I was running blindly, wildly. Without any thought to something like a destination, I dedicated all of my focus on simply putting one foot in front of the other.

It had been like this for hours at this point. I’d gone well beyond my limits; the muscle tissue in my legs was being torn far faster than it could regenerate. I knew I couldn’t go on like this for much longer, but simply stopping wasn’t an option either.

“Huff, huff!” I was panting fiercely. Through the corners of my eyes, with the smallest bit of awareness I could muster towards my environment, I could see a dark forest stretching out around me. Moonlight illuminated the unpaved road I’d put my all into traversing. And then suddenly, that road stretched to fill my entire field of view.

“Gah!” I’d slipped on something, falling forward onto the dirt. However, my tumble turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as moments later the hiss of a projectile piercing through the air rang out, followed by a powerful impact.

“Hiiie―!” I didn’t dare turn around, yet I could still sense it nonetheless. In the exact spot I’d just been seconds earlier, a bright, gleaming spear stuck out of the ground. I had no time to dwell on the terror of the situation. Rolling forward on the dirt road and somehow recovering my stance, I resumed my full-speed sprint through the woods.

Good grief, I thought, my mind surprisingly calm and detached, perhaps yet to catch up to my current reality. How the heck did I get into this mess?

―A few hours earlier, in the evening.

I had just been gloomily lounging about the house when I heard a knock at the front door. What is it, this late? Another family friend come to console me or something? I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone, and inwardly debated for a few moments whether to just ignore it entirely. But when a second set of knocks resounded, I heaved a sigh and dragged my body over to the hallway to answer it.

“Coming~!” And when I finally turned the knob, I didn’t see some apologetic-looking elderly person, but instead two unfamiliar faces. “Huh?” The one in front was a tall, lanky bespectacled man in a cassock. He had long hair, and wore the composed, soothing expression characteristic of clergymen―his gentle visage, however, was marred by the many silver piercings in his ear and lower lip, which clashed to form a very eccentric impression. My eyes then turned to the one standing a few feet behind him―a scowling nun with her arms crossed, wearing a black habit. Noticing my gaze, she directed a mean glare at me.

Seeing members of the clergy definitely didn’t put me at ease, but after a few moments of shared silence, I addressed the smiling man towering above me. “Umm, can I help you?”

“Pardon me, but you are Vio Valakia, correct?” His voice was deep and pleasing to the ears, making me imagine for a moment that I’d enjoy listening to him reciting scripture.

“That’s right, but…”

“Ah, wonderful.” He put his hands together. “The Heliocentric Church extends its greetings to you.”

“Umm, I’m sorry, if you want to get me to convert or something, could you leave it for another day?” My shoulders drooping, I wound up being a lot more frank than I’d usually be. Trying to smooth things over, I added, “I just came back from a funeral, so I’m a little tired, sorry.”

“Tch! As if we’d want someone like you among our believers?” the young nun in the back exclaimed with a husky voice.

“Eh?”

“Yes, we’d like to extend our condolences,” the priest continued, not acknowledging his companion’s outburst at all. “Losing someone can be a very painful thing.”

“Right…” Unsure what to make of the man nodding to himself in front of me, I tried to find some way out of this conversation. “So anyway, uhh―”

“A very painful thing, indeed.” Well, I tried, but he cut me off before I could say anything, speaking on in a solemn tone. It can feel like a part of you has passed along with them. Sometimes it’s hard to go on living at all, after such a grievous loss.“So then, Vio Valakia―what about you?”

“Huh?”

“Can you go on living?” he asked, gazing into my eyes pointedly, like he was searching for something. A strong sense of unease built up within me. “Are you not yet tired of this life?”

I took a step back. A cold sweat formed on the back of my neck. The man kept on watching me with a thin smile, his dark frame blocking the twilight. With a quivering voice, I replied to his question with one of my own. “...W- who are you?”

“Ah, yes. My apologies, I forgot the most basic of manners. Allow me to introduce myself.” And then, his smile widening, he pronounced his name like a death sentence.

“Of the 6th Division of the Thirteenth Chamber of the Phaethon, number IV, priest of the Heliocentric Church, Iscario T. Rosenkranz.”

And then, behind him, a clang of metal against concrete rang out―the nun held in her hand a massive silver spear, retrieved seemingly out of nowhere. With a mocking lilt, she too introduced herself.

“Of the 6th Division of the Thirteenth Chamber of the Phaethon, number IX, sister of the Heliocentric Church, Rosalia X. Dornenkrone.”

Here it was. A scene out of a nightmare that I’d long since rationalized away, unfolding right before me. I’d gotten too comfortable. Too careless. My self-inflicted reprimands would be of no use now. There was no way out of this. Stumbling backwards, I fell with my rear to the ground. The man took a step forward, intruding into my home, the sister following along behind him.

“Vio Valakia, demon slithering among humans, you cannot hide any longer. Your time of judgment has come. In the name of our Sun’s divine light―” And then, the sister, shoving the point of her spear right to the tip of my nose, joined in on the sentencing.

““―we’re here to exterminate you, vampire!””

The frantic fleeing that followed left my mind in a blur. Even hours later, I was still on my feet, dashing desperately.

It was summer of the year 496 according to the New Order calendar.

Nearly five hundred years had passed since Magic disappeared from this world, yet things were as hectic as ever. Luckily, the constant wars were starting to die down. The first few centuries were full of ancient kingdoms being toppled and replaced by new dynasties, only to be ravaged by other countries who were, in turn, absorbed into burgeoning empires. Not that I was around for any of that, mind you. It’s all just material for the history books. And yet, even though regular law-abiding citizens like me just wanted to lead peaceful, quiet lives, remnants of the Era of Magic were still running, galloping, swimming, flying or floating about and causing all sorts of trouble, be it dragons, shapeshifters, giant sea monsters, sentient floating islands, werewolves or―among many others―vampires.

Vampires, bloodsuckers, demons―call them whatever you will. Immortal monsters who feast upon the blood of humans to satisfy their forbidden desires. I won’t sugarcoat it, there were plenty of troublesome guys among them. Like Jackal V. V. Brooks, the eighth richest man in the world, who cashed in on century-old debts with plenty of interest and used his wealth to escape extermination, or Palatina Permafrost, who’d built an empire meant exclusively for vampires, and was currently at war with pretty much every other nation in the world, or Hematolegion, the Nightless Night, an unpredictable disaster melting into the land and absorbing the blood of everything that walks upon it, not to mention Sanguina or the Glib Brothers. And then there was also that guy who’d made a cult called the Ecliptic Church that did a lot of terrible stuff, and add to that the countless serial killers and mass murderers like Monomania the Ripper―it’s fair to say that vampires could be kind of a pain. But, you know, I’d say it’s just like how newspapers always report on the most terrible things, to the point that you wind up thinking only bad stuff is happening in the world. My point being: vampires weren’t all bad. Consider, for instance, me!

My name, at least at the time, was Vio Valakia. On paper, 18 years old. I was the grandson of Vincent and Valentina Valakia, an elderly couple living in a quiet little town within the Dukedom of Grimgrave. My parents had passed away, so it was just me and my grandparents, but we were living our lives to the fullest! At least, that was how I’d introduce myself to most people for the past couple of years. In truth, I was a vampire, but I didn’t go around decapitating people and using them as drinking fountains or anything. I didn’t even drink anyone’s blood without their consent! I was a perfectly average law-abiding citizen that happened to have an unusual diet, that’s all.

I’d known ol’ Vince and Tina for many decades. In truth, I’d started out as Tina’s adoptive older brother, though she’d quickly outgrown me, and Vince was our childhood friend. After they got married, they took me in to live with them, and ever since then I’d stuck around as the third wheel who couldn’t read the room. I constantly had to change identities, going from Tina’s now younger brother to her son and eventually her grandson. I won’t say it was an effortless life, but we’d had our fun. And then, just as I’d been thinking we ought to relocate soon before people got suspicious of my agelessness, Vince went and kicked the bucket.

That was about a year ago at this point. Tina still kept smiling while I was looking, but it felt like her eyes had become affixed to the past. They no longer had that glint in them, that vigor and love of life that she’d always shown. And as if following her husband, her health got worse, and soon enough she was on her deathbed. And then, I…

Well, we all make mistakes, right? Sometimes you go ahead and try to do something terrible, even though you know you really shouldn’t. Can’t avoid that, it’s just a part of life. In such situations, you just have to live and learn. A single mistake won’t kill you, right?

That’s what human logic dictates, but apparently vampires don’t get the same treatment. Because of my little error in judgment, the Heliocentric Church went and sent some nasty hunters to exterminate me. Well, I say „exterminate,’ but that’s not really accurate. After all, there was currently no way to really, permanently kill a vampire, and no vampire deaths had ever been reported. I’m sure given the advancement of science they’d find one eventually, but so far the only thing the Church had at their disposal were some leftover magical seals which, while piercing the heart of a vampire, could prevent their healing as well as eliminate their consciousness. It was close enough to death, even if it was temporary. Supposedly even a little prick was enough to paralyze a vampire, and just touching the things would burn us.

I’d heard that apparently the Church’s big plan was to gather the hearts of every vampire like that, seal them, then launch them above the sky and into the Sun. Honestly, that seemed like a very frivolous and unfounded plan to me, and I’d much rather they spent their donors’ funds on something that’d do some actual good in the world, but who was I to talk, really?

Either way, I was being chased around by incomprehensibly monstrous humans and was bound for a nap from which I’d realistically never awaken. I wanted to cry. I guess fate didn’t want me living any longer, now that Vince and Tina were gone. I thought that, and then I wanted to cry even more. Maybe I had already been crying.

And, with all those thoughts swirling inside my head, I gave it my all and kept on running. I couldn’t hear my pursuers, but I was sure they’d catch up to me before long. I couldn’t keep this up. I had to lose them somehow. And right as that fact crossed my mind, I noticed a small wooden shed out of the corner of my eye, peeking out from between the trees. I quickly changed course straight for it, diving through the overgrown bushes in the wilderness and scratching my legs, the cuts not even healing instantly due to how little blood I had left.

If I’d had a clear head, I might’ve realized that I’d be a sitting duck inside that shed, but in my panic I just rammed into the door of my one potential hiding spot. The creaky wooden door, however, didn’t budge. No good! It seemed to be locked from the inside. I went around the small building, looking for any openings. Finally, near the edge of the right wall, there was a small hole, just big enough for a rat to cross through, at the bottom of the vertically arranged planks. Perfect!

“Morry, please, help me!” Desperate, I called out the name of the only friend I had left in this world. And then, from the center of my heart, through my veins, through the membrane of my skin, shuffling out from beneath my shirt and popping his head out from the collar of my shirt, Maurice appeared, flapping his wings, his tiny black body barely visible in the night’s darkness.

Wasting no time, the little bat flew straight through the hole and into the shed. Circling around to the door, I waited for him to do his work. I couldn’t see what he saw, but I could feel his presence drawing near the other side of the door, and he understood my will perfectly. A few moments later, the bolt locking the door in place was lifted, and thanking Morry with all I had, I entered the dark room.

I’ve gotta lock the door shut! I was about to do just that, but then, after the split second it took for my eyes to visually process the room’s interior, I was shown a scene which obliterated any concern I’d had for my hiding place, for the hunters chasing me, and for my life altogether.

Directly opposite to the door, at the back of that shed, was―

Looking at her, my mind flashed to a memory I’d been trying to forget. It was a recent one, just a few days old.

It was a twilit room.

In a dimly lit room.

Her hair was now stringy and white.

She had luscious black hair.

Her flesh was old and withered.

The fair skin of a young girl.

She was lying still on the bed.

Collapsed in a heap on the floor.

On the verge of death.

On the verge of death.

I had committed a grave sin. I understood it was just my own selfish fixation. I understood that I’d be going against her wishes. And I did so anyway. I tried to exert my demonic will upon her life. And I failed.

Yet again, I was faced with death.

My hopelessly overworked legs forgot about their fatigue and broke into a run, as if moving by themselves. I ran towards the girl sprawled out on the floor in front of me, her blood pooling beneath her.

The rational realization that I was about to make the same mistake made no dent in my desperate advance. At that moment, I finally understood just what a hopeless bastard I was.

And then, aiming at the girl’s white nape, slightly visible through her locks of black hair, with one solitary prayer desperately ringing out in my mind―

Please, live! Please!

―I sank my teeth in.

The priest who’d named himself Iscario burst through the doorframe of the shed, alongside his companion. The door was wide open, after all―it was as conspicuous as it gets. Though I doubt they’d have overlooked it either way. In truth, they would have sensed me regardless, thanks to my reckless act.

Noticing what I was doing, the nun called Rosalia yelled out “Hey, you bastard!” and tightened her grip on her weapon, but the man raised his arm to block her.

“He’s not feeding. He’s performing a far graver sacrilege. And there’s no stopping it at this point. So observe.”

Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention to them. I was much more concerned with the girl in my arms. My left hand was enveloped by her silky hair while holding her head in place, while my right was keeping her limp body up. And right below my eyes was her soft neck, which my fangs had easily torn into. Her blood was flowing into me. My blood was flowing into her. This wasn’t an act of consumption―this was me welcoming a new immortal monster into this world.

Please, live! This one simple prayer was the only foundation through which I’d inscribed her name upon a bloody list of heretics. Her name… Rafflesia. Rafi.

Her soul flowed into me. Unknown information, memories that didn’t belong to me, they all filled me.

I felt hunger, a powerful hunger, more than I’d ever experienced.

I felt pain―a powerful force, slamming into me.

I felt blood spray on my face. An unfamiliar girl killed right in front of me, her head rolling on the ground―her face peaceful, tranquil, almost blissful.

A collection of foreign scenes overwhelmed me. Far from a memory playing back in my mind, the phenomenon took over all of my senses for the express purpose of delivering onto me a past that was not my own.

My eyes became hers. My ears became hers. My skin became hers.

What must have been less than a second stretched out to minutes on end as I was draped in the very fabric of her being, her most important moments.

“Phah!”

And then, when it was finally over, I took my fangs out of her flesh. I stabilized my senses. I remembered my identity. I became myself again. I was Vio Valakia.

After taking a few moments to become used to my self again, I hurriedly looked down at Rafi. “Please! Please live!” I couldn’t help saying it out loud this time.

And, after a few moments that felt like eons, I saw it. The bitemarks in her neck slowly closed up. Even though I couldn’t see it, I was sure the wound in her back, was also steadily closing. I moved my face closer to her own, staring intently at it. I could feel her stirring. Her organism, previously prepared to face its own cessation, was now full of life again, full of more life than it had ever contained before. I could feel her breath. And then, slowly, gingerly, her eyes opened―bright blue eyes, like the morning sky.

“―H…uh?” Clearly dazed, Rafi looked at me blankly. Overcome by relief, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

“Thank goodness! Thank goodness you’re alive!”

“...” Probably confused by the situation, she didn’t say anything else.

“You… You bastard!” As I let go of the girl, the nun who’d been silently watching interjected once more, pointing her spear at my face. “What have you done!?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I saved this girl.” There was no way I could weasel out of the situation at this point, so I decided to just be frank with them.

“Saved?”

“If I hadn’t turned her into a vampire, she would’ve bled to death here, alone.”

“So you claim to be a good samaritan? Isn’t the more likely explanation that you just attacked this girl yourself in order to drink her blood and recover your strength?” The priest asked with an appraising gaze.

“What kind of psycho do you think I am!? …Actually, don’t answer that.” I probably wouldn’t get anything out of appealing to their empathy. “Rather, if that was the case, why would I have turned her? Just so you know, me turning her doesn’t make her my slave or something.”

“We’re well aware. Those are nothing more than idle rumors,” he agreed.

That was the kind of idle gossip people spread about us. Turning someone into a vampire meant just that. It didn’t give us any kind of authority over the person who got turned or anything. I sure wouldn’t refuse some mind control powers right now though.

“I don’t think a person I randomly bit out of nowhere would be all that happy to help me, you know?”

“Even so, it’s not enough to prove your innocence. You’re the most likely suspect in this situation, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Figures. Not like I thought it’d be that easy to get you to believe me,” I said, shrugging. “Luckily for me, I think I have a more persuasive claim to my innocence,” I said, showing the two the palm of my right hand.

“Hmm?” The priest narrowed his eyes. Reflected in his spectacles was my pale hand―marred by a reddish wound, like a burn mark, especially slow to heal, even for a weak vampire like me. It really hurt, too.

“That thing over there left it,” I said, pointing to the ground next to me. There, sitting in a pool of blood, was the silver stake.

At that, Rafi, who’d been silently listening to the conversation from behind me, let out a sound of recognition and unconsciously reached for it. “Wait!” I yelled, and grabbed her hand. “You shouldn’t touch that. Unlike before, it’ll really hurt you now… Well, I guess it already really hurt you, but I mean, it’ll really really hurt you now,” I said, sounding like an idiot. Evidently, I didn’t know how to talk to a murder victim properly.

“Okay.” Not reacting to my awkwardness in the least, she nodded and pulled her hand back.

“Wait, is that…?” Mumbling in surprise, the priest walked over and picked up the stake, studying it intently.

“You tell me.”

After a few silent moments, the man responded. “...No doubt about it. This is a Sealing Sacrament.”

“What!?” The nun raised her voice in surprise.

“I don’t think I need to clarify this, but I’ll say it just in case,” I added with a smile. “Rafi here was stabbed in the back with that thing. I just barely managed to pull it out. You won’t suggest that I walk around carrying something that dangerous to me, will you?”

“...Rafi?” The quiet voice behind me questioned.

“Oh, sorry,” I turned around to her, flustered. “Your name is Rafflesia, right? Hence, Rafi. Umm, I ended up seeing some of your memories, so that’s how I know your name. I also feel a little closer to you because of that, but I’m sure it must be weird, getting called by a nickname by some guy you don’t know, right? I can stop if you want. No, really, I should stop!”

“No, it’s fine.” As I desperately flailed my hands around, Rafi just shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

Meanwhile, the bespectacled man’s eyes bore into me for a few more seconds, before he finally exhaled, closing them. “Very well. I acknowledge that you’re unlikely to have perpetrated that particular sin.”

“Phew. Glad you’re so reasonable,” I said, nodding to myself.

“Now then, let us exterminate both of these vampires at once, shall we, Sister Rosalia?” Right, that’s on me for putting my foot in my mouth.

“...” The nun, however, didn’t respond, looking down, her expression hidden behind her bangs. And then, right as the priest was about to call out again, the woman raised her head, glaring at me with gritted teeth. “Why!? Why couldn’t you have just left this world by yourself? Why did you have to drag that girl into this too!?”

I was speechless for a few moments, before blankly replying, “If I hadn’t, she would have died.”

“Even then,” she forcefully added, powerfully stepping forward with her steel-toe boot. “She would have at least died a human death! But you had to rob her of even that, you monster!”

My eyes opened wide in shock. And as my brain registered the desperation and contempt in her voice and the tears in the corners of her eyes, I looked down.

Her words brought to mind an image. The image of myself, forever young and unblemished, desperately, greedily drinking the blood of my only family, old and wrinkled.

“...Yeah,” I finally said. “If you see me as a monster, I won’t try to convince you otherwise. Heck, you might even be right.”

“Then―”

“But!” I stood up, glaring at the nun with all my might. “Say what you will about me, but how the hell is this a human death!? What’s human about this?! Dying alone in this shed full of junk without anyone knowing, without any resolutions or goodbyes, not even having reached adulthood! If that’s what being a proper human means, then I’d rather be a monster!”

“Ghh…” She let out a growl of frustration as she backed away, unable to meet my gaze and failing to find a retort. Suddenly, I realized the sensation in my hand. Looking down, I saw a wide-eyed Rafi staring at me. My wounded right hand was tightly gripping her own, so tightly that it must have hurt, but she said nothing.

“...Sorry.” Saying that, I let go of her hand, turning back to the exterminators and heaving a sigh. Then, my voice having calmed again, I continued. “If you seal me here tonight, I’ll just accept that as my fate. But if getting rid of us is all you care about, and if you’ll just overlook this crime and go on your merry way, then monster or not, you’re more inhuman than I ever could be.”

And with that, I’d said my piece. The ball was in their court now. The chances were high that they’d just disregard my words entirely, but even so, I couldn’t leave them unsaid.

And after a voiceless exchange of stares that seemed to go on for minutes, the priest broke the silence at last. “...So, then, what are you suggesting?”

With a cheery smile, I stated my terms. “As you can see, I’m a total weakling. My regeneration isn’t all that fast, and I don’t have much in the way of special abilities, aside from a single measly bat. You could probably defeat me anytime.

“So let me help you. We can bring justice to whoever did this to Rafi. And then once that’s done, you can do whatever you want to me. How does that sound?”

“Father Rosenkranz, what if he’s just screwing with us and hiding his powers? He did manage to turn a human into a vampire, after all!” the overly-aggressive nun argued, her spear at the ready.

“If he was actually a powerful vampire, he wouldn’t have ended up cornered like this to begin with. I don’t sense any danger from him―he has the aura of a small fry.” It’s not like he’s wrong, but would it kill him to put it a little more kindly?

Still wearing a conflicted look, he asked me another question. “Why should I spare you until then? I could simply resolve this case after you’ve already been dealt with.”

I guess that’s the unavoidable question. While we spoke, Rafi got to her feet. I met her wide, blue gaze. She didn’t show any signs of it on her blank expression, but she must have been anxious too. I gave her a cheerful smile, my best attempt at reassuring her. And then, looking the inscrutable man in the eye, without trying to conjure up any excuses or fabrications, I just gave voice to the honest feelings in my heart.

“I don’t know how helpful I’ll be, but I want to see this through with my own eyes, now that I’ve gotten involved. Will you indulge this final request of mine, Father Iscario?”

The priest’s eyes opened wide, showing a glimpse of vulnerability beneath his sagely veneer. Then, a wry smile graced his lips, and he shrugged his shoulders lightly, as if mocking his own decision.

“Good grief. To think I’ve become this generous. It’s you I’ll blame if my subordinates end up thinking I’m a pushover, Vio Valakia,” he said, extending his gloved right hand forward. The nun called Rosalia watched him wide-eyed, though she didn’t interject.

As I looked at his hand, I too could barely believe it myself. Even as I made the request, I was sure it would be in vain.

I didn’t know whether it was truly mercy or a pure whim that made him accept, but I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Heh, I’ll take it. What’s one more grudge at this point?” Raising my own arm forward, I wrapped my small hand around his. Next to me, Rafi watched on, saying nothing. I’d have to reach an understanding with her as well, as the one who’d invited her to the world of the night. But more than anything, I wished for her to find some meaning in the fate that had befallen her. Helping her with that was the only thing I could do for her.

And so, for perhaps the first time in history, the bloodsucker and the demon hunter, the fiercest of mortal enemies, shook hands, marking their fleeting contract. For three days and three nights, they would together seek the truth behind this cruel tragedy. Man and monster both agreed that this mystery ought to be elucidated―even though the answer might be one they’d come to regret learning.

On this hopeless, hopeful note, on the cusp of sunrise, the legend, and the chronicle, began―of the vampire who’d be remembered for a thousand years to come.