Private Tales Written In Blood

[Elise Virak]

South Aniria - Virak Winter Castle

Elise sat quietly in a large reading chair in what had once been her Great Uncles study. There was a book in her lap, and a small cup of tea on the side table besides her.

She glanced out the window, watching the quiet forest that lay just beyond the walls of her families fortress. This place had once been the very center of the lands held by House Virak. When the Vel Anir had first been founded her distant ancestor had established himself here. It was perilously close to the Falwood, but that was Virak had stood as at the time; the Bulwark against Fal'Addas.

That hadn't changed much over time, though the method now.

Over time this fortress had become a simple winter home, some place she and her siblings had gone to when they had been allowed the occasional week to relax. The few pleasant memories she had of her childhood were at this place, a fact that would no doubt have Surprised her only living brother.

Now that she was grown this castle stood mostly empty.

Her father and mother had all but abandoned this place, and most of the serving staff had been brought to different properties. That was why Elise had taken possession of it. In a way this was the only place she could move freely. Spies rarely ventured this far south, and those allowed within these walls had long ago proven their loyalty.

Or would do so soon.

"Ma'am"​

Elise turned her head away from the window, regarding a man dressed in heavy leather armor standing by the open door. He appeared every bit a soldier, though there was an air of danger about him that most Guardsmen simply lacked. Two swords sat on his belt, one a long blade and the other with a strange hooked edge.

"He's arrived."​

A slow nod. "Send him here."

 

[Harry]

Hal wasn't surprised that the only daughter to one of the oldest and greatest families of Vel Anir had her own castle. Not one bit. He wasn't surprised that it was larger than the Academy's keep. Not surprised at all.

It had been Selene that delivered the message to him. His mentor seemed strange these days, though Hal couldn't quite pin down exactly how. She was many things, though up until recently was never eerie. She sent chills up his spine. Chills. Up the ice mage's spine.

The gate screeched as it was raised to let in the apprentice, and he rode across the grounds to the courtyard where a single man with two swords waited for him.

Hal dismounted, and with a raised brow followed the man through the castle. They eventually stopped at a pair of doors at the end of a beautiful hall. The presented himself in the open doorway.

"Ma'am"

"He's arrived."

"Send him here."

Hal soon took the man's place, though he didn't step a foot into the study.

 

[Elise Virak]

"Are you nervous?" She asked out loud, eyes cast down to the binding of the book she was holding.

A finger was running over it, tracing along the worn edge of it before she closed her eyes and slowly peered towards Henry. This was not the first time she had seen the boy, nor the first time that she had addressed him.

She knew that he was very likely clueless as to his purpose here, but that had been on purpose. "Or simply respectful?"

Obedience was beaten into the Apprentices from a young age, but sometimes it didn't really stick. She had reports of Henry's time in the academy of course, but reports were often tinged with bias.

"Step inside." She said as she placed the book back down in her lap, gaze sweeping up towards Hal.

Henry Bauer

 

[Harry]

"It's an attempt at respect," he let out an uneasy sigh, "Selene once told me you prefer sensibility. I am trying to be sensible."

At her word, he stepped closer to the seated woman and stopped a respectful distance away.

"What is it you need of me?" he took a moment to take in his surroundings while he tried to recall the recent events. Had he done something to offend? Was he about to be punished for something?

He was quite nervous, actually.

 

[Elise Virak]

"Ah yes, Selene." The name seemed to amuse her as it rolled off of his tongue.

There were dozens of Dreadlords in the service of House Virak, most of them of the second or first level. A fact that was not overlooked by the other houses. Virak's military might did not just extend into the Ordinary Soldier, but that magic too.

She smiled, still remaining seated as she motioned Hal to the Chair just opposite her by the window. "How goes your study beneath that fabled Scarlet?"

Elise mused to herself. "My father has always held her in high regard."

Though that didn't mean much. Everyone was just a tool to her father, and that included Elise herself. She had sent Selene on a few errands, but her loyalty...if there even was such a thing, still remained with the Patriarch of House Virak.

Much like nearly every other Dreadlord with House Virak.

"Be truthful." She told him firmly.

 

[Harry]

"My growth in the last year has been exponential," he admitted, "I don't say that to boast. Her mentorship was not hands-on initially, though she has passed on some of her knowledge and experience to me."

He paused a moment. Be truthful rang in his mind multiple times.

"She's strange, now. Ominous, even. Powerful, probably beyond my understanding." Hal thought himself to be powerful, but still, a mere speck compared to the likes of Selene and Sunborn.

He could see the summit, though. With every passing day, it grew closer.

He thought of Talus and how his friend did the unthinkable and swore himself to the Anirian Guard. It sent tidal wave-sized ripples through Anirian politics. Even Hal, who distanced himself from such things, became quickly aware of what had happened.

"I respect her ability. She has treated me well."

 

[Elise Virak]

"How touching." Elise said quietly, musing for a moment on the words.

What had changed? Elise herself had not seen Selene in quite some time. Her father had granted the woman a particularly long leash, something that Elise herself had never particularly agreed with. She was a dangerous one.

Too dangerous.

She considered for a moment, and then slowly leaned forward in her chair. "What is your ambition, Henry?"

Elise asked, deciding that the direct approach would work best with this boy.

"Most fools would answer that they only wish to serve loyally, to bring glory and valor to Vel Anir." She narrowed her eyes. "You do not strike me as a fool."

 

[Harry]

He raised an eyebrow. His whole life, he'd been taken for a fool. He'd been looked down on. He'd been lesser than all others.

"I have this reoccurring dream," he looked at Elise, but his eyes weren't focused on her. Hal gazed at his far-off goal. "where I stand in a barren wasteland. There is no grass or sunlight- a layer of dark clouds block out the sun. There are pillars, several of them, that pierce the clouds. In the dream, I climb a pillar in front of me and on my way up, I meet other climbers and knock them off- one by one. Eventually, I break through the clouds. There's sunlight there, and I could see that some pillars are taller than the others. I see familiar faces standing atop them. My pillar, though, is taller than the rest. I want to stand there, on top of that pillar, above everything else."

He futilely suppressed a smile. It was an awkward, twisted expression.

"I have never told anybody about that dream," he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "I do apologize for rambling."

As Hal's hand dropped from his neck, the young man's demeanor darkened.

"Archon. Irrefutable, unmatched, and absolute strength." It was the first time he's ever explicitly stated his goal. Archon. As the word passed his lips, he felt an exhilarating chill run down his spine.

 

[Elise Virak]

Honesty was refreshing somehow.

It was not something she often heard from...well anyone at all. Even those closest to her tended to lie for one reason or another. It was an atmosphere she knew that she had built around herself, but hearing the unfettered truth was honestly quite nice.

She would have to try it out more often. "I see."

Elise said with a genuine smile. There was no mockery in the way she looked at Hal. The goal of Archon was a lofty one, one that likely many Dreadlords held. Archon's had a level of freedom that escaped even most Nobles.

Not the ones like her of course, but it could be argued that the five Archons were more free than even the King.

"Do you believe that Selene is the best path for you to Achieve that goal?" She asked, once again entirely straightforward.

 

[Harry]

He was glad that she did not ask him to voice his immediate thought: That her smile was unsettling. It was not unpleasant; it was far from it. She was quite beautiful, and a genuine smile was no doubt unlike a blessing from some goddess.

There was just an indefinable eeriness to her smile despite any grace or beauty that she possessed.

"Well," his voice trailed into a brief silence, "whether it is the best or not matters little. It is my only path."

 

[Elise Virak]

There was a pause, a long one, and then slowly Elise stood from her chair. "No, Henry."

She took a step towards him, eyes gazing down at him for a brief moment before she took a deep breath. Odd black specks floated across her golden eyes, thin streaks that hardly seemed to be there at all save for their constant movement.

"I have another path for you." Her hand slowly raised. "One that will see you..."

The black specks flew across her eyes flew a bit faster, and then suddenly Hal would begin to feel an odd pressure in his chest.

It lingered there for a moment, like something in his very soul was tearing at itself. The feeling ripped and reached, grasping at his very being for just a brief second.

Then an odd sensation would grow at his fingertips. A chill at first, and then cold. Over the end of his fingers and slowly across his hand crept an ice the color of total black, it's sheer cold enough to cause the candles nearby to wax and quietly snuff out even a few feet away.

"...Skip a few steps." Elise finished as she watched his reaction.

 

[Harry]

Tenseness seized his muscles as she rose and approached him. He did not take his eyes off her for a moment, not when her hand rose, and not even when his chest tightened. However, the feeling began to rip him apart, as if something in him, something intangible, raged forth.

It was far from pleasant, however. The exhilarating rush that exploded within the apprentice was coupled with a strain on his chest. His heart raced, almost unbearably so, and a deep ache swelled within his chest.

A fearful glance shot down at the black ice that formed over his hand. Fear of the unknown, fear over a lack of understanding.

The hand that was unaffected lashed out and grasped the collar of her dress. He wore a pained and angry grimace.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, "Stop this!"

 

[Elise Virak]

Ordinarily Hal would have found himself bleeding from the eyes and ears as soon as he laid a hand on her. Pain and agony would have become his very existence and he would have learned that even touching her was a crime punishable by something far worse than death.

But that would be rather counter productive.

Killing him would have assuage the insult of his touch, but it wouldn't help Elise get what she wanted. So she stayed her hand, and kept her face an immaculately smooth porcelain mask. Her eyes focused on his, lips quirking to a smile.

"There's nothing for me to stop Dearest Henry." She said, glancing down at the black ice crawling over Hal's skin. "It's you."

House Virak, Elise and her family were Blood Mages. But the blood was only their fuel, something that allowed them to do so much more than simple parlor tricks. Slowly she reached up, grasping Hal's hand and slowly removing his grip with an impossible strength.

"Your potential, fully realized. " She took a slow step back, and then to his side. Her eyes followed him still.

 

[Harry]

Hal grimaced as she wrenched his hand from her collar. Her words fell on deaf ears. The boy could only feel as all of his warmth seemingly vanished from his body, leaving behind nothing but a frigid void. The pressure and pain through his body soon subsided, and with it so did his nerves.

The apprentice took shallow breaths as Elise circled him. For a while, he felt empty, save for the terrifying power he felt in his hand. Hal raised his hand and soon found that the ice responded to his will.

Before, he would always feel a chill wash over his body, though he felt nothing now as black ice bloomed from the space above his palm.

He looked to Elise.

“Why?”

 

[Elise Virak]

"I have ambitions." Elise said as she slowly circled Henry, watching the magic form within his palm. "Just like you."

The click of her heels sounded out upon the wooden floor of the study, a subtle echo that carried out into the hallway. She was like a lioness, slowly circling it's prey.

"But I see further than my father does, further than..." She smiled for a second, but didn't finish the sentence.

"I need allies, friends, soldiers." She continued. "Powerful ones, and those that surround me now..."

A sigh escaped her. "Their loyalties lay with my father, not me."

She stopped, standing directly in front of him again.

"Your mentor is one of them, but you?" She shrugged her soldiers. "Your loyalties have yet to be decided."

A hand waved out in front of her, gesturing to the ice. "So I offer an exchange. A step towards your goal, for promise of your allegiance."

 

[Harry]

Hal remained silent for a moment, a grim expression spreading over his face- an understand of the reality of the situation.

"I need allies, friends, soldiers." She continued. "Powerful ones, and those that surround me now..."

“Or a pawn,” he became lost in the black ice floating above his palm. As he spoke, the ice’s shape changed to that of chess piece- the pawn.

“So be it,” he sighed and let the black ice crumble away, “Besides, I am in no position to refuse, am I?”

She so easily manipulated his body. He suspected it was something more than simply unlocking his potential. If he refused, he would not be leaving that room.

“I do not need honeyed words from you. You need me to be absolutely obedient to you, yes?” He turned to face her, to meet her gaze. “I do not care. Make me the strongest.”

 

[Elise Virak]

A wicked smile crossed Elise's features, then she suddenly lashed out.

Like a viper the Baroness struck Hal across the throat. Long sharp nails slashed through his skin, four thin trails of blood forming along the right side of his neck almost instantly. Her eyes turned a solid black, shifting as she blinked only once.

Her palm lifted into the air, and from the wound on his neck the blood began to flow. It drew out from his skin, running through the air and pooling in a sphere above Elise's hand.

There it hovered for a brief moment, slowly swirling about itself until the color began to change. A deep set shadow evoked from the center of the blood, a blackness dark as the abyss. Faces began to appear within the orb, screaming mouths and terrified eyes that stared back at Hal.

Then the blood suddenly exploded outward and rushed back towards Hal.

Like a parasite it dug desperately at the wound on his neck, digging, and crawling beneath his skin.

 

[Harry]

Hal gasped, stepped back, and clamped a hand over his neck. Still, blood floated from between his fingers. The pain was initially tolerable, though Elise's swiftness and spontaneity had shocked the apprentice.

What was intolerable, however, was the blackness that penetrated deep in his skin and began to flow through his body. It forced him to a knee, and as the pain rose, Hal tightened the grip on his neck, the source of all of that pain.

It must have lasted for a minute, possibly two. Hal then rose and looked at his palm, slicked and red with blood. He was panting slightly. Whatever pain he felt subsided, and the boy actually felt... good. He could feel a strange power, a presence that wasn't his own within him. Though, simultaneously, he felt as his own power had increased exponentially.

It felt damn good.

He eyed the woman in front of him, studying her for a moment. Hal knew that there would be no second thoughts from his end. His desire for power outweighed all else. If he were to be a mere tool destined to be cast away in the future, so be it.

Of course, he intended to rise to the top before that ever happened.

"Is- is that it? I expected, uh, more of a ritual." He rubbed his neck. Perhaps it was his imagination, but it still felt somewhat sore. And that uneasy feeling, that pervasive feeling in his conscience lingered.

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise perked an eyebrow. "I'm not some swamp Witch standing over a Cauldron depending on the eye of a newt."

The magic of House Virak was far more refined than such a travesty. Her ancestors had worked on their craft tirelessly for nigh on a millenia. All of that skill, all of that potential had been distilled into her, and with the loss of her brother, it had been cemented.

"The binding is simple, though new." No one had ever done this before, shared a piece of the Virak power with an outsider.

It was a dangerous, thought most of that danger was carried onto Hal.

He would experience almost an addiction to the use of the Well, a call to the power that he now had access to, and every time he found himself using it...the bond would grow stronger. A bond that Elise controlled entirely.

"Do not stretch your new limits too far." Elise warned as she sat herself back down in the throne like chair. "Otherwise it will consume you."

A fact that she had learned first hand.