The Vampire Awakening.
In the Realm of Tascar, vampires were divided into clans based on their origins. This division easily sparked discord between the clans, but there were a few things that all clans agreed on.
"The Tradition of Awakening is forbidden." Seth recited.
The clans feared the Vampire Awakening. Over time, they preferred Baptism to Awakening. This newly invented tradition took over as the main tradition in no time and younger vampires became ignorant of the ancient tradition called Vampire Awakening.
During the time of the old tradition, seventy percent of the vampire tradition died because they could not survive the awakening. If the tradition was allowed to continue, vampires might have become extinct. That's why it was forbidden.
"I have no other choice. I lack the materials to perform the Baptism. Moreover, I have failed it before. I don't think I want to attempt it any time soon."
Seth shivered when he remembered his Baptism buried deep in Rhazien's memories. It was not an excellent memory. He died in a defective blood pool called the Pit.
"My choice is clear. I have to undergo my Awakening."
The goal of the Baptism was to uplift the purity of the vampire's bloodline. Whilst, the objective of the Awakening was quite different. It touched on the concept of a vampire.
"A vampire is an undead. A creature of the night. Yet, we live in a positive-inclined body." Seth recited a popular verse detailing the concept of a vampire.
The scale of life and death. A vampire's scale was in favor of death, but with the help of the awakening, they could totally suppress life's aspect and tip it towards death, becoming more dead than alive.
"Enough talking. I am going to do this!"
Seth walked into his bathroom. This was to be his ceremonial site.
Most vampires lacked knowledge of the awakening, but Seth was different. He was the son of a nobleblood vampire, akin to a royal status in human society. His mother possessed more knowledge than thousands of normal vampires.
There was a wooden bathtub in his bathroom, which he had spotted a while ago.
'It was said that in the mediaeval times, bathtubs belonged to the nobles. I guess this world is more developed. Lucky me.' Seth thought.
The cylindrical wooden jars containing water towered over the bathtub. There was a tap sprouted from its surface that aimed at the tub.
Seth unlocked the tight tap. Streams of water gushed from its hollow makeup. They quickly filled the tub in less than five minutes.
There was a particular scent that filled the air after the appearance of the water.
"Oh god! It smells. At least, it's not too bad. I wonder if the water is hygienic." Seth commented as he stripped himself and stepped into the bathtub.
The water was cold… and a little bit slimy, but Seth made sure to ignore that observation. As a vampire, he adored cold baths.
Seth's body submerged into the tub, which seemed to be deeper than the abyss. His head was the only body part sticking out.
"Here goes nothing." Seth said before dipping his head into the tub.
With his eyes closed, he commanded his body. His heart stopped. His breathing ceased. His organs failed.
Every function that should keep a living being alive stopped on his command.
That was what the vampire awakening was like; complete dissolution of the aspect of life.
Seth repeated in his head as he controlled his body from acting on instinct. 'To accept death, one must relinquish life.'
This was where things normally took a turn for the worse for most vampires. Despite not looking the type, vampires treasured their lives. When faced with true death, they would fight to keep their status in the world of the living.
It became a struggle to understand their very own wishes, to recognize their true desire.
Seth wouldn't be like that. He had a clear goal in his mind, and to achieve that, he needed to awaken as a vampire.
His mind tensed as he mentally gritted his teeth. It was becoming increasingly harder to control his body instinct. It was tempting; with one thought, he could return his body back to normal, but he didn't want that.
'I'm not a fool. I see it now. If I stop now, I will die.'
The temptations were like songs of sirens. Listening to them never ended well. He recognized this part as the part where most vampires died.
Like hymns of heavens, the temptations invaded. He began having foreign thoughts.
'What if I stop now?'
'There's no need to go to this extent.'
'I can find another way.'
Seth screamed internally as he analyzed these thoughts, 'Stop!'
His declaration brought a dark light into his mind. Before he knew it, the light enveloped him in a state of void and his mind stumbled. His sense of existence wavered for a second, but that was enough for him to lose track of everything.
.
.
.
.
.
'Hmmm..'
His body appeared in an unfamiliar space. The sound of waves clashing against each other assaulted his ear. He could smell the scents of bones and flowers from opposing directions.
'Where am I?'
Seth finally looked around.
His current location appeared to be the merge between two places. The place he stood on was a vast expanse of flowers coated with intense positive hues. When he looked ahead, past the translucent veil that reached the sky, there was another space beyond it. It was dark, filled with grim lights. Skulls and other bony objects occupied the ground.
Immediately, Seth understood.
When he was Rhazien, his mother used to tell him something, "The veil of life and death will visit you once in your lifetime. When summoned by it, you must provide the right answer to its question."
Seth thought to himself, 'So, this is it. The mystical place known as the veil of life and death. A fitting name for the sight before me.'
So, what was the question he was given?
Seth glanced once again at his surroundings and grinned. He already knew the question.
'Choose one side, is it?'