The Original Sin

Darkness fell on the mountainside. After our discussion, we had both passed out. Slept for 9 hours, still, even after that I felt exhausted.

I remember waking to an unfamiliar warmth, and the sweet smell of jasmine and lemon. All before the wonderfully sharp pain from the bite on my leg brought me back into reality.

The beautiful aroma? The inviting warmth? Well. “What the?” I had grown a head on my shoulder?

She was out like a light. Must have been so tuckered out she ended up leaning on me. Again my mind was focussing on her beauty, just the sound of her breathing was cute enough.

“What the hell am I thinking?” I asked myself. Just a few days ago she ruined my life, making me the same villain she was. I should have been throwing her to the wayside, sharpening my axe and riding the world of one more monster.

…a monster that had saved my life twice now. A monster that I’d asked for help… it was all too complex for my tiny mind. Didn’t matter though, I must have woken her as she started to move. Nudging her head into me.

She looked me in the eye, and realised where she was. The red of her eyes were overshadowed by the redness of her face, and she quickly moved away. Relatively human… “goddamnit”.

*-*-*

An observation I had in those few days. Being a vampire is ever so slightly, mind numbingly boring!

I mean, what do you do when you’re scared of the sun and contact with the outside world? My routine consisted of waking up as the sun set, complain about Aiyana, complain TO Aiyana, sit awkwardly somewhere, tour the estate, complain more, and then cower from the sun and fall asleep…

At this point, I’d started to run dry on complaints that didn’t sound stupid, and I’d been around the estate so much I could point out a change in dust on the floor.

Soon enough I figured it made sense to have a look into Zaharia Nightshade’s library, a bit of light reading to pass the time.

As the hours passed, I had started to wonder if time was important. Nothing to do, no need to eat or drink and no important duties to fulfil. The one thing that was a curiosity was ageing. Aiyana looked to be Myra’s age, yet she revealed in a passing conversation she was really over 100 years old. I started to wonder if I’d reach that age, after all, Aiyana was born a vampire and I had been turned into one. Maybe the purer your blood the longer your life is? Can a vampire even die naturally?

Before I realised, 3 hours had passed and the fire beside me had gone out. Leaving me surrounded by old books and very cold.

The firewood was dwindling so I decided to try one more once I had relit the fire with the remaining timber. I came across an interesting looking one. It’s pages barely held together and a leather cover that cracked and frayed, signs of a decent read. “Sanguine Vampiris: Beyond the Forest” etched into the dark red leather, as if the book itself was bleeding.

Legend tells of a count, rich beyond understanding. He lived with his beautiful wife and their beautiful daughter in their beautiful manor. The people despised the family, believing that they were greedy and vindictive. They created a plan to scare the count. They would sneak into their home at the peak of twilight and leave a message, making them believe their home was haunted. However they were caught by the count’s daughter. As they panicked, one of the intruders attacked the young girl, fearing she may alert her father.

She did not survive the night, bleeding out on the floor. She was discovered by her mother hours later. The family mourned and eventually split apart. They say the Count lost his mind, started to preach to dark gods for his daughter’s life. He was successful.

“In exchange for your soul, I will revive your daughter.” The dark one spoke, “she will be reborn, and you can finally get your life back.”

The god he bargained with was the god of death and justice, Belial… known to bring misfortune on all who spoke his name.

Belial was true to his word, and the Count’s beautiful daughter was returned to him. But, she was changed. No longer could she consume food, instead, she would venture into the town and suck the blood of the townsfolk.

The count became a victim of his daughter, the first Vampire, Lilith. He died in his manor, unleashing his creation upon the world.

Thus ends the tale… of Count Vladislav Dracula.

*-*-*

“Well, that was… depressing…” I muttered. Belial was a deity in these lands, all across the continent we called Aura. He was the first creation of Eá. In the stories he was banished by Eá, sent to the underworld for all eternity.

Aiyana mentioned that name before, Lilith, before I started living here. “So it was just a book?”

“It’s reality, Aster.” Aiyana chuckled, she’d been wandering around and saw the light in the study.

“That story is the true origin of vampires. Every one of us has the blood of Lilith in our veins, she is the reason we exist.” She explained.

I read through a little further, turns out that Lilith went on to infect countless small towns throughout our nation of Regalia. In fact, she went on such a rampage she became a threat to the bordering country to the north, Alden. Both royal families, Weiss of Regalia and Skye of Alden joined together to take down her horde. Ultimately the King claimed her head. Some say it’s still locked away in the Pearl Palace. Singing a sweet lullaby to passers-by, drawing them close to take another sip of blood.

To this day, her descendants wander the world in hiding. It made sense that a family such as the Nightshade was built upon the blood of the brood witch.

A haunting tale if real. Wonder how she would react to me, to how Aiyana and I lived. I guess she was the monster we were told about as kids, the terrifying creature sketched and labelled on every other one of her race.

“There is more to the legend than what’s on those pages. Something that could solve our issue.” Aiyana unveiled.

“It’s said that before she fought her final battle, she gave birth to 5 children, each with her affliction. Their first meal was their mother’s blood. After her death, these 5 children scattered and created calamities. I always wondered who the father was, but I came up with a theory” she continued, now babbling away

“Aiyana…”

“I think it was Belial, after all he was king of the undead-“

“Aiyana!” Caught her attention. “You got a point to all this or are we just having an impromptu history lesson?”

She cleared her throat, and her mind of her theory. “As a vampire you need to drink blood to survive, but it can’t be animal blood and you are against human blood, right?”

I nodded.

“Lilith’s children drank her blood, not blood she gave them. Meaning they survived from vampiric blood!” She announced with great pride, practically jumping on the spot. “I completely overlooked it, but when I was at the peak earlier it hit me.” I was less than impressed. “Aiyana. What are you getting at?”

“Well…” she stalled. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“I am the progenitor, the reason you are now undead. I am a vampire.”

“Aster. If you can’t drink human blood…”

“Drink mine instead.”