The Fallen Vampire

It's funny how fast life reverses one's circumstances.

In an instant, you can go from healing the sick and injured to being tended to yourself.

Yemoja was finding this situation to be a very challenging one for her to contend with.

"I promise you all that I am fine… this bit of coddling feels a bit unnecessary."

Yemoja was tucked into bed so firmly that she couldn't move.

Vermeil was nearby running some cold water into a cloth.

"D-Don't worry, your goddess-ness! I promise it's really no trouble at all!!"

Yemoja watched Vermeil dart across the room to light candles and even crack open a window.

She was pretty sure she could even request food if she felt like-

"A-Are you hungry?! What do all powerful mother goddesses eat?! C-Cheese? You look like a cheese kind of woman!" Vermeil whirled towards Taira who was still lost for words. "Babe! Go and get our goddess-guest some cheese!"

Taira turned his head to the side in confusion. His ears flopped along with him.

"My dear… I don't believe that cheese was on our list of necessary items for this voyage."

"Damnit! How could we be so fucking stupid?!" Vermeil facepalmed.

"Umm…"

Yemoja smiled in embarrassment as she finally pulled off the Herculean task of getting untucked from bed.

"I do appreciate all the attentiveness, but I'm afraid all this fuss is unnecessary on my part."

"O-Okay… Well, can I ask how you even managed to show up here all of the sudden? Or have you been here the whole time..?" Vermeil asked nervously.

Yemoja opened her mouth to speak.

"Before all of that…" Lucia began. "Can we maybe partake in a bit of reintroduction for those of us who aren't super familiar with earth and it's mythological history..?"

Vermeil and Yem passed an awkward look between the two of them.

"Well…" Vermeil scratched her cheek. "In Yoruba mythology, Yemoja here is the patron goddess of the ocean and rivers. She is the mother of the Orishas and a creator of humanity."

Yem nodded politely without adding anything else. Likely to avoid seeming too full of herself.

"You seem like quite the big fish then… no pun intended." Lucia clarified. "So what brings you all the way to our neck of the woods? And as our cook no less…"

"Are you like the others and have been brought here against your will?" Taira raised a brow.

Yem filled the air with the sound of her beautiful laughter. She got out of the bed and walked towards the mirror on the opposite side of the room.

"I am far from a prisoner here. Though I must admit, I can understand how you might've reached that conclusion. But no- in truth, Abaddon helped me get here as a favor."

This made Lucia's ears perk up. "Uncle did? How?? And how do you know him??"

Taira was also invested.

"'How' is a bit of a complicated question." Yem smiled helplessly. "But he is a very powerful being endowed with lots of privileges by the almighty creator. There isn't a lot he cannot do within reason."

"He tried to take something from me… or he sent someone to do it." Taira said. "Do you know why?"

Yem finally finished giving herself her former fishy features and turned from the mirror to face Taira with a pitiful smile on her lips.

"That creature that you ate is dangerous, Taira. Abominable. Chaos' influence drips from it's very pores and it corrodes the world around it. It, and others like it have to be contained- they never should have broken out in the first place." Your next read awaits at empire

Taira briefly recalled the stories of 'The Beast of the End' and how it brought low millions of warriors. His grandfather included.

Public knowledge of that battle is extremely hard to come by- having practically been erased by every race and culture under the sun.

It was as if the battle was so horrific that nobody wanted to talk about it.

And listening to Yem's description of it, Taira was beginning to see why.

But then that also begged the question.

Why did he decide to let him keep it?

"Can I ask.." Vermeil began. "Why did you want to come here? And be a cook of all things?"

Taira wasn't sure, but for a moment he felt like he saw a smile dart across Yem's face as she looked at him.

It gave him an odd feeling.

"Curiosity." She shrugged. "Immortality becomes droll after a while, dear. You have to find ways to amuse yourself.

This whole experience has been a very novel one for me. I'd even like to continue as if nothing has happened if you'd have me."

Vermeil's jaw dropped.

A primordial goddess had just asked to continue working as a chef in her cult for minimum wage.

This felt like the visual personification of the word 'overqualified'.

"And I'm assuming you don't want the rest of the cult to know about your identity?" Lucia asked.

"Very perceptive of you!" Yem beamed. She really did seem to be quite the ray of sunshine.

No one really seemed to have much of a problem with that-although they did wonder just a bit about why exactly Yem had chosen this profession out of all others.

"I know we've been pelting you with questions, but I'm afraid I just have one more…" Taira said.

Yem seemed to already know what he wanted to know before he asked it.

"I'm sorry, Taira. I'm afraid I cannot take the lost ones home. Nor can I even tell you why they were brought here."

Yem explained that she was actually an alternate.

She was a version of Yemoja from a parallel reality. Her power here was limited and she couldn't interfere in the world's ongoing events too much or else she would suffer backlash.

Just like earlier when she healed everyone.

She told them that it nearly blinded her to peer into the future and set herself up with an opportunity to meet everyone.

It's partially why she was unable to prevent the cult from being poisoned. Her senses still hadn't recovered and thus she was unaware someone had infiltrated their home.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Taira relaxed a bit at that, and no longer stared at her like she was potentially suspicious.

"So then are you stuck here too?" Vermeil asked.

Yem shrugged. "On my own, yes, but all I really need to do to get back to my reality is send Abaddon a text and he'll open up a portal to take me home."

Vermeil's entire expression threatened to crack.

"I'm sorry… a what?"

Yem held out her hand and a piece of black glass and metal appeared in her hand.

Taira and Lucia were able to recognize this device as a smartphone. The humans they found in the secret realm all had them.

The only difference was, this one actually turned on- and a flood of memories washed through Vermeil's brain as a result.

"Holy. Shit. You really are a goddess..!" Vermeil's eyes sparkled.

"I am indeed." Yem giggled.

Somehow, Lucia and Taira felt like they were literally watching a new obsession take root in the mind of their loved one.

They had yet to determine just how they felt about such a thing, and would wait to reserve judgment until later.

But early optics really weren't all that promising…