Dear Journal,
This pain has become a part of me. It is now who I am. If it was not for this little girl, I would have died another death a long time ago.

- 𝒮𝓎𝓇𝓊𝓈 𝒮𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓁𝑒
                                                              (1611)

The castle halls felt unearthly as Eleanor held on to Syrus's hand, admiring his tall silhouette from behind as he lead the way to his room.

He was equally handsome from this angle, she thought. Her quim trembled at the thought of him inside her.

She had always liked dangerous men. Trouble was her forté. She made it her point of duty to go against everything her mother said even as a child.

His door creaked open as he opened it, an icy wind grabbing her arm gently as it caressed the uncovered portions of her skin. It cascaded through the room with an eldritch whistle that sent chills down her spine, much like stark man that had taken her inside the unlit room.

Syrus shut the door behind her, leaving only the pale quarter moonlight from his windows to illuminate his tomb.

It was dark. Very dark. So much so, that Eleanor could barely decipher Syrus's figure in the inky blackness of his chambers.

"Can you see?" Syrus asked her.

"No, not at all." She answered.

"Good." Syrus responded, grabbing her neck and pushing her roughly into the door.

She let out a sound that was somewhere between a shriek and a moan, surprised by his sudden change in demeanor.

"You're a witch." Syrus said, leaning his forehead on to hers, his fangs bared dangerously like an animal who had just found its prey.

He was not angry at her nor was he eager to fight. He just wanted the truth.

"What if I am?" Eleanor strained, the tone of seduction never leaving her voice.

Dropping his hand from her throat, Syrus buried his head into her neck, inhaling her spicy scent. It burned his nose but he loved it. He could tell that she was different from Odelina and her sisters. Something about her aura radiated warmth and familiarity.

Raising his head, he gazed into her eyes. Her pupils had become dilated from the lack of light so she strained to look at him but Syrus could see her perfectly clear. Beautiful even in the dark.

"How did you slip past me?" He said to her, running the sharp claw of his index finger down the middle of her chest and then her dress. He had her pinned to the door so she could not move without touching him.

"I wonder." She said breathlessly.

"Are you apart of Odelina's coven? The Lenoré coven I believe." Syrus asked.

"Is this anyway to start intercourse?" She admonished.

"Do not toy with me, witch. I will kill you." Syrus threatened, his hands latching around her neck once more. This time, she did moan.

"I love it when you do that." She said to him, her voice almost a whisper.

Though she could not see it, Syrus's lips had upturned into a slight smile as he loosened his grip.

"My name is Eleanor Mercí. Does that ring a bell?" She asked.

"Mercí? Like Emma? Like Baltazaar?" Syrus asked incredulously, withdrawing his hand from her neck.

"So it does ring a bell." She smiled, running her hands across his chest.

"How?" Was all Syrus managed to say.

"How what?" She asked. "You think the Lenoré coven were the only existing covens left? Oh no. We were always here. Some of us watching, some of us sleeping."

Syrus's mind ran a mile a minute as he tried to process this new information. Emma was a half-fae, meaning she was mixed with a human. Her mother had been a fae of the Mercí coven which meant that Eleanor was somewhat related to her. That would explain the familiarness of her aura.

"Are you going to stand there all night? You're making me tremble in more ways than one." Eleanor teased.

"You have a way with words, Ms. Eleanor." Syrus said. "But what are you doing here?"

"I came to see the infamous vampire protégé of the Vylisian Prince, among other things." She told him. Syrus saw her eyes fall to his groin before rising to his face once more.

"What other things?" Syrus squinted at her though he was sure she could not see it.

"If you were to take your clothes off then I could show you." And with that, Syrus generated a crackling ball of current in his hand, irradiating the entire room.

He raised it up at eye-level so her face was illumined, suppressing the current so the sparks would not fly, only crackle. It sounded like a colony of angry bees had invaded his chambers and Eleanor's eyes watched it cautiously before turning her attention back to the vampire.

"Aren't you afraid?" Syrus asked, though Eleanor was unsure if he was talking about bedding her or of him.

"Ofcourse I am." She said, her seductive voice a little strained.

She could see him perfectly now, his golden eyes evil in the crackling light as it casted a shadow on the left side of his face. His hair flowed over his shoulders in lustrous strands as the light seemed to dance across his pale skin.

"Tell me, Eleanor. Do you want to die now or after? I have no problem with either." Syrus smirked.

This made her smile return and Syrus was enveloped once more in how gorgeous she was.

"During." She answered and Syrus smiled, shaking his head knowingly.

Closing his palm, he smothered the light with his hand, casting the room in darkness once more.

"Don't go."

"But I want to see where he goes at night." Celestria argued.

"Please."

"I'm sorry." Celestria said, opening the door of her mother's chambers and shutting it behind her.

The guards were fast asleep outside as the little girl trotted down the halls, her destination into the forest to follow her uncle.

She was stealth in her departure though it served no purpose. Everyone was busy tending to the banquet so it was easy for her to slip outside the keep.

"Princess, what are you doing outside?!" A guard asked, stopping her at the inner gate. Sweat washed him immediately as he stared at the child, wondering why she had been outside unaccompanied.

"I'm going to see Uncle." Celestria answered simply, trying to walk around him.

"I'm sorry I can't let you out. Where is Queen Emma? Please go back to her." He tried to reason with the child, blocking her path.

"I said, I'm going to see Uncle!" Celestria said angrily, her scarlet red eyes glowing dangerously as dark veins emerged on the surface of her face running towards her eyes.

The guard backed away, his eyes fearful as the ground began to shake. There had been rumors that the child had been a demon even before her birth because her father was a monster who slaughtered even children.

"Please calm down, Princess." The guards tried to reason but it was too late, the inner gates smashed to pieces by the spiritual pressure emanating from child as the guards fell to the ground, pinned by the sinister energy.

Celestria ran past them quickly, speeding through the outer courtyard like she had seen her uncle do on several occasions.

Once she had reached the portcullis of the main gate, she chanted the latin word for break before zipping past the indisposed guards and speeding off down the dirt track and into the forest.

Once she was a distance away from the castle, her eyes had returned to normal, the veins sinking back within her skin as she fell to the ground. Twigs crunched under her knees as her head pounded painfully, her vision blurring slightly.

Tears fell from eyes as she cried, wondering what had just happened and why was she in so much pain.

She struggled to her feet, dusting off her dress as she followed her uncle's scent through the dark woods.

She was not particularly afraid of being alone but the trees seemed eery tonight, as if they were watching her every move.

She ran the rest of the journey at normal speed, ending up at a place filled with stone tablets and a large tree in the corner of the yard.

As she passed the broken dow rusted gates, the cold wind gripped her little arms, causing her to wrap them around her body as she frowned.

"Uncle!" She shouted in the night, unable to decipher where he went. "Uncle Syrus, I'm scared!"
She began to cry.

"Celestria?" Syrus said, appearing from behind the tree.

"Uncle!" She cried as she ran to him, flinging herself in his arms as he scooped her up quickly.

"What are you doing here? How did you leave the castle?" Syrus asked, shocked by his niece's
appearance in the cemetery.

Unable to answer, Celestria cried on his shoulders, sniffling as he tried to comfort her. Her headache was mild now but she was still afraid as she found the cemetery terrifying.

"I wanted to see where you went every night." She finally admitted.

Heaving a deep sigh, Syrus rubbed her back, mentally scolding himself for not being more careful as Emma had warned. Celestria was indeed watching him and because of his carelessness, he had risked her life in her escape from the castle. His jaw clenched as a plethora of scenarios ran through his mind, each displaying a gruesome and vile way she could have been hurt by enemies.

"I only come to.." Syrus started to say, weighing his mind on telling her.

Emma had forbid it afterall and Syrus did not believe this was something a five year old was suppose to see. But as she withdrew her head from his shoulder to look at him, with scarlet red eyes filled with sadness and her little cheeks wet with tears, he could not help himself.

Heaving another great sigh, he shook his head.

"You're the only person that makes me crazy, do you know that, Celest?" He asked her. Though, he did not expect her to understand.

"If I show you, promise not to be afraid? And promise not to tell your mother?" Syrus said to her.

"Promise." She said lowly.

"I didn't hear that." Syrus cocked his ears to her.

"Promise!" She said louder, giggling at her uncle.

"Now that's my strong girl." Syrus said, leaning his forehead on hers before walking back to the Yew tree.

"Patentibus, Yew!" Syrus chanted. (Open, Yew!)

For a moment nothing happened and Celestria glanced nervously at her uncle but then, something magical occured.

As they stood behind the tree, the ground began to collapse infront of them, breaking away into firm, muddy stairs that led the way down into a dark unknown.

As Syrus descended into the underground, Celestria hugged his neck tighter, afraid of whatever may await them inside the pitch black catacombs.

Once they had reached the bottom, the entrance closed as Syrus used his electric sparks to light the torches on the walls of the circular room, illuminating it as their shadows were casted onto the dirt walls.

Something like a sarcophagus laid on an alter in the middle. The image carved into wooden box resembled that of a man but it was hard for Celestria to tell from the distance.

As Syrus approached, Celestria hands tightened even further around his neck, making him freeze in spot as he looked at her.

"You promised not to be afraid." He said to her, his eyes softening as regret slowly churned into his soul.

"I'm not, it's just creepy." She said and Syrus gave her small smile before hugging her a little tighter.

"Okay, Princess. Let's have a look then."

As he stood before the wooden box, Celestria noticed tree roots running up the alter of the sarcophagus, seeming to go inside of it.

She followed the roots backwards as she stared at them in the dirt floor, running all the way up the steps they had came from.

Setting Celestria down, Syrus knicked his finger with his fang before painting something on the wooden box that Celestria could not see it at her height.

He chanted something in latin but the little girl only knew a few words from her mother's lessons so she could not make out the full sentence.

Syrus then removed the carved out top before setting it aside on the wall between two of the torches and then he returned to pick Celestria up from the ground.

As she stared inside the box, her eyes bulged at the man lying peacefully inside.

"This is your father, Elias." Syrus said, tears already swimming dangerously close to the corner of his eyes.

Elias looked beautiful even in death. His pale skin was still perfectly intact as they dressed him in a stellar black doublet with intricate designs in its fabric. His breeches looked brand new and his boots were so well polished that they produced a warped reflection should anyone look at them.

His eyes were shut but his face was still immaculately proportioned, his cheek bones seeming to glint in the torchlight of the catacomb. He had his hands clasped across his stomach and his hair flowed in gorgeous black tresses over his shoulders.

"Father." Was all Celestria said, reaching out to touch him but Syrus pulled away, fresh tears falling from his eyes.

"You can't, Celest. A very powerful spell protects his body. It is dangerous." They looked at each other.

"Uncle, you're crying." Celestria said, using her little hands to wipe his tears.

"So are you." Syrus tittered, returning the favor.

"You're going to meet him one day. I promise you that. I won't stop until I bring him back." Syrus told her seriously.

"Uncle, I have something to tell you." Celestria said, her voice echoing slightly.

Syrus furrowed his eyebrows as he frowned, looking at Celestria expectantly as he wondered what she wanted to say.

"I already have." She said lowly, watching as Syrus's golden eyes widen with surprise.

"W-what?" Was all he managed to say.

"I see him all the time in the castle. He speaks to me. He told me never to tell you because he knew you would never give up." Celestria said.

"Celestria." Syrus said seriously, putting her down to stand. He kneeled at her level as they locked eyes together with much intensity, the samething he did with Elias just before Odelina was about to kill them both.

"Are you saying you see Elias? His spirit?" Syrus asked.

"Yes." She nodded at him. "He wants you and Mum to stop trying to bring him back and just be happy."

"That does not sound like Elias." Syrus frowned.

The dirt at the entrance began to collapse again and Syrus knew that he was in trouble.

He grabbed the wooden cover of the sarcophagus and covered Elias once more before sealing it shut with his blood just in time for their guest to appear at the bottom of the stairs.

"You two are in serious trouble." Emma said, her eyes blazing with anger.

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