It is said there is a special kind of priestess. One that isn’t affiliated to just a single god. They are known as the Light Priestess and the Dark Priestess. (Not to be mistaken for the Priestess of Lightness or the Priestess of Darkness.) Usually, you will find the Light Priestess to be a member of the Dark races. While the Dark Priestess will be a member of the Light races. The last recorded Dark priestess was ironically a Light Elf. Worshipping the Gods of Darkness, Chaos and Death. The last recorded Light Priestess was believed to be a Demon, we don’t know anything of them, since communications with the Demons have always been through the speech of war.
Religious Records Study.
Staring up at the bright ceiling. Lucy tries to recall what she heard in her dream.
It felt like the times she dreamt of Lucy Blood. How she would be told something in such vivid details, only to forget upon waking.
Everything up until the revelation, that Chaos and Darkness were gods was clear and fresh, yet anything after that was fuzzy and unclear.
They spoke, she listened, but she didn’t remember. The emotions she felt was also muted after that point.
It was nothing new to her though.
Finally, she decided to get up.
She was in a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar location. The duality of the feeling was ignored for wanting to look around. Maybe find a weapon or two.
As she sat up. She noted the weird fact she was in an adult’s body. Usually, when she died, she was reborn as a baby, starting back at squire one. Or level one in some lives with a game like system.
Maybe I didn’t die… no scratch that… she thought, looking down and immediately disregarding the thought.
Her arms were smooth and pale. Not a scar or blemish marred the perfect, healthy looking skin.
She wore a white gown that did nothing to hide her feminine body, it was soft and light. Something nobles would probably wear. She’d know, she’s killed enough to know what kind of material they liked to sleep in. Is this silk?
She shook her head, dispelling the useless thoughts in such a strange and potentially dangerous situation. She’s seen such things before. In one life, when she was tortured for fun, one of her torturers favourite techniques was to create a world of luxury.
Letting her experience what it would be like, the comfort, the expensive items, what a life without torment could have been like. Before taking it all away in one traumatic event or another. Before being ripped out of that illusionary world and back to ‘reality.’
She learnt a lot about torture in that life. She defiantly enjoyed showing many would be future torturers a taste of their own medicine many times.
Running her hands over her slender yet bountiful body, she couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. She has never had breasts this large before, usually, she couldn’t eat enough to built them up while growing up in lives she was female. Yet these C-cup’s felt normal and natural to her.
She shook her head once more, deciding she had wasted enough time on examining her physical body.
The impractically large, and insanely comfortable and warm bed was surrounded by long crimson drapes. It looked simple, yet even those thick drape were soft to the touch. Finding the opening, she pulled them aside and looked out into the room.
She was surprisingly alone. The bedroom was large, larger than any she’s seen before. She’s killed a lot of rich people in their bedrooms before, but none had a bedroom so spacious.
It feels like a waste to her. Carefully, she moved, keeping an eye out for any movement not her own.
The first thing she took note off, was one possible exit. A single door with nothing around it to indicate it was anything else.
However, there was three doors in this room. Another on the far end, next to a fabric, semi transparent divider for dressing behind. She correctly assumes that was the walk in wardrobe.
The final door was the opposite side of the first. The second candidate for an exit with nothing around it.
Although it would appear the room to be quite sparse. It wasn’t quite empty. A dressing table sat near the walk in wardrobe with a seemingly simple, yet cushioned stool. Right on the opposite wall to it, are three standing, full size mirrors positioned perfectly to allow one to see every angle of an outfit on the body.
That was where she was heading. She needed to conform her suspicions.
The floor was completely covered in warm, fluffy royal red carpets, the walls a subdued light grey, with rich, dark brown wooden panelling skirting around the mid point down.
She noted a lack of dust or dirt anywhere, the place was clean, too clean.
As she walked bare foot, her feet sinking into the soft warm carpet, she catches the sight of crimson red. Freezing in place at the reflection depicted in the mirrors.
{We’re back,} a voice whispered from behind.
She turns, startled by the suddenness of it, only to come face to face with… herself.
Crimson eyes stare into her own. She had long flowing crimson hair, pale, blemish free skin. She wore a black lace bell dress that accentuated her natural, hourglass figure. The dress itself did nothing to hide her crimson bra, exposing her cleavage to a scandalising decree.
“I’m dreaming…” she muttered in confirmation.
{No, this is real, my dear,} her twin replied, {I am the fragment that you sealed away within both your body and soul, in case you forget who you were.}
“Lucy Blood?”
{Indeed, Queen Lucy Blood. The Vampire Progenitor. First of our kind, yada yada, yada…}
Lucy looked back at herself through the mirror. Noting the ‘other’ Lucy wasn’t reflected.
{I exist only within your mind. Your memories will return, but it will take time. It seems we are broken, if Darki said was true.}
“Darki?”
{Our patron Goddess, the Goddess of Darkness. Darki is a nickname we came up with long ago, since they can’t share their true names with mortals. She is also the one who created us. She is… in essence, the closest thing we have to a mother.}
“Wouldn’t that make us Demi-gods?” Lucy questioned.
{Pretty much, but being a demi-god is not what it’s all cracked up to be. At least I think? I’m in the same boat as you, those memories are locked away somewhere, and I don’t have access to them either. Only a few fragmented info dumps. My personality is a copy of you just before that thing sent you on a one way trip of hellish reincarnations.}
“Thing? So you don’t know who did it?”
{Sorry, but it removed itself from my memory before I could store it. Whatever it was, it knew of my… our abilities. At least you’re not a total wreck. You’re quite strong, no doubt thanks to me.}
Lucy wasn’t sure what to make of this… fragment. She wasn’t sure if she should believe any of what it says. Was she crazy? Most likely. But crazy enough to hallucinate something like this?
{Don’t be like that, dear. I am you, just a fragment of who we were long ago. After everything you experienced, I highly doubt we’d ever be the same again. It is probably for the best…}
“What?” Lucy looked at the fragment, eyes wide in anger.
{Melancholy. We’re old, Lucy. We were old before it happened. We didn’t care for much of anything. We waited on that throne, waiting for someone to come and put an end to our immortal life. We distracted ourselves with whatever we could that kept our interest. Drink, sex, war, battle, family. Eventually, it all became… nothing. You know deep down, know what it feels like. You’ve felt the fraction of what true age is.
Now you have another chance at life. One where you have power. One where you are the master. One where you are one of the most powerful creatures in the whole world. No one can stop you. You can experience the luxury that has been denied to you for as long as you can remember. Unlike me, your old self. You can be happy again. You can smile again. Laugh. Have fun. Enjoy sex. You can do what you want.}
The words of her fragment self echoed in her mind, resonating with a long forgotten desire. I can do what I want…
{You are back to where you belong. You are Lucy Blood, Queen of the Vampires. Progenitor. If you don’t believe me, ask our goddess Darki the next time you speak to her. Do yourself a favour, and ask yourself, who are you?}
Her fragment self suddenly vanished with a gentle smile on her face. Lucy had a lot to think about.
“Who am I… really?” was she really Queen Lucy Blood? She dreamt of Lucy Blood in the past.
If it wasn’t for those dreams, she would never have fought back against the abuse… or earned the nickname of The Crimson Queen upon wanted posters in her past lives.
“Maybe… I am…” she looked back at her reflection. Her crimson eyes shined brightly, her ruby full lips forming up into a bloodthirsty smile some would find evil. Two sharp fangs adorned her front row, ready for flesh and blood.
She was a Vampire, the progenitor. The power coursing within her new old body was something she hasn’t felt in all her former lives. She was powerful. She felt powerful. Untouchable. Unkillable.
“Never again,” she muttered, never again will I be a slave… never again will I be abused. Never again will I let people hurt me. I’ll kill them first… I’ll hurt them first… I’ll enslave them… no, I will never enslave anyone.
A knock suddenly brought her out of her thoughts, she turned to the door as it opened, to meat silver eyes staring at her unflinchingly.
The day was a long one for Isabel. After containing the humans inside the palace, and escorting them back into the guest wing of the palace under guard, she remained within the throne room.
Now she had to wait.
She still couldn’t believe the day had come. Her mother was back, but was resting. She couldn’t sleep, nor could she leave her post.
Hours passed as several humans was volunteered by Tina to move the displays in the throne room. Emptying it out almost completely and returning it to it’s original spender, minus the hidden seating.
“Alpha. Beta reporting in,” the shadow Beta appeared before her, lifting up her hood to reveal her dark red, almost brown hair. Her crimson eyes wasn’t as bright as her own, but they were still a shade brighter then the others.
It showed just how high her race was compared to other vampires. A Noble Vampire.
“Report, Beta,” Isabel simply spoke. The two was alone in the throne room at the moment.
No doubt the humans outside was trying to gain access to the palace as they spoke. Despite how well made the barrier was, it won’t last forever, they all knew this.
Beta sighed. “I’m here to relief you.”
“No.”
“I know what you are doing, Isabel,” Beta said in a quiet voice, “but you need sleep just like the rest of us. You’ve been up since yesterday afternoon. You need to rest.”
“I have ignored your breach of pro-”
“Cut the crap, Isabel,” Beta rudely interrupted, “your worried about your mother, it’s natural. I’m worried too. The palace is sealed off, and the humans outside are getting restless. If they break through, we’ll fight, but you’ll be no good if you are too tired to think straight.”
“…”
“As second in command, I am ordering you to bed.”
Isabel was stunned to silence. This was the first time Beta has ever ordered her to do something since she took the name Alpha. She couldn’t believe what she heard.
Sure, she could understand what she was saying, and if it was at any other time, she would be inclined to agree with her sentiment. But not this time.
“Jade, I’m fine, I need to do this…” her voice lost strength as she spoke. The stern look Beta was giving her was one she knew a little too well.
“The time of the Shadow Guard is coming to an end,” Beta said, “there are too few of us remaining. Now that the Queen is back, we can rebuild.”
Isabel stared at Beta in stunned silence. A part of her understood what she was talking about, agreeing with what she had said. She personally wasn’t looking forwards to having to find someone who isn’t her lover to impregnate her, but needs must. But ending the shadow guard?
Before she could open her mouth to rebuke, both sharply turned to face the throne.
The air shifted around Isabel’s right hand as she rose in a defensive stance, a moment later, she was holding a thin double edged sword.
The blade itself was coloured a pure white, with what appeared to be cracks of crimson pulsating throughout the thin, almost rapier like blade. The guard was pure gold, curving around the handle of crimson.
Beta held a much larger blade in one hand. Almost as long as she was tall, she held it in one hand despite how heavy such a bastard sword as her’s would weigh.
Like Isabel’s, her double edged sword was made of a pure white material, with cracks of pulsating crimson running up the centre. The crimson handle was long enough to comfortably fit two hands, attached to the end was a thick, spiked golden hilt and a matching straight gold crossguard.
The two stared at the throne, focused on the space just right of the backrest.
Their breath seems to freeze into mist as it leaves their mouths, despite the room not feeling any colder.
The crystals that lit the throne room, flouting in mid air near the domed roof, that has remained lit for a thousand years dim. The braziers upon the walls, never once lit on fire, burst into blue flames, dying the entire room in a cold blue hue.
Neither women has ever seen this happen before, neither has even heard of such a thing.
Yet both remained steadfast, maintaining eyes on the apparent intruder standing not far from the throne’s back that no one else could probably see.
“Reveal yourself!” Isabel shouted with as much authority as she could muster.
Beta moved to separate from Isabel, slowly shuffling to create much needed distance in case whatever that has appeared attacked.
The air shifted. Faster than a blink of an eye, they appeared.
A young looking, silver eyed, silver haired woman had appeared. She wore a black dress that ran down to her ankles, with long sleeves to her wrist, a white apron over her front down with white gloves and a white hair band and black shoes.
A very real, and familiar uniform of a maid. Isabel recognised it as the maid uniform of the palace, no, of a uniform very specific to one maid from a thousand years ago of the palace.
“Wait, you’re…” Isabel lowered her blade, her mouth hung open in shock.
“You know her?” Beta asked. Unlike Isabel, she didn’t recognise this person, nor did she lower her guard.
The maid’s silver eyes turned to Beta first. Every muscle in her body froze in an instant, she was unable to move.
Then, her eyes moved to Isabel. But she didn’t freeze. The blue flames changed once more, turning to a more natural hue of yellow, bringing a more warmer hue to the throne room, along with the crystals above returning to their former brightness.
“Princess Isabel, it has been too long,” a smooth, light voice came from the maid, as she walked out in front of the throne, her steps echoing throughout, she turned to the door, “we have a guest, it seems.”
Isabel turned to see a familiar sight. “Tina?”
Tina stood there frozen in place, much like Beta. She was halve way across the throne room. Neither Isabel nor Beta heard her come in, which was strange.
“A rare sight within these halls, for a Dark Priestess to seek audience. What business do you have, your holiness?”
The maid conducted a simple, yet elegant curtsey, flaring out her dress as she bent her knees for a moment before standing up straight and proper once more.
Tina’s eyes widened even more so then they were. Before she quickly stepped forwards, making her way towards the two shadows.
“I have been sent by the dark gods, to wait and support your queen for when she was freed, my name is Tina Meadow, who are you?”
The maid smiled. “Who I am is none of your concern, all you must know, is I am her royal majesties personal, and only servant. Please conform your affiliation to the one who created the vampire,” the silver hair maid spoke in a smooth and even tone.
Tina eyed both Isabel and Beta, Beta still being frozen in place, while Isabel was frozen in shock.
“The goddess of Chaos, the God of Death, and the Goddess of Void sends their regards.”
The maid smiled. “You pass. I must ask, why is it the gods require you to come here? What is your divine mission? And what is it you get for doing such?”
Tina swallowed nervously, pulling her blue robes closer in on herself. “The queen has suffered a great deal. She may not remember her time as Queen. I have been sent to support her the best I can.”
“And is having a sexual relationship with the princess a part of this mission?”
Tina’s complexion turned white as she glanced at Isabel. “P-princess?”
“…” feeling put on the spot, and overwhelmed by everything happening so suddenly, Isabel was unable to respond.
“She may have joined the Shadow Guard, but she is who she is. I have been away for far too long. I sense many humans within my territory. I must learn of what has transpired while I, and my Queen has been away.”
The maid vanished, the fires within the braziers flickered out as if they never existed.
The room become suddenly quiet and still. Until Beta fell to her knees, her large bastard sword clicking on the floor.
She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath before turning to Isabel with narrow eyes. “Explain…”
Isabel took a deep breath. Nodded, and with a simple motion, her sword vanished from her hand. “She’s… mothers personal maid, she… vanished the same time as my mother was sealed, I… I didn’t know she could do that.”
Silence once more. It seems the three needed time to process what had just happened.
Lucy stared into the silver eyes of a maid. The most modestly dressed maid she had ever seen, and the most silvered.
Her experiences may have been a little influenced by the corrupt lives she had led. Most, if not all maids she met were slaves, either wearing very skimpy uniforms that hid nothing of their body and/or privates, or were forced to be naked with just a colour and headband on. There were probably some proper, professional maids out there, but she doesn’t recall encountering them… much.
Lucy found this mature looking maid to be quite beautiful, yet she found it odd she didn’t feel any attraction towards her at all, instead, there was a strong sense of familiarly. A sense of familial recognition she couldn’t understand.
The silent staring contest continued on for a few moments too long, making things quite awkward. That’s when she felt something, different.
Every muscle in her body tensed for just a brief moment. Not enough to freeze her in place, but enough to make her aware of [something] had just happened she didn’t quite understand.
After such a long time of silent staring, the maid finally broke the silence. “Who are you?”
Her tone wasn’t accusatory, nor was it threatening. It was a simple question made in a neutral tone of voice.
Lucy wasn’t sure what was best to say, but if what this fragment said earlier was true, then she was indeed Lucy Blood.
So that’s the name she’ll go by. [Better then being called bitch, or whore 23.] “Lucy Blood?”
The maid’s thin eyebrow rose slightly at that response. “Do you remember me?” she asked, much more direct in her tone this time.
“I guess you do feel familiar?”
“Good,” a smile appeared on the maids face, one that Lucy guessed was a rare sight, “we were concerned you might have lost all your memory, if I am familiar, then there is a chance you can recover all your memories in time. As for who I am, I would prefer you to recall on your own, but we don’t have the luxury for such.
“My name is Anna, or that was what you named me, so, so long ago.”
“I named you?” Lucy questioned, confused. She hoped she wasn’t the type of person she would kill in their sleep, that was feel awkward.
“Yes, at the time, I was but a simple Spirit, governing the element of Void.”
“Void is an element? Isn’t Void the lack of something?”
“Today it is known as Darkness, much like the Goddess, Darki.”
“Ah, I see…” Lucy moved to sit on the bed, all this standing around doing nothing was making her restless. For the first time, since she could recall, she felt completely at ease with this Anna, “wait, you’re a Spirit?”
“Yes. We entered into a contract long ago. You have already fulfilled your part, so you need not worry if you have forgotten the details.”
“What was my part?” Lucy was very interested now. She knew of Spirits, most worlds had them, and they were both powerful, and rare.
“To help me evolve to the highest level. I am a Spirit Empress. I have domain over all elements.”
Lucy was taking this quite well, all things considered. It’s not every day you wake up as a powerful being you’ve dreamt of for longer than you could recall. Let alone a powerful Vampire.
“What is your part of the deal?”
“To serve you, and allow you and your people to reside peacefully in my domain. Though I will admit, part of that was to protect Midnight, your capital city from threats, I’m afraid I have failed in that department.”
“Failed?”
“There is much to discuss, for now, you must be hungry. We can discuss more after we have you washed, dressed and fed.”
Anna, the Spirit Empress Maid headed towards the walk in wardrobe, ignoring the pointed look Lucy was giving her.
Something told her this maid wasn’t going to reveal anything else until after she had eaten. But before that…
“Wait, washed?!” a rush of excitement ran through her body. When was the last time I had a proper bath?
