Bonds of the Fallen

Bat lingered in the archive as the last of the day’s light vanished, the sky outside darkening to a deep indigo. Val had instructed her to meet him at midnight. It made sense that the shadowy market she sought would spring to life under the cover of night. The stories she’d heard about the market confirmed as much; it was a place that thrived in darkness, where the supernatural and mundane coexisted side by side.

Bat hastily finished up her paperwork and stood from her desk, slipping on the jacket she had draped over the back of her chair. She carefully tucked her notebook into one of the pockets, patting it to ensure it was securely in place. She didn’t want to risk losing it again.

The hallway outside the office stretched as she walked, her footsteps echoing off the walls. When she reached the exit, she paused and took a deep breath, steadying herself before placing her hand on the handle and pushing open the door.

Stepping outside, the cool night air wrapped around her, the darkness broken only by the scattered pools of light from the occasional lamp. The courtyard stretched out before her, a series of concentric circles filled with eco-friendly landscaping and the soft sound of water features. With their superior technology and seemingly limitless funds, the Vampir had created an oasis in the city’s heart.

Bat couldn’t help but marvel at the advancements they must have made. She could only dream of what she might achieve if given more than one lifetime.

Bat’s eyes roamed the courtyard, searching for any sign of Val. A tingle of anticipation sent shivers cascading down her spine, and she wrapped her arms around herself, the reassuring weight of the notebook in her pocket grounding her. Taking a deep breath, she ventured from the safety of the lamplight and into the shadows.

Her skin prickled with energy, and her senses heightened as she wrapped her arms tighter around her. “You came,” a voice called out softly, carrying in the stillness of the night. She whipped around to see Val standing there, a faint smile on his lips.

“Do all Vampir skulk around at night?” she challenged, planting her feet firmly, not retreating an inch.

His smile quirked higher on one side, giving him a mischievous air, while his eyes held a catlike curiosity. “For someone employed by the embassy, you seem to have a limited understanding of your employers,” he remarked before turning on his heel. She rushed to fall into step beside him as they crossed the courtyard.

In the shadows of the night, Val was even more striking – and he appeared barely a few years older than her. “It seems my employers aren’t very forthcoming about themselves, and finding someone willing to divulge information is a rarity,” she observed, casting him a sidelong glance.

He turned his head slightly to regard her. “Now is your opportunity to ask and seek answers. Our walk to the market will afford you ample time. Be warned, I will have questions, too,” he declared.

Silence settled over them briefly before Bat ventured, “Why didn’t you tell me who you were when you returned my notebook?”

A smirk tugged at his lips. “Where’s the enjoyment in that? Besides, I assumed you knew who I was.” His gaze raked over her, assessing.

“Oh, because every human is acquainted with the elusive leader of the Vampir.” She challenged, wincing as the remark came across as more sarcastic than she had intended.

He smiled a languid, patient smile that irked her. “When you’ve lived as long as we have, meanings shift. Time is a different concept when it stretches out before you endlessly. Seconds elongate into hours, minutes into months, and months into years. What once seemed significant becomes inconsequential, lost in the endless tides of time,” he explained, his voice exuding confidence.

Bat, perpetually anxious– a legacy of her mother’s disappearance – found his attitude aggravating. Her childhood memories were filled with long periods spent by the front door, waiting for her mother to return.

“If the Vampir are immortal, why hold the festival and the ceremony?” she asked.

He paused to let her catch up as they crossed the street. “Not all Vampir are truly immortal. Many cease to age. They heal swiftly, never fall ill, but they are not invulnerable to death,” he explained, walking towards the city’s edge. “The festival serves multiple purposes, but the ceremony is a means of enlarging our family.” He reached out to assist her up a flight of steps, dropping it when she did not take his hand. “Do you intend to partake in the ceremony?” He continued.

“I haven’t decided,” she admitted hesitantly.

“Because of your mother?” he posed, his gaze not leaving her face. His dark green eyes were almost black in the night.

Val’s genuine interest was foreign to her. “My mother was unwell. After my birth, she seemed to get better, but then the paranoia set in. Her ramblings became incoherent, and she deteriorated further as I got older. She spoke of a Dark Valkyrie and would roam the streets at night, leaving me home all alone. I would wait for her to return. When she did, she would be in disarray, muttering to herself. It wasn’t until I was older that I understood what she was searching for– she wanted to be turned, believing it would cure her,” she shared, her voice trailing off.

Bat fell quiet, lost in a distant memory.

“Turning Vampir does not heal the mind. Whatever ailments afflict the mind become immutable in the process,” he explained. He stopped and turned towards her. “You haven’t yet answered my initial question.”

She paused, glancing down at her boots, her hand resting on the pocket where she securely tucked away her notebook. “I haven’t considered participating in the ceremony. But lately, I’ve started to think that it may be the only way to unearth any answers about what happened to my mother.”

“There are always alternatives,” he reminded her gently.

Their eyes met, and she confessed, “A part of me fears that if I wait too long, I may end up like her.”

His voice was steady as he replied, “I believe destiny has other designs for you.”

Their journey continued towards the Edge District, a combination of historic commerce centers and industry, now undergoing a renaissance at the hands of the Vampir. Old buildings were rejuvenated, and the district slowly transformed from a once-neglected area into a vibrant and eclectic neighborhood.

“When we reach the Dark Market, stay close. It can be dangerous for humans unfamiliar with the beings that have dealings there,” he warned as they walked along an abandoned industrial zone.

Val stopped and stood before a row of aged shipping containers. He faced her, gesturing towards the murky alleyway. “The Dark Market lies just ahead. Are you sure that you want to continue down this path?”

Inhaling deeply, Bat squared her shoulders and nodded, stepping forward into the shadows, their footsteps merging with the night.