Vampire Reincarnation

The smell of fresh blood permeated the forest, covered only by the odor of sizzling meat and crackling firewood. A small bonfire warmed the inside of the shadowy clearing, illuminating the gruesome scene a few meters away. On top of it sat a makeshift grill where several types of meat, including fish and poultry, and a few vegetables added for flavor, simmered. Surrounding it were Kai, Elizabeth, Euphridia, and Onyx. They sat on the trunks of dead trees that they carried over from the forest, with Onyx lying close to Kai, looking up at him and licking his blood-covered snout.

Kai pets his head, staring at the flame with dilated eyes. The two women looked at each other, concern visible within their trembling pupils. However, they chose to stay silent and let Kai alone with his thoughts.

Minutes passed, the tense silence broken only by the wood breaking apart under the extreme heat, accompanied by the singing of the critters. The moon still hung proudly in the sky, however, its light dwindled as the sun began to rise. Elly and Euphy grew worried, however they let the boy sit for a few more counts, but couldn’t stay here forever.

“Was it… necessary to kill it?” Kai’s lips parted, his voice weak and hoarse. “Did I have to take its life?”

Elizabeth remained silent, her beautiful emerald eyes focusing on the fire as well. Euphridia however, grit her teeth and stood up, walking over to Kai.

“Do you think it would have let you live? Once it escaped we would have had to intervene, and its fate would have remained the same.”

“But we could have run away as well, we could-”

“You can’t run away, Kai. Sooner or later you’ll have to take lives. You already did, the snake you brought back is a perfect example of that.”

“That one was different, it wanted to kill ME, to kill US.” He raised his voice, his shoulders shaking slightly as he locked eyes with Euphy. “This time, it was us who wanted to kill it, and we did. But for what?”

Elizabeth sighed, a complex expression manifesting on her face. “Kai,” she said. “It doesn’t matter why the creature died, the cold truth is, there is no reason. It could have lived and fed on the creatures of this forest, or it could have died to something else besides us.”

“Then it would have been natural! Then it-”

“This is nature as well, you needed to grow stronger, and a live opponent was what you needed.” Euphridia interrupted him, saying in a tender voice. “Look-”

“We need to go.” Elizabeth sighed and stood up as the first rays of sunlight hit her back. “We can talk later, and we’ll send someone to pick up the corpse.”

The other two didn’t say anything else, knowing too well the consequences of staying in the sun. Kai immediately covered himself with cloth, and the four rushed home as fast as possible, with Kai trying to avoid the morning light as much as he could. He grit his teeth, a few rays of sunshine still sneaking through the foliage and cloth, burning his face and arms. However, he endured and quickly ran past the guards at the entrance of the forest before entering the First Gate.

Once inside, Elizabeth picked him up and enchanted her body, rushing through the streets and moving platforms, arriving at the manor as fast as she could. Aina walked outside in her silky pajamas, peacefully enjoying the morning air. She yawned and stretched her limbs, not expecting a gust of wind to blow past her, disheveling her hair and rising dust in its wake. Looking behind her, all she could see were the manor’s doors slamming shut.

“What kind of tornado just passed through here?” she chuckled and continued her morning walk, looking up toward Kai’s room.

…

Elizabeth placed Kai on the bed and quickly took off the cloth he used to cover himself, revealing the faint burning scars created by the sun. They weren’t as deep as the previous ones, due to the little exposure, however, it was bad enough to leave scars if not treated quickly. She sighed lightly and placed her hand over his skin, using healing magic to quickly get rid of the wounds and any possible marks.

They disappeared as quickly as they appeared, making Kai let out a short sigh of relief. “Thank you, Elly.” He got up and leaned against the bed frame, covering himself with a blanket. “I guess I got too carried away and forgot about the time.”

“It’s alright,” she smiled gently. “Luckily I can heal those minor wounds just fine, however, I won’t always be there. Take care of yourself…” She lingered on the sentence and got up, taking a last hesitant look at Kai as her voice trembled. “Please.”

Kai nodded, a wide smile creasing his lips. “Of course, I will!”

Elizabeth smiled as well before leaving, the door closing with a soft click.

Alone, the boy’s eyes wandered over the bed and chandelier, jumping from one thing in the room to another, trying to distract himself. Inhaling deeply, his eyes snapped shut as a low murmur left his body. The mana in the room gathered toward him like a crowd of people fighting for free t-shirts.

Sweat quickly drenched his body, and even his arms began trembling. A low growl echoed in the room as the mana filled his core, which almost emptied completely from the fight against the Dark Urs. Whilst he meditated, the fight replayed itself over and over again in his head - The times he almost died or got hurt, the times he almost had his opponent, and the final moment before he took that beast’s life. Its pitiful eyes, filled with the desire to live and the anger for vengeance burned Kai’s soul, and the gut-wrenching sound of his blade taking away its light echoed in his mind like a church’s bell.

His eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air as the mana around him dissipated. Gritting his teeth, his palms clinched into a fist, which he used to hit his chest. Get a grip! They are right, it’s either kill or be killed. One moment of hesitation and I’d be the one laying on the ground in its place!

He knew that, and he told himself over and over again, that the pit forming within his stomach grew larger with each passing second. A slight feeling of nausea washed over him, the image of the bear practically begging him, or as he remembered it, flashing before his eyes.

The sound of flesh against flesh reverberated in the air, his cheek turning red with a hand imprint. Stop it! Stop feeling guilty, it was just an animal… just an animal. I did this before. The bears grandpa made me hunt, the snake, why is it so different this time? Why does it feel more personal? Is it because I was the one chasing it this time, unlike before when it was already angry and ready to kill me? Damn it! This world doesn’t hold the same values as mine, and even there poachers and… cruel people existed…

He inhaled and exhaled deeply, repeatedly, attempting to calm down his nerves the best he could without Onyx by his side. Come to think of it, he wanted to kill me and Kana too, yet I forgave him… I wonder why he was alone. A deep, tired sigh escaped his lips, and he lay back down on the bed, covering himself completely and escaping in the soft feeling of his pillows. Yawning, he brought the blanket as close to his head as possible and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

…

A few hours later, Onyx quietly entered the room, not even letting the door make a sound as it opened. He didn’t close it but shut it just enough that a minimal amount of light sneaked through. Sniffing around, he noticed the sleeping Kai, buried all the way into the sheets, his body trembling. The Obborik let out a low yelp and climbed on the bed as much as he could, given his size, and pressed his snout against Kai’s face. Scoffing lightly, he sent a putrid, warm current of air crashing against his companion’s face, accompanied by a bit of wetness. The boy wiped his face, and his eyes creaked open slightly, barely making out Onyx’s figure through his blurred vision.

A light smile creased his lips, and reached out for Onyx’s head, pulling him closer and hugging it like a large stuffed toy. The Obborik didn’t protest in the slightest and let himself get dragged by Kai as he fell asleep as well.

…

The day passed by uneventfully, and the night finally arrived. The trio of Elizabeth, Kai, and Euphridia, accompanied by Onyx once again ventured out into the forest. However, they didn’t go as deep as last time, only threading the outer area where the beasts are much weaker, but also more common. What Kai needed was to train and hone his combat instincts, not dance with death at every encounter. Although in theory that would sharpen his combat sense, it could also lead to unforeseen circumstances.

Kai resigned himself to the thought of having to kill animals, as he understood there was no other way but to do so to get stronger.

Meanwhile, during the days when training was light, Kai mediated and increased his mana reserves by a great amount each day. However, it all came at a cost. His sleep grew rarer with each passing week, sometimes only sleeping a total of three hours, or sometimes six. However, the results were clear. His mana pool almost reached ninety percent capacity, and its size increased by fifty percent. Meaning that he stepped into the realm of Medium Core and will soon reach Big Core, after which came the most desired One Star Small Core Rank. That was the first step in the journey of a mage, a step he already took and yet will have to walk once more.

He ended the mediation session with a big smile, despite his fatigue. His hands trembled, and he inhaled deeply before collapsing on the bed.