The Flame of Life. Hunger.

The beginnings of this history were many millennia ago, but its effects continue to imperceptibly affect the lives of people today, reminding them of their past. The past constantly draws attention to itself for the preservation of treasures within the people themselves. People who have a tendency to only trust things that have facts backing them up. People who often don't accept changes within themselves prefer inaction over answering a question that requires searching and sacrificing just to understand who you are. There were those who had recognized their essence as a part of themselves and, with it, all that was always within them had accepted it. It was mostly because they asked for it. From the beginning, everyone understood the cost of being strong and powerful and was ready to deal with it. Soon, this society established its own objectives, for which, in their opinion, even death could be an acceptable payment. The death of someone else. Their arrival in a suburb of St. Petersburg that night didn't go well for its inhabitants, who were completely unaware of the Shadows Clan's existence. As they walked along the park, the two red-robed figures, as well as all those who gradually followed them out of the shade of the trees, knew exactly why they had come here at such a late hour on this June day. Their confident walk, outward calmness, and laid-back demeanor indicated that they had a plan in place. "Oranienbaum," whispered one of the figures in red. The voice belonged to a woman. "Fate loves such games, My Queen," the man in red held out his hand to the woman, helping her to step over one of the fallen trees, of which there were many. "It's fun to start where it all ended one day." "It's just another visit, my love." "Our visits to this doomed place always bring back my memories of the past. The fact that they called it otherwise won't hide its history. Whether it's Oranienbaum then or Lomonosov today, it will always be a place I have no desire to go back to. Never." "Does it bother you?" "Not now. Just promise me, when we're done, we'll wipe this place off the face of the earth." "If it's so important to you. Yes. I promise." "I learned about it six months ago, but I didn't expect it to be a..." "A little bit difficult for you?" "Yes... and..." "You can do it. I'm sure of it," the man stopped, turned to the woman, grabbed her shoulders, and squeezed them tightly. "What if I make a mistake?" she asked. Her voice was filled with quiet worries. "That's not going to happen. Trust me,'' he looked deeply into her eyes. "It took us six months to find her and an eternity to think it all through. How long will it take us to finish the job?" "Years. Months. Days. I don't know, my love." "That's what I had in my mind," she gently removed his arms and tried to make a few steps. "But I know something else," he caught her by the hand and made her stop. "I know that the woman who is walking beside me now has a strong spirit, an unbending will, and the strongest convictions I have ever met. And I don't remember a single instance when anyone managed to break it in her." "Thank you," she tried to smile, but it was bad. Her voice was emotionless, and now the man began to worry. He moved closer to her without letting go of her hands. "I've never doubted you," he continued. "You certainly shouldn't do that. I know who you are and who you've always been." She tightened her grip on his hand. That's all the gratitude she dared to allow in public. He looked at her face. She was gazing at her people. A group of red coats moved away from them and headed towards residential areas in the suburb. "We know that her gift is ready to be revealed, but she needs a nudge to be able to accept it." he broke the silence. "There's only one person who can make her remember everything. It's Veronica. And she's probably walking with her pet nearby as usual." she smiled. "I bet her charms have completely turned someone's head." "These lovers... When she's calmed down? In the end, her chosen one would die at her hands anyway, as soon as she needed the Flame of Life. Why spend so much time on each of them?" "Sweetheart," the woman wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. "These pastimes give her strength, let her indulge, she has a lot of time ahead of her. And then, their response is always yes. She may be having a good time with them, even if she doesn't immediately perform her duties." "Maybe you're right." "It would be rather strange if they said no, given her charm and grace, not to mention the tiger. So we don't have to worry," the woman kissed him. And then her hands gently and easily slipped over his red robe." A man has always been amazed at how quickly His Queen can change from a timid girl to a confident woman. He was aware that it only took place in his company and never in public, even though this duality was always present within her. And the way she found controlling herself in important moments, despite the difficulties, made him admire her even more each time. She seemed strong, and he knew she was doing it to be worthy of him, her husband. "A girl in the suburbs," she was gently caressing his cheek. "Let me guess why you chose her," he stopped her hand, held it in his arms, and kissed it. "Give it a shot," she smiled sincerely. She tried to hide her blush as she tried to look away. "She withdrew into herself. He doesn't want to listen to anything or anyone." "Yeah, I think Veronica will persuade her to agree to our terms. After all, they will give her power. A great power." "You understand that, unlike us, its price will be high. We will have to tell her about it." "Have any of them ever considered the implications that will come into effect in only 50 years?" "You are always very calculated." "I did learn from the master. And you know that their strength has always surpassed our abilities. They are the Shadow Clan Elite. And now, fresh blood is what they need. We just have the right person for it. We do them a favor." "You are inimitable, my love." "Yes, I'm," she smiled. His hand lifted her blood-red dress up to her thigh, revealing a charming knee-high boot. One of them had a gleaming dagger handle sticking out of it. It was made of gold and silver and had an elegant design. And if she didn't dare to show her feelings in public, it didn't bother the man at all. His touch was both gentle and strong at the same time. With a single tug, he pulled her towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hand was still on her right leg. She touched his lips with her lips. "I thought we were going hunting today," a girl in her twenties was walking towards them, accompanied by a tiger that was as tall as her waist. "But you both seem to have more important things to do. The man's hand was involuntarily removed from his wife's knee, and her dress immediately fell. She loosened her embrace. Their kiss stopped, lasting a few moments, but their eyes still sparkled with passion. "Nothing has changed, we still need you Veronica," said His Queen, taking the man's hand in hers. "Did you finally find her?" Veronica stroked her pet. "She's in the suburbs," said the man calmly. "That makes it much easier," Veronica turned sharply on her small heels and pointed to where the park ended. "I guess we should go there, right?" "The street is right behind the park, yes," the man's face was touched by a smile, just like his wife's. And it wasn't just about this girl's behavior being funny and reckless. Most of the people in the Shadow Clan just liked her way of living. "Oh," Veronica put a finger to her lips, and a look of mild annoyance crossed her face, but there was a hint of encouragement in her voice. "And why did I let that handsome man go? I had the feeling that I would have to go back." Veronica was just like everyone else, but she believed that before the periodic bouts of pain that she had to endure in repayment of her debt to the Father of Lies, she had the right to enjoy the life she had regained. Even if one of those pleasures was the only thing she could do until she stopped breathing. Despite the fact that she gave the impression of a frivolous girl, she was well aware that her life was not eternal, which meant that she should take from it what she saw fit, without worrying about the consequences and the price. And that is what she did. The girl used her virtues skillfully. She knew what attracted men to her and what they paid special attention to when she was around. And this was exactly what she wanted most of all. She didn't hide her seductive legs by wearing high boots, opting for short ankle boots that barely touched her ankles. She always chose short skirts instead of wearing long clothes. She loved to listen to them beg her to stay, promising to kiss her delicious ankles in return. And it seemed wrong for her to refuse their request, and the choice of her clothes made it possible to feel the bliss of intimacy at almost any moment. But most of all, she loved it when they kissed her shoulders and then moved to her neck. It drove her crazy. For this reason, the girl preferred to wear tops. Shorter tops that expose at least one shoulder, and preferably both, after her scarlet cloak has fallen off. "My tiger and I will go first. Maybe tonight I can flirt with someone else," she stepped forward with a seductive gait, adjusting the whip that hung from her belt next to the dagger that served as the only acceptable weapon of murder for those who have mental power. The man and the woman looked at each other and hurried after her. The light of the park's lanterns played in the hair of the one whom the man in red called His Queen, especially when it touched her curls, inhaling the spicy, provocative, and regal scent of her daring perfume with obvious notes of vanilla and iris, the slippery presence of blackcurrant, pink pepper, and bergamot. Her taste had always been appealing to him, but this time it was beyond his expectations. He often thought he knew everything about her, and she never let him down with her expectations. Even when it came to small things, such as gestures and steps, she was always unpredictable. And although it was often like playing with fire, that was what he liked about her. He thought there must be a mystery in a woman, besides her charm and beauty. She was the source of everything. She was more than that. In the distant past, they only glanced at each other amid a huge crowd, but it was enough to grasp that they were meant to be together. At that moment, they seemed to be attracted to each other. He did not see anyone else around him except for her, even though the 'family' she had just entered and where he had already spent a lot of time was very large, and many women could argue with her for his heart. But he chose her by putting a ring with an infinity symbol on her finger. She has been his companion ever since then. She was only his. He was obsessed with only her. She knew it. From the moment she saw him, she knew it. He was walking towards her, deliberately, and she was standing still. At that moment, he referred to her as His Queen for the first time. He does it frequently, but it's not because of the smile she usually gives him afterward. He does this because he admires her, and is in awe of her strength, obsession, fortitude, and courage to keep her weaknesses and feelings to herself. This side of her is exclusive to him, and no one else can see it. Wherever she went, whoever she met, she gave the impression of a cruel and domineering woman capable of many terrible things. And only next to him was she what she was. She has only been fully revealed by him. He knew her weaknesses and virtues and did everything to make her feel supported by him. He called it kindness, she called it generosity, but only at first. Later, they agreed that there was something more between them. They called it a spark, fanned by the raging passion of their hearts to a universal scale. And they didn't want to extinguish it. Love was the name of this spark, a great selfless love that didn't matter who they were or what they were. When the parking zone was over, they continued to proudly follow Veronica and her tigress, whom she called Bagheera. According to the girl, it was her talisman. Not everyone in the Shadows Clan agreed with her choice. She answered all the questions about her pet with the assurance that as long as Bagheera was present, she didn't have to worry. But the animal was not quite ordinary. Just look at its color, represented by black and brown stripes on white fur, not to mention its blue eyes. In addition, Veronica skillfully combined her powers of seduction with the fear of her wild beast, thanks to which she always received the Flame of Life that she so needed. Her favorites would always agree to anything at the sight of a predator's blue eyes and grin, or the dagger under the mistress's cloak, though none of them knew that their lives would be cut short either way, regardless of their choices. But before killing her victim, the girl cherished hearing the precious 'yes'. Not without good reason, magic worked only in the case of voluntary consent to the exchange. How it was obtained did not matter. These are the terms of the pact between the members of the Shadow Clan and the Father of Lies. Gaining power comes with a price.