Her mind was constantly fixated on how much she hated her situation. She kept questioning her reincarnation. Was this world any better? No phones, no cars, no modern comforts.
"This city looks boring as HELL!" She shouted, startling the people around her.
Getting used to this world would be a pain. She kept walking down the uneven roads, feeling a strange thirst. However it didn't feel like thirst for water. It felt much different... She looked around. A garlic shop, fishing shop, bread shop... all so bland. She approached the garlic stand, her steps slowing as she felt something within her snap.
It was then she collapsed, staring at the ground. Strangers gathered to help her. The thirst was stronger too.
"What the hell's wrong with my body... I seriously hate this..."
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ignore the thirst. By complete instinct, she lashed at a random person and sunk her teeth into their flesh. She barely heard the horrified screams as the crowd scattered. Panic swelled in her chest, but she couldn't stop. Her body refused to listen to her mind.
Only when the hunger dulled did she finally regain control. She stumbled back, eyes wide, the metallic taste still on her tongue. The realization crashed into her. She turned and ran, feet barely touching the ground as she tore through the streets. She needed a weapon—now. A dagger, a knife, anything. Something to end this. Something to make it stop.
There had to be a weapon somewhere—a stall selling knives, a blacksmith's shop, even a discarded piece of broken glass. She skidded into an alley, her breath ragged, her hands shaking. Her fingers curled into her palm, nails digging into her skin. She had just attacked someone. A complete stranger. Stolen their blood like a monster.
I can't live like this. she thought.
She turned a corner too fast and nearly crashed into a wooden stand. A man stood behind it, polishing a set of knives. Her body moved before she could think. She slammed her hands onto the counter.
"Give me one." she demanded.
The vendor raised an eyebrow. "You got money?"
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She didn't have anything. No coins, no possessions.
The vendor sighed. "No money, no deal."
Her hands trembled. The thirst was gone now, but the guilt remained. She stepped away, heart pounding, breath uneven. Maybe it was for the best. She wasn't ready to die. But she wasn't ready to live like this either. Inori slowly walked off to an alley way to think this through.
"Okay... If I'm a vampire... am I Immortal...? You're kidding... no way. I swear—"
Then she saw a metal gleam in the corner of her eye. A knife. She picked it up, beginning to stab herself over and over. Dozens of times. By the time she was done the cuts began healing. It was way past nine lives. So, she had one final test—stabbing through the heart. It was a basic way to kill a vampire.
She brought the knife higher, aiming for her heart. In a quick motion she pierced it through her heart. Her vision blurred until it all went black. In the next moment, her breath hitched as she gasped back to life. The pain had vanished. No blood loss, no lingering wound—just the cold steel still lodged in her chest.
She stared down at it, her hands trembling. Slowly, hesitantly, she wrapped her fingers around the hilt and pulled. The blade slid out smoothly, as if it had never truly pierced anything at all. No pain. No resistance. Her shirt was ruined, stained with blood. But she was still here. Still breathing.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed against the alley wall, gripping the knife.
"I—I just died." she whispered, her voice shaking. "And I came back. Just like that."
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to wake up from this, but no—this wasn't a dream. The throbbing sensation in her chest was proof of that, even if the wound itself had disappeared.
"So I really am immortal? What, like—fully? No limit?"
Her grip on the knife tightened. She had to test this. She had to know.
"Those stabbings should've killed me but only the stab to the heart was what killed me. As they say, cats have nine lives, and vampires are immortal. However, vampires can die by things such as stakes, holy water, sunlight... If I were to use one of those ways, does it take off a life? Otherwise my vampirism makes me immortal? Was it only because it was the heart? It seems sunlight doesn't do anything to me... I don't get it."
Her fingers loosened around the knife. She let it clatter to the ground beside her, the sound ringing hollow in the quiet alley. She didn't want to do this anymore. Not tonight. Her body was exhausted, her mind a tangled mess. She needed to figure this out. But not here. Not now. Dragging herself up, she took an unsteady step forward.
"I won't kill myself. I won't. I'll do whatever the hell I want in this world, causing chaos, having fun I've always wanted to have."