A couple of days later, Ben and I met with our parents, Corrine and Ibrahim, and Xavier and Vivienne. The others were in the process of packing for their Strava vacation. Mom and Dad had insisted on a briefing session prior to their departure, which made all the sense in the world, especially for my father, who was going away for the first time in so many years.

We organized this meeting in The Shade’s Great Dome, where Phoenix and Jovi had already set up an entire wall for the telescope’s screen feed. The boys had worked with Corrine and Lumi for this, since the telescope had initially been set up in the In-Between. A number of additional spells had been required to allow the lenses to see beyond the earthly dimension, directly into the In-Between.

“A second telescope is currently being assembled in Luceria,” I explained, while our parents stared at the large screen.

“And that’s as close as you can get with it?” Dad asked.

I nodded. “It’s a tad grainy, but it’s accurate and in real time. Besides, you’ve got Bowie with you.”

“Do you think we should do Telluris, too?” Vivienne replied, frowning slightly.

“Oh, come on, Viv!” Corrine exclaimed. “We’re going on vacation. The planet’s uninhabited. We’re not going to war. This isn’t Neraka all over again.”

“Well, Telluris didn’t help on Neraka, anyway,” Ibrahim muttered.

“Case in point,” Corrine said. “We need to relax a little here. It’s a vacation.”

My father sighed, then took a seat at the head of the table. We all joined him, and Ben pressed a couple of buttons on the command panel that had been incorporated into the table’s smooth glass surface. It activated a hologram, a beautiful live view of Eritopia, hovering in the air between us.

“Okay, so, to begin with, I’m confident that you and your brother will do a fine job of looking after GASP and The Shade,” Dad said, giving Ben and me a warm smile. “You’ve both been doing this for a long time, and it would be foolish of me not to trust you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Ben replied.

Each of the seats at the table came with its own set of controls for the holographic display. Dad pressed a couple of buttons and shifted our view from Eritopia to Neraka’s tri-solar system. He zoomed in on Neraka.

“Now, there’s an upcoming shift change on Neraka,” Dad said. “Our previously deployed GASP troops are due to return to Calliope. You’ll need to select and send in their replacements for the ongoing peacekeeping mission. Zane, Nevis, Wyrran, Hundurr, and Neha all agree that we should continue with soldier presence there for at least another year, just to keep potential rebels from starting something nasty. Zane has a good handle on his daemons, but you know how these things can go sometimes, especially when there’s a sudden regime change.”

“I agree.” Ben sighed. “The daemons can be a handful, especially since they’re getting weaned off soul-eating.”

“Precisely. Neraka needs our support before it can stand on its own,” Dad said. “Our troops will continue to assist and train the locals in combat and defense, and they will also mediate any discussions between the species. It’s been a while since Neraka has seen peace, and tempers are bound to flare across the spectrum. They’re all inherently good people, but most are still in survival mode.”

“Ah, yes, especially the Adlets,” I added. “It will take a long time for them to forgive the daemons for enslaving their people and turning them into pit wolves. Their leaders may get along now, but the people don’t forget so easily.”

“There have been reports of minor skirmishes in the southern regions,” Sofia replied. “I suppose GASP will continue to monitor those parts, too?”

“Yes. We’ve got werewolves, warlocks, and two fire dragons on that side,” I said. “We’ll make sure to replace them with a similar group when we change the shift.”

Dad smiled, then nodded slowly.

“Good. Thank you both for that,” he said, then shifted the hologram back to the Eritopian galaxy. It was still one of the most beautiful clusters I’d seen in the In-Between so far, riddled with ribbons of multicolored stardust and a plethora of young, bluish stars. “Eritopia has been cleared of all rebel factions,” he added. “I received the last reports from Tenebris last week. GASP did a good job there, from beginning to end, and the culprits were either killed or apprehended and imprisoned. They’re currently awaiting their trials.”

“We’ve got GASP all over the galaxy there,” I replied. “And Draven, Serena, Field, and Aida are doing an amazing job with all of it.”

“They have incredible support from Jax and Hansa,” Ben added. “Not to mention the Druids. They’re freakin’ superstars.”

Dad chuckled softly. “That they are,” he said. “Which is good, because now we can start looking at nearby solar systems. And I don’t mean Meahiri, which is still significantly far from Eritopia. We’ve been gathering tremendous amounts of data from around Eritopia, and we’d like to start exploring its neighboring solar systems.”

“Yes!” Xavier interjected, visibly enthusiastic. “There are three just ten light-years away, with possibly inhabited planets. We’ve been discussing some exploratory missions for them. We want to see if there’s more intelligent life out there, or if they’re just riddled with wildlife.”

“Just to clarify, are we looking at other planets solely for the purpose of exploration, or are we interested in potentially establishing colonies?” Ben asked, frowning slightly.

“Well, we’re not dealing with overpopulation of any kind,” Dad replied. “Not at this point in time, anyway. But it would be good to look at in the future. I’m interested in planning ahead. Whether it’s in ten thousand or in five million years, the civilizations we’re allied with may need a new home.”

Xavier scoffed, a grin slashing his face. “What your dad’s trying to say is that he’d love to explore some new planets, basically. This whole long-term planning thing is just something he’s thought of as a reasonable excuse to do it.”

We all laughed, recognizing the truth in Xavier’s words. Dad was an explorer at heart, and the relatively recent discovery of the In-Between had awakened his desire to see it all, from top to bottom, and beyond.

“Well, yes,” Dad replied. “I’ll admit, I’m interested. I think it’s something we should look into when we return.”

“Hah, that’s why it didn’t take too long to convince you to go to Strava in the first place,” I said with a grin. “Ben and I had thought it would take us days to get you and Mom to agree to go!”

Mom and Dad looked at each other, then chuckled softly.

“Tell you what, Dad,” Ben said. “Rose and I will start analyzing the data. We’ve got a second telescope being built in Luceria, so we’ll use it to snap some images of potential locations for us to scout. We’ll keep our search area up to ten light-years away from Eritopia, and we’ll cover the whole radius. By the time you come back, we’ll have a full report ready for you.”

I nodded in agreement. “We’ll pick out the top five, and, at the same time, we’ll start to screen potential candidates for the exploratory missions,” I added. “Something tells me Harper, Caspian, Heron, and Avril will be the first to put their hands up.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Dad said. “There are new generations emerging from the Vale, the mountains, and the beach, too. Possible new GASP members, curious and full of energy. Many are highly capable hybrids. I strongly recommend that you start collecting some profiles from them, while you’re at it.”

Ben clicked his teeth. “You know, we’ve got a new generation of vampires coming in, too. The Vale humans are starting to turn more frequently. We’ve had to put in yearly schedules, so we can monitor and look after them once they become vampires. The first-year hunger is the hardest.”

“Ben’s right,” I added. “I know at least a dozen humans turning this autumn. I’ve trained some of them myself, prepping them for the transition. They would be great assets in scouting missions.”

Dad leaned back into his chair, wearing a broad smile. His eyes glimmered with pride as he looked at Ben and me.

“You know, I have to admit something,” he said, his voice low. “I am permanently in awe of you. Of all of you. The level of proficiency you’ve reached reinforces what Harper and the others have been saying. I’m actually okay with going away for some time and letting you and your kids run the show.”

I couldn’t stop myself from blushing.

“Thanks, Dad,” I replied. “It’s all thanks to you, Mom, Xavier and Vivienne, Corrine, Ibrahim, Lucas… all the others. You’ve made all this possible. You’re the ones who set the standards. All we’re doing is making sure they’re perpetuated.”

“GASP has established some astonishing standards,” Ibrahim interjected. “The level of training that we offer to our new recruits alone is exceptional. It definitely helped to have different species train them in various combat and recon styles. GASP is probably the best form of cultural exchange possible. It combines the knowledge and experience of three different dimensions.”

Dad then stood and walked over to the large wall screen, settling his gaze on Strava. He frowned, crossing his arms.

“It still feels weird to leave all this behind and go there for two weeks,” he said. “I am not entirely comfortable.”

“Well, tough luck, Dad,” I replied with a smirk. “We’ll take care of all this for you. The Shade will go on without you, you know.”

He rolled his eyes. “I know, I know.”

“So then stop being so gloomy!” Mom chimed in, laughing. “We’re not leaving a war zone behind. We’re going on vacation. Va-ca-tion.”

“I guess it’s knowing that The Shade and GASP will go on without me that actually makes me feel a little… sad,” Dad replied, prompting us all to get serious for a moment.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It’s just that, on one hand, it’s obviously amazing that it’s all such a well-oiled machine. But knowing I’m not really needed here anymore… It makes me feel a little bit useless,” he murmured.

“Oh, darling.” Mom sighed. “That’s so self-pitying and childish, it feels as though I’m back with the Derek I first met.”

“Ah, yes, the wallowing, moping version of my little brother,” Lucas cut in. “Seriously, Derek. Take it down a notch. It’s not that bad.”

I knew they were all poking fun at Dad for this, but I sort of understood how he felt. He’d found his purpose in redeveloping The Shade into what it had become. He’d put in a lot of effort to make it into the supernatural haven that had even led to the creation of GASP. It was his baby, in a way.

And now, his baby was all grown up and self-sufficient. It bothered him.

“Dad, we’ll always need you, you know,” I replied. It got my father’s attention, and he turned to look at me. “The Shade won’t be the same without you. You’re the glue that keeps us all together. We’re fine with you going on vacation for a while, don’t get me wrong. But none of us can imagine a world, a Shade, or even a GASP without you. You will always be an essential component of… everything.”

“You’ve done an incredible job, Dad,” Ben added. “The kids said it themselves. We all agree. We’re all proud of you. You should be proud, too.”

Dad’s eyes were wet, all of a sudden. That was a rare sight.

It made my heart twist itself into a pretzel. I knew those were happy tears, but still. They had an effect on me.

“I’m not sure whether this can be categorized as a midlife crisis of sorts,” he said, then laughed lightly. “I just felt so obsolete when I realized that yes, GASP will do fine without me for a couple of weeks. I know I shouldn’t have felt like that, but… I don’t know… maybe I’m getting old.”

“I’m not sure you’ll ever get a midlife crisis, honey,” Mom replied, smiling, “but know that I’m with you, all the way. We all are.”

“Besides, you’re still quite spry for a centuries-old vampire,” Xavier added. “You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

We all laughed this time.

“Yeah, we’re lucky to not look our age,” Dad said, then took a deep breath. “Sorry I got all emotional back there.”

“It would be weird if you didn’t, Dad,” I replied.

Harper and the others were right. My father needed this break more than anything. He’d grown so attached to GASP and The Shade that he could no longer imagine life without them. But the beauty of being a vampire, of being granted eternal life, was that you could do pretty much anything you wanted with such a gargantuan amount of time. His entire identity had come to revolve around The Shade, yet there was so much more to him than that—he just needed to discover it, too.

He’d come a long way, though. The Shade had once been dark and cold, a place of sorrow, pain, and misery. Mom’s arrival had changed everything, including Dad. They put everything they had into this place. They rebuilt it, expanded it, and turned it into the majestic slice of supernatural heaven that was our home.

Dad wasn’t the young vampire he’d once been—well, physically, yes, he was the perpetually handsome twenty-five-year-old. But he was stronger now, more determined, and highly ambitious. His head was clear, his heart full of love. Our family had grown. Our reach had found the In-Between. We now had GASP bases on twenty-one planets, and we were looking into doing more.

We all wanted him with us, forever. But he needed this break. He needed to see what else was out there. He needed new goals—something else to strive for. The Shade and GASP were growing on their own, now. Deep down, I knew that a day might come when he and my mom would consider following another path. Moving away, even. It wasn’t crazy to think about it. Planets died, too. Someday, we might all have to leave this place.

But until then, I made it my mission to empower my father.

He had every reason to be proud.

And I had every reason to be proud of him, in return.