by Gloria Dark
“Y-you can’t drink any blood!” Demian’s face paled in realisation. Lucius had already tried blood of their family members, animals and even humans. None of it worked. Lucius vomited it all, leaving him weak and starved.
It was surprising Lucius was able to survive for 12 years with no food, but the mysterious magi that held him alive started to fade. He became weaker by each year.
“If you can’t take any blood, you will…” Demian’s lower lip started to tremble, unable to speak about death.
“Please, don’t tell anyone!” Lucius begged as he leaned on Demian’s shoulders, “Please! If they find out I can’t even have human blood, they will never let me out of these four walls! I’ll never see the world, I’ll never feel the wind on my skin. I won’t be able to sit in the garden if they find out about this! Please, brother, I beg you!”
“But…” Demian’s voice was about to break, “I must tell them, or else they won’t be able to help you! They won’t continue looking for solutions if they think you’re fine! Maybe you just need a different kind of blood!”
Lucius started to cry, tears flooding his skin as he pressed his face into his brother’s chest.
“No, Demian!” Lucius cried, “There’s no such blood that will save me, can’t you see? I won’t be able to survive on the leftover energy of our mother. She died giving me birth, and I’ve already used up the vampire power she had given me. I’m dying, Demian, I won’t survive no matter what is done!”
“Shut up,” Demian whispered, unable to listen to any of it.
“Please… You know nobody from our family will come to see me unless I get better. I don’t even know how our father looks like, but I’d like to meet him. I heard the servants speak about our father. He told them he would take both of us - you and me - hunting if this human blood helped me! You know I’ve always wanted to go outside this room at least once in my lifetime.” Lucius tried to explain, “Please, brother, don’t take it away from me! Let me enjoy at least something before I die!”
Demian wiped his brother’s tears.
“Lucius,” he whispered, sighing hard, “I promise I will make your dream come true, I promise I won’t tell anyone about this. But you must promise me something in return!”
“Anything!” Lucius lit up with excitement. A bright smile replaced his tears.
“You won’t ever give up on yourself! You will try to stay alive no matter how hard it may seem, and you’ll do your best to breathe!” Demian demanded, “Promise me!”
“I promise!” Lucius replied, without thinking.
“Say it! Swear it!” Demian demanded once more.
“I promise I’ll try my best to stay alive, I’ll fight for my life no matter how hard or pointless it may seem. I swear!” Lucius placed a hand on his heart, gazing at his brother’s bright scarlet eyes full of fresh hunger.
“Then I’ll do everything I can to keep this a secret!” Demian removed his jacket and dropped it on the floor to clean up the blood.
After wiping the floor with his own clothing, Demian threw it into the fireplace to get rid of the evidence. Although the floor appeared clean, it was easy for vampires to smell it.
“No, this smell will give it away,” Demian muttered, concerned about the evidence.
“What smell?” Lucius was too weak to recognise the scent of blood. His hunger never craved for it to be able to notice it the way other vampires did.
“The floor, I need to do something about it!” Demian created a ball of fire in his hand, dropping it on the floor. The flames burned dispersed the smell and disappeared without harming the ground.
“You’re so strong, brother…” Lucius smiled.
Demian got back into the bed, looking at the open bottle. The sweet aroma tickled his senses, making his eyes shine brightly. The tempting scent made him hungry.
“You should drink it. The human blood could make you stronger, it would be a shame to waste it. Somebody must have donated in the Blood Bank, throwing it out will be disrespectful towards the kind person.” Lucius said, watching his brother’s eyes shine.
“I know, but I shouldn’t. It will be better if I pour it into the fireplace.” Demian tried to resist his hunger.
“Why would you?” Lucius asked, “Nobody will find out if you drank the blood instead of me. We shouldn’t throw out somebody’s hard work just like that!”
“I can’t drink it, it’s against the rules!” Demian whispered, still attracted by the sweet aroma tickling his senses awake.
“One day, you’ll grow up so strong, you’ll be the one who makes the rules. I think you should drink blood. It was meant for me, and I give it to you. Take it as my present as I cannot do anything for you!” Lucius tried to persuade, “During all these years, only you’ve been by my side. No other family member has ever visited me, only you. This is the best I can offer you!”
Demian swallowed hard, taking the bottle without realising it. His red eyes brightened, shining toxic, his pupils shrank beastly, making him look insane.
“Devour it.” Lucius encouraged, wishing the best for his brother.
Demian’s heartbeats increased, thundering in his chest loudly as he moved the bottle closer to his lips. Inhaling the beautiful scent made his skin cover in goosebumps, awakening his insatiable hunger.
“Enjoy it…” Lucius repeated a few times.
Demian took a tiny sip, but his entire body awoke in euphoric pleasure. His pupils widened, turning his eyes nearly black. Each cell in his body filled with relentless energy, forcing him to empty the bottle.
His body submerged in pleasure, power washing over him like a river of blessings. Each cell bloomed within him like a graceful rose in the most beautiful garden. His skin became incredibly sensitive, his vision sharpened and ears could even hear birds in the forest behind his castle. It all happened quickly and washed away, leaving the boy alert.
“How was it?” Lucius asked curiously, watching his brother ignite with rapture.
“Ecstatic…” Demian whispered, trying to calm down. He couldn’t allow anyone to find out about the human blood he tasted so early. Instead, he wrapped Lucius in blankets and laid down next to him, caressing his forehead gently.
Because of the heightened senses, Demian noticed the strange scent his brother had. Usually, he thought it was the illness, but it somehow reminded of lilies.
“Demian?” Lucius asked, his voice calm and hardly awake, “Why does our father hate me? Is it because my birth killed mummy?”
“What? Why would you think that?” Demian tried to calm his brother although he knew Lucius was right.
“He never visits me,” said Lucius.
“It’s because he can’t stand seeing you ill. He loves you, but it would be hurtful for him to see you suffer.” Demian lied.
“Then I will try my best to become strong like you. I want our father to be proud of us. I want to see him.” Lucius muttered, pressing his face to Demian’s chest, slowly drifting off to sleep, “Will you sing for me?”
The frail boy fell asleep before Demian managed to sing a lullaby.
“I will always protect you…” Demian whispered with no sound, releasing his brother.
Soon after, he left the room on his tiptoes and went to one of the libraries to study. Luminor sat in a comfy armchair, reading a heavy book with his dark eyes pinned to the pages. It was the first time Demian noticed the pleasant smell of the books.
The boy wandered through the shelves to find something new to read. Children’s literature wasn’t for him. Demian enjoyed studying various different things, he was passionate about the spells and ancient magic. At a young age, he had mastered incredible skills just by reading.
Finally, the boy picked up a heavy book and sat down in an armchair next to his father’s, trying to ignore his sensitive ears that seemed to react to the slightest movements and sounds.
Before Luminor spoke, Demian already heard his throat make a noise.
“How is he?” Luminor aske
d, his voice cold.
Demian froze for a second and masked his emotions behind a smile. His father rarely asked about Lucius, and the boy didn’t expect this time to be any different. However, the little vampire got suddenly scared that the family could suspect their mischief.
“He’s doing better!” Demian tried focusing his thoughts on calming his heartbeat not to give away the lie, “When I opened the bottle for him, his hunger awoke the way I’d never seen it before! Lucius was as hungry as our grandmother Scarlet! Even his eyes lit up like never before.”
“Is that so?” Luminor closed his book, his eyes widening in surprise. His voice seemed pleased, “I want you to bring some more blood for him tomorrow! I’ll arrange for more bottles.”
Demian exhaled in relief.
“Demian,” Luminor glanced at the boy, suspiciously, “What happened to your jacket?”
Demian hesitated for a second, but the high energy after tasting human blood made him come up with new lie quickly.
“Oh, I burned it!” the boy replied, “Today, a pathetic parody of a half-blood touched my jacket before I taught him a lesson. I didn’t want to wear the embarrassment on my clothing, so I burned the jacket in my brother’s room!”
Luminor smiled.
“Brilliant!” he said, clapping his hands in amusement, “That’s the right attitude! Don’t ever let anyone touch you without breaking their bones. Nobody shall lay a finger on you! Since he managed to do so, you were right to burn the dirty clothing.”
Suddenly, Luminor stood up and placed his book in Demian’s lap.
“I want you to read this and memorise all spells before the sunset. When you return to school tonight, I want you to be able to use this magic.” Luminor explained, “I expect you to excel at everything, do you understand?”
“Yes, father,” Demian paled, glancing at the massive book. He enjoyed reading but following orders wasn’t his strong side. The boy had no freedom.
When Luminor left the room, Demian started reading the book immediately. His senses awakened more and more by each passing second, making it hard to focus. His skin began to tingle anxiously, flooding the boy’s thoughts with fear.
What if they find out, it was the first idea crossing his mind.
What if they decide to punish Lucius, was a much scarier thought.
What if it’s all my fault, was the voice of guilt feasting on Demian from the inside.
The boy’s thoughts muddled, turning into carousels of chaos. His head started spinning, his skin covered in cold sweat as Demian’s chest drummed, creating a melody of a mad circus. The loud birds in the forest behind Morteeze property made his ears ache, the bright lights blinded his sight. The pleasant scent of the old books made him feel sick as they also smelled of dust.
Demian fell on the floor, his fingers twitching and forming into fists. His sharp nails dug into his skin just before it all went away. The sensations dispersed, leaving only drunk serenity within him. The pain washed away like a flood.
Without any consent, Demian picked up his father’s book again, reading through the pages at an incredible speed. His pupils shooting to all sides, widening and shrinking too quickly. His awakened mind devoured each word, each new spell rooting inside him like an enchanted tree until there was nothing more to read.
Like a hungry animal stripped to its instincts, the little vampire moved quickly between the bookshelves, searching for new books. As if experiencing an unstoppable hunger, he craved for more knowledge. Information made him feel high. The human blood made him feel high.
Finally, Demian’s eyes widened again, his scarlet red colour igniting with hunger. Hunger for human blood.
Chapter 3: The Broken Butterfly
The Broken Butterfly
Lucius woke up in his empty bedroom, surrounded by dark colours and solitude. It was the middle of the night, and the fireplace had only coals left in it. Only a glowing bullet flew over his bed, casting a dim purple light.
There was a glass of water left by the boy’s bedside, but he couldn’t recall Demian or any of the servants bringing it to him. Lucius tried lifting it to have a sip, but his fingers were too weak to grip it. The glass slipped out of his hands when a robust hand with sharp fingernails caught the glass without spilling a drop of water.
The hand was a larger size than Lucius had ever seen. Its thick skin had clearly visible veins surfacing and portraying branches through the skin as white as snow. The fingernails were sharp as any healthy vampire would have, but they were black and noticeably longer. They reminded of claws.
The clawed hand appeared out of the flaming coals in the form of a floating shadow cloaked by ash and darkness. There was no face, no body - just a silhouette of a tall tower and a large hand sticking out through flaming dark.
Noticing the shapeless silhouette, Lucius seemed calm as if the form was no stranger to him. It held the glass of water to help the boy drink.
“Thank you, kind sir. Or madam?” Lucius rubbed his blurry eyes, unsure how to address the stranger, “You came again, but I still don’t know your name.”
The shadow formed a silhouette of lips covered in flaming ashes as lipstick, covering them with a long finger as if saying to remain quiet.
Lucius smiled as if enjoying the charades.
“Are you here to play?” his voice turned to whispers.
The shadow painted lips covered by a finger in the air again. Lucius nodded in return, not saying a word more.
The cloaked silhouette pointed its index finger towards the bedside cabinet and remained silent. Lucius opened it slowly, trying to save his strength. The cabined seemed empty at first, but a few broken pencils and an old-looking notebook wrapped in black leathers stood out from the darkness. Lucius pulled it out together with the pencils, trying to sharpen them with his fingernails and weak teeth.
The shadow stopped him, helping to sharpen them with just a touch. Lucius wanted to thank the kind creature, but before he managed to say a word more, long fingers touched his lips gently to keep them sealed. Instead, Lucius expressed his gratitude with his friendly gaze.
The shadow placed the leather notebook into the boy’s lap, then returned back to the fireplace and disappeared after waving a good-bye. Lucius smiled as if being blessed by fate and opened the journal. The pages seemed old and damaged by centuries, but they were also beaming with magic, shining with gold as if kissed by sunlight.
Lucius searched through the pages, trying to read the symbols written by black ink, trying to understand the pictures drawn by lipstick and crayons. Finally, he took one of the pages out and started drawing something with one of the sharpened pencils. His hands could barely hold it, but his body filled with growing excitement that blessed him with energy.
Soon, the enchanted paper reflected a crimson butterfly with some coloured dots with mismatching colours. Lucius folded the paper a couple of times and hid it between his palms. While reading the contents from the journal, the boy whispered something into his closed palms, speaking so quiet he could easily be mistaken by the wind.
“I grant you life…” Lucius whispered into the folded paper.
A tickling sensation caressed his skin. When the boy opened his palms, the butterfly left the paper, flying over Lucius. Its wings were red and dazzled like flames. The inner sides of his wings were fair like the glass where Lucius failed to apply colours, but full of exceptional energy where the pencils left vivid trails.
Lucius lit up with the sweetest smile, his heart beating stronger than ever. His successful spell had made him joyful and alert.
“I did it! I really did it, did you see?” Lucius whispered quietly, glancing to the journal as if speaking to it. His nose started to bleed, but he paid no attention to it. “You were always right! If I really believe something, I can do it!”
Lucius watched the butterfly dance in the air, his eyes full of honest joy. Golden glitter left trails behind the flaming wings, and Lucius decided to release the creature into the world.
He pushed himself up, supporting his weight on his hands. After a while of struggle, he finally managed to land his bare feet on the floor. His weightless body was too light to make the floor creak, but it was also too weak to stand stably.
“Follow me,” Lucius whispered to the butterfly, trying to force his knees to be steady. He managed to bring himself to the window and opened it with his last traces of energy. “Fly free into the world and show me beautiful dreams!”
Lucius released the butterfly and watched it fly across the field of red roses to the forest. Once he could no longer see the beautiful creature, the boy decided to return back to his bed, but a wave of weakness flooded his frail body.
Helpless and shattered from the inside, Lucius collapsed on the floor.
Many hours passed, and Demian returned from school. As ordered by their father, he had brought two more bottles of blood for Lucius, but before he managed to reach his brother’s bedroom, Dorian caught the boy in the hallway.
“No need to go to him,” Dorian said, his voice frozen emotionless, “The servants will pass the blood to him. Tonight, you will be too busy to visit Lucius.”
“No, I won’t entrust this blood to any of the servants. They will spill it or lose it. I will give it to him myself!” Demian demanded, remembering the promise he made to his brother. He couldn’t allow anyone to find out about their lies.
“Then he will starve until the masquerade is over!” Dorian announced.
“Masquerade?” Demian froze, his heartbeat skipping a few beats. He hated the lack of freedom, but he hated the balls more. Each event was a masquerade for Demian, each time he was in public was a masquerade for him. Wearing a physical mask on his constantly masked face was a burden too heavy to be asked.
“Winter roses bloom in a few hours, and the autumn breeze will be replaced by snowflakes. We must celebrate the change of seasons! Your grandmother insisted. You don’t want to disappoint her, do you?” Dorian’s voice turned threatening.
