For the next few days I couldn’t help thinking about blood constantly. And not just blood but human blood. There was such an allure from its taste, like a vintage wine that had only gotten better with age. My need for it only grew with each passing day. As much as I wanted to keep myself out Xaseah's clutches my growing addiction to human blood would probably drive me back into her arms.

Asare had come by to check on me, but the only thing he had said was that he warned me to stay away from people but I didn’t listen. Then he dropped a huge crate filled with blood, bread and water. There were no books this time, but if it was all the same I had no intention of reading.

The only thing that could pull my attention away from blood long enough was my study with weaving. And thankfully I have been able to progress a bit. The mountain that all vampire and dark elves were required to mine was some how spelled or enchanted to deliver a shock worth every single hit that the delivered to its infrastructure. All lot of vampire and elves had died under the onslaught, but a lot of them survived and have only grown stronger. The built a tolerance to it and now the shocks received was nothing more than a hassle for them.

It was to my esteem pleasure that I truly discovered what that mountain was meant for, or it might be meant for something, but it was now serving a different purpose. The constant shocks from the mountain and the tolerance they built towards it, gave them stronger, healthier and more agile bodies. It was like a forge, and the constant hammering has shaped and made them a whole lot more durable than was normal than any member of each race.

But I also found out the hidden blessing in it. It did not just temper the body, it also tempered the mind. This was to much of a fortuitous event for me to not be suspicious about it. But I was grateful non the less, things did not come easy to anyone so the pain gotten from the shocks was a price I had to pay. And if I can’t withstand it, then that’s it for me.

But this mountain was more mysterious than it seemed, apart from the fact that it had an unnatural and bountiful collection of rare ores and minerals which as of this moment I learnt mainly included the magic metal orhicalum also know as god's gold, the silver colored but extremely hard and magically adaptive metal Mythril and then it had lesser more rare ores and minerals than those two that included a liquid like red magical compound that was found in a layer of red rubies called Das, the compound was officially called Daseinite. And it could be anything from an explosive, a healing agent or even cement.

It was a binding agent that could react with any organic material and even magic to cause different reactions or create new compounds and a whole host of weird things.

The second was blue metal with white veins called Ionite. It was called the ore of void. It was hard to shape and almost impossible in its raw form for anyone except master dwarves. This metal had the express ability to negate magic and abilities rendering it all null and void. A should a single piece of it come into contact with the flesh of any living being, the would be poisoned by it and loss access to all their abilities and magic for nothing less than six to eight months.

The prison had a regular vaccination of all the dark elves and vampires in it. Even the children are not spared. It strips them of their natural abilities, like the dark elves natural ability to hide and blend in the dark rendering themselves completely invisible, or the vampires ability to use the allure. An Innate ability of all vampires that let them plant suggestions into the minds of others.

Everyone was left with the most basic of their physical abilities, and coupled with the seal that blocked the way everything seemed a little too bleak for all of them.

I have tried multiple times to return to the mine, but my path has either been blocked by guards or I end up being way laid by Xaseah's retainers or servants with an invitation to come see her. As such I was stuck with a growing addiction and an untested theory about my abilities.

Teluna and Nisi on the other hand have been busy for the past couple of days. My blind rage at the mine which I forgot to mention was also an enchantment from the mountain itself had led me to mining what could most probably a few weeks worth of ores for the weekly quota. And with Nisi’s extraordinary earth abilities she has been able safely to extract orhicalum from the sediments and remnants of rocks. Her abilities with earth has not progressed enough to the point where she would be able to perfectly manipulate metal and shape it.

But for the moment all she could do was mold it into an uneven lump of metal and earth. It was crude, but it was infinitely better than what an average miner could produce.

And with my first successful weaving, my quota was taken care of, at least for a few more weeks and the excess left was used by Teluna and Nisi for practice.

All in all it has been rather eventful for the past few days, I felt as if every nook and cranny of this prison had a secret or story of its own. There was not much I could do about it, so I was stuck in swimming in a wave of random events and an uncertain future.

Today however I decided to take a stroll, as I moved my fingers rapidly wrote the rune for light, and the area around me would suddenly go bright. That was the best I could do for now, even this always seemed to cause me a little pain every time the weaving successfully manifested.

I might be able to actually weave now, but I was stuck to simple words, and limited effects. My mental energy was not yet strong enough to handle a weaving with two words, or even make it so that my single word weaves would last longer than ten seconds.

It was a slow progress, much to slow than I expected. I had been walking aimlessly for the past two hours, going past numerous pillars that were not occupied and completely desolate landscapes. Sometimes this place did not feel like a prison, but more like a refugee camp.

The fact that I could take a leisure stroll for such long periods of time without interference from the guards or wardens, was not lost on me. It was a luxury few prisons could afford their inhabitants so I was quite thankful for it.

But this stroll, was more than just for leisure. My itch had returned, more intense and heavier than before. I needed the silence to contemplate and control my self. My pride would not let me go begging to Xaseah, even if somehow she was the only one capable of acquiring human blood, more so of the fact that it could he gained directly from the source. I was not willing to hand her any more reigns to hang over my neck than the few she already had.

But I really wanted the blood, I craved it way to much than I expected I would ever have need off. But I wanted to preserver, to hold on and train myself to resist this hunger that was now inside of me.

“Well you look even more pathetic than the last time we met.”

I shivered, I really did not want to hear that voice, not at this moment when all I wanted was something it could only offer. I turned around and there was Xaseah leaning against a pillar and looking nonchalant about everything. She still looked as beautiful as ever, but when I looked at her I was reminded of a saying; speak of the devil and he shall appear. And right now the devil was looking right at me.

“What have you done to me?” I asked with as much threat as my hunger ridden voice could muster.

“I did nothing to you really, you only have yourself to blame for not being strong enough. But of course you are just a Revenant. Such a low species of vampire has little to no control over their lust for human blood.” She replied.

“You knew this was going to happen, why would you do this? I have never crossed paths with you before, and if I did I am sorry for any wrong impression I have made, but I don’t remember anything from my past. So if this torture is part of revenge you might be wasting your time, because I remember nothing to be remorseful about.”

“well this is an unseen development. You have amnesia, well this makes my job a whole lot easier. The reason why I am doing this is quite simple really. I want power over the other dark elf priestesses and all the vampire houses currently Surviving in the pit. But above all I want freedom, and you Mr. Kael, the Lion of Shearath have the key to that freedom.

I need you to use your weaving skills to get rid of this blasted seal on my wrist, and also off the wrist of a few of my chosen confidante. I have gone to great lengths to keep your secret from the wardens, so you owe me even more than you can pay back. Any wrong move or answer will earn you a visit to Adein the lover, but I doubt you would be coming back.”

Xaseah had laid all her cards on the table. She has made her demands and she had enough dirt on me to force me into her bidding. Refusal would surely mean certain death. But I could not giver what she wanted, and I told her as such.

“I can’t weave to that extent yet. I must discovered my abilities, and this sudden lust of blood has clouded my judgment in such a way that I cant focus on progressing forwards with my abilities without thinking of blood.

So whether you want to admit it or not. I am not capable enough to remove your seal, much less mine.”

“well this is a problem. It would take a revenant five to ten years of proper dieting to get rid of the craving for human blood. To a revenant human blood is irresistible, and they would be un able to control their need for it, leaving them nothing more than wild animals.

Not to mention, 90% of the revenants who go through the process of loosing their addiction, either go insane or commit suicide. You have put me in a rather tough position, but I think there’s a solution.

I have limited stocks of human blood, however I can add a little quantity into the normal blood distributed by the prisons management. That way you can keep you addiction under control and improve your ability. You don’t have to say it, but I know I am a genius.”

The last thing on my mind was how much of a genius she was. But I had to give her credit though, she was even more devious than I expected. And as unfortunate as my situation was at the moment, I found my self strangely attracted to her at the moment. Her strength was admirable, it was sexy how she could talk and act stupid at times only to show a part of herself that will have the devil begging for lessons.

At the moment I was not equipped to fight her or go against with the limited influence I currently have. I was just a human martyr who was turned into a vampire for standing up for them. While she was quite literally a princess, she was both dark elf and vampire royalty. And she moist probably has been one for a very significant number of years.

But smart and devious as she was, there was to many holes in her plans, to any body else it might seem fool proof and give the impression that she had all her bases covered. But at the moment she was going to be giving me something I really needed at the moment. Resources and a very reliable source of information.

Sure Asare would not like this new development one bit, but the guy was to steeped in secrets and mysteriousness for me to trust him. Besides he was not gorgeously sexy, seductive manipulative bitch of a dark elf. I may currently be thinking more with more lower head and my stomach at the moment, but I was sure I was making the right decision.

Besides to me, it seems little miss princess had zero to know idea what a fully trained weaver was like. Admittedly neither did I, but I had more of an idea of the amount of destruction and change my ability could cause if it got any stronger than this. All of a sudden this has morphed into a deadly game between the two of us, Xaseah was dangerous, She was a lioness with an ample and significant amount of power, resources and followers.

And as far as she was concerned she just pulled an injured and weak lion into her cave, to be nothing more than a servant and guard for her and her cubs. Foolish, very foolish really. Because no matter how wounded he may seem, her guest was very much still a lion, and to make matters worse, she just sunk her claws into a lion with the abilities and deposition of a dragon. At this point in time she was nothing but a source of amusement to that lion. And when the time comes, her and her cubs become nothing but food or the very servant of the lion itself.

That’s what I was going to do, this growing addiction would put a serious wrench in my plans, and I had to find a way to deal with it, as secretly as possible. Should any of the guards or wardens find out I had tasted human blood, that’s a one way ticket to the afterlife. So for now I was left with no choice but to dance to her tunes, at least until I was strong enough.

It might seem as if I had just made a deal with the devil, but from how I see it. Between the two of us, I could not tell who the devil really is. Lost memories or not, this was the most excited I have been in my entire life. At the moment I very much should heed the warning; don’t play with fire. But I couldn’t help it. Fire is so bright.

“have you made your decision?” she asked bringing me out of my thoughts.

“do I have a choice?” I shot back in mock anger. Gods this was so much fun

“No you don’t, but look at the bright side whether you evolve in a few years or finally get rid of your addiction, you would be enjoying a privilege that not many vampire can in this prison.

Besides if you help me achieve my goals, freedom would not be something impossible for us to achieve, we can finally leave this place and see the outside world, we take our rightful place and make all those people who put us through hell suffer for their transgressions. You just have to trust and follow me.”

This woman really had no idea what a Weaver was capable off. If she did, she would no that weavers never followed. From the very rising of the first sun, till the this very moment in time they have always been on top due to their unique access to the way. To be honest I felt sorry for her, looking past all the seductive aura and manipulation she was just someone who wanted to experience the world denied her by some stuck up leaders, all for a war she knew nothing about and was not responsible for.

If she had more time and a little more training she would have been a fearsome opponent. But right from the moment I woke up, I have somehow been able to find ways to learn, understand, and manipulate my way to what I wanted. Of course it might not count considering Teluna and Nisi had been the only victims of my manipulation, but I knew I was better. Because I could see through her.

“Fine, I will do what you want. Just….. Just help me get rid if this addiction. And you need to promise me you would keep my secret safe.”

I added a little quiver to my voice and made sure there was little flecks of tears in my eyes. This would have worked better if I was a girl, but I still got the scenario I was looking for.

“don’t worry my lord Kael, you are now one of my own. I will protect you with my life, and I would make sure your secret remains safe. I know how much of a burden you carry. And I want you to know, that no matter what, you can share it with me.”

Damn she was good, first she played the villain, and when I reacted and dropped my defenses accordingly she began to play the role of a sympathizer, if I was anybody else then that would have been the end of it. Underestimating her would be a sure fire way to get me killed or in a whole lot of trouble. She was a natural at this, the only problem was she was not a practiced as she should be, or it was just that I was really that damn good at this. Either way this dangerous dance that we have both started was sure to leave one if not the both of us, physically and emotionally hurt by the time it was over.

I knew the risks it posed, and the potential enemy I could probably make when this all comes to a head. But in the end it comes down to who amongst the two of us was a better manipulator and quite frankly I think the answer was ready obvious.