Vampire Reincarnation

It’s still haunting me, the thought in the back of my mind, a thought I can never get rid of. A seed… no, a thorn is growing somewhere.

A little time passed as the two sat in silence. Kai sighed. Then, turning toward Raymond, his lips parted. “Look man, I wish I could say I’m sorry but you did threaten to take my life.”

“You’re a vampire, what do you expect? You should be grateful I didn’t cave your skull in instantly.” His more than unhappy voice echoed in the void.

“Well, that’s not fair, is it? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Yet-”

“Right, if that helps you sleep at night. I never planned to do anything to anyone, for your information.” Kai sat down on a freshly manifested chair, and put one leg over the other, then leaned on his hand. “Honestly, this kind of discrimination feels uncalled for.”

“Uncalled for?” Raymond chuckled, “Are you that clueless of your own race?”

“Uh… No… maybe?” Kai laughed awkwardly. Sure I read about it but there aren’t any books that go in-depth about it. Plus, history is boring… I mean I know we did some pretty awful things but…

“Your people, your race, your entire existence is cursed! The things we endured…” Raymond interrupted Kai’s thoughts, his angry expression telling a story that could never be forgotten. “My great-grandparents, grandparents, and even parents suffered under your people’s reign.”

Suffer?… I think I read about something like that… but the wording was definitely different. He raised an eyebrow and stood up, his demeanor softening slightly despite having the man who kidnapped and tortured him tied up in imaginary chains. He took a look at the finger which now had a missing nail, however, no matter how much he willed, it didn’t grow back. With a sigh, he took a step forward and the space around them shifted, instantly bringing them closer to the library.

Snapping his fingers, the restrictions around Raymond came undone, allowing him to fall to his knees as he looked up at Kai. The door creaked open, revealing the cozy, familiar interior, and he stepped inside with a slight smile. He turned and signaled Raymond to follow. The door closed shortly after the two reached the table, now empty.

Kai smirked upon seeing Raymond’s confused expression, and pulled back the chair, inviting him to sit. “This place was a gift from my parents.” His melancholic voice filled the room as he sat down as well. “They’re dead now. This is the only thing I have left from them.”

The man looked at Kai with surprise, shock covering his face.

“‘How could someone who made something like this be killed?’ Is what you’re asking right now, isn’t it?” Kai chuckled and stared blankly for a second before his lips parted again. “It’s simple. Someone stronger killed them. Haniard.”

Upon hearing that name, Raymond jumped from his seat, his arms trembling slightly as he said with a shaky voice. “Haniard? You mean-”

“Yeah, the current king.”

Suddenly, gears seem to turn inside Raymond’s head, as his shocked expression turned to realization. He sat down and took a deep breath. His lips parted slightly but closed right back, the words he wanted to say remaining stuck in his throat.

“They were good people. They taught me how to be a good person. They never talked about killing humans or other races and gave me the best life they could. Sometimes I think they were stupid, after all, why would they stay in the kingdom when their enemy was right there?” Kai leaned back and sighed shakily. “They remained because of me, as I found out. They wanted me to grow up semi-normally, I guess… But they were fools.” He said and held back a tear from running down his cheek.

“They died because of me, Raymond.”

“That-” The man’s lips parted, barely processing the words coming out from the mouth of a twelve-year-old child.

“All this to say. I do not mean any harm to you, or the people of the kingdom… I just want to get stronger. Haniard… Haniard is my one and only goal. I haven’t drunk blood in… I don’t even know how long. The Blood Rotting is starting to consume me, I believe.” He took off his clothes, undoing layer after layer, revealing the scars the sun and moon left on his pale skin. “I can barely go out at night, you knew that already. But I can’t even heal properly.”

Raymond visibly cringed upon seeing Kai’s skin, almost as white as bone, covered in blisters, cracks, and burns. Suddenly, even he, the man who tortured that very same child, seemingly felt compassion and pity.

“So… why aren’t you drinking blood?”

Hearing that question, Kai paused, and a rough voice escaped his body. “I don’t want to be a killer… I don’t want to take someone’s life. I don’t want to become the monster you all believe we are.”

Raymond remained silent, for once, he really didn’t have anything to reply with. “But then, your parents-”

Kai shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know how they got blood, and I’ve only had it once when I created my core.” He stood up and walked toward a shelf, picked out a book, then sat back down. Its cover seemed old, with fainted writing and dents in some places. Dust scattered in the air as he opened it, and was greeted by a map. Unlike the one he used regularly, this one was mostly covered in a single color. ‘The Political Map of the Lazhar Empire’ it read, and it showed all the regions ruled by the vampire kingdom oh so long ago.

“This…” Raymond gasped as he looked closer at the map, inspecting the book’s pages. Their texture, smell, and color. “Just how old is this book?”

Kai shook his head. And flipped through the pages, causing dust to scatter in the air. The book had several chapters, all of which were written in a language Kai could not make out for the most part. It’s the same one as the diary. He thought as he rapidly switched from one chapter to another. Raymond tried to read the words written in old, almost faded ink, however, he could not even come close to understanding one word.

“You see, there is no history for me to learn,” Kai said as he closed the book and put it away. “So how could I know what my people did, if nobody told me?”

Raymond stood in silence, contemplating his words and staring at his scarred body. Finally, he sighed. “You’re right.”

A faint smile broke out on Kai’s face, and his lips parted. “I truly wish no harm on anyone, anyone besides Haniard. I don’t have any intention to destroy your village or kill your people. I hope I managed to make you understand that.”

Hearing that, Raymond’s face darkened slightly. “But it doesn’t matter, your very existence is a threat. You said you’re developing Blood Rotting? I’ve heard of it, you’re not stable.”

“I- I haven’t devolved that much… yet. I’m still fine.” Kai’s voice seemed unsure, as even he himself barely believed those words. “I have no symptoms… as far as I’m aware, though little is known about it.”

“The more the reason you should get the fuck out of my town before something happens.”

“I’d love to.” Kai sighed and stood up, circling the table. “However, there’s still some things I need to do, so I can’t, not yet.”

With that said, Kai wanted to snap his fingers and exit the necklace world, however, he quickly realized that the power he held here would quickly disappear. I don’t want to be left at his mercy anymore. “Let’s make a deal.” He said, staring right into the man’s eyes.

“A deal?”

“Yes, if you-”

“What makes you think you have any power to negotiate with me?” Raymond interrupted him and stood up, towering over the boy. Kai flicked his wrist and made the man sit back down.

“For now, I have this power.” Kai snickered and straightened his back. “And without me, I assure you, you’re not getting out of here.”

Raymond’s arms trembled slightly, anger flowing through his veins. However, he couldn’t move, or even raise his head. “Fine… let’s hear it.” His voice broke out through gritted teeth.

“It’s simple. Don’t harm the people close to me, let me do as I please. If anything that seems… related to vampires during my stay here, you are free to kill me.”

Raymond struggled to chuckle, tears forming around his eyes as he tried to raise his head. Kai allowed him to do so and listened to what he had to say. “That seems like quite a nice deal for you, doesn’t it?” His raspy voice escaped his reddened face. “And in the eventuality, you go crazy? What am I supposed to tell the citizens and government?”

“You can just lie, although I assure you…” Kai elongated his last sentence and placed his hands on the table, leaning forward and whispering. “I’ll kill myself before I go crazy.”

“That-are you-”

“Yes. I saw what this disease does, it’s an ugly sight and even uglier repercussions. My parents died because of it… I’m pretty sure. It started a chain of events that eventually led where it did.” Kai’s sincere, broken voice reverberated in the air, tuggin' even at Raymond’s strings.

He gulped but remained quiet, taking his time to think about the proposition. Minutes passed, filled with silence. There, in the void, where the passage of time seemed frozen, and no other living being besides them, the only company they had was their own breathing and the sounds of their beating hearts.

“Fine… with one condition- I will make someone follow your every move, and the moment you start doing something that may put my city in danger, you will die.”

Kai took a deep breath and reached out with his hand without hesitation. The pressure on Raymond completely disappeared, and he too, held out his hand, sealing the deal.