[Flashback] Under Star and Under Moon

[Veldrys]

„How did you manage to leave without him noticing?“ Veldrys wanted to know. He idly wondered if the mixed blood could climb like a Symenestra, if could extend microscopic hooks from his skin. He had the black nails of a Symenestra at least, even if he mostly looked like an albino human otherwise. „Your father shouldn’t have kept the information from you! You need to know. It’s part of who you are! How are you supposed to face the world when you don’t even understand yourself?“ The Symenestra sounded quite frustrated now. He didn’t mind so much that Seven was a mixed blood anymore. The main problem was that he was a clueless mixed blood, and that his father seemed to have kept things from him on purpose. Veldrys couldn’t understand such an attitude. „I was not offended“, he replied curtly as Seven apologized for his comment about eating him. „As you said yourself your father never told you anything. You had no way of knowing that I’m not a bloodthirsty cannibal.“ He shrugged. He really wasn’t particularly offended. In fact, it had been one of the more harmless things that had been said to him. „A jungle“, he confirmed. „The world looked very different before the Symenestra. Some of Mizahar’s races were changed beyond recognition, and others didn’t even exist. I’m not a historian though, so I can’t tell you any details about the Valterrian.“ The tone of his voice had become apologetic now. Sometimes he wondered whether he should have studied history rather than becoming a healer. He was convinced that the solution for the Symenestra’s current, desperate situation could be found in the past, in the world before the Valterrian. „The Harvest?“ As he heard that question he looked at Seven abruptly. „I’ve never participated in it. I have no interest in forcing myself on a woman and condemning herself to an early death. But the unfortunate reality, as you call it, is that surrogates are the only way for my kind to continue. I doubt that there’ll ever come a time when surrogates aren’t necessary anymore though. That is just wishful thinking. Tell me, Seven, are you aware of what exactly surrogates are and how they are treated?“ From the boy’s words he had the impression that he didn’t really know. Despite the fact that he couldn’t be more than two or three years younger than him, Seven seemed like a boy to him. Veldrys couldn’t help but wonder if he should tell him and destroy his innocence or lie to him so that he wouldn’t get any nightmares. There was something about the way Seven acted that he found strangely endearing. He was the first in Lhavit that seemed to be genuinely happy to have made his acquaintance. Even if the words came from a mixed blood, Veldrys found that he appreciated them. It was good to talk to somebody about the Symenestra without that somebody insulting him or being afraid of him.

[Seven Xu]

"It is easy to sneak out when my father works during the day in the warmer months. I go through my window, climb the ivy trellis down the building and I am on my way." Seven seemed proud of this. Despite his weaknesses, he was quite agile when he wanted to be. The proud smile dispersed when the Symenestra expressed his frustration in Seven's pure cluelessness, replaced by a thoughtful hum. "I ... I suppose it is fate that we met, right? I mean. I would much rather learn of Symenestra from eyes unclouded by prejudice and hatred."

"I learned of the Valterrian in my studies. It was a cataclysm that changed the world." Seven spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "It is unfortunate that such an event drove our people underground. Can I ask, is that why our skin is so pale ... and eyes, like this?" Seven motioned towards the red of his irises, caused by the same lack of melanin that made skin and hair white. He had noticed that Veldrys' eyes were of an amethyst color. Such a transformation would certainly have taken place underground, where protection from the sun's rays was no longer necessary. Despite their unnerving look Seven liked the unique color of his eyes.

"I know very little of the Harvest, or what surrogates are used for, outside of, well, however it is our people pass on their genes." Seven blushed lightly. It was embarrassing to admit to knowing so little, but it was the only way he was to learn anything. The youth stared Veldrys down and a feeling of dread bubbled up inside of him, turning his stomach. "I am aware of the probability of me fathering a full-blooded Symenestra if I were to conceive a child. I cannot bring myself to ever do such a thing, to take the life of an innocent woman simply to carry on--" Seven's cheeks darkened and he stopped himself, looking guilty. "I am sure you have the same internal struggle as I do, so I do not need to elaborate further. I apologize."

It had gone much deeper than simply not wanting to kill a woman. Seven had severed all desire to pursue the opposite sex after a few years of even the muddied knowledge he had of the Harvest and the tragic passing of Symenestra bloodlines. He would never be able to bring himself to kill a lover. "Please," Seven's voice was ragged from the tension that was building up in his mind. "I want to know everything, I am not going back on what I said."

[Veldrys]

„It might be fate“, the Symenestra agreed. „Although I’m not entirely free of prejudice. Few of my kind are. Most people in Kalinor would be prejudiced against your kind, but I’ll try to teach you what you need to know.“ It was better, he decided, if Seven learned a few important facts about his Symenestra heritage form him rather than a couple of racist humans that pursued him with pitchforks because they suspected him of raping and poisoning their daughters (he had no idea that Seven didn’t have any interest in women). „I have no idea why exactly our skin became like this“, he said. „It might be because of the Valterrian itself. It might be the effect of generations of living underground. I only know that once upon a time we used to be a little more like humans in our appearance.“ Again, he shrugged. Veldrys liked the way he looked and couldn’t imagine being any different. He often spoke about the old world with a kind of melancholy, but he couldn’t imagine really living in a jungle above ground. He didn’t think that he wanted to. „Genes?“ he asked and made a face. „I don’t know anything about genes. Surrogates are human women that are abducted – or lured to Kalinor with vague promises. They are forced to share a Symenestra’s bed, and they are imprisoned until their child is born and they die.“ Better if he heard about the „unfortunate reality“ from somebody that didn’t hate him, at least not more than Symenestra usually hated people of mixed blood. „Can you imagine why they don’t like us now?“ „You are of mixed blood“, he replied as Seven talked about him possibly fathering a full blooded child. „It is possible that the child’s poison will be weak.“ Could somebody like Seven father a full blooded child, he wondered. He didn’t really know. There were few people like Seven in Kalinor, and thus he had never had any opportunity to study them. „I’m in the same situation“, he confirmed. His father expected him to find a wife and get married soon, but he couldn’t bring himself to killing his wife. Neither did he want to condemn a human woman to an early death. He’d rather run away and be celibate for the rest of his life than have to face something like that. „We have a place for the surrogates. It’s called the ‚Nest‘“, he continued. „The oldest child of a family is usually responsible for finding surrogates for the other siblings. I’m the oldest child of my family by several years.“ He sounded quite bitter as he said this. „Can you imagine what that is like?“ In Kalinor he hadn’t been able to talk about the problems he had with the Harvest at all. His father was a fervent supporter of it, and a lot of Symenestra shared his views. Even hinting at the fact that he disapproved of using surrogates had caused him all kinds of problems. „The second child is responsible for religious rituals“, he then said, abruptly changing the topic. He couldn’t bear talking about something that caused him so much pain any longer. „Do you know who we pray to?“

[Seven Xu]

"No... I cannot imagine what that would be like." Seven admitted, eyes growing dark as his gaze shifted from Veldrys to his own lap. What a life it must have been to be forced into such a situation. To seduce, to deceive innocent women. And heavens forbid you become attached to them, only to have to kill them for the betterment of your species. Seven exhaled in a ragged sigh.
"I have two sisters. Whenever I think of the Harvest, there is a part of my heart that breaks just thinking about what I would do if one of them were to be taken from me." And now that I know that they would be raped into submission until they produced offspring that would end their lives, I think I understand why Lhavitians want my blood. He didn't say his last, bitter thought aloud.

Seven shook the thought and stretched his legs out, knitting his hands together to rest on his lap and leaned forward, eyes focused on the sky. "So that is just how it is, huh." He smiled listlessly. "I will not be accepted in Lhavit and I will not be accepted in Kalinor. I am cursed to remain neither the beloved member of a human, nor of a Symenestra race." Seven clicked his tongue, the thought tasted bad in his mouth. Although, that could have just been stray venom. "It is what it is."

"Me, having a child ..." Seven hummed. A wiser man would keep issues of the heart locked deep inside, but Seven was one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. The next confession would breed a period of festering silence between them longer and more awkward than any before. "It will not happen. I have weaned myself off of the urge to pursue a woman lover. I am not sure if it was really ever there to begin with, though. I realize that, maybe, there is a chance that I would not father a Symenestra, but the possibility is still there. At least a man will not die at my hands. Strange maybe, but, it is not as if I am normal to anyone to begin with." This would be the first confession of Seven's deepest, most troubling desires and his feeble attempts of reasoning behind them.

Breaking the long silence, Seven's leer shifted to Veldrys. "You worship Viratas, I ... think. Is that right? The blood god." A pause, then Seven searched Veldrys' upper arms. "Do you have his mark? I mean, can you read my thoughts by drinking my blood?"

[Veldrys]

„If your sisters are younger than you and stay in the city, they will be relatively safe“, Veldrys tried to comfort Seven. „Few Symenestra would abduct a woman from the center of Lhavit. It would attract too much attention.“ He hated the Harvest and sometimes used his magic to make himself look less Symenestra, but at the same time he was glad that he was not a real human, not a real halfblood and didn’t have a human family. His sisters were safe from being abducted and locked up until they died a painful death. They would only bear a child and die in the process if it was their own decision. „That’s how it is“, he agreed. „You will never be a part of human society nor will all Symenestra accept you. I wish I could have told you something different, but it would have been a lie.“ As Seven told him that he would never have a child, the Symenestra arched an eyebrow. „A man?“ he repeated. Veldrys himself tried to stay away from women and focus entirely on his studies of medicine and religion. That he could be with men instead had never occured to him though. It wasn’t something that was very common in Kalinor. „A man will not die at your hands“, he agreed. „Maybe it is for the best that you have no interest in women.“ Seven would notice that Veldrys didn’t seem at all prejudiced in that regard and had spoken his words calmly. The healer was racist to some extent, but this was an entirely different matter. „I worship Viratas“, he confirmed. „Most of my kind do, but I’m a little more serious about it. I wish to serve him as a priest one day.“ He looked down at his arm and bared it, revealing nothing but pale, smooth skin. „Unfortunately he has not chosen to mark me so far. I’m too young and have not done anything to warrant his attention. But if he had marked me, I would be able to gather information about you just by tasting your blood.“ „Does it seem strange to you?“ he asked. „The fact that drinking blood doesn’t bother me at all, but that I look forward to maybe receiving such a blessing one day?“ He looked at Seven a little more closely. Was he able to digest solid food like a human or did he depend more on liquids like a Symenestra?

[Seven Xu]

Seven relaxed when Veldrys didn't label him a cur for not wanting to bed an unfortunate woman, and, that his sisters were in safe hands in the urban centre of Lhavit. In fact, the smile crept back onto his face and his eyes softened as he listened intently to the Symenestra tell him of his intentions to become a priest of Viratas. "It is nice to have such aspirations and goals." He commented. "I cannot say the same about myself. I would like to travel one day, perhaps. To map the entirety of our world. Unfortunately, travel is dangerous and the gods did not endow me with the strength to do so on a whim." The teen lifted one slender arm with a smirk on his face, flexing his bicep. There was tone, although it was likely due to being thin.

The topic of blood drinking set Seven's brain back into motion. He had never drank it himself. In fact, he didn't even eat meat. The half-blood was very particular in what he ate, due to the fact that his stomach would often reject solid food due to the inability for his body to digest it. Fruits and soft vegetables made up his meals of choice. The very sight of blood in copious amounts made his heart race and his gag reflex jump to life. "I ... no. I do not find it strange to want to drink blood." Seven furrowed his brow. "I would not do it myself, but, I am not here to judge you. A blessing from the gods is a blessing in any form, really. And I commend you for having a stomach suitable to even drink it now. It is like wine," Seven smiled. "I refuse to drink wine, but I will not scorn those that do."

Seven looked thoughtful. "I know little of Viratas, but, I have heard of a scripture that Symenestra keep dear to them. Is that fantasy as well, or does it exist? I would like to read from it someday, if it is real." He had remembered asking for it once in a library, only to be chastised by his father for even mentioning such a book. "I am sorry. I have so many things I want to ask you, but I cannot put half of my thoughts in order. My mind gets ahead of me, sometimes."

[Veldrys]

„It is“, Veldrys agreed. „It’s important to have a goal in your life. But at the same time it’s hard. You constantly have to wonder if you are good enough. Not everybody become a a priest. As for travelling, it is dangerous, but there are still ways to go and see the world if you really want to. I tend to travel in the company of merchants. There’s safety in numbers, even for our kind. And travelling by ship is often safer than travelling over land.“ As Seven flexed his bicep, the Symenestra couldn’t help but laugh. „Our kind generally aren’t strong, but we have other advantages over humans. Tell me, Seven, can you climb like a Symenestra? Can you run fast?“ „Blood is part of our diet“, Veldrys explained. „It isn’t particularly nourishing, but it doesn’t take hours to digest it so we drink blood when we don’t have time for anything else.“ He took a quick look around to make sure that none of the humans were watching – he doubted they wanted to hear about poison and drinking blood – and then he turned back to Seven. Veldrys certainly wasn’t bothered by the idea of drinking blood or seeing copious amounts of it. When you were a healer and aspired to become a priest of Viratas, you couldn’t be squeamish. For him it was as normal as wine was for others, and he had no problems talking about it. „There is such a scripture“, he replied. „It is called the Viratassa. Most of us have a copy of it in our home, and I always have one with me when I’m travelling. Did you know that it was written by our god himself?“ „Spilt blood cries out to me. It speaks of life and death. It sings of sins and blessings. Every drop is precious, but not all cries are holy“, he whispered, reciting a passage from the book, and then he hesitated. He had begun to enjoy Seven’s company, despite his tainted blood, but could he let the mixed blood touch it, this sacred book? „If you want to, I can let you take a look at it.“

[Seven Xu]

Seven smiled earnestly, following Veldrys' gaze. There was nobody around, but Seven already knew that. Once someone figured out what he was, they kept their distance. Veldrys, on the other hand, was a bit more obvious in his physiology and it was likely anyone to stumble upon them would swiftly turn and go back the way they came. When Veldrys asked Seven of his climbing and running ability, Seven pursed his lips in thought. "I certainly cannot defy gravity like I have heard of Symenestra doing. My balance is not bad, though, so if I need to climb I can do so, albeit a bit awkwardly." Holding both hands up, he admittedly had no special skin, hooks, or the like to help him climb. His palms were smooth, fingers thin and bony, but held a bit of grace. "Running on the other hand ... I'm pretty quick, I guess. I am not sure if I am much quicker than a human, but it is easy to pick up speed when you weigh so little."
Veldrys seemed so interested in him. Nobody ever asked him stuff like this. It warmed Seven inside and made him want to tell the Symenestra all about himself.

"I never thought to drink blood before. I mean, obviously not. I live with humans. Those things are taboo," He laughed. "Perhaps my muddied blood has bestowed me with a slightly more resilient stomach, but I still get very sick if I try to eat too much solid food, and I stay away from meat. My venom is too weak to break it down. At least, I think it is. I have swallowed enough to kill myself if it is strong enough to do so." Seven paused, tilting his head. He sure was talking a lot now. But again, it was the first opportunity to speak freely about such things he'd ever had. "Do you uh, do your fangs uh." He was having trouble with wording as he motioned to his mouth with a mildly confused expression on his face, "When I get really angry, or hungry, or excited I cannot hold back and it is so bitter and disgusting, but I just swallow it. It is uncontrollable."

When Veldrys asked Seven if he wanted to look at his copy of The Viratassa, he calmed down significantly. Was he serious? Seven's heart raced and he could not hold back an eager grin when Veldrys recited the passage. "I would love nothing more!" He leaned forward, hands on his knees. The book looked so exotic. Its pages looked worn, and the embossed words on the hard cover were elegant and unreadable, and looked to be written by the steadiest, most graceful hand. It was a beautiful work of art, and no doubt something Veldrys held very close. "I ... I mean, yes. Of course. Please."

[Veldrys]

As Seven held his hands up, Veldrys took a close look. The boy’s nails were black, but apart from that his hands looked like human hands, albeit a little more graceful than was the norm. „Your nails never grow long and hard enough to be useful for climbing then?“ he wanted to know and looked at his own hands. Due to his work as a healer Veldrys usually kept his nails filed short. Long nails were a hindrance when you had to hold a scalpel and cut people up or dress wounds, and if he wasn’t quite as good at climbing because of it, then so be it. „Humans have a lot of taboos“, he remarked. „Most of them unnecessary. Blood isn’t only something that we occasionally drink, it’s the most sacred of fluids. Don’t you agree that it is one of the greatest gifts when another creature gives its blood for you, an almost saced act?“ As Seven talked about swallowing his own venom, Veldrys looked at him strangely. „You’ve tried your own venom? Why in the world ...?“ He wasn’t sure if that was stupid or funny. „What about my fangs? What do you think they do?“ Now the Symenestra looked confused. He opened his mouth just a little wider for a moment so that Seven could see a hint of the fangs in question, and then he closed it again. As Seven leaned forward, apparently almost overly eager to take a look at the Viratassa, the Symenestra raised a hand, a sign that he wanted him to calm down a little. He made a step back and removed the book from a pocket. „Be careful with it“, he warned him as he handed the book to him. „It’s valuable.“

[Seven Xu]

The book passed from Veldrys' hands to Seven's after the teen calmed a burst of unintentional and slightly embarrassing excitement.

"It's beautiful," Seven remarked as he mulled over the book delicately. He laid it over his lap and carefully opened it to the first page. The passages were written in the same strange alphabet that he had first seen on its cover. As he smoothed out the page, graceful fingers sliding over the inked pages, Seven shook his head. "My nails grow slowly, but I file them down. I have never let them grow very long but I'm sure if I did they would be quite sharp. They feel harder than my other nails, very hard to file."

Seven flipped a page, hoping there would be some common in the book somewhere. Something to make sense of. No luck yet. "I suppose when you put drinking blood in such a poetic way," Seven cracked a smile. "It sounds almost romantic." He leered at the book, frustration in not being able to understand it growing. Lhavitians prided themselves on their literacy. The inability to read the text hurt him more than he let on. "And yes, I have tried my own venom, but it is never intentional. It usually gives me a stomach ache, and once I have vomited. Like I said, it just sort of happens when my emotions get the best of me." Veldrys' odd look made Seven blush. Another page turn. There was an illustration of the points on a human body where blood flowed quickly and the symbolic relevance of such points. At least he could understand the drawings. Seven's gaze lifted to eye Veldrys curiously. "Your fangs look larger than mine. I assume if you were to swallow your venom it would be far more detrimental than a simple tummy ache." A smile hinted at his lips.

"So, what do they do?" Seven inquired, tilting his head to one side. He was now examining Veldrys rather than the yellowed pages of The Viratassa. "Your fangs, that is. I cannot imagine them doing much more than sit there and be larger, hollow teeth -- because that's what mine do -- but you have made me curious." The smile turned to a playful grin.