บท 23: Valaren

X, Ezra, Gen, and Olivia gathered around the page, their eyes tracing the newly added lines that formed blocks of text etched upon the page.

The lights shining overhead flickered uncertainly, sending shadows dancing around them. Tension filled the air once more as the page emanated new weight.

The tension blanketed the room before being cut through by a familiar voice.

"Is this supposed to be a poem?" Gen furrowed her brow as she mused aloud, her voice tinged with skepticism. "And since when was the progenitor so... flowery? They don't tell you this in the histories, do they?" She asked her companions.

X chuckled softly. "Poetry, our dear Genesis, is the pursuit of gentlemen," he remarked with a tinge of playfulness in his voice. "As you can see, even our ancient ancestor had a taste for the finer things in life."

"Finer things in life?" Gen scoffed. "Poetry? Are you drunk? Don't answer that. We already know you're cracked in the head."

What's with this bitch? Doesn't she have any sense of self-preservation?

Olivia, her expression grave, cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to the task at hand. "I would have expected an older language but it's written in the common tongue."

"That's a feature added to all grimoires. No one wants to spend time translating when they could be enjoying their new items instead."

Gen craned her neck to stare at what from her perspective was an upside-down page. "What does it even say?"

With a steady voice, Olivia began to read the verses aloud, each word weighed with significance.

"In Valaren's hold, vitality fades.

Flames extinguished in its silent shades.

Motion stilled, where darkness reigns.

In shadows deep, destiny's chains contain."

Gen wrinkled her nose in confusion. "What does all this even mean?" she demanded, frustration creeping into her tone. "Is this another puzzle?"

Olivia sighed, her fingers tracing the lines of text as if seeking answers within the script. "Valaren," she murmured thoughtfully, "must be the name of the monster."

"Correct." X nodded in agreement, his mask shining in the light of the room. "And if we follow the pattern of most grimoires," he continued, "the passages likely describe the capabilities of the monster."

"Vampires can't use a monster tattoo if they don't know it's powers. That is one of the limitations of blood tattoos. If you steal an unknown monster, it's useless. Just as Valaren is the name of the monster, based on the poem, the monster must have the ability to destabilize vitality and extinguish flames."

"So," Gen began incredulously, "you're telling me that we've been going through all this trouble for... a fire extinguisher?" Disbelief colored her words as she shook her head. "This is disappointing. Shouldn't progenitor relics be more... impressive?"

X's chuckled, his body language displaying his mirth. "Maybe," he conceded, "but remember, power comes in many forms. And sometimes, the greatest strength lies in subtlety."

Motion stilled, where darkness reigns. "Does that mean the weapon can produce darkness? Darkness that stops all motion?" Ezra asked.

"It would seem so." X answered as he hunched over the page, his blank mask almost touching it. "You don't need to know the specifics of what a tattoo monster can do in order to use it. You just need a general idea. The real question is... where is Valaren?"

"What?"

X seized the page and brought it up to the light. He turned this way and that, scrutinizing it. "All we've got is basically the user manual. Where's the weapon. This can't be everything."

"How would we know? The poem doesn't say anything about where the monster is." Gen said. "And honestly, we don't really care. We would just like to go home. We've done our part. We've taken you to the page and we've decoded it for you. Release us."

"Oh, I don't think so." X chuckled. "You still haven't given me my weapon. You still haven't given me my Valaren. Did you think I spent two hundred million credits just for this?" He slapped the page back down on the table before turning his mask to Olivia. "Decode it."

Ezra sighed. Not again.

"This must be another puzzle. Another code to solve. You must be good at that. So, decode it." X took a step forward and Ezra took a step of his own to intercept him.

"I don't know how." Olivia answered calmly, staring straight at X.

"Don't lie to me, there's no way you don't know how."

"I've never gotten this far before." Olivia said. "I do not know what comes next."

"Don't lie to me. Don't fucking lie to me!" X screamed. A new Aura descended as the room spun, swirling madness assaulting the mind of all present.

Oh shit.

"No. NO! I would not be stopped. I would not be denied. They seek to take what is mine. They seek to destroy me! They mock me, laughing in the darkness." He glanced fearfully at the few shadows in the corners of the room.

The three vampires stood rooted at the spot as the Aura became a physical weight. Tugging. Pulling. Fixing their feet to the floor.

"No! I will tear the world asunder, rend reality itself, if need be, to get what is mine by right! They cannot hide it from me forever. They cannot keep me from the truth that runs through my veins, for I am the crossed swords. I. AM. X!"

The reluctant occupants of the room glanced at each other in a mixture of fear and confusion. Is this what you want me to be ready for? Ezra wanted to ask Olivia but the words were stuck in his throat as the aura in the air grew thicker. A slight wind began to blow in the sealed room, tugging at their clothes.

X's laughter echoes off the walls, a cacophony of madness and despair. "I'll find Valaren. I will possess it. And when I do, they will all bow before me. For they will see me for what I am. A god in the making."

His laughter cut off suddenly before he turned calmly and stared at Olivia. "You can't decode it, you say? Well, you're useless now."

"EZRAAA!" Olivia screamed.

Boom!