Three days later, in the Cathedral of Lightless Dawn…

It was an oddity in this place of eternal night, this place of worship dedicated to the living god Elicia. And yet it existed like so many others across and throughout the Empire as per the Covenant of the Faithful, hosting the presence of the Central Church and its devatas.

Now, it was but a few hours before dawn, if the time shown on the lunar dials flowed the same way as it did the rest of Melodia. The sky was as usual, enshrouded by the colours of the night, and the air inside the hall, despite the presence of warmly lit lamps situated generously across the pillars amongst the many aisles of mahogany pews, remained barely lukewarm at best with a constant cold breeze whistling inside through the opened door leading out into the sheltered cloister and the gardens outside.

“Elena…”

Sitting by Elena’s side in the middle row, and with the hand of her beloved mistress held firmly within hers, Claire trembled in her seat, slowly taking one deep breath after another in a bid to warm herself despite the richly woven fabrics of her red cleric robes and the firmness and padded warmth of her plate gauntlets and boots. The sight of holy imagery and blessed stained glass once familiar and welcome to her eyes, so colourful and resplendent in their immortalised depictions of Elicia, now left her restless.

“It’s nearly time, my love…”

“Yeah…” Elena whispered in reply, her voice both soft and gentle. “Hang in there, alright?”

“Yes. Of course…”

The people of Oasis, nobles and commoners alike, were filing into the prayer hall. Humans and elves, devatas, merchants, and soldiers, filled the air with hushed but idle chatter amongst their friends and families as they took their seats upon wooden pews. Now, it was nearly the hour for morning prayers, dictated and adhered to as per the rituals of the Central Church observed over the centuries of Arcadia’s existence. And it was, as per the holy words of the Codex Elicia, sacred tradition. Even if the Archon, the Caliph of Oasis, was as always, nowhere to be seen.

“You asked for this, remember?” Elena added, as Claire’s hand tightened upon hers. “I mean, you like attending these things, no? Back home at the Ancient Cathedral, you’d always wake up so early in the damn morning to sit with Iris and her devatas…”

“Yeah…”

Elena shook her head.

“Different now, though.”

“I suppose you’re right about that…” Claire remarked playfully, smiling mischievously at her mistress between harried breaths. “This is our first time doing this together! Back home, you never joined me for morning prayers. You keep telling me you would…”

Elena smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

“I love you, Claire. But y’know how it is… I’m just not a morning person.”

“Elena, you don’t even sleep at all.”

“Eh, figure of speech.”

“I know, silly! You’re just making excuses, my love…” Claire rasped playfully once more, as her gaze veered down towards her lap, at the strangely welcoming sight of steel-plated boots. “Admit it, you’re just lazy…”

“Can’t say you’re wrong about that.”

“You’re just like Anna… she’d fall asleep during prayers. Always, that silly girl…”

“Yeah, I know right? What a buffoon…”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

“Hey now, I’m…”

Elena paused, and she frowned slightly in the silence that had suddenly eclipsed the entirety of the Cathedral’s interior. She had nearly missed it amidst the throes of idle conversation. And soon enough, as though on cue, everyone else around them had stood up, and they quickly followed suit. An organ began playing, its melody slowly filling the hall in solemn gloom, and the devatas assembled at the pulpit began the recital in earnest, their voices combined like a choir of heavenly angels.

“Elena…” Claire gasped as quietly she could. “I’m…”

Wordlessly, Elena looked worriedly towards Claire, whose legs trembled before the divine hymns, chanted and sung so piously in Enochian, the language of the gods.

“I’m hurting, and I don’t know why…”

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“Easy there…” Elena coaxed, as she held on firmly to her beloved’s hand. “Think of it, like it’s another day back home.”

“Yes, it is…”

“For sure. Hang in there, alright?”

Closing her eyes, Claire slowly brought her trembling hands together in prayer. She knew, in her heart of hearts, the words of the hymns being recited, having committed them to memory over the span of many years. Their words were sacred yet alien, and she held the meanings of every verse close to her heart as she did her parents, and Anna. Her belief in Elicia, steadfast even in the darkest moments of her life when her soul was nearly forfeit to endless nightmare.

Now, however, it felt different, to say the least of it. Painful, even. She wondered why.

“Perhaps it is better to be born good than to overcome evil through great effort. But that luxury is lost to us, forever.”

The Caliph’s words echoed within her thoughts. Truly, did it have to be this way? And if so, how long could she last? Forever, possibly? And indeed, why her? Had she not been pious and devoted, despite everything? Truly, what was left of her from this Blood Curse, if not a mere mockery of herself?

“Sit down, Claire,” Elena coaxed softly, as she tugged gently at her beloved’s sleeve. “About time they finally got done with that dreadful singing.”

“Yes, of course…”

Breathing heavily, and with Elena’s hand holding on to hers and easing her movement, Claire sat back down. The devatas at the pulpit had indeed concluded their divine hymns, and as per tradition, had moved on to reciting the divine liturgies of the Codex Elicia. And she wept. She felt like a fool, willingly coming here despite knowing better. And she wondered, with tears in her brown eyes now sickened with undeath, if Elena felt this way about her own state of eternal undeath. That perhaps, Anna also felt something similar within the eldritch blackness of her Hellbourne heart, and it was why her little sister had chosen to leave for the city of Shadowgate, abandoning the Holy See. That maybe, just maybe, there was no place in the light for the Hellbourne, or the unholy fiends of Amon.

Even so, perhaps there was another way. To live, at least as much a Vampire ever could. It was the Caliph’s promise to her, the word of an Archon and a Death Knight. And she had proven herself worthy of learning it.

“Prayer’s done,” Elena whispered, softly and directly into Claire’s ear. “Looks like everyone’s going off to grab some breakfast.”

“Is it, really…”

“Yeah. Glad it’s over, eh?”

Blinking the tears out of her eyes, Claire looked around. The nearby pews were empty, their former occupants making their way through the aisles to head for the exit and the cold air of the cloister outside. Only a handful of servants and devatas remained, and they were busy up front at the pulpit, tidying up the place now that morning prayers were done.

“I still don’t feel so good, my love…”

“Neither do I,” Elena remarked in reply, quietly as she gripped thoughtlessly at a nearby pew. “Now you know why I’m always not so keen about morning prayers…”

With a thoughtful nod, Claire frowned at her mistress.

“I suppose I do. It’s strange, though.”

“Hmm?”

“It hurts to be here, it does. But here, I didn’t feel the urge to… you know? I focused on the prayers, and I felt… a different pain. It made me a little emotional, I’ll admit…”

“That’s good,” Elena answered, as Claire wiped away her tears with a silken handkerchief. “I mean, it’s a start… right?”

“You think so?”

Elena shrugged her shoulders and grinned cheekily at her beloved.

“Dunno. Personally, I had my concerns about whether or not I could kill ‘em all and keep you safe at the same time. Honestly, wasn’t sure if I could.”

When she spotted the horror in her beloved’s eyes, her enthusiasm dampened itself, and she frowned.

“Well, what I meant to say was…”

She paused mid-sentence with a start, when Claire suddenly smiled and leaned in close, pecking her gently upon her cheek.

“Woah…”

“Just kidding! You’re blushing again, my love…” Claire teased. “You’re always so charming, when you get all flustered with me…”

“So are you!” Elena exclaimed as she quickly covered her mouth with a gloved hand, the pupils of her crimson eyes still wide with shock. “You’re blushing too! Maybe, it’s because I’m blushing, but still…”

Once more, her words came to a grinding halt when Claire slowly took the coldness of her hand into the frigid lifelessness of hers.

“But you’re right, my love. Even if it hurts, I don’t mind it. With you, just thinking of you, everything feels… possible. There are a lot of things I need to ponder, but I’m glad… that you’ve been with me.”

“Right. You’re very welcome for that,” Elena declared, as she held her beloved’s hands tightly in hers. “And I’m glad as well. Anyway…”

“Yes, my love?”

“You’re gonna stay with her, then? The Caliph, I mean. I know it’s temporary, but I’m not gonna lie, I’ll miss you. Especially after… y’know.”

“I love you, Elena. But I want my life back. Even with this Blood Curse…” Claire answered. “And I believe Her Majesty can show me. However long it takes, I’ll live, and I’ll learn…”

“You’re gonna come back here, then?”

“Yes, my love. It’s a part of my life, remember? Belial said she’ll accompany me in your absence.”

She then shook her head, and smiled gently at Elena as they stared deep into each other’s eyes.

“You fought hard for this, remember? For me. And besides… can’t you stay here too?”

“I’d love to… but y’know how it is,” Elena stated, returning her beloved’s smile with a grimace. “My duties to Lady Mezalune come first, and she keeps me busy. But…”

“But?”

“She hasn’t said anything so far. No assignments, nothing to kill,” Elena answered, as her grimace turned to a joyous smile. “The world’s still ours, till then!”

With a smile of her own, Claire nodded enthusiastically.

“If that’s the case, we should take our leave of this holy place and go get you some coffee. There are many cafés downtown, and we could…”

“Hold up. How’d you know that I…”

“Oh, there’s a restlessness in you I’ve noticed. There’s always that glint in your eyes, before I serve your coffee.”

“I can quit whenever I want, y’know?” Elena asserted playfully, before crossing her arms in a show of mock defiance. “Just fancy the taste, is all.”

“Yes, of course…” Claire answered bemusedly as she looked towards the entrance of the prayer hall, and at the last few visitors still on their way out. “Shall we, my love? I don’t have to meet Her Majesty for another night, and we have still have so much to do in the City of Dreams…”

“Yup. Lets.”

With Claire’s hand held firmly in hers, Elena led her out of the Cathedral. Out into the City of Dreams, and the world of endless night that awaited them with everything it had to offer.