Syria the heavenly princess

"Hello Katherine." Gloomy blue eyes bore into her own, she looked at him in confusion. She looked around herself and saw she was in a short black lace evening dress, the surrounding crude stone walls and a dirty floor telling her that the location she is at is not where she had been planning to spend her night.

looking at the handsome man in front of her, who seems to harbor deep feelings of resentment and hate towards her. As a professional in the art of conducting business for over a decade and being able to read people, especially strangers who mean nothing to her, she is able to see more of their minuscule facial expressions because she uses a strictly objective approach to study them.

"Are you not going to say anything? How are you finding your new home? You should know better than to mess with a Bennett witch." The man asked with some impatience dancing in the depths of his eyes.

"What would you have me say?" She doesn't have to act because she is genuinely curious, what this stranger in a suit wants from her.

He looks at her not getting whatever he wants and then starts talking. "You will rot here, where you were supposed to be for the last century and some years. Your body will shut down bit by bit until you are completely dried out of all the blood in your system." He said enunciating everything with vivid details all the while watching her every reaction closely.

"Sounds painful. You seem emotionally invested in seeing me suffer." Her voice neutral and detached.

"Damn right I am." He answered with venom in his voice.

"I see." She says without concern. She then turns around and head towards the darkness deep into the tomb.

"Where are you going?"

"To dry up and whatever comes after." She answered and disappeared, swallowed up by darkness. She didn't see the stunned look on his face as he stood there with no clue of what to do next.

....

"On the case of Syria Fox ....." The man stood on a podium. Read from a folder on his left and gave judgement.

Heavenly court is a sham of a place ever since the Emperor lost his beloved wife the matriarch of the heavenly fox clan.

The Emperor is reportedly in morning. What kind of love would leave a man so devastated that he will be in mourning for thousands of years?

Ever since the Emperor married the prized fox princess all those years ago, people were shocked. First because the fox clan is not known for their strength but for their trickery and playful nature. They go around causing all kinds of trouble just because it's entertainment for them.

As a result serious men and women who hold high positions will never bring a fox partner into their homes. So when the most powerful existence in the realm made a member of the fox clan his main and only wife, they were shocked.

Many theories circulated in the realm about the fox clan using their renowned mind arts to bewitch the Emporer's son the crown prince. The fox clan are not overly powerful when it comes to strength but they have one of the deadliest mind arts that can only be practiced by someone with a fox spirit.

The fox spirit is rare even among the fox clan, those who are lucky enough to get a fox spirit are treasured and taught the secret mind arts of the clan.

When the Empress was announced dead. The many people who wanted to make it as Empress and felt they deserved it better than the seductive fox beast got ready to be fulfil their long cherished dreams of spender and bringing glory to their families by standing beside the most powerful man in all three realms. However, their dreams were shattered without mercy.

Several years after her death, there was no movement from the heavenly palace. In fact, the palace became enraptured in a gloomy aura that stretched out for hundreds of years until the crown prince got married and had children which brought back some light into the cold place.

"You are charged with the crime of stealing the amaratu of Pegaton. The supreme judge was magnanimous enough and sentenced you to true death." The voice rang and murmurs could be heard all around the courtroom.

"Hahaha. Good. I won't have to stay in this awful place, surrounded by idiots." A cheerful voice came from the prisoner in chains, even with her form covered with a large cloak, It is obvious that she is a woman. The fact that she does not fear true death sends the place into a frenzy.

True death in this realm mean to cease one's existence. There won't be banned to the demonic realm where they are hunted for the rest their days. There is also an option to be thrown into the prison of the immortals where some of the worst criminals are kept. There are so many ways to be punished in the heavenly realm that she was worried there for a moment. True death is a breeze compared to what they could have done to her.

She had kept her promise and delivered that blasted herb to her brother so that her little niece can be saved from a horrible affliction. Her brother hates her for causing the death of their mother so she is not expecting to be thanked.

She is escorted to the dungeons before her execution tomorrow morning. Sighing, she is relieved at the fact she will put an end to her miserable life tomorrow, she doesn't even have to worry about being sent somewhere horrid and suffer a fate worse than death. She was born with a spirit of a fox, the thing is this particular fox doesn't have it's on abilities and only gets stronger if it's steals them from other.

Her brother despises her because without meaning to her fox stole her mother's cultivation base. She had an old injury which promptly took her life after her cultivation was stolen away from her. The heavenly father was furious and banished his then 6 year old daughter out of the castle and into the outside world on her own.

At the time, she didn't know what she had done and vaguely remembered admiring her mother's sword dance and the pretty flowers that bloomed with her every step during her practice. Not knowing the sword technique cultivation will be stolen by her admiration and longing.

"You don't seem like someone repenting for their sins." A deep voice came from the open space in front of her cell. She regards him once and then goes back to her musing.

"Do not pretend I am not here!" The displeasure apparent on his face. Only the people who spend much time studying people's reactions with close scrutiny making business deals can notice it. Syria had been selling her skills for hundreds of years, because she had to ensure the seller is not being scammed are cohost into selling their treasure.

Knowing that the man in front of her is not happy being ignored she rolled her eyes and looked at him with a less than the usual playfulness on her face. Although she tried to hide the emotions in the depths of her clear eyes.

"Always so dramatic about every single thing. No wonder you like big brother so much." She said pretending not to be touched by his presence. She just doesn't know how to face the man whose wife she killed with her cursed talent without feeling miserable.

"And you never take anything serious. It is why I hardly converse with you, my willful daughter." He says with a softer tone than before.

Is that also why he got her out of the palace all those years ago and spread the news that she was dead along with her mother? She must have been dead in his eyes. Was it because she was too playful? To have been discarded by your only remaining parent had been a deep scar in her heart for as long as she can remember.

Realizing the fact that this is the last time she will see this father of her's. She decided to do something she had wanted to do a long time ago. Even though she was taken back to the palace after a thousand years of wondering outside. Of course that did not last for too long, the palace was too cold and without her mother there, it was pointless to live there so she left. She wondered how long it took her brother and father to find out we had left the palace back then.

"I am sorry." She turn to look at him with tears glistening in her large eyes. "About mom. I wish I was never born, then she will be alive and everyone will have been better off without the likes of me." She says standing up bowing to her father to express sincerity and then sits down looking away from him.

He stood there without knowing what to say. "She wanted a daughter, your mother. I was already content with the one child she had given me but then you came. She was happy. And so, by extension I was happy. It was a devastating loss. But you being born was not a mistake. I am just not a good father without her there and you look too much like her."

He sighed and got inside the cell like the bars are nothing but an illusion. She doesn't lift her face to look at him, she keeps looking at a fixed spot on the wall.

"The reason I banished you was because your life was in danger. A 5 year old child with a cultivation base of a heavenly empress, my enemies were scared and wanted to devour you to end a threat. So I spread a story that my daughter died with her mother, that way you would be safe. I see now that it hurt you into thinking I didn't want you."

She finally looks at him with eyes full of vulnerability that it breaks his several millennial heart. He loved his wife, never wanted her to go through unnecessary labor after he already had an heir. So he was never really fond of this baby that had stolen his love but looking at her like this he puts his hands on her shoulder.

"When they kill you tomorrow, you will receive my gift. Remember to live as you wish and get yourself a new family. You have my blessing. You can not take your cultivation base with you but you will have all sort of fun things to play with." He gave her a version of a smile that only he can pull off on a straight face.

"Your brother wanted to come. I forbade him, you know him. He thinks one thing but speaks another thing. he is very grateful to you and so am I. Thank you, and like a heavenly father that I am, my thank you will be to allow you to know the truth. Your mother will be reborn soon. So you shouldn't be feeling guilty anymore." There's an obvious happiness in his tone.

She stood up and looked at her father with wide eyes. She is aware of how much effort and expenses it would cost to interfere with the reincarnation cycle to find a specific soul. She always knew her father loved her mother but this was out of her expectations. Realizing that he is able to talk with her now because there is hope of seeing her mother. He is forgiving her because there is hope in his heart.

Once he locates her soul, bringing back her memories will not be a problem. She slumps down with a huge load lifting off her shoulders. She is glad, that her mother will come back and is glad that she won't be here to screw things up again. With a little luck, she will never see anyone from her family never again.

"Thank you for telling me." She is grateful, this was the one thing that was weighing her down and now she is free. She laughs, a sorrowful laughter that would break anyone's heart. 

"Good bye, father." She seems truly happy for the first time in over 3000 years.

Her father turned and left. Their family may have not openly antagonized her but they were absent when she needed them. Many times she had wished she was born from a mortal family. What heavenly princess? It all brought her nothing but heartache.

.....

Syria /Katherine inside a tomb.

"Memories of another life, 500 years worth of life, at least I am not completely clueless of this new world. Father is really a piece of work. A mortal book mother read for me, she must have told him I like the species called vampires in that book, for him to send me here."

"This person is pitiful though, a victim of a series of circumstances." Syria can feel that her memories and those of Katherine are mixing and just like that, two people became one in mere moments she was already Katherine an in favor of replacing her deity like parents with mortals.

However, the more she looked at the memories the angrier she got. A tyrant had ruthlessly taken her parents from her. The important point is that there was no real reason for him to do this he did it because he can.

"I wonder if my fox spirit came along with me." She seats in a lotus position and started checking her subconscious mind space. Cultivation base is gone, just like father had said. It doesn't seem like my demon beast spirit is gone though, fitting. This world has werewolves, vampires and lower level magic practitioners. She however had a higher level runic language that will put their spells in shame.

Demon beast cultivation would take a millennial at least to achieve minimum results. I was never a devoted hard worker. I wonder if I can become a hybrid the likes of that Nicklaus fella? Feeding on human blood would have wrinkled my brows but now that I have 500 years of this Katherine person's experience, I am not against it all that much.

Many fox clansmen would practice the shift manual to gain fox beast transformation forms that are manifested physically since they were not lucky enough to gain a fox spirit. Those with a fox spirit form may also transform into real demon beasts and gain fox blood line. At the very least they can then hope to sire a child with fox spirit in the future.

S..... Katherine has also been one of those to gain a beast form, now that she had left her body she has lost the bloodline. This won't do, that bloodline has the ability to enslave all living beings as long as their soul power is less then the master.

As a fox spirit carrier she can regain her beast form in less than two days if the qi is sufficient but with this pitiful amount in the air, it will take at least a week but soon she will have a way of creating loyal subjects for herself.

Armed with mind arts which will be enhanced under the effect of her fox spirit, her knowledge of alchemy and her fox beast bloodline, she can navigate this world safely if she was still planning on running away from the originals. But she is not running, this is the only way she can pay respect to her Katherine alter ego. Have them pay for what they have done against her.

That Nicklaus is regarded as special, perhaps I should see for myself. He will come for me now that I am Katherine Pierce." She shakes her head at the ridiculous situation. She was 5 times more powerful but got bested nonetheless, by a group of children to boot.

Katherine has to get back some respect. How will she live in the future if any small creature can bring her down like this? She will still need to be careful as she is no longer the heavenly princess, she does not command power of all lesser beasts while her cultivation base is non existent.

Her Fox spirit can steal anything under the heavens, she can still live a good life here, she had three forms while the beasts in this world turn mindless and violent just like in her early days. She can turn into a two legged fox, four legged fox and most importantly the final form, the tails.

Katherine can feel that her tails have not come with her into this body. She only has one which is because she has a fox spirit. Closing her eyes and let a single tear fall in grief of her hard earned six tails.

The invisible tail confirms she can still earn her tails as even now Katherine can feel this world is not simple. This means she can get stronger but currently she needed blood. Or at least energy to feed her new body. She will meditate to draw in the world energy into her body to nourish and sustain it. Not as fast working as blood but better than decaying.

This body is full of impurities, the blood consumed from millions of mortal carry various ailments and complications has put a lot of strain in the power of the body. The blood purification is very slow and daunting but she is left with little options. The meditation for this task is works slower that a medical bath but the vampire is currently left with no other options.

During her meditation when she silently recite a secrete incantation, world energies will gather into her body and purify it making her stronger and sustaining.

Katherine will use rune language to take care of magical problems. Not to mention her traveler studies are not very shallow but it was hard for Katharine to recall her family's teachings without remembering what had happened to them.

Syria had lived for 3000 years give or take, she had killed her own mother which left a deep scar in her soul so she can understand Katharine trying to avoid topics that reminded her of her childhood.

But she will recall this information for herself. Even though she has confidence that she will be powerful in the future, she still needs time. Which is why even though she will use the cultivation from the clan she will need to you the crude method of baking herself inside medical elixir in order to expedite the process. She needs a strong body too.

Why are the Originals able to compel other vampires and will not die through normal means? It is because of the purity of their blood. They also have an abundant amount of magic inside them which is why they are able to share it with the countless others when creating new born vampires.

The older a vampire is the stronger it's body's tenacity becomes which why they get stronger even as the amount of impurities inside their bodies increase. If she is able to remove the impurities inside her blood that she has accumulated in the last five centuries, it will be possible for her to close the gap.

This crude method of inflicting pain in order to gain strength has always been the way of a body cultivators and is some times looked down on by the spiritual cultivators in the heavenly realms. This is because one powerful fire spell can burn even iron, how much more a human body? To achieve a method that will harden skin to that point will also cause the body cultivators to endure immense pain.

She is aware of all these but she is a spirit fox carrier which means she can perform all sorts of mind arts, but one can not rely on one weapon in her arson. Not to mention punching her enemies is more satisfying than playing tricks on them.

She probably won't get to hear crackling of thunder when she clenches her fists for a while but what level of physical power she will achieve after using the medicine of body refinement should be able to atleast handle those much older than her.

She closed her eyes and started to recall the meditating mantra that will refine her body and bring back her fox physical forms.

She is able to maintain her current position and not decay. If she is able to bring in more energy she will be able to maintain her own immortality and even grow stronger.

At this moment the most urgent thing is to find a way out of here. This place is not her idea of accommodation. Not to mention the air is thick with suffering inside this place.

...

A week passed and Katherine has been sitting in a lotus position since the beginning even dust has gathered on her body. She has become part of the stones all around her.

Syria or Katherine has been meditating and slowly improving her power , however slow the process is. It has worked. She is the daughter of the fox clan anyways she will not be undone in the hands of a group of children. There was a reason the Emperor of an entire realm was married to a member of the beast clan and the fox to boot known for their inferior strength in relation to the other clans.

The story played in their ability to seduce and trick just about anyone. The story of her parents is legendary. She doesn't like to think about it normally since she was responsible for their separation but as a child it was one of her favorite tales. Her doting mother would always indulge her whenever she made a fuss about hearing it, as a result she knew it by heart.

Her father and mother fell in love while he couldn't see her. His spirit was afflicted by a strange herb so he was as blind as can be. A fox beast kin was still able to warm her way into her father's heart, who was still a crown prince at the time.

The point of the matter is that even when seated on the ground not moving or talking, Katherine is a seductive creature, she exudes a kind of charm that will send mortals into a stupor. She had learned to pull the reins on her natural power but as she is now, she will need a lot of time to do it.

She spends another week reapplying the technique to reduce the effects of her fox aura. She can now go outside without being jumped by anyone who set eyes on her. She is able to use the first form of her beast forms. This means she is able to create an army of loyal subjects for herself although she probably won't do it.

She needs a shower and a rest. Even though she was able to lighten the burden of impurities inside her vampire fox body, she still need to take it easy especially if she is to face the so called Originals.

Every child in the fox clan that has the fortune of having a fox spirit is born with a unique ability that belong just to them and then there is the usual fox powers that come with each fox tail that a fox kin succeed in growing.

The only way to grow a tail is to grow the fox beast forms power to a higher level. This is possible with increasing the mind arts and the body power levels. Each time one breaks a bottleneck in both soul or the commonly known mind arts and body's brute strength, they will grow an extra tail.

Katherine's fox spiritual unique power is the ability to steal anything and everything under the heavens. This is why she was able to steal the effect of the amaratu of Pegaton without moving it from its position and then passing this medicinal effect on to the niece who was sick at the time.

It is how she was able to steal her mother's cultivation base. Katherine stands up and upon seeing the level of impurities covering her body shudders in disgust. She really needs a shower.

She would even use the primitive way of bathing on the lake at this moment. However, she is aware of just how stubborn impurities are, they resemble the oily black and sticky substance found in the mouth of a demon beast inside the forbidden forest.

She is not going to let the stench stand in her way of getting out of this place today. Bathing can wait. She goes to inspect the barrier that kept 26 vampires locked inside for over a century. It is tuff but she has gotten inside the most secure of array formation and heavily inscripted locations to steal heavenly treasures more times than she can count.

She knows there is a way, there is always a way. She meditate on it and she realizes the problem is with her approach, this is a magical barrier and what can counter or get rid of magic is the methods of the group of non witch witches this body was born in. Travelers.

As a child Katherine's mother used to try and teach her the ways of travelers but she was not very interested and thought her family to be wasting time but the memories of the giants of books she was forced to read as a child remain inside her mind. She has a mind palace unlike a normal being, she can walk inside it and check everything inside.

The boods read by Katherine are in a section of their own and it doesn't take long for her to locate what she is looking for. The problem is she will need the blood of a Bennett to reverse the spell or to open a whole big enough for her to pass through.

She will stay put and use this time to increase her strength. She sighs and gets ready to sit when the large stone is open of the other side. She can hear two young women talking.

"Your asking the truth from someone who doesn't tell it."

Caroline the young vampire that Katherine had turned to go and beg for freedom from the man who massacres entire families just for the fun of it. Katherine is not a good person herself but causing harm to that little girl just because she can leaves a bad taste on her mouth.

There's probably no way to earn Elena's forgiveness but she can try to be better than before. She will have to make amends so she can atleast make some friends.

Closing her eyes, she calculated all the possible ways she can bribe these people and make herself indespensible in their cycle of friends.

The reason she will go through all this is because of the auras surrounding the two girls, she smiled at herself in glee. It seems her life in this world will not be dull. For she shares the same face as the child of Destiny in this world. Hehe.