Vampire Reincarnation

Kai gasped for air as he watched the swaying sword tip float above him, his pupils trembling while his heart threatened to jump out of his chest. Euphridia held Sverik’s hand, forcing it back as the venomous gaze he pointed at Kai faded away. “What are you doing?!” Her angered voice echoed in Sverik’s ear like a bell, and he gulped as his lips parted.

“I’m teaching him a lesson.” He scoffed, letting go of the blade and turning toward Euphridia. “He’s too arrogant for someone with no body core or ability to do magic. Using a half-assed speed enchantment spell and going feral! Were it a real opponent he’d be dead a hundred times over! So much for a vam-”

“Silence!” Euphridia’s stern voice bounced off the stone pillars and echoed into the night. “What did I do earlier?! And who are you to teach my pupil a lesson? Aren’t you the arrogant one? You should have stopped the moment he fell to the ground, yet your sword didn’t show any intention of doing that. Are you insane?”

Sverik remained silent, unable to utter a single word under Euphy’s scolding. Lowering his head, he held back a sigh, and his lips trembled as two words barely escaped his body. “I apologize…” His faint voice brought a hint of pleasure to Euphridia’s eyes, however, she continued in a harsh voice.

“Don’t think that’d be enough, Kai could have gotten injured, or worse. I’ll have a talk with Zarman, clearly, you need some patience training. Losing your cool the moment you get disarmed? You could have died as well if Kai had more experience! Speaking of…” Turning to Kai, she bowed and grabbed his ear, lifting him up as he yelped in silence.

“And you, mister… Where did our training go? Didn’t I tell you not to charge like a madman toward your opponent? You started so well but lost your cool the moment things didn’t go your way, you’re worse than a child! Sverik is right, you became arrogant because you disarmed his shield, thinking he can’t do anything without it, and look at you now! Goddess… Have I taught you nothing?” She let go and walked before the two, her arms crossed below her chest, looking at both of them with a stern gaze. “I was impressed when you two began, but I have to say I’m extremely disappointed. I expected more, especially from you, Kai.”

The boys’ eyes fell to the ground, unable to utter a single word or even look up at Euphridia. She let out a soft sigh, and her lips parted again, “Dismissed. Today’s training is over.” Saying that she turned around and left, the rattling of her armor echoing in their ears.

Both of them remained seated, staring at the ground even after she left. Kai clenched his fists, while Sverik wore an annoyed, yet guilty expression. Neither of them spoke, the silence occasionally broken by the cricketing of insects or flapping wings. Suddenly, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps echoed in their ears, and both of them jumped to their feet as they looked toward a spot near the manor. A white shadow appeared in their field of view, its gigantic figure illuminated by the candles and crystals on the ground.

“What the hell is that?!” Sverik yelled as he reached for his wooden sword, getting in a combat-ready position as fast as he could. Raising his trembling blade, he glanced at Kai, who seemed undisturbed, in contrast to him. “What are you doing? Do you want to die?!” He yelled, however, it was too late as the white shadow instantly appeared before them, and jumped onto Kai. Sverik let out a panicked shriek, and fell backward with a racing heart. “Kai!” However the panicked etched on his face was replaced by confusion, as the expected scene of a dismbered and mauled Kai never arrived. Instead, the giant beast licked his face and snuggled close to him as Kai laughed. “What… the fu…” Sverik cursed, unable to believe the sight before him.

Onyx raised his head, staring at Sverik and letting out a playful snarl as he walked up toward him. Compared to the Obborik, Sverik looked like a mole next to a grown man. Crawling away in retreat, he watched with horror as Onyx followed him, and his heart skipped a beat as he ran into a tree. “No, wait, go away!” His pleas, however, fell on deaf ears as Onyx gave him a few sniffs before licking his face, covering it entirely with a single lick. “Arg- Get this thing away from me!”

Kai chuckled as he stood up, dusting off his pants and watching Onyx playfully torture Sverik. “You kind of deserve it though. You could have injured me after all.”

“Ack- You know that’s bull-” Onyx gave him another lick, cutting him off. “I would have stopped anyway, no need to act so hurt over it!”

“Hmm, I don’t know.” Kai walked closer to the two, however taking his time. “You seemed eager to hurt me, and don’t think I didn’t notice your ‘vampire’ remark. What’s the problem anyway? I didn’t do anything to you. You were mean when we met as well, for no reason either.”

“That-” Sverik fell silent as Onyx shut him up again, however this time he didn’t try to argue or complain. He closed his eyes, and let out a sigh as his lips parted. “Fine I- I’ll tell you…” his voice, barely above a whisper landed in Kai’s ears, prompting a smile to form on his face. “But first get this thing off of me! Please!”

With a smirk, Kai’s lips parted, slightly revealing his fangs. “Onyx, come here boy.”

The Obborik quickly got off of Sverik and sat by Kai’s side, wagging his tail in excitement. His yellow, bright eyes switching between the two, he rubbed Kai’s body with his head, prompting Kai to give him some head scratches. “You’re still such a baby aren’t you?” He chuckled, Sverik watching him with shock drawn over his face.

“Now,” Kai’s eyes jumped to the dwarf. “I believe you have something to say?”

“I-” Sverik began, supporting himself with the tree as he stood up. “I owe you an apology, well, more apologies.”

“Yeah… and?”

Sverik bit his lip and clicked his tongue as he looked at Kai. “I heard that you were the one that invented the weights and was excited to meet you. A boy my age changing the way we do things, but seeing you struggle like that… “

Fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, his gaze flickering between Kai and the ground. "I thought... I thought you'd be different. I envisioned a strong and smart man since you made those weights. I mean, they're amazing. But then, I saw you struggle, looking so weak that even a breeze could blow you away, I was disappointed."

He scrunched up his face, his voice a mix of confusion and frustration. "It's just weird. You invent something so cool, but you're not at all like what I expected."

Shifting uncomfortably, hands tucked in his pockets, he grit his teeth and looked at Kai, saying: "I'm sorry for thinking you were something else, and for acting like a prick because of my assumptions."

Kai stood in silence, pondering Sverik’s words for a brief moment before breaking out into loud laughter. “Man.. that is… that’s the reason? Haaa…” He gasped for air and tried to collect himself in between sentences. “Pfft- Change the way we do things? They’re just weights.” Holding onto Onyx’s fur, he did his best not to fall to the ground as he finally began to stop. “Sorry, sorry it’s just- Wow. I thought you hated me because I’m a vampire, but then you didn’t know I was one, and I was just confused. I was thinking you were mad because Euphridia is my teacher or something.”

“Huh?” Sverik let out a confused grunt. “Why would I be jealous for that reason?”

“I don’t know, you’re like an obedient puppy when she shows up, I was thinking you loved her or something.”

“L-l-l-love?!” Sverik stuttered as his face reddened. “How could I love her? Not to mention our age difference, she’s just way beyond my level. I mean- she’s the captain of the guards at such a young age, a six-star medium core mage. Her skill with the sword- no one here at The First Gate rivals her, not even our leader. She’s just amazing, there are rumors she trains every day by fighting ferocious beasts in the mountains, how awesome is that? She doesn’t even have an amazing sword or fancy armor. On top of that, not only is she disciplined, she trains entire squads and manages a small army. Every single guard at The First Gate is trained by her, not only that, she even gives our small dwarven army pointers. I heard that she comes every once in a while to personally train a few younglings from the mountains for a week or two.” By this point, Sverik’s entire body trembled, and his face turned red like a tomato as he continued.

“I was excited to be invited to train with her, it’s an opportunity few are capable of having and it was given to me due to my teacher… a lowly one like myself! How could I dare be jealous of you when I barely deserve her pointers?” He finished, taking in deep breaths as his flushed face started to return to normal

Kai’s widened pupils stared at Sverik like one would at a madman or an insane man. His mouth almost turned as he tried to find any words, however, the only thing that came out was an awkward chuckle, followed by a brief glace between him and Onyx.

“Ah, sorry. I must have sounded weird, well, I just admire Miss Euphridia a lot, that’s all.”

“Right…” Kai laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he let out a sigh. “Well, at least you don’t hate me, despite your remarks.” He emphasized the second half of his sentence, clearly pointing toward Sverik’s racism.

“Ah that… Sorry.” Sverik lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers. “That was uncalled for, it’s just- you know vampires aren’t spoken well of by old folk, or any folk. I think the elves are the only ones that tolerate your race as a whole. I mean, our history books paint you in a bad light, not that you’re bad yourself but your whole race as a whole - Agh, you know what I mean.” He paused, locking eyes with Kai as his lips trembled. “And they also say you’re insanely strong so I, you know, assumed…”

“Ha… I should call you the assumer at this point, that’s two strikes and we’ve barely known each other for a day.”

“Sorry…” Sverik apologized once again, this time in a softer one.

“It’s alright, I’m also sorry for fighting like a barbarian,” Kai said as he scratched his nose. “I got excited about fighting someone other than the monster Euphridia is.

“Haha, me too, I got tired of fighting Derikk.”

“Derikk? Who’s that?” Kai asked, petting Onyx.

“Ah, Derikk is our training golem. He’s a fighting war-prepared golem but toned down from 100 to 5, otherwise, us trainees would die very quickly. Even still, I can’t defeat him, only Three Star Medium Cores or higher have succeeded in all of our history.” Sverik said sheepishly, a hint of fighting spirit lighting up in his eyes as he did so.

“You have golems to train? Wait, how do they even work? Are they alive, machines?” Kai’s brain also lit up with excitement as he began thinking about the inner details of such a being. I wonder if it’s bio-mechanical… in that case how would such a machine be built? Based on Rodney’s memories, bio-mechanical machines are a work of intricate automation. A self-sustaining battle robot…

“Ah well… I’m not sure about the intricate details but…” Sverik said, scratching his chin with one finger.

“Tell me everything!” Kai said, rushing toward Sverik and grabbing his hands, taking the dwarf by surprise.

“Woof!” Onyx followed suit, hopping over to the two and sitting down.