The ferry came around in an hour or so. They docked close to the river shore. A small plank was placed making a ramp for everyone to hop on.
Nicolai showed his metal badge to the guy who was checking and got in. Just after, the badges were collected again.
These were reusable tickets.
He sat in a small corner, not attracting any attention.
When nighttime came around he stood up feeling the cold breeze. they had crossed the river into the open ocean now.
Nicolai nostalgically glanced back.
In the darkness, he saw the humongous trees sway around in the wind. This place was close to green land. The last he had seen, his new home was covered in snow up to his knees.
"I wonder how it changed.. the old lady mentioned a lot of natural disasters. did the world tilt to the side...."
Just thinking about this topic really reminded him of his dad.
Nico plopped down on the rocking deck with a loud sigh. "Did my dad leave me here for fun..."
His father really was a prankster. Every now and then he would hide his phone or the remote and will pretend that he had never seen it.
Once he even poured shaving cream in his shoes and acted like he had nothing to do with it.
Nicolai chuckled softly. "You tossed your son away to a distant land, old man. Just you wait. I'll secretly shave your head in the middle of the night. Or else my fury would be endless."
Three-day's journey was not that bad. The water was calm, and the climate was also very agreeable. They were all sitting on the deck.
Yet still he could not get a wink of sleep. His whole body was wiped out but that anxiety and nervousness kept him awake.
Something felt so odd.. His heart was pounding loudly…
The nights did get slightly colder.
He wore his straw clothes above his cotton ones to retain his body warmth.
The bread the old lady gave him was more than filling.
On the afternoon of the third day, they saw land.
Nicolai excitedly looked out, half expecting to see a frozen land.
The green lush lands stood afar.
Sighing, Nico bit into his bread. 'it's really hard to adjust to this…'
"Cough.. cough…" the cold air and constant state of wetness left him sick. plus the silent sobbing he did every night also contributed to a very sore throat and clogged nose.
By the third day afternoon, the ship docked in a small port. It was busy with wolves going here and there. He walked past them.
His bloody stench got covered with the scent of salt and the ocean.
Happily, Nicolai walked about exploring this port. He was not sure where his home was right now. so he blindly walked around.
The small town looked almost the same.
It was a huge surprise to him.
How can a town stay the same for thousands of years! It was close to impossible.
But here he was roaming the streets of the familiar town gawking around. The buildings and villas all looked relatively new. The town must have built the houses in the same model over and over again for almost a thousand years.
Even the witch's house was left as it was.
Nicolai laughed slightly. In fact, the house was decorated with flowers and had a beautiful garden. There were also small candle lit up there. "Guess things did change here,"
His house was really close by the witch's house. He happily ran to the right street.
His heart was pounding with excitement.
The area was filled with trees now. He ran past so many huge trees in the familiar direction.
But.. he paused.
The place where his house was.. There was nothing there.
It was just in ruins. The river had moved closer to his house and it was flooded with water.
"What is this? Why is our house in such a state? Everyone else's place was intact.. why is…"
He massaged his head. Of course, his place was destroyed because it was vampire's adobe.
His house was made up of very sturdy rocks it was the only reason the ruins even lasted so many hundred years.
Suddenly there was a sharp pain in the back of his head.
Nico groaned loudly sitting by a tree trunk.
Small memories resurfaced. It was the time he was tossed into the coffin coldly. He felt a weird heat that time…
He also remembered seeing a bright light.
A soft whisper. "I'm sorry Nico…"
Nicolai shot up. "No… it's not what happened. He chucked me down and must have ran...."
He could not breathe for a second.
His father was not a person who would run leaving his loved one behind…..
Especially if the wolves knew he was buried down there they will dig him up. to hide his presence his dad….
He must have blown the place up.
"Gasp!" Nico could not stand up straight. He knelt down to the ground. "no way… dad… he didn't…"
His dad would have…
"I need.. to check.." he hurriedly dove into the river.
Swimming down, he saw only the basement part was intact.
The rest of the building was gone.. The basement wall had shattered, leaving a hole that connected to the river.
Nico swam up, panting loudly.
The full reality hit him hard. His father…. Might not be alive.
And he… he ended up far from this place only because his coffin was washed away by the river.
His coffin was fully waterproof. Even if it was submerged in water and buried under the wet sludge of the river it can protect him well….
Nico climbed out of the river and just laid on the ground sobbing.
His heart was aching so bad…..
Little by little his heartbeat slowed down until it finally stopped. His human heart could not handle this sorrow.
His eyes were starting to blur out. he could not think.. he could not speak.
"hey.. hello?" a vague figure came up front. "You're not supposed to be here.. come on get up. we have to leave,"
Nico plopped his face into the mud. He really wanted to suffocate and just die.
But a vampire was eternal. The only way to kill them is to burn them alive. The pain would be very intense.
Nicolai was not sure if he could go through with it.
"hey! This is the werewolf king's territory! You can't just stay here! We have to run!!" that man shouted.
Nico did not even bother to look up.
His eyes closed finally after three days of the anxious journey.. he fell into a deep slumber.