Of Gods and Monsters

Ashes, Ashes! We All Fall Down

"Satan has his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested."

- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

"I suppose, that Ambrus has told you some things. I can tell you he was around just after the Roman's had overtaken Budapest. He was around twenty-eight then, which was a fair deal older then, than it was now. He'd gotten by mostly by merit, always the charmer. He played the part of the noble gentlemen fairly well, but he could never pass as one. He owned brothels throughout Budapest, which diminished his reputation, but he was still a business man. He was still rich."

A flicker of a memory came back to Elek then. He remembered Ambrus's admission to Emilia that he owned brothels.

"Does he still own them, then?"

Elek asked, tentatively. Victor nodded.

"As far as I know, he still secretly owns a few and that's how he sustains his wealth."

Elek had never seen Ambrus busy himself with paperwork, and then thought back to the pudgy red-faced man, and he understood. Ambrus must pay him to oversee his projects, and he secretly manages them behind closed doors. He'd found a way to keep his name clean and still profit off his indecent business. Victor continued.

"His maker was completely different from him. Utterly. A man who lived during the times of the Magyar tribes, before the Roman's came. Made nearly fourteen hundred years prior to now, if you can believe it. He was an ancient."

"Ambrus was given a choice in the matter, though. He was seduced by the idea of everlasting life. He dreamed of a time where one's noble status wouldn't determine their treatment, he longed to see the day and flourish underneath it. So, he accepted. And what he brought on himself was no less than a lifetime of misery and heartache."

"His master, Almos was his name I believe, had a distaste for the era Ambrus lived in. He was unhappy and suffering greatly from a lack of familiarity with all of the lives surrounding him. I suppose, he might've decided to make another due to this loneliness. Whatever his motives might've been, he quickly realized that nothing would bring him happiness."

Victor paused in his story now, his eyes becoming dark and serious.

"Before I continue, I should explain something to you. Have you ever felt, when Ambrus leaves you, a sense of loss? An unexplainable urge to be near him?"

Elek's ears perked up.

"I have, actually. It's like when he's not there, I'm lost in a sea of icy-cold water, drowning."

Victor nodded as Elek explained his feelings.

"That's because of the bond. For whatever reason, there's an unexplainable bond between makers and progeny. I've yet to understand it myself, but none the less, it exists with a vengeance. You shouldn't be alarmed though, it's nothing abnormal. I would just be aware of it."

Victor warned. Elek felt a click of understanding snap into his head. Of course Ambrus was hiding. He hadn't thought that this attraction he felt could've been anything other than his own making, but now he wasn't so sure. Surely Ambrus was aware of the strange bond they now shared. Was it attraction or need? Elek couldn't distinguish. Victor continued.

"Anyways, it's important for you to understand this so the rest makes sense. Of course, Ambrus wasn't immune to this feeling I spoke about, he felt it too for Almos. A pull, a bond. A connection of blood and soul. With no one to guide him, he mistook this for love, and was completely devoted to Almos in all ways."

"Until, it came crashing down on him. Almos had slowly become more and more dejected with life. Ambrus tried to quell him, but it proved to be unfruitful. It finally came to a head then, some hundred years after, when Almos took his own life."

Elek felt a ping of pain hit him when he thought about Ambrus dying, and understood the terrible pain that Ambrus must've been in. Victor went on.

"It was horrible, really. Almos had left just before dawn, while he presumed Ambrus had been preoccupied. However, he wasn't, and had followed him. He stood, in the middle of a square, simply waiting for the sun to rise and obliterate him. Ambrus cried and tried to pry him from the spot, but he simply wouldn't budge. When finally, it was moments away from sunlight, Ambrus hid in the shadows, still able to see his maker. And he had to witness his death, turning to mere ashes before his eyes. Of course, he was never the same after. Heart-broken, he just broke his time between coming here and attending those shallow parties he loves. Until you, it seems."

Victor ended his tale, solemnly staring at Elek, deep in thought. Elek felt the sadness of the tale choke him.

"You must be special, then, for him to risk potential pain. Perhaps you have something in you he lacks. I think---I think I might understand what that is. You have so much light in you, such a sentimental heart. He must crave that which he can't have anymore, that wonder and optimism."

Victor said, unfolding his hands and stretching. His tale had lasted far longer than he had intended. He scrambled up as if something had startled him.

"Merde! The show is soon! We must get you in costume!"

And with little time to collect his thoughts on the harrowing story he'd just been told, he was pushed to his feet, and into the changing room.