True Blood: Night Huntress

Part 2

Amaranth might have been too sleepy to react properly last evening, but he is fully awake now. It is thanks to his mistress’s sleeping habit that he can barely keep up with the earlier incident, but it is night time now, and he can finally fully take on Ian’s attacks. Though when the giant brute walks towards them, he walks pass Amaranth and goes straight to his sister instead.

“Please f**k my maker,” he says.

Nitiya is just enjoying this book she finds in the house’s small collection when the words forces her to look up to this brother.

“Say what?”

He repeats the demands. “Please f**k my maker.”

“Why?”

“Because he wants you. I saw it in his eyes this evening.”

“Ian, I am not a kettle. You can’t demand such things from me.”

“Even if you won’t f**k me, please at least f**k him.”

“Why are you so insistent on this?”

“Please, søster, you’re the only one who can help him.”

“What do you mean?”

“My maker wants to die. He no longer feel any attachments to this world — not even to me, and you know that there is nothing stronger than a bond between a child and the maker. But even he had forsaken me. Yet this evening, I saw a spark of want in this eyes, and as his progeny, I swear to do anything I can to help him find the will to live again.”

“Wow, that is very serious,” Nitiya puts down the book, “but I still can’t help you with that.”

“Please—”

“There must be another solution, though. I know—”

“Vær så snill!”

“What’s going on here?” comes Godric’s voice entering the study room.

Nitiya zooms past her brother and stops in front of Godric.

“Ian told me that you no longer feel the will to live,” she states.

He nods. “That is true.”

“Why?”

“I’ve lived for thousands of years. It is already time.”

“I’ve met older vampire than you, and they even have more will to live than you do.”

“And most of them probably have gone insane or murderous at this point,” he counters.

Nitiya racks up her brain, trying to come up with a more satisfying result, to no result. “Yeah, that’s true,” she admits with slight bitterness.

“It’s alright. It’s hard to understand, but I’ve made my decision. I am at peace. This world can offer nothing that can interest me anymore.”

“Not even your child?”

He pauses for a second. “Yes.”

“Oh, is that so?” she suddenly questions with a darker hint.

Amaranth knows what will happen when he hears that tone of hers.

All of a sudden, Nitiya zooms to Ian’s side, one hand pressed against the blonde’s neck, nails pressing dangerously against his dead pulse.

“Tiya?” Ian asks concernedly, unsure.

But her attention is still glued to Godric. “Not even if I kill him?”

The man/boy still stares at their direction calmly. He knows what she is trying to do, but he can not even will himself to pretend to care. Nothing seems to amuse him anymore.

His reaction is unsatisfactory, so of course Nitiya has to go all the way by enacting her course of action.

Her nails press in, and all of a suddenly blood spray everywhere.

Erik falls into the floor lifelessly, and Pam, who happens to walk by and witnesses the scene, screams a bloody scream.

“Erik!” she cries out.

All of a sudden, Godric is no longer standing there, but slamming Nitiya back against a wall, just like how his late progeny did to her progeny, fingers wrapping tightly around her slender neck.

“Why you.” His tone is no longer calm, but monstrous. Dangerous, just like the beast that he has been trying to tame inside him. His eyes are no longer blank and peaceful, but full of hatred and a dark promise of pain and torment.

“There you go! That’s it!” Nitiya exclaims excited for the beast that she has drawn out, completely disregarding her well being as per usual, even as Godric holds nothing back and is practically crushing her neck in with a deadly grip.

“What the actually f**k? Did you really just kill your own brother to prove a point?” Pam curses, voice shrieking with grief as tears roll down from her eyes.

“Correction, she fake-killed her brother. Ian’s not really dead,” it is Amaranth who explains the situation to them.

“Wait, what?” Pam asks dumbly, unable to keep up for a moment. “He’s not dead?”

“God no! Nitiya’s cold, but not that cold.”

True enough, Ian finds himself raising back to his feet, staring at the mess that is staining his shirt.

“What happened?” he asks, disorientated.

Hearing his progeny’s voice somehow drives the beast back inside its cage, and Godric blinks back to reality.

“What . . . ?” He turns back to find that his child is not dead.

Nitiya clears her throat a few times, her neck is still healing from the assault, before answering, “I pressed his pressure point. That was what caused him to suddenly lost consciousness and drop down. At the same time, I injured him a little bit, just enough to draw enough blood, but not deep enough to harm him. Plus, vampires don’t have pulse, so it was easy enough to fool you guys to think that he is actually dead.”

“Just a scratch? Look at all of this blood,” Ian’s point at his shoulders upsetly.

“Oh, come on. It’s just a scratch. Besides, your wounds already healed up at this point.” True enough, the skin on his neck has returned back to its original state without a single spot missing, his blood the only thing that is still covering his skin.

“You surprised me for a little bit there,” Godric says, stepping back with guilt.

“Surprised? You were ready to maim her,” Ranth snorts.

“Really?” Ian asks, surprised and pleased at the same time to hear that his maker has regained his bloodlust back.

“That was a misunderstanding. I really thought that you were gone for good.”

“That does not matter. What matters is that we know you still care.”

“Yeah, you only react according to what I planned. You shouldn’t blame yourself, just blame me.”

Godric shifts his gaze back to her. “You should have done that. It was very dangerous. I could have really killed you.”

“But you didn’t, just like I predicted, because you were displaying controlled outburst. Seeing your progeny dead alone should have sent you to a berserker mode, but it didn’t. We’ll think of something to fix that.”

“Are you insane? I’m not gonna let you use my maker like that again,” Pam storms towards the other female, ready to fight her.

“I don’t mind that,” Ian says, stopping his progeny at her tracks, before rubbing the back of his neck, “as long as you tell me about it first.”

“How can I? Then it won’t be a surprise anymore, and I was really relying on Godric’s instinctive response,” Nitiya reveals.

“I agree with Pam. I do not approve of your method, no matter how good of a cause you think this is,” Godric says.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have to use Ian to fix you. Not anymore, now that I know that you’re not completely fixable.”

“I don’t think—”

“No more extreme triggers, I promise,” she sends him a reassuring smile, which seems to work this time.

. . . . .

Nitiya refuses to tell Ian what kind of method she had used on his maker, but Godric is now back to drinking blood again. Not fresh from someone’s neck, but at least he is no longer neglecting his nutritional intake. Nitiya has given him some blood tablets — a more concentrated and portable version of blood bags — which he seems to take a liking to. It is not desirable for Ian, especially since he still believes in the olden ways, but if his maker is getting better, then he has no say to how the man sustain himself.

After that whole therapy is done, they decide to take some time off by attending a party. It is more of a gala, and they get to dressed up and all. Pam wears a vibrant one-shoulder red dress, and she looks more like her doppelganger celebrity than ever. Ian chooses a white suit, no doubt to make himself stand out against everyone else. Godric also wears white, per his progeny’s recommendation, though he appears much more innocent and down to earth compared to his taller counterpart. Amaranth decides to wear an all-black, and Nitiya matches him with her ink colored gown.

It is supposed to be a merry time to have fun, until Nitiya senses someone that she has never thought she would encounter again.

His hair is much shorter, straight and slicked back, and his dark obsidian eyes matches the coldness in his heart. He may smile, but she knows just what kind of person he really is: cold and sadistic. His ghostly pale skin glow under the light, and his pink red lips curve in a way she has seen so many times before, many lifetimes ago. It might not have been his era anymore, but his presence still feels the same: commanding and authoritative.

She watches him exchanging with a few enthralled human women, his smiles barely reaches his eyes, but then he notices her staring and she looks away a moment too late. Their eyes meet, and his smirk slowly disappears. He has seen her somewhere, but when? Those eyes, he knows them not from their shade of color, but from the way they used to stare back at his. Somewhere from his past, so long ago that he thought he had lost her forever. No, that can’t be . . .

Nitiya wants to run away the moment he makes it his mission to stalk towards her, but she is shivering in fear so much that she can not even will her body to move. This is pathetic, and it frustrates her that he can still inflict this kind of fear into her without doing anything much other than staring at her with that cold, cruel gaze of his.

“Xiǎohuā,” her old name brushes from his lips in cold tendrils, and it takes everything from her to not fall right there and then. “Could it be? Is that really you? I thought you died, but this must be your reincarnation.”

Fuck! He even knows about that?

“Yes, of course I know,” he reads the slight facial expression on her face. “I’ve been secretly expecting that you might have been lucky enough to be reborn again. Seems like I was right. Really, I had thought it would have been much harder than this, but looks like you had done the job excellent enough for me. You really can’t stay away, can’t you? Do you miss me?” He leans in to whisper to her earn in their original language; Mandarin. “Welcome back, my little flower.”

That’s right. She has reached her limit. Vampires are not supposed to pass out, but Nitiya just breaks another record. She barely registers it when she topples over, two strong arms already there to catch her, gripping her so tightly, unwilling to let go.

When she blinks open her eyes, she is no longer in the ballroom, but lied in a luxurious looking apartment. Or is it a hotel room? She does not know, or does she care. She needs to escape.

A pair of hands are already there to catch her when he senses her stirring. The Emperor. He smirks at her in amusement, looking as regal and beautiful as he is dangerous and cruel.

“Trying to sneak away from me, aìrén?” His voice is deep and seductive, with a promise of poison dripping from his tone. He moves his hips, and instantly Nitiya hisses in pain. And all of a sudden, she is not Nitiya anymore, but back to his little toy again.

He had taken it upon himself to intrude her, thrusting his c**k inside her without even waiting for her consent, treating her like his belonging again.

“Ah, and I see that you have kept yourself pure despite all of these many years. You truly are a loyal wife, aren’t you?”

“Y-you’re the reason why I don’t want it in the first place. You gave me nothing but pain, and I hate it. I hate having s*x, and I hate having s*x with you.”

“There is always pleasure after the pain. Don’t you remember?” He rolls his hips again, pulling and slamming his c**k back into her womb. He is still as huge as he can remember, and he is buried to the hilt inside her again.

She never let herself become investing in romance or s*x, and she has been a virgin in this lifetime, until he took it from her once again. She can feel her blood pooling in between her legs, no doubt from his forced assault.

“What do you want?” she cries in desperation.

“What I always want; you.”

“I’m not your toy anymore.”

“Oh really, then why are you so wet for me, aìrén?”

“I am not your sweetheart, and I don’t consent to this,” she hisses angrily, despite the pain and the burning sensation inside her stomach. His size is pushing everything, forcing her to accommodate him. “It must be my blood you are feeling.”

“Well, that’s true also. You tastes so sweet, so pure. It’s different from behind, but I’d have to say that it is even a bigger improvement.”

“Release me now, or I will make you regret this,” she tries to put a brave front, even though both of them know that it is failing.

“Hmm, let me think about it. Nope, I’m good.” And he begins f*****g her furiously, plundering into her so hard that she bleeds all over again. He f***s her on the bed, against the walls, in the shower, and even inside the small private pool of his apartment. His s****l appetite it limitless when it comes to her.

The irony. She had thought that she had escaped him forever when she took her own life in her previous life, only to be unlucky enough to meet him back in the present day in her reincarnated body. There is really no escaping him, in this life or the before or even from this situation. He likes her too much, there is no way he will ever let his guard to allow her to escape. He was powerful then, there is no way how strong he is now. She had never been able to defeat her, and she never will.

He uses her until her p***y is all stuffed up with his seeds. There is no point trying to impregnate her this time, though. She knows that vampires can’t have their own children. But even though she is off with one slight burden, she still can not will herself to fight him off. She had know the kind of things that he can do to make it hurt in her past life. There is no saying what he can do to her now, especially when death can not help her escape from it this time.

The Emperor is ruthless. He f***s her many times over until she is reduced to nothing but a tool for him to use as he pleases. He is cruel and she hates him for it. She wants to fight him off, but her mind knows too much of what he can do, and even merely thinking about it makes her shiver in fear. He knows what she is thinking; years of practise has perfected his skills. There is no getting around him.

She is too drown in her own self-pity — for not being able to help herself, for not being able to push herself to utilize her real skills — that her brain barely registers it when rescue finally comes down to her. Is this really happening? She can see, but she can’t feel. Not even when Ranth picks her c*m soaked body up. Not even when she is back again in the safety and warmth of his embrace. She only fears, and she shuts herself back in.

“Put her down, if you know what’s good for you,” comes the Emperor’s cold voice. A warning.

Run, she wants to tell her progeny, but lacks the strength to do so.

“What did you do you her?” Amaranth’s voice cracks, as if he has been crying. Has he? She can’t see very well. Everything’s too dark.

“Ha, can’t you tell, kid?” he says smugly in return.

“Why you—!” Amaranth launches himself at him in anger, but the Emperor already anticipate that. He will kill him, she is sure, and for a moment that is all she can think about. She knows too much, and pushes herself to move, even though her body has stiffened up all over.

The attack that is meant for Ranth is directed at her when she places her body in between them, his arm stabbing through her gut.

“Please,” her voice is rasp when she coughes up blood, “don’t harm my child. I’ll do anything. I’ll let you use me however you want.

He looks shocked, with a tingle of something she can not place, before his facial expression turns entirely impressed by her little display.

“Oh Xiǎohuā, you already let me do all of those things to you, darling. Though I am feeling rather generous today. Fine, I won’t harm your child, but I want something else in return. When I f**k you from now on, I want you to really participate, instead of lying still like a corpse. I want you to return my feelings, too, and act accordingly.”

“Don’t do this, mère! Don’t listen to him,” her progeny protests, angry and disappointed in himself for not being able to do better and protect her.

“You can’t win against him,” she says, voice dry and blood dripping. He still has not remove his hand — not until she agrees. He smiles at her, waiting patiently, having all the time in the world for this.

“Not alone, but you still got us,” comes a new voice.

Ian, Godric, even Pam too. They are all here, thinking that number can help them win this fight, but they won’t, because the Emperor will slay them all. She knows that they will not stand a chance, so she makes them avoid the inevitable.

He is just about to attack them, but she is faster.

“W-wait,” she grabs into this arm tightly in desperation, both of them covered in her own blood, “I accept.”

“Oh darling,” he leans closer to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, as if they were real lovers, “I know you’d pick the right choice.”

The others look positively livid by his action, and are about to attack, already in a fighting stance, but the Emperor banishes them from this place without a second thought, their bodies teleported out with a wave of his hand.

“Where . . . ?”

“Worrying about other despite your condition? You truly are incredible.” He pulls his hand out form her stomach none so gently, causing more blood to spill out. But then he brings the same hand to her mouth, pressing the wrist against her lips. “Go on, drink. I know that you want to.”

So he even knows that far. He knows that is a cannibal.

Without a second thought, Nitiya chomps down his wrist.

After that event, the Emperor somehow becomes more . . . less. She can not say, gentle, or kind or tolerable or humane, because he is still none of those things. He does not just want her to be active when he forces himself on her. No, he also wants to go on dates with her, holding hand, kissing and all that s**t, the whole package deal. He is unbearable, making her have to pretend liking him that she wishes that he would just go back to forcing himself on her.

But her family and friends, she can not allow him to harm them. So she continues fooling both of them, pretending as if they are really in love with one another.

He will take her to dates, exchanging affections with her in public, but then he will always take her back and make her enjoy what he does to her body.

He is sick and insane, there is no denying that. He has been having this disease every since he was human, and her death seems to have made it all worse. He grows so dependant of her that she sometimes thinks he will break if he ever loses her again. She can tell because he has been even more much careful with her this time, not even allowing a second to part with her. She is way too precious for him, even if she wants to admit otherwise.

No. This can’t be it. This can not be how her life should end. She can not live like this. She needs to escape. Nitiya is too weak to physically move, but she still has one safeguard trick up her sleeve. If only she can reach out her right arm . . . Yes, just a little bit more. That’s it.

The redhead lands her eyes on her knuckles, where a magical tattoo is already glowing gold on her right index finger. Yes, that’s it. This shall be her escape route. With all the energy she can muster, Nitiya concentrates her entire focus into the magic that flows from her other half nature, channeling her witch magic into the Commandment of Time.

She needs to go back, to where it was still safe. She can feel the glow of the golden power rushes through her body, pulling her back from that current time and yanking her back in place, going through all of her recent memories as the world swirls around her. Her life flashes before her eyes, playing back like as if she has just pressed a playback on a remote.

When Nitiya is back in control again, she discovers that her magic has allowed her to fling back in time to back when she was in the gala. Yes, she can fix this now. It is not too late.

Now that she knows that he is here, she makes sure to avoid him, her senses seeking out to detect his dark energy to warn her off, to distance herself from him. Her first though immediately goes to her progeny.

“Ranth!” she calls out in haste, and he rushes to her side in a heartbeat.

“Yes, Mistress,” he answers to her call, knowing that something must be wrong from just hearing the tone of her voice. He can feel his heart tugging with a tingle of pain, a resonation that originates from his connection to his maker.

“We need to get out of here now. Where’s Ian?”

“Dancing.” He points at the direction of the ballroom, where the blonde stud is currently whisking away some equally as blonde babe in a revealing red gown.

Nitiya’s lips turn into a frown, but she does not comment on it. “And the others?”

“I saw Godric settle somewhere in a corner. Pam’s by the bar.”

“Get them. I’ll get my brother. Disregard anyone else.” And by this, Amaranth knows that she means he is forbidden to make contact with anyone else. This is an order, a code that she has made him memorized until he knows it by the back of his hand. Something very serious and dangerous is going on, and he has to follow her every command.

Ranth nods in understanding without another thought, taking off to collect the others. Nitiya steps into the dance floor, carefully moving to blend in without causing a scene, even though she is a clear nervous wreck inside. She needs to tread carefully if she does not want to draw any attention to herself.

She slips in just at the next turn, taking Ian’s arms when the blonde is whisked away by her next dance partner. Ian looks a bit surprise, but more curious than anything else, and his cheshire cat smirk reflexes the amusement in his mind.

“We need to go,” she breaks it to him fast and to the point.

“Relax, storesøster, the party has just gotten started. You look to stiff. I know that this is a foreign concept to you, but learn to have some fun.” He presses her so close into him, she can tell all of the hard lines on his body.

“I don’t have time to explain right now, but we gotta go. This is not a drill,” she says through gritted teeth, making them turn a step faster to avoid being spotted by The Emperor’s angle.

He still has not notice them yet at this point, since Nitiya has forcefully reverse back the time, but if they stay there a moment longer, who knows what will happen. She certainly can not risk making the same mistake twice. She just has to push aside her fear and get over it, instead of freezing over like a damn amature. She is better than a helpless damsel in distress that her appearance might suggest to be. She had joined the army. She has more than just a handful of PHDs that she needed an entire wall just to hang all of her proof of achievements. She needs to get her head to stay in the game.

But she knows that Ian will put up a scene if she acts too suspiciously — she knows her brother, he is an act first, ask questions later type of man. So to make an abrupt shortcut to this task, she wills herself to go to the most extremes.

“I’ll let you put it in,” she leans in and whispers to his ears, making him shivers in place, “if you come with me now.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“And not another word.” She leaves him without saying anything else, expression still stoic and unreadable, but she knows that he will follow her this time.

They regroup at the front exit, their car already waiting for them.

“Get it,” Nitiya commands.

Nitiya heads for the driver’s seat, Amaranth at the passenger seat. The rest settle at the back seats. Everyone does as she says, except for Pam.

“Now just who do you think you are—” She begins to make a scene in annoyance, most probably pissed that her fun time has been ruined. But then Nitiya glances her way, eyes predatory.

“Get in, or we’ll leave without you,” she says.

Something about the intensity of the redhead’s eyes takes Pam back, and her body can not help but shiver from the chill.

“Fine,” she groans and obeys. Pam is the last one to climb into the car. When she closes the door, she immediately shoots out a question, “Now tell me what the heck is going on. If you’re gonna ruin my fun, this better be for a very good reason.”

Nitiya steps on the gas and drives them out from the premises. Without turning her head, she answers while driving, “Within this gala, there is a very powerful and ancient vampire. He is extremely sadistic and unpredictable, and if we cross his path and peak his interest, there is no saying to what he will do.”

“That’s it? You’re taking me away just because you’re afraid of some vamp?” Pam asks, pissed off, her tone clearly annoyed, almost bitchy to some level.

“Didn’t you hear what my maker has just said?” Amaranth glances her way.

“What does that—” Pam is about to start being difficult again, but Godric interrupts.

“This vampire, do you know who he is?” he asks.

“Yes.” A short reply.

“Who is he? What does he wants?”

The grip in the steer tightens, but she tries to keep her face cool. “He is know by the name . . . the Emperor. He is older, much older than you. He and I are not in good terms, and if we were to see each other, let’s just say that things will go south.”

“Surely we can talk through the issue?”

“I’ve face him before, and he is not someone that can be conversed with peacefully, or even easily defeated.”

“And that’s saying something, coming from her,” Amaranth adds, causing the three in their passenger seats to frown even deeper.

“I am still waiting for what you promised me,” Ian chooses that chance to speak in Norwegian.

“What did you promise?” Amaranth accusingly snaps at Ian in an instant.

A lazy smirk is playing on his lips now. So the boy is jealous. “Should I tell him, or should you?” he glances her way.

“Ian, I know that you like to show off, but if you want to get the end of our deal, please don’t start anything until I drive you guys back.”

“Drive us back? And what are you going to do?” Pam asks.

“Me and my progeny will head back home, just incase.”

“Why are you leaving? What makes you think that whoever this Emperor guy will not go after us as well?”

“It’s just a precaution, but if you want, you can all come with us as well.”

“Woah, woah, woah, don’t you think you’re overacting a little bit?”

A flash of memories comes into her mind, full of pain and blood, all concentrated in between her legs, and Nitiya’s cold collective almost falters for a nanosecond. “No.”

“Nitiya,” it is Godric who speaks this time, “why are you so afraid of him?”

His voice is calm and gentle, but the question almost causes her to break. He can see the hurt in her eyes through the rear view mirror, and he almost looks sorry to ask that.

“Because I was his victim,” she finally admits.

Nobody says anything else after that. They know when to be quiet. There is so much pain that she is trying to hide in her tone.

They decide to come along with her and abandoned the car. Almost all of them are old enough to fly, except Pam, who is carried by her maker.

It is a little bit past midnight by the time they arrive to their destination. Nitiya’s penthouse is more than just impressive. Located at the center of the Big Apple, the place must have cost her a fortune, especially with the kind of up to date and modern interior displayed at every corner. It is obvious that the place is a designer’s work, and Pam is especially at awe. No one still comments on anything though, and it falls into Amaranth’s hands to show their new guests to their rooms.

Even though it is still night out, but everyone retrieve to their designated rooms shortly after that. Only Godric stays with Nitiya, who is looking out standing at the balcony. There is still a few more hours before the first sunrise. His presence calms her like before. He just has this certain air around him that makes her feel she can finally let her guard down — though she doesn’t. She can’t, especially not when she had just escaped through that hell. It is just an alternative possibility that she has eliminated now, but her mind is still shaking in fear from the aftermath.

Godric looks like he wants to say something to her, though he quickly withdraws his intension when he sees her.

“I was a slave once,” he begins, catching her attention, “back when I was newly turned. My master was a sick, sadistic man.”

She glances his way.

“What happened to him?” she asks.

“He died,” he tells her. “I killed him.”

Her eyes lit up by that. “You killed your own maker?” Such a scandalous revelation.

“I had to. He was cruel and unforgiving. If I hadn’t done what I did, I wouldn’t still be around right now.”

“How did you do it?”

“Let’s just say that he was distracted, and I took a chance,” he explains without going into too much details, sparing her his tragic story.

“I just wanna let you know that you are not alone in this one. You can speak to me if you want,” he tells her.

“Thank you, though I’m sure I can beat your story,” she says, a smile threatening to form in her lips.

“I don’t know about that. My life was pretty horrid,” he says, and is that a teasing she detects in his tone?

“Oh yeah? Did your old master rape you also?”

“Every single time he can muster. But then I learn to adjust to my lifestyle. I had to, if I want to survive,” he answers in a serious tone.

“I was a virgin when he took me. Bleed for days after that, but even then I still had to handle him repeatedly taking me by force. It hurt so bad that he ruined every single chance for me to get pregnant.”

“You were still human when he took you?” a surprised rage can be heard in his tone.

“Yeah, and died a human too. My body couldn’t take the assault.”

“And then you were changed? Is he your maker?”

“No, thank God. That wouldn’t happen until much later.”

“What do you mean?”

“My life with him happened in my past life. Believe me or not, I got reincarnated. And after I died, I was born into Erik’s family.” She calls him Ian, because that was his birth name, but she knows that her brother picked Erik as his new name. Vampire usually choose a new name after they are turned.

“I believe you,” Godric says without missing a heartbeat. “Your are not the first reincarnated soul that I have encountered. I’ve heard many amazing stories about these individuals and their past lives.”

“Glad to know that you believe me. Others do not react so kindly when they hear this.”

She knows that there are still so many questions he wants to know. He might look like he does not care that much from afar, but she can see a twinkle of curiosity in his eyes. He is curious about her past, she can tell, but he does not want to push her too much at the same time. She does not see any harm in sharing a little bit more about herself though, so she gladly continues.

“It was a nice change to live in such a peaceful family. Our family was quite well off, if you must know, being nobles and all. I used my previous life’s knowledge to advantage, and utilized the resources I got to study hard and become stronger. It was not common for a girl to learn the arts of combat — especially in that era, mind you — but I had my ways to make things happen.”

Godric listens to her story attentively, learning on how she became one of the first scholars with a given title in her hometown, and how she began to dabble in magic. Godric even looks impressed when she told him about how she discovered the supernatural world. Magic was the first key to unlock a whole new world of supernaturals, and once she discovered it, nothing could have stopped her from crossing over and pursuing deeper knowledge.

She attended this exclusive school, where creatures of the night of all kinds get along. The school always encourage its students to compete in a healthy way, and it easily pushed her into studying and getting stronger faster. It was also something close during her final schooling year that she also found ways to get herself turned.

Sometime after she had completed her studies, Nitiya went back to the human world. She had admitted to have missed her family, including her little brother, even despite his improper behaviors. Tragically, her entire hometown had been tarnished by enemy kingdom while she was gone. With that, she had thought that everyone had died.

Nitiya had no idea that it was by then that Godric had picked Ian up instead, who was impressed by the way he had fought back and defended against the enemies shoulder, before turning him into one of them. He was gonna die if Godric had not turned him, in the end, and Nitiya can not be anymore grateful that he had done it.

Left with nothing, Nitiya decided to traveling around the world on her own. It was in one of her journeys that she had encountered an orphaned boy, which later she made her progeny.

“We are kindred spirits, you and I. I knew it since the beginning. I mean, how can we not be? We even made our first progenies through the same reason.”

“And what is it do you think?”

“Well, let’s see, you’ve seen the better parts of the world at that point, and you have been managing quite well on your own. But after a while, you probably had thought that it was getting lonely. You wanted a student, am I right? And a companion also,” she answers elaborately without sparing any detail of her thought process.

“That’s a very throughout assumptions, Tiya. No wonder Erik always called you the smartest person he had ever known,” he grins at him, before realizing his mistake. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to use your nickname without permission. I blame it on the habit of often hearing Erik speaks of you,” he apologies quickly.

“No worries. You can call me Tiya, I don’t mind. Nobody calls me that anymore except my brother.”

“It’s curious to know why you still use your old name,” he comments, placing his hands behind his back. He is silently asking, “Why didn’t you change it like everybody else?”

“Better than my older name. Beside, I kinda like this one, and the life it was attached with. What about yours?”

“Keya,” he offers, “my real name.”

There is no need to explain why he had changed his old name. It was connected to his past, of his life as in slavery. He wanted to liberate himself from his past, so he changed it.

They talk for a while until it is almost pushing the time. In a matter of a few minutes, the sun will rise soon, and they will need to head in, else they will be met by the merciless wrath of being consumed alive by flames.

“It’s nice to have something else to talk to. It was nice. Thank you,” she offers him a smile.

“I’m pleased that I could help,” he smiles in return.

“We should head back,” she gestures to inside her penthouse.

The woman takes a step first, but Godric is still not following her when she is almost in. She turns to watch him stares at far ahead longingly, as if reaching, or waiting for something. At that moment, she realizes. He still contemplates about ending his life.

Nitiya thinks that it will be a waste to have someone like him dead. He had briefly admitted that he has not always been a nice person. He had killed many innocent lives, and the sin he had committed has been slowly eating him inside out now that he had finally changed his way to thinking. She does not want him to kill himself. He has achieved so many wonderful revolutions, he should be sharing his stories with the world and helping the others instead of giving up on it.

The sun is closely rising, the first peek of light emerging from the farthest point behind tall skyscrapers. But even so, she still chooses to walk towards him, facing him so that the sun is blocked behind her back, before leaning in.

“Don’t die just yet,” she whispers against his ear, before placing her lips on his cheek for a gentle peck. “I’ll be lonely. I just got to know you, it’ll be such a waste to lose you so soon.”

She can not force him to do something he truly does not want, so she walks away. In a way, this is also a test, though she deeply hopes that he picks the right choice.

Godric still stands in the balcony by the time Nitiya already retrieved to her room. The ancient vampire stands there for a few long seconds, contemplating his decision. The first ray of sunlight is about to shine through, nanoseconds away from reaching him, when he suddenly steps back into the safety behind the window panel. The light reaches through, but he does not smell smoke. Must be UV proof, he thinks, impressed.