I could not leave this place. Of course, I had left. I had been forced to leave, first by the Doctor Trelaine, and then later when my father taught me the unfortunate truth of the vampiric affliction. Skittish at first, I learned more about myself and derived confidence from the things I could not leave behind. I learned how to be my own home. But even so, the Magicademy was a part of me as I was a part of it. Though I would eventually renounce much of what I thought I was, I found certain things could not be changed and would remain even as everything else gave way and crumbled before me. Straud freed me from seeking the Mortals as foodstuff, but with that liberation came chains I had long forgotten when invigorated by Blood. I remembered what it was to feel tired, ill, incapable, frail, dependent. My body became very heavy and I dragged it around with me as a ball and chain. I sank back into the habits of childhood, barely scraping through life, bound to this house, beholden to my mother, who once again found herself bringing meals to my bedside.

I am not so sure she wanted me to accept Straud’s cure and become a mage. When my father took up my education in my adolescence, I suspected Mother was all too glad to be rid of me. Finally she was free of her sickly child and had borne an exceptional Vampire. And I was an exceptional Vampire. The Beast guided my hand and fang and not once did the Thirst drive me into madness. Not… true madness, anyway. It did not matter that I despised it, not to her. Life was not for enjoyment, that left you fat and weak. Life was about work and success. She had always made a point of surrounding herself with only the best, and finally I was the spitting image of my father.

So when I gave all that up, I suppose she was disgusted with me. She resented trying to teach me elementary charms, spells ordinarily taught alongside fractions and cursive script. I was then nearing my fortieth year, at least by Mortal reckoning, and I might as well have regressed back into diapers and velcro shoes.

But I did not allow her attitude to poison me against her. I had proof of her greatness and dedication all around me and I simply accepted that she could not show it to me personally. When she bickered with my father, I tried to stay out of it, recognizing that I could do nothing to change what had happened long before my birth. They seemed as business partners first and foremost. And like so many Mortal children, that suited me just fine.

Although my mother had placed few kisses upon my forehead, when she died at the hands of her friend Agnes Sepal, I mourned. Though I had no certainty beforehand that it could be done, I made a leap of faith. I bound her spirit to our antiquated computer system. It was not too difficult, really, as I found Mother’s spirit had clung to this old house as oil to wood. My father, too, had lost his corporeal form at the hands of our family nemesis, but his soul had found refuge in my psyche. It was stranger than fiction, but I endured and even thrived.

I was never alone with this burden. I had what remained of my father’s acolytes and Straud had pledged his coterie to support what remained of the foundling home. Of all of them, Cedric was the one who never wavered. He called my father Master and we were as brothers. He and Straud were the only ones who did not question my decision to forsake vampirism.

And I had now become comfortable in my skin. I was happy with who I was and excited about what the future could hold for me as I uncovered my Talent - something I had been far from promised on the eve of accepting the Cure.

But then, everything changed. Davian freed my mother and father from their prisons and brought them back into the realm of the living. It is something no child, Extranatural or Mortal, is ever prepared for. The pair now bustled about the house, energized by their new leases on life, and vowed to do things right this time. Where I had taken the dusty old home as my inheritance, all of a sudden I was sharing the space with my parents again, long after I’d adjusted to the quiet. I had changed, they had changed, or… well… at least they seemed different. They were… nice to each other, and at first I was set ill-at-ease to see them talk and embrace and behave as husband and wife. It took time, but eventually I came to the conclusion that this was actually a righting-of-wrongs, a final accounting, and that this was the way things were always supposed to have been.

Except for the house. Without the Orphans, she was still empty.

KEVIN

MOTHER, YOU GOT A MINUTE?


Today, she seemed at peace. I had found her typing away at a computer, a number of tomes spread on the empty corners of the desk.

MYRTLE

OF COURSE, KEVIN.

I CAN TAKE A MOMENT.

I’LL PUT SOME TEA ON.

DO YOU WANT ANY?

KEVIN

YEAH, I’LL TAKE SOME.


We descended the stairs. It still felt strange to walk in front of her but I knew I needed to get past the discomfort. I was not a child anymore.

At the bottom of the stairs, we turn the corner. The kitchen was tidy but far from spotless. I had lately noticed my mother’s calculations before using an incantation to banish stray crumbs. Where she once may have invoked her Talent on a whim, today sometimes I found her with a rag in hand, completing tasks in the most Ordinary fashion. But I was not about to question her methods.

Sitting atop the stove is a used kettle in stainless steel. It is an old friend of mine.

MYRTLE

WHAT CAN I DO YOU FOR?

KEVIN

SOMETHING CAFFEINE-FREE.

IT’S LATE.


My mother could take in the stimulant at any hour of the day. I had not inherited that trait from her.

KEVIN

THANKS FOR THE TEA, MA.

CAN I TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING?

MYRTLE

YES, KEVIN.

GO AHEAD.


I did not like to relay this news but I felt I needed to tell her.

KEVIN

DAVIAN IS…

AWAY.

HE’S LEFT THE PLANET.

SAYS HE’S CHASING AFTER HIS WAYWARD APPRENTICE, LILA.

HE PLANS TO RETURN, OF COURSE, BUT FOR NOW, HE’S NOT HERE.


Though Davian was quite a bit older than my mother, he allowed her to dote on him like a second son. They had a certain affection for each other, perhaps, I assumed, because they both belonged to a more civilized age.

KEVIN

I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW.


We sit there in silence for a moment. All of a sudden, the tea erupts into song, entirely too early.

Without a word, my mother turns around to turn off the heat. Her hand is quivering.

KEVIN

MOM, ARE YOU OKAY?


She tries to mask her emotion. But her voice is quiet and she doesn’t turn to face me.

MYRTLE

W-WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO EARTH?

WITHOUT DAVIAN?


I did not know what to say to her.

KEVIN

WE STILL HAVE STRAUD.

DAD AND THE COTERIE.

EVEN THE ORDER…


She slams her fist upon the counter.

MYRTLE

DAMN THE ORDER!


I tried to be cautious.

KEVIN

I KNOW THEY HAVEN’T EXACTLY BEEN OUR FRIENDS BUT I THOUGHT DAVIAN PUT IN A GOOD WORD FOR US–

MYRTLE

YEAH, WELL HE’S NOT HERE TO SIGN OUR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION!

KEVIN

THEY MAY NOT LIKE OUR ASSOCIATION WITH THE NIGHTFOLK, BUT THEY CANNOT DISPUTE THE FACT THAT WE FIGHT FOR GOOD.

MYRTLE

GOOD, SCHMOOD!

THE DAYS OF THE ORDER ARE OVER.

WITHOUT DAVIAN, WE CANNOT HOPE TO STAND AGAINST TRENTE GAGARIN.

KEVIN

STRAUD CAN–

MYRTLE

STRAUD CAN DO WHAT?

HE FIGHTS TOO MANY WARS ON TOO MANY FRONTS.

WE ASK TOO MUCH OF ONE MAN.

KEVIN

I COULD SAY THE SAME OF DAVIAN.

HE NEEDED TO GO AFTER HIS APPRENTICE.

WE CANNOT ENSLAVE HIM TO FIGHT OUR WARS.

MYRTLE

DID YOU TALK TO HIM YOURSELF?


She was flippant and indignant. This was a version of her with which I was more acquainted.

KEVIN

NO.

MANDARC SPOKE TO HIM.

MYRTLE

AND MANDARC SPOKE TO YOU?

KEVIN

WELL, NO.

CEDRIC TOLD ME.

MYRTLE

AH, YES.

WE’RE PLAYING THE DAMN TELEPHONE GAME.


I could have lost my patience with her, but I held steady.

KEVIN

DO YOU HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT MANDARC IS LYING?


She had spent time with Mandarc during her depression at Rindle Rose. The vampire held a special place in her heart. He was a gentle soul.

MYRTLE

…

NO, I SUPPOSE NOT.

KEVIN

YEAH, I DON’T THINK SO EITHER.


The hot water still sat in the kettle. I think we’d both lost our appetite.

KEVIN

MOM.

I KNOW OUR FAMILY OWES DAVIAN A HUGE DEBT AFTER ALL HE’S GIVEN US.

BUT HE DID NOT BRING YOU BACK TO LIFE TO CLING TO HIS COATTAILS.

HE BELIEVED IN YOU AND YOUR POWER TO MAKE REAL CHANGE IN THE WORLD.

YOU ARE INCREDIBLY CAPABLE AND EVERYONE SEES THAT EXCEPT YOU.


I did not expect her to accept my compliment, but I gave it anyway. She needed to hear it.

KEVIN

DAVIAN WILL RETURN AND WE WILL SHOW HIM WHAT WE’VE DONE.


She continued to stare at the cooling kettle.

KEVIN

WE COULD RESTART THE SCHOOL–

MYRTLE

I’M NOT BRINGING MORE CHILDREN INTO THIS.


She spoke quietly, but firmly, with a resigned finality that indicated she’d already made up her mind.

KEVIN

BUT WASN’T THAT THE PLAN?


She finally turned toward me as if to magnify her conviction.

MYRTLE

I REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FATTENING OF PIGS FOR THE SLAUGHTER.


I did not like where this was going.

KEVIN

MOTHER, THIS IS THEIR WORLD TOO.

SHOULD WE NOT GIVE THEM THE TOOLS TO FIGHT FOR IT?


She looked away again.

MYRTLE

…

WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH WHAT WE HAVE.

KEVIN

THAT IS INCREDIBLY SHORT-SIGHTED!

IT COULD BE LIFETIMES BEFORE WE ACHIEVE PEACE!

MYRTLE

THEN FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO RAISE THE CHILDREN.

I CAN’T DO IT.

NOT ANYMORE.

KEVIN

MOTHER, WE NEED YOU!


I was pleading now. She was retreating, hiding again. I thought we had moved past this.

MYRTLE

I’M TIRED.

I’M SO DAMN TIRED.

YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR TALENT.

YOU DO IT.

KEVIN

I STRUGGLE TO DO HALF - A QUARTER - OF WHAT COMES SO EASILY TO YOU!

MYRTLE

I’M OLD.

KEVIN

YOU’RE A MAGE!

YOU COULD LIVE FOREVER IF YOU WANTED TO!

MYRTLE

I DON’T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER.

I WANT TO FINISH WHAT I WAS BROUGHT BACK TO DO AND THEN I WANT TO REST.

DESPITE MY MANY SINS, I THINK - I HOPE - I WILL HAVE EARNED THAT.


I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was as if nothing we had done over the past several years had made any difference. It was all a farce. She was just as she had been.

KEVIN

AND WHAT ABOUT DAD?

DON’T YOU CARE WHAT HE THINKS?

MYRTLE

YOUR FATHER MANIFESTED LONG BEFORE I WAS BORN AND HE WILL CONTINUE ON LONG AFTER I CEASE TO EXIST.

KEVIN

HE LOVES YOU!

MYRTLE

AND HE WILL FIND SOMEONE ELSE.

KEVIN

HOW CAN YOU JUST LEAVE HIM BEHIND?

THAT’S…


I searched for a curse to come even close to conveying the rage brewing inside my soul.

KEVIN

THAT’S INCREDIBLY SELFISH OF YOU!


She paused for a moment, considering my outburst.

MYRTLE

…

WE ARE ALL ALLOWED A SELFISH DECISION FROM TIME TO TIME.


Regarding the conversation over, she disappears in a wave of scintillating light, transportalating out of my sight.

By now, the water has returned to a lukewarm state. My mouth is dry, but I leave it sitting, abandoned, and walk out of the room.


CEDRIC//

Hey, Kev. How's it going?

KEVIN//

Honestly? Not great.

CEDRIC//

What's up?

KEVIN//

I told my mother about Davian. She did not take it well.

CEDRIC//

It's not good news.

KEVIN//

Yeah, I know... Just--

CEDRIC//

What kind of trouble could Lila have gotten herself into?

KEVIN//

Do you think this was orchestrated?

CEDRIC//

Could be.

KEVIN//

My mother... just sank back into her old depression. It was hard to see her like that. I thought she had made progress. But it was like old times.

CEDRIC//

...

Like before she died?

KEVIN//

She and Dad have seemed so happy. Like how they must have been long ago. Before me.

CEDRIC//

Do you really think they were ever happy?

KEVIN//

I think when the future was bright and the house was new and--

CEDRIC//

Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault.

KEVIN//

...

CEDRIC//

I need you to come over and take a look at AVAEL. Maybe she needs a tune-up or something, I don't know.

KEVIN//

She hasn't been well since the cat left.

CEDRIC//

Before that. I don't know, I think she...

KEVIN//

Did it on purpose?

CEDRIC//

Yeah. She wasn't just forgetting shit like that.


It was over ten years ago, yes, longer than that, back when I was still a vampire, that Straud introduced us to Avaelle Easton.

She was in rough shape. Physically, superficially, she had wounds like none I’d ever seen on a vampire. Her skin was dark, blackened as if from a fire. One eye was swollen shut, stubbornly refusing to heal. And her hair, once a vibrant auburn hue, was haphazardly cut short against her scalp. Clothes hung off her body, barely hiding her bones and paradoxically making her seem even more naked. And yet, sustained by the mystery of the Curse, she stood straight, never-the-less too weak to kneel and beg clemency.

Straud asked me to help her. I had earlier taken up a half-hearted interest in robotics and cybernetics, but not with any particular goal in mind. It was a flight of fancy intended to stave off the pain of idle hands. But the Count seized upon it, insisting that I was the only one who could do this for her.

And he promised that he would help.

KEVIN

HI, CEDRIC.

NICE NIGHT WE’RE HAVING.


I had not even needed to knock on the door. He had known of my arrival. Yes, I had a key, but I had no reason to be so rude.

CEDRIC

GUESS I COULDA JUST LEFT THE DOOR OPEN.

I MEAN, WHO KNOWS; SHE COULD JUST WANDER BACK INSIDE.

KEVIN

MAYBE WE’LL GET A CAT DOOR.

CEDRIC

UGH, DON’T BOTHER.

IT’LL JUST MAKE A DRAFT.

KEVIN

YOU CAN GET ONES THAT SECURE SHUT.

CEDRIC

THAT KINDA DEFEATS THE PURPOSE.


I could hear AVAEL plinking away at the piano on the second floor. There was no hiding it: this was an intervention.

Cedric and I gingerly ascended the stairs.

KEVIN

AVAEL?

HEYA.

HOW’S IT GOING?


She stopped playing.

AVAEL

NOT WELL, KEVIN.

…

NOT WELL.

KEVIN

HOW ARE YOUR AUGMENTS?

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU’VE HAD A TUNE-UP.

AVAEL

A BAD WIRE HERE AND THERE BUT NOTHING I CAN’T FIX MYSELF.

THERE ARE USUALLY A FEW DEAD GIVEAWAYS THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO MALFUNCTION BEFORE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

KEVIN

IF YOU EVER NEEDED HELP AND I WASN’T AROUND, YOU KNOW CEDRIC COULD ASSIST YOU.


She paused.

AVAEL

…

YES, I AM AWARE.


She tilts her head just slightly.

AVAEL

ALTHOUGH CEDRIC DID NOT ASSEMBLE MY COMPONENTS.

KEVIN

STRAUD, THEN.

HE HELPED ME A LOT.

HE HAS A GREAT KNOWLEDGE BASE.

I DON’T KNOW THAT I COULD HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HIM.

AVAEL

…

I SUPPOSE NOT.


The room is filled with an awkward silence.

KEVIN

I’M SURE I’M NOT TELLING YOU ANYTHING YOU DON’T ALREADY KNOW, BUT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN THE WINTER MONTHS.

THE AIR IS DRY AND EXCESS STATIC–

AVAEL

I TAKE ALL THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.

KEVIN

I BELIEVE YOU.

I JUST WORRY; I DON’T WANT SOMETHING TO HAPPEN TO YOU.

AVAEL

I APPRECIATE AND VALUE YOUR CONCERN.


Cedric and I look at each other. AVAEL was our Elder by a considerable amount. Over a century, nearly two, in fact.

CEDRIC

IT’S NOT JUST ELECTRICITY WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT, AVAEL.

…

IT’S YOU.

AVAEL

ME, SIR?

CEDRIC

YES, YOU!

YOU’RE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE TEAM!


She did not move a muscle.

AVAEL

ME, SIR?

I AM ALL BUT HOUSEBOUND.

I RUST IN THE RAIN.

I OVERHEAT IN THE SUN.

I CAN’T CHANGE MY SHAPE, I CAN’T FALL INTO MIST.

MY FANGS ARE HIDDEN BEHIND AN LCD AND I RELY ON CHARITY SUCKED THROUGH A STRAW TO SUSTAIN MY EXISTENCE.

“AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE TEAM”?

PLEASE DO NOT INSULT ME WITH YOUR PLATITUDES AND FLATTERY.

CEDRIC

BUT AS TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES–

AVAEL

MY BODY WILL CONTINUE TO WITHER.

KEVIN

SO WE’LL KEEP TRYING.

AVAEL

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO HEAL THESE WOUNDS.

CEDRIC

…

THE OLD MAN WOULD NEVER ALLOW IT.

KEVIN

HE HAS HIS REASONS FOR ENFORCING THE LAW.

DIABLERIE IS FORBIDDEN BECAUSE–

AVAEL

BECAUSE THE SOUL IS CONSUMED AS WELL.

BECAUSE WE ARE IRREVOKABLY TAINTED BY THE CRIME.

YES, I AM AWARE.

EVEN THE DOCTOR ONCE DENOUNCED THE PRACTICE.

CEDRIC

HE DOESN’T ANYMORE.

AVAEL

NO, HE DOES NOT.

KEVIN

I KNOW IT FEELS AS IF THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY OUT.

I KNOW IT FEELS HOPELESS.

AVAEL

OH, KEVIN.

EVER THE OPTIMIST.

CEDRIC

WE HAVE SO PRECIOUS LITTLE LEFT OF WHAT WAS.

ARE YOU READY TO BREAK THAT BEYOND REPAIR?


She does not like what he says.

AVAEL

…

I HAVE ALREADY BEEN THERE.

CEDRIC

BUT THIS IS WORSE, AVAEL!

AVAEL

YOU YOUNGBLOOD HAVE LITTLE BASIS ON WHICH TO MAKE A JUDGEMENT.

YOU ARE POSSESSED WITH VIGOR AND YOUTH AND DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS TO BE RAVAGED BY DISEASE.

YOU STILL HAVE YOUR FAMILIES.

YOU HAVEN’T LOST…

…

EVERYTHING.


I had to there admit defeat. But I wasn’t ready to surrender.

KEVIN

THE ACT OF DIABLERIE REMOVES THE VICTIM FROM THE CYCLE.

THEY CAN NEVER REJOIN THEIR LOVED ONES IN THE UMBRA.

THEY…

CAN NEVER MAKE THE JOURNEY TO ELYSION.

THEIR STORY JUST…

ENDS.

ARE YOU PREPARED TO BE JUDGE, JURY, AND EXECUTIONER?


But my plea for the greater good falls flat.

AVAEL

…

I DON’T CARE ANYMORE.


None of us know what to say.

AVAEL

AND MAYBE, ANYWAY, THAT’S A MERCY I BELIEVE IN.


For the second time today I was arguing for joy and perseverance in the face of despair. For the second time today I doubted the source of my conviction. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was the fool.

CEDRIC

THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT CONSUMING THE VITAE OF IMMORTALS WILL HEAL YOU.

THAT BLOOD…

IS NOT FOR US TO TAKE.

YOU RISK–

AVAEL

I RISK WHAT?

MY SALVATION?

MY TICKET TO HEAVEN?

THAT WAS TAKEN FROM ME LONG AGO.

AND DON’T YOU DARE INSIST THAT I MIGHT BE SAVED THROUGH GOOD WORKS.

WE ARE ALL SINNERS AND WE ARE ALL DESTINED FOR HELLFIRE.

I KNOW WHAT AWAITS ME IN THE END.

OR WORSE YET–

I’M ALREADY THERE.

CEDRIC

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN?

TRELAINE WILL CALL A TOAST AND YOU’LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN?

DO YOU HONESTLY THINK HE’S GOING TO PRESENT YOU A FEW SACRIFICES AS A BELATED WEDDING GIFT?

DIDN’T YOU LEAVE HIM FOR A REASON?


Cedric has thrown out the caltrops.

AVAEL

…

I DON’T APPRECIATE THE CRUELTY.

CEDRIC

WELL I DON’T APPRECIATE YOU TAKING A DUMP ON EVERYTHING I THOUGHT WE STOOD FOR.

EVERYTHING WE WORKED SO HARD TO CREATE.

…

I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS.

AVAEL

…

WE WERE FRIENDS.

BUT FRIENDS DON’T MAKE FRIENDS SUFFER.

CEDRIC

…

WE TRIED TO RELIEVE YOUR SUFFERING.

THE SUIT, THE HOUSE.

TRIED TO HELP YOU BE THE BEST YOU COULD BE.

NEVER ONCE TALLIED YOUR CRIMES OR QUESTIONED YOUR LOYALTY.

AVAEL

WELL, IT DIDN’T WORK.

CEDRIC

DAMMIT, AVAEL!

I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU!

I’M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU!

AVAEL

I DON’T LOVE YOU, CEDRIC.

…

YOU ARE A CHILD.

YOU MAY WALK UNPHASED BY THE SUN AS THE ANCIENTS DO–

YOU MAY STAND AMONG THE MORTALS WITH A PRIDE BEYOND YOUR YEARS–

BUT THE PLAIN AND SIMPLE FACT IS THAT YOU ARE STILL A FLEDGLING.

A YOUNGLING.

A BOY OUTGROWN HIS ROMPER.

CEDRIC

AFTER ALL I’VE DONE FOR YOU, THIS IS WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO?

YOU CAN’T HURT ME.

I KNOW WHAT I AM AND I WILL CONTINUE TO GROW STRONGER.

BUT YOU?

YOU MAY HAVE MANY A YEAR ON ME BUT YOU HAVEN’T USED ANY OF THAT TIME TO LEARN A DAMN THING.

YOU’RE STILL THE SAME LOVESICK TEENAGER YOU WERE BACK THEN.

AND IF ANY OF US HAVE CLAIM TO DESPISE HIM, YOU SHOULD.

YOU THINK HE WILL SAVE YOU BUT IT IS HE WHO DAMNED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!

AND YOU REPAY THAT WITH YOUR LOVE AND DEVOTION?

AVAEL

AS THE YEARS PASS, YOU WILL COME TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS ABOUT US THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE.

CEDRIC

AND SO YOU JUST GIVE UP?

CALL ME NAIVE WHILE BLIND TO THE FACT THAT TO TRELAINE YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A NEONATE?

HOPEFULLY YOU ARE NOT SO DELUDED THAT YOU BELIEVE HE SEES YOU AS ANYTHING BUT A CUTE PET.

AVAEL

I BELIEVE HE LOVES ME.

EVEN NOW.

KEVIN

HE REPLACED YOU, AVAEL.

YOU SAW HER, YOU MET HER.

TRELAINE DIDN’T COME TO RESCUE YOU, HE SOUGHT COMFORT IN A FIGMENT OF HIS OWN IMAGINATION.

HE LOVED THAT GHOST.

NOT YOU, FOR YOU, YOURSELF.

AVAEL

I DON’T CARE ANYMORE.

CEDRIC

REALLY?

YOU SAY YOU DON’T GIVE A FUCK?

BULLSHIT.

KEVIN

TRELAINE DIDN’T TAKE CARE OF YOU.

WHEN YOU CAME TO US, YOU WERE BATTERED AND BRUISED.

BARELY CLINGING TO REALITY.

JUST ASK STRAUD–

AVAEL

“ASK STRAUD”?

“ASK STRAUD”?!

HE WHO REFUSED TO HEAL ME?

MISTER HE OF GREAT AND TERRIBLE POWER, BEING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, BIG BOSS OF ALL THE NIGHTFOLK?

“JUST ASK STRAUD”.

HE WHO PUT ME IN TORPOR?

WHERE WAS STRAUD WHEN I NEEDED HELP?

DID HE TEACH ME BLOOD MAGIC OR CURE ME OF VAMPIRISM?

NO.

HE SHUNTED ME OFF ON ONE OF HIS DUTIFUL CULTISTS, FAVORING HIS LITTLE CRONIES, AND PENNED A BLUEPRINT TO IMPRISON ME BEHIND STEEL AND SUTURE.

MEDICATE THE SYMPTOMS BUT DO NOT CURE THE DISEASE.

“ASK STRAUD”–

“ASK STRAUD”…

TO HELL WITH STRAUD!


We left the apartment. I did not like to do it but what else was there for us to do? She had made up her mind and we could not impinge upon her freedom.

Mandarc, however, had other ideas.


MANDARC//

You just let her go?

CEDRIC//

We left the house. Whether we find her there when we return is anyone's guess.

MANDARC//

She wasn't in her right mind! The AVAEL I know wouldn't do this!

CEDRIC//

She is lonely. The drive for companionship is enough to drive even the most resilient to insanity.

MANDARC//

She had us! All of us!

...

Did she even say goodbye?

To... me?

KEVIN//

...

CEDRIC//

She didn't say goodbye to any of us. She's got other things on her mind.

MANDARC//

She thinks her old master will take her back? He's got a new girlfriend now.

CEDRIC//

We tried to tell her that.

MANDARC//

Yeah, well maybe you didn't try hard enough.

KEVIN//

I think she had already made up her mind. I think she's been carrying this burden for a long time.

MANDARC//

We could have helped her.

KEVIN//

I don't think we could have helped her with this. She still loves Trelaine.

MANDARC//

...

How could she love him after everything he's done?

CEDRIC//

She's in love with the past.

MANDARC//

I'm pretty sure he was an asshole back then too!

CEDRIC//

Yeah, well. She doesn't see it that way.

MANDARC//

... I can't believe she didn't even say goodbye.

KEVIN//

We don't know that she's left yet.

MANDARC//

Then I've still got a shot.


Cedric did not linger too long at the Magicademy. I did not expect him to return to his post at the auxiliary apartments, no, not tonight. I knew exactly where he was going. Underneath the cover of night, he would slip effortlessly between shadows. He would wait just outside the reaches of the streetlamps, linger in the unknowable silence. He would then seize his prey precisely at the moment they thought to fear. Yes, he reveled in that arousal, just when the skeletal hand of terror choked the heart and sped the blood into the veins. I knew him. I knew where he was.

But tonight, I sheltered inside the same four walls I had taken refuge in since my birth. I could not follow Cedric into darkness, not here, not now, not like this. I had to guard myself. I was needed, I was necessary. I could not trust that the others would be there when I needed them, not with so many pulling away. If the pillars were crumbling, I would see myself remain to the last. For me to endure, I had to play conservatively. I would watch, wait, and when I finally got my hand, I would be ready to play.


The only one that remains in the old house is Father. I can sense him even as he tries to minimize his presence, taking a moment of reflection in his study. Though he has a sprawling complex and chapel underground, he seemed to prefer a more mundane existence. But it was all a grand masquerade - there was absolutely nothing Mundane about my Father.

I knew he was in there. I knew he knew I was here. And yet, I knocked.

KEVIN

FATHER?

CAN I COME IN?

VINCENT

COME IN, KEVIN.


He is surrounded here by books, but every single one of them is closed. There is no computer in this room, although a cellphone lays face down on the corner of the desk. Staying connected to the wintranet for him now required conventional methods.

I suppose, despite it all, when I was here I again felt small. Maybe that was a comfort, that even as the coterie dissolved at the edges, I was still the son of the fabled Prince of Elysion.

VINCENT

HOW WAS YOUR DAY?


I couldn’t be sure if he asked out of courtesy or honestly needed to extract information out of me. We had long since ceased to share a singular body.

KEVIN

COULDA BEEN BETTER.

MOM IS DEPRESSED AND AVAEL IS PROBABLY GOING TO DEFECT BACK WHERE SHE CAME.

VINCENT

THERE IS A POWERFUL STRING DRAWING HER TO TRELAINE.

KEVIN

IT JUST ANGERS ME, THAT SOMETIMES LOVE IS SO DESTRUCTIVE.

VINCENT

I THINK STRAUD UNDERSTOOD THAT HER RESIDENCE HERE WAS ONLY TEMPORARY.

KEVIN

THEN WHY DID WE INVEST SO MUCH INTO HER LIVELIHOOD?

JUST TO HAVE HER GO BACK TO THE ABUSIVE HOME SHE FLED?

VINCENT

THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE IMMOVABLE THAN THE HUMAN HEART.

KEVIN

AND IS NOT THE GIFT A WAY TO TRANSCEND THOSE TRAPPINGS?

VINCENT

WE ARE THE INHERITORS OF HUMANITY.

WE ARE FORMED IN THEIR IMAGE.

YOU CANNOT FREE A MAN FROM A PRISON OF HIS OWN MAKING.

KEVIN

I JUST WANTED TO BELIEVE THAT AFTER TEN YEARS–

MORE–

WITH US–

VINCENT

THAT SHE’D CHANGED?

MY SON.

I DO SO VALUE YOUR EYE FOR THE LIGHT, BUT THAT IS NOT THE WAY OF MAN.

WE ARE MADE, BUT MAN?

MAN IS BORN.

KEVIN

I DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE THAT.

VINCENT

I KNOW YOU DON’T.

BUT A SCIENTIST CANNOT IGNORE THE FACTS THE UNIVERSE PLACES BEFORE HIM.

KEVIN

I AM NO SCIENTIST.

VINCENT

A MAGE, THEN?

A WIZARD?

KEVIN

NOT YET.

VINCENT

A VAMPIRE, THEN?

YOU ARE MY PROGENY, AFTER ALL.

KEVIN

…

NO, NOT ANYMORE.

VINCENT

YOU MAY REFUSE EVERY TITLE THRUST UPON YOU AND STILL YOU WILL BE FORCED TO RESPOND.

KEVIN

THEN LET THEM CHOOSE WHAT TO CALL ME.

VINCENT

AVAEL SEES YOU AS HER CAPTOR.

KEVIN

I THINK SO.

VINCENT

DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY.

WHAT YOU WERE ABLE TO DO FOR HER IS INCREDIBLE.

CERTAINLY BEYOND THE UNDERSTANDING OF MORTAL SCIENCE.

MORE THAN I COULD HAVE DONE.

KEVIN

I HAD STRAUD’S HELP.

VINCENT

HE IS CERTAINLY AN ENIGMA.

KEVIN

IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER THOUGH, BECAUSE I’M SURE THE FIRST THING TRELAINE WILL DO–

VINCENT

YOU CANNOT TROUBLE YOURSELF WITH THE MOTIVATIONS OF THE ENEMY.

THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN TRYING TO PREDICT THEIR ACTIONS AND LOSING YOURSELF IN THEIR RHETORIC.

KEVIN

I JUST RESENT THE FACT THAT SHE’S WILLING TO FORSAKE YEARS–

YEARS! OF FRIENDSHIP FOR THE VAIN HOPE THAT HER ESTRANGED, ABUSIVE, DERANGED LOVER WILL TAKE HER BACK.

IS THIS ALL BECAUSE WE DO NOT PERMIT DIABLERIE?

VINCENT

PERHAPS YES, PERHAPS NOT QUITE.

THE DOMAIN OF EROS IS FAR-REACHING, HIS INFLUENCE EXTENDS UNPARALLELED THROUGH MORTAL AND IMMORTAL REALMS ALIKE.

FEW, PERHAPS NONE, HAVE SUCH A TAXABLE BASE AS HE.

WITHOUT HIS INFLUENCE, MANY DO NOT SEE THE VALUE OF TRYING TO PERPETUATE AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF TIME.

KEVIN

I THOUGHT WE HAD TRANSCENDED ABOVE LUST.

VINCENT

EROS HAS DOMINION OVER MORE THAN JUST UNBRIDLED PASSION.

THEREIN LIES ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE A PROHIBITION AGAINST CONSUMING SOULS.

CONNECTIONS ARE FORMED DURING THE TRAVERSAL OVER THE ETHER, THROUGH THE UMBRA, THAT ARE NEVER ERASED, NEVER FORGOTTEN.

SOULS ONCE PARTED ARE EVER AGAIN DRIVEN INEXPLICABLY TOWARD EACH OTHER THROUGH ETERNITY.

THESE…

LINES OF FORCE… WELLS OF POTENTIAL, INTERACTING PARTICLES, GIVE COLOR AND MEANING TO THE COSMOS.

SOULS SEVERED FROM THE CYCLE ARE NEVER AGAIN BLESSED WITH THESE INTERACTIONS.

KEVIN

AND WHAT IF THE REST OF CREATION IS DESTROYED?

STAR SYSTEMS OBLITERATED ALL IN THE NAME OF ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATION?

IS THAT JUST THE WAY OF THINGS?

WE’LL GO ALONG WITH IT BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT EROS WILLS?


I was inclined to defer to my father’s wisdom on some things, many things, most things even, but something here did not seem right.

KEVIN

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT ONCE EROS HAS TAKEN GRASP UPON A HEART, HE NEVER LETS GO.

WHY?

DOES ANYONE, ANYWHERE FIGHT HIM?

WE MAY WAR AGAINST EVERY OTHER GOD WITH SELFISH PLANS FOR OUR SERVITUDE, BUT WHAT ABOUT HIM?

NO, MORTALS AND IMMORTALS ALIKE HAVE ACCEPTED HIM AS THE BENEVOLENT SLAVEMASTER!

BECAUSE THEY ARE IN LOVE WITH BEING IN LOVE!

BUT ISN’T THAT THE GRAND ILLUSION–

THEY ARE ALL STILL SLAVES!

LIVING AND DEAD, THEY ALL KISS HIS WHIP!


For once, for blessed once, my Father is silent.

VINCENT

…

IF YOU ARE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST HIM, MY SON, THEN STAND.

STAND TALL.


The day ends much as it began: with a whimper. I am alone on the top floor of this grand old house ignomiously dubbed by some as the Magicademy. In my room are reminders of my mortal limitations: I cannot yet conjure clothes to my form nor can I rest without the plush comfort of a bed. I require absolute darkness to sleep - to say nothing of the silence.

I chose this existence. I was given a taste of the other side and I refused its allure. No, I wanted, craved, something else. Some, even now, resented me for refusing my birthright - yes, son of the Prince of Elysion. But what was that worth when I would have to forsake the rest of the Tellurian? Maybe I would not persist into Eternity - I had given up that promise - but if I worked hard enough - and yes, I would have to work - maybe I could leave behind something that would endure long after no one could remember my name.

With this vain hope in my heart, heavy with the grievances of a world in pain, I fell asleep.


( BABY, WE BUILT THIS HOUSE ON MEMORIES )

( TAKE MY PICTURE NOW, SHAKE IT 'TIL YOU SEE IT )

( AND WHEN YOUR FANTASIES BECOME YOUR LEGACY )

( PROMISE ME A PLACE )

( IN YOUR HOUSE OF MEMORIES. )