The Record of Unusual Creatures

Hao Ren never thought that he would have such an experience before: studying a grimoire from the Middle Ages with a 10,000-year-old vampire. This should have rightfully been confined to the silver screens. It was one of those scenes in paranormal or occult-type movies where the grimoire was studied in a dark, unlit basement. Yet, this ancient tome was being studied in broad daylight in a living room, and the person studying it was a reigning pope with a six-pointed amulet to ward off evil. There was also a frozen husky beside him... The author of the book would have never thought that his work would be studied in such a setting.     

Vivian mentioned the various extraordinary happenings in human history as if it happened before her very eyes. At the time when "books" were a rare commodity, she was out and about between Europe and Asia. It was a time where clashes between the sorcerers and the Church were at their fiercest. The otherworldlings whose powers had already waned by then had all retreated to their various sanctuaries, while the humans that had obtained forbidden knowledge, the sorcerers grew while the church was looking away. Almost half of the grimoires in the world were from that age, and Vivian had seen a few herself.     

This was not one of them.     

She gently pressed her finger against the magically cured pages as she recalled what happened in the past. "The world was chaotic back then. Occultism and superstition reigned throughout the land. The Church hierarchy also took a heavy-handed approach to suppress it. It was miserable for those at the lower rungs of society. Sorcery came about during the end of the Mythological Age. They were either slaves of the otherworldlings or heralds of the 'gods who ruled men'. However, their position in society was high, and they were regarded as priests or apostles. But as the Mythological Age came crashing down, they splintered off into a sect of their own. They then absorbed many clerics whose faith were weak, or nobles who had lost hope due to the war. As the Church and the demon hunters flushed out the remaining otherworldlings, these group took the chance to spread their influence. The peasants were easily enthralled by sorcery, while the high clerics who could dispel such magic were woefully little. The demon hunters... Well, they never quite bothered with the plight of the humans. So, within a short period of time, sorcerers and witches were rampant.     

"I remember there was a time like this mentioned in the history books." Hao Ren nodded. "But they sure don't sound anywhere close to your version."     

"The grimoires started gaining prominence then." Vivian sniggered. "A book like this could easily cause two nobles to declare war against each other. Because many of the magic in the grimoires could be learned by humans, as long as a price is paid, in human life. It was a time where leaders were willing to pay any currency, including lives, to get what they wanted. I remember wandering about in the towns of Europe, and there were many sorcerers or witches who were either being hung or burned. Most of them were fakes though. They only wanted to make some money through the fake grimoires, and not every noble had the guts to receive such a thing, at least not in public. Doggie, how long do you plan to pretend that you're an ice sculpture?"     

Lily shook her head forcefully as she shed the ice flakes from her hair. "I was just waiting to see when you'd grow a conscience! Hssshhh... Coooooldddd..."     

Vivian glared at Lily. "What? You're telling me, a sleigh-puller like you is afraid of the cold?"     

Lily bared her fangs in response before she shrugged. "Continue your tale. I'm quite interested. Never lived through that era."     

"Nothing of much importance happened at that time. The whole of Europe was a mess. The conflict between the Church and the heretics was the only thing of note at first, but it got stale even after a while," Vivian said as she pushed the book forward on the tea table. "The thing that caught my attention was a record of a ritual. No matter how I look at it, I feel that it has something to do with me."     

"Oh? What ritual?" Hao Ren was curious.     

Vivian turned the book open and flipped to a page with an art insert. The drawing had an oddly-shaped, five-pointed star, and there were many ritual items on each corner of the star. On the top of the star was a feminine figure with her fangs bared. Her hands were open as they pointed towards two devotees who were on their knees. Towards the corner of the drawing, there was a castle-like structure.     

Lily pointed at the female figure. "You mean to say that's you?"     

Vivian's expression was conflicted. "In some ways... I may actually say yes—"     

"But why does the drawing look like Sun Wukong?" Lily interjected almost immediately.     

Vivian smashed a small bat into Lily's face. "That's why I wasn't willing to discuss anything with you! Your mouth's becoming more and more like Mr. Landlord's!"     

"Why did I end up in your crosshairs too..." Hao Ren shrugged as he gave Vivian an innocent look before lowering his head to look at the picture. "What does this picture mean?"     

"It's the ritual to summon the King of Blood" Vivian pointed at the line beneath the picture. "Based on the picture of the five-pointed star, the sequence goes, black goatskin, dried mistletoes, bat fangs, limestone and the ashes of a woman's hair. The ritual is to be conducted on the night of a full moon. The persons involved stand opposite the magical matrix and cuts their fingers at the same time to let out blood. After the third drop, the King of Blood will appear. The King will then cast his spell on the two ritualists, and kill one of them, thus transferring half of the person's lifespan to another, and taking the other half as a tribute."     

Lily's ears perked up as she listened intently before blurting out, "What nonsense is this? What's the end goal for all this mumbo-jumbo?"     

"Sorcerers loved to record things like this." Vivian shrugged. "But now, all of these practices are lost. Back in those days however, it was very common."     

"Why do you think the King of Blood refers to you?" Hao Ren gave Vivian a perplexed look.     

"While the drawing is rather horrid, look at this..." Vivian pointed at the lady in the picture; a cross was hanging from her chest. "At least this is clear. The only vampire who would wear a cross is me. The creator of this grimoire was a very diligent sorcerer, so these drawings must have some basis. Even normal sorcerers would not put a cross on a vampire for no reason because that would pose the risk of being seen as lunatics by their peers. The only possible reason is that the author of the grimoire has met me before."     

"Have you met?" Hao Ren looked up and asked.     

"I can't remember." Vivian pursed her lips.     

Lily gave Vivian an odd look. "I can understand the rest, but why are you cracking your head on something nonsensical as this? Don't tell me you wanted to be the ruler of the world back then?"     

"How would I know?" Vivian rolled her eyes. "Sorcerers are normal humans at birth. Their magical system differs from the otherworldlings. Who knows what this ritual is based on. Hessiana simply thought that the book was rather interesting, so she sent it to me. Even she doesn't know how the author was."     

In that dark age of occultism and superstition, grimoires were very common. However, there was no obvious way to catalog them. Most of them exchanged hands in the shadows. The rituals that were inscribed to summon demons or other forms of spirits had been lost to time, and those that survived were so muddled by local superstition that they were practically worthless. Vivian was simply curious when she got a hold of the grimoire, but Hao Ren's curiosity was even more obvious. "Why don't we give it a try?"     

Vivian was stunned. "Try what?"     

It was only on such fun-making schemes that Lily reacted fast, and she quickly caught on to Hao Ren's meaning. "Summoning you of course!"     

"...Crazy." Vivian rolled her eyes as she turned toward the kitchen. "I'll prepare lunch. Leave me out of your insane schemes."     

No one knew where Lil Pea came from as she bounced happily after Vivian. "I'll light the fire! Light the fire!"     

"Keep her away from the gas tank!" Hao Ren quickly reminded Vivian before he turned to Lily. With a hushed voice, he said, "So, we're trying that summoning ritual?"     

Lily nodded excitedly. "Hmm, hmm!"     

"But it says that you need a night with a full moon to summon her." Hao Ren frowned. "That's a rather troublesome requirement."     

Lily wagged her tail in excitement. "It's going to be a full moon tonight. I've been excited for a few days now..."     

No wonder the husky was so energetic today!