Happy Reunion (Vlad)

[Mari]

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He was the first thing she thought of when Lucius sent her hurling down to the planet and so it was not hard to find herself in their chambers once more. After taking a moment to orient herself she glanced around, there were broken things here and there, testament to what she had briefly seen in Lucius’ scrying mirror when he had sought to reassure her that her family was well. He did not understand part of her purpose that had carried over with the new form. Even she did not understand it and it was even more confusing now that she was a Goddess and yet still, she stood around the wreckage and began doing what she always did when Vlad was in a mood.

She began to clean. It was a good excuse to practice her gifts and it gave her something to do. First things first however, she moved to a closet where she kept a broom and dust pan. Softly she hummed to herself as she began sweeping up shards of broken statuary into neat piles. It took her a little bit of energy to put them together again but given how they had been trinkets that had been around the man she loved it was a simple enough task.

It didn’t help that it looked like no one had dusted the place in over a week. THAT would change as well. She may have come here to take Vlad to his destiny but she would not tolerate a messy space. First things first, the place needed some light. Putting the broom and dustpan away she opened the large drop curtains to the daylight. Fresh air blew in and she inhaled it’s scent with satisfaction before she went back to the broom closet and pulled out some orange oil for the wood in the room and some soft clothes to dust with. It was easy to set to task and she hummed softly as she worked, the task helping to ground and steady her. She had liked caring for things even when she had been Queen. It kept her humble and reminded her that even with her powers simple things still needed to be done.

Sensing someone entering the room she set her cleaning supplies down and made sure that she was presentable. She had chosen this place because she wanted to give Vlad the chance to cope with the change that she had been through. She had no idea how he would respond but she hoped it would be with a good will and not with anger. She had come back as soon as she could.

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Tagged: Vlad Drăculea
Words: 443
Outfit: OUTFIT

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[Vlad Drăculea]

Heavy was the burden of this war and it's weight threatened to tear the entire kingdom down around him. Even though his words did not openly declare it, Vlad took Jon's questioning as an act of betrayal. In his absence it seemed they forgot who they owed their allegiance to, who saved them from the abominations that lurked in the woods. Even vampires were not safe in the infested wood before he took on the burden of the mantle to save them. In his own mind he was hero, savior and king of all that stood before him even if they did not see it that way. Madness started to set in from loss, from rage and from the whispers of the mantle to it's host.

Sweeping aside the door to his chambers, Vlad was greeted by the sight of someone already present. His thoughts turned towards would be queen trying to seduce him. Without even looking to see who it was he charged their back in the blink of an eye and pushed them against the desk in the room. Twisting their arm behind their back, Vlad applied minor pressure and growled at the woman before him. "Perhaps you are lost or you seek to claim a prize the council is too afraid to openly take themselves." he said with a dark and bitter tone.

There was something vaguely familiar about this persons presence but not at the same time. Vlad could not place his finger upon it right now as he was blinded by rage. Only one woman dared tread upon this place that was not of the servants caste while he yet lived. No other woman would claim the honor of dwelling within the space that had belonged to his late wife unless they wished to incur the wrath of the reaper. "You have ten seconds to state your purpose. If I do not like it you will find that my tolerance for nonsense has diminished as of late." he stated angrily.

[Mari]

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It took her a little bit to get her mind focused on the situation, his speed and pinning of her torso had forced the air from her body with a woosh and she forced herself to remain still. He was obviously angry and she did not wish to make it any worse for herself. In all their years together he'd never raised a hand to her and if she was of less sterner stuff she'd have teleported away in a flurry of pink energy and feathers reminding him of his loss.

But it wasn't in her to be cruel or needlessly unkind.

She knew he had been having problems but hadn't realized it was this bad. The speed which he hit her with would have stunned a lesser being, as it was she'd half expected a bad reaction, "Vlad what on earth are you talking about? I am your WIFE. I was reborn as the Goddess of love when I died now please let me go. You are hurting me." She couldn't do much other than to stay un the prone position he held her in but she did her best. Projecting out the love she had for him so he would recognize it. It would not change his feelings simply show her own. She had enough sense to know how not to manipulate someone. She hoped he would recognize her empathic touch if nothing else.

She forced herself to remain calm even as her upper torso was pressed into the table, "This would be easier if I was facing you but you may see my soul and look at my face if it will help but regardless nearly breaking my arm is not going to help the situation. Now please, let me go and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have. Trust me when I say that I returned as quickly as I was able to. "

In all honesty she did not know what else to say, "If you need to check my soul or sample my blood then do it. Just don't hurt me in the process alright? I was just cleaning the apartments since no one had been in here in a long time from the looks of it." She realized she could defend herself but she also felt she shouldn't have to. She hadn't lied about anything and she had returned to him, even if he had greeted her in a less than ideal manner. She refused to let it dampen her spirits. She didn't want to get into a fight with him. It was exhausting just being in this place and to have to knock common sense into him would be a further draining of her powers.

Her siblings would be enraged and disgusted by this if they knew. Her cheeks flamed at the thought and inwardly she squirmed. Sariel would have beheaded him if she knew. Other siblings might have done worse while some would have seen her predicament as amusing at best with her body pressed into the table as the scent of orange oil wafted around her. As it was she had a big spot of the oil soaking into the front of her gown along with the dirt that her boobs had been shoved into. So much for being the pinnacle of grace and beauty.

She might have felt sorry for herself if it wasn't so damn embarrassing and funny.

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Tagged: Vlad Drăculea
Words: 580
Outfit: OUTFIT

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[Vlad Drăculea]

It was not in him to accept things at face value. Tonight had proven to him that there were those willing to take what he had worked to build. In his mind everything suddenly became a high stakes game, there was treachery in every corner of the castle. This thing before him was yet another product of that, a means to maneuver him into letting his guard down so that he could be removed from the board. Vlad would not relent, he would not give up all that he had to some lesser being who saw him as his equal. By weeks end Jon and the rest of the council would be impaled upon a spike, a cautionary tale for all who sought to take on house Draculea.

"You are a creature conjured by those traitors to lower my guard. They chose poorly if they sought to manipulate me with such a guise. My wife's soul did not simply perish, it was obliterated, there was nothing left." he stated. His tone remained cold, unmoved even as he released the creatures hands. The familiar resonance was gone, that was why he did not recognize her for what she was. Before he could feel it, he could hear it and now it was gone entirely he did not feel linked to her in any fashion. Standing tall and furious, he wore a furious expression as he took in her visage. "What I have done to you pales in comparison to what I will do to them before their end." he growled monstrously.

There was a momentary consideration for her offer but it was quickly thrown aside. If she were a trick of the council that was what they would expect him to do. What sort of trap lied inside of her blood, waiting to take his power from him and rob him of his senses. That singular event had hardened his heart to the monster he had been back on earth. Yalanze had changed him and one stroke of enemies blade was all it took to change him back. "I would be playing right into the hands of my enemies in doing so. No, I do believe I will not partake in anything so foolish." he said with a glare. Removing his own blade from his waist, he tossed it at her feet with a smirk on his face.

"Take your shot then, assassin. Know that it may be the last thing you do." he offered in challenge. If she could not prove to him without a reasonable doubt who she was, it would all be for nothing. In his current state of rage he was closed off to all intrusions, mental and the like. If she did not tell him something that he wished to hear quickly, he would separate her head from her shoulders and be done with it.

[Mari]

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She would not show fear to her husband. He was caught up in his anger and grief and for not the first time he had ceased to listen to her. His anger didn't enrage her but she would see that he figured it out. "I am who I say I am." Once he released her she decided to hell with it. She revealed herself in all her glory, wings outspread to their arch angel glory full and blindingly bright in the sun. She was sick of this game of rage that he played and with a slap of her hand on the table she pushed out energy to drive the shadows of this room back to the hell that spawned them.

"You forget yourself and you forget who I am. I bore you a daughter that you caught with your own two hands upon her birth! You cut the cord of her yourself with the dagger you carry on your side. You may think me an illusion or a trick but I can tell you this. There was no midwife for the birth of Katya or Ingeras it was you and myself. You refused to allow outsiders to touch me lest our children be born with wings or something go wrong. I bore you Ingeras again with only your assistance. A son whose wings spread out as soon as he was born. I taught him to play the piano and to play the moonlight sonata because you were fond of it. I healed a nearly fatal wound to the thigh you took when you battled a werewolf that thought to encroach on your territory. No impostor would know that because no one has been allowed to see you naked since before you left Earth. I know the story of every wound on your body and how it was removed. I know you better than you know yourself and I waited for your return for over ten years yet you insult me when I have been gone for a far shorter time."

She looked at him with sadness, "If your madness has been more of a bedfellow to you then I have then have done with it. I have no desire to attack you but I shall return here none the less if you end me. I came back to you and you have nothing but ingratitude for me but I forgive you it."

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Tagged: Vlad Drăculea
Words: 408
Outfit: OUTFIT

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[Vlad Drăculea]

As she drove the shadows in the room into the far corners, her light washed over everything. Yet Vlad stood unaffected as he was once by such a display. The mantle had seeped into his very soul and infused him with his powers making him much more than he once was but it whispered to him things that wore down his willpower. Indeed his own shadow was not his anymore but that of a tattered cloaked wraith, who's eyes were scorched by the blinding light. Signaling for her to stop her display, he lowered his guard ever so slightly out of curiosity.

"Enough." he stated simply, recalling his weapon to his hand with his magic. Even before she went on a long tirade about things that only she would know he had seen enough. She was not the same but she was Marina, somehow, yet he still hesitated. Things of this nature were often too good to be true, he awaited the dropping of the other boot. There had been no happy ending when his first wife had been taken from him, he did not see one coming on the horizon this time either.

"Your soul was obliterated by that single act. There was nothing left for me to recover, how do you stand before me?" he asked, weary of the world of Yalanze. No matter what you thought you knew, a new mystery unfurled before your very eyes and left you stunned. For all of his obsession with keeping her safe never had he found a spell that would allow one to cheat death in such a way. He needed her to start from the beginning, his head was swimming with thoughts from the day, betrayal, grief, joy and anger pulled him in every direction.

Yet as he went to speak a golden light erupted off in the distance outside of the ruined wall of their chambers. A small fire erupted in the distance yet there was no smoke. After all that had happened, his only conclusion was that it was his enemies preparing to make a move. He was distracted by her presence here, he did not feel the release of a soul in the middle of the flames.

[Mari]

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Exhaling softly she allowed herself to relax briefly. When he seemed to believe her. He had no idea how he had hurt and insulted she really was and although she would forgive him it still stung her pride that he had doubted her. “When I died I went to the Creator briefly. He explained that I had a more important duty than I had been ever given before. The next thing I knew my soul was in another realm. I was reformed into the form you see now. It was a painful process as my form was imbued with energy and then molded into this form.” She exhaled and shuddered, “When I came to consciousness I met a being known as Lucius, the God of Storms. He was kind and said that I had been formed into the Goddess of Love because I was an archangel who had sacrificed myself for those that I loved. My duty is to help those who are in love or to help those who are meant to be together as well as to help those who are too harsh to show mercy to others.” She said softly.

Internally she felt exhausted. Life with Vlad had not been easy but she’d loved him for thousands of years. She had told herself that loving him was enough to sustain her through the loneliness. “I came back as soon as I could. I am sorry that I caused you pain. All I was trying to do was stop you from being hurt. You may have come back but you were in control of that creature you raised and if you had died he would have broken loose and murdered everyone in his wake.”

She hugged herself after relating the story, “That creature is dangerous, Vlad. It is not to be trusted. Please tell me you vanquished it?” she asked him pleadingly. “It’s a twisted being from the abyss and it will turn on you and our family if given a chance. You cannot trust demonic beings like him or Corvin. They are duplicitous. They will turn on you.”

She felt a tearing at her heart and her eyes grew wide “Katya, Noooo!!” she grabbed Vlad and if he didn’t protest she would teleported him with her to where their daughter’s body was; Her heart fluttering in shock and fear. Her child had been hurt and she wanted to find her.

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Tagged: Vlad Drăculea
Words: 403
Outfit: OUTFIT

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[Vlad Drăculea]

Once more she spoke of matters he did not believe she truly understood. There was no victory without Nergal's terrible power and it was a price he was willing to pay. Samael was more formidable than he had assumed, a mistake he would not make a second time to be sure. Shaking his head, he looked down at her with a steel gaze. "I have not nor will I. Nergal is key to defeating them once and for all. Once victory is assured, I will disintegrate his very being and ensure that he never returns to this plane." he said with confidence. At some point even he was unsure now what was truly his thought and the thought of the mantle which seemed to be quite sentient.

"My dear, they would have to kill me and I feel few are up to the trial." he said. With the power of his position flowing through his veins he felt alive for the first time, funny enough. It was like he was in control of everything his gaze fell upon and they were helpless to resist such a strong foe. Reclaiming his sword, he slide the piece of steel back into it's scabbard as he let her do what she always did; worry. That was what she was known for and she was the only one in the family who seemed to do so. Yet her fears were never unfounded and they always seemed to come to pass in some capacity.

Resting a hand upon her shoulder, his mannerism had become quite mild despite the topic. Her appearance had indeed restored a mild form of rational thought to him. Yet beneath the surface the pressure of his position was building like a bomb. He could not let the insult Samael had inflicted upon him to go unanswered. Yet as he went to speak of this he was interrupted by a bright light and Marina teleporting them somewhere else. His boots hit the ground before his mind had fully registered all that had happened.

Yet whatever manner of peace that was gained from seeing Marina was lost upon seeing Katya's body upon the ground. A blade had been driven through her abdomen and her eyes had been burned out of her skull. Yet she was not entirely beyond his reach, he could sense her faintly somewhere between planes. Vlad took hold of Marina, knowing that despite the mistreatment through all of this, she was capable of loving the three monsters. He wished to shield her from this grizzly sight but could not look away himself, unsure what could have done such a thing to her.

"Marina you must look away. There is nothing we can do for her now.." he said slowly. He did well to mask the sorrow in his words lest her set her off down that path like a shot. "Her soul is cloaked from me, when I sense it she slips beyond my influence. There is yet hope that she might be recovered.. but she would have no body to return to.." he said to her. At the very least he hoped that she would take comfort, even if only slightly, that her soul remained.

[Mari]

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Hearing his words her eyes grew wide, “I’m afraid, Vlad.” She admitted softly. She had been an archangel and this terrified her, she had been married to him for two millennia and this was one of the few times she had been truly scared. She trembled as they spoke. “This war…it will hurt innocent people.” She said softly as she reached out a hand for him, “I am back, can’t we just focus on being a family again for the moment and make sure that the children know I’m alive? I don’t wish them to be hurt.” She moved closer to him, needing reassurance that he was no longer angry and that she could reconnect with her family. She was so tired and had thought she could get home before things had gotten bad, “I came back to you in this new form because of what happened. Can’t we just see the good in it, please?”

She didn’t have to return to him. She could have moved on and not made returning to him a priority. She hadn’t judged him for his actions, she just wanted to be with her family and look to the future. “I realize you are a warrior of the highest caliber but that does not mean I wish to see you hurt. I love you.” His hand on her shoulder comforted her but then the feeling of Katya’s death made her insides clinch.

When she saw her daughters body she gasped in horror and clung to Vlad, trembling a moment before she forced herself to briefly glance to see where her daughter’s soul was, seeing it she could help her, looking into her husbands eyes she bit her lip, “My sister could take her soul to heaven. If the creator is willing she may be reformed as an angel. If not then she will be at peace with the Creator.” She exhaled slowly, “Do you wish me to call her?” She touched Vlad’s face, “This is the best I can do. I do not know who would do this. The Council would not. She was too valuable to them as a way to get to the throne and as far as I know she had no enemies.” This whole situation was confusing to her. She clung to Vlad for reassurance, not wanting to see her daughter’s body, having only glanced long enough to notice where the young woman’s soul was. "This will send the Council into a frenzy." She added as she looked at him. She did not know what had happened in her absence, "We should hold off on mentioning this until we know what will happen. The Council will need a united front or they will take advantage of this."

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Tagged: Vlad Drăculea
Words: 445
Outfit: OUTFIT

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[Vlad Drăculea]

Vlad looked upon the rune covered body for a long while as the realization sunk in. There was a blade wound in her stomach and a spell upon her skin. Whatever did this wanted to be sure that he could not simply pull her soul back down to it's container. It was a clever piece of work, one he would have never seen coming himself. He would wish to know the source of it's power but alas it's caster was gone. He did not believe the girl capable of such a thing, the last he knew of her she was too vain and full of spite to take her own life. Plus the spell would not work if she had done this to herself, the magic was a lot more specific when it came down to the trigger.

"The council has gone mad. She holds no value to them any more than I do. They see this recent confrontation as an opening to wage a war fought in shadows for my throne." he said simply. He knew that the dagger in the back was coming but he did not know from where. Corvin? Katya? Perhaps the council members? There were only two people he would not suspect and one was before him. The other dutifully saw to the return of Nergal's power for the battles yet to come. Shaking his head, Vlad looked to the sky for the briefest of moments before looking back down to his wife.

"I have no choice in the matter? Can you not feel it? She comes." he said with a look of apprehension. For some reason he felt uneasy as he had no idea what to expect from an Archangel. Even if his power could overwhelm hers, he was not so arrogant in assuming that she could not find a way to neutralize him. Instead he simply fell silent as the presence drew ever closer. It was imposing, as if his body was being forced to vibrate at a frequency he had never felt before, her raw power resonating within him. What she said however was the first thing he agreed with all night. They would keep this as quiet as possible, yet who knew what sort of spies lurked in the shadows now.

"On that much I can agree. Though nothing stays hidden long in Sylthanus." he said.

[Sariel]

The power of the spell radiated like a beacon. It called out for a Shepard to guide the soul to wherever it would rest for all time. To say she was curious was an understatement, never before had she felt such a calling. The light it produced cut right through to the very heavens as it pulsated three times and then flickered out. Her eyes blinked a few times as she adjusted to the brightness of the spell. A mortal just slipped a message into heaven, piercing the veil with a method beyond any prayer she had ever seen. The audacity of such an act was enough to gain her attention and so she snapped her fingers and donned her battle armor.

With a mere though she transported herself from where she stood back into the realm of Yalanze. The sound of rushing wings would herald her approach as she materialized before her sister and the abomination. The darkness of her hood shrouded her features as if it was enchanted to do so. Yet Marina had seen this armor hundreds of times before in the old wars, fighting the fallen back into the pits of perdition. Her head shifted as her gaze moved towards the lifeless corpse that was more like an empty husk at this point. She seemed baffled as well by the runes upon the girls skin, such an advanced spell for a non-celestial being.

"What is the meaning of this? What happened here?" she asked with a tone that suggested curiosity rather than annoyance. She took a few steps towards Katya, kneeling down to check the vessel. "There was a light that pierced the very circle we come from, an impressive feat for a non-celestial being. The catalyst for such a thing must have been immensely powerful.." she said, though the last part was more for her than either of them.

"Who is she?" she asked.

[Mari]

Shuddering, Mari peered briefly over Vlad's shoulder as he held her, studying the runes and the placement even as she listened to him and blinked "I had not thought my death would spark an open rebellion given how many of them resented me." she said contritely, "I thought only of saving you. I did not mean to make things more difficult for you."

Glancing into his eyes she looked at him seriously, "Vlad, do you want the throne? I know you hoped to give it to Ingeras but I have seen how it is a burden to you. I understand you cannot allow dissension and discord but...have you thought of passing the crown to Ingeras? I know you are more than worthy to continue to rule and I know this war is taking your focus but you might do well to look to a future where you can just focus on your divine purpose with me at your side." She'd never had a chance to look to the future but given the discord that was brewing it was worth thinking about.

Feeling her sister arrive she nodded and squeezed his hand "Sariel comes. She will be able to take her where I cannot." She said simply as she felt the hum vibrate through her and embraced it, her own wings coming out in joy as she saw her sister arrive.

"Sister, this is Katya, my daughter and your niece. Someone ended her life but the ending of it was so powerful it lit the sky. Her soul is trapped in that circle. The form she had is no more. Would you be willing to take her to Father to be judged? I know she may not be allowed back but she deserves to see what family she has in heaven before her final fate is known." She said simply as she moved closer to Sariel. Kneeling before her, she bowed her head respectfully, "You are my elder and I love you and all my kin. Would you grant me this boon since my destiny has shifted? I understand Father has the final say as always but I cannot take her there to be judged myself." Kneeling there she waited. She knew her sister could refuse her but she hoped that she would not, "Katya struggled with her darkness all her life. It pained her. I would see her find joy if she is able to."

[Sariel]

"They see weakness and they seize upon it. Parasites are often predictable." he replied with a calm tone. It didn't seem like Vlad was bothered at all by this. It was almost as if he had been expecting such an uprising to begin with. One did not become a king without foreseeing that one day your own people would turn on you. In the world of courts and intrigue there was almost no one trustworthy who remained that way for longer than a fleeting moment. Alliances shifted often and now it seemed that the earth was attempting to sweep him from it's surface. Pausing to stare at the ground for a moment, he went to respond but he was cut off by Sariel.

Standing, she turned to look at the monster before her with judgmental blue eyes beneath her cowl. "Of course he wants the throne, wants blood. He was created for one purpose and he was suppose to die. Now he is outside of time and all he understands is corruption. He poisons the lives of those around him and it will never change." she said firmly. Her dislike for him was well documented but it almost sounded like she was trying to find an excuse to destroy him where he stood. Realizing that she was letting anger affect her, she backed off somewhat. Down here they felt the humans emotions quite profoundly, sometimes overwhelming their better judgement.

Looking down at Marina, he sighed, shaking his head. "She is right. For as long as I have been alive I have brought nothing but pain and suffering. Wherever I go, death is bound to me. All those who stay by my side are doomed only to a slow and agonizing death or a miserable existence. There is a real chance that the road I walk, I may have to walk alone." he said with a hint of regret in his voice. For a while he knew that it might not be possible to have a family and a kingdom while being what he was. Only now before Sariel's judgement did he see what was haunting his conscience.

As they spoke, Sariel opened her arms and stood before the corpse. When she did a light would appear as Katya's soul reformed into a human-like shape. Standing before the archangel, the soul slowly walked towards her, only stopping for a moment to look at Marina and Vlad. Once it seemed satisfied, the soul walked into her arms and wrapped her own around the archangel. There was a soft glow as the girls spirit fused with Sariel's being and then vanished from sight. A necessary step if her soul was going to enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You both have choices to make. I will do what I can for her but I do not see it going well." she said truthfully, before vanishing in a flutter of wings. She would leave the two of them to speak about what was just said.

[Mari]

His blase attitude about what his kind were like made her blink. She wanted to ask him questions but her sister's arrival forestalled that line of thought for the moment. She took her husband's hand when her sister spoke ill of his kind, gently squeezing it to comfort him. It was not surprising that Sariel had such views, she was never one to be silent about her feelings and Mari could understand her viewpoint. If their roles had been reversed she might not have been as forgiving of a creature that trapped her sister for two millennia and had children by her. The difference was that if Sariel had been happy Mari would have given her blessing.

Such things were not something her sister thought of. "Sariel, Father sanctioned him being the Angel of Death. It is not for us to challenge such things. We simply have to do our best to help those who need us and right now Vlad needs me." She said this gently, not wishing to hurt anyone as Katya's soul was prepared for transport. The fact that Vlad seemed convinced by her sister's words made Mari even more stubborn. A glint in her eye was all that met his announcement. She would speak with him when there was time but the clinch of her jaw and the tension in her shoulders spoke volumes.

It hurt that Katya seemed only to glance back a moment but Mari convinced herself this was probably for the best, "She will succeed or fail on her own merit now. There will no longer be the excuse of her vampiric heritage if she is found lacking in her next evolution. She has been cleansed but she may not find it the easy road she always assumed it was." There was a thickening in her voice at this speech. Being an angel wasn't easy it could be just as emotionally devastating as if one was a vampire. "She will have to learn the hard way there are no easy roads in life. Thank you, Sister." She said simply as she watched her leave.

Turning to Vlad she looked him in the eye, "We'd best take care of..." she gestured to the husk that had been Katya. Her shoulders sagging as tears filled her eyes. "And then I would speak with you in private." Her voice was thick with tears. Her heart was heavy and she felt more alone than she had ever been before, "We will need to tell Ingeras." she said softly.

When all had been cleansed and they were back in their room, she looked at Vlad, "You never answered my question. Do you want to rule or would you rather move on to your divine purpose? And before you answer I would have you remember that although I do value your opinion I AM older and have seen many more eons than you have been alive. You may feel you need to be alone but if that were the case I would not have been allowed to return to you. Our existence is not one that is an endless existence of doing the same thing day in and day out. It varies and changes. It ebbs and flows. Maybe we were not meant to rule here but we were meant to be together at this point in time. I have seen the worst that can happen in this world. I watched my brother thrown down into the abyss along with my kinsman and I see the shadow of that darkness every day in your people as well but they are more than that damned creature that turned you all those eons ago."

Looking into his eyes she touched his cheek, "I love you, Vlad. This new form I have did not change that. You can hide from your feelings and shove them aside as irrelevant but I can see into your heart. You DO love me and ignoring it to focus on this war is like ignoring your left hand because you prefer to use your right. It serves you no purpose to hide your feelings from those who can help you. I understand why you distanced yourself from the council but things have changed and if I have to show them what I am I will do it. I do not fear them and I will NOT be cowed by them. I did so before to assist you and to focus on raising the children but I will reach them somehow and I will drag them kicking and screaming out of perdition if I am called to do so. Your people CAN love and they have forgotten it. I would have them remember that a sword is a poor companion."

[Vlad Drăculea]

There was much to consider now that certain distractions were removed from play. The fact that he could be on the same page as an archangel both bothered him and flattered him. She knew that in the long run he would not be good for her and Vlad felt the same. Those who cared for him were destined for misery and most likely death. If one followed his path through the ages they would see that this was true. There was no other outcome to caring for him now and to stay was madness. Still he let her guide them back to their chambers when all was through. He cared nothing for this place anymore, she was very right on that matter and yet he was reluctant to simply let go.

"The misfortune that surrounds me is stifling. All who live within it are extinguished by it's power, withering until there is nothing left to give. You could not possibly want that for yourself or for the children?" he said. Yet his words were not those of anger but of confusion. If she had her powers back, if she was truly free, why would she choose to live on a path that only ever had one ending? The energy around him was in constant turmoil now that his powers and emotions directly impacted the space around him. Those with high senses could feel the conflict within, the unrest inside his being.

"You believe you have seen the worst. People can always find a way to prove that wrong. The worst is yet to come." he said with a short laugh. At one point he had hope for a future for his people, for his children yet that had been lost along the way. Now he saw them for what they were; blood thirsty leeches who were better off on a short leash. It was a mistake to take the gift from him now, he saw that, yet at the time he was consumed with a thirst for power. Once he desired to save his people but no longer did he suffer from that same delusion. If he chose it, the mantle would fall to Ingeras and it would be up to him to lead them or destroy them as he saw fit.

Turning to face her, he looked her in the eyes for the briefest of moments. "Whether they live or perish is no longer up to me. I will succeed my throne to our son. However I still have a battle to win, my vengeance must be sated, I cannot simply let it go.." he said with a pained expression. It was a matter of honor, no matter how foolish that seemed to some. He was slighted and he would see that the wrong was right. "Until I finish this, no one is safe from their barbaric wrath." he ended with a sigh as he looked out the window and towards the sky.

"After tonight, neither of us answer to them." he added.