Lost Bloodlines Ch. 07

I stopped in shock as Lilith spoke. After our last encounter, I didn't expect to hear from her anytime soon, much less with advice and not open hostility.

I have reconsidered your agreement and found it...acceptable. I will help where I can. I want my twenty-four hours with Father, however. If you attempt to renege the deal, I will tear us both apart and damn the consequences.

Even as a disembodied voice, I could hear the exhausted weakness in the ancient demon. Her tone was steady and unyielding, however. She meant every word. -I understand.-

Back in the real world, Lucifer had risen from his seat with an excited look on his face. "That was her, wasn't it? She's awake?"

I cleared my head with a quick shake and turned back from Barbas's table. "She is. She just said to trust in Barbas, and not break our deal. Seemed that was all she had in her, however." The devil laughed.

"Yes, I imagine she has good reason to want you to keep your word." He chuckled. The man to his right stepped forward. He wore tan and orange robes, with a shaved head and Asiatic features.

"So, you are able to converse with the soul construct. Intriguing. None of the other Turned I have examined thus far have demonstrated such an ability." He spoke softly, with a lilting accent I was unfamiliar with. He bowed deeply to me, with hands clasped together. "I am High Ordinator Sha'vas, of the Great Temple. It is an honor to meet you, inheritor of the Firstborn."

"Uh, it's...good to meet you too. Are you the one who will be giving us the Glamours?"

"Indeed," he spoke. "I am a soul magus. I have worked with the Legions many times for Glamour construction and other projects."

I tensed. "Magus? Like...a human magic user? You're with the Conclave?" Unbidden, I felt my fingertips itching, hellfire beginning to spark beneath my skin as I backed a step away from the mage.

"Calm yourself, Lilith." Lucifer cautioned. "Sha'vas and his order are not officially part of the Conclave. The Soul Magi are an independent order, given their necessity for both monsters and magi. You can trust him; we've worked together many times in the past." I narrowed my eyes at this, and my tail lashed nervously behind me.

The monk-like figure stepped forward again, his hands open in supplication before him. "I am only here to assist, Lady Lilith. My order has much to offer the Monstrous Seats; We provide the Glamours to create the full façade of humanity for all monsters, and we have been the primary seekers in the search the source of this recent Awakening."

"So what do the Soul Magi have to do with the Turned? What makes you the authority on the Awakening?"

The magus's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "While there is much we do not yet know of the origin of your transformations, we have discerned how it was accomplished. It is our eternal duty to further explore and define the mysteries of the soul, and as such we were the first authority the Seats entreated to research this phenomenon."

I blinked, my mind racing as I considered his words. "You know how it happened then? It had to do with human souls?" I recalled my own violent introduction to my own soul, at least as Lilith claimed it to be. I couldn't say I had any insight into what my own soul would have looked like prior to Turning, but the crimson ocean is certainly not what I would have imagined.

"It did indeed." Sha'vas cleared his throat, looking between me and Lucifer, who was leaning casually against his desk and watching our exchange. "If I may, would you permit me to examine you as I explain? It may allow me to provide some personal clarity to your questions." The devil casually waved a hand as if such a request was expected and of no consequence. I was less certain.

"Examine me how?"

"The spell is non-invasive," the monk reassured me. "Only giving me a glimpse into the state of your own soul. I will need to cast it in any case to craft your Glamour, but it may be useful here as well." I hesitated to accept, but in the end figured that the mild-mannered monk couldn't do any more damage to me than the demon within hadn't already attempted.

I sighed. "Very well."

Sha'vas's eyes began to shine with a soft yellow light, and he reached out his hands, hovering one over my heart, and the other over my forehead. His fingers twitched out some indecipherable pattern and sparks of yellow lightning flicked between his fingers. As he worked his spell, he began to speak quietly, his voice wavering as he concentrated.

"The soul is the source not only of the animating spark of life, but also of magic. It influences both your identity and corporeal form as you mature, and grows in strength as you do. A soul can be cut, divided, drained, bought, and sold, but never truly destroyed. We believe it is through such a division of the soul that allowed the Awakening to take place."

I felt a warmth grow in my body, and my thoughts became almost fuzzy, as if lightly intoxicated as he spoke. "When a child is conceived, a considerable portion of the parents' souls are transferred to the forming spark of life within. This merging of souls provides a shielding barrier around the child's nascent soul as it develops, guiding its growth in much the same was that DNA guides physical development. While the parents' own souls will recover what was given swiftly, this part of the parents' souls is never lost, and will remain ever present in traces around their child's soul. Most importantly for our purposes, these traces remain on all future divisions of such a soul."

Through the sudden buzzing in my ears, I heard Victoria comment from slightly behind me. "But that means it's not just the parents' soul passed on, but also..."

"The soul of every ancestor since the origin of life itself, yes. With every division, of course, these traces of your ancestors will become fainter and fainter and provide less influence on the soul itself, but they remain present. Soul Magi are regularly called to trace genealogies from interested parties for this exact reason, tracing the threads of this patchwork cloak of lineage present around every human and monstrous soul."

With his final words, I felt some sort of pressure appear within my mind and I shifted uncomfortably at the feeling. It seemed I wasn't the only one perturbed by the mage's meddling, as well.

Fuck off, wizard. There's only room for two of us in here.

At Lilith's annoyed rejection, the pressure in my mind was forced out, and the warm haze filling me abruptly fled. Sha'vas grimaced and took a step back, the yellow arcs of light fading from his hands and eyes. He rubbed at his temple as he glanced back at Lucifer.

"She is as the rest, Lord Lucifer. The overlap is considerably larger than others I have studied, but she follows the same pattern. The shard of the Firstborn is both awake and...active." His last word was spoken almost ruefully as the monk frowned at some internal ailment.

"It is as I suspected then," the devil stroked his chin thoughtfully before his eyes flicked to me and he smiled mischievously at my thunderous expression. "Sha'vas, perhaps it is best you explain to Lilith here before she tries to burn my house down around us."

The discomforting feeling of the monk's spell and his sudden disregard for me entirely had indeed sparked no small amount of indignation, but I pushed it down as the 'High Ordinator' turned back to face me. He bowed slightly.

"My apologies, I meant no disrespect. My duties here are always first to the Legions, you understand." I frowned, but accepted his apology with a nod. At least he was clear where he stood.

"So, what do cloaks around my soul have to do with turning into a demon?"

"Well, everything." He spoke slowly. "We believe that whatever ritual or force caused the Awakening took advantage of these lost slivers of monstrous souls within humans to enact these transformations. Through some unimaginably powerful application of magic, a single monstrous ancestor was separated from the protective cloak around your soul and forcibly empowered, enlarging and stretching whatever remained after centuries or even millennia of division. It was then...grafted, for lack of a better word, directly onto the human soul of its descendant, forcing a traumatic transformation of both the host's body and soul." Sha'vas grimaced again, this time in apparent disgust. "The result is a rather grotesque melding of souls. I am unsurprised that so many died during the transformation."

I reeled with the apparent implication of his statement, but Cyri beat me to voicing the impossibility aloud. "You're saying that we're all descended from a monster? We're sharing a body with the soul of some ancient creature?"

Sha'vas nodded. "Precisely, though 'sharing' is, perhaps, too strong a word. The process left most monstrous souls too far stretched to actually interact with their hosts, or perhaps even retain sentience." His gaze flicked towards me. "Lilith here is the sole exception to this trend I have examined thus far."

"Unsurprising, considering both the strength of my daughter and her own mastery of soul manipulation." Lucifer pushed off of the desk and came to stand next to the monk, smiling in some mixture of pride and amusement.

My throat felt dry. "Why me then? You said Lilith had tons of children. Why was I picked?" The devil tutted in disapproval.

"Lilith had exactly seventy-three children, seventy-two of which became demons of the highest order." His dark gaze bored meaningfully into mine. "The last was a single human girl, Helena. Fathered by a Roman legionary from Helvetia whom Lilith rescued during the western collapse of the Empire."

Lucifer face darkened in some ancient memory. "Helena was an abnormality. Every child of Lilith, whether she was the father or the mother, was a demon. To this day, I do not know what made Septimus, the legionary, different. She placed the child back into his care after the pregnancy, but she watched carefully over her line from afar. After her passing, I took on this duty in her honor." He took a deep breath. "Which is how I know that you are the youngest direct descendant of Helena. If I had to guess, I would assume that is why you were chosen."

In the midst of forming an incredulous reply, my thoughts were disrupted by a hasty interruption by Sha'vas, whose features were twisted into a nervous frown. "Apologies, my lord, but I am hesitant to assign such determinism to these transformations. While all Turned are descendants of their new forms, by no means are they all the youngest inheritors or even direct descendants. Many appear to have only the barest familial connections, or even have children of their own." My thoughts drifted to Hae in response, and I frowned as I thought of one of her unnamed young children being subject to the foxlike transformation and put through the same ordeals as their poor mother.

Lucifer only offered a noncommittal shrug in response, a mysterious smile tweaking his lips. "Perhaps you are correct, Sha'vas. I am indeed ignorant in such matters." He turned towards me. "And now you understand the extent of our knowledge of the Awakening. Does this satisfy your curiosity on the matter?"

I let out a frustrated exhalation of breath, my mind still racing to catch up to the rapid revelations. "Hardly. But I guess it does clear some things up." My eyes drifted to Aqua's still form, still encased in a mysterious corona of yellow-green light as Barbas continued his ritual healing. Victoria had shifted to stand near the table, her blue eyes affixed to every move of the feline demon. Anxiety briefly squeezed my heart as I saw the two together, but it also centered me, reminding me of why I had agreed to this ordeal in the first place.

"I appreciate your explanation," I said carefully, meeting the soul mage's hooded gaze, "but right now I'm interested in more practical applications of your knowledge. You say you're prepared to create disguises for myself and my friends, but were you informed of my other request?" Cyrilla stepped up to my right at my words, her large frame almost trembling in anxiety, but her face was set with determination.

Sha'vas looked between the demoness and werewolf before him, wetting his lips briefly before speaking. "Indeed I was, Lady Lilith. I have never attempted the ritual before, but such a correction of the corporeal sex of a monster to match the identity of the spirit is a well known practice of my order. The complication lies merely in the patchwork state of your companion's soul. I am unaware if such a correction is possible in this state."

"But it could work?" Cyri asked. There was such hope in her deep voice that my heart ached in sympathy.

"Theoretically." The monk said hesitantly. "Though it is not without risk. Are you certain you want me to attempt to return you to a female form? The results or consequences may be much different than your expectations." I jumped in surprise as I felt the large mitt of Cyri's hand tentatively grasp mine, but I squeezed back in support, my head coming up to look at her directly.

A riot of emotions flicked across her stubbled face, hope and yearning warring with fear and anxiety. This was a decision I could not make for her, despite my bartering for its possibility. I had just wanted to give some form of peace to the hairdresser's daughter who had brought me back from the brink of despair in my own time of need. But most of all, Cyri was my friend, just as close to my heart as Victoria or Aqua, if only in a different way. She deserved whatever support I could give in whatever choice she made. I smiled reassuringly as she seemed to debate her options, and I circled a thumb soothingly over the rough skin of her hand clasped in mine. When she met my look, her eyes darkened in some unknown emotion, and resolve replaced the fear. She turned back to the waiting monk and took a deep breath.

"Do it."

Sha'vas shared a look with Lucifer in response. The devil, who had retreated to his chair and had casually thrown his feet up on the desk, did not look particularly happy with Cyri's choice, but he nodded his acceptance anyway. For a moment, I thought I detected a hint of fear beneath Sha'vas's cool demeanor, but it vanished as quickly as it came. "Please give the werewolf some room," he suggested, and I shuffled out of the way, giving Cyri's hand one last supportive squeeze before separating.

The soul mage whispered something below his breath, and spread his arms dramatically. A circle of crackling yellow light formed around him and Cyri as he stepped closer to her. The barrier flickered as if with electricity, and I saw Sam and Draco take precautionary steps backwards as well from the violent energy. "Whatever happens," Sha'vas began, his voice wavering with effort, "do not cross this boundary. I cannot guarantee the safety of any that do."

With his ominous warning delivered, he lowered his raised arms, coming close enough to Cyri to touch. In much the same manner as he had for me, Sha'vas placed one hand over the werewolf's heart, and another over her brow, reaching almost comically to rest a hand atop her thick mane of hair. I felt the latent energy in the room spike, and the circle flashed, the bolts of yellow electricity reaching higher into the air. The scent of ozone filled my nose, and I watched nervously as the monk's eyes began to glow. Cyri looked scared, her eyes meeting mine for a singe moment before her irises were filled with yellow light, and her body went slack.

The two figures were locked together for a long moment, and the room was filled only with the crackle of the circle and Barbas's soft murmurs in the corner as he stood over Aqua. I couldn't help but begin to pace nervously around the edge of the circle as the soul mage's ritual began in earnest.

At my motion, the yet-unintroduced figure standing silently by Lucifer's side chose this moment to step forward. Compared to the other outlandish visitors, she seemed fairly mundane, appearing as a middle-aged woman dressed in a simple black robe. A staff of twisted black wood, set with a ruby at its ornate tip, was the only sign of her otherworldly nature.

"Don't worry, Lilith," she spoke softly. Her tone was soothing and motherly, but like everything associated with this unusual place, I viewed her with no small amount of suspicion. Nevertheless, I stopped my incessant pacing. "Sha'vas is a skilled member of his order. If anyone can accomplish this feat in Gomorrah, it is he."

"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" I asked irritably, my eyes flickering between her and the circle of magic containing my friend.

A patient smile spread across the woman's face. "I am Elena. A witch in service to King Balam, and a frequent advisor to Consul Lucifer. I am here merely to observe."

"And you've seen this done before? This is normal?" I indicated to the deathly silence within the circle and the oppressive press of magic that had filled the room.

The 'witch' nodded. "Only once. A nephew of mine underwent such a procedure, with complete success. It appeared much the same as this." Her answer didn't do much to mollify my tension, but I tried to take some small comfort in her words.

It was then that the first sound came from within the circle. A strained whine escaped Cyri's open mouth, matched by a tense grunt of exertion by the monk opposite of her. Through the flashes of light I saw Cyri's flesh....shifting, like clay under the hand of a sculptor. The effect was grotesque, and I recoiled at the sight, only recovering as I saw the broad lines of her masculine face began to smooth and narrow. With a crack, the large werewolf shortened considerably, her frame slimming. I grew fascinated by the transformation occurring, recovering myself and stepping closer to the circle as I watched Cyri become her true self once again.

My hope was short-lived, however, as Cyri's flesh heaved again, and a tortured scream escaped her lips. The feminization of her face rapidly reversed course, and her familiar features returned, if twisted into a mask of terrible pain. Her arms and legs cracked with breaking bone as they lengthened and shortened repeatedly in some macabre battle. It was then that Sha'vas himself let out a grunt of pain, and I could make out a short line of blood began to drip down from the mage's eyes as he maintained the connection.

My horror was shared by the others in the room. Sam and Draco moved forward beside me, muscles tensing as if they meant to break through the barrier to rescue Cyri. The newcomer, Elena, stepped forward purposely, a worried frown marring her kindly features, and I saw a pulse of red flash along the length of her staff.

"Something is wrong," she muttered, and looked back towards Lucifer as if to ask for his help.

And yet the devil seemed to be the only person in the room who was pleased by this change in events. He reclined in his chair with a satisfied smirk, eyes dancing with interest as he studied the figures locked within the circle as they writhed in pain.

Some dark look crossed the witch's face in response to the devil's delight, and she swelled with some inner power. She pointed the tip of her staff towards the barrier as sigils began to glow along its carved surface. Though I couldn't devise the intent of her motion, I stepped out of the way of her aim, hoping that she could disrupt the ritual gone awry. She appeared ready to unleash whatever power danced along her staff when all traces of her magic were smothered by a single word.

"Stop." Lucifer spoke lazily, his voice vibrating in some arcane command. Elena froze mid-cast, the red lights and sigils banished in an instant. Rendered powerless, the witch looked terrified as her eyes locked onto her powerless staff. Cyri let out another scream of pain, her voice fluctuating between familiar deep tones and the high notes of a terrified woman.