UNKNOWN LOCATION
UNKNOWN CHARACTER
UNKNOWN TIME
UNKNOWN MEMORY.
A ten year old boy looked out the window at the falling rain, the weather was incredibly dull today. Everything felt wrong, everything felt painful. But that wasn't because he had made a mistake again and had to endure the beatings of his father all the while simultaneously reading the books of the bible, OK felt hurt because of what he had seen. In a manner of speaking, he now understood why his father was such a monster.
"Jason! What were you doing in the room, you're supposed to be asleep. You know you have to wake up early for church tomorrow, your father won't like it if you're late." A voice sounded behind him.
But Jason did not answer her, he couldn't. He knew his parents story more than anyone else in the whole world, after all he's had s front row seat to the entire situation. His father had been a young pastor who married his childhood Sunday school sweetheart. And all had been fine with the world, until Jason clocked six. Then his father had suddenly changed, no body knew why, no body understood where the violence came from, the drinking, or the hours of crying that no one else but Jason knew about since his mother was hardly ever at home unless on the days she had to appear in public as the pastor's wife.
Jason was ten, but he was smart enough to understand a whole lot of things about life was messed up, and one of those things would probably be that fact that his mother and his father's brother were probably sharing a bed while his father was passed out drunk downstairs. His father's pain had to have come from somewhere, he's suffering had to have been born from something else.
And now that Jason was looking at it right in the face, he couldn't help but wonder, why the hell had his father put up with this and kept quite. If he hurt so much for him who was the son, then what more for his father who is the husband. He must feel like hell.
THE PIT
GREEN DISTRICT MARKET
THE NEXUS BAR
XASEAH THEOLHEIM COR
"Asha!" I screamed in indignant horror.
That might have been a mistake on my part, we were supposed to be silent after all, but Asha did not seem disturbed by anything at all. Probably has to do with the barrier around us. But none the less what was she doing, we had to protect Kael, and that fact that she was selling his biggest secret to this strange looking troll defeats the purpose. Besides how is it possible for a troll to own a bar in the first place.
"Well Asha that's quite the information you have there, some might say even priceless when you consider the current scheme of things that's been happening lately. If the elders ever found out, they would all want to get their hands on him, after all, it is possible for a turned vampire to regain some of their abilities in life, when the they advance to the rank of elder." Bob the bar tender queries as he wiped clean a counter that was already clean enough for my face to reflect off.
"Be that as it may, Bob, I have contingencies in place should this information be leaked, and one of those contingencies includes turning this fine establishment to rubble." Asha spoke, and I suspected she had a smile on her face.
"Threatening me is not a good idea, Asha, or my establishment. It never say ends well for the people who choose to go down that path." Bob warned, not looking bothered at all as he wiped the counter.
"Naturally I understand the risks that come with such a course of action, but to keep my husband safe, Bob there's nothing I won't do. However I would really like it if you moved and dispensed information about my husband with caution. If not for anything, but for the fact that we're friends."
"Friends? I don't think we've progressed to that level of familiarity Asha. What you've always done, was walk in through those doors, drink yourself to a stupor, all the while bitching and moaning to me about your troublesome life. And when you've had enough, just for fun's sake, in a bid for you to feel like some sort of God, you would have every hot headed person in this bar start fighting, while you sat back smiling like a demon while the destruction is going on. Then you walk out, without throwing a punch, saying anything or cleaning up the mess you've made. At least next time grab a fucking mop. Maybe then I can consider being friends with you."
This two had a complicated relationship no doubt. A couldn't say they were friends, but I also couldn't say they were enemies either. If I had to say something, it would be the relationship between a shop owner and a well known but troublesome customer.
"So elder Asha, tell me. What do you want to know. And if it's about how to wake your husband from a coma, there's nothing I can do about that since I don't even know how he got into a coma in that first place, or who put him in it. I can ask around, but I doubt something would turn up. If it's foul play, Information like that would be kept under lock and key. If not six feet under the ground, as they say.....dead men tell no tales." Bob said still cleaning the counter, and to be honest, that act of his was making me nervous.
"I'm not here about my husband's coma." Asha replied.
I whipped my head towards her with such speed I was scared it would fall off. I couldn't help but ask.
"If we're not here about his coma, then what are we here for?"
"Patience little sister, don't get ahead of yourself. Even though it's quite painful what happened to Kael, you have to be blind not to notice that we're being enclosed by enemies on all sides. If he wakes up without us having done anything to prevent it, then he's screwed."
I kept my mouth shut. I really had no ides what was going on here, and because of that I couldn't argue with Asha. This entire situation just seems weird, I was obviously out of my element here. This was too much intrigue for me to handle. A cup of glowing green last quid suddenly appeared in front of me. I looked up at Bob as he said.
"Have a drink, it will calm you down. And it's on the house."
I nodded my thanks, and didn't stand on ceremony, I downed the entire glass in one single gulp. That might have been a mistake, but it was a very satisfying one. The drink burned as it went down, and settled in my stomach as a burning ball of fire, that felt so warm and comfortable I felt the urge to just curl up and lay down.
"There's a vampire elder from one of the bloodline covens. He's name is Cornelius, and from what I've heard he was exiled and sold into slavery just like me. And just like me, he was saved by Kael. However I don't buy it. Especially since the bastard is now rallying followers to his side, in the name of a God and my husband. I can deal with psychopaths, murderers, politicians and the rest of that bloody rabble. What I can't deal with, is a fucking fanatic. Especially when religion is brought into the equation.
He's propagating he's new religion, citing my husband as some sort of savior, and claiming himself to be a messenger and a guide to the savior. And while I don't know how he performs his bizarre miracles, with the seal on him being active and all, I do know one thing. That bastard is up to something and he's not who he says he is. So Bob! I need you to tell me everything you can about Cornelius of bloodline Daneaitani."
I was shocked to be honest, what was Asha going on about. I didn't even think elder Cornelius was an enemy. I mean he was intense no doubt, and he was a little fanatical about his God if we should go with what Asha was saying, but I don't think he has any sort of contrary or hidden agenda. With Kael out for the foreseeable future, the people needed someone who could give them hope and strength, and he was also able to feed and clothe many of them. He was doing something nice.
"Hahaha, you're as perceptive as ever Asha. Well done figuring this one out, Cornelius did have a fool proof identity after all." Bob said with an exuberance I never expected from him, and least of all directed towards Asha is frenemy.
"Please don't give that amateur credit, I could smell him from a mile away. Watching him go around the masses and bumbling like an idiot and talking about how amazing his one God is, makes me sick to the pit of my stomach. So tell me everything you know about the Bozo." Asha replied.
"I'm not sure the information you gave would be enough to get you everything you require....."
"Cut the bullshit Bob, you're not that greedy. The information I gave you will buy my freedom and ten others from this place, with a comfortable life waiting outside for us, if I had told the council of light. So give me what I want, or I will start breaking things." Asha threatened.
"Well if you put it that way, then I guess my hands are tied. Very well then. Hmm, where to begin. Ahh! Well it goes like this....."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When we left the Nexus, I couldn't stop looking behind me. I left that bar a changed person. My view of the world was really small, granted the pit was not a place that a persons view would be expanded, but still. With what I've just learnt, it was enough for me to know that I've lived a somewhat ignorant and naïve life. There were under currents within the pit, secret wars happening as the Vampires and the monsters that put them in here fight to gain control over them. Our entire lives in this place was nothing more than a game.
"Why look so down little sister?" Asha asked as she walked ahead of me. I wonder how she was able to know I felt depressed when she was walking in front of me, and I was behind her. But then it hit me, the [Údāmá]. The bond between the two of us, left us bare and exposed to the other.
"Is it true, are the Vampire's really being groomed for a war?" I asked with pensive tone.
Asha did not answer for a while, her steps not faltering in the slightest as we made our way past stalls of miscellaneous items and people. I could see her shoulders bunching up together as her body tensed in worry. It was hard to know what she was feeling right now, because she was blocking me off. But none the less, she answered.
"I don't know Xaseah...."
I did not need the bond to know that she was troubled, in a way I felt as if she would have preferred remaining ignorant, rather than finding out what we did. That way we would have enjoyed our blissful ignorance for a while longer and made the best of what we had.
"It's hard to believe Xaseah, but the universe really wants to fuck with all our lives. It's hard to imagine that we're so not in control of our own destinies. Kael needs to wake up and fast. He has too, he's the only one that can make any sort of difference. The only one who can save us, and give us a fighting chance against the literal darkness that's to come."
Then she turned to look at me with worry in her eyes, as she said.
"I don't want my child to be born into a world about to be turn apart by war. And worst of all, I don't want them to be born as pawns in a war that was designed to make sure we end up the losers, and even worse, to make sure...….we end up the villains."