When Blindfolds Fall

17: The Past Never Forgives

"So, what is your decision Josiah?" Dmitri asked as he watched Josiah look frightened at the Bloodferns' time oracle.

"I--" Josiah shuddered. "I want to know b-but . . . I'm scared."

"Why are you scared? Is it because you fear something you've already suspected is true?"

Josiah didn't know if Dmitri interpreted him right, or if he was making a general question.

All this time, Josiah believed Viktor innocent, that he never once killed anyone. But why, just why did he lately feel like something inside him was forcing him to open his mind to the cold truth? It felt like his subconcious mind was trying to wake him up from the dream, the lie, he's been living in with Viktor Bloodfern.

This glass sphere held those answers. Once in his possession, Josiah wasn't sure what he would do with them.

The man took a deep breath and shut his eyes to steady his nerves.

He was marrying Viktor, no matter what. And by that logic, he deserved to know.

"I need to know." Josiah stared at the oracle. "I need to know what happened."

"Josiah." Dmitri stopped him and looked sympathetically at him.

"I hope you love Viktor very much."

"I do." Josiah teared up. "I love him more than anything in this world."

With that, Josiah finally broke away from his hesitation and placed a hand over the time oracle. He channeled the energy of his questions into it and let it transport his mind into the past of the Bloodfern family.

*◇*◇*◇*◇*

Four centuries and forty-eight years ago, the Bloodfern family had a son named Viktor Azrael Bloodfern and a foreign, time-traveling soul.

Josiah's mind regained consciousness in the era where Viktor was a young man of 120 years old. The ambassador looked around to his surroundings, but he struggled to recognize where he was.

The room was dimly lit by candlelight and with such poor lighting, Josiah could barely make out the details of the room.

There seemed to be the silhouette of a bed in the middle and a large armoire right across it.

The tapestries of vampire anatomy hung on the walls fascinated Josiah, at least until a loud thunderclap echoed in the chamber and frightened him.

Josiah looked behind himself and finally saw what he came looking for. Viktor's younger self was sitting at his desk, reading a book on the biochemistry behind mate bonds.

Truth be told, Josiah assumed this was Viktor because of the color of his hair. This young, Josiah couldn't recognize him.

His facial features were so much softer, his hair short and fully colored, and he gave off the energy of a dedicated scholar. A man of science and passionate of the art.

The eyes covered by his round glasses were kinder, or as Viktor himself would put it, more naive. He was a bit shorter than what he is now and thinner comparatively. Also, no facial hair had grown enough on him yet nor was the tattoo on his neck present.

Another lightning bolt struck the ground and made thunder rumble once more. This time however, someone knocked on the door of Viktor's room.

"Come in." Viktor said and lifted his head from the book.

"How are your studies coming along Viktor? I trust well?" A younger Dominique opened the door and stepped inside.

"I've decided father. I want my specialty to be in mating studies. There's so many things we don't know about the physical aspects of a mate bond and so much room to explore. This is what I want to do my final research on."