Choices We Make

"Don't die on me, Lady Elara or I will make sure that you don't haunt me later!"

Vanessa channeled all of her strength in the ritual while maintaining the barrier even when her body trembled from the strain. Seeing Elara's stubbornness, she also threw her caution out of the window.

Elara smirked upon hearing those words, but her movements did not falter; instead, they became firmer.

The blood from her hands landed on Alvin's lips, only for it to float back up in the air. From the magic circle, a gust of wind rose, enveloping Alvin and Elara, forming a sort of barrier.

Woosh!

The wind swallowed the blood coming out of Elara, turning it darker and more visible to the naked eye.

Vanessa's dress whipped around her body from the strong gust of wind in the air. Her hair floated backward, giving her a magical appearance. 

The maid continued to stare forward, concentrating on the spell she was chanting as the scene before her eyes grew increasingly chaotic.

A purple mass of energy pulsed inside the small red cyclone, originating from the center before spreading through the whole wind barrier.

No doubt the energy originated from the unknown umbilical cord Elara had found.

She could no longer see Elara or Alvin, but she did not panic anymore. There was no point in panicking. Elara had made her choice, and she, as her devoted maid, would follow through with her.

Fortunately, the purple mass of energy soon started to calm down and became more stable. Even though the barrier seemed to be steady, she could feel the aggressiveness of the wind in the air.

With a sense of relief, Vanessa raised her hands and began chanting a new set of incantations.

She was speaking, but her words were unrecognizable.

As if controlled by the power of her words, the moonlight and the sigils and ruins on the ground came to life.

Earlier they were simply glowing, but now—they rose from the ground and floated towards the blood mist.

One by one, these beautifully carved blood letters circled around the mist, appearing to be a bow wrapped around a gift.

The panic and uncertainty in Vanessa's eyes had long faded.

'Everything is stable, but that energy still feels both familiar and dangerous to me… What did you get yourself into, miss?' Now, she only held hope for what was to come.

The ritual continued.

As time passed, the blood mist thickened and started to solidify. The wind started to calm down as well; it became more stable and smooth when the runic symbols got closer to it.

The moonlight started to scatter around, but the only thing that remained constant was the purple energy that kept radiating from the umbilical cord and the blood cocoon that now covered both Elara and Alvin in the form of a big crystalline sphere.

Beads of sweat began to accumulate on Vanessa's face and neck as she continued the ritual with her power, trembling in vigilance whenever something happened.

Even the slightest movements of wind or the energy around her made her think of the worst.

Fortunately for her, the ritual showed no signs of failing or something worse happening.

Until…

Chip. Crack. Snap.

The powerful sigils that were floating around the sphere of blood came to a stop. They moved to one side of the sphere at once, leaving the left side plane. Vanessa's eyes shook upon seeing cracks appearing over the exposed side.

Before she could react, that side of the cocoon shattered. She could see nothing but darkness in the gaps, but then a foot in wooden sandals emerged from them.

The cocoon broke away at the slightest touch from Elara's hands and clothes as she emerged from the sphere, looking no different than before.

"So you really did not die." The first words that came out of Vanessa's mouth almost made the woman stumble on her feet, but she managed to gain her footing on the ground and shot a sharp look toward her maid.

The ritual did not change many things for Elara; her appearance was almost the same, but once she shifted into her vampire form, she noticed the changes.

Her eyes now pulsed with red energy; a faint, barely noticeable gray ring had formed around the pupils of her eyes.

Vanessa could sense the raw power emanating from her body. She noticed that her mistress's form looked a bit different than before. Even her fangs were a bit thicker and longer.

Her skin was paler than before, but it only became more defined in her current form.

As Elara fully stepped out of the gap, the cocoon behind her started to make a crushing sound. Under Vanessa's shocked eyes, the crumbled portion started to mend itself.

"What's happening?" Vanessa exclaimed when she felt her connection with the ritual severing.

She no longer had control over it!

Vanessa panicked, and even Elara showed a rare look of concern on her face. 

"The ritual is continuing when it was supposed to end at this point…" She uttered under her breath as if speaking to herself. 'Why is this happening? Is it because of that thing?'

Recalling the umbilical cord, Elara could not help but wonder if her decision had been the correct one.

She had placed all her hopes in Alvin; the thought of failing now was unbearable to her.

Zheng!

The ruins and glyphs moved once more; they returned to their original position. But instead of revolving around, they melted into the cocoon itself.

The magic circle on the ground shifted by itself; new characters formed; these gyps took the place of the old ones and embedded themselves in the blood sphere.

"Miss…?!" Vanessa looked at Elara with a helpless look on her face. She saw her mistress standing on the side, her elongated nails digging into her palm, drawing blood.

"Vanessa, can you stop this ritual?" Elara's voice was calmer than she appeared to be.

When she saw the look of helplessness in the eyes of her maid, she bit her lower lip and looked ahead. 'Was this really the right choice?'

'So many unexpected things have happened one after another. And yet…' She looked at the cocoon with the gray ring in her eyes pulsing. 'Why do I feel everything will be alright?'