~1941~

By the end of 1937, Summer had finally passed from their world. Though, her death was a natural one, at age 57. Despite Eliot offering to help her to use their combined powers to cheat death, the way Ravyn’s blood and his permanence spell had allowed him to do for nearly a century already. But Summer refused, deeming her time there on Earth to be over at last.

This of course left Eliot as the sole mage that Hollister and the others had easy access to. And when 1940 came around, Eliot’s true skills would be put to the test once again. In September of that year, World War II was raging on, and thus began seven straight months of England being the focus of their bombings. 40,000 British citizens had lost their lives during those seven months, almost half of which were in London.

Eliot used his abilities to their fullest extent, trying in vain to protect all the citizens he could, human and Kindred alike. But alas, attempting to save so many people, from such wanton destruction turned out to incur even more paradoxical backlash than even he was powerful enough to combat. And in May of 1941, Ravyn had to come to terms with losing him one last time. And she was understandably devastated by the loss of the man who had saved her own life just four years earlier, and the only other man who had ever loved her the same way her first love had. And who she had loved back, just as dearly.

Ravyn was not sure how many nights after Eliot’s death that she had spent laying there in the bed they had shared for four years, staining the pillows red with her tears. Circumstances had forced her away from her first love, and the universe itself had taken away her second. And never in her long, long life had she ever felt so lost and alone.

Though, she was not technically alone, in the strictest sense. The beautiful young doctor who had originally been Lucian’s servant, then Kirielle’s, and now Ravyn’s, was next to her during every one of those tear-filled nights since she had lost Eliot. Every night, he would hold her close as she continued shedding those seemingly endless tears. Though, Ravyn herself barely even seemed to be aware of the feel of his arms around her each night, holding her as though he could chase the pain away if he just held her close enough, long enough.

Eventually, he did have to release her from his embrace though, when a visitor rapped at the door of the home. Connor slowly disentangled himself from where he had been holding Ravyn through another night of her continued grief. He sighed heavily as he moved from the bedroom. Though he doubted there would even be any point in greeting whoever was at the door, as Ravyn seemed in no state to deal with any visitors, or pretty much anything else, in all honesty.

When Connor opened the door, he was once again struck by the awe and majesty that flooded any mere mortal who ever found themselves in the presence of their ancient and powerful Prince who had come to the door that night.

“Prince Hollister,” Connor breathed his name once he found his voice again.

“I assume she’s here?” Hollister asked as he stepped past Connor and into the home.

“Well, yes, but...” Connor attempted.

Though, Hollister needed no further confirmation anyway, as simply adjusting his vision told him of her location, and her current state. He let out a somber sigh as he moved back in the direction of her and Eliot’s bedroom, while Connor hurried to follow.

Ravyn tensed slightly from where she still lay on the bed, facing the wall, clinging to the pillow tightly. She easily felt Hollister’s presence as he stepped into the room, but somehow, even his arrival there did not supply her with the strength to acknowledge him in any way.

With a sad sigh, Hollister took a seat in a plush velvet chair near the bed. “I suppose I won’t require the usual greeting one gives their Prince, all things considered,” he stated in an even tone as Connor remained in the doorway.

“That’s what I was going to tell you, sire. She’s been like this since...” he just looked down, knowing there was no need to finish that sentence.

Hollister just gave Connor a dismissive look before continuing to speak to Ravyn. “I’m sure you must hate me, but I assure you, losing him was the last thing I wanted, either.”

With a sniffle, she finally attempted to form words after so many nights without speaking much at all through her tears. “Yes, I’m sure our situations are exactly the same,” she stated in a hoarse whisper that still couldn’t hide her sarcasm and grief.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“I’m sure you know that the goal was to try and save as many souls as possible. A goal that Eliot wanted to achieve as well. I didn’t force him to go out there and try, Ravyn. He was rather prone to trying to save the world, after all. Even when it was only his whole world that he had spent literal decades trying to save,” Hollister added with another sad sigh.

Not having the strength to even try to say anything in regards to that claim, she settled on, “Why are you here? I have nothing I can give you.”

“But I do have something to give you,” Hollister told her in the same soft tone as he reached into the pocket of his long jacket.

Though it took more strength then she even felt she had, she finally pushed herself to sit up and center her emerald eyes on him at last. “What could you possibly give me, Hollister?” she asked, voice breaking as she spoke.

He then held out a small black velvet jewelry box, nodding for her to take it. She gave him a questioning look, not able to stifle her slight sound of disbelief as she dragged herself to the edge of the bed, where he continued to hold the box out to her.

“Are you proposing to me now? After the way my real marriage, and the ‘not so real’ one turned out, I think I’m not looking to try it a third time,” she scoffed as she made herself reach for the small black box.

“As heartbroken as I may be at that rejection,” he told her with a lack of sincerity, “this is not from me. A long time ago, Eliot asked me to give it to you if anything were to...” he just left it at that.

“Eliot?” she asked, though nearly choking on his name to force back her next wave of grief. Trying to compose herself, as difficult as that even seemed now, she opened the box. She then looked down at the silver chain holding a small glass orb. “A crystal ball necklace? That’s a bit on the nose. And not, exactly what I was expecting,” she stated as she gave it another questioning look.

“He called it a soul stone,” Hollister offered as he watched her closely.

“A what?” she asked as she looked up at him.

“Yes, I found that a rather odd name as well. So I of course had to find out what that even meant, myself. It is my job to know, well, everything,” he stated with a slight shrug.

With a slightly cool look back at him, Ravyn spoke again, “And what did you find out?”

“According to Eliot, he placed a sliver of his very soul inside it. he told me to give it to you so he could ‘always be with you, when you needed him most,’” he repeated the only real information Eliot would give him about the bauble. “And, as maudlin as that sounded, we both know he could do amazing things, so of course, I tried to find out as much as I could about that little trinket that he so very badly wanted me to give you, should a tragedy ever occur.”

“A sliver of his soul?” she asked, though only looked back down at the necklace to hide any emotions those words caused to bubble right back to the surface.

With another sigh, Ravyn lifted it by the chain so that the light in the room would hit it, and studied it more closely herself. As she turned it, she noted the tiniest bit of writing in the center of the tiny orb. Though too small for human eyes to read, her own eyes had a much easier time. Imprinted inside the globe were the words ‘Toujours avec toi.’

“Found the writing did you?” Hollister said knowingly.

Ravyn just bit back more tears as she returned it to the box, “So what else did you manage to find out about it, and how? If Eliot didn’t tell you any more than... that.”

“Do you know much about clan Tremere?” he asked, causing her to give him another skeptical look.

“Only that our Tremere Primogen, Kalen, was always holed up in some lab in his home, ‘experimenting,’” Ravyn scoffed. “We half expected him to make his own house explode sooner or later.”

Hollister let out a knowing chuckle, “It’s true that they are a bit... eccentric. Mostly their skills lie in blood magic, shockingly enough,” he added wryly. “But they’re still obsessed with finding out all they could about all other kinds of magic. Vampires who want to be mages; because eternal youth and nigh immortality apparently leaves so much to be desired,” he finished with obvious sarcasm, as Toreador and Tremere were hardly each other’s biggest fans.

“And...?” she asked.

“Alas, they weren’t able to discover much either. After that, I even went to the godforsaken Giovanni to see if they could uncover any more than the Tremere did.”

“The who?”

“Their clan usually never even leave their homes in Italy. They’re not Camarilla. But they are avid fans of necromancy and incest. Not to mention they’re the only ones with an excruciatingly painful bite,” he added as Ravyn’s eyes widened. “Needless to say, our clan and theirs don’t really travel in the same social circles. That’s how desperately I wanted to find out about this so-called ‘soul stone’ that Eliot wanted you to have.”

“OK, so what did they find out? Anything?”

“The only thing the two did find out, and could agree on, was that it was not for us to find out.”

“That’s not really finding out anything though, is it?”

“What I mean, is that what they found out is that he did use quite the powerful enchantment on it. It made it so that the only person who could ever discover, and possibly use, whatever power that little stone has, was... well, someone who loved him, completely,” he scoffed sadly as she cast her eyes downwards. “So, even if I wanted to keep whatever power that thing has for myself, as anyone would want to I’m sure... I simply can’t. He made it so it would be for you, and you alone, Ravyn.”