He Wore Black Velvet (closed for Perplexia)

Sebastian laughed as Alex started mentioning different couple's costumes, walking over to sit next to her on the bed. "We could go as vampires -- I've got a built in costume," he suggested with a chuckle. "Or perhaps Frankenstein and his bride or some other monster pairing. You know, I do know a few tricks to 'enhance' whatever costumes we choose with illusionary glamours."

He smiled as they continued discussing different costume ideas, secretly placing his hand inside his pocket to grip something. Without Alex noticing, Sebastian turned his head and slid his hand out from his pocket slightly, gripping the Magiscope crystal. It was peeking out just enough for him to see to his side that this time, the crystal was glowing a different color -- red.

What happened? he thought to himself as he slid the crystal back into his pocket and turned back to Alex, who was focused on her laptop, none the wiser. A week ago she was a Non-Magi, but today the Magiscope says otherwise... What happened? He decided against worrying her right now, electing to keep an eye on her for a while before saying anything about her changing.

"Well if you want to use magic, we could do beauty and the beast and have you turn into my prince mid dance. That would certainly turn a few heads. Though maybe you're right and i should paint my face and be Frankenstein's bride. I'm not really the princess type."

Alex didn't notice what he was doing as she was too busy writing down ideas and uploading the pictures of costumes she had downloaded off google when she was at home just in case he agreed.

"I think if we're gonna do this you should probably start calling me Alex. May I call you Sebastian or do you prefer Bastian? It's really nice of you to take care of me like this. I'm not sure what came over me but it seems to have passed quick enough. How about we continue our thoughts on costumes later, and you tell me a story of the sixties? Unless there's anything you want to know. You haven't really asked your questions quid pro.

"Beauty and the Beast works fine for me," Sebastian replied with a grin. "Okay, I'll call you Alex and you can call be Sebastian or Bastian, I'm fine with either one. I'm glad the headache seems to have passed, but let me know if you suffer from it again."

He then contemplated on what questions he would want to ask her, then found his answer. "I was curious about one thing -- does your family have any old wives' tales or legends that you might have disregarded as myth prior to meeting me?" He wanted to find out if she had any magical ancestors without having to flat-out ask, not wanting to worry her.

"Alright Beauty and the Beast it is, and Great I feel better with you calling me Alex.and I will let you know if i get another one."

Alex sat for a moment and thought about his question. "I don't know a lot about my family history. My parents died when i was young, my aunt never really talked our family other then to mention my great great grandmother was a real witch. But I took that as she was saying was a real bitch. She never said it with any kindness. Just when I acted out that I was like her."

Alex shrugged "Why do you ask? Do you think these flashes i'm having mean something?"

After Sebastian heard her mention a possible witch in her family, and then ask him if it might have anything to do with what was happening to her, he sighed and decided it was best to be honest with her. He pulled out the Magiscope and handed it to her. The white crystal began to shine purplish-pink as it had the day they met, and then suddenly intensified to shine bright red.

"This is called a Magiscope, Alex," he explained. "It allows you to 'scope' the magical essence within a living being. The day we met, this never turned red, meaning you were a normal human. But today that no longer seems to be the case. This means there is magical potential within you now. It would seem your witch ancestor might have passed on dormant abilities along your bloodline, traits that the Magiscope could not detect previously. The question is, now, if they were hiding within you, why are they showing now?"

He thought for a moment. "Perhaps being in close proximity with the magical items in the Manor or the amulet I gave you coaxed out the dormant potential within you. It's possible your great great grandmother was a seer, able to project telepathic energy backwards in time to her past brain to receive as a premonition. If you saw us in the woods, your future self might have unknowingly broadcast her memory of that event backwards to your mind. It takes a great deal of practice for one to send visions back to themselves willingly."

Alex remained silent for a couple of minutes while her brain tried to process what he was saying. "Is that all i'll be able to do? Is see premonitions? I mean yeah it's useful I guess, I mean now we know there's something chasing us in the woods. Will my headaches always follow? Or will my brain get used to it?"

"Will your alarms prevent me from re entering? I'm not going to be fried like a piece of toast when I come and visit am I? Should I be scared of this? I'm not sure how I feel about being a ... Seer..?..Does this make me a witch?"

Her brain was starting to go into over load. First he was a vampire, now she was a witch, super natural stuff did exist and she was smack dab in the middle of it. "I need chocolate, do you have ice cream or brownies or anything so i can eat my way through all of this?"

Sebastian smiled as Alex mentioned chocolate and ice cream. "As a matter of fact, I do." He walked her down to the kitchen and gave her free reign of the cupboards and the refrigerator and freezer, which were actually packed with a variety of snacks and candies. "I do not eat very often, but when I do, I prefer to spoil myself."

He sat down with her at the dining room table as she ate and began explaining more about the nature of what was happening to her. "It seems likely you are indeed a witch and a seer, but we'll have to wait for your abilities to fully manifest themselves to know for sure. You will no doubt be capable of a great many things beyond just premonitions, but it really depends on your bloodline and what strengths your ancestors had. Another major contributing factor will be the source of your family's power."

He stopped for a moment and decided he should delve a bit deeper into magic use. "A witch's power is commonly known as witchcraft, but a more general term for all Magi is spellcraft. The basics of magic are the same for all Magi -- we are able to reach out with our minds to channel and manipulate energies in the world around us. Some call in Mana or Chi or Ki -- depends on culture. But the method of use is the same, which can best be described as having a wireless router in your brain. Your nervous system sends and receives signals from your five senses and allows communication for motor control of muscles, but the brain of a Magi allows them to transmit those signals wirelessly, in a sense. It basically allows you to reach out and grab Mana as if it was an extra limb."

He stopped for a moment before continuing. "So, while the method may be the same, the origin of the capability can differ greatly. A wizard is one who becomes a Magi through years of study and research, often with the aid of enchanted artifacts. They have zero magical potential on their own and only achieve it through sheer determination. They are very rare. A sorcerer is far more common and is born with dormant bloodline abilities that require some practice to control effectively. A warlock is one who has made a pact with a being of the Nether in exchange for power -- they were very prominent in the Dark Ages, but not so much these days."

Sebastian took a sip of water and then carried on. "And then that brings us to witches. They too have inborn potential like sorcerers, but their bloodlines started from non-human origins, such as a father who was of the Nether or perhaps a mother who was Fae. Some covens even claimed they were descended from tree spirits, but they were also fans of exaggerating stories."

"In your case, it would seem likely you were a witch because you did not need to practice to begin channeling your power," he explained. "That and you are experiencing premonitions, which is almost always strictly a witch ability."

He then continued to her other questions. "The headaches will pass. Many young seers would embark on what was called a Vision Quest once their power manifested, through which they would come to embrace their abilities and train their mind and body to harness them effectively. With practice, the headaches will pass. You will not be able to control your visions directly at first, but I can teach you how to ready your mind so that when one does come, it will not leave behind pain."

"Another thing to remember is that a premonition does not necessarily mean what you saw is a certainty. For instance, the future you that was in the woods and unknowingly sent back the memory of someone chasing us has possibly altered the timeline slightly because now, we know it is coming. It is not clear if that future version of you also had the memory of what we are saying now, in which case she would have also had the memory of receiving the vision today. It can be a bit difficult to contemplate, whether it is an unchanging timeloop or if each vision changes the outcome. It really depends on each situation and what factors are involved, along with the motivations and likelihoods of various outcomes. In some cases trying to avoid a vision from coming true might be what causes it to happen. It takes a great deal of experience for a seer to effectively interpret what they are observing."

He laughed for a moment. "I'm sorry if I am giving you information overload. Here, have more chocolate."

Alex walked with Bastian to the kitchen where her trick or treating as a child would have been magical. ‘heh magical’ she mused at the thought. With some snickers she sat down next to him and listened to all he had to say. It was just too much and he knew a lot about this. She got out of it she was going to need to be patient and wait for her powers to manifest. Her bloodline, her mystery bloodline was the key. She hadn’t really thought much about her bloodline. It was sad enough that she was the only one left. But now she was going to have to research when she went back to school.

On her second snickers bar he began to talk about spell craft. She had heard the term mana before in different role-playing games, like dungeons and dragons and Gurps Book of Magic. It had been fun to go into a world with her nerdy friends and pretend to be magic wielding vampires, gnomes or dwarves. But never in her dreams had she thought any of this could be true.

Third Snickers he told her about the different types of magic carriers. In conclusion she was a witch and had a parent’s lineage that was non-human. “Well how do we know whether it was demon or fae? Or does it matter? Is one good and one evil?”

She was relieved to hear the headaches would pass, and he could teach her how to control it so they didn’t happen. “will you teach me Bastian?” she questioned lightly as she sucked the chocolate from her fingers and started on number four. “Can you help me find out what my powers are? How to control them? Do you have any lineage on witches? I can do ancestry research on my family. I’m going to guess it was my mom’s side since no one wanted to talk about it. Would you be able to recognize a witch surname?"

She smiled. “Believe it or not I kind of guessed that premonitions don’t mean they will happen. There was a witch show called charmed I use to watch where one of the three witches had premonitions but that was all she had. I’m glad that it’s possible I’ll have other powers. I’m excited to learn what they are or will be. I’m a very dedicated student. I promise. If you teach me, I’ll make you proud.”

She smiled and shook her head no at more chocolate. "Yes it is a bit overwhelming, but it's also interesting. I came to terms with you being a vampire really quick. I think I'll be better knowing i'm a witch, at least i know i'm not going insane. So you think it was the locating stone or the alarms that set off my dormant blood? Are there any enemies i should be looking out for now?"

"Demons and fae are not inherently good or evil," Sebastian explained. "They are still living beings with thoughts and feelings and choices like the rest of us. But the powers a witch has can be a bit different depending on the origin of their bloodline. Demons tend to embody fierce emotions and channel Darkfire from the Nether, whereas fae often have affinities for elemental energies and various aspects of nature. Some bloodlines have multiple sources that have fed into the gene pool."

"I'll give you an example," he continued. "Tulah once told me of an ancient warrior queen she met in Scandinavia. This queen's father had been a half-demon Viking Lord who fell in love with a winter fae. The queen was born with the ability to channel both Darkfire and ice-based magic, and grew up to become a fierce warrior. She went on to mother a witch bloodline that passed on her hybrid powers for centuries before it became too diluted."

"I will definitely teach you all I can, but we'll have to wait until your powers manifest fully before we'll know the source of your bloodline. Since it is so heavily diluted with non-Magi genes and was only even able to be accessed by the influence of a magical item, any ancestor locator spells would be useless this early on. However, if you know where your great great grandmother is buried or have any items that belonged to her, we might be able to scry her past and learn more that way."

"And you shouldn't have to worry about enemies just yet," he eased her mind. "Though it remains to be seen if that scene in the woods does come to pass, and if so, what is chasing you. Clearly that future version of me felt that you were in danger, so we'll have to keep our eyes open regardless."

"I actually do have something of my great grandmothers. It was a locket passed down through generations. I'm not sure where in Europe we're from exactly, my father was Russian from our last name, but my mother is a mystery. Now that I think about it there was a lot of questions about her family that was brushed under the rug. Is that normal? For families to wish to bury their heritage like that?"

She thought for another moment "well i'll try when i'm at school, but everyone looks weird. I'm not even sure what i'd look for. I wish you could watch me without being in danger yourself."

"So whats our first lesson to try to get these headaches to go away?"

"Some families wish very much to hide their history," Sebastian explained. "This is especially true in European religious communities that witnessed witch trials at the hands of the Templars and the Hunters who came after them. Seeing some of your fellow witches burned at the stake can quite effectively seal lips shut."

He contemplated her statement about watching her. "Hmmm. I can cast a persistent scry enchantment on you, which will allow me to observe you and your surroundings within my mind, sort of like a third eye. However, it doesn't have an off switch, so I would see you at all times... Even when showering. So, such an arrangement may cause you a great deal of discomfort."

He decided to give her some time to think on that and moved on to her next question. "The first step to stopping the headaches would be to send you on your own Vision Quest. To do that, I would aid you in entering a relaxed meditative state where you would psychologically delve into your thoughts and memories in a state of magical lucid dreaming. While in your personal dream realm, you may face your greatest fears and most crippling weaknesses, but as long as you remember it's all in your head and controlled by you, you'll be fine. You'll want to create a vision of yourself commanding total control of your mind, and then strive to reach that. Sometimes it can be manifested as a jewel at the end of a long cave or a dragon deep within a dungeons that needs to be slain. It depends on your imagination and what emotional fuel your subconscious has access to. I can accompany you as a guide, but it will be your path that we travel."

“That makes a great deal of sense when you put it that way.” She referred to why people would keep their history a secret. “I would think they’d want to share it with family though. But apparently not. I suppose they had their reasons. But it is kind of exciting knowing that I’m not all human. Even if it’s just a tiny bit of uniqueness I can relate to always feeling different.” She smiled

“You said that you can see my surroundings, couldn’t you just concentrate on that while I shower or go to the bathroom? Isn’t there just a way you can scry for my emotions? If I’m scared you’ll know I need you? If not then I suppose not being dead is still better than having to endure you seeing my bits. That vision really rattled me.”

“I suppose a vision quest is one way that you’ll get to learn all about me. I just hope you won’t think less of me or anything when you see some of what I’ve been through. I feel like I’ve come a long way in life and have buried a great deal of my past away in order to move forward. Although my aunt technically raised me after my parents died. She wasn’t really around. I made some wrong choices. Though I don’t blame her for them, she didn’t ask for the responsibility it was hoisted upon her.”

“Shall we move to the couch or my bedroom for this quest? I mean should I be standing or laying down” She let out a nervous laugh. “What all is required? And can I help you gather anything?”

-----The Vision Quest-----

With Bastian’s soothing voice and direction it wasn’t hard for her to submerse into her mind. She always felt like he was there holding her hand as she opened each door to her well-sealed mind. He had the opportunity to see her as a happy child, playing with her favorite doll. He saw parents laughing and smiling as they watched her dance to a song on the radio and shake her tutu. It was both a happy and a sad memory. Happy for the time she had spent with them, and sad because there weren’t going to be many more.

She took him into a door surrounded by dark shadows, she was scared to be here and clasped his hand tightly. The room lightened up as there was smoke filling the air, laughter of teenagers, and alcohol being passed around. She saw herself being approached by a male teen.

‘Come on we’ve got a room upstairs’.

No I don’t want to.

You’re such a tease.

He reached out and slapped her so hard she fell back into a mirror and cracked it with her head.

Now you see what you made me do.

‘Stay away from me’

If I can’t have you no one can.

Hey man let her be calm down have a drink.

Some girls came over and helped her. She had a piece of mirror stuck behind her ear. Her nose was bleeding and her lip was split. She made up her mind at that point to never be a victim again. They took her to the hospital and she got stiches. Later he showed up at her door begging to be forgiven. It was then with a baseball bat she told him to fuck off and never come back.

Slowly they backed out of this one and moved forward. Where there was a hallway surrounded by doors there now lay a cobble stone road like from the 1800’s. It led to two old fashioned doors. They seemed stuck and she had to gather all her strength from the center of her core to push them open. They opened into a beautiful garden with butterflies and birds singing. In the center there was a tree, a weeping willow that really cried. Letting go of Bastian’s hand she went to it and wrapped her arms around it’s trunk. Light began to shine from her body and into the tree. The tree began to transform into a mighty oak tree and the crying stopped.

A swarm of bees came at her and she held up her hands once again they lit up and this time they were fire engine red and fire shot from her palms. The bees turned and went away. She walked back to Bastian and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with a passion. Then she awoke from her vision quest.

"Focusing on your surroundings would not stop me from seeing your bits," Sebastian explained. "Once your abilities have been tuned a bit, however, you should be able to use the amulet I gave you to transmit emotional pulses to me when you need me. But until then... Hmmm... I have a pair of Speaking Stones, which is sort of like a magical version of walkie talkies, but without proper control of your Mana it will be nothing more than a rock in your hands. Items like the amulet are a bit different because they have relatively weak magical fields that can be used even by non-Magi, but it requires channeling Mana into the object to achieve larger-scale effects such as long-distance communication. The amulet just guides you back to the Manor -- while I can sense when it is being used, it does not communicate any actual information to me about what is going on with the bearer. Once you've learned to channel your Mana a bit, you can manipulate that connection to transmit thoughts and emotions to me."

For the Vision Quest, Sebastian set out two cushions on the back deck, with soft Celtic music playing out through the open kitchen doors. The rain from earlier in the morning had stopped, but the cloud cover remained, leaving it comfortably chilly and breezy outside. The leaves in the trees rustled as the sounds of birds chirping filled the air. It was calm and serene. He and Alex both changed into black terry cloth robes, sitting cross-legged on the cushions on the deck, facing each other.

"Now close your eyes," He instructed in a calm voice as he placed both her hands in his. "Relax your breathing. Drink in the sensations of the world around you. The soft music. The chilly breeze touching your skin. The sounds of the birds and the leaves moving in the wind. Inhale. Exhale. Concentrate on the sound of my voice. Feel my warmth and the pulse of my heartbeat in your hands. Feel the rhythm. Envision the rhythm as waves within your mind. Each waves crashes over you, pulling you deeper into your mind. Into your dreams. Now the sounds and sensations of the world around you are becoming distant echoes. Still there, but far away. They have no control over you here. Descend deeper into yourself. Envision me standing next to you, holding your hand. I'm here with you. For you."

Within Alex's dream realm, he followed her through the various doorways to her memories, holding her hand. When they witnessed the event with the mirror replaying, he pulled her into a tight hug of comfort before continuing to the next room. Then they were in a stunning garden and he watched from afar as she released his hand and approached the willow on her own. It became a beautiful oak, and following the encounter, Alex walked back to Sebastian, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him with a fiery passion that caught him off guard, but not at all unreciprocated. He returned her advance with equal fervor as the dream world around them faded away.

Sebastian's eyes opened as they sat on the deck, still holding hands. He watched Alex's face as she awakened as well, smirking at her. "I must say, that was quite lovely. How do you feel?"

Alex awoke from her vision quest blushing. “I’m not sure what came over me” she said shyly. “But I feel .. I feel centered. I’m not even sure if that’s the right terminology. I feel powerful and capable of making that plant bloom or setting fire to that twig. I can feel it surging through me. I feel the same, yet more so much more.

It’s like it awakened me to something. I suppose that was the purpose? To awaken my mind to the power that lays dormant. Does my vision quest give you any insight into my powers? Or was it just part of the quest and they aren’t real?”

Her hands stayed fixed with his as her mind seemed more focused then it ever had. “You mentioned learning to channel my mana. How do I do that? Am I going to quick do I need to pace myself?”

She found herself full of a million questions. Yet at the same time she just wanted to kiss him again. Wanted to feel his body pressed against hers, wanted to feel his tongue dancing with hers, wanted to feel that bond that she had never felt with another soul before the quest with him.

“Are you sure I’m not being a nuisance?”

"The Vision Quest can only be interpreted by you," Sebastian explained. "Did anything we saw hint at a specific type of magical ability? I can't answer that question. It's possible, sure. The effect you had on the willow could hint at a tree fae ancestor, or it could be a memory from a childhood movie. Only time will tell. Time and further self-reflection during meditation."

He moved on to her question about Mana, still holding her hands. "To properly channel Mana, you'll want to first prime yourself by meditating every night before bed and in the morning right after you wake up. Remember that place in your mind we visited today, and return to it often. Each time you do, you'll notice greater detail in your dream world, until it is a perfect replica of your external environment. Performing this for a few weeks before trying to directly control Mana will be incredibly beneficial to your progress. Even if you can feel the world buzzing around you, if you reach out to grab it too soon, you run the risk of hurting yourself. The headache you felt earlier is nothing compared to magical overload, which can set off a chain reaction in which you unwittingly call upon greater amounts of Mana than you are capable of controlling. I recall a young sorcerer I met ages ago -- one of Tulah's old friends -- who became so obsessed with forcing his self-enlightenment, he delved far beyond his limits. Kept recklessly pushing farther without proper instruction. In doing so, he unleashed a massive energy storm within his own mind, severing his magical connection and rendering him absolutely insane. He spent the rest of his life in an asylum, laughing hysterically at his toenails."

He then gripped her hands a little tighter. "Don't worry -- I won't let that happen to you. I will give you proper instruction, but it is important that you understand the cost of being reckless with magic. Meditate as I said twice a day for the next two weeks and then I will teach you some light Mana control. It is imperative you prime yourself before jumping in the pool."

Sebastian them lifted up one of her hands and kissed the top with a smirk. "And no, you are not a nuisance." He winked at her.

Alex spent the rest of that weekend with Bastian following his instructions and meditating. She soon fell into the habit of it. The next couple of weeks passed with the same routine. Going to Bastian’s when classes let out on Fridays and coming back on Sundays.

They talked a lot and got to know each other. Still there hadn’t been another incident of her kissing him. Though she did still meditate and see his outline in her visions quests. It was as if no matter what he was going to be a part of her journey.

This Friday was going to be the beginning of her Mana training. She wondered if she should ask him about the kiss. They had gotten so close, they laughed and joked as if they’d known each other for years instead of just a couple of weeks. She just knew that she wanted to feel his lips again. But how does one approach that? What if he wasn’t interested? What if he was just being polite?

This time when she went to the manor she felt as if something was following her. It got so creepy that she began to run toward the manor. When she got there she rushed into Sebastian’s arms trying to catch her breath. “It was ..dark..I could feel it getting closer..it wanted to do bad things.” She gasped and buried her head in his chest. "I could feel the darkness and the rage, I've never felt anything that angry before."

Sebastian held Alex tightly as she rushed into his arms, rubbing the back of her head as her face was buried in his chest. "It's okay. You're safe now. I'm here for you."

He looked out from the open front door into the yard as he held her, having activated his yellow eyes to scan for any signs of danger that might have slipped past his perimeter alarm. "Whatever it was, it's gone now."

He closed the door and moved over to sit on the sofa in the entryway, allowing Alex to rest on his lap with her head still in his chest. He spoke in calm, soothing words. "Do you know what it was? Was there any visual reference in your mind? If you'd like, I can join you on a new Vision Quest once you've had a chance to recover so that you can share what you just experienced with me and we can see if any truth can be rendered."

Alex nodded feeling the ease of Bastian's words, the way he soothed her and how it resonated with in her being. After a few minutes she got up and went to change into the robe. Then joined Bastion on the deck outside once again.

Placing her small hands in his she inhaled deeply through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth with nice even breaths taking him with her they ended up in the hallway of doors.

Instictively she knew which door it was. Gripping his hand tightly she turned the knob and they entered. Her last class she fidgeted watching the clock waiting with excitement to go be with Bastian. The hand seemed to take forever. As she watched the clock she saw something she didn't see before. Behind her through the windows a dark shadow moving from pane to pane.

The clock finally struck and they followed the memory to her packing up her backpack and heading through the woods. A high pitched screeching came startling the memory of her and then she watched as the obvious feeling took hold of her again. She watched as she ran and the shadow followed getting closer screeching and seething. Then it turned and looked at them multiple rows of teeth it screeched and took off after the memory version of her again. They watched her run into the manor. The shadow creature stopped right on the edge of Bastian's barrier pacing as if waiting for her to return.

The door closed and they were back to the garden. New plants were blooming the oaks leaves glistened in the sun. There was a swing now where she led Bastian and they sat together upon it watching the butterflies dance. It was peaceful, calming and best of all Bastian wouldn't get weakened by the sun in her quest. Alex laid her head against his shoulder and they faded back to reality where she opened her eyes to look into his.

"Any ideas?"

Bastian sighed as the vision ended. "This is not good. I can't be sure until I get a closer look at it, but I believe the shadow creature is a wraith. Most people would call them a dark ghost or an evil spirit, but that is just a myth -- wraiths are not actually fully sentient. They are born when an exceptionally powerful Magi suffers great fear, anger, or hatred during death. The actual person dies when their brain does, but their magical aura can take on a life of its own, fueled by the dark energy that pooled in the person as death took them."

He stood to his feet and walked inside. "Wraiths are like dark echoes of the person that once lived. They still maintain some of the memories of their old body, but they cannot think or reason rationally and are driven by fierce negative emotions, almost in a constant berserker state. That would explain why you felt so much rage from it, and why it may have been drawn to your growing powers. Though, I do find it highly unusual -- never in a million years would I predict a wraith would show up here. They are extremely rare, and are almost never found outside of Europe's greater Magi population."

In a rush of black smoky blurs, Bastian ran upstairs to dress and then was back down with a katana in his hand. The scabbard and hilt were black and red, and as he unsheathed the sword, the cold steel had an unnatural silver glow to it.

"I want you to stay here no matter, what, okay Alex?" he said to her. "If the wraith is still lurking at the perimeter, I need to dispose of it immediately. This blade is enchanted to work against dark beings. Just in case."

He resheathed the sword, attached it to his belt, and then walked over to pull Alex into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. "I'm serious. Stay here no matter what. I'll be back shortly." He smiled and winked at her, and then rushed out the door, shutting it behind him.

As he came to the edge of the property line, the shadow creature came into view, bearing its fangs at him. "So you are a wraith, then. Shall we get on with it then?" Eyes glowing yellow, Bastian's face turned once more into a carnal beast, growling as he lunged at the monster in a wave of black smoke, unsheathing the katana with an upward slice as he moved.

"Impressive," he laughed as the wraith managed to evade the attack. "It seems you've retained some of your former rationality after all! Too bad you're still ugly!"

"Silence!" came a heavily distorted voice from the shadow creature. It sounded like a broken music box speaking through a high speed fan. "Consume you! And the girl! So happy! So full of life! Disgusting!"

"Or you could, you know... not?" Bastian shrugged.

"SILENCE! CONSUME YOU! I MUST! DISGUSTING FILTHY LIFE!!!" the wraith screamed as it dove at the vampire, who rolled to dodge the incoming assault. He jumped back up, armed with the katana and ready to strike. He was so preoccupied with the enemy before him, he completely failed to notice a second wraith in the trees above him, preparing a drop attack.

“But…ugggg.” Was all she got out of her mouth before he was out the door.

Reluctantly she took a seat on the couch while Bastian went out to take on the wraith. A few moments later a vision hit her of Bastian being torn apart by two of the beasts as she watched in horror. The teeth sank into him ripping him apart and all she could do was scream. He hadn’t seen the one that jumped on his back.
She came too and rushed out the door in full speed seeing just in time as Bastian was to preoccupied to see the second creature start to leap. “Nooooo” She screamed her hand whipping out in front of her and throwing off a fire ball at it with such power it knocked her on her ass.

It hit the creature in the tree mid-flight leaving Bastian free to deal with the other one. Alex got up with a bit of light headiness and hung onto the rail watching as Bastian cut the other ones head clean off. “Are you okay?” she asked as she finally made her way down the stairs and part way to him. Her body was so drained she walked as if she were drunk. She looked up at the tree which had scorch marks on it from her fire ball and then down to the ground at what was left of the creatures.

“I’m not sure how I did it” she said looking at Bastian as she finally reached him and was checking him over. “But I had a premonition that they killed you and I watched in terror as they tore you apart, and that wasn’t something I could let happen. After all we have a ball to go to and contests to win.” She advised him trying to make light of the situation.

“Bastian I know what you told me, but I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t let you die because of me. I couldn’t live in a world that you weren’t part of"

Bastian was preparing to strike the wraith with this blade when he suddenly heard Alex screaming from the front steps. He then looked up to see her fireball blast a second monster that was jumping out of the tree, scorching the wood and leaving a pile of black, tar-like smoking flesh on the ground. A moment later he rushed forward to behead the first wraith with his katana, and then ran towards Alex as the two monsters dematerialized in a puff of black vapors.

He pulled her into a tight embrace once more. "It's okay, you did what you had to. Had you not performed the meditation regimen, that could have ended very differently. I'm very happy to be in this world longer, so thank you for coming to my rescue, Alex. Let's get you back inside."

After they were sitting back on the sofa and he brought her some enchanted fruit juice to replenish her energy, they discussed what had happened. "It's quite fortunate that you received the vision of that second wraith. But it's also equally disturbing, because if there were two of them in such close proximity, there could be others. What's worse, they are likely not here naturally -- it's exceedingly rare to encounter a single wraith, let alone two that seem to be cooperating with each other. I'm almost certain they are here at the behest of a necromancer. Which is fairly alarming."

Bastian held Alex's hand firmly. "For the time being, I am not leaving your side. The cloud cover is frequent enough now where I should be okay outside in the daytime, so I am walking you back to your dorm on Sunday. I'm going to place some enchantments around the school to keep you safe there, and once I am confident that you are out of immediate harm, I'll need to make a trip down to Chinatown in San Francisco. There is a secret market there specializing in Magi wares and services, and especially wise information brokers known as the Ling Mei. If there is a necromancer in this area, then he or she almost certainly passed through Chinatown, which means the Ling Mei might have information on what the necromancer did there."

His embrace was warm and inviting. It was the second time today she was in his arms like this. She was glad he wasn’t upset with her for disobeying. She didn’t know what she was going to do it was all on impulse. Alex nodded when he said they should go back inside, even though if it had been up to her she would have stayed in his arms quite a bit longer.

“A necromancer, it sounds familiar..don’t they deal with dark magic? Do you think I’m the target or that you are? If I am, how can the necromancer even know about me? I was going to suggest just staying here and walking back and forth. You could meet me at the edge of the forest and walk back with me if you wanted. Or do you think I’m safer at school? And what about you? What if they’re after you?”

“I threw a fireball, does that mean I’m part demon? If it’s okay with you I’d like to skip mana training today. We can work on it tomorrow. On a more personal note, I wanted to talk to you about the kiss. I am not sorry that I kissed you in my first quest. But I wanted to be sure that you weren’t sorry either. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to do it again sometime. Unless you’re not interested, in which I can understand.”

She got a bit of an awkward expression as she was truly out of her element here. If he wasn't interested it would make her feel silly for thinking more of it then it was. It was obvious he cared for her. But what if it wasn't in the same way she was starting to feel about him? What if he looked at her like a teacher does a student?

"A necromancer is a Magi who perverts healing spells to command power over life and death," Bastian explained. "They can reverse the effects to steal life energy instead of provide it. They can bestow upon others what is called a Taint, which makes them highly suggestible to the necromancer's will. They essentially become thralls, and if they die while Tainted, the subsequent wraith is also bound. Though it's unclear whether they are after you, me, or just people in general. The necromancer may be targeting random people in the area, or he may be scheming. Hopefully we'll know more once I can consult the Ling Mei."

He moved on to her other questions. "You would indeed be safer here, but I don't want you traveling back and forth without me while I'm in Chinatown. Unless you wanted to take some time off school and come with me? As for the fireball, it could indeed mean that you have demonic ancestry, but we won't know for sure unless it evolves into Darkfire. You'll be able to tell the difference when the flames change to a purplish-black color."

He then sat there silently and smiled as Alex stumbled over her words about the kiss. He placed his hands gently on either side of her head and brought her face close to his, just gazing into her eyes for a long moment. "Can I keep you?" he asked softly as he pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Alex nodded as he told her about necromancers and could see how they could be a danger to both of them. Without that vision they wouldn't be here in this moment.

She didn't have a chance to process what he asked as his lips touched hers she returned his kiss. Her tongue danced with his as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him with the same passion and desire. When the kiss finally broke she was breathless and blushing.

"San Francisco you say..Yeah i can take a few days off I haven't missed any so far. So just let me know when and i'll take a temporary leave for a few days." she touched his face and looked up into his eyes.

"You've seen my experience with relationships through the quest. I'm afraid that i'm rather naive in the physical and haven't had much luck with the emotional. But one thing I do know Sebastian Dane, is that you are amazing and I can't stop wishing i was with you every time I'm away...So if you're sure, then yes you can keep me."

Bastian smiled and planted a few more passionate kisses on her lips, both their hearts racing. "I am absolutely, unequivocally sure that I want to keep you, Alexandra Corbanov. I feel the same longing in my chest whenever I am away from you." His eyes displayed the full depth of his adoration for her as he continued to gaze into hers. It was obvious a fiery passion dwelled within him, a raging inferno of severe and desperate need. This was further displayed as he once more entangled his tongue with hers, running his hands along her back.

As they broke away again to catch their breath, Bastian asked, "Are you able to take Monday and Tuesday off from school? We could head south tomorrow morning. The sooner we know what's going on, the better. We should be back by Tuesday at the latest. With my speed, it will only take us a few hours to get down there, but depending on how busy it is, it may take a few days to secure a meeting with the Ling Mei. In the mean time, I can take you around and show you San Francisco, if you'd like."