“You actually believe yourself stronger than I? Age is power to Vampyr, and you are a youngling!” The Maker screams as he tries to pry Roderick’s arms open. “What is this? How are you stronger than me?” The sun begins to rise, and his skin ignites in a fiery blaze.
“How? The Sun doesn’t harm you? Oh, I see now. The blood of Mai-Coh has made you a day walker! Enjoy your miserable existence my dear child. Never unable to die!” The Maker screams as he burns away in Roderick’s arms. Confused, Roderick watches the sun rise and warm tears of blood once again fall from his eyes. The weight of the knowledge he just learned combined with taking the lives of the villagers bears too much for him. He lies down in the cave behind him and sleeps for days. He is awakened by the hoot of an owl and staring out into the night he can see all before him. That girl in the river, I cannot stop thinking of her. Who was she? Why did she have to die like that? He thinks as he stares out into the night. These memories of me massacring the villagers seem to come from nowhere. They are so visceral it is like I am reliving the chaos. He thinks.
A rabbit catches his eye, and he steps forward but stops. “No, I will starve myself in penance for my deeds.” He says as he leaps away from the food, running as fast as he can deep into the forest. Running seems to clear his mind of all thought and when he comes back to his senses he is sitting on a branch at the top of the tallest tree in the forest.
He looks out at the majestic view in front of him and sees smoke coming from several places. He hears the rumbling of people running through the woods and finds a tribe of warriors rushing through the woods. He focuses his hearing and eavesdrops on their conversation.
“That whole village was wiped out by the night stalker. He is no legend, he is real!” One of the warrior’s whispers.
“We must kill him, he even killed children! He is evil incarnate!” Another one replies. Roderick grabs his heart as a memory of a dying child floods his mind. He remembers drinking all his blood with a crazed expression on his face. If the sun cannot kill me and no mortal can then I am truly cursed to walk this terrible existence alone. I must get as far away as I can from any humans. He thinks. He looks to the mountains behind him and leaps towards them. Deciding then and there that he will live a life of solitude until he finds some way to end himself. The next few months are like torture for him. His entire body feels like it is on fire constantly, but he refuses to give into the hunger. Using his defiance of his own body as a self-imposed torture for the lives he has taken. The nearby villages continue to hunt him, but they never climb to the top of the mountain. The cold is frigid and the air itself becomes too thin for them to stay there for long stretches of time. Eventually he does feed but it is strictly on animals. His enhanced senses, strength and speed also begin to wane as the human blood leaves his system but he still is stronger and faster than any human. Every morning he waits for the sunrise hoping that maybe once enough time has passed, he too will meet his end in fiery inferno. The day refuses to come but with each passing month he loses hope that he will ever pass from this cursed life. As the years go on he spends his days hunting and following the migration patterns of his prey.
Many years pass as he lives like a feral beast until one day while hunting down a rabbit it leads him to the outskirts of a village, but it looks very different. Gone are the wooden huts he was used to and now they are now replaced with stone structures. In the distance he sees a triangle structure made of stone that reaches up into the night sky. He stands in awe at the architecture when suddenly a voice startles him back to his senses.
“Hello, are you from a neighboring city? My name is Ife.” The woman says. He looks at her and he freezes. Reina stands before him surrounded by a pink aura which emits from her body. Her long dark hair, tan skin with a dash of freckles across her nose and eyes that are as green as emeralds. Struggling to speak it has been years since he has uttered an actual word save for grunts.
“Rein… Reina. How is this possible?” He whispers as he steps backwards and slips on a nearby rock. He lands hard and his long hair covers his face. She runs up to him worried and with her soft hand brushes the hair from his face. She is enraptured by his blue eyes, and she blushes.
“My name is Ife sir, I fear you may have me confused with someone else. Who may you be?” She asks. Roderick is startled and rubs his eyes in disbelief but her face changes ever so slightly and just enough for him to question if it is her or not. She reaches her hand out to his to helps him up. Roderick grabs her hand and a jolt shoots through both of them. It’s her! Somehow she is here again!! He thinks excitedly.
“My name is Roderick, nice to meet you, Ife. I have been lost in the wilderness for some time.” He says meekly while she helps him to his feet. She begins to giggle and replies.
“How long have you been in there? You smell like a beast!” She exclaims with a smirk. Who is this strange man and why do I feel like I know him somehow? She thinks. They spend the rest of the night talking and together they watch the sun rise over the Pyramid. It’s almost like she remembers him, but he is careful not to tell her too much. What would she think of this monstrous version he has become? He promises her he will return tomorrow after he has cleaned up and waves goodbye to her. Slowly the light of hope begins to creep into his heart. A hope of a life possible with Ife and what that could mean for his future. Unknowingly to Roderick the pain of loneliness is nothing compared to what lies ahead.