Enri stood by her parents’ graves, the sun already dipping below the horizon as she csped her hands but kept her eyes open. Staring at the names engraved on the stone in front of her. She hadn’t taken Nemu here yet but the young child already understood what had happened to their parents. That wouldn’t make seeing her reaction any less hard. As heroic as the adventurer and head warrior had been in her mind Enri found herself almost resenting them as she stared at the headstones. She almost shook her head but remained still. She would respect this pce. That meant she couldn’t desecrate it with any further ungrateful thoughts towards their saviours.

  Realising she wasn’t in the right head-space to be here any more, she uncsped her hands and turned around. The moon would soon rise. She hadn’t been here all day but she still had chores she would need to do before going to bed and everyone woke up early in this vilge. Especially after what happened.

  Another change was the constant patrols, vigince and training for the militia of the vilge. Even Nemu had tried to join in. Any adult who refused to join after that had to have a very good reason and most of those who didn’t participate were disabled in some way. This training might have been why she noticed. Several figures were cresting the horizon towards the vilge, familiar figures even if they weren’t cd in the armour that brought up dreaded memories. Instead they were cd in maid outfits.

  Enri ran into the vilge already thinking about whether she should ring the arm for these visitors. What kind of noble would visit a rural vilge in the dead of night? As she was running she noticed the ominous figure of their dy among them and sped up her sprint. She remembered that dy appearing from nowhere. For some reason she sent a shiver down Enri’s spine whenever the thought of her came to mind. There was just something off about her. A half formed thought or memory came to mind but she couldn’t grasp the reason she was so scared.

  Just as she was reaching the vilge though she turned to see how close their ‘guests’ had gotten. Only to have a pale face appear right in front of her own. She shrieked and tripped over nothing, cursing as she fell once more helpless in front of someone.

  “Oh I remember you, though I guess you wouldn’t remember me.” The noble dy chuckled. Then she picked Enri off the ground before gently dusting off her clothes. “I appreciate your traumatised.” She said in the most fake sincerity Enri had ever heard despite sounding believable. “Still I’m here today to offer a gift. You don’t need to be so frantic to inform the vilgers I’m coming, though I always appreciate a warm welcome prepared so te at night.” She smiled and Enri thought she saw fangs. This woman was terrifying but she wasn’t actually a monster right?

  “Now lets walk in together, calmly ok?” She essentially ordered with a smile and they did just that, the maids following slightly behind them.

  Simir to herself, several of the militia noticed the odd group travelling towards the vilge and only Enri’s presence kept them from firing immediately. That and the fear of noble retaliation. They were still born and bred commoners so the idea of attacking a noble was still something they hesitated over. That didn’t stop them from knocking their arrows. Something equally as likely to offend but monumentally easier to convince yourself to do.

  The dy noticed but didn’t seem to care, judging by the smile on her face. Her maids seemed less keen on the idea. They stepped protectively in front of the woman and gred down the attackers, some instinctively reaching under their outfits. For what, Enri didn’t know.

  “It’s sweet you rolled out the welcome mat for me but it really is pointless.” The woman said before the weapons vanished from the militia’s hands. It was as though they were covered in something bck before simply vanishing into that darkness. All the vilgers took a step back. “I mean you no harm really.” The dy continued, ignoring their reaction entirely and gesturing the maids to step back. “If I wanted your vilge destroyed I would have just let it happen. Or better yet just sneeze at it.” She sounded very much mocking with that st comment but Enri was used to their vilge being derided for their location on the outskirts. Typical noble.

  “No, I was surveying the pce if you remember correctly and I have decided on what I shall do with it. So you get a choice because I’m generous. I can revive the dead you lost in the attack along with granting you all the power to prevent it from happening again.” Enri gasped as did a few other vilgers.

  She could bring back her parents? Did the price for that actually matter? Not to mention being granted that kind of power was always enticing, the kind of offer made to future vilins in stories. As much as she admired Momon and the head warrior they couldn’t help her in time. Plus if she could help herself then they could spend their time on others who truly needed their help. No matter how she thought it only ended up in her trying to convince herself. Even though it was too good to be true, the idea that she could see her parents faces again was ultimately the reason she wanted to accept. Of course, there was a catch.

  “Obviously that’s worth a lot to you so I expect something of commensurate value in return. Now what could be worth the lives of your loved ones?” She began tapping her chin as though she were in deep thought and then paused as though she’d had an idea. “How about yourselves?” She asked in the sweet voice of a child and they all paused to take her words in. Before they began to open their mouths.

  Only for no sound to escape as the woman lit up with a silence spell, cast simirly silently. “Now obviously I just said I wasn’t here to harm you. I wouldn’t want to break my word and more importantly waste the valuable time my subordinates spent here, let alone my own. So how do I have you give yourselves over without harming you? Simple, think of it like giving your soul to me in exchange for granting your greatest wish. You become my property and your retives come back to life.” She expined.

  Finally the silence spell was lifted and for a moment there was an almost peaceful silence. Before the shouting began. Some were pleading for their loved ones. Others were calls of doubt, a need for assurance. The more pragmatic asked questions about the logistics of being ensved. Were they being conquered and thereby ruled? Or did she see them as property?

  All of them were silenced once again. “Now, I said I’d give you a choice so there needs to be another option. Choosing that option would obviously mean I don’t revive the vilgers and in turn imply you owe me nothing. I could simply take what I want…” She paused for a second. “But that would be no fun. So instead those of you who choose not to revive your loved ones will have to live haunted by that decision. Somewhere else.”

  ‘So it’s exile or ensvement?’ Enri thought to herself, finally seeing all the catches that would come with reviving loved ones. Of course such a feat wouldn’t be easy. She didn’t even know it was possible yet, even if this woman’s confidence gave her a strong reason to suspect it was.

  “I mean I’m going to be taking over the vilge and if you aren’t on good terms with the dy of the nd do you really want to live there in the first pce?” The dy asked. “I’ll give you a few minutes to confer, try to attack me or whatever you want. Just know my subordinates aren’t as forgiving as I am.” Then a massive furred beast appeared from the woman’s shadow startling a few of the vilgers before it simply id down. Where she used it as a seat.

  Afterwards the whole vilge gathered together behind the gate they had built after the attack. It was rickety, a poor excuse for craftsmanship. Almost all of them were amateur carpenters but none of them were professionals so they worked together and this was the best they could make.

  The fence was simir, just a few wooden poles stuck into the ground and certainly not capable of stopping the beast that woman was casually sitting on. Let alone the woman herself. “I’m leaving.” The vilge chief suddenly announced, surprising everyone present with the abruptness of his decration.

  “Easy for you to say.” One of the vilgers spoke up, the man who always greeted Enri from outside the vilge because his wife had ‘thrown him to the wheat.’ “You didn’t lose anyone.”

  The vilge chief put his hand up to forestall the nods of agreement that came from the more disgruntled vilgers. “I know. That is why I will be taking anyone who wants to come with me and establishing another vilge somewhere else on the outskirts of the kingdom. Perhaps even in another nd. Re-Estize has shown they don’t care about us and I’m not sure anyone could trust them any more. If you want to come with me, see me at the end of the meeting.”

  “You think we could just settle down somewhere else!” One of the vilgers shouted. “That thing is monstrous, beyond all faith and reason! Something like that won’t just let us go! We’ll be hunted, chased and sughtered like those damn knights tried! At least this one’s reasonable. We should all just give in, it’ll end up that way anyway.”

  Enri stared at the vilge chief as they argued, her mind swirling with the thought of her parent’s smiles. Oh, they’d absolutely tell her not to do this. That didn’t mean she could just throw them away even if it would cost her life to get them back.

  The only certainty she had was that she wanted Nemu to be free. The dy didn’t specify that all family members had to join so their retives could be revived. Nemu could leave and she would still revive her parents. If only to keep to her word as she so clearly wanted to do and that meant there was no need for Nemu to give up her life. She would convince Nemu to go with the chief and-

  Enri paused. Did she actually want to do that to her sister? Her baby sister who still didn’t know about the world. Separating her from the one remaining family member she had only with the promise that they were alive? Wouldn’t that be abandoning her?

  Enri bit her lip. If she was on her own this decision was made so much easier but she didn’t want to leave her sister alone. Even worse, drag her into servitude under a master she feared. All for a chance at getting their parents back which might not even be possible, no matter how likely. She searched for her sister in the crowd. Right at the front, given the spot because she was too small to see otherwise, was the young girl with a determined expression.

  She’d been putting on that face for her, what would it look like if she abandoned her?

  ---

  I had to admit I wasn’t a very patient person. It came with being raised served hand and foot by as many maids as there were corridors in father’s first mansion. One I bought out from under him as soon as I started my own business.

  Yet there was a certain anticipation that came with scheming which made the wait a little less mind numbing. The theorising about what decisions people would make. Perhaps more importantly simuting how those decisions would py out in reality and the effects they would have. Not to mention it felt good to look so good. Sitting here on a throne of comfortable fur, stroking it like an evil mastermind really made quite a picture. Too bad there was no screenshot feature any more.

  As I was thinking that, the vilgers finally emerged from their pathetic defences and the Pleiades stood to attention behind me. I decided it was better to greet them from my furred throne.

  Counting the numbers I spoke “This is everyone who has decided to give themselves over to me?” They all nodded. Then a small form began running from the gate behind them and I gestured to the little girl as I smirked. “It seems you were wrong about that.” They all turned at my words and the girl I recognised from the day of the attack ran up to the small child who just left the gates. The words she spoke were heated.

  That didn’t seem to matter to the child though who completely ignored her and stood in line, a resolute expression on her face. Oh, I like her. “Well unless we have any more surprise guests…” I waited for a moment to see if any would actually show up but none did.

  “Right. I’ll fulfil my end of the deal then, just point me towards the bodies.” I told them and they did. Oh, I couldn’t wait to see their reactions to this, it was going to be priceless.

  ---

  The vilgers led her to the graveyard they had set up for the dead and began gathering around their retives’ graves. Enri and Nemu were among them. As much as she didn’t want her little sister to give herself up just because they wanted to stay together, she had been adamant. Obstinately so. Enri couldn’t drag her away from here and the choice had already been made so she simply had to steel herself for the consequences.

  The dy looked at her. “You know what, since I recognise you from the knight attack I’ll do your retives first. These your parents?” She asked gesturing at the graves Enri was clutching tightly with her sister. They both nodded at the same time.

  The dy caressed the grave and it felt vile to Enri, as though she were desecrating them even though she was being gentle. “Aren’t you grateful you’ll get to see your loved ones first?” She asked rhetorically, a grin on her face that Enri didn’t quite trust and with a gesture the beast beside her began digging as though it were looking for buried bones. A few vilgers were agitated by that, Enri included. Still she stayed quiet because it didn’t really matter the state of the graves if they were going to be unused soon.

  Enri tried not to look away while covering Nemu’s eyes, who didn’t protest this time. The bodies had been buried for a while and weren’t exactly in great condition. Enri began to worry, she’d heard that there were resurrection spells that some heroic level priests could use but the condition of the body was paramount.

  She had to wonder if the bodies were too damaged for even this exceptional woman to revive. She had to be a faith caster if she was going to resurrect them. What deity she believed in wasn’t obvious from her clothing and Enri wasn’t sure she’d be able to identify them even if the signs were present. The only deities she knew of were the six from the Theocracy. Even that was only because she’d heard from Nphirea that some adventurers quit the profession because the guild wouldn’t let them heal anyone they passed by.

  This was important she had to ask.

  “Are…” She swallowed. “Are you a priest? They’re the ones who can revive the dead right? Which deity do you worship if you don’t mind me asking?”

  The woman looked over at the dog and noticed it was still digging. “Well, can’t hurt to tell you.” She agreed easily. “Technically, I am a faith caster or priest of sorts. Not that I’m particurly religious.” Before Enri could ask she continued. “When I cast faith spells, I am using the power of the night and the moon as far as I understand. Thing is, I am the night and the moon. So by all metrics I’m actually using faith in myself. Though I don’t really need faith for what I’m about to do anyway. It might be counterproductive actually. I mean, it’d be pretty boring for a vampire to raise the dead with a normal old tier 9 True ressurection spell wouldn’t it?”

  That moment, the bodies were uncovered and the woman smirked. “Raise undead 3rd.” She spoke and the vilgers screamed. Enri watched in mute horror as the decayed body stood up under it’s own power and turned towards her.

  The vilger’s outrage seemed muted in the distance. “That’s not what you promised!” “This is a mockery of the dead!”, “They’re really alive?”, “About what I expected.” She heard the cries as though they were echoing from a distant mountain. All that filled her vision was the corpse of her mother. It stared at her with vacant eyes, the love that was once present in them now only filled with a hatred for the living. No, it was worse. There was complete indifference in that gaze, it was only a puppet being pulled along by the woman who defiled them.

  A man from the crowd rushed towards the woman. “Liar! Give me my family back!” He yelled. Despite the warnings she had given them, he was in a mad rage and about to swing his fist down at her. It all happened in Enri’s periphery. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the man was simply gone. A red blur had rocketed from the ground and the man simply disappeared into thin air as though he had never existed.

  The sound came back into crisp focus with a giggle. “Ok, I’ve had my fun” she turned to the maid beside her. “Thank you, Entoma.” then continued. “I must say that reaction was simply delightful but I am a woman of my word. Daddy taught me well.” The woman was ughing at the situation?

  Just as Enri felt the anger that let her punch a knight overtake her once more the dy made a gesture that immediately shut her up. “Create Lesser Vampire.” She ripped out her mother’s heart right in front of her before cutting her finger. A drop of blood fell on the heart and she pced it back. The moment she did it was as though her mother had received a noble’s burial and used some of their beauty products while she was at it.

  Her skin turned pale, a little dry and her eyes were red but otherwise she had eclipsed the beauty she had in life. Like a porcein doll. Yet despite looking more like a puppet than she ever did as a corpse, her mannerisms suddenly changed.

  She wasn’t shambling around any more, standing with the straight posture of a woman who worked the fields even into her ter years. Best of all though her eyes weren’t empty when they stared at her. They were red but there was recognition in them, the love that she had missed all these weeks her mother had been gone. “M-mum?” She asked timidly. Enri might have sounded like a little girl to anyone hearing her but she didn’t care in that moment, all she wanted was her mother’s love. Could this… thing give her that?

  “E-Enri?” Her mother looked confused but she was talking, she was thinking. Maybe she wasn’t alive but it looked close enough. “Did they get you too? What about Nemu did she at least survive the attack?” Her mum asked in a panic.

  The genuine worry in her tone… Any hesitation Enri had disappeared at that moment.

  She ran up and hugged her, noticing her sister do the same seconds after. Maybe she was a monster now but this was her mum.

  “Aww, isn’t that sweet? A little premature though since I’ve still got one more to raise not to mention I haven’t taken my payment yet. You don’t even know what I want to do with you and you’re celebrating.” The dy’s voice interrupted their revelry and the implication poured a bucket of cold water on their family reunion. Their mother stood protectively in front of them until she saw the dy’s face. Then she smiled and bowed her head as though in reverence and the two children were left confused.

  The noble dy didn’t expin this behaviour instead turning her attention towards their father’s corpse, which the beast had just dug up. Then she raised that just as she did the first. Strangely her mother had little reaction to this and as she continued raising the vilgers Enri noticed that none of the revived seem to have any issues with their current state.

  ‘That was good’ she ter thought as the vilgers too would undergo a simir transformation. They’d all surrender to the inevitability of their Mistress eventually.

  Iassus-Rudera