I pushed the door open slowly, the sound cutting through the silence. Inside, the warehouse was thick with grain and dust. Barley was piled high, and sacks of wheat were stacked in orderly rows along the floor. The air was dry. Moonlight filtered through gaps in the roof, casting narrow lines of light across the ground.
And in the center of it all stood a woman.
She carried an oil lamp in one hand, its light falling over her robes. They were clean and finely made, the fabric clearly expensive, standing out against the dust and grain of the warehouse. She looked around forty, brown hair brushed neatly and touched with gray. Her eyes appeared kind, but there was no real warmth in them.
Everything about her felt out of place in a building like this.
But appearance meant little among the chosen. Depending on how deeply they had advanced their pact, their lives could stretch far beyond a normal span. Not thousands of years, but centuries were possible.
I didn't know if she was a chosen, but it was the most likely.
So I didn't trust her face.
But… this wasn't what I expected to find.
I had expected a thief, a mercenary, someone driven by need. Instead, I found someone who looked almost kind. But it didn't matter how gentle she appeared. If she was here, then she was involved in Darim's kidnapping.
"Right on time" she said. Her voice matched her face, soft and calm.
"Where is Darim?" I stepped closer.
She smiled, almost pleased by my question. "Stay right there. The boy is safe. For now. But do anything reckless… and that will change." The threat didn't match her appearance at all.
My jaw clenched.
Using a child.
A child.
How could anyone do this? Anger tightened my throat. Part of me wanted to strike her, to make someone like her feel consequences. But I couldn't rush—I had to stay calm, play along, and find where they were holding Darim.
So I stood there. I stared at her and waited, letting silence stretch.
"I'm glad you've calmed down" she said at last. "What is your name?"
What should I say? I couldn't give my real name. I spoke the first thing that came to mind.
"Zimesh."
She frowned. "What a peculiar and arrogant name."
I said nothing. She was right. Zi meant life. Mesh meant progenitor, hero. The words didn't belong together unless someone wanted them to. Hero of life. Progenitor of life. It sounded less like a name and more like a challenge.
It was an insult to the gods.
But I didn't care.
"Well then, Zimesh" she said, "my name is Liraya. Would you remove your hood so we may speak properly?"
I didn't move.
"Stop wasting time" I said, voice flat. "And tell me what you want."
Liraya sighed.
"First" she said, "understand this is not a negotiation. If you refuse, the boy pays the price. Do you understand?"
My teeth pressed together.
I nodded.
"I want you" she continued, "to make a divine oath. Swear loyalty to me and work for me for ten years."
My eyes widened.
"What?"
Ten years.
A divine oath.
She didn't react at all "Is the boy not important enough to you?" she asked softly.
I clenched my fists.
"How can you do this?" I hissed. "Do you have no conscience?!"
Her expression didn't change. Not even a flicker.
"No" she said simply. "If it helps me reach my goal, nothing is off the table."
"Don't worry" she added. "You won't be a slave. More like… a soldier."
My hands curled tighter until my nails bit into my palms.
"I can't" I said.
It wasn't even a choice. I couldn't do it, especially when I wasn't sure I had a god.
She raised an eyebrow "believe me" she said, voice turning colder "if you refuse, I'll send you pieces of the child until nothing remains."
Pieces.
She spoke as if it were logistics, as if cruelty were just a step to manage. My hands clenched harder. Blood began dripping from my palms.
"Ask for something else" I said, forcing the words out evenly. "Anything. But not that."
Liraya sighed again "five years, then."
If I lied and agreed, she'd demand the oath immediately. That wouldn't work.
Should I attack her?
Even if I won, what then? Torture her? The thought made sick, and she was clearly a chosen. It wouldn't be easy.
My gaze drifted unconsciously to her neck. What if… what if I drank her blood? I could see memories. I could find where Darim was.
But if it worked the same way as Akhem's… how long would it take to reach the memory I needed?
Days? Weeks?
It might be useless. And I didn't have time for that.
"What do you decide?" she asked, interrupting my thoughts.
Damn it.
I was out of ideas, if I told her I couldn't make divine oaths, would she believe me? I almost laughed. Of course she'd think I was mocking her.
There was only one option left.
I looked again at her neck.
My instinct told me it would work.
I stepped closer, staring straight at her until I stood before her.
"If I accept…" I said carefully, "…will you tell me where Darim is?"
Her eyes lit up. She was certain I wouldn't attack, certain the threat was enough.
"I'll take you to him personally" she said, voice almost pleasant.
This was the point.
Once I stepped past it, there would be no return.
Was I certain?
If I didn't, Darim would pay the price.
I had to.
"Fine" I said softly. "That's all I needed to know."
I moved at full speed, and in an instant, the distance between us vanished.
My teeth sank into her neck.
Her eyes widened in shock as my fangs pierced her skin. For a heartbeat, her hands flew up as if to push me away… but then her body went rigid.
Blood flooded my mouth, rich beyond anything I had ever tasted. Nothing compared. Animal blood was thin and dull beside this, like water pretending to be something more. This was beyond that. Intoxicating. The hunger inside me softened, pleased, purring as I savored it, letting myself enjoy every drop.
Warmth spread through my body. My muscles tightened, then relaxed, stronger than before.
I could drink this forever.
Seconds later, her skin had gone pale. I was about to drain her completely when I felt something else flowing with the blood. I didn't care what it was.
I released her.
Her body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. She hit the floor with a dull thud, her clothing folding and bunching beneath her.
For the first time since awakening, I felt truly satisfied.
A drop of blood slid from the corner of my mouth. I wiped it with my thumb and licked it.
"So sweet" I whispered.
Then I remembered Darim, and I realized I had almost lost myself in the sensation as I looked down at Liraya's body.
I waited—for memories, for anything—but nothing happened, and the cold thought crept in that it had failed, that I had killed her for nothing, just as the world swayed and my vision began to fade.
And then…
In the complete darkness, I heard a woman's voice, close and warm. "To be as free as the air" the voice said, gentle as a lullaby "and for your path to always be lit… your name will be Liraya."