Meanwhile, back at Shaw Manor...

The great and illustrious Carmilla Shaw was defeated by a child. How had everything gone so very wrong? When she heard about the manipulator from her informant, she had grown excited about the prospects that the infamous world editor skill could provide for her endeavors.

The vampire had been around to witness the last manipulator after all. That one had brought about the dark ages. It was unclear if they had also ended the darkness. Carmilla had been wise enough to avoid conflict with a fully grown manipulator.

However, this one had been a child. It was simple enough to entrap him by using his female. Humans were so vulnerable that way. He had also trusted her daughter blindly, not bothering to learn about the Shaw name that she threw around so callously.

Born into power, her heir still had much to learn about the harsh realities of life. If she managed herself correctly, she would have millennia to learn. As she was, she was far too naive.

Unfortunately for Carmilla, she had been naive as well. She bit off more than she could chew. Somehow the young whelp had stolen her proud technique and bit her back. To top matters off he had poisoned his own blood, effectively crippling her in her moment of triumph.

Of all the skills she could have absorbed, the God Eye trait was worthless to a vampire. As far as vision spells went, it wasn’t even the best skill contrary to its flashy name. If she had acquired the editing skill or a powerful regeneration skill, she might have been saved.

In the end, she had been slain by a little boy, left devoid of her lifeblood on the bed where she performed all of her rituals. She heard her worthless husband cry out in anguish as he towered over her ruined body.

Just as her hearing started to fade, she heard a very annoying voice, “Give her to me. I can take her to the one place where she might be spared.”

Lavender sighed as she stepped through another portal. The boy Melvin Murphy was turning into quite a handful. Grooming him to be a viable champion was a challenge. Especially with him slaying vampires in the middle of the night.

She waited patiently for the pair to escape on the back of her phoenix before making a grand entrance. Rick Shaw stood over his fallen wife, cradling the vampire and whispering into her ear. Lavender cleared the room in three powerful strides and issued the command, “Give her to me…”

Death was less gruesome than the vampire had imagined it to be. It felt quite good in fact. Carmilla hadn’t felt this alive in years. She rolled over in the bed, basking in the warmth. Warmth? When was the last time she had experienced that sensation? Had her curse not doomed her to never experience that sensation again?

Her eyes flashed open instantly. She found herself in a luxurious bedroom. More so than her own manor. It could be only one place. She sat up on the side of the canopy bed and shouted in what she hoped was a commanding croak, “Lavender. Make your presence known. I demand to speak with you this instant.”

The door creaked open and a boy stepped into the room. She knew who it was. It was the boy who stole the apprenticeship from her daughter, Eddie Thompson. She growled, “Boy, I demand to speak with your master. Bring her out immediately.”

Eddie cowered at the door, “I am sorry Madam Shaw. Lady Lavender is not in right now. She begs of you to wait patiently until she returns.”

She hissed at the kid, considering devouring him just to spite his master. The only problem was, her fangs refused to activate. Was some dark magic at play? Eddie ducked behind the door and asked, “Will that be all ma’am? There really is nothing I can do.”

Rage filled the last Shaw Vampire more than it had in centuries. She glared at the kid, knowing she could do nothing against him. She kicked her feet up in the bed and lay back down, commanding, “Tell your master that I wish to see her the moment that she returns.”

It felt like days before there was a knock on the door. Carmilla tried to sleep but, outside of her customary dark rooms, she had difficulty sleeping when there was even a small amount of light in the room. Lavender would have to have known this. She knew everything after all.

Carmilla refused to answer the knock. She waited impatiently until she heard the door creak open. Lavender strode into the room and made her way to a chair by the fireplace. She clasped her hands in her lap and greeted the vampire, “Good evening Lady Shaw. I hope the accommodations are up to your satisfaction.”

The vampire spat, “You know that they aren’t. What have you done with me? I feel different.”

Lavender sighed, “I am sorry to inform you that you have died. I was powerless to prevent it.”

Carmilla scowled at the enchanter, “Then why am I still alive? This is not death. I know death.”

“Indeed”, Lavender crooned, “This is not death. As you know there are mages around the world looking for solutions to that very problem. We are attacking it through magic, alchemy, necromancy, and even science. This solution is a little bit of science combined with magic. Combining computer coding and magic, we have discovered a way to turn human life into its most basic binary code. Right down to the smallest detail you have been encoded.”

Lady Shaw felt her body turn to lead as she attempted to fathom what Lavender was explaining to her, “Are you telling me that I’m not me? This is some computer thing that thinks it’s me?”

Lavender nodded, “That is correct. The way I see things, you have two choices. You can accept that this is your life now and you still exist, or you can refuse. Either way, you are going to continue to exist. I suggest you embrace this new existence. Your daughter is going to need you one day.”

Carmilla hissed at the enchanter, “You must promise me that she can never see me like this. I am an abomination.”

The enchanter laughed at the vampire, “One might argue that the young manipulator freed you from the abomination that you once were. The person before me is the Carmilla that you were before you became corrupted by the blood of others.”

Lady Shaw scoffed and asked, “What now? Am I to be a captive, a twisted trophy in these great halls of yours?”

Lavender shook her head, “No. I have no desire to constrain you just as I have no desire to host you in my home. You will find that this house has two entrances. One of them is barred from you as you no longer have a physical body. The other leads to a magical world called Homestead and through there the land of Tierra. You are free to make your home anywhere you wish in that world. You will find yourself just as immortal as you fashioned yourself on Earth with the added benefit that you no longer require blood. You may be a vampire if you wish or choose any other path that you like. The choice is yours.”

Carmilla did not trust the enchanter. She always had an angle, “What is the catch? You would not do this for me for free. There is always a price.”

Lavender tilted her head back and laughed, “We have both lived for an eternity. May I not just show a little compassion for a kindred spirit? I expect nothing in return from you except for you to do what you will with my gift. That is all.”

Carmilla stood suddenly and looked down at her clothes, making sure she was decent, “Where is this second door you speak of? I wish to begin immediately.”