Tension

“Are you nervous?”

“Nervous? Why would I be nervous?”

“Well, you’ve been pacing around the room like mad for the last twenty minutes.”

As though she’d just realized, Nadia stops abruptly and takes notice of the indentation of the carpet where she’d been walking. “Oh. Perhaps I am.” She finally sits on the bed and runs her fingers through her short, curly hair, which matches the dark chestnut wood of the bed frame beside her. “My entire future rests on today. I’ve never felt more nervous in my 18 years.”

“Minister Josef is a tough cookie to crack, but I’m sure he’ll make a reasonable decision. He’s not evil. I believe he wants the best for you, even if he’s not the best at showing it, Nadia.”

“Oh my, I didn’t realize you and Minister Lowell were so close for you to be on a first name basis. Are congratulations in order?” Kei can see her moss green eyes narrow mischievously.

“Ugh, don’t even!” Kei shoves her in protest and Nadia laughs. “He insisted I call him that, so I’m simply doing as he asked. You’re the one who told me to do anything it took to get in his good graces. I like Lowell as a mentor of sorts, but I’m not interested in him THAT way.”

“Yes, that’s true. I did tell you to get in his good graces. I know you wouldn’t go THAT far. But I think he surprised us both when he asked you to help him with his services. He basically made you his assistant. A vampire archbishop mentoring a human priestess. Color me surprised.”

“Well, it’s all for the sake of being a better executioner. That’s the role they gave me, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, my church approved shackle.” Nadia lies back on the bed with a sigh. “Well, not that I mind, not really. While I’ve certainly still felt her pull over the years, she’s become more of a minor annoyance than an actual concern. I almost believe that I can have a normal life now, but I’ll admit that knowing you’re beside me should things take a turn for the worse is comforting.” She closes her eyes, intending to only rest them. Kei leans over her and stares at her softly.

“Is that...all you want me beside you for?” Kei can’t bring herself to look directly at her as she asks this, but when she doesn’t get a response, she turns to face her with an aggravated glare.

However, she quickly realizes that Nadia is fast asleep, clear from her steady breathing and the way her chest rises and falls. “Why does it seem like you always fall asleep at the most convenient times, hmm?” She pokes her cheek playfully and chuckles quietly to herself.

She stares at Nadia’s face for the longest time, taking in every inch. Her slender outline, her rounded jaw, her full lips, and long lashes. She’s already committed it all to memory over the last six years, but somehow she never tires of looking again, watching every subtle change. Though she’s noticed that it hasn’t changed much in the last year or so. “Are you entering your immortal vampire stride?” She smiles slightly, but there’s a look of apprehension in her blue eyes as well.

She’s still learning a lot about vampire biology, but based on Nadia’s explanation, once vampires reach full maturity, their faces don’t change again for at least several hundred years. It’d take around 1000 years for her to look middle-aged like Minister Lowell and after another 2000, she might look like an elder. Once vampires reach that point, they will forever remain in that state until they die. This is only possible by destroying their hearts or brains. Nadia also mentioned some rare diseases exclusive to vampires that can kill them too, but with their quality healthcare, it’s unlikely. Ultimately, Nadia is immortal and will never be plagued by age or deterioration.

“You’ll stay like this for centuries, while I’ll look like an old hag in another eighty years. How unfair is that?” She softly strokes Nadia’s head, twisting a stray curl around her finger. “If I decide to let you, that is.” Her sea blue eyes darken to indigo as she raises her other hand to Nadia’s neck and wraps her fingers lightly around it.

Leaning over her, she whispers into her ear. “I could kill you at any moment, and you’d never see it coming. With just a fraction of my power, I could vanquish that demon and shatter your soul. If anyone questioned it, I could simply say the demon took control of you and I had no choice but to execute you. That is my role, after all.”

“Then do it.”

Startled by her own voice, Kei says, “Why are you here right now? I didn’t ask for you to come.”

“Oh? Am I interrupting your romantic moment? Though romance can only exist between two willing parties. I must say, your sweet, innocent pining over the years has been amusing, but now you just seem desperate. It’s really quite sad that you foolishly believe you have a chance.”

“Go away before someone hears you. They might have accepted that I have divine powers, but I’m not sure they’ll be too keen on discovering that the soul of an actual Divine Priestess who lived several millennia ago has reincarnated into my body. If they learn I could eradicate their entire species in one night, they’d rip me to shreds and burn my body. Though can it really be reincarnation if we have separate souls? I don’t think we’ve truly become one, have we?”

“You are correct, it’s not reincarnation, but possession. My spirit shares your body, and I can lend you my power, but you otherwise maintain your free will and act according to your own mind. I can’t act unless you allow me to take over. However, reincarnation is when a soul whose physical body has died transfers to a new body and while not always immediate, inevitably, their souls will merge, and the reincarnated soul will take over whether the host wants them to or not. It’s what Nadia has been experiencing, and had it not been for our intervention all those years ago, she’d have already succumbed to that evil deity inside of her. I can say so with certainty.”

“Right, thanks for the lesson, but you’re not needed right now. I’ll let you know when you are.”

“My, how confident you’ve become. Such a far cry from that weak and broken little girl on death’s door. Had I not entered your body at that moment back then, you’d be long dead.”

“I told you not to bring up my past!” Kei loses her temper but reins it in when Nadia stirs.

“Ooh, careful now. Wouldn’t want to wake our dear Nadia now, would we? Did I hit a nerve? Well, good. Let me remind you that the power you wield is mine. Without me, you wouldn’t even be able to fight against her on her worst day. Just as easily as I gifted you with supreme power, I can take it all away simply by leaving your body. Then where will that leave you? Hmm, Keiko?”

“Are you threatening me Kei?” Her voice becomes low and menacing, the tension rising slowly.

“Goodness no. I’m just offering a gentle reminder. I’m happy to stay as long as you need me or leave when you don’t, but don’t forget that for as long as I am here, you’ve agreed to fight against evil as I am bound to do. I’ve spent hundreds of years passing along through your bloodline, and your ancestors were all fine priestesses. Your mother was especially reliable. It’d been many generations since I had the pleasure of joining such a host. She was simply perfect.”

“Well, I’m sorry I can’t live up to those expectations, but mother is dead now, so you’re stuck with me.” There’s a bitterness in Keiko’s voice, causing the goddess to fall silent for a moment.

“Keiko...I know you’ve done your best, and I want you to live your life freely. Just don’t forget why we’re here. The evil inside of her lies dormant, but is not gone. Only we can free her.”

“Aren’t you the one who said we had time? Why are you rushing me now? I’m the only one with a time limit. You have time, you’ve always had time. Isn’t that what you always say to me?”

“While yes, I am eternal, that doesn’t mean I’m all powerful. Even I have limits to the amount of darkness I can manage. Every time you touch her, we take that evil energy into ourselves. I can neutralize it to a point such that it will not corrupt you, but in overwhelming amounts, it can overtake even me, and you will be the one to suffer. You must exorcise the deity at once, or you may have to fight an inner battle of your own. If you become corrupted, I cannot help you.”

“If I exorcise it, that means Nadia will die, since they already merged their souls, right?”

“Yes, I’m afraid it does, but this was a cost you were willing to pay before for the greater good. Has that changed since then? No, I suppose I already know the answer to that, don’t I? Though I did caution you against it. You allowed your heart to waver and now you’re paying the price.”

“It’s not like that. I don’t.... We’re best friends. That’s all we are. I know she doesn’t think of me that way. I’m her only friend and safety net. She finally has the chance to live a normal life. I just want her to have the chance to enjoy that. I’ll do what needs to be done. Just not yet. Patience.”

“Very well, Keiko. I hope you won’t come to regret this choice. I’ve seen my share of priestesses who foolishly believed they could handle the darkness and failed. I don’t want that for you.”

Just as suddenly as she came, Kei had gone, leaving Keiko with her thoughts and dread.