I May Be A Vampire 07 (Patreon)

"So, what questions do you have for me?" Arcueid was sitting on his bed, excitedly looking around his room.
 
Honestly Hajime didn't even know where to begin with his questions. During these past few days he was pretty much left to figure out the intricacies of being a vampire by himself, but now he had a teacher.
 
He could ask her whether claw and ocean vampires really were a thing, he could ask her about his weaknesses and strengths, he could ask her if he really was immortal or not... He knew there was something much more important to ask however.
 
"What do you mean by being my grandma?" As far as he was aware he didn't descend from vampires. Admittedly he didn't know much about his own mother, but he still doubted she was a blood sucker of all things.
 
Arcueid pouts. "Before you get all confused, let me just say I'm not actually your grandma... or great grandma. Don't forget the last possibility. Anyways, I'm not super wrinkly am I?"
 
Hajime looked away. "I think even a grandma vampire wouldn't get wrinkly though. Seeing as they are a vampire and all."
 
Arcueid pointed at him. "You don't know that! You barely know anything about vampires!" She was right, frustratingly enough... Hajime was just assuming vampires were immortal. "But yes, you are correct." Then why scream at him!?
 
She cleared her throat. "That said, I'm your grandma in a more... vampiric way. You see, I sired the person who sired you. Either that or I sired the person who sired the person who sired you."
 
Her face shifted into a frown. "Though saying I turned that person into a vampire leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
 
Hajime crossed his arms. "Um... So, how do you know I come from this messed up family tree? Are there any special things that come from being sired by a specific someone?" Well, he did have similar powers from her.
 
Arcueid nods. "Yep. There a few special things... like the fact I can sense you originate from me. Roa stole part of my Principle to become a Dead Apostle after all... Do you even know what a Dead Apostle is?"
 
Hajime nodded. "Yeah. I fought some flying pigs who called me by that name, so I put the pieces together." He was far more curious about this Roa and what a Principle is.
 
She gasped. "Flying pigs...?"
 
And then her mind connected the dots. This boy had fought that witch without even realizing it. Their kind would definitely have some weird of magecraft that could turn pigs into deadly familiars after all.
 
She shook her head. "Whatever. It doesn't matter right now." That girl would definitely stay away from vampires from here on out. "You're probably wondering what exactly happened with Roa..."
 
"A few centuries ago he tricked me into drinking his blood, for he wished to become a powerful vampire." The word a few centuries almost made Hajime gag. So they were immortal after all.
 
"Roa he... his immortality is special. He reincarnates every few years. And so every few years I feel him reappearing and go kill him." Yeah, vampires were definitely immortal, but they could have weird forms of immortality.
 
Hajime wondered if he too could reincarnate. He then decided that he really didn't want to figure it out.
 
She sighs. "This time I felt him reincarnating early and came here... but it turns out it was just his progeny reaching a high enough rank to where I got her confused for Roa. To be honest I'm surprised he even sired another vampire at all..."
 
She glares at me. "That vampire is either you or your progenitor. Though I'm guessing it's your parent, since you're a newbie and Roa has been dead for a decent while... you are a newbie aren't you?"
 
Hajime nodded. "Yep. I got turned a few days ago..."
 
Arcueid smiled at his response. "So you were definitely not sired by him. Which means Roa is definitely still dead. Well, that doesn't surprise me too much, he normally stays dead for at least ten years. Or perhaps I should say dormant."
 
Hajime raised a hand. "Excuse me Teach..." Her smile became even bigger, he guessed she liked to be called that. "Why are you so obsessed with killing this Roa anyway? What's the point?"
 
He understood that this Roa had tricked her, but holding a grudge and specifically hunting the guy down for centuries made Hajime's head spin. It took him effort to stay focused on something for a few days, nevermind hundreds of years.
 
Arcueid's glare returned.
 
Hajime felt his heart stop. Arcueid wasn't just angry at his comment, she was utterly furious. Furious enough to kill him.
 
Slowly however, her expression softened. "Isn't it obvious? Roa didn't just get turned like normal. He stole a fraction of my power, and I want it back. Specially now that he's spreading it around for some dumb reason."
 
Hajime still didn't get why this was such a important thing, but he wouldn't dig deeper. It was clearly a topic that would get him gruesomely killed, and as always, Hajime would stab his hand with the stake, not his heart.
 
Still... didn't this conversation mean she would kill him eventually? He was sired from the person who sired Roa after all. Which meant Hajime had to find some way to shake her off before that day came.
 
Arcueid looked away. "Let's stop talking about Roa. Instead I should probably explain to you how stages... or ranks work."
 
She felt a bit guilty. She hadn't meant to scare him like that, but as usual any mention of Roa would make her feel mad. That always happened even back when she hadn't experienced the abyss.
 
Having her power stolen was much more annoying than Hajime realized it after all. For it meant Arcueid had more difficulty controlling her desire to drink blood. It meant that she had to sleep for years without end or go insane.
 
And Roa was also the one who forced her into learning about this madness. A True Ancestor was supposed to never drink blood, but Roa had tricked her, corrupted her, and then taken her power away, forbidden her from coming back to normal.
 
Arcueid shifted her thoughts away from Roa. She couldn't stand even thinking about the betrayal from her first friend.
 
She raised a finger, wishing she had a white board. "So, Dead Apostles don't stay stagnant throughout the eras. They evolve. Get stronger. Though in exchange they must also consume more genetic information to survive of course."
 
"Otherwise their bodies would just not be able to keep up. I'm sure you have realized it already, but you're not truly alive, you're a walking corpse who steals from others to survive." Hajime nodded.
 
Like she said, he had realized that a long time ago... The fact that he would need even more blood to survive in the future was scary however. How many animals could he possibly eat?
 
Hajime realized he would probably have to adapt his dream into owning and living in a secluded farm.
 
Arcueid continued. "You probably didn't experience the first three ranks. When a vampire sires someone, they typically take great care so that their progeny don't experience them, it's dangerous after all. But I will explain it anyways."
 
"The first stage is called Corpse. At this point you're essentially just a mindless zombie, and you will return to being dead if not given orders. A Corpse is just a empty husk without a will after all."
 
"They aren't that special in terms of combat ability either, being as strong as a human. Their only special quality is that they are hard to kill. Bashing their brains in is the easiest method." They were really were like a zombie. "Oh, and they die in the sun..." Or maybe even worse.
 
"They also die if their progenitor dies. As you can see it's a dangerous stage, which is why Dead Apostles take great care so that their children avoid it. A Corpse is only useful as a temporary servant." That was understandable and all, but...
 
Hajime interjected. "I remember going through that stage though." As weird as it was for a supposed rank without will.
 
Arcueid's eyes widened. "You do...?" She put a hand to her chin. "Well, I suppose it's possible your sire started pumping strength into you after you became one, accelerating your evolution. I don't get why she would do that though."
 
"It would turn the process even more dangerous and unstable... maybe she only saw your potential after you became a Corpse?" She scowled. "Well, I don't need to understand how Roa's disgusting child thinks."
 
The truth is that Hajime was just a freaky prodigy of course, but Arcueid naturally discarded such an idea. Actually, that idea never reached her mind in the first place. Skipping a few ranks was one thing, but Arcueid had already figured out he was Rank V...
 
Hajime scratched his cheek. "Right..." And he was Roa's disgusting grandchild. Yeah, Arcueid was definitely his enemy, or she would be in the future. "Why are they also called ranks anyways?"
 
Arcueid smiled, his ignorance was cute in a way. "Because vampires care about strength. And your stage defines it. So naturally someone of a higher stage has a higher rank in vampiric society."
 
"Those of the first three ranks might as well be considered mindless slaves by the way." She raised two fingers. "So let's continue the lesson with the Stage II Ghoul."
 
"This stage isn't without a will anymore, but all it cares about is drinking blood. A Ghoul is stronger than a Corpse though, and you can even infuse him with special abilities using your Principle. He would probably explode eventually though."
 
Arcueid raised three fingers. "Then there's Stage III Undead, the last of the slave class. At this point their memories are returning, and they can even survive under the Sun... with help."
 
She raised four fingers. "Afterwards we have the Stage IV Nightkin. A true vampire, considered to be a lowly knight by society at large. They can do pretty much everything a generic vampire would be able to do, and they can live without their sire, and even stand in the Sun for a while."
 
She raised five fingers. "Then we have Stage V Nightmare. A knight which has begun to develop their own Principle, and therefore their own special abilities. You are most definitely of this rank." So he was a knight, huh?
 
She raised six fingers. "Stage VI is called Inferior Dead Apostle. Someone of this rank is considered an elite knight, they have more or less mastered their basic skills, and are highly respected amongst vampiric society."
 
"Your progenitor and Roa are of this rank. In fact, I probably woke up because your progenitor recently achieved this and confused me... She must be a freaky prodigy to be honest."
 
She sighed. "Rank VI is normally the limits of what a Dead Apostle can achieve by the way, but since you descend from me, it would not surprise me if your body could evolve even further."
 
She raised seven figures. "Stage VII is called Superior Dead Apostle. They are considered nobility, and normally possess a castle somewhere... They are a poison who destroys human society just by existing."
 
She raised eight fingers. "Stage VIII is called Successor, a prince or a princess. Normally they are protected and raised by the Stage above them, but that's due to vampire politics more than anything."
 
She raised nine finger. "And now we have the final stage. Stage IX Ancestor, a king or queen. At this point your Principle will have evolved into an Idea Blood... an authority of blood... essentially you will become a god of the modern era."
 
"For one to reach this stage the minimum amount required is an existence of over a thousand years of age. Some Ancestors however, are as old as four thousand years." Hajime's jaw hit the floor.
 
He had difficulty imagining what living for a century looked like, nevermind four thousand years! Some of these vampires were older than the Roman Empire! And not just by a bit, but by literally thousands of years!
 
She lowered her fingers. "Anyways, this isn't that important for you, but someone with a Idea Blood gets invited into the ranks of the Dead Apostle Ancestors. Think of them like a big, scary vampire alliance." And something far beyond his station.
 
Arcueid supposed he could normally go and swear loyalty to one of them however, for no one would deny a Nightmare away from their ranks without a reason. Hajime wouldn't get to do that though, since he belonged to her.
 
"And that's pretty much it! So any questions, Mister Nightmare?" He had so many.
 
Like for example... What was a Principle anyways? Or how do you tell someone's rank? And what did she mean by a poison that destroys human society just by existing? The most important question he had however, definitely was...
 
"Will I really start drinking blood from people eventually...?" He didn't want to hurt anyone, so if that ever happened then he would probably just... just kill himself or something. Even if just the thought of that was terrifying.
 
Arcueid got up from bed. "I dunno." Hah? "To be honest, normally you should be drinking from humans already. The fact that you have lived off animals until now is very... unusual." Was that good or bad?
 
"And if I'm being honest, you shouldn't be able to just go to school like that... sure a Nightmare can survive in the Sun, but not for hours." Wait, so was he a Sun vampire or something!?
 
A scowl appeared on her face. "The most likely reason why however... is that you descended from me, and that your Principle is seemingly growing to be similar to mine."
 
"Have you thought about what Stage of Dead Apostle I am, Hajime?"
 
The boy nodded... He was assuming VII, but she could technically be even higher. He doubted he was hosting royalty in his house though, be it conventional one or vampiric one.
 
"I don't have a stage at all, because I'm not a Dead Apostle." Wait a minute...! "I am what you could call a True Ancestor... true born vampires. We are actually the creators of your disgusting species." Did she really have to keep calling him disgusting?
 
She put a hand to her chest. "Originally your kind was born to be slaves, but they rebelled and... Nevermind, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I don't have a weakness to the Sun, and I don't need to drink blood. Perhaps you inherited that to a certain extent."
 
He nodded. "Well... that's good. Like really good." The benefits of descending from even weirder vampires, he supposed. "How strong are you though? Like... I know you don't have a rank, but-."
 
She cut him off. "Don't worry, I get what you mean. The weakest of True Ancestors could match a Superior Dead Apostle. I'm a special case however, and only the strongest of Ancestors could give me a challenge... I am royalty among the True Ancestors after all."
 
Hajime's heart stopped beating.
 
He really was hosting royalty in his little house... He had royal vampiric genes in him... That was probably a good thing, right?
 
Arcueid started grumbling, snapping him off his shock. "Though right now I'm weakened, since you hit me with those annoying eyes. Cocky little upstart..."
 
A smile appeared on his face. "I see... So Dead Apostles are vampires and True Ancestors are Pillar Men, while you're Kars." Jojo was helping him! Now he just had to survive long enough for Part 3.
 
Her eye twitched. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you mocking me?"
 
Well, she did try to kill him. And speaking of upstarts... "Hey Arcueid, how does a Dead Apostle figure out his ranking? Is there like a test or something?" She was just assuming he was a Nightmare, but she could be wrong.
 
Arcueid shrugged. "Not really. A Dead Apostle of a sufficient rank can tell the rank of another with just a look. I don't have that ability however, since I'm not a Dead Apostle at all." That was a disappointing answer.
 
But Hajime figured it didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. She was probably right with his stage anyways, since he had just recently begun to develop weird abilities.
 
And speaking of weird abilities. "Okay then, one final question. What exactly is a Principle and an Idea Blood?" If he really was a Nightmare, then he was supposedly developing his own right now.
 
Arcueid start prancing around the room, circling Hajime. "You don't even know that huh? Your sire really is horrible." Hajime was used to deadbeat moms, so he didn't care too much about it.
 
"A Principle is... everything for a vampire, and technically every single vampire has one." She motioned to herself. "Even True Ancestors are not an exception." He had figured that out already, considering the Roa situation.
 
"They are developed based on... you. Who you are, what your skills are, what your dreams are. However, your parent also heavily influences them, and so it is possible to inherit it." She looked away. "I don't want to talk about succession right now though." He guessed it involved vampire politics again.
 
"As you can guess, this Principle is what granted you those amazing, cool, super great claws you have been using." Ah.
 
He wasn't a claw vampire or an ocean vampire. He was an Arcueid vampire. Scary.
 
She clicked her tongue. "And as for Idea Blood... that's something beyond the powers of a True Ancestor, mostly because we don't have the evolutionary need for it. We truly are eternal..."
 
Arcueid closed her eyes. "Yes, an Idea Blood is when a Principle has evolved enough to truly grant you eternity. Something far beyond a Dead Apostle's normal regeneration... Those who possess one are considered truly unkillable, they can only be sealed."
 
"An immortality based on completely freezing your own body, another based on becoming one with hundreds of other beings, another based on always being as beautiful and eternal as a rose, another based on being the perfect vampire... Idea Bloods can be pretty much anything."
 
Hajime interjected. "Um... so if they are some extra level immortality, does that mean Roa had one?" He could reincarnate after all.
 
She shook her head. "No. He is just a genius with a very strong parent... His immortality is not yet complete." So reincarnation was not even his final form, so to speak. Well, if he ever made to Rank IX in the first place.
 
She continued. "And honestly, even if he did evolve an Idea Blood right now, his soul would probably eat itself. An Idea Blood needs a foundation of at least a thousand years." Basically it was something he couldn't even dream about.
 
Not that he cared much for this eternity. Hajime could barely imagine living for two centuries, nevermind outlasting civilization... Which sounded ridiculous to even think, but how many civilizations had those four thousand year old vampires outlived? Far too many, that was the answer.
 
"So an Idea Blood is the Red Stone of Aja, while Roa is Dio. Super talented, but clearly inferior." The metaphor didn't completely work, but it made things clearer for Hajime.
 
Arcueid stopped walking and gave him a flick on the forehead. "Seriously, what are you talking about?"
 
Hajime massaged his forehead. "It's a manga about... I'll tell you some other time." The universe would probably punish him for introducing Jojo to an actual vampire.
 
Arcueid however, didn't even know what a manga was, so she was even more confused.
 
"Anyways, Arcueid how do you even deal with those magical eyes? How do they work?" He figured she must have ocean eyes too, so maybe it was about time he got some explanation from the master.
 
She raised an eyebrow. "Magical eyes...? Oh, those things are called Mystic Eyes." He didn't even know that!?
 
Hajime however, was just happy that someone was finally explaining things to him. "Right... How does those Mystic Eyes work? Do they really just make corals?" Corals who ate things.
 
At this point Hajime was more or less convinced that those corals were also strengthening him, but he couldn't be sure. So he would be really glad if she could teach him a thing or two.
 
Arcueid's face morphed into shock. "Why would I have those?" Isn't it obvious? 'Cause of the Principle thing. "Wait a second, you didn't have those ever since you were born? There's no way they're tied to your Principle."

Hajime was getting scared by the intensity of her voice. "Um... No, I got them in the fight against those pigs... Is that abnormal? I mean, you had those golden eyes..."
 
Arcueid put a hand to her face. "I wish I had anything that could match those... but at least this has put a few things in perspective for me." She was clearly frustrated. "First of all, developing Mystic Eyes isn't impossible for a vampire."
 
"It happens sometimes, but yours should either be generic or associated with your Principle... Considering who I am, you should have awakened eyes like mine, or eyes that interact with nature." Didn't he do the latter?
 
She made a thinking pose. "You were most likely born with those Mystic Eyes, and they just happened to awaken in a very stressful situation... like being attacked by pigs."
 
"The vampire who sired you probably didn't know about them until you became a Corpse. Once she learned about it, she probably decided to invest so to speak." That didn't sound right to Hajime.
 
Not because he wanted to argue against Arcueid, but because his family was normal. Though he supposed Arcueid never said you had to come from a weird family to have Mystic Eyes.
 
"As for what your eyes do... Let's call them the Mystic Eyes of the Gate and Key."
 
Hah? What's with such a long name!? And it had nothing to do with the ocean either!
 
She glared at me... no, at something beyond me. "You aren't creating those corals after all, you're just letting them come to our world. Because that's what your eyes are, a portal to another place, a scary place, a place outside of this layer."
 
She put her hands on my shoulder. "Don't use your eyes unless necessary, because those things aren't your friends, they probably don't even understand what friendship is..."
 
She put more force on her hold, it was beginning to hurt. "And if something larger than those corals ever tries coming out... close your eyes immediately, otherwise you will become an enemy of humanity and the planet... An ally of something else."
 
She released him and nodded to herself. "You are Pandora's Box. Your body is the gate and your intent is the key, essentially. Without a doubt those eyes are of Rainbow-Rank."
 
That... he didn't understand everything she said.
 
He understood enough however. He understood that misusing his eyes would have consequences, and that he wasn't creating a damn thing, all he was doing was connecting two places together.
 
There was something he disagreed with her though. Those corals definitely felt like allies...
 
Arcueid's body suddenly tensed, and her gaze went into the window. "Well, lesson's over for today. It's about time I explained what your probation entails." Hunting his sire down and then dying?
 
"The first part is obviously hunting down your parent..." His gaze too went to the window, there was a crow staring right at him from a tree. "The second part is where things get complicated though."
 
"There is a Dead Apostle Ancestor who has made a game out of hunting True Ancestors. This was quickly adopted by other members of that organization." Well, they did apparently used to be slaves. He could understand the sentiment.
 
"Normally they would stay far away from me, even if I'm the greatest trophy in the world. Sadly a dumb little newborn got lucky and severely weakened me." Wait...
 
She wasn't about to say what he thought she would, was she?
 
"Hajime, that crow watching us is part of a Dead Apostle Ancestor. He is coming to kill me." His heart froze yet again.
 
A Dead Apostle Ancestor. A being of Rank IX. A being with Idea Blood. A being with true immortality. A modern day god. Someone as old as a thousand years, probably even older than that.
 
Arcueid's smile was angelic, beautiful. "Considering your rank, you are a knight, are you not? Protect your princess, Sir Hajime." That's...
 
"We are both going to die horrible deaths."



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Opening her eyes felt like hell to Aoko. Her whole body was in pain, and her arm felt like it was about to melt off.
 
At least she was alive. "Wada's dead, huh..." At least if the vampire had bothered to hunt him down. Though there was also the chance she had lost his scent, even if it was low.
 
Not just low, it was straight up impossible. The monster they fought wasn't just some low-ranking vampire. Aoko didn't know much about Dead Apostles, but she knew Nightmares were not strong enough to brush off her bullets like nothing.
 
A cheerful voice reached her ears. "Oh! You're awake!" Gazing at its source, Aoko was met with her nemesis, Ritsuka.
 
Which meant... "The Holy Church saved us?" She was surprised they didn't let her and Alice die.
 
Ritsuka tilted her head. "It's more like you two saved yourselves. That witch really was something, all we had to do was reattach her leg and she did everything else by herself. While unconscious."
 
The image of Alice being a splatter of blood in the ground came to Aoko's mind.
 
And to think she was already recognizable enough that they managed to attach her leg back when they found her... Witches are truly monsters that don't belong in the modern age. Send those cheaters back in time!
 
"Meanwhile, your Magic Crest saved you. You were lucky the vampire didn't rip it off, or you would have definitely died..." A grin appeared on her face. "It's what you two get for going solo, I guess." Ah, she wasn't even trying to hide her true nature.
 
Well, Aoko didn't have the energy to get angry at her.
 
For once she was glad she lucked into getting her Magic Crest. In fact she felt so happy that she might even send a letter to her sister calling her an unlucky sucker or something. And maybe asking her for a hug.
 
Wow, she had gotten so close to death that she felt like reconnecting with estranged family members. That's how you know she was in a bad situation.
 
Aoko sighed. "I should probably give you a report of what the vampire could and couldn't do, right?" At least they had survived enough to gather intel.
 
That blonde bitch was scary fast, so fast that Aoko didn't know if she was actually teleporting or not. She was strong enough to turn Alice into paste. She was tough enough to shrug off her bullets. She could create vines faster than Alice could create utensils.
 
All of that during the day.
 
What kind of monster had they fought? Should she throw the towel and call the Burial Agency? Sell her lands to the Clock Tower and beg for help?
 
Ritsuka waved her off. "No need to tell us anything for now, just go sleep." A worried expression appeared on her face. "You really need it Aoko, you still look like a ghost after all." Aoko didn't doubt that.
 
But it's not like she would die from talking a little bit. "I'm feeling fine enough to give a report, don't worry."
 
Ritsuka smiled. "That witch already did. She even left the church already." For real!? "She went home grumbling about how next time she would take things seriously..." Ah, as expected of a sore loser.
 
Next time Alice faced the vampire she would look for the ideal conditions. Somewhere with running water so she could use the troll, a place weird enough for Flat Snark, and she would make sure to feed her third Great Ploy too.
 
If Alice could manufacture those conditions she could probably give a challenge to even a newly ascended Dead Apostle Ancestor... Well she could if she actually managed to turn the troll into gold.
 
Alice could never do that however.
 
Ritsuka continued. "Besides, we are already at work. My sister and Fumizuka went out to hunt the vampire... as they have been doing every night. This time Fumizuka was pissed off though."
 
That made sense. Fumizuka was a close friend of the Aozaki's after all, and while he had never interacted much with Aoko, his love being Touko, he still liked the younger sister. He would help her in anyway he could.
 
A wicked grin appeared on Aoko's face.
 
Because Eiri Fumizuka was also the man who had killed her grandfather before the old man had even realized what was happening. He was a modern murder machine who had eliminated the user of the Fifth True Magic.
 
She really hoped he would stumble on that vampire... is what Aoko would have said if she was someone else.
 
But the more she thought about it, the greater her frown grew, eventually evolving into a scowl.
 
The girl clicked her tongue. "I'll be the one to kill that vampire!"
 
"Aoko please just go back to sleep already."