Venatores Noctis: Fading Virtue: Chapter 2 – New Purpose and People

Chapter 2 – New Purpose and People

As both Ivy and the woman walk through the city, Ivy hears the faint sound of crying infants.

“Do you hear crying infants?” Ivy asks.

“It’s faint. Do you think…” the woman says.

At the thought of the implication, Ivy runs to the source of the noise and hastily removes the rubble muffling it. She finds crying infants wrapped in the same light that her guardian angel had. Her heart flutters in joy while holding as many infants as she can and trying not to cry.

“Thanks be to God. It’s a miracle,” the woman says.

“It’s a miracle they haven’t been killed while their serf mothers and fathers did. This place used to be a place where infants were born for the sake of them being used as sacrifices or experimented on to later become serfs. Wait, if the infants here are okay, then the rest must be,” Ivy says.

People with cloaks and weapons approach the two with caution.

Ivy takes her whip out and then says, “Who are you?”

“Bernice?” a man says.

The man takes off his hood to reveal himself as someone that the woman recognizes. Seeing him causes Bernice to run and hug him.

“I’m so glad that you’re safe,” Bernice says to the man.

“And I am even more glad that you’re alive. It’s a miracle that you didn’t die or were enslaved when you went on your suicide mission.”

“How did you survive the city catching on fire and what are you doing out here?”

“The flames didn’t affect us even though they spread beneath the city and we’re here to see what happened and if it’s actually safe to live above ground. Since these infants are alive, I’m sure the others are saving the rest from the burned down facilities that produced them. How did you survive?”

“The flames didn’t affect us either and this Aurora’s guardian angel saved us from a collapsing castle. She also started the fire with her hands believe it or not.”

“Did she really?”

“I don’t even understand how I did it and the angel says that I’m supposed to burn the world and moon of sin. It’s ridiculous.”

“Well, if you wanted to save me and save these infants, then there must be a part of you that still yearns for justice and truth.”

“I didn’t want to see another person be corrupted against their will in front of me. I also can’t stand the sacrifice of infants, especially because-no, forget it.”

“Okay. Whatever the case is, we should get these infants to safety.”

“Right.”

With the man and his friend’s help, Bernice and Ivy take the infants down below the city where there are many like them. In this underground part of the city lies the Church of God. Many parts of it are decorated with crucifixes, statues of saints, images of the Blessed Mother, and other holy images.

“It’s a wonder that this place was never discovered,” Ivy says.

“That’s because the holy images we have here dull the senses of the vampires and gods and because our God protects us,” Bernice says.

“If you say so. I’ve seen plenty of your own captured, tortured, defiled, and maimed despite their constant pleading for their God’s help.”

“But God did answer my prayers and deliver me from the vampires and showed me His purpose for you. It’s true that God doesn’t seem to answer all our prayers, but that’s for a good reason beyond our understanding.”

“It’s the Aurora,” a citizen of the underground Church says.

“Isn’t their family traitorous?”

“They were traitorous to begin with even after they were considered heroes.”

“They even still use the whip that one of their ancestors used to whip the back of Christ as if it’s some honorable weapon.”

“Those legends about them saving our world are false.”

“Ignore them,” Bernice says.

“I know that. Where are you taking me anyway? Is your pope here?”

“No. I don’t even know if we have a current one. I’m taking you to a mystic who might be able to tell you how to fulfill God’s will for you.”

Even though she doesn’t know what a mystic is, Ivy lets herself be led to one that Bernice knows of. When she meets the mystic, she becomes even warier of him because of the man’s blindness. The mystic gets up as soon as Ivy enters the room and somehow walks in front of her despite his blindness.

“You’re Ivy Aurora. It’s an honor to meet you,” the man says.

“How did you know that? How can you even see?” Ivy says.

“I may not be able to see the physical reality, but my spiritual sight is second only to my fellow mystics. Give me your hands so that I may tell you what you want to know.”

Ivy allows the man to touch her hands out of curiosity.

“What do you see, blind man?”

“I can see a faint ember that is struggling to stay alive. This is the last thing keeping your soul alive that yearns to burn for justice.”

“It yearns to burn? Haha, something in my soul telling you what it wants to do is the most absurd thing I’ve heard today when I know it better than you do and there’s nothing in me that says that.”

“Oh, but it does. You just silence it even as it whispers to you, and because of what happened, it’s a whisper that you can no longer ignore. The ember was ignited when you saw innocent people tortured, die, and become corrupted.”

“That did make me upset, but-”

“But where you really wanted God, truth, and justice to be real was when you heard and witnessed the death of baptized infants especially the death of your child.”

Everyone who hears it looks at the mystic and Ivy.

“How do you know about my child?!”

“Your soul told me about it.”

“Well, it won’t tell you anything else!” Ivy tries to move away, but she feels that she’s paralyzed in place and can only move her shoulders. Her eyes then focus on her guardian angel who appears in her sight without warning and shows her that it is the one that is holding her. “What did you do to me?”

“I’m not doing anything. It’s your angel who wants you to realize your true nature so that you will repent and save your soul.”

“Why now when it’s let me be who I am? Why now when God let the vampires take over the world and enact their will on everyone?”

“I cannot say for sure. Perhaps we deserved it. Perhaps it is necessary so that a greater good might be born from it. The only thing that I can say for certain is that you are the one who will save us with your fire.”

“People keep saying I should use it, but I don’t even know how to!”

“You have an idea of how. Do the same thing as you did before. Give yourself over to God and you will be complete and who you are meant to be. Here, I will allow you to feel the same peace that you felt when God touched your soul and allowed your flames of righteous anger the ability to manifest.”

“I didn’t feel any peace…”

It is then that Ivy remembers the touch of God that happened for less than a second. This feeling is like that of resting after a day of work when everything is done or something close to the feeling of being in Heaven or even closer to the feeling of true love.

“There it is. Remember that feeling and you will truly become the Ivy Aurora that God made you to be. Forget it, and you will become like the vampire gods. Nothing but an empty vessel for demons.”

With that said, the mystic lets go of Ivy’s hands. She loses the feeling of peace and is back to feeling empty and craving physical pleasures, which she begins to hate. Ivy then leaves the mystic and goes to Bernice.

“That was amazing what the mystic told you. Now you know how to fulfill your God-given role,” Bernice excitingly says.

“Uh huh,” Ivy lukewarmly responds.

“I’m sorry about your child. If you need anyone to talk to-”

“I don’t want to talk about it to anyone.”

“Okay, okay.”

Before they have a chance to relax, they see that the people are beginning to pack up. Concerned about this, Bernice goes to one of the Church leaders to ask why this is.

“Most of us are afraid that the vampires that come here will annihilate us because of what they’ll find. Because of this, we’ve decided to move to another place,” the leader says.

“Why’s that? God has given us Constantinople to be our own?” Bernice says.

“It makes sense,” Ivy comments, “This city isn’t yours just because your God burned it and made it safe for you. The gods may just bring in an army to destroy you or worse when they learn of what happened, which I’m sure they already have.”

“And just because an Aurora is helping us doesn’t mean that this one will save the world now. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate your help and trust that God has good things for us. I just don’t trust you too well because of what your family has done as of late.”

“Then this is where we part ways.”

“Hold on. I still know of your skills that we can put to use.”

“I don’t think holy people like you want my skills.”

“You know what I’m talking about. Your skills as a fighter and not a prostitute. We’ll pay you to keep us safe until we find a place we can live. It’s been decided by the council that you can have any reward for this within reason.”

“Oh? Why’s this?”

“We do not forget the good that your family has done and what you have done according to Bernice. The Auroras did stay faithful to the Church until the generations of Saint Claudius’ blessed children and grandchildren passed away.”

“I see. I accept.”

“Sir, I think we should do more than just pay her. She has the blessing from God to change the world,” Bernice says.

“If it comes to that, then by all means she can stay with us permanently. It’s just not something that we see happening in the near future.”

“Ivy…”

“Don’t worry about me, Bernice. I’ll be fine. Now, come on, and let’s help your people pack up. The gods will be on their way here before you know it.”

Bernice reluctantly accepts the reality of the situation and silently prays that Ivy stays with them. After packing up, the followers of God and Ivy load as much as they can on the horses and handmade carriages the Church has kept fed and hidden in the underground before heading out. Ivy sits on the rear carriage while other defenders sit on the outside carriages with their blessed weapons drawn and ready for a fight. It isn’t long before they get this fight as many beastmen and vampires come running their way. The defenders hardly manage to defend the carriages besides Ivy who can narrowly hold her own.

“Ivy!” Bernice says who is under attack.

“Come on, come on! Don’t you want to save your worshippers, God?” Ivy silently thinks.

She tries to remember the feeling to activate her flames until she starts to pray for a second, which lights up her whip. Her whip is also extended and able to release fire projectiles out at distant enemies that she uses to save Bernice and the other carriages.

“I knew you could do it!” Bernice says.

“Oh, please. I don’t even know what I did,” Ivy says.

Many more enemies approach them until not even Ivy’s upgraded whip cannot help them.

“Come on! Where’s that feeling?” Ivy thinks to herself.

Soon after, Bernice and those around her are overwhelmed and their horses are killed so that the carriages crash. This causes Ivy to panic to try to strengthen her flames.

“Come on, flames, activate already! You’ve already allowed so many innocents to die!”

“Watch out!” Ivy’s carriage driver says.

A group of beastmen and vampire serfs throw themselves at their carriage causing it to crash.

“You have to do something now or we’re all going to die or worse. Do what you did before,” Ivy silently says to God.

At her allowing God to act through her, Ivy’s strength is restored. She becomes like a fiery tornado that tears through the army until the gods activate her curse to bring her down. Ivy is able to resist her temptations only for a short while until she is consumed by them.

“Where’s that feeling? I can’t find it,” Ivy says to herself while trying to resist her curse.

The flames from her whip are gone along with her strength. Many of the worshippers of God are killed while few are cursed with the fate of whatever twisted desire the gods have for them.

“So, this is the famous Aurora. It appears that there’s more to her than her sexual proficiency and strength in battle,” one of the gods says as they approach her.

“I think we have our explanation as to how Constantinople burned down,” another says, “I say we don’t kill her and use her as a weapon to dominate the other gods.”

“I say we should. Her family and she have done great services for my family and friends in more than one way,” a third god says.

“You don’t think she’ll turn on us?”

“People like her, like us, only need to be satiated with pleasures of all kinds. Just look how happy she is now.”

“Oh, that’s right, but for now, let’s get her back to our castles. Let her pleasures overwhelm her until she falls unconscious. I don’t want to take any chances after what she did, but I also want her to have a taste of her future reward for serving us.”

“You are too generous, but I do want to see her lose herself in an overwhelming amount of pleasure. Let me see it!”

The pleasure inflicted on Ivy through her curse is increased until she falls unconscious. She is then taken with the rest of the worshippers of God to the combined castle of these vampire gods and a new horror that awaits them.