Part 2
The land around the cottage had begun to heal with the death of Amaranth Liddell. New trees were growing, and the dead grass was being slowly replaced by fresh green grass. Rebecca stopped at the front door.
"Are you ready, Rebecca?" Sirene asked, having finally caught up to her.
"Ready as I'll ever be, come on." Rebecca said after a moment, opening the door.
Rebecca was surprised by who she encountered inside, it wasn't who Sirene had described at all. It was Rebecca at the age of 14, she knew immediately. Her hair was still blonde at that age, after all. She glanced over at Sirene, who didn't seem to be taken aback at who was here.
"Oh, I get it." Rebecca said, crossing her arms. "You look like the teenage version of whoever looks at you, is that it?"
"You're very perceptive." The teenage girl sitting on the chair replied. "Much more than Sirene."
Sirene shifted uncomfortably. How did Rebecca figure this out so easily? And how did she not figure this out at all?
"You got a name?" Rebecca asked, taking a seat opposite of her.
"An intriguing proposition." The girl replied. "You may call me... Eren."
Eren waved her hand and the small bottles reappeared on the table. "Eigengrau is far too stuffy to do this, you know."
"What do you mean?" Sirene asked.
"The cure was made by the Raven King. He loved dramatic and over the top performances. Eigen's... a dead fish. She can't cast the cure." Eren stood up, and arranged the bottles. "It needs to be done in a specific order, Eigengrau already asked him."
Rebecca took a closer look at the bottles. It felt like they were looking back at her, and they made her slightly uneasy. Still, she picked up the first one in front of her, the liquid inside a dark grey charcoal colour.
"Mmm. That one's the last one. The curse of plague, Eigengrau's portion. No, the first one we need to do is The Raven King's. The curse of dead flesh." Eren said, pointing at the dark green bottle. "Go on, drink it."
Rebecca uncorked the bottle and took an appraising sniff of the liquid inside. It smelled of pine needles and fresh rainfall, to her surprise. Deciding not to drag things out, she drank the entire bottle in a single gulp, and slammed it onto the floor. She regretted it immediately, as a searing hot pain quickly spread from inside her. She fell to the ground and screamed, holding her stomach.
"What's wrong with her?" Sirene asked, looking concerned.
"Her body is remembering how to live. Her heart hasn't beat for over a hundred years. Rebecca, feel the thunder in your chest as your heart roars back to life. Feel the pain in all your limbs as your senses return to normal. Remember that you wanted this!"
As Rebecca's heart started to beat for the first time in over 115 years, the pain began to fade away. Slowly, she remembered how to breathe, and the tightness in her chest faded.
"Don't stop now, Phantom Thief!" Eren shouted, taunting Rebecca as she laid panting on the ground. "That's just the first curse! The curse of starvation is next!"
Rebecca made it to her knees, and grabbed the bottle full of white liquid next, also swallowing it in a single gulp. Again she collapsed to the floor, the pain wracking her from within, as she seized on the floor of the cottage.
"Feel the hunger of a century!" Eren yelled. "Remember the taste of food long forgotten! Feel the pangs of hunger long dormant as you starve! Live once more, Rebecca! Sirene!"
Sirene nodded and snapped her fingers. Food appeared on the table in an instant. Rebecca reached up and managed to grab a loaf of bread, and devoured it in seconds even while she still winced in pain. After she cleared the table of all the food, Rebecca leaned against the table on her knees, panting.
"Good news, the worst is behind you." Eren said. "But next is the curse of fire." Eren pointed at the bright red bottle.
"Let's get this over with." Rebecca said, still panting. She uncorked the red bottle, and sniffed it first. Like a warm summer day. She sipped it, then drank it, the liquid burning slightly as it went down her throat.
At first, she didn't feel anything. Then the burning started. It felt like she was being cooked from the inside out. She looked around the room in a panic, for it felt like she was being burned away.
"Feel the unmatched power of the sun! Feel it burn through your soul, as it remembers the gentle warmth long denied all at once!" Eren said loudly in a commanding voice.
"I feel like I'm on fire!" Rebecca shouted, shaking Eren back and forth.
"Don't fight it Ashe!" Eren said, grinning manically. "It's a century of sunlight all at once!"
Rebecca sat in the chair and grimaced as she let the pain wash over her. It was all worth it, she told herself over and over. After nearly 20 minutes, it was all over, and all that was left was the feeling like she had been laying out in the sun all day.
"What next?" Rebecca asked without hesitating.
"Vaust's. The curse of shadows." Eren said, picking up the black bottle. "I'm... not sure what's going to happen."
Rebecca took the bottle and opened it. She sniffed it, but it didn't smell like... anything. She took a sip, and it didn't taste like anything, either. She raised an eyebrow, but finished the entire bottle. For a change, she didn't feel any pain, but she noticed her skin slightly glowing.
"Feel the natural order of luck and misfortune return to you, daughter of man." Eren said, pacing. "The ebb and flow of Vaust has come back. Next comes the curse of hate. The pink one."
Rebecca decided she didn't want to take too long on this one, and drank it in one go. It tasted like... tears? Her vision began to blur. Was she... crying? Rebecca sunk to the floor as the weight of all her actions of the past century hit her all at once. All the people she killed, the actions she made. She wept for what felt like hours.
"Yes, feel the flood of emotions!" Eren said, her voice a shout. "Feel the emotional wreckage you caused for a century! The pain of loss, the highest highs and the lowest lows! Remember what it is to be human! Fight every second for survival!"
When Rebecca stopped crying, she looked over at the table. There were only 3 bottles left. Eren gestured at the empty one, and Rebecca picked it up.
"There's nothing in it?" Rebecca asked, eyeing it.
"Mine. The curse of stasis. It's empty because the curse never existed." Eren said with a smile. "The Book of Fates determines the day you die."
"A hoax, then." Rebecca said, flashing a quick smile. What about the yellow one, then?"
"The Curse of the Abyssal, Vordea's. This one might actually kill you." Eren said, warning her.
"What?"
"You could age 100 years all at once. I don't know what'll happen." Eren admitted.
"Eren, I have an idea." Sirene offered, speaking up for the first time in awhile. "Will the cure work outside of time?"
"Of course it will." Eren answered, clapping her hands once. "Go ahead."
Rebecca opened the bottle, and the stench of sulphur filled the cabin. Holding her nose, she drank it slowly, coughing and gagging as she did so. It didn't hurt, but she could feel the bones under her skin moving about, and it felt deeply uncomfortable.
"Eren, my bones-"
"Yes, I can see that, I'd rather I didn't." Eren said, looking at Rebecca in disgust. Eren clapped her hands again, and Rebecca's body rearranged itself again, and stopped moving about. "Time for the last one. The curse of plague."
Rebecca stared at the charcoal grey liquid inside this final bottle. Once she got through this final trial, it would all be over. She'd finally be cured, after all these years.
"A moment." A voice could be heard saying. Rebecca spun around and found herself looking at Eigengrau.
"Eigen, what's the holdup?" Eren asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"If she cures the curse of plague, she will not have vampirism anymore." Eigengrau flatly stated.
"Yeah that's the point." Eren and Rebecca both said.
"She could therefore catch it again." Eigengrau continued, finishing her thought. "Given the circumstances, it may be best for her to not accept that portion of the cure."
"Hang on, you said it had to be all or nothing!" Eren said accusingly, walking up to Eigengrau and prodding her in the chest.
"I lied." Eigengrau said. "I do that a lot, Eren."