Music Recommendation: Volmer's Lab- Benjamin Wallfisch

  —


  Julie and Roman sat next to each other on one of the old broken benches. They were both drenched because of dipping in the lake earlier, and Roman supported her by having his arm around her shoulder.

  Roman stared at the ground, which had now been covered by the snowflakes. He looked like he was in deep thought, while his eyebrows were furrowed subtly. His eyes then turned to look at Julie.

  "You're freezing," murmured Roman, noticing Julie shiver and fog escaped from her lips.

  "I feel like something is wrong with my body," Julie murmured, and she moved closer to Roman. For a vampire, his body felt warmer, and his clothes were drying faster than hers. At first, her body felt like it was undergoing heat, and now it felt as if she had fallen into a lake of ice.

  "Were you able to see what abilities you have?" asked Roman, and Julie shook her head.

  "Knox said I will be able to use the previous abilities I have been able to use before, that had been fluctuating before," replied Julie, and she felt Roman drop his hand from her shoulder, and he stood up. She looked up at him.

  "Let me heat you up before we try something. The last thing we need is you catching a fever, especially in this weather," stated Roman, and he raised both his hands forward before bright flames appeared in his hands.

  The flames surrounded Julie as if they were walls, almost as if it was enveloping her while it didn't harm her. Julie felt the heat, and she felt warm. Soon her clothes started to dry, and the water droplets that stayed on her skin started to evaporate.

  "All better now," said Roman, and the flames from his hands slowly reduced and disappeared. He offered his hand to Julie, and when she placed her hand on his, he pulled her right into his arms, hugging her. "This place… there is something very strange in this place that makes me a little worried that it will take you away from me again, Winters."

  Julie felt Roman's hand gently pet the back of her head, and she hugged him back, "I am not going anywhere, and you already promised if I do, you will find me."

  "Fuck right, I will," Roman held her even closer, and at the same time, his eyes picked the sound of footsteps.

  When he looked ahead of him, he noticed it was Donovan and the Corvin, who was Julie's father Knox here. Roman noticed the way Knox's eyes held irritation in them on seeing Julie being hugged by him.

  "Julie," Knox called his daughter, and Julie turned slightly startled at the mention of her name, which didn't come from Roman.

  When she pulled away from Roman's embrace and turned, and saw Knox standing not too far away from them with a grim and unpleasant look on his face. Julie cleared her throat. Though they didn't share a father and daughter bond until now, it didn't reduce the awkwardness in the air.

  "There is something I would like to talk with you alone," said Knox, and though his words were for Julie, his eyes were on Roman.

  Three steps away from the Corvin stood Donovan, who had a relaxed expression on his face. Julie nodded her head, and she took one step away towards where Knox was standing when Roman caught hold of Julie's arm.

  Julie had a startled expression on her face, and she wondered what happened.

  But next second, Roman's action had Knox's eyes narrowed at the young vampire while Donovan raised his eyebrows.

  Roman had pulled Julie to give her a quick peck on her lips, and she blushed as if they were sharing a kiss for the very first time. He said, "I will be here, waiting for you."

  Julie nodded her head, composing her face so that Knox or Donovan would not see her red face. As Roman let go of her arm, she felt his reluctance, and she said,

  "I will be back soon."

  Julie walked to where Knox stood, noticing the frozen expression on his face, which turned harder than before. "Follow me," said Knox, and he led her away from there.

  Donovan, who had earlier slipped his hands in his pockets, now took them out, and he walked to where Roman stood. He said, "You seem to like provoking her father. Do you think it is a wise decision?"

  "It must be something I acquired," responded Roman, his eyes still on the father and daughter, who continued to walk further into the forest.

  "Mm, I can tell that," Donovan's eyes sparkled in mirth, and he said, "Not that I mind. I have always wanted to provoke him, but it was usually hard to do it."

  "Because of Opaline?" questioned Roman, and he walked back to where the bench was. Taking a seat, he took out a pack of cigarettes, and he lit one end of it before flicking the lighter in one snap.

  Donovan's eyes stared at Roman, intrigued by Roman's question, and he asked, "Did the little witch say that to you?" A smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "Opaline and I, we had a very complex relationship. But don't worry, I didn't father any children of hers so it shouldn't be something you or your beloved should freak out about."

  The Elder vampire came to sit on the bench next to Roman.

  Roman took a long drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke right into the air while staring ahead of him.

  Donovan sensed there was something going on in Roman's head, and he asked, "Is there something you want to talk about, Roman?"

  "Depends on what you can speak about," responded Roman, and the smile on Donovan's lips widened.

  Donovan stared at Roman and then asked, "How much did you hear?"

  Roman didn't shift his gaze to look at Donovan, instead, he continued to stare ahead of him with a vacant expression on his face. His right hand rested on his knee and his wrist slack which continued to hold the cigarette between his fingers.

  The younger vampire responded with, "Enough to curse my ability to hear things far away from me."

  "It slipped out of my mind that you had a good hearing ability compared to the other vampires. The best. How silly of me," hummed Donovan, his voice held no remorse and no guilt on his face.

  "You should know that I have no interest in talking to you right now. It would be appreciated if you leave my side and find something more useful to do," remarked Roman in an uninterested tone.

  "I thought you would like to speak to me about it. Maybe you can ask me questions so that I can answer—"

  "Not interested."

  Donovan was surprised by Roman's response and the detachment his tone held. It made him wonder if it was the ripper side of him that was talking right now.

  "Are you sure about it?" questioned Donovan, as if trying to provoke Roman, who turned his gaze to look at the Elder vampire, where his eyes were emptier than his words.

  "What makes you think otherwise?" Roman questioned him back, and Donovan nodded his head, a little surprised, because he believed the conversation would be more heated and not this cold like a dead fish. "I am going for a walk and check what Knox is talking to Julie about," saying this, he stood up and walked away from there.

  When Roman disappeared from his sight, Donovan tilted his head and said, "What a rude boy. It makes me wonder if he got it from me or her with such aloofness."

  Donovan knew exactly what Roman was talking about, and he wanted him to speak it out loud, but the boy was stubborn and guarded, just like his mother. But he could tell the temper in there was uncoiling, and he wanted to lash it out, which was at the moment being kept under control.

  Away from Donovan, Roman took another drag from the cigarette as he walked past the trees with an uncaring attitude. His black boots left an imprint on the snow-covered ground, and thought Veteris was not experiencing snow, Willow Creek took its liberty when it came to holding its own weather because of the curse.

  Roman stopped walking, and though there was still a little more of the cigarette bud left, he dropped it on the ground, which was quick to fizzle out.

  Roman punched the tree that was next to him. The tree shook because of the force, and the snowflakes that had settled on the leaves and branches fell on the ground. His eyes had turned blood red in anger, and his fangs appeared as he wanted to rip the Elder vampire's head off.

  Roman's breathing was heavy, and his hands shook in anger.

  He was annoyed with the fact that out of all the people, it was Donovan who had turned to be his biological father. His rage was taking over, and all he wanted to see was blood. When he pulled out his hand from the tree, it left a large hole in it, and his knuckles had been left bruised, drops of blood sliding from his hand to fall on the white ground.

  Roman had a slight inclination that something had gone amiss. It was because Lord Malcolm Moltenore was a man of honour, and he was the kind of person who valued his family the most. It was why him taking in a lover when he had a wife had been something that had never been able to sit well in his mind.

  Roman hadn't meant to hear it, it was not something he was supposed to hear, the conversation between Donovan and Knox were meant only for them, but his ears had picked up the little words before he connected the dots.

  When he turned around, he caught sight of Donovan, who was making his way to where he was. This obsessive vampire, he cursed the vampire in his mind. It now made sense why he was this attached to him, worse than a chewing gum stuck in the hair.

  "You have the nerve to come here acting as if nothing happened," commented Roman, whose temper had surfaced, and Donovan blinked at him.

  "I told you I was ready to talk, but you seemed like you didn't want to," replied Donovan.

  "Just get out of Willow Creek, before I try to char you until the very bone," threatened Roman, who didn't want to see Donovan's face right now.

  "How rude. I am being polite and you want to roast me. There's a bird in the town, maybe you should roast the Corvin and you might have better odds in keeping the little witch to yourself. We'll also have something worthwhile to eat," Donovan tried to provoke Roman, and the other glared at him.

  "I will do that once I am done with you," said Roman, and the fire quickly appeared in Roman's hands before he directed it right at Donovan.

  The elder vampire was quick to dodge it with grace, a smile on his face, and he said, "You cannot harm me with fire, Rome. Your ability stems from me. Don't be hasty."

  "I am aware of it. But you forget that I can do more damage to you than you to me," glared Roman, and fire erupted in the forest as if it was the wind that was sweeping past the trees where they stood.

  "So much temper, I really enjoy seeing it. It makes you alive, as if you carry the wrath of two people," Donovan tried to keep moving away from the fire before he brought out his own ability, and dark smoke-like fog appeared from below his feet. "You know we both can sit down and talk to each other calmly."

  "I think it's quite late for that," replied Roman, and before Donovan knew it, Roman had sneaked between the fire, and he came in front of the Elder vampire to punch him. Donovan caught hold of Roman's hand, but that didn't stop the younger vampire from taking another punch with his hand right into the Elder vampire's stomach. "You know you deserve it for the things you started."

  Hearing Roman's words, Donovan let go of Roman's hand, and he took in the punch right at his face that had him stagger a few steps away from Roman.

  The maddening rage was taken at Donovan, and noticing how he didn't fight back, Roman caught hold of Donovan's collar, "Aren't you pathetic to not even fight back?"

  Another punch landed into Donovan's face, and he ran his tongue on the corner of his mouth, "Your punches become stronger one after another. I am taking in the punishment for what I did. And who better than my—"

  "Don't even dare," Roman stopped Donovan before he would openly admit how they were related to each other. "I am Roman Moltenore, and no one else. I will acknowledge the fact that you turned me into a vampire, but that is all you get."

  "Roman Donovan doesn't sound so bad," stated Donovan, and the glare in Roman's eyes didn't lower down, instead the Elder vampire was only trying to provoke Roman so that he would spill out all the anger that had suddenly appeared.

  "I will fucking kill you," Roman sent another glare before he turned his head away, and the fire and the smoke slowly settled down and disappeared in thin air.

  Being related to Donovan had been enough of a headache as the person who had turned him, but knowing it was more than that, it irked Roman. He ran his fingers through his hair and dropped it to his side.

  "When did you find out about it?" questioned Roman, turning his gaze back at Donovan.

  "A few hours before I met you."

  Roman's jaw clenched. He questioned,

  "So what made you run away from my mother, that you had to find another man to compel to take care of her son? Or were you too busy with other witches who were a better fit than the human whom you impregnated and decided to leave to fend for herself."

  "In my defence, I had no idea that she was carrying you. Had I known, today would have been different," stated Donovan, his eyes fixed on Roman.

  "Would you have killed me or her?" Having Donovan this closely always hovering around him like a buzzing bee and Roman being someone who observed people, he knew exactly what would have gone down in the Elder vampire's mind.

  "I won't like that it hurts somewhere," accepted Donovan, and a huff escaped from Roman's lips.

  "You and hurt don't go in the same sentence, maybe hurt someone else," deadpanned Roman.

  Donovan nodded his head, "I do agree that it was my very first thought when I found out about it. But that's only a hypothesis now, isn't it?" he questioned Roman. "We cannot be sure what my reaction would be if I were to have found out about Lilian carrying you, my son, in her womb. If I would have killed you or both of you…… or if I would have taken her with me."

  "So what stopped?" The anger had slowly started to simmer in Roman's eyes, but the annoyance continued to stay there.

  "Your mother and I…… we were together when I came to visit the village where she lived. Lilian was aware that I was someone who couldn't provide her with an actual relationship, that what we had was fleeting. I have my reasons for pushing her away from me… But I had no idea I would come there after years to find out that she had passed away and that you existed," replied Donovan, and a smile appeared on his lips. "I did come with the intention to see how you looked or how you were…… the boy Lilian and I made together. For a spare moment I wanted to kill you……"

  "You should have," muttered Roman under his breath. "It would have avoided me knowing that we were related by blood."

  "That was a passing thought, but you were nothing like I expected you to be. You remind me of your mother, so guarded. Lilian meant a lot to me," Donovan didn't like speaking about his emotions or feelings, especially when it concerned the woman, who was a human and he had tried to keep distance from her. "I apologise for not coming to take care of your mother."

  "Do you know what she had to go through? You truly are some sort of man…… At least Malcolm Moltenore was more of a man than you can meet it up to be," Roman's lips twisted in distaste.

  "You are allowed to be angry at me, and it is justified—"

  "Don't get involved in my matters, Azazel," Roman's words were sharp and cold. "You couldn't be there for her before, so you don't have to feel guilty by making it up to her by staying near me. I was fine without you before, and I will be fine after it too."

  The smile on Donovan's lips flattered as it dimmed from his lips. A drop of darkness started to spread in his eyes, and he said,

  "I didn't know about your mother's condition. While I was here, she was dear to my heart, and you are my treasure, Rome. Like it or not, you cannot change that I am your father."

  "Only by blood," replied Roman, his eyes turning cold.

  "And I am trying to fix things."

  "There's nothing broken to be fixed. You don't have to fix it," deadpanned Roman, turning around, he walked away from there because he doubted he could bear to stand anywhere near Donovan. At least not for the next few minutes.

  He wondered if today was father revelation day, where both Julie and he were being told who their biological parents were.

  Mr. Evans, who had been taking a walk by himself, overheard Donovan and Roman's conversation, and heard Donovan say,

  "How long do you plan to stand there, Sullivan."

  "I didn't want to intrude, Mr. Donovan," Mr. Evans stepped away from the tree, a small polite smile on his lips.

  "It was annoying knowing you were here when I was having a family discussion. Next time walk in the other direction," ordered Donovan and Mr. Evans gave a slight bow.

  "I will be sure to keep that in my mind," replied the counsellor of Veteris.

  "Does Dante know that you have been working with the Corvin?" questioned Donovan.

  "No, Sir. I was under orders to not speak to anyone about it by the madam," answered Mr. Evans, and after two seconds, he said, "She told me to send you her greetings."

  "How very polite of her," responded Donovan, his eyes subtly narrowing. "When did she send the greetings?"

  "Yesterday."

  "Was that all?" questioned Donovan and the counsellor stared at the Elder vampire before he stepped towards him. Mr. Evans pulled something from his pocket, and he handed it to Donovan.

  "Lady Opaline said you might need this. She said she couldn't give it to you before," said Mr. Evans, and Donovan's subtle frown turned to slight surprise.

  "I thought she would never be able to do it," commented Donovan, and he took the lean and curvy looking glass vial in his hand.

  "She made it right after you entered the town and left. I think she wanted to give it to you, but never was able to find you alone or safe to approach at that time," Mr. Evans let the Elder vampire know.

  "I thought I saw someone that day…… before the curse fell on the town," hummed Donovan, and he brought the vial glass in front of him, looking at the crystal clear liquid inside it. That evening after Donovan had stepped out from the magistrate's office and away from Enoch, he had sensed someone's gaze, but because of the rain that was heavy, it had been hard to be sure of who it was. "Did she make any more of this?"

  "I wasn't given much information about it, apart from having to pass it to you."

  "Do you know when you will be seeing her again?" questioned Donovan, and Mr. Evans pursed his lips.

  "According to the timeline of when she came to meet last night and what time it was there in the past, I don't think we'll be seeing her," replied Mr. Evans.

  "What a shame that I cannot thank her," said Donovan, and he turned the glass vial in his hand.

  "Milady has a reply for it, Mr. Donovan," on hearing the counsellor's words, the Elder vampire's eyes shifted to look at Mr. Evans. "She said it was a repayment for the past, and a promise for the present and the future. That you can put your faith back to what you have lost."

  "Always the ever perfect witch," the corner of Donovan's lips pulled up. "Do you know what this is, Sullivan?"

  "No," came the prompt answer from Mr. Evans. When Opaline was making the potions, Evans was usually guarding the house, making sure no one would come in to take a peek at what was going on,

  "This is a potion to reset a person. A vampire, a witch, or whatever that is out there that we are unaware of, everything will turn back to its original state. A human," Donovan smiled, and he slipped the glass vial into his pocket.

  Away from everyone, Knox had led Julie further into the forest, where she could hear the sound of gushing water as if there was a waterfall nearby. The leaves had stopped rustling because of the amount of snow that had fallen on them, making it difficult for them to walk. It was a comfortable silence, which was peaceful while she was looking around, she saw Knox finally stop walking.

  Julie stopped too, and she saw the Corvin turn around to meet his distant eyes with her brown ones.

  "Julianne," started Knox, and there was something very melancholic with the way he called her name. "We haven't spent much time together, and you barely know me. But I want to tell you that you are every bit of my daughter and Opaline's, even though your mother had to send you away from us."

  "It's going to take a few more hours for me to… but I am getting there," Julie offered an awkward smile.

  "I know you are. Your mother…… She said she saw you. And that you are beautiful," said Knox and Julie's eyebrows furrowed.

  "She saw me?"

  Knox gave a slight nod, "Before she died, she wanted to see you and she said something about… she wished she knew it was you."

  "What do you mean?" asked Julie, not understanding his words.

  "Frankly I am not sure myself. Opaline…… your mother had the habit of speaking things in riddles, of leaving things blank for the other to fill it up," replied Knox, and his gaze stayed on her.

  He knew he was going to miss her, but at the same time, he was grateful that he was able to see her before he would leave.

  "I was one of the few who was able to fill her blanks, maybe that is why I was still around and she put effort in making me like this," Knox raised his hand, and Julie noticed his fingertips had changed into the wooden twigs, and it was slowly inching towards his wrists now. "I could change it only twice. To appear to be more human than the dead. And I chose it right away, when I was near her. I loved her dearly. But every one has to die one day, and the time is never too far when it comes to having to leave."

  Julie's lips pursed, and she could feel the heaviness starting to grow in her chest. Her lips parted, and she asked, "Do you…… need to go now?"

  "In a couple of hours. Hours is all I have, my dear child," said her father, and the distant look on his face didn't make it easy for Julie.

  To first learn about her parents, and then to learn that the person was leaving her, it didn't give Julie much time to process, and she stared at Knox.

  "What will happen after a couple of hours?" asked Julie, pausing her breath as she waited for an answer.

  "I will wither away into ash, and more snow will come to fall before it turns to water and take me away from here."

  "Is there no way to keep you alive? To keep you here…… next to me?" Julie had lost her parents, and now that she had found out about her real father, she wanted him to stay and not leave her.

  Knox stared at her, and he said, "There's a way, an unethical one than the others you have known. But I prefer not to do anything close to it."

  "What kind?" asked Julie, seeing hope to keep her father. The so-called father, on the other side of Willow Creek, wanted to hunt her down. She wanted a normal family, to have a family…… She said, "I am a witch now who has access to things, isn't it? Maybe I can try and help you with it."

  "Do not offer help without knowing what the help is about, Julie," advised Knox, "Sometimes it will cost you quite heavily."

  "But you are my father," replied Julie, and she saw the man smile.

  As he continued to smile, she noticed one of his eyes turn hollow without an eyeball in it. Just like the Corvin's eyes.

  "Did you forget what the vampire spoke about me?"

  A frown appeared on Julie's forehead while she tried to remember the conversation, and it finally dawned on her, "You will have to eat the dead……?"

  "No," came the calm response from the man, and he said, "A Corvin…… it can extend its life. By bonding with the witch, sometimes like a parasite to leech the soul and energy. A Corvin has the ability to drain the living force from the witch, by killing the witch and consuming the last of the witch's soul."

  Well…… that didn't sound good, thought Julie in her mind, and her thoughts reflected on her face.

  "Does that mean you killed mother before the people in here killed her?" asked Julie, and Knox nodded his head. "Is that why…… mother cannot be a Corvin? Because of her soul being consumed."

  "I am not sure. The history of witches, it is unclear who turns into a Corvin and who cannot be turned into one. This is something that has been hard to figure out. But so far, I haven't been able to sense any Corvins in here apart from me," explained Knox. "It has been nothing less than a mystery."

  "I wish you could come with me, away from this place," said Julie, and the man gave her a kind smile.

  "It isn't good to wish on something that will never happen. You are only going to increase the pain and ache in your heart. And this includes your relationship with that vampire," stated Knox, the smile left his lips. "The boy doesn't come with good luck."

  "Because he is a vampire?" asked Julie.

  "It is more than that," replied Knox, his eyes shifted to look at the trees that were around them, and he said, "He will bring death to your doorstep, Julie. And because of this, your relationship is not going to work."

  "Roman and I love each other, we would never harm the other person," Julie tried to make it clear to him. She wanted Knox to accept Roman, and she said, "Mother accepted him yesterday. You only need to spend some time with him."

  This struck a nerve in the Corvin, while the expression on his face stayed the same.

  "It is because of the lineage he comes from…… you might call it to be orthodox, or superstitious, but sometimes, some of them hold curses and it spills or sprinkles on the ones who come near them. Your mother must have not known about his lineage, but now that I have, I cannot help but worry about you," a grim expression came to settle on the man's face, while he continued to stare elsewhere before his eyes shifted to look at Julie, who had a confused expression on her face.

  "What kind of lineage are you speaking about, the curse I mean," she wanted more details and proof so that she could clarify it.

  "The kind that brings death wherever the person goes."

  Julie stared at Knox for a few seconds, her own expression reflecting his, and she said, "That's a little stretched, isn't it? Roman doesn't kill anyone, I mean he does but for certain reasons only." She doubted that it came right, and she tried to explain one more time, "He would never try to harm me… father."

  Maybe pulling a father and daughter card would help to ease the man's worries, thought Julie in her mind.

  Knox's face did soften at Julie calling him as father, and so did his heart, but that only made his worry for her more prominent.

  "Can you tell me that the people whom he deeply cares about and is attached to are all alive? That there hasn't been any death near him?"

  "People die out of strange circumstances or sometimes because of being attacked, but that doesn't mean the person brings bad luck," Julie tried to explain to him while rooting for Roman.

  "That doesn't answer my question. What about his mother? Or other relatives," questioned Knox, pursing his lips, he then said, "Your mother didn't see it either and she just turned lucky because the person wasn't compatible, but I have noticed it."

  Huh?

  "Mother didn't see it?"

  "The boy's father… he is similar to it," upon hearing her father's words, it finally dawned on Julie. No wonder, she said to herself in her mind. "Your mother had brothers, but they died around the same time when the vampire entered her life. All killed… The root cause always stems from them. Donovan probably knew about the effect his presence had around people, and he didn't stay around the boy's mother. Some things cannot be reversed and it will only bring you misfortune and death."

  "That's not true," murmured Julie under her breath. "Sometimes, things happen, you cannot say it is a curse…"

  "Can you really say it? About the boy who was the reason why his mother's body weakened and it was never the same as before," Knox's words were much more gentle than before. He walked to where Julie stood, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard to accept, but some things are not meant to be.".

  Scroll to read the next chapter~