Life in a new Kingdom

Heavy blood loss caused by various wounds left Caleb on the brink of collapse. Held by Cornelius, there is a hot, pulsating feeling writhing through Caleb. Where he was bitten was the exact spot Vyctor had marked. It grew hot from the sudden presence of the vampire restraining Caleb. It continues to pulsate with a hot sensation. Caleb can barely keep himself on his feet with this burning feeling.

"Take another step, and I will tear his throat out!" Cornelius threatens Rys with his claw directly at an artery. Dry in the mouth, Caleb gasps at the sudden tug on his body. Trails of blood flow down the bite and to his chest. His left wrist was broken, and his head was dazed. Rys tightens the strands around his fingers, letting his blood soak further. They spiral around in a massive web of blood-red lines that crease over the area.

"Rys..." Caleb weakly speaks. Rys motions to him to stop talking.

"Going to beg? Come on...beg... I love to watch you vermin writhe before the life fades from their eyes. Give me a good show while I kill the both of you..!" Cornelius tightens his grip on Caleb's shoulder, causing a painful response, but Caleb tightens his stance.

"Rys...! Don't worry... You'll get your revenge... I'll make sure you get the perfect opening..." Before Cornelious could react to anything, Caleb focused with all his might, using the magic within his body to output a massive lightning current, traveling throughout his body until it coated his skin.

The blood cells within started to combust throughout his torso and back, causing the veins to burst. Swiftly stained in blood, blue streaks of electricity quickly enveloped his armor and clothes. Within a fraction of a second, the intense burst blasted into Cornelious, ripping his skin apart and causing his internal organs to rupture, and blasting him into the wall. Caleb coughs blood as his lungs also suffer damage, but with the adrenaline now causing his senses to be numbed to the pain reaches for his sword.

His fingers grasp the handle and swiftly strikes with all his might. Cornelious attempts to parry, but his left-hand fingers are sliced through, severed by the blade. As the deep crimson blood barely sprays from the wound, Caleb twirls the blade, slashing the vampire's chest. In a sudden moment, Caleb tuned to complete focus and cleaved through the vampire without a moment's hesitation.

Backing away, Cornelious swiftly ducks and sidesteps behind Caleb. Completely caught off guard by the attack attempts to end the young man's life with a solid strike to the neck. Caleb twists his wrist to deflect the strike, causing his sword to be knocked out of his hand and leaving Cornelious open to one final attack.

"Vanish into dust! Lightning Bolt!" Pressing his hand squarely on his chest, pouring all the of the remainder of magic within his body, Caleb redirects the blowback of his magic into Cornelious. A sudden blue flash of light emits from his hand until the thunderous sound of the spell rips through the vampire's chest; exiting out his back is a mass of gore and blood. Caleb's already shredded arm rips further as the combustion of his cells ruptures far beyond what he has ever experienced before. As the intense pressure of the magic launches Cornelious, Caleb falls back to one knee with both arms disabled.

With a weakened breath, Caleb shouts to his only friend in this fight...

"It's up to you, Rys!" As the final word left his lips, his body collapsed to the ground, fully exhausted and defeated after giving it everything he had...

Rys doesn't hesitate, the man who contributed to his creation and suffering, the man who caused many more to suffer and die. The creature that he had to serve only to finally murder was heading his way. Streaking the blood from his hands, they rip apart by the seams as the strands race forward, piercing and ripping into Cornelious.

His screams are quickly overwritten by the violent sounds of his body ripped from flesh to flesh, bone to bone, until the mangled corpse of Corneilous is held together by the connected strands from Rys. His final words were cut short, but they stuck with Rys as he alone heard them...

The final words rang into his mind like an echo rattling inside his head... The words "...The vessel was a success...! Master...! He shall become-" all that remained until his heart and body were destroyed. The final words cut off, leaving Rys pondering about what it meant. He believed he was just a failure, nothing but a subject that was to be thrown out. A part of him regretted finishing off Cornelious only for the fact the questions within his mind began to tear him inside.

The hanging corpse of Cornelious was nothing but strung flesh and bone, a torso ripped in half with his entrails spread about—the mangled and blood-soaked hair draped along his torso, hiding the gleeful face of the mad vampire. Rys took a step forward and looked at the violent pool of blood; pieces of organs mixed with bone and muscle were a harrowing sight for anyone not accustomed to such gruesome sights. But all Rys saw was his own reflection in the crimson puddle.

Within the reflection stared back at him was the face of the monster who created him. Except it was Rys. Seeing the white in his hair, the vibrant red in his eyes, the elongated fangs peaking from his lips, the subtle definitions of his face all resembling Messiah Cethric. Within his own eyes was a deep-seated fear of his fate now realized.

"Was this all a test... Was everything I ever went through...all he had planned? Was I meant to be thrown away..! Tell me! Tell me, you bastard!" Losing his self-control, Rys desecrates the remains of Cornelious, stripping away any semblance of his character into mounds of gore. Tears flowed from his eyes as he knelt in the puddle of blood, staring at his reflection; the moment of uncertainty caused a rift in his entire persona.

"Rys..." The soft-spoken word broke his trance. Looking from his knees, he spotted Caleb barely alive on the ground, blood trailing from his lips and onto the broken stone. "Rys... I can't see anything right now..." The early signs of death had crept around him. Rys quickly reacted, raced to his side, and lifted him into his arms.

"Caleb! I'm right here!" Rys felt his weakened pulse slowly worsen.

"You're not a monster... Just because you were made into one... Doesn't mean you have to be..." Blood continues to pour out of his mouth. Rys quickly thinks of a way to save him; frantically thinking about his own medical experience, he looks around the lab to see if any materials can be salvaged to create some potion. But the time would be too late before it could be finished, and Caleb would already be dead. Caleb had no vitality left to heal himself of any wounds, and the spell's strength was too great for even Caleb to cast if he could.

"Caleb... I am sorry I didn't mean for you to-" Caleb gripped onto Rys and pulled him close.

"Shut up... Idiot... From one monster to another... There is always a chance for us to do better than what we are labeled as... I know...how it feels to be...treated....as...a monster...." His body grows cold and slowly slips into death. The final breath in his body slowly exits his lips. Rys holds him tightly before biting his wrist and shoving it into Caleb's mouth. Letting the blood run down his throat, even if he chokes on it, it will still enter his body.

"I don't know what this will do! But I won't let you die! I won't let you say that and not live up to those words!" Rys knew his blood could heal people. Synthesizing it into a potion would allow people to heal wounds and from sickness much faster. However, having someone consume it raw like this has never been done before now.

A few moments pass as the blood continues to drain into Caleb's throat, hoping a spark of life emits from him. Rys holds his breath as he squeezes more into his mouth. A soft movement in his eyes twitches, and a sudden tremor shakes Caleb before he takes a gasp of air, pushing away Rys and coughing up the blood stuck in his throat.

"Caleb!" Rys kneels next to Caleb and rubs his back, seeing his wounds have already started to regenerate. However, they are much quicker than any of the potions he gave to people. Caleb frantically struggles to breathe as his body burns from the inside.

"It burns! Ack! Gaahh!!" Consuming such a vital amount to bring him back from the moment of death caused his body to struggle with such a powerful substance, trying to rejuvenate his own cells alive. At this moment, Rys had fully realized why his blood must be synthesized. The potency of the healing properties is far stronger than what an average person can handle. The rapid healing causes the body to metabolize well beyond human limits. Rys watched as Caleb's body fought past the pain until he was left still, sweat pouring from his face, but his wounds fully healed.

"H-How do you feel?" Rys blurted out the question without thinking.

"Like I just burned in hell with swords stabbing every fiber of my being while laced with acid... Promise me you will...NEVER...give me your blood... I don't care...If I was going to die! That hurt so fucking much!"

"Okay okay! I understand! This was a first for me, too!" Rys helped Caleb to his feet to examine him. Caleb was more or less unharmed, and his wounds only left scars as they healed over the wounds. With a deep breath, Caleb closed his eyes and got to his feet. His wrist was not broken anymore.

"We killed that bastard, didn't we...?" Caleb looks at Rys and the pile of bloody gore.

"Yes... Thanks to you... I was able to ensure his body couldn't heal the damage done."

"Good... I didn't want to sacrifice myself like that just yet, but I didn't want the both of us to lose after getting so far. I put everything on you to finish the job. Thankfully, I wasn't wrong in doing so..."

"Thank you." Rys bows his head without needing his glasses to see anymore due to his vampire blood; he finds it weird not to adjust his glasses when moving anymore. He laughs to himself but also frowns at his current look.

"Don't mention it... We both took a gamble, and it paid off tenfold. But I never expected you to be a vampire this whole time."

"I'm not really a vampire, just whatever is in between. But I guess I let myself turn into one after tonight so I guess I can't complain what I am anymore."

"Even if your appearance has changed, it doesn't mean you will look like that now."

"How would you know Caleb? My hair and eyes are nothing human. Not anymore. They will notice if I even step foot into town again or any other town."

"Trust in a child of Nix and descendent of Demon King Raiden; despite my looks, I still live the life I want regardless of what people first see. So, do your best and continue the path you set yourself, alright." Caleb gets up and moves to pick up the pair of glasses. Turning back to Rys, he slowly puts them on his eyes and looks at him. "Despite everything, it's still you."

Rys looks down and chuckles while adjusting his glasses. The red coloring of his eyes slowly fades along with the elongated fangs. However, his hair returns to dark brown, with the exception of a patch of vibrant white still remaining. Looking at a shard of glass, he looks at his reflection.

Caleb places his hand on his shoulder and smiles. "It is up to you to live up to your expectations. Be who you want to be; don't let someone tell you what you are. Your secret is safe with me."

Rys chuckles and pats his hand before standing up. "You're one of the strangest kids I have ever met. But I am glad I have met you, Caleb Aris. If what Cornelious said is true, we should try reaching your companions as soon as possible. They may be in trouble."

"I don't think we have to worry much about that. Gale alone could fight anything this bastard threw at him. No need to rush; let's just get back to town and have a nice place to rest. I'm beyond tired after this whole thing." Stretching while talking, Caleb takes Tempest and sheathes it as they approach the elevator.

"Give me a moment. I must make sure of something."

"Sure thing, I'll wait for you."

Rys heads back into the lab and takes a couple of the notes kept by Cornelious, hoping to find information on any of the other Lords. Rys returns to the elevator with Caleb and watches the gate close. Keeping his final sight on the remains of Cornelious until his vision is obscured, a deep sigh of relief escapes him. Finally, one less monster roams this world as he thought...