Life in a new Kingdom

For the next ten years, Tharon taught me everything I needed to know about using the Strand Holders. Everything his son had achieved with them and what he could teach me as the designer. Finding myself able to use a weapon left behind by his greatest student, I was able to hunt monsters for the first time by myself. Taking on small jobs that he would acquire from neighboring towns or villages for monster hunts. He would send me out in order to gain survival experience.

I quickly developed my skill with the strands, and eventually, I was able to take down far more fearsome beasts. Cyclops, Ogres, Wyverns, and Golems were some of the tougher creatures I faced in my training. Tharon was happy to see me every day improving. However, he held a dark secret behind his smile.

I found this secret out the day he collapsed suddenly.

His body had caught up to his age, and he was gravely ill. The master I respected and looked up to had finally been brought to death's door. His long life of serving the people of these lands had ended, and what remained was an old man who had one last thing to do before he departed this world.

Tharon held my hand as I sat next to him. His face lit up softly to speak. "Rys... There is something I must tell you...before it's too late." His voice was soft and dry. I could feel his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Master..." He sat up slowly and placed a hand on my shoulder before speaking.

"I have been researching your condition since the time you came into my home... I've been collecting your blood to see how it changed through your years."

"My blood? What do you mean?"

"The composition of your blood gives off a sweet aroma when exposed to air, so whenever you are wounded...the smell of rust-iron doesn't fill the nose. It tastes sweet as well."

"Are you saying-!"

"Indeed... I consumed it to prove a theory... Your blood is the perfect mixture of vampire and human... The creature that created you...designed for you to be a catalyst... For something grand and evil." My eyes were wide; I didn't think I would hear this information from a dying man. But his words held nothing but the truth.

"Why would my blood be important? I thought he threw me away because I wasn't perfect."

"That is true. When I first tested your blood, it was not as sweet, it had a dark color, and it showed more of vampire cells... That is until recently. Your cells have developed into a homeostasis within itself."

"How is this possible? I didn't do anything to change myself."

"You did, Rys... Haven't you noticed? The traces of your vampire side have completely reverted to a human... Your fangs have shrunk, your skin is now pink, and your eyes are not crimson anymore. Your lack of consuming blood of any kind has made the cells in your body remain dormant, and the human cells that fought day and night to survive had the chance to connect and develop a perfect partnership of genes. Your supernatural strengths and abilities have been dulled... The price of this balance is the reduction of power. You're still stronger than the average man, but not enough to call you special."

"You mean... I am human..." The words escaped my lips. Overwhelming sense of joy burst forth from my body. The life in my eyes had never been brighter. Tharon smiled softly and told me to sit down again. I composed myself and just continued to listen.

"I was happy too... That you didn't need to hate yourself every day. That you could finally live normally. Except, you wouldn't have the chance."

"What do you mean, Master?"

"...You could revert back to that same power if you drank the blood of any creature. Meaning you would have to reactivate the cells in your body to achieve the same power you once had. However, I cannot foresee the risks of your body having to adjust to a drastic change. If it is far too much to handle, you might enter a frenzy or die from shock. The human cells that have adapted might be overloaded with handling the self-destructive blood of a vampire and might face a swift death by its power."

"Then I won't drink anyone's blood... I haven't felt hungry for years."

"The hunger was only a part of your nature. The vampire cells are greedy; they require blood to rejuvenate and reproduce themselves. Vampires who live long lives require more blood to keep themselves satisfied."

"Wait... What does this have to do with me being a catalyst?"

"I'm getting to that... Ahem... The more a vampire drinks, the stronger he may become after so long. However, the lord...no Messiah Cethric, the creature that made you... is one of such intense hunger..."

"Messiah...Cethric?" It was the first time I had heard the name. I didn't know how to respond to that information. For the longest time, I tried to forget, to forget what kind of monster I was, and who was even more twisted to make one.

"All my years... He's the only Vampire Lord who escaped my clutches. Now, he has become a Messiah for those damn brutes... But because of his rank and age, feeding on blood normally had become dull to his stomach. Requiring more blood and kidnapped virgins for the purest on the planet. Until he created you... The strongest blood any living being could have. I had some old friends who helped me in testing the properties of your blood. They don't know about where or how I obtained it... However, it was them who discovered that your blood possesses the ability to cure illnesses...even hasten wounds suffered. Your blood synthesized into a vial can be used to save someone from brink of death..."

"From death...?" Tharon's eyes lowered, and he reached into his dresser, pulling out a vial holding a soft red liquid. I knew from the moment I saw it, that was one of the vials of my blood. "Why do you..."

"Forgive this old fool... When I learned of its importance... I secretly created the only vial we could produce and hid it from my colleagues. They don't know I have this or you... I figured... If my time passes, what could a few more years achieve?" Tharon held a soft expression as he spoke. Knowing that even thinking about consuming the vial could prolong his life. But I knew that would go against everything he stood for as a Hunter. Even if he did live longer, what good would come of it? His suffering would only return, and the risk of him relying on it would drive him insane. I would not want to see the man I have lived for half of my life turn into a monster of his own accord.

"Tharon, you wouldn't..." I went to reach for it, but he moved his hand away. "W-what...?"

"I just...want to see my son again...but I got you. It wasn't enough to fill the hole he left behind, but I am glad you filled it as much as you did. This old man had some good years before dying. I want you to use this potion, drug, whatever you think it is to help people. Something this powerful, I can't think of anyone who would use it for the right purpose other than you... Study it... You'll learn how to reproduce it using your blood..." Taking my hand, he slides the vial into my palm. I clench it and look at him, a tear streaking down my cheek.

"Master, I-" Pulling me into a hug, Tharon held me close and patted my head. I had turned twenty-five not long ago, but I only felt like a child saying goodbye to his father. I held onto him and cried silently into his chest.

"My days are numbered, but I will tell you everything you need to know to continue after I am gone..."

"Yes...Master."

"Rys... If you ever face one of the creatures who helped create you..." His voice trailed off... My eyes met his. "Make sure they don't take you alive... Your blood is the key to their salvation... Their weaknesses will become naught. But when you find them...don't show them any mercy. Destroy them, remove them from the face of the world, and then remove Cethric's bloody heart for all the pain he caused you! I know you'll be the one to do it...son..."

It was only a week later after informing on recreating the vials and all he knew on the vampires that helped create me that Tharon passed away, peacefully in his bed, in his sleep, with a calm smile on his face. Holding his cold hand in mine, I stayed by his side for hours. I wept and held him in my prayers...

"I promise... I won't waste the life you gave me...taking me in when you shouldn't have against better judgment... Thank you for the life you granted me... Thank you...Father..."

After burning his body and collecting his ashes, I gathered everything I could and closed the door to our home, locking it up and saying my final goodbye. I promised I would not allow myself to fail or use my vampire abilities. No matter what happens... I want to stay a human until the very end...

*

"Cornelius... I won't let you...get away..." Blood trailing my mouth, the throbbing pain in my chest slowly closing... The intense feeling of swelling deep inside grows larger by the second...

"You shouldn't be alive... I destroyed your heart, you-! You... That blood isn't yours... You saved yourself by drinking that corpse?! No vampire is powerful enough to do that!"

Wiping the blood from my lips, I felt my body changing. It was getting hot, and my blood began to boil. The smell of iron filled my nose... A hint of red glossed over my eyes; I no longer needed my glasses to see clearly...

"Sorry...Father...but I needed to save someone...just like you saved me...risking it all for a complete stranger..."

"What are you mumbling about! Answer me!" Cornelius threw some lab materials in my direction, but they were smacked out of the way with intense speed by my hand. Slipping off my glasses, I toss them to the side...

"I am Rys Harkas! Son of Tharon..! Cornelius! Prepare to die!" The strands within my gloves stretch out, creating a massive web around me. Glowing in the darkness, peering with cold crimson eyes, my prey stands in front of me...