Song playlist: Breath Of Life by Florence and the Machine

Chapter 10

Suffering

/sʌf(ə)rɪŋ/

1. the condition of one who suffers; the bearing of pain, distress or hardship

2. undergo martyrdom or execution

Mika could taste Krul's blood in his mouth. That was all he could focus on- the lingering aftertaste that should have been disgusting, yet was metallically addictive like sour candy.

He hated himself for the way his tongue ran along his pointed teeth against his will, trying to catch every last smear.

He hated himself for lots of things by now.

"Your new quarters," Krul interrupted his deteriorating thoughts. She swept her hand toward the door, the calmly arrogant regal twirl of someone used to and expecting to be obeyed.

Mika obeyed.

Twisting the polished door handle, Mika was unperturbed by having his back exposed to the vampire queen. What did it matter anymore? This was the day he had given in the his bloodlust, to the tantalising drip of blood flowing from Krul's wrist as she sliced it open to sway him to drink.

Now he was no different to the creatures his innocent Yuu hated the most. Pathetic, vile, a monster.

So he listlessly took in his surroundings with a dull apathy, as if his heart had been crushed of all energy. The luxuriously wide room, the gold braided red curtains, the plush carpet, the silk woven tapestries- they only fuelled the fire to his self-hatred.

All the gold in the world couldn't blind him to his new status as the Queen's pet.

In a twist of dark irony as soon as the thought filled his mind, Mika felt something cold press against his throat. Mika berated himself for his absentmindedness.

Why would the vampire queen want someone inferior to enter a room before her?

He staggered as he was forced to bend over backwards, Krul pulling him down from the back of his collar. "What-" he choked out.

"Shhh," Krul hushed, as if Mika was a startled animal. In the corner of his vision Mika saw her click something around his neck with a resounding note of finality. Krul batted away his hands reaching up, instead dragging him across the room effortlessly like a rag doll.

Standing before the full-length mirror, Mika's reflection stared wildly back at him. Krul stood smiling wickedly at his side, her arm looped into his like a possessive child with a new toy.

His neck was now adorned with an intricate gold choker embedded with blood red rubies and pearls.

"Get it off me," Mika trembled. "This- I don't want- I'm not a pet, not your pet."

He scrambled at the hard metal, trying to find any hooks or clasps. There were none. It was sealed permanently.

"Get it off me, get it off me, get it off me!"

He sank to the floor, fingers digging painfully into his flesh now as he tried to pry the choker off him. It was useless. In the reflection Krul draped her thin arms around his shoulders from behind.

Mika couldn't stop the tiny sob that escaped him.

"Shhh, shhhh" Krul hushed again, stroking Mika's face. "There, there, calm down."

"Then get this collar off me!"

"It's for your own protection. There will be those who will try to interfere with you for your mere favouritism from me, and countless more once they find out what you are. And" –Krul's arms tightened around Mika- "no one will dare touch what has been marked mine."

Krul straightened herself up tall. "As long as you live under and are loyal to me, you will live in the lap of luxury. I can decorate you in gems, drape you in the finest silks- anything for my dearest treasure."

"But that's all I am, isn't it? An object for you to possess," Mika replied bitterly.

Krul simply gave Mika's head an affectionate pat and turned to leave.

"Rest now, my treasure."

"Wait!"

Mika didn't know who was more surprised by his hand grasping at Krul's sleeve, as if he were a child begging his parent not to leave. He averted his eyes but didn't drop it.

"You said you'd give me anything, right?"

"That's correct," Krul confirmed, titling her head questioningly.

"I want to know about what these "Eyes" are- the Eye of Michael, the Eye of Lucifer, what they've got to do with Yuu and me- everything."

Mika looked Krul right in the eyes, desperately trying to make his eyes shine as blue as possible. Krul blinked slowly at the sight before sighing and flopping down on the bed.

"Your manipulation techniques are sloppy but still cute"- Mika flushed- "but as a vampire it'll serve you well with practice. It'll also serve you well to know about your history to bring the most out of your powers."

"So you'll tell me?"

"I will, if you come sit here," Krul said, tapping her foot twice. Mika stared- she couldn't possibly mean…well, he had lowered himself to worse before. He had to find out the truth if it involved Yuu.

Mika swallowed his pride and crawled over to Krul's feet, curling up with his back to Krul's legs and his arms around his knees.

"Good boy," Krul praised sickly sweetly. Mika's stomach clenched at the hand that began running through his hair but he held himself still.

"The story of the Eye of Michael and the Eye of Lucifer is common knowledge to all vampires, an ancient legend but known nonetheless. We do not age like humans do so we held on to the knowledge that was long forgotten by their kind…"

Rumours were being whispered in certain groups and circles, small bits of information being circulated within the shadows of Sanguinem.

"They say a group of livestock tried to escape and Lord Ferid was shot."

"How dare such scum lay hands on a noble?!"

"But have you heard what's being speculated?"

Dark looks flitted between the group of vampires, wary but thirsty for the golden coin in the Underworld- knowledge.

"Some things are better left unsaid," one of them warned, spinning a blade between their fingers. "Especially if it involves the private matters of the nobility and higher."

"But everyone here is thinking it," another pressed. Their crimson eyes shone in the dim light. "That the Eyes were somehow involved in the drama."

"That old tale?" came a sceptical scoff. "Don't be ridiculous. It's impossible."

"Hmmm, how did it go again? That well known tale?"

"You're not fooling anyone, you just have a flair for wanting to tell stories."

"Long, long ago there were two deities named Michael and Lucifer…"

"Deities? Like gods?" Mika asked, caught in rapt attention.

"Humans and their limited definitions," Krul scoffed. "Gods aren't the correct word. The closest you can call them in your understanding are powerful beings beyond the laws of all other creatures.

These two deities existed to balance each other. Two sides of a coin, two weights on a scale. But for reasons of their own they were locked in strife in eternal war against each other."

"They say they battled for a hundred years."

"I've heard it was a thousand years."

"It's impossible to tell," someone murmured, shaking their head. "The records of the ancient war have been lost to even us vampires. All we have is the stories passed down by word of mouth from the First Vampire Ancestors."

Mika looked faintly sceptical. "First you tell me deities exist, now that there's a Light side and a Dark side?"

"Impudent child, watch your tongue. The magics are highly revered amongst us." Krul's hand tightened warningly in Mika's hair. She loosened it when Mika lowered his head submissively. "Vampires and creatures of the Underworld realm are more naturally disposed towards Dark magic. Our First Vampire Ancestors fought under Lucifer, the leader of the Dark, against Michael's army of the Light."

"And the Light won?"

"Of course not. It came to a draw after a final battle where Michael and Lucifer came to a resolution between them. But they realised the destruction they had wrought upon the human realm and had to suffer for their sins."

Mika found himself gnawing at his lip with his elongated canines.

The vampire storyteller covered their right eye with their hand.

"The right eye for Michael" –and switched to cover their left eye – "and the left eye for Lucifer. That was the price they paid to atone for their sins- to gouge out their eyeballs, turning their body mortal, and for their spirit to inhabit their Eye after they died.

And the Eyes would be gifted to human carriers, "beholders of the Eyes", as it was their realm that was damaged. The Eyes would be passed down to whomever Fate and Destiny saw worthy to keep the balance between Light and Dark."

"This is foolish," the vampire with the blade sneered. They flipped it and laid it flat on their thigh. "Only fools would linger on a past long dead. No beholders of Eyes have been born for countless centuries now."

"I'm the beholder of the Eye of Michael," Mika whispered numbly. "And- when you were talking to Ferid- and the orphanage- the Eye of Lucifer must be Yuu."

"Clever boy," Krul crooned. "So you've got some intelligence as well as manipulation skills."

"You and Ferid were surprised to see my Eye. You didn't know I had the Eye of Michael," Mika's words came faster now as everything clicked into place in his mind. He twisted around to face Krul. "But you already knew that Yuu had the Eye of Lucifer. So now that he's escaped, you're claiming me openly as your pet to stop me getting away from you."

"Clever…" Krul stared at Mika for a few seconds. "Maybe too clever. Rest for now and sleep."

This time Mika let Krul leave wordlessly, too overwhelmed by all that had happened and all that he had been told.

"But if there really is a new beholder…" a vampire trailed off, not daring to voice aloud the question they were all thinking.

…where do our loyalties lie?

The curtains were shut, blocking all artificial light. Underneath the heavy blankets Mika was curled up tightly in the bed.

It was pitch black. Mika shivered violently. In the throes of his fear of the dark, Mika refused to open the curtains or light any of the lamps.

His neck was littered with bruises and scratches, clotted blood under his fingernails from trying to wrench his collar off by sheer force. By now his lips were a wrangled mess from where he had gnawed at them again and again and again.

Michael and Lucifer had to suffer to atone for their sins. Mika could let himself suffer for eternity and it would never make it up for leading his family to their deaths.

With his suffering came a unique kind of bitter, self-hateful pleasure.

Dragging the blanket further over his head Mika closed his eyes and thought of his Yuu, somewhere out there beyond his reach.

He fell asleep with blood trickling from his mutilated lips.

In his dream he opened his eyes to an achingly familiar pair of jade eyes.

"…Mika?!"

"Yuu?!"

Author's notes: owari no suffering :')

This obligatory long explanation chapter was needed but I tried to make it as interesting as possible. Next chapter will be...well, you'll see. I look forward to writing it c:

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