The Smell of Old Books and Blood

Chapter 6: A Possibility

Kaveh woke up with a groan, head throbbing. When was the last time he had gotten that drunk? Even so, his hangovers were never this bad. He felt lucky he only had a night class today. What time was it? While Kaveh didn't need to sleep... Gods was he going to sleep in. He shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot and-

There was someone in his bed.

Kaveh jolted up, suddenly feeling more sober than he ever had before. His eyes quickly found a bundle of ashen hair sleeping peacefully in his bed. He looked down at himself before looking back at the sleeping figure under his bedsheets, his fears being confirmed when he realized neither of them were wearing clothes. The numerous amount of marks covering his body didn't help much. Neither did the scratches down Alhaitham's back. Oh he was going to kill Cyno. His memories flooded back to him.

—

Kaveh was surprised at how willing Alhaitham was to down drink after drink with him. He learned that the human was really into wine and that he had a high alcohol tolerance, almost comparable to his own. Kaveh hadn't realized how wasted he had gotten by the time the two were about five drinks in. And not soon after did the ritual start. Music had stopped and a circle had opened up in the middle of the room, Kazuha taking place in the center with a microphone. "Thank you all so much for coming tonight. Kshahrewar welcomes you all with open arms. Our ritual is going to be a little different tonight because we are officially saying farewell to a beloved member of our Darshan, Kunikuzushi. Tonight, we bid a farewell ritual for him, wishing him luck in his future endeavors in Vahumana. Kunikuzushi, may the Lord of Contracts always watch over you, even in death. Now, for this ritual, if you are unable to handle the effects of succubi blood, we suggest you go home for the night. This is your warning. Meaning if you stay and are succumbed to said blood, that is on you. Not on our Darshan. Even so, we have people to escort you out around the room who will be keeping an eye out."

Alhaitham drunkenly and lazily nudged Kaveh, saying, "What's that about?" That received a shrug from Kaveh, yawning and leaning against the ashen. "Succubi blood is potent when inhaled. But... it probably doesn't affect humans." Kaveh chuckled, words slurred. Looking back now, that was the stupidest assumption he had ever made. Humans were succubi's main food source. Of course it worked on them.

Kaveh watched as Rosaria walked towards the center of the circle with a bowl made of gold, Kazuha following next to her with a stand in hand. He placed down the stand, Rosaria resting the bowl on top. The two stepped back as Kunikuzushi approached in a change of clothing, now wearing a completely black robe. In his hands was a dagger, made from what looked like titanium. He held one hand over the bowl, stating something in that language Alhaitham couldn't understand again. But Kaveh understood it clearly. "I offer my blood as a sacrifice. Let it be a testament to my loyalty. Let it be a farewell to my beloved. Let it act as my last gift to my family, and my last gift to the Lord of Contracts." Quickly, Kunikuzushi sliced the palm of his hand without a flinch. To Kaveh's surprise, his blood was purple, unlike anything he had ever seen before. He watched it drip into the bowl, Kunikuzushi clenching his hand into a fist to get the blood to drip as much as he cold before it healed completely on his own. He flicked the blood off before stepping back, handing the dagger to Kazuha. One by one, all the members of Kshahrewar followed suit, slicing their palm and dripping their blood into the bowl.

Kaveh immediately was hit with the smell once it was stirred, tensing very slightly. While the stench of vampire blood usually repulsed him, there was a sickeningly sweet smell lingering, almost overwhelming. He covered his nose. He looked over to Alhaitham's, his face flushed a deep red. Probably from the alcohol, right?

The bowl was taken by Rosaria who poured the mixture into small cups, each member taking a cup for themselves. Once each member had one, they held the cups to their lips and drank. The dropping of the cups to the ground signaled the end of the ritual.