[suicidal~lullaby]

Chapter 3: Ceremony

Green eyes flash open, and the vampire girl sat up, holding her head with the memory. At age 17, she had grown to look like her mother, with the exception of her father’s hair and eyes. The other woman walked into her room, opening the curtains. Casting an expectant glance at the vampire girl, she spoke in a soft tone. The light reflected off her soft auburn hair and blue eyes.

“Korin, time to wake up. Father expects you in the garden. He wants you to go to the Yunai meeting. He says your Human tribe is meeting over what to do with you.”

Korin sat up stonily, her backbone rigged. She then got up, with the other woman watching her every move. The other woman helped her dress in a red and white Shinto priestess outfit and led her down the hall of the small house and into the back yard littered with dead trees. The other woman saw Father, bowed and looked him not quite in the eye, and spoke. Father stood just as rigid as Korin, with white hair tied back, his green eyes reflecting hatred upon Korin.

“Xorxa, dear, Korin is ready for the Yunai meeting.”

Father looked at his wife, the other woman. He smiled faintly, and then looked at Korin.

“Your tribe will determine your fate, Human. Unfortunately, your mother’s premature death as the Guardian of the Village of Water has caused you to become the protector. It is about time you go back to your place, Human.”

He then led her down a path to a small village with huts and a town square. The square had a pentagram in the middle, dug in small ditches with water, colored purple, in the fillings. A woman, with purple hair, along with all the other villagers, surrounded it. Xorxa stepped out the way, allowing Korin to step into the center. Her green eyes hardened when the villagers circled around the pentagram. Xorxa stood in front of his daughter outside the pentagram.

“Yunai, Humans of the element of the Blessed water goddess Korae, accept this Daughter of the Village as the next Guardian, taking her in the place of Kiro, daughter of Kirae. Erase the earthly mother she had, making her Daughter of the Goddess, as proclaimed in the ancient descendants of the Goddess of the first generation. Take her now as she gives up her life to be the Guardian of her people,” proclaimed Xorxa, having done this with generations of producing the guardians for the village.

Blue light flashed, encasing Korin in a dome of water. She fell to her knees as cross stigmata carved itself into her wrists and the blood turned to a blue color. She cried out in pain, and cat ears and a tail sprouted, colored purple. Her eyes opened, them turning purple as well as her hair. Her body rose up, the stigmata healing, her body glowing a blue color. A faint vision of her mother flew out of her eyes, and then looked at her. Her Mother looked at her, with sad blue eyes. Her hair was blue, her body and clothes had a blue hue to them. She placed her ghost-like hands on her daughter’s face and looked into her daughter’s eyes.

“Korin, as you forget me and forget everything that you have ever known, be strong. I love you, my daughter, and you will fulfill the rank as well as I did. I’m sorry you had to be born to me, that you could not live a normal life and be happy. You are not mine anymore, but the Goddess’s child now.”

The vision faded and Korin dropped the ground. She got up, her eyes reflecting a heartless, memory less girl of 17. She then spoke. “I, Korin, am Daughter of Korae.”

In the background, the same woman with white hair and piercing brown eyes smiled to herself, as the village went into flames instantly. It all vanished, everyone in the village and even Xorxa himself. The woman walked over to Korin, placing her hand upon Korin’s head.

“You are Korin. You are my ward, I taught you to be an assassin. You followed me, and helped me in the slaying of the Demons as you were destined to do. You are half Vampire, half Human. You serve me. Your final task is…” and Master Ruka, the old woman, leaned in and told her the secret, and Korin’s eyes hardened. Then the memory left Korin, and all that she knew was that she had to fulfill the final request to Ruka, and that she was half vampire, half human and from the tribe of the Yunai, and the ward of an assassin.

Korin nodded. Then Master Ruka disappeared, leaving the young Korin alone, not ever remembering whom she truly was. Every time she tried to remember, her head would throb and her stigmata would appear, but then it would all go away if she stopped remembering. She killed relentlessly, not caring of the feelings of others.