Arthur walked through the Territory of Blood, Gaia once again resting upon his shoulders. He pointed out where everything used to be and how the vampire's takeover had changed things. Some streets were entirely different, while others still maintained a semblance of their former charm. Finally, he came upon his former house.“We left the place untouched out of respect for you. A reminder of our mistakes,” Lestor explained. Artur let the empty platitudes wash over him, in one ear and out of the other. Where his house had once stood now resided a pile of rubble, tinged red from the Bloodbeast's initial explosion.Alyssia whistled appreciatively. "These vampires really did a number on your house, didn’t they. Remind me to call them whenever I want a demolition job done.”Iris approached the pile of rubble, trance-like in her gait. Her eyes were trained forward, but Arthur could tell she was looking somewhere far away. “I saw this place for the first time four years ago. When I came to Earth, it was the first place I sought out. Propriety prevented me from just letting myself in. Now, I’ll never get to see it.”“I think you're being a little dramatic, Iris,” Arthur chuckled. “These houses are a dime a dozen. The construction company that made it built thousands of them across the US. Iris smiled sadly. “But it was your home, wasn’t it. How much did you struggle to make it yours? You would have been content to spend the rest of your days here, wouldn't you?”Arthur couldn’t find the words to reply to such a poignant statement. Alyssia, thankfully, never suffered from such a problem. “He’s got a magic house now, Iris. He can make a perfect replica of his old one if you want to see it so badly.”Iris sighed. “I guess I’m just sentimental. I wanted to see the real thing.”Alyssia snorted. “Your fault for being such a goody two-shoes. I broke in and scooped out the house before I officially visited Arthur.” (...)