Chapter 11: Welcome back.

After reaching the edge of the forest, Clement drove the car he had hidden in a nearby bush, leaving the forest. Uri jumped on a tall tree and watched until the car disappeared on the road leading to the city.

"Let's go. Even if you want, you can't live with your family; we must accept this fact." Finn jumped up and stood beside Uri on the tree branch, admonishing.

Uri's gaze did not leave the tall buildings of the distant city. The city was where he had lived all these years. There he had family, friends, and dreams of attending medical school and becoming a doctor.

"I want to go home." Uri snorted, trying not to let the tears flow.

Finn patted Uri on the shoulder. "Calm down. We all want to live happily like humans. But you know, they don't want us to exist."

Uri lowered his eyes; he understood that. He didn't want to accept this cruel truth. But now, there was nothing he could do, and he sadly followed Finn back to the dense forest.

Returning to the wooden house, Uri opened his backpack and put the food on the table. He cut the ham with a knife, put it on the bread, and gave it to Finn.

"It's almost morning; I'll invite you to breakfast. This ham is homemade by my mother." He poured the juice into the cup. "As for this juice, I helped my mother and sister make it last summer."

"Thank you!" Finn took the bread and took a bite. "It has been a long time since I have eaten bread. In the mountain cave, we can only cook soup with potatoes and eat barbecue."

Uri also made a portion of bread with ham for himself; for several days, he ate only wild game and grilled fish.

"Do you love your sister very much?" Finn asks; he has heard Uri talk many times about his sister.

At the mention of his sister, Uri brightened up. He drank a glass of juice, smiled, and said:

"My sister's name is Anthea, a year younger than me. We grew up together; she was lovely."

"You are lucky to have a happy family." Finn looked towards the door that was still open. Outside, the woods were still dark. "We have never enjoyed a peaceful and joyful life as humans."

Hearing that, Uri fell silent. Finn is right; compared to the people who live in the caves, who every day avoid the chase of humans like wild animals, he is much luckier.

"Now that you know who you are, do you want to go to the mountain cave to meet our kindred again?" Fin finished his piece of bread and asked.

Uri put the knife in his coat pocket, cleared the table, and stood up.

"Okay, let's go to the cave."

When Finn and Uri arrived in front of the waterfall, it was still early morning; the water pouring down made the white foam look incredibly majestic. If viewed from the outside, no one knows that behind the fierce water is a mountain cave.

They quickly jumped into the cave, going deep inside. It was still early, so the people in the cave were still sleeping. They lay on worn-out mattresses, covered with ragged blankets.

Seeing Finn and Uri return, Egan was the first to stand up, coming in front of Uri to greet him.

"Did you know the truth? Welcome back! The conditions here are not good, but there will always be a place where you can return any time."

The others also went to surround Finn and Uri. They sincerely feel like welcoming a loved one home from afar.

Their love moved him, a feeling he couldn't receive from humans if they knew he was a vampire.

He handed the backpack full of food to Egan. "This is the food my father brought. Not much, but I would like to invite you to taste my mother's dishes."

Egan took the backpack from Uri's hand, which he gave to the women beside him. They put the bag on a rather large stone table, removed the food from the backpack, and began to divide it into small portions for each person.

Having calmed down and decided to mingle with them, Uri noticed that some children also lived here with their parents. They took the small but strange food and looked at Uri with grateful eyes.

The food was just enough for each person to taste a little, but everyone's faces were happy because it was too rare for them to eat things like bread, ham, cheese, and cookies.

"I will buy these dishes for everyone when the opportunity arises." Uri choked, their life in the mountain cave was too hard, but now he felt their situation most deeply.

"You shouldn't come out of the forest; the Red Leaves are trying to arrest you. We've lived here for a long time, so we're used to it, so you better keep yourself safe." Egan gives Uri a portion of food.

"I had breakfast." He refused and then gave the meal to the nearest child. "That organization has always wanted to arrest you, not just me."

"Yes, because of them, we must live in caves." Egan pointed at the others. "If humanity had accepted us, our lives would have been much better."

Uri sighed; these people's lives were also his future. Although he knew he was too weak and immature, he still yearned to find a way to free himself and his fellow humans from this miserable situation.

He looked at Egan and asked, "I heard Finn say you guys have an old book. Can I read it?"

"Oh, of course."

Egan went to a corner of the cave, brought out an old wooden box, and set it down in front of Uri.

"This is the book Finn said." He took from the wooden box a faded leather-bound book and gave it to Uri.

Despite knowing the book's contents, Uri still felt nervous when holding it in his hands. He read ancient words; his hand touched the pages of antique books, and the old smell of the years wafted on his nose. It gave him a feeling like he was back three thousand years ago.

While Uri was reading a book intently, the people in the cave spread out to each other. Children sat on cushions obediently playing together; men cleaned up mountain caves, and women lit a fire to cook a large pot of soup. With fire, the mountain cave becomes warmer. 

Moments later, the delicious smell of soup began to spread throughout the cave. The women scoop the soup into bowls and give it to everyone. Although Uri had already eaten breakfast, he still took a bowl of hot soup scented with meat and potatoes and ate it well.

Having a meal with the people in the mountain cave, Uri felt like he had gotten along and become a part of them. It is a feeling that is both bitter and happy.

Bitter because he can no longer live with his family in human society. And happy that another community welcomed him.