Bloody Tears, The Heart of the Vampyre 5 – Frost and Harmony
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Maria took a seat as Violetta sighed and looked at Tenchi, "I know we told you to relax here, but there is one thing we got to warn about and it is our realm's shame for nearly two centuries. 175 years ago, we had a young girl who wanted to join the Priesthood of the Blood Moon, our most religious devotees to the Blood Moon." Tenchi nodded, "The name kinda explains it, but go on."

Violetta sighed and continued, "To become a priest or priestess, they must undertake a different version of the Sanguine ritual which grants them the blessing of the Blood Moon, allowing them to receive the wisdom. However, this one didn't receive the Blood Moon's blessing, but rather the one of the Sun.

Tenchi tilted her head to the side, "Why is that so odd? Isn't it good that they are finding a different shepherd to follow if they aren't granted the blessing of the Blood Moon?" Violetta shook her head, "No, it isn't. Remember that you were told to be the second survivor of the Crimson Luna?" Tenchi nodded before she had a question about it, "Yes, shouldn't that Lord Sanguin person have been ruling then?"

Violetta nodded, "He should have, but that's where the bad thing comes in. Lord Sanguin was caught by one of those creatures, a solar vampire, and was bitten. We are normally resilient to the sunlight, but a solar vampire upon biting us, can inject a lethal dose of pure sunlight into our bodies around ten times what we are exposed to by the sun. The only thing left of Lord Sanguin were the ashes of his body and all of his clothes."

Tenchi looked a bit worried, "Didn't you deal with them then? Is there no way to stop them?" Violetta nodded, "We did. I heard from Maria that during the little fight between you and former Margrave Bloodfang, he began to grow crystals on you." Tenchi nodded, "Oh yes, that was cute. But what does it have to do with my question?"

Violetta began to explain, "Margrave Bloodfang was part of the Priesthood of the Blood Moon. He knew the technique of crystallizing blood, which is exactly what we use on solar vampires to trap them and so we did with the first of them and then every single one after that. However, one of them managed to take Lord Sanguin down before that."

Tenchi nodded before remembering the report she had seen, "Then is it a new solar vampire that has appeared?" Violetta shook her head, "I had them write solar vampire to explain it better, but the correct term is au'ric vampire, while we are fe'ric vampires. And we checked upon all the places where we kept them, and the first of them have broken free."

Violetta sighed and looked at Tenchi, "Sorry to spring this upon you, but for your own safety, I am assigning you some protection." Tenchi began to laugh gently, "No worries, Vio, I can..." Tenchi felt an aura of dominance build up next to her and how the hot breath of Maria was close to her, "I mean... yes, your bloody highness."

Violetta thought for a bit before looking at Tenchi, "After all you did for us and the fact you abdicated for my benefit, you don't need to call me your bloody highness, just call me your sister, just like Maria is for you. After all, you may not be a Redfeather, but you are still a red ruler and sister."

Tenchi bowed deeply in respect to Violetta, "That is a honor I can agree with you upon, Vio. Now, about the protection. Who do you have in mind exactly?" Violetta screeched gently and soon the door to the room opened up before Ocarina, Melody, and Sonata entered, leaving Tenchi in shock, "Wait, you are putting the leaders of your Blood Court on duty to protect me?" Ocarina looked at Tenchi, "I know why you are asking that. You still remember everything I did when you came to the family the first time. I can understand that you have trust issues, but I want to make things right as an apology."

Tenchi noticed that every trace of the previous Ocarina was gone and in her place stood a slightly more mature young woman, wearing the colors of the vampires and the dead with pride rather than accessories. She felt how someone pulled on her clothes a bit and looked down at Melody, gently lifting her up, "What do you want, little missy?" Melody smiled before looking at Tenchi's face, "Can you show them?" Tenchi knew what she meant and opened up her maw, showing off the already sharp fangs, but also the longer ones that were standard for a vampire.

Gently touching the fangs, Melody nodded before Ocarina asked the question, "Do we need to greet you with respect in the Staeian way, or are you wanting to skip it?" Tenchi looked at the thoughtful gesture from Ocarina to ask and nodded, "I wanna skip it for now. I guess if I would accept it, then you three would have to bite my neck while I would have to prick your fingers." Maria smiled, "Hey, look at that, you remember."

Tenchi smiled before Ocarina gently approached her and took her by the arm, "Tomorrow, we are visiting the Harmony household. I think they need a wake-up call." Ocarina winked to Tenchi, who looked confused, but just went with the flow, "Okay, but can everyone please leave my room now? I am kinda tired." Putting Melody down on the floor, she waved them off before she realized that the room she was in had a coffin instead of a normal bed and she sighed before opening it up, seeing the wonderful material lining the insides of the coffin and soon she climbed in and laid down, noticing the lid slowly closing and as the darkness set in, her eyes shut tightly and she was soon asleep.

As the morning sun came in through the window, the lid slowly opened and Tenchi growled gently, "Five more minutes." When the lid didn't close, Tenchi woke up slowly and climbed out of the coffin, right into the face of Maria, who stood there and waited, "Lòeón's almighty balls! Don't scare me like that MarMar!"

Maria looked at her before holding out a red toast, making Tenchi confused by the odd serving before Maria began to explain, "This is one of the breakfast options we have. A bread baked with blood rather than water. It is quite delicious." Tenchi took the toast and ate it, finding the taste quite flavorful and murred, "I am already missing the cooking back home." Maria nodded, "Food is good in all honor, but blood is the best. For us, it is faster satisfying than normal food."

Maria dragged Tenchi with her out of the bedroom and to the dining hall where Ocarina and Melody were feeding off Sonata's blood and Violetta was sitting with a red soup, which Tenchi could quickly guess was a soup involving blood, but she had soon taken a seat and the chef came walking, "Good morning, Miss Arizonia-Novastar. What do you want to eat this morning?" Tenchi looked at the chef and soon smiled, "I'll have some black pudding." The chef nodded before leaving to prepare the dish, while Maria took a seat and began to eat more of the slices of bread she had given Tenchi earlier and seemed content already after three slices.

As the chef came with the black pudding, Tenchi quickly asked, "Where do you get the blood from for it? Normally this is made with the blood from a pig, which I know you don't know what it is." The chef felt uncomfortable about the question, "I rather not tell." Violetta spoke up, "Criminals that were executed. That's where it is from."

Tenchi grinned, "Executed criminals, you say? Looks like they are finally contributing to society." Everyone was gasping from Tenchi's words before the chef began to laugh, "Oh, I like you. I'll grab another one for you." The chef disappeared with the plate and soon came back with one that had an additional, juicy one, "There you go. Fresh from the execution." Tenchi laughed at the chef's joke before digging in, "Give that chef a raise."

Once the breakfast was over and done, Ocarina took a hold of Tenchi's shoulder and nodded, "Well, hope we can protect you well, your former bloody highness." Tenchi looked at Ocarina with a warning gaze, but then laughed at it, "Okay, you get away with it this time." Tenchi headed out of the dining hall and soon noticed how Ocarina walked over to an open carriage without any beast at the front once they left the castle doors behind, making Tenchi question what she was doing, "Hey, where is the horse or animal that will drag us there?"

Like answering, Melody and Sonata jumped onto the carriage and took a seat, and Tenchi quickly took a seat too before Ocarina walked to the front and secured the straps around her, suddenly bulking up until she was looking like a herculean version of a feral bat, making Tenchi gasp in shock, "Is that Ocarina?" Without an answer from any of them, Ocarina began to pull the carriage at a comfortable pace and Tenchi found her lap to be the seat for a happy Melody who squeaked to make Ocarina move a little faster.

The journey wasn't long, but Tenchi got a good view of the inside of Grobuz before finally seeing that Ocarina was slowing down and soon turning back to normal and undoing the straps around her, making Tenchi finally speak up, "When did you learn to do that?" Ocarina looked back with a smile, "It came with training."

With Melody, Sonata, and Tenchi climbing out of the carriage, Ocarina walked over and smiled, "So, who is gonna ring the doorbell?" Sonata began walking to the gate and pressed the doorbell, the gate soon opening as Ocarina pulled the carriage inside and over next to the gate before following the others, with Sonata carrying Melody on her front. Since coming out of the prison, Sonata had been eating well and built up a good shape on her body, looking a lot more healthy than before.

Once they arrived at the doors, they opened and their mother came running out and hugged both Sonata and Melody, "My baby girls! You are finally visiting!" Sonata and Melody happily squeaked before their father came and laughed, "Ah, our daughters are back. Seems we got more guests too." He looked at Ocarina and Tenchi coming walking, but his shock was great when he saw that Ocarina was now having two wings on her back and upon meeting him, she gently pulled up the left arm on the cardigan and gave him a soft bite, making him happily coo before she repeated the same with his wife, earning her a respectful return by both of them biting her neck, making her happily coo before they broke the bite and looked at them, "Well, what you waiting for? Come on in."

Entering their humble abode, which was a giant mansion fit for a noble, Tenchi realized how they didn't seem to spare any money being used for upgrading the house. The finest paintings on the walls, a red chandelier, and even purple gold statues of various influential scenes from literature, and this was only the hall.

"Tell me, my children, who is the wonderful red lady you have brought with you?" their father, named Allegretto, asked them while his wife Viola stood nearby. Tenchi bowed deeply before Ocarina stopped her, "Allow me, sister." Tenchi was taken back by Ocarina's politeness and both Allegretto and Viola were taken back by Ocarina referring to Tenchi as sister, which Ocarina made good use of, "Mister Allegretto Harmony and Miss Viola Harmony, meet Tenchi Arizonia-Novastar Frostclaw, the queen of the wyverns, the goddess of justice, and latest survivor of the Crimson Luna."

Allegretto and Viola felt their knees growing weak before they quickly kneeled, "My Lady! Your presence honors us greatly." Tenchi looked at them before bowing deeply, "The pleasure is all mine, Mister and Miss Harmony. Your daughters are wonderful people and they are proud of their heritage. I praise you for raising them both well." Tenchi knew it might be a bit unfair given that Sonata had been in prison, but still both of them had taken time to visit her and support her through the trying times.

Allegretto and Viola straightened their backs and smiled, "Thank you, my lady." Ocarina looked at them, "Her first order of duty as the queen was to forbid the discrimination of non-vampires and those who became vampires of different race. Then her second order was to abdicate in favor of Violetta Redfeather, who made a new first order of duty to remove all discrimination."

Both Allegretto and Viola were surprised before Tenchi smiled, "Hey, one of them told me how things were, so I couldn't accept that things went this way. Now people will truly be free to make their choices and become what they want to become." Ocarina nodded, "I still remember how I was judged for being from Gac'Ea'Ax, but now I am both a Gacealian and Staeian, as I fulfill my duty as a hunter of criminals, as well as bodyguard."

Allegretto heard those words and quickly bowed his head, "I am sorry for what I said." Ocarina just smiled, "Relax, Marquess Harmony. It is all water under the bridge now. I cannot be mad at you." Allegretto moved over to offer Ocarina a hug, which she looked at and then hugged him, making Tenchi nod, "She truly has changed."

The day continued with Tenchi telling stories about her time growing up, giving everyone severe feelings tugging on the heart strings, and also getting to truly enjoy an actual Staeian feast, which was various meals made from blood and with Tenchi's knowledge, a dish called simply Murderer's Heart, which she learned was a heart of an executed criminal convicted for murder, boiled and then pickled for ten days. Tenchi found the taste acidic, but with a wonderful salty flavor in addition. When the night rolled in, everyone had gone to their beds to sleep the night away, including Tenchi who found the bed to be just perfect for a good night of sleep.

However, before dusk could settle in, loud screams echoed between the walls of an alleyway where an upper class vampire was running away from something or someone, which trailed after her like a shadow and soon with a loud screech announced that they caught their prey, which with a short struggle soon found their life slipping away as the creature sunk its fangs into their neck and drained them rather quickly before the light burst from them and turned them into a stone, just as the creature let go and quickly moved away, licking their fangs clean before speaking, "175 years of stasis in a crystal. 175 bloody years! Know this, my fellow Staeians, Lady Lilizim is back to punish your hatred!"

The End.