Frances was sitting majestically at the master throne of the falling Saison's household. Everything that surrounded her burned in flame, and chaos erupted throughout the entire premises, but there they were, finally meeting again after years of being apart.
'Frances Saison-Rusco, is that your name?'
'So what if it is? What are you going to do about it? Kill me by burning me with this flame? Oh, please, I hope you had something better than this.'
'I do until I get back what you took from me.'
'Funny to hear that from you when I'm supposed to be the one who says that to you.'
'I don't know what you're talking about. Give it back to me.'
'Sorry, but not sorry. It's not gonna happen until you repent for everything you've done.'
'I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG TO YOUR FAMILY BUT YOU DID TOOK SOMETHING FROM ME THAT'S WHY YOU'RE IN THIS POSITION!'
'Position? Oh, please, I'm pretty much prepared. You men are dealing with our knights, not the family itself. Everyone who lives here is safe and far from you, and if you're wondering why I am here, it's because of you. Haven't you thought of it?'
'Lies.'
'Suit yourself, but I know what I am talking about. But you, on the other hand, do you know what you're talking about? I bet not.'
'W-YOU!'
'Whatever you lose is not for you. You had it once, and it's not gonna come back since you ended it without care.'
'I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! JUST GIVE IT BACK TO ME THEN WE'RE DONE!'
'Like I would give a damn about it.'
'ENOUGH!'
Rudolf snapped and attacked Frances. They fought savagely without care if their lives were on the line. They just fought with everything they've got, but Frances was not just a clever vampire; she was born and molded as a fighter, which gave her the upper hand. She easily beat Rudolf like a pulp, but since Rudolf was outraged, Frances had to tick something off in him and got an idea what it could be.
"Sophia gave something to me, and it kept me safe from everything…" Frances said softly, playing with the necklace she hadn't removed ever since she received it. But when she started grinning darkly, the scene shifted before adding, "Also, I knew my effect on Sophia's curse and trying it out on him did its magic."
As they fought in the midst of fire around them, Frances had something that she had always worn ever since she received it, and whenever it shone, Rudolf wavered from attacking her. At each failed attempt, Frances took the second opportunity to touch Rudolf's mark, weakening him in the process.
'WHAT DID YOU DO?!'
'A reminder…'
'ARGH! OF WHAT?!'
'Sophia.'
'So-phi-a…'
Rudolf repeated the name, which felt like a curse. His entire body trembled in pain, making his entire being bleed from inside and out. He vomited blood, making him fall on his knees, coughing and turning him green.
'That name…argh! WHO'S THAT WOMAN?! ARGH! HOW COME THAT NAME COULD GIVE THIS EFFECT ON ME? WHO IS SHE? TELL ME!'
'Your Crimson Mark will remind you of that agony. Goodbye, Rudolf.'
'YOU'RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT WOMAN!'
'Why should I? Aren't you looking for her?'
'W-what?'
'Let's meet up when you already repent. Bye.'
'WAIT! ARGH! I'LL FIND YOU!'
"I left him bleeding, which I knew he would survive; that's why I had to hurry and make our plan work. I made sure that everything was in place, and sorry if I had to sacrifice my time being a mother to you, Skylar." "It has to be done. Not for your godmother, Sophia, but for you. This is your fate against Rudolf and with Sophia."
"How am I connected to all of this?" Skylar asked her mother, who gave her an assuring smile, making the scene shift where Frances was on the black tower again, talking to Sophia's soul.
'Sophia, I'm not sure how long it will take him to remember about you, but his fall triggered my daughter's fate. And surprisingly, she has something you had.'
'What did I have?'
'Your inborn ability. The blood curse.'
'Oh no, that's dangerous.'
'Yes, she had it too.'
'Do you think she'll be our daughter if ever we end up together? I mean, I feel drawn to her ever since she was still a baby.'
'Maybe she could be. But can she use it well in time? I know that blood manipulation is one of the dangerous vampire's abilities, and only a few have been gifted with it and are still alive and sane.'
'If she's our daughter, then she'll be fine. She got your fire.'
'And she got your heart.'
'Then there's nothing bad that will happen to her. If ever she encounters difficulties, she'll overcome them for sure. Just let her grow and watch her from a distance because of the drastic measure you took.'
'I told you, I'll take chances.'
'Did you create one? There's a difference.'
'Fine, maybe created a little to spark it, but the rest lies in Rudolf, and now, it's my daughter's turn. She must change. She needs to be stronger than me.'
'Not you, but stronger than your grandmother.'
'Damn, of course, that sly fox of a vampire.'
'If you're worried, bring her here.'
'You know I can't interfere anymore in her life now.'
'But you can arrange things if it's needed. When that time comes, bring her here. No matter what it is, I'll help her with her blood curse.'
'I'll tell Fredric. But I can't promise it will happen soon, and in case something comes up, I'll bring her here myself.'
'I'll be waiting then.'
"Then it happened. Remember when our fight escalated when stupid officials in the military tried to bring you down and ruined your records?" Fredric said, reminding her sister when it started.
"Yeah, what about it?" Skylar frowned but remembered it clearly.
"It was the only time I could bring you to Sophia," Frances answered as their background played those scenes.
"I did some arrangements after learning their plot against you. I used it to bring you to our mother while you're unconscious after they had given you a three-year imprisonment sentence." Fredric continued, admitting their plan for her.
"But I've got torture there," Skylar said softly, thinking about her past situation in the Black Tower Prison.
"Well, it's not on the plan, but they still do it and beat you up," Fredric said apologetically, scratching softly his head.
"I hated the idea, but Sophia didn't let me enter your cell as soon as you're locked up there," Frances added, making Skylar frown.
"She locked me there? But why?" Skylar wondered curiously when the scene in the background went to that moment where she was locked and alone with Sophia's soul.
'You had grown like your mother but more like your father, but I can't deny, they had great genes.'
'Who's there?'
'A wandering soul and you are?'
'A fallen general.'
'A young general…wow… but you're losing too much blood, did you know that?'
'And I'm hearing you because I'm dying?'
'Yes and no. Yes, your human does, but no, because something is waking up in you.'
'And what might it be? My monster who seeks vengeance? If that's the case, then I don't mind being a monster. I just want to get even with them.'
'Then you have to survive the blood curse manipulation.'
'Funny, but fine, let's try. What's that?'
'You can manipulate blood and let it take form to whatever you desire.'
'Then why is it called blood curse?'
'Because it can't be tamed, or better to say, once you use it, you can't live without blood in your body or your hands.'
'So mastering it, I must be a killer.'
'That's an easy way to understand how it works, and some creatures ended up dying from losing control over their power.'
'But there are some survivors, right?'
'Yes, there are a few, but none of them were great on it.'
'I don't need to be great on it. I just need to get even with those people who took everything from me. I have to pay them back more than they had given me.'
'You sounded like your mother. So, do you want to try it?'
'I don't want to try it. I'm ready for it.'
'Then you must die here.'
'Why? So you can get my blood for yourself?'
'Clever. Yes and no. I may need your blood to stay here, but I need your blood to wake up that Rose Slayer.'
'Rose Slayer, hm, I like the name.'
'I'm glad that you like my old name, but be reminded, danger always lurks around that name.'
'I don't mind as long as I can give it back much more.'
'Definitely like Fran. Then let's start.'
"Mom, she owns that name when she's Sophia Archer? So, how?" Skylar asked quickly, making Frances chuckle slightly.
"Sophia Archer is also known as Rose Slayer when we were teenagers. She's a reckless fighter, a killer maniac, but ever since she's been appointed and began serving me as her punishment, she changed like how Vincencio could calm you down whenever her temper was on its peak." Frances answered with amusement at the recollection of her first meeting with Sophia.
"But Mom, how come this incident slipped from us?" Fredric wondered as they continued to watch what happened to Skylar while she was detained at the Black Tower Prison.
"It didn't slip, it's just that we didn't know what exactly was going on inside," Edrico answered before Frances could.
"So you have been watching me while I'm there?" Skylar wondered this time.
"We're always watching, little one. We just couldn't be with you in person without risking being found out by Rudolf." Edrico replied with a small smile when the scene in their background became catchy and intensified.
'This is…'
'They sealed it for you…'
'Sealed? Sealed what?'
'You blood.'
'How – never mind. I'm talking to a ghost and hallucinating because of no proper sleep or food to take.'
'You're funny in your own way, but focus. Focus on your blood circulating inside, control how much it flows in such a rush or how it'll…'
Imprisoned Skylar did what she was told without second thought, and Sophia's soul was impressed by how fast she could learn. She even started grinning, and when she touched Skylar's beaten-up body, there was a sudden spark that spread throughout her soul. Sophia could suddenly, magically, feel her body from its bones to its flesh down to its scent. She gasped, eyes glistening with tears, and with just a drop of it, the entire cell felt more alive.
Everything that Frances wrapped around Sophia's remains began glowing and flowing with such life before it was followed by binding chains connecting their souls. Imprisoned Skylar screamed without noise, but the bloody veins crept out from her skin, crawling drastically, waking up the bloody monster that had been sealed for years since childhood. Then a certain image of a young man immediately calmed her down.
'Vince…'
'Impossible. That's a werewolf…your mate and…your tamer…'
'A what?'
'In time, you'll understand because once you're out of here, you'll encounter more unexplainable things beyond human knowledge.'
'Oh please, I've been through a lot of blood, and if that happens, nothing will be different.'
'It might, but you feel it.'
'Still, nothing's gonna change from what I had in mind.'
'Just like Frances, whenever it comes to protecting what belongs to her.'
'Then where is she?'
'Outside this cell, pacing back and forth. Pretty much worried her daughter.'
'Are you her daughter?'
'No, silly. I'm someone bound through her soul.'
'Like soulmates?'
'Soulmates can come in different forms, but the soul bound for eternity has a deeper connection than the rest, and it cannot be denied, even if you suppress or run away from it. It'll come to you like a shadow sticking to you.'
'I like the sound of it.'
'You already found it, and soon you'll be reconnected with him.'
'If you're talking about the same person in my mind, then perhaps I'll take your words for it.'
'Sleep well, child. It already began.'
'Hope so…'
And the imprisoned Skylar died from excessive beating and blood loss. However, it was just the birth of an infamous killer in the city, the Rose Slayer.