Lyle’s Gorge laid to the East of Kravsomme at the base of the Sphemian Mountain Range. The entire forest surrounding the gorge was said to be haunted and even the sparse, looming pine trees seemed to echo that fact. The entire valley was covered in mist at all times, regardless of season or weather. Even the creatures that called the land home were thin, skittish, and hard to track, making the region useless to hunters.

Eight hundred years ago, the gorge had been teeming with life, but none of that former vibrancy was visible today. There were many tales about what it was that had made the land so dreary. Some said that it was the curse of a powerful spirit. Others said it was the spirits of a small village that had once existed near the gorge but had disappeared. Experts claimed that it was a meteorological phenomenon caused by the surrounding geography, but all folks, no matter their background or intelligence, could agree that there was something unsettling about the gorge. There was a natural gloom in the area that science couldn't explain away, so superstition had stepped in to make sense of it.

The underbrush shuddered as a scrawny hare dashed across a clearing, desperate to escape from a creature it had no knowledge of. Two slender feet wrapped in soft leather boots trudged across the needle-littered ground, making muffled crunching noises as they stepped. Thick woven blankets enveloped the creature, dragging along the ground. The train diligently collected twig and needle alike as it snagged against the bark and brambles it met on its path. The creature seemed not to mind, huffing out breath after breath of white steam as it shuffled through the trees.

As time passed, the sky began to darken. The cerulean blue of twilight crept through the mist and painted the land in its colors. Still, the figure carried on, pausing every once in awhile to catch it's breath. At long last, the being came upon a steep embankment in the side of a hill. Nearly covered by a twisted old tree, was a hole. The figure paused upon seeing the hole and breathed deeply. As the black shroud of night began to cover the sky, the figure pulled a torchlight from within its shell and disappeared inside.

Soil quickly turned to smooth, weathered stone as the hallmarks of a proper cave began to appear. The figure moved swiftly, passing through twisting forks and narrow crevices as if it was second nature. As it continued, the path began to widen. The torchlight’s golden beam bounced off of hulking boulders and jagged stalactites, creating an assortment of terrifying shadows. Never even pausing to look, the figure moved on until, at last, it's feet stopped just before a body of water.

“Get up,” the figure spoke in a harsh, feminine tone.

Cold, silver eyes peered out from beneath the knitted folds that enveloped the girl. They peered deep into the crystal blue pool. Seeing the glossy azure surface undisturbed, she spoke again.

“Get out of there. Haven't you grieved long enough? Come out now.”

As the water remained still, the girl sighed. The knitted cloth slid down around her shoulders, revealing a head of messy platinum hair. The cloth continued to slide downwards until she slung it over one of the countless stalagmites that framed the lake with a flick of its wrist.

The girl stood at the side of lake in a long grey dress with thick winter skirts. Her hair was just long enough to skim her delicate collarbones. The cold air of the cavern made her graceful frame shudder. She slipped a thin hand into one of the pockets of her dress and from it pulled a pocket knife. Her jaw trembled more from cold than fear as she flicked it open and pressed the blade against the soft flesh of her palm.

A crimson blossom began to bloom beneath the steel. The girl grit her teeth as the blood welled and ran up the cracks in her palm. Removing the blade she clenched her first shut and thrust it out over the crystalline pool, releasing her fist as she did so and scattering her blood over the surface of the pond. She watched as the blood sank beneath the water, dissipating into the clear blue. Her eyes simmered with anticipation as they surveyed the pool.

Seconds passed before a pulse of water bubbled against the surface. The girl's expression quickly turned from one of fearless indifference to one of trepidation. She dropped to the floor and grabbed frantically at the edge of her skirt and ripping an inch off the hem. She wound it around her cut palm, stemming the bleeding, as she stood back up and composed herself.

From the bottom of the pool, a cloud of black began to rise. The girl took careful, measured breaths as she watched its ascent. Before long, a glossy black sphere pierced the surface.

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“Took you long enough,” the girl smiled coldly.

A pale shape rose out of the black cloud like a shark fin, separating to reveal two slender hands. As the hands moved apart, a pale sliver of skin began to grow on the sphere. The hands continued to pull back the curtain of hair until both of the being’s eyes were visible. Cold, fierce, and brutally crimson, they stared down the girl from above the surface of water.

“Do I know you?” it asked.

“No,” answered the girl, “but I know you,” she added with her signature frigid smile. Her gray eyes shone calm and piercing, all traces of fear hidden. “I have seen your past, I have seen your birth, and I have seen what it was that led you to imprison yourself here.”

“A Greater Oracle,” the figure spoke from the water. “Does that mean that you have also seen my future?”

“Of course,” the Oracle confirmed. “You would rot in this pool for all eternity,” The being in the water seemed unmoved by the girl’s words. “but I have also seen my future. At the end of three years, I will succumb to illness.” The girl's thin body gave a slight tremble.

“Why tell this to me?” the being asked indifferently. “All Oracles are frail. If it is immortality that you seek, you have come to the wrong place.” It closed its eyes and shrugged as if to leave and fade back into the water.

“You're right,” the girl smiled a bit more warmly this time. “I cannot reconcile myself with death. I will not allow myself to die because I still have purpose. I am not like you. I will not simply disappear when there is revenge to be had.” The girl punctuated her sentence with a glare that burned like coals. The figure in the water met her eyes and for a moment, his gaze was the one filled with trepidation. He gave a soft chuckle.

“You say revenge as if it is somehow significant. Revenge is pointless. Besides, the revenge your eyes speak of is the bloody sort. It is not the type that someone with such a feeble body would be able to carry out, though I'm sure you realize this. It would be better for you to let it go and live out your days in happiness,” the man turned to leave.

“It's pointless, you say?” the girl's eyes bored holes in the back of his head. “Tell me, do you think that the Giles Vax have been idle since you failed to take revenge?" The man started at this name, his eyes flying open wide. “You could have destroyed them,” she continued. “How many other innocent lives do you think they have taken in the eight hundred years since you decided that destroying them wouldn't be a worthwhile use of your precious time? I have seen countless lives taken at their hands! Take a look around you,” she shouted, gesturing at the glistening walls of the cavern, “because your peaceful rest in this fucking cave here was bought with their lives! Was it worth it?” The man spun around to face her.

“Don't you dare talk to me about the Giles fucking Vax!” he spat.

“Who did you think we were talking about this entire time?” she retorted. “Who else on this earth is more deserving of punishment?”

“You plan to take vengeance on the Giles Vax?” the man in the water asked, brows furrowed and mouth agape.

“I plan to destroy them, but I need power. I need the power of an Ancient Vampire,” she pleaded.

“You don't understand,” he shook his head, “Those guys are expert demon slayers. Even if they can't kill me, they'll exploit my weaknesses until I'm helpless.”

“You think I'd come here without knowing that?” she teased with her usual cold smile. “I can fix it. I have seen how to cure your weaknesses.”

“The sun..?” he gasped.

“Yes. The sun, blessed water, the lot of it. We're going to build a monster that the Giles Vax don't know how to slay. We're going to create an immortal demon with no weaknesses and we're going to make the Giles Vax pay. So, will you come with me or will you rot away in this cave?”

The frail girl crouched down and extended a hand. The creature in the water gripped it without hesitation. She stood and hoisted him out of the water. His hair cascaded down his shoulders and covered the majority of his nude body. Eight hundred years without a haircut had left him with over twenty feet of unnecessary hair. The girl handed him the pocket knife that she had used earlier.

“Cut it,” she commanded. “Nobody has hair that long.” The demon accepted the blade and flicked it open. Seeing the blood that had not yet dried along the edge, he licked it off. The girl eyed him curiously as he did so.

“Don't get used to it,” she warned. “I don't have much to share.”

“Wouldn't want any to go to waste though,” he grinned as he began hacking at the long stands.

She rolled her eyes as she wrapped her plush woven blanket back around her body, grabbed her torchlight, and began heading for the cave entrance. Behind her, the man's body began to release a black smoke that solidified around himself as a simple black dress shirt, pants, and shoes.

“Hey, Oracle,” he called out as he followed her, you may know my name, but I don't know yours.”

“Hello, Frederik,” she twirled and faced him with a gentle smile. “My name is Elandria, but you can call me Elle,” she announced with a gesture as close to a curtsy as she could get with a blanket wrapped around her.

“Hello, Andi,” Frederik responded, ignoring the curtsy and snatching the torchlight from her hand. He walked straight past the stunned girl as he continued toward the exit, leaving her bewildered. “You can call me Fred,” he called over his shoulder.

As the light in the cavern began to dim, a very startled Andi stared after the fading torchlight and wondered what she had gotten herself into.