EPISODE III

The Age of the Empire, steeped in its own bitterness.

"Suck..." she heard a distant voice, reaching her as if through a fog.

Someone lifted her head and placed something cold and wet against her lips. A strange, sweet taste filled her tongue. The cold liquid filled her mouth, she swallowed it, and suddenly, to her surprise, she felt relief. The pain became more bearable, and feeling began to return to her limbs! Guessing it was the drink she'd consumed, she began sucking hungrily until someone placed her back on the pillow... The girl felt blissfully calm and warm. She'd never felt so good... That evening, when she'd had those strange shortness of breath, now seemed like a distant dream...

When she woke up, she felt very good, bursting with energy, and her thoughts were remarkably orderly and clear. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but that wasn't what initially interested her. Akasha woke up in a small room with blank white walls and small sliding doors, typical of Japanese apartments. It was pitch dark inside; she could see almost nothing, and there was a single, rather large window from which she could see a tall, slender radio tower, illuminated here and there by blue lights. She lay on a mattress on the floor. Right next to her stood a bowl, in which... raw steak was swimming in blood...

Akasha grimaced in disgust, pushing the bowl away from her in disgust. And as she sat up in bed, she felt dizziness... She closed her eyes for a moment to ease the dizziness, and suddenly she heard the sound of the door sliding open.

An unfamiliar growl escaped her throat. She shielded her eyes with her arm, stepping away from the glaring light that had flooded the room. Someone immediately closed the door, and darkness reigned once more.

Akasha slowly removed her hands and saw a tall, thin girl with fair, almost snow-white skin and large gray eyes. She was dressed in black, and a necklace hung from her chest that immediately caught Akasha's attention.

"You're Kitra..." she whispered hoarsely. "Am I right?

" "How are you feeling?" The girl's voice was surprisingly soft and melancholic. "I hope the blood didn't harm you?

" "Blood?" Akasha managed. "Blood?

" "You were very thirsty for blood," she replied calmly. "You were lucky I was the one who found you. You could easily have fallen into the clutches of the Seekers or Hunters..." She paused for a moment. "You're in the process of Awakening... You're easy to recognize now..."

Akasha stared at her, uncomprehending. Her words were sinking in, but she couldn't grasp their meaning. Hunters... Seekers... Awakening... Thirst for blood...?! What was that girl talking about? ...

"You gave me... blood..." Her voice caught in her throat involuntarily.

"Yes. Otherwise, some harm could have come to you... I preferred to avoid that. You'll have to find your Mentor as soon as possible. I've heard that one of us has chosen you. But so far, he's given you time to adjust...

" "What are you talking about?!" Akasha exclaimed, terrified. "What are you talking about?"

The stranger slowly turned her large, ash-gray eyes on her. They were so deep, almost bottomless. So magnificent and so incredible that Akasha felt as if they had already seen the beginning, and perhaps would even see the end of this world... She couldn't bear her gaze, her eyes averting to her tightly clenched fists. She didn't have the courage to look at her again.

"My name is Jesse... You don't have to fear me, you're under my protection now..." She touched her frail hands to the large amulet hanging around her neck. "No one will harm you here, remember that... This knowledge will be useful to you. Now, listen to me carefully." For you must know that you and I, and many others, are the heirs of the Nephilim... We are half-humans sired by Angels... In other words, we are vampires...

Akasha's eyes widened, shaking her head.

"It's impossible... Such a thing doesn't exist... It's impossible...!

" "...You were naked and aroused..." Jesse began suddenly. "You were kneeling before a tall, broad-shouldered man with long, black hair, wanting him to extinguish your inner flame. A huge full moon loomed in the background. You were reaching out to him, silently begging him to...

"Silence!" she hissed, terrified, backing away from her. "How do you know about this? I only dreamed it...?! How could you know?

" "A succubus...

" "A female demon that feeds on the sexual energy of men?!" she moaned in disbelief. "But you...

" "It's simple, if you're a succubus and Kitra in one person." Entering other people's dreams, usually of an erotic nature, isn't something special for us. I have this ability, and since I sensed you were in the process of Awakening, I decided to keep an eye on you...

"You have no right!

" "The law doesn't apply to us vampires. We have no rules," she smiled sleepily. "We have no rights... We are above the law, above what is human, even though we are partly human...

" "I don't want to hear it, do you understand?!" Akasha exclaimed. "Stop telling me this! It doesn't concern me, it's some kind of mistake!

" "You are such strange creatures," Jesse grimaced. "So impulsive and nervous... Why?

She reached out her hand toward Akasha's face. The girl froze, terrified; suddenly, she felt as if Jesse's eyes had captivated her, preventing her from even moving. Jesse's hand was icy cold, yet silky soft and smooth. For a moment, Kitra stroked her cheek, looking deeply into Akasha's eyes, then the smile suddenly vanished and Jesse pulled her hand away.

"Your blood is pure..." she said calmly. "It's ready for you to receive the Dark Gift.

" "Stop!" Akasha moaned hysterically, clutching her head. "Stop... I beg you... don't torment me anymore... Leave me... Leave me! "

Jesse rose from the floor, where she had been kneeling, and left the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

"Leave me..." Akasha whispered, sobbing, "Leave me... I'm begging you... Leave me... leave me... leave me... leave me... leave me... I don't want anymore..."

She curled up on the bed. Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. Only one thought remained in her head: "I'm a vampire..."

For a long time, she couldn't gather her thoughts. She felt numb and powerless. The calming effect of the blood had worn off, and now Akasha had sunk into a kind of collapse. She lay curled up on the bed, her eyes large, her pupils dilated. She was breathing very shallowly and rapidly. It seemed she was oblivious to signals from her surroundings.

When dawn began to dawn, Akasha suddenly jumped out of bed and crouched in a corner of the room, cowering like a small child afraid of something and running away from it. A moan and wail, unfamiliar to her, erupted from her throat time and again. The light hurt her eyes so much! For the first time, she so desperately wanted the dark night to fall again...

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. With a scream, she threw herself at the window and shattered it with her fist. Shards of glass rained down on the sidewalk several stories below, and only a few protruding pieces remained in the frame. Akasha seemed to suddenly calm down. She tilted her head to the left, staring at the glass protruding from the frame. Then she gently ran her fingers along the cold glass until they slid over the sharp edges. With a hiss, she pulled her hand away from the glass and saw blood on her skin. She held her hand at eye level for a moment, then sat down on the floor opposite the wall...

"Blood..." she whispered softly, "My blood..."

When Jesse entered Akasha's room that evening, she saw a familiar mark on the wall. The girl was sleeping peacefully, snuggled in a large blanket. Jesse walked to the wall and touched it with her hand. This mark was painted in blood...

- Incredible... All the knowledge is stored in this girl's subconscious... but she will still need the help of a Mentor to help her deal with all of this...

Jesse turned her face to the broken window, where the girl's red blood was dripping. She walked over to her and, with her finger, collected a thin stream of red liquid, then licked it away.

"Hmmm..." she murmured with satisfaction. "Such pure blood... Truly pure..."

She crouched down beside the sleeping girl and gazed at her in silence for a moment. It didn't last long, however, as she reached out and brushed the hair away from Akasha's neck. Slowly, with a languid movement, Jesse brought her lips to her skin. She was about to penetrate when she sensed a presence in her apartment. She flinched and turned to see a tall boy dressed in a black trench coat behind her. His eyes were ashen, and his pupils dimmed during the day; that's how she knew who he was.

"I wouldn't do anything to her," she replied, straightening.

The boy's eyes fell on her necklace, then he shifted his gaze to Akasha and took a step towards her.

"She's in the process," Jesse replied, stepping away from him. "I don't know if you'll be of any use to this girl..."

The stranger looked at her grimly. His face was expressionless, though his eerie eyes held a strange emotion Jesse hadn't seen often.

"She's not safe with you either," he replied in a deep, yet melodic voice. "Now it's time for her to finally know who she is..."

Jesse nodded slowly, then pointed to the wall, which bore a rather large mark drawn in blood.

"She already knows. Perhaps unconsciously, but she knows she's one of the Dhampyri.

" "She did it?

" "With her own blood..."

"Then she's almost at the end of her journey..." He leaned over Akasha and lifted her into his arms. "I'll take her to the Sanctuary, where she'll be under my protection."

"As you wish..." Jesse whispered, taking a step away from him. "It's yours..."

When she woke up, she felt a terrible headache radiating throughout her body. She wanted to get up, but something was choking her and tormenting her. Again, she felt as if something was trying to escape from her; a scream echoed in her ears, both menacing and full of regret. She clenched her fists on the sheets.

"I don't want to..." she whispered frantically. "Leave... me...! Leave... me...

" "Don't fight it. What wants to awaken within you is you. It's a part of you, a dormant self that's now coming to life," she heard a man's voice.

With great difficulty, she opened her eyes and saw a man's face looming over her. He was about twenty-two years old. His features were exceptionally sharp and grotesque, as if she were standing before someone from ancient times...

Sweat dripped from her forehead, but she felt an all-encompassing cold. She was afraid. Panicked...!

"Who... W-who are you?..." she moaned, tilting her head back to catch her breath better.

"I am your Mentor," he replied calmly. "My name is Magnus. Welcome, Akasha, welcome to your true world..."

At that very moment, the girl lost consciousness and once again fell into a very deep sleep.

"Your time has come, soul sealed in a human body. Awaken and free yourself from the bonds that surround your mind..." she heard incantations hummed above her in a guttural chant. "O black priestess, Lillith! Death to those who betray their nature, strengthen it with your power, behold your servant, at your mercy...! Soul of the Nephilim, ancient being born of angels, your time has come. The time of awakening, the time of new life. Accept this vessel in which you were conceived and possess it with your dark power. I implore you, O Ancient One, awaken within her!"

At that same moment, Akasha felt something inside her move violently, striking every limb with force, as if it wanted to escape and penetrate her body. She screamed in pain, feeling the intense heat within her. She tugged desperately at the covers, her body arching double, then slumped back onto the bed.

"Now you can sleep... Only one more ceremony awaits you, then your subconscious will make you a true vampire..."

Akasha awoke to the sound of a calm song echoing through the grand galleries and chambers. It was a male choir, or so it seemed. Slowly, supporting herself on the high bedpost, she sat up and looked around. The double high bed she was sitting on had four wooden columns, each draped with a velvet fabric that flowed down to the ground on all sides. The chamber was large. Across the hall, a fire burned in a wide, low fireplace adorned with tapestries. A six-candlestick candlestick stood on a wooden table. Akasha's gaze shifted to the round stained-glass window depicting a black rose. However, it was made of such dark glass that it let in little light. The chamber in which she slept had stone walls, a ceiling, and a floor covered with a thick carpet depicting a red dragon breathing fire.

The girl slowly climbed out of bed, and then realized she was naked! Ashamed of her nakedness, she wrapped herself in the bedcovers and walked to the high chair on which lay a monk's robes. She put them on. They fit perfectly. Then she slowly approached the tall double doors. Under her pressure, they creaked open slightly.

A bit frightened and disoriented, but mostly driven by curiosity, she walked down the gloomy corridor with its very high walls. They were at least ten meters high and were unadorned except for burning torches inserted into the iron mouths of lions.

She stepped quietly, walking barefoot, and the cold of the floor permeated her body. She passed many doors, similar to the one she had left her chamber through. The longer she walked, the louder the singing seemed to grow.

Suddenly, a light blinded her. But it wasn't from the sun, and it didn't repel her. Akasha quickened her pace and suddenly found herself on a vast balcony, whose stone balustrades were flanked by tall, ancient columns in two rows, bearing mysterious symbols arranged in intricate patterns.

The girl approached the stone railing and looked down. Almost five meters below her, she saw a circular hall, a giant golden pentagram painted in its center. The balcony she stood on encircled the chamber at the top.

Akasha drew in a breath, feeling the incredible impact of the sight. Below the balconies, she saw fires burning in iron tripods. This was what provided so much light. In the center of the pentagram was a large, round stone altar. Akasha felt a shiver run down her spine, and it wasn't caused by the general coldness of this strange place.

Suddenly, someone stood behind her. She turned, startled, and looked up. Magnus stood before her in a flowing black trench coat, an amulet hanging around his neck.

"A-are you..." she whispered, reaching for the amulet. "You are a Nomaj... a vampire who practices blood magic..."

He nodded, stepping away from her and preventing her from touching his amulet.

"Today, we will celebrate a mass in honor of our lady, Lillith," he said in his eerie voice, which made Akasha's head spin. "You will participate, for from this evening on, you will become one of us...

" "One of you," she repeated silently, looking down at the pentagram. "Dhampyri... or Kitra?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Only the High Priest knows.

" "I don't understand..." She touched her head with a trembling hand. "Where am I?

" "In the Sanctuary, Akasha. This is the place where we meet. No one lives here but me. That's why I decided to bring you here..." He broke off when he noticed the girl's misty eyes.

She didn't seem to be listening. She approached him and looked him in the eye. For a moment, Magnus thought her eyes were ashen.

"What are you afraid of?" she crooned softly and gloomily, standing on tiptoe so that her lips were right next to his ear. "What are you afraid of, Magnus?... We both know what fate awaits us... So what are you afraid of..."

He was about to react when he felt the girl's aura weaken. At the last moment, he gathered the fainting Akasha in his enormous arms. He knelt beside her on the ground and wrapped his trench coat around her body, numb with the cold. The girl was unconscious.

"Oh, Lillith, queen and mother of vampires! Support this frail body so it can fully absorb your power..." he whispered over her, then carried her back to bed.