Chapter 27 #3
“Then,” Mavyn whispers, as if she’s telling a story from an age ago and the words carry more weight than just fairytales, “she fed her blood to her daughter, and bit her to inject every drop possible of her venom, and thus, the first vampire was created. But the universes require balance. So an act of trapping a soul within a body with a runic curse tipped the scales, and to right the equilibrium fate tied a knot around vampyr and vampires. Only humans can be turned and only a vampyr can turn them.”
Our meeting from a little over a month ago filters through my head.
Her coming to ask about runic magic and curses.
Saying she herself was cursed – that being cursed as a vampire was made through runic magic.
Castiel had said being turned into a vampire was not a runic curse, and she made that face she does when she disagrees and knows the truth.
How the fuck does she know these truths?
“It didn’t help either,” she continues, “that Syngenia the Vampyr was associated with the Sun God Ruu and instead of seeking his help she called to a different god. A goddess over a moon and in retaliation Ruu scorned the vampires from his day and cursed them to the night. Which is why vampires cannot be exposed to sunlight.”
She hums to herself as she looks around at the darker corners of the room. That power, whoever’s spirit it is, hums along with her.
“Vampires are a cursed product of a mothers love. Hated by all for a valid reason no one can name.” She turns towards Rothwhile.
“In truth, all vampires once turned hear the hum of Sanivin’s song.
That’s what Syngenia the Vampyr had named her daughter come back from death.
It’s why vampires have a bloodlust. Sure, because they initially need it since they were just killed and everything, but because her song aligns with blood and soul.
We are all cursed together and therefore all connected. ”
The shifter who is normally a scrawny, silent spectator, who has jumped from someone standing right in front of him and asking a question, has words galore now. He’s also watching Mavyn like she’s something he would worship.
“So all vampires know the words. And all the vampires could sing the song.”
She blinks and snaps out of whatever slight trance she was in. Turning towards the shifter she contemplates what he said – even though he didn’t ask it as a question.
“Not exactly. All vampires technically do know the words but for the most part it’s knowing the feeling they can induce verses the actual words themselves.
I’m sure some of them know the actual words, but I can’t say they all do.
” She shrugs a shoulder and makes a face like she’s thinking.
“I also don’t know why the spirits let me sing it.
Or why they changed their aura color. It shouldn’t be possible for a being to change their aura – the shape or color – however the spirits of the willow are spirits taken in from all sorts of races.
The likelihood of what really happened is a spirit of the willow had aura colored red and they influenced the change. ”
She turns towards me and there’s a soft expression on her face. She looks serene. . . just like she did when she was singing. But recognition passes as she processes who she’s looking at and a cold mask falls over her features.
“I doubt it really matters though.” Her tone reflects her expression now. “Despite all that vampires are still nothing. They don’t matter, I should be lucky they didn’t eviscerate me when I started singing.”
Callahan frowns at her and Rothwhile looks away but says, “It was beautiful though. Your voice, singing, even the spirits harmonized with you. I’ve never felt a truer form of an embodiment of soul.”
She flinches at that. Just barely, but I and Callahan notice it. She doesn’t say anything more and turns away. Finally, an ending to the conversation.
“Are there any more questions?” If my tone is any hint there shouldn’t be. And thankfully no one else raises their hand or speaks. “Good. Now, today’s lesson – “
A ringing echoes in the back of my mind cutting me off. I snap my gaze up to Callahan who is hearing the same thing. Dropping the sound barrier the blaring of warning bells goes off and I reinforce my Devil’s Locks sealing off the room.
“Callahan,” I bark, who’s already down the stairs. “The rest of you stay here. There is an infiltration in the school by rebels using deadly force.”
Despite me trying not to, I glance at the bloodsucker. There’s a spark that lights in her eyes as she stands up and takes a step to the side as if she was wanting to come with.
“Stay,” I growl. Stilling her and everyone else in the room. “Only four and fifth year trained students are permitted to help, everyone else is required to stay secured in your rooms. Do. Not. Come. Out.”
I doubt there will be anything close to a battle, but it’s custom. The rebels have numbers and races with magic that far surpasses most first, second, and third years. Unholy gods, some of them surpass even my own and we cannot have any more casualties.
Callahan disappears out the door with shadows and feathers of pure light drifting around him.
His casual clothing disappearing and being replaced by tactile gear as I follow him out.
Closing the door behind me, I finish sealing the lock and add another one on for good measure.
If the bloodsucker was able to break my first one with her limited magic, I do not need someone more powerful than her breezing through.
Once it’s sent I pull my own shadows to form and solidify into my weapons. I roll the sleeves of my white button up over my forearms as holsters become strapped to my body and blades fill them. The weight of a long sword appears on my back and two tactile handguns are strapped at my thighs.
Callahan’s own holsters and sheaths wrap around him.
At his back are two long blades crisscrossed with a golden chain between their handles.
On Earth the closest weapon similar to it would be called a kyoketsu-shoge.
Darian has a similar one, though his chain between them is longer and he uses his more similar to a whip dart.
A bang rocks part of the school. Callahan and I glance at each other before we take off towards the noise. We meet Thorne and his father – both strapped in their signature weapons – coming around the corner.
“Fucking rebels,” Edmond sneers. “You would have thought the stint at the capitol would have taught them something.”
The rest of us don’t get a chance to respond as we exit into one of the courtyards that extend out to a wide field. It’s expansive and eventually leads to a cliff that overlooks the sea. But off to the left is a battalion of soldiers.
Darian and his father are already on the field holding out with a shield to prevent their magic from striking the school, but apparently a blow already landed. Half of the training arena is already in cinders. What a fucking pain.
Jerusil Kyros – who is the most gentle and kindhearted devil I have ever met – turns back and shouts for us all to get our asses out here. Darian smiles at his father before he takes a step back, drops his shield for a moment, extends his arms out wide, and then forces them together with a clap.
The shock from the sound shatters every window on this side of the university and forms a crater around Darian.
A fucking warning would have been nice, I wince through my mind into his. Forming links between the number of us. Castiel and Aslan are further out throwing offensive blows at the rebel group still holding.
You’re late to the party, Darian chuckles. I warned my father and the rest of us who have been holding for the past ten minutes.
Thorne shadow twists from where he was next to me to the field with Castiel. Each of us work in tandem as we instinctively coordinate with one another. With how small this group from the rebels are we won’t even need the other trainees.
Very sloppy.
The battle was over the second we stepped onto the field.