With a sense of growing unease, Lucian pushed through the ruins, his eyes scanning for any sign of Rylan. He had to find him; the mere thought of being apart from his friend for any stretch of time felt unbearable. But as the minutes ticked by, and the silence of Moonhallow's ruins weighed on him, Lucian's hope began to falter.

Just as he was about to give up, his ears caught a faint rustling sound amidst the wreckage. He moved toward the noise, his heart quickening as he navigated through the rubble. And that's when he saw him – an elderly figure, wounded and weak, struggling to breathe. Lucian approached cautiously, not wanting to startle the person, but his instincts immediately kicked in to protect this stranger.

However, instead of attacking, the elder looked up at Lucian with a mixture of fear and suspicion. Lucian understood that this person must have heard tales of his kind's brutal nature, the same myths that had kept him hidden away his whole life. He took a step back, hands raised in a calming gesture, to reassure the elder that he meant no harm.

As he drew closer, Lucian could see the elder's fear begin to subside, replaced by a sense of curiosity. He spoke softly, reassuring the elder that he was there to help. "Don't be afraid. I'm Lucian. What's your name?" The elder's eyes searched his face, but eventually, a hint of recognition flashed across his features.

"I...m-my name is...Elwyn," the elder stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lucian nodded understandingly and took Elwyn's frail hand in his. "Elwyn, I need to know if Rylan is here. Is he—?" But before he could finish, Elwyn's eyes fluttered, and his hand slipped from Lucian's grasp.

"No, no, please," Lucian cried, trying to hold Elwyn upright. He gently lowered the elderly figure to the ground and cradled his head in his lap. Elwyn's eyes, filled with a mix of sorrow and gratitude, locked onto Lucian's face.

"Y-you have to...find...find—" Elwyn's voice trailed off, and Lucian felt a cold dread creeping up his spine. Elwyn's eyes went dark, and his chest stopped moving. The elderly figure had passed on.

With heavy sorrow, Lucian gently closed Elwyn's eyes and rose to his feet. He looked for a suitable place to lay the elder to rest, and after a moment of reflection, he decided on a nearby clearing surrounded by a cluster of ancient trees. The moon cast an eerie glow over the area, casting long, ominous shadows across the ground.

As he laid Elwyn's body to rest, Lucian spoke the words of the ancient vampire burial rite, his voice low and somber.

"Earth of the night, receive this soul from the light that once shone. Take his memories, his pain, and his name, and in exchange, grant him peace, rest, and the eternal darkness. May his spirit roam free, untethered and unbound, a whisper in the wind, a shadow upon the wall."

With the words echoing through the air, Lucian gently covered Elwyn's body with the remains of a nearby tarp, a makeshift shroud to protect his friend's mortal remains. As he stood beside the grave, a sense of reverence washed over him, a reminder that even in the darkest times, life and death were intricately woven.

With Elwyn safely buried, Lucian stood up, his eyes scanning the devastated landscape once more. "Where...?" he whispered, hoping that Elwyn had managed to share his final words with him. His thoughts drifted back to the elder's faint utterances, and a spark of hope ignited. He remembered the words "find...in..." but the rest was shrouded in darkness.

With a resolute spirit, Lucian set off into the ruins, determined to find Rylan, no matter what lay ahead. The night air seemed to whisper secrets in his ear, but he pressed onward, driven by his unyielding love for Rylan and his unwavering desire to be reunited with him.