Vampire Reincarnation

Heavy water droplets trickled down Kai’s burning skin, memories flashing in his mind as he put together the pieces of a puzzle he was not privy to. Forcing himself to search through the painful images, he began forming a basic idea, however, the information he had just wasn’t enough.

Mom said that Haniard had a grander plan but… what does he want to do exactly? He… he stole her heart… what is he planning?

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he turned off the makeshift water faucet and stepped out of the wooden box that served as a shower. A modern shower huh… should I even be surprised anymore?

The floor dampened under his footsteps, water smashing against the hardwood floor as he dried himself with a towel, taking a particularly long time to dry his hair. It was so easier when doing it with magic… he let out another sigh while stroking his silver locks.

A knock reverberated in the room a few minutes later, followed by the creaking of the wooden door as Orphelia’s voice rang in his ears.

“Are you doing well?” She asked, not daring to enter further. “Ysne told me you seemed unwell.”

Kai paused his movement, and slightly turned his head toward the door as a soft voice escaped his lips. “Yeah… I was just… I’m alright, thank you.”

“Mhm… see you at the dinner then.” She said, slowly closing the door, shutting it with a click before her footsteps disappeared into the distance. Kai let out a loud sigh as he flopped on the bed, his long silver locks sparkling under the chandelier’s light.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried not to think about what his parents told him in the recording, and instead tried to look toward the future.

We’re going to go to Nivero, from there, to the Elven Kingdom… and after that… The image of the beautiful robe flashed before his eyes, and a faint smile creased his lips, however, it quickly faded away as his hands formed into a fist. I need to figure out a way to heal my veins… and my core…

“Motherfucker!”

An angry curse escaped his lips as the reality of his pitiful situation loomed over him. Without magic, he could not attend the Academy, but before that, without magic, he could not even defend himself.

My sword skills are… bad. I almost died, again, were it not for Léandro… come to think of it… why aren’t I affected by the fact that I just watched two men die in front of me…I think some of their blood tainted my cloak as well. Blood…

He gulped, and his heart began racing, remembering the smell and texture of the blood he drank not so long ago. I didn’t crave any just yet, however, what if someday I will? Will I be able to take a life, or… feed from someone’s body? I don’t even remember why I wanted to become a vampire, even though she warned me… I… barely remember what my life was like before I died…

His pupils widened as he jumped to his feet, staring at the floor, his quivering lips parted, and asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“What was my name…?”

Dreadful silence descended, fragments of memories flashed before his eyes, broken and soundless just like the quiet of the night. Both blurry and clear images appeared in his mind, vague faces that lacked features, and vivid images of objects that he frequently used.

A woman stood before him, tall and gorgeous, however, her face was devoid of any emotion, like a mindless robot, she stood there before dispersing. Auntie…? Auntie… her name… I can’t… I can’t recall it! Nor my mother’s… I can’t even remember her face properly anymore!

With a racing heart, his internal screams fell on deaf ears, and a sudden, sharp pain spread from his head all throughout his body.

Ack- What… what’s going on?!? Why can’t I remember so much of my past life?

Panicked, he ignored the pain and tried looking for an answer, anything that might help him make sense of the dreadful situation he found himself in.

I was able to recall so much just a few months ago… but now… everything… almost everything disappeared. My memories… they’re… almost gone!

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, a chill ran down his spine and his palpitating heart skipped a beat as the reality of the situation set in. He brought his trembling hands to his chest, barely holding himself together, trying to control the fear enveloping his body. Darkness surrounded him, entrapped and loomed over him as a foreboding sensation tickled his skin. What if I forget everything? My name… my face… they’re already gone… my parents and kin… my friend… Nevan! I remember him! He was my only friend… but what a good friend he was… we used to go out all the time and… what did we do? I don’t even remember that… but… it wasn’t so bad when he was around… was it?

Am I… losing myself?

~Knock Knock~

Kai jumped, startled awake by the sudden knock. Quickly covering himself with the towel, he turned toward the door and said in a nervous tone.

“What is it?”

“The Lady told me to call you, dinner is served.” A maid’s melodious voice rang from behind the door, awaiting a response.

“Tell them to eat without me… I… I’m not hungry.” Kai replied, feeling slightly guilty about refusing to dine with Orphelia, however, he could only sigh, and leaned back on the back trying to calm his stormy thoughts.

I don't even know what’s happening anymore… His eyelids grew heavy as his fatigued mind finally calmed down, and he yawned before falling asleep, albeit with disarrayed thoughts. Tomorrow is another day…

…

The beams of the morning sun kissed Kai’s bare skin, jolting him awake, and he sleepily pulled the curtains over the large windows. Scratching the back of his head, he began gathering his belongings, placing them neatly in his backpack, and leaving behind the huge sleeping bag, he found himself with a lot more room than before.

The only thing I can wear is the spare clothes and… the mage’s robe. Glancing at it from the corner of his eye, he questioned how he could even make it fit him. Not like I have any other choice…

He thought, picking up the old cloak he had used all this time, multiple holes decorating its blood-stained material. Letting out a long sigh, he placed it alongside the sleeping bag in a remote corner of the room and donned a pair of leggings and a shirt before wearing the robe, whose large sleeves were just a tiny bit longer than his arm.

Its extremities brushed against the floor as he walked, and the hood covered the entirety of his head. This is… inconvenient. Sighing, he did his best to tuck in the sleeves, then stuffed part of the robe inside his pants before adjusting the hood just enough that he could see where he was walking.

This should be… manageable. Throwing the backpack on his back, he walked outside the room and made his way to the main hall, where Orphelia and Ysne waited for him. Their eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the mage’s robe, however, they stood in silence as Kai stopped before them.

Seeing his haggard appearance, a small chuckle escaped their lips at the sight of his oversized robe despite their initial shock. “They say clothes make the man, but yours might just house the whole kingdom!”

“Funny,” Kai replied in a stoic voice, amused by the joke, however, he refused to entertain the two girls any more than necessary. “Shouldn’t we get going?”

Orphelia nodded, an amused smile decorating her face, and walked outside, followed by Ysne, whose ears lowered upon passing Kai. Reaching out for her, his hand stopped mid-air, hanging in hesitation. I guess I must have scared her last night… He let out a soft sigh before following them outside, where the carriage and carts were already waiting for them.

The emerald guards lay in waiting for Orphelia and the rest, watching over the carriage and wagons, making sure that no items went missing. The guard’s captain stood next to the bizarre beast, separating it from Onyx, who kept trying to approach it.

His big, puppy-like eyes looked at the beast with a certain yearning, however, the blue-blooded animal refused to even glance in his direction.

How many times has he gotten rejected last night? Kai’s lips formed into a soft smile while watching the whimpering Obborik, but didn’t say anything as he climbed onto the carriage, where the two girls were already waiting for him.

“Walk on” the coachman grunted, prompting the noble beast to advance, the ratting of the carriage accompanied by its hooves rapidly hitting the ground filled the quiet carriage.

Kai looked out the window, watching the outpost becoming smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared from sight, he let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention toward his backpack, from which he took out the book his parents had left him.

Might as well try to read it, I may be able to learn more about this world, however judging by its age I’m not sure I can understand it… or if it’s even up to date.

Dust flew out of its pages as he flipped them, skimming through its ancient writing ingraining itself into his brain with each passing moment.

…

Time flew by, and the morning sun gradually turned to noon as it watched over the vibrant grasslands. Orphelia’s carriage moved at a steady pace, creeping ever closer to Nivero.

“The City of Trade, or the Trade City as the locals call it,” Orphelia explained to Kai, who had already tucked the book back within his backpack after skimming through it.

“It earned its name due to it being relatively close to The Dark Forest, where precious resources such as herbs grow in abundance, the huge trees that can be used to build several structures such as houses and ports, but also furniture. Besides that, the animals that live in the forest are much bigger and stronger than the average one, and their mana cores sell for a much higher price.”

“Wait…” Kai interrupted, his raspy voice ringing in her ears “How much stronger are the animals in there compared to the normal ones… let’s take for example… a two starred red furred bear?”

“Hmm…” Orphelia’s hand flew to her chin as she thought about it for a second. “I’d say one such bear would be the equivalent of a third-rank cultivator or a Two Star Mage… almost twice as strong as a normal one, yeah. Why?”

Kai’s pupils widened in surprise, and he inhaled lightly as he tried to control his shock. “Just curious, I saw that you have a lot of pelts and I thought that’s where you got them from.”

“Pfft.” Both Kai and Orphelia turned to look at Ysne, who let out an involuntary chuckle. Her cheeks reddened instantly upon feeling the pair of eyes rest upon her body.

“W-w-what?” she asked with a trembling voice as her small ears lowered in shame.

“Ysne…” Orphelia said softly, “Just because our guest doesn’t know that we don’t actually kill the beasts, and actually trade with the small villages that live near the border, and that only five percent of the pelts we trade belong to animals from that cursed forest, it doesn’t mean you have to laugh at him.”

Kai stared at Orphelia with a bewildered expression, a small amount of anger firing up inside him as he analyzed her sentence. Did she call me ignorant?

*Ahem* Orphelia cleared her throat, her ears turning slightly red, and she avoided Kai’s burning gaze, instead looking out the small window to avoid the awkward atmosphere.

“Cursed forest?” he broke the sudden silence, intrigued by the term the young lady used. “What do you mean by that?”

Orphelia turned to face him, and, with a solemn expression, she parted her lips. “There are some legends that say that the forest was cursed by the Vampires, although we do not know for sure what happened, the fact is that the earth after The Dark Forest is devoid of mana, there is not a single trace of it, and the meager amounts that exist there come from stones and crystals, as well as from the trees themselves…

The reason for that is said, is because the Vampires took over that part, and the Gods stripped away the land of its resources to punish them for their wrongdoings.

The forest serves as a natural barrier, a shield to protect us from these monsters.”

A shudder ran down Kai’s spine upon hearing the last part of her speech, and his pupils constricted slightly. Monsters… He looked out the window, the empty grassfields reflecting in his crimson eyes, and he subconsciously draped the hoodie forward, covering himself further.

I don’t even need to ask why she’d call us monsters… The reality of his situation became clearer in his mind, the reality that, no matter where he goes, he’d always be regarded as a monster. And I choose to be like this… It’s too late to regret it now.

He let out a light sigh, his reclusive behavior not going unnoticed by Orphelia, however, she only shook her head and silence once again descended upon them