout places- or secretive areas, as access could easily be blocked off.

Gavner and Mavrik took the ship's passenger to the seclusion of the southeast tower where he was held in a room while they asked Jensen what to do with him.

Looking out over the scenic landscape, Gavner sighed as Mavrik's words repeated in his ears. It's all a matter of who you want to be- a human, or a vampire.

The creature of the night had never really thought of the nature of vamprism. He knew so many things about his vampire species, and the limits of his body, but when thinking of such things and performing incredible feats of strength, there was a certain distance from what he actually was. Despite his having been a vampire for nearly twenty years now, Gavner still saw himself as a human with vampire abilities rather than a true vampire.

"Gavner, are you out here?" Mavrik's voice came from inside the tower.

"Yes, I am in the loft," Gavner replied. Mavrik gracefully hoisted himself up onto the beam and sat next to Gavner all in one graceful motion before joining his friend in looking out over the landscape. The two supernatural creatures waited for a time, neither saying anything. Time seemed to be no real entity, as so many things were on his mind.

"I have missed the point," Gavner said.

"What do you mean?" Mavrik Replied.

"Mavrik," he asked, "What do you see yourself as?" His friend stared back blankly.

"I'm not sure what you are asking."

"Do you see yourself as a vampire?"

Suddenly, a gleam of understanding entered Mavrik's face, and he looked sympathetically upon the younger creature of the night. Mavrik could still remember when the same thoughts that were plaguing Gavner had ravaged his own mind. Some vampires handled losing their humanity worse than others.

"Well, Gavner, that is what I am," Mavrik replied gently. His friend remained silent. “Are you okay?”

Gavner continued to stare into the distance. “I do not know. I just- I still see myself as a human. I do not want to see myself as anything other than that.”

Mavrik studied his friend empathetically. He studied Gavner’s young, teenage features that would remain that way for what seemed a perpetual time. In comparison with his own matured features, Gavner was a mere infant; additionally, even in terms of age, there was over one hundred years of gap between the two vampires.

“I suppose we all cling to a bit of humanity, as children of the night. It’s how we are who we are,” Mavrik said. “Without being even a little bit human, we couldn’t understand exactly what it is to be vampric.”

Gavner lifted his gaze to look directly at his friend.

“We wouldn’t appreciate it.” Mavrik said, looking into Gavner’s glowing red irises. “Which is something you’ll come to understand, eventually. Gavner, we are creatures who live to see centuries upon centuries. You, you and your thirty-eight years, haven’t even begun to scratch the surface.”

Gavner gasped on the inside as he thought of his best friend. Black Shadow was a human who wouldn’t live to see more than a century. What would happen when he was gone? Gavner looked down at his hands. This was unlike him. Vampire generals were not supposed to be vulnerable to others. The creature of the night never opened up to anybody other than his closest friends. He looked at Mavrik once more, but a new light was cast upon his companion.

“Let’s get down to the interrogation room, Jensen wanted you.”