The Fall
On the way to her chambers, she met her junior brother, Bryan.
"Hey, Big sis, how are you feeling?" he said, extending his hands for a hug. "Big bro told me what happened, are you okay?" Bryan asked.
Rose stretched out her arms and hugged him. "Hey Bryan… I'm okay just recovering," she said, breaking off from the hug. She ruffled his hair. "Looks like someone has been working out," she said with a huge grin on her face.
"No," he said with a folded expression. "I mistakenly broke the ancestral tablet, while I was sneaking into Big bro's room… so he gave me 200 laps every day," he hung his head down. "For a week," he stated.
"Where?" Rose asked.
"Around the training field, supervised by big bro himself," he said.
Rose chuckled. "Serves you right, maybe you won't go around sneaking into his chambers anymore."
Seeming to think for a while, "You know, considering my age the punishment is too much… do you think, maybe you can tell big bro to um- u…" he couldn't finish his statement when Rose interrupted him.
Knowing what he was about to say, "No, no- no, not happening…" she said, not letting him finish his statement.
"Common big sis, he listens to you," he begged.
Rose just stood there with folded arms across her chest, looking at him.
Getting no reaction from her, he took out a bank card from his pocket. "Ok, I confess, I was the one that took your card."
"Huh," she gasped. "Give me that," she snatched the bank card from his hand. "You know what, I'm going to tell George to triple your laps."
"What? Why? B- but I just confessed." Bryan pleaded
"That is for stealing my Bank card," ignoring his pleas, she started walking towards her chambers.
Slaps his forehead and shook his head, as if regretting what he did, "You've got to be kidding me."
....
The air in the cavernous hall was thick with the scent of incense and anticipation. Candles flickered, casting long, dancing shadows that played across the faces of the assembled witches. Each wore a black robe, their eyes fixed on the high priestess standing at the altar.
Selene, the High Priestess of the Tyrax Coven, stood tall and regal wearing a long elegant white robe, her silver hair a stark contrast against the darkness of the hall.
"The Cistern Tower was built," she began, her voice echoing through the cavern, "in respect to our goddess Nyx… for her utmost sacrifice and the price she paid for us." A low hum of reverence filled the air. "So, we gather here, today as one, in respect and in honor."
A deep, resonant gong sounded, echoing through the cavern. Selene nodded slightly, "The oath," she murmured.
A collective chant arose, the voices of the witches rising in unison,
"Oh Nyx goddess,
we honor you, we honor you…
Oh Nyx goddess,
we ask that you guide us…
Oh Nyx goddess,
we ask that you teach us in your doctrine… Oh Nyx goddess,
we ask that you protect us…"
Their voices, a mesmerizing symphony of devotion, filled the cavern into the night.
After the oat, they gathered into a hexagram pattern, each holding a small bowl. They chanted again in unison before drinking the crimson-red liquid in the bowl.
This punctilios tradition was performed annually in respect and honor of the Nyx Goddess…
...
Selene, sitting in front of her vintage vanity combing her hair. "Knock! Knock!" someone knocked on the door.
"Come in" the person inside gestured.
Opening the door, a maid servant walked in with her head bowed, "the Vampire King is here to see you, My Lady" she spoke abruptly.
"Bring him in" she casually said prompting her chin up and turning away from the vanity to face the door. With that, the maid immediately walked out of the room. After a while there was a sharp rap on the heavy oak door.
"Come in," Selene commanded, her voice calm and authoritative.
The door creaked open, revealing a tall, imposing figure. Vlad, the Vampire King, stood silhouetted against the dim light, his obsidian eyes gleaming in the shadows.
A slow smile touched Selene's lips. "Took you a while," she murmured, her voice a silken caress.
Vlad stepped into the hall, his presence filling the air with an aura of power and danger.
He moved towards her with a predatory grace, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her breath catch. He reached out, his long fingers tracing the delicate curve of her cheek. "Seems I came right on time… You know, I kept wondering why you offered to help me, Selene."
Selene's smile deepened, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
….
Vlad and Selene had a history together, a long and complicated history. They had been childhood friends, their bond forged in the crucible of shared secrets and forbidden desires.
As they grew older, their friendship had blossomed into a forbidden love, a love that dared to defy the ancient laws that bound their kind.
But the responsibilities of their respective positions had driven them apart. Vlad, consumed by his duties as the next Vampire King, had been forced to suppress his feelings, to bury the memories of their shared past, deep within his soul.
There were strict rules bounding their alliances about who they could be with. Vampires couldn't be with anyone except other vampires, werewolves the same.
Witches were the only exception, they could be with humans, so Vlad and Selene's relationship was a secret.
Things were okay for a while, then some vampires started a rebellion against the witches.
They resisted the authorities, and challenged the status quo "questioning why only the witches could mate with the humans and why they themselves couldn't. That's how the big split, "The Fall," happened.
Before it all went down, Vlad made Selene a promise that he would come back to her, he would not leave her.
Confided and assured, Selene waited patiently, their connection never truly fading. It had simmered beneath the surface, a dormant ember waiting to ignite.
But, you know, "Decisions are the hardest thing to make, especially when it's a choice between where you should be and where you want to be." Selene eventually fell for someone else, a werewolf, an alpha. But what she felt for him wasn't the same as what she felt for Vlad.
….