Surprisingly, I opened my eyes after the burning ceased. I found myself in a golden hall, and though there was no light source I was able to see perfectly. Next to me stood Laura, looking much better than she had been moments before. Huh, I guess the priests can be wrong, and that people can go to the afterlife in groups. Sitting in a comfortable looking chair was a wizened old man. He had a ring of white hair around the lower part of his head, but the top portion was completely bald. He had incredibly light blue eyes, and they seemed to both stare straight through me and yet be entirely thrilled that I was there. A robe of reds, yellows and oranges with what seemed to be a shifting pattern covered him, and he smiled at us both.

“Welcome. It is not often that I get to see such beautiful souls enter my realm so close together. I am Solaris, the Lord of Light.” My jaw dropped at his introduction, and I was completely unable to even think for a few seconds. That was, until I felt a gentle tugging on my shirt. Turning, I saw Laura already on one knee, trying to get me to do the same. I was halfway to complying when Solaris spoke again, “Relax, there is no need for kneeling. In fact, it is I who should be thanking the two of you for thwarting such a horrendous plot.”

“Pardon?” Laura asked, as she rose and we both walked forward. We stopped about 20 feet away, lowering our heads to show respect. “I’m sorry my Lord, but I have no idea of the plot of which you speak.”

“I know my child. Much has been lost since the Sundering, though it is by far more on the human side than those who walk the night. One of them found an old scroll describing a ritual. In it, a terrible fate may be unleashed upon a single bloodline. By infusing the final drop of heart’s blood with the curse, it will flow either backward or forward down the bloodline, boiling the blood of all relatives and killing them in a most painful manner.” We both flinched at the thought of such a curse, and Solaris nodded. He continued, “Indeed. Do you know why you were targeted, Laura?”

“Not really my Lord. I’m nobody special.”

He gave a gentle smile and said, “All my children are special, though you have some unique circumstances. Did you know that your cousin, the crown prince, is older than you by six minutes?”

“I knew we shared a birthday, but not the exact hour of our births. I still don’t understand what the implication is.” As she explained it, something clicked in my head.

“Sorry to interrupt my Lord, but may I ask a question?” Solaris smiled and nodded, so I turned to Laura and asked, “Have there been any other births in your families?”

“Nooooo.” She drew out, then a look of uncertainty passed through her features.

“Exactly. You are the youngest of the bloodline. One that includes the royal family. If he curse targets either all those older than you or younger than you-“ I drew out the last word and left the implications hanging.

“Then by using me in the ritual, they could wipe out the entire royal family, along with my own family!” She said with horror crossing her features.

“Indeed, my children. With the sudden death of the human royalty, the vampires would have been able to carve a bloody swathe through the human lands in the ensuing chaos. Thousands would have died, and the territory taken likely would have included much of the farming lowlands.”

“Now, even if you had no idea that was what you were doing, the actions the both of you took are worthy of rewarding. Laura, I’ll offer your reward first. Would you like to become one of my messenger angels?”

Laura’s back immediately straightened, and she stared at the Lord of Light. “I. Of course! I would love to!” She gushed, getting a chuckle from the god.

“I had a feeling. Now, this won’t hurt at all, I promise.” With a wave of his hand, I watched Laura change before my eyes. Her hair grew much darker, until it was nearly as black as a raven’s feathers. The tips gained a deep red color, which was mirrored in the wings that sprouted from her back. Her skin remained the same, but her eyes changed from that beautiful blue to a golden yellow, as if I was looking into a late morning sun.

“And now we come to you,” Solaris said, turning to me. “There is a split path before-“

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, BROTHER!” A voice thundered through the hall, interrupting Solaris. His only response was a deep sigh as a swirling tornado of black and red smoke coalesced into another person off to the side. Slightly hunched, but still six feet tall at least, his skin had a grayish pallor to it. His blood red nails came to a point, and his head was bereft of hair. His eyes glowed with an unholy red light, and several of his teeth came to a point.

“And what brings you into my hall, Sanguinis?” Solaris asked with an exasperated sigh. Laura and I both involuntarily shuddered at the name. The God of Blood and Darkness was not often worshiped in the human lands.

“You know!” The newcomer snarled. He pointed an accusing finger at Solaris and continued, “You were going to steal my convert! His soul rightfully belongs to me!”

“And yet, here we are in my domain.” Solaris said, holding out his arms as of inviting Sanguinis to look around.

Sanguinis sneered, “And? Do I need to involve mother and father?”

“Call them here, and their sheer presence will cause irreparable harm to these two. What is it you want, brother?”

“His soul is mine!” Sanguinis snarled, pointing a finger at me.

“And how do you come to that conclusion?”

“He killed a woman before his death! Drank her lifeblood!”

“Freely given!” Laura interjected, surprising both gods. Taking the opportunity, she ran with it, “I gave him my lifeblood to protect my family. And I swore to him that should it come to it, I would fight for his rights in front of Solaris himself! One god, two gods, call the entire pantheon for all I care! The house of Cornick doesn’t go back on their word, and I’ll not be the first to disgrace my ancestors in such a manner!”

“She is one of mine, stay your hand brother!” Solaris interrupted Sanguinis, who was in the midst of preparing something rather nasty looking for Laura. Solaris continued, “And she also made the point I was about to. The lifeblood he took was freely given, absolving him of the sanguimancer’s crimes. However, since you are here I suppose one more fork in the road won’t matter too much. How about it, brother?”

“Mucking about with fate again? Why not, the more options the more chaos that can occur.” Sanguinis said with a smile. “I’ll make the first offer, as he fell under my domain first. Boy!” He snapped, turning to me. He took a step closer, sniffing me with what I realized was an ever so slightly upturned nose. Eyes wide, he gave me a feral grin and excitedly started chattering, “Join our side. Accept that you are a vampire, and I can lay out your future. Your first meal was a good one, probably the best you could have hoped for! With the magic of that girl’s line in you, your potential has skyrocketed. You are one of the few that could possibly reach the as yet unclaimed title of Sanguine Emperor. Legions of vampires, thralls, and human cattle will kneel at your feet. Claim that inheritance, and you could rule this world!”

As soon as Sanguinis finished, Solaris took over, “I have but two paths to offer. The first is to claim your immediate rewards. That you fought your nature, managing to save your sister in the process, speaks well of you. Enter the afterlife, and claim your place in the Eternal Fields alongside the heroes and martyrs of the past. That is one path. The other is much harder. Return to the world of the living. Sanguinis is right, you will have incredible magical potential. Return, and become the first of a new breed of human, one long since driven extinct. Without magic you would be called a dhampir, but since you do have magic you would mark the reemergence of the sanguimancers.”

“Before I make my choice, what are some of the issues and differences between sanguimancers and vampires?” I asked.

“They are weak chattel!” Sanguinis snarled.

“Though some in the past may have been weak willed, that can be said of any race Sanguinis. As to your question, Brandon, the answer is complicated. Unlike the vampires, sunlight will not weaken you. You will gain power slower than a vampire, but you only need to drink human blood but once per month. The rest of the time you can have liquids, though they must be at least half animal blood. In return, you will gain many of the physical advantages that vampires enjoy. Stealth, power, and agility.”

“Heh, yes. Take the weaker gifts. As well as the fear of the humans. The distrust. The hatred.” Sanguinis interjected.

“Yes, the road will be difficult. But there is much good you can bring to Gaia, and you would have a place within my church. A place that has sat empty for far too long.”

“So my choices are to become a vampire, go to the afterlife, or become some sort of half vampire?” I asked, sitting there thinking things through. Vampires. Legendary creatures, they struck fear in the hearts of humans everywhere. Rumor had it that we were at war with a kingdom of vampires, but our small village was so remote that it was mostly rumors. I wasn’t ready to die yet, so that was out. The other option had a lot of issues, but I could deal with scorn. Hadn’t I already done that through most of my childhood? I had always been too clumsy for most games, and my family was too poor to let me off of field chores like the rest of the kids. Though I probably wouldn’t be able to be around Molly anymore, I could find others that would fill in as friends. If not, well. I remembered nearly ten years of being alone before Molly came along. I would survive.

Nodding to myself, I spoke to everyone, “I’ve made my choice. I’ll become a sanguimancer.”

Sanguinis snarled in rage as Solaris looked sad. Why was he sad? Before I could ask, he walked forward and patted my shoulder, saying, “Thank you, Brandon. You’ve chosen the toughest road, but also the one in which you can do the most good. I’ll have to block out most of what happened here, but I will leave you with the knowledge of two quests. The first is to take Laura’s sword and crest back to her family. They live in the capital, Luz, which is where the second objective is as well. I want you to join my church in whatever capacity you feel like. Talk to my priests as you make your journey, they will know how to help.” With one last smile, he placed a finger on my forehead. There was a slight itch, then a gentle push. As my head rocked back, my surroundings blurred and I was suddenly standing on the mountain once more, staring at the sun rising. At my feet lay a folded pile of clothes, with a sword and a stylized griffin crest sitting on top. I carefully picked up the bundle, and started heading down the mountain.