Vampire Reincarnation

Fear not, my children, my subjects. Victory is upon us, God has blessed us with power, strength, and desire! Come, stand by my side, for the enemy sits at our borders, hungry, and we, too, shall feast.

A red sky met Kai as his eyes snapped open, and, looking around, he found himself sitting on a bed of white flowers in the middle of an empty field. A gentle breeze blew past, disheveling his silver hair. He raised a panicked hand to his face, only to discover the missing mask. Removing his fingers, he gazed upon his palm, and he let out a soundless cry as blood dripped down his arm.

Jumping to his feet, he staggered as a howling wind almost pushed him to the ground. He caught himself, and stood straight, his breathing hastening as he noticed the emptiness around him. What’s going on?! This isn’t the usual nightmare… Thinking that, he raised his foot, however he wasn’t able to put it back down. A familiar jingle resounded in his ears, and his head snapped down, meeting a thick, black chain binding his feet to the ground. No! He yelled, however, no sound came out no matter how open his mouth was. Stomping down, and pulling hard in an attempt to break himself free, another chain shot from the earth, this time binding his left arm, and then another one, binding his right arm.

No, stop! Stop! His anguished cry rang, but only inside his head as the chains pulled him down, smashing his spine against the bed of flowers. The nearest one to him spun, turning from a three-petal flower into a Bloody Red Spider Lily, and another one followed, and another, until he lay on a scarlet bed, his crimson eyes shining as his agape mouth let out a soundless cry.

…

Kai jumped up, his scream echoing inside the cramped walls of the guest room. His body ached, and bandages covered him from head to toe. As he moved, they turned bloody, his wounds opening once again. A heavy sigh of relief escaped his lips as he rubbed his wrists, content to be free of the illogical nightmare he was in.

A soft smile creased his lips as he looked down, seeing the small-sized Onyx sleeping peacefully. He nudged him with his feet, prompting him to wake up and instantly climb up, furiously licking his face. “Haha, thank you, boy, it’s ok, I’m awake.” Chuckling, he got down from the bed and stretched his limbs before donning a new set of clothes.

The door creaked as he opened it, and, after seeing that nobody was in the house, he walked into the bar. A relieved smile creased his lips as he saw Karfi take care of the countertop, and Tasui, his daughter, reading aloud from a poorly written book. The man didn’t smile, only acknowledging Kai’s presence with a nod. His daughter, however, raised her head and smiled cheerfully toward them, her eyes fixated on Onyx, as always.

Kai walked over and sat down, an amicable smile on his face. “Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning Kai,” Karfi said, handing him a glass of water before turning back to his duties of cleaning the already spotless counter. The boy laughed and drank the entire glass in one go, letting out a delighted sigh. “Thank you, I needed that.” He said, but neither Karfi nor Tausi acknowledged his words, however, he chose to ignore that as he looked around the bar. It was dirty, as usual, however the light from the lampposts seemed extraordinarily bright that night.

He glanced at Tausi’s book and tried reading it, however, he couldn’t understand any of it, whether it was because of the handwriting, or because the language was foreign to him, he just couldn’t understand it. But the writing seems familiar… doesn’t it? Shrugging it off, he simply leaned against the counter and took in a deep breath, taking a proper look at his bandaged wounds.

“Hey, uh, thank you for treating me, by the way. I’ll cover the costs, don’t worry.” He said, patting his bandages. However, his pupils constricted as he noticed small, sharp bumps spreading across his skin. Shocked, he turned to Karfi, who did not react, and then to Tausi, whose gaze had long since left the incomprehensible book.

“But of course,” Her lips parted, a voice that was not her own escaping her frail body. “Don’t worry, I treated you, so of course it’s free.” The voice doubled, a sharp, screeching tone mixing with a lower octave one. “So tell me, boy.” Tausi approached him, sending goosebumps all over his body. He fell from the chair, landing on the ground, his legs giving in as the sharp indents became larger and larger.

“Tell me, how did it taste?” The voice asked, its menacing tone sending shivers down Kai’s spine.

“T-taste, Tausi, what do you mean? Is this some sort of bad joke?”

“Oh don’t play a fool.” It said, multiplying once again, “How did it feel, sinking your fangs into its flesh? Drinking its blood like the holy nectar it truly is…”

“W-what? Blood, fangs, what- what are you talking about?”

“Tsk, tsk.” Tausi clicked her tongue, her neck elongating, and approaching Kai’s ears with her lips. “You know you liked it, you want more, don’t you?” It whispered, the voice changing to an alluring one, one that messed with Kai’s brain. He recalled the euphoric feeling when the creature’s blood entered his mouth when he swallowed it.

“You loved it… Don’t fool yourself, because you can’t fool me… Come on… just take it. Take your prize.” Tausi’s neck warped around Kai’s, her tender, succulent veins flashing before his eyes and placing themselves right at his lips. “Come on, just take a bite…”

“N-no… stop! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kai moaned, his throat drying up as he gulped.

“Kai-” Karfi’s voice reverberated in the room, his deep, calm tone hiding a tinge of disappointment. “Why didn’t you tell us you were a vampire? Now look at what you’ve done.” As he finished saying that, the windows broke and the doors swung open, letting the sun enter, flashing right onto Kai’s skin.

He yelled out in anguished pain, his feet disintegrating as he squirmed, and, from the doors entered men and women clad in armor. The emblems on their chests signal Kai’s worst nightmare - Inquisitors.

One of them swung their lance, and, before Kai could let out a sound, Karfi’s head flew out from his body, a fountain of blood spraying from the headless corpse as it fell to the ground, tainting the counter.

Another one slashed at Tasui’s neck, meeting the same fate as her father, the lifeless, elongated neck falling on Kai, binding him with its weight. Lastly, a man wielding a spear slowly walked toward Kai, his weight making the floor shake with every step. He let out a chuckle, sending a cold shiver down Kai’s spine. The air split as the spear shot toward his face, penetrating his skull and slicing his brain in half. Blood gushed out as the inquisitor pulled out the spear, and looked toward Onyx, whose true form remained frozen in fear, watching all this unfold.

“Last one…”

…

Kai’s eyes snapped open, his body drenched in cold sweat which permeated into the blankets and mattress. He breathed heavily, a blazing warmth seemingly cooking his face from the inside. Taking a deep, sharp breath, he stood up and patted the surface of his face.

“Phew…” He let out a heavy, relieved sigh as he felt the mask under his burning fingers. Quickly uncovering himself, and looking at the puddle of sweat that formed under him, he looked around him, not finding Onyx anywhere. His heart raced, and he pinched his arms to make sure he wasn’t dreaming again.

He got up and creaked the door open, making sure there weren’t any overly bright lights, and, just as expected, the house was empty. That means they’re tending to the bar. Walking with an eerie sense of deja vu, he opened the door to the bar and walked inside. Greeting him were Onyx, who played with Tausi, Karfi who cleaned the counter and an unknown woman drinking booze from a large pint.

“Uhm, good morning.” He said in an awkward, tired voice.

Everyone turned toward him, and Onyx immediately rushed toward his side, jumping and knocking him over as he licked his mask and arms. He quickly got off of Kai, though, and even helped him get up as everyone in the room stared awkwardly at him.

His heart skipped a beat, and he brought a hand to his face just to verify once again that his mask was still present. Walking forward, he nodded toward Karfi, whose face wore a soft smile, then glanced at Tausi before fixating on the foreign woman.

Long, ashen hair cascaded down her ample chest, her mesmerizing orange eyes staring down at the cheap alcohol. She brought the pint to her thin lips, and a few drops dripped down her tanned neck. Kai gulped and looked away.

She slammed the glass down, stood up, her white cloak fluttering in the wind, and looked at Kai with an annoyed, yet intrigued expression. She wore a black choker, with a silver star hanging from the center, and underneath her cloak, what seemed to be a tailored-made uniform. It didn’t have any intricate patterns or fancy embroidery, but instead, similar to her choker, a silver star decorated its center.

The woman didn’t say anything, but instead approached Kai, invading his comfort area completely, and seemingly scanning every area of his body. She grabbed his arm, took off his shirt, and ran her fingers along the crease where the holes once stood.

Nodding, she sat back down and said. “Good, it seems that you’re healing well. I’d hope so after two days of coma. ” Her melodious voice rang in Kai’s ears, and his flushed face turned even redder as he realized that she was the one who treated him.

“Yes, it seems so.” He said sheepishly, “Thank you for uh, bandaging me.”

The woman scoffed and turned to her drink. “The one you should be thanking is this big bear over here, he used every trick he had to get me to come here.”

“N-Natasha!” Karfi’s embarrassed, slightly high-pitched voice escaped his lips, greatly contrasting his overall appearance. “The kid doesn’t need to know that-”

“Well, why not? He came to you after all. I have to say you greatly oversimplified the state he was in.” Natasha said, a tinge of annoyance hiding within her amused voice. “Speaking of, what the fuck happened to you?”

“Language!” Karfi glanced at Tausi, who thankfully played with Onyx, and hopefully didn’t hear what Natasha said.

“Well, it’s a long story,” Kai said, not paying any attention to Karfi or his worries. “I’m not sure what happened either, I was just… it was shocking.” He put his clothes back on, and climbed up the chair, then leaned his elbow against the counter, supporting his head on his hand.

Natasha watched him with amusement, however her expression quickly changed, and so did her tone. She locked gazes with Kai, her eyes turning serious, and said in a deeper, more professional voice. “Kid, your wounds weren’t normal. I’ve seen them before, from metal exploding due to heat, and the victims barely survived. Bone, however, that’s new. And the bite marks on your belly are unlike anything I’ve seen thus far. ”

Taken aback, Kai straightened his back and lowered his hands. He gulped and rubbed his forearm, the itchiness from the wounds making him recall the awful sight of an exploding corpse. Biting his lip, he brought his hands together and clutched his fingers.

“It was… a monster. A purple one, it was humanoid. It- It bit me…” His voice wavered, and he held back a tear, instead letting out a nervous scoff. “I killed it, then it exploded…”

That’s the most he could bring himself to say. He didn’t recount how the thing looked after it died, how its skull caved in, how brain matter covered his fingers. He couldn’t. And he didn’t want to.

Natasha and Karfi listened, a confused, yet horrified expression manifesting on their faces as they pictured the gruesome sight. The man shook his head and stopped himself from prying any further, however, Natasha’s intrigue only grew further as the mental image formed in her mind.

“I see, is that all?”

“Yes, that’s… that’s all.”

Nodding, and placing one leg over the other she reached for her pockets, pulling out a thick notepad and a pen. She flipped through the pages, and stopped somewhere toward the end, her eyes litting up. “Looks like I lied, I did see those bite marks before. However, the guy I… treated didn’t have any abdomen left to speak of.” Natasha handed the notepad to Kai, letting him read the results of the only other case she had.

<>

Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he read the notes, and glanced at the accompanying illustration. It was a simple, rough sketch, yet incredibly detailed where it mattered. The drawing described the size of the hole, markings, the way the intestines looked, and the absence of the stomach. This could have happened… to me? His hands trembled as he thought about the scaled armor he threw away, and he felt a little ache in his soul. I owe my life to that armor… and I burned it…

He placed the notepad down, and took a deep breath, thanking his lucky stars. Of course, if he had been lucky he wouldn’t have encountered the thing, but he’d rather be alive than with a gaping hole where his stomach used to be.

Biting his lip, he turned to Karfi and said with a solemn voice. “Thank you for helping me, I know It’s-”

“Aye don’t worry child.” The man interrupted Kai, patting him over the shoulder. “I did what anyone would have done in my place, so don't fret over it.” A light laugh escaped his lips, and he poured another drink to Natasha after clearing the counter.

“I’m not sure if you got lucky or unlucky,” Natasha said, taking another sip from her drink. “On one hand, you’re complete, on the other you were close enough to death to shake its hand.”

Kai didn’t say anything, however a pit had formed in his stomach, not realizing how fragile his body truly was. If what she says is true… then I need to be careful. Without the armor I… Fuck!

He cursed himself for being so stupid, but all he could do going forward was be more careful. Letting out a heavy sigh, he jumped down from the chair and walked toward the exit.

“Where are you going, boy?” Natasha asked with an annoyed tone. “Your treatment is far from over.”

Kai halted and turned guiltily toward the two. That was kind of rude… He cleared his throat and said, signaling for Onyx to follow. “I’m going to Wildfire, I have some tasks to hand in.” And left without saying another word, with the Obborik quickly following behind him.

“Huh? That kid is part of Wildfire?” Natasha mumbled, turning back toward her drink, slightly surprised. “He should be fine then… hopefully.”