Carmina

I had set the artificial sky to mirror that of the outside world. Rays of light pierced the canopy of leaves. I heard a scream further into the forest.

Running towards the commotion I arrived in time to see Bill running from a woman in a red dress. I pulled the old man the rest of the way over to me just as the woman swiped the air where Bill had just been moments ago. 

The woman let out a strange gurgling screech and glared at me. I shoved the wounded Bill behind me as the woman lunged forward. In place of her hands she had strange black growths that looked like they were made out of a black fluid.

Unfortunately for her I had complete control over liquid thanks to the blessing I had gotten. I raised a hand and froze her in place. She struggled but my hold was set and she couldn't break free. I turned to look at Bill who was panting and sporting a wound on his side.

The wound leaked the same black fluid that the woman seemed to control. I raised my other hand and healed Bill with a small flame. Bill almost yelped in fright at the sight of the flame but stopped when he saw his wound closing and the black substance evaporating into smoke. 

The woman screeched again and I raised my hand to erase her from existence but I hesitated when I saw the pain in her eyes. Even though they were pitch black like those of a demons they still held emotion.

I didn't need to be able to read minds to know that this woman was most likely some sort of a vengeful ghost.

I could hear her heart beating which threw that theory out the window. She stopped struggling when I stepped forward to get a better look at her. 

"Be careful, she's-"

"She's clearly in pain… get back to the house Bill, get some rest I'll check in on you after I take care of this." 

 Bill looked like he wanted to say more but he seemed to understand that there would be no talking me out of what I wanted to do. I didn't really have a mind reading skill but I had access to a sort of magic that did. I also had the most powerful relic that let me channel said magic.

I took out the Elder Wand and found the spell I needed in the archive of spells in my head. I held the woman still and forced her eyes open. 

"Sorry about this…" I whispered " Legilimens ." 

It was like my mind shot forward and ripped into the woman's. Her mind was a swirling mess of darkness and suffering. Black clouds of regret and self-hatred clung to her thoughts.

Her memories played like a movie with me as its sole audience. I saw the suffering she had endured, the strange phenomena with the crows, the hooded bastard that tortured her and her friends.

I saw a swirling darkness whisper vile things to her, corrupting her and twisting her thoughts. The same darkness mutilated her broken body turning her into a mockery of the woman she had been.

I pulled myself free from her mind and hissed in anger. Going through her memories hand reminded me of how terrible humans could be. I looked up to her and saw that she had black tears running down her face.

It would have been wise to just put her out of her misery but she deserved better. I freed her from my hold and watched as she slumped to the ground in a heap. 

I put all my focus onto my healing skill and poured my power directly into her. Flames licked across her battered body fixing the damage that had been done to it.

Bones grew followed by nerves, veins, sinew, muscle, and flesh. Her neck cracked as it returned to its normal state and she let out a groan of pain as her tongue regrew after her hands.

A shuddering breath left her lips and her eyes returned to their normal brown color. The woman sat up with a gasp and looked around in a panic. 

"It's alright, you're safe now." 

"Wh- where am I?" She asked. 

"My dimension, the darkness can't touch you here." I reassured her. 

"I feel like I've just woken from a terrible nightmare." 

She had a slight accent, from her memories I gathered that she was from a Latin country. Probably South America from the state of the city she was from. 

"In a way… I guess you have. That bastard that did this to you, is he dead?" 

She looked pained as if remembering a particularly unpleasant memory. 

"Yes, I- I killed him, but…" 

"Your friends, they died as well." I finished for her. 

She nodded quietly looking down, I could see traces of tears beginning to well up in her eyes. 

"Worry not, if it is revenge you seek I won't stop you. I'll even help you fulfill those desires should you wish it. Just know that you can move on from such things." 

"The people, Vack, the corporation, they must pay for what they've done to my country." 

"Stupid name, Vack. I'll help you. But I'll need to go through your head again. Your memories will help me bring us to where we need to be." 

She took on a determined look, "Whatever you need, even if it's my soul. My people must be avenged." 

"No souls, just a memory." 

'What is it with people and bargaining their souls. I'm not really a demon for fucks sake it's just a name. At least I hope it is.' 

She nodded and looked at me, I twitched the Elder Wand and dove back into her head. This time I was a bit more gentle as to not damage her mind any further.

I found the location of the building where she and her friends had been taken. I pulled back and held out a hand for her to take. She slowly got back on her feet and I realized that she was still barefoot and in a tattered dress. Seeing that it would be an issue I teleported us into my inventory space.

She looked around in awe at my collection of various items. No doubt it all seemed foreign to her. 

"My name is Blake by the way, just thought I should introduce myself if we're going to destroy a corporation together." 

"Carmina." She replied with a soft smile. 

"Well Carmina, this is my storage space. As the name implies, this is where everything I have collected gets put. There's a rack towards the back with clothes that should fit you." 

She thanked me before walking off to find a change of clothes. Closing my eyes I used my connection to the ring I had given Selene to sense her. She was still in my mothers house, I could feel her amusement. My mother was probably telling her embarrassing stories, or as I liked to call it, 'talking shit about me'. 

Carmina returned a few minutes later dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a tight fitting black shirt. I pulled a Glock off a nearby rack and handed it to her. She shook her head to refuse the weapon. 

"I wish to use my own power to take my vengeance." 

"About that… I purged the darkness that turned you into that monster and once I healed you, you returned back to your human state." 

She paused, "Then I will beat them with my fists." 

I sighed, "I can offer you another choice. You'll gain power, but-" 

"But?" 

"I can give you power but the method will leave you bound to my blood." 

"Blood? You're a vampire?" She asked, fear seeping into her eyes. 

"Not exactly, more like a hybrid. A long story for another time. I can make you like me, only difference is the folktales of weaknesses like the sun and crucifixes don't apply. You'll also be able to live off of human food and blood." 

The steely look of determination returned to her face. She stepped forward and brushed her hair to the side exposing her delicate neck. 

"If that is what it takes to have my revenge, then I will become like you." 

"This may be painful." I warned. 

"Pain is familiar to me, it will be temporary." 

I stepped forward and set a hand on her shoulder. I felt my fangs elongate Carmina flinched at the sight. I bit into her neck and a moan escaped her lips as I began to suck.

Her hands gripped onto my shirt as I took a few more draws of her blood. Her breath hitched as I withdrew my fangs and licked her wound shut. I quickly cut my wrist and offered it to her.

She took my offered arm and lapped at my blood. I felt the connection snap into place and she stumbled away before beginning to convulse on the ground. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she turned.

Seconds later she straightened up and looked at me with the distinct electric blue eyes of a vampire before they shifted to a golden hue. 

"How do you feel?" I asked as I watched my wound close. 

"I- Powerful, like I could run for hours." She replied. 

"Good, now let's go. We've got a corporation to burn down."