Dracula: Vampire Primarch

I sighed, feeling a profound sense of relief.

Not just because the word had surrendered to my will, but because it meant my knowledge was still there. I just needed to find ways to wrench it out of the fog.

I smiled down into the eyes of the little Renfield in my arms.

"Book…" She choked out, her blood dark and thick as it drooled from her lips. "My words… In book… Please… Read… Master… I…"

"Ah," I said, placing a finger on her lips. "You think you're dying, don't you? Well, I'm sorry, Renfield. But I made a promise to protect you. And you also made a promise to serve me. You are mine, remember? And I do not relinquish what is mine so easily."

"Hngh…?"

I kissed her.

The blood from her lips slid into my mouth like precious gems and I savoured each one. It settled on my tongue with a pleasant oiliness that carried with it earthy spices and notes of apricot.

As I swallowed, I thought the aftertaste in the back of my mouth was a little salty, but not too savory. The sweetness masked it well.

"So," I whispered, staring down into her surprised eyes. "This is B Minus? It is not bad, Renfield. I could get used to it. Unfortunately, you won't be able to share it with me in future, I think."

I lifted my wrist to my mouth and bit.

As my own blood swelled over the wound, I pressed it to her mouth.

"Swallow deeply, Hina," I whispered, pulling her close as she sucked without hesitation. "I can't Turn you. I can't remember how to do it. Not yet. But I can still keep you alive long enough to remember how."

What I was doing was giving her a piece of myself.

I could actually feel the shard of darkness as it splintered off from my heart and began sliding through my veins like a slow-moving shark. I closed my eyes and focused on it. Hesitantly, afraid of another failure, I reached out to it in the same way I reached for my Meridians.

Hoping I could touch it. If I could, I should be able to manipulate it.

Mould it.

Foor a brief moment, it paused as though responding to my touch.

Quivering within my grip.

And even though it wriggled away through my fingers to continue down my veins towards the wound in my wrist, I felt hope that I could regain my power. Clearly the potential was there.

I watched as it glided through the wound and entered Hina's mouth before being absorbed into her body where it burst like an eldritch seed. She shuddered as the darkness whipped through her body, touching every intimate part of her being.

Then it sank into the quiet depths to wait.

Wait for what?

I couldn't remember. Only that I knew instinctively that there was more to this. That I had to remember what it was if I wanted her to evolve.

In the meantime, she would be as immortal as I, but reliant on my blood.

Without feeding from me regularly, she would wither and die. But so long as I provided her with blood, she would retain her youth.

Her strength should be greater. Her reflexes faster.

And… Other things.

I couldn't recall. There were other things, though. Some good. Some bad.

I winced, unable to remember the bad. Still, I would not stop the process.

Three thousand Renfields had died for me already. I would not let Hina become one of them. She would simply have to endure whatever came next.

And I would help her.

She whimpered, fingers wrapping around my forearm as she slurped at my veins. I patted her head, feeling my life draining into her. In giving her a piece of myself, I didn't think I was losing anything vital but, if I did, I knew I wouldn't regret its loss.

"That's it. A little more… Keep going…"

Her eyes rolled in their sockets and she writhed against my leg.

Her little moans made me smile.

"Mmfh…"

"I know," I said, patting her head again before pulling my arm free. She tried to cling to it, but I easily batted her grasping hands away. "That's enough for now. You should be feeling better?"

"Hai," she breathed, eyes wide and glistening. "Master… Master, I…"

"You are now a ghoul," I told her.

"A ghoul?"

"Ah. They don't have them anymore?"

"I don't think so." She frowned. "I haven't heard of such a thing."

"Well. We'll talk about it later. For now, it means you'll have to drink my blood at least once every new moon." I scratched my head, trying to remember. "There's other things, I'm sure. I will tell you what I know, I promise, but for now, I remember very little. I need time, Hina. Time to focus. To fix myself."

"You will have it, Master," she said fiercely. "And I won't let you down ever again."

I gave her head another pat and laughed a genuine laugh as I climbed to my feet. "You haven't let me down yet, Renfield."

She stood slowly, looking down at her legs. "It feels strange…"

"You're stronger than you were. And more durable. You'll need to test your limits."

"Hai!" She stared down at her fingers in wonder, clenching and unclenching them.

"You need to lead the way now, Hina," I said, cutting through her thoughts. Then waved at the pink gun on the floor. "Don't forget your toy."

She snatched it up, angling it oddly and looking down the barrel before racking some slides and flicking a switch. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around the alley, eyes catching the piles of dust before lifting her head to me and offering a determined nod.

"This way, Master."

I nodded, suddenly feeling a wave of fatigue. Since the splinter of darkness had broken from my heart, it had been beating strangely. I didn't feel any concern, though. A ghostly memory seemed convinced this was normal.

It would heal.

But for now, the ache throbbed in my chest and filled me with a lethargic heaviness. I plodded behind her, each step dragging a little more than the previous one.

More than once I felt I was drifting into a daze, my mind smothered by exhaustion. I struggled against it, trying to find interest in the alien city around me.

But the bright lights and loud music pouring from shops and bars only served to disorient me even further. I couldn't focus on anything until I heard a muffled roar and flinched in shock as a heavy metal cart growled past.

My first thought on seeing it was it had lost its horses and was now careening out of control. But Hina just clutched my arm and gave me a little smile.

"It's a car, Master," she said softly.

I turned my neck and saw it round a corner smoothly. With a shake of my head, I sighed and we continued onward.

My mind submerged again into barely coherent thought waves. I lifted my head now and then, but mostly kept my gaze down, fastened onto her polished thick-heeled shoes as she walked ahead of me. Sometimes on her calves.

She had nice calves.

Occasionally, I looked up at the skirt of her dress, which was far too short. Somewhere in that dress, her gun was hidden. How was that even possible?

Sorcery?

Mortals flitted through the street around us. Some glancing at me warily as I lurched along behind Hina. Perhaps they thought I was drunk.

I didn't have the energy to convince them otherwise.

A bleary glance at my Meridians revealed the blood I had drunk was vaporising fast.

Bumping into a pole, I pulled my awareness back out from within to concentrate on my steps. Hina ducked under my arm, and I let her.

I let her take more of my weight as each step soon felt like I was marching through sludge.

Finally, she came to a stop in front of a tower stretching towards the clouds. I looked up at it, mesmerized by the mirrorlike black sheen which made it look more like a monolith than surrounding structures. While there were lights shining from within, hinting at a large number of rooms inside, those lights were muted by whatever coated the glass.

Stepping up to the door, she pressed a small white card to a box beside the door. The door buzzed, and a clean click answered before the glass doors slid apart with a barely audible swish.

I stared at the card in her hand.

"Security," she said.

"Magic key," I murmured.

That made her smile. Dimly, I admitted I liked her smile and thought she should show it more often.

"Sort of," she said. "Please. Come inside, Master. We are safe now."

The lobby was wide. Drenched in marble with touches of polished steel.

A guard, wearing a crisp grey uniform, watched us from behind a desk. He nodded to her as we passed but didn't say anything.

Hina led me to some heavy doors and pressed a button on the wall. With a sharp ding, the doors opened to reveal a small room with mirrors on all sides. Contrary to the beliefs of old wives, vampires do have reflections.

I wished I didn't. I looked haggard and gaunt.

Sighing, I followed her inside.

"Elevator," she murmured, answering a question I hadn't asked. She pointed at some buttons. "Choose which level you want to go to, and it will take us there. You have the penthouse, though. So, you only need to press the security key here."

She touched the card to the spot she'd mentioned, and the lift closed its doors.

I felt a strange sensation and realised we were being taken upwards at a rate I might have found alarming. But a memory, triggered by the strange sweeping sensation, flitted through my head. In it, I was flying, soaring through the clouds.

Gliding within the wind.

Then diving fast, eyes locked on my prey.

Prey which looked up with panicked terror. Eyes wide.

A scream.

A petite and pleasant chime as the doors opened.

Blinking, I stood in the little mirrored room as Hina trotted out and turned to me. She held out her hand. "We have prepared your home for your return," she said. "Let me be first to welcome you to it."

I stepped out of the elevator and into the past.