About three years ago, Oxfordshire
The ante-chamber of the Great Hall was lit by dozens of huge blood red candles, each dripping wax forming a huge pool on the floor. Wren stood in the middle of the room, dressed in a long black cloak and dark red dress specially created for the ceremony. She was facing the doors through which she would soon walk and meet her destiny.
Needless to say, she was a little aggitaded, and the clan members constantly buzzing around her, chanting ancient rites and covering her with annointing oils wasn't helping. She felt like lashing out at one, taking out her growing frustration on something which wasn't allowed to hit her back, but she resisted. Although she was only human...for the moment, she was still strong and fast enough to take on one of these lesser vampire minions by herself. As a human, however, she was able to restrain her more violent urges.
'But probably not for much longer,' Wren thought, a little apprehensively.
From behind her, she felt a movement in the air, as the outer doors of the room were opened. The minions around her drew back, bowing and scraping in respect and fear as the other figure entered the room. Wren's back stiffened just slightly, but her face remained impassive, as Seth came and stood at her left shoulder, leaning in to whisper menacingly in her ear.
"Guess time's up, Princess. You sure you're ready? You seem a little tense." Seth murmured, revulsion clear in his seemingly concerned words.
Wren remained facing forwards, seeming not to acknowlegde Seth's existance, a fact which thoughroughly infuriated him.
Seth's face screwed up in a more open show of disgust. "Just remember one thing, child, things don't always go the way you want them to," and then he was gone, storming into the Great Hall, a trail of simpering minions in his wake.
Wren let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, not allowing herself to dwell on the strangeness of Seth's words. She continued to mentally prepare herself for the life changing experience ahead of her, and steeled herself to the great power she was about to receive.
Great, now she was downright terrified.
-+-
Half an hour later, and the time had finally arrived. Wren was led into the Great Hall, cloak fanning out behind her and causing the candles around the room to flicker as she passed. At the very end of the room, was a raised platform where an altar had been set up. Around the room mystical symbols were painted on the floor and walls and the entire place was heavy and hot with the smoke from the candles.
Coming to stand at the foot of the altar, Wren felt one of her escorts reach round her neck and unclasp the cloak, letting it fall to the floor. The minions turned and left the room, closing the door behind them, as Wren took a step forward and kneedled in front of the only other two witnesses to this most powerful of ceremonies, her Master, and Seth.
The Master was dressed in a red ceremonial gown the same colour as Wren's dress, while Seth was dressed simply in a black silk shirt and black suit trousers, his head bowed and his dark hair falling to frame around his face. The candles lit him from behind, and for a moment Wren forgot that he was the cause of her life-long torment, so taken in was she by how stunning he looked.
The clothes he was wearing were so different from his usual understated look and defined his body perfectly, the low light in the room creating a mesmerising effect across his shirt. As he looked up her breath was almost taken away by the intensity of his eyes and she noticed for the first time how green and alive they were, apparently so innocent. Certainly a great contrast to his charater.
Seth stared at her intently for a moment that seemed to last a lot longer, both caught in the power of the atmosphere that surrounded them. Wren's attention was suddenly drawn back to where she was, when the Master placed his hand on her shoulders and began chanting in some archaic language.
Seth started about his assigned tasks, wafting incense around the room and repeating a few phrases the Master had spoken, his attention apparently everywhere but on Wren.
This continued for some time, Wren wasn't sure how long. The words the Master was speaking, combined with the smell of the incense and the heat of the room seemed to lull her into some kind of a trance, and the world seemed to spin around her. All conscious though had left her body when the Master began to speak in English.
"For here is the promised one!
Chosen above all others!
Exhalted! Powerfull
Created of the Darkness and the Light!
Let the Light wash over her but let her not be burned!
Let my Darkness be joined with hers!
Wren could feel something beginning in the air around her. It seemed to move inwards and she could feel it in her whole body...
Let the ground tremble!
...No, not her body. She had two...two bodies, and they needed to be joined...they needed...
Yes...the time...it was...now...she needed...now...
Let her Rise!
Wren felt as though her whole body was being lifted from the ground, her body trembling and filling with an indescribable power.
Rise!
The Master, now in his vampire guise, knelt before Wren, baring her throat to him and crying out to the entire world.
Rise!
RI - Aggghhhh!
Wren was too far gone to understand what was happening, but suddenly there was an enormous pain in the centre of her chest, like her heart had been ripped in two. Through barely conscious eyes she saw the Master fall to the ground, lifeless eyes turning to dust before her. Wren slumped forward, the pain of the unfinished ritual physically knocking her down, but was caught in the strong and unbreakable grasp of the vampire before her.
Seth, kneeling next to the sword he had just used to kill the Master, caught Wren and lifted her to her feet. Eyes glowing yellow he looked deeply into hers for an instant, convenying to her the certainty of what was about to happen.
Pushing her hair away from her neck, he whispered in her ear, almost seductively
"Rise..."
Before biting down savagely on her neck.
The pain in Wren's chest immediately diappeared, as she soared back to the height of her previous power surge. Something within her screamed out that this was wrong, but she was no longer in control of her body. Crying out from the pain in her neck and the overwhelming feeling consuming her, she bit down with human teeth on Seth's neck and drew her first blood.
-+-
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
And darkness.
Lots of darkness.
Wren looked around the space surrounding her, not really comprehending what was happening.
She was pretty sure this wasn't real. She had meditated out of her physical body before, but nothing had ever felt as empty as this.
'Am I dead?'
Far from it, a voice returned, but whether it was out there...wherever that may be, or in her head, she wasn't sure.
'Great, Matrix quotes.'
'Where am I?'
You mean you really don't know?
'Maybe I don't want to know.'
You've always known
Always known...
About me...
'Who are you?'
Take a look for youself
Wren turned around, and there in front of her was a girl. A girl Wren recognised like her own reflection, becasue it was her reflection, at least, it should have been, but there was no mirror.
'So how...?'
Don't fight it, said the girl in a voice that Wren now recognised as her own.
'You're the Slayer.'
No, I'm you.
'I'm the Slayer?'
And so much more...come...come here.
Wren stepped trance-like towards the slayer-her and reached out to touch her outstretched hand. They touched and there was a great flash of light and Wren stumbled backwards. Just as she did, she felt something grab her from behind and throw her to the floor.
Gazing up Wren saw a creature with a deformed face, clearly a vampire.
'But...you...you're not me...you're...'
No, the creature growled, I'm something else...Princess, and violently bit down on Wren's neck.
Wren screamed in agony, but no sound came out, as she and the vampire were joined forever