"There once was an old paper, centuries old, that told of Lilith`s daughter. It was the only document that claimed Lilith had ever had a daughter. The fate of that document and her alleged daughter was lost to the Angels. It was destroyed in the battle against the Witches. Few ever laid eyes on it, but still tales were spun and prophecies weaved. The document was hated by Athien. Lilith conceived the female child with a human male. She was the first woman vampire, and the first to breed with a human, Jonathan Williams. That is why the document was kept secret and hated by Athien. Athien has a deep hatred for the humans and for them to so easily have seduced the most powerful Vampiress, the one responsible for our very existence. He destroyed the document, and the child`s name was never known, only her father`s; Jonathan Williams. Lilith knew the child would be hated and hunted, she had the child Magicked, her powers and true nature hidden until the day the spell was broken. Until she was Turned and her true self awakened, until she was brought into the Realm of Immortals. Lorena, you are Lilith`s daughter. You were always meant for this life. That is how you knew how to use the Daggers of Lilith, you are her daughter. That is why you were able to defeat Draco. It may be why you are able to conceive. You are the one who is destined to break us free from this prison, to defeat the Angels, our suppressors."
Lorena shook her head, trying so hard to not hear the words he was speaking. The words she knew, deep in her soul, sung with truth.
"Jonathan...he beat Catherine, the woman I believed to be my mother, to death because he believed she had conceived the child she was pregnant with at the time, with another man."
"It was indeed Jonathan's child. He was so fearful she had found out his secret, found out who you were, he was paranoid she had lain with a vampire as he had. If anyone had found out who you were or what Jonathan had done, you all would have been burned alive, including Lilith. Your father was only trying to protect you."
Lorena`s eyes glistened, blood red tears made paths down her face.
"No my father did not love me! He wasn't protecting me! He took away the first person to show me kindness and love! He only wanted me to suffer! He beat me, mercilessly, relentlessly, for well over a decade! How is that love!?" She shook her head, "He never loved me."
Darrain watched her for a long moment. He shook his head somberly.
"I am not trying to justify his actions toward you. I am just simply telling you the truth about who you are."
Lorena balled her hands into fists. Her eyes darkened, her mood defiant, as her tears slowed.
"I will never kneel to any man. I will not be controlled by some prophecy that there isn't even proof it ever existed!"
Darrian cackled, his own eyes darkening.
"Dearest Lorena! If there is one thing I've learned surviving centuries is that we cannot run from who we are!"
Lorena shook with a chilling laugh. Her head bowed, her hair creating a curtain of black, hiding the stone cold madness that lie within her eyes.
"You can change your fate. We can choose to break free of the chains that bind us. We may not be able to change who we are at the core, but we can change how things affect us and the decisions we make that impact our future. We can let go of our pasts, the scars may remain but we can choose to not let the past dictate our future."
Darrian scoffed but Lorena continued,
"I broke free of my father, of my old life, so I could live happily in the life I wanted. Even when everything seemed bleak I never gave up, I fought for the vision of my future I so desperately craved. I won. My father sought to keep me alone and afraid under his hand. I am free. The scars of my past will never fade, but I won't let them control me, they are just a part of me but they are not who I am!"
Athien continued to dress as though she had never spoke, the severity of her words must not have sunk in.
"ATHIEN! The Wall is weakening! We will be attacked on all sides! The Angels will finish what they started all those centuries ago! I have never known you as a man who doesn't fight! Who just lies down and dies!"
Athien spun on her.
"I will fight! The thing I will not do is form an army based on rumors! Unless there is solid proof, I will not call to arms! If the rumors turn out to be just that, we will have a war with our allies! We will be easy targets for the Angels then! Is that what you want Crystal! They are just rumors! When and if, they become more then I will take action!"
Crystal`s eyes blazed with anger.
"You fool. You have no safeguards in place. Your people are afraid regardless if they are just rumors or not!"
"They would rather feel safe as their friends and supposed allies slit their throats in the dead of night!?"
Crystal closed her eyes, frustration crinkling her features. Athien was folding in the cuff of his jacket when he saw something in her silver eyes that floored him; fear. A type of fear he had never seen there and he had hoped he would never see, fear of him. Fear for him was there as well but it wasn't as unsettling. She had never feared him; she was always the one that understood him better than anyone else. Even when she was human and he immortal and lethal, she had never feared him. Athien`s face softened.
"Crystal, my gem..."
Blood tears landed softly on her silk gown, her eyes shimmered with her pain and sorrow
"You are being a fool. I will lose you because of your stubbornness! I`m afraid of you, for you, because, you do not see your own stupidity, and it will lead to your demise. I know your determination cannot be broken... I do not know which destruction I would rather have, the Angels`, or your fathers`."
Athien wrapped his arms around her.
"I told you that you would have nothing to fear if you chose this life with me. It seems I will not be able to hold true to that my sweet."
He wiped her tears away with a graceful, callused finger. He licked the blood from his finger and tilted her face to look at him. He kissed each of her eyes and kissed her tears from her cheeks. She laughed softly in his arms.
"No matter our fate, I will never regret choosing you Athien, or this life."
Athien nestled his face among her hair, breathing in the scent of his beloved. He kissed her neck softly, as she leaned against him. He teased her neck with his fangs and she smiled.
" I will never regret my love for you or spending eternity with you." He whispered quietly into her skin, the movement sending tiny vibrations up her neck.
He disentangled himself from her, planting a delicate kiss on her lips. He allowed himself a small moment of happiness and a smile lightened his features. Crystal smile widened by the presence of his smile, a genuine smile, the one he saved just for her. Athien gave her one final kiss before he let the strand of happiness disappear as he thought about the task at hand.
"Phillip!" Athien called for his long time servant.
Phillip, his mane ruffled by the wind, straightened his green robes before bowing to his master.
"I need you to give the order to ready arms, tell them it is a direct order from me, and be quick about it."
Confusion and worry rippled across Phillip`s aged features. Athien allowed his own doubts and worry about the servant ,who had been with him since before this life, show in his bony eyes. Athien had come to think of Phillip as something close to a friend.
"My dear friend, I fear the rumors of the Wall weakening may hold some truth to it."
Phillip cast away all fear and worry at Athien`s words. He set his jaw and looked into Athien`s unwavering eyes with his own. Phillip wished he could give his master, whom he also saw as a friend, all his strength. Athien would need it in these coming days. The burden was already burying the last of the Athien that Phillip had always known, long before this life. Phillip had been Athien`s servant since Athien could talk. He vowed to always be with the boy, in life and death. Although, Phillip could never have known he would also follow the boy into an existence that was niether quite one or the other. If Athien perished in this battle that would define all, Phillip would follow his master, and his master`s beloved, into whatever awaited them after this gave an understanding and somber nod.
He bowed again deeply, " I shall give the command, Lord Athien. I
wish you health and victory."
The faintest of smiles played on Athien`s lips.
"You have been a better servant and friend to me then ayone deserves. I am grateful for all you have done for me and i appreciate all you continue to do. I wish you much health and longitivity. You are dismissed, Phillip."
Phillip stood from his bow and turned to walk out the door. He paused a moment.
"Do be safe dear Lord. It has been an honor to serve under such a great man, no matter how this may end."