Mistress of the Fates, Future and Past
Sakuya? This is certainly odd, seeing you this time of day. And what is this that you bring me, hrm? I don't recall giving permission for anyone to enter the mansion. I am not dumb, though. They are obviously intruders. But as to what reason do you bring them in here?
Ah, indeed, they are… certainly interesting. I do wonder what would bring them to attempt to invade my home. Do tell me, Sakuya, what do you think of it, hrm? What do you think of these imbeciles that decide to come in?
Yes, I thought as much. Still though, we have plenty of time. Don't we? All about six minutes or so. So, indeed, there is little time left for them. Very little time. But I thank you, Sakuya. Is there anything else that you need to take care of?
Ah, yes, well that is definitely a bother. Most definitely. Acting like spoiled children, aren't they. Well, you know what it is that we do to spoiled children. But please go ahead and fix the damage. And do bring me some tea once you are done. Yes, with the usual mix. Perhaps with a bit of an added kick, though. Some sheep youkai's blood would be quite nice.
Heh. Very funny, spirit. I would say that I did not intend to scare you with my grin, but I don't care whether or not that I did. Or perhaps I wanted to scare you. After all, you've been a very bad spirit, leading them in here.
How can I tell? Simple. You're that spirit that inhabits the freshest corpse that Sakuya brought in. A delightful girl, isn't she? I found her when she was much, much younger. Very good girl, so spirited with her knives. Always had a fond desire for causing carnage.
Oh, no, she is not a vampire. Although, she is as much of one as my ancestor was. If there were survivors of her attacks, they might speak of her as one. That is a rather big if, though.
Well, how do you think I met her, once upon a time? Did I take some strange vampire hunter who had come to slay me, and turn her to my side with kind words and hot breath? Did I take some lunarian, proud and boastful, and torture her until she broke. No, I did none of those, little spirit. I did none of those.
After all, I am ancient. And while I am powerful, I did not get this far playing dumb. I may control fate, but chance is a fickle fiend, and an even fickler friend. And I am strong enough that I need not servants who must be turned against me.
I found her in the streets, though, standing over a kill. Never have I seen a human more beautiful. Do you not agree? Imagine in the dark of the night, a young lady approaches you, smiling sweetly, only to stab you in the gut to take the lifeblood in your veins for her own.
It was quite the enthralling sight. After all, I had finally met someone as bloodthirsty as I. One who reveled in the debauchery that is death and destruction. She is beautiful, the finest specimen that your kind can create. A human pure of breed, and strong of mind.
I never had to brake her, you know. She joined me willingly. Once it was revealed what I am, she joined me willingly. After all, I was a master who was searching for a student, someone to keep me company. I thought at first that my sister might do, but alas, she is not currently agreeable to such things.
Oh, she was my comrade in arms once, you know. I suppose I should regale you with tales of what happened during our youth. No? You've already heard? Well, how could that have happened… Did the spirit accidentally find their way into Voile, to speak with our Great Unmoving Library?
Do not kid yourself. The library itself is truly stupendous, without measure. But the magician that lives inside it is a simpleton. Oh, yes, I know exactly what I mean, and how I mean it. You are angry with me for insulting the precious magician? Please, it isn't as if she is that important. Nor is she that aware of what is going on outside the manor. Relying upon other sources, rather than her own two eyes.
After all, did she ever speak to you as to why she is known by that title? After all, she is quite capable of locomotion. She has two legs, and is certainly capable of flying… Oh, I can see the question in your mind's eye. That would be important, would it not?
Sadly, the answer is indeed quite simple. But should I share it? After all, you are quite the intruder. Still, even if one's visitors are the epitome of impropriety, the hostess must still maintain her courtly visage. And I hope that you would agree that my visage is indeed much greater than your own.
Do think what you will, but insults will not bother me. I've heard many, many over the years. The words of a young spirit, along with its companions, will not bother me in the slightest. I've had much practice in maintaining whatever expression I may have, so you will only see what it is that I want you to see. Just as you will hear none but what I expect you to hear.
As to my dear court magician, it is her very essence that limits her. Why indeed does she not leave her library? With such impressive magical skills, maybe not as powerful as mine, but much more broad, why does she not go out, and seek companionship with other mages?
Because she can't, little spirit. No matter what, she cannot leave that dusty abode that is called a library. For that is just what it means to be what she is. She is nothing more than a glorified librarian, with no time off and no vacation.
Amusing, is it not? How effective that prison is at keeping her in? I did not even plan it in such a manner! Oh, I can tell how good of a heart that she has. It is as if she is a man, instead of a magician. As if she is human, instead of a monster like the rest of us. How pitiful is that? Don't answer that, as I believe that we all know the answer. Whether you agree with me or not is beyond the point. After all, I know what you'll think.
How else do you believe I keep her so agreeable? After all, a kind face and a few smooth words are enough to keep even the most hardened of creates happy. And that is a science that I am most skilled at. After all, the most charismatic of us do not even need to judge our words too well…
We're all animals, aren't you aware? All that we care about is what is innate. The tilt of a head, the rise of a brow, the turn of a lip… That is not to say anything of the other motions. A slump of the shoulder, how one leans their body, I can go on and on all day. You can close your eyes, but you can ignore what my voice says. After all, how can you deny a sweet girl such as I?
Oho, you should know that is a compliment to me! After all, as the Scarlet Devil, why should I be offended when I am referred to as such? In fact, I am honored that I bring so much hate to nestle within your breast.
So, do you care to hear that story? We still have a few minutes that are left until it is time for me to move on to my next appointment. No, I have no visitors. But I have tea that is coming soon, and I don't want you to be intruding into it.
Now, where was I, before I was rudely interrupted by discussion upon the subject of my library? Hrm, oh yes. I was about to tell you a little bit about our history… About my families history. As I no doubt am sure that you know, the entirety of my kin was killed off by rogue vampires. But two… two were left behind. Myself, and my sister.
As good sisters would, we had to take care of each other after that debacle. And as we grew stronger, more aware of what we had become, of the glorious gift we had been granted, we began to hunt. Or rather, I would hunt. It came naturally. Always the stronger of the two, I took it onto myself to protect us, however I could.
You might imagine how easy it was. Two girls of obviously noble birth, traveling without chaperone or bodyguard? We were easy targets for many men and women, who wanted to dip their candlewicks into our flame. Oh, don't look so surprised. That was many centuries ago, and I doubt the times have changed that much. I just know that back then, humans were more reluctant to share their own depredations.
So you know what I would do, little spirit, I would accompany those up to their room, and while they prepared to violate me… I violated them. Only, a clawed hand leaves a rather more permanent wound than whatever they planned for myself. And it was so easy to sustain us in that manner. A free meal, and a free pouch of money to keep us clothed and a roof over our heads? It was the life. So free were we.
Naturally, she resisted. Oh, you would know that wouldn't you? Just as I expected… She had such an interesting reaction the last time… But that's for later. But she refused to suck blood, at first. You know what that does, do you not? A vampire refusing to do what is but natural to them… It would slowly drive them insane.
Oh, it wouldn't take very long at all. As you might imagine, she eventually began to lose her mind. Such a dreadful thing, is it not. To have a way in front of you keep your mind sharp and clear, but refusing to succumb to your natural desires out of some twisted sort of morality.
Oh, how fun it was, when she finally snapped! We were out in Hungary at the time, if I do recall. Somewhere around Budapest. By the light of the full moon, she strode down the stairs from our room in the tavern, and slaughtered every last person there. She nearly bathed in their blood, feasting on it for the remainder of the night.
It was so amusing to see her after that. She kept on trying to tell herself that she wasn't a monster. That she wasn't evil because she was a vampire. It would almost make me pity her. She was trying to deny the truth. To deny what it is that we are. I'm glad that she eventually learned to suck the blood when she needed to, but she always hated it.
Still does, for that matter.
Even though she did need to be coddled, she did stay with me, trying to help. And we eventually tracked the ones that attacked our family far to the east. All the way to the Orient. I have no idea why they would try and make their homes all the way out there, but it was intriguing to see the more esoteric magics all the way from our home. How they might have such potential.
But we were not there for studies. We were there for revenge. After all, they killed our parents. Our entire family. It was just the two of us left, to destroy them. It was only their foolishness that allowed it to happen, though. If they were intelligent, they would have not allowed us access to their own powers.
Track them down we did, into the mountains, in what is now Tibet. Far from the prying reaches of most men, and high, close to the sun that hates our kind so. Wondering why they would attempt to reach so close to the sun? After all, every learned person does know the story of Icarus. This is, of course, assuming that you are learned at all. By the look on your face, I sometimes must wonder.
That battle did not last long, indeed. By then, the two of us had discovered our powers. Dear sister's had manifested only in death and destruction. But mine… mine resulted in the most glorious of all aspects. Creation, and manipulation.
Not that there is much difference from destruction, in the end. But my methods were much more elegant when I wanted. You might say they were practically sublime. Even if I could destroy them all by my hand, it was much more satisfying to destroy them from within.
And that is what I did. We sat out of their hideout, just able to spot the movement inside. That is when I first wove upon the grand loom. The first time I made fate play into my hands. Nothing too gruesome at first. Minor injuries, failures within machines and trinkets, the occasional rockslide. But I became much, much more elaborate with my designs.
They would find themselves falling and slipping on snow and ice. Knives that were for sacrifices and bloodletting turned out to be poisoned, on handle and blade. Creatures of unimaginable strength managed to find their way through their traps… Then I got creative.
However, it eventually became enough that they turned on each other. Vampires are not the most territorial of magical creatures, but I admit that I am a proud monster, and I would let none take my title from me. They were much more prideful, believing this mistake could not have been the fault of their own.
So, one by one, they picked each other off. I believe I nearly threw out my back, the laughter that passed my lips at the sight. So many proud vampires, brought to their knees by a servile wretch that they had left for dead. I showed them who was truly the master. I showed them who was in charge.
Of course, the very last one had to be slain by my hand. Something that I was most eager to oblige. Even barricaded inside a room, paranoid as possible and with other assortments of magical items to protect himself, the vampire could not fight his fate. The doors to his keep did fall, and I did end his worthless life.
That was when our next guests showed up. Twelve youkai, all similar in dress and form, approached us as we left, our coin purses full and with a few pouches of blood on my side. Useless idiots seemed to have been waiting for us to take care of our own problem. Of course, if they had done something, they might have prevented what had happened to my family.
They began to prattle on, about what is right and what is wrong, and how we were so just for getting rid of such vile creatures. Does it look like I care about whether I did what is right or not? No, the only thing I cared about was doing what they deserved. Their deaths, for the deaths of everyone I was kin to.
It is sad, isn't it? How there are others that had power, at least approaching mine, and they did nothing with it. Oh, yes, you should know that well. Many are content to sit their lives away, wasting what they can do from afar. I could tell from this inane prattle what hypocrites they were. The mountains were practically ripe with the stench of bitches.
Still, I had to be humble. One does catch more flies with honey than they do vinegar. There were plans in my head that I desired to test, and that I had to wait for the majority to depart to inapt the final steps.
Eventually, they left, after bestowing a set of crystals, one from each of them. Yet, I had been busy while they spoke, weaving fate so that one may be left behind. And, as I approached the Zodiac Sheep, I found myself grinning.
Oh, she tried her best to get away from me. But while fate is typically such a subtle thing, I can force its place in ways that few could even reckon. Slowly, but surely, the sheep was forced onto its knees, where it pleaded loyalty to myself, and myself only.
Sister was aghast at what I had done. But I did not see a problem with it. If they were not going to exercise their power, I was going to myself. The sheep was merely the result of my first experiment, one that succeeded beyond all expectations.
She tried to leap to her defense, as if she could do anything. While she was able to undo and destroy many of the bindings, I was stronger. Plus, I was much more willing to do what was necessary.
Distracted by her efforts to undo the strands, I took the opportunity to disarm her, completely. Rather, I removed the wings from her. If she was going to be such a weakling, she would not be allowed to have something so majestic, so close to mine. Oh, how she screamed as I pulled them out, as one might pull the wings off a fly. It was much more satisfying, though.
That was when I first bound her. And such a useful weapon she's been. Of course, I had to give her a memento of her indiscretion. Two spikes of iron later, she had that memento. I just couldn't help myself, though, by hanging the crystals on the iron. It served her a very good reminder of who is in charge.
However… I believe your time is up. You don't think that I was actually speaking to you because I desired to, do you? After all, I've much more important things to be doing than speaking to insignificant spirits.
After all, what would it be if I didn't use my powers? There is a whole world out there whose fate needs influencing. While the strings cannot be so roughly handled for the entire world, I can still tug on them, pulling them closer and closer to my loom. And if necessary, I can cut them, ridding the mating of the fell poison.
You, however, do not fit into those plans. Just wastes of space, breathing my air, and expecting me to like it. Do not even bother thinking that you've made a difference. Do not even bother thinking anything you've done has been fruitful.
It was pointless in the end. You see, it was quite easy to have my sister talk, after we brought the most recent corpse in. She took one look at it, and began babbling about some human. It didn't take long to discover what happened.
Where do you think I left your body? It's down there in her room, staring at her with those cold eyes. So utterly terrified. Wondering what went wrong in her grand plan. How you've come back to life. Oh, she might cling to some false faith that you escaped this life, but that isn't true, isn't it.
Oh, don't even think of starting anything. Just relax, and it will all be over. You just need to roll over, and let me take care of everything. For a spirit, you might be particularly rebellious; sure enough to defeat me, but there is no way that you can muster such an effort. Even coming into my home, destroying it, turning my sister to your cause in the process… What would be next if I let you run free? Would you sow more discord, and more strife among all of those that you pass?
After all, you're just a plebeian entering the home of betters, armed with ancient relics. A satori who has hid beneath the surface for far too long. A robot who cannot even fulfill her primary duty. An ancient lunation, bound to her shield as her two sisters watch in laughter. You come into my home to free my sister and to liberate my library?
I think not. You're just a human in spirit form. Miserable and little beneath my feet. Only worth filling up a wine chalice, if I deem you to be so fortunate as to receive that gift. But I wonder what strings fate will bind you with? What strings of fate I will bind you with. For there are many. Oh yes, there are many.
First, I will destroy your companions. I will rip their senses, their minds, their very beings apart. And you will watch as they are destroyed. As they are reduced to what is the most bane of forms. Do not even try to plead. Their fate is set. As for yours though?
I believe I will take you as a plaything. A trophy. A monument to all of humanity's sins. And the hubris that they had, in thinking they could challenge the Scarlet Devil. So you might as well pray, little spirit searching for its bloodsack. For even your gods cannot save you now.
"Oh? Is that... so? ❤"