"I want to feel again, Leron. Help me."
Leron tossed and turned in his sleep, thinking about these words.
"H-How will I make you feel again?" He asked the vampire.
"I do not know either." Vladstin's face was still emotionless. If it weren't for the movements of his mouth, he could have been mistaken as a statue. "Just keep watching memories with me, you choose what you think will provoke me best. If you do not want that, then I will leave you in peace—"
"I will think about it." Leron took his hand before he can go. "Please let me think about it tonight."
Vladstin just stared at him apathetically, then gave a brief nod. Without another word, he left and let Leron ponder over it like he requested.
Vladstin had destroyed his whole kingdom, and he had now been revealed to be a remorseless walking dead. The chances of reconciling were slim, even if he did manage to bring him back his emotions. If this was merely him copying what the living Vladstin would be like, how wrathful would he be if he regained his emotions? What worse damage can he do as a vampire with the capability to feel anger and a true desire for revenge?
But still.... Leron wanted to help him. He wanted to hope that once Vladstin had recovered his heart, so will his kindness and compassion for humanity. He will reflect on the deaths he had caused.... Maybe even learn to forgive Leron....
That is too much wishful thinking for someone as pessimistic and skeptical as the Prince of Ilvedia, but he had no choice but to cling to that hope. Closing his eyes, he dreamt of a day when everything was alright and Vladstin was now smiling happily and sincerely, like he used to when he was alive.
-------------
"Have you thought about it last night?" When he opened the door to the throne room, Vladstin remained sitting still beside the Looking Glass, face still placid.
"I did...." Leron looked down. "I still don't know how I will make you feel emotions again.... But I want to try."
Vladstin made no reactions, and just stood up from where he was sitting. "I went to the Ilvedian camp for your breakfast. They sent you some toast and hot chocolate."
Vladstin whistled, and a corpse of an old woman carried a tray of a simple breakfast to his side. "Thank you, Lady Wilhegard."
Leron almost choked when he realized that servant corpse was once someone he knew so well and took care of him when was young. Lady Wilhengard's corpse did not speak and just left after handing the tray.
"Go ahead and eat." Vladstin settled the tray on the cold, hard floor. "What memory shall we watch today?"
Leron cautiously sat beside him. "Maybe.... Ask the mirror to reveal a memory that relates to how you became a vampire? If we know the cause, then it may help us know how to reverse the effects."
"That does seem the logical approach. I remember my former self wasn't much of a logical thinker." Vladstin took one of the cups with red liquid and drank slowly.
"Who's blood is that? Is it still Sangfroid's?" Leron began to worry for his vampire hunter friend since Vladstin had told him he had already lost a pint of blood last night. He doesn't want Sangfroid to die just so he could have food.
"No, I kept most of his blood for later. This one is a mixture of multiple people's blood, probably a dozen or so adults." Vladstin gave the cup a small look. "It doesn't taste good and it makes my head hurt."
"What happens if you drink blood indirectly from someone? What do you gain from them?" Leron asked.
"Their fears, anxieties, and secrets. All the dark thoughts they are keeping inside, their malice and corruption." Vladstin said plainly. "When I bite someone, I have control over these things to overwhelm them and make them succumb to these evils. But when I drink indirectly, it only works one way, and I gain knowledge that overwhelms me instead."
"I'm sorry." Leron looked down at his cup of good cocoa.
"Why are you apologizing? I can't feel any frustration about my situation anyway. I just need it to keep moving and not turn into a stiff corpse, but I will never perish just from some bad blood." Vladstin finished the cup of badly mixed blood.
"But still, Vladstin I—" Leron wanted to touch his hand to comfort him, but Vladstin stood up and left his side without sparing a glance.
Vladstin started controlling the Looking Glass, back facing him. "You can keep eating as we watch." He said without looking back to Leron.
He asked the mirror to give them a memory related to his becoming a vampire lord, and this is what it showed.
-----------
"Long before the Thirteen Kingdoms, the mass of land that we live in today was once a united empire, known as the Pluterrius."
On a large study, Queen Vanesda was giving a lecture and writing on the wall with a chalk. Leron and Vladstin sat at tables on the opposite side of the room. The 'exiled' Prince of Ilvedia was listening to the lesson seriously, while the crown Prince of Crescentia who should be paying attention to his mother's teachings for the sake of his future, was leaning on one elbow at his desk and only keeping his eyes on his fellow classmate. He sighed heavily, mooning over with his mind wandering and only returning to one topic: Leron.
"The Plutterians believe that the land was created by Light, an entity that gave birth to a pantheon of seven gods called the Enciel, "Of the Sky". Light had first given birth to the three primary colors: Red, Blue, and Yellow. These three mixed their essence with one another to form four more gods, Orange, Green, Violet, and Indigo. Violet and Indigo are considered as twin children of Red and Blue. As you can see, the Enciel represents each of the colors of the rainbow and has patronage of their own divided equally. Erythrae, the Red god, for example, rules over war and blood. Meanwhile, Caerulem, the Blue God, is associated with peace offerings and nobility."
'Leron looks good in blue today.... It matches the color of his eyes.... So cute.....' Vladstin was still observing Leron like a painter would. If he could, he really would rather spend his time making a portrait of the beautiful foreign prince, but alas, his artistic skills are the same as a newly born child's.
"The Enciel is mostly represented in a Circle of Colors, their positions representing their relationship with each other. Gods facing each other opposite on the circle are sworn enemies, the gods beside them are sworn allies, and the gods that they form a triangle with are the gods who they are neutral with or balances each other out."
'I wonder what he sees me as. A friend? A close friend that is like a brother? Or.... could he see me as something more than that?'
"An example of this would be the story of Freudiel and Zafaran, the Violet and the Yellow god. Freudiel once challenged his own uncle claiming that he is much stronger than him, and the regal disposition of Zafaran was lost from this challenge. Freudiel is the god of twilight and strong ambitions, while Zafaran is the god of the early morning and contentment. Being complete opposites, they are said to continue fighting to this day."
'I think about you from morning to night, dusk till dawn. Do you also think about me just as much?'
"It is theorized that the Thirteen Kingdoms evolved from the Plutterian tribes who worshiped one or two of these Enciel gods and— Vladstin!"
'What if you will never like me as much as I like you—'
Vladstin's thoughts were disrupted as his mother threw the piece of chalk to his forehead. "Ow!"
"Pay attention! You are the future king, yet even Leron is studying better than you!" Queen Vanesda scolded.
"But the classes soooo boring!" Vladstin whined, stretching on his desk like a cat. "Plutterius had fallen eons ago. There's not even any concrete proof that it exists. And out of all the things to talk about the Plutterian Empire, why their gods!? They're just a bunch of old myths anyway, some old stories—"
"They are not just stories, Vladstin. They are warnings." Queen Vanesda's voice softened. "If you will listen carefully, you will realize their relevance to what is happening to us today. Life is much simpler than we think, what is happening right now has already happened before. History does repeat itself."
"Then can't we just talk about war and political history like father does?" Vladstin was still unconvinced, his rebellious teenage streak keeping him from heeding his mother's words. Leron almost chuckled at this, but kept a 'diligent and proper' student look.
Queen Vanesda's biggest peeve when it comes to tutoring was being compared to her husband. Her eyebrows twitched, but she kept a plastered smile. "Fine. Your next assignment is to find out why the Enciel is relevant to WAR and POLITICS that you and your father are interested in so much."
Vladstin snorted. "Pfft, there's no correlation to them at all—"
"Actually, there is." Leron had now decided to intervene with a cough. "I had done some advance studies and can discuss the topic with you, Your Highness."
"Splendid!" Queen Vanesda clapped. "Thankfully, I at least have ONE student who cares for my teachings. My efforts will not be wasted, thanks to you, Leron. Would you mind helping this dog-brained brat on his assignment during your spare time?"
"I wouldn't mind it at all, Your Majesty." Leron smiled at Vladstin. "I hope you will gain more interest in the lesson through studying with me, Your Highness."
Vladstin's adrenaline surged up by a tenfold. Leron is going to privately tutor him! "Of course! Actually, I wasn't really saying that the topic was egregious, I appreciate how we get to learn about the cultural intricacies of the former empire and—"
"Class dismissed." Queen Vanesda closed her book. "If you want to show off to your classmate with some fake eloquence, do it outside."
"I'm not showing off—"
"Peacocks like to strut with their feathertails spread high, yet in the end, they still have a bird's brain." Queen Vanesda eyed her son disdainfully. "I'm expecting a good performance from you, 'Your Highness'. Or else your tutoring partner would have to take the fall from your incompetence."
"I will do my best to help Vladstin reach your expectations, Your Majesty." Leron made a short bow as Queen Vanesda left.
Vladstin was so delighted to be able to move close to his new tutor again. "How do you do it? I can barely stand the way mother drags her words when she's lecturing, and it's taking all my energy to not fall asleep."
"I suppose I'm just interested in all sorts of topics, Your Highness." Leron picked up his thick books into a stack and carried them with both arms.
"Hey, she's already gone. I told you to only call me Vladstin." The prince picked one of his books at the top of the stack. "Let me help."
"No need, Vladstin." The now thirteen-year-old Leron was still not used to the name, it felt weird on his tongue but rolled nicely at the same time. "Where would you like to study?"
"Under the big tree would be nice." Vladstin tried to balance the book on his head, but failed with just a few steps.
Leron looked at his platinum head and realized how much he had grown. He used to be taller than Vladstin but the Crescentian prince was now catching up to him.
"You're growing faster than I am. At this rate, I'll be a dwarf compared to you when we become fifteen. Your build is also better than our peers like a young adult man's, yet your skin is clear as ever." Leron added a slight jest to hide his envy. "Be honest, you're using some kind of magic potion, aren't you?"
"You exaggerate too much." Vladstin waved off, but was secretly flattered. This means Leron was also paying attention to his appearance as much as he was. "Crescentians are just known to have the best puberty stages out of all the Thirteen Kingdoms. We're like butterflies that evolved from ugly caterpillars, that's why we sometimes call it the 'metamorphosis stage'. Your metamorphosis may just be coming later than mine, but it will come eventually."
"Even so...." Leron rubbed his chin. "Your metamorphosis is still superior than all the Crescentian youths I have seen."
-----------------
"That's all." The Vladstin of the present felt the scene at the Looking Glass coming to a close.
"I don't understand. Which is relevant to you becoming a vampire: the Enciel gods or your fast metamorphosis?" Leron knitted his eyebrows with a thought.
"Perhaps both are relevant—" Vladstin's eyes suddenly widened a bit, as if sensing something.
"What is it?" Leron asked worriedly as Vladstin rushed to the edge of the ruined throne room.
"It's Hunter. I sense great distress in him.... similar to someone fearing for his life."
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