Darko Cernovsek
Soul Of Vengeance
~~Or is it?~~
Year of Our Lord 1664... deep in the Carpathians
That question rummaged through Ixis's mind, as she dragged herself away from the mouth of the grotto, ignoring her Master's pledges of vengeance and enraged vitriolic roars, that echoed outward into the frigid cold of the Carpathians. She knew she got lucky. In more ways then one. Lucky that Arameus didn't suspect her ploy. Lucky that the silver dust she had to handle, to seal the geas, didn't incinerate her. Even as it was, her hands were burned and disfigured from handling it, and would take a week in Torpor, to regenerate. The frigid air helped in that regard. The full moon, however... that was another concern. Before, Arameus was there to warn them in advance, of any roaming wolf-bloods. Now, her own senses would have to suffice.
Lucky that she had time to seal the geas, before he leaped back up, to end her for her treachery. Now, in hindsight, she had a chance to evaluate her plan... and she had to admit to herself, a fair amount of it was predicated on sheer luck.
She would need more of it, so much more, to survive the next days, however... weeks... months... on her own. A lone Fledgeling, still very much a child, by Vampiric standards. Getting her vengeance was fulfilling... even cathartic... but now the reality of her situation would begin to set in.
She was on her own. Against the world that disbelieved, loathed, and reviled any notion of the supernatural. Alone. Isolated. Not for the first time... her forays across Europe took her far and wide - both on the biddings of her Master, as well as her own search for ritualistic knowledge needed to exact her revenge. For over half a century now, ever since she was allowed to roam free. But he was always there, in her mind. Even if occassionaly she resented having him there, as it made concealing her vengeful intentions a full time job, his advice and guidance across their Link, proved invaluable in keeping the young Vampire from Final Death, on numerous occassions. And even the act of concealment - it taught her mental discipline. Compartmentalisation. Focus. Thought policing. Little did she know however, that such extreme mental partitioning, was also the genesis of the split-personality disorder that she would develop, in her later centuries - eventually leading to the split in realities, since Vampires were transcendental creatures. It saved the world, but also ended it, in another reality. Yet all of that, was in the distant future.
For now...
That voice was gone. In it's place... echoes of his rage, and pledge of retribution, permeated the Link. With some effort, Ixis narrowed her gaze, trying to block it all. Sever the Link. There was no severing it, of course... but blocking it was a possiblity. And a necessity, lest she allow the latent psychic pressure from him, to influence her actions, long term. For now, she took no small amount of sadistic pleasure, in opening up the sequestered portions of her mind... giving him a brief glimpse into the sheer amount of preparation that she did - that he was never aware of. She could feel that latent indignation through the Link spiking... and she relished it all the more. That pure... impotent rage.
It was delicious. And then the emptiness replaced it. The Link blocked on it's own, all of a sudden. It was such a shock, that Ixis stopped in her tracks, stumbling, falling face-first into the snow, drowning in the sudden void that replaced the Link she had grown to depend on, yet revile, at the same time.
~~"He must have closed it himself."~~
Hardly surprising, but it still caught her out. It was all he could do, in retaliation, for the time being. Leave her completely alone. Ixis rolled on her back, gazing up at the starry sky, an empty expression on her nightmare face. The void echoed in rhythm with a sudden, near-overpowering sense of loss. But once again, her mental compartmentalisation took over. She sequestered it, and focused on the here-and-now aspect. Shaking her head slowly to herself, she staggered to her feet again, and continued stumbling away from the site of her vengeance.
Into the mists.
~~"Yes. It is."~~
THE END
Year of Our Lord 1664... deep in the Carpathians
That question rummaged through Ixis's mind, as she dragged herself away from the mouth of the grotto, ignoring her Master's pledges of vengeance and enraged vitriolic roars, that echoed outward into the frigid cold of the Carpathians. She knew she got lucky. In more ways then one. Lucky that Arameus didn't suspect her ploy. Lucky that the silver dust she had to handle, to seal the geas, didn't incinerate her. Even as it was, her hands were burned and disfigured from handling it, and would take a week in Torpor, to regenerate. The frigid air helped in that regard. The full moon, however... that was another concern. Before, Arameus was there to warn them in advance, of any roaming wolf-bloods. Now, her own senses would have to suffice.
Lucky that she had time to seal the geas, before he leaped back up, to end her for her treachery. Now, in hindsight, she had a chance to evaluate her plan... and she had to admit to herself, a fair amount of it was predicated on sheer luck.
She would need more of it, so much more, to survive the next days, however... weeks... months... on her own. A lone Fledgeling, still very much a child, by Vampiric standards. Getting her vengeance was fulfilling... even cathartic... but now the reality of her situation would begin to set in.
She was on her own. Against the world that disbelieved, loathed, and reviled any notion of the supernatural. Alone. Isolated. Not for the first time... her forays across Europe took her far and wide - both on the biddings of her Master, as well as her own search for ritualistic knowledge needed to exact her revenge. For over half a century now, ever since she was allowed to roam free. But he was always there, in her mind. Even if occassionaly she resented having him there, as it made concealing her vengeful intentions a full time job, his advice and guidance across their Link, proved invaluable in keeping the young Vampire from Final Death, on numerous occassions. And even the act of concealment - it taught her mental discipline. Compartmentalisation. Focus. Thought policing. Little did she know however, that such extreme mental partitioning, was also the genesis of the split-personality disorder that she would develop, in her later centuries - eventually leading to the split in realities, since Vampires were transcendental creatures. It saved the world, but also ended it, in another reality. Yet all of that, was in the distant future.
For now...
That voice was gone. In it's place... echoes of his rage, and pledge of retribution, permeated the Link. With some effort, Ixis narrowed her gaze, trying to block it all. Sever the Link. There was no severing it, of course... but blocking it was a possiblity. And a necessity, lest she allow the latent psychic pressure from him, to influence her actions, long term. For now, she took no small amount of sadistic pleasure, in opening up the sequestered portions of her mind... giving him a brief glimpse into the sheer amount of preparation that she did - that he was never aware of. She could feel that latent indignation through the Link spiking... and she relished it all the more. That pure... impotent rage.
It was delicious. And then the emptiness replaced it. The Link blocked on it's own, all of a sudden. It was such a shock, that Ixis stopped in her tracks, stumbling, falling face-first into the snow, drowning in the sudden void that replaced the Link she had grown to depend on, yet revile, at the same time.
~~"He must have closed it himself."~~
Hardly surprising, but it still caught her out. It was all he could do, in retaliation, for the time being. Leave her completely alone. Ixis rolled on her back, gazing up at the starry sky, an empty expression on her nightmare face. The void echoed in rhythm with a sudden, near-overpowering sense of loss. But once again, her mental compartmentalisation took over. She sequestered it, and focused on the here-and-now aspect. Shaking her head slowly to herself, she staggered to her feet again, and continued stumbling away from the site of her vengeance.
Into the mists.
~~"Yes. It is."~~
THE END