Shiilzu

Due to reasons that had occurred so long ago they had become lost to time, vampires and witches stayed engaged in a war that spanned exactly a thousand years. Neither side ever saw an end to the conflict, even when the calls for peace talks began and the following peace treaty was signed. Everyone on either side knew that the city, Ravenvault, built in the name of a truce between the races was a beautifully constructed lie to keep up appearances. Many vampires and witches preferred to remain living in their original territories, and those who did live in Ravenvault adamantly stuck to ‘their sides’ of the city.

At least, most did. A tiny fraction of vampires and witches were willing to let their hostile past lay to rest and shouldered the judgment from their races as they treated each other with kindness. Two such people were a young vampire lord and a witch coven heiress, who went so far as to fall in love with one another. However, they were not naïve and knew that their relationship would be more than just frowned upon.

Deciding not to risk the reactions of the two races, the two fled in secret, though staying within Ravenvault’s borders at the risk of giving away their location when passing the guards. They built a small hut hidden by the overgrowth coming from the Wicked Forest on the other side of the border and began their life together, which was soon blessed a year later by a child.

Shiilzu could neither be classified as vampire nor witch, as while she inherited the vampiric ability to charm others with her speech and voice, as well as her mother’s enthusiasm for spells and potion brewing, having both traits together barred her from being classified as either race. Not that she minded – her parents taught her she was perfect the way she was, so that was how Shiilzu viewed herself. Unfortunately, this would lead to their downfall.

The disappearances of a vampire and witch of her parent’s statuses were not going to fade into the background as her parents had hoped. Their families and friends had continued to search tirelessly for them, only to be greeted with what they considered the greatest betrayal after years of dedication to find them. The couple’s attempts to explain were left ignored, especially after their families found out about their half-blooded child, causing any attempts to avoid confrontation to get thrown right out of the window.

They reported what they had seen to their own races immediately, labelling Shiilzu a deviant child, a heretic, a ‘thing’ that would lead to their downfall. Neither race was willing to accept a child with the filthy blood of the other race mixing with their own in its veins, and the tenuous treaty was almost ripped to pieces as soon as the word was spread. Both races came to an agreement immediately – they would return to a state of war… unless the child was killed.

Luckily, Shiilzu’s parents old friends were able to inform them of the agreement before the armies reached their doorstep. The couple wanted to send their daughter away immediately, but Shiilzu protested – if she wasn’t there when the armies turned up, wouldn’t that mean her parents would have to suffer the consequences instead? She was willing to risk her life staying to protect them.

As they were attempting to persuade her otherwise, an idea struck her. The only reason they wanted her dead was because she was both vampire and witch, so if she was no longer that, everything should be solved! Instead of running away, she could split herself in two, meaning not only would she be able to stay with her parents, she would also gain a sibling!

Her mother tried to warn her of the unknown and potentially harmful effects the spell could have on Shiilzu if she went through with it, but she persisted enough in her persuasion that her mother eventually conceded. …Or so she thought.

When the day came that Shiilzu and her mother were supposed to attempt the spell, things did not proceed as planned. Instead of Shiilzu splitting into two, the space behind her split open into a black hole that sucked her in almost instantly, so fast Shiilzu nearly missed her mother’s tearful apology. Her mother had sabotaged the ritual, instead changing the spell to one that would send Shiilzu away to another world.