Bound By Desire

Chapter 6: History

Rosalia’s POV:

When I next open my eyes, I’m still lying on my side facing the wall. The source of what woke me up was a loud clanging bell that seemed to echo through the room, harsh and insistent. Taking a deep breath, I can still feel my throat is sore from all the screaming in the night and new tears have cut trails down my face from whatever dream I fell into after my nightmare. When I sit up slowly, I come face to face with Mara’s worried hazel eyes.

“You okay, Rosa?”

Rosa. The use of her nickname for me throws me off completely as my mind travels back to the nightmare I had the previous night. Shivering slightly, I draw my thin threadbare blanket up around my knees and try to stave off the bad memories. Glancing back at my friend, I notice that Mara’s still talking to me, her expression fearful. “What, Mar?”

“Rose, your neck! What happened?” She points to a sore spot on my neck where, if I’m gentle, I can still feel two pressure points. Scraping over the surface with my nail when I pull my hand back, the underside comes away full of a flakey reddish-brown powder. Blood.

“My Master,” I replied, the image of Master Asher’s golden eyes filling my vision for a moment before I shake myself out of it. “He thought I needed to be taught a lesson.” My head droops with shame and I curl my hands around my knees. Mara shoots me a sympathetic look before gently pulling me out of bed when Hesperia appears in the doorframe. Silently joining the stream of girls leaving the room, I wait until she’s out of earshot before I try to talk to Mara.

“Is she like them?” I whisper, a prickling awareness telling me that we were being watched. Mara nods.

“Yeah, they’re all the same.” She casts me a look out of the corner of her eye. “Do you know what they are?”

“Vampires.” I almost choke on the words as the memory of my Master’s attack fills my head and I have to fight the urge to be sick. “They’re all vampires.” Mara nods, confirming my suspicion.

“Yeah. I’m surprised it took you this long to notice it, considering…” She trails off, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. As if she senses me staring at her, she snaps out of her daze and shakes her head at me. “Nevermind.”

I shoot her an incredulous gaze. “Spill. Now.” She seems taken aback by my answer but I’ve had it with people keeping secrets from me. “Please,” I added in an attempt to soften the blow. She sighs once before she stands closer to me so she can whisper in my ear.

“I was going to say that I’m surprised it took you so long to notice what they all are considering you’ve got magic of your own.” A frown crosses my face for a second before I force a blank expression to replace it.

“What do you mean?” I ask as we turn the corner to a small bathroom area full of shower stalls. Catching Hesperia’s eye, both me and Mara shut up almost instantly, shooting each other glances when out of her view point. Mara shakes her head almost imperceptibly, inclining her head in Hesperia’s direction. Understanding her signal, we both move to step into a shower stall. Once undressed and under the water, I don’t register the icy temperature, my mind still focused on Mara’s comment. What did she mean I have magic? Puzzled, I step out of the shower and get dressed again almost on autopilot, my gaze restlessly searching for Mara.

When I notice her, she gives me a small nod and the two of us walk out of the shower room and down a corridor. Following the savoury smell, I feel my stomach rumble, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in the last 24 hours. When we reach the kitchen, I follow Mara’s lead and grab an apple out of a fruit bowl before sitting down on a low wooden bench. We eat in silence for a moment before I glance at her. As if she can sense me watching her, she glances warily at me.

“I’m guessing you want an explanation.” She states clearly, noting my glances. I nod. She takes a deep breath and sighs before she leans closer towards me. “I’m half-witch, half-human. The stories, myths and folklore surrounding vampires, werewolves, witches, angels– both in heaven and fallen– and demons are all true.” She stops, considering what she said. “At least in part. There are two ways you can be a part of this world. You can be born into it or you can be brought into it.”

“How?” I breathe, my curiosity perking up. “What happens?”

“It’s different for each species. So, I’ll go through them one at a time for you to make it easier, okay?” Her eyes search mine and I nod, eager to hear what she has to say. She shoots me a strange look before she speaks again. “Which do you want to hear first?”

“Vampires.”

“Okay, well, that one's a little more complex but I said I’d tell you everything, so here goes. Vampires, like witches and werewolves, came about through an evolutionary genetic strain of demon and angel DNA over thousands of years. The vampire species came about when higher class demons impregnated a human. Now to be a higher class angel, they had to be linked to the original angels that fell from heaven but never retained their grip on their angelic heritage.”

“What about werewolves?”

“Werewolves evolved in a similar way to vampires but they evolved from when a lower class demon mated with a human. Lower class demons tended to be more easily angered, or fall victim to their emotions than higher class demons and mostly managed to seduce the women they impregnated by appealing to the mother’s loyal and compassionate nature.”

“What’s the difference between a higher and lower class demon?” I ask when she falls silent. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“All demons are fallen angels who fell from heaven. Higher class demons fell for committing one of the original seven deadly sins as well as developing a conscience. They fell but didn't manage to retain a grip on their angelic heritage and past, so they were unable to change their ways as they chose to forget the ways of the angels. Thus, because of their actions, they were cast straight past earth into what religion termed ‘Hell’ where they became higher demons. Lower class demons were angels who fell but for developing a conscience and a small sin. For example, falling in love or questioning authority. They would have been cast down as fallen angels– like higher-class demons– but instead of falling and ending up in Hell, they ended up on earth. Now, although they remember their angelic past, some chose eventually to commit either one of the seven deadly sins– the ones that created the higher-class demons– or another action worthy of casting them down into Hell.”

I chew on a bite of my apple and contemplate Mara’s words. “What about fallen angels in general though? Why did they fall? Did they all end up in Hell?”

Mara shakes her head. “No. Fallen angels came about because certain angels disagreed with how they should act. See, all angels are controlled by a higher power which forbids and represses any sign of emotion or love. So…”

“So, they had to live without emotion?” My question is quiet but Mara nods.

“They had to live without emotion or humanity. In effect, they were just mindless and emotionless people who did what they were told without questioning why. Fallen angels differ from demons for one specific reason.”

“Which is?”

“Well, fallen angels were cast out of heaven for developing what as an angel they lacked. Emotion, humanity and a conscience. Some committed a sinful act – e.g. challenging authority, falling in love, showing emotion, et cetera. When the ruler of heaven found out, they singled out any angel that had dared do any of those things and cast them all out, deeming that they were a ‘curse’ and that they would corrupt the rest of the angels. These minor infractions, as well as the seven deadly sins, were enough for any angel afflicted with the ‘disease’ of thinking for themselves caused the angels to be cast out. However, the real reason that separates fallen angels from demons is that even after they fell, some fallen angels retained both the humanity they had developed but also remembered their ties to heaven. Demons, however, lost their humanity and conscience but not their emotions once they fell.”

“What about Lucifer? Is he real?” The question slips out of me too fast and I cover my mouth with an apologetic expression but Mara just laughs.

“Sure, he’s real. He’s the devil, Rose. That part of the bible was at least partly true even if the reason he became that person isn’t.”

“What was the reason then?” I ask as we stand up and throw our apple cores in the bin as we make our way out of the kitchen. We make our way out of the passageway to the kitchen and start down a narrow, darker corridor. Eager to hear what Mara had to say, I wait until we’re away from people before she continues.

“The real reason Lucifer became as he did was that he lost someone close to him after he fell. A human girl he had fallen in love with died suddenly and I guess he never really recovered from the loss. It changed him for the worst and ended up with him becoming the king of Hell.” She shrugs and I fall silent, digesting the information she had given me for a second before another question bubbles up inside me.

“What about the whole angel demon DNA business? How does that work?” I ask as Mara pulls me round a corner before we continue to walk, me silently waiting for her to explain.

“Well, angels have pure angelic DNA and fallen angels who don’t become demons retain some of that angelic DNA, but it becomes corrupted by the sin they committed, which allows for the demonic DNA to grow inside of them.”

“How if they were originally angels?”

“Sin. The sin they committed caused the demonic DNA to grow inside them to a point which twisted them slightly and took them further away from the angels they had once been. Virtually guaranteeing that they could never regain the former angelic status they had lost by falling.”

“And demons?” I press on.

“Demons no longer had access to their former angelic selves as being in Hell. The darker power and atmosphere polluted and changed their angelic DNA to demonic DNA, which served to tie them entirely to Hell.

“And a witch is what? Demon or Angel?”

“Or Neutral,” Mara replies, casting me a glance before pulling me around another corner. “Listen, witches are special, as we have a special set of genes, like vampires and werewolves, but our double helix is half-demon half-angel DNA. The dual DNA causes different powers to evolve. In half-witches like me, we can specialise in one type of magic only, which can stem from the angelic part of our DNA, the demonic part, or be neutral magic such as one of the five elements.”

“So the angelic and demonic DNA determines what magic you get?” I ask slowly, wrapping my head around my new best friend’s story. She nods. “What about life spans? Who gets to live forever?” I ask as we round another corner and set off down another long, bare corridor.

“For vampires, a Pureblood, Hybrids and Hybris are born that way so they can live forever but can’t die. The vampires born that way are the most special, as they can have the ability to gain one special magic.” At the mention of that my eyebrows shoot up.

“Magic? Like what?”

Mara shrugs. “Beyond the typical powers that are mentioned in things like books and movies, I’ve seen things like Pathokinesis, reading people’s past and future, clairvoyance, visions, exceptional compulsion, molecular combustion, Illusions. Crazy stuff like that.” She shrugs and I stare off into space in silent wonder as she rolls her eyes and drags me down the corridor. When I almost trip over, she catches me and I snap out of my daze when she starts talking again.

“All other types of vampires, except for Half-Bloods, are also immortal, but they can die.” She senses my confusion and sighs. “Half-bloods are a species that live beyond a human life span but don’t live forever. They are half-human and half-vampire.”

“So they’ve been Turned?”

A shake. “No, they’re still born that way, like a Pureblood, Hybris and Hybris, but they are half-human. If a human is Turned then they’re called Turned or Bitten vampires. A Turner vampire has a job of scouting for potential ‘new recruits’ to turn.”

I frown. “Okay, what about werewolves?”

“Moonbloods are the only ones born as werewolves who are immortal. Omega Shifter wolves and Shifter wolves live longer than a normal human lifespan - with Omega Shifters living fractionally longer than Shifters - but neither species is immortal. All other wolf species are mortal. If a human is bitten or scratched by a wolf, they then become wolves.”

“Witches?”

“For us, if you’re an Elemental witch, then you are immortal but also have access to any form of magic that exists for our kind. All other witches are mortal but can still access the same magic as Elementals but to a lesser extent. Oh, and they can only specialise in one type, but Elements don’t have to do that as they have unlimited power. To specialise in a magic, the individual chooses something - say Shadow magic- and they can use it to the potency and range of an Elemental, but only for that specific branch of magic. Non- Elemental witches can still choose to extend their lifespan through some forms of magic. However, if a witch isn’t an Elemental, they can't live forever - only prolong their life span up to a point when the magic they used will no longer work and they’ll eventually die.”

I frown to myself for a moment, sensing that there was something Mara had neglected to tell me. She catches sight of my expression and throws her hands up in mock surrender. “Yeah, I still have one thing to tell you, I just wanted to check if you could handle it.”

“Handle what?” I ask following her down a set of stairs and round yet another corner. “Handle what Mara?”

“The last part of the puzzle that I can tell you.” She replies simply, not looking me in the eye.

“Okay, what is it?”

She takes a deep breath and sighs slowly. “For each species, there are some members of that supernatural community who we don’t like to talk about as they’re too extreme. Even for us.”

I’m silent as I wait for her to continue.

“Okay. So, for vampires, if someone is classified as a ‘Level D’ vampire, that’s code for ‘Level Destruction’ – hence the D. If someone gets that far, it means they’ve lost control and are regarded as a threat to the rest of the community. Some can become Level D just after being transformed if the demonic DNA present in a vampire is too compatible with their mindset and rationale, as it propels them into the mindset of a killer with no compassion, empathy or emotion. Eater Werewolves are similar in the fact that the DNA takes too deep a root inside their minds. So, instead of hunting humans to turn them, they hunt and kill them the way they would any other wild animal, as they choose to live off of human flesh rather than an animal such as a deer.”

“What about witches?” I ask, my voice faint.

“Well, some witches who choose to practice dark magic, for whatever reason, can go power crazy and lose their rationale. Meaning that they go mad for power and whatever else they claim to be after.” She stops momentarily and searches my face. When she doesn’t see what she expects she carries on with her explanation. “In the cases of Level D vamps, Eater wolves and the dark magic practising witches I mentioned to you the common link between all three species is that the genetic mutation that caused their unique magics went too deep and damaged or in the most extreme cases obliterated their humanity.”

“Like a real disease,” I whisper, frightened someone might hear us.

“Yeah,” Mara’s voice is equally soft.

“Is that everything?” I ask, sensing her silence and guessing at the reason. She smiles somewhat bashfully at me and I frown, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. “Mara?”

She sighs. “No, that’s not everything, Rosa, but that’s all I can tell you. I’m sorry.” She sounds miserable and I put a hand on her shoulder to console her.

“That’s okay, Mar, I get that you can’t tell me anymore. Thanks for putting up with my endless questions and actually telling me something.” unlike my asshole of an ex and lying betrayer of a best friend. I think to myself, cursing Mae and Jack for keeping this from me.

“I’ve got another question.” She silently nods, so I ask my question. “Are there no cross-species? Like a mix of different supernatural species?”

“Of course. Hybrids can be a mix of human, werewolf, vampire and witch. As long as at least two different species of DNA is present – i.e werewolf and vampire– are present, then you’ve got yourself a Hybrid. A Hybris is the coolest, in my opinion though, as they are a mix of vampire, werewolf, human, witch, angel and demon.”

“So they have everything a Hybrid can have but with added extra pure angel and demon DNA?” I ask, hardly able to contain my excitement. Or curiosity. Mara nods and I fall silent for a moment before I look back towards her.” I have one more question.”

A pained look flashes across Mara’s face. “Rosa, you know I can’t tell you any more, I just said that.”

I smile. “I know. It’s not that type of question, Mar.” She visibly relaxes and I give her a playful punch on the shoulder. “ I was just going to ask where I can look for more information about all this because I assumed you hadn’t– and possibly couldn’t– tell me everything.” I stop and turn to face her. “Is there somewhere I can read up about it all? Someone I can ask?”

Mara smiles. “Go to any library area that has sections blocked off from the general public and use the secret code and you should be good to go.” She smiles secretively and I feel my eyes widen. She laughs softly, leading me down a corridor to where the other girls come in from a different angle. “Most - if not all- libraries have a supernatural section of actual myths, folklore and history that’s true. The reason they don’t allow public access is because some of our communities’ most valuable books are there and we don’t need humans poking around in our affairs.”

“What sort of books are there?”

“Books on vampires, werewolves, witches, angels, demons. You name it. Myths. Folklore. Histories.” She shrugs. I smile to myself at the thought, causing Mara to smile with me.

We are both still smiling as we catch up with Chalice and the three of us join the stream of girls heading for a room at the end of the corridor.