Boredom. It had been boredom that had brought Ethan to the secluded isle that few, apparently, dared to visit. Was it boredom? The blood-bender had not been able to pin point the exact reason that he had decided to visit the isle swathed in death and darkness. Perhaps it had at first been a thought brought about by boredom, but now he had a nagging necessity. The thought of untapped knowledge under the guardianship of liches created from children. It was an intriguing one of him to take on that little quest.

He stood at the very edge of the city with a raised brow at the darkness that loomed over the entire place. Ethan had a hard time believing that such a place could be as tainted as the rumors had stated. There was much he had seen in all his years, but it was still difficult to get him to believe rumors only. Many were not up to par to his standards. The vampire ran a hand through his black hair before shifting his weight forward to make it into the city’s boundaries. According to his information, the University was still in one piece. Much of the knowledge had been stolen from the shelves. There would still be enough there to give the vampire the information he was looking for. At least that was what he had hoped.

Much in this new world was beyond his comprehension, which greatly agitated him. He knew that his family was on this world just like him and Isleen. What concerned him were the other rumors about them that had made it to his ears. Little Alairia had been blinded while under the ministrations of torture. His hands clenched into white knuckled fists at his side at the very thought. Ethan had been beyond pleased to hear that they had survived and made it to this new place. The issue was that he had not been there to protect them.

Crimson orbs flashed at something that had gone by out of the corner of his eyes. If he had been a normal human than he would have felt stalked. Instead, Ethan felt followed and annoyed. Pointed teeth were bared slightly to make it known he would not be an easy prey for whatever was tagging along. There was no armor that protected his sensitive flesh. He found that there was no need for it. That was one reason, the other was that he was beyond broke. Moving from one world to another meant that he had left all his accumulated wealth behind. It was annoying, but thankfully he could hunt in the smaller villages that left their doors open to help travelers. Cities were also advantageous when it came to the ghettos. The rich cared nothing for those that were below their status. It was sad indeed, but it meant for easy pickings when it came to feeding time. Unfortunately, those below the poverty line were not among his favorite for a meal. They lacked flavor in their blood, let alone enough of it to keep him sated.

His booted feet carried him further into the dark city towards the epicenter of the city to his final destination. The University hopefully would hold the information that he was looking for. Considering the information he wanted wouldn’t be high level on the stealing list. It was medical and fairly basic from his understanding. Ethan licked his lips as he moved through fog that clung to the pathway in front of him. His gaze narrowed at it as if it were activating his night sight. The pathway lit up to his senses and it was hidden no longer to him. The vampire sniffed the air for any new scents that could be seen as a threat. Movement could be heard, though quite quiet, off to either side of him that sounded like scurrying feet. Children liches. It was an interesting concept, and one he felt not necessary to deal with at the moment.

What a wonderfully horrible place this was. 

He was not afraid of this place, nor what resided within it - shadows had no fear. 

It was pure chance that had led the Dragonshade to this place. Like most of his travels, Kano had allowed instinct to guide him - unless he had a particular purpose to being out and about of course. He had not seen Cassia for some time, she had been distant when last he had seen her and it had irked him greatly. Their love (if you could even call it that) was… unusual, more out of mutual sadism than anything else - but the Shade was so used to her body responding eagerly to his that her almost aloof reply had merely angered him. 
He had not lingered at 'home' for long because of it, staying only to annoy her and rest in one place for a while, before taking back off over the horizon. Let her stew, let her miss him, let her beg for his return - then he could ignore it. 

A scent caught the Shade's attention, and a wicked smile crossed his face. There was another who had ventured to this abominable place… one whose blood had an unmistakable scent. Not Kiba, no, he would have known his half-brother's diluted blood anywhere - not the scent came from the other side of his brother's line, that pathetic wolven side that had watered down the pure, Dragonshade blood from their father. Kano loved and loathed his father in equal measure; he had idolised Letum when he was younger, until he had found out about Kara and her half-Shade son Kiba. A brother. A half brother of tainted stock. Any thoughts of reconciling with his younger half-sibling had long since been cast aside, when Kano had found out that Letum had wanted to stay with Kiba and his mother, rather than return to Kano and his mother… well… a level of darknesshad grown within the Shade that would have made even the shadows seek the light…
No, this scent was not Balatro, but it was connected to Kiba in some fashion or other, which meant it was time to seek it out. 

It did not take long to locate the man in question, and he stuck close, moulding with the shadows as his prey moved through the fallen city towards it's centre. Ahhh, seeking ancient magicks was he? Well, Kano might have something to say about that… no one attached to Kiba would be having such delicacies, not if he had anything to say about it. It was clear that the man had felt his presence, which meant it was time to come clean, hiding wasn't much fun for Kano - he believed in the more direct approach to life. 

The shadows shifted, almost as if the fog had come to life, forming the handsome man's muscular frame. He leant against a wall and smiled at the Vampire. "My my my, what have we here?" He said smoothly, voice like velvet as he grinned, though the expression never reached his sharp eyes. "A wolf and a Vampire came together? How sickening. What is it with wolves and breeding with whatever they can find? Do they have no love of purity whatsoever? Tell me, was it your mother or your father that had the fur? Are you my half-brother's half-brother? You're some sort of bastardised relation to Kiba, I can smell the same stench of soggy mutt in you blood," he sneered, lip curling in amusement and disgust, revealing his own elongated canines. "No Shade in you, so most definitely not his son. Small mercies never cease." 

Through the fog Ethan looked upwards to see the University looming in the distance. That was where he needed to go, and he was not going to be sidetracked by anything lurking in the darkness. If anything did attempt to deter him than it would be to their own detriment. His tongue ran over his fanged teeth as he kept his steady pace through the ruined city. As his boots clicked on the old cobbled street he realized that if there was an effort put into the city that it could have been revitalized. Of course, there would need to be a cull of the liches that had taken the location over. It certainly was a pity that their fates turned to as such. Ethan had the ability to feel pity for lowly creatures, but that was the extent of where he wished to be led.

A light breeze shifted the fog in a way that not only gave him a better visual on his path but also the scent of something familiar. Darkness. That was the scent that reminded him of the dragon shade of Kiba. Over the years he had his adverse reactions to the cousin he barely acknowledged. There was little he had done while in Revaliir (which was nothing) to bring his presence known to the diowolf hybrid. Ethan did not turn his head in any direction to give off indication that he took notice of the shade. Actually, his main concern were the hundreds of cursed children lingering in the corners. He could see flashes of their white eyes hidden away.

Ethan’s hands were stuffed in his long black overcoat that helped keep the chill out. Brow lifted along with tilted chin at the man that formed from fog and shadow against one of the decrypted buildings. His expression remained cool as the snobbish insults began to be thrown his way. He stopped his progress for a moment as he assessed what was standing before him. Hearing Kiba’s name made his ears perk slightly. Half-brother? How was that even possible? There was an interesting history, or so he had been told, about Kiba’s lineage. He had been the first born to break the diowolf purity blood line. Ethan and his sister had been the next ones. He hadn’t thought about his twin sister in ages, and was pretty sure she didn’t exist any longer. They had had zero connection since he had been adopted by Azrail.

The vampire shifted his stance slightly to show his annoyance at being stopped. ”If you have finished with your little self-indulgent and snobbish tirade about my cousin….I really do have somewhere to be.” Ethan’s crimson eyes flashed for a moment before his pace picked back up to lead him to the University. ”If you would like to continue insulting your, half-brother was it? You are more than welcome to. I have something to look for up there and don’t have the time to listen obvious villain montage while in one place. So, if we can take this act on the road I would indulge you. Clearly you have issues with the Family that are deep seeded, and need your ego stroked.” He glanced over his shoulder as he was unsure if the newcomer was going to come with. ”And if you think diowolves are beneath your sharding dragon shade ass, you obviously are new to the area. Come. It’s clear you need a therapy session to complain about Kiba. I’m always open to hearing people bitch about him.”

He kept his hands in his coat pockets while jumping up to the broken roofs of buildings in hopes of cutting down his travel time. His senses of the liche children were prickling at the back of his neck. The arrival of another food source was making them stir. Searching the University with an overly stirred predator base was not going to give him enough time to get the books he really needed.