BotDN 150309

Thirty five years ago the Inquisition had arrived to New York, the Vampire Prince at the time, Janis, tried to stop them, but another Vampire named Lazarus, leading a sect that worshiped Belial was also a strong threat at the time, so the prince had a hard time fighting two battles. It was during this time that Marianne turned Lelouch into a vampire, at that time she was often seen with Charles.
During these days a woman appeared before Lelouch and Marianne, clad in gray, with a great aura of loneliness and sadness around her, in her hands she carried the Necronomicon. She earned the trust of Marianne, Lelouch, Charles and VV, even though she never told them her real name, if she ever had any. With the cursed book in hand, she conviced the vampires to study the Necronomicon, for this task they went to Arkham.
As they researched and studied, Lelouch befriended the strange woman, and to him she confessed that she as only sent before someone more powerful and important, and that she had been raised for one particular mision. Whatever she ment is still unclear.
The Vampires suspected there was some clue to the origins of the Kindred within the Necronomicon, this was the lead for the other three Vampires, still Lelouch insisted on spending time with this friend he had made, and who seemed to doom any human that aproached her, since people that simply talked to her once were found dead not much later, an old man was struck by lightning just moments after asking her for the time.
As they researched they found about the Book of the Dead Names, one of the Treasures that now Helena and I look after, VV sent his helpers after it, the Chinese guy that Sephiroth and I visited at the Hospital, and two others, but these betrayed their master and ran away, keeping the book hidden.
The trust among the vampires was broken, VV mistrusted Lelouch and the Gray Witch the most, the group then disbanded, Marianne was put in Torpor and taken by the Invictus, as for the Gray Witch, she soon asked Lelouch to help her forget.
It seems that this Gray Witch was familiar with the Prometheans, the Proxies, as the throng call themselves, it was her who made Lelouch make a pact with the Quashmall, and thus Lelouch asked one of these Prometheans to look after the Gray Witch after her memories were erased and she tried to be a common human. She seemed to hate her existance as much as I do hate this fake life.
For a time it worked, until one day Lelouch simply stopped receiving news of her or the Proxy that was to guard her, that was just thirty years ago. Was this Proxy responsible for her death? Ws this Proxy who created me?
Lelouch now looks at me, I have heard his story, and am now sitting still defiantly before him. His mouth opens and a question emerges: “Can you imagine my surprise when I saw you, bearing her very same face, her very same voice? But still, you are not her” He leaves, the sun is only minutes away. I stand up and head to one of the bedrooms, it is a rather large appartment. I close the door behind me and prepare myself for some rest.
Karen barges in, I look at her, standing there, trying to look firm and strong as a soldier. Still her eyes tell a different story, confirmed by her words “Is your curiosity satisfied now? He has opened to you, he never does, I have never seen him so open. Can you imagine the pain he went through?” I again look at her, and delve into my mind for a second, until I finally come with an honest answer: “We Createds have little understanding of human emotions”. She does not even think her reply “I know” frustration fills her, I know that much, she leaves and I finally sleep for a while

The evening arrives and my door is knocked, Lelouch comes in and asks me to come with him, I think about it, I am still wondering if I should continue trusting this Vampire, better keep him where I can see his moves. I agree and head out with him.
He takes me to the hospital, a private room is opened for Lelouch, inside lays Susaku, recovering from some sort of Anemia, my experience tells me the sort of ilness and its cause. He does greet us, but I let them be as they chat, I entertain myself watching the news.
Helena arrives after a while, next to her is Jhonny, the very same Jhonny B. Good, that has been the cause of so much comotion this very day, loosing his posessions, being arrested. It is no wonder Helena was the one to help him. It turns out that he is due to a private concert. Gustaff got him this gig so he could make some money and start anew, since he too lost his band after leaving so hastily from Arkham the day before. I smile discretely as I hear them talk. Helena invites Susaku, she looks at me and tells me that I sure was quick to report back to Lelouch. I tell her that he did have many answers to give, and that he would gladly tell her the story he told me, My eyes maliciously turn to Lelouch, my mouth smiling as maliciously. He agrees, but it would have to wait until after the concert, since he is not fond of Jhonny´s music, neither am I, I rarely listen to anything. But I am trying to behave as human as possible. Lelouch leaves us, but after just a handful of steps he returns and warns me about the Malus Maleficarum and an assasin they have sent against me, his name is Rolo, that is the only thing he can give me for sure, but when I ask for the looks of him,, Lelouch tells me I will not be able to see him.
The concert takes place in a luxurious house belonging to some drug lord, a handful of girls were invited and I see them inhaling and smoking illegal substances, they do not disgust me, but somehow I know they should. I care little for it.
After the concert, Lelouch does tell the story to Helena, that, I think, takes a burden of my back, at least for the time being, I am given the book, since this time Helena has no way of helping me since she knows very little latin, so it is up to me to read it.
Time goes by, and I read constantly, barely stopping to sleep or eat. As I delve deeper into the book I grow weary of anyone else aproaching me, I trust Lelouch less than before, not to mention Karen, as for Helena, to me she will only become a tool, that is, If I can control her.
Four weeks have now passed, the book has been read and now I know that needs to be done, the Book has almost all the souls we need, I know Helena has been trying to fill it, she even managed to get Nina hired to help her. Even Dante has been helping her.
Knowing what I know, I finally get a chance to rest, I lean back on the couch and look at Lelouch and Karen trying to fix the air conditioning, the fools, I know perfectly well it is my wasteland. A sweet touch of revenge for Lelouch secretiveness.

Nina calls me and asks me to meet Helena at the usual Pizza Hut, when I get there I find her again with Jhonny, as I aproach, he simply turns to me and says “Can you swear there is nothing supernatural about you?”. I look at him and feel my fire burning violently within me, I look at him and smile as seductively as I can and drag him into the woman´s bathroom, he yields without much effort and lets me lock him within a toilet booth, he sits with his eyes now closed, as if expecting some immorality to take place and enjoying the moment. It is quite easy, I grab his shoulders and put my mouth next to his ear and whisper him an order, my fire burns, his will shaters, and he starts clucking like a hen. I push myself off of him and I say, “I swear nothing”. I head out and sit with Helena and finally enjoy some of the Pizza they had ordered. Just as I finish I look at Nina and ask her to bring us some dessert. She is startled and looks at Helena, who nods. Nina leaves, not without showing a glimpse of jelaousy at me for being left with Helena. But it buys me the time I need and tell her that I have already undesrstood what we are to do with the Books and remind her that we need to get to Australia. But it is just then that we notice a figure sitting where Nina was sitting, the weary figure of Rita SaintGiovanni. I brace myself, fearing a battle or an ambush. She notices our surprise, and states she comes in peace, but it is particularly hard for us to trust her, more so since she barged in at Helena´s house some time ago, but she insists, and asks us to give her the Books when we are finished with them. She says she has got information that might be of our interest, but the possibility of it being fake keeps me silent.
In an attempt to earn our trust, she gives us part of what she knows, little of what she says is unknown to me, stil she mentions Kristoff coming from Arkham looking for the book, and being kept off our backs by Prince Alexander, as well as Charles keeping some other nuisances at bay and keeping us safe, more likely he is only protecting his young Childe. I look at Helena for an instant and think of her as some sort of shield.
We do not yield, she stands up and leaves, I follow her, but when I get to the door, her luxurious limousine is already accelerating. I memorize the licence plate and then ask Nina to write it down.
The Saint Giovannis, Rita said, have been looking for the Book for a long time now, and have a strange view on the matter of souls, and the book certainly would give them some answers if analized properly. Still, I will not depart from it unless it becomes necessary or redundant.
So many interests around these books, secrets and powers beyond any limitation, so it seems. As for now I know I am a faction by myself, Helena too is one, either she knows it or not, Genesis, the Lancea Sanctum is itself a number of smaller factiosn, not to mention the Invictus and the Inquisition. Power, the very drive of my inner fire, beyond beauty, beyond strength, I am driven to seek power over humans. Will I truly ask the spirit to make me human, or will this drive change my wish right in the moment?
I sit down again and call Lelouch, I complain about him letting his precious tool being defenseless, Sephiroth has dissapeared for more than a month now, when I mention Kadaj’s name, Lelouch tells me that his sire has sent him to Germany, a movement by the Invictus in an attempt to leave us weakened. Other than Alexander´s and Charles´s help, there is little to do, there is no one that may serve as our bodyguard.. Fear fills me, I remember the threat of the assasin they´ve sent after us, my only conslusion is that it might be safe for me to leave the city, I jump out of my chair and head into the bathroom again, Rolo will be looking for a blonde woman, so I must use some of my skills to hide from him, I use my fire to change this body, making my hair look black, my skin become bronze and my distinctive golden eyes then become black. I look at myself in the mirror and barely recognize myself, instead of the white girl, I see a latina.
I step out without even looking at Helena and get into a taxi and head to the nearest bus station. I buy a ticket to Philadelphia but the next bus will leave in four hours, the fear that fills me makes just a minute feel long as my pilgrimage has been. I sit down, hoping to quell my Azoth somehow and avoid being the target of any of those many around me, they all scare me, I see enemies all around me. But I am not mistaken to take this position, not far away from me I see some familiar faces, Margulis, Alexander, Luca and VV, and two nuns. They are standing among the crowd, I step out of my seat and head to a hot-dog stand which is surrounded by a small crowd of costumers, I blend into them and buy a hot dog and walk away and seek for a hiding place wehre I can see these people, I see them, they are arguing , VV and Luca both look quite concerned, it is when Margulis shouts something about a promise that I know the vampires are being reprehended. The priest and the nuns leave, I see the vampires quite concerned. I go into a bathroom and give my disguise an update, as I focus my power, I receive a call, it is Lelouch, he gladly tells me that he´s got hold of Rolo, meaning that a great weight has been taken off my shoulders. He asks for my help, I hesitate, but decide to go anyways. I take a cab which I can barely afford since most of the money I had was spent on the bus ticket. I get off the car and as I hear it head away I knock the door.
The cold touch of a blade in the neck receives me, I can feel it, right where one of the straps that keeps my head in place is, “What do you want here?” a voice says, it is Karen. I am about to make my fire burn and scare her away, but I control myself and reply “It is I, you idiot” and she recognizes my voice. She apologizes, but I pay no attention to her words and order her to take me to Lelouch.
He welcomes me puzzled by my looks, sort of wondering if it is really me who he is seeing. I look at the figure infront of him, almost a boy, looking too young to really be any danger, more so since he is tied to a chair and unconcious. I step behind him and lean on the wall and ask Lelouch what is it that he wants me to do.
He explains his plan, I am to imbue Rolo with my fire and order him to drink Lelouch´s blood for some days. I agree. Lelouch hten makes a rather large cut on his forearm and lets the blood fall into Rolo´s mouth, he wakes up, and when he sees Lelouch closes his eyes, claiming that he will not succumb to his will. Lelouch laughs as maniacally as he usually does and declares that he does not need to make eye contact with Rolo. It is then that I step in and make my fire burn, it does quite strongly, first I order him to open his eyes, he does, next I tell him to drink of Lelouch´s generous offer of blood for the next days. His will is reduced to ashes by now. Lelouch tells me I should change his memories, but then asks if it should be him who changes our victim´s mind. I tell him to go ahead.
Just then the effects of my disguise vanish, my hair looses its darkness as does my skin and my eyes. I look at both Lelouch and his new slave, and then ask for the money of my busticket. and leave, on the way I take Karen´s keys and her car. I go find Helena, and again ask her about our destiny, making sure she starts thinking of a way to cross the ocean into a whole different continent.
I return then to Lelouch.I look at him, and stand right there before him, I tilt my heat to my left, put my hands behind me and I smile as I say I have to get to Australia.
Lelouch looks at me and asks if I have already solved whatever the Necronomicon has within it. I nod and ask how is it that he knew, and tells me that it was at such a part of the investigation that they were betrayed. I ask him then what will he ask of the Spirit, his preply is that he will ask nothing, he only wants to see VV humiliated, since it ws him who put Marianne into Torpor. Still something in his tone tells me he is not to be trusted completely. To me he´s become a tool too.
By a strange chance he looks at me, and asks if I would like to have the Gray Witch´s memories back, I question him, the brain inside my skull is not really mine, and whatever seals lay within might have been disolved by my azoth, still he does try, it takes quite a while, when he is finished, daylight is just minutes away. I go again into the bedroom I have been using and get some sleep.
Then I notice the difference, since within my dreams, that until now had been of the two girls dancing, I now see the graw witch, holding the Necronomicon in her hands, and behind her a gigantic owl.