SCENE V

Look there, my child, to the unlit wild places.

Akasha leaned against the column under which they sat and gazed at the stained glass window depicting the serpent's temptation of Adam and Eve. She felt no disgust at what Magnus had done; on the contrary, the fact that he wanted to drink her blood seemed like some kind of honor. The Priestess's words seemed only a distant, incomprehensible echo.

When she awoke from her strange state of intoxication, the Priestess stopped beside them. Her tall figure cast a large shadow over them. Akasha immediately noticed the distinctive, distinctive amulet around her neck. She was one of the Ramkhta, those who oversee and conduct ceremonies and rituals. Then she looked at Magnus, who slept nearby, his hand clutched tightly at her black cloak.

"How are you feeling, Akasha?

" "Strange..." she replied thoughtfully. "As if I weren't myself...

" "That's understandable." Even though everyone in the room had already pulled down their hoods to speak freely, the Priestess's face was still shrouded in darkness. "Don't worry, tomorrow your astral body will return to balance. Everything will be alright..."

Akasha looked at Magnus for a moment, then shifted her questioning gaze to the Priestess standing over her.

"Do I..." her voice broke, but she began again. "Does that mean I'm already a vampire?"

"That's not so, Akasha. You've always been a vampire, but only before you reached maturity did this trait begin to manifest in you. You probably already know that we call such people Dhampyri?"

The girl nodded.

"Am I Dhampyri or Kitra then?

" "It seems to me that you combine these two traits, Akasha. Therefore, you should be especially careful with your astral body. It is fragile and easily injured... Soon I will prepare an amulet for you; it will protect you from the psi-vampires.

" "...Who sang so beautifully...?

" "They are Angels. The Fallen Angels are kind enough to support our prayers with their unique singing.

" "Fallen Angels?" she asked, surprised. "I have never heard of such Angels..."

"You see, when God created Angels, he commanded them to bow down to humanity, serve them, and care for them. However, Satan was too proud to obey God's command and rebelled against Him. Not only did Satan dislike God's command, but the other Angels did as well, and so over two hundred Angels were cast from Heaven, and our legends say they fell for nine days and nights. Among them were the Angels of the Seraphim Choir. And also the Angels of the Dominions Choir. There were many more; I know all their names, and I've seen each of them often. The fallen Angels come to our Masses quite often, as this Sanctuary is one of the few remaining on Earth.

" "And these Angels sang here?"

The Priestess nodded.

"Then I'm not surprised that this singing moved me so deeply." It seemed to me that he filled my entire heart...

"That's good," Akasha detected a slight amusement in her voice. "The whole point is to surrender to your nature and senses, and to silence your consciousness..."

At that moment, Magnus started and slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed the Priestess was beside them, he sat up quickly, but immediately felt dizzy and clutched Akasha's arm.

"Forgive me for falling asleep, my lady.

" "It doesn't matter, Magnus, you're tired from the ceremony. A great responsibility weighed on your shoulders. Now I have only one request of you: be a good Mentor to her, for I believe Akasha will be of use to us again.

" "Of course. Thank you, my lady."

The Priestess nodded and walked away from them, her steps making it seem as if she were gliding just above the ground.

"I'm sleepy..." she groaned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Magnus, may we go to your chamber?"

"Y-yes," he replied, struggling to his feet, "Come with me."

He put her arm around his neck to help her, and after a few minutes, they both stopped by the large four-poster bed. Akasha fell limply onto it, and Magnus, moving to the other side, did the same. Lying in bed, Akasha felt a radiating warmth and blissful peace throughout her entire body. She wasn't worried about anything, and even the knowledge that she was a vampire suddenly didn't seem so terrifying anymore...

Waking up, she saw Magnus's pale, beautiful face in the dim light of the candles burning on the chandelier. However, something about it disturbed her. It was too pale, and his breathing was too shallow and rapid. She rose and placed her hand on his warm forehead.

"Does he have a fever?" she thought, biting her lower lip. "I need to get some water and medicine..."

She rose from the bed, but then sat back down. She sat still for a moment before, taking a deep breath, rose and quickly moved to the wooden chest of drawers in the corner. It was very tall and decorated with detailed floral motifs. But at its center was a stone pentagram. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should really look for a bowl there, but turning around and seeing Magnus's condition, she flung open the double doors and peered into the dark interior of the chest of drawers. Black surplices with large hoods and a black trench coat hung there. And at the bottom of the chest of drawers, she saw a large iron bowl and a small wooden chest. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a vessel into which she could pour water and pulled it out. Then she closed the chest of drawers tightly and approached Magnus.

"I'll be right back," she whispered. "I'll just bring you something that might help you..."

Then, taking the bowl with her, she hurried out of the chamber. She ran across the stone floor of the long, dark corridor. Helplessly, she glanced around the great Sanctuary, where the mass in Lillith's honor had been held the night before. Then she spotted the door from which all the members of the Community had previously exited. Avoiding the golden pentagram, she reached the door and pushed it open with both hands. The door swung open with a grim creak, and Akasha slipped inside.

Stopping just inside the door, she stopped in surprise. She found herself in a large chamber where once mighty vines had grown, twining around the stone columns. She saw that roses had also been planted here, though now only dry skeletons remained. The great, ancient branches of the trees that lined the avenue she had entered met overhead. Nothing lived here anymore, save for the long moss flowing in curtains from ancient branches. An unfamiliar shiver ran through her body, but then she heard the sound of water. This place had a depressing effect on her, especially since, like all the other halls, it had very high walls, usually surrounded by stone arches that held up the arched ceiling. She looked around, but the sound was coming from inside the iron gazebo. Walking along a narrow path, flanked by dead flower skeletons, she came to a stone pool, whose water, quietly gurgling, flowed through a special opening onto the ground. Akasha bent down to scoop some water into a basin.

"What are you doing here?" she heard a voice behind her.

She turned, startled. The boy standing over her had blue-gray eyes, light hair, and a white complexion. He was dressed in black, like the rest of the Vampires. And around his neck hung an amulet, indicating that the stranger was a canine vampire. One who feeds on psychic energy.

"I..." she choked out, "I came for water...

" "What do you need water for?" he grimaced.

"Magnus. He has a fever, and I wanted..."

"Are you a Child of Magnus?

" "A Child?

" "Well, I'm asking if he brought about your Awakening," he said impatiently.

"Yes. Can I have some of that water?

" "I'll help you." He took the bowl from her and filled it with water. "Let's go

." Akasha followed him silently. The stranger seemed to know every corner of the place. But then again, Magnus had told her that he was the only one living in this Sanctuary. She didn't want to think about that right now... When they reached his chamber, she immediately dipped a cloth in the ice-cold water and placed it on the man's heated forehead. Meanwhile, the boy stood to the side, eyeing her intently.

"How can I get out of here?" she asked after a moment.

"Why do you ask?" he answered her with a question.

"We need to buy him medicine to bring down his fever."

"Hmm..." he smiled grimly. "You want to give him medicine?"

"That's the only thing that will help him."

"Girl, he's a vampire!" he groaned, rolling up his sleeve. "Medication can only harm him.

" "But...

" "Do you have a knife around here?" he asked, not listening.

"There, it's on the table," she pointed.

The boy took it, warmed it over the fire, and after a moment, cut his arm with it. Akasha felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach as she saw dark blood trickling down his arm.

"Lift his head," he said, sitting on the bed beside Magnus.

Akasha obediently did as he was told.

"Drink," the boy said. "It's blood... Drink..."

Magnus groaned, barely opening his mouth. The boy then extended his arm so that the blood flowed straight down his throat. Magnus drank greedily, as if he hadn't had a drink in days. Only after a moment did he fall back onto the pillows, falling asleep. Akasha looked at the stranger gratefully.

"Thank you..." she replied quietly.

The boy didn't look at her, but pulled down the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"What are you doing? This wound needs dressing!

" "It'll heal...

" "I can't let you go like this now!" She looked around and saw white linens on one of the small closets next to the dresser.

She walked over and selected one, tearing it open so she could bandage the boy's arm with it. He was watching her, and when she sat down beside him and rolled up the sleeve of his sweatshirt, he didn't resist. However, Akasha's plans were thwarted by her subconscious, awakened by Lillith's Mass. Instead of washing the wound with water, she leaned over it and began licking the blood from it. The boy didn't protest, letting her drink until she decided she'd had enough. When she finished, she wiped her bloody mouth with her hand and looked at him with a startled look.

"I'm... sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"You're a Vampire, blood will never leave you indifferent," he replied, watching her bandage his cut with trembling hands.

"Are you angry with me?" She didn't meet his eyes. "

No way," he snorted, indignant. "It's normal. You have to get used to the fact that survival is all that matters to a Vampire. Nothing more... Learn to tolerate it, and you'll be able to live in our Community."

Akasha lowered her head, watching a few drops of blood slowly dissolve in the bowl filled with crystal-clear water. Then she looked at him.

"What's your name?

" "Daniel... Simply Daniel.

" "Akasha. Nice to..." she smiled shyly at him. "Magnus told me he was the only one living in this Sanctuary. Meanwhile, I met you...

" "The fact that he lives here alone is true. But we often come here. It's like one of our last refuges. It's difficult for us to live in that world." So many Hunters now are just waiting for us to emerge from our hiding places. People fear us, they don't understand our differences... Anything different is bad for them, because it's unknown. That's why I love coming here so much. I feel complete freedom and peace then; these walls breathe new life and new power into me every time...

Bandaging his arm, Akasha looked at him curiously. He must have been around her age. She didn't think he was older than twenty.

"I'm hungry," she muttered, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I haven't eaten in days...

" "I can show you the nearest shop.

" "But he can't be alone right now. Maybe you could go buy us something? Magnus will be hungry too."

Daniel looked at her, then nodded.

"I'll be back soon." He stood and left the room without a word.

Akasha changed the compress on the man's forehead and sat in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames. The skin she sat on was soft and warm, making the cold coming from the stone floor less unbearable. Akasha wrapped herself in her chasuble and stared into the flames.

She didn't know how long Daniel had been gone. Here, in the Sanctuary, there was nothing resembling the outside world. She didn't even know what to call this place...

Since she'd come to live here, she hadn't seen daylight, nor anything beyond the temple's stark, stone walls. She missed the breeze and the scent of flowers. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve to wipe away the betrayed tears.

Suddenly, she heard Magnus's soft groan. She jumped to her feet and ran to him. The man seemed to be conscious already.

"How are you feeling?

" "I've been better," he smiled weakly, slowly touching his forehead with his hand. "Who gave me the blood?"

"I met a boy in the garden, his name is Daniel. I wanted to go get you some medicine, but he said blood would be better."

"It's good that you met him," he agreed. "He's one of the Vampires you can trust. The others are usually only envious of you if you have a Giver, and they just look at you as if they'd take it away from you...

" "I'm glad you're okay!" She smiled with relief. "I was worried about you!"

Magnus looked at her.

"I haven't heard such kind words from anyone in centuries..." He paused for a moment. "It's a strange feeling.

" "Is being a Vampire really that difficult?

" "It depends, Akasha. It depends on what kind of person you are. For some, it's very difficult, and sooner or later they commit suicide. Others somehow live with it, because they're ready to embrace their true, albeit dormant, nature.

" "Are you my Father now?" she asked him quietly.

Magnus smiled faintly at her.

"Yes. I have to take care of you now. But don't worry." Daniel never complained either.

"So you're a Mentor to him too?!

" "Yes.

" "But he's my age! How is that possible?"

"At your age, he might have been a hundred years ago. You know that we vampires live much longer than humans, don't you?

" "I've heard about that... once. But there's so much I don't know yet. It all seems so alien to me!"

The man found her hand and wrapped it protectively.

"I can't tell you everything now. It would be too confusing for you to understand. But know that everything will slowly become clear."

At that moment, Daniel entered the room. He put his black glasses on his head and held out a shopping bag.

"I hope you enjoy it."

"Daniel?" Magnus sat up on his pillows. "Are you going to dinner?

" "Yes..." the boy said, placing the food on the table. "Will you come with me?"

"No. I'll stay with Akasha; we'll go out together tomorrow. "

Daniel nodded and was about to leave when Magnus stopped him.

"Daniel?"

The boy stopped, turning his head.

"Thank you," the man replied.

Daniel raised his hand in an eloquent gesture, signaling that there was nothing to discuss, and closing the wooden door behind him, he left.