When we got back to the safe house I finally saw the outside for what it was. It was beautiful. So large and grand that I couldn't believe that anyone could hide a house of this magnitude here. It was a shocking change from what I saw before we left today. It was as it should look if it hadn't crumbled but then it evolved with the ages too. There was a scanner on the door that Alexander put a badge up to and then it asked for fingerprint verification too before it let us in. He led us to the kitchen first so we could get a drink and eat. As we sat at the table I couldn't get my mind off of everything that I saw today. I wonder what I will see when we get back home? I wonder if many non humans lived among us? I don't mind if they do as long as they're not trying to kill me, it's just going to be strange actually knowing now.
"Penelope are you alright? You've been awfully quiet since we came back." Alexander asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I smiled, "Yes, I'm ok. It's just a lot to take in and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. I grew up thinking most of these things were myths and legends. I never dreamed they'd be real. It's a huge adjustment."
"Take your time, I'm here for anything you need." He's said stabbing his fork in the meat on his plate.
"Thank you. I think I'm going to head to the room and take a shower if you're ok here. I just need something comforting to help me process right now." I said taking my dishes to the sink.
"Go ahead, I'll see you when I finish up here." He said taking the hint that I needed some space.
I headed down the corridor toward our room and immediately headed to the bathroom to start the shower. I undressed and stepped in letting the water run down my body. I mechanically when through the motions washing my hair and body. I couldn't stop wondering how many more things the universe holds that I don't know. Nothing can ever be too weird for me now. I put my head on the wall and closed my eyes focusing on breathing in and out for an unmeasurable amount of time. Thank the Gods that the water never seemed to get cold in this place. Was it magical too? Probably. Eventually I made my way out of the shower and got dressed. I put on a t-shirt and sweats because this place was definitely drafty. I laid down in the bed and put some headphones in so I could play music to drown out my thoughts. I closed my eyes getting lost in the songs. After a while I realized Alexander hadn't made it back to the room yet. I looked over at the clock realizing I'd been in here for 2 hours already. I thought he'd have been back by now. I decided I'd go look for him. I looked in the library first finding a bunch of documents scattered on the table like they were read in haste. I looked through them and saw that they were on vampires but they didn't seem normal. It kept referring to God, night children and a curse worse than death. One page referred to the sanctum in Athens where apparently it all started. I got a bad feeling, so I went to check the kitchen. I found Alexander's phone still there and his plate smashed on the floor. I followed the trail of destruction and blood that lead to a room with portals, there was a blood trail leading into one of them like someone had been dragged. I ran to get dressed for battle and grabbed as many weapons as I could fit on me. He mentioned special training was needed to enter so I don't know if I can even go through these portals without dying but I know he's in trouble and I can't do nothing. I don't even know what I'm up against. I just pray he's alive. "Here's hoping I fucking live through this," I said aloud. I held my breath and ran full speed into the portal.
I fell for what felt like ages then eventually slowed down abruptly landing on a bed of moss face first. I didn't see much on my way down because I was screaming thinking I'd just stupidly jumped to my death. I got up to see it was a giant tunnel going up now disappearing into the night sky of swirling colors. I was standing on what looked to be the floor of a building, but it had been taken over by nature. I spotted the blood trail again and began to follow. It took me outside into moonlight so bright I could see everything. Including the fact that there were 3 moons. I kept following and I became very aware of my surroundings when I heard what sounded like fighting. I turned searching for the source of the noise when I finally spotted Alexander battling something that looked humanoid. Neither of them had noticed yet so I approached cautiously trying to study the fighting pattern of the creature. One distraction could be life or death for the man I love right now. I observed that it seemed to have claws and very sharp teeth, but its skin was red. It was almost like a version the scary ass mutant thing in Resident Evil, and it was lightning fast. Alexander was cut up, but I could see them healing just as fast. The creature looked far worse off than he did for now, but I could see the amount of blood loss accumulating on Alexander's clothing.
In a swift motion the creature had him on the ground about ready to deal a damaging blow. I pulled out my sword and ran in chopping its arm off before it could hurt him. Both the creature and Alexander were stunned for a moment but soon the creature threw Alexander off to the side coming after me. I dodged and ran as fast as I could. The creature caught up to me jumping on me and pinning me to the ground. I fought back tossing it off me but not for long. I tried to block the creature who was trying to stab me with its nails. I thought I would cut right through them, but they were as hard as my blade. I dodged for as long as I could, but it was so fast. It ended up stabbing me through the gut. I screamed in agony. In my final moment of dwindling consciousness I swung, chopping its head off then stabbing it though the heart in anger for what it had just done to me. When it stopped moving, I leaned against a tree near by sliding down it as the pain and reality of my situation sank in. I tore my shirt so I could try to tie it to help stop the bleeding. I heard someone running toward me, so I readied my sword. When they came into view, I saw it was Alexander, so I relaxed a little, but the blood was soaking through my makeshift bandage at an alarming rate. I watched as his eyes opened in horror when he saw the state I was in. He grabbed me without saying a word and ran back toward the portal I'd come in through. He got to the mossy vortex saying a few words I didn't quiet catch and then we started rocketing up the tunnel. I was starting to feel very tired, and I wanted to close my eyes, but he kept saying, "No please don't close your eyes, please stay with me! I can't lose you!" So, I kept fighting it for him.
He laid me on a table and started to put some herbs/medicine on my wound. "Oh Gods it's not working! Penelope, please stay with me! There is only one way to save you, but you have to trust me, ok?" He said rolling up his sleeve and grabbing a cup. "You have to become like me, or you will die." I nodded my head as consent because I was too weak to speak. I tried but it came out garbled.
He cut his arm deeply, chanting Greek words I think and let it flow into the cup. The weirdest part was that it was glowing like liquid gold just like he did now that I could see him properly. I thought maybe I was hallucinating it since I was on the brink of death. "Penelope, you have to drink this. Do you accept the fate of protecting the souls of this world and doing what is right no matter the cost?" Again, I nodded even weaker this time. He put the cup to my lips and started to pour his blood into my mouth. It tasted like cold mountain spring water, and I began to gulp it down becoming a little stronger with each drink. By the time it was gone his wound was healed. I noticed my pain subsiding and looked down to see I was healing at a rapid rate. In an instant a searing bright light ran through my body and my mind filled with images of shadow warrior history. As it intensified so did the heat in my body. I cried out at the searing pain burning from the inside out. Eventually it faded and I collapsed in Alexander's arms.
"Sleep now, it's over. You are safe and ok. You passed their test." He said stroking my hair to comfort me. I closed my eyes and passed out.
***Alexander POV***
I laid Penelope down in our bed to rest after her transition. Watching her face untroubled and resting was a relief to me. A few minutes ago, she was on the brink of death, and it was my fault. I hadn't expected an infected vampire to just pop into the sanctum for a visit. It shouldn't have been able to get in with all the magical security this place had. After Penelope went to shower, I took extra long finishing my dinner because I wanted to give her time alone to think about everything she's found out while we have been in Greece. I went to the library briefly to read up on the things I'd found about some old legends on vampires. There were partial pieces and none of them seemed to make sense. I gave up feeling frustrated and went back to the kitchen to find some dessert. I had just sat down to eat when all the sudden this thing waltzes into the kitchen and attacks me. I threw my plate because it was the closest thing I had to a weapon on me. I knocked it down wounding it and then dragged it back through a portal. I was fighting this vampire, but it was faster and stronger than normal, and it had lost all sense of rational thought. I don't know how much time passed before it pinned me down. I thought for sure I was done for but then its arm was gone, and Penelope was there. The vampire and I were both stunned for a moment but then it went after her as she ran. I caught my breath following soon after but by the time I got there I witnessed the vampire stabbing her. She then beheaded the vampire and slumped down a tree. I thought she was going to die. When I tried the herbs on her they didn't work, and she was still bleeding out. The last thing I could do to save her was to make her like me. I'd never done this ritual on anyone before so I improvised praying it would work. We were taught in dire situations you can heal someone this way but if the person is unfit to be a shadow warrior, they will burn up in the light instead of becoming one with it. It was an absolute last resort especially, if the person had no prior training to survive it. The survival rate was low, but I had to take my chances, or she would die anyway. I figured she would more than likely be ok because she didn't die going through the portal. Thank the Gods that Penelope was worthy enough to make it through. I knew she would be, but I was scared.
I went to check the portals and security again before I headed back to the room. I climbed in bed next to Penelope and held her. I silently cried tears of relief memorizing her peaceful face before letting her comforting scent take me off in to sleep. I thought I was never going to see her or hold her again. That night I dreamt of her being stabbed over and over again laying almost lifeless in my arms. Each time I awoke to see she was still there with me, safe and alive. When I got up around 10am she was still sleeping soundly. I went to get coffee and make breakfast to bring back to the room. I checked the portals and other security measures once again to be sure. I got back to the room around noon with food and I found Penelope still asleep. I stayed with her all day, but she still didn't wake. I began to worry but had to keep telling myself that she'd almost died and gone through a major magical transition, so her body needed to rest and heal. It would be 2 more days before she opened her eyes again. During that time, I brought books on shadow warrior transformations back to the room to see if I could find anything about people who were changed as she was. Any clue as to how it would affect her but read that it was almost never done that way and to date nobody it had been tried on survived so I found no information on it.
I was napping next to her when I felt her stir to get out of bed. My arm shot out to hold her thankful she was alive. She looked over at me like she was checking me for wounds and her face was satisfied when she saw none.
"I'll be right back; I really need to use the restroom after being asleep for so long. I saw the date on the clock. I didn't realize I'd been unconscious for that long. Everything that happened the other day is a little fuzzy to me right now." She said as she moved my arm so she could get up.
She came back shortly after climbing into bed and downing the glass of water on the bedside table before settling in to snuggle me. "I know I've been asleep for a while. I remember being stabbed but not too much after that. I was barely holding on to consciousness. The part I can't get out of my head are the images of your history. So bloody and so dark. I dreamt of them for the last few days. The images always flicker and change but they felt so real. Leorio, the first shadow warrior, appeared in most of most of them. I don't understand why." She said with a puzzled look on her face.
"I remember enough to know that I'm like you now. I can never go back. Thank you for saving me, I know it was the only way you knew how. I was afraid you were going to die, and I couldn't let you. I stupidly rushed in, and I almost paid with my life." She said with a serious look on her face.
"You saved me when you did that. I had no way to avoid that attack, but you stopped it before it could rip my heart out of my chest. I was so shocked to see you there and I was more worried about your life than my own. You took down a crazed rouge vampire on your own. It was impressive but please don't go trying that again without me. You will be harder to hurt now but you can still die. I love you and I don't want to lose you like that. For what seemed like the longest moment of my life, I thought I had lost you." I said expressing how much I loved her and how scared I was that I had nearly lost her.
"Next time try to let me know when a vampire decides to attack you then, so I don't have to go looking for you blindly." She smiled and teased lightening the mood. She leaned over to peck my lips.
"I won't have to worry about leaving you next time because I'm hoping by then I will have you trained enough to come with me." I said running my fingers through her hair and kissing her forehead. She laid back down and we ended up drifting off to sleep again from exhaustion.