Vampire Reincarnation

An icy wind blew through the thick leaves, creating a faint song that resonated with the evening’s chilly atmosphere. Behind Aina’s manor, grunts and moans reverberated through the air, and the dull sound of air getting smashed apart echoed in between the flowers and bushes. In the middle of a garden stood a large, emerald circle. Covering it were countless pebbles, leaves, dead flowers, and… dried blood. In the middle of it, a boy, no older than what looked to be ten years of age swung a large, wooden sword. His pale, frail yet slightly scared body reflected the moon’s glistening flavor as sweat covered his skin. Onyx watched from the side, lying with his snout within his paws.

The wooden sword wooshed fiercely through the air, however, aimed at no one in particular. It stood at a height of 160 centimeters, just a tad bit shorter than Kai’s actual height. Its thin blade gave the illusion of a sharpened edge, while its broken-down tip captured within the years it passed and lived through.

The hilt, although short, was easy to grip with one hand, and very comfortable upon touch. Elizabeth watched next to Aina, a soft smile creasing her lips. “Not bad, is he? It’s only been a month and has already recovered… damned Vampire constitution!”

Aina’s expression turned weird as soon as the comment escaped her daughter’s lips. However, instead of retorting her daughter, Aina asked. “How long do you think his supply will last?”

“I’m not sure… such cases are very rare, but we’ll have to wait and see, maybe he won’t need it again.”:

“He will,” Aina said, confidence and fear brimming in her voice.

“But-”

However, Elly’s counterargument was quickly drowned out by the sound of rattling armor, which quickly approached him as he forced his exhausted body to swing the sword again and again. The woman’s black hair stood out like a sore thumb among the three, however, she didn’t seem to care as she tied it into a ponytail. It swayed back and forth, finally stopping next to Kai’ her viper-like eyes inspecting his every move.

“Aye aye aye aye aye aye!” She finally broke the silence, grabbing the sword from Kai’s hand. “What’s the point of swinging if you’re not thinking? You believe your muscles will grow stronger like this?”

Her voice rang inside Kai’s head, scrapping against his brain as he turned toward her with a surprised look. “You’re…”

“Captain Euphridia, but for you, I am Trainer Euphridia. The clan chief herself appointed me to train you, so be prepared!” Her loud voice echoed in the air as she threw away the sword onto the soft grass. “Your body is so weak it’ll take a while to build up your body enough to handle a First Stage Body Core. Not to mention, you can only train at night, Vampire.”

Kai’s pupils shrunk upon hearing her words, and he looked at the mother-daughter duo with incredulity in his eyes. The two only smiled softly, a hint of amusement hidden within their pupils.

“Don’t worry, unlike all the other races, we don’t hold much of a grudge against your kind,” Euphridia added. “However, that does not mean I will go easy on you. Come on now, give me five laps!”

“Five laps of what?” Kai asked, looking around at the huge courtyard.

“Five laps!”

“Of what?!!” Kai’s exasperated question put a joyful smile on Euphridia’s face, as well as the other two as if they knew what was about to happen.

“Of the manor, from the outside.”

Kai’s expression changed to one of helpless horror. However, he grits his teeth, clenches his fists, and let out a heavy sigh. He started walking toward the front gate, which stood in complete parallel to his current position. Behind him, Onyx followed with a wagging tail. “I guess you’re just happy to be here, eh, boy? After all that trouble you caused in five minutes…”

“Arf…” Onyx let out a low, pleading bark as if saying ‘It wasn’t me!”

“Ha, I know, I know…” Kai pat his white, fluffy fur as he gulped. I guess the real training starts now…

It didn’t take long for him to reach the gate, and he took a deep breath of fresh air as he finally walked outside. “Aaah… it feels good to finally breathe properly…” He sighed as a chilly breeze blew past him, sending shivers down his spine. “I guess we better start running?”

…

Two hours later, Kai’s lifeless body flopped on the ground. He let out a few, miserable moans as he glanced upwards. The three women, and Onyx, looked at him with pity and worry in their eyes. Euphridia kneeled and grabbed him by the collar as she said. “You only managed to do three laps, you’re worse than I thought… even children can do more than that…”

Kai attempted to clench his fists, however whatever strength he had left could only be used to breathe. “Euphy…” Elizabeth’s said, patting the captain on the back. “He did good enough, let’s take him to his room to rest.”

Euphridia scoffed softly, however her eyes gleamed with anticipation. Handing Kai over to the two, she turned toward Onyx, who had given up after half of the first lap. “I’m not done with you, boy. Let’s see how much an Obborik can run!” Saying that, she pulled out her sword, and hit Onyx’s backside with the flat part of the blade.

Letting out a low yelp, he looked toward Euphridia, whose sword began to descend once again. Not wanting to get hit again, Onyx ran as fast as he could, hoping to get rid of the crazy elf. However, no matter how much faster he ran or how much magic he used, she was always behind him, ready to strike his ass. “Awoooo!!”

…

Kai blinked lazily as he woke up, staring at the now familiar chandelier once again. Rubbing his head as he got up, he looked around and let out a soft groan. “Ack- I… should not have done that…” His legs trembled as he tried moving them, and a sharp current of pain spread throughout his body. Looks like I’m sitting here for a while…

He leaned back into the soft pillow and closed his eyes with a sigh. As he relaxed his mind, faded images of his past life appeared in his mind. Heavy gym equipment, running bands, and exercises he had seen from ads on TV. His eyes snapped open, and his heart raced as he almost wanted to yell ‘Eureka!’.

If I manage to build dumbbells and the other stuff from the ads, then I could probably have an easier time training my body… as long as I use it properly…

With that thought in mind, he began making blueprints for the simple equipment: Kettlebells, Dumbbells, Barbells, and Medicine Balls. These should be enough to train every muscle without too much of a hassle, and the Medicine Ball for balance and stability… yeah. Ugh, I hope I remember the details well enough, not that they look complicated but I don’t want to break my back…

He let out a low chuckle as he closed his eyes again, drifting into sleep as he allowed his muscles to relax. A dark quiet enveloped him, and an anxiety-inducing atmosphere descended upon him as a knot formed in his stomach. Unlike before, his heart raced in an uneven rhythm, and his eyes snapped open. Cold sweat ran down his body, but he couldn’t budge a muscle, as if his body had been completely paralyzed. He could only look around, but darkness covered his entire field of vision.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before him, which transfigured into a large and scaly closed eye. It filled the room, and its presence sent shivers down Kai’s spine. The room shuddered as it opened, revealing a large eye that shared the same hue as Kai’s. Its dark, sharp pupils stared right into his soul. He groaned as the blood in his body began to boil, his heart pumping blood faster and faster with each passing second. A short while later, a scoff rang in Kai’s ears as the large eye disappeared, along with the darkness and pressure. Exhaling rapidly, Kai caught his breath as he tried to control his shuddering body, however, it was no use. The knot in his stomach traveled upwards as he leaned above the hardwood floor, staining it.

The door slammed open just as the wretching stopped, revealing Aina’s concerned figure. “Kai!” She grabbed Kai, whose paler than usual complexion almost made her think he already died. “Kai, what’s wrong?! Go grab me a glass of water, uh, two glasses of water!” Leaning him against the bed, she yelled out to the maids waiting outside, who immediately scurried off to the kitchen.

Kai remained silent, shaken by the vivid image of the eye, and a single word escaped his body as he faded into consciousness, “Dragon…”

…

“What do you think happened?” Elizabeth asked worriedly, sitting next to the boy. Aina stood in contemplative silence, her eyes scanning Kai’s body as they shone with a soft light.

“His blood flow is stable, and his muscles are normal… I’d have understood throwing up if it was on the spot but… right after he woke up? It’s too weird. And his face when I found him, it was… like the blood didn’t flow right…”

Both women wore a fearful expression, scared of the unknown circumstances that had occurred Kai. “It can’t be because of running, right?” Elizabeth bit her finger as she asked.

“No, even if it was a bit too much for a first day, just running wouldn’t reduce him to the state I found him in… maybe, nightmares?”

“Nightmares? I’ve never seen anyone pale as a ghost from a bad dream…”

“He’s been through a lot.” Aina said after a brief silence, “Maybe he’s having night demons?”

“Night demons? But those are legends, you don’t think demons can really inflirtate dreams, do you?”

Aina didn’t reply, and only sighed after along time before her lips parted “Who knows…”

The blanket next to Elizabeth rustled as Kai woke up in a cold sweat. His heart raced and he frantically looked around, pinching and touching his body to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Kai, are you alright?! What happened?” Elizbeth frantically wrapped her arms around him, her warmth permeating his skin. Aina stepped closer and grabbed his hand, tightly holding it while looking deep into his crimson pupils.

“Kai, that word you said before passing out, what does it mean?”

“W-word?” Kai stuttered, “What word? I don’t, I don’t remember…” his weak voice struggled to escape his body. “I really can’t remember anything… there was just a lot of… darkness, so much darkness it- it gripped me, surrounded me. I couldn’t escape… I-”

His words, cut short by Elizabeth’s soft hug, remained stuck in his throat as her gentle hand caressed his disheveled hair. A delicate whisper escaped her lips, sending shivers all throughout his body. “Shh, it’s alright… don’t force yourself to remember…”

A tear fell down his cheek as he gripped her arm, however, he held back his emotions, simply enjoying her warm embrace as he calmed down. Aina’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, however, she only sighed and gave them some space. As the doors slammed behind her, Elizabeth’s voice rang in his ears. “Are you feeling better now, Kai?”

Nodding as he let out a low grunt, his racing heart slowing down to a normal rate. “There was something in the darkness. I remember… I, a very powerful presence…” He said, rubbing his head against her body. They stood in silence, Kai enjoying Elizabeth’s comfort while she wore a contemplative expression on her face.