“Where am I…” the woman gasped when her eyes landed on the God of Velmoryn’s puppet. “Are you a god?”
“You are in my kingdom, but worry not. I will not keep you here against your will,” I replied as softly as I could to calm her.
“Thank you,” she said, bowing her head.
Curious, I tried to read her thoughts and gently channeled my divinity.
Even through the Window I had noticed she was protected by an invisible barrier, but now that it was resisting my power directly, I could actually feel it. Usually, when my divinity clashed with another god’s, I could sense its nature.
The Night God’s was suffocating. The Merchant God’s felt vigorous. The Goddess’s had been gentle.
But this one had no defining trait.
Not wanting to apply too much pressure on the woman, who was already shivering as my dominion subtly pushed against her presence, I searched for the cracks the demigod had already created in her barrier.
“Why is He silent? Should I say something? No… I shouldn’t speak first. If He truly is a god, He might take it as an insult…” her thoughts reached me.
“Tell me,” I said, breaking the silence, “what did that demigod want from you?”
“Demigod?” Her eyes widened. “What does that mean… half god?”
“I do not know,” she said, shaking her head. She suppressed her curiosity and chose not to question me. “He told me I had to become his servant. That I had to betray Mistress and join him. But I would rather die!”
Her eyes turned fierce as she spoke.
Lilith must be a good deity to inspire such loyalty. Or she is simply a fanatic…
As we spoke, Aurelion returned to my realm. He appeared directly within my dominion, partly because he believed he needed to monitor the woman, but mostly because he was ashamed to face me.
“Thank you for saving my life,” the woman bowed to Aurelion as the angel took his position beside the throne.
She stared at him for a long moment, clearly expecting him to speak. But Aurelion had no such intention.
“May I leave?” the woman asked when she received no response. “My husband will grow worried. He is… overly emotional and prone to rash decisions when angered. He might gather his army and declare war on someone.”
“And if that deity comes for you again? If I hadn’t sent my angel, your entire family would’ve died.”
“Angel? Does Mistress have an angel? I must not offend this deity… I could bring disaster upon my family… even upon Mistress…”
“I am eternally grateful,” she glanced toward Aurelion, who was staring at the floor as if something amazing was happening there. “Praise Mistress…”
“It was not your Mistress who saved your life!” Aurelion snapped, glaring at her. “It was your Father - the one you betrayed!”
This confirms it, Aurelion is still a child when it comes to controlling his emotions.
I had already realized he was far too naive. That was the only reason I hadn’t punished him for letting the demigod escape. But after seeing this outburst, it became clear that Aurelion had not matured. At least that was my hope. That in time, he would learn to control his emotions and think rationally.
At Aurelion’s words, the woman frowned, but quickly composed herself before speaking.
“I beg forgiveness if I have offended Your Lordship. However, I am not certain how I have betrayed…”
“My King is the God of Velmoryn!” Aurelion snapped again.
“Velmoryn?” she repeated carefully. “I must apologize again, but the meaning eludes me.”
Her gaze shifted toward the God of Velmoryn’s puppet, seeking help. She had already understood that between the two of us, I was the more reasonable one.
However, in that moment, I was no less confused than she was. Her thoughts made it clear she truly didn’t know what velmoryns were. But how was that possible?
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Did vampires lose their memories after being turned?
“Do you remember your life before you became a sanguine?” I asked before Aurelion could interrupt again.
“Of course!” the woman replied. “I am Theia. Mistress gave me that name after I ascended more than four hundred years ago… After we are turned, we do not become sanguines immediately. First, we become vampires. Detestable, mindless beasts driven by thirst for blood. Only through strong will and the Goddess’s mercy can we ascend and become sanguines.”
She paused, but when no one spoke, she continued.
“I lived as a vampire for a century. Luckily, I was trapped in a cave. Otherwise, the unbowed would have hunted me down…”
She went on to describe how dangerous and cruel the unbowed were - the monster hunters of this world. Yet despite that, she clearly despised vampires even more.
After nearly ten minutes, she still hadn’t answered my question. Not once did she mention her life before becoming a vampire.
“That is not what my King asked,” Aurelion cut in, this time without venom in his tone. “Can you recall your life before you were turned into a mindless beast?”
Still couldn’t hold himself back…
“It was too long ago. There is only so much the mind can remember,” Theia said, glancing aside.
Despite her words, she was unsettled. She was forcing herself to search her memory, straining to recall something that no longer seemed to exist.
But that wasn’t important.
I was already certain she had once been a velmoryn.
And yet… that changed nothing.
“Child,” I said, pulling her from her thoughts and changing the topic, which didn’t interest me much, “I wish to help your Mistress. However, I have failed to establish a connection with her.”
“Help Mistress? Is She…” Her voice faltered. “I have not felt Her presence for centuries.”
Seeing her reaction, I couldn’t help but question my decision.
Had I made a mistake trying to help Lilith?
Perhaps it would have been easier to convince that demigod to side with me instead.
But I dismissed the thought almost immediately.
The fact that he possessed an artifact allowing him to enter the Night God’s domain meant he was already connected to him. Maybe it was Noah who had helped him steal a piece of Lilith’s Authority.
“Can You… No, will You help Her?” Theia asked, finally finding courage.
“To help her, I need to find out how,” I chose to be upfront. There was no point in maintaining meaningless, mysterious images. I had saved her life and was trying to help her god, if that didn’t earn me her respect, nothing would.
“My master might be able to help. He is one of the ancient sanguines…” Theia’s voice muffled as she spoke and she fell on the ground, spasming.
[Warning!]
Mortals who do not bear your mark may not remain within your dominion for more than 15 minutes. Prolonged exposure will harm their souls.
The barrier that protects mortal souls from your divinity requires 30 days to fully recover after disruption.