I May Be A Vampire 02 (Patreon)

Upon reaching his home, the boy was met with silence.
 
"Dad must still be asleep..." He had made it back home before the Sun rose after all. Which he was extremely thankful for.
 
It didn't take a genius to understand a vampire would meet a gruesome end if he walked in sunlight. At least that's what most books say, it is a vampire's most common weakness after all.
 
If he was even a vampire at all. Hajime was just assuming that was the case due to the whole blood sucking thing that woman had going on. For all he knew that woman could be an alien, or something else entirely.
 
And speaking of that woman... "Should I call the cops?" She was killing people after all, and that's something Hajime could not allow.
 
Still, he had a feeling that just calling the police would be unwise. If he called them to talk about vampires of all things, they would probably end the call and accuse him of being an annoying asshole wasting their time.
 
Just thinking about it made Hajime sigh. "What a shitty situation..." He was too tired to think straight. He was too hungry to think straight. He was too cold to think straight.
 
It felt horrible just to walk around, the walk back home had been a nightmare. So he definitely didn't have the strength to make a plan about how to deal with a murderous vampire.
 
Hunger was something he could hopefully alleviate however.
 
He walked to the kitchen, and opened the fridge, as usual, it lit up once it was open. The light made him flinch, and he instinctively closed the damn thing.
 
It made his head hurt. "Ow... Why though...?" And it was then he realized something very important.
 
He didn't turn on a single light once he entered his house, and yet he could see everything as clear as day. A creature of the night indeed.
 
He put a hand on his head, trying to diminish the pain. "Seriously...?" His voice was filled with disbelief. It appeared that becoming a vampire had more disadvantages than advantages.
 
Actually what were the advantages of being a vampire? He hadn't seen a single one so far!
 
Of course, the truth is that as a Dead Apostle, even a weak newly born one, Hajime could potentially assault a military base and kill everyone there. Due to his lack of knowledge however, he didn't know any of this.
 
Hajime couldn't just go his entire life ignoring light however, so he took a deep breath to build up courage and opened the fridge once again.
 
The light was annoying, but that was it. Now that he was expecting it, it wasn't too troublesome. Maybe just like a normal human seeing light after spending so much time in the dark it ended up bothering him.
 
He scanned the fridge looking for something to eat, and he didn't want to cook anything. So he picked up an apple and closed the fridge. The absence of light immediately made his eyes feel better.
 
"Here goes nothing." With fear in his eyes he took a bite of the apple.
 
He was scared the fruit would taste awful. Everyone knows what a vampire is supposed to consume after all.
 
In the end however... "Yep, that's an apple alright." It tasted normal, that is to say, it tasted pretty good. And so he began eating the fruit as fast as possible.
 
Once he was done, he threw the remains in the trash.
 
There was one problem though. "I still feel like shit." He ate the whole thing, but he still felt as thirsty and as hungry as he felt when he woke up from his transformation.
 
This was bad, Hajime knew exactly why he was still feeling like this. And so his mind began wondering to the fact that his father was still asleep... completely and utterly defenseles-.
 
A smack. He slapped his own cheek.
 
The thoughts of doing something so awful immediately disappeared. Worry and panic replaced them however, because if this thirst was enough to make him think of something like this, then what if it got worse?
 
"Maybe if I rest a bit it, then I'll feel better." He technically hadn't slept at all... unless being that... thing counted as sleeping. And he didn't know if vampires needed to sleep either.
 
Silently Hajime made his way to his room, being careful to not wake up his own father up. To be honest he was too tired to get scolded right now, both emotionally and physically.
 
Once he entered his room, the first thing he did was close the curtains. The sun was beginning to rise after all, and he didn't want to risk dying while he slept.
 
After doing that, he tossed himself into bed, and closed his eyes, hoping to rest as much as he could before his father woke him up with the righteous fury of a worried parent.
 
Drip. Drip. Drip. A corpse, blood falling onto the ground.
 
His eyes snapped open, as he tried to run away from that disgusting mental image. After a few moments to regain his composure, he closed his eyes once again.
 
Drip. Drip. Drip. He opened his eyes.
 
This process kept repeating, each and everytime he tries falling asleep, he would see that scene playing in his head over and over again.
 
Drip. Drip. Drip. That corpse looked so delicious to him.
 
That was the last straw, the boy got up from the bed while holding back a shriek. His hand covering his own mouth... That's when he realized he was drooling. His thirst had only become worse. His cold body had become more hellish.
 
He wanted to vomit again... but that wouldn't do any good. Still, sleeping was clearly impossible, if he kept trying he would definitely go insane.
 
Instead he made his mind race trying to think of solutions, there was nothing to gain by just ignoring the problem after all...
 
So maybe he should define what the problem is at first.
 
He feels incredibly thirsty and cold. His body wants... it wants to drink blood, just like that woman had done. And the more he resists, the crazier he will become, to the point where he might hurt someone eventually.
 
And the solutions he could think of where...
 
1. Eat some meat, I guess. He had eaten a fruit, and maybe that was just not enough for this body. Perhaps if he actually ate a steak or something he would feel better.
 
2. Drink blood from an animal. This one was a classic... and also not something he could do right now. He also wasn't willing to kill a cat or a dog or anyone's pet in general, so he would need to go to the mountains and hunt down something.
 
3. Steal some blood from a hospital. He doesn't really know how to go about with this one, but it's also a classic from vampire stories.
 
4. Kill an asshole. This was the worst alternative by far... but if he had no choice, maybe he could hunt down a criminal? Nobody would care if a rapist got killed by a vampire, right?
 
"Where would I even find one though...?" Life wasn't an American comic, crime wasn't everywhere. Hajime obviously didn't have any criminal experience either, he didn't even know if Misaki had gangs and the like.
 
The more he thought about how to feed his thirst, the lesser his thirst became, until eventually he realized something.
 
Did he even need to kill someone at all?
 
Drinking someone's blood didn't mean that they would die, if Hajime could simply control his bite, he could very easily stop before they died. He didn't think doing that would be possible right now though, for he had a feeling he wouldn't stop drinking if he bit someone. He was just too thirsty.
 
Now that he had calmed down somewhat, he decided to make his way downstairs. It was time to test his theory about meat being better than simple fruit.
 
There was a feeling of anticipation building in his chest, he hoped that was a good sign.
 
Sadly all that excitement died immediately once he saw his father was now awake. The beloved heart of the Misaki community was sitting down on a chair, and waiting for his son as if he was a mafia boss getting ready to execute his henchmen.
 
Upon seeing him, Hajime gulped. "H-hey dad..." Did he really spend some much time in his room that his father had woken up?
 
Yes, yes he had. He could confirm that by the fact that sunlight was entering the room. Sunlight that Hajime would avoid like his life depended on it. Mostly because his life probably did depend on it.
 
His father smiled. "Yo! Good morning!" But that smile was not a sign of safety. Hajime knew his father for enough time to distinguish between pissed off Kazuma and actually happy Kazuma.
 
Nonetheless, he awkwardly laughed a little and began walking towards the kitchen. This may seem stupid... and it was, but he was hoping him acting so casually would make his father too weirded out to confront him.
 
His father quickly destroyed those illusions. "Where the hell were you?" Hajime had no choice, but to go back to looking at his father... That fake smile had become even more terrifying.
 
For a moment, Hajime considering telling the truth.
 
His father loved him, and Hajime loved his father. Hajime believed that fact wouldn't change even if he did become a mythological monster of some sort.
 
Actually, why wouldn't he tell his father? Kazuma Wada worked at a hospital too, so he could definitely get the blood Hajime needed it... probably. So really, there were only positives here.
 
Hajime took a deep breath, and prepared to shatter his father's reality.
 
Drip. Drip. Drip. That image of a corpse came back to Hajime's mind... Suddenly he couldn't take his eyes off his father's neck. He felt thirstier than ever, and he knew exactly how to satiate it.
 
And then Kazuma cleared his throat. "So? I'm waiting." He took his son's life very seriously, so there's no way he would drop the subject. "I thought about calling the police, you know?"
 
Misaki Town wasn't usually a dangerous place, but murders and kidnappings did occasionally happen every few years. The fact that his son had went off for a walk, and took so long to come back almost gave the man a heart attack.
 
The only reason why he didn't immediately call the police was due to the fact his son was intelligent enough to not wander in alleyways. Definitely. If he hadn't shown up by this point, Kazuma would have the entire city hunting him down.
 
In the end, Kazuma ended up taking Hajime's concentration away. "Um... I was at a friend's house. Going there was a last minute decision. Sorry, I won't do it again." He lied without even knowing why.
 
Now though, thinking about telling his father the truth, only made Hajime think about how cold everything felt.
 
His father squinted, he didn't have the best vision. "Hajime... are you okay? Your eyes looked weird..." But he could see his son was shivering and pale, and for a second he could almost see a red from his eyes...
 
Hajime flinched. His eyes looked weird? Could it be that his transformation into a vampire affected how he looked? That would be extremely troublesome.
 
"I'm fine, don't worry." He wasn't fine, he was feeling awful from head to toe. He could only hope that would change once he got a taste of meat... or blood.
 
Kazuma didn't buy it. He may not have the best vision in the world, but he wasn't blind. "Hajime... you are literally trembling." All his thoughts about where his son had gone evaporated in a instant.
 
His son had returned after all, so his health was his top priority. Hajime rarely got sick, so the fact that this was happening worried him.
 
Hajime thought about denying his condition once again, but what would be the point anyways? He couldn't deny something his father could clearly see.
 
And besides, maybe this was a way to avoid going to school. He was terrified of leaving the house, afraid that just the smallest of contacts with sunlight would destroy him, turn his body into dust.
 
And so he hesitantly gave his father a nod. "Yeah, I'm feeling sick..." His gaze went to the floor, he was filled too much shame to look at his father's face... or worse, his neck.
 
Kazuma smile had now died, only a frown remained. "I see... stay home for today and rest then. And don't worry about your school, I'll call them and explain the situation."
 
Hajime may have been hated by the student body, but he was beloved by his teachers. He didn't miss any days, he didn't cause trouble, and his grades were excellent. Well, they did know about the slacking, but they either didn't care, or were afraid of the vice-principal.
 
Kazuma, as influential and charismatic as he was, was also friends with many of the teachers, and even the aforementioned vice-principal. All these factors combined meant they would be more than willing to overlook Hajime being absent for one single day.
 
A weak smile appeared on Hajime's face. "Thanks dad... I'll go rest in my room then." He didn't want to see anyone right now, both for their safety and his sanity. "And sorry about worrying you."
 
His father's smile returned, this time genuine. "As long as you feel sorry, it's fine. Kids your age make mistakes... Try not using any drugs before you're an adult though. Ruin your life with those later." Hajime had to hold back a chuckle.
 
After their short conversation, Hajime said goodbye to his father and went back to his room. He felt safer there, where he could keep the curtains close and avoid the sunlight completely.
 
He did want to test whether meat would satiate him or not, but he could wait to do that once his father left for work. For now Hajime would simply lie in bed and wait.
 
He didn't close his eyes however, for he had no desire of seeing that bloody scene again.
 
At least he didn't do it at first, but eventually he began feeling more and more tired... The sun had risen after all, and a vampire slept throughout the day, though normally in a coffin.
 
And so Hajime's body ignored the cold, the thirst and slept. He didn't have any nightmares about that corpse and its blood.
 
He dreamt about the ocean, the stars, and of the two becoming one. It was comforting, inviting, warm.


 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////


 
He woke up feeling strangely better.
 
He was still just as cold and thirsty as ever, but... he just felt more tranquil. Perhaps that rest really was needed.
 
He didn't have the time to think about that however, because he had tons of things to do. He had to eat some meat to test his theory, take a shower and... check the time too. He had no idea for how long he was asleep after all.
 
Moving downstairs he realized the Sun was setting. Maybe that's why he was feeling so much better? And hopefully he would begin to feel even better as night began. Though it's not like he could avoid sunlight forever.
 
He made his way to the kitchen and began to prepare a big piece of beef. Hajime wasn't the best cook in the world, but he had enough skills to survive without having to abuse take out. Hell, he would probably even consider himself above average in a kitchen.
 
His father had made sure of that. Cooking was the most important survival skill in the world, he said!
 
While the meat cooked, Hajime crossed his eyes and looked at the kitchen's clock. He hoped he could finish this before his father came back.
 
After all, if the meat did nothing to satiate him, he would have to gone out and hunt prey. Either a bird, or some bigger animal in the mountains.
 
"How would I even do that though...?" He had no skills related to hunting. He didn't know how to track an animal, and how to approach it silently.
 
It was just not a skill a city boy ever cared or needed to learn.
 
Though perhaps that was foolish of Hajime nonetheless. He planned to one day live on the mountains after all, and the skill of hunting wild game would certainly be necessary for that.
 
Tobimaru was right, he hadn't really honed any of the skills needed for the eventual realization of his dream, and now he was paying the price for it.
 
Well, just like he needed to train his social skills, he now needed to train his hunting skills.
 
"I wonder if being a vampire could help me... I mean, that bitch was super human with her speed. There's no way a vampire is just a normal person afraid of the light, and who sucks blood."
 
What could vampires do? As per legends they had so many strengths and weaknesses that he didn't even know where to begin with his testing.
 
Was he Immortal? Could he hypnotize people? Could he turn into a bat? Did he have telekinesis and the power of flight? Could he make other vampires if he felt like it?
 
Could he now not cross moving bodies of water? Did he need to be invited into people's homes? Would holy water and crosses hurt him? Did he not have a reflection anymore?
 
Well, he could test the latter rather easily, and he was curious about his eyes...
 
Hajime checked on the food one last time and made his way to the bathroom. Once inside he immediately went in front of a mirror and...
 
Clicked his tongue with annoyance, because he couldn't see anything. It seemed he truly had lost his reflection, a very problematic weakness that he couldn't truly hide forever, someone would eventually notice.
 
He returned to the kitchen without any further complains. It's not like he could do anything about not having a reflection after all.
 
He began wondering how to test the rest of his abilities. "Um... I don't feel like I can fly. But do I need to feel it?" He was bursting with excitement, in a strange way it was almost more consuming than his want for blood.
 
The truth is that Hajime had always been a curious person, it was part of the reason why he wished to imitate his mother after all. And now that he had become a vampire of all things? He wanted... he needed to know everything about his new self.
 
Without a doubt he would have been an amazing magus if given the chance. In the end he wasn't one, he didn't even know they existed.
 
Nonetheless, he opened the drawer and took a knife from it. "I'm immortal, right?" He was about to do something really stupid.
 
You see, if Hajime had a wooden stake right now... Well, he wouldn't pierce his heart, but he would most definitely try to pierce his hand. This idiotic curiosity was what had brought him to that alleyway in the first place after all, both his curse and his blessing.
 
He raised the knife to his open palm, and tried slightly cutting it. A small cut wouldn't be too bad, even if he turned out to not be immortal, right?
 
But in the end it didn't matter, because no matter how much he tried, he couldn't make even a single cut. "Is the knife not sharp enough?" It was a pretty old one.
 
So he tried switching to another knife, one that was new and particularly sharp. The type that one would normally have to handle with care, unless they wished to lose a few fingers while cooking.
 
This knife too failed to do anything.
 
It was clear that Hajime's body was now more resistant than that of a normal human. Either he had rock like skin, or he was literally invincible unless he met one of his weaknesses.
 
The cat was not satiated with just this however.
 
He put his hand against the table, and raised the knife. As said before, if he had a wooden stake he would even impale himself. "Am I really that stupid?" The answer was very much a yes.
 
He lowered the knife with as much strength as he had, with the full intention of piercing his own arm.
 
A thump. The sound of metal breaking echoed through the kitchen.
 
"F-fuck...!" He groaned in pain. The knife didn't penetrate at all, in fact the blade broke against his skin and went flying. A bruise was left however, as if he had punched his own hand with all he had.
 
The fact that the knife might as well have not done anything was mind boggling.
 
And what was even more mind boggling is that the bruise disappeared in a second, as if it was never there in the first place. It wasn't just healing, it was as if time itself had reverted to heal Hajime's hand.
 
"Guh...!" The new born kneeled over as soon as he realized what had happened. The handle of what used to be a knife was unceremoniously dropped, and he used that free hand to grab onto the table. That was the only reason he hadn't completely fallen over.
 
He realized why immediately, as his thirst grew ever fiercer, as his body began shivering more than ever before.
 
Blood. Blood was everything for a vampire. Warmth, life, death, everything. And so naturally, to avoid the fate of being hurt, a vampire needed blood.
 
And Hajime most definitely didn't have any in the tank, he was running on fumes. A instinctual understanding that he would die soon if he not acquired any entered his mind.
 
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say he would return to being dead in the first place. For a vampire was nothing more than a parasite stealing the warmth of others.
 
Slowly Hajime got up, trembling the whole time.
 
"I need blood." He knew inside of his heart that a useless piece of dead meat would not be enough.
 
Maybe meat itself would do just fine, but it would have to be from a living source. The dead had no heat of their own after all, if they had then he wouldn't be in this conundrum in the first place.
 
With a sigh he finished cooking his meal. And since he went this far already, he quickly began eating it, just on the off chance that the meat would have some effect on him.
 
It didn't. Much like with the apple, he could eat it just fine, and it tasted good, but that was it. A complete and utter waste of the time.
 
Option one was a failure, so it was time to move onto option two.
 
Hajime began his preparations. He wanted to take a bath, but he probably didn't have time to waste. Both because he didn't know how much time he had left until he returned to being a corpse, and because he wanted to get this done with before his father came back from work.
 
First he took another knife from the drawers, the second sharpest in the house. Mostly because the sharpest one was now in two pieces, and in the trash.
 
He then put on a jacket, mostly so he could hide the knife underneath it. Doing this made him feel like a serial killer.
 
After it he prepared a change of clothes and stuffed them all on the bag. Hajime had no idea how dirty he would be after sucking the blood of an animal, but he knew coming home with bloody clothes was a bad idea.
 
His next step was writing a note for his father, and leaving it on the fridge's door. He planned on coming back home before his father did, but this was just a precaution.
 
And that was it, the sun had set at this point, and so it was time to hunt.
 
Tonight a monster stalked the woods of Misaki Town. A monster which hunted for deer... or a rabbit... or a decently sized bird.
 
Hajime wasn't the most threatening of vampires.
 


/////////////////////////////////////////////////


 
Misaki Town had two "areas", the urban one where everyone lived, and the mountainous one where there was essentially nothing.
 
A past mayor had once hoped to industrialize the second area of course, this being the same mayor who had brought Misaki into modernity. Sadly money had run out, and nature won over humanity.
 
So there were only two man made things in this area. A road that would take you to the top, and a mansion at the end of the road.
 
The only thing Hajime knew about the mansion, is that Aoko Aozaki lived in it, presumably because she was loaded. Oh, and if you're wondering why Hajime knew where Aoko lived...
 
That would be due to the fact that everyone knew. During their first year together, a Senpai had stalked Aoko home, and she broke his face with a kick. Not only did she get criminal charges, but pretty much everyone in the school learned her address.
 
Though Hajime had no intentions of going into her house, of course.
 
He had simply made his way here with a bus, and was walking the road upwards so that he could enter the woods of the mountain. There he would find prey, eat it, and then go back home.
 
Each and every step up the hill made him feel like his legs were about to fall off however, and that wasn't due to Hajime having a poor physicality. He was simply running out of warmth.
 
He wished he could have taken a bus up the mountain, but no bus actually came up in this god forsaken road. Hajime wondered if Aoko was a masochist, considering she had to take this route each and every day.
 
"Hah... I'd like to see Aoko in pain." Images of her neck flashed across his mind over and over again. She was always beautiful, but now she looked more attractive than ever before.
 
What the hell was he saying? His situation really was bad... It was a miracle he hadn't killed anyone here.
 
At least he wouldn't hesitate to kill an animal. Even if Hajime understood that killing one to survive was okay, morally speaking, he still felt like normally this would be a difficult task for him. He was a city boy through and through.
 
Now however? If it made him feel warm, if it made everything stop hurting... he could kill anything without a ounce of regret.
 
Once he walked enough, he diverted off the road, jumping over the rails he began making his way into the woods.
 
A sense of fear clouded Hajime's mind. While he could see clearly in the dark, the idea that he could get lost in the woods was a scary one. And so was the idea that he would fail to find an animal.
 
And he really did fail for a while.
 
He could hear the occasional bird, but everytime he followed the noise, it stopped. He also didn't have any success trying to find another type of animal, maybe because he was still staying close to the roads.
 
Hajime was getting frustrated.
 
So frustrated that he eventually stomped the ground, dust was raised in response. Without a doubt he was stronger than a normal human. "F-fucking goddamn it, man!" What kind of vampire couldn't even catch an animal? His kind apparently.
 
"Complaining isn't going to help any, though." His short lived temper tantrum had seemingly calmed him down a little.
 
Now that he was calmer, Hajime decided to change his approach. Clearly this wasn't working, and he didn't have infinite time. A funny thing for a supposed Immortal creature of the night to admit.
 
He closed his eyes, and concentrated.
 
If he was faster, stronger, and more durable, perhaps his senses were greater as well?
 
For a few moments he felt nothing special, but then...
 
He could hear their warmth, he could smell their warmth, he could feel their warmth washing upon his skin. Hajime opened his eyes and dashed towards one of those sources of warmth.
 
It was a bird of some sort, one that was resting atop of a tree.
 
Not that it mattered for the newly born vampire. He put his feet against tree and jumped upwards, the bark of the tree splintering, breaking.
 
As soon as the bird realized what was happening, it tried flying away, but it was too late. For Hajime the bird seemed as if it was moving in slow motion.
 
The truth is that he had these reflexes from the moment he woke up as a vampire. He had simply rejected them, denied them. Because in the end he used to be human, because in the end he evolved too fast to adapt his mindset.
 
Now however? There was no way a bird could escape the grasp of a Nightkin, specially a very thirsty and cold one.
 
Hajime grabbed the avian midair, and as they fell, he crushed the bird with his own hands. The bird didn't even have time to resist, the vampire opened his jaw and then...!
 
Bit the bird's body.
 
It was messy, but it felt good. For both parties even.
 
Hajime could feel warmth finally entering his body, finally confirming his existence. He had even forgot about the stupid knife he had brought to kill any animal before feeding on them.
 
Feeding on live prey was better, more filling. It was just like with the meat from before... What head did a corpse have? None. Even a recently dead animal was probably not worth much.
 
Eventually the bird had nothing left to give, so the vampire unceremoniously dropped it to the ground.
 
Hajime chuckled, more out of disbelief than anything else. "I... I... Sorry little bird." Now that it was over and done with, he felt bad.
 
He didn't regret it however.
 
A bird was just an animal in the end, and Hajime had never hesitated to eat meat in his entire life. So why would now be any different?
 
Admittedly, he didn't expect himself to so... gruesomely drink the bird's blood, but he was just so thirsty. If you made a human being starve, he would naturally let his morals slip little if that gained him some food.
 
Hajime sighed, the more time passed the worst he felt. "I'll at least try to hunt down few animals. As few as possible."
 
He may not know much about hunting, but even he knew you weren't supposed to go crazy with it. He didn't want to destroy any species that lived in Misaki.
 
Both because it would make him awful, and because it would get people's attention. A few animals dying was fine, people could just say it was some big predator, but everything had its limits.
 
He was still thirsty however, so he prepared himself. "I hope I don't get any diseases from this." Now that would be a embarrassing thing from a vampire.
 
Hajime sniffed the air, and once he felt the delicious smell of heat, once he heard the tempting sound of a hearts beating... He moved, even faster than before.
 
A Dead Apostle was a terrifying sight to see in movement, and even one in the start of its development like a Nightkin wasn't a exception. This was a monster that could challenge a well-trained executor after all.
 
Hajime had become something akin to a blur of death, racing to place after place, killing animal after animal. It was truly a blessing that he did not have any wish to hurt innocent people.
 
A dark thought surfaced on his mind.
 
If he started killing people left and right, how far could he go? Surely the military could put a stop to him, but he was confident he could even kill an armed policeman right now.
 
Could he kill ten people before anyone noticed? What about a hundred people? Maybe even a thousand? He had no intention of ever doing that, but just the thought of it left him deeply afraid.
 
A far more murderous vampire stalked the alleyways of Misaki Town after all. Hajime needed to do something about that as soon as possible.
 
That's why he made a decision in the middle of his feeding frenzy. Tomorrow he would begin hunting down that creature, and he wouldn't stop until Misaki Town was safe once again.
 
Vampire would challenge vampire.
 
Of course, the truth is that Misaki Town wasn't defenseless. The Aozaki heir, a Meinster Witch, a few executors of the Holy Church, and even an assassin hailing from the mountains called this town home. A Dead Apostle couldn't rampage in this place without facing heavy opposition.
 
Hajime knew none of this however, so he simply steeled his resolve as he kept eating.
 
A few birds. A few rabbits. And now he was even sucking the blood of a deer.
 
To be honest, it all felt like a blur to him... and before long it was over.
 
A panting Hajime cleaned his mouth from deer's blood and prepared himself to head home. "I feel surprisingly great." He was so glad.
 
There was no way to put in words how relieved he felt upon discovering that animal blood was sufficient to quench his thirst. If it wasn't... then Hajime wouldn't know what to do with his life.
 
Thankfully he didn't need to think about such dark scenarios.
 
He relaxed his body and turned aroud to go home. To be honest he was a bit lost, but he could sort of find the way. Next time he came here however, he would be more careful with where he ran to.
 
And then he heard the whistling of leaves, from decently far away too. Something was approaching him, and quickly.
 
He turned around to face it. "Another bird...?" Not just one, two. And big ones at that.
 
He wasn't really hungry anymore though, and again, he understood that hunting too much in one day was bad for the forest. So he would just shoo away whatever predator was coming at him and then rush back home.
 
Except it was no predator. "Oh, we found him! We found the big scary vampire!"
 
"We sure did... Wait a minute, I don't want to fight a Dead Apostle! That's way more scary than a dumb hand sword guy!" Both voices sounded incredibly excited.
 
Hajime didn't care about that however. He cared that he was staring at something impossible. "Flying pigs!?" He had seen a very crazy thing recently.
 
But accepting the existence of vampires wasn't too hard, they were all over movies and the like. Flying pigs that could talk however? Hajime wasn't sure his mind, his sanity, could survive such a hit to it.

His mumbling went ignored by the pigs.
 
The first one giggled. "Spooked? Scared? You wish master had sent the troll instead?" The words troll sent another shock across Hajime's body.
 
Since when did he enter fairy tale land!?
 
The second pig grumbled. "D-don't act like you aren't scared too!" And then he giggles. "This should be fun though! It should be exciting! I'm slowly getting excited!" His change in mood was quite sudden.
 
The first pig snorted. "True! And besides, this is clearly a little baby! A Undead probably! No way would a real vampire feed on animals like he's doing!"
 
The second pig nodded in affirmation. "True! True! True!" He began circling the shocked Hajime, like a shark who smelt blood. "Hey, how do you kill a Dead Apostle anyways?"
 
The first pig began imitating the second, Hajime was being throughly observed by these two shark pigs. "You don't know?"
 
"You rip out his heart, and once its out of his body you crush it to pieces! Then he can't regenerate!"
 
The second pig's eyes widened. "Really!? That sounds way too easy!"
 
"Yep! It's easy! You can also beat them up until they run out of blood..." The two pigs began glaring at him. "Easy prey! Prey who wandered into the wrong territory and now will pay!" Their aim was clear.
 
Hajime was smart enough to figure out what Dead Apostle meant, he was clearly their target. "H-hey, can't we talk about this?" He naturally tried diplomacy first.
 
Differently from Tobimaru, who didn't hesitate to punch Aoko Aozaki in the face if the situation called for it, Hajime was rather passive. That isn't to say he wasn't a confrontational person, because he was, but his confrontations were always born and killed with words alone.
 
A man of the pen, not the sword.
 
Upon facing such a man, both pigs began laughing to their hearts content. It seemed like today would be a fun day.
 
Hajime hadn't given up just yet however. "I-I mean, I haven't hurt anyone! Really!" Perhaps they perceived him as an enemy because they thought he was a malevolent vampire.
 
If that misunderstanding was cleared, both parties could go safely home. That was his naive thought process.
 
Naturally when facing such a resolve... the pigs began laughing even harder. Slowly they shifted from sharks into hyenas.
 
"Hah! Look at this idiot! Look at this fool!"
 
"Heh! He thinks he's escaping us! He thinks there is escape!"
 
That was enough for Hajime, he had heard enough. His brain began deciding whether he should fight or flee as soon as they outright declared that there would be no escaping from this.
 
He chose flight.
 
He turned around and began running as fast as possible. Perhaps because the pigs didn't expect him to take such a decision, they didn't even bother to stop him... or maybe they just wanted to play with their prey.
 
Hajime cared none about this however, he simply ran through the woods. His vampiric reflexes guiding him and making sure he didn't trip on a rock or hit a tree.
 
After giving him a bit of a headstart, the pigs gave chase. They were indeed playing with their prey.
 
Hajime might never get to learn this, but they would undoubtedly get chastised by their master for this behavior later.
 
For now however, they could enjoy the thrill of breaking a vampire into tiny little pieces. "Oh! Look! He's so slippery!"
 
The other pig snorted. "And so cowardly! Running away like a rabbit! You think he's going to jump into some hole!?" Hajime certainly wished he could, but wonderland was beyond his reach.
 
The pigs were getting closer and closer to him. Hajime was certainly fast, fast enough to even outspeed a top of the line sports car if he was running in a straight line.
 
But he wasn't running in a straight line. Natural obstacles littered the way, and in the end Hajime simply had to dodge them. The pigs had a much easier time doing this, with their flight and comparatively small bodies.
 
The only advantage Hajime thought he had was his night vision, he had even hoped to make the pigs lose sight of him. That clearly didn't work, so either the pigs had it too, or they had some other method to keep track of him.
 
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. If this kept up he would lose, even if he had stamina to spare.
 
And the pigs mocking him, really wasn't helping with anything. "I wonder if he's gonna cry for his momma!? Actually isn't kinda sad that his momma abandoned him...? What a sucker!"
 
"Hey, maybe he's actually gonna cry for his papa! Maybe it was a papa who abandoned him! You don't know!" The two pigs argued like a couple of good friends while they chased a teen with the intention of ending his life.
 
The fact that they were flying pigs only made everything even more unnatural.
 
The thought of fighting them was born in Hajime's mind. He had fled because he didn't truly know their capabilities, or even his own to a certain extent.
 
As ludicrous as it sounded, perhaps flying pigs were simply superior to vampires. At this point Hajime didn't doubt anything from crazy land.
 
So he turned around and tried punching one of the creatures.
 
A punch from a Nightkin was more than enough to turn a human skull into dust. To break metal. To kill.
 
And his strike did not miss. Hajime hit one of the annoying pigs to tear him in half, without a doubt killing him. For a second, he even grinned, thinking that perhaps he had overestimated them.
 
Except that pig then clamped his jaws onto Hajime, with enough strength to draw blood. "Gotcha!"
 
Crunch. That was the sound made as Hajime had his flesh, his bones bitten by the strange creature. "A-ah... ah!" A blood curling scream escaped his mouth.
 
However, above terror and pain there was confusion.
 
What had just happened? He punched into the pig, but it was like instead of making a new hole, the pig had simply taken this opportunity to make a new mouth. A mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
 
And soon after his arm was bitten, the other beast flew towards his leg, biting with just as much force. Another scream of pain left Hajime's mouth.
 
Worst of all... he couldn't move at all. And this wasn't due to the fact they were holding down two of his limbs either. He couldn't move even the limbs that were free.
 
The only thing he could do was shiver and scream. It was like some sort of invisible force was locking him down, making him easy prey for the two flying monsters.
 
However, suddenly the beasts released him.
 
The first one was spitting out blood. "Ew!? What the hell is this taste!? It tastes like a rotten corpse!"
 
The second pig scowled. "A rotten corpse!? This is way worse than a rotten corpse! This is shit or something! Way too salty, way too crazy! Nothing fantastical about it!"
 
Hajime had no idea what they were talking about, but he took the opportunity presented to him. With a backflip that he didn't even know he was capable of, he built some distance.
 
His wounds had already healed, closed... or more accurately, they had never existed in the first place. His regeneration made it feel like time itself was rewinding. There was one issue however...
 
The thirst was beginning to return. His abilities had a price, and like the pigs said... beating him up until he ran out of blood was very much a real possibility.
 
As for the pigs, they were now weary of the vampire.
 
They had hunted down a few lower ranked members of the dead at this point. A few Corpses, a few Ghouls, and even a few Undead. Their master was doing her best to contain the Dead Apostle threat.
 
But they had never bitten into something this awful. Perhaps it was a unique trait? Lower ranks of Dead Apostles could be infused with a portion of their parent's Principle. Their parent's essence.
 
In exchange however, the low ranked blood sucker became a ticking time bomb. Their bodies too unstable to handle such power. And right now Hajime looked very much stable.
 
He could be a Nightkin of course, perhaps a very lucky... or unlucky human of Misaki who had gotten special attention from his parent. Nightkin's however, didn't have any special abilities. They were as vanilla as a vampire could be.
 
More importantly, a Nightkin definitely had lower mystery than the Ploy of a Witch. They shouldn't even have felt anything from him.
 
None of them were aware of each other's thoughts of course, so vampire and flying pigs simply glared at each other.
 
Who would make the first step? It was like a movie about cowboys.
 
Hajime did, surprisingly enough. For a second he thought about drawing his knife, but he was definitely stronger without one. This time he would be prepared for the weird body of the pig and...!
 
He felt strange. He felt really strange.
 
Maybe it was because he was facing combat for the first time. Maybe it was because he had drank blood for the first time. Maybe it was simply because he had lived and experimented enough at this point, or maybe it was because of all those reasons. It didn't matter, what mattered was...
 
[Rank V - Nightmare]
 
He evolved yet again. Even if he couldn't quite realize that.
 
The pigs suddenly felt slower, not quite in slow motion, but this time, as he dashed towards them, his punch did not get countered. One of the pigs was sent flying, and after it a kick to the second one made him join his brother.
 
Hajime did not press the advantage. Instead he raised a clenched fist and looked at it. "The hell?" What had just happened? Did he unlock something new just like with his instincts?
 
Either way he felt incredible. His blood was singing with joy and praise, and even the cold had diminished a bit. Maybe he was slowly adapting to his abilities as a vampire?
 
The pigs meanwhile, had no idea what had just occurred.
 
And then suddenly they realized... were they fighting the progenitor here? The Dead Apostle that was hunting people across Misaki Town?
 
Now, it may sound ridiculous at first, but let's look at their reasoning. There is no way Corpse, a Ghoul, a Undead or even a Nightkin could match the Ploy of a Witch. At least not if that Nightkin didn't have any complementary abilities such as magecraft.
 
Which meant they were now facing a Nightmare... or something even stronger.
 
That was dangerous. Not only did this mean that the vampire could have special abilities, it also meant his raw power was beyond them. It took a whole team of executors to challenge a Nightmare after all.
 
However, their master would eventually notice that they were taking too long. And if that happens she would come... not even a Dead Apostle in their fifth stage of evolution could challenge a Meinster Witch.
 
One might wonder why they didn't consider the possibility of Hajime being a normal newly born Nightkin who had simply evolved in the middle of battle... But wasn't the answer obvious!? Something like that was clearly impossible!
 
The two Ploys got up. This time they would make sure to chomp on the boy, and to not let it go. Even if it tasted completely awful.
 
They laughed. "Ouch! That hurt!"
 
"You're gonna pay for that! An eye for an eye!" But their confidence was clearly gone, even Hajime could spot that.
 
And then they gazed at his eyes.
 
Hajime felt something inside of him shift, almost as if a switch was turned on inside of his mind. And a light sense of discomfort grew on his eyes, like he had spent too much time watching TV.
 
"Ah." Those words were muttered by both pigs.
 
Normally Hajime had green eyes. He did not know this, but when he felt true thirst, when he tapped into his vampiric curse, his eyes became a glowing red. And now?
 
Now they looked like something completely out of this world. His irises resembled flowers, each one with seven petals, each petal shining a different color of the rainbow, while his pupil simply shone a dark blue. It was unnatural, ugly... and yet strangely beautiful at the same time.
 
The pigs never had time to react. In a flash colorful coral began growing on their bodies, engulfing them and everything Hajime looked at.
 
Naturally Hajime had no idea what was going on. "Shit...!" In fact he braced himself, ready to dodge some sort of ocean themed attack. Hopefully his vampiric senses wouldn't fail him, because he couldn't waste any warmth.
 
Even if for some reason he actually felt his thirst decreasing.
 
And then he lowered his guard once the pigs started to scream. "A-argh...! Ahhhhh!" It was a blood curling scream just as horrific as the one Hajime had once unleashed.
 
The pigs couldn't help it. These things were eating them alive from the inside. They had no blood, so the corals couldn't absorb that, but they were draining them dry of magical energy.
 
More than that, the corals were penetrating their bodies, reaching inside of it, greedily looking for more and more energy... all for their creator.
 
And if they didn't have enough energy here... they would simply keep spreading. To the trees, to the city, with due time it would consume this very world... In theory. In practice there's no way such a thing would actually happen.
 
However, what did happen is that the pigs were rendered immobile. Much like the eyes of the legendary Medusa, these ones were stealing their ability to move, even though the pigs had averted their gaze long ago.
 
"W-what fearsome pair of Mystic Eyes!" The first pig shouted.
 
The second one however, was too worried about his imminent demise. "I don't want to... I don't want to drown!" That's right, he was drowning.
 
It shouldn't be possible, because he wasn't a creature capable of drowning in the first place, but it was happening. Perhaps because he ran out of things to give? Or perhaps because he stared too long at those accursed eyes?
 
And yet through all this... Hajime still had no idea about what was happening. "Eh? Mystic Eyes?" He could only feebly repeat what the pig had said.
 
Mystic Eyes. A vampire could sometimes develop them, and Hajime had reached the stage where a Dead Apostle began manifesting unusual abilities, honing their Principle with their very being.
 
Still, even if a Dead Apostle did obtain Mystic Eyes, very rarely would they be something truly powerful. They mostly awakened the standard Mystic Eyes of Enchantment... To awaken something else was akin to winning the lottery.
 
And as far as the vampiric lottery was concerned, Hajime Wada was now a billionaire, for his eyes shined with all the colors of the rainbow.
 
He was also very scared and confused, which is why he turned around and began sprinting out of there.
 
He was now moving much faster than before, far faster than any car could compete. If he was like this from the start, he could have definitely escaped the annoying, and now dying pigs.
 
Hajime soon noticed that wherever he looked became filled with those corals, and that they would quickly spread around like a fungus. It ate all that it touched, from plants to animals.
 
This thing wasn't some power from an enemy, it was coming from him. "Am I an ocean vampire!? Why am I an ocean vampire!?" And he truly didn't know how to feel about that.
 
Misaki Town was landlocked! And Hajime had never even visited the ocean! He had only seen it on TV, and for him the ocean was just something he sort of wanted to check out one day.
 
So the fact that he was an ocean vampire of some sort... It must be the fault of the woman who turned him into one. He didn't know where she came from after all.
 
He wondered for a second, did this mean he could cross moving bodies of water? It would be weird if an ocean vampire couldn't, right?
 
But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was putting an end to the rampage of the corals... but Hajime had no idea how to do that.
 
So he chose a simpler solution, he closed his eyes. He would have to use his enhanced senses to make his way home... And he would also need to avoid normal people. He was all bloody after all.
 
"This is going to be a pain."
 


 ////////////////////////////////////////////////



"This was not a pain."
 
Navigating back home was extremely easy. Even though he was currently blind, his other senses more than made up for it.
 
He easily managed to avoid innocent people in the way back home, and he even managed to scurry into an alleyway so he could actually change his clothes and clean off all that blood from his limbs.
 
He also had the luck of coming back home before his father had even returned. So he picked that little note he left, threw it in the trash, and finally took a shower.
 
And now he was simply laying in bed. After all that.
 
"I wonder if I can open my eyes..." Was he blind now?
 
He could still technically see of course, but opening his eyes would mean spreading even more of that damn parasite around. He would definitely destroy his own home if he did that.
 
Hajime was also extremely worried about the coral from the woods spreading... but there was no way that would happen, right? Surely something like that would have a limit.
 
But he could think about that tomorrow.
 
Quite frankly, after fighting flying pigs Hajime was too exhausted to care. So he would just try to sleep, even if it was night and his body was very much against such an idea.
 
A vampire was meant to sleep during the day, and be active during the night. Though sleep itself wasn't truly necessary, it was just a method to conserve their energy for more important moments.
 
That's why Hajime had previously failed when trying to sleep during the night. His body had been screaming at him that he was running out of warmth, and that he needed to go hunt before the optimal time ended.
 
Once the Sun rose, his body had done the equivalent of throwing the towel. Hoping that Hajime would go on the hunt as soon as the night started once again.
 
And now? Now Hajime was filled. He had tons of energy. And so while it was weird that he desired to sleep during the night... his body would comply.
 
He dreamt of a galaxy beneath the oceans, of a castle in ruins. No, that thing wasn't a castle, it was more like...


 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
 


He felt it as soon as he woke up.
 
Weakness.
 
He wasn't as weak as when he was dying of thirst, but there was no denying that his strength had greatly decreased. He had a theory that it was most likely due to the rise of the sun, but for now it was just a theory.
 
He didn't feel thirsty after all, and even the cold wasn't too bad. He really did just feel a bit weaker than expected. It was no big deal, but Hajime would make sure to avoid any supernatural enemies for now.
 
Leaving that aside, there was a much more concerning matter.
 
His eyes. He had kept them close even as he woke up, and he was very afraid of opening them and destroying the ceiling. And what was he supposed to tell his father? Maybe it was time to tell him about the vampire thing.
 
The only consolation prize given to Hajime is that the coral from the woods was clearly stopped somehow, seeing as it didn't reach here. Perhaps the flying pigs had destroyed it? Or perhaps it naturally died out...?
 
And speaking of those annoying things... would more attack Hajime if he returned there? Were the woods off his reach now? He definitely couldn't hunt there anymore...
 
And then realization struck him like a vengeful flying pig. "Shit, Aoko...!" She lived close to that place, so there was a chance she could be in danger!
 
Hajime all but jumped out of bed, ready to go in a rescue mission to save the president of the School Council even if it was daytime. He couldn't let someone he knew die after all!
 
And then he realized Aoko was most likely fine, at least if she stayed inside her big ass mansion and didn't decide to explore the spooky woods. Besides, she had lived there since her days as first year... she would have died to the pigs a long time ago if they were a problem.
 
A sigh of relief escaped his lips.
 
And now it was time to worry about other things, such as his eyes.
 
Hajime didn't really know what do about them, he wasn't even sure what they were exactly. Sadly the bitch who turned him didn't leave a manual about how to become a vampire behind.
 
So he gulped and came with a really stupid idea. He just wished really, really hard that his special eyes, or Mystic Eyes or whatever would go away for now.
 
Hajime looked down and opened his eyes. Hopefully he could stop the coral from spreading by stomping on it, in case his idea didn't work.
 
Thankfully, the ocean didn't begin to invade his room. "Awesome... That's really... really great." An awkward chuckle left his mouth. "It must work of intent or something." He would practice with it more later.
 
For now he was just happy. I mean, getting new powers could only be a good thing, seeing as he had to find and fight that vampire. The flying pigs had also mentioned a troll...
 
Hajime decided he would worry about the supernatural later, during the night if possible. For now he had to get ready for school, because he doubted he looked sick anymore.
 
Actually, there was one big problem he would need to face if he was to head to school.
 
Hajime turned his gaze to the curtain covered window. Was it finally time to test whether sunlight would turn him into dust or not? He was a weird ocean vampire, so maybe it wouldn't.
 
The cat walked over to his window, and yet again he pierced himself with that metaphorical wooden stake for the sake of his own curiosity.
 
At first he opened the curtains just a little bit, and slowly put his finger in the path of sunlight... It didn't feel bad at all.
 
So he got cocky and opened the curtains in one go.
 
Immediate a sense of weakness filled his body, but he did not die. Instead, it was like Hajime was just very tired, like he had missed a bit of sleep. Overall this still wasn't too bad, he could handle it.
 
So the next step was clear. He opened the window!
 
And yet again, he simply grew weaker, like he had a minor fever. He didn't die, or set himself on fire... He probably couldn't fight like this, but Hajime doubted he would do much fighting during the day anyways.
 
Hajime then had a new idea he wanted to test. He closed the window, and stepped away from the sunlight. He still felt weak for a second, but then...
 
He began feeling better. He could go back to a decent shape pretty easily if he avoided sunlight, it wasn't some some permanent thing that would leave him bedridden for days or anything.
 
"Isn't this vampire business seriously great?"
 
He had been really worried about it at first, but now? Now he discovered that eating animals was enough for his thirst, and that the Sun wouldn't actually kill him... sure he also lost his reflection, but...
 
For such a small price he gained regeneration, enhanced strength, speed, durability, senses, and even an eye that could do some freaky stuff. As far as Hajime was concerned he became a bonafide superman.
 
"Yeah, this is definitely too great."