Vampire Reincarnation

It looks like finding the Tree of Life is much harder than I originally believed. It’s been forty days in this accursed forest and it feels like we’ve been running in circles…

“Hahh…” Kai’s heavy breathing escaped his mouth freely. Opening his eyes, he saw darkness, a lot of it. A humid sensation hit his face, and what seemed to be a drop of water fell rhythmically a couple of meters away from him. Slow footsteps circled him, the same ones he’d grown more than accustomed to, and he coughed but didn’t dare utter a word. He waited.

The footsteps stopped eventually, and a creepily calm voice bounced against the walls, echoing into his ears. “Finally awake?” Raymond asked, his tone sending a light shiver down Kai’s spine.

He remained silent, not even sure where the man’s voice came from and bit his lower lip.

“Don’t give me the silent treatment, Ichor.” Raymond’s voice sounded before Kai's. He raised his head and did his best to look at the man. He saw a silhouette, his back illuminated by the faint light of fire crystals, however even as he squinted there wasn’t much more that he could see. “I thought we were good friends.”

“Friends?” Kai chuckled, lowering his head, his gaze falling upon the table, where the reflection of his mask landed into his pupils. “I doubt it.”

“What games are you playing, boy?” Raymond looked down on Kai with a regard that could kill. “What’s your purpose?”

“Purpose?” Kai repeated, laughing bitterly. “I wonder as well… but what about you?” His gaze met Raymond’s, unwavering despite his trembling pupils. “Why have you kidnapped me into this dark room?”

Raymond chuckled slightly and approached the table, slamming it with as much force as he could, causing the ground to shake slightly. Kai’s mask, which lay on the table, fell with a scratching sound. “Would you rather be let out into the sun, Vampire?” His tone dropped as he stared right into Kai’s crimson eyes.

The boy’s heart shook, and a pit formed inside his stomach as what little resemblance of a smile he had faded. Raymond smirked and straightened himself. “I have a lot of questions for you, and depending on how you answer I may or may not kill you.”

Remaining silent, Kai awaited Raymond’s questioning, which came soon after his previous statement. He waved his hand and a chair appeared out of thin air. Sitting down on it and putting one leg over the other, he leaned forward. “How did you come out of the Kingdom?”

“Kingdom? I’m not sure I know what you mean by that.” Kai feigned ignorance, either out of spite or as a defense mechanism. Either way, that got Raymond to click his tongue.

“Your Kingdom, the Vampire Kingdom.” He clarified.

“Ah right, that Kingdom. Well, there’s not much to say, is there? I just walked out.” He replied casually, hiding his trembling voice.

Raymond stared at Kai with a dumbfounded expression, seemingly at a loss for words toward the boy’s casual attitude and statement. He stood silent for a second, then sighed and slightly straightened his back.

“You walked out of the Kingdom?” A small, intangible, and invisible area appeared around Raymond, its pressure falling upon Kai like a large fire. His breath stopped for a second, and his heart raced as he looked at the man. “The Kingdom surveyed by Aravia’s Military? Do you expect me to buy that bullshit?”

“I-I don’t know what to tell you. That’s what I did…” Kai replied honestly, his mind racing upon finding out that his people were being watched.

Raymond cleared his throat and asked. “Right, let’s say I believe you. How did you make the journey from there, all the way here, undetected?”

“Uhm…” Kai’s lips parted, thinking about all the close calls he had since he left, and how much of a coincidence it was that no one inquired about his identity. “I just… walked.”

Hearing that, a vein seemed to pop on the man’s forehead, and he suddenly stood up, his aura expanding and pressuring Kai even more. “You walked several dozen kilometers without anyone noticing you? Do you expect me to believe that shit?” His hand clenched into a fist, which he sent flying toward Kai.

The boy closed his eyes and braced for impact, however, the expected pain didn’t arrive, as dust rose behind him. Raymond punched the wall, the bricks locking his fist. “How many of them have you killed, monster? Have you killed every human you’ve met, is that how you haven’t been noticed? Or did you charm them into killing themselves? How did you avoid suspicion? How many of you are out there?”

What? What is this man talking about? Kai looked at Raymond like one would stare at a crazy person. His pupils widened, and, despite the pressure locking him down, he almost wanted to laugh at the man’s delusions. Is he that paranoid? Well, I guess he has every right to be.

“That’s… a lot of questions.”

“Answer them!” Raymond barked, angrily pulling his fist out and turning around. “Or I’ll place your skin under the sun and cut off your limbs after they burn to almost nothing.”

Kai gulped the malice in the man’s voice echoing like a drum in his ears. “Raymond- listen I-... I never hunted a human, alright? I-”

“CUT THE CRAP!” Raymond yelled, imbuing his voice with mana, making it bounce against the walls several times. “A vampire that doesn’t consume blood? That's a new form of madness.”

Kai swallowed hard, and his arms shook as he grit his teeth. He felt the scars covering his body flare up from anger, and he looked Raymond dead in the eye. “Undress me.”

Suddenly, the room turned quiet, and even Raymond’s aura retracted back into his body. “...What?”

“Take off my clothes, see for yourself whether or not I fed.” He said, his voice quivering, yet sincere. “Do it.”

“Uhm…” Raymond scratched the back of his head, the awkwardness of the situation suddenly throwing him off his momentum. “I- That’s an absurd request.”

“You’ve already kidnapped me and threatened to torture me. But then again, you must know the sun hurts me, otherwise you wouldn’t have said what you said in the first place. You’re not 100% sure, are you?” Kai asked, unveiling Raymond’s act. After all, vampires who feed on blood don’t get hurt by the sun, or at least if they drink it regularly.

Raymond clicked his tongue, and let out a light sigh. “I’m not going to undress you, I’m not stupid…” He said, slowly walking in circles around Kai. “Otherwise you’d show up at the Guild during the day as well, you’re smarter than you look, Kid.”

“Uhh… thanks?” Kai said with a bitter tone, feeling a little more relaxed now that Raymond’s aura vanished. However, his heart kept racing. He knew that it wouldn’t be this easy to get away from this man. After all, he was still a vampire in human territory.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Raymond pulled out a paper from his ring. Kai glanced at it and noticed the very fine text which would be ineligible even from close by. “Vampire, your presence here is concerning, and your motives are unknown. You are a variable I do not need.” Raymond said, his voice cold, and glanced at Kai with a similarly icy expression. “Especially not at this time. Give me a reason as to why I shouldn’t kill you right here and now.”

Kai gulped as a shiver ran down his spine, and his entire body shivered with fear. Why is he hesitating so much? What’s his goal? If he wanted me dead I’d already be.

“Tell me, Ichor, what are you scheming with that weird brat?”

“Weird brat… Ah!” Kai’s eyes flashed with realization, “So you were the one following me?”

Raymond’s pupils constricted slightly upon hearing that, however he kept his cool and ignored Kai’s question. “Tell me, what are you two doing?”

The boy remained silent, staring at the man with a contemplative silence. If I tell him, who knows if I’d have any other bargaining chip… He thought, and bit his lower lip, letting the time pass by. However, just as time passed, Raymond’s patience grew thin.

Slamming the table, he summoned a multitude of ‘tools’ that drove a cold shiver down Kai’s spine, his boiling blood instantly freezing in his veins upon glancing at the instruments. “Do you think we’re friends just because I retracted my aura? Kid, stop playing the fool or you may regret it.” Raymond’s voice was even icier than before, and his lips morphed into a puppet-like, emotionless smile.

He picked up a tool, its usage unknown, however the elongated shape and curved edges hinted at the utilization of this particular device. Kai’s eyeball twitched and he fell back onto his chair as the man stood there, motionless, tool in hand.

“Speak.” He barked without any emotion.

Kai’s trembling lips parted and inwardly cursed Barhm. “I- We- We’re just… you know-”

“Speak clearly!” His imperative tone rang loud in Kai’s ears, and he flinched as Raymond once again released some of his aura.

“We’re researching… an animal.” Kai forced himself to speak, saying a half-truth, hoping to bore the man. However, by the time he realized his mistake, it was too late, as the man seemingly teleported right next to him. The device in his hand slipped under Kai’s nail. A fast thug later, Kai’s pained scream echoed in the room, accompanied by the light sound of his nail falling on the ground. His hand, arm, shoulder - everything shook furiously as tears involuntarily fell from his eyes.

Raymond stepped back and said. “Tell me the whole truth or next time it won’t only be your nail in the dirt.”

However, Kai could barely hear him. His mind was preoccupied with the agonizing pain of having one’s nail pulled out from under their skin. He bit his lip, grit his teeth, and glared at Raymond with a seething hatred. Kai didn’t speak another word, he couldn’t, not as he tried to endure the burning feeling at his fingertip. This fucking bastard…! He- Fuck, he’s serious about this!

Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm down, his racing breathing slowing down, however, his heart kept on beating fast, pumping adrenaline through his body. Raymond played with the tool in his hand and started visibly counting as he stared at Kai’s fingers. “I have all night, and then… all day. I suggest you start talking before the sun rises.”

Kai’s head burned as if a fire lit up inside his skull. Parting his lips, he said in a trembling voice. “It’s- It’s a… weird beast… one that can turn invisible- invisible.”

“Invisible? Such a creature exists?” Raymond repeated a hint of shock hidden within his voice. He approached Kai, his face inches away, and said as his breath crashed against the boy’s face. “Is that all you’ve been doing?”

Kai nodded furiously, unable to answer with a yes, and took deep breaths.

Raymond grunted and took a step back, standing silent for a moment, playing with the tool. “So you’re telling me two children are researching an unknown beast?” A glint of malice flashed within his eyes as he snapped at Kai, his cold smile revealing his white teeth.

Kai gulped and instinctively tried bringing back his tightly bound arm. He didn’t instantly go for my nails, so that means he at least believes me halfway. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“I would,” Raymond replied quite casually, however, the tone of his voice scared Kai halfway to death. “That kid was always weird, however, you… Are not normal.” He put the tool down, and traced his fingers along the table, scratching it with his nail as he chose his next device. “No family, no identity, no records of your existence anywhere in either kingdom… and using a Forgotten Spell.” He finished the sentence and picked up another tool, a familiar one.

It was a finger-bound tool with a small hole in the middle. It had two holes on either side, one at the base, and one controlling a spring-loaded lever that, once pushed down, revealed a sharp blade that pierced through the middle hole. Anybody with two brain cells could instantly tell what the device did, and Kai even more so as he almost lost all feeling in his lower body.

His hair stood on end and didn’t know whether to look at the man or the device. Raymond clicked it a few times as he locked eyes with Kai. An icy warmth spread throughout his body, and his heart skipped a beat each time the sound of the blade scraping metal echoed in his ears.

“Tell me, Ichor…” His voice grew softer as he approached Kai, and placed the nailless finger inside the trap. “Who are you?”