Evil temptetion

Vampires. On the night I stayed over at Rui’s place that one time, she told me about them briefly. They were vile and evil creatures in human form, but closer to a demon from hell. They far exceeded a human's strength and speed, even capable of rapid regeneration when injured. If they were to lose a limb, or even their head, if that part of the body wasn’t seriously damaged, they could simply attach it back to their bodies, as it would regenerate like it wasn’t even severed in the first place. Their only weak spot was their heart, which couldn’t be fixed after being damaged. They hunted all kinds of living creatures for their blood, but mainly humans, claiming it was especially delicious.

I had no way of knowing it before, but those evil creatures were the ones that kidnapped me. Even though they were supposed to be extinct, they were right next to me at that very moment, fighting Rui in a battle I couldn’t even make out due to how fast they were moving.

It all made sense now. Why they would use me to lure Rui to them, and why they weren’t at all surprised when they read my text messages with Rui about the supernatural, like ghosts. They usually wore sunglasses around me, even inside the villa, but when they didn’t, I could clearly see their crimson eyes. I thought they were contacts before, but I was wrong. It was their natural eye color. The deep red of blood, fitting with their twisted desire to kill others for that blood.

After the first surprise attack Rui made, the other three vampires were shocked for a split second, but they quickly regained their composure. They now fought in broad daylight, as if totally unconcerned by the chance of them being seen. All of them, Rui included, were too consumed by hatred to care in that moment.

Rui was fighting with the two men in what seemed like an even battle. Yet, the vampire woman still refused to let go of my hand, as if she didn’t care about her comrades at all. She then spoke calmly, as if talking about tomorrow's weather broadcast.

“Say, dear, how do you feel about your little elf friend?”

I was caught off guard by that question, turning to face her with a confused and slightly embarrassed expression.

She didn’t return my gaze, instead watching the unfolding fight, and continued speaking.

“You love her, don’t you? We’ve been watching you since before you even met us. You kept calling and texting her, watched your messages pretty much nonstop, and sometimes even spoke to yourself about her. It would have been obvious to anyone watching you that you were in love.”

“I... uhm...”

I instinctively wanted to deny it but couldn’t bring myself to do so. Because she was right. I did love her, even if I didn’t want to admit it at the time because I was too embarrassed and confused about it. Without waiting for a reply, she continued.

“But are you sure she would want to be loved by you, a mere and frail human?”

Huh?

“I’m guessing you know about her long lifespan, but if you don’t, I’ll fill you in. Elves like her live pretty much for an eternity unless something kills them first. In the past, they were a race that took pride in fighting and dying on the battlefield, so no one really knows how long their lifespan truly is, but given how they’re spiritual beings, I’m guessing it’s infinite.”

I looked at her with a dubious expression, and she finally returned my gaze. She was smiling menacingly like always.

“Let’s say you two get together, start dating, and eventually even get married and have children together.”

HUH?!

“You yourself will be happy, living together with the love of your life, but what about her? Since you’re only a human, you’ll die at, let’s say, the age of eighty years old. To you that would be a satisfactory life, but to her, you’ll end up leaving her behind, all alone. She’ll have to mourn your death for the rest of eternity, while you’ll be happily resting in the afterlife, not having a care in the world. Now, dear, isn’t that so, so selfish?”

She drew her face closer, prompting me to take a step back, but she pulled me closer to her, with our foreheads nearly touching.

“And if you think she’ll have your children to remember you by and keep her company, think again. When an elf has a child together with a human, the child will still be fully human, no matter what, so they’ll end up leaving her behind too. She’ll be all alone in the end. Maybe you think that it’s the same either way, but think about it real hard for a second. You can only grieve something that you’ve lost, not something you’ve never had. So, wouldn’t it be better for her in the end if you just distance yourself from her from the start, not giving her something precious she will eventually lose?”

I stared at her blankly, my mind in turmoil.

What does she know? She’s a vampire who murders people for fun and food. How could someone like that understand a topic as difficult as love? But... What if she’s right? What she said actually makes a lot of sense, even if I don’t want to admit it. A person doesn’t grieve because they have nothing, but because they lost something precious to them. I don’t know if I could ever become someone precious to Rui, but what if I do? I’ll be selfishly taking in all her love, then just tossing her aside when I’m ready to leave this world. She’s already lost so much. How could I rob her of something new she’s come to love again? Not only her family, but her whole species is extinct except for her. After all those years alone, if I were to give her hope, something new she could love, I would only end up taking it from her in the end.

I looked up at the vampire woman with resentment, to which she laughed softly but cruelly.

“Why are you telling me this? Just out of sick joy to torment others? What the hell do you want?!”

“Oh, no, my dear, it’s nothing like that. I’m simply reminding you of the cruel reality.”

I glared at her harder and was about to speak up again, but she didn’t give me the chance.

“But don’t give up yet, dear. You still have hope to be with your love to the ends of time itself.”

My eyes widened and I blinked once in surprise.

“What?”

“Yes, you heard me right. I have a way for you to overcome the obstacle standing in the way of your love. Would you like me to tell you?”

She smiled at me menacingly. I could tell at a glance that she was scheming something. But at that moment, I didn’t care.

“How?”

The vampire woman’s smile deepened even more, her eyes not cold this time. They were full of joy, like a toddler getting a new toy to play with.

“It’s rather simple, really. It all depends on you and you alone.”