Weeks of nightmares followed, as if the first was a catalyst, beginning the
horror of dreams. Yuri, desperate to find solace from the terror, would
attempt to stay awake, refusing the siren song of sleep. Yet every night he
would wake in a cold sweat, a shrill scream resonating throughout the room.
Eventually Yuri realised the futileness of his refusal, and requested a
candle to light his room, hoping that the light, feeble as it was, might
allow him to dream without fear.
During the day, Katerina would set him chores that, while not mentally taxing, were physically intensive, in an attempt to exhaust him. Whether it was the candle, or the physical exhaustion, Yuri no longer woke screaming. If he dreamed, he did not remember them.
The book disappeared also. Katerina had no intention of allowing another episode like the previous one occur under her roof. Already the neighbours were talking about the strange boy she had taken in, and his constant screams into the darkness. She needed no such gossip, especially the ones where it was suggested that it was she that tormented the boy so. 'One day, he will have to leave,' she said to herself. Yet that day would never come, because whenever she thought this, an image of the frail boy looking up to her and calling her 'Aunt Katerina' would come to mind. If it wasn't for the damned Harmonixer talent, Yuri might have been the child she and Ivan never had. They had tried for years unsuccessfully, and Katerina always felt that it was her fault. Whenever she said this, Ivan would laugh and say "Katie dearling, 'tis not your fault. God will give us children when we are ready!"
But God never did. There was no God. How could He exist, when he allowed a good man like Ivan to die, and allow his murderer to live? How could God have allowed Ben Hyuga to live, after he murdered her husband?
Flashback: 1887, Vlastovich
Katerina and Ivan were sitting at their kitchen table when Anne waltzed into the room, a reluctant man of average height dragged along behind her. "Katie!!! I want you to meet my fiancé, Ben Hyuga! He asked me to marry him!" Ivan examined his soon to be brother in law. He was an average man in all respects, with his only redeeming feature being his shy smile, filled with adoration as he stared at his fiancée.
"Annie! That's great! Do you want to stay for dinner, Mr Hyuga?" Katerina asked him, glancing over at him.
"If that's alright with you," he said shyly. "I wouldn't want to impose though,"
"Nonsense!" Katerina replied, and it was settled.
Katerina raised a face wet with tears. A month after that dinner, Anne and Ben married in a quiet ceremony. 2 months after the dinner, her life changed forever.
Flashback
The four of them were sitting in Katerina's house, enjoying their last meal together. Tomorrow Ben would return to his barracks, taking Anne with him. The meal was intended to be a celebration, but Ben was not participating. Instead, he picked at his meal, didn't respond to anything spoken to him, and generally acted as though he wasn't there.
"Ben, is something wrong?" Anne asked anxiously. He looked at her and sighed. "I don't know. I feel like something's about to happen, something I won't like." He shrugged. "I guess its just nerves."
As the meal progressed, Ben became more quiet and drawn, as though something was siphoning his energy. Suddenly his head shot up, eyes widening in a pallid face.
"Nooooooo!" he screamed. He stared blindly at the other guests. "STAY AWAY!!!" he yelled, and ran for the door.
"Ben!" cried Anne and stood up to follow.
That was the day Ben Hyuga became a Harmonixer. His father had suicided, driven to insanity by the souls he had collected, and had passed his taint to his son. After Ben ran out the door, Ivan followed him and was sent upon by the unholy fusion of the temporarily mad Ben Hyuga and the soul of darkness. Ivan had no chance. Ben arrived back in the room where Anne was staying and took her away before she could find out what he had done. Katerina was left with the ravaged corpse of her husband. She did not tell Anne what Ben had done. She wasn't even sure that Ben himself knew. Her research into the area indicated that Harmonixer breakthrough is a particularly dangerous time. Yet, even if Ben was not accountable for his actions, her husband was still dead. Ben and Anne's child stayed under her roof, a potential force of destruction.
Had Yuri killed his own mother while going through Harmonixer breakthrough? Katerina didn't want to consider it. She only wanted to focus on what she saw now, a fragile ten-year-old child. However, if he were a Harmonixer, he would need training with weapons. She stood up and walked over to the ladder leading to the basement, and climbed down it.
Once in the basement, she opened the box with 'Old Stuff' written on it. After much searching, tossing of random junk and swearing, Katerina found what she was looking for, a miniature set of hand claws.
Yuri looked at her blankly when she gave him the claws. "What are these for Auntie?" he asked bewildered.
"Just go down to Josef Jasinksi and tell him that I said you need to know how to use these." Yuri continued to look at her, then shrugged.
"Okay!" he said, then ran off.
Josef Jasinksi examined the boy in front of him. Katerina Milovich had sent him asking him to train the boy but he knew who the boy was. He was that murderer Hyuga's boy. But Katerina had asked him to do what he could, so he would. However, the boy would need some specialist training. He was just a swordsman, and it was obvious that this boy would never wield a sword. His build, while wrong for swinging a sword, would be perfect for martial arts. It was just his luck that an expert in martial arts lived in the nearby forest. Whether he would train the boy was another story. If not, Josef knew enough about fighting with his fists to teach the boy a little.
"Well Master Yuri, what would you like to do? I can teach you the little I know about using those claws, or you can go to an actual martial artist. Which do you want?" Yuri looked up shyly and said "Daddy has taught me how to use these, but can I still learn from you?" Josef shrugged.
"I don't mind. Maybe I can show you things that your daddy didn't get time to. Are you sure you want to learn from me?" Yuri looked at him with big brown eyes, pleading that he be allowed to stay here, to learn closer to home. Josef was not immune to the plea.
"I assume from the silence that you would like to learn from me. Well then, put on those claws, and I'll see what I can teach you"
Authors Note: Thanks Miffy and Nat for the reviews! I wasn't sure if my story was any good, but my confidence has been restored! I know that this chapter is shorter then the previous one, but the next one will be longer!
Nights Mistress
During the day, Katerina would set him chores that, while not mentally taxing, were physically intensive, in an attempt to exhaust him. Whether it was the candle, or the physical exhaustion, Yuri no longer woke screaming. If he dreamed, he did not remember them.
The book disappeared also. Katerina had no intention of allowing another episode like the previous one occur under her roof. Already the neighbours were talking about the strange boy she had taken in, and his constant screams into the darkness. She needed no such gossip, especially the ones where it was suggested that it was she that tormented the boy so. 'One day, he will have to leave,' she said to herself. Yet that day would never come, because whenever she thought this, an image of the frail boy looking up to her and calling her 'Aunt Katerina' would come to mind. If it wasn't for the damned Harmonixer talent, Yuri might have been the child she and Ivan never had. They had tried for years unsuccessfully, and Katerina always felt that it was her fault. Whenever she said this, Ivan would laugh and say "Katie dearling, 'tis not your fault. God will give us children when we are ready!"
But God never did. There was no God. How could He exist, when he allowed a good man like Ivan to die, and allow his murderer to live? How could God have allowed Ben Hyuga to live, after he murdered her husband?
Flashback: 1887, Vlastovich
Katerina and Ivan were sitting at their kitchen table when Anne waltzed into the room, a reluctant man of average height dragged along behind her. "Katie!!! I want you to meet my fiancé, Ben Hyuga! He asked me to marry him!" Ivan examined his soon to be brother in law. He was an average man in all respects, with his only redeeming feature being his shy smile, filled with adoration as he stared at his fiancée.
"Annie! That's great! Do you want to stay for dinner, Mr Hyuga?" Katerina asked him, glancing over at him.
"If that's alright with you," he said shyly. "I wouldn't want to impose though,"
"Nonsense!" Katerina replied, and it was settled.
Katerina raised a face wet with tears. A month after that dinner, Anne and Ben married in a quiet ceremony. 2 months after the dinner, her life changed forever.
Flashback
The four of them were sitting in Katerina's house, enjoying their last meal together. Tomorrow Ben would return to his barracks, taking Anne with him. The meal was intended to be a celebration, but Ben was not participating. Instead, he picked at his meal, didn't respond to anything spoken to him, and generally acted as though he wasn't there.
"Ben, is something wrong?" Anne asked anxiously. He looked at her and sighed. "I don't know. I feel like something's about to happen, something I won't like." He shrugged. "I guess its just nerves."
As the meal progressed, Ben became more quiet and drawn, as though something was siphoning his energy. Suddenly his head shot up, eyes widening in a pallid face.
"Nooooooo!" he screamed. He stared blindly at the other guests. "STAY AWAY!!!" he yelled, and ran for the door.
"Ben!" cried Anne and stood up to follow.
That was the day Ben Hyuga became a Harmonixer. His father had suicided, driven to insanity by the souls he had collected, and had passed his taint to his son. After Ben ran out the door, Ivan followed him and was sent upon by the unholy fusion of the temporarily mad Ben Hyuga and the soul of darkness. Ivan had no chance. Ben arrived back in the room where Anne was staying and took her away before she could find out what he had done. Katerina was left with the ravaged corpse of her husband. She did not tell Anne what Ben had done. She wasn't even sure that Ben himself knew. Her research into the area indicated that Harmonixer breakthrough is a particularly dangerous time. Yet, even if Ben was not accountable for his actions, her husband was still dead. Ben and Anne's child stayed under her roof, a potential force of destruction.
Had Yuri killed his own mother while going through Harmonixer breakthrough? Katerina didn't want to consider it. She only wanted to focus on what she saw now, a fragile ten-year-old child. However, if he were a Harmonixer, he would need training with weapons. She stood up and walked over to the ladder leading to the basement, and climbed down it.
Once in the basement, she opened the box with 'Old Stuff' written on it. After much searching, tossing of random junk and swearing, Katerina found what she was looking for, a miniature set of hand claws.
Yuri looked at her blankly when she gave him the claws. "What are these for Auntie?" he asked bewildered.
"Just go down to Josef Jasinksi and tell him that I said you need to know how to use these." Yuri continued to look at her, then shrugged.
"Okay!" he said, then ran off.
Josef Jasinksi examined the boy in front of him. Katerina Milovich had sent him asking him to train the boy but he knew who the boy was. He was that murderer Hyuga's boy. But Katerina had asked him to do what he could, so he would. However, the boy would need some specialist training. He was just a swordsman, and it was obvious that this boy would never wield a sword. His build, while wrong for swinging a sword, would be perfect for martial arts. It was just his luck that an expert in martial arts lived in the nearby forest. Whether he would train the boy was another story. If not, Josef knew enough about fighting with his fists to teach the boy a little.
"Well Master Yuri, what would you like to do? I can teach you the little I know about using those claws, or you can go to an actual martial artist. Which do you want?" Yuri looked up shyly and said "Daddy has taught me how to use these, but can I still learn from you?" Josef shrugged.
"I don't mind. Maybe I can show you things that your daddy didn't get time to. Are you sure you want to learn from me?" Yuri looked at him with big brown eyes, pleading that he be allowed to stay here, to learn closer to home. Josef was not immune to the plea.
"I assume from the silence that you would like to learn from me. Well then, put on those claws, and I'll see what I can teach you"
Authors Note: Thanks Miffy and Nat for the reviews! I wasn't sure if my story was any good, but my confidence has been restored! I know that this chapter is shorter then the previous one, but the next one will be longer!
Nights Mistress