Quinn went on to explain to the others what had occurred when he first arrived and his encounter with the Fortuna family leader. It was hard for Layla to feel annoyed with him because she somewhat understood the panic that he may have felt the moment she walked in. Not just Quinn, but she had also acted rashly by getting on the ship to stop Jim Eno who was on board. In this situation, she just needed to try and look at the bright side. "He most likely only saw you up close for a split second...right?" Layla asked. "There is a chance that he won't remember your face." Layla looked at Quinn and noted how he distinctively looked different compared to the others with his slightly curly hair and his looks that were beyond that even of a vampire. She felt like she had to be kidding herself. With this feeling of dread, she went to lie down on one of the beds. "You know Quinn, I didn't grow up having the best family. I didn't know who my father was, and as for my mother, she never treated me like a mother till the very end, and I had to watch her die as she saved my life. "For our family, I want it to be a happy place. Where they are raised by their mother and father, it seems so simple..." Layla started to choke up. "But at the same time...why does it seem so hard?" Quinn soon walked over to her and laid down on the bed next to her. Tilting his head, he looked toward her. "I'll try," Quinn said. "Just like with everything I have done so far, I will try my best. I always have done for the people I care about, and I care about you as well. I care about Minny and the future of our whole family as well." ---- Some time had passed since Quinn, Layla, and Russ were in the room, and they had big decisions to make. As they had decided to attempt to live a normal life, they needed to choose where to live. Earth, the Graylash planets, or the vampire settlement where they were currently at. In the end, Quinn told Layla his choice, and it was to stay where they were currently at the vampire settlement. This was why Quinn was currently out on the streets again. Though this time, he was alone as he had a goal in mind. He told Layla the reason for picking the place was due to it being the safest area, one that would be away from most trouble, but that wasn't the truth. With time passing, of course, Quinn knew that this nag would grow in the back of his mind. He had the power to do things, to change the way things were, and to fight against those who did him and his friends wrong. Eventually, this nag would get bigger and bigger until he could no longer contain it. His decision to stay in the vampire settlement was because he knew that Jim Eno would come back, and when he found out what his plans were, he wondered what had happened to the others. Then Quinn would act, destroying the perfect life he had created for himself. Pausing his thoughts for a second, Quinn caught himself smiling a little bit. Was he enjoying the thought of crushing Jim Eno? It was a dangerous line to cross, which was why he shook his head and decided to focus on the good. He then took a deep breath and also thought about his current situation. While he was here in the middle of the streets and no one knew who he was, he could do things with ease, but perhaps it wouldn't be that way for long. After making a decision, Layla brought up a point. If they were to live in the vampire society, then they needed to blend in like everyone else. They couldn't just hop from inn to inn, because it wouldn't be long before they came into the radar of the guards and that would create unnecessary attention for them. Another thing was, technically, neither of them had any money, but this problem could be solved easily because Quinn had more than enough stuff in his shadow space that he could sell and easily defeat some high-level beasts to get some more materials to sell and earn. However, Layla rejected this solution because for some reason, she wanted them to live like the other vampires, which meant heading to the assessment area. Once one was chosen in a family, they would be provided with a house and a role, depending on their skills and how well they did in an assessment. In front of the castles, there was an incredibly large open square. Quinn had been here before, because this familiar location was the same place where they tried to execute Fex as well. Another old friend. Quinn wondered how his friends were doing, or if any of them even remembered him? At a certain time of day, the square would be turned into an assessment area for the new vampires. According to Layla, there had been a constant flow of vampires arriving at the place, so the testing area was quite full. Which was why she had warned him with some words. "Please...don't do anything flashy that will get you noticed." She narrowed her eyes at him, which only made Quinn half-raise his hands and give a wry smile. The testing area was full of not just participants but onlookers who just wished to see the display of skills. Not all the vampires seemed to be part of a family. If one member of their family were a part of one, then the rest of their family would live with them. Before lining up, Quinn decided to join the crowd and watch some of the ongoing assessments. He wanted to know what level the vampires were at so he could perform at a certain standard. Seeing the vampires, they seemed at the same level they always had been. The tests consisted of showing the extent of the blood aura around oneself and having it light up like a flame. The larger a blood flame they could produce over the body, the better. Then, producing a blood slash and seeing how far it could reach before it completely disappeared. Then there was the free-roam stage, where one was to display anything they wished. The abilities they had, their fighting techniques or maybe even something like cooking and such. Honestly, Quinn was surprised at how varied the skills the participants were showcasing, and they didn't seem to care too much about their abilities since everyone had something different compared to back in the past. `The vampires are the same, while for me, all this time I have been trying to get stronger and stronger.' Quinn thought. 'Even the Originals, people that I used to fear, with the Dalki blood, were unable to do anything against me. Times certainly have changed.' After watching enough participants take part, Quinn felt like he had an idea of the strength needed to not get noticed yet be offered a position in a family. What Quinn found interesting about the whole thing was that after the assessment was done, the judges from each family would raise their hands if they were interested in taking the person in. It was then up to the person to decide which family they wanted to join. Quinn didn't particularly care too much and got in line with the other participants. The vampires were called forward one by one. He could tell that some of the other vampires were nervous as they stood there, wanting to make sure they did their best. He even saw one of the vampires before their assessment taking a chug of a certain drink from a canister. Using his inspect skill, Quinn knew it was Dalki blood. As he got up on stage, he was impressed with the display of powers, and most of the judges raised their hands, wanting to hire the vampire. 'I can't blame one for wanting to do well at something like this.' "Next!" a voice called, and it was Quinn's turn. He stood in the spot at the same place as where the others had before him and the first test was the Blood aura flames. He wasn't worried; he had great control over his aura. In fact, after learning Qi and more, he had learnt even to suppress his scent and more. So the other vampires wouldn't get suspicious of what he was. In the first place, he wasn't really sure if he still smelt like a vampire lord or something else. 'I wonder if it's a boy, what should I name him, Buinn? Haha, no, that's silly, and what would I do if it's a girl?' Quinn thought. "Wait!" Another voice called out. In the middle of his thoughts, Quinn wondered if he had done anything wrong, but he hadn't activated his aura at all. When he looked at whose voice it was though, he could see a man in an orange top and sunglasses on his head. "I will take that vampire into our family," Edvard suggested. "I like...the look in his eyes." ****** For updates for MVS and future works, please remember to follow me on my social media below. Instagram: Jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n jksmanga When news of MVS, MWS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I'm not too busy, I tend to reply back.