The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 8: Perks of the undead

"Do you always have to carry one of those with you?" Lucius stared down at Ethan's folded umbrella as they walked up north through the darkening streets of South Kerilia. "The sun's set, and it's not raining."

"Always good to be prepared." Ethan twirled the thing. "Pity to end up with burns just because I was unable to get back before sunrise."

Lucius grimaced.

"No high hopes on succeeding, huh?"

"I always take precautions." Ethan comforted him with a pat on the shoulder. "Out of principle."

"Not walking when the sun's out gotta suck though." Lucius couldn't help himself. It was most likely a sore subject, but curiosity won the battle. "Must be restricting. I mean, you can only be outside if it's raining... During the day, that is."

Ethan chuckled, to Lucius' relief.

"I've adapted. Can't do much else." His smile turned bittersweet. "Besides... I actually quite like rainy days."

Lucius tilted his head, waiting for Ethan to continue. No further explanation came however, so he continued instead.

"There are some perks though, it seems. Like the poofing."

"Shroud-walking, yes." Ethan's nose wrinkled as he smiled. "Not all vampires can, but some have other 'perks'."

Lucius stared at him in awe.

"Like... What?"

"Well, that friend I was talking about? He's a shifter... And while it's not an immediate perk he also can't be harmed by holy touch."

"... But you can?"

Ethan nodded.

"Can't touch harmonias or other holy objects without being burnt... Can't step on holy ground without crumbling to ash... Stuff like that."

Lucius' expression struggled between sympathetic and mortified.

"That sounds dangerous as fuck."

"Yeah..." Ethan shrugged. "... But on the bright side, few things outside of that can actually injure me. A weapon would need to be holy, for instance."

"But... You're not, like... A blight, are you?" Lucius' pace slowed, suddenly wishing to keep a distance and Ethan frowned at the insult.

"Blights are spawned directly from Scourges. I was born human."

"Huh..." Lucius nodded, still not quite following. "But you must be connected to The Waste somehow, right? Since harmonias harm you?"

Ethan shrugged, beginning to look uncomfortable.

"One way or another, not that it was my choice."

Perhaps it was time for Lucius to bite his tongue, in case he was about to anger an apparently dangerous being. He just had one thing to confirm before that.

"But... Anthony's not unholy, right?"

"No," Ethan replied, looking up at the clouds with a sigh. "No, he's not."

Lucius nodded, thinking back to the time at the sanctuary where memories of his past had attacked him. Anthony certainly hadn't seemed bothered by the holy ground underneath them.

A bittersweet smile appeared on his lips. Awful as he'd felt at the time, the memories of Anthony helping him through it still warmed his heart.

His smile quickly died out however as he noticed Ethan staring at him. It was the inquiring kind of stare Lucius should have expected sooner or later.