BotDN 080309

Snow starts falling again, some clucking sound fills the air, it sounds fake, and I do know the source, but I should be fine, I have told him to leave me alone, as I have done to many that tried to hurt me over the years. Helena runs and stops Mandragora and Jhonny and asks the first one to take us to Eisenhoff, they argue briefly before he agrees to take us to our destination.
He leads us out of the castle that serves as the main building for the University and takes us to a new office building, within we walk to a secretary Mandragora says our purpose to her and leaves. Shortly after Helena adds that we come by order of Lelouch, I cannot blame her for trying to find out what he is trying to do, nor am I ashamed of what I did behind her back, I cannot even say that those of us gathered there are my friends, if that is something a Promethean can even have, most probably with the Necronomicon and the ritual, Caroline C, the Promethean will cease to exist, the memories of these thirty years will just vanish, as will my suffering as this wretched mockery of life I am. The Secretary just pushes a button on a telephone before her and tells that we are here to see her boss, just after that, we are let in. The office is quite large, it could easily hold a house within it. An old man is inside, an oxygen tank at his side, he welcomes us friendly and offers Helena and I a seat, which we take. He looks at me and asks if we have met before, I deny it, wich is true, but add that I have simply been much within the campus lately. He nods and asks the purpose of our visit, Helena takes the word and again says that we come sent by Lelouch, the name does ring a bell, the man´s face shines for a minute as he seems to remember Lelouch dearly, he asks for the health of the old man, I reply that he is quite well for someone his age, which is a great truth considering it is vampires we are talking about. He smiles gladly as he starts telling us that Lelouch was an excelling student in this university thirty years ago, a student sponsored by “Charles, if I remember correctly”, Charles, again one of these many characters comes into play, He mentions Lelouch being extremely smart and how he was often seen with a dark haired woman, and that sometimes a blonde woman was with him at times, if it were not for the fact that I am not actually human, I would have blushed or something at this point. I ask what he researched about, and get a vague answer he takes out a bunch of old photographs, as he browses among them, his face saddens as he states that they are ruined, Kadaj reaches for them, I get a glimpse of deformed blurry faces. Helena again cuts to the chase and declares we are here for the Necronomicon. The man is stunned by the name of the book, his age falls over him, forcing him to reach for a pill and to open the valve of his oxygen tank. Kadaj stops at a particular picture, just then the man reaches to take it, again five figures in it, all blurry but one: me, or the original owner of this body. “Is she your mother?” he asks, I nod and with a smile say yes, he buys it. “There was some sort of sad aura around her” he says “ She always dressed in gray. She was the one who donated the Necronomicon to our library” just as he said that I feel Kadaj´s, Sephiroth´s and Helena´s eyes on me for an instant.He then tells us to stay away from it, that none among those who have read it have kept their sanity, Helena then shows it to him, the book covered in black leather, he looks at it and says that it is a fake, made by some Kristoff and him for the many teenagers that were interested in it. And insists on us keeping away from the book.
It takes some more convincing, but we, more likely, Helena manages to make him tell us the location of the true book, he tells us it has always been in the library, in the cooking section among the Arab cooking books. I would use my powers too, but the disfigurement is quite a drawback, if only Jhonny were not around, If only I could make something about it. I look at the books in the nearest shelf, “Dorian Gray´s portrait” I know that story.
We head out of the building, Helena looks at Jhonny and asks him to sign some autographs for the people of Miscatonic, she convinces him, she announces it and soon, people flood the gardens trying to get to Jhonny. We use this to get to the library, it is almost deserted, save for the librarian, Kadaj walks to her and convinces her that she likes Jhonny´s music, so the old lady heads out. We go to the cooking section of the library, again the light there is quite dim, near the shelves sitting at a reading table, are two kids, Kadaj aproaches one of them, a girl holding a book, and tells her too, that she likes Jhonny, she heads out after leaving the book on the table, we look at it, its pages are blank. Kadaj asks what was she reading, but she only replies that she was noticing how it only had white pages. As this happened the other kid disappeared into the dark alleys formed by the bookshelves, we see him not and start looking for the book, Helena finds only the spot where it should be, but there is no book, only an empty space, just then the second kid appears, it is difficult to know if it is a young man or a young woman, but in its hands he has the precious book we are looking for, it hands the book to Helena. She asks it who it is, but he only replies he is someone trying to thelp, I try stoping him with my stare, but he resists, not even Helena´s vampiric powers, nor Kadaj´s, or Sephiroth´s strength suffice, whatever the androginous person was, it escaped into the darkness and out of our sight. We all look at the book, it is much older than the fake one we had, its paper is much more frail, which worries me as I remember the effects of my wasteland over books.
We start heading out, when Sephiroth throws a fist with his disfigurement showing, he is using a transmutation and targeting something, he hits it, its Genoma, hiding between the books, using again his camouflage to fool us, he stands and releases his small replica, an homunculus, it jumps at Sephiroth, but he manages to avoid getting caught, in the meanwhile Kadaj has picked Helena up and is running away with the book as well, I try to infuse fear into Genoma, but he resists, he stretches his arm, similar to a mantis´s, and stabs me, then he runs and surpasse´s Kadaj´s speed. Now the vampires have the Pandoran in their way. I stand up and run towards him as Sephiroth is starting to pummel the Homunculus. Kadaj has already hurt Genoma by the time I get to a good distance, I look into the Pandoran´s bug eyes, and paralyze him just as Sephiroth finishes destroying the smaller foe, Kadaj and Sephiroth hurt him, they drive their blades into the soft spots betweein Genoma´s armor, releasing him from my grasp, but each time I manage to keep him stil once again, reading the field for the swords to do their work. The battle lasts only seconds, but it sure felt long, but in the end Genoma falls, twitches much like a dying bug and stays still, turning into a strange sandy stone statue, I kick the head, and it rolls off as if nothing had been holding it. The first sublimati I have ever seen defeated, the first sublimati I have ever seen, and it is now no more, it’s a pity that in this place where it fell, no life will ever grow again.
Again we head out Jhonny is finishing one more of his songs as the crowd goes mad, Helena reaches to grab him and pulls him out, the crowd follows as we jump into his van and drive away. I look at Helena, she is holding the Necronomicon, and next to her lays the bag where the Book is kept, I look forward and see Jhonny concentrated on the road, I know we will not look back, I then make my fire burn and tell him to take us to New York, and to ask no questions. He obbeys.

I call Lelouch as soon as we are in Jersey, “The Grey Witch” I say,quite annoyed by the fact that it does hold a meaning beyond my understanding. Lelouch says that it is something we must discuss in person, and advices me to take care, since the Lancea Sanctum has sent their Inquisitor after both Helena and me.
We are dropped off at the Pizza Hut, it is too late at night for it to be open, but I give it little care, I leave Helena with the books and jump into a cab. I ask the driver to take me to the Carthian´s HQ, I get off, and as the cab drives away, I notice that this place is now empty. I call Lelouch again, he answers and I ask him why the place is desolated. He explains that the Lance Sanctum has attacked there already, and that the Headquarters were moved. I ask him to send for me. He tells me to hide, I do, and stay still until I hear the already familiar noise of Lelouch´s car outside.
I jump in and order Karen to be quick and take me to Lelouch, she obbeys and steps on the pedal. I ask her for how long has she been serving Lelouch, and the answer I get is six years, too little a time for her to know anything I want to know, ,I do askher if he´s always been so hermetic, and she does say that he´s never been too talkative.
Ge get to a luxurious appartment building, she guides me to Lelouch´s new hideout, he opens the door I step inside before he can even say I am welcome and sit in the middle of the sofa before he can offer me a seat. “The gray witch” I say again
He orders Karen to leave, she does, then tells me why do I now know of it, and tell him about my encounter with whom I now know to be Kristoff, he tries to reprehen me because I did not go directly to Eienhoff, but I do tell him that it was impossible, I stretch the picture Kadaj showed me just the night before and show it to Lelouch, I point at the blurry figures and say “One of those people is you, am I right?” He then says it is time for me to know, and she points at the woman in the picture “She came to us thirty five years ago…”