She couldn’t help but wonder who else from her old life would resurface. Were they coming in waves? When she spoke with a few people including Kythe, it seemed that the people of her world all had varying experiences in their transition.For just a moment, she questioned if those that were once dead could possibly be here instead. She knew of other worlds but little of different planes. Neveah dismissed the thought quickly. Death had to be final for her world to make sense. She had lost too much of her sanity when that fact was questioned or even proven wrong. How desperately the vampire wished the Gods would not interfere with fate! She believed hope was the single most destructive thing in the world, second only perhaps to love.

Instead, she forced herself to be in the moment and enjoy seeing the Nemesis she once knew resurface. She grinned back at him, envious of the power and taste he was describing. Neveah knew that with him at her side, even just as a dear friend, somehow things would be okay. The vampiress believed he could not have strayed too far from the man she loved. Her head tilted in a loving way, noting that he referred to his ways in the past tense. Had this new world softened him so much as to be ashamed of himself? “My sweet, we’ve always been the creatures that go bump in the night - there’s nothing wrong with that. Is not better to be a monster than a sheep,” she mused softly with a reassuring smile.

Her request seemed to have caught him off guard. Frankly, it was not something she had ever wished for before. Perhaps if she had thought of it sooner, she could’ve saved herself some heartache and trouble with one of the old gods to assist. Her confidence faltered slightly as he said her name in protest. If he was going to fight her on this, she was prepared to plead her case further. What was the worst that could happen? She had nothing to lose and his life would go one with this evening being nothing more than a sour memory. Waiting for his response made the time tick on like molasses. A feeling of relief washed over her as he nodded.

It felt like the warmth was sucked out of the room. The hairs on her skin stood on edge. Her molten locks seemed to wave in a nonexistent wind. She did not break eye contact as his eyes shifted to the darkness despite her instincts screaming to leave. The vampire held on to him tighter, anchoring herself in the fact it was Nemesis, to help combat her need to flee. She felt woozy and her vision blurred. It felt as if she had dissipated into nothingness.

The god also was no longer visible as colors swirled around. Suddenly she was in a familiar scene. A freckled girl with auburn hair was giggling as her father showed her the bow he had finished crafting. She felt joy and the memory grew hazy. The particles of color started floating as if thinking of where to go next. It was raining. Several people in all black were huddled around a tombstone. The same girl, but older, was stoic while her sister sobbed. The redhead clenched a piece of moonstone that matched a stone that was set in the grave marker. Neveah felt a sharp pain and shouted, “No!” Her throat was seized but she prayed he didn’t take that one despite the sadness that surrounded it. This time the colors worked in a frenzy, jumping ahead many years.

A redheaded goddess was surrounded by other deities. Wisdom had just sentenced another to a series of trials and the redhead would be tasked with administering one of them. She was happy to do so. It was when Neveah agreed to help carry out the punishment against Tobias. It was the beginning of so much that would ruin her - but, it was important because of Isleen. Neveah wasn’t sure what Nemesis would do with this piece. Suddenly she felt like she was being thrown forward. A church. A gothic cathedral. The God of Darkness just banished the redhead, marking her as a heretic. She rushed to her home and scooped up her dark haired child and held her close. Neveah would end up taking Isleen to Nami and Kiba that night, asking her sister to raise the girl. It was the hardest decision Neveah ever made but one that she never regretted.

There were so many more memories to go through. Veah did not know if he was seeing the same things she was or if perhaps these were the ones near the threads of her mind that he was manipulating. She could do without the memory of Leon and so many other friends. Hell, she could even let go of being a goddess if it didn’t lead to so much more. Most of her life before becoming a vampire could go despite the fact she wanted to hold on to her nan. The vampire was afraid of what he would take and if she would miss the memory. There was also no guarantee that her mind would be in one piece once the new deity was done. The darkness comforted her, reminding her it was worth the risk.

Warmth trickled back in and she blinked slowly, unsure of where she was. “Did it work?” she asked, hoping Nemesis was still there.

Just as he expected, the whole ordeal had not been kind towards Neveah. He witnessed the first scene after they were swallowed by darkness. He stood there with her despite his appearance not being caught by her eye- it was like someone looking through a window and watching life within a house. He saw a young, very familiar girl enjoying the beauty of life before experiencing it at its ugliest point. He felt for any traces to feed on and remove, but what he sensed wasn’t fear but grief. It was painful and he pondered on whether to rip the memory away, but he felt something else. It was enough to make him keep it intact. It was something that helped shape her and would likely unweave more of her than help.

The darkness sped him over towards the next scene- where Neveah had her time to rule and the events that would lead to the creation of her daughter. While Tobias had caused her much pain and despair, she had loved Isleen as much as a mother could. Perhaps he could take away the pain that the man had caused her much of at least. The god attempted to remove the whirlwind of a romance the two had been off and on between, to try and minimize their encounters to dull the heartache due to it. While he couldn’t feed off of it, he did take some satisfaction in dealing with the delicate matter before he would be met with one he loathed.

Dimitre Knight wasn’t someone highly regarded on his list, and Nemesis did take much glee as he moved noticeably towards the Dark Lord and removed much of his likeness that established terror within the vixen’s mind, but left enough to remind her that her daughter had been in the good hands of Nami and her mate. He couldn’t allow her to think that she had just freely given Isleen away without merit.

From there on out, he sweep through her recollection, removing those that he felt she would feel unnecessary. The god didn’t know how much he could do without it unraveling her complete, so he had to be careful enough to undo memories that did nothing for her, but at the same time, with the fewer connections to the important ones. He could sense her fear with everyone he took, and the hunger started to affect him as he absorbed it in full. It was exhilarating, to say the least. A lust struck that he hadn’t felt in eons, aside from that for blood as his eyes grew pitch black for a few moments before he would fight against himself to keep his word. It was something he would work on.

In the meantime, he sought to dull as much pain and terror and weave together what he assumed the redhead would favor. By the end of it, the shadows that encased them slowly eroded and he was left holding onto her. Little time was wasted as he carried her off into one of the rooms upstairs and laid her gently against a lavished bed. With her mind likely resting from the pruning, he waited at the bedside until he felt her waking.

“You tell me”, his voice chimed in, followed by a slick smile.”You are the first I have done such a feat to. I am positive though that you are finally free, Veah.”

Neveah was barely conscious enough to know Nemesis had picked her up. Instead, the darkness remained as a means of comfort. Her mind begged for a moment of rest. Between his arms around her and his scent soaked into her being, every ounce of her existence knew she was safe. As he laid her on the bed, sleep embraced her like an old friend.

The haze over her mind began to clear like fog dissipating over a cemetery at dawn. The vampire had no idea how long she had slept. She blinked slowly and licked her lips, rubbing them together for moisture. Her heart fluttered at the sound of his voice. She half expected to wake alone in the paltry inn in Kurayo again. Neveah sighed and rolled her head to look at him. He looked like a marble statue embodying both grace and terror. Her beautiful monster. The redhead shifted to face him entirely, still laying down. It felt like they were back in their guild hall the night her found her, the beginning of the end. And now, she hoped, against all logic and reason, that he would be selfish enough to join her. It was a stupid thought - but it was there nonetheless.

“I’m your first, huh?” the vixen replied with a wink and playful wiggle of her shoulders. Then her thoughts shifted to what she had experienced and her teasing nature shifted. The physical pain had not been terrible. She had no expectations on the mental trauma so she assumed it had gone as good as she could’ve asked. No doubt he had been careful and deliberate. “I - I feel the need to apologize for what you may have seen. I’m not exactly sure how it went for you. Ask me something only you should now know or perhaps make something up and I’ll try to determine if it’s true?” Neveah offered as a possible test. If they had been successful, the god could use this as a weapon - no doubt.

”You didn’t have you stay,” she added with a soft, thankful smile. Veah knew she would need to start anew as her god instructed. She had not stopped to consider was her own name. She felt Sandston no longer suited her. That girl had been far more gentle and kind. She had a love of nature and was deadly with a bow. Alas, that woman had died eons ago. The vampire never made it down the aisle to become Krugle or LeBrel officially. Veah found peace for the first time at the thought of never being married, thanks to Nemesis’s gift no doubt. Blackbird was another name she adopted for a while. Belonging to the Veil and being among Azrail’s followers made this an easy decision. However, that time in her life had ended long ago. Shira referred to another old, vampire Family. Neveah never met Tiger, the man that created so many of them, but she did credit the woman she was now to Nemesis. The redhead did not know if he kept that name in the new whole. Honestly, she was nervous to ask.

Neveah Shira - that’ll do.

She sat up from the bed and arched her back, rolling her shoulders back. Her head rolled side to side, his scars upon her collar bone exposed. Her emerald gaze found his once more, searching for something. “I should probably go. You’ve done more than enough for me. When I venture back to reality, I will try not to need you too soon,” Veah offered, though it pained her so. She did not want to overstay her welcome. She did not care about the wife, but her relationship with him was precious.