Time, the flow of actions of everything in existence. It is gentle yet relentless, so slow one would think it might not be there yet it is unstoppable. That is what time is, and right now, for someone it is slowly running out. Lilith and her family looked and searched for the rest of the day into the night. However, their efforts bore no results and so they continued. Each time looking further away, and with more resolve to find what they need.

Like a ticking time bomb the sick girl’s deteriorated and was barely improved by the medicine made from mana grass. Each second that went by the poor girl would feel excruciating pain. Brought upon her by the soul parasite that Lilith had introduced into her. That is right, the problem was not precisely a bodily one.

Lilith doesn’t know it but perhaps she can feel it. Her soul feeds off the life force of others through their blood. When drinking directly from the source, a tiny bit of her soul breaks off and parasites the victim’s soul. If the victim is not killed this parasite remains, and turns them into a part of Lilith, a part of her ever growing family.

However, this girl is different. Her soul is stronger than usual, and her life force is far more concentrated. In simpler words, what afflicts her body is her soul. Her soul is too strong for her body and as such the body deteriorates unable to handle or adapt to the strength of her soul.

Now, a fierce battle is going on inside of her body. Her soul, constantly attacking and defending, just like Lilith’s parasite. None willing to give up, none willing to give an inch to it’s opponent. As these two forces clash their battle ground gets torn and scared. The body that was already weak now had to bear with the consequences of such a battle.

The race against time continued. Lilith had refused to close her eyes at all at some point, afraid she might pass by what she needed the moment she blinked. A vampire she might be but even then her body still needs to function with normality to work properly. Tears had started rolling from that beautiful pair of white and crimson orbs. Soon enough those tears changed color into a mesmerising red.

Tears made of blood rolled down her cheeks. The pain of possibly losing that girl surpassed that of her burning eyes. Finally the sun that had risen from the horizon reached its peak announcing the end of their first day. During this one minute, Lilith finally saw hope. In front of her a single flower shone with dazzling light. A beautiful golden shine that could blind with the slightest of glimpses. Sun-bloom, like a beacon of hope it shone.

A massive surge of happiness flowed through Lilith’s body. Like electricity it sapped all of Lilith’s tiredness away. With the most gentle touch she collected the flower, despite the awful burning sensation she got from touching the thing. Something normal since vampires are weak to the power of the sun. A flower that has collected it for the longest time would be their worst enemy. However, for Lilith, the pain was like a reminder, that this could save that girl which she loved.

After a small dose of relief and happiness she went back to work. Sun-bloom was one of two herbs and it would be useless without the other one. With this the race against time continued. Once more the hours went by as all of them searched desperately for the herb. Meanwhile the girl’s condition took a turn for the worst. Her eyes, nose and ears began bleeding as she puked blood. Her body was being broken from the inside out. Who knows, Mia might have misjudged the amount of time she could stay alive.

The girl’s suffering continued to torment her. She would wake up due to the horrendous pain only to be knocked unconscious again by it. Her organs on the verge of collapse, holding on for dear life desperately. Her brother begged the priests to save his sister but, what could that greedy bunch do? Or rather, what were they willing to do for such a poor kid? The answer is nothing.

However, miracles do happen. A kind soul that passed by that town that time came by. She offered her help to him. Her clothes were torn here and there, her hair a complete mess and yet. She exuded power like no other. With her aid, the girl managed to gain a few more hours of life but that was it. That girl’s aid could do nothing more than strengthen and heal the girl’s body. If she were to stay by the girls side she could keep her alive but, she had no intention to.

The kind stranger said her goodbyes and gave a small prayer for the girl. What this kind stranger didn’t know was that her doing had aided someone she was more connected to that the two of them ever knew.

Like this, the death counter was rewinded, and a few more hours were added to the time of the girl’s imminent death. Night fell and a new miracle arose from the skys. One of the moons, the one that shone red in the skys, was full. In the calendar this should have happened a few days later and not during this night. An event that didn’t happen often and which had only been recorded four, now five, times in history.

Perhaps the moon felt sympathy for the girl that bore eyes of its color. Whatever the case now was the time that the moon-bloom would be the most noticeable. Lilith's family rushed with renewed vigor in search of the last piece of this puzzle. Like a bullet fired at the forest they flew by the trees bringing with them the thunderous sound of the sound barrier being broken.

Time flew by, unwilling to slow down for anyone and soon the moon started it’s descent. Lilith’s heart screamed in despair at her failure. No moon-bloom had been found by her. She didn’t want to go back to the meating point, not yet. Time was running out and meeting up could end up wasting more of it. However, she had been the one to set that rule, and if she didn’t go back now only the god’s know what her family would do.

At the meeting point everyone was exhausted. However, the flame of resolve in their eyes burned with undying fervor. Time was truly running out now. In no less than an hour the sun would rise and the night would pass. If by then they didn’t have the moon-bloom, all would be lost.

The last to appear was a woman with ragged and torn maid clothes. In her hand a beautiful silver flower that shone with the moon’s red light. Moon-bloom, the final ingredient. Lilith’s heart beat with such force it might end up breaking her ribs or at least it felt like that for her.

“Mia, we can do it! please, concoct the potion fast, we are almost out of time”

“I know master, but this is an extremely delicate procedure. These two plants are opposites, a poor handling of this mixture could ruin their properties. I will need some time to do so and of course equipment”

“Fine! Let's go to the town. That kid must have at the very list a bowl and other stuff in his house, will that be enough?”

“I don’t think so but I will do what I can with it”

“Then let’s go!”

Like that they rushed back to town. The slow pace they had to keep apariences was dragging Lilith’s sanity to its limits. Each second that passed she was tempted to order her family to break through the town at full speed. She was tempted to order to kill anyone that would dare stand in their way. After all, she held no love for those that weren’t part of her family. The only exception being that one girl.

Rushing through town was like torture and each step felt slower than the last despite it holding the same strength and speed of not more than before. Finally they reached their destination, rushing inside the found the place empty except for the sick girl. With speed that defied the laws of physics they searched the house for whatever Mia may find useful and so she went to work.

Each petal of gold, and silver were processed with the utmost care. Retrieving a golden and silver liquid from each and mixing it in perfect quantities to prevent one from overpowering the other. The slightest of mistakes could ruin everything, and that is when misfortune made its entrance.

“What are you doing here? What did you do to my sister last time!? It’s because of you all that my sister got sicker and the medicine didn’t work!”

The brother shouted and ran towards Lilith and Mia with the intention to punish them for the wrongdoing they had done to his sister. In that moment Lilith snapped. She moved with speed and grace, making not a single sound with her monstrously heavy steps. The air became chilly with her absurdly bloodthirsty aura.

In a moment’s notice the kid had received blow after blow to his vascular system, cutting the blood flow to his arms, legs and brain. Even in her absolut anger Lilith understood that killing this kid would fix nothing. Not to mention it would make his sister sad, something she couldn’t bear to think of.

Thankfully, Mia’s concentration wasn’t disturved and so she worked until it was done. In a bowl a liquid shone with a bluish light with gold and silver sparkles. No words were needed and a single nod suffice to convey their intentions. Mia approached the sick, gently lifting her head afraid her neck could snap at any moment due to her weakness.

The liquid found its way inside the girl’s mouth as she slowly gulped it down. The seconds passed as each drop flowed into her. This is the moment of truth, the moment in which it will be known if fate will be kind to this pair of intertwined souls.