Vae Victis - Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Just a quick update for those of you who don't read my other series. I usually take 1 week a month off for admin and break stuff. So just letting you know that this week is my break week. Chapters return next week!

The Connections That We Forge

Shadow guided me with his arm around my back and mine around his shoulders as I walked with him to a small rock. Wearing the Mask was... bliss, it was a taste of power on the same level as what I was tasting when I had sipped my sire's blood on the day I'd been turned. With that mask on, I felt invincible, like I could do anything, like I had all the power I wanted in my hands. I had also finally been able to figure out what exactly my Mask provided me. My healing skyrocketed, Saia's estimation was that it increased by just over 100%, which was insane.

I vaguely remembered getting injuries during that last part of the fight that healed before I even registered the pain of them. On the downside, the moment I took it off, I felt a wave of tiredness that I haven't experienced before. It had drained me completely, so much so that my body barely responded to me. Shadow had said that if I had kept it on for even a few seconds longer I probably would've passed out, maybe even died.

And all of the skills that I used were still on cooldown a day later. And I had used nearly all of them. With my Mask on, [Swap Profile] had its cooldown reduced enough that I had been able to use it once, which meant that it too was now no longer available along with all the skills I had slotted in both profiles. Though, on the bright side, I now knew how short the cooldowns for all my skills were when I wore my Mask, which was nearly instant. Though I had felt myself being drained the more I used the skills. That didn't come without a cost.

Still, I had no idea what a long cooldown meant and for how long I would be powerless, but I was going to find out. At least we haven't run into anything dangerous so far.

Shadow set up our camp, as I turned to look out in the distance. We were on a high cliff, one that had a great vantage point. In the distance I could see the ocean, blazing with light reflected from the cacophony of the aurora above it. My world, coming down. It seemed far too peaceful for what it implied, just a light filling the air that was changing the very structure of an entire world.

Saia jumped into my lap, and looked ahead with me. It was something new for both of us. I could smell the ocean, the taste of freedom and an endless expanse.

We had reached our destination, and it was beautiful. And soon I was going to return to Earth. I hadn't even begun to think about what I was going to do, aside from knowing that I wanted to help people survive.

A few minutes later, Shadow took a seat next to me on the ledge, holding one of the empty gourds in his hands as he stared out at the sea with me. For a while we were silent, just enjoying the sights.

"It will not be long now," he said after a while. "Our journey is coming to an end."

"I wouldn't be here without you," I said. "Thank you for everything, for teaching me."

Shadow smiled. "We helped each other, tsinju!shi," he said and I again saw images in my head, the translation of the word that I was still not fully familiar with. We had a bond between us, that of a student and a teacher, of two people who survived death together, camaraderie. An unbreakable bond, tsinju!shi as he said.

"Will I see you again?" I asked.

"Survive your world," Shadow said. "And I promise you that you will."

"I won't die," I promised, and fully meant it. I was prepared to do everything to survive and help as many people on Earth do the same.

"I have something for you, gifts," Shadow said. I blinked and turned to look at him. His eyes were still on the ocean in front of us. "But I need to ask you something before."

I tilted my head, wondering what this was about. "You can ask me anything," I said. It wasn't like I was going to keep secrets from him now.

"I know that you do not care much for your family, the one that sold you away," Shadow started and I was taken aback. I hadn't expected that to be the topic. "I wondered if you know why your family gave you your name, what it means in your world?"

I frowned, it was a... touchy subject for me, but what I said before still held. I trusted Shadow more than I had probably trusted anyone else in my life. it felt so paradoxical, we've known each other for barely a month, and here I was feeling so connected to him. Yet, a part of me felt that it was right. We've gone through more than most people go through in a lifetime.

"My name is two names, Maria and Anna. Together they have a few meanings," I answered slowly, turning my eyes to look at the endless water in front of us. "I don't know if my parents had any of those meanings in mind when they named me, they never told me or I don't remember if they had. What I know about my name I learned in school, more out of personal curiosity than anything else. Rojas, my family name is a derivative of "red", I don't know if it means anything else. And Marianna can mean "bitter grace" or "sea of bitterness", but the one meaning I like the most is the "star of the sea"."

"The star of the sea," Shadow repeated.

"Why do you ask?" I glanced back at him.

"I told you that YoKai-ni culture values names greatly. I have been thinking about what I could give you that could reflect the amount of gratitude that I feel. Not just for helping me survive the jungle in my state, but for being who you are, for talking with me and trusting me. For showing me that I have fallen in a hole of my own making. You helped me reawaken something that I have thought I lost long ago. For this I wish to give you something, if you agree, of course."

I looked him in the eyes, seeing a kindred soul. Which terrified me. He was older than any vampire I had ever heard about. He had done so many things in his life that having him look at me and see himself instilled a sense of fear. It made me wonder if I was on the same path. Yet, a part of me, invited it, it wanted to be someone who could stand alone in the face of everything the world could throw at me and weather it.

"What?" I asked finally.

"A name," Shadow said with gravity.

I blinked, remembering what he had said about names in his culture, the true name that was only ever used in important situations. It was a name that changed with the person, that grew and evolved over time, a name that was a private and intimate thing.

"I... I don't know what to say," his offer surprised me.

"There are only two people in my family, myself and my mother. I am her only child, and I have never had children myself. Usually, what I offer is a grand affair for the YoKai-ni. My mother has given me the right to do so long ago, so it is within my rights to give you this invitation. I wish to give you my end verse, have you join my family."

My chest tightened and I felt my face flush in surprise. I hadn't expected to be offered such a gesture of kindness, but as I let it sink in, I realized that yes, I truly wanted this. A deep sense of loneliness had taken root inside of me years ago; my own family had sold me and the cartel hung me. I had bad luck with family, yet Shadow had done more for me than any of them ever had. With a sudden surge of emotion I managed to utter, "I would love that," a smile spreading across my features.

He turned so that he was facing me and I did the same.

"Ordinarily, this would mean a big ceremony, a feast. Introduce you to the family. But my family is small, and my mother is... she is not the most social of people. So forgive me for doing this in such a humble manner," he said with a smile.

I didn't care about those things, just the fact that he asked meant the world to me. "I don't need that."

He nodded. "Then, I give you my end verse, may it mark you as part of my family, for better and for worse. It means that we stand together in all things, united as a family always should be. All that is mine, is yours, and all that is yours is mine."

I didn't know the customs, I didn't know if there was anything that I should say or do, so I simply bowed my head.

"As for your name, I have witnessed who you are, and so I grant you the beginning verse to your name, Star, for the meaning of Marianna in your tongue. And I add to it, to give you your full true name. From this day until the day your verses grow, you shall be known amongst the YoKai-ni as The Star That Dances In Blood Beneath the Light of the Broken Moon. Know that all are bound by honor to give you their own name should you ever introduce yourself fully. Know that by exchanging names you are afforded the rights of the Old Tree’s Hearth. A day of peace, to talk and find common ground. May your name be a guiding light to you in the mists that surround life."

I closed my eyes and turned my face from him, trying to hide the tear that rolled down my cheek. I felt it, when he said the name. Like a skill almost, an impression in the Way, as he called it. I didn't understand how, but it felt fitting, even though it was not a nice name to me it did feel beautiful.

"Thank you," I whispered, my head still bowed. I felt him put a hand on my shoulder as he knelt next to me. I felt the courage to raise my head and meet his gaze - our eyes locked in an intense stare that could not be broken. Nothing was spoken yet a deep connection was made; more was said in that moment than any words could ever describe.

"I have one more thing for you," Shadow said slowly. He leaned back, then raised the empty gourd that I had seen him holding before. He pulled the cork out of it, then had me hold it. I frowned as he pulled out a knife, and then start rolling his sleeve. My eyes widened as I realize what he was about to do.

I grabbed his hand. "You don't need to do that," I said quickly.

He smiled. "I want to," he told me. "I don't know how it will work, but from what you have told me a piece of my essence will be locked within you. I don't know if it will be a copy of me as I am now, with my thoughts and reasoning, I don't know what limits the Grand Spell will place on it. Perhaps it will be just a simple obstacle to overcome, but, perhaps it will also help you along your journey."

I didn't know what to say, the name was more than I had ever expected to get out of life. This, this was far more than that. I watched as he made the cut on his forearm, then filled the gourd with his lifeblood. The smell of it hit me, thick in my nostrils. It made me imagine what it must taste like, I couldn't help but feel the anticipation build. The power of it was tangible in the air.

The pink liquid fell, each drop spiraling down to the gourd, poured with great precision. I heard it splashing inside as it filled up, it echoed in my ears like whispers. The thirst woke up, and I grabbed hold of it, kept it from pushing me to raise the gourd and down the blood like a monster that I was.

I almost didn't hear him when he spoke, but then his words pierced through my haze and I raised my head to look at him.

"I offer this gift, freely," he said, gesturing for me to take it, to drink.

I swallowed, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth, I craved it, the taste of it, the power of it. I licked my lips as the desire to drink it took me, the thirst aligned with my will, I felt its power stab through me along with a deep desire. I wished I could say that I was composed, but I didn't even remember raising the gourd to my lips. Instead, the next thing I knew was the explosion in my mouth as it hit my tongue.

The blood filled my every thought; it was a deep rich taste of a life well lived, the taste of the morning mist, the taste of elusive power. It tasted of all the food I've ever eaten, all the drinks I've ever drank, all of it soaked in blood spilled by the source of the life I was tasting. It was greater than anything I have ever experienced. I gulped it down like it was my last hope, my salvation, my everything. The sound of it flowing down my throat filled my ears, the noise of a waterfall falling against the rocks.

Then it hit my stomach and everything went white. Memories flashed through my head, so fast that I couldn't understand a thing that I saw, all I understood was feeling. Fear, rage, glory, they filled my mind with flashes of images I could get a glimpse of. A giant city with ringed walls, with towers as tall as skyscrapers. A tree that rose from a mountain, its roots twisting around it as mist surrounded the base of it, the shadow of its branches casting everything in darkness.

A golden throne, swallowed by vines with dust covering the floor.

And then it was over, and I had drank the last drop.

I came to on the ground, Shadow kneeling above me.

"Are you okay, Little Star?" He asked.

I opened my mouth, and only garbled speech came out. I shook my head and forced myself to slow down.

"I'm fine," I answered. "I... didn't expect that, it was unlike anything that I have ever tasted."

"Well," the side of Shadow's mouth raised in a half smile. "I assume that it tasted good?"

"I... yes," I said, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

"Good," he nodded then raised his eyes to look at the sky. "It is almost time."

I glanced in the same direction, saw that the light was growing brighter. Before I could ask how he knew, it happened.

Light started gathering around me, and I sat up, startled.

Shadow put his weapon, the serpent-tongue spear in my hands, and reflexively I closed my hands around it, the light expanded to hold it too. Saia, or rather her drone form jumped on my legs and was covered too.

"My last gift, for you Saia," Shadow said and ripped the small stone from the head of his rod, then placed it in my lap as well. "Be vigilant," he added. "Survive."

"I will," I told him. I tried to find the words to express the depths of my gratitude, but none came. The light grew so bright that I lost sight of him, and then I felt a sensation I had felt once before. I felt as if my body grew and contracted all at the same time as the light swallowed me whole.

I was going home.

* * *

The Shadow That Quells Empires Stands Grinning And Triumphant Beneath the Light of the Broken Moon had to look away as the Grand Spell took The Star That Dances In Blood Beneath the Light of the Broken Moon away, back to her home. He could not even begin to describe the way that he was feeling in that moment. There was a lot of worry, yes, an emotion that he was not very familiar with, not for a long time at least. He worried about what awaited her on her home. By now it would have been changed completely. The geography, the wildlife, everything would have become alien to her. And also far more dangerous.

Her experiences here, on Ish Vimza, would provide a great deal of experience. But Shadow knew just how much danger a newly integrated world faced.

He took a deep breath, taking comfort in the realization that he had done all that he possibly could for her.

He stood up, his legs still shaking from the effort. He glanced back, into the darkness beneath the trees of the jungle. He wondered if he would live to worry for much longer.

"Show yourself," he called. His body was barely holding him together, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to use any of his skills. But at least he would die on his feet.

He had felt something in the jungle for weeks now. Something that he couldn't quite put his fingers on. Something had been stalking them.

At first he had thought that it was an animal, but the more time passed to more he became convinced that it was not. The fight with the sikiri had sealed it for him.

When Marianna drank its blood, he had felt the blight take hold inside of her, and he had known that she had lost the struggle. Then, he felt a skill being used from somewhere near them, and a moment later the blight was banished from her body as if it was never there in the first place.

Shadow had never seen anything like it, and that even alone was what made him hopeful that he was going to live through this.

The stalker stepped out of the darkness, peeling out of it like a wraith. Black mist surrounded them. It was shaped like a Kitsu-oi, with nine tails made out of mist swinging behind them.

That made Shadow frown, all Kitsu-oi had tails, but nine was the rarest number. The fact that there were two nine tailed people on Ish Vimza at the same time was... unlikely.

What was even more unlikely was that he recognized the skill that shrouded them, it was as familiar to him as breathing.

"Who are you?" Shadow asked.

The figure stepped closer, and he saw their glowing eyes pierce out of the mist shroud, two jade jewels. Then the shroud receded, and he blinked as he saw their face.

"That's impossible," he said. "You..."

The figure just smiled. In that moment, Shadow realized just how little he actually understood. And knew that everything that he had held as truth was about to change.