Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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The woman and her companion stood watching me expectedly within the dark, empty alley. Witches, my mind reminded me, they were witches. I hesitated, not understanding who this person was and why she was looking for me. I took a step back, shaking my head briefly.

"I'm not... I'm not a Phoenix," I told her unconvincingly.

"Don't worry. Your purpose has been fulfilled, Phoenix. You no longer need to hide," She continued, taking a step towards me. Her appearance was gentle, yielding even, but still I stepped away. She paused at my retreat, frowning. "You're supposed to come to us, not move away..."

"Camelia, we have to leave," the man warned her, "Use the spell now." The woman, Camelia, lifted her hand to silence him before taking another step towards me.

"You're mistaken," I told her, my voice high with growing fear. "I'm not a Phoenix."

"I'm certain you are. We've been using all of our magic to search for you. If you're not the Phoenix, then this will not affect you," Camelia responded, lifting her hand towards me carefully. I abruptly began to turn and run, but before I could, she called out, "Nixabilis." I froze.

The word bound me. I felt it twist through my body like iced water, stealing away my control with ease. My hands fell limp beside me, all fight having been stripped from me with a single spell. All the information that had been provided to me was deafened into a black silence. I was suddenly separated within into two counterparts; a vessel of power and a quieter flame that held my human essence. The flame in me fought the cold of the binding spell. It fought to spread over my limbs so that I could move, but my body held no response to my own wishes.

"Phoenix, answer me," Camelia ordered me and though my eyes could no longer focus on the images around me, I knew I had no other choice than to obey her. "Why didn't you do what you were meant to do? Why did you neglect to search for Exodus?" I struggled to fight her questions. I didn't want to risk harming my vampires. The flame within me sparked at the thought of them and it was enough to affect my answer.

"I have done my duty," I responded in another language, the words twisting through my tongue as if from another being entirely.

"Speak in English, Phoenix," Camelia scolded me firmly, the order battling my own struggle within me.

"I have done my duty," I repeated in English, my voice emotionless.

"You have not. As the Phoenix of Genesis, you were supposed to appear to the coven of Exodus. Answer my question, Phoenix. Why did you neglect your purpose?" Her voice was strong and forceful. My spirit whimpered within me, struggling to withhold information wildly.

"I have done my duty," I said once again, "I appeared to Genesis."

"Exodus," Camelia corrected me, "You were to appear to Exodus."

"I appeared to Genesis. My purpose is fulfilled," I continued, unfazed.

"She's making no sense," Camelia turned to the man behind her. "She's fighting the Phoenix Call. Check her core." The man stepped around her, approaching me determinedly. He lifted his hand to me, holding his palm adjacent to my chest with concentration.

"Zetvisio," He said sharply, leading a light over the palm of his hand powerfully. I stood unresponsive, unable to move away as I truly wanted to. He held his palm over me, his eyes glowing with the light as he inspected me.

"Her core is maturing at an accelerated rate," The man finally announced, frowning at Camelia. "She's almost self-aware. That isn't meant to happen for years, right?" The woman looked uncomfortable.

"To begin maturing this quickly, it would only happen if she appeared to Exodus and didn't complete the ceremony," Camelia told him before sighing. "It doesn't matter. We've got the Phoenix now. Grab her and let's go."

My struggle found a new strength in her words. I screamed for my body to respond to me, whimpering as my limbs remained unmoved. I felt like a puppet; a soul trapped in an inanimate object. My will was no longer my own. And the longer I stayed this way, the more my thoughts began to become muddled. I knew if I stayed bound by this spell for too long, my mind would quiet altogether until I truly was nothing but a mindless puppet.

The man grabbed my arm, his grip strangely gentle as he began to lead me away. I cried out within myself, reaching for anyone to stop them; to stop me from following them. I thought of my vampires within the club, but none were here to help me now. I pushed that flame within me with panic and felt only a mild pause in my step.

"Will the Phoenix Call hold?" The man asked Camelia, watching me with uncertainty.

"It will. Over time the core will be completely severed and then she'll be as she was meant to be," Camelia responded before adding quietly, "A blank vessel." Even as my mind fought her, I could feel the truth within me. Those two counterparts, still linked, were being severed. I was being severed from that magic within me. My mind would fade and then I would be empty; as empty as I had been before I fell into the hands of my vampires.

No preferences. No identity. No love.

A burst of fire suddenly scorched over my arm as a hand wrapped around its flesh. The other hand was gripping the wrist of the male witch, who still had his own hold on me. Camelia paused, turning towards the interruption with confusion.

"Release her," Sebastian snarled viciously, tightening his grip on the male witch's wrist until a crack sounded through the alley. The man roared, freeing me in pain. Sebastian kept his own grasp on my arm, but stepped in front of me protectively. His form seemed to grow larger as he fumed, anger radiating over him as he faced down his threat.

"Our business isn't with you, vampire," Camelia announced, stepping forward with determination.

"You were touching what is mine," Sebastian growled in response, tense in preparation for an attack. Camelia appeared startled, but then shifted her stance to prepare for her own attack. The injured witch beside her also stood tense and ready.

"The Phoenix belongs to our coven," Camelia told him determinedly, "You're mistaken if you think we'll leave it with some vampire. Leave now and we'll spare you." The witches raised their hands towards Sebastian threateningly.

"You're mistaken if you think you can take on the six of us with only the two of you," A furious voice announced dangerously from behind me. I felt an arm fold over my chest from behind protectively, pulling me into Levi's body as the others formed a wall around me. They were all there, each of them prepared to attack the witches in order to keep me from them. And even if I was physically unmoved due to the call of the spell cast over me, I felt the warmth of pure relief within me.

"The Genesis vampires," Camelia finally recognized them, taking a step back.

"I don't want another feud," Sebastian said, his voice low and threatening, "But if you even think about taking Katia from us, your coven will suffer the same fate as Genesis." Camelia took another step back, a look of complete shock crossing her features. The man beside her looked furious, but wary of his situation.

"You've named it," Camelia accused, a sense of despair radiating from her, "You mean to awaken it and use it for yourself. Do you truly believe the Phoenix will follow you after it has been awakened? It isn't meant for you. It belongs to us."

"I won't say it again," Sebastian growled dangerously, "Leave now and don't come back." Camelia stared him down, eyeing each of the vampires before taking another look at me. And then she submitted.

"Let's go," She ordered her companion, turning away to leave. The man appeared reluctant, but he didn't try to disobey her. My vampires didn't disperse. They watched them leave with apt attention as if their retreat was a trap in itself. But when the witches had gone and no attack appeared, their attention turned to one another.

"Why'd you let them go?" Miles hissed furiously at Sebastian.

"That was the leader of Exodus. If we killed her, we would have to fight off the entire coven for the rest of their existence," Sebastian snapped, positively fuming.

"But now she knows about Katia-" Oliver began, only to be interrupted.

"Because you all took her to a fucking gathering," Sebastian roared, his composure completely gone. He turned on Levi, who looked suddenly small under Sebastian's glare. "I thought we had an understanding. I specifically told you to rent out a place and you specifically understood it was for her sake. At what point did you misread the fucking situation?"

"It wasn't his fault," Miles stepped up beside his brother protectively, "She wanted to come..." Sebastian ignored Miles, his eyes still targeting Levi with immense fury.

"Your turn is up," He announced firmly, causing Levi to shift unhappily.

"You said the week assignment didn't count towards my time-" Levi began, but was quieted by Sebastian's look.

"I also said I didn't want anyone to know about her," Sebastian growled viciously, but then he suddenly paused. His eyes moved from the others to my form, watching me carefully. I hadn't moved since their arrival. In fact, as time passed, it felt as though I would fall asleep into an eternal darkness while my body would move on without me. The spell over me was still working its fingers through me, severing my existence from my body quietly. I had no control, even if I was relieved to be able to see my vampires again.

"Katia," Sebastian stepped closer to me. My eyes couldn't be caught by his. They were unfocused and wouldn't do what I asked anyway. Sebastian traced my face carefully, trying to draw my attention to him. "Katia, come on. You're safe now."

Sebastian inspected my features as I didn't respond. The others watched me with a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Katia?" Sebastian called for me and even though I really wanted to answer him, my body and soul didn't stir. He hesitated, grasping my face in his hands cautiously. "Phoenix?"

"My purpose is fulfilled," I immediately repeated my answer for Camelia, my voice replaced by the throaty, powerful voice of the magic within me. The power didn't recognize my name. It only recognized the call to the Phoenix and because the one who called was of Genesis, it would respond accordingly.

"Shit," Sebastian cursed loudly, pulling away and lifting his hands to his head as he thought wildly.

"What's wrong with her?" Theo asked, stepping closer to me.

"They've activated the Phoenix Call," Sebastian paced in front of the others sharply before stopping abruptly, "We don't have much time." He suddenly approached me, crouching forward to lift me from the ground easily over his shoulder. My body was lethargic, movable like useless clay. There was no struggle against Sebastian as he carried me back into the club, the music still faded in the distance as I continued to fight the cold spell that aimed to snuff my existence from my own mind.

Sebastian carried me up steps, past a rope that held a new layer of security to prevent trespassers. Theo, Jax, Oliver, Miles, and Levi followed behind him without protest, ignoring any and all attempts of greetings from those within the club. Sebastian led them through the next level of the club, where the music was muted and the halls were emptied. He opened a door to what appeared to be a large fitting room, laying me on a nearby sofa.

"Watch the door," Sebastian ordered and Jax positioned himself in front of the door to keep an ear out for any nosy trespassers.

"What's the Phoenix Call?" Theo asked, his voice strained as he watched my unmoving form. I stared dead-eyed at the ceiling, fighting to keep my consciousness. I didn't want to lose myself to the spell. I didn't want to forget everyone I loved.

"She was meant to search out the Exodus coven," Sebastian explained, gripping my arm and pulling it to him in order to inspect it carefully, "Once the Phoenix appears to the next coven in line, they activate the Call. It prepares the vessel for the ceremony."

"What ceremony?" Oliver inquired in frustration.

"The last incantation gathers information from the extinct coven; the language, the spells, the power, and the history. All of it. And the ceremony gives it all to the next coven," Sebastian continued determinedly, "She is just a vessel for all that information. The ceremony strips the vessel away and allows all that she's preserved to be passed on to them. It's a survival incantation created to empower the covens; to protect their own kind."

"When you say 'strips the vessel'..." Levi hesitated on his own thought.

"She's sacrificed. What she is, the Katia we know, is just a side-effect of the Phoenix. She wasn't meant to become anything more than a blank vessel, but when we prevented her from going where she was supposed to go, the Phoenix began creating a means to survive. It created an actual person," Sebastian explained carefully. He sighed loudly at the responding silence.

"On the surface," Sebastian waved his hand slowly over the flesh of my arm to indicate his words, "There is the information; the power of the Genesis coven. Within her, there is the core." He moved his palm over the center of my chest, closing his hand into a ball to indicate this 'core'.

"The core is a backup, in case the Phoenix is unable to complete its purpose. The core is in essence the Katia we know. As time goes on, the core begins to 'mature'. The surface starts to seep into the core and eventually, the surface and the core will be one," Sebastian hesitated, looking at the others determinedly. "She would become self-aware and awaken. I'm not completely sure what that entails, but that was my goal."

"What does it mean, when you say the Call 'prepares the vessel'," Theo pushed on.

"It's splitting the surface and the core. And then, because there is no longer a need for it, it will wipe out the core entirely," Sebastian responded shortly.

"The core... it's killing Katia," Oliver stepped forward in panic, but halted when Sebastian lifting his hand to stop him sharply.

"I'm about to try something," Sebastian told them, his voice low and careful, "I can't promise it will work, but I need you all to trust me on this. Do not stop me." His eyes landed on Theo, who looked quite the opposite of trusting. But Theo merely nodded shortly, at a loss as to what else to do.

Sebastian focused on my arm once again, glancing at my unmoving face. And then he parted his lips and pulled my arm to his mouth. His fangs sank into my arm roughly, tearing at my flesh and spilling a shock of blood over my skin and onto the floor below me. The pain was startling, but the pleasure was overwhelming. The fire within me licked at that cold spell, finding a new anchor to fight against it, even if the end result was still to be the same. My body didn't respond beyond the light of his touch. If anything, I appeared indifferent to Sebastian's action.

He fed forcefully, pulling at my blood with a low frustrated growl. My heart throbbed painfully, the force of the feeding enough to cause it to struggle. My skin pulsed under his grip and under his lips the glow began to travel over my skin rapidly. It started from his touch, and wrapped around my flesh from one limb to another until my entire body shined like a burning star.

Sebastian didn't pause, his purpose clear as he continued to feed. His hands tightened on my arm, kneading at my veins for more of my blood. My regeneration wasn't able to keep up with the loss. My breath began to shorten; the first sign of a break in my body's indifference. The flame in my center was wildly beating against the chains of the spell, pleading with its claws and finding no answer.

The words on my skin began traveling again, the blood loss beginning to cool my body even further than the spell had. The luminance on my flesh reached out to Sebastian, seeping over his own skin carefully as it had when they all fed on me within the mansion long ago. He continued, ignoring the sudden shift of the bodies around him. Theo had begun to lunge at Sebastian, but was halted by the others just as quickly.

Sebastian continued to pull from me, allowing the glow over his own flesh greedily. When the light on my own skin remained only on the arm he gripped, he abruptly tore himself away, releasing my arm sharply. He gasped, hovering over me in exhilaration.

Sebastian looked at the palms of his bloodied hands, glancing at the luminescence of his own skin for only a moment before he was on the sofa with me. He moved his arm under my body, lifting me to him with a sense of rushed desperation. My light was all but gone, and my consciousness was nearly gone with it. But even in my state, I could see the outline of his bright flesh against mine and it was beautiful.

He lifted his palm over my chest and began chanting, words twisting through his tongue that were both familiar and foreign to me. His voice was powerful, deep, and seductive as he sang those words to me. And as those words were spoken, his hand grew impossibly brighter over my chest.

I began to close my eyes and he shook me in his arms, his voice rising louder.

I suddenly could feel the cold of the witches spell begin to recede slowly, twisting away from the flame that only barely remained within me. I could feel as its hooks began to release from my body nearly painfully, allowing the warm magic that remained within me to cling onto my essence once again. My breath quickened and my heart rose with it.

Sebastian continued to chant his spell; an anti-spell against the one that held me captive. I felt the chains release from my limbs one by one, and I lifted my hand wet with blood to grasp at his that remained over my chest determinedly. I blinked rapidly, swallowing as the spell released my tongue, still trying to cling onto my mind. And then the cold spell was shattered completely, tearing from me entirely.

"Sebastian," I gasped weakly, feeling tears begin to spill onto my cheeks uncontrollably. The fear that had been suppressed behind the spell was pulled forward. My thoughts, though slurred by blood loss, were surprisingly clear. "I thought... I was..." I couldn't express my fears; that I believed I was going to be lost forever.

Sebastian lowered his palm from my chest, clear relief on his features. He suddenly pulled me into him, holding me tightly into a protective hug. And then I began to sob weakly into his chest.

"You're here," He called to me, petting my hair comfortingly, "Don't be afraid, Katia. We'll protect you."

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Music: Beautiful Crime by Tamer