[----------------]
Many years passed since then
NEW PERSIA CO-HABITAT REGION 3055AD
The city was strange at certain times, when neither humans nor vampires would walk around, a sensation felt when she got into the eyes of characters she read, when they end up as the last man on earth.
Ghost towns, the only sound echoing their footsteps, the occasional pole and streetlight, trash bins stained with blood, discarded bandages, all full no matter how many blocks she walked, the wounded man her.
Vehicles parked with identifying numbers were a privilege for humans who had much to offer.
“Thank you…stranger...”
‘He spoke the same language least…’ Ariane bitterly thought, disappointed she wasn’t to hear anything new despite this man being from another planet or likely Galaxy
Arianne helped a wounded and bandaged man along… One with stones sticking out his skull, a Preacher.
“I was told I might find someone important where I’m going…. I–I met him before I came here…” he seemed to speak somberly…
He wasn’t from here, it seemed something like this wasn’t just foreign, Arianne felt awkward. Especially since they were nearing curfew, but she’d rather be scolded than look suspicious running back home to escape it….
The lights would only be on for so long to accommodate the human population, the sun was out, and
The vampires hated the sun, even if it only burned them on occasion and irritated them, it was thankful for them altered in this system and much too dim.
Though escorting this man to some place, she feels she shouldn’t take him has her feeling a sense of irony, she’s headed to a home of her long friend…. who abandoned her.
Aleph
Double irony, he reminded her of Aleph’s human father, his dark ebony skin contrasting her own fair skin; clearly she hadn’t seen many people like him on New Persia.
“I have to thank the Lord, he got us to this world…it’s much better here.” A sentence that had Arianne slightly flinch
“Is it?” She seemed to question.
“If there is darkness in someone’s heart, how great is that darkness? The men of the world I had been from, were full of it...” The Preacher spoke, looking to his own wounds…
Arianne gave a nod “They did this to you?” And the Preacher nodded “Surprised, are you? It was not the vampires. They seem much easier to please than fellow man, though they are not separate from us anyway.”
The Preacher seemed to chastise the idea of calling the Vampires separate.
Ariane grew curious….
This man was one of the many refugees she saw arrive from a ship…
The ship Aleph should’ve been on…. Had he not perished wherever he had gone…
She didn’t have to question why the Vampires weren’t taking this wounded man who hobbled on some rusted old bit of metal with her through the streets,
stopping at the odd darkened crosswalk, the blackened concrete buildings of where her oppressors resided in isolated.
She knew clearly unregistered humans are exempt by strict law from being processed at the blood bank, something enforced by the more peculiar Varcul’s vampires who enforce this law with the threat of death even toward other Vampires.
As such, unregistered humans often went without the benefits of being an indentured slave and builder of their prison, many humans truthfully had,
Medical technology, beyond thought, was introduced to one when they were registered and entrusted with the responsibility of paying their tax to this Empire.
It’s cruel, isn’t it?
Cruel…. She often regrets not just going with the plan and escaping this horrid place without him, Aleph…
Arianne had never left that day Aleph rejected her proposal.
----[…]---
But the heart she had for him didn’t allow her to just escape, even worse the idea of a war made his loss possible but as a vampire he could be shifted on duties for maybe centuries on a singular planet...
He didn’t come back after his return to her home to reject her again… she had to gaze to the sky one day and see a fleet arrive, likely taking him… from then on Aleph had disappeared,
She was heartbroken. And now alone entirely alone, she realized that sinking slight feeling of security
that only came when a Vampire escaped what he only described as a torturous training facility came to visit you. Was gone
Vampires noticed subtle things, they’d seen the visits to her home obviously but this was different, he’d been gone for a while…
She’d seen that ship depart after their last talk…She should’ve known she would likely never see him again.
She noticed there were far fewer of them; she didn’t live that far away from them, unlike other vampires who lived nearby.
Now she managed life, as a human, you either were too weak and given medical care to provide enough blood to feed an Empire that seems reluctant to admit its demands exceed its victims
Or they busy your hands…Arianne was luckily gifted they had her busy her hands but in a way that did benefit them.
They did this to keep you from rebellion; there was monotony, but there wasn’t torture. This isolation-imposed work schedule gave humans a routine.
They didn’t need a human to risk life and limb welding, being assigned to construction and the like to have this Empire run, they’d do it themselves, but they needed humans busy…
Hell, she can’t forget the time she’d seen a woman hide under a car and a Vampire not even on duty overturn the damn thing, the lady likely lost something worse than her transportation privileges….
They kept them busy so rebellion seemed unfavorable, to keep them so involved it might seem their efforts make them cornerstone to the infrastructure of the Empire that feeds on them, but it isn’t…Arianne figured this out.
They needed them to never rebel because they wouldn’t be able to hold themselves back from slaughtering all of them for dissidence, and then they’d lose their blood supply…
Vampires weren’t short-tempered tempered they had an affinity for what was inside every human being. They needed little to set them off on claiming it rather than being orderly.
Some humans had more disturbing work, pretending to be chased to stimulate those instincts. She’s heard stories of some Vampires who go mad with the monotony of this industrial age exchange of blood and control…
But besides this.
She failed to keep her anger for Aleph and let hope and love arise at the idea of seeing him again so soon, it hadn’t been a full year and the ship that likely took him arrived…
It was in a different place, restricted…but she couldn’t help herself, it may have been the God Aleph’s father spoke of it had to be that God…they didn’t care about a human presence breaking curfew.
Of the blood released that would’ve filled their senses for miles as she worked through the barbed wire on the outskirts of the city, leading toward a forest under a bridged highway that had an elevated railway train beside it….
How she stalked and made her way to the bottom of a space elevator…only to be greeted by shocktroopers none of whom gave her the sensation it was him…and worst of all, nothing but just humans…
She didn’t lose hope; she waited for days…and he never came home….
There couldn’t have been that few vampires returning…Aleph had to be dead...
-
“Miss? This is a might fine long walk might I know your profession?” The Preacher questioned as they appeared to be leaving city limits,
now they were in bordered desolate plains, a great wasteland, they could see skeletons within barbed wire, which oddly phased the preacher.
He seemed to be asking her this to take her mind off of it so she bit.
“I help make rockets to dispose of human-waste?”
“Oh human waste?” He gave a somber nod “I hadn’t thought humans of this world lacked–“
“No not that kind, bodies.” Arianne clarified,
enough humans died for it to be a serious issue, the Vampires knew human minds would decline,
shooting the bodies off-world was considered by them more reasonable on New Persia, at least, than having mass graves and endless graveyards,
There was more to process in someone dying and not being seen again than the many open casket funerals
But Arianne was quick to realize New Persia must not be high up on the totem pole to have humans in charge of it, it’s something they are actively seeking to prevent, but Arianne is smart enough to know they are doing this to weed out humans
With exceptional faculties, make sure they are spared from any executions, hardly anyone who’s seen the inside of a cell has ever missed doing a job the vampires would applaud a ‘simple human mind’ for doing.
“Miss?” Broken from her recollection, Arianne helped him along and they continued for quite some time…but the path was becoming changed…altered, they entered a tunnel alongside the road where the pavement continued…
The place they were walking was far, Aleph’s father was a bit privileged for a human, he didn’t live in the urban hell…Likely a Privilege for any human raising a vampire.
She had to wonder where his birth father and mother were or if they were alive…A thought that ended.
This path shouldn’t be blocked, she’d walked it hundreds of times, with her father and mother before they were executed, with Aleph when they were children, under order.
She worked with the Vampires, she leveraged her gift, she was very gifted…why was she being troubled now.
‘why why why, why why!’ her mind shouted!
“Miss!?” The man hobbled backwards into her. Arianne barely caught him as a figure shadowed over them,
‘He isn’t walking…whoever that is he must be mad…. pissed….’ Arianne shuddered freezing averting looking at the figure approaching, the Preacher was just looking up mostly in astonishment...
upon the ceiling of the tunnel, in the dimly lit lights it crawled…she could never get used to it and this had been her entire existence…
It leapt and dropped with a thud, causing the two to shake out of fear of this third stranger
“And who is this?” an almost familiar voice lingered in the air, a fourth more sinister presence felt behind it, but the voice was dead, and when just standing.
The figure became like a darkened statue, rubbing his hands together, the sound of padded leather gloves grating on Arianne’s senses…. But only having the Preacher raise an eyebrow in confusion.
‘There’s another…... Did I do something wrong? Did he do something wrong!’ Arianne’s mind ran on.
He was hard to see, he was in darkness like in negative space, and purple eyes cast upon her frame, the glint of white, sharpened teeth visible.
He was tall, six feet, a vampire, clearly in enforcement. With nothing but their hands, they didn’t carry batons or handcuffs, they’d break you.
They didn’t fear firearms; even with half a head, they’d get back up, they would come back, and that’s if that even knocked them down...
They’re too resilient for resistance to be widely feasible.
They’re strong, incredibly so, and it has had a shiver go down her Arianne’s spine…. If he decided to have an ill temper, he could tweak her spine with three fingers.
Snap her vertebrae..
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Not at this encounter, but realizing Aleph was so far above them all…his entire caste may as well be mountains compared to the ants that are humans…
But right now, her and this preacher were a Gazelle and a sheep facing a lion…
The man circling them “Human’s? Out so close to the curfew? This isn’t your way home, and it sure isn’t his…”
Arianne swallowed thickly…she did recognize this voice…she never caught his name…She saw him once…in a bad place…at her job…
Thump thump.
The vampire’s eyes flickered twice in tune with her heartbeat, as he stalked “Who is this?”
“One of the Refugees.” Arianne spoke.
“Taking him with you? To your stockpile of stolen material? I say, you were given a fair bit too leniency and forgiven of it easily…” The man spoke, and Arianne grimaced.
The preacher looked between them... “I apologize for whatever trouble has begun, but by the grace of God, barring whatever she has done, she is taking me to someone important. I met him, he was in the military, which brought me here.”
Nothing but great disbelief was felt. “Most of the shocktroopers didn’t come back on that ship that docked, too many of them died for me to believe that story….”
Arianne flinched
He stalked toward the preacher…
Arianne grabbed his arm. “I’m doing as he claimed, he knows nothing of this place, he’s foreign…I’m taking him to- “
The preacher gasped and was swept aside, and the Vampire took hold of her neck, the movements so swift her mind hadn’t registered, the grip was tight, she could still breathe.
But it was daring, almost pleading for an attempt at a struggle. “You may have the rest of them tricked, but I know what you were doing…... Last human who did that tried to get off-world, I got to fish through their insides with my palm, you want to be next?”
Arianne was fearful, it was so long ago when she begged Aleph to leave with her, to some degree they were just dumb kids, but where she was placed, she had been stealing supplies…but she had to have known Vampires were smarter…. alas, she didn’t…
This one caught on, caught her recently when she was doing it again, considering escaping this world…using that vector of escape, but they forgave her…he didn’t let it go…
For a vampire, he was incredibly prideful, more than most…he felt ashamed that such a big catch made on his watch was ignored…she too questioned why it was so casually let go.
Like right now, she wanted this ‘blood-drinker’ to let her go, but his grip tightened on her collar. But his attention turned as fervent loyal murmurings of the preacher, his eyes turned.
Arianne was let go for only a moment, but she was shoved, far enough she couldn’t trip backwards flat onto her rear, she hit the wall at the edge of the pavement on one end.
The impact rattled her head, and her vision swam in darkness for a moment.
The Preacher quickly arose “Stop! Please! She isn’t doing anything to–!” The Preacher stepped up, but a fist battered his jaw, blood sputtered out the Preachers jaw like a popped balloon.
His inner mouth busted open from such raw impact, but the Vampire was holding back…because when Arianne came to, the deep hurtled at her.
The vampire’s fist struck the reinforced concrete wall and sunk in with ease forming cracks that stretched upwards around it.
“I’m not satisfied…I want you to show me where you took the stolen material.” The gaze of the undead was fierce and Arianne shook,
The back of her head trickled lightly with blood firm impact.
“I–I….Pl–Please…. just let me take him…I–I was already going to tell you..” Arianne crumbled, she had long since abandoned it by now even if she in past had reconsidered and added to the stolen pile of material….
Her gift was intellectual she was working with propellant, and reinforced materials…she had hoped the less promising results would be fine…they were scraps meant to be thrown away.
Illegal for her to take but it couldn’t of been bad for her to put together what was in the plains and light forest… far from the urban center..
It was ignored…they let it go…it was hardly issue for anyone but him….He was so happy to catch her in act, Vampires were always looking to climb, to get up somewhere,
if they had known like he was spot-on guessing she was building something illegal they would’ve pursued it but they didn’t press it like he did…Like he was doing now…
Amidst whispers coming from the left,
Arianne turned her head away
But he snatched her by the neck again at this and lifted her with ease up at the wall, causing her to choke. “He’s coming with me, for the trouble of looking for you, I’m sure I’ll hunger–!”
The whispers grew stronger into fervent murmurings, attentive prayer..
“Are you praying?” he laughed in disbelief, dropping Arianne.
The preacher choked spitting up some blood as he watched the vampire approach.
“I call upon my Lord, that if it be in his will, whatever harm you seek upon us is not done. And no harm be done to you for you know not–” He spoke matter-of-factly holding no malice but was caught off
The vampire laughed in disbelief, striding over in few steps, fast tall and snapping his fist into the Preachers countenance again battering his eye with what looked to be a slap
But the immense difference of strength made it a powerful strike that had blood burst from the Preachers eye and ear as he cried out…
The bit of blood that hit the vampires face had him lick it, he was high clearly, and Arianne must’ve realized it, why he was pressing this, it stimulated that hunting instinct in them.
She never thought she’d see one as crazed as this….in the wild…in such a high position…
But her fear grew more, not for him but because she not only sensed the fourth presence again but felt it move over her entire body like a shadow until it was behind him….
‘I-Is—tha-that…’ Arianne panicked internally.
The Preacher with wide expression and eyes now blown wide looked up to the vampire stalking over his wounded form… But not only toward him, but past him.
And his expression softened his distress, seemingly leaving him...
“Keep praying, it won't save you.” The vampire spoke, his teeth exposed, his light but dark purplish uniform with a sash made clear.
But another voice broke the tension.
“He won't need to; his prayers have been heard.”
The voice came from above the Vampire, who tried to turn toward the voice of a woman laced with great animosity,
The source of it was towering, but the vampire didn’t get to turn to face it before a fist caved through his body, there was hardly any sound of impact.
The velocity and force were like watching a large purple brick blur through the vampire, a towering figure slinking through, a mountain of strength.
It slipped through flesh and red burst out around it as it sunk through with the ease of a heated poker into hot melted butter.
The Vampire shouted….
Arianne shrieked and the preacher merely blocked his eyes as blood flew down at them both but surprisingly hit neither.
“Ar-are you with Aleph?”
Those words ignite Arianne’s heart…
The woman flexed her wrist, having eviscerated more than half of the vampires body in that singular strike, leaving him as a almost a quarter of torso.
Grotesquely his body flops and tendons, blood, and viscera twist and reform a slightly exposed body…torn cloth…
The figure glances up “Do you have any Idea–!” He stands up, ready to say something but is terrified
“buh–bu–buh…”
The figure is tall, they lack a helmet, Arianne takes in the appearance of the woman, she isn’t even in armor. Some sort of form fitting military grade bodice but over it she wears a very womanly skirt over.
Tainted with blood “I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me when I went to go find him back on your homeworld, Preacher.” Saiyah speaks.
The vampire below her falls on his back.
Arianne is too dumbstruck to see the dynamics shift as the Preacher struggles to stand but Saiyah glances down to the Vampire.
“If these humans had been anyone else I’d have let you do anything you would’ve wanted, but someone I care about.” She looks to the two humans.
“Pities them enough.” Saiyah speaks…
The Vampire shouts “Ho–How dare you! You damned rebel children! When I get back I–‘ll..”
Saiyah only glares, her piercing red gaze shoots down, Arianne is shocked, it’s the sort of look she imagines vampires to have right before executing someone, but she never would’ve imagined.
She would see it cast upon another.
“Thankfully and regrettably, I had years to learn my caste doesn’t answer to anyone in the Empire save for each other and the Empress herself.” Saiyah seemed to laugh in disbelief, her eyes flashed in memory of something of fire.
The Vampire pointed “That gives you bastard children! No right! You are likely–!”
Saiyah cut in
“If you feel so strongly do something.” She flashed her teeth, and her visage changed It was more like two predators gauging each other she almost hissed at him, and he cowered down
“Then you’ll feel nothing at all,” Saiyah spoke sternly, raising the fist still covered in his viscera and powdered bone…
The Vampire stood up…breathing deeply…
Saiyah seemed to press, it was as if she was challenged without words. Arianne didn’t step in, something sparked in her, the vampire fearing for his life, her heart sang for his death
But the Preacher’s heart did not
“Don’t kill him!” he shouted, and Saiyah seemed to pause…. Arianne’s face turned to a scowl…. And Saiyah relented…
The vampire fell out of his depth. Realizing that Saiyah was poised to kill him, the human was silent. The shame was that he ran like a wounded lion facing a prime sabretooth tiger, picked himself up, and ran...
“And who are you? You don’t look like one of the refugees?” Saiyah interrogated…
The girl looked up and opened her lips, introducing herself…
“I’m Arianne…...who are you?”
Saiyah quirked her lip with an odd smile. “You’ll find out.”
[……]
Saiyah led them to those plains, and by then it wasn’t just dusk but the dead of night, and city lights went out, sprawling with vampire activity, one would think the planet is now abandoned.
Arianne could see it, leading up to Aleph’s old home, she traveled far many times to visit him when her parents were alive, but then, after a while, and after his human father died, she had to visit him…
Her heart twisted when she saw him. He was more changed…the years had been kind as to any vampire, but she saw it…death lingered on him….
-
Aleph looked through the dark with his night-vision, the small-town village he had once lived in here welcomed him, they kept his father's large house swept, thinking he’d return like the prodigal son.
But he didn’t care about his return. And he felt no connection save for the one to the two women, one that fought with him and one he abandoned to fight…...
She couldn’t run to him, his vision cloudy, he came to her first, Saiyah visibly dismayed, he was different, the undersuit worn under his armor, his only clothing…...
She paused, gazing up at him.
“…..” Aleph took it in. “I hardly remember you.” He admitted coldly,
She didn’t flinch at that, “But you do...”
Saiyah took it in with a grimace, the Preacher gazing at the three of them, wounded.
Aleph’s nose twitched, and he tilted at the scent of blood. “Come into my home.”
And they all entered, it was swift how he was quickly tending to the Preacher’s wounds professionally…
“I didn’t even know you could do that, Aleph.” Arianne was awestruck, as she sat done in a loveseat, the stiffness of it almost brought a tear to her eye, she’d visited him much…she honestly felt bad for him, she wished he was human…maybe they could suffer together more closely as he appears to have done alone.
But Saiyah cut in “If he’s seen it once, he can do it, we’re Shocktroopers after all, that’s just how– “
Arianne found some sort of strange emotion, the closeness and proximity…was she
‘He moved on without me….’ Rage sang in Arianne’s heart.
“I know…I know all about my childhood friend.” Arianne sternly replied, fear quickly overtaking her, awaiting a vicious response even with Aleph’s presence.
But she saw something different in this shocktrooper, calculation, Saiyah assessing her as a challenger, but then there was nothing…as if she was dismissed…
She must’ve been dismissed, with a casual Shrug as Saiyah went to speak, Arianne bracing for a clever, insulting retort, but was stopped.
Aleph cut in with such a sentence it had both shutting up at the monotone, as he finished stitching the Preacher, “Don’t start this, it’s unsightly, undead, or man.”
His voice was emotionless, Moreso than ever. he’d been steeled by his loss and had been doing nothing but prep, training, he’d just now decided to arrive here to meet with the Preacher.
The preacher stiffened, wincing at the pain of the stitches. “Both are the same, children of Adam.” The preacher corrected, causing Saiyah to roll her eyes.
Aleph gave a nod to the Preacher, “For clarity's sake.” He tightened one stitch a bit more roughly and stood up, feeling strange. They must’ve used his father's old medicine cabinet; his father showed him how to tend to a wound one time.
It was the time he learned he played around with that human girl; the irony of a vampire taught to heal a human was not lost on him.
“Th-there’s a television?” Saiyah looked in “I’ve never utilized one of these?” She looked in the living room, it was cozy interior, soft, you could forget the world outside.
Aleph nodded “My human-father–.” Aleph started.
“Your father.” Arianne corrected, she found herself referring to his father in such a way bitterly but to hear Aleph say it so dismissively, that lack of connection twisted a knife in her gut.
The Preacher seemed to look almost approvingly to Arianne.
Saiyah cleared her throat. “Does it work?”
Aleph rose a hand and the television came on, it was much different than some relics of the dark ages of Earth in the old Milky Way, it seemed to have film built if. But–…
Arianne was awestruck. “Yo–you have cybernetics?”
The Preacher was about to nod.
But Aleph cut in as Saiyah smirked.
“I’m not like the rest Arianne…I learned there’s something wrong with me.” He seemed to speak somberly, his hand twisted, and it switched to something familiar.
It was strange, it was like he controlled the device…
But Arianne thought about it she wasn’t stupid, that’s not how that worked, even with such things she’s heard of you wouldn’t be able to just connect and weave such an archaic device, this was supernatural…this was on par with some of the rarer types of vampires spoken about.
But different…this affected.
“He’s like a technomancer.” Something in the air changed when Saiyah said that it was almost comical…and Arianne awkwardly laughed, but Aleph smiled a bit.
That curved any connection Arianne felt she could try and rebuild…
‘She wasn’t even that funny…’…
But she had to imagine humor, or the lack thereof meant the bar for it would be very low amongst vampires, especially vampires utilized in war…that just wasn’t what they were.
Meant for, they were predators, not infantry….
Aleph stood up from the preacher
And the television played, he stood by the Preacher as the preacher turned “I had no idea movies could be made, with the conditions humans appear to be in?”
Saiyah shrugged as if having no answer
but Arianne did
“Me and Aleph met an actor once as kids, they allow us to make movies if you meet certain quotas, my parents always wanted to be actors too..they worked so hard.” Arianne shrugged; she thought of that connection between her parents.
Two people against the harshness of reality the bitter hopelessness, who still brought life.
They watched a movie Saiyah recognized, they lived on a world called ‘Earth’ there were no vampires, at least none they were aware of
but they suffered there too…but there was resilience, prayer…
The world in the absence of God was bitter but when there was two or more agreed, life seemed bearable.
The preacher seemed enthralled by it and it was clear whatever this preacher believed in is what Aleph’s father taught too, what he spoke to her parents about once...
But if there was such a God what was all this for? The suffering... the pain, the deaths of so many, it all was looking just like vexation of heart for the sake of it...
But they said something she had forgotten when they were children, in some song and dance.
‘Man’s days are short and full of trouble.’ And it seemed to click in her, in this moment, is the heart descended from man really supposed to be immortal? She looked upon Aleph..
One day she’ll die…but Aleph wont, his nearly unending days will always be full of trouble. They are both in twenties by now…something is wrong…
He’s already tormented as much as those with many years…...
What happened to him when he left? Why didn’t he come to just see her…
She watched the movie with them, tears sweeping her eyes near the end, this Empire, this world, this Galaxy…. The suffering.
‘God doesn’t make our lives like this, man does it to himself, to his brothers and to his sisters….’ Arianne contemplated…but could she even try this thought…against reality...
Her eyes set on Aleph. Who almost seemed enthralled by what he saw…
Saiyah who seemed to just watch him turned her eyes to Arianne, but Arianne dismissed her–
“Aleph…. what’s happened to you?” Arianne just simply spoke... Saiyah didn’t say anything.
“Six and a half years ago, after I left, I lost more than one hundred forty-four thousand of those I had under my responsibility,” Aleph spoke bluntly.
Arianne felt like she had opened a dam washed by what he just revealed…
“You we–.”
“I was a High-Sergeant, and the stars just watched it happen…”
“I would’ve showed you another friend of mine.” He nodded to Saiyah
“but that one..who I would’ve called Brother died Saiyah, he fell beside me, turned to ash and–“
Saiyah seemed to come to alert, something Arianne’s never seen before, defensively she’s seen that like they’re under attack.
“Aleph!” She cuts him off, the preacher flinches…
And Aleph stops recounting Asaph’s death…but continues speaking to Arianne.
“But I came back….”
Arianne’s hands twisted uncomfortably… “Why to your home?”
“Because I knew you’d find me quicker than I could find you.” Aleph stated as he turned to her….
Saiyah seemed to grimace…
“They seem to have kept my home well; I want you to have it.”
Arianne rose an eyebrow “What–…”
“I learned why they wanted us so badly.” Aleph spoke and Arianne was listening.
She was urging him to slow down but he seemed to be divulging her heart.
“I don’t answer to the Empire, none of us do…what Delara allowed to happen to me by the ways of the Enclaves, the Shocktroopers caste was unorderly, they sent us in the middle of nowhere.” Aleph started.
“Expecting us with no knowledge to figure everything out…and I did…now I’ve learned of something worse they’re doing….so I came back…”
Aleph turned…
“Because I found people like my father, who you’ve brought here…”
Arianne seemed to let it sink in, lurching on the couch…” That’s a lot to take in…but what do you mean you’re giving me this home?”
“Because when I’m done, I’m going to come back for you a second time…. I’ve had years to work this out, Arianne. These people are going to suffer here too unless some changes are made.”
“But I learned that these changes would apply to you too.” Aleph seemed to approach, and Arianne stiffened looking up worriedly, not out of fear but anxiety at the closeness.
“Arianne…I no longer love you... I love you, like a sister, we can’t be as we wanted to be before, but I’m going to make your life a whole lot better.”
Arianne felt a since of foreboding at the vampire’s statement... she didn’t know who this was, he was speaking cryptically…. “What do you mean?”
Aleph’s eyes seemed hollow now…he spoke with grace.
“You’ll see.”
