The Fallen Vampire-Chapter 253 - Chapitre : Permission Slips?

"Husband... husband..!"

"Nnh.. deer meat and chicken feet...Zzz..."

Tiche groaned as she sat on her bed with her legs crossed.

Her human husband was still asleep like the great big teddy bear that he was.

It was cute, and Tiche definitely would have let him stay like this for longer if it were up to her, but she had already given him an extra five minutes. They couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Tiche finally realized that she had no other choice. "...You're going to be late for training if you don't wake up soon."

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Raymond immediately sat up like a man possessed.

Too many beatings at Vaal and Shakti's hands had embedded a fear into him that was like none other.

"I-I-I'm up, I'm up!"

"It took you long enough." Tiche was already climbing out of bed to get washed and dressed.

Raymond rubbed the grit out of his eyes and kept his gaze glued to his wife's figure.

"H-Hey, babe... How much time do you think we have?"

Tiche looked back at her husband with a smirk. "Definitely not enough for that. If that was what you wanted, then you definitely should have gotten up earlier."

Raymond clocked his teeth. H"Curse this damn narcolepsy..."

Tiche just laughed and beckoned him into the bathroom.

He cursed himself all the way up until they were walking out the door.

Tiche and Raymond walked beside many of their fellow cultists towards the training hall.

All of them seemed to be equally morbid this morning for one simple reason- this was their first day back to training since the summit.

The Dai-Shi were always far harder on them on the days after they were given 'breaks'. To such an extent that the cult would rather not even get them in the first place.

They were almost positive that today would be exponentially worse because they hadn't just missed one day. It had been multiple.

Raymond was seriously regretting his missed opportunity for sex this morning. Because he was already absolutely positive that there was no way he would have the energy for it later.

Finally, the group piled into the training hall with feelings of dread and anxiety at an all-time high. Save for a deranged few, that is.

However, instead of finding their instructors inside of the hall, Shakti and Vaal were standing side by side in front of a small wooden table.

"Senior Sister? Are we not training today?" Jordan asked the group.

Tiche didn't know why, but for some reason, she thought Shakti was a little bit more tense than normal this morning. But then again, she could have just been imagining things.

"We're not." Shakti stepped to the side so that everyone could see the stack of papers sitting on the table beside her.

"Junior Brother Vaal and I are going to give each of you a document. You are to take the day looking it over, sign it if you agree, and then leave it outside your quarters."

Sawyer and many others narrowed their eyes. "What kind of document is-"

"You are to ask no questions, and no information is to be provided other than this- what these documents are proposing will most certainly be the most trying experience of your entire lives.

Look over them carefully before you make your decision, because you will not be given an opportunity to quit or change your mind."

The way she made sure to stress their inability to change their minds was frankly the most concerning part of his whole speach.

If she were stressing it like this, then this training or whatever it was would be a hell, unlike anything they had ever suffered through before.

-

"So you think we're going to die?"

Corey had barely even lifted his spoon to his mouth before he heard his girlfriend utter the most impossible phrase he could think of.

"Babe... the Dai-Shi train us pretty hard, but I can't imagine any sort of instance where they would have us sign waivers for our consent to kill us."

Their friends who were sitting at the table couldn't help but nod their heads in agreement.

The cafeteria was rather quiet this morning as everyone ate and read over the waiver they'd been given in silence.

Saanvi unfurled hers one more time and read it as she chewed on a hunk of bread.

Instruction Participation Form.

Leave your signature on the dotted line if you wish to participate in a new, rigorous training excursion.

Duration- Until all have achieved satisfactory progress.

In the event of your acceptance, please leave this form outside your quarters.

"...Maybe they are going to kill us." Saanvi finally muttered.

Saanvi was generally a pretty positive person. If she was saying there was a chance for them to die, then their future really did look bleak.

"So none of you intend to sign then?" Tiche asked after enough time had passed.

"I mean...They said we have a choice, so..." Jordan absentmindedly pushed around the food in her bowl. "Are you just going to sign it?" She asked Tiche.

"I already have." She held up her document and showed everyone her name on the dotted line.

They stared at her like she had completely lost her mind.

"Did you even think about it??" asked Jordan.

"Not for very long." Tiche shrugged. "Merely receiving participation forms from the Dai-Shi is a clear, telltale sign that they don't believe we'll be able to take whatever they have in store. I intend to show them I'm more than capable."

Her line of thinking really got everyone at the table questioning the situation from top to bottom. The cult leaders had certainly never given them an option to participate in an exercise before.

"...Fuck it then." Sawyer took out a pen and signed his name right along the dotted line. "Whatever it takes to become a 'Fortunate Son of Heaven' I guess."

Corey lit up. "So you were listening to me yesterday!"

"Shut up."

With Sawyer signing his form so boldly, a few of the others were now more inclined to do the same.

Himari signed hers without really making much of a big deal out of it. Everyone was equally impressed.

Saanvi glanced across the cafeteria at Vaal, who was eating and talking with Shakti.

When he felt her gaze, their eyes briefly met. He offered her his usual roguish smile.

Saanvi blushed and looked away quickly.

"...Sawyer's right. Fuck it." She started to sign her name.

"That's the spirit, little human." Tiche congratulated. "You'll make a fine warrior yet."

Looking around at allof her friends signing, Jordan began to feel a bit like the odd man out. "W-What about you two..?" She asked Corey and Raymond.

Raymond held up his paper which was already signed. "Wherever the missus goes, I go." He shrugged.

Tiche kissed him on the cheek in a rare display of PDA. His sacrifice was already returning an investment.

"And you..?" Jordan finally turned to Corey.

He scratched the back of his head, unable to meet her gaze. "I mean... It sounds a little scary, yeah, but I think it could also be a really great opportunity."

Jordan knew from her boyfriend's answer alone that he had also made up his mind already.

Which meant she needed to as well.

She suddenly snatched away Sawyer's pen and started to sign her name on her own paper.

But Tiche snatched it from her before she could fully put her name on the dotted line.

"H-Hey, what are you doing??"

"Preventing you from making a rash decision." Tiche smiled. "If you're going to go, go for yourself. Not because of a man or because you think you'll be the odd one out."

"You didn't give these two dweebs that advice!" Jordan pointed at Raymond and Saanvi, who were slightly offended by the name-calling.

"Saanvi and Raymond were always going to come anyway. Vaal and I had very little bearing on their decisions."

She handed the pen back to Jordan but before she released her grip, she held onto it tightly so that the human girl couldn't just take it.

"This excursion sounds like it will be incredibly taxing. if you're going to sign, then sign because you want to be pushed. Sign because you're ready for it. Any other reason is insufficient."

She finally returned the pen back to Jordan, but the young girl was much slower in taking it than she would have been before.

"Take the day to think about it, babe. No pressure." Corey said with a warm smile.

Jordan nodded slowly as she went back to eating. For the rest of breakfast, everyone decided it would be best to leave her alone so that she could think.

"...Gotta say, I'm a little surprised the two of you are so ready to go." Himaari finally said after enough time had passed.

Tiche and Raymond looked up in surprise. "Us? Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, it's going to be an extended stay kind of thing, right? You guys probably won't have any time to bump uglies for a while."

Tiche's brow crinkled. "It's not as if we can't go without- R-Raymond?!"

Big Country suddenly stood up and lifted his wife over his shoulder. He held her securely by the legs so that there was no opportunity for escape.

"We'll see you guys later."

-

Hours later, night had fallen on the day. It was the dead of night, but Shakti couldn't sleep no matter how long she lay in bed.

At one point, she even tried her hand at meditating. But her mind was too unruly at the moment for that to work.

When she opened her eyes after a long time, she found a face she was intimately familiar with standing above her.

The look of his glowing eyes was more stimulating than it was jarring.

She forced all impure thoughts into the back of her mind and made one very simple, clear request.

"…Please remember your promise."

She received no answer. But then again, she wasn't expecting one.

She felt his hand cradle her cheek and lift her head upwards.

When his lips pressed against hers, she didn't pull away this time.

The sound of their lips crashing against each other was the only sound that could be heard for several minutes.

Shakti's heart was beating so loudly that it was akin to thunder in their ears.

The moment lasted for a long time, but Shakti knew when it was beginning to come to a close.

Her eyes had begun to feel heavy. The sleep that had been evading her before was crashing back into her with a vengeance.

She pulled away just as her consciousness started to dip. The last thing she heard was his soft, heavy voice playing in her ears.

"I promise."