Tarevin arrived back at the lodge in remarkably high spirits, though for them that wasn't saying much. Elisabet looked up at them as they entered, the less experienced hunter asking, "The hunt went well, I presume?" Tarevin nodded. "It was tumultuous, to be sure, but in the end I triumphed quite decisively. Another fiend torments this land no longer." Elisabet smiled and pulled out a chair. "I just finished making a stew, I'm sure you're hungry after such a long hunt!" Tarevin walked past the table. "Not right now, I must write my logs." Elisabet watched as they closed and locked the library door without another word. "Oh... Okay..."

Tarevin sat down at their desk and began to write. Reflecting on their actions, discoveries, mistakes, and successes was imperative to their improvement as a hunter of the dark. And there was certainly much to reflect on from this hunt. The quarry itself was a common vampire, no more interesting than any of the dozens of other foul beasts they had slain. But on the hunt, they had paired up with a most intriguing young priestess: Sister Allimrac.

The Sister was a lovely young cleric of the light, and she was almost as dedicated to destroying the dark as Tarevin was. She wore soft, complex robes covered in holy symbols, and was never without a light. Almost ever present in her hand was her lantern, swinging back and forth to shine light over all darkness. She exuded warmth and comfort, like a pleasant summer day, yet was quite formidable in combat. Many of the vampire's thralls fell before her light, and some were even cured of the dark corruption thanks to her light. She was quite caring as well. Tarevin remembered the first night camping with her...

"You look so tired after our work today, fair hunter. Get some rest." Tarevin shook their head. "No. I must stay alert." Allimrac smiled sweetly. "We have a long journey ahead of us. It is very important that you rest, to keep your strength up. My light will protect us." Tarevin shook their head again. "No. The creatures of darkness cannot be repelled by a simple light." Allimrac laughed warmly, the lantern in her hand gently swaying. "This is no simple light, fair hunter. It is blessed by the Goddess of light herself. Look how bright it shines." Tarevin looked at the light. It was indeed abnormally bright, clearly not a normal flame. Allimrac continued speaking in her rich, relaxing voice. "No darkness can penetrate such a powerful light... A single glance will repel all creatures of the dark that gaze upon it. There is nothing but safety and comfort within the embrace of my light. So you may sleep in peace, fair hunter." Tarevin had to admit that they felt quite tired... 

"The light will keep you safe tonight, fair hunter. Let its warmth relax you as you rest." Tarevin's eyes fluttered, but they still refused to sleep. "No... I must keep watch... To be safe..." Allimrac placed her warm, soft hand on Tarevin's neck. Her lantern began swaying back and forth before Tarevin's eyes. "All you need to watch, fair hunter, is my light... Watch it glow brighter and brighter... The brighter it grows, the safer you feel. The safer you feel, the more comfortable you are. The more comfortable you are, the more you find yourself falling asleep... Sleep... Sleep..." Allimrac's voice trailed off in a whisper as Tarevin's eyes fluttered closed... They were dimly aware as Allimrac lowered them to the ground and laid them on a soft, warm blanket. "Rest in safety, fair hunter... Rest well..."

On further reflection, Tarevin realized that she must have been mesmerizing them. To what end, they did not know, but perhaps it was merely to send them to sleep. Kind, but unnecessary. The less experienced in their line of work never did trust Tarevin to keep their wits about them without rest, but Tarevin needed far less rest than a regular person thanks to their rigorous self-discipline and focus. Perhaps they were lucky Elisabet never attempted to learn mesmerism to force their rest. The younger hunter was kind, but still too naive and soft for this line of work.

Tarevin continued recording the events of the hunt. They encountered many of the vampire's thralls and minions, either by happenstance or by a direct order from their dark master to attack. With all their experience, Tarevin hardly struggled against them. Allimrac seemed to hold her own well enough, though she was loath to kill. As typical of a holy lady, she believed it was important to save them instead of slay them. A position Tarevin could technically understand, but not one they believed in. Most thralls were already far too gone to save by the time the vampire began using them as attack dogs, attempting to save them merely wasted precious time and resources. Though Sister Allimrac was undeniably more talented at saving them than most Tarevin knew...

Allimrac knelt down, waving her lantern before the eyes of the struggling thrall. "Shhh, it's okay... Watch the light, lovely one... Watch the light... Safety and Comfort... Comfort and Safety..." The thrall hissed and spat at first, but quickly grew tired and relaxed. Their eyes, half-lidded and fluttering though they were, still bore the telltale deep red-streaked sclera of vampiric corruption. Tarevin impatiently loaded their crossbow. "This is wasting our time. We need to move towards the vampire's lair at once, or we risk losing our advantage." Allimrac smiled gently at them as they caressed the thrall's untidy hair. "We have time to purge this mote of darkness, worry not. She's already well on her way to purification." The thrall gave a pleased, animalistic growl as Allimrac continued stroking them. Tarevin glared skeptically down at her. "Comfort and pleasure will not remove the taint from the soul, only pacify it." Allimrac leaned closer to the thrall. "Worry not, I have far more techniques than just comfort and pleasure." She began softly chanting as she swung the lantern around before the thrall's eyes. 

Gently embracing the thrall, she began whispering into its ear as she stroked its dirty, unkempt body. Suddenly, the thrall bit at her neck! She winced in pain, but continued her soft whispers. Tarevin pulled their crossbow, ready to end this foolishness, but stopped in wonder as the thrall's eyes began to glow with a soft golden light. Allimrac's ritual took full effect, a shimmering light pulsing through the corrupted veins of the thrall. The thrall's eyes soon closed, and it relaxed into Allimrac's warm embrace, letting her whispers fill it with safety and comfort. Allimrac smiled serenely and stood up, almost carrying the now purified woman. "How do you feel now, lovely one?" The woman stared at her with a sleepy yet reverent expression and blissfully murmured, "...feel so much better... soul feels so much lighter..." Allimrac gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and untangled a knot from her hair. "Wonderful. There's a village nearby where you can rest and recuperate. Would you like me to lead you to it?" The woman nodded sleepily, snuggling up to her. "...yes, my lady... so sleepy..." Taking the woman into her arms, Allimrac smiled at Tarevin. "Don't worry, I'll just drop her off at the inn. Shouldn't take much time at all, remember?" Tarevin nodded, and watched her carry away the now completely purified woman...

Something about the ritual Allimrac used seemed strange to Tarevin on further reflection. It had involved hardly more than chanting and waving her holy lantern, and yet it had worked far better than most others she had ever seen performed. And even for a ritual clearly involving mesmerism, the purified seemed oddly attached to her as soon as it was over. And their sclera seemed to have soft golden streaks afterwards, as well... All of that could be explained away, but... Without fail, the thralls bit her just before they were purified. She hardly ever seemed to react outside of a wince or two, and she always had bandages on hand to cover up the wound. It's as if it was intentional. What kind of purification ritual requires you to be bitten...?

Tarevin began writing down what happened in the vampire's lair, but as they did, they began to feel... Odd. A bit lightheaded. Like there was something they were forgetting... Or something the vampire made them forget... They grit their teeth. They had believed that their specialized lenses protected them from the charm of a vampire, but evidently not. Luckily, they were well-practiced in dispelling this charm on themself. Taking a sachet of precisely prepared herbs and reagents, they burned them in an old tome and chanted the necessary spell while letting the smoke cloud their vision. As the smoke cleared from their vision, so too did the haze from their mind. They sat back down and began writing down what happened, what they had been made to forget.

The vampire was more subtle than many Tarevin had faced, but they were prepared for all eventualities. Hearing of their coming, the vampire had hidden themselves within their lair instead of trying to fight. Tarevin elected to split up from Allimrac to cover more ground, to ensure the vampire could not escape. Doubtlessly, the vampire was relying on their reclusive nature to affect a disguise as one of their thralls, assuming that the hunters would have no idea what their appearance was. A cheap trick, and one Tarevin was used to. Affixing a specialized mirrored lens to their right eye, they began looking around. Anything the left eye saw and the right did not must lack a reflection, and therefore must be the vampire. Many thralls attempted to attack them in their search, but as they were visible with both eyes the crossbow was suitable for slaying them. Tarevin was reserving their blessed stake for the master. Finding nothing in the left wing, they returned to the great hall... And found themselves staring at a mesmerizing sight.

A being of pure, shimmering light walked through the great hall, their presence brighter than a lantern. Merely a glance had Tarevin transfixed, and they stood still, entranced, as the being came towards them. They placed a warm, soft arm on Tarevin's neck and laughed sweetly. Their laugh was like that of a heavenly chorus, yet seemed oddly familiar. "My reflection is beautiful, isn't it, fair hunter? But I can't have you falling under my spell yet. Not while that creature of darkness lies undestroyed. So I'm afraid you'll have to let this memory fade from your mind... Let my light wash it away..." And the memory vanished in a hypnotizing shimmer of light...

...It wasn't the vampire that had tampered with Tarevin's memory. It was a creature of light. A creature with a reflection so beautiful, so mesmerizing... That merely a glance put Tarevin under a spell. A creature of light with an unnaturally warm body, with an unnaturally beautiful voice... A creature that mesmerized them with beautiful light...

Allimrac.

Everything clicked into place. Allimrac was some sort of monster, just like the vampire. And they had used Tarevin to not only destroy what must be a rival, but to allow them access to their thralls as well. That was no purification ritual... It was just a different form of enslavement! Tarevin frantically began searching through their books for anything like this, for any creature of light that lies and deceives. If, gods forbid, she were to attempt to attack Tarevin while she thought they were oblivious, they would need to be prepared. They would need to be-

Knock Knock

There was a knock at the door of the lodge. Panicking, Tarevin tore out of the library, yelling to Elisabet, "DON'T LET IT IN!" Elisabet looked at them, shocked. "Do you think it's a vampire?!" Tarevin shook their head. "Some other monster! Don't let it in!" Elisabet nervously nodded. "O-Okay... I... I'm expecting a delivery from the town apothecary though..." Before Tarevin could warn her not to, a voice sounded from behind the door. A very familiar voice.

"...Um, yes, Elisabet is correct... It's just me, Dallengar. I have some rare reagents she asked for." Tarevin let out a sigh of relief as they heard the town apothecary's voice. Elisabet nervously opened the door, seeing Dallengar awkwardly standing there with a box of reagents. "Sorry, uh, they just came back from a hunt. They thought you were a vampire." Dallengar chuckled. "Ah, fair worry in your line of work. Don't worry, haven’t been turned yet! Eye's still fine, see?" He displayed his perfectly unmodified sclera, and Elisabet laughed. "Thank you, these will be quite helpful." She closed the door and looked over at Tarevin. "Are you being pursued?! I thought you said the hunt went well!" Tarevin shook their head. "My memory was tampered with. I must investigate the library to prepare. In the meantime, exercise great caution when listening at the door! And if you hear someone who calls themselves 'Allimrac', do NOT invite her in!" Leaving Elisabet to lock the front door, they quickly returned to the library and continued looking through their books. Suddenly, a rich, relaxing voice sounded from behind them. "Quite rude of you, Tarevin. Did you not want to see me again~?" Tarevin instinctively drew their stake and turned around in shock, seeing Allimrac calmly standing by the door, a saccharine smile on her face.

"HOW DID YOU GET INSIDE?! YOU WEREN'T INVITED!" Allimrac laughed. "Well, I'm not a vampire, as you surely must have realized. In fact, you could consider me... Their reflection." Tarevin grit their teeth, not letting their guard down. "What do you mean by that?!" Allimrac smiled slyly, her lantern swaying by her side. "I am a creature formed of light, instead of born in darkness. I flourish in sunlight, and am destroyed in shadows. I do not take the blood of my lovely ones, instead I gift them my own blessed ichor. My reflection does not lack as theirs does, but displays my brilliant soul for all to see and become entranced by. And, most pointedly," she grinned, showing her unnaturally smooth canines, "I am not barred entry by the lack of invitation, but instead may then walk inside as easily as I please. The less you want me to enter," she giggled, " the easier it is for me to do so. And of course, there are countless other ways in which I reflect my dark counterparts. For instance, instead of a charming gaze, you'll find that my lovely voice can lull you into a deep trance from the mere act of speaking~" She gently put a warm hand on Tarevin's cheek, and the hunter realized with a start they had just been standing there, listening to her hypnotic words. 

Tarevin jolted back and raised their stake again. "I don't care what you are, I shall slay you and end your monstrous plans!" Allimrac grinned slyly. "But I am a creature of light, fair hunter. Your quarrel is with darkness, just like mine. Why would you want to slay me? My lovely ones feel nothing but comfort and safety under my care, my wonderful ichor filling them with endless bliss and warmth. You have no reason to detest me. You have no reason to hurt me. You have no reason not to gaze deep into my lanternlight, gaze deeper and deeper, feeling your eyes begin to flutter, fair hunter... I merely want what you do... And so who better to command you~?" Tarevin leaned into her warm, soothing hand, their eyes nearly closed from the hypnotizing light. Everything she said made so much sense... She only wanted what they did... They should obey... No... No...! They would not submit to a monster! With their last shred of resistance, they plunged their blessed stake deep within her heart. She gasped... And then laughed. 

Allimrac's voice filled Tarevin's ears, flowing through their body like warm milk. "Ohh, foolish hunter. With all that I've told you of what I am, of how I differ from vampires... Why did you think a stake would kill me~?" She held up her lantern, the light inside brighter than ever. "My light is so much brighter now... It feeds from the blessings on the holy wood inside my heart, and it is truly a feast~ Gaze upon it, lovely hunter~ Stare upon the bliss you have brought yourself~" Tarevin's eyes locked onto the swinging lantern, their mind beginning to melt away. "The brighter the light glows, the dimmer your mind grows` The brighter the light glows, the dimmer your mind grows~ Say it, lovely hunter~" Tarevin mindlessly murmured, "...the brighter the light glows, the dimmer my mind grows..." over and over again, a blissful smile on their face. 

Allimrac smiled sweetly and leaned in for an embrace. "You seem so thirsty after that hunt, lovely hunter. Drink of me~ Become mine~" Tarevin obediently bit into her neck, her lovely wince pulsing throughout their body, and began to drink. Her ichor was the sweetest thing they had ever tasted, and it warmed them up like the hottest stew on the coldest winter night... It flowed throughout their body, their own veins glowing with the wonderful light, and all worry, stress, and pain was washed away. There was only Safety and Comfort. Only Comfort and Safety. Allimrac gently removed them from her neck, and they moaned blissfully. "Such a lovely one you are~ And all mine now~" She smiled down at Tarevin's gold-streaked sclera. "You will be so useful for me, lovely hunter~" Tarevin smiled blissfully. For once, they were truly in high spirits...

Elisabet looked up as the library door opened. "Have you found- WHO ARE YOU?!" Allimrac smiled sweetly at her. "You may call me Allimrac. I was just having a wonderful conversation with your lovely friend~" Elisabet backed away, pulling out a stake before noticed the one already stuck in the monster's chest. "What... What are you?!" Allimrac stepped closer and raised her lantern. "A reflection, of sorts..." Elisabet looked around in panic. "Reflection?! What do you... you... you..." Her eyes landed on the silver spoon she'd left on the table, laying right next to Allimrac. And something about the reflection inside made her feel so... Warm... Comfortable... Safe... Mesmerized...