Vampire Reincarnation

The almost silent words echoed in the dreadful quiet, accompanied only by the slight buzzing of the crystals that reflected the vivid imagery of Kai’s parents, who seemed to be looking at him through time and space as their lips parted once again.

“Son… we… I…” His father’s quivering, distorted voice bounced off against the walls, sending shivers down Kai’s spine as his widened pupils looked at the illusory figure.

“How do I even start… I’m sure you know that… by now we should be… dead.” Ray said faintly, a sigh of despair escaping his body. “Kai… I’m sorry… we couldn’t protect you… and I hope you’ll be alright.”

Kai watched in awe, barely remembering to breathe as his agape mouth trembled as a jumbled mess of sounds escaped its constraints. A soft thud echoed as he feel to the ground, standing on his knees as time seemed to slow down.

“I know all of this must be quite a shock to you, and we shouldn’t be telling you all of this in such a way, however… fate wasn’t kind to us, or rather, we were stupid, overconfident… No, no, no, I was stupid. I shouldn’t have left Haniard get this close to us…I should!”

Kai’s pupils constricted upon hearing that name, his fists clenching while his teeth scraped against each other. That bastard! That… piece of shit! He’s the one who took you away from me! How is it your fault?! Anger coursed through his veins, unable to understand why his father would blame himself for their own death.

“Dear… let me.” Elena’s figure interrupted him, her melodic voice causing Kai’s heart to stop beating for a moment as he focused on his mother, her blurry figure seemingly staring into his eyes.

“Kai, I never wanted you to find out about… this entire thing, at all. But you’re entitled to an explanation… and I’ll be very brief about it. That man, his name is Haniard… he’s the man that killed your grandfather… the former ruler of the Vampires.”

The young child’s mind reeled in shock, staggering backward as his breathing turned rapid, he stared at his mother with bewilderment and shock. That… how could that be!? That means… my mom she’s… how is that possible?…

Stunned by the information, he did his best to rearrange his thoughts and focus on what his parents said. Calming his racing heartbeat, he turned his attention toward Elena, who continued after a brief pause.

“He wanted all the power for himself… and he got it. Killing my father was the first step, we are not sure of what his plans are but… it doesn’t look good regardless… I was just another pawn as well, but that is all that you need to know.”

Kai gulped, and watched his father move closer to his mother, before parting his lips. “And remember, son… run, run away, as far as you can and never look back… Forget about him, just… live your life. I set the talisman up so you would teleport in the old man’s vicinity, I assume you’ve already met him. You can trust him, although our shared past isn’t all that happy, he is someone you can rely on.”

He chuckled slightly upon hearing that, feeling slightly amused at the thought. Looks like they expected me to come here much earlier… Alas, I would have been dead were it not for… No, let’s not think about that.

“Son,” Ray turned to look at Kai, his quivering lips struggling to part before he continued in a shaky voice. “The truth is… I and Haniard… we…”

“Dear…” Elena interrupted him, seemingly putting a halt to whatever it was that he wanted to say, and placed her fine hand on his shoulders. “It’s alright, he doesn’t need to know any of that.” Her sweet voice raised a bit of intrigue in Kai’s mind, however, he had no time to think about it further at the moment.

Elena planted a kiss on Ray’s cheek before her illusory figure walked toward the table, pointing at the chest hidden beneath it. “Son… this was supposed to be your gift for your 15th birthday, but we decided to place it here just in case the worst happened…”

She said, her voice trembling and breaking with every word she spoke, her entire body shaking as she fell to her knees with a soft thud. Tears streamed down her face, the salty droplets reflecting the crimson hue residing within her pupils.

“Mom!” Kai rushed to her side, his hands reaching out to embrace her, however, the warm feeling of is mother’s body never reached his hands, and instead what met him were the rapid vibrations of mana, followed by a faint repulsion that pushed him backward.

Staring at her with widened pupils, tears started forming around his eyes, angrily gashing his teeth, and clenching his fists in frustration as he watched his mother’s pitiful figure. If only… if only that bastard didn’t exist! How dare he! How dare he kill my parents! What did they do wrong?!

A soundless cry echoed inside his body as the hatred he held for Haniard increased with each tear his mother shed, with each moment her cries echoed in his ears, with each second that passed as he watched his mother suffer.

Ray walked over to Elena, gently caressing her back before turning toward the chair that had fallen over. Propping his wife up, he calmed down her sorrow before gesturing toward the chair. “Come son, sit down, this crystal can’t record for much longer.” His tender, deep and confident voice bounced off the walls, right into Kai’s ears, and he slowly stood up.

Quickly making his way over, he raised the chair and sat down, waiting with a racing heart, waiting for his parents’s last message to end, their voices and image to disappear, for the room go quiet.

Elena walked over to his left, and Ray stood to his right, looking at him lovingly, their crimson pupils trembling as they kneeled in front of him. Letting out a soft sigh, they held each other’s hands before placing the other in front of Kai.

Extending his trembling hands, he carefully held his parent’s hands, his entire body shaking as hiccups escaped his chest. “Mom… Dad…”

“Son… no matter how many words we say, our regret and grief cannot be expressed enough… saying sorry isn’t enough, nor is asking for forgiveness… but Kai, all we can say is that we… love…you…”

They spoke in unison, their voices mixing in perfect harmony as their figure blurred and faded, a tear streaming down Ray’s face, which shattered into a million light particles before it disappeared, along with their bodies and voices.

The room became empty, quiet, the silence only drowned by Kai’s light cries as his trembling hands flew to his face.

…

Tears trickled down for an unknown period of time, the tall bookshelves watching over him as his heart gradually calmed down. A last drop dripped down Kai’s rosy cheeks, and, wiping his runny nose, he grabbed the beautifully decorated chest.

A loud thud resounded as he placed it on the table, its golden lock shining under the soft candlelight. Taking a deep breath, his eyes scanned the chest, trying to figure out a way to open it.

I have no key… and there doesn’t seem to be any secret mechanism… so what’s the deal??

Letting out a light sigh, he grabbed the golden lock, its smooth texture sliding across his skin, and a shiver ran down his spine as he carefully inspected it. It almost looks like gold, but… I feel like it isn’t… weird… Now, where the fuck is the key?

Looking around the room and the empty table, Kai slowly made his way through the bookshelves, inspecting every nook and cranny, he could only scratch his head in confusion as he returned in front of the table, sitting down, he looked at the chest with intrigue and curiosity.

A sudden sensation of dizziness hit him as he stared at the glimmering golden lock, and he let out a quiet cry as he grabbed his head, a sudden stream of information pouring inside his brain, sending sharp needle like pain throughout his skull.

Ah… fuck! This pain…! Just like… arhg! Kai’s mind raced as he barely managed to pinpoint the source of the pain. His eyes snapped toward the lock, and the key to opening it gradually appeared in his brain.

“Of course it’s a fucking spell…” Kai grumbled in annoyance, and quickly checked his mana reserves. “Not enough… damn it! I had enough mana for a few spells but now I can’t even cast the most basic body enchantement.”

Slowly standing up, he glared at the lock, and clenched his fists in anger. His muscles contracted as his nails dug into his skin.

“Damn it all!”

He screamed in a voice fueled by rage, and, in an impulsive fit, sent his fist rushing toward the lock, not caring about what the consequences could be. His eyes glew a strong crimson color, and a small spark appeared as the fist and seal collided, sending a sharp pain up his arm, causing him to recoil backward.

“What the-!”

Shaking his hand, he looked at the lock with widening pupils, and watched it dissolve and disappear before his very eyes.

“...”

Speechless, he walked toward the chest and raised the lid, a faint, pleasant smell inundating his nostrils as soon as the chest creaked open. Its inside was just as luxurious as the inside, the interior walls decorated by a soft, red material.

Within the chest lay a curious assortment of items: A book worn down by time, its yellow pages and rugged leather cover held the promise of long past knowledge. Its title, <>, also written in old tongue, held a deep meaning for Kai, who had never studied much history.

Besides it lay a pouch filled with golden coins, its melodious jiggling resounded in the room as Kai picked it up, measuring it, in awe of its weight. “This much money… where did my parents even get it from?”

Placing it on the table, he changed his focus to a few potions and tools that could save his life one day. And finally, beneath all of those lay a robe, a magicians’ robe of a deep blue hue, sapphire gems adorned its surface and a black hood complimented its appearance.

“What is this for?” Kai asked himself before putting it on, and it was immediately obvious it was a few sizes too large.

“Hmm… I think I can wear it if I fiddle a little with it but why would they give me this?” Scratching his head in confusion, he noticed a small piece of paper at the bottom of the chest, which he picked up with great difficulty due to the robe.

A messy text lay written on its dampened surface, the ink distorting slightly under a few salty patches. <>

The paper trembled between Kai’s fingers before slowly falling, gliding gently in the air before silently landing on the hardwood floor, followed by a single tear that shattered and disappeared.

His hand flew to his chest as he took a deep breath, calming his emotions the best he could, and he took off the robe, placing it back into the chest along with the rest of the gifts, and let out a light sigh as the lid snapped shut.

Looking around the library, a pang of nostalgia washed over him, but deep inside he was glad, glad that he had managed to see his parents one last time… and glad that he now had a goal to strive towards.

“The Academy of Magic huh… I’ve heard things about it but… I don’t even know where it is…” His mind began racing, thinking about how he could even get to the city the Academy was located in, let alone actually getting a spot. Biting his nails, he stood in silence, contemplating what to do next.

Going to Nivero is still top priority, after which I’ll go to Elly and see if she has any way to heal my veins… or at least partially restore them. As for my core, it hasn’t shattered yet but if I force it any longer it will not end well… Damn it! I shouldn’t have bragged so much in front of Léandro, but if I didn’t he might have taken me for a weakling… speaking of, he mentioned something about Lustra having a swordmanship technique, or something like that.

Rubbing his chin, he let out an exasperated sigh and made his way over to the chest, picking it up before walking out of the library. Now… how do I get out? Inspecting the area, there was only void as far as the eye could see. There has to be a way…

A faint light enveloped him as soon as the thought crossed his mind, and the next moment he found himself sitting in the room inside the outpost, chest in hand. The wand lay on the ground, the dark crystals on its tip shattered into fine pieces scattered on the floor.

Huh… that easy huh? Placing the chest on the floor, he grabbed the wand and looked at it with a grieving expression, feeling guilty about having forced it to fight with the murderous necklace, which lay not that far away from him.

“I’m sorry, I’ll fix you up as soon as I can.” He said, attempting to holster it in his clothes, only to realize he was naked.

Ah…