Griffinburg

Magnificent, lush beauty awaited them outside of that station, cobbled stone path, sparkly shiny buildings people being themselves, children laughing and playing.

Not only that but also there were plants and trees everywhere, and the sunlight was shining making the fresh dew on the green leaves sparkle like pearls.

"Griffingburg, last place to ever tame a griffin, probably the last Griffin!" Alicia smiled "A place that is more alive than the human world itself!"

The best part about it was Lisa could see the beauty that was hidden from her before she became a vampire, and everything seemed more lively than ever.

Birds chirping, beautiful coo-ees of Koel, the slightly cold wind breeze, he was still lost in the beauty of Griffingburg when she realized a kid with golden curls came running her way.

Lisa looked at him as he glanced at her with his round sparkly blue eyes, Lisa bowed down with her hands on her knees and smiled at him "Hello" She greeted.

"You are so pretty!" The boy took out a flower from his basket and gave it to her.

"Awh, thank you!" She smiled as she held the flower closer to her heart.

"Will you play with my friends?" The little boy pulled her hand.

Lisa turned to Edgar and shrugged, before he'd stop her she already ran off to the park where there other children were.

Edgar tried to go and stop her, but Alicia held his wrist. Both Edgar and Alicia watched her meeting with the children, "She's so full of life, don't let the kid inside her die."

Edgar smiled as he saw them tying a blindfold around her eyes, kids were giggling and running around her, and after a lot of fake struggle, she finally caught one girl.

She removed her blindfold and the girl giggled, she gently kissed the girl on her cheek and put her down.

Afterward, she excused herself and approached Edgar and Alicia, while her gaze still stuck behind, at the children.

As she turned her head toward Edgar she caught him staring at her with a big smile, this was the first time he was looking into her eyes while smiling which made her nervous, she blushed and lowered her eyes.

"Let's go!" Alicia led the way and they followed her, it seemed as if this was a city somewhere in a mix between 60s and 2023, a completely different but decent sense of fashion, and the best part was that everyone was happy.

"This place is full of vampires and witches and we live in unity!" Alicia explained, "But except for a few witches, from the Eastwood Blood Line!" She shrugged. "I mean it is just because of how Isidro betrayed her bla bla bla!" She added.

"How is it betraying?" Lisa somehow disagreed with that.

"I know honey, I know! This isn't me who says that because we are on good terms!"

Alicia turned around as she kept walking backward "This is Eastwood Witches who says he betrayed her not us!" She clarified and as soon as she turned around she bumped into Ben.

"Ben!!!" She exclaimed with fake joy and grinned as she stepped back.

"Where were you?" Lisa asked.

"Ask her!" He stared at Alicia, who was hiding behind Lisa.

"Whatever he tells you he is lying!" She peeked out from behind her, yelled, and quickly hid back.

"She made her guards stop me outside of her club!" Ben stood with his arms folded.

"What, why?" Lisa turned around with confusion.

"She won't tell you, I will!" Ben stepped forward "Because she thought I was here to collect a debt!"

"Oh, but you were!!" At first, Alicia stared at him then squinted with confusion. "Weren't you?"

"You are an idiot!" Ben smiled "I wasn't there for debt!" He walked to Alicia and grabbed her with his arm around her neck "What are you waiting for lets go?" Ben pulled Edgar by his arm.

As they walked further, dark clouds started appearing on the sky and the crowd lessened and lessened until there was none left.

There were cars in front of a few houses, lights were already turned on, and the clouds kept getting darker and then a gust of wind blew the dead leaves off the trees toward them.

"What happened here?" Lisa asked as she could also see the change in the weather.

"Nothing happened to the place, we are happening to it!" Ben replied "Which means we are walking to a place that is opposite of the place we were standing on a minute ago" He added.

They kept walking until they saw a house on the corner with an alley on the left with a white fence on the left and across that fence was a calm sea.

After walking for a little longer they found themselves standing in front of a small seaport with a small boat, and on their right was another fence leading to a bridge, this bridge seemed abandoned and weak.

"Why are we here anyway?" Ben turned to Edgar.

"Because Bianca is forcing us to do this!" Lisa held Edgar's wrist and showed it to Ben.

"What? What is this?" He didn't know anything about it.

They explained everything to him, "I think we can do it together!" He said.

But Alicia had some strange look on her face, and no one noticed it except for Lisa, Alicia seemed worried about something, Lisa held her arm and smiled "Nothing will happen as long as we are together!"

Alicia forcefully smiled.

"Give us a minute?" Edgar excused and took Lisa away for a moment "Listen!" He was finding the courage to say this because he knew what he was about to say may make her mad.

"I need you to stay with Ben for a while, while I obtain the artifact for Bianca and that thing which Alicia…" He stopped saying what he was saying because he could already see Lisa's face flushed red.

But she handled him gently like he always do. "Edgar!" She held his hand and looked him in his eyes "You stood there by my side, when I needed you, I am not going to run away when you are in danger!"

"It's not like that" Edgar turned his face away and stood by the fence.

"I know I may not be as strong as you are… but I will never be able to forgive myself if I leave you alone in this time, please! Don't make me do something I don't want to!" She insisted and Edgar stopped forcing her, knowing she had made up her mind.

It was a difficult task crossing that bridge but they eventually succeeded, but Lisa was in the middle of it when the center of the bridge collapsed, and now there was a big gap in between.

Edgar's face turned pale, he was afraid he may have been separated from her, but Lisa seemed calm. "Hang on I will get to you through the sea!" Edgar yelled.

"Don't even think about it!" Alicia held his arm "This is acid for vampires, if you dare touch it, even your soul won't survive!" She said.

"Guys?" Ben yelled so they turned to him and realized he was staring at Lisa, when they turned to her they realized she was away from the bridge and was running toward them at her full speed.

"No, Lisa! Stop!" Edgar yelled and before he could say anything she jumped and to their surprise she landed right beside them.

"How did you do that?" Alicia stared at her with her eyes wide open.

"I don't know, I just knew that I could" Lisa breathed deeply.

"Jumping this long is impossible, even for a supernatural being!" Ben walked to the edge of the bridge and peeked down, the waves were hitting the rocks underneath as if they were calling for him and then he glanced at the distance, the area from where she jumped was so far away that even looking at there was making his head spin.

"Who are you?" Ben rushed back to her, he had a strange kind of rage in his eyes that frightened Lisa, she stepped back as she saw him approaching.

"Ben!" Edgar tried to hold him but he slipped out of his grip.

"I said who are you!" He roared loudly with his face an inch away from hers, she got startled.

"Ben, what the hell is wrong with you?" Edgar pulled him away.

Ben held his head and shook it harder "I am sorry, I didn't mean to…" He apologized.

"There's something wrong with this place!" Alicia stood in front of the bridge with her back against it, all of them stood beside her and looked forward, it was a black staircase going somewhere up high in the top disappearing in the fog.

A staircase made of black sand with high flames instead of railings and the sky above was turning red with black clouds making the view more haunting.

"Devil's gate!" Lisa whispered.