Seraphine blinked, her curiosity piqued. "A city?"
Lira nodded. "Yes. Not many people know about it now. It was before the Witch Elder rose to power. The witches used to live peacefully within their own boundaries, keeping to themselves. They had no need for cruelty or power. Their magic was used for good—healing, helping, making their small community thrive."
Seraphine frowned, the idea of witches living peacefully so foreign to her that she could barely imagine it. "But… the union…" "The union she'd always known had never received foreigners".
"The union is a twisted version of what the witches used to be," Lira said, her voice tinged with sadness. "When the Witch Elder took control, everything changed. He craved power, and he saw weakness in the old ways. He turned the witches into something dark, something cruel. Now, they hide in their fortress, surrounded by those cursed forests, they only use bats as messengers to interact with the rest of the world for trade and information if they please."
Seraphine's eyes widened in surprise. "Bats? I've seen them... but I always thought they were just ordinary creatures."
Lira laughed softly, shaking her head. "No, they're much more than that. The witches have enchanted them to carry messages, so they rely on those bats to stay connected. The forests around the union are just as cursed as the witches themselves, filled with dangers meant to keep outsiders away."
Seraphine shifted in her chair, the memories of the forest making her shudder. "I never knew… I never saw anything outside those walls, not until I ran. It was all pain and torment. I thought the whole world was like that."
Lira's face softened as she glanced at Seraphine. "You've seen so little of the world, haven't you? The witches made sure of that. But not everyone is like them, Seraphine. There are many people who live quietly, without cruelty. Not all magic is used for harm."
For a moment, Seraphine simply sat there, trying to absorb the new information. Her life had been so narrowly confined to the horrors of the union that it was difficult to believe that peace and kindness could exist elsewhere. But here was Lira, living proof that it could.
"You said the witches lived in a city," Seraphine said quietly, her brow furrowing. "Were you… there?"
Lira hesitated, then slowly nodded. "I was. A long time ago, before everything changed. I wasn't a witch, of course—I was a merchant, trading goods with them. I saw how they lived before the darkness took over. I watched the transformation of their city, from a place of light to what it is now."
Seraphine's heart raced. "A merchant? Then, what are you now?" Her voice quivered, but there was genuine curiosity in her eyes.
Lira's lips curved into a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm still a merchant, in a way. But not of the same things." She paused, her gaze flickering to Seraphine's face as though weighing whether or not to continue. Then, she took a deep breath. "I'm also a vampire, Seraphine.
Seraphine's mouth fell open in shock. "A... vampire?" The word tumbled out awkwardly, her voice barely a whisper. She had only ever heard of vampires in whispers and cautionary tales—the blood-drinking creatures of nightmares. She had never met one, let alone known one to be so kind.
Lira nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. "Yes. Not all vampires are the monsters you've heard about. Some of us have to survive like anyone else."
Seraphine's head spun, trying to process the revelation. "I've... never seen anyone outside of the witches. I didn't think there were others—people like you, or even anyone who would help me." She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, her body instinctively recoiling in fear, even though Lira had shown her nothing but kindness.
"I'm sorry," Lira said softly, watching Seraphine closely. "I didn't want to scare you. I just thought it was time you knew."
Seraphine took a deep breath, her heart still pounding in her chest. "I… I don't know what to say. You've been kind to me, and I—I owe you everything. But a vampire…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked down at her hands, wringing them together. Her mind raced back to the cruel words the witches had spat at her, labeling her as useless, weak, and deserving of her suffering. *What would a vampire want with someone like me?* she thought.
"I understand if it's hard for you to accept," Lira said, her voice gentle. "You've lived in isolation for so long, trapped by those who should have protected you. It's difficult to believe that not everyone will hurt you."
Seraphine glanced up, meeting Lira's eyes. "But why… why help me? Why would you want to save someone like me?"
Lira smiled softly, her gaze warm and understanding. "Because I see in you what the witches never could. You're strong, Seraphine. Stronger than you realize. I've met plenty of people in my time, but few have survived what you've been through. And there's something else."
Seraphine blinked, her surprise growing. "What else?"
"You're more than what they told you," Lira said, her voice firm. "The witches feared you for a reason, and it wasn't because you were weak. They kept you oppressed because they were afraid of what you might become."
Seraphine frowned, confusion clouding her mind. "But I couldn't even cast a spell. I'm not powerful, Lira. I'm nothing."
Lira shook her head. "That's not true. They kept you powerless. There's a difference. And I believe that in time, you'll discover just how powerful you are."
Seraphine fell silent, her mind spinning with everything Lira had said. For the first time in her life, someone was telling her she wasn't useless. Someone believed in her. The thought was overwhelming, and a small part of her dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, Lira was right.
But hope, she had learned, was a dangerous thing.
Still, in that moment, as the fire crackled softly beside them, Seraphine allowed herself to believe, if only for a little while, that she might have a future outside the cruelty of the witch's union. A future where she could be more than the helpless orphan they had told her she was.