Jaws dropped in shock. Gasps echoed in surround sound. Everyone stared first at John before exchanging bewildered looks amongst themselves. Lannetta made it a point to shoot daggers out of her eyes at Emilia, who in turn crossed her arms in blatant disregard. Aidan in the meantime bit down on his lower lip in helplessness as he watched the two.

"My ancestor had the ability to create tailor-made curses for her clientele in exchange for sharing a piece of their memories. I treat those memories as slices of history given over for safe-keeping. I've spent the better part of my life cataloging them, piecing together the various memories to make sense of what took place a thousand years ago." John finally pried open the lid from its jar before carefully emptying the contents onto a soft cloth placed on the bench surface. In unison, the group leant closer to have a look but were left even more mystified.

"Stones?" Aidan looked at them doubtfully, noting the varying sizes, colours and textures of the otherwise nondescript pieces. Aidan was sure they wouldn't look out of place in the aquarium at his local dentist's.

John chuckled. "Not just any stones. Memory stones. I admit, I felt as underwhelmed as your expression tells me you are, when I first got them," he said while eyeing them, "but imagine my fright when I touched them and then pop, everything went black and I was trapped in the memories of a thousand year old werewolf!"

The red haired witch began choosing a select few stones from the rest, "It's my Talent, doubtless a very niche one that was passed on from the ancestor who created these stones. I've done the hard work of sorting the memories into a sensible timeline, so all you need to do is watch the story unfold. As I said before, it has a Shakespearean tragedy feel to it, but magnitudes worse, because loads more people die."

He held the stones in one palm as he continued explaining, "The initial round of memories will be from three different vampires. The first is from a friend of Lucius Bloodreign named Wisten Andino. We have his memories because he wished to curse the vampire that stole away his lover. The second is a woman only known as Gloria, who placed an order with the craftsman Fergus Camran for a handcrafted item, and the third is a nameless palace servant who cursed the recipient of a promotion that he was snubbed over."

He pointed to the remaining set of stones on the workbench. "After that, we will enter the memories of a few others including Nina Forst and my ancestor."

Aidan asked curiously, "When we enter these memories, will we see each other there or..."

"Nope. You'll be seeing it through the eyes of the owner of the memory. It'll feel just like a first person character in a console game but it'll be much more immersive. In fact, it's so immersive, you'll feel the thoughts and feelings of the owner as if it were your own." Chuckling, John added, "Better than metaverse, but also very old-school."

Lannetta was a mixture of excitement and trepidation, turning to Aidan, all bright-eyed and breathless. Leaning close, she whispered into his ear, "We'll be going back to before the Portal Wars. I can't wait to see Hjem in all its glory! And the capital city Riogven, before the curse of the sun. I can't even picture it in my head. Vampires getting tanned in the sun!" She laughed gleefully, and for a moment, Aidan was brought back to the past, during simpler times, when they were children playing tag on the castle grounds and Lannetta used to laugh just the same.

"Just so I'm getting my history straight, we're going back a thousand years to the time of the vampire king Lucius Bloodreign, am I right?" Haylie double-checked, which John confirmed, "Yes, we are now headed back to roughly three hundred years before the portals linking all our homeworlds to Earth mysteriously vanished."

Aidan glanced at John before quickly looking away.

"Alrighty, I want everyone to form a circle and place your left hand on the shoulder of the person next to you," John instructed.

They did as was told, forming a linked circle. Aidan stood in between John and Emilia, his right hand resting on Emilia's shoulder and giving it a loving squeeze. She met his gaze with a tender smile. On Aidan's left, the redhead witch hovered his hand over Aidan's shoulder, "Here we go," he said cheerfully before grabbing his shoulder, and the present world faded away.

*****

In the capital city Riogven, a certain party of noticeable proportions was in full swing. Wisten Andino leisurely strode through the grandiose hall, observing the décor throughout the large space with a critical eye. From the huge ornamental vases, stuffed with colourful feathers plucked off the hide of some rare species of exotic bird, and gemstone encrusted statues in erotic poses, naked save for the expensive silk draped with some ingenuity to avoid outright vulgarity, to the ten-foot-tall multi-tiered cake in the centre of the buffet table, everything was obviously a garish display of wealth by the host of the party who just so happened to be the son of a wealthy merchant with connections.

One of those connections was none other than Prince Lucius Bloodreign, heir to the throne and Wisten's best friend. He was also the only reason Wisten had bothered to attend a party lacking in any form of sophistication. Wisten's lips were pressed into a thin line as he searched for his friend while still studying his surroundings, musing that the host was glaring proof that an inelegant man with money would inevitably buy tacky, trashy, but not taste.

As he walked through the crowd, heads turned in open admiration. Wisten was always one to dress well but that was not the only reason he was oogled at. Tall, and with massively broad shoulders that tapered perfectly at the waist, the young aristocrat was hard to miss. In addition to an envious physique was his equally eye-catching features; dark brown hair and perceptive chocolate-brown eyes coupled with a strong, squared jawline that enhanced his overall handsomeness. The young vampire was always immaculately dressed and kept his beard neatly trimmed at all times because if there was one thing he hated, it was lackadaisical personal grooming.

Wisten followed the sounds of squeals and peals of laughter like a trail of breadcrumbs and invariably found the prince, unsurprisingly the centre of attention, surrounded by beautiful women and men. Wisten knew how much his friend enjoyed being the focal point of parties. In a way, it often felt like the only reason why he made friends with the children of the filthy rich was so he could attend their parties, as an avenue to flirt, indulge and be indulged.

In turn, Wisten could also see why no matter where the prince was, the crowds were always enamoured by Lucius. Surrounded as he was by beauties, no one could compete with the prince's looks. The heir to the throne had hair darker than charcoal that complimented his suntanned skin and emphasized the colour of his sky-blue eyes. His lopsided smile accentuated the dimple on his right cheek without distracting from his sharp cheekbones and angular jawline. It was as if his every facial feature was a harmonious blend that worked together to enhance his handsomeness without appearing to overpower one another. In terms of physique, Lucius was not as broadly built as his best friend but still had a tall and athletic frame.

But looks alone were only part of the prince's winning qualities. What ultimately won others over was his charm. There were few whom the prince had difficulties in befriending, and even fewer who did not outright fall head over heels in love with the royal heir. Lucius used this to his advantage, charming his way into the bedroom of a different vampire almost every night.

What others did not know, but Wisten did, was that it was all an act.

The prince's attention seeking ways were deeply rooted in his emotional insecurities tracing all the way back to his childhood. Wisten viewed the prince's casual relationships as a means to obtain an emotional rush that offered momentary satiation. The high was always short-lived, which meant he was always going back for more, and the repetitive cycle was fast turning into an addiction.

As Wisten approached, Lucius caught sight of his friend and broke into a dazzling smile that had those around him bewitched. "Wisten! There you are," he called out loudly, "I have been telling my wonderful new friends here all about you."

Wisten was less than thrilled, "Is that so?"

The withering look he received made the prince's smile turn sheepish. "No need to give me that look, old friend. I have been singing praises of you all night long! Not a single criticism or fault ever left my mouth and if you still doubt me, you may confirm my innocence with these witnesses," Lucius said while waving at those around him, who immediately came to his defence with a chorus of affirmations. To Wisten, it sounded like a bunch of squawking birds and he quickly nodded just to shut them up.

Lucius excused himself from the fawning crowd and led Wisten to one of the many cosy balconies overlooking the landscaped gardens below. The night air was dry and cool, the gentle breeze accompanied by the fluttering of leaves and wafting the sweet fragrance of flowers from the garden below.

Many parts of the vampire homeworld were hit by years of continuous drought but thankfully the capital city had escaped the worst of the dry weather that was fast eroding much of the lands. Here in the city, the flowers still bloomed.

They stood together in silence for a while before Wisten finally said, "I do not see why you need me at these parties. You seem to be doing well all by yourself."

Lucius turned to stare at his friend in shock, "Are you blind, Wisten? I asked you over so that you could enjoy the company of these beautiful women." He clicked his tongue, "Surely one of those beauties has sparked your curiosity?"

Whenever his friend tried being helpful, it always turned out to have the opposite effect, thought Wisten. "I am not you, Lucius. I am not interested in... the physical aspect of relationships. What I want is something deeper than that and I am afraid it is something I will never find in a party like this."

The prince made a face. "Quick to pass judgement, are we? Since we are on the subject, do enlighten me on your ideal woman."

"My partner should be someone with an intellectual connection on par with my own, while sharing common goals focused towards building a stable family."

Such words brought out a chuckle from Lucius. "You are such a bore, old friend. Sometimes when you talk, you sound like a millennia-old vampire! I cannot understand how we are both the same age, and yet you act worse than a great-grandfather! I am not suggesting that you fall in love with one of these lovely ladies and honestly, no one is attending these parties in search of commitment to begin with."

Lucius turned to lean his back on the balustrade, gazing through the doorway at the crowd. "They are only here for the chase." His gaze landed on a voluptuous vampire in a figure-hugging gown that showed off her curves beautifully. She caught his gaze and smiled back coyly.

Without breaking eye-contact, Lucius continued talking, "Think of it this way. Take your time searching for your special someone, but until she makes an appearance in your life, be a hunter. Or if you prefer being chased, then be the prey. Either way, the whole point is to have fun."

The woman had begun to pout, her thick lips downturned rather cutely. Lucius flashed his trademark lopsided grin before reaching out to pat Wisten on the shoulder. "I think my prey is getting rather impatient. I should not disappoint her."

"Are you going to leave me here after I took all the trouble to meet you?" Wisten continued in mock chagrin, "I have no intention of accepting any more of your invitations if the end result is me being abandoned!"

Without looking or sounding even remotely contrite, Lucius answered, "My apologies, Wisten! I will owe you a favour. Or lunch! I will owe you lunch at that new, fancy restaurant near the park! We can meet next week."

With those parting words, the prince headed off with long strides, leaving his friend to observe from a distance as he whispered into the woman's ear before the two headed off in a carriage to her residence somewhere in the city.

As a silent observer, Aidan could feel the bulky vampire's patience running thin as if it were his own. Something told Aidan that this was not the first time that the prince's friend had been sidelined. With nothing left to do, Wisten left the hall and headed back to his carriage.

The scene blurred and faded to blackness before being replaced by an entirely different one. This time the memories belonged to the voluptuous beauty from the party. Gloria awoke to the most beautiful sight; a sleeping prince in her bed. Last night was the most magical moment of her life! Not only had Prince Lucius spoken to her, he had accepted her invitation back to her place for a drink, and thankfully the night had not ended there. Gloria smugly entwined her fingers with the sleeping man's, admiring the beautiful contrast of her deep skin against his light tan.

Unable to resist, she scooted closer and leaned forward to steal a kiss, when all of a sudden, large hands grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her to lie over his warm, naked body. Sweet laughter filled the room as he began peppering her neck with kisses, moving down to her collarbone.

"Good morning, my gorgeous lady," the words tickled her skin as he nuzzled into the spot between her neck and shoulder.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Gloria whispered in reply, already readying herself for another pleasurable hour in bed.

Without warning, the prince gently rolled her over to the side, before leaning his head in one hand to look down at Gloria. "So, how was it?" He gazed at her expectantly.

"I beg your pardon?" she stared up at his handsome face in confusion, unsure of what he was referring to.

"Did you enjoy being with me?" Prince Lucius still smiled, but his shoulders seemed to tense as he awaited her answer.

"Of course, my prince." Gloria studied the look of relief on the handsome man's face with her own expression of surprise. Could he not tell just how much she had enjoyed being with him? She certainly had not held back her cries of passion. Her servants could attest to that, without a doubt having heard everything from their rooms two floors below.

Now that he was reassured, the prince had an air of cockiness about him as he said, "Regrettably, I am the best you will ever experience. All others will be nothing more than a pale comparison to me."

Not one to waste an opportunity, Gloria smiled coyly, "Mhm yes, which is why we should continue the experience for a while longer. I will need these memories to quell the burning hot desires of unwelcome lonely nights in the future. After all, it is just past noon—"

"NOON?!" Lucius leapt out of bed, all thoughts of romance flying out of his head as he raced about the room in search of his clothes, yanking them on as fast as he could. "I was supposed to be at the palace at noon!" The dishevelled man yanked open the door and rushed down the staircase only to rush back up, kiss the dazed Gloria on the cheek, thank her for the lovely night, and then race off again.