77 Soul?

(Julius POV)

[ 1 month after meeting in the forest.]

Opening the secret entrance to the basement library.

I descended the stone staircase that spiraled.

The staircase itself was not lit by light.

But the large room at the bottom was.

'This guy really needs to get out more.' I thought, as I reached the bottom.

The castle's secret library was a few hundred feet long, and a few dozen wide.

With large wooden bookshelves stacked full to almost bursting, with the books and scrolls I, Adam, and Jane, had collected over the years.

All from our travels across the land.

Looking around, I saw the large table that sat in the front of the room, completely covered in books and scrolls.

But Looking around, I couldn't find Carlisle.

Who was normally seated at that table, reading one of the books or scrolls.

"Carlisle. Where are you?" I softly called out.

"back here." came the muffled voice of Carlisle.

'all the way in the back.' I thought, as I started towards him.

The familiar smell of the old parchment paper brought back the many memories I myself had down here, or in the last house.

Delving into one book or another.

Finally making it to the last row of bookshelves.

I saw Carlisle holding one of the large journals.

"ah. I see you have finally found Adam's journals." I said, with a chuckle.

"This is a journal?" Carlisle asked. Looking up from the faded pages.

"it is." I said, leaning on one of the shelves.

"What language is this?" Carlisle asked.

"I have never seen it before." he continued, looking down at the journal again.

"Well for starters. You are currently holding the fifth journal." I said, pushing myself off the shelf, and walking past him.

Walking to the far end of the last book shelf, I pulled out a heavily worn book.

"this is the first one. Inside is a word key for the language." I said, flicking the book open, and pulling the ruff sheets out.

"All together, There are over 50 journals. Most of which are written in different languages. Most are dead." I said, handing the 1sr journal, to the confused looking Carlisle.

"W-wait." Carlisle said, setting the fifth journal back on the shelf.

"Who do these journals belong to?" He asked.

A small smile spread across my face.

"read and find out." I said, walking past him.

"I will be back shortly. Tonight we will be going for a hunt." I said, as I made my way back to the stairs.

Reaching the top. I closed the secret door behind me, so none of the servants stumbled upon it.

The secret entrance was behind the main fireplace in the great hall.

And was truly a marvel of design.

Turning a gold lion's head that was set in the fine stone work of the fireplace mantel.

Would lower the fire, and replace it with smooth stone.

While at the same time lowering the back wall of the fireplace, Revealing the stairs.

Turning the gold lion's head back, would do the whole process backwards.

Until the fire was back in place and the back wall closed up again.

With that done. I made my way back to my and Jane's chambers.

Opening the door, I stepped into a well lit room.

"How was he, love?" Jane asked, from her own chair, in front of the crackling fire.

"He is well. Reading as usual." I said, as I walked up next to her, and leaned down to kiss her.

"it was your idea to take him down there to keep him away from the servants." Jane said, with a small laugh.

"True. But I didn't think I would need to drag him out of there every few days so he could feed." I said, plopping down in my recliner.

"Yes, he seems to enjoy the books." Jane said, while flipping the page of the book she was reading.

"He just found Adam's journals. So I don't think we will be able to get him away from those for some time, after he learns how to read them." I said, looking into the fire.

Just then, the scratchy sensation of thirst started to grow in my throat.

"I remember the first time I read those. so I must agree with your words." Jane said, with a smile.

"It is good he found them. we had to tell him eventually." Jane said, closing the book she had just finished.

"Yes. Knowing Adam, he will just show up out of the blue as if he hasn't been gone for nearly two hundred years without a word." I said, shaking my head.

"Can you blame him Julius? Both Oliver and Gérard were like his children. And all he could do was slowly watch them parish. Could you imagine the pain that put him through?" Jane asked.

"No…no I can't." Julius said, quietly.

"He is probably just on one of his trips, trying to handle the guilt and sadness he feels about them." Jane said, standing.

"I still think he's living on some mountain somewhere." I said, with a chuckle.

"perhaps. But only time will tell, and we have all the time in the world. He will be back eventually, so stop worrying about him." she said.

"Now, I don't know about you. But I am feeling a bit peckish." Jane continued. Giving me a mischievous smile.

"For dinner…or dessert." I said, with a coy smile.

"I've always liked my dessert first." Jane said. Turning to the walk towards the bed.

In a blur, I was out of my chair and heading for the bead, While tearing my clothes off.

A few hours later, the scratchy sensation in my throat was finally becoming an annoyance.

"As much as I would like to stay here with you my dear…we need to feed." I said, sitting up in our bed.

"Me as well." Jane said.

Getting dressed was only the work of a few minutes.

"I will get Carlisle, and wait for you in the foyer." I said, as Jane was busy getting dressed.

Going back to the fireplace in the main hall of the castle.

I repeated my earlier actions.

Turning the lion's head, then descending the stairs.

Reaching the bottom, I saw what I expected.

Seated at the large table was Carlisle, nose deep into the journal.

"Having fun?" I asked, as I reached the table.

Startled, Carlisle's head shot up.

"Oh, Julius…back already?" He asked.

"It has been some time. we're almost out of time for a hunt, so we need to get going." I said.

"Uh, right, yes yes." Carlisle said, as he stood from his chair.

"Make any progress." I asked him, as we went up the stairs.

"Yes, the language is quite simple. So it didn't take me long to learn it." Carlisle said, from behind me.

I let out a laugh.

"It took me a whole day to learn it. The same goes for Jane. And here you are, learning it in less than a night."

Closing the secret entrance.

We stood waiting on my beloved.

"So…who is this 'Adam'?" Carlisle asked.

"Mmm, that's a tricky question." I said, turning to look at him.

"In what way?" Carlisle asked.

"To me, he is my oldest friend and in all reality might as well be my brother." I said, with a smile.

"But to the rest of the world…he is 'Adam', the first man."

The look of confusion on Carlisle's face was laughable.

"Wha…" Carlisle managed to get out, before the voice of Jane interrupted him.

"He means 'the Adam'...from the bible." She said, coming to a blurred stop next to me.

"That's what I said." I shot back, jokingly Angered.

"no, you were being vague, hoping to drag him along." Jane said, stomping down on my hope for a little fun.

"Wait!" Carlisle said, now cutting off my and Jane's banter.

"Tha-that can't be possible!" Carlisle said, now sounding angry.

"Oh but it is." Jane said, while grabbing onto my arm.

"Then…then that means if I die.."

"What? That you will go to hell?" I asked.

Carlisle slowly nodded his head.

"And where exactly did you come up with that idea?" I asked, Preferring to get that idea out of his head now, instead of letting him fight with the idea that his soul was eternally damned for the simple fact that he has become what he has.

"Where?…We are the living dead who crave human blo.."

I interrupted him.

"You think because we can drink human blood, that we are just soulless beings?" I said, with a chuckle.

"I have a question." I said, taking a step towards him.

"Do you still have emotions? Do you Still feel happy, sad, angry?" I asked.

Carlisle's brow creased.

"I do…some seem to even be more intense."

I snapped my fingers together, and pointed at him.

"Well there's your answer." I said, in a happy tone.

"I don't understand?"

My hands fell to my side, and I let out a sigh.

"if you didn't have a soul Carlisle, then you wouldn't feel emotions. You would be an empty husk of nothingness, who is unable to feel. I can't explain it as well as Adam might. But that's the best I have." I said, with a shrug.

"I grew up believing in a pantheon of gods, so I never had the same moral issue as you and I don't know what to say that will sway you on this."

"But The best I can say to you now is to wait for Adam to return. He has been gone for quite some time and will hopefully be back soon, and able to talk with you." I said.

"But for now, it's time to hunt." I said.

___________

The next chapter will be in Carlisle's POV when he meets Adam for the first time and the conversation they will have.

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