The return to the Kagu family residence wasn't dramatic. No trumpets. No sweeping declarations. Just the soft thrum of landing gear and the quiet creak of pressure-stabilized doors opening after hours of high-altitude silence. I stepped onto the sleek polished stone of the private landing bay, the kind that hummed slightly when you walked across it, as if annoyed to be stepped on by mortals.
I wasn't alone. Jin Ashbluff, Ian Viserion, Aria Gu, and Ava Peng filed out behind me, all looking like they'd just been introduced to the concept of existential dread. Because, in fairness, they had. Being evacuated from the Southern Sea Sun Palace by a compact evac-plane—because the larger crafts had been prioritized for less terrifyingly competent people—does that to you. It had enough space for five, barely, and enough tension to make breathing optional.
Vampires.
