HECATE

V

Conversations on the dining table varied from topics like politics to the research on magic that Eric and Hecate conducted during the time they did not spend teaching at the institute. It was an altogether pleasant evening that all the participants greatly enjoyed after being busy all the time and not seeing each other for a long period and the phenomenon that caused the starlight to brighten so drastically was thankfully forgotten for the moment.

….

After dinner, Hecate immediately went to her laboratory inside her new home, the tower. It was a relief that her maids had managed to bring all her instruments into her lab, even though they did not have much time. That made it easier for Hecate to perform tests on Asterias and to ensure a safe environment for him to unleash his powers so she could gain a general understanding of them. She let her faintly glowing, white hair down so it fell to her lower back in large waves and took off her shoes as she was feeling a bit uncomfortable. She then went and donned her lab coat and took out her round reading glasses. Asterias, who had said he would quickly go to his room after dinner, finally arrived just when she finished her preparations. He had removed his suit jacket and vest, as well as his tie, leaving him only in his dress shirt. The first three buttons were left undone, revealing his muscled chest. Asterias had visibly hard muscles while being lean, which Hecate much preferred over bulky men.

“You’re here, good. That means we can proceed with the tests I need to conduct to get a general understanding of your powers and to be able to find a way to control them better. First of all, could you please explain to me the nature of your power and the problems you have with it?” Hecate spoke in a very professional manner since she had done these tests with a lot of other species who had trouble with their rare gifts but still, she spoke with a small smile on her face.

“Of course. The gift I possess is control over blood and when I say control I mean literal control. I can control the blood inside every being that possesses it and so they lose complete control over their own movements because I can control them like puppets on a string. The problem I have with that power is that when I lose control I sometimes damage my prey without intending to. I can make their blood exit their body if I want and that happens very frequently when I try to train them and so I stopped using my powers and have been searching for others who might have the same gift or someone who can help me control it better,” Hecate was busy taking notes while Asterias explained his problem to her and at the end of his explanation, she already had a general idea of what his intentions were.

Asterias did not want to solve his problem so he would not cause any more harm to people but to be more efficient while using it, making the power a weapon and not a knife that would turn on its wielder. It was fascinating. There was that brutality and calculating mind she appreciated in vampires.

Before Hecate could answer, Asterias asked her a question that she did not particularly expect him to ask, though the answer to it was simple.

“Do you fear me now that you know what I intend to do with my powers once I have perfect control over them or now that you know my personality? Others would often judge or resent me for being so cruel.” He c****d his head like a cat as he asked that question and Hecate knew that it was simple curiosity that made him ask that and not because the answer really mattered to him.

“Fear you? It seems you have forgotten who I am. Also, who am I to judge or resent you? That is the true apex predator in you. The trait that really separates different kinds of supernatural species from humans. You know how they can be good, evil or something in between. We supernaturals, though, we don’t care about labelling ourselves as such. Shifters and vampires act on instinct most of the time. Most of us only care about ourselves or our species and while some care about their friends, most do not have any sympathy for what stands in their way. We use any means to satisfy our own desires and that is alright. It is what makes us different, what makes us actually true to ourselves. Many want to pretend they are saints but in truth, evil and good are simply objective terms created by humans to define a person. No one is innately evil, everyone does something for a reason and so who am I to judge them. I, myself, am simply someone who would do everything to protect what is precious to me and to gain whatever my heart desires, even if my methods are sometimes questionable. In our case, I am simply a doctor who wants to research your condition out of curiosity and helping you by doing that is simply an added bonus. What you end up doing with the magic you possess, once you are able to wield it properly, is not any of my business,” Hecate simply spoke truthfully and didn’t pay much mind to what she said, yet Asterias seemed quite fascinated by her speech.