The High God laughed for what must have been two or three minutes before he regained his composure and scowled at Lan Zhan. "My Teremun is very special. And that's why I can't let him be with someone who isn't so special."

"He will not let you forbid him to do that. And I won't let him be taken away from me. He's mine! And he's mine forever! Just like I'm his forever! And if anyone tries to separate us, I won't let them!"

"And how are you going to stop that?"

"I may be just a lowly vampire to you, who was once a weak human. But I am no longer a weak human! I am not a weak vampire either. Besides, Teremun and I belong together! You should also remember that it was fate that brought us together. Fate connected us long before I was born, and even a high god can't do anything about that!"

"You're right, of course, about the fate. But the fate thing is also such a thing, because it doesn't say that you two should become a couple just like that without having to do anything for it."

"What kind of bullshit is that? Sorry high god. But before I met Wei Ying, I mean Teremun, I went through a lot as a human being. My parents treated me as a second-class person all my life. And that was only because I was the second-born son. They just kicked me out the door with a little bit of money as soon as I finished school. I had to witness how a false inquisitor attacked my village and killed all the villagers in agony. Even the children! And I was robbed of my mortality by him. He also made my brother a vampire, kidnapped him and did who knows what to him during his captivity. Without me even knowing what had happened to him."

"So what? Am I supposed to feel sorry for you now? Have you forgotten that I am a merciless god?"

"Then I'll try it another way. You love Teremun, don't you? You are his father and he is the only son born in a night of love, right? That's exactly why you love him more than your other children. Because your wife not only accepted your love on that conception night, but returned it."

"That's right."

"And doesn't it follow that, precisely because you love Teremun so much, you want him to be happy?"

"Of course."

"Then why do you want to separate us? Because as you must know, I make Teremun happy. Ask him or Essam. Both will be able to confirm that I make him happy. Just as he makes me happy."

"But..."

"High God. I will not let you take Teremun away from me. I would rather want to die than allow that to happen."

"Well if that's..."

"FATHER!!!" Wei Ying, who had suddenly appeared, interrupted his father.

"Teremun!"

"Stop calling me that father! Better explain to me what this is all about? What do you want from my Lan Zhan?"

"Your Lan Zhan?"

"Yes MY Lan Zhan! If you hurt him, I will find a way to kill you father!"

"But that's..."

"That's what father?" Wei Ying asked, sitting provocatively on Lan Zhan's lap and kissing him.

"What are you doing here sweetheart? How did you know I was here?" Lan Zhan asked in confusion.

"A white bunny appeared to me in my dream and brought me here to you."

"A white bunny?"

"Yes. There it sits." Wei Ying pointed at the little white bunny that was slowly hobbling towards the High God of the Underworld.

"What kind of rabbit is that?" Lan Zhan wanted to know. Wei Ying shrugged his shoulders, not knowing either. He hopped down from the chair and picked up the little bunny, hugging it to his chest as he sat back down on Lan Zhan's lap.

"What are you doing? Our talk isn't over yet!" Scolded the high god in a booming voice.

Suddenly, a lovely female voice rang out. "Leave them alone!"

Lan Zhan, Wei Ying, and the high god looked around the room in confusion until the three's gazes lingered on the white bunny. The white bunny broke free from Wei Ying's embrace, jumped off the chair, and in a leap transformed into an angel with a white robe, white feathers, and flowing golden long hair.

The angel turned around to Wei Ying and Lan Zhan with a smile. She caressed Wei Ying's left cheek and kissed his right cheek. "My dear beautiful son." She said with tears in her eyes.

Wei Ying wrapped his arms around her and sobbed. "Mommy."

"But how..." Said the high god in shock, getting up from his chair and looking at the angel. His deceased wife!

After hugging Wei Ying, she turned around to the high god, put her hands in one of his big hands and smiled. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other my husband."

"Too long." The high god replied and knelt in front of her. He first pressed his lips to her delicate hands, then his forehead. "I've missed you so much."

"I know. And even though our marriage was rarely happy and loving, I missed you too."

"I'm sorry I was such a terrible husband."

She smiled, stroking his long black hair and letting him hug her. "You were a young and impulsive god."

"Yes I was. I did so many things wrong."

"That's true. But that's not why I'm here now. I forgave you a very long time ago. As early as that night when I gave birth to our Teremun." She turned to Wei Ying and smiled.

"Mom. I can't believe you're here." Said Wei Ying with a smile. Lan Zhan wrapped his arms around Wei Ying and didn't speak a word. At that moment, he knew he shouldn't speak. Wei Ying took one of Lan Zhan's hands, kissed the palm and said to his mother, "Mom. This is my Lan Zhan. Isn't he great? Isn't he really incredibly handsome? I really love him a lot mom."

"Yes my dear son. You are absolutely right. He really is incredibly handsome. And I'm happy for you two that you finally found each other. You really do look great together. In fact, made for each other."

"But don't you think it's too soon for our Teremun? After all, he's still so young and has so much time left." Intervened the high god.

She laughed and shook her head. "Our son is even older than his mate. He is grown up and many, many centuries old. Besides, he has been waiting for his mate all his life. So let him. Look at the two of them. They are happy together and everyone who sees them realizes that they belong together."

"When I look at our Teremun. Then I don't see the grown young man, I still see the little boy who was chattering and running after me with his little gargoyle. Do you still remember his winged companion, Paw? Wherever our son was, there was that gargoyle."

"Of course I remember that. The two had been inseparable. They even slept in the same bed. Mhhh, what happened to Paw after you kicked our kids out?" Wei Ying, who had also always wondered what happened to his animal companion, looked at his father, as well as his mother, questioningly.

"Paw stayed here. He couldn't go with them into the human world. He guarded the castle from the top of the tower, no longer spoke, and had remained lonely until he simply died sometime 250-300 years ago."

Suddenly Lan Zhan got a headache so severe that he collapsed screaming with both hands pressed to his head. Wei Ying knelt beside him, anxious and worried. "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

The high god squatted down beside Lan Zhan, who was screaming in pain. He put his hand on his forehead and the pain in Lan Zhan's head subsided. "I know what became of Paw." Said the high god, pointing at Lan Zhan.

"What are you talking about?" Lan Zhan asked, slowly standing up again. Wei Ying supported him.

The angel took it upon herself to explain. "Each of our children was given an animal companion at birth, born on the same day and at the same minute as the child. We had no control over what kind of animal companion our children would get. Essam, for example, got a tarantula. But the most unique animal, if it could be called such at all, was given to our Teremun. Because the minute he was born, a little gargoyle hatched from its egg and found its way into our son's crib all by itself. This little gargoyle was also special and absolutely unique for its kind. Because he had a birthmark on his chest that looked like a tattoo. It was a lion's head. In addition, Paw could communicate telepathically with Teremun. He also didn't petrify into a gargoyle during the day, but remained as he was and had always stayed by Teremun's side."

"Not Paw. Leo." Said Lan Zhan quietly and thoughtfully. "He called him Leo."

"How do you know?" Asked the angel.

"Because he was Leo." Replied Wei Ying and the high god simultaneously.

"Is that true?" Asked the angel.

"I remember it again. The headache released those memories." Replied Lan Zhan, nodding.

"Did you know?" Wanted the angel to know from Wei Ying.

"No. Only just now when my beloved got the headache and I saw the memories in his mind." Explained Wei Ying. Turning to Lan Zhan, he said, "I'm sorry I didn't notice it before."

Lan Zhan hugged and kissed Wei Ying. "It doesn't matter. The main thing is that we have each other again. And this time, nothing and no one will be able to separate us."

"Nothing and no one! We will stay together forever. You and I, then, now and for all time." Replied Wei Ying. They kissed each other lovingly and suddenly they were enveloped in a golden aura.

"Destiny is being fulfilled. Do you finally see that they belong together?" The angel asked the high god.

"If I had known sooner that he was the little gargoyle...well...yes you are right. I can see it. I promise I won't come between them again." Replied the high god.

"You couldn't come between them anyway. They belong together and always have. Everything came to pass as it had to. And now it's time for them to wake up. So let them go."

Wei Ying looked at his mother sadly. "I hoped we had more time." He said.

"My dear son. I would have liked to spend more time with you, or with the two of you, too. But my time is also coming to an end and I must return to Paradise. But before that, I would like to spend some time alone with your father. Be sure, however, that I will always watch over you. And now take your mate and wake up both of you. I love you."

"I love you too mom. And father? Be kind to her!"

"I will Teremun. No, I know. Wei Ying. Be a good boy and take care of yourselves." Said the high god, snapping his fingers and Lan Zhan and Wei Ying woke up in their bed in the temple.

Wei Ying threw himself on Lan Zhan, kissed him as hard as he could and said, "I should have known you were my Lion Heart. My Leo."

"You shouldn't have. All that matters is the here and now." Replied Lan Zhan, spinning Wei Ying around onto the bed and laying on top of him. "And now my dearest Wei Ying, we will use the time we have left here to celebrate our union once again. So away with those annoying distracting clothes."

Laughing and loving each other dearly, they made love before taking a bath in the temple bathroom and finally returning to the ship where Youn, Ali and Wen Rouhan were already eagerly awaiting them. They had important news. A severe storm was coming. And there were two mysterious deaths that Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had to investigate.