Of Ice, Death & Monsters

Chapter 114 : And A Vampire’s Honeymoon

15 Days Ago.

I stared at Tianna, who stared back at Marian. “Your husband is really attached to you, isn’t he?” I rubbed the ring on my finger with a small warm smile growing on my face.

She laughed awkwardly. “It wasn’t always like that at first. He was quite aloof when I first met him. He would aimlessly wander beside lakes and rivers. I had to pull him aside before a Bukavac could drag him down.”

“Yeah, I could tell, he really likes to take things slow.” Our fight was proof of that. He could have ended it much earlier but it didn’t matter in the slightest, he already won, all he did was allow me to get a few hits in.

“Quite right. I’m sorry that it has to be like this. If I could scold him, I would, but I believe that would be rightfully hypocritical of me to do so.” Tianna continued on as she held out her own ring on her finger. “Especially since I would do the exact same thing for him.”

I thought about it for a moment, staring at her ring and my own. Would I do this? Would I sacrifice another person’s life? Would I go and drain an entire region of its resources? 

I never saw any other forms of life here, and that was because nobody could live out here, maybe a few minutes, or perhaps a few hours if they had some equipment, but as soon as they stepped into its deeper pits, they would be doomed. I imagined that’s what some of the ghouls here were, the people who were recently revived and placed into such a desolate landscape, only to be consumed.

Truly a horrific land that Vladimir, by his sheer presence, has created. And yet… I had a feeling that the answer I had was no different. 

“I understand as well.” I said, placing my hand on my chest. “I did not come here to judge him, or to judge you, but I have come here to survive and finally bring peace to this world. And I have a way to do just that, starting with you and Vladimir.”

The power to give life, to give meaning. That’s what I held in my hands. It wasn’t some simple trick of healing; it was taking and shaping the soul itself. 

“You wish to be with your husband, correct? The man you love more than anything?” She was asking that to Tianna and herself, even as she felt her own memories fade away and crumble, she held onto the dust. Nothing could ever make her forget that warmth, not as long as she could hold onto it.

“Yes, I do. I would do anything to be with him again. I’m so sorry for what’s about to happen.” Tianna closed her eyes as I chuckled. “I’m not, for what will happen is that you will live happily ever after… And so shall I!”

Her memories, personality and soul were supposed to merge with mine. I was going to become her, every single facet of me to be replaced by someone else. What an unfortunate way to exist, and one I shall not let happen to myself.

I focused. Vladimir poured so much energy of the region into the ring, his own memories of Tianna were mixed into it, making her appear much more beautiful and saintly than her other memories made her out to be. I chuckled at that. Love truly is blind.

But thanks to that love, that life, I could mold it, shape it. Much like how I did to the weapons in the Nawia or the equipment I had on the cruise ship. But this time it wasn’t a mere memory, it was a whole person, soul and all. One activity is consuming me, so this was unironically the best time to act!

Vladimir’s memories, Tianna’s memories, my energy, and that of the land and region. I funneled it towards her spirit, molding and shaping it to everything I’ve seen. Her life, her history, anything about her that was important.

I was making her, like the legends of the gods shaping man out of clay, I molded her in the images I was forced to endure, manifesting a body to connect to her soul and mind, pushing the mantling onto it.

“You’ll be with him, but not through me. Through yourself. You will get the happy ending you deserve… And so shall I.” I gave her a smile and laugh as she did the same, realizing what I was doing as she joined in, fueling the Magick I had with her until…

An explosion of life erupted across the Saunne, a font of mystical energies of what I could only describe as a life-giving nuclear bomb was set off, turning the remaining barren wastes into a lovely forest, overlaying the death, decay, misery, and misfortune with life and love.

I returned to reality, holding the hand of Tianna, who manifested with her very own wedding dress. The ring that Vladimir placed on me, now on her own finger, as we stood together in front of the Vampir.

Vladimir’s eyes widened as he stared straight at Tianna. “My beloved… You’ve… You’ve returned… How-“

I stepped in. “Because I desired not to see a marriage destroyed. I shall not judge your actions as harshly as many others, for you acted as I would have as well. In exchange for the revival of your wife by my hands. I ask that you leave this place with your beloved, and that you offer the Fern Flower to my hands.”

I reached out firmly, staring at him as he laughed. “Such a small price to pay for my love, of course, I shall pay it!” He snapped his fingers, and at once, the ground itself opened up; a ravine emerged as Vladimir’s tendrils easily cracked the earth open in two. 

From the chasm emerged a single beautiful and mystical glowing golden flower. It felt different from me, more akin to how Mokosh’s aura felt, more divine than anything else. All around it, I began to hear whispers, chirps, turning into human voices.

It was souls, so many souls and spirits that wrapped around the flower, all those who have died, their echoes still remain attached to the flower that glimmers, each sparkle and each glitter was another person lost to the land. But unlike the Smorodina, where they were moaning and wailing, this was… Peaceful, quaint, happy.

There was a certain joy that I could find from it, one that I haven’t felt for quite a while when I was feeling for souls before. 

I raised my hand, taking it from him before I gently turned it into its spiritual essence, storing it on my body. 

Tianna walked towards Vladimir, shaking her head as she muttered. “Dear, what did you think you were doing?” 

“I was trying to bring you back… I was trying to save you.”

She held his hands and turned towards me before looking around at what was once a swam,p now turned forest. “We have a lot to discuss, but now is not the time. We need to leave so that my friend here can do her job.”

“Why of course.” Vladimir turned towards me, bowing his head solemnly. “I hope you can forgive my actions. I was only trying to return my Tianna to this world. Thank you once more, I am in your debt.”

“You’re welcome. And one day I’ll call upon it if needed, but for now, go and enjoy your life with your wife as much as you can, and keep her safe!”

“I shall, thank you once more.”

Tianna gave me a wink and a wave. “I’m in your debt as well. I hope that you get your husband back, too, one day.”

I nodded with her and placed my hand on my chest. My heart ached, and unlike every other pain, I couldn’t push or numb it away. 

“I…I do too. Thank you.”

“Maybe when you get back, you should invite us for a lovely tea party.” She called out as Vladimir Princess carried her, flying away as they both waved goodbye.

“That would be amazing! I’d love to do that!” I waved to them as well before they disappeared into the distance, leaving the Saunne.

I took a moment to look up at the sky, reflecting on myself for a bit as I stared into space. Yes… That would be lovely, one day we could all meet together for lunch…

“What happened… Ugh…” Derek’s voice called out to my right as I saw him, Topher, and Dela, all finally out of their stupor; their willpower and life had returned to them.

“The Vampir, he drained us… We were no match.” Dela muttered from under her cracked mask.

”Indeed, not even I was a match for such a power, even with the energies of the region poured into me. But I have dealt with him, and now it’s time for the next step.”

I turned around, my tail wagging with excitement as I knelt down and placed my hand in the ground. 

“As the world gives us life, we shall give back to the world. This power was but a taste of what you truly could have, but it belongs to this land.”

Vladimir’s stunt actually had a wonderful side effect. The process of summoning forth someone else has been imprinted back onto my mind. The memories of Saunne, a verdant forest region where the locals of Arsen would go for hunts and supplies. It was dense, populated with more animals than monsters, but of course, this was Jawia; monsters were everywhere, but back then, it was avoidable if you were clever.

But alas…Of course, everything changed for the worse. Destiny, much like Entropy, seems to favor ends that are disordered, and complex systems degrade. It always gets worse; technically speaking, that means that the most perfect point of everything is always at the start.

However, perhaps with this Magick, I can finally put it back together the way it was supposed to be! I focused on the memories, on the histories, even before the people settled, before they were building mud huts, thousands of years ago, when legends and myths were still around… Or perhaps never existed at all. I constructed a spirit out of memory, out of foundation, out of the very necessity of the land itself!

I built the reflection of Saunne, made in its history's image, forging it like a Blacksmith forges a sword. I made it in the image of the forest, of the swamp, and of the people that have been in, died in, and left in.

Then, the land itself shook. My creation was almost complete; I simply had to let the Caretaker take the wheel as I felt the transfer of power… No, not power, it was as if I had my admin privileges revoked. I didn’t lose the power in the way of being drained; I lost access to them as the Caretaker transferred it all to the one I manifested, using it to anchor their life, their existence.

All at once, the region of Saunne took a deep breath and from the once lake of maggots, emerged a massive hand made of plants and tree bark. It climbed up as a head the size of a small building, followed by eyes of polished obsidian and hair made of foliage. His face was of stone with moss as a beard. He continued to climb up and up until he finally stood up, an entire mountain’s worth of a man right in front of me.

The other three got behind my back, Derek and Topher marvelling at the sight while Dela simply stared up.

The giant looked down and simply said.

“Thank you…”