Baptism in Blood

~~~~~ Warning: This Story is intended for Mature Audiences, and may contain Violence, Gore, Nudity, Sexuality, and Adult Situations. Reader Discretion is advised. ~~~~~

Prologue One

The Darkening had begun, despite the best efforts - unconsciously accomplished through they were - of the Eternals. Instead of pursuing those things that were obvious, Dy Hauc had instead pursued secondary, smaller goals, whose sum was a gestalt. The poor girl hadn't stood a chance, not with the offer that she was given - it was her genetic proclivity to agree with him, after all.

Dy Logos had commanded, "...FIND THE ABBEY. SEARCH OUT THE LAST ABODE OF AYLEPH AND OMEGA, AND CORRUPT ITS FONT..." and wasn't it easy for him to give orders from the Outside" Of course it was, but....his day was coming too. The Servant of Oblivion had instead heeded another geas he was under, and sought out instead his counterpart from this world, offering her everything she wanted....and like he had, so long ago now....she accepted. Easier in fact, than he had anticipated, which both excited and worried him....what if her....proclivities were even more extreme than his own"

Still, he couldn't help but smile from the shadows as he watched her take a knife to her parents, paralyzed as they were from a powerful sedative. She was almost playful the way she carved them, cutting their hearts from their chest, mindless of the spattering gore and turning to offer them to him with a smile, and wide eyes unable to discern that she'd done wrong.

And she was only seventeen.

~ Fin Prologue One

"When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks into you." Nietzsche

Act 1: Purification

Layla kept an eye on Kaiden after their first few assignments together. She told a few of her trusted crew members to watch him as well. When they later came to report their findings, they told her she was paranoid. They said, if anything, he seemed to be fitting in to the role of the group well, much better than he did before. That only made her more concerned, but she kept these concerns to herself. She thought the best plan of action was to keep an eye on him herself. She had a few important missions to go on, things she could mostly likely handle herself, but she assigned him to go with her. She was supposed to go to some church or something and complete some ritual. The company told her no matter what that the assignment would have to be fulfilled to the letter, since the person who ordered the assignment paid up front.

Layla drove to the assignment location with Kaiden next to her in the passenger seat of her little black sports car. The short trip from her office was uncomfortable in more ways than one. She rode with her back arched and abdominal muscles tense to appear even thinner against the black interior, in case he might look over towards her. She questioned why she was even doing this, denying to herself any feelings she may have thought she had. She purposefully stared straight ahead, but watched him through reflections on the windshield and passenger side mirror. She pulled up to the location, parked, and quickly got out of the car. She walked lightly to the front of the car, in a way, claiming her dominance of the mission, by positioning herself in the lead. Her back still arched, her one button blazer and skin tight black jeans accentuated her figure. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun, with a few stray hairs that had fallen in her face. She waited for him without turning around, as if to show she did not really consider him.

There in the darkness, there were runes glowing with a soft incandescence that could be mistaken for reflected moonlight to the casual observer, cunningly built directly into the repaired architecture. Dancing lights from behind stained glass windows bespoke of someone - or something " being home at least, and that something clearly had use for light, if not fire. He absently fingered a chain around his neck, bearing a slight silvery circlet that was kept mostly hidden between thumb and forefinger as he surveyed the building before them. Veiled eyes looked down to the thorny vines and shrubbery which littered the sides of the cobble walk to the large, oaken door. "Not much on upkeep, are they." he cast another glance, sidelong, this time clearly looking over the tops of his shades, "....what was the reason we were on this detail again, Ms. Tollivar" Last I checked....we were a lot of things, but not um....Magic users?" a single eyebrow raised as if in apparent inquiry, his words noticeably quiet to keep from carrying in the night air. He spoke how he felt at least, he was no sorcerer. A few parlor tricks perhaps. Good with the blades on his back. Other than that....well, he'd do what he could to protect her....I mean....it was his job, right' It had nothing to do with the fire he felt reflected in her eyes the few times they'd dare meet, that....desire, that he tried hard not to feed....without much success.

She paid little attention to the architecture. She didn't care. Nothing could affect her but' She watched him approach her and stand next to her from the corner of her eyes. She managed to glance over to him with a half smile when he said he didn't know magic. She didn't like to reveal more than she had to, so she wouldn't reveal the spells she had picked up over the years. Her half smirk faded and she said stoically, "We are to perform a protection ritual on this abbey. They have become overrun with squatters. Come, we are wasting time. Walk and talk.? She regretted giving that final order, which may encourage him to speak more. She quickly walked up to the heavy door leading into the abbey, making sure she reached it first so she could open her own door, another sign of her independence. She would have let it slam behind her unless he grabbed it in time, again trying to show that she had no regard for him.

She turned around in one swift step from the sound on the door. She scowled, "Why not announce our presence?" She turned around and continued her path as she quickly began to assess the situation in front of her. She quickly knelt down and grabbed her two handguns from leg holsters hidden beneath her jeans. She quickly took a step to the side to allow Kaiden to notice the danger. She moved into her firing stance and took aim, but did not fire, instead saying strongly to alert him, "Kaiden."

As soon as she side stepped he was flowing into place - liquid, deadly grace - as the lacquered bundle slid into his hands again and thumbs pressed two buttons hidden within the grain of the wood, allowing a katana like blade to slide free from either side of the now revealed sheath. A clatter as the sheath fell to his feet and a toe sent it spinning forward, catching one of the two creatures end over end in the middle of the forehead, causing it to jerk to the side, yellow jaundiced looking eyes widening as he took yet another step - blades criss-crossing and separating the others head from its shoulders, almost severing the arm of the first in the process as he dances past and within one of the arches, spinning to face the creature again - well clear of any shot that would be fired, now. "Should have waited..." he spoke as he moved, "for me to go first, since that's your own" black ichors spattering from the blades, "protocol for team endeavors. Oh," yes, he was learning from the others within the company quite well, picking up little tidbits here and there, even as they watched him - and he did it without even intending to - he just enjoyed being told stories about her, stories that made him want to be beside her even more, "I've been, reading and um....talking." And now his back was to the great hall, focused back on her and the mangled creature that remained.

She watched in amazement as he beheaded one of the creatures that she quickly determined where the 'squatters? she was vaguely described. She walked cautiously towards Kaiden with her guns aimed towards the last creature in the room. She thought she would leave him to Kaiden. She hated firing in situations like this lest more were there to hear the shots and be alerted to their presence.

The body of the Hound dropped to the ground, gray matter and ichors spattering the walls behind it, with a matching oozing streak running down its forehead and face. Kaiden only saw the barest reflection of this, in the tilted mirrors of his dark glasses - his eyes glancing forward would find themselves settling upon her navel, and rising higher just as he did. Even silenced, the muffled shot sounded foreign in this place, and had cut through all other sound, bringing a deafening silence from deeper within the edifice. The look he shot her as he fully gained his feet was sharp, though he wouldn't open his mouth to give voice to his rebuttal.

Her policies - indeed.

Then shouldn't she be the first to adhere to them' And it had occurred to him as well, that given their temperaments....maybe he was included in these particular forays -because- he questioned. He wouldn't balk at authority, hers at least, but...."I'll teach you to use a blade yet, Ms. Tollivar." He quirked a quick, lopsided smile before he would position himself beside the nearest doorway, angling to look without as his eyes narrowed, focusing in the poor lighting.

She glared at his statement. She didn't like him talking back, but he had a point. She kept watch as she placed her guns back in their holsters and instead pulled two long knives from sheaths from her legs. This would be a lot quieter than her gun. Besides, she had to show him that he didn't know who he was dealing with. She may not be as good as he seemed to be, but she was going to try. She had something to prove now. She stood and walked to were he was, listening to hear if her shots had alerted anyone to their presence.

And three would follow her - before another group came pouring in through the middle archway. The things were vaguely human, or at least humanoid; they were diseased looking, with emaciated, scaly, patched flesh, and random sprigs of hair. And those minor cuts would irritate them, enrage them, and serve to draw them after her - but would do no lasting damage, it seemed. Another of Kaiden's foes would have its head almost hacked from its body as he would turn to rush to her aid - there would soon be nine of them upon her, surrounding her! But as he would turn, the last of the first three through the door managed a lurching pounce onto his back, burying moss covered yellow teeth into his shoulder and causing him to cry out before he would savagely elbow the thing, sending it sprawling back through the arch.

She turned when she heard Kaiden cry out. She saw him on the ground and began thrashing violently at the ones around her, blocking her path to him. She began stabbing into their heads, though desperately clutching her hilts.

Shuck! Thok!, Shuck! Thok!, the sounds off long knives carving past bone and cartilage and sliding free again, as two of those blocking her path went down with arcs of foul black ichors sprayed through the air from the edges of her blades as she began her wet work - the third Hound, however, was waiting as soon as its comrades dropped, and sprang towards her, lips pulled back from yellowed mossy teeth, and fingers almost claw like and caked with all manner of disgusting matter & fluids. Kaiden staggered up from one knee and dove forward blades extended to the sides - but couldn't possibly reach the thing in the time that it would close to Layla; the six who had just entered were making up the distance towards them as well, but cautiously - it seemed they were at least smart enough to realize that so many of their number had already gone down fighting. One of Kaiden's arms suddenly pitched back, taking a reverse grip on one of his two blades and hurling it spear like - past Layla and into the face of one of the oncoming Hounds which was in the lead of those seeking to flank her and catch her unguarded. He winced as he threw, though it likely wasn't noticed amid the flurry of activity - the bite ached and he rolled his shoulder to compensate and draw the pain away as his blood would seek to heal it - and as the scent of his blood half banished the scent of the other foul substance these things bled.

"Layla!" Jade eyes turned dark, almost cherry red as cold rage flowed through him as his eyes were torn from her kill - and her wounds, and he surged forward again, blade flickering left and right with ever increasing speed - inhuman, vampires" speed - and savageness; every flicker of the blade would catch one of two throats, gouging out a hunk of flesh as though a meat grinder were being pressed directly into their throats. Yellowed, jaundiced eyes went wide with surprise at the brutal technique, but in a matter of moments the stares were meaningless as the tip of the blade scored then broke through bone, leaving two heads falling somewhat to the side - the creatures done, and now only one left that hadn't noticed it's compatriots downfall - and was giving a final, loping lunge towards Layla's bleeding wounds, and Kaiden would turn again, to see it close on her, but again - he could only be in so many places at once. This one was hers, but wouldn't be for long, if she delayed.

She sighed in pain, not hearing his call, not seeing his slaughter. She only saw the one coming towards her. As it rushed her, she dropped to her knees in pain and angled her knife so as she fell to attack her, it fell on her knife, its weight forcing its head down on her knife. Its lifeless corpse fell on her, knocking her to the ground.

Thunk! His blade bit into the wood as it was slammed there as he skidded forward and down, onto his knees, grabbing the body fallen near her and easily hurling it aside as one arm slid under her neck and one beneath her knees as he would move them towards the back wall and a more defensible position, faint, warm white light glowing softly from behind his sunglasses as he would speak softly, "Ms. Tollivar...?"

Act 2: Revelation through Ritual

Layla hurriedly collected her large knives and kept them ready in her hands. She said tersely to Kaiden, "We are supposed to find thirteen gargoyle things and paint some symbol on them."

"Gargoyles, Ms. Tollivar?" Now that tickled a memory - weren't they those things that perched on old castles and churches" His eyes focused further behind those dark lenses, as he scanned the room and began to count, turning in a slow circle. A slight smile spread across his features as his back turned to her and he continued to spot something that might be a gargoyle, very quietly murmuring, "....good thing I can trust you, cause if you like detail at all, you sure save 'em for yourself..." he gestured to one of the statues towards one of the walls, a humanoid looking creature with wings, down on bended knee facing the circle of stones where Kaiden stood as he surveyed the room, "Something like....that?" He moved closer, eyes narrowing. The thing before him was huge, if compared to most men. It would stand seven to eight feet tall, with talons where its feet should be - and these large enough that they could crush the chest of an average man in them. It's final peculiarity was a set of rams horns which sat on either side of its face and curled down almost as low as its jaw. Such was the detail that it seemed unlikely to be recreated elsewhere - and likely that each of these....-things- had its own, unique design.

And he'd began as soon as she had, matching her timing with near perfection. He took no notice of her glare; he hadn't corrected her intentionally, he wasn't even aware that he'd done it, or where the information had come from - something from that night in the Catacombs. Cobwebs seemed to clutter his mind for a moment as the heady scent of her blood filled the air - and he felt hunger stir within him, though he had fed well before the evening had began. As the last combined syllable left their lips, the crimson smears on the gargoyle seemed to flow together, former straighter, more perfect lines instead of smears, and the sigil began to pulse with crimson light until it was a continuous soft red glare. Their words seemed to softly echo along the corridors back to them, and another voice - though perhaps its just the strange atmosphere - seems to whisper something, just low enough it can't be made out. Kaiden's head slowly turned to face her, an eyebrow raised above his dark glasses as he spoke, "You realize that it's times like these, that people generally meet some grisly death, don't you Ms. Tollivar?" His tone was slightly dry.

She obviously glared at him then. She was always solely focused on her missions, and obeyed to the letter, never questioning her superiors, but this one" She didn't know why she would accept lip from someone under her command. She said bluntly, "Next one. We've got a lot more to do. Let's hurry this thing up. I don't want to be here all night."

He cleared his throat somewhat, and bowed, rather stiffly, gesturing onwards that they might circle the four that were already in this room, at least. The lacquered wooden scabbard was used for the gesture, as he mumbled something to the effect of, "Of course, Ms. Tollivar. I don't want you to waste your evening away with an underling..." and that would be his only comment to her haste. As they proceeded through all the statues they could see - at least on this floor, the scent of their blood grew stronger in the room, at least to vampires" senses. And with each of the Guardians activated, the echoes would follow, along with the voice, growing a little louder with each one marked with their blood; the voice would whisper softly, in a patient sigh, "The eternal flame..." - that much could be heard, at least. Jogging quickly around the room - though jog might be a misnomer given his speed - he surveyed other possible locations, and noted one at the end of each of the corridors, as well as two at the top of the stairs, "Floor by floor, then, Ms. Tollivar?" It seemed the most reasonable to him, at least, even if the two at the top of the stairs were visible - it would ultimately be less retracing of steps, and he wanted to serve her desire for haste. The doors along each corridor all appeared to be shut, though the corridor itself was lighted. The scabbard was in hand again, its grip already tacky from being repeatedly grabbed with bloody hands.

She took obvious notice when he cast off his shirt. She couldn't even help looking at him with passionate heated eyes, though she worked hard enough not to do or say anything, other than repeating the chants. She had fed before she came to the abbey, but losing so much blood was more than taking its toll on her, though not as much as it was on him. She scoffed when he offered her the flask, turning away from it and him in an act of showing how she was better than him, continuing on her way to the next gargoyle. In reality, she knew if she drank, she would leave none for him in her frenzy that was forming from the additional scent, and she knew him, being a younger vampire, would need more than her to sustain.

His eyes couldn't help but fall down her back to her swaying hips and blood streaked arms - his frown muted as he would raise the flask to his nose....and take only a slight drink, perhaps a quarter of it, before stoppering it again. He was younger - but he was also Salubri spawned, and he was adept at resisting frenzy. The other primal hunger, however, could not be vampirically repressed, and he gave his cloudy head a shake before following to the last gargoyle, and repeating the ritual; the bodiless voice adding, "The eternal flame, life, which cannot be extinguished; the origin which cannot..." As he would turn to her, eyes casting between hers and the final unfound doorway, he had a slight distant look to his eyes - fevered, to some, perhaps - and reflecting an odd shade of red in his jade eyes, probably from the wet slick upon his chest and forearms. He'd given up trying to keep hold of the scabbard and it was now bound to one thigh, as much holding the pant leg in place as the blades. He would make a weak attempt to reach the door before her, but, given her dominant state....he had just enough focus to know that there's no way it would happen.

His touch only angered her. "This isn't right," she growled, "This isn't a joke!" She was slowly losing her control that she was working so hard to keep. She took a breath, one last attempt to gain control. "Yes, let's just do this." She walked up to the gargoyle and cut her hand. She made the first half of the marking, then waited for him, watching him impatiently, looking again at his bare blood soaked chest, her rage and heat slowly building against her again, since she felt unabashed in what seemed like her room.

Kaiden's hand pressed against the chest of the last Guardian, and inscribed the sigil for the final time - his own chest looking like someone had been practicing it there, from constantly wiping his hands. He still felt drunk, and maybe that's why he was bold enough to reach out, taking her hand and feeling the hot sticky smear between their skins, "We should go....we're done, right?" He couldn't stop looking at her lips, her neck.

When he grabbed her hand, it was too much for her to take. She lost any willpower she may have had. She ripped her hand back from his and growled, "Don't ever tell me what to do.? With her free hand she pushed against his chest violently shoving him back. She adjusted her grip on her knife and held it ready in her other sticky, blood stained hand. She had a rage in her eyes that he had seen when they had fought in the practice room, but this time it seemed even more uncontrolled and savage.

"Ms. Tollivar..." he staggered backwards, not expected the sudden ferocity, "I didn't, I..." He was weaponless, the scabbard secured to his thigh in such a way it prevented him drawing a blade, and so raised his hands cautiously, "What has....you so..." rational thought was leaving him as well, her lips seemed to turn an even deeper red in her rage - everything was red, and blood, and thundering in his head, "I apologized, no reason....for the knife..."

Somewhere in the fray, a hand closed about his mouth just as he was about to make some quip of a remark, but instead of silencing him, his mouth somehow was open to receive a red, wet finger which - perhaps to her further annoyance - he took greedily against his tongue. He was too far gone now to be held accountable for acting with any rational at all; a young man saddled with the powers of an ancient Salubri did not an ancient Salubri make, no matter their self control.

She frantically gained control, sitting dominantly over him, pinning him against the ground by slapping her hand onto his chest. She ripped her finger from his mouth. He struggled briefly as she regained dominance, and sucked defiantly on the finger as it was drawn from his mouth. Her hands quickly made her way down, against his chest and stomach and below. It was all he could do to stifle a groan of pleasure and the feeling of her so close to him - finally - it felt like his body was aching - burning - for her touch, and he didn't care what form it came in. Every touch of skin on skin brought a moment of erotic pleasure, no matter how aggressive she seemed - it always had, after all, and he had no way to stop it even if he wanted to change the way it made him feel.

She positioned herself above him and used his firmness against her. She forced him into her as she let out a seductive moan. He could no longer restrain the moan from his lips as it softly escaped while she pushed down onto him and one of his hands sought her hip, frantically grasping, sliding behind her, squeezing, as the other was placed firmly against her abdomen - sliding through the ripped material from the earlier attack, against her bare flesh and sliding upwards. Her breaths became more labored with his touches, causing her to pant softly as his hands explored her. It was almost as if she realized what she was doing now, realizing how she was showing him how she felt, even if just in this way. She desperately cried out softly, "Kaiden." She meant it as a warning that they should stop, but she, herself, could not even stop her growing rhythmic rocking.

She clutched him between her legs, trying any and every way to get any part of her body closer to him. She said frantically, "Say it!" Just the thought of him calling her name, something she begged him to do so many times, was enough to distract her. She threw her head back and released a feral scream that seemed to echo briefly in the room.

Seeing her pleasure, feeling it, so intensely around him was too much, and he gave in; an inarticulate moan of pleasure formed into her name as she kept rocking her hips, "Layla!" And his hands slid around her, up her back and tangling in her hair, pulling her face to his, he didn't care - beat him near to death later - and savagely pulled her face back to his, needing her lips, her mouth, seeking it out frantically.

She kissed him, fighting with her tongue, even now, as one last hope to maintain her dominance over him in some way. She quickly realized what she was doing and pulled herself away from him. She hurriedly jumped up, going to her knees, and putting her hand on the gargoyle in order to help herself to a standing position. Heart still beating frantically as she said, "We" It looks like these guys are good."

His eyes met hers for a moment as she rose, burning holes into hers as he quickly gained his feet, dramatically snapping out a pair of shades and putting them in place over his eyes, once again donning his veil, hesitating before speaking, "I guess ....we did what we," he took a moment to softly clear his throat, "came here to do, then." His eyes were solely on her, and so he took no notice - vampires" senses or not - that the statue beneath her hand had begun to move, talon toes curling and stretching, shoulders beginning to roll beneath the apparent weight of its winged cloak - and perhaps most telling to Layla, its hair taking on the qualities of the living, becoming less and less stone, and more and more, leathery living tissue with fine, downy soft hair. And at that moment, began to rise from its crouch, giving no time to talk about the events which were involved in the undertaking of the life giving ritual. As the creature - the Gargoyle Guardian - stood, its eyes slowly grated open, revealing white, glowing orbs underneath. But he finally had noticed, "Ms. Tollivar..." cautiously, moving towards the coverlets, eyes not leaving the creature, but hand grasping for the lacquered sword hilts. The creatures jaws opened - stretched, revealing fang like canines on both top and bottom of the jaw - and spoke, "I'm....alive...!"

She turned her head down so he would not see how his words hurt her. She looked down at the gargoyle under her hand, she saw and felt it move. She quickly let go and stood up next to Kaiden as the creature began to stand from its crouching position. She grabbed her guns, her security in dangerous conditions, and took aim on it.

Even as her arm extended, his chest pressed into it, still bare from earlier, though now cleaned by sweat and saliva. Eyes as red as the creatures body bore into it, but heeded her command - and he stayed. The room was beginning to darken around them, it seemed. Shadows crept in, and became more than shadows, living patches of darkness that ignored the light, though the creature still did not appear threatening, instead, it smiled - showing off those fangs - at Layla as its head canted to the other side, "Ah, Daughter of Night, how long has it been" Do you remember....or does the body you wear prevent it, yet"" A slight, airy, tsking sound before she would continue, "I have not seen you, darkle nor tinct, since the beginning, so long ago now, and you," turning more fully on Kaiden, "Lost One, aren't you? The Host Who Wasn't, the Abandoned." Again she would sigh, but this time cluck with her tongue, against the roof of her mouth, "but he wasn't supposed to Host as long as he did, and you were made....well, you became something else, now didn't you?" Arms were dropped from being crossed - the poor thing was only barely clothed, supple black tunic, thigh length and cinched at the waist - beneath all too obvious femininity and now apparent five talon fingers laced together, hand in hand before her as her wings draped off shoulders. "Forgive me, I am....Ayleph."

Layla glared at it. She didn't like how it seemed to know him, let alone her. It seemed to talk in riddles to her, that it knew more about them than they did themselves. She took a step forward making it clear she was in dominate position of Kaiden, not as a way to undermine him, but as a way to show this 'Ayleph' that he was hers and she was in control. She spoke with a presence in her voice, "Why do you call me 'darkle nor tinct'" How do you know us?"

Act 4: Exodus

The panels on the walls flared to life, each of the four great walls held life sized recreations - or so it seemed - of both their lives, two walls dedicated to each of them - then, to cunning eyes only, at first, those portraits of their lives took on....subtle differences. The people they were watching were themselves - yet different - always the same core, but each scene - each life unveiled before them - forged through the unique experiences of that particular world that was shown. It began to appear as though they were each looking into the lives of their twins, twins of their twins, and so on - an ever increasing myriad of lifetimes.

She watched each of the scenes, hers and his. She looked at Ayleph and said, "What is this?" She still didn't understand anything she was saying, though she wouldn't say those words exactly.

The variety of Kaiden's scenes were less than those of hers, due to the fact that he had diverged from his intended course - quite without knowing it, or without having hand in it, when the Black Rose Lord had returned from Oblivions edge. "This ....is the history, the true history, of your lives - not the ones you currently lived, but all those that have been, and will be, Darkstar. Daughter of Night. Shall I spell it out to you? Tell you why you feel what you do"" Her eyes flickered to Kaiden, dismissed him, and returned to her again. "....is that what you would really want"" And suddenly the voice spoke again, but this time in her mind - and Kaiden looked on, concerned with the growing silence, as he could no longer hear - at least this conversation. "....Would you have me explain to you, why you chase him, and he you? It should not have been so - this I see, but it is as it is, now. Once, upon a time, you would have lived your life out - uncaring of this individual, he would have grown old and aged beyond your interest - gone away with the innocent eyes, the chasing glances - he would become defeated; but....not now, not any longer. For you have both been realized as Hosts - perhaps because....this is the last Bastion against Oblivion, perhaps because all others of you - your twins the multiverse and Nexus over - have been....silenced. Ask your questions, Darkstar, in your mind - then only I may hear them, and only if you wish them heard. I am no enemy to you, and this boy..." There was almost a mental sigh, on her part, "He has been let out, a sheep among the wolves. Lord Knightfall, however....was ever persuasive, and his is the hand that controls the chess board on this side of the game against Oblivion."

Kaiden began to feel nervous as the two women were locked in an apparent staring match, and he used the term 'woman' loosely, at least in the case of Ayleph, whose origins he had no idea save the ritual they had just completed. His eyes blinked hesitantly behind his dark shades, but he kept his inoffensive posture as Layla had demanded, and instead his left hand absently rose to his chest and he again began to finger the silver ring which hung there - and completely missed Ayleph's eyes on him, as his eyes were focused on Layla. Ayleph's gaze flitted back and forth between them, almost gesturing with her eyes to his unbidden attention to the ring at his neck, with a secretive smile towards Layla, and speaking mind to mind, "I'll tell him nothing, for there is nothing to tell which should not be obvious, I would think. But for you, in his creation....in his turning, such as you have accomplished it..." her head canted and she began again, as if all this should make sense, "Everything must exist in Balance, and just as he was changed in the resurrection of the Black Rose Lord, so must that change be answered. When Justicar fled him, something else stepped in to take its place, something elder, and reminiscent of Olden Times, the Daystar - Lux. Even as that Myriad was called forth and into him, it's balancing force passed into his possession, though he knows it not - not yet. The Darkstar, Nox. Tell me now, Layla Tollivar, do you believe in coincidence""

Layla continued to stare at her. She said aloud, as if to pretend she was just imagining all of this that was going on in her head, "I don't know what to believe anymore." It would seem innocent enough as a spoken statement. "That mean you're done your staring match and we can go, then?" Kaiden had finally spoken up again, brought out of his daze by her voice suddenly breaking the still silence of the moment. "You may answer in your mind, if you wish, Layla Tollivar. Let us change topics then, and perhaps this will distress you less - though you would be among the few it would have that effect on - would it distress you, knowing that you were being used as a weapon' Is that not how your Company has always used you though, of sorts?" Ayleph's eyebrows rose incrementally, with genuine curiosity to what the vampires reaction might be to a changed line of questioning, "You put to much faith in symbology, as well" now skirting the earlier subject, "The ring was his mothers, and when the Daystar came into him - its balance was thrust into something that Daystar's Host cared about, leave it at that." And leave your question then, if you would not have it answered - as to why you. Certainly, that last wasn't voiced even in Layla's mind, but it was implied, silently between the two women.

And Ayleph would let it lie.

Layla turned to Kaiden when Ayleph addressed him. She felt she wasn't making any headway with this thing and raised her eyebrows as if to indicate that he was permitted to talk to it and see if he could do any better. It was this time at she noticed the ring, the one Ayleph said was once his mothers. She got lost in thought of it for a moment, wondering if he would one day give it to someone that he planned to " but she let the thought vanish before allowing herself to finish it. She turned her eyes back to his.

Sunglasses were slid just down the bridge of his nose with his free hand as Kaiden eyed Ayleph, "Yeah?" he didn't care if she had just mocked him, like Layla, he only wanted to get this over with. It was just a good thing Layla was there, he thought to himself - little known that Ayleph could hear him - to make this type of endeavor worth while, else the level of creepy alone that always accompanied these missions would just make him walk away. "Your blades - they're weak. You know it to be true." and she paused, only a short time as she recognized his slow nod, "Take two from downstairs - within the Stones. They will give for you, but you must return them. They will never break, nor pit, rust, or corrode and will remain ever sharp and true. This would be worth something to you, yes?" Kaiden slowly shifted his gaze from Ayleph to Layla, trying to gauge what he should say - he wasn't the diplomat here, where in her policies did it state the hired muscle did the talking! Something else he'd have to grill her on, later. He muttered sarcastically as his eyes sought those of his commanding officer, "Yeah, they sound great - now if you could only come up with something a little more quiet for her while you're at it...", which due to the unique telepathic abilities within the room Ayleph quickly picked up on, "....we included her in our offer." Hands still on the swell of her stomach, they now moved down over her hips and locked together behind her as she regarded them.

Layla watched him and the concern in his eyes when he looked to her. She had never diverted her eyes from him, showing that she had complete faith in his ability to speak on missions....as long as she was finished talking. She turned back to Ayleph and her head perked up as she was given a gift as well. It was good, that it was offered; she would have attempted to take them regardless since they were offered to Kaiden. If it was something he could have, it would be something she would want.

Ayleph blinked languidly, raising a hand to her lips and tapping her finger gently against them as they pursed, "Yes, I think this arrangement shall do....nicely." She smiled slowly, as Layla broadcast obvious thoughts, which she would say nothing to contradict. Kaiden, on the other hand, held the ring in a white knuckled grip, confused. "Now just a minute, you can't just go giving rings to wo-" but he was cut short, "In this place, I assure you, I can do quite as I please. You will return, mark my words. If only to talk - her carrying it for you is not so great a burden, is it' Now, be gone." And the cape that were her wings now spread, unfurling behind her, rising upwards until tips would touch the ceiling, "I have work to do, here." With a gesture over her shoulder, an unseen force knocked Kaiden's hand - hard- and the ring, chain and all went flying, streaking through the air - to hover in front of Layla. "I can always alter the conditions, if you're feeling particularly ungrateful,? and this was said with a snarl, though not necessarily a particularly convincing one.

Layla turned to Kaiden. She didn't care what the creature had said. She would not accept the ring until he permitted her to have it. It was not the creature's to give. She didn't even care about the ring. She only wanted what it symbolized. That symbol wasn't something the creature could give. But she wasn't even sure if that's what she wanted. She had been through too much tonight. She ignored the ring hovering in front of her, and only looked to him. She ignored the symbol....and turned to what she really wanted.

Epilogue One

The girl sat, cross legged with her hands on her ankles, swaying from side to side as ear buds blasted a steady rhythm, drowning out everything but the voices in her head. Staring vacantly ahead, she focused on the conversation going on within her mind. The Ageless Stranger had come to her, and devoured her mind with promises of destiny and power. As she dreamed of what was to come, she was almost bored with the task at hand, until finally the two she had been waiting for emerged from the Abbey.

Vampires. She could smell them, now. And the things they carried, she could smell them too - like berries and cinnamon, all laced together. An errant strand of drool slipped from the corner of her mouth and trailed down to her blouse, and as she wiped it away she broke from her reverie at the voice's insistence.

"There, you can sense them, can't you?" the male voice, disembodied as it was almost purred with satisfaction in her head, "Each of them carries a piece, and the more divided they become - the weaker the Guardians of All, Ayleph & Omega, within the Final Myriad become. The Black House has already fallen to Us, only this bottle neck of a Nexus remains now, then..."

The girls head snapped to the side and up forty five degrees, brows furrowing as she spoke to the man in her head, "....then we take everything that's left, and use it against them' ....Right?" Her eyes closed as she leaned into an unseen hand that stroked her hair, and nodded to his response.

"That's right, Joni, my pet. Then....we....take it." A part of him wanted to do it right then - wipe her mind and turn her into a mindless puppet - but those were so much less reliable. What a chance he was taking though, with her. His Twinner. He should kill her now, totally, and be done with it....on another plane, ethereal lips twisted into a dreadful smile - which then turned to one of pure arrogance.

He could handle her, after all, perhaps.

She was only like him.

But since she wasn't him, why not weaponize her?

She was after all, expendable.