Lia opened her eyes. She felt sluggish. Every attempted movement brought an ache of pain, and her breathing was shallow, lest the air is knocked from her lungs due to the sheer amount of pain she was experiencing. Her hands moved slowly to support her as she righted herself.
The same seductive and tempting voice from the ceremony spoke to her. "Ah ah ah. Do not move so much. Your body is in an accelerated rate of recovery."
Lia groaned as the hazy feeling in her mind began to dissipate. "W.who are you?"
The voice spoke with a gleeful feeling. "I am you, and you are me. But for now...hmmm, just call me Sarovitch."
Lia was much too tired to consider that in a real capacity. Her eyes had closed once again, and they refused to follow her directions.
Lia Darkova spoke slowly. "I...I see."
Sarovitch nodded. "Please rest now, our body needs it darling~ You merely need to listen as I speak. No need for thoughts, nor considerations just yet."
Lia was barely able to nod in response. Her body was filled with a sharp permanent ache. Her blood felt like it was beginning to boil. The more she spoke to "Sarovitch", the stronger the sharp aches got. The more words Sarovitch spoke, the hotter and more uncomfortable her body got.
Sarovitch's voice was filled with amusement, wonder, and melancholy. "I'm Lia Sarovitch, and you are Lia Darkova. When I speak to you, I'll refer to you as Darkova, and I shall be known as Sarovitch. You don't need to agree, just attempt to move if you understand~"
Darkova's arm twitched, it was all she could muster.
Sarovitch nodded and made a slight 'Hmmmm' noise. "Well, I WAS dead, but now we're here. You and I share this body, hence it is OURS. Though, I don't tend to care about 'taking over', unless you want me to, of course. What's important to know is that I am helping you grow stronger. Every task completed, every second spent doing what WE want. It'll make us much...much stronger."
Darkova's hazy thoughts returned. The more Sarovitch spoke, the more Darkova's heart began to accelerate, pumping the roiling hot blood through her veins. Her arm twitched, indicating that she heard Sarovitch.
Sarovitch nodded. "Good Girl~ now then, let me explain just a bit more before I send you off. From now on, you'll hear me in your mind. Our thoughts will be one and the same, shared unless you will it otherwise. This pain you are feeling, Darkova, is mine to bear. Sadly, it is the price of holding oh so very tightly to my previous life." She paused for a moment and made a pouting face.
Sarovitch continued. "I simply could not let them go! Thus we both must suffer, but with great suffering, comes even greater rewards~ Take care, Lia Darkova. I'll be here, should you ever need me~" Her voice trailed off in a seductive yet caring tone.
.....
Lia Darkova sprang upward with a shuddering gasp. She was lying in her bed, a cloth was placed against her forehead; it was soaked in sweat. It wasn't just the cloth either, her bed sheets were almost soaked clean through in Lia's sweat. Despite her exhausted condition, Lia began to muse. 'Sarovitch. That was..real, then? I see. So tha-'
Her thoughts were interrupted as a maid entered the room. She jumped in surprise when she saw Lia awake in bed. Her voice sounded...relieved? "Hold, princess, I will find the doctor. I ask you to remain here. So we can assess the damage, permanent or otherwise." Without giving a final word, the maid left Lia alone with her thoughts.
It was only a few moments before Lia's parents entered the room alongside June and an unfamiliar woman with black hair and crimson eyes. She was wearing a white lab coat and had a stethoscope around her neck.
The woman in the lab coat didn't say anything and began casting a few different spells on Lia. Her face scrunched up in mild confusion as she looked at Lia, her face filled with a look of shock.
Her voice was mature and kind. "I. I'm amazed. You're somehow perfectly healthy. Not even two hours ago, your blood was beginning to boil in your veins. Your muscles were contracting and expanding rapidly. Yet now you seem...perfectly healthy."
It took her a minute to reign in her bewilderment, but she eventually introduced herself as "Doctor Lynn". Lia's parents looked extremely worried at first but were now looking at her with relief in their eyes.
Lia was the first one to break the silence. "How long was I out for?" She wanted to make sure it hadn't been years, or some astronomical amount of time. Lia had a new plan of action.
Julianne was the first one to speak. "It's only been a day. We were so worried when you collapsed, and even more worried when your body began to convulse. We-"
His wife, Yula interrupted him. "We had you strapped down so your seizures didn't cause you any harm, but..."
Lia instinctively looked to either side of her bed. She was shocked. Solid Silver restraints were snapped in various places. Silver was the strongest metal to hold a vampire in, and breaking it, especially unconscious and without magic...well, that was one hell of a feat.
.....
Sarovitch stood above a golden lake. Her figure was translucent and ghostly. She was in casual, aka: civilian clothes. The same ones she wore on her last living day. In front of her was a small pop-up screen that read:
Ascension System:
Host: Lia Darkova (Lia Sarovitch)
Race: Pure-Blooded Vampire
Magic Aptitude: (Light-Low) (Neutral-Low) (Black-Perfect)
Stats: N/A (ERROR 17632)
L̶̇ͅi̷͙͆a̶̺̚ S̴̞̀ă̶͕r̵̝̒o̶͙͆v̵̫̐i̸͇͊ť̸̥c̵̙͂h̵̜͊ is without a body. ERR0R- Searching...searching..body undetected -ERROR ERROR-
Titles: Blessed By The Moon, Shattered One.
-Blessed by the Moon: Makes a Vampire immune to the effects of the sun. (Obtained by being born under a total solar eclipse.)
-Shattered One: ERROR- INFORMATION NOT FOUND..searching, searching. ERROR INFORMATION CANNOT BE FOUND.
Sarovitch smiled softly. "Well...this is... interesting."
.....
A day had passed, and Lia was now feeling perfectly healthy again. She pondered about what kind of influence Sarovitch would have on Lia. If her thoughts would influence her in some unforeseen way, or perhaps make her do things she normally wouldn't. Lia was unable to consider this for long before Sarovitch intervened.
'I wouldn't make you do things, you know. I'll just reveal to you what it that you crave. What it is that you want.' Sarovitch's voice was as pleasing as ever.
'Yeah, I guess. This is so strange.' Lia thought at her as she and June approached the dining hall.
'It is strange for me as well, but you needn't worry~'
Lia pushed her to the back of her mind and walled her senses off. It hadn't taken her but ten minutes to learn this maneuver yesterday.
She sat down wordlessly at the table as all eyes were on her. After drinking the blood, she was left with a sudden thought of how good June tasted. Pushing that away, Lia looked at her parents.
"Mother. Father. I wish to attend a magical academy outside of our kingdom. The world is large, and I must explore it. June will be permitted to join me if she so chooses."
Lia's parents sighed. Julianne spoke softly. "If that is what you wish, then we shall accept and support that wish. Though, we now must have another child. We expected we would be having a second child, considering your attitude when it comes to royal affairs."
Lia looked a tad bit confused. "Explain." was all she said in response.
Yula continued where her husband left off. "Tradition dictates that we wait a customary 16 years before having a new child. This is done to ensure the next ruler of the Kingdom acquires the entire royal family's attention and preparation before ascending the throne. Our kingdom has always worked like this."
Lia pondered aloud for a moment. "I see, well it's not entirely strange. It makes some sense. Vampires are almost immortal in terms of lifespan, so you'd have plenty of chances to birth a new ruler. It also prevents fighting over the throne and weakening the overall strength of the vampire species."
Her parents smiled at her and asked a simple, yet heavy question. "What academy do you have in mind?"
Lia had no answer to this question.