In the ruins of the city, veronica finds some crayons, and the children call her "auntie." She is not supposed to be alone, and she is allowed to live in the castle of the du-coudray family, which is owned by aelfric. The two of them try to loosen the vampire's grip on the castle, but it is too much for them. Aelfric is only a member of the family, and he is the only one to live there. He tells them that the castle was once owned by other humans, who were not as kind to the vampire as they are to the humans. At first, the humans were to blame for the development, but now they are the ones who are to blame. He says that he was chosen to conquer the power of blood lust, a power that is not lost on those who lose their mind in pursuit of power. He reminds the two of the pendant on his necklace, which contains a compass pointing to where his mother is at. The compass points to the place where he is supposed to find his mother.