Waking up felt off, my mind heavy, and yet my head was light. And opening my eyes—I saw only the canopy of a bed above me, the mattress feeling incredibly soft below me. For a moment. I let myself relax here, comfortable and just not wishing to think of anything. After days of resting in a barn, with hays as my bedding… Having something that supported my back slightly and yet wasn’t rough enough it could dig into my skin, was incredibly wonderful. Letting my eyelids fall again, I wished I could let sleep claim me again.

Until, of course, I remembered that I hadn’t finished the mission—and the church definitely didn’t have such a luxurious bed. I jerked awake, pushing the blanket off my body and immediately looked around, as if what I saw could have helped me figure what I could do.

At least there wasn’t any more bindings upon me—even if I didn’t remember what had happened between then and now.

The room was unfamiliar, even as everything dripped with luxury. The carvings at the corner of the walls, painting—the fact there was even a mirror on a dressing table—the cupboard and four pillars of the bed I stayed on were also looking like they were made out of some sort of rare and expensive wood. I rubbed them for a moment, feeling how smooth it was even though the wood had been carved for some sort of fancy patterns that made my head spin.

I blinked and looked down—and finally noticed what I was wearing. Ice filled my veins as I looked at the comfortable nightgown I had, without any signs of my usual weapons and magical implements.

My head immediately snapped back up, turning here and there to see if, perhaps, I could have found them hidden somewhere in the room. But nothing came to me, the place almost feeling sterile if not for the fact there were attempts to make it more comfortable. The choice of colors on the bedding and mattress, looking more like the pattern in the back of my tarot card with its simplicity. I opened the wardrobe, and stared at the variety of outfit, each of them mostly casual but with colors I could grudgingly admit looked nice.

There wasn’t much else hidden in the room, but each and everything I saw was made of the highest quality. They felt so real, even as I rubbed them against my fingers.

I sat back down to the bed, feeling the way it contorted itself because of my weight. Everything looked perfect… and that was the biggest question of them all. Closing my eyes again, this time I focused instead of relaxing, trying to feel if there was some—I jerked almost immediately, the almost imperceptible hum I was barely noticing at the edge of my thoughts and hearing felt so incredibly clear now.

A will pressing down on me. Her will. Penelope’s.

Warmth filled me at first, the knowledge that she kept me within her watch. Her intent trickling into myself, telling me how much she cared and yet how that too, was cloaked within condescension. My body heated up, my thighs pressing against one another as I could feel a stirring of arousal from that realization—I cut everything off almost immediately, the heat still curling between my thighs. But at least I wasn’t lost within Penelope’s programming, or whatever she did to cause this.

Gritting my teeth, I stood back up to change toward one of the casual outfit I had seen in the wardrobe. While I hated wearing something that wasn’t exactly real—this would stay as long as she wished it to be, she had taken away all my usual wears, forcing me to either this, or the nightgown which would be even more problematic, or naked.

The tunic and pants were light, with such a soft fabric I barely felt it against my body. Comfortable too, ensuring that I could run without issue. I still missed my usual outfit, especially my jacket, but this was a decent substitute.

It was now time for me to implement my plan—which just meant to run away to get out despite Penelope’s will still envelop me. An uncomfortable feeling wiggled into my chest, a tightness I couldn’t really parse where it came from. I knew I should go now, that the longer I stayed here, the easier Penelope’s will would supplant my own.

And yet a part of me questioned my reasoning, wondering why I wished to do it. Because running meant coming back to the church. Even if that was somewhere I had always known, despite everything. Maybe they had become suspicious, with how the blessings had continued to become a failure onto anything of mine. But the church was familiar, and so I chose it.

I walked out of the room, leaving it behind me to seek the way out.

Penelope’s will continued to wrap around me, a comfort even as I desired to leave her behind.

The corridors continued to expand in front of me, even as I kept walking and willing the castle to give me the path out. Before, when I first arrived here, exit came easily. The moment I wished for it, there was barely any resistance. But now? No matter what I did, Penelope’s more stubborn, keeping me twisting inside this castle of her will—and I couldn’t scrounge more out of myself that would manage to be stronger than she.

When I ended up in the same room again for the fourth time, I stopped. Sweat had formed and caused the fabric of my tunic to cling onto my body uncomfortably, and I knew I had to think of a way to get out and away from Penelope.

The vampire seemed to stay content not forcing you, beyond having to stay in the castle. But that clashed against my goal and wish, and so, despite a part of me saying this would be a bad idea—I relaxed my body and will, wishing to go toward Penelope instead.

The transformation was fast. A blink, and then the corridor had changed to a curved one, forming stairs that went down, with twists and turns that I knew would lead toward her. As I stepped forward, a part of me knew that I could turn back. Just rest in the bedroom and wait until Penelope come to me for her feeding, because surely there wasn’t really any other reason for her to do this—and murder her when that happened.

Feeding’s one of the most vulnerable time for a vampire, after all.

That possibility was attractive, and that meant I didn’t have to keep exploring this damned castle that kept making me get lost. Wait. I didn’t have any of my weapon with me. I shook my daydreams of gaining the upper hand over Penelope and faced reality instead.

Following the new corridor’s far easier than anything else I had done in this castle—showing how much my will must have aligned with Penelope’s at this moment. With each step I did, I always gave my surroundings an occasional look, determined to be attentive.

That’s how I noticed the way the corridor’s slowly becoming more opulent, more lavish in decor the closer I was to my destination. My heart beat faster as I noticed a double door in front of me, the size closer to the gates outside. It opened automatically as I get closer, making me realize that I was walking right into a main hall.

My hand trembled slightly as I didn’t stop, my chest feeling tight once more—but not in worry like before. I could breathe still, my heart not beating too fast. Calm settled around me like a cloak, and I held onto it tight.

Carved pillar rose around me, showing off scenes I tried to not look deeper—I could see patterns too at the edge of my sight, ones that tugged at my attention and stop so I could finally understand. I didn’t stop, moving to the only chair in the hall.

More like a throne, if I was honest. Especially as I got closer and could see the gemstones inlaid around the chair, the plush seating looking especially luxurious. The one sitting was none other than Penelope, the vampire relaxedly lounging on it as if she had done nothing wrong.

“Ah, welcome… Stella.” The way she whispered my name made me feel as if feathers were caressing my spine, soft and gentle enough it left me with goosebumps than anything else. “Come closer, I want to look at you better.”

I wanted to hiss, to put my feet down right at the bottom of her throne. But when she said that, my mind felt off for a moment—and by the time I realized it, I had stood right in front of Penelope. My thoughts were sluggish, the usual sharpness I had nowhere to be found.

She stood, her height still completely towering over me and making my heart pound. Her hands gently come onto my chin, forcing me to look up and right into her wonderful eyes once more. My already slow thoughts became molasses, barely moving as I stared in wonder.

“What a good girl, coming here instead of trying to go anywhere else.”

Her words should alarm me, but she caressed my cheeks, slipping her hand below my tunic to touch my skin and—the heat burned within myself, a pull of arousal that made me whimper even as I stayed and allowed her to play more with my body. Whenever I opened my mouth, in an attempt to say that she’s the one who stopped me… Her fingers ghosted across myself, and I found my thoughts were blinded with pleasure.

I gasped and moaned, the easiest words to make when she was playing with me like this. My mind sank into something easier for me to understand, where I could just accept and acknowledge this rather than really think about it. This had to be something Penelope had done to my mind, and yet I couldn’t draw any sort of anger.

There were only pleasure and submission, and her praises kept pushing me down. Deeper and deeper until I didn’t have any idea anymore what’s right and wrong, what’s truth and lies—only what Penelope said.

“I’ll love to play more, but this isn’t what we need to do right now.” She said next, kissing the side of my neck—the place that had been throbbing, but I hadn’t realized until she had licked it, sending a warm, tight feeling into my stomach. “So wake.”

I jerked, feeling as if cold had just splashed across my nerves. Not merely my skin, but right inside myself. I shivered, but the fog within my thoughts had been cleared away too.

Penelope still held me, but I didn’t feel the safety I had associated with her—and I had to wonder, since when had that happen? How did I think I was safest with her?

I pushed her, not so strong that she would definitely be pushed away if she didn’t want to. But she let me go nonetheless, and I still felt a pang within myself. As if I had lost something by not having her physical presence completely next to me. She kept herself apart, watching me with an amused look that made my stomach twist. She didn’t feel like she had done anything wrong, no. More akin to her allowing me to than anything else.

My jaw tightened, teeth grounding against one another as a familiar feeling filled me. “Penelope.” I started, her name somehow still flowing so easily, but I brushed that off. Focusing on the heat I could feel instead—not as strong as it should be, but still there. “You betrayed me.”

I had said—felt it twice before at least, but this third time was hopefully what I needed. “Why? Did you enjoy seeing me so desperate, trying to fight you?” I remembered how I had sought her out, uncertain of what I could do after the failure of that attack. “Or do you just want to see me broken up like this?”

My voice cracked at the end, and I looked away. One hand holding onto my elbow as I pulled it closer into my body, my body slightly curled as if I could protect myself.

Silence descended between us, Penelope not immediately having an answer. My insides twisted further, even though I knew it was unreasonable to wish that she had. I knew I would still be angry, but somehow, along the way, I found that I had looked at her to know everything. To always tell me whenever I had ended up with a question—especially when it was more about her reasoning.

When she finally did talk, Penelope had walked closer. Not touching me, but less than an arm’s length. My breathing quickened, my body curling up a little further as I listened to her as much as I could.

“That’s such an uncharitable way to look at what I’m doing with you, Stella.” She started, voice soft and in such a way that I wanted to let my shoulders loosen and let her explain and soothe away the knot of worry within my head. But I fought that instinct, keeping my head up so I wouldn’t fall. My hand still trembled from all my effort. “Although I suppose it’s best to be honest at this moment… I’ll admit that at first, that’s all you are. An enjoyment, someone new I can play with.”

I jerked slightly, the twisting in my chest almost reaching into nausea. But I had no choice but to listen now, as she gave me the truth.

“I grow to know you. I heard the attempts, and then… I met you.” She looked softer here, the tension that had been lining across her shoulders relaxing, even though I didn’t understand why. “Your talk with Corina, your frustration as you come back to me because I’m the only one in the village who enjoy your presence.”

That made me look down again, as she reminded me how much Hermann, the village chief, had ensured I would fail. Perhaps if I was someone with better talent—if I was someone who believed in the church better—then maybe things could have worked out. But I wasn’t, and so this was how things fell toward.

“I did it all, Stella. I fought, because I knew that if I only faced you through my hypnosis, then you won’t accept what is happening right now.” Penelope keep talking, and now she was coming close and gently pulled me into an embrace. She wasn’t warm, and I stayed there, frozen. Unsure if I should push her away or relaxed into it—until she said her next sentence. “Even as you waver in your path, you will continue. Letting yourself burn to the ground, even though you are a star, to shine forevermore. My star.”

I shook within her hold, a surprise and understanding mixing together.

Star. Just like what I had gotten—the one I thought I understood before. My body felt hot and cold as I stared at her, and the way she looked at me… She must have understood then, when I drew that card.

“Yes, I know.” She nodded, gently caressing my cheek again. Not in a dominant manner, like previously she had done, but something to soothe what I was feeling. The way everything felt like they had been crumbling away, and all I could do was hold onto her—the only anchor I had left.

Maybe I shouldn’t. I had to push her away and run off back to the church—but what was left for me there now? I was… corrupted. Ever since the incidents, and then being pushed her and befriending her… I couldn’t look at the church the same way.

Everything spun, my chest feeling tight as I trembled heavier. Penelope merely held me tighter, trying and somehow managing to tell me that she’s on my side, somehow. Even though she had violated my mind—but I couldn’t somehow see it as something too bad. Not when she looked at me so softly and gently, as if I was one step away from breaking.

“If I never befriended you, would… I still manage to win?” I ended up speaking, my face still buried in Penelope’s body. Feeling the way she was cold ever so slightly, even as her scent was still thick with ink and paper. Reminding me that she was the one who worked there, in that temple’s library, and helped me.

“You know the church isn’t always right, not anymore.” She started, gentle and yet reminding me. With the words said, it became harder to really deny the truth. “Even if you still believed… No. I’ll be hurt, of course, but I would have merely played and drank your blood before…”

Penelope didn’t continue, but with her hand having moved to my throat, massaging the front slightly—I knew what she meant, and fell silent.

In some ways, I had avoided death. Not even the death of myself—as I would change enough even as my body was kept alive—as I wasn’t her thrall. I remembered her words previously, but it only felt more real now.

“What if I had studied the non church magic, then?” Because the binding ritual had failed because I didn’t study it enough—merely relying on what I thought I understood. That what I had gotten from the church’s magic, could be applied in the same way to the ones from outside. “Then I could have bound you and then…”

The thought she would be bound made me hurt, an uncomfortable pang across my body that made me tremble worse.

“Maybe. Maybe not. You have your reasons for not fully studying it, haven’t you?” She cut straight to the matter, tilting my head up so I would look right into her eyes. Still stormy as usual, making my stomach flip as I watched the way they swirled and could so easily tug me down… But she didn’t give the words. “Besides, you never did feel suspicious to me. Not until I truly show myself to you.”

“You… you disguised yourself perfectly.” Maybe not, but the cold was so easily rationalized away, and I couldn’t deny that I had never once thought she was someone dangerous. Eccentric, perhaps. But in the end of it, Penelope’s someone I trusted. I couldn’t really summon the anger from the betrayal right now, but that was still leaving me feeling complicated. Pain and uncertainty and care, for I really had thought of her as my friend. They all mixed together into a cocktail of feelings I really didn’t want to try parsing. Not right now, at least. “Is my choice that fatal?”

Penelope didn’t answer at first, but she tugged me, making me follow her back to the throne. She placed me on her lap, and I didn’t try to fight. Not right now. Maybe if our talk broke down, but this position felt… right, to me.

“It is the few of the existing binding that will do it to the maker, to humans instead of non-humans.” Penelope said, “I had studied these maybe merely around a hundred years ago, but in some ways… yes. If I was anyone else, you would never have woken up, Stella.”

She said my name a bit sharper, and I looked away as if chastised, even though I didn’t really want to think I did make a mistake there.

“But that’s not the point I want to make.” Penelope sighed, taking her hand to run it through her hair. Not exactly to smooth it, but more like a nervous tic. I wasn’t really sure how to take of it, but I kept watch, even as her other hand held me close. “For the hypnosis to work? You have to have some levels of trust on me first. Maybe pulling you down into trance will work even without that, but everything I did? You gave me your trust.”

I froze, not really wanting to say she was right but—I couldn’t deny it either. Even now, after everything that had happened, there was a part of myself who looked at Penelope and couldn’t help but believe every word that came out of her mouth. Whatever she said, I couldn’t help but trust that she wouldn’t lie to me.

Maybe she would make it more positive to her side, but not outright fabrication. And that was the crux of it, that despite everything, even through the betrayal—I still looked at Penelope not with hostility but the hopes she could help me again.

“Otherwise, I’m sure you would have run away already. Gotten out of this castle and into the village, perhaps taking the only train back to the cities…”

I could imagine that road, and that would be the easier path. “But you were the one who kept me here.” I couldn’t help but whisper, because I remembered the will within the castle. The one who pushed me here, preventing me from even getting out of here.

“And yet, you accepted it in the end. You didn’t fight me, even as I comforted you.” Penelope’s hands weren’t going everywhere, but she knew where to place them. Somewhere that made me both warm and calm—one on my head, and the other just keeping me close.

She wasn’t wrong, after all. I could have fought, even without weapons. Even if all that would do was making an issue, if I was truly someone who still believed in the church… I would.

“Let it go, Stella, my star… you have tried hard enough.” Her whispers sent more shivers down my spine, a reminder that she didn’t want the best out of me—but with the way she looked at me, the gentleness and condescension—I couldn’t find any voice within me to fight her, not truly. “Accept that you prefer to be like this, being my pet and cared for.”

She didn’t pull me into a trance, even though I was looking right into her eyes. Penelope waited for me patiently, as if there wasn’t any other possible answer I could have given—and as I thought about it for a bit longer, feeling the pressure of Penelope around me, I couldn’t disagree.

There wasn’t any warmth, there wasn’t trance done onto me. Just her words, and the facts of what had happened.

“You are right.” I breathed out.

The words didn’t ring uncomfortably in the air, but more like the signs of the truth. I had accepted it, and it… didn’t ruin anything. In fact, her hold merely became tighter, and my body loosened just a little bit more.

“Good girl.” Penelope whispered, her mouth right next to my ear, and I couldn’t help but squirm slightly, heat burning in my core just from that little tease. “You’ll be such a great pet for me.”

Penelope lifted her head up a little, allowing me to look into her eyes once more—and this time I could truly see them. Their glow pierced me, reaching ever deeper until it grasped me somewhere I never knew.

“Down.”

I fell again, and this time I was happy to, certain that Penelope would mold me the way she wanted me to be. That the next time I woke… I would be what’s best for me.

Just like what the tarot card, the Star, promised.