Fractures of Eternity

Unable to feel anything but scorn towards the vampire who had ruined my childhood, continued on this path of destruction, which felt so familiar to me.

Yes… This is… where I belong.

“Oh, you poor fool.” I traced my free hand on the wall, grabbing a nearby sword.

Vampires and their décor.

The blade was heavier than I thought, and it was tough to carry with one hand. I remember Loki telling me all the blisters he would get when he started sword mastery.

No wonder…

However, with a bit of magic, anything was doable, as with tapping my finger on it, it became lighter than a feather.

“You think the elf sent me? Funny, she’s devoted to me.” I smirked, feeling nothing but disgust at the vampire who robbed me of my childhood as her eyes widened.

“Y-You… You’re the girl Rem’s hunting for?” She gasped.

The girl… It almost makes me sound human, but I’m not.

“You robbed something important from me, and I’m here to make sure I take something from you,” I announced, dragging the sword on the floor.

The sudden sound of metal clashing with the ground caused her to startle, following the sound with her blind gaze.

“I stole something from you?” She mumbled as I stabbed the sword into her leg, prompting a yelp to leave her lips.

I drew away from it as she went to grab the blade embedded in her thigh.

“How dare you forget, Nene?!” I snarled, feeling nothing but hollowness consume me.

Unforgivable! I should erase you!No… that’ll be too good for you. You deserve a painful death.

Pulling the blade out of her leg, she winced before grabbing her bleeding wound. Luckily for her, I had avoided her artery.

“Argh… I-I see y-you’re that little g-girl from that day.” Her voice trembled, struggling to handle a pain she rarely experienced, yet there was a scar on her face that served as a certain reminder of an event she had endured.

“So, you should know, if you try to kill me. The twins will follow along.” I informed her, watching her reactions.

Nene… suffered more.

Memories from that day rushed into my being, leaving me to recall the feeling that was left within me when Nene lost the light in her eyes.

“Live, Vivi.” Her words echoed within me, leaving me trembling where I stood.

Wait… Is this what you wished for me?

In that instant, Loki’s face popped into my mind, triggering me to clasp onto my chest, feeling pangs erupt from it.

Why at a time like this? Is this doubt? No! I finally have you! I…

“Yes, Rem informed me of that. I… didn’t… Hah…” Tania sighed, blood pouring out of her wound, which dripped onto the tile floor below her.

I can’t doubt myself, but… if I do this? Will you reject me? Is this what I really want to do? Do I… wish to be the monster they all see me as? Shake it off, Vivian!

“Good, it would be boring if you didn’t know,” I mumbled, raising my hand to the vampire.

With one gesture… No, with one thought, I can end you!

Yet my hand was trembling.

This is the perfect opportunity!

But my mind was full of Loki and Elias, tormenting me, leaving my eyes stinging. The way Elias protected me, even though his body was being battered, was vividly playing in my mind. It was the same as when Loki threw himself against the beast to save everyone.

“So… You’ll be the one who finally sends me to him?” she asked, repositioning herself to face me, yet her eyes were not full of hate, but peace, which froze me where I was.

“What?” I mumbled.

“Ben’s been waiting for so long now. I wonder if he’ll recognize me after everything I’ve done. Will he… allow me to be with him again? Hey… It’s okay. You can send me to be with him.” She gazed at me as if she were exhausted.

“Who… is that?” I asked, feeling my entire being quivering.

She clasped her chest tightly, tears starting to stream down her face. “My… The love of my life, whom that elf took from me. She’s the reason I was in that village. Though I won’t apologize for what happened since I was warned my path would only cause more pain.” She paused, biting her lip. “Lily was right, hate begets hate. I should’ve listened. Ben… I’m sorry, I should’ve been better, but a world without you isn’t the same!” She cried, pulling a locket out of her bosom.

Even though she couldn’t see, she placed it close to her lips, marking an absence in my heart, instantly reminded of who her lover used to be. Ben was Fenris’s older brother, who had died the day Rem killed Edna when Lilith didn’t want the family to leave unscathed. My father had reprimanded her the day Rem found me, too.

“Lilith, do you realize what your actions caused?!” Father snarled at the elf.

We had just gotten back from the mess that defined me, while my hand still bled, leaving me clinging to him.

“Eh? So, a witch died. We’ll replace her.” She dismissed everything.

Papa wasn’t having it, though. His partner was sore, and he wouldn’t let her dismiss it.

“It wasn’t just any witch! It was the one Edna chose to raise Vivian! Now she’s gone!” He snapped at her, while I broke into a sob, triggering Lilith to reach for me.

“So, what, we’ll raise her now. She was never needed anyway.” The elf huffed.

Clicking his tongue, Papa hauled me away from her. “You’re… I still don’t get why you had to kill Ben those years ago. If he were still alive, Tania wouldn’t be breathing down our necks. She isn’t an easy target to kill, especially when they are actively hunting us!” He scowled at her.

I didn’t understand what they were arguing about back then, but at that moment, I grasped everything.

“They pissed me off! I couldn’t allow them to kill my mother and walk away as if nothing had happened!” Lilith argued, grabbing onto her chest.

Papa held onto me tightly against him, reassuring himself that I was safe in his arms.

“Oh, don’t fucking act like you have a heart. It was what Edna wished, yet you had to go and defy her by killing Leonard and Ben! Sometimes I wonder why she even bothered to bring you back, when you’re nothing but a soulless monster.” He scoffed, stepping to the side with me.

“Aw, thank you for the compliment.” The elf smirked.

All this time, I never pieced it together, since it was easier to blame than to understand. Ben was Tania’s heart, and Lilith had ripped him out of her, ensuring this woman would take a path of blood that led her towards me. They had been together for thirty-five years before they were suddenly broken, alerting me that this person was already living their eternal nightmare.

Is it even worth killing you? To lose Loki because... Would I be any different if I were you? Hah… I don’t know anymore.

My mind was going blank, yet the silence appeared to be an answer for her as she smiled at me.

“Ben… May I find you in the next life? I… Promise I’ll try to live by your ideals then,” The vampire whispered, closing her eyes.

Her words snapped me out of my chaotic thoughts, followed by an eerie clarity when I took a step away from her.

To kill you now… No… keep living knowing you failed your dead lover and tarnished whatever ideals he once carried.

Releasing the hex on her sight, I relaxed my hand as she finally saw my face, which in her eyes reflected my most authentic self. My skin was white as snow while my hair was golden as the sun. However, my gaze was out of this world, as if one were looking straight at the cosmos in the sky. In those moments, instead of hostility, her jaw dropped as her eyes glanced towards me.

“Wow… You’re nothing like Rem said. You’re beautiful, much like an angel.” She mumbled.

My heart stopped the moment those words left her.

You… don’t know anything, do you?

“Forget everything from the last half hour and sleep,” I muttered, waving my hand to the side.

A second later, the vampire fell to the floor, out cold, as a soft curse left my lips. Reaching towards the cabinets, I picked out a cloth before wrapping it around her leg to help with the bleeding, which had slowed down already. It wouldn’t be long until it stopped altogether. For the longest time, I stared at her, as somehow, I didn’t kill her, even though she had destroyed my childhood when she descended into my life.

I… I don’t know what I feel anymore. Is it frustration or relief?

It almost felt like my legs were about to give out when I covered my face with my hands, feeling my breath hitch before releasing a gut-wrenching scream at the top of my lungs.

Why’s everything so hard? Why do I have to care so much?!

My head felt like it was about to explode, and I wanted it to stop.

Nothing’s making sense anymore! If… It wasn’t for your affection, I would’ve never turned out like this! I wouldn’t have cared for anyone else’s side! Argh! Your love has poisoned me! Argh… Something… isn’t right with me.

However, my trance was interrupted when the lights flickered, prompting me to shake my emotions aside as I placed my brooch in its rightful place.

What was… that?

Shaking my head, I turned towards Tania, whose punishment would be to live the rest of her life in torment—a fitting punishment for dragging me and Nene into her dilemma. Though this didn’t teach my vampire how apart our worlds were. However, there were more pressing matters as I opened the door before swiftly closing it behind me, hoping no one had seen me come out. To my surprise, the hall appeared empty, and those who were there were staring at where the screams were coming from.

Before I could run towards them, though, I felt someone grab onto my dress. Startled by a sudden jerk, I gazed down to see Luna holding onto me, as the lights flickered again, prompting more shrieks to come from the ball, followed by roars.

Eh? A shadow demon?!But why is she…

My brain lagged a bit as my eyes quickly rose from the girl who clung to me, and I saw Thea lying on the floor a couple of meters away, out cold, with a man on top of her as a shadow portal opened under her.

Huh? What the—

They sank into it and out of sight before I could even finish that thought. Everything that happened next was so fast that I could barely keep up. In front of me was Gerta, who had rushed towards the hall to find aid. The moment our eyes locked, another portal opened next to me, too.

“Vivian!” She screamed, reaching for me.

At the same time, a hand erupted out of the shadows and grabbed me by my arm, and a second later, it dragged me into the porta while I felt Gerta clasp onto my other hand to save me. Instead, it pulled her into the darkness, and everything faded when a blow to my head came.