"Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality." – Emily Dickinson.
***
Vivi follows her mom's steps, they've been walking for an hour and her little feet ache. Many times she asks her mom where they're going but her mother only gestured her to walk. Vivi doesn't understand why they need to use a cloak that covers almost their entire body, she feels so hot inside the cloak but she endures it because she can see her mother is full of tension.
They continue to walk inside the woods, passing through the dense forest. Vivi can hear a strange bird voice from far, making her a little scared. Her small hand holding her mom's hand tighter, afraid that she'll get lost. After walking for another half an hour, they arrived in front of a wooden house. The small Vivi becomes more scared, this house is similar to the house of La Bruha she heard in the fairy tale.
Vivi can only nod and follows her mom. Her mom knocks the door three times and waits. The door opened, Vivi gulps her saliva imagining some scary creature behind that door. But her imagination was a mistake when the door opens a beautiful woman with long black hair waiting for them.
The woman looks at Vivi for a long time before she looks at her mother, "Is this the child?" she asked.
"Yes," her mother answered.
Vivi can see her mom treat the woman in front of them respectfully.
"I've been waiting for you, my child," the woman said.
Vivi stares at her mom in confusion. Who's this woman?
The woman walks to a round table and invites them to sit.
"Child, who's your name?" the woman asked.
"My name is Vivi, Viviane," Vivi answered.
"Vivi, from now on I will give you another name, Nimue. From this day, your name shall be Viviane Nimue."
"Thank you, madam," her mother bowed.
"You might not understand now, but someday you will understand everything. You have a big responsibility in your hand and incredible power. I hope you won't let me down," the woman said.
"Go back, you can tell her what happened," she ordered Vivi's mother.
"We will meet again, child," she said.
Vivi follows her mom back with many questions in her mind. They continue to walk until they get out of the forest. Vivi's mother breathes a sigh of relief, she squats down and looks at Vivi in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mi Amor," her mom apologized.
"Why did you apologize mom?" Vivi asked.
"You will understand it when the time comes. Now listen, I will tell you a story," her mom stressed.
"That woman we met is La Bruha, mom made a deal with her when I'm pregnant with you to be able to give birth safely."
"But momma, why did you do that? You know La Bruha is bad," Vivi protested.
"I don't have much choice, my child. It all started eight years ago. At that time, I got pregnant with you before the restart day. I got busy helping others building the ark, Noah leads us to build many arks to survive the flood. I didn't realize that I was pregnant, in the end because I worked too much I nearly lost you. At that moment, La Bruha came to me and offered a deal. She said she will help me to give birth safely but you'll inherit the blood power. I was desperate and would do anything to save you, so I agreed," her mom explained.
"So, what will happen momma? What do you mean by blood power?"
Her mom shakes her head, "I don't know what will happen dear, but you'll have incredible power. With the power of blood, you'll be able to control blood as you want."
"I don't understand momma," Vivi said.
"You'll understand it someday, Mi Amor. When that time comes, you have to meet La Bruha again. I believe you'll be a great person," her mom caressed her hair.
Vivi nods her head, silently remembering what happened in her heart.
***
Years passed, now Vivi is forty-five years old.
Vivi stares at her hand that bled a lot because she accidentally cut it with a knife when she cooks just now. She blinks her eyes many times, trying to make sure what she sees is real. The wound in her hand healed quickly, it healed too fast. Vivi feels panicked, what just happened? Why her wound heals so fast?
She paces back and forth in the room, she picks up the knife once again and slashes her hand. Vivi frown when she feels the pain, then she sees her wound healed quickly again. Vivi sits on the chair, she never felt so nervous before. She knows what happened isn't normal, and if others know, she will be burned alive just like the people they called Bruha.
Wait, Bruha!
She finally remembers the memory of when her mom took her to meet La Bruha in the forest. She swiftly changes her clothes and wears a big cloak to cover her face. With a nervous feeling, she walks to the woods once again.
Vivi passes the dense forest that got denser through the year, many rumors said that whoever comes to this forest won't be able to come back alive. Previously she thinks it only rumors, but now she feels it might be true.
"CAW-CAW."
Vivi hears raven's sound echoing loudly in the forest, she fastened her steps and tightened her cloak. Finally, she sees her goal, she notices that the wooden house still stays like what she saw countless years ago. She gathers her courage before she knocks on the door three times.
"You're here," the same woman opened the door.
Her face stays young despite the torrent of time.
Vivi hesitates a little before she steps inside. She doesn't have another choice.
"It appears the time has come," the Bruha said.
"What do you mean?"
"You've noticed, right? Your wound healed too fast."
"What is happening to me?" Vivi panicked.
"Calm down, remember what your mother told you outside of the forest."
"You mean about the power of blood?"
"Yes, I gave you a name, Nimue. You have the power of blood, you can control your blood and others. You can create a plague and eradicate humans, you're a bloodcraft," the Bruha explained.
"Create a plague? Why?"
"That's what a bloodcraft do, making plague and reducing population. Humans keep multiplying too much, they take many things from nature but rarely give back. They cut the tree, polluting the sea and air, the more human in earth, the faster it's dying."
Vivi was stunned, she's not someone who loves violence and now she suddenly told to make a plague.
"How do I master this power?" Vivi asked cautiously.
She doesn't plan to do what the Bruja said, but she still has to master this power.
"I'll train you," she answered.
After that Vivi spends many years mastering her power. Just like what the Bruja said, she can control her blood and others. She's able to change her appearance and other to old, teenager, kid, and baby by controlling their blood. She's also able to cure other people's sicknesses and wound by sharing her blood, but sadly they become scared of her instead.
Many people might think she has incredible power as she doesn't grow old unless she wants to. She continues to live more than other human capacities. But for her she thinks this power is a curse.
Besides having power, Vivi is just like any other normal human. She also has people she loves, friends, best friends, family. People she cherished with all her heart. Then, she sees one by one they die before her eyes. Leaving her behind.
Vivi stands in front of a white tombstone. In the tombstone it's written, 'Elizabeth Connor'. Her cheeks were full of tears and her eyes redden. Elizabeth is her last friend that grew up with her from childhood. She's one of the people who still accept her despite her power.
'I'm alone now,' she thought.
She looks to the grave blankly, all of her family, friend, and best friend who knows her from before she becomes bloodcraft has passed away.
"Why… why don't you take me?" she wailed.
She grits her teeth, she decides if she can't die naturally then she will be the one who ends her life.
"Wait for me, I'll come soon," she declared.
On the following morning, Vivi climbed the volcano mountain in her city. From what she knows, this mountain still has lava. Vivi stands in front of the crater that emits hot temperatures. She takes a deep breath, making herself numb to pain with her power and jump into the lava decisively.
Soon, her body disintegrates into the lava. Ten minutes later, something comes out of the lava, it's a body with part of skeleton visible. Vivi walks out of the crater and lies on the ground. She can feel her body regenerate back, she's still alive.
"Why?" she murmured.
She refuses to believe that she can't die, after that she tries every possible way to die. From decapitating her head, hanging with rope, drinking poison, even deliberately getting caught and burnt at the stake. She continues to revive until she feels bored.
"What should I do? Why I can't die? I don't want to be left behind," she lamented.
"Why do you want to die?" a voice interrupted her.
Vivi looks at the voice, a young girl around eight years old stands behind her with curious expression.
"Big sister, why do you want to die? Dying is hurt," the girl asked again.
Vivi doesn't know what makes her answer the girl, maybe it's her innocent eyes.
"Because I lost the people I love."
The girl tilted her head, "I lost my mom and dad too."
"Don't you feel sad?" Vivi asked.
"I was, but I have an aunt who takes care of me now. I also have many friends, I'm not sad anymore. Aunt said to me that they're not gone, they're still here inside of me. They'll be here as long as I remember about them," the girl smiled.
Vivi was shocked when she heard those words. Yes, as long as she remembers about them they're not gone. Thinking if they're gone after they spent time with you just because they passed away is rude. The memory hurt, but it always teaches how precious life and the memory they created together.
Vivi smiled slowly for the first time in days, "Thank you, Mi Amor."
"Come on big sister, let's play. You'll not be sad if you play," the girl offered her hand.
Vivi reaches her hand with a soft smile. She's still sad, but now she knows that those she loved will never be gone.