Across Eternity: Book 7 - Chapter 11

THIS STORY CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND ADULT THEMES AND SHOULD NOT BE READ BY ANYONE UNDER 18.

The Hardest Choice

The theater was dark, except for the stage lamps that illuminated the actors. Their costumes were expertly crafted and their lines well-rehearsed. Their sharp fangs and red eyes gleamed as they sang in elvish in a masterful performance of Ladraeicus’s opera, The Ashen Tree. The audience was full of fellow ghouls, guests staying in the Andromeda estate. Up above their heads, in a private balcony, Lupin sat with Andromeda. She had invited him for another outing beyond his room so that he might enjoy some classic dramaturgy. However, he also knew how much she enjoyed seeing him squirm.

Here, above a legion of Profane, he felt less like an opera attendee and more like a worm on a hook, with a school of ravenous fish ready to devour him. They would never dare attack while he was in Andromeda’s custody, but he could sense their bloodlust. Every time one of them looked at him, he could see the hunger in their eyes. It was an unnerving feeling to be surrounded by people who wanted nothing more than to peel the flesh from his bones and feed on his entrails. More than the simple fact that he was human, they’d all love the chance to dine on royalty, even if he tasted no different from a commoner.

According to Andromeda, most of these ghouls—human, dwarf, and even some elves—were the ones who chose to go into the long sleep, and wait until the world had dropped its guard. The others were those who stayed awake, spending the centuries living in hiding and feeding on those whose absence would go unnoticed, all to maintain the lie that the Profane had gone extinct while keeping a vigil. However, not all of them lived so covertly. Like Ragar, plenty of ghouls were garbed in the clothes of aristocrats, having hidden in the shadow of Uther and Vandheim’s nobility to gather food and information.

“Are you enjoying the performance?” Andromeda whispered.

“Very much. Your actors and actresses are masters of their craft,” Lupin replied, having to maintain a civil guise. He couldn’t help but imagine Aithorn’s reaction to hearing his native language sung by the Profane.

“They should be. They have centuries of experience.”

“I can’t believe you have peerage just to perform plays and operas for you.”

“As it stands, I have more peerage than any other Profane alive. Of course, I would assign some the duty of keeping me entertained, on top of their other chores. I imagine you had something similar in Colbrand?”

“Yes, the royal palace has an opera hall like this. When I was young, my mother made sure I was well-versed in all thespian works. She believed that a king should be a scholar first, a politician second, and a warrior third. A king who did not value the arts and culture did not understand the nation he was supposed to protect.”

“A woman after my own heart. How did she die?”

Lupin glanced at Andromeda, wondering if that was a legitimate question. Though she often seemed genuinely focused on being a kind, accommodating host, her Profane side would act up from time to time when she spoke with him. The look on her face told him she was waiting for an answer, but not why.

“She died in childbirth, delivering my brother.” He then paused, trying to hold back the words he had never told anyone before. “Ever since then, immersing myself in the plays and stories we both loved was the only way I could feel close to her.”

“I admire those feelings. The ghouls below us, they’re mostly attending because they’re bored and have nothing else to do. They see such things as being below them. They’re so blinded by the cause, by their superiority over the mortals, that they are ungrateful for all that they give us. Art is what gives color to the world.”

“But what color can exist in the darkness of a Profane world?”

Andromeda looked at him, but said nothing. As Lupin watched the play, Nell was with Helena, whimpering with her face buried in a pillow as she was vigorously finger-blasted, with Helena relishing her familiar’s weak little voice.

“My, my, you’re so insatiable tonight. Normally, you just take it like bitter medicine, but you’re suddenly so eager. What changed?”

“I need more power. I need to get stronger for Lupin.”

“Oh, really?” Helena asked, biting her lip. She then slapped Nell on the ass and spread her cheeks, relishing the sight of Nell’s brown eye winking at her. She buried her tongue in her desperate servant’s back door, making Nell shudder from the sinful sensation, all while she continued fingering her pussy. After a minute, she pulled away and spanked Nell again. “And where is this sudden lust for power coming from?”

“It’s so that I can… eeeeh!” Nell whined as she felt Helena’s fingers penetrate her ass and begin sliding back and forth with sadistic speed. “So… that… I… can… help… him! Aah!” She soon cried out as she was brought to climax, the first time ever from having her ass played with. She then shuddered as she felt Helena remove her fingers. “He’s been so disheartened since he dined with Mistress Andromeda. The fiend who murdered his father walks these halls, and it’s reopened the wound in his heart. My succubus powers are too weak for me to help him. I can put him to sleep, but barely scratch the surface of his mind. If I were stronger, I know I could go in and take the pain away, just carve it right out of him. I could take away everything that hurts him and give him nothing but happiness. For that, I need more power.”

While licking her fingers clean, Helena sat back on the bed. “Fun as this is, a simple romp with me won’t give you power like that. Even feeding on other men won’t do it. To be honest, when I turned you, I gave you as little venom as possible, barely a drop. At full strength, you barely compare to Duska when she’s starving and exhausted. If you want power, it’ll require a different method.”

“Like what?”

“A parasite.”

“I thought those were just for turning the unturned?”

“Not always. Curcio is working on parasites that can augment our powers. My own Leanne had one applied to her and was able to penetrate the minds of the most powerful elves in the west. I know we have one or two prototypes waiting in stasis that we might try.”

Nell bowed before her. “Thank you, Mistress! You are too kind!”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Helena turned around and spread her cheeks for Nell. “Not until you put that tongue of yours to work.

The opera soon finished, and the philistines in attendance gave a half-hearted applause. Andromeda and Lupin exited their balcony through a door into a corridor, where Harrigan was waiting.

“Did you enjoy the performance, Mistress?”

“Exemplary, as always.”

“Wonderful. Now, allow me to escort Prince Lupin back to his room.”

“No need, Harrigan. I’ll do it myself.” This surprised both Lupin and Harrigan, though they were both skilled in maintaining stoic appearances.

“As you wish, Mistress.”

Harrigan stepped aside, and Andromeda walked the halls with Lupin behind her, leading him to his room with all Profane standing at attention as she passed. They reached Lupin’s moonlit room, and she opened the door.

“Thank you for the wonderful evening, madam,” said Lupin with a nod before stepping into his room. He expected her to close it behind him, but instead, she entered after him. “What are you—?” She put her finger to his lips to silence him.

“Join us, Lupin. Become one of the Profane.”

He sighed in annoyance and turned away. “After everything you people have done to me, everything you’ve taken away, you would ask me such a thing? Is there no limit to your cruelty?”

“I’m not asking you to be cruel. I’m asking because I think it would be best for you.”

“How would your unholy corruption be what’s best for me?”

“Becoming a Profane isn’t simply about corruption; it’s about preservation. You are granted more than just power to throw around on the battlefield, but immunity to the ravages of aging and disease.”

“I have watched the people I trusted, the people I cared about, turn into monsters I could no longer recognize. The woman I loved looks at me like food and has lost the will to face reality. The friend who had become like a brother to me in Welindar killed his own comrades and laughed because he was drunk on power. They wanted to turn me too, but how could I let them, after seeing what they became?”

“Because they loved you. Do you really not understand that? They didn’t want you to die. We Profane live for hundreds, possibly even thousands of years, but you will wither away in a few short decades. They saw you as someone worth preserving, someone too good for the life of a mortal.”

“And is that what you want? Or are you simply after the Wassengel? You and your kind want to corrupt it as well, and turn it into a weapon that will unleash unspeakable horrors upon the world. If I give in, if I let you use me to seize its power, the first thing you’ll do is annihilate Uther.”

“I do not crave death and destruction. I do not seek the annihilation of anyone, but their assimilation.” Andromeda walked over to a vase sitting on a nearby table and picked it up. “I am a collector, Lupin. Art, history, people; I collect them all because they are worth preserving. Within these walls, everything I hold dear to me is protected from the chaos of the outside world. I fight against entropy, just as you do.” She dropped the vase and it shattered on the floor. “This world and its beauty are such fragile things, weak and short-lived, but a Profane world will endure, as will its citizens. We can remake it. We can end the pattern of suffering and strife that afflicts so many. Picture it, Lupin, a united world free of war and chaos.”

“Noah once told me that there is no such thing as chaos. He told me that chaos is merely a definition of order we happen to disagree with. Maybe you do seek peace and the preservation of what you consider beautiful, but while you’ve hidden yourself within your mansion and dreamed of a perfect Profane world, your allies have been spreading the chaos you seek to end. They burn, slaughter, and desecrate, driven by bloodlust and madness. They feed on the suffering of mortals like me, seeing us as nothing more than food and playthings. A world of life and sunlight—that is chaos in their eyes, and they want to replace it with the silence of death.”

“Every great transition involves great pain. Is our conquest really so much different than yours? When you took Welindar, you enslaved the populace under the flag of your nation. You spoke to them of wanting to make the city and its people a part of Uther, of wanting to make them citizens, but at the end of the day, all you did was rob them of their autonomy and force citizenship upon them while your men plundered their land for resources. How many beastmen were bound in chains and sold into bondage because of you? How many had their freedom stolen to satiate the hunger of your nation?”

“But you stole their souls. You talk about chains, but what about those parasites forced onto them, twisting them into mindless abominations? I know what happened in those labs. I know the madness your kind inflicted on them under the guise of power, and that madness will destroy everything in its path, even you. A Profane world cannot function. Deep down, you must know that. What happens when you conquer all the lands and peoples, and everyone and everything has been assimilated into your ranks? You think you’ll live in a utopia full of art and beauty, where there is no strife? All you’ll be left with is a world of darkness and rubble, populated by deranged, starving demons forced to feed on each other because every last pure spark of life has been smothered. You say you’re compelled by the instinct to spread, that you’re guided by the will of the Profane, but it will bring you nothing but destruction.”

“We can avoid starvation. You think with all the time we’ve been alive, we haven’t planned this out? Give us some credit. Mankind will not go extinct. Your kind will endure in a new, symbiotic relationship. Under our rule, war and strife will become a thing of the past.”

“Meaning you’ll just treat us like cattle, raising us in pens and prisons to be slaughtered for food, but no matter how hard you try to keep us docile and afraid, we’ll rally again and again to escape bondage and slay our captors. Every generation will be born with the renewed spirit to topple your empire, and no matter how little strength we have, we’ll use every last bit of it to fight for freedom, leading to constant war. How is that a world free of suffering?

The Profane can only thrive as a minority when you’re vastly outnumbered by that which you prey on. But once you conquer this world, once food becomes a finite resource, then that innate cooperation falls apart, and you’re forced to compete with each other over what little remains. What happens when the legions of pawns you once led turn on you out of hunger, and break down your doors to raid your food stocks?”

“You underestimate the unity of the Profane. We are the key to this world’s salvation. Tell me something. You complain about the people YOU lost, the people YOU failed, and all the things that have happened to YOU, because you’d rather gripe about your problems than accept that you’re the reason why they happened. You’re too weak to protect yourself or the people you care about. Everyone you’ve ever lost, you lost because you were not strong enough to protect them. Deep down, all you ever truly wanted is power. How have you still not realized that the power you’ve always craved is standing right in front of you?”

Then, to Lupin’s shock, Andromeda placed her hands on his cheeks, leaned forward, and kissed him. After several moments, she pulled away and gazed into his eyes. “I don’t want you to die. You can believe that.” She then stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her, leaving Lupin to sit on the bed and try to process what had just happened. He had expected Andromeda to put moves on him to twist his heart in her favor, but that kiss felt different. Of all things, it felt genuine. Nell soon returned, and as always, she used her wings to put Lupin to sleep. When he next woke up, the sun was shining outside.

“How long this time?” he muttered, something he’d often ask after a powder-induced coma.

“Just one night. It’s the morning after the opera,” said Nell.

Lupin sat up, confused. “Why am I awake?”

“Harrigan stopped by with news. In gratitude for accompanying Mistress Andromeda to the opera, and as a reward for your good behavior, you have been permitted an hour outside on one of the balconies. You’ll be supervised, of course, but this is a great honor.”

Lupin blinked several times in shock. “Really? I can go out in the sun?” After living a life of royalty, such a simple reward almost made him tremble in excitement. Going out into the gardens at night had been wonderful, but to finally feel sunlight again was a precious gift.

“Yes, and I’ll be with you. You should eat quickly.”

Breakfast had been set out, and Lupin scarfed it down. He was let out of his room, where Harrigan was waiting in the hallway. His butler uniform was improved with a wide-brimmed sun hat and a black veil to shield his face from the sunlight, as well as a pair of dark eyeglasses. Nell was dressed in similar garb to accompany him.

“Are you ready?” Harrigan asked, speaking with minimal facial movement.

“Please lead the way,” said Lupin with a nod.

Harrigan nodded in return and began walking with Lupin and Nell behind him. They reached a terraced balcony, blocked off by glass doors. With telekinesis, Harrigan produced a key and opened the doors, allowing Lupin to step outside. He did it slowly, wanting to savor every last moment. The breeze kissed his face, filling his lungs with clean mountain air and making him shiver in happiness. The area by the door was shaded, but the rest was fully lit by the sun, looking so tantalizingly sweet. He stepped out into the sun, almost afraid it would burn him as though he was one of the Profane, but all he felt was light and warmth.

Lupin dropped to his knees, almost in tears, and pulled off his shirt as quick as he could, wanting to soak up every last shimmer of light. Though his mind had been kept in a fog thanks to Nell, unable to measure the passage of time, his body had hungered for the nourishing radiance. Having cast his princely dignity aside, he lay on the ground, spread eagle, looking like a shipwrecked sailor who had dragged himself onto the beach with the last of his strength. He was still Andromeda’s prisoner, a powerless slave bound by the Profane, but to lie there and feel the sun after so long, it was the closest he’d felt to freedom.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and sat up. Having drunk in the sun’s nourishment, now he had work to do. He still had to escape this place, and had the perfect opportunity to see the estate from the outside and get a lay of the land. Harrigan and Nell remained in the shadows, their eyes sticking to him like glue, but they wouldn’t object to him taking in the scenery. He got to his feet and walked around the terrace, stretching in the sun and noting his surroundings.

The Andromeda Estate was massive, built into the side of a mountain, with most of it likely extending into the mountain itself to shield its inhabitants from the sun. Wherever Lupin looked, he saw towers, buildings, and walls growing from the cliffs and patrolled by low-level hosts. Their weakness in battle was compensated for by their stronger tolerance to sunlight, making them perfect daytime guards. Like Nell and Harrigan, they were watching Lupin very closely. Facing the balcony, Lupin was able to observe the surrounding lands and mountains. There was no sign of civilization beyond the estate, but the roads stretching from it were well-worn from centuries of deliveries. He wasn’t sure what details would be helpful for his escape, but he memorized everything he could.

“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?” Nell asked, standing beside Lupin and leaning against the balcony railing. The way she gripped his arm, it seemed like she was worried he might try to jump. If it weren’t for Noah planning to help him, he would have strongly considered it.

“Absolutely spectacular.” He looked around again. “Harrigan, may I ask you something?”

“By all means,” the butler replied, keeping to the shade.

“What is the history of this place? I must admit, the location and architecture have me thrown for a bit of a loop.”

“As I’m sure you can imagine, this was originally a dwarven castle. You’ve no doubt surmised that we are in Vandheim.”

“Indeed. Was it conquered?”

“No, it was mostly in ruins, but the foundations and bones remained solid. Long before you were born, even before the birth of Uther, Mistress Andromeda was the daughter of a powerful noble family in the nation of Arget. She was kind, caring, and beautiful, beloved by all those around her.”

“I know Arget. It was a human country occupying the lands that would later become the border between Handent and Uther. When Arget fell, Uther rose from the ashes and moved to the coast.”

“Correct. Arget had narrowly survived the Profane War, but numerous kingdoms didn’t, and in the resulting power vacuum, raiders and savage tribes flourished. Arget was weakened, and for a hundred years, they struggled to rebuild while being accosted by marauder attacks and invading armies. It did not help that the remaining noble families were trying to strip the country of all its wealth and horde the remaining resources for themselves. I’m sure you’ve seen this firsthand in Uther.

At the time, the young Mistress was due to marry the son of another family, a boy she had grown up with and loved. However, on the day of the wedding, a revolt broke out. Between the savages at the gates and the greed of the nobles, the commoners had grown tired of supporting the rotting system and decided it was time for a purge. They swarmed the original family estate, killing and burning as they went. The young Mistress’s parents, betrothed, and most of her family were slaughtered before her eyes, and her old life went up in flames.

I, and those servants still loyal to her and the family, managed to get her out before she could end up as a head on a pike. Cast to the wilderness, hunted like animals, we searched for a safe haven, if not for us, then for her. Regardless of the sins of the nobles, her soul was pure, and she deserved not the fate the rabid masses planned for her. We ran, with the nation of Arget shattering behind us. That was when we encountered him.”

“One of the Profane, her predecessor. I asked about the mansion, but is this a story you should be telling me? Won’t Andromeda get angry about you spilling her secrets?”

“I think that if you’re going to judge her, you’d best know the truth and see her for what she was, what she is, and why we are here as we are now. Lord Titus, that was the name of the one who turned her and blessed her with eternal life. Any other Profane would simply see her and us as an easy meal, but he was wise and instead saw the beauty and power within her. He knew that she was worth protecting, worth preserving. He offered her the strength to live without fear, fear of disease, fear of time, fear of the blade. He offered her the strength to protect what she loved and take what she wanted.

With her eyes still damp from the death of her family, she accepted Titus’s offer. He gave her all of his strength, every last drop of venom he had, and she, in turn, passed it on to us, so that she’d never have to watch us die, we who had become her new family. After that, we continued traveling and soon arrived at this place. It took many years, but we rebuilt it in the image of the original estate. As we worked, our Mistress scoured fallen kingdoms and warring states for art and treasures, seeking to replace that which she lost on the day of her wedding, and to preserve that which she deemed important, so that they would not be left behind to crumble, rot, and burn. In her journeys, she encountered many lost souls, lost as she had been, and granted them the same gift of eternal life she had been given.

Eventually, though, something changed in our species. We lost the ability to produce more venom, and it became a limited resource we had to ration carefully. By that time, the construction and repairs on this place were finished, and she returned, never to leave again. Since then, we’ve lived a quiet life, one of peace and tranquility. Surrounded by the books and art she so loved, she’s watched the ages pass as she was always meant to, with all of us united in our undying loyalty and servitude to her.”

Lupin was silent for several moments, letting the story sink in. “I see,” he said, the only thing he could think to say.

“Until you came here, I’m sure you’ve only seen the power of the Profane as something forced onto people, or something they have to be tricked into receiving. While that is true for many, there are those like us who have been saved by it and have been given the time and joy that the mortal world could never offer us. For the downtrodden, the lost, the abandoned, the confused, and all those doomed to live and die like vermin, the power of the Profane has been a godsend, allowing us to be part of something greater than ourselves—a community with ties that have defied the ages. Believe me, it is not a decision to be made lightly, but it is one we have never regretted.”

“Whatever happened to Titus?” Lupin then asked.

“The morning after he turned our Mistress, as dawn arrived, he smiled at her, wished her good luck, and then… he stepped into the light, and let it turn his body to ash.” Harrigan looked up at the sky. “I think you should be able to understand missing the sun and wanting to experience it one more time.”

That night, Nell had to leave Lupin’s side to receive her parasite. The timing was perfect, as Lupin awoke to find himself alone in bed, but with Bella and Duska standing near the door. Bella was holding the harkonen orb, through which Noah projected his consciousness.

“You!” Lupin growled.

“From your tone, I’m guessing you found out?” Noah asked.

“I’m not speaking to you with my father’s killer in the room.”

“Bella, Duska, would you mind keeping watch?”

“Fine,” Bella huffed.

“Yes, Master,” Duska replied with a bow.

They stepped out of the room, taking the orb with them. A closed door wouldn’t get in the way of Noah’s projection. With them out of the room, he also spread some of his concealment mana to contain the conversation.

“How long have you known that she murdered my father?” Lupin demanded.

“I found out before I sent her to find you. That’s what you really want to know, isn’t it? I understand that you’re angry.”

“Angry?! If you truly understood, you would have beheaded her the moment you saw her. Instead, you assigned the person I want to kill more than anyone else in the world to watch me like a nanny, putting my fate in hands soaked with my father’s blood! This is the cruelest hope you can possibly give.”

“What I did was necessary. War is not won by adhering to people’s emotions, even those of your allies. You must do whatever it takes, utilizing every asset at your disposal. Bella is one of, if not the strongest, Profane alive, and her power can be used to eliminate our foes. I cannot waste such an opportunity, even if it upsets you. Compared to the things I’ve done in the past to achieve victory, this is nothing.”

Lupin bitterly laughed and turned away. “Of course you would do this. Who other than Noah, the Wandering Spirit, would have the gall to employ the ultimate demon? I know what you did in Welindar, the experiments you would perform on the Pack. Their screams would echo through the palace and give me nightmares. I kept my mouth shut because I was grateful that you answered my call and were getting me results, but after all the time and energy I spent fighting those corrupted beasts, only you could make me feel genuinely sorry for them. Honestly, part of me would rather remain captive and die here than accept help like this from a friend.”

“Friend? You forget yourself, Lupin. Have you truly lost perspective while in captivity? You are the prince and future king of Uther, in a time when your nation is at war with the Profane for the fate of this world. The success of your rescue could affect every life on this planet, and more importantly, my chances of achieving my goal. I consider you a friend, but you are first and foremost a piece on the board. To save you and cinch victory over the Profane, I will do whatever I must, even if that means having Bella drag you back to Colbrand kicking and screaming. I will save you, I will kill you, and I will do everything in between to win this war, because that is what it takes. If you have a problem with that, it’s because you have gone blind and lost sight of the big picture. Do you understand me?”

The coldness in Noah’s voice choked out the fires of Lupin’s indignant fury. Everything Noah said was true. There was so much more riding on Lupin’s shoulders than simply his father’s death. He had a responsibility as the prince of Uther to escape from Andromeda’s clutches and get back home, even if he had to make a deal with the devil to do it. He had to protect his people, regardless of how painful it was. He sat down on the bed and took a deep breath.

“How are things in Duravound? Did you convince the king?”

“Yes. The dwarves are gearing up for war with the Profane, and we’ve been assembling a military coalition with Uther and Sylphtoria to make our move on Handent. I’ve managed to slip your situation and location to everyone without revealing my assets. My friends and I are now on our way to you, and Seraph is ready to move mountains to get you out of here.”

“When will you strike?”

“Duska informed me that Andromeda is hosting a ball, where she and all her guests will toast to the return of the Profane and Zyrga. We’ll do it then.”

“Trying to pull me out while using the party as a distraction?” Lupin mulled over it for a few seconds. “That won’t work. I have a feeling Andromeda will keep me close during the party, probably as some kind of fashion accessory or trophy to show off. Besides, the security will likely be at its maximum.”

“That isn’t a problem. This operation is about more than just rescuing you. We’re going to strike deep into the heart of the Profane empire and take out as many of their leaders as we can. Gathering them in one place just makes it easier for us to kill them all.”

Noah and Lupin continued making plans, but soon, Duska signaled them to let them know Nell was returning. Noah cut the connection, and Duska and Bella slipped away before Nell could notice them. She stepped into the room with a smile, with Lupin pretending he had just woken up.

“You’re in a good mood,” he said with faux grogginess.

She crawled under the covers and wrapped him with her wings. “I was given something that’ll let me help you with your grief. First, I need to put you back to sleep.” Her words concerned him, but there was nothing he could do to stop her. The powder was already taking effect, and in moments, he was asleep. Yet though he closed his eyes, he could still see Nell before him, the two of them floating in the darkness of the dreamscape. “Until now, I haven’t been able to do much to alleviate your pain. I’m sorry for being so useless to you, but now it’s different. I’ll delve deep into your mind and carve away everything that could possibly hurt you. Your memories, your fears, your worries, they’ll all be gone. You’ll forget all about Uther, your father, everything but me. You’ll be mine; all mine.”

“Nell, what are you talking about? You can’t!”

“Hush, my love. Just let me do my work, and you’ll wake up feeling nothing but happiness.”

She reached out and gripped the sides of his head, and Lupin could feel her mind breaking into his. He tried to put up mental barriers, forging his willpower into obstacles to stop her, but she was now much more powerful.

“Nell! You have to stop! Get out of my head!”

“Don’t worry! It won’t hurt! Your old life was a prison, and I’m going to set you free from all your worries and responsibilities! We’ll be together forever!”

“You don’t understand!”

But Nell forced her way in, and all of Lupin’s thoughts and secrets were revealed, including his plans with Noah. The shock of what Nell found broke her focus and control, and both she and Lupin woke up.

“You’re trying to escape?!” she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. “Duska and Bella? No! You can’t! I won’t let you! This is the only way we can be together, just like we always wanted! Why would you give this up?! Am I not good enough?!”

“Nell, please, I can’t stay here! I have to get home! I have to protect my people and my country!”

“They don’t matter anymore! Just you and me, that’s what’s important! We finally have a chance to walk away from it all and be happy! You don’t have to be a prince! You don’t have to die anymore!”

“Nell… it could never work here. I can’t abandon my country and become a Profane. You know it.”

“No! I refuse!”

“Nell, come with me! Help me get out of here! We can leave this place behind! We can still be together, but not here. Come with me back to Uther. If you help me, my friends will accept you.”

“You expect me to believe they’ll accept me… when not even you can?” Nell sobbed.

“Nell, I love you. That hasn’t changed.”

“Yes, it has! You think I don’t know how much I disgust you?! After everything I’ve done for you, everything I’ve been through, I’m still a monster in your eyes!”

She got up from the bed and showed him the parasite on her back, leaving Lupin unable to breathe. To see the filthy, unholy creature merged with her flesh, having seen so many in Welindar and witnessed the horror they brought, made him want to vomit.

“Well, I won’t let you escape! I’ll tell Andromeda and Helena, and they’ll make sure you never leave this room again! We’re going to be together forever, and I’ll keep you safe, even if you hate me for it!”

She was about to step towards the door, but Lupin grabbed her in a bear hug, keeping her from flapping her wings and spreading her powder. She fought against him, trying to reach the door, and when she attempted to scream to draw attention, Lupin covered her mouth. He threw her back onto his bed, his drugged and emaciated body driven by fear and desperation. She tried to scream again, but he closed his hands around her throat to silence her.

“Please, Nell! Don’t make me do this!” Lupin sobbed with his tears falling on her face.

“My… love… You can’t leave…” she gasped as his hold tightened.

“I can’t let go if you don’t! I have to get out of here, with or without you!”

She reached up, her gentle hand caressing his cheek, and for a moment, his grip slackened. “But this is what we wanted, to be together. They’ll never let it happen in Uther. The only way we can be happy is to stay.”

With tears blurring Lupin’s vision, she looked just as he remembered her when they were in Welindar. Her rosy cheeks, her loving eyes, her innocent smile; she was a goddess who had stolen his heart. Back then, holding her hand was the greatest ecstasy, and now, gripping her throat filled him with pain beyond all description. He could see how much she loved him, how she would endure any pain to keep him safe, but she would never let him go, no matter how much he begged her to, so he couldn’t let go either.

He squeezed even tighter, watching her consciousness fade, but strangulation wouldn’t be enough to kill her. His hands throbbed and cramped from the exertion, but he squeezed until he broke her neck. Still, it wasn’t enough. He knew she would heal and go tell Andromeda and Helena. He grabbed the wooden chair by the nearby table and smashed it, breaking off a sharp wooden piece. He stood over her, gazing at her limp form on the bed, so beautiful and sweet, looking like she could have been sleeping. Tears poured down his cheeks, and he hyperventilated as he gripped the wooden stake, looking at the woman he loved.

“I’m so sorry, Nell.”

He then raised it above his head and drove the stake into her heart, piercing her and the parasite and killing them both. Her eyes opened briefly, just long enough to look at him and shed tears of her own, before the last bit of life faded away, and her final breath was released. As her blood soaked the bed they shared, Lupin fell to his knees and howled in anguish, not even hearing the door open and Andromeda’s servants rush in to investigate. They found him kneeling by the bed, clutching Nell’s hand, shedding tears that seemed like they would never end.

.

.

.

“I want him DEAD!” Helena shouted, knocking over a table in Andromeda’s room. A ghoul maid, standing in the corner, was about to clean up the mess, but Andromeda stopped her.

“That’s just not going to happen, and you know it. He’s too valuable to kill in anger.”

“Anger? He kills Nell, and you think I’m going to be calm about this?!”

“No, I don’t, but you have to. This was always the risk, you understand. You turned her solely to torment him and watch over him while we kept him prisoner. She was allowed to live for this one simple task, and she’s spent most of her time here spooning with him, yet you still somehow grew overly fond of her.”

“Like you’ve grown fond of him?”

“If you’re going to lash out, at least do so in a way that makes sense. Don’t just leap at any half-baked opportunity to try and twist my words around.”

“You let his leash grow too long, and now I’ve lost Nell. Don’t you understand? I’m OUT. I gave her the last of my venom and can no longer have peerage. You have a whole mansion of servants, but all I have left is Duska. If I lose her….”

“You won’t. I’ve entrusted Harrigan with looking after the prince from now on.”

“I want him punished for what he did to me and Nell.”

“He’s already punishing himself.”

“That’s not good enough. I want to know why.”

Andromeda turned and looked out the window. “I do as well.”

She left her room and walked the mansion corridors to Lupin’s, only to find it empty. The door was locked, and the windows weren’t tampered with, so he couldn’t have slipped out. She held out her hand, and a spark of black lightning arced between her fingers. She flicked the spark, and it landed on the floor, sending a ripple of mana through the estate. Harrigan soon arrived and bowed his head.

“My Lady.”

“Where is Lupin?”

“I moved him to the dungeon.”

“I gave you no such order.”

“Apologies, Mistress. You asked me to tend to the prince’s needs and requests. He was the one who asked to be moved. I deemed it reasonable and accompanied him there. I was just about to notify you. Was my judgment mistaken?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Andromeda collected several books from the room and then made her way through the mansion to the dungeon. She found Lupin there, sitting in a dark cell. There was no furniture of any kind, only a chamber pot and the bowl of flower petals that sweetened the air. Though her eyes did not need it, she lit a candle and stood outside the cell door.

“I brought you your books, though looking around, I realize it would not be suitable to keep them here, nor you.” Lupin didn’t respond, sitting against the wall with his head hanging limply. “I suppose if you want to stay here, I’ll have my servants bring down some necessities and comforts, perhaps a proper bookshelf. I can’t have my guest living in squalor.” He still remained silent, refusing to even look at her. Like in Lupin’s room, Andromeda created a small spark of Profane lightning and flicked it, this time hitting Lupin and making him hiss. “So, you’re still in there. You have the right to grieve, but not to mope, especially when I am speaking to you. I expect you to answer me as a prince should.”

Lupin finally raised his head and looked at her. “I don’t need books or shelves, nor do I deserve them.”

“Just tell me why. Why did you kill her?”

“Did Helena not tell you about the parasite she gave Nell to boost her powers? She wanted to use it to carve away at my mind, removing all of my memories of everything that was causing me pain. She wanted me to forget my family, my country, everything but her, so that I’d spend the rest of my life being a helpless lump for her to cling to. You don’t… You don’t mess with someone’s mind like that. You don’t chip away at their soul and distort who they are, no matter what the reason is, but she wouldn’t listen.

The love that bloomed between us when we were in Welindar, your friend twisted and corrupted it into a mad obsession. The Nell I knew, the Nell I loved, she was gone, replaced with a deranged demoness that was wearing her face. I knew that when she was turned, but I tried to accept her as she was. I didn’t want to let her go. I had to believe that she was still in there, that she was still the sweet, innocent girl that I loved. But she had forgotten what love is because of the evil that was put in her head by your kind.”

He was only telling a half-truth. He killed Nell mainly to keep her from telling Andromeda about his plan to escape, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t lying about his reasoning. He got up and approached the cell door, gripping the iron bars and glaring at Andromeda.

“Do you know what love is? Do you even still remember after all these years? When you kissed me the other night, I thought I felt the last tiny shred of you that was still human, but was I wrong? Did you kiss me because you felt something for me, or was that just a trick to try to make me into your pet? Even if you did feel something for me as I am, if I were to become a Profane, I would no longer be the man you wanted. I would become a demented shadow of my former self, bereft of integrity. Did you kiss me because I reminded you of the humanity you gave up, or because you were imagining me as a Profane, and can only love someone as broken and corrupted as yourself?”

Andromeda reached through the cell and slapped him across the face, driven by a rush of fury she had not felt in a long time. Lupin accepted the strike but grabbed her wrist. At that moment, Andromeda could have wrenched it free, breaking his hand in the process without effort, and proceeded to squash him like a bug, but the trembling in his hand stopped her, and by the light of the candle, she saw the tears pouring down his face.

“That wasn’t Nell I killed, so why does it hurt so much? Why do I still feel so much guilt? You people turned her into a demon, so why do I feel like I deserve to be in this dungeon for killing her? Why would I rather sleep on the stone floor than the bed she and I shared?” As tears continued to fall, Lupin let go of Andromeda’s wrist and fell to his knees. “Why do I wish I had died instead?”

Andromeda crouched down and rested her hand atop his head.

“I don’t want you to die,” she whispered, wondering why her own eyes felt wet.

As Andromeda consoled Lupin, Duska was up in his room. She sat in the corner chair, staring at the empty bedframe. The old mattress, torn and bloodied, was being washed and repaired. Bella then appeared, standing in the doorway.

“What are you doing in here?”

“Just keeping score,” Duska sighed.

“What?”

“Three times. Three times I’ve had to suffer the pain of losing a sister. The first was when I was still human, and it was the reason I joined the Profane. The second, I lost after being with her for centuries, with so much of that time spent in these very halls. And now, I’ve lost Nell. I barely even knew her, barely liked her, and yet….” Duska trailed off, stopping to wipe away her tears. “I became what I am so that I wouldn’t have to feel this way ever again, so that I’d never have to mourn. Nell was basically just a stranger to me. We were both sired by Helena, but I felt nothing for her. So why? Why is she able to draw my tears? Why do I feel like my heart has been shattered?”

Bella stepped into the room and looked around. “Growing up, I remember how much my grandmother, on my father’s side, hated my mother. My father was supposed to marry some rich, educated, spoiled daughter of a noble family, but instead, he fell in love with my mother and had me, much to my grandmother’s fury. She was kind to me, though, to her credit. She treated me well, as a proper grandmother should, but when it came to my mother, her tongue was razor sharp. Everything she said to her was a criticism, insult, or backhanded compliment. Nothing my mother did was ever good enough, but oh, how she tried. She tried so hard to please my grandmother, and I just couldn’t understand why. It wore her down, caused her so much pain, but she kept trying to win my grandmother’s acceptance.

When my grandmother died, I was glad, glad she was gone and that my mother was finally free of her. But at her funeral, she cried so hard, taking the loss even harder than my father did. It just shocked me, shocked me why she cared so much about a woman who had been so awful to her. I asked my father why, and he simply said it was because my mother never got to know her own mother. She died when my mother was even younger than I was. It didn’t make sense to me then, but years later, I finally understood.

My mother had hoped that my grandmother could possibly fill the void in her life that her own mother left behind. A mother-in-law is still a mother, I guess. She endured my grandmother’s cruelty because she hoped that someday, they’d be able to reconcile, and she’d have the mother she always wanted, but she never got it. She lost her chance at the family life she’d always dreamed of. We didn’t simply bury her awful mother-in-law. We buried the wonderful mother-in-law she could have possibly become. More than losing what was, she lost what could have been.

I think that’s why you miss Nell. You didn’t know her for long, but you could have. You said you and your other sister, the second one, spent a lot of time here and built plenty of happy memories. You could have had the same thing with Nell. Had things worked out, you two could have had centuries together. You could have had a sister you’d know, love, and trust. You aren’t mourning Nell for who she was, but who she could have been. You’re mourning the loss of possibility, the loss of years of happiness the two of you could have had. She died, and a wonderful future for the two of you died with her. That’s why you’re crying. You didn’t love her, but you know you could have.”

Hearing Bella’s words, hearing the feelings she didn’t understand spoken so eloquently, Duska’s will broke and she fell apart, sobbing uncontrollably. Bella crouched before Duska and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly.

“You aren’t alone,” she murmured.

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