Chapter 44

Pyrrha watched as Ilia stared down at the puppy before her bed. Seated in Ruby's lap, the canine panted quietly up at the lamia, innocent and cheerful, as any puppy would. Ilia seemed torn. It was likely she had never encountered a domesticated dog before. Wolves were a threat to lamia, especially the young. A decent sized pack could injure, if not kill even a mature lamia. They would easily make off with her snakelets. Here was Ilia, faced with a minuscule, tamed version of one of her natural predators. It was fascinating to watch the gears turn in her head.

"His teeth are really tiny." Ruby commented, lifting up the puppy's tiny cheeks to reveal the tiny white points. Ilia raised a brow, sinking into the pillow.

Pyrrha could not help but chuckle. "He won't hurt you Ilia. Why don't you give him a little pat? Like so." The redhead leaned forward, reaching out to give the pup a scritch atop his head, before smoothing out the fur with her palm. "The worst he'll do is sniff you."

Ilia flicked the tip of her tail against the pillows at the head of her bed, puffing her cheeks out as she glared at the small creature. No doubt she would have rather devoured it than attempted to make peace. But for now she seemed willing to try. A single tan arm slowly reached forward, a single finger extended, the dull nail making its way to the canine's nose, until it made contact with the cropped white fur in a gentle boop. Ilia was dead still. Then the puppy licked her and she yelped, scrambling back and gigging beneath the covers and pillows as Pyrrha failed to stifle her laughter.

"Ilia, dear I'm sorry...he was only licking you." Pyrrha snorted. "It's how they show affection."

A sudden knocking sounded from the wardrobe, just before it opened. Winter peeked her head through. "Am I interrupting?" She asked with a curious tilt.

"Ilia is frightened of puppies." Ruby explained.

"We're attempting to ease her worry." Pyrrha added.

"Successfully it seems." Winter teased.

"Baby steps." Pyrrha smiled apologetically. "Ilia, are you okay?" The pile of blankets shuddered in response.

"May I have some time alone with her?" Winter requested. "I'd like to speak of something important."

Pyrrha turned back to the pile to find blue eyes staring at the newcomer. She nodded. "Come Ruby." Pyrrha stood, picking up her basket. "I've some potions to brew, and you're far better with a knife than I." Ruby obeyed, leaping to her feet with the puppy cradled in her arms. Pyrrha hesitated before sighing. "Though we should return out wayward canine first."

"Aw, I'll miss the little guy." Ruby pouted. "Ready to go home to your family?" She crooned at the ball of fur. She received a lick on the nose in response and giggled, following Pyrrha out the door.

With the room relatively emptied, Winter took in her surroundings. It was warm, almost uncomfortably so, in stark contrast to the cool basement. That was partly explained by the chimney, which cut through the floor on the right side of the room, and the makeshift insulation of blankets and hangings that coated the entire sloped ceiling. It felt like being inside a large tent. It was an oddly familiar experience, if more colorful. Templar tents were either clean white or camouflaged. Even with the camouflage Winter did not find them secure. Templars were never subtle. They expected and intended for the world to know where they were. They were intimidating, but foolish.

"Ilia, how do you fare?" Winter finally asked, stepping closer to the bed. The collection of pillows and blankets hiding the lamia looked rather cosy. Weiss had gone through a phase of piling spare linen atop herself when emotional. She had eventually outgrown it, but Winter would never forget the first time she caught Weiss swaddled in fine silks and cotton. Her heart ached for those times.

"I hate wolves." Ilia mumbled, poking her head out of the pile. "They howl and keep me awake at night. And one almost took my tail."

"And to think, one day you could wave you hand and send them flying away, like leaves on the wind." Winter noted.

"But I would set them on fire!" Ilia hissed, fangs briefly glinting in the lamplight before she bowed her head, downcast.

"That seems an extreme reaction." Winter arched her brow. "Wolves are an annoyance, but easily frightened away by a sufficient show of force."

"It's not by choice." Ilia complained.

"You have an affinity for fire then?" Winter inquired.

"I hate it." Ilia grumbled.

"You feel anger." Winter guessed.

"Frustration." Ilia corrected.

"Helplessness?" Winter asked.

"Fear." Ilia admitted.

"Of hurting others?" Winter questioned.

Ilia nodded rapidly. "I set our nest aflame." She croaked. "Now they think I hate them."

"What makes you say that?" Winter asked.

"I live in spite of them." Ilia replied.

"What do you mean?" Winter prodded.

"I am the last of us, the slowest, the weakest, the smallest." Ilia shrugged her way from the blankets. "No matter how hard I try, I fail, time and again. They do not. They are greater. They catch their own food and grow larger and stronger." Slithering onto the floor, Ilia's gestures became more and more erratic, scales glinting in the lamplight, which steadily brightened. "As is the cycle. The strong survive, the weak falter and fall. Yet I do not. Mother fed me, mama saved me from sickness. I survived in spite of fate, and my sisters looked down upon me. Every day I followed, every day I fell, and every day they looked at me like a curse. So of course they think I hate them. My curse took root, my only strength lashing out at them, our den nearly lost to my loss of control!"

The lantern exploded, setting the table upon which it sat alight. Ilia yelped, hands held helplessly outward in shock, face screwing up in frustrated anger. Winter flung a hand toward the small blaze, sending a jet of frost to douse the flames. The room fell dark, the hissing of boiling liquid giving way to near silence, and the heavy breathing of one panicked lamia.

"Ilia." Winter spoke softly.

"I'm sorry." Ilia whispered in reply.

Winter could not see in the dark, but she could picture the expression Ilia would wear. She had seen it many times, on her fellow trainees, and in the mirror. "Ilia, it's okay. Do you see me?"

"A little." Ilia answered.

"Come to me." Winter held out her hands, waiting for the telltale slithering of scales across the floor, until the lamia shakily took hold of the offered limbs. "Magic is tied deeply to emotion. Anger, sadness, fear, it coaxes the forces that be from our souls." Clasping Ilia's hands together, Winter kept them covered with her own as she recalled a familiar sensation, the ache in her heart, the mourning and grief that ruled her early years, feeling the cold within ebb and flow to her palms. "We cannot run from it. We cannot hide from it. But we can learn, in time…" Linking their fingers, Winter gently pulled their hands apart, the cryotic energy flaring into a pinprick of light. It steadily grew, illuminating Ilia's expression of wonder. "We can embrace it, for we are the same."

"I do not know how." Ilia's eyes shined in the mana glow, the thick blue catching the light beautifully.

"Not yet, but in time, if you'll accept my assistance." Winter slowly withdrew her touch, willing the orb to remain within the lamia's grasp, slowly lessening her influence upon the energy. It flickered and dimmed, Ilia's fingers twitching as her body reacted to the pull, until it stabilized, much to her glee, sharp teeth showing in a wide grin.

"It feels…" Ilia's grin flickered as the orb grew. "Sad." Small flecks appeared within the orb, the barest hint of a snowflake, until suddenly the light went out. "Oh...aw."

Winter chuckled, conjuring a ball of flame in her palm, revealing the adorable pout once more. "You did well, but focus is not something that comes naturally. It will take time, and practice."

Ilia clenched her hands into fists, flexing her fingers as the alien sensation lingered, like the sting of a slap but devoid of pain. "Please, help me."

Winter smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

It only ever got worse for Weiss. The feeling of entrapment, the strangulation of puppet strings wound tightly around her psyche, even the good nights brought subtler but still terrifying visions. One vision depicted her own sister, desiccated yet still living, a husk from consumption, the coppery taste of what little blood she provided rich and delectable. Phantom joys thrummed through Weiss' veins in spite of the horror she felt at her idol reduced to such a state, at her own hand no less.

Another saw Ruby in her bed, nude and bloodstained, punctures littering her form and oozing their vital essence into the ivory sheets as Weiss' tongue chased the running streams. The adoration she felt for the summon seemed a betrayal, in so many ways. Her violation of such innocence sickened her, yet it hardly held a candle to the greatest farce presented.

Chains clinked and groaned, Weiss' wrists straining against the harsh metal bonds, bare knees chafing against the harsh ground. The leather collar around her neck constricted her breath, heavy and coursing with binding magic, it weighed upon her soul like an anchor, preventing it from reaching out to the forces beyond. It grounded her to the tragedy before her.

Her lover, her partner, her protector - Yang, daughter of the Dragon God of Fire, shivering and freezing in front of her. The sigils upon her own bindings gradually turned her form to ice, bronzed skin paling, dull red eyes pained in their anguish. Such was her fate, to be tortured and destroyed for Weiss' viewing, turned to ash, torn to cosmic cinders, forever drowned in an endless void. The visions had changed, yet they remained the same. The brightest star of her life, snuffed out like a candle. And there was never a damn thing Weiss could do to stop it.

"The depths of human depravity will never cease to sadden me." Came a female voice, mournful yet thick with amusement.

Weiss flinched, a strange awareness overcoming her. Time seemed to stand still. Yang's pained visage was quite literally frozen before her, not a lock of hair budging. Even her own chains seemed to lack weight as she shifted. Confused and overwhelmed, she felt a sob well within her throat, fresh tears blurring her vision, nearly obscuring the feet that silently padded before her. They were black clawed, yet human. The sight drew her gaze upward, past the hem of a black hakama, and the kimono beneath, into a disturbingly familiar face.

"Blake?" Weiss whispered in shock. Glowing golden eyes flared as the being knelt, a smile on her face that inspired nostalgia.

"No my dear, though it pleases me that she still honors her mother's visage." The woman spoke.

"Mother?" Weiss made to wipe her tears, only for the chains to prevent her from reaching her face. She huffed, remembering her predicament, before lurching forward. The floor lacked notable texture, visibility or temperature. It became evident that the floor was not really a floor at all, but an abyss, a void, not dark but simply devoid of anything. A sense of extreme vertigo overtook her and she shut her eyes tight with a whimper.

"There, there dear, you are safe in my domain." The being crooned, gentle hands cupping Weiss' cheeks. She opened her eyes to peer into gold once more. Clear of tears she noted those eyes seemed softer than Blake's, but no less brilliant. "You have nothing to fear from me. I come to offer council."

"But why?" Weiss asked. "What are you?"

Coy laughter echoed around her. The void exploded into light. It was blinding, but not at all painful. "You mingle and mate with my kind, and so you gain my favor." The woman continued. "I am Kali, Goddess of Dreams." The light faded, just barely, as a new world formed around her. A sky, vibrant and blue, lush with clouds. A forest, verdant and glowing, teaming with all the sounds of life.

Grass licked at Weiss' skin, pressing into her body like a thousand fingertips. She felt a surge of joy at the sheer beauty before her, until a flash of pale skin sent a pang through her system. "Arg! Where are my clothes?"! She screeched, much to the amusement of the goddess. She turned her glare toward the laughter, only to meet the sight of a voluptuous beauty lounging bare in the sunshine, mirth in her eyes, golden piercings in her large feline ears gleaming. She averted her gaze with a fierce blush and huffed. "Blake put you up to this, didn't she?"

"You're a sharp one, as my darling daughter claimed." Kali chuckled. "Regardless, I would have thought you'd prefer this state. Your lover certainly does." The rich, motherly tone turned to a familiar purr.

Weiss stared back in surprise to find Kali had turned herself into the spitting image of Yang, grinning and glowing almost identical. It sent a shiver down Weiss' spine. She looked away once more, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Please do not mock her." She wavered, the image of Yang chained and freezing appearing in her mind, or so she thought.

"Weiss, she isn't real, none of this is." Kali noted, despite the tragic figure before her, so grey in the presence of the greenery. Weiss shut her eyes to block it out, shaking the thought from her head and attempting to replace it with something… "Now this is a cute one. Thoughts of motherhood I take it?" The goddess wondered.

Weiss opened her eyes to behold a young girl with brown hair, chasing after a rabbit. She smiled, shaking her head. "Of what I wish to protect. My duty in life...and death, it seems." She balled her toes, feeling the grass and dirt between them. It was an odd sensation, one she had rarely experienced. It was unbefitting of a lady, but of a huntress? "May I be clothed again?"

"You may do as you wish Weiss." Kali replied. "Your dreams are your reality. This paradise exists as a canvas for the soul, painting pictures vivid in memory and emotion."

Weiss hummed, staring at her feet. She thought of the grass dying, browning under harsh sunlight, before growing full of life once more. The world around her took on hues of tan and green, varying in vibrancy. Roots grew thick, the canopy dense, deer and elk and wolves frolicking in the shrubbery, gathering peacefully to drink at a picturesque lake, water gleaming in the sunlight. In the distance, lounging on the golden shore, lay Weiss' own goddess, bronzed and beautiful, shining brighter than all around her.

"You have captured the Heart of the Sun Weiss." Kali stated. "Not a flame in this realm will touch you."

Weiss had not even noticed herself standing, nor the familiar leather that wrapped her body. She turned to Kali and could not help but smile. "She saved me, when I could have fallen so very far."

"And you her, as a certain witch did my daughter, so many years ago." Kali added.

"Yet every night I dream of losing myself, of losing her to my depravity, to my past and future." Weiss sighed.

"If I may spoil a great mystery of the universe, fate is an abstract concept." Kali noted. "There is no future, only the past. What happens is, and will always be inconceivable. Only the most powerful of beings can even begin to guide the future, and they are rarely inclined to do so. Your dreams are merely that."

"And what if they come to pass regardless?" Weiss asked.

"If you flee from fears, they will follow you no matter the path." Kali warned. "Fate is humanity's vision of probability. Even prophecy relies on sheer chance. As you humans say, even a broken clock is right twice a day."

"I should be better than this." Weiss slumped. "I never subscribed to these fears in the past, but these dreams, these nightmares are so vivid. My heart breaks and my fear grows."

"Vampiric souls often spend their waning days tortured in this realm." Kali explained. "Trauma extracts a heavy toll. The price of immortality is dire, however you…" Kali cupped her cheek, caressing her in that nostalgic fashion once more. "Your soul burns bright and strong...fortunate, and extremely rare but not unheard of. Your bond may run deeper than either of you realize."

"We are so bonded already?" Weiss asked.

"You invited Yang within you willingly, pleaded for her warmth, and she gave all that she could muster to protect you from yourself, but you have closed your essence, wrapped in such fears and sadness that even your love cannot reach out to her." Kali interpreted. "You must find peace within yourself, let your bondmate in, lest your strength wane, and with it your reason and very sanity."

"Is it so dangerous?" Weiss questioned.

"Human souls are fragile things, even more so minds." Kali observed. "The strain of vampirism breaks so many, even purebloods, such as your sire."

Weiss shuddered as Kali's eyes brought memories of much colder, hungrier irises. She grit her teeth and forced them away. "I will never become like her."

"You won't, so long as you stop fighting what you are and face the reality in which you live, instead of obsessing over these figments of fiction." Kali advised. "You're worse than my daughter's books."

"Ugh...my temper has offended her, I fear." Weiss groaned.

"Oh shush." Kali laughed. "You would have to do so much more to offend my kitten. Blake is merely in a precarious predicament of her own. Her bondmate has inflicted many stresses upon her, stresses she has no true familiarity or knowledge of how to cope with. You just happened to point your blade at one of them."

With a sudden flurry of movement, the lamia in question burst from the forest, scattering several creatures in her wake. It turned its bright eyed gaze toward the pair. Weiss could not help but flinch, hand grasping for the hilt of a sword that had not existed before that moment.

"Beautiful creatures, truly." Kali crooned.

"If you say so." Weiss cringed, as the creature slithered into the water and dove beneath.

"Everything has beauty, should you be willing to look past your nose." Kali booped the vampire on her nose.

The sheer absurdity of the situation had ceased to phase Weiss by now. "I have to look past a lot more than that to find those things...ugh." She shuddered. "To think I used to like snakes."

"I've always found human phobias fascinating." Kali mused. "So much of life is spent avoiding that which causes so little harm, if any at all." She chuckled. "Think of all the things you could accomplish if petty fear did not rule you."

"My species would have died out long ago without such phobias." Weiss countered.

"Fear provokes ignorance." Kali refocused. "Even now you fear what you are capable of, and so drive yourself into misery, when the answer to your nightmares is obvious."

"The obvious answer?" Weiss raised her brow. "My death would avoid so much of it, yet cause so much more. I feel trapped in my own existence."

"I have watched your dreams for many years dear, and not once have you allowed yourself to falter." Kali noted.

"Because in the past my difficulties have stemmed from external circumstances." Weiss explained. "My mother died, my sister left, what I desired for myself was considered heresy for my sect. I could confront these, or otherwise bypass them. But this? This uncertainty? I cannot avoid the future, set in stone or no. I cannot fight this Kali, and that scares me."

"The future is immaterial Weiss, ever changing, ever flowing." Kali continued. "There is no avoiding the passage of time, but you can avoid losing yourself. Or do you truly believe all vampires become mindless, blood-sucking parasites?"

"My mother didn't." Weiss frowned.

"Nor does your mentor, or else she wouldn't have chanced it." Kali suggested.

"What would she know?" Weiss asked. "She's never mentioned vampires before. She probably doesn't even know any."

"Oh, she hasn't?" Kali questioned.

"No, she has…" Weiss faltered, searching her mind for a distant memory, something about research, a scholar…

"Sweet dreams Weiss." Kali bid.

Weiss turned to reply, only to find Kali gone, and with her, the world around. She felt the same sense of vertigo once more, until she opened her eyes and felt warmth surrounding her, strong arms wrapped around her midriff. "Yang?"

"You okay snowball?" Yang asked.

Weiss took a deep, shaky breath, wiping at the dampness beneath her eyes. "I don't know…" She shifted, turning around to face glowing lilac eyes, eyes filled with concern. She smiled, planting a kiss on heated lips. "I need to visit Glynda."

"Now, or.." Yang asked.

"Soon." Weiss replied. "For now...let us sit by the fire for a while."