Chapter 7 - Sylas #2
The emotional one right at the surface couldn’t be allowed, not with the power I held, nor the threat that somebody of my abilities had now been recognized to pose to the supernatural world if they lost their grip on rational thought—thanks to Morien’s massacre at that CRS facility.
I had to be careful. And the supernatural world deserved that from me.
I had to be better.
But that didn’t mean I had to be soft or mute what I was capable of when it came to our enemies specifically. Just how I went about it so it didn’t impact others.
I sucked in a breath and told Remnant, “Like I said before, this isn’t an equal-weight tether that Corvin created between you and Victor in order to spare that psychopathic Ancient’s life. And given that Corvin wasn’t a necromancer, there is even more that can be exploited here to our advantage.”
“Your spell indicates overriding sorcerer-based magic with necromantic. One aspect of the spell. It’s multifaceted, several layers involved.”
“More layers, less chance of loopholes being used against the spellwork down the road.”
“Very impressive.”
“Well, that’s why you wanted me here, hmm?”
“More than you realize at this juncture.”
Instead of pushing him to explain and cut through the majorly cryptic aspect of his response, I focused on the immediate issue at hand, telling him, “As to the tether not being equal-weight, I’ve discovered that Victor was spared from death by Corvin attaching a portion of your lifeforce to Victor’s.
That’s what holds him to this plane. So, if he was killed, he would absolutely die in the permanent sense.
If you were killed, it would pull you into the Veil, not the Valley itself.
You would be trapped on the periphery. In a similar way to which Velra was, albeit without the Valley fighting to draw you in, because you’re Vampire not Wraith.
You could remain there. A necromancer could technically then reach into the Veil and pull you back into the land of living.
However, with the damage caused to the Valley by my actions and those by Morien and Corvin piggybacking off that incident, it could result in that tear becoming permanent.
” I gestured at my papers over the bed. “Tears will already begin opening up shortly as it is, because of this damage.”
“I’ve had my people researching that damage also, but they couldn’t make an accurate determination.”
“Because they’re sorcerers and sorceresses, not necromancers.
Their understanding is limited. To garner that requires not just research but the ability to feel necromantic power rolling through your veins and the connection to deathscapes and the like.
” I handed him the spell. “You see my solution instead?”
“Yes. It involves a serious risk.”
“In giving me the stake that can kill Ancients.” I regarded him intently.
“You were willing to simply murder Victor before and sacrifice yourself to achieve it. It’s why you asked Cornelius for the stake.
But then you made contact with Lazriel and brought him into your life, started building a father-son relationship with him, and it changed things for you. ”
“It did. It has. Lazriel’s wellbeing isn’t just physical protection, it’s emotional. He cannot lose me. It would undo him.”
“I agree.” I folded my arms across my chest. “So, this is what I can do, as per that spell I’ve crafted…
I’ll imbue death magic into the stake which will also create a sort of magnetized force that will draw back the aspect of your lifeforce within Victor at the point of connection with his heart—when you drive the stake into his chest. As the holy water and sunlight within the stake tear through his heart and work to end his life, your lifeforce will be returned, my death magic imbued within the instrument will sever Nexus Letale, thus separating you from Victor and restoring you, so his death won’t serve to drain you either. ”
He lifted his eyes from the paper and beamed out at me. “Excellent work. I will provide you with the stake. Thank you.”
“Well, like you said, Lazriel needs you to stick around. This is how we do that while also being able to eliminate Victor. And eliminating that motherfucker gives us a much more unobstructed shot at Morien.”
He handed the spell back to me. “We need to discuss your father in personal detail, unfortunately. As regrettable as it is, it’s also necessary.
You need to absorb what will be conveyed to you now, not through him throwing it at you during battle and thereby compromising you.
And then, depending on how you receive this revelation, I will impart some information to you regarding the decay of the Valley of the Dead. ”
“You’re talking about a way you’ve found to stop it from fracturing, from the tears opening up?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “However, you jumping on that and completely bypassing what I said about Morien and personal revelations raises concern that what I’m about to tell you will not be absorbed well by you.”
“I have very little sentiment toward that black magic warped sadist.”
“You’re claiming that it’s become an automatic reaction for you to transcend any mention of him?”
“Pretty much. It’s not compartmentalization, it’s the state of things.”
“I see.”
My lips twitched. “I’m a complicated motherfucker, huh? Even difficult for somebody as learned and as astute as you to get a proper read on?”
“It’s a challenge, yes. But a rather intriguing one.”
“Good to know. But I also need to know now why you’re so willing to engage in said challenge.
If it was solely about us working together to defeat Morien, asking me to assist with breaking the tether between you and Victor falls within the parameters of that, but your concern about my stability and everything else doesn’t.
It can’t be about your son being my love either, because it must be clear that our connection is solid regardless. ”
“First,” he said, reaching into his inner jacket pocket, “there is this.” He pulled something free and then opened his palm to reveal a pear-shaped stone that filled the entirety of it.
“A Stone of Recollection.”
“Yes. Containing my memories that I referenced when we were on our way to Ambrose a few days ago.”
“Right. Memories that connect to me, to something Morien did that you were privy to.”
He nodded, and I studied the stone.
At first glance it was merely shimmering with silver magic, the mark in this case of Cornelius Martel.
Given their longstanding alliance it was no surprise to me that he’d had Cornelius perform the spell to fuse Remnant’s memories into the Stone.
But as I reached out and brushed my fingers over it, the magic swirled and shifted, giving way to crimson flecks.
“What the—” I swept a hand over it, then I felt my blood there also, fused within it.
And those crimson flecks… they were my power.
“How?” I choked out. “I didn’t facilitate this memory storage.”
“You did. Temporarily. I had Cornelius bolster and reinforce it because you weren’t strong enough back then—nor learned.”
“I don’t—”
He pulled his mask away and put it down on my desk.
I started as he turned back to face me fully, and I took him in completely for the first time.
The lower half of his face always hidden was all sharp angles and years of endurance carved into flesh, a jaw built from iron will and grim resolve.
The stubble lining his jaw was dark, clinging close to the skin like a severe outline.
His lips were set in a hard line of resolve, and they quirked at my reaction.
With a wink, he dropped his fangs, then tore into his wrist.
He held it over the stone, blood dripping onto it.
In a burst of speed he had a glowing silver vial in his free hand, pulled from his jacket. He popped the cork. “If you will.”
I called my power and extracted the magic, levitating it out of the vial, then sweeping it over the stone.
He pocketed the little that was left, then told me, “Your magic or your blood connecting with the Stone will complete the spell and unlock the memories bound within.”
I slapped my hand to his over it, his eyes shooting to mine as I infused my power into all the rest.
“What did you mean about me not being learned? How long ago was this? And why don’t I remember freely?”
He retracted his fangs, then told me, “I thought your memory of this might be triggered when my name kept coming up in relation to Lazriel, especially when you performed the Blood Trace on him and felt me through the spell—and even saw me. But the trauma clearly ran too deep. Suppressing these memories is clearly the most powerful form of your compartmentalization you’ve ever employed.
You should have been able to shatter the Oblivisca that was performed on you that day as your power grew to such formidable heights.
But it remained untouched all these years.
” He sighed heavily. “You see, you were just a boy back then, still new to your power. Your understanding of what you were truly capable of was limited. Your mother worsened that for you out of her intention to protect you, to ensure you didn’t become Morien. ”
“My mother? What? No, that’s—”
It was too late then, the magic rushing around us swirling faster and faster, then sucking us in.
I jolted as my consciousness returned within the captured memories of the Stone of Recollection.
I couldn’t see my own form but I could feel it there. Remnant wasn’t with me either, but I somehow knew he was present in his current day form the same way that I was—just as an observer.