Chapter Five.
Vena Amoris
Elena went upstairs as soon as she got out of the dining room, her steps were oddly calm despite the speed of her walk. echoing softly against the wooden planks. Despite the urgency in her stride, an odd calm surrounded her, as if this internal tempest were a storm contained within glass. When she reached the old brown door that marked the threshold to her office, she took a breath, steadying herself before entering.
As the door creaked open, a familiar scent enveloped her: the rich aroma of aging parchment mingling with leather, unfurling like an ancient spell.
The towering bookshelves lined the walls—each shelf crammed with tomes of various sizes and shapes, their spines adorned with an array of titles that whispered of worlds long forgotten, ancient spells, and secrets too dangerous to share. In this sanctuary of knowledge, she found solace. Here, she could lose herself in the pages of obscure histories or delve deep into the mysteries of magic.
And at the right corner of her office, there was a plain looking shelf full of books and unknown catalogs.
But tonight, her mind was elsewhere. She paused near one of the dusty shelves and glanced at her left hand, her heart was pumping as she traced the faint black lining wrapping around her ring finger. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. The delicate line, intricate and almost beautiful in its darkness, coiled around her finger like a serpent. It flickered in the dim light of the room, catching her gaze with an unsettling gleam.
"Vena Amoris?" She thought out loud the first thing that came out of her mind.
The term echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain. It was a blood oath commonly used by vampires, a binding promise that tied one's fate to something or someone—an oath that dictated loyalty and consequence.
She had read about it countless times in the annals of a vampire count that she stole in his castle. The symbol typically depicted a rose with thorns,a reminder that love always danced hand-in-hand and entwined with pain.
But this...
Looking at this mark, she saw no delicate petals or even the prick of thorns.
'This didn't resemble a rose at all.'
As she focused on the line, half mesmerized and curious. She began to think when did this appear?
She knows that this faint black line didn't appear in the morning, it was just now. Slowly she began to think and tried to recall her memories, everything went perfectly fine until dinner time.
Specifically, the moment she was about to tell Kael about his bound path of being the Heavenly Demon before she regressed.
At that moment, she felt a tugged on her heart and short sharp pain. It was like a silver dagger that pierced through her soul.
"This can't be a vena amoris since this only applies to vampires, and I'm not a vampire." She stated out loud, an amused smile creeping across her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Perhaps her humor was too dry, an unintentional reflection of her own disassociation with her emotions. The gentle jest lightened her mood—though a lump of unease still settled in her belly, reminding her that the world was not nearly as simple as she wished it to be.
She raised her hand, examining the marking more closely, noting how it seemed to pulse with a life of its own. This faint black lining resembled a tattoo of secrecy.
"This resembles more of a tattoo of secrecy, and it makes so much sense."
A tattoo of secrecy, also known as a promise of secrets is a mana oath taken by mages, promising secrecy, binding their fates. Such oaths weren't valid without a third party present to enforce its weight; demons, spirits, archmages, or even vampires might serve that role.
The thought twisted in her mind, dark and foreign.
'Wouldn't it be delightful.'
But breaking the oath would lead to dire consequences—either collapsing one's mana circle or facing death.
That's the cruel truth of the tattoo of secrets. You either become nothing or dead.
If this type of curse is like the tattoo of secrecy then If she spoke of the secrets she harbored, of Kael's future, she risked everything. Her heart would shatter, her very essence ensnared.
What a shame really.
"And yet," she pondered aloud, "I don't remember promising any such secrets."
It was a curious thought, unsettling in its implications. Did she truly lack the clarity of intention, or was she subtly orchestrating the threads of her own fate? Elena allowed herself a fleeting smile—a flicker of the sadistic thrill she often revealed in when pondering the untamed nature of a witch's emotion
Is this the consequences the Timekeeper warned?
She doesn't know, maybe yes, maybe no.
"Oh well, then I must use indirect means," she muttered, her voice laced with a simple disappointment that belied a deeper underlying satisfaction. "It's a shame really—everything would resolve so much smoother and easier if I could just tell everyone."
As her voice echoed in the silence of her office, it felt strangely free of remorse. Was there not a sense of exhilaration woven with the threads of discretion, a dance upon the precipice that kept her heart racing.
Elena was about to pick up a book when she remembered leaving Alterna and Kael in the dining room.
They are probably in a very awkward atmosphere right now, knowing Alterna's personality.
Elena could help but sigh on what to do.
"I must think of something that will ensure Kael's path would be the same."
***
Kael and Alterna, who were sitting at the dining table, look at each other. Tension coiled tight in his stomach as he tried to process Alterna's words.
The awkward tension in the air felt almost palpable, thick and oppressive, curling around him like mist as they sat in shadows. He watched the otherworldly figure move around the room with unsettling grace, a picture of ethereal calm amidst his own bubbling turmoil.
"What do you mean?" he ventured again, his face wrapped in confusion. "
Alterna paused mid-motion, her hand hovering above a bowl of freshly picked berries, her expression untouched and inscrutable. She tilted her head slightly, her sharp features framed by strands of silvery hair that glimmered like moonlight. "You humans won't understand," she said, her voice smooth yet distant.
Kael blinked. 'What does it have to do with me being human? Isn't she a human? Aren't they human?' That was the thought circling around Kael's head.
'Are they really monsters from the legends!' Kael was scared of his own hypothesis.
Kael didn't understand but didn't push further, afraid that the secrets he might know will end him dead. Even though he feels like he will have indigestion because of the atmosphere he continues to eat as it was delicious.
Their silence could be heard echoing inside the room, only the sound of wooden spoons clicking around could be heard.
But it was broken by the sounds of footsteps coming towards them.
Elena descended the stairs with the rhythm of calm authority, though the weight of the silence she sensed from the dining room clung to her like a shroud. She paused at the door as she imagined how awkward the two people would be.
Kael and Alterna sat at the table, the air thickening as if it had taken on a corporeal form. Their silence was pointed, almost as if the very atmosphere had the power to crush thoughts and words before they could escape. She couldn't help but suppress a tiny, exasperated sigh. What had she expected? A shy child brimming with difficulties and Alterna.
Yes, that's enough of a reason. Alterna being Alterna is a dead ocean.
"Well, this isn't awkward at all," she muttered to herself, shaking her head lightly.
Steeling herself, Elena pushed the heavy door open, the creak of the wood a herald of her presence. The atmosphere shifted; something about her entry seemed to draw the tension away, like sunlight piercing through an overcast sky.
"Chew your food properly, child," she admonished lightly, her smile genuine yet teasing. "Or else you will give yourself indigestion."
Kael jolted, almost choking on a berry that danced precariously at the edge of his fork. His face was an exquisite blend of emotions—delight from the food yet clouded by an undercurrent of fear and anxiety. He looked up at her, eyes wide and filled with a glimmer of relief, as though she were an anchor in a tempest threatening to pull him under.
'What a funny young child'
Alterna, her stoic form still poised as ever, glanced at Elena with silent acknowledgment. "You're back," she said, her voice low and melodic.
Elena couldn't help but stifle a soft laugh, appreciating the hilarity of the situation—and simultaneously face-palming silently inside. What had she expected by leaving them alone?
One is stoic, Alterna, and another one is a shy human boy struggling under the weight of expectation; it was a recipe for disaster.
No wonder Kael seemed both enchanted and terrified.
"Yes, I just remembered something. I forgot to dry my herbs." Elena explains her sudden disappearance.
As Elena stepped further into the dining room, she noticed the subtle tension in Kael's eyes, the way he darted glances between her and Alterna, uncertainty swirling like a storm within him. It was a feeling all too familiar; she had seen that look before among mortals who feared what they didn't understand.
"Child," she began, her voice smooth and reassuring, "I want to put your mind at ease. Alterna and I are not monsters. We don't eat children or anything sinister like that." She offered him a teasing smile, hoping to dispel some of the unease etched into his features.
A flicker of apprehension sparked in Kael's eyes, a battle waged between disbelief and curiosity as he hesitated to respond.
"Speaking of introductions—" Elena started, realizing her oversight. "I haven't introduced myself. My name is Elena." She introduced herself first. "And the person in front of you is called Alterna." she pointed at Alterna who was quietly eating fruits.
"You might be unsure what to address her given by her genderlessness appearance but you can address her in any form, she doesn't mind. Right?" She informed while looking at Alterna smiling.
"I don't mind." It was Alterna said before popping cherries into her mouth.
Kael looked between the two women, bewilderment reflected in his expression. "Then… what are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid his words might shatter the fragile peace.
"I'm a witch," Elena replied, tilting her head slightly, almost whimsically. "Not the kind you've read about in stories filled with broomsticks and curses, but a true practitioner of magic."
At her admission, Kael's eyes widened impossibly, and his fork clattered onto the table, forgotten. The moment seemed to stretch, filled with an electric curiosity mingled with slight terror.
"YOU'RE A WITCH!?"