Secrets Dyed in Blood

1

A sigh escaped me. I hated dealing with souls. I waved my hand and created a portal. I grabbed a large, blue book with the moon's crest emblazoned on it. I blew away the dust on the hard cover and opened the book. Words glowed in gold on the page. A small welcome made only for me. "If I am dealing with souls again," I said softly, "could you at least break my spell for me? I need to get to work right away, and I am already going to be using a lot of blood." 

"Just this once because we are such good friends." He laughed at my glower before I joined him. A snap of his fingers tore through the veil I put over my tree. Hell's fresh light cascaded through the many windows. I heard the bullets and bombs that rained outside. 

I opened my book to a blank page and grabbed a dagger I kept on my hip. A feather blade made of angelic steel. I sliced deep against my palm and allowed the blood to fall. The page was dyed a dark crimson before it glowed golden. Sigils ran across the page as I breathed a spell. Words started to form across the page. The more blood that spilt, the more detailed the message was. I stopped bleeding across it when pitch black stars blinked across my vision. Valentino's downfall was written before me. It was a secret for me alone. I looked at the names that were underlined. This...was not a simple transaction. In fact, it had the potential to break in an all-out war. A grin crossed my lips. I was intrigued, nonetheless. 

"I will make it happen, Stolas." 

"Get it done by execution day," Stolas added as he turned away. "Amass as many souls as you can along the way. You will need to feed souls to the book soon to keep its magic alive and well." I nodded toward him. 

"I am aware," I stated as I motioned to the drawer. "I have a little while to go. But I'll make something happen." Stolas nodded and walked out the front doors. As he did so, he flipped the sign to 'open'. My grin blew up into a full-blown smile. 

This was about to be so much fun. 

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I stepped out into the fresh morning air. The scents of carbon and gunpowder took over my nostrils. My light blue skin glowed against the morning star and dark blue hair held its usual messy bun. Book tattoos fluttered across my arms and torso. I missed being outside of the building. I glanced around the area. A lot had changed since my time in the 1800's. Vehicles roared by me on the streets. Abandoned souls walked around in their lonesome. Stolas always kept me up to date with the outside world, so I knew what a television was and how dull they were. I walked down the street and glanced at the newer buildings. The clothing style was different compared to what I was used to. Compared to my own button down and dark slacks, I was rather old fashion compared to crop tops and miniskirts. 

 The crackling of a radio caught my attention from a nearby store window. I walked up to it and surely enough, Alastor was on the air. His jazz music played alongside the screams of late victims. In fact, I knew a few of those screams. They were clients of mine at one point. 

"Well, well, well, what have we here? A library opening up in the middle of the pentagram! Seems like a must-see folks! Surely, it won't melt your brains like television can!" I chuckled at the comment. I had heard many things of Alastor, but he never paid me any trouble. Then again, my library had shut down before he came along. I doubt he even knew who I was. 

An old, familiar darkness crept up my spine. A cannibalistic smile grew across my face as I turned around. "I see you are still kicking," I chuckled. Zestial, a spiderlike demon, approached me with a sickly-sweet grin. "I am glad to see not everything has changed since I have been gone." The man glided toward me without a sound. 

"Dost thou wish to join me for a meeting I am attending? I assure it would beseech thee to go. It has been so long since hell hath been graced with thy presence." His voices swirled around his speech as he spoke. I still had yet to learn how to create that kind of power.