For Maya's ambitious plan to make life bearable for Elena, there were significant hurdles. However, despite the complexities, Maya had an unwavering resolve. The first problem she decided to tackle was finding a sustainable source of sustenance for Elena to live on.

Vampires need blood; every kid knows that. But was there a way around it?

The Book of Prima finally proved to be of value. Through accidental discovery, when certain pages would be exposed to heat, they would reveal to be hiding a very illustrative section that seemed to focus entirely on the phenomenon of vampirism. Although disturbing, it gave Maya hope that there could be something of value in there. However, it was written entirely in Middle Bulgarian.

In order to decipher this cryptic language, she needed Elena's assistance. With Elena's advantage in learning Slavic languages, combined with her unique mind, which Maya still couldn't fathom how it worked, she could very quickly construct a glossary in her head to use as a key to translate the manuscript.

The translation wouldn't be flawless, given that numerous linguistic nuances could potentially be lost in translation. Despite this, it would suffice.

Armed with this imperfect translation, Maya made a ground-breaking discovery—the book contained an alchemical recipe that held the potential to serve as a substitute for blood. If revealed to the public, something like this could completely change the world.

With anticipation, Maya passed the alchemical recipe to Elena, hoping she could translate the list of ingredients into English. Elena's brows furrowed as she scanned the document, sceptical about the unconventional contents.

"Do you think it's something we can acquire?" Maya asked, not allowing herself to be discouraged by Elena's initial reaction.

"I'm not sure about this plant-based blood…" Elena said, her eyes still glued to the paper.

"You can give it a try," Maya said, her face lighting up with an encouraging smile. "Who knows, it could be delicious."

Despite her doubts, Elena yielded to Maya's persuasion. Her hand moved swiftly across the page, transcribing the ingredients. When finished, she handed the list back to Maya, leaving the rest of the task in her hands.

The list, however, did little to simplify things for Maya. While the accompanying illustrations provided a marginal help in identifying some of the plants, many remained enigmatic, their features too cryptically depicted to decipher.

"I bet you're regretting not paying attention in Herbology classes," Maya joked. She had been trying hard to lighten the mood and let Elena feel less alienated.

However, Elena's expression seemed to have gotten even harder to read, and she gave no reaction.

"Leo and I will be right back," Maya assured her, smiling brightly.

As she stepped out of the room, she gripped her silver rose necklace and could no longer hold the gloom away. The action that would summon Leo without fail was no longer reliable.

'It seems some things I must do alone.'

However, obtaining the ingredients proved to be an arduous task. Some were hard to recognize, and others were even harder to find. Maya was running errands the whole day. But to her, it was worth it as it was less suspicious than asking for blood.

At one point, she had to resort to sneaky tactics, one of which included stealing from the academy greenhouses.

'The things I'm ready to do for Elena…'

Hearing nearby voices, Maya quickly darted behind a nearby bush. She knew she had to be extra cautious, as she couldn't rely on Leo as much as she used to.

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The magnificent Charred Pavilion dominated her view. Each time she looked at it, Maya found herself admiring it anew. It stood out starkly amid the light, delicate greenhouses with their crystal clear glass panes. Maya pondered how many fire mages it would take to fill the entire space with flames.

The sound that had alerted her was Maureen humming as she returned to her sanctuary.

'Is she always here, even during school breaks?'

Maya began to question whether Maureen was actually a ghost haunting the Pavilion. After some thought, she realized she couldn't recall ever seeing Maureen outside the Charred Pavilion.

Feeling a touch on her shoulder, Maya was startled. A hand was quickly pressed against her mouth to prevent her from making a sound. Turning her head, she was met with round green eyes framed by long, beautiful eyelashes. It was Anastasia.

A wave of relief and joy washed over Maya. However, before she could voice her elation, Anastasia gestured for her to stay quiet.

"Meet me at the tower."

Eagerly, Maya nodded in agreement.

Upon seeing Anastasia at the familiar academy tower, Maya was overwhelmed with emotion. She had to resist the urge to throw herself into Anastasia's arms. She couldn't put into words what it meant to see her again.

Anastasia, however, wore a sombre expression. It was clear that she was aware of the trials that Maya had faced in her absence. "What happened while I was gone?"

Instead of answering, Maya broke apart, sobbing inconsolably while the ancient witch silently comforted her.

At one point, Maya suspected that her connection to ghosts was flawed, and that's why Leo was bugging out. However, it seems that Anastasia was elsewhere for some time and was not influenced by the issue Maya hypothesized.

Maya described the problem she was facing in concern with Leo.

"Hm…" Anastasia pondered, "He seems to be showing signs of erosion."

"But how? He wasn't dead for that long. You're centuries old!"

"This isn't the place of his death," Anastasia explained in a gentle voice. "It's a miracle you managed to bring him here in the first place. But it was only a matter of time…" Her gaze softened, filled with regret and sympathy.

"Souls can't leave here, much like the living," Anastasia continued. "Moreover, he's a human soul. This realm is far too hostile and unforgiving for his kind. It'd be best if you start letting him go."

Her words were not what Maya wanted to hear. "How can you say that? How would you feel in his shoes?"

"Every lingering soul eventually faces erosion. Leo isn't special in that regard. If you want, I can make it swift and less arduous, so his soul can join the Endless River in peace."

"What are you talking about? Why would I want him gone sooner?"

Anastasia looked at her silently. "Maya, you should learn to let things go. To avoid… unnecessary problems." Her gaze shifted toward the waning sunlight. "You have little daylight left."

That reminded Maya that she had to quickly return. Fear of Elena escaping into the night still lingered in her mind.

Using the ingredients she collected, Maya successfully created synthetic blood that was entirely plant-based. Despite missing some ingredients and having to improvise, she completed the concoction. It was then time for Elena to try it.

Although Elena struggled to consume it, the synthetic blood was sufficient to keep her thirst in check, or so she claimed.

Maya was satisfied. "Now, we need to find a way to make sunlight unable to harm you."

Elena shot her a look of disbelief, one that screamed 'You must be joking.'

"If it's going to be as terrible as this, I'm better off without it."

"We don't have much time," Maya said.

"Where are we rushing to?"

"School starts on Monday…"

Elena stared at her blankly, and then an expression of utter disbelief appeared on her face. "You can't be serious! Was this your plan all along? To make me 'normal' so that I can show up in school as if nothing happened?"

"Why not?" Maya responded.

Elena's voice rose with anxiety. "You would place me amongst a sea of humans, where anything could go wrong… What if I lose control and… and harm someone?" It was unlike Elena to be the cautious one.

"You won't," Maya reassured her. "We've found you a source of food."

Elena's expression hardened. "This is not something I could live on, or want to live on," she argued. "It is equivalent to feeding me tar and then placing me in a room filled with walking hamburgers. You can't expect me not to be hungry even If you choke me up with this shit… Maya. Things will never be normal again."

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