2026-03-14 23:35 - 1:23 PST, 2026-03-15 10:49 - 14:41 PST
Earlier that night, Kingsnake learned what a Blood Bond is1. She spoke about it with Jensen and Kaveh. She justified it, explained it away. Surely it happens on accident sometimes. Neres was like her sire, but better than Liam. She didn’t abandon her, she raised her up. That wasn’t a lie. It couldn’t be a lie. They had important work to do, like bringing back Set. Set taught them to be free. That must be it. This was a test. Neres was testing her. It all made sense.
“It’s not… how do I put it…” She takes a moment to compose her thoughts. “Set teaches us to be free. It’s like the philosophies of… god who was it… Sartre? It’s about becoming radically free, about questioning our own actions and learning that we have the ability to make a choice in almost any situation. Set wanted us to free ourselves by questioning the things we take for granted. It’s about understanding the social and moral assumptions we make so that when we choose, it’s that we’re acting on our own values not the values of others. Our work is important because the other Setites have lost their way, they espouse evil instead of questioning and self reflection. She’s never told me I needed to be more dependable, or respectful, just that I should question why I feel owe it to her.” A realization dawns on her face. “Maybe it’s that…. If I am actually… blood bonded… that this is a test. This is a challenge to my teachings, and when I can learn to separate what I truly want from what… from what the blood bond makes me feel, then I’ll be ready.”
kaveh shakes his head acknowledging the discovery the kindred came to “i wouldnt put it past Ms.neres to do something like that, that lady strikes me as the type of person thats always trying to test people…” he pauses leaning back in the car seat “But if thats the case…Then the answer cant be chasing set across the world just to make ms.neres proud…You just said it yourself, Set taught freedom. He taught his followers to question and to act on their own values instead of someone else’s” he folds his arms “If you truly are blood bonded to Ms.neres, as you said how can you be certain that the blood bond isnt pushing you toward devotion? perhaps this crusade to restore set is exactly what the bond wants…Thinking about it…if this truly is a test, the worst way to pass it would be to follow the feelings without question. Anyone can devote themselves to a cause. Anyone can chase a god…But choosing something for you…something that doesnt need approval…something that might even disappoint the person you admire…That is freedom” he pauses and he briefly touches the metal piece on his chest, the logo is that same as the pin that kingsnake picked the 2nd time they met “You say set wanted people to question their assumptions. So ask yourself one more question…Do you want to resurrect set?…or do you want Ms.neres to look at you and say you did well?…because those two things are not the same” he fidgets slightly with his hammer, staring at it
Kingsnake’s posture visibly slumps, her composure going with it. Kaveh was right. It would have been so much easier if he was wrong. “I… I don’t know what I want. I don’t know where I start and where the blood bond ends. God this sucks. I want to say my faith is genuine and I know some part of it is, but if it’s just what Neres wants, how can I even tell? I’ve just… I’ve just been so happy with her…” She’s visibly trembling, and she wipes a bloody tear from one eye. “What do I even do? Every fiber of my being is telling me to go back to her.”
She stayed at the Falcron Blacksmith that night, and after a brief conversation with Kaveh the next night, she left.