DISCLAIMER: Mordina and Urima are all mine. All mine. My preciousses.
When the Moon Stops ShiningI. Onto the Devil's Road
Urima gazed at the starless night. It was just one of the thousands of night that has she spent under the great universe. One of the thousand nights that was dull and repetitive, never changing in its pace. One of the thousand nights she is going to spend for who-knows-when. For eternity, maybe.
She sighed inaudibly.
* Why the hell did I become a vampire? * She thought bitterly. Sure, she was lured by the power. The immortality. The thought that she could stand till the very end of the world scared her and enthralled her.
"What has a 3000 year old vampire like you found joy in staring at the sky looking like a crazed woman?" a cold, amused voice said behind her back.
Urima turned around. There in front of her was another of her kind. Mordina. Her sister. Her mentor. Her only friend through immortality.
"I see you haven't fed yet." Mordina continued.
Urima nodded wordlessly.
"Then follow me and stop looking like an idiot!" she said as she walked towards the house with surprising swiftness. She started talking about her usual tirade of Urima's weaknesses. "Oh, Urima you are so human. Oh, Urima you are so weak. Oh, Urima, you are the only vampire I know that would let her damned night looking at the stars and the moon." These were only Mordina's warm-up as she would go on with her usual litany.
But Urima never paid attention to those things. She never knew her sole purpose and frankly, she didn't care.
As she stepped inside the house, light flooded her senses. She saw an image of her at a mirror. A pale girl of 26 stared back. She retained much of her looks when she was still mortal. Black hair, up to the waist and eyes so green that seem to have a fierce intensity. The truth is, she looked much younger than 26.
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The hunt was refreshing. Urima usually didn't need to hunt blood. She would content herself by staring at the moon, passing the night away. She would watch as the moon rises and until it dims. Urima would only move from her position at the coming of the dawn to find sanctuary shielding herself from the sun. But even then, as time passes, the rays of the sun became less lethal to her. She even dared to watch the sun rise from the east and yet, the only effect was that she was tanned and looked more human than ever.
Mordina was different. Mordina wouldn't spend her time staring at stars. She was a fierce killer. Usually, it takes four to five humans to satisfy her. Often, she would seduce them before killing them. Mordina had the same raven-black hair as Urima. But her eyes were of a dark purple hue. When one would look at them, they would see a regal being. By certain standards, Mordina is the oldest vampire. Next to her would be Urima.
"You should see my work" Mordina said as they walked back to their house. She led Urima down the basement, which she considered her lair. It is a rectangular room. To the left is a coffin and at the middle of the room is a table. In the table are five orbs of different colors
"What are those?" Urima asked, staring at the orbs.
Mordina laughed.
"Its as if you don't know anything, my dear Urima." she said, her eyes sparkling. "These are called the Seeing Stones or the palantír. I've gathered them for long years already and now I only need two. The green orb and the black orb."
"What is the virtue of those?"
"You are a fool, I tell you. The Seeing Stones are used to gain knowledge and insight among many things.
"According to the legends, this was created even before the Ice Age. There must have been a civilization not recorded in history. How this civilization came to an end, I don't know. But the people there must have used the stones as a form of communication."
"Now," she continued speaking to herself, "I only need the powerful ones, the green stone and the black stone. Who knows how many years it will take to find them.
"The green I need especially. It is said that one can change time with that."
With that she walked out of the room completely forgetting Urima.
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Urima breathed a sigh of relief. What Mordina doesn't know is safe. She had the green orb. She knew it was the very one that Mordina is searching for. Sometimes, her sister could be very dangerous. She dominates the vampire world. If she perishes, the vampires perish. It is simple as that. Mordina holds the Mother Blood. The Elixir of the Vampires. Humans also can fall easily to her power. And of course, Mordina knew that. As long as Urima is alive, she wouldn't ever let her sister touch the orb.
She climbed at the stairs her eyes feeling like lead. She must get some rest.
Urima went up to her lair. It is a room located at the uppermost part of the house and it was the biggest area. Opening the door, one would find a perfectly 'human looking' room. There was a grand piano at the center. At a side hung a large mirror. Beside the mirror was a bookcase full of classic works that Urima had collected all the time she was a vampire. These things Mordina has scoffed as lowly things. These things are signs of your love for the mortal, which you aren't, Mordina had said. The windows are draped with heavy curtains so as not to let the sun come in. The only thing that one would consider 'not human at all' is her coffin lying in the corner. But to Urima, that is completely normal.
Beside the coffin is a vault hidden by a block of wood. Here Urima removed the block. The vault was a thing of technology. Urima punched a series of codes and the door of the vault opened soundlessly. Inside is a single item. The green orb, throbbing lightly with its greenish glow. It was no bigger than her fist yet when she lifted it, it was heavy. She feared that her time in keeping the orb is almost up. Mordina could use the Seeing Stones to find the ones missing.
"Well, if what Mordina had said is true, then I would use this to change time so my sister would never knew about it." She murmured to herself.
"But how do I use this?" she asked. "Only Mordina would know and yet I can't bear myself to ask her lest she would get suspicious."
Setting aside the orb inside the coffin, she decided to play the piano for a little while. It was a sad and melodious piece. The Midnight Sonata, as she called it. Her fingers moved in an eerie way and each note seemed longer than usual, overlapping with some notes. She close her eyes letting the music take over her brain.
"Give it to me." A voice beside her hissed. Urima's eyes snapped open and stood up. She turned around and saw her sister beside her. She was full of malice, greed and what? Desire.
"Do you think that I never know?" she continued, her voice dangerously cold and cruel. "All these years I knew it was with you, knowing that someday you would give it to me, out of the kindness of your heart. And I waited…"
"How… how did you know?" Urima asked, fear flooding her senses.
"My dear Urima, you think so long and hard that I have no trouble grasping your thoughts. You are the gullible one. The fool. So easy to manipulate. Once I had that orb, I won't need the last one. Six are enough to gain everlasting dominion over human and vampires alike."
"But you are already the Mother Vampire." Urima interrupted straining to get more time. "You rule the, us all. What more could you ask for?"
Mordina paused as if considering the idea. "That is true." She said slowly. "But then it will take someone as powerful and me, say, someone like you to overpower me. With the stones, I can use them to secure what I have, forever."
She lunged forward and grabbed Urima by the neck.
"Now give it to me nicely, and without a fight else I will break every bones in your body and through you in the ocean."
With that Urima broke free. She now stood between Mordina and the coffin.
'No! I won't give it to you!" She jumped back towards the coffin. If only she could…
"But you can't" Mordina smiled evilly, as she raise her hand. The coffin burst into flames and Urima was thrown backwards beside the blazing coffin. Having the power of the fire was one thing the sisters shared. Urima almost never used hers, but it was clear that that Mordina had the practice, giving her an advantage. She couldn't believe that this was her sister. A while ago, they were sharing a hunt, something that rarely happens in her life as a vampire. Now in front of her, she a crazed person, dressed like her sister, talked like her sister, and acted like her sister.
Mordina stood in front of Urima's bent figure. Her face full of false pity.
"But I will give you a last choice, Urima" she said. "Join me into the Devil's Road and rule the world ourselves. Give me the orb willingly."
Urima felt herself fail. There is nothing else she can do. Mordina will get the orb no matter what. She struggled to look at Mordina as blood tears flowed from her eyes turning her vision to red.
"Never." She said softly.
"You leave me then no choice." Mordina answered, equally softly, mimicking Urima's voice. She turned away from her sister to the coffin, now a burned heap, yet the orb was revealed, unscathed.
Suddenly Urima cried out in a voice unlike her.
"A Elbereth Gilthoniel!" she said, the language unknown to her although she never realized that. "A ELBERETH GILTONIEL!" she repeated again much louder. "o menel palan-díriel, le nallon sí dinguruthos!" and as her words faded, so did it die away from her memory.
Her room seemed to be engulfed in darkness. And her body slipped into nothingness.
To be continued…
… Well, that was it. How did it go? ^^ I'm open to suggestions, comments, criticisms, flames, praises, compliments etc. Thank you! Selene-Chan!