The Oasis.
The Oasis is a realm between life and death. In it, time is infinite. In it, death is either delayed or quickened. In it, damnation springs before swallowing up the victim. And in it, much less than often, salvation is offered.
That is a given, because most persons who go there often come out cold dead in real world.
In the Oasis, choices are given. You choose your path, either destruction or salvation.
Kylian's roar, tinged with pain, resonated around the seemingly endless space.
He felt like his world is diminishing, he felt like he's going to die and there's no stopping it. The pressure was just too much. The grip of death was so tight that he doubted even a god could break free from such a grip.
"You're here."
Kylian lifted his head weakly. He couldn't see anything. His vision was blurry, even his entire existence feels blurry, right now. He's fading away and it's fast.
"The last one, turned by the Son Of Dracula himself."
"Who are you?" Kylian strained.
"I'm nobody. I'm dead, thanks to you. But I might still live."
Kylian groaned and gritted hard, trying his best not to scream out the pain coursing through every part of his body. "What is happening to me?" He asked, even though he couldn't see who was talking.
"You're not healing. Your body is damaged. More damaged than you can heal from." The voice stated as a matter of factly.
"Uh?!" Kylian opened his mouth in surprise. "How?"
"Look down at your own body."
Kylian obliged, his head went down as he gazed at his lower body. Then his eyes widened as he saw his naked body. Wounds drew maps all over his body. On his legs, arms and abdomen were all bullet holes. And on his chest was a large hole that could easily contain two adult human heads. And it's not all healing.
And what made it even more dreadful was the dark spots that littered his drying skin. The skin looked crusty but the dark spots made it even more crustier. He could feel the dark spots sipping away his life force, as time passed.
Previously, Sarai had bandaged all his wounds, hoping if given some time, the gash in his chest and the holes in his body would all heal up. But it didn't.
Sarai had to give him a potion. But it only made things more awry. The injuries that's not healing even got worse and now the dark spots came into picture.
"You're dying," the voice added. As the voice said this, there was no emotion in it. Sympathy, pain, concern. It's just bland and emotionless. "You're dead!"
Kylian paused, his eyes glistening as the words resonated in his head, then he closed his eyes, biting his lips to seal in the yell of pain tugging at his throat and the other pain slashing at his heart.
His mind reflected his battle since the day he was turned. Eight hundred and fifty years ago. His mother's death. The death of his tribesmen. His migration around the world as he ran from death. His mind reminisced the deaths along the way, deaths which he had lost count of centuries ago.
His battle for survival, against the vampires and the hunters.
And finally the dark veins that assault him since the day he was turned. He had learned from the wizard that Sarai took him to, the one that has lived, that it's a curse known as the Ostagian curse.
The curse proved to be the most powerful of all the battles he had fought to this day. The pain, the death, the bloodshed that comes when the curse kicks in is devastating.
The curse cost him everything. His peace, his living and now, his life. It made his vampire immortal life a hell. It made his everyday life a battle on its own.
It was the cause of everything that happened to him.
He had survived to this day, but now everything has ended.
As he thought about it, all the physical pain seemed to be gone for a moment. But as he thought about his dark and bloodbath past, he felt sober knowing his battle for survival for the past eight centuries had all come to vain. His battle to live proved futile at the end. His mother's death, the death of his tribesmen, all went in vain.
'I failed.'
Sorrow dripped off him as he succumbed and dropped to his knees, with his head slung downward.
"I'm dead." He mumbled.
"And there's not much remedy," the voice suddenly said.
Kylian lifted his head. His lips were silent for a while, as he ruminated on what the voice meant by 'not much remedy'. If there's not much remedy, then there's one.
"True. There's one." The voice affirmed, more like it could hear his thoughts. "But, everything comes with a price. Eleodore."
Kylian's eyes widened as he heard his name, his birth name. His real name and not the fake ones he uses to cover himself up. He could feel his soul trying not to feel any confusion at how the voice knew his name, the pain of failure he's feeling is already overwhelming enough to take away the space for that.
"What's it gonna cost me?"
Silence thrived as Kylian awaited the reply. The reply that could either save or destroy him. The reply that determines whether he leaves this shit place and wakes up back to life or he'll just be trapped, and thus dead.
The anxiety that raged in his mind right now is sky-high. He could tell that if he doesn't get the answer quickly, the pressure might crush what's left of his sorrowful soul.
Even though he isn't satisfied with the life of pain the Ostagian curse is giving him, he can't give up yet. He needs to make all those sacrifices and bloodshed count.
He wants to live.
'What's it gonna cost me to live?'
The silence was all he got for like eternity. And every second that passed, he could feel his soul fade away. He's not dying of pain anymore, the anxiety is killing him.
He needs to live. He needs to.
"Your life."
Kylian's eyes widened. He could feel fear and dread as he lifted his gaze. Then he saw it. The red Skull. It had smoky bat wings that kept it afloat.
The red Skull burned red hot and Kylian felt his a searing heat at the depth of his soul. Pain tore through his system and his eyes went so wide that it might break out of socket. A crunching sound resonated as his body began to dry up fast.
Kylian felt like his essense was being drained out. His heart clenched and then, he lost it all.
He yelled out in agony, and the realm echoed it back.
************
Sarai and Hector waited in suspense, with their eyes on the container of icy cold water. Submerged in the water was Kylian whose eyes were shut.
Sarai folded her arms in front of her chest, the anticipation in her eyes brimming. While, on the other hand, Hector watched with his eyes blazing with reverence.
They've been like this for over three hours now and there's been no movement whatsoever. But Hector's readiness showed that he could wait for days, even weeks to see what happens. That's how blind his faith in the Skulls healer's book is.
As they watched, Sarai couldn't help but ask. "Why do you seem so committed to save him?"
"And why are you so doubtful despite being a witch?" Hector replied with a question.
Sarai flinched. Her eyes went down as she replied. "Because I've never seen or heard of any vampire surviving a desiccation except if the vampire has a demon in him."
"How sure are you that the Skulls aren't demons? History showed that they were tagged demons and abominations by other clans of vampires." Hector reasoned.
Sarai was silent for a while. Then she said, "the curse made him like that, just like it made the Skulls like that before they were all wiped out."
"Even before they were annihilated, the other clans saw them as an abomination. An enemy of the Skulls only used it as an excuse to annihilate them." Hector smiled. "And one thing I'm confused about. Who turned him to a skull vampire and when was it?"
"Don't know yet." Sarai answered simply. Then she turned to Hector as she asked, "Now tell me about you and this place."
Hector's eyes twitched at this. His body was stiff as he began to narrate. "Centuries ago, I was turned by a coven leader. She had the mark of a Skull Vampire elder. Her lair was here. She protected it due to its significance with the Skulls.
"Throughout her life, she lived in hiding, searching for any Skull that survived the massacre nine hundred years ago. During one of her searches, she was caught up with by the hunters and they killed her along with most of her coven. I survived it because I and some others stayed to protect this place.
"And ever since then, a century now, I have stayed here, waiting for the day a skull would appear."
Sarai's eyes flashed with sympathy as she said, "I'm sorry. But where are the others that survived with you?"
"They left. Some are already dead, killed by hunters while some are still out there, their future unguaranteed."
"You must have been through a lot." Sarai looked down at Kylian's submerged body.
Hector smiled and was going to talk when Sarai gripped his hand. He turned to her. The shock in her gaze made him trail her eyes down to Kylian's body.
Hector gasped and suddenly felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest. His face drifted into a broad smile.
"He lives." Hector shouted, triumphantly.
"Yes!" Sarai responded, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Slowly, Kylian's body rose from the water, dripping wet. His dessicated skin seemed to peel off his body as he emerged, being replaced with a pale fresh skin.
His head was slung downward and his hands had claws beside him. Silent growls escaped his throat as he stood up completely.
Hector frowned deeply. "Something is wrong."
Sarai paid no attention. Her face was bright with a grin as she replied. "What could be wrong? He's alive!"
"He shouldn't be out with claws." Hector stated.
Sarai stopped and examined it. Then she turned to Hector. "What does it mean?"
"He's seeing things. Fearful things. Threatening things. He needs to stop."
"What?" Sarai's face turned ugly as she snapped her neck to Kylian. His head had lifted now and his fangs were out. His eyes were crimson, instead of the void black.
An improvement? Not sure yet.
"He might attack us! You better find a way to bring him back to his senses now!" Hector shrieked with urgency.
"I don't know what to do!" Sarai snapped back. Her heart banged as she reminisced what happened when she interfered with his healing, yesterday. It backfired and Kylian almost lost his life to it. Sarai shook her head. "I can't do this. I can't make a mistake again!"
"Look, you have to do something. You're a witch. Cast a mind spell or anything. He needs to calm down!" Hector shrieked.
Sarai could feel her hands shaking by now. The tension was building in her and she couldn't even find a way to lessen it. The pressure was overwhelming. But she doesn't want to make a mistake again. She won't be able to forgive herself this time if something happens to him.
The book of Malmon will be gone. Heald will be depressed. Too much of a risk.
As she contemplated, Kylian's head snapped to their direction. A deep growl escaped his throat as he stepped out of the water, his naked body drenched completely and dripping wet.
"Kylian! Kylian!! Kylian!!!" Sarai called, hoping it would bring him to his senses.
Hector scoffed then he shouted. "You'll need more than that to do this. And be fast, witch. He's a skull and he's most dangerous in his mindless state!"
Sarai gazed with wide eyes. She didn't even know what spell to cast. She felt empty as she string together what Hector was saying.
However,
Everything shut out of her head when Kylian growled at them and began to approach with spread claws.
Sarai quickly held out her hands and chanted loudly. "volubilis caput!"
Kylian stopped on his track and his hands clutched at his head very tight. A groan of pain left his lips. But all of the sudden, he growled loudly and the effect of the spell wore off.
"Uh?!' Sarai's face turned ugly as she saw this. Hector wasn't left out as his jaw dropped.
Kylian faced them. But this time, he wasn't attacking them, he talked. "She's in danger."
That was all he said. There was a slight breeze and he was gone.
Hector glanced at the wooden door that led down into the Marcaba. His eyes twitched as he saw it open. He didn't remember telling Kylian the way out.
'Definitely a skull.'
He thought. The panicked look on his face didn't change as he gazed at the opened wooden door that leads up to the surface of the earth.
"What's happening to him?" Sarai seemed to get out of her dazed state too as she asked.
Hector sighed and replied, "the procedure worked because he has a mate."
"A mate? He never said that. According to him, he's never had a mate." Sarai frowned hard.
"No, he has. If he didn't, he would have died."
"What?!" Sarai's eyes widened as she gazed at Hector like he's crazy. "And you did it knowing that if he didn't have a mate, he would die?"
"If I don't do it, he will die. It's worth the risk." Hector's face turned grave as he said. "That's not the issue now."
"What?" Sarai asked.
"The bond between him and his mate has grown tremendously due to his visit to the Oasis. He'll know when she's in danger."
Sarai's eyes grew wide as a pang of realization hit her.
"And now he's furious because his mate is in danger."
***********