OneShot
“I also had a family. A loving family. A half-vampire married off to a human woman. I was weak. So fragile enough to be unable to stand out in the community. Soon, after realizing my true background and my strange behavior, people started to hate me. I started to hate humans.”
“Humans killed my father, because of being a vampire. Killed my mother, because of committing a sin to marry a vampire. Then when they came to kill me, a great vampire sage saved me.”
“He took good care of me. He fed me good food; lucky me for not being a vampire. It made sense because I was born from a human stomach. I didn’t get my father’s blood. But I did get enough mocking from his haters.”
“When after I got sheltered by the kind sage, he told me he was a vampire. I wasn’t surprised. I told him my backstory. He pulled out his huge iron sword. Yet he said in a calm tone, ‘Worry not, as long as you were not a vampire, I won’t kill you.’ All I knew was that he didn’t mock me.”
“After 6 years living with the sage, I heard about his story. He told me he was once an advice man of the Vampire King. Then a knight of the Vampire King. Then a swordsman of the Vampire King. Now, he’s currently serving under the title, ‘Vampire Sage.’ He told me, the Vampire King fell in love with him when he was a swordsman. He saved his life, so in return, he made him a vampire. Long-life to serve and stay close to him for eternity.”
“But the sage didn’t care for his love. As a result, the sage ended up untying from the Vampire King.”
“The sage… died unexpectedly in the last war. His sword broke, his leg disassembled, his face skin torn apart, and he passed away along with the flames.”
“When the Vampire King heard his death, he got frantic. His fear of losing a special person crossed limits, and he left the throne. Since that time, the Vampire King has been missing.”
“After being away from his people, the vampire citizens raged up. They cursed the sage for ‘stealing’ their King.”
“Soon after, the sage re-appeared again. The Vampire King crossed his legs when he came back to his throne. He thought, there is ‘one’ possibility according to the hypothesis he had made, that can bring the sage back. The sage had been turned into a vampire by him. Why wouldn’t he be able to survive?”
“The Vampire King went on a research expedition. He met many people and asked many species about the sage, but no one either knew his whereabouts or didn’t know who he was.”
“The sage disappeared undyingly without leaving his history.”
Marlette crossed his legs and folded his arms. He sat idly, leaning on his chair.
“So, did you get the old history?”
Albert hummed and frowned strongly.
“… ermmm… I suppose so...”
“Sigh, if you don’t, shall I continue?”
“Yes!”
“Long ago, after the disappearance of the sage, the Vampire King grew old and couldn’t bear to sit on the throne. So he called a warlock. He summoned a warlock from the abyss. The abyss, where every broken, felonious, and pitiful creature lived, was from where the Vampire King decided to summon a warlock.”
“After successful summoning, the Vampire King noticed the warlock was very honest and single-minded. He never demanded extra, never complained, nor did ever flunk in his duties. He was overly obedient to his lord.”
“After a few years passed, the warlock wished for something. He asked the Vampire King to free him from the abyss, make him a vampire, and end the contract whenever he wishes to. However, the Vampire King got really offended by his wish. And so, the same night, the Vampire King burned the contract into ashes…”
“When the warlock found about it, he got utterly devastated and begged hundred times to the Vampire King, but stated, once the Lord was offended, he would not hesitate to banish anyone.”
Marlette raised an eyebrow; turning over his glance towards Albert to speak.
“So, the only person in the Lords’ life was the sage?”
“Yes, exactly. The sage, the knight, and the swordsman were the same person.”
“When the news spread out in the air about the re-appearance of the sage, the Vampire King rushed up to meet him. But he didn’t know his whereabouts. The Vampire King ordered 50 knights and 50 soldiers to find the sage, but in the end, none did find.”
“The Vampire King saw his end. He couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to finally rest in peace. Immortality, uncomfortability, and suffocation, all got on his nerves.”
“The sage started to grill sweet potatoes for us. I couldn’t wait; I hadn’t eaten for days. As a young human, the only thing I had to and used to do was, run away from vampires. Those vampires who hated my father, imposed on me every time. The only person who willed to help me was the sage.”
“I ate and drank. And then I went to sleep. I asked him where he’s going and he replied in a shadowy tone, ‘outside for a stroll.’ I willed to go along him, but patiently waited behind.”
“When it turned past 2 o’clock, I noticed he didn’t come back. The next moment I saw him, was in the shabby bushes, he was thirsting for blood. His own blood, lost. And his urge for more blood grew.”
“There was no one in sight. A vampire could not drink another vampire’s blood. It was just me and him. I offered him my arm. He shockingly said, ‘What are you doing?’. I couldn’t help but reply honestly, ‘I don’t have any way of repaying this debt, so here, drink mine. Maybe you’ll get better…’”
“My honesty reached in his core of heart. He smiled gently, then kissed on my hand, then kissed on the side of where my vein was. Then, he said, ‘I’ll be gentle, sit.’ And as I sat opposite him, I could feel the piercing pain of his biting fangs. His fangs were, expectedly, sharp. But soon, when he let go, the pain disappeared.”
Albert frowned in a contemplating manner. “Maybe it was child love?”
“You don’t get it… at all.”
“The scene clearly showed a child, barely 8, helping feed a vampire sage.”
Albert said, “I know. Vampires who rarely drink blood and refuse to, go insane like that.”
Marlette said, “He didn’t go insane… he was just in pain.”
Marlette’s bangs hid his face.
“Oh, ah… Marlette, don’t cover that vamp sage too much. Now, I get it. The Vampire King loved the sage, but the sage loved you.”
Marlette screamed in impatience and anxiety. “No!”
Albert hitched. “W-what’s wrong? Why did you yell?”
“…” he clenched his lips and fists.
“If it would’ve been like that…” Marlette stared right into Albert’s eyes, and said, “The dead sage wouldn’t have revived and come back for his Lord.”
Albert was left in astonishment, bafflement, and his face, all widened out.
