had been sleeping in it for many years. I didn't know who else lived in the village or how old I was. All I knew was that we went to bed very early in the morning and, at night, we would sit on top of the coffins, chatting about daily life. The night breeze was truly comforting. If we had to move houses, my mother would take the bones from another coffin, one by one, and then we would lie down inside. I guess we never had a permanent home.
Whenever I woke up, my mother would bring me a live chicken. She would tell me to bite into it. Mother said it tasted wonderful.
And in fact, it truly was delicious!
Once, I sneaked into the village at dusk. I saw some children my age playing together. They were laughing happily—a kind of laughter I had never seen before. I wanted to call out to them and ask them to play with me, but they seemed to hate me. As soon as they saw me, they ran away, shouting, "Monster!"
At that time, I didn't understand—what kind of creature was I??
My mother taught me many things. She loved me dearly, but she also made me learn to grow up.
I remember when I was little, biting into the neck of a chicken. I could feel the live chicken struggling twice in my hands before going still. Dark red blood trickled down the corners of my mouth, metallic and tangy. It made my heart race. I was a fortunate child because I never had to search for food. My mother always brought it to me.
I would first drink all the blood from the animals my mother brought back, then eat their meat bite by bite, and finally, I wouldn't even leave their bones behind. I found it to be an enjoyable experience.
I never understood what kind of creature I was. Why did I love eating raw animals? Why did I enjoy drinking blood with its metallic tang? It felt as though this wild instinct flowed through my veins.
I once asked my mother why we had to eat freshly killed meat and raw animals.
Mother would smile and say, "We have no choice but to eat these."
Late at night, I would hear distant, mysterious bells ringing repeatedly. When I was young,
mother told me that it was a witch casting a spell called the "Soul Summoning Curse." It was meant to call disobedient subordinates back to her.
Mother told me not to listen to those bells. If I let them into my heart, I would lose it. I remembered her words deeply and never forgot them.
At some point, my mother began taking me to sleep in unfamiliar coffins. It was then that I realized we were undergoing a large-scale migration. Mother said we couldn't stay here for too long, or humans would kill us.
My mother's words made me understand more clearly—humans would kill us.
What were humans? Mother didn't answer me. She only said that humans were cruel creatures.
One night, a raging fire burned hundreds of coffins in our village to ashes. My people didn't even have the chance to escape. I watched as they were burned alive in the fiery blaze.
I saw those ferocious faces and heard their shouts: "Kill the monsters!"
I etched their faces deeply into my memory. So, these were the cruel humans my mother had spoken of.
My mother pressed her body tightly against mine.
Before she died, she gently stroked my face and said, "My child, go find your Aunt Li and take the Blood Glaze with you. I must leave before you." Mother took out a transparent jade pendant from around my neck.
I didn't understand—why did she have to leave? Couldn't I follow her? Even in death, my mother tightly held onto the cold jade pendant around my neck.
The fire burned for three days and three nights.
Finally, it died out. Chapter 2:
I sat up from the blackened graveyard. The place was desolate; I was the only one left. I looked up at the stars in the sky. They twinkled as if mocking me.
For a moment, I felt utterly helpless.
I didn't know what to do. I looked around—it was pitch black, with no light at all. Yet, I could see everything clearly. I had a pair of cat-like eyes.
"Mom… where are you?" I screamed desperately. Images of my mother stroking the jade pendant around my neck kept surfacing in my mind.
"My child… find your Aunt Li! My child…" My mother's voice rang out again!
I hurriedly scanned my surroundings, but there was nothing but darkness. How could there be anyone here?
My heart sank with a thud.
My mother was gone!
"Aunt Li!" I muttered to myself. I had never heard my mother mention such a person before. Who was she? Where could I find her? Aunt Li?
I reached out and grabbed at the ground. Dust flew into the air—this was the ashes of my people. My mother and my people had been reduced to ashes. In one night, my people were gone. They had been killed by humans.
One day, I would kill them all.
I didn't know what to do next. My heart felt empty. Where should I go?
My stomach growled with hunger.
Where could I find food???
From a distant land came the sound of mysterious bells, ringing again and again. Listening closely, the sound was sorrowful enough to make one cry. Who was ringing such mournful bells???
Wasn't my heart just as sorrowful? Weren't the bells striking directly into my heart?
I stood up, my legs trembling, probably from hunger. I decided to head to a nearby farm to find some chickens to eat. Slowly, I dragged my heavy body toward the farm.
…
The lights from the farm hurt my eyes. I didn't belong in a place of light. I hated the light. I was a creature of the dark. The bright beams of light made it impossible for me to get closer.
The light burned my skin!
From a distance, I saw him.
A lone figure stood in front of the farm. He was thin and small. His shadow made him seem harmless, as if I couldn't bring myself to hurt him. But I had no choice. My people were gone, my beloved mother was gone, and only I remained. I couldn't allow myself even a shred of mercy.
Humans tasted better than animals. I wanted to drink his blood, eat his flesh, and gnaw his bones. A wicked thought rose in my heart.
They had killed my family—why couldn't I drain his blood dry? At this moment, it was either him or me.
I leapt into the air and pounced on him.
Before he could open his mouth, I had already bared my sharp teeth and bitten into his neck.
A gush of dark red blood flowed out from his neck.
Excitedly, I began to suck.