Purgatory Chronicles - A New Life After Death

Chapter 7 - Allure

Limits that once applied on Earth don't hold sway in Eternity. Laws that governed the behavior of natural order no longer apply. One would struggle to create coherent governing laws of this reality. One law seems to contradict another in a chaotic dance devoid of logic.

To that end, many things are possible in Eternity—Witchcraft, Alchemy, actions of Myth—that weren't possible on Earth. Perhaps even the creation of a homunculus is possible, but is simply speculation. Scholars baffle at the chaos and lawlessness, seeking to find constraint and order. One must learn to feed off the chaos. That is freedom.

Chapter 1
Eternity in Alchemy (1955)
By Viviette Grenadine

***

"Viviaye!" Liam called out, spotting the white tousled hair on the street. He tried to close the distance. She turned, her red glare meeting his. It was certainly a rare occurrence. Bystanders glanced at Liam as he made his way through the street.

Viviette was surrounded by a group of Noctari guard, no doubt her personal guard.

A brown haired woman flashed in front of him, drawing a blade to his neck. It was so quick, he hardly had time to process it. Liam stopped in his tracks. The blade was near, only hovering inches away.

The woman had longer brown hair, horns adorned her head much like Viviette on occasion. Her green eyes looked accusatory. "It is Lady Grenadine to you!" The woman sneered.

"It's quite alright Lyra." Viviette said, closing the gap and gesturing for her servant to stand by.

"Yes, Mistress." Lyra replied, sliding the blade into its sheath. She step back assuming a guard position among the others. Four of the guards were hooded and concealed their faces with skull masks. Under the masks he spotted two sets of red eyes, a set of blue eyes, and a set of gold eyes. All were staring directly at him. Through the mask he could tell they were studying him. Liam saw no sign of Erik.

The crowd also went still, watching. All eyes were on them. The mundanes kept their heads down and kept walking. Other watched and stared. It must seem strange to them, a low level Noctari calling out to the Grave Warden personally by name. He should have called out more formally, then this wouldn't have evolved into a scene.

"Don't mind Lyra, she is one of my vassals." Viviette said, ignoring the onlookers as if they weren't there in the first place. The concept of having a vassal reinforced this newer brutal image of her that Liam was still having trouble grasping. Viviette carried a stronger aura than that of their previous engagement. Liam wondered why she didn't have guards then.

To have ones that were sworn to loyalty must provide its own power. Yet it seemed wrong to force them into such a contract, binding them as slaves. He had seen it play out in the duel, Erik Bromsworth was forced into servitude. Certainly, Erik had a choice. But only one choice led to a continued life, a coercive choice.

"Follow." Viviette beckoned.

They left the street for the more secluded alleyways. The mazes of different eras always disoriented Liam. Lyra followed behind them, a hand on the hilt of her blade. Two of the masked guards walked ahead and two farther behind.

"I saw the battle," Liam started, "You fought well."

"A small trifle, nothing more." Viviette shrugged, continuing her stride.

She considers that a small trifle! Only she would know if those words were truthful. The battle itself seemed pretty even, until the end. Liam wondered if Viviette was ever truly close to losing in that fight, or if it was all just an act for the masses. He had cheered for her during the victory. His voice was lost among the crowd.