Alright guys... WE'RE IN THE ENDGAME NOW. Happy Birthday to me!

This is the last chapter before we move into the fourth phase. I wanted Endgame to be the last piece, and I was fine with having it be extra long until I finished this chapter and read it over.. and it just didn't feel right for all this to happen at the middle of a story. So we're ending Endgame here and now. You'll understand when you reach the bottom.

Once again, all the dialogue from Kurda's trial is pasted from the original source material itself. Everything besides dialogue is all me.

See you on the other side.

Chapter 16: Exile Part 2 - I'm Not Your Problem Anymore

Song: Exile by Taylor Swift


I can see you starin', honey
Like he's just your understudy
Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me

"You lie!" Seba Nile bellowed, pointing a trembling hand at Kurda.

Gods, I fucking wish. Kurda thought darkly.

"I don't." He said.

"You have seen this Vampaneze Lord?" Seba demanded.

"No. I would have killed him if I had."

"Then how do you know he exists?" Seba insisted. Kurda shrugged evasively.

"Answer him!" Paris roared, clearly starting to lose his cool. Kurda sighed and took a deep breath.

Here we fucking go, he thought.

"The vampaneze have a unique coffin. They call it the Coffin of Fire. Mr. Tiny bestowed it upon them many centuries ago, around the same time that he gave us this magical dome in which we stand. Ever since, it has been guarded by a troop of vampaneze who call themselves the Carriers of Destiny. The coffin is like any other - until someone lies down in it and the lid is put in place. Then the coffin fills with a terrible fire. If the person is destined to lead the vampaneze, he will emerge unscathed. Otherwise, he perishes in the flames."

Kurda paused to take a few more breaths and steady himself, then carried on.

"Over the decades, many vampaneze have braved the Coffin of Fire - and died. But six months ago a human lay down in it, faced the flames, and came out whole. He is the Lord of the Vampaneze, and once he has been blooded, every member of the clan will obey and follow him - to the death, if required."

The terror that was dawning on all three of the Princes' faces made his stomach churn.

"Were you there when this human was tested?" Paris croaked.

"No. Only the Carriers of Destiny were present."

"Then this might be only a rumor," Paris added desperately. Kurda knew he was grasping at straws. "A tall tale."

"Vampaneze never lie." Kurda argued wearily.

"Perhaps they've changed. The Stone of Blood would be worth a few lies. They could have tricked you, Kurda." Mika spoke up. His tone was as even as ever, and Kurda almost had to chuckle because of course it was. Why wouldn't it be? This is Mika Fucking Ver Leth we're talking about. He'd die before he'd show weakness while sitting on that throne, especially with this many eyes on him.

But Kurda knew Mika. The real Mika. And he could see the barely restrained panic and desperation in his steely eyes. He could practically hear all the alarm bells screaming in Mika's mind, begging for any indication that this wasn't really happening.

Kurda wanted to run to him, grab his hands, fall to his knees and scream at the top of his lungs that he never wanted this, that he was so so sorry, that the pain he'd caused all of them was eating him alive. But it was too late for that. So he took a page from Mika's book and locked all that pain away in the back of his mind, and threw away the key.

"Many vampaneze are as troubled by the coming of their Lord as we are. They don't seek a war. They fear the losses such a struggle would incur. That's why thirty-eight agreed to accompany me on this mission. They hoped to prevent total, all-out conflict, sparing their colleagues and friends." Kurda explained patiently, forcing himself to look away from Mika.

"You keep talking about preventing a war and saving us. I do not see how you thought betraying our cause could be of any help." Paris commented, frowning more than ever.

"I intended to force a union... When I heard that the Vampaneze Lord had been unearthed, I knew it was too late to put in place a fair peace agreement. Weighing my options - which were few - I decided to chance a coup. Had I succeeded, vampires everywhere would have been at the mercy of the vampaneze. Those in the Hall of Princes could have communicated with their kin and, via the Stone of Blood, fed them the exact location of most living vampires. Our people would have had no choice but to agree to my terms."

"And what would they have been?" Paris inquired.

"That we join the ranks of the vampaneze," Kurda replied resignedly. "I'd hoped for an equal union, where vampires and vampaneze each made concessions. Given the change of circumstances, that was impossible. We'd have had to adopt the vampaneze ways and customs. But that would have been preferable to annihilation."

"Not for me! I'd have rather died." Arrow snarled.

Of course you would - your brain is the size of a fucking acorn, Kurda wanted to yell in his face. But he didn't miss the fact that Mika sighed and shot Arrow a quick look of what resembled exasperation.

"I'm sure others would too," Kurda answered steadily. "But I believe most would have seen sense. Even if they hadn't, and you all chose to fight to the death, at least I'd have tried."

Arrow glared murderously at him but didn't challenge him any further.

"What was in it for you, Kurda? Did the vampaneze promise you a title? Are there to be Princes in the new regime?" Mika questioned coolly, raising his eyebrows.

Yes, Mika. Because everyone automatically wants what you have. Everyone wants to be just like you, Kurda thought. It was a struggle to keep the sarcastic scowl off his face.

"The vampaneze made no offers," Kurda clarified with equal coolness. "Many wish to avoid a war, so a few dozen volunteers - brave men, who you killed like vermin - agreed to risk their lives and assist me. We had no ulterior motives. We did it for your sakes, not our own."

"Very noble of you, Kurda," Mika retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. There was a sudden chilly arrogance about him that Kurda hadn't seen in over a decade. Hot indignation flared up in Kurda's chest.

"Nobler than you could possibly imagine!" Kurda snarled up at him. "Have you no brains? Don't you see the sacrifice I made?"

He no longer wanted to run to Mika and hold him. He wanted to knock him out of his throne and pound some sense into him before it was too late.

"What sacrifice?" Mika asked, his face falling.

"Win or lose, my reward would have been death. The vampaneze despise traitors even more than we do. Had everything worked out, I'd have remained within the Hall of Princes to oversee the merging of the clans. Then, when our people's future was assured, I'd have offered myself for sentencing and suffered the very same fate which awaits me now." Said Kurda hoarsely, feeling bile rise up in the back of his throat.

"You expect us to believe the vampaneze would have killed the man who presented their archenemies to them?" Mika snorted with a harsh, humourless laugh. Kurda's frustration reached an entirely new peak.

"You'll believe it because it's true. Neither the vampires nor vampaneze will suffer a traitor to live. That law is written in the hearts of each and every member of the clans. The vampaneze who came with me would have been heroes - they'd broken none of their own laws, except trespassing on vampire turf - but me, a man who'd betrayed his own?" Kurda paused to draw another deep breath as he stared defiantly back up at Mika. He shook his head wearily. "There was nothing 'in it' for me, Mika, and you're a fool if you believe any different."

There was no longer a trace of derision or sarcasm left on the dark Prince's face. Reality had finally shattered the chilly, impassive facade he put on every time he sat in that throne. Only fear and bewilderment remained. There was no more Sire Ver Leth. It was only Mika sitting up there now. The rest of the clan may not see the difference, but it was as clear as night and day to Kurda.

"I expect and ask for no mercy," Kurda continued fiercely. "My only wish is that you remember what I tried to do in the difficult years to come. I had only the best interests of the clan at heart. I hope one night you see that and acknowledge it."

You fucking idiots, he thought.

"If all you have said is true, why did you not come to us? If we had known about the Vampaneze Lord, we could have taken steps to stamp him out." Asked Paris, his face growing paler and more heartbroken by the minute. Kurda felt a pang of grief. He'd always respected Paris. The man had essentially been his father-in-law at one point. It hurt to see the fear on his ancient face.

"By killing every living vampaneze?" Kurda asked bitterly, pushing down those feelings back down again.

"If we had to." Paris affirmed grimly.

"That was not my wish. I sought to save lives, not take them. Fighting won't save the vampires, not if Mr. Tiny's prophecy is valid. But a union - before the threat could come to pass - might have saved us. I can't say I was right... For all I know, my actions will provide the spark which leads to war and destruction. But I had to try. I believed it was in my hands to divert the course of fate. Right or wrong, I couldn't willingly surrender my people to Mr. Tiny's grim prophecy."

Kurda sighed deeply again. He was so, so exhausted. He no longer cared if Mika was able to save him or not. He just wanted to be out of this room so badly it was causing him physical pain.

"I have few regrets," he added, turning to look at Darren. His heart broke for the boy and all he'd witnessed and endured. "I took a chance, and it didn't pan out - that's life. My one real source of sorrow is that I had to kill Gavner Purl. It was not my wish to shed blood. But the plan came first. The future of our people as a whole outweighed that of any individual. I'd have killed a dozen more like Gavner if I had to - even a hundred, if it meant safeguarding the lives of the rest."

A suffocating silence filled the Hall. There were no more jeers or roars or threats of violent bodily harm. Every soul in the place had been shaken to the core and had no energy left to expend on Kurda.

"Do you where the Vampaneze Lord is, or what the vampaneze are planning?" Arrow choked out after a while. His face was pale and his eyes were filled with a thousand different emotions.

Kurda shook his head and he knew Arrow believed him.

The floor was open questioning but no vampire broke the silence. There was an unmistakable look of anguish on their collective faces, it was clear they were ashamed of themselves now. Kurda knew nobody would strike or sneer at him when he walked out of this hall.

He stared up at the Princes. Their faces were anything but cold and decisive now. Paris slowly stood up and addressed the room.

"The three of us must now discuss the best way to proceed. Please excuse us for a moment."

And the three of them disappeared into the small meeting room behind the thrones, leaving Kurda there at the front of the room. Surrounded by guards but still entirely alone.

Second, third, and hundredth chances
Balancin' on breaking branches
Those eyes add insult to injury

The atmosphere in the small room was suffocating. The three of them sat around the long, rectangular table. Paris at the head, and Mika and Arrow sitting across from each other.

Paris looked slowly across at Arrow, who looked agitated and battle-ready. And Mika, who had dropped his mask of cold detachment the second he'd turned his back on the crowd, and suddenly looked like he'd aged a hundred years in the past hour. He was slumped on the table with his face in his hands.

"So... any thoughts?" Said Paris softly. "For all my years of experience, I must admit this is a new one for me."

"He committed high treason and attempted assassination. Technically, the only correct answer is execution." Said Arrow curtly, then repeated: "Technically."

Mika lifted his head and peered wearily at both of them. His eyes were red but he spoke with calm resignation.

"Both of your already know the difficult position I'm in. I may have severed my personal ties with him, but the fact remains we share a daughter. I'm going to be blunt: if it was anyone else, I'd call for execution. But of all the vampires in this clan, it just HAD to be Kurda Smahlt..."

Mika paused for a moment and closed his eyes. He took a few shaky breaths to steady himself. Paris and Arrow exchanged a discreet look of concern.

"I can't do that to Gracie. I won't. I agree there should be severe consequences for his crimes. I'm disgusted by what he's done. But if it comes to it, I intend to do everything in my power to halt any attempt on Kurda's life. And if that makes me unfit for my title and throne... then fucking take it." Mika finished, glaring defiantly. There was a vicious bite to his tone that neither Paris nor Arrow had ever heard directed at them before.

"Nice try. You're not getting un-invested in the middle of a shitstorm like this. We have too much work to do." Arrow retorted sharply. His tone was gruff but his eyes were wide with alarm at Mika's words.

"Nobody's taking your title away, Mika." Paris whispered with considerably more tact. "I'm disturbed you'd even consider that."

Mika met Paris's gaze but maintained a stony silence. Paris sighed heavily and reached out to place his hand on Mika's arm.

"What would you suggest, then?" He asked sombrely.

"Dishonourable exile." Said Mika bluntly. "He fucks off and never looks back. Agrees to have zero contact with either clans - the exception being if I need to communicate with him regarding our daughter, but I'll deal with that myself. And if he breaks the agreement, I will not step in to save him."

"You've put a lot of thought into this." Paris commented with a thin smile.

"It's my fucking job. Trust me when I say I have no desire to keep in touch with Kurda, but Gracie isn't part of the clan so it would be unfair to cut him out of her life when I know without a shadow of a doubt he'd never hurt her."

"Mika... think about it. He would've killed you." Arrow whispered.

"I haven't stopped thinking about it." Mika snapped, then sighed. "You have to trust me on this. Gracie loves him, and he loves her as much as I do. If there's a chance they can someday have a healthy relationship after this, I want to preserve that. So I vote dishonourable exile."

Arrow looked across at Paris, troubled.

A: Trust me when I say... Kurda has zero right to walk out of this place alive after what he's done.

PS: I have mixed feelings, but I essentially agree with you. I don't know what to think.

A: But the truth is, if we drop him on the stakes we might as well put Mika in the cage with him, because if we kill Kurda we lose Mika too. Not literally but we both know he'd never recover.

PS: Also true.

A: We're going war. We need Mika on our team. And I don't know if I could live with myself if I put him through that. Maybe I'm failing as a Prince for feeling that way, but it's how I feel.

PS: If you're failing, then so am I. It's in the clan's best interest to keep Mika focused. To keep up a united front if we want to stand a chance. And if that means letting Kurda walk...

A: Gods, I fucking hate this.

PS: As do I... are we in agreement?

"I know you're talking about me." Mika grunted with disdain.

Paris sighed.

"We're granting him dishonourable exile, Mika." Said the ancient Prince softly.

"Not because we think he deserves to live. But because neither of us can stomach the thought of putting you and Grace through his execution. And perhaps that means we're letting the clan down." Arrow croaked. "But that's the truth."

"I will be honest though, even without your connection to him I still would have been hesitant to carry out an execution, knowing what we know now. He betrayed us... but his intentions were true. This is an awful situation." Paris murmured.

Mika exhaled deeply and ran his hands wearily through his hair. He was unable to look at either Paris or Arrow. He loathed the fact that he was in this position, was disgusted by the fact that his colleagues were bending the rules for him. If he'd been watching this situation unfold as an outsider, he would've been livid.

But he wasn't an outsider. He was caught in the middle of this ugly hell. Stuck between a rock and the most brutal hard place he could imagine.

Mika's only comfort was the grim relief that he wouldn't have to watch Kurda fall to his death on the stakes. He knew the reality was that it would be more painful in the long run to know Kurda was out there somewhere alive than it would be to send him to a quick death, but nothing was worth living with Kurda's blood on his hands. This was the bed he was making, and he was prepared to lie in it.

"Let us get back to the others, then. We will pass the sentence quickly and get him out of the mountain before the Generals demand a vote." Said Paris hollowly as he got up.

Mika hesitated before standing up from his chair, and took several deep breaths. The thought of going back out there was making him a little nauseous.

"It's almost over." Said Arrow, looking across the table at Mika. "Just a little longer."

Mika looked numb but determined as he slowly raised his body from his chair and followed Paris out the door with Arrow close behind.

"We will not be taking up any more time on this matter here tonight." Arrow barked across the hall. "We have made a decision regarding the fate of Kurda Smahlt and let me remind all of you that the decision of the Princes is absolutely final. There will be no further debate after this."

"Kurda Smahlt." Said Paris in a softer voice as he moved to the centre of the platform to stand directly before Kurda who was still shackled and standing at the bottom of the steps surrounded by a circle of guards. "For the betrayal of your colleagues and your clan, for the treason you plotted with the vampaneze, for the murder of Gavner Purl, and for the attempted assassination of three Princes..."

The ancient Prince paused, and the silence in the Hall was deafening. Mika could practically hear Kurda's heart pounding as he waited to hear his fate.

"...we have sentenced you to dishonourable exile." Paris concluded grimly.

The Hall exploded into chaos and Kurda would've almost certainly been trampled to death had the guards not formed a protective circle around him - although they seemed to do so very begrudgingly.

"ORDER!" Arrow snarled at the top of his lungs, with enough aggression to freeze even the angriest protestor in their tracks. "Sit down when your Princes address you. As I said before, our decision is final. Spare us your petulant, dirty looks and muttered complaints. He will never again be accepted among our clan or among the vampaneze, of that much we are certain. They don't tolerate traitors any more than we do. If he returns to Vampire Mountain without the permission of the Princes, he will be killed on sight. Needless to say he has been stripped of his status as a Prince Elect and as a General. As far as I am concerned from this moment on..." Arrow stared down at Kurda with a stony look of pure hatred. "...Kurda Smahlt doesn't exist."

A ripple of dissatisfied mutterings ran back and forth across the room but everyone in attendance knew better than to speak out when Arrow had forbidden it so explicitly.

"You are all dismissed." Said Paris at last, and the congregation of unsettled vampires reluctantly began to file out of the hall until Kurda was left alone with the three Princes.

I think I've seen this film before
And I didn't like the ending
I'm not your problem anymore
So who am I offending now?
You were my crown
Now I'm in exile seein' you out
I think I've seen this film before
So I'm leavin' out the side door

Once the Hall of Princes had cleared out, Mika requested to speak with Kurda alone and Paris and Arrow allowed it. Kurda followed Mika into the small meeting room and sat down at the table within. Mika sat down across from him and for a moment they just stared across at each other.

"Say something." Said Mika.

"After everything I've already said tonight, what more could there possibly be?" Kurda whispered desolately. "I've already told you I'm sorry. It's worthless to you at this point, no matter how true it is."

"That night right after Darren disappeared... and I found you on the floor..." Mika muttered. "You'd just killed Gavner, hadn't you?"

"Yes." Kurda responded tonelessly.

Mika nodded slowly, taking it all in.

"Kurda, I was so fucking worried about you that night... and you were falling apart because you'd just murdered a good man who'd never done anything to anyone in his life. To say my mind is blown is an understatement."

"I already stood trial once today." Said Kurda stiffly. "I'm not going down that road again. You now know everything I know. I'll hate myself for the rest of my life for it, but I can't change it. Now tell me why you've brought me in here."

"Because we have an entire kid together and that means we have some things to discuss before they throw you out into the snow." Mika replied grimly.

Kurda sighed heavily and nodded.

"I've been thinking about this all day. Prior to your trial, before I knew the whole story I wasn't going to set any official rules for you where Grace was concerned." Mika began, running his hands through his hair. A telltale sign he was stressed. "Despite your betrayal of the clan, I trusted you'd keep her best interests at the forefront of your priorities."

Kurda exhaled. He knew what was coming.

"Mika, please..."

"Shut up." Mika spat venomously, his voice shaking slightly. "You have zero grounds for argument here. This is the deal: When we spoke before the trial I said I'd let Grace decide whether or not you still deserve a place in her life. And then I found out you had a bottle of poison with my name on it."

Kurda met Mika's gaze resignedly. He knew he should be grateful he wasn't lying at the bottom of the stake pit right now, but every word hit him like a punch to the gut. Mika carried on. He was unable to keep his voice from trembling but he powered through.

"You lost what was left of my trust. I didn't want to do this, but I have no choice knowing what I know now. I forbid you from contacting or visiting her. And that is a direct fucking order."

For the first time, Kurda flinched.

"You can't just cut me out of her life! You know I'd never hurt her. This had nothing to do with her. I know you understand that, please Mika-"

"Let me finish." Mika growled. "You're right, I don't believe you'd ever let any harm come to her. Personally, I don't want you in her life... but I'm not going to take that choice away from her. Therefore if she decides she wants to be in contact with you, she can choose to initiate it and I'll support her however I can. And if she doesn't want anything to do with you, I'll support that too. Bottom line is, you only see her if she wants you to."

"You won't even give me a chance to explain any of this to her?" Kurda rasped, feeling tears scorching his eyes again.

"When this is over, I'll be flitting up to the school by myself to do the explaining." Mika snapped. "Do you think I'd let you be the one to break the news to her after I find out you've been hiding this for YEARS, Kurda?! And don't even try to get there first. I'll be tracking your location in the Stone until I know you're far away. But I will not try to sway her one way or the other. She'll have all of the facts so she can make a decision based on that."

Kurda couldn't stop himself from falling apart. His body trembled as he was overtaken by dry, aching sobs.

"I'm never going to see her again..." he choked out in anguish, burying his bruised face in his hands.

"You don't know that." He heard Mika reply, his voice sounding far away. "I give you my word here and now that if she ever wants to reconnect with you, I'll help her find you. And I'll find a way to deal with it."

"She's going to hate me." Kurda moaned. "Gods, I tried... I tried so hard. Mika, you don't understand. I was trapped. I had no choice! You weren't there!"

"I'VE BEEN HERE THIS ENTIRE FUCKING TIME!" Mika roared, finally losing control and standing up so sharply his chair went flying as he slammed his fists down on the table. "Kurda, I sat in this mountain for months on end while you were out there planning this! I asked you so many times if you were okay. You could've come to me. I would've done anything to help you, and I mean anything! I knew something was wrong but I trusted you knew what you were doing when you made it clear you didn't want my help! You've been pushing me away for so long and it all makes sense now!"

Kurda really thought he'd seen Mika go off the deep end over the years, but nothing like this. He was yelling so loudly Kurda stopped crying without even realizing.

"But I have to give you some credit here! Of the hundreds of worst case scenarios that tore my brain apart every second you were gone, you somehow managed to outdo every single one of them!" Mika continued, eyes flashing with nuclear outrage.

"So congratulations, Kurda! You may have failed your plan but at least you can walk away with your life knowing you outsmarted me, even if it was only because I was so fucking blinded by you I couldn't see the red flags you were waving in my face! Gods! I can't believe... I fucking trusted you with everything I had..."

Mika was in a clear downward spiral now, so unhinged and overwhelmed he turned away from Kurda and rammed his fist into the unyielding stone wall.

"FUCK!" He snarled, recoiling and cradling the hand against his chest. He stood for several more moments, panting heavily. Then he finally picked his chair back up with his good hand and sat back in it. He was shaking. Kurda leaned heavily onto the table. Witnessing Mika imploding made the Pit of Stakes look appealing.

Kurda summoned his remaining strength and used it to cast a stony glare of pure spite across the table at his ex. Funnily enough, this was the first time he'd truly thought of Mika as his ex. Even months ago when it had fallen apart before their very eyes, they'd still never formally terminated their relationship.

"Mika, you don't have to believe me but I am so sorry I put you through this. You were nothing but good to me. And I may have lied to you, but when I told you I loved you... I meant it." Kurda hissed through gritted teeth.

Mika slowly looked up at him and Kurda was surprised by how quickly the boiling hot anger seemed to have ebbed away. Now Mika just looked as broken as Kurda felt.

"But..." Kurda added deliberately. "You wouldn't be sitting there looking like that if there wasn't some part of you that knows I did the right thing. What you would've done in my position. After that mission years ago... the roof, the explosion... I told you I would've done worse than that for the good of the clan. And you admitted you would've done the same."

The silence was deafening when Kurda paused to gauge Mika's reaction. The unmasked stark realization on his face was almost enough to make Kurda laugh as he knew his point had been made with perfect clarity.

"Well, babe..." Kurda whispered, smiling with grim satisfaction even as his voice cracked. "This is 'worse'."

So step right out
There is no amount
Of cryin' I can do for you

All this time
We always walked a very thin line
You didn't even hear me out (You didn't even hear me out)
You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)

Mika and a half dozen guards escorted Kurda down through the mountain. He insisted on being the one to see Kurda out. Paris didn't object but he did insist some guards be present.

"What do you think I'm going to do, hook up with him once more for old time's sake?" Mika snapped viciously when Paris suggested it. Paris sighed but didn't say anything else. Arrow rolled his eyes and groaned. And with that, Mika stalked away from them to rejoin the guards that were surrounding Kurda.

Nobody spoke as they made the long trek to one of the exit tunnels. Once they reached the crack that opened up to the crisp night air, Mika raised his hand sharply to halt the guards. Kurda walked calmly outside and Mika followed him at a distance.

Once outside, the dark Prince and the once-golden ex-General stopped and turned to face each other. There were no words left now. Only a thousand memories flashing back and forth between them.

The night they found Gracie. Motel, Doritos, diapers, bubble bath.

The whirlwind that was her childhood. Adventures, bumps and bruises, lullabies, the pet tarantula, little dresses, hair bows, bedtime stories.

The unprecedented ways that chaos brought them together. Laughing, crying, worrying, learning, celebrating, arguing, teamwork.

The realization that there was something more. An empty ballroom, dancing, getting drunk on cocktails, more dancing, the kiss that changed everything. The earnest denial that came after. The stormy September night in the motel bed when they couldn't deny it any longer.

The months of confusion that followed. Mika leaving, finding Arra. Mika coming back. Secret summer fling. Arra coming back for Mika. Kurda's confusion that quickly turned to frustration. Kurda leaving. News of an engagement. Kurda coming back.

The unspoken longing between them as Mika prepared to marry Arra. The sudden realization that brought him to his knees with hours to spare. The vows. The way Kurda kissed him when he finally surrendered to what should've happened sooner.

The happiness that followed that was better than either of them could've imagined. It had always been too good to be true. Driving the rented Escalade. Singing to the radio, eating greasy delicious human food. The five-star hotel. The ring. Spending all day in bed alternating between making sweet love, and unrestrained fucking. Both were perfect.

The mission. The explosion, Mika losing his sanity for five minutes and finding it again, burnt and bruised but intact. Kurda's nomination that came imminently after. The tidal wave of emotions it brought up that he'd never truly recovered from.

The slow decay of all that happiness. The trips, the fights, the tears of confusion and frustration, the lies, the desperation.

The final, damning moment before Darren interrupted the investiture. The end of an era. There was no way back from this now.

All of it came down to this moment as they stood several feet apart in the softly falling snow.

"Goodbye, Sire Ver Leth." Kurda whispered desolately. There was no emotion in his voice. His soul was back in that mountain.

"Goodbye, Gen-" He caught himself. No more General Smahlt. "Goodbye... Kurda." Mika replied. His voice was quiet and his eyes were haunted.

They only had one thing left in common, they were both completely empty, used up, drained. There was nothing more either could give the other.

Kurda turned away from Vampire Mountain, from Mika, from his entire life up til this point... and began to walk.

Mika watched him until he'd disappeared into the trees, then he went back inside.

Game over.

All this time
I never learned to read your mind (Never learned to read my mind)
I couldn't turn things around (You never turned things around)
'Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)


You did it! You survived Endgame! I'm so sorry I hurt you.

I don't know what Part 4 will be called but Chapter 1 of that is mostly complete so you won't have to wait too long.

If you need something to cheer you up, go read September 9th which is a angst-free birthday gift I wrote for myself last night. It'd take place before 24/7 Sad Boy Hours took effect in Vampire Mountain.

Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined :) Thank you to everyone who's commented, subbed, faved, and messaged on FFnet, AO3, Tumblr, & Discord!

- Roxy