It’s been a while since Camilla has had to interact with anyone except for her test subjects. Even with the townsfolk, she almost always uses intermediaries in the form of her Knights. Animated Suits of Armor, they cannot be persuaded, they cannot be killed, and they cannot be turned against her. All in all, they make for the perfect servants in the end, allowing her to live in her Castle all alone most of the time.
 
In the end, she was a private person. She preferred her alone time over constant interaction, especially with mortal beings. Staying in her Castle, working on her experiments, expanding her knowledge further and further… these were the things that Camilla enjoyed most in her immortal life. It took quite a lot for her to leave her Castle behind. Quite a lot indeed for her to do anything but stay couped up where it was solitary and safe.
 
Still, perhaps it had been too long since she’d come face to face with any but those under her absolute power, because even now she wasn’t entirely sure how to… speak to the half-orc boy in front of her. Not just because of what he represented, but because of who he was. Who his parents were.
 
All those years ago, when Gral-Ra had been slain, Camilla had gone to ground. Truth be told, she hadn’t known whether the plan had worked or not. Her Mistress had not seen fit to let Camilla know that Marcus had even been born. Was Gral-Ra afraid that Camilla would spirit the babe away and perform experiments on him? Had her lover convinced her that Camilla was not to be trusted?
 
… Even all these years later, the Vampire could not say for sure one way or another. For all her knowledge, for all her power, she could not call upon the dead to ask them questions, so she had no way of knowing what exactly went through the previous Dark Lord’s mind when she decided to keep Camilla in the dark about Marcus’ existence.
 
Truth be told, she couldn’t say for certain what she would have done, had she known about him when Gral-Ra and his father were slain. Would she have gone out of her way to procure him? Would she have sent someone to retrieve him and bring him to her if she’d known he existed? Or would she have done the easy thing and stayed in Thornswood, lying low as she’d done while ignorant of him?
 
Smaller minded folks might have thought she chose this place as her personal fiefdom on a whim, but they did not know all there was to know. The Barony of Thornswood wasn’t just her refuge… it was her home. She had built these lands up with blood, sweat and tears hundreds of years ago, and she had been the very first Baroness Bloodstone, back when the Holy Empire was still young.
 
These lands had always held sentimental value to Camilla, because thousands of years ago, this was where she’d been born. Long before the Pact between Elf and Man was made. Long before the Holy Empire ever existed. Before the Elves ascended and called themselves High Elves… she had already existed. Yes, Camilla had been around for a long, long time.
 
In the end, no matter how much she traveled, no matter how far she ranged… she always ended up back here. Thornswood. Her homeland. That was why it was so foolish of those Vampire Hunters and their Order to think they could come after her. It never went well for them… but truth be told, Camilla didn’t mind it one bit. Their sporadic attempts over the centuries always provided her with flesh… guilt-free test subjects for her experiments.
 
Contrary to popular beliefs, contrary to all expectations, Camilla was not as far removed from the mortal lives around her as her hunters would expect. In all fairness to them… they had every reason to hunt her and want to put her down. She was not the first Vampire, but she was one of the earliest examples of her kind.
 
In the thousands of years since she’d been turned, Camilla could count on one hand the number of Vampires she considered worth her time. The vast majority of her kind were worthy of being hunted by the Order. The vast majority deserved to be tracked down and removed from this plane of existence. Camilla would never say it out loud… but the Order did hard, necessary work to keep Vampirism from spreading across the lands until the world drowned in blood.
 
That was why she’d helped create it all those centuries ago, after all. Yes, unbeknownst to the modern day Order themselves, Camilla had been one of their founders. A silent benefactor if you will. She’d never wanted to control them though, and so she’d made no efforts to keep them from hunting her too. But of course… that just made them fair game.
 
Still, getting back to the matter at hand, Camilla peers at Gral-Ra’s son through her glowing spectacles, even as she watches him come to terms with that last revelation she’d dropped on him. Finally, the half-orc finds his voice.
 
“You… made the Identification Signs? But… why?”
 
Raising a single sculpted eyebrow, Camilla leans back for a moment.
 
“Why not? You misunderstand my purpose, Marcus. I do not reside as Baroness Bloodstone in these lands for the sake of lording my superiority over my subjects. I’ve already said I am not inclined to waste their lives so easily, but allow me to elaborate. My purpose here… is to research ways to benefit you mortals and your fleeting existences.”
 
Gral-Ra’s son blinks at that, clearly taken off guard by this latest revelation. Perhaps not as badly as her admission that she’d invented the Identification Signs, but he’s still surprised… and of course, incredulous.
 
“Wait… seriously?”
 
Camilla smiles slightly, her head tilting to the side.
 
“Yes. My kind… we develop obsessions, you see. Often, these obsessions are to our own detriment and the detriment of those around us. However, I was very fortunate. Early on in my immortality, I developed an obsession with bettering you mortals. Ever since, my research has been based around helping you lot do the best you can with your fleeting existences.”
 
For a long moment, Marcus has to process this. Then, he frowns, as if thinking of something. She’s a little disappointed by what comes out of his mouth next… but she’s forced to remind herself that he’s not had the education he should have.
 
“But then… why not just turn everyone into more of your kind? Since Vampires are immortal, wouldn’t that be the quickest solution to ‘bettering’ all of us?”
 
It’s clear he doesn’t think so. What the Hunter had told him before shooting him, along with what he’d seen so far, had clearly colored his perception of what a Vampire was for the worse. Good. Shaking her head, Camilla explains why his question is ultimately so foolish.
 
“The vast majority of my kind are impulsive, obsessive creatures, Marcus. Not to mention, we feed on the blood of the living. If everyone were to become a Vampire, where would our food come from? This world would rapidly drown itself in bloody war, only to leave behind a desiccated, lifeless wasteland when it was all over.”
 
Marcus slowly nods at that, swallowing thickly as he at least takes her words to heart. Smirking at that, Camilla lets her purple eyes twinkle for a moment.
 
“Besides, if I started turning people within the Holy Empire to Vampires, things would get messier even faster. IT would not be amused, I’m afraid.”
 
That gets a blink from Marcus, and then a furrowed brow.
 
“It? What is it?”
 
But rather than answer him right away, Camilla continues on as though she didn’t hear his question.
 
“Which brings us to you and your circumstances, of course. Your situation is certainly a unique one, I’m afraid. That’s why you’re here, is it not? To discover the true nature of your Job?”
 
At that, Marcus is easily distracted from her mention of IT. He leans forward, his eyes suddenly wide open and filled with curiosity. Yes, he’s very, VERY interested in what she has to say.
 
“That… that’s why I’m here. Please. What can you tell me?”
 
Here, Camilla’s smirk graduates into a wide smile. That curiosity, that interest, that hunger for knowledge… he reminds her of his mother for an instant, and she can’t help but be pleased. Still, she tamps down on her own excitement, reminding herself that in truth, he’s only so hungry to know because it involves him specifically. That doesn’t mean she won’t give him the answers he seeks, however.
 
“The answer is both simple… and quite complex. You are in fact both the Dark Lord and the Destined Hero… at the exact same time.”
 
She won’t lie. This is the most excited she’s been in decades, if not centuries. Standing before her is the culmination of quite a lot of effort. To say Camilla wasn’t absolutely thrilled would be an understatement. If only she’d known about Marcus earlier… but no. No point in thinking about what could have been, especially for a creature like her.
 
With thousands of years of memories, ‘what could have been’ led down a rabbit hole of a million different moments. In the end, Camilla would always force herself to only contend with what was and what is, rather than ephemeral things like ‘what could have been’.
 
“How… H-How is that possible? How am I both?”
 
Hm. He doesn’t ask why it’s complex, instead choosing to focus on the simple part. A little disappointing, but Camilla doesn’t let that get her too down…
 
“It has to do with how the two Jobs work, Marcus. This is a little known fact… but the Destined Hero is a Job that’s passed down by bloodline. A bloodline just as old as the Royal Bloodline of the Holy Empire, as a matter of fact.”
 
Marcus’ breath hitches at that.
 
“What? What are you saying? My father was… the last Destined Hero?”
 
Camilla pauses at that, caught off guard for a moment.
 
“You didn’t know?”
 
In response, the young half-orc shakes his head, looking completely lost.
 
“I don’t even know his name…”
 
Truly? Had no one else close to him known? Or was it just a massive oversight? Either way, Camilla sees no harm in telling him.
 
“His name was Caleb. He was a human man… your human half comes from him, of course.”
 
Slowly nodding at that, Marcus looks lost in thought for a second, but to his credit, he gets himself back on track without her having to actually step in.
 
“I… I knew my mother was the previous Dark Lord. But no one told me that my father was the Destined Hero… how could that be? How did it happen?”
 
Shrugging, Camilla sighs.
 
“It was a gambit, to be sure. Pairing the Dark Lord and Destined Hero together. I wasn’t sure it would work.”
 
As expected, Marcus jumps on that bait with both feet.
 
“You… wait, you brought my parents together?”
 
She saw no reason to deny it. Certainly no reason to try and deceive him.
 
“I did. Though I must confess, even as I played matchmaker for the two of them, I could not have guessed how deep their love for one another would grow. You mortals always manage to surprise me.”
 
Marcus leans in closer now, clearly enticed by word of his parents.
 
“Were they… happy together, then?”
 
Giving him a dry look, Camilla can’t help but scoff before gesturing to herself.
 
“Look at me, Marcus. Think back on our interactions so far. You tell me, if their relationship were solely based on my machinations, do you truly think it would have lasted long enough to result in you?”
 
For a moment, Marcus DOES look at her… and his eyes linger on her chest as he flushes. Cute, but Camilla feels none of the same in return. It had been a long time since she felt an ounce of lust for anyone, truth be told.
 
“No. Ultimately, the two of them were meant for each other, with or without my interference. All I really did was prevent them from killing each other long enough for them to see it. A gambit, as I already called it. One designed to finally yield results for this problem I’ve been working on for a thousand years now."
 
As Marcus takes this in, quietly processing what she’s just told him, Camilla can’t help herself.
 
“The Destined Hero is quite the sticky Job, you see. No matter what, it can never be truly stamped out. Despite several efforts over the centuries, the Job has always found a way to come back with a vengeance. Until now, I suppose.”
 
Marcus’ brow furrows at that, before his eyes widen.
 
“Oh… because I’m both?”
 
Camilla nods.
 
“Quite. The Dark Lord Job, however, is not like the Destined Hero. It is not something that is passed down solely through bloodline, though you are not a unique case in that regard either. Sons and daughters have inherited the Dark Lord Job from their parents before, much as you did. However, it was because of other things besides blood. Things that, even with all of these centuries to study it, I can’t possibly list in their totality for you.”
 
Pausing for a moment, Camilla considers her next words carefully… before ultimately shrugging, both mentally and physically. She was going to have to tell him anyways, wasn’t she? There was too much at stake to keep him in the dark any longer.
 
“My gambit in getting your mother and father together in the first place resulted in another gambit once I explained the truth to them. The truth about the nature of their world, and the nature of the Holy Empire. Once all was said and done and they knew what I knew, they didn’t hesitate to make the decision to bring it all crashing down. Of course, if they’d told me that their gambit had bore fruit, I might just have been able to save them from whatever fate befell them…”
 
As if struck, Marcus flinches, eyes going wide as he suddenly comes to a stark realization.
 
“They didn’t kill each other, did they? The Church… my whole life, I was raised believing that the last Dark Lord and Destined Hero killed one another in mortal combat. But that’s not what happened… is it?”
 
Camilla hesitates, considering how to respond for a moment before deciding to go with brutal honesty.
 
“There is a very slim possibility that they did, actually. But I do not think it likely. It would have been too soon. No, it is much more likely that they were killed before their time by their enemies. But of course, by then it was too late for their enemies could not see the true scope of their plans. The ones who killed your mother and father did not understand that by slaying them, they were in fact fulfilling their fondest wish. To see the Cycle end… with you.”
 
Marcus just stares at her, clearly more confused than ever before. Before he can ask her to explain, Camilla holds up a hand, cutting him off.
 
“Before you ask, let us sit down. This next part is… a fair bit heavier.”
 
Then, she leads him across her laboratory, to a small table. There they sit, just in time to be served by one of her knights. Despite being Animated Armor, their fingers are… quite dexterous. A cup of blood is set down in front of Camilla, while Marcus is plied with more mortal-friendly fare, such as tea and finger sandwiches.
 
He looks down at both as though he can barely see them, and after a moment touches neither. Instead, the young half-orc looks up at her, eyes blazing. For a moment, Camilla sees both Gral-Ra and Caleb overlaid on top of him as he grabs the edge of the table and leans forward.
 
“Explain. Please.”
 
And so… she explains.

-x-X-x-

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