The force of the door jerking from the hinges and crashing into the upturned table startled Viktor into looking up. Standing in the doorway was a woman with long white hair billowing behind her with the force of the momentum to take down the door. Her signal golden eye burned with fury, her teeth bared in aggression. She wore a mixture of armor and black and gold cloth that was the perfect compromise of her rank and mobility, and the forged stylized gauntlets she wore flexed in her anger. Behind her were several other figures who crowded, gasping and murmuring angrily at the sight and the thick scent of blood. A male voice spoke from behind the first woman.

"As I feared Layrion, we must move quickly."

The white haired woman charged forward with a snarl, left hand swinging and digging her gauntlet into the soft flesh of Viktor's neck and tearing him a away from the boy. She slammed him into the upturned door, the thick wood shattering beneath the force, her golden armor near shaking off from her barely controlled anger.

"You dare lay a hand on my son?! You dare to defy my kindness in sparing your life!" She hissed. Several figures moved into the room then, making there way to the boy who still had the blade buried into his stomach. One of them knelt before the boy, his eyes obscured by a golden plate but movements sure as he reached forward to cup the boy's face.

The masked man looked up at the two other figures who stood to his side. "His aura is fading quickly Lady Aya. We should hurry."

The shorter of the two figures was dressed in a brightly colored long sleeved dress that accented her frame in a demure manner. The sleeves were long, draping to the floor and covering her fingers as she held them to her side. Her hair was exceptionally long and black, but was neatly braided into two matching braids that hung behind her. She brought one of her fingers up, pressing a lacquered nail to her lips as she surveyed the boy.

"Hmmm...you were right Lord Yggdrasil, he does seem an appropriate candidate. I wish he was in better condition though. Hmmm, nothing for it then. Teru, ready my things in that room from before. We will have to prepare everything quickly if we want this to succeed."

Yggdrasil smiled at her gratefully as her companion left the room with a slight bow. He turned his attention back to the boy. "Listen to me. I have to remove the blade from your stomach. It's going to hurt but I'll be able to move you after that." He reached down, grasping the blade and turned his attention to where it had entered him. "Just near the important organs, I'm not sure if they are damaged." The woman knelt down gracefully, surveying the wound momentarily before standing once again, brushing her skirt back into place.

"Pull swiftly and they should be fine. We need to move him now, I'll need as much of his blood as I can get, and I'd prefer it not be all over the floor."

Yggdrasil did not hesitate, trusting her experience as he slid the blade from inside the boy. He groaned heavily, eyes lidded as Yggdrasil caught him mid slump. “He's lost consciousness.” He carefully turned him in his arms, cradling his limp form gently as he stood. Blood soaked the Seer's clothes, but he did not notice as he made his way out of the room. The boy’s lightweight was concerning, but not something the Seer could look into while his life was in question.

Aya hesitated for a moment, glancing at where Viktor was still pinned by the white haired woman's clawed hand, her voice low and menacing as she hissed her anger at him. She almost felt pity for the man, but he did bring it upon himself. Even her home clan had heard of the strength of the Carpathian Leader, the indomitable Lady Layrion. Aya turned, leaving him to his fate. A new subject awaited her, and she indulged herself in a smile. It wouldn't hurt to have such a powerful Clan beholden to her.

Layrion shook with the force of her anger. It had only been seventeen years since she had taken the boy from the womb of his mother. It seemed his life would end in the same miserable, bloody fashion in which he had been born. And once again she was powerless to stop it.

"I should have killed you when Rune suggested. Tore you apart the moment you started spouting your egotistical nonsense." She dug the claw into his throat, choking him and cutting into the skin. "I was a fool then, but I won't make the same mistake twice."

Viktor coiled all his strength, pushing out suddenly, catching Layrion off guard as he loosened her grasp enough to jerk himself free, grunting as bits of his flesh were left in her grasp. He slammed his arm into her chest, knocking her back just enough to push past her. Even though she recovered quickly and pursued him, she was distracted by the scent of blood, one that was achingly familiar to her. It snapped her out of her rage and allowed Viktor to flee with his life.

She wasted no time following the scent, tracking it down to the room the she recalled giving Yggdrasil permission to give to his guests. She saw the Seer holding down the boy's arms, his back to Layrion as she came up to them. On the boy's other side facing her was the one Yggdrasil had introduced as Aya. Her outer long sleeved dress had been removed, wearing a simple black blouse and black underskirt with what looked like an apron tied around her front. Whatever color it had been was obscured by the crimson that now stained it and her arms as she worked on threading something into the boy's arm. Her golden gaze flicked briefly up at Layrion before focusing once more on her task.

"Ah, Lady Layrion. So kind of you to join us. You are this boy's mother correct?" Aya directed Terutetsu as he was closing the wound in the boy's stomach.

Layrion felt numb as she came to a stop at the tables edge. She stared down at his pale face, so devoid of the rosiness of life that Sayifle always had. Regret filled her again, she had been so distant these last two years, her attention always being pulled away to attend to other things outside the clan. He always assured her he was fine as long as he had his books...

She was snapped out of this by Aya snapping her fingers quickly in the Elder's face. "Answer me please."

"Yes. But I am not....his birth mother."

"Well that's obvious. He's a Human." Aya reached over to correct something Terutetsu did then straightened up, looking fully at Layrion. "What I do is highly uncertain. Until recently it was based in theory but Teru here has been my first successful subject. I can do the same for this boy but I will need your blood to do it."

Layrion's gaze finally moved from the boy's face to meet Aya's. "And what is it you do?"

Aya smiled, one nail tapping the tube that now ran into the boy's arm. "I turn Humans into Icchorians. Or more specifically mixed Human-Icchorians." She then leaned forward over the boy to stare directly at Layrion. "And time is running out. He has the perfect amount of blood in him now." She emphasized this with two taps over the boy's heart.

Layrion glanced at Yggdrasil, who nodded once at her. She looked back at Aya. "Take whatever you need to save Sayifle. My son will not die if I can help it."

Aya's smile widened. "Perfect. Teru, bring me my bag."

Ammy paced the short distance in front of the door. She had been pushed from the room with soft apologies from Yggdrasil shortly after she had entered. To say she was worried was an understatement. She'd seen Layrion attached by some kind of device to Sayifle, and all Yggdrasil had made known was something about Say losing a lot of blood. The new arrivals were hovering over the two, one murmuring to the other as they checked over the proceedings, sparing only a glance before dismissing Ammy.

She had been talking with her friend Nyphein, a quiet Icchorian whom she’d become closely acquainted in the last few years, when she heard of Viktor's escape and had sent scouts to follow him ensuring that he left their territory. Then she had come straight down as soon as they were dispatched, but now she wasn't even allowed in the same room.

She came to a halt just to the side of the door, hands clasped in front of her and back rigid. Since they had come to settle down in their home of Carpathia, she had taken to forgoing her armor in favor of practical and thickly woven dresses that accented her build instead of offering the protection of armor. There hadn't been a need to join the battle, not with the actions Layrion had been taking to find peace. Now though, Ammy regretted not have the thick metal to grind her irritation into. Helplessness did not become her.

Her attention was drawn further down the hall at the sound of metal on the stone floor to see Rune stalking down, dressed fully in his own battle armor. He had not taken to the light silks and velvets of peacetime, always out in the wilds rather than staying still in their home. Always restless and still just has itching to battle as ever.

"I'm heading out to track down that bastard. I told Layrion to kill him months ago." His voice was low, growling even as his eyes asked the unspoken question.

"He attacked Say. He looked dead, but I could still sense his life. She's in there with him now."

Rune nodded. "Scouts say the bastard got an injury, so we know he'll need to feed to heal. His options are limited." He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, then without another word he continued down the hall, his footsteps soon fading.

She was momentarily brought out of watching him by a gentle hand laid on her shoulder where his had been before. Nyphein stood quietly at her side. Her brown hair was plaited down her back across her simple green robes. She only spoke to Ammy on rare occasion and often came across with a cutting and cold tone when she had to speak with any of the other inhabitants. But her friendship with Layrion’s sister was sincere and she was fiercely loyal to her.

"There has been a report come in. Our scout from Elder Michael's has reported that the entire compound has been...destroyed."

Ammy stared at her, brow raised. "He...was the strongest of them. Was it like the others?" This news was troubling, especially now that her sister was otherwise occupied. Elders and their Clans were being decimated with no trace as to who was powerful enough to do such a thing. And each attack grew closer to their home.

Nyphein nodded as her gaze trailed to the closed door. "An attack during the day, while they were unprepared. No survivors to tell us who attacked. And everything burned to the ground."

Ammy was silent as she considered this information. "Just like my home so many years ago. I will tell Lay once she is done with whatever machinations Drasil has cooked up this time."

Nyphein raised a brow but only nodded. She turned, assuming a position next to Ammy, standing just as rigidly as her friend. She was a bit taller than the blond, and would often make comments on it when they were alone. Most would say the two did not have a sense of humor, much less a playful side, but when they were alone or with Layrion, the two women felt very open and would drop their carefully constructed barriers. Now, with just the two of them in the empty hall, Nyphein reached out to tug gently at Ammy’s sleeve, pulling her out of her stiff stance and breaking her tightly grasped hands apart. She held Ammy’s hand until the impassive facade broke, and Ammy leaned into her side with her features softening. It was reassuring to have Nyphein there when she needed someone to lean on.

Ammy sighed, and looked to the door. The next time it opened, she'd have her answers.

-------------------------------

Aya straightened with a slight groan, stretching the kinks out from her back. "These bodies certainly have their drawbacks." She nodded to Terutetsu, who was finishing with cleaning up the supplies that were no longer necessary. Aya turned her attention to Yggdrasil, who indicated a chair set at a table which held three cups of a steaming liquid. She accepted the cup, holding it daintily as she sipped the liquid, nodding her thanks to the Seer. They sat across from each other, both turned to face the two unconscious bodies before them.

It was Aya who finally broke the silence. "Your Sight is quite incomparable, Lord Yggdrasil. And you are quite clever." She peered at him over her cup. "To travel all that way, being mysterious as to why I would be needed. When you explained you had the perfect candidate for my next subject, I would have hardly guessed he would be the adopted son of the famed Lady Layrion."

He smiled charmingly at her, tilting his head towards the mother and son. "I merely acted in the way I thought best. It was all conjecture that you would even agree to come."

"My Clan did not understand the value of my work. It just worked out that they also needed an ambassador to your Clan. So we both get something out of my presence here." She crossed her legs, eyeing her bloodied apron disdainfully. "Besides, I may just find my mate here." She sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she stared dreamily into the darkened ceiling. "A strong handsome man to sweep me off my feet."

Yggdrasil smiled indulgently, having heard similar statements intermingled in their talks on the way here. "Perhaps. In the meantime, what will happen next?" He indicated the patients.

"With the transfer of so much of her blood to the boy we will need to replenish it as soon as she is awake and her bonded Sins. That'll be the tricky part. The boy will not need to feed for some time. When he does it will have to be her blood."

Yggdrasil thought this information over. "So...he will not have a bonded like we do?"

"No. I've observed with Teru that his Thirst occasionally synced with mine, but that only my blood will slake it. It can be quite inconvenient at the best of times. I've yet to find a way to transfer that side effect, as such he will stay by my side for his own Thirst, and so that I may observe his progress of course." The aforementioned man came to stand next to Aya then with a nod, accepting the offered drink from Yggdrasil and sipping quietly.

"I meant to ask...why doesn't Terutetsu speak?"

Aya finished her sip of the tea, as she had identified it when she sat. "Oh he doesn't have a tongue. It was removed when he was a child by some slave traders, I believe." She flicked a piece of dried blood to the floor. "Humans have their own sort of barbaric cruelty."

Yggdrasil nodded his agreement, deciding not to comment. He stood, bowing to Aya. "I thank you again Lady Aya. You've done us a extraordinary service here today. I will go and find volunteers to be here when Layrion awakens. Please let me know when you are ready to retire."

Aya nodded, waving him away as she sipped her tea in silence, golden eyes trained on her two patients long after he had left.