I couldn't move.[1]
Not at all.
I....was....still breathing somehow but.....the sensation was...unusual. One thing i was sure about though, i was submerged in something....probably water, churning all around me, or....maybe not, the liquid was far too viscous to be just water, alcohol maybe? But then again, this was far thicker than that.
It sloshed around me, constantly, bubbling...what could it possibly be...?
Trying to clear my head to think felt impossible, like every part of my brain that was dedicated to anything more complex than my most basic of senses had just been turned off.
Guess it made sense in a way, i was dead after all.
Atleast i should have been.
My arm and leg had been cut off, i was passed out on the floor, probably have been bleeding for....
I have no clue actually...could've been an hour, could've been 10 hours, could've been a day, hell, could've even been 3 minutes
My mind drifted back to the liquid i was submerged in...thick...viscous...but, still flowing..? Smelled metalic too..
...
"Ah, it's my blood" A simple mutter.
It finally hit me, the liquid i was submerged in.
Was my own blood.
....
But, wait.
I was still breathing. Concious aswell, even if opening my eyes seemed like an overwhelmingly daunting task..
And i could still clearly feel the liquid around me...
I tried clenching and unclenching my fist, much to my suprise, i both heard, and felt it displace some of liquid.
''Definetely alive'' I thought to myself, slightly dissapointed.
Still couldn't help the slight smile that tugged at my lips, it was basic human biology to be happy about being alive, i let out a small snort and-
Immedietely regreted that decision the moment a fresh gush of blood flooded into my sinuses. Seems i had been holding my breath instinctively, touche.
''Ngh-'' That flush of blood into my nose caused me to bolt upright with a splash, gasping for air, coughing in a vain attempt to remove the blood that had also gotten into my mouth from the sudden movement. With a slight snort, and some minor asisstance from my fingers, flushing it out wasn't the most difficult of things....yet still.
''Blegh-'' Some of it had already gathered in the back of my throat, merely spat it out, it returned to wence it came.
Now that the matter of drowning had been resolved, it was time to ask myself a much better question.
''Where the actual fuck am i.....''
Looking around provided me with absolutely nothing, or well, close to nothing, 2 simple things we're clear. One of which was the fact i was lying in a massive ocean of blood.
Calling it an ocean would be frightfully dishonest though, more like a shallow pool of blood, but still, one that stretched on into the horizon as far as my eyes could see. I wasn't the tallest but, it still barely only reached up to my chest while i was sitting on my knees.
The second ''thing'' was that it was pitch black, just...an ocean of blood, and an endless sky of pitch black, no sun, no moon, no stars, nothing.
Looking down at myself allowed me to note that i was fully naked, but....unusually pale aswell....
Clenched and unclenched my fists a couple of times, for someone who supposedly just died, i felt...unusually fantastic?
My right hand came up to cup my throat, walking barefoot everywhere because shoes aren't exactly a necessity is a fantastic way to catch a cold, honestly forgot how it felt like to have a throat that wasn't sore.
And yet, mine was completely fine, felt like i could sing...can't say i really wanted to though.
Taking my mind off my throat to focus on....other things, the surface of the blood provided a halfway decent reflection of my face. ''Definetely pale..'' I thought to myself, still, i looked...good..My skin was perfect and unblemished, not one blemish or imperfection marring it, my irises were a wierd hue of red though. ''Like a glass of wine....or maybe a strawberry....'' Thought to myself again whilst prying my eyes open slightly.
Now that i was properly concious aswell, could definetely feel my feet grinding against whatever material was at the bottom of the blood pool, clearly too murky to see, definetely wasn't sand though, seemed like a kind of tissue, soft and spongy...easily malleable, could spread it around with my feet with allmost no resistance. Wierd..
Now, feeling good and looking all dolled up is very nice and all, great even, some would say fantastic, but it did very little to distract from a slight little hiccup.
I was still in a pool of blood, completely alone, in utter darkness
Sort of just, sat there in the fetal position as that realization had hit me.
"Maybe i am dead" I thought as i wiped my nose with my sleeve. ''..Whatever''
Yawning, I let myself slump back against the pool of blood, it was just shallow enough for me to comfortably lie in it without drowning, the liquid stopping at around my neck. Felt strangely soothing....the feeling of warm blood on my bare skin was comforting in a way...
''This is nice....'' I sighed, slowly closing my eyes as i got comfortable.
''Hell is nice....'' Was my final thought before dozing off to sleep.
***
I could feel a soft weight on my head as i did so....a hand? Like it was patting me, it was soothing...
.....
Hold on a second wasn't i alone?
My brows furrowed, a droplet of sweat rolling down my temple. ''Just, Ignore it...'' I told myself.
Even as the patting continued, more inssesant, noticable
''Just ignore it.''
Even as i could feel the patting hand moving down to cup my face...
''Just. Ignore. It.''
After aproximately 10 seconds, the hand gently moved off of my head. ''Phew, i was right, just had to ignore i- AH!'' After which a second hand, along with the first, found themselves at my waist, as i felt myself being hoisted up into the air.
''Ack-hey!? What gives!'' The words had involuntarily escaped my mouth. Mostly expected them to fall on deaf ears, the last thing i could've possibly anticipated was hearing a deep voice respond with.
''Oh, apologies, i thought you we're asleep.''
The speed at which my eyes shot open was inconceivable, the sight before me was a pale, red eyed man, infuriatingly pretty by any and all metrics, like a perfect mix of masculine and feminine features on his face, with long, flowing black hair devoid of any impurities, donning an incredibly ornate looking cloak, the base of it was nothing but the finest black silk i'd ever seen in my life, decorated with an uncountable number of complicated and intricate red patterns weaved into it, with golden rimmed sleeves and accents to boot.
But most importantly, he was currently holding my completely naked body by the waist, giving it an imperceptibly gentle squeeze.
''I was most worried that you we're truly dead, alas, my heart weighed greatly from such thoughts, but seeing you in such good health is most great of a relie-''
''PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN'' I screamed those words at the top of my lungs while squirming in his grip, said grip was somehow simultaneously the most gentle, and the most ironclad vice-nigh inescapable hold i have ever found myself on the receiving end of.
Once my profanity and squirming registered in his ears, the man immedietely scowled, his cheeks jutting outward in a pout, an allmost comically childish expression of anger from someone of his stature.
''That is no way to speak your father.'' He said whilst squeezing my waist even tighter, i found myself struggling to breathe from the increased force.
''A-O-OKAY I G-GET IT, I WON'T-'' My pleas were cut short as i heard one of my ribs snap with a sickening CRUNCH.
''OW- OW OW OW FUCK OW STOP IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY!'' Once again, his expression changed at my words, deepening at my repeated use of profanity, before immedietely, and abruptly shifting into the calmest close eyed-blissed out smile i had ever seen.
''Very well then, apology accepted.'' He replied calmly.
My shoulders slumped, the tension draining from my body as he put me down, although it did feel strange to have all that warmth of his embrace taken away, losing another rib didn't seem like a fun experience.
Still, focusing on that was the least of my worries at this point, stealing a glance trough a nearby window, it was still daytime, noon by my estimates, i could easily run away if need be without having to worry about sweepers...
Another quick glance, both a flicker downward, and a general appraisal of my surroundings, lead me to confirm what i bassicaly already knew, i was completely naked, save for an oversized black cloak covering my whole body.
I seemed to be in an apartment, though the floors and walls were covered in massive blood splatters....
The more pressing matter though, was the man calmly sitting on the other side of the room....hands in his lap.
I took a deep breath.
''Sooooooo...Uhm....'' Was the most i could say whilst scratching at the back of my head. Finding the right words seemed difficult at the moment....
He just stared at me with the most innocent tilt of his head and a barely audible ''Hm?'' after a few seconds he brought a finger to his chin, seemingly lost in thought, before
''Oh your throat must be sore, are you parched perhaps?''
''I mean not really-''
''No no, it's quite alright, wait here for a moment''
The man slowly stood upright, his full height towering above me, completely and utterly massive was the best way i could describe him, just by a rough estimate i could tell he was easily around 195[2] centimeters tall.
It was quite an intimidating sight watching him move trough the room, his footsteps echoed troughout the whole room, floorboards creaking under his weight as he dissapeared from my line of sight, into what i could only presume was the dining room.
The moment he dissapeared, my shoulders relaxed even further, i let out a sigh of relief. ''Wierd but....phew....''
''....''
''Now then.''
Then scrambling over to the nearest reflective surface, which just so happened to be a window, practically shoved my face against it whilst stretching my eye open ''Red eyes....''
Then placing a hand to my cheek ''Pale skin too..'' My hair seemed smoother aswell...
Tilted my head to the side to get a better look, it wasn't as disheveled as it usualy was, in the corner of my eye i could catch what looked like a used hairbrush on the floor....
I turned to the dining room door, then back to the window, then the dining room door, then the window again....
''While i was unconcious...seriously...?'' Quietly enough so the man in the other room could hear.
Judging by the fact all of my limbs seemed to be in place, inspite of the fact i very vividly remember my arm and leg having been cut off.
And the fact i was exceptionally pale with red eyes...
''...''
I took a deep breath, my eyes moving to the sink.
''....C-cmon....its just water.....theres no way im one of t-those things now right....?'' Were the words that raced in my mind over and over.
Slowly, step by step, i walked towards that sink, it felt like agonizingly long, just...silence, only broken by those footsteps...
''It's just water....'' I muttered to myself, my hand hovering over the tap
''It's just water...''
''It's just water....''
''....''
''J-J-J-Just water...''
My fingers trailed across the handle, individually wrapping around it.....
''Oh come on, what in the name of the city am i so afraid of.....''
I Went to lightly turn it and-
''That's quite dangerous you know, children shouldn't be allowed near such things''
''I mean i guess you're righ- WHAT THE FUCK!? ''
The man had returned from the kitchen appearently, resting his head on my shoulder with another pouty frown, most likely from my swearing again.
''Didn't i tell you that such language was no way to speak to your father.'' His fist slowly raised above my head.
''A-AH, RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT! SORRY!'' Frantically waving my hands infront of me and apologizing seemed to do the trick, as his expression instantly softened into antoher blissed out smile.
''Apology accepted.'' He stated calmly, before adding ''Now, eat up''
I was confused as to what he meant for a second, before, in what felt like a fraction of a second, he slammed something down onto the kitchen countertop, hard enough to both audibly crack the wooden countertop, and to make me flinch a little.
Now, that particular ''something''
Was a human corpse.
It's head had been ripped off, along with the entire spine, by no means a clean removal, moreso a demonstration of unbridled raw physical strenght, the body was also bare from the waist up, and comparing my size relative to the body lead me to believe that's where he got the oversized robe covering me.
''It's freshness leaves much to be desired, but alas, i believe you will find the meal most satisfactory! :D'' He sort of just....gestured at it with a thumbs-up.
''.....''
''R-right.....''
I eyed the corpse varily....a shirtless, headless corpse shouldn't look like the most appetizing thing in the world....normally atleast.
And yet for some reason, i couldn't resist the hunger gnawing at the back of my mind whilst my eyes wandered to that bloody stump atop its neck, my tounge darting out to lick my lips.
It had all but confirmed by suspicouns....i was a Bloodfiend, a horrific monster masquerading in the approximate shape of a human who constantly needed blood to survive, but at this very moment, i didn't seem to particularly care.
Almost instantly, my head darted towards the body, digging into the wound with fervor, sucking and slurping to seemingly no end.
The taste was intoxicating i'l tell you that much, comparing it to the best thing i'd ever eaten would've been a massive understatement, not even the finest food money could buy was comparable to the flavor of the sanguine ichor i was gulping down like a maniac.
The man watched me with that close eyed smile ''I'm glad it seems to be to your tastes!''
I didn't even register his words, just kept eating.
About 5 minutes later,the body was visibly paler, took a long, deep breath as i yanked my head backwards, my tounge working overtime to lick every last droplet of blood that remained on my face.
''Haah, f-''
The man frowned immedietely
''F-F-Fantastic! That was fantastic!''
His expression softened, crisis averted it seems.
Still, that was good, almost found myself wanting to go in for another drink...
But there was one question i needed to ask first.
''Hey uh.......'' My hand gestured vaguely towards the man
''Byron, my name is Byron, although you may refer to me as ''Father.''''
''Right, well, Byron-''
''Father.''
''Right...Father, uhm....'' I trailed off briefly
''What Kindred are you.''
The man, or well, ''Byron'' stared at me blankly for a moment, before....patting my head, letting out a smug little ''Hmph''
''It seems i was correct in my choice of first kin, you hold a great grasp of your circumstances, especially for someone your age''
Wanted to correct him about that last bit, very, oh so very badly, but i bit my tounge.
''I'm.....greatful for the compliment, but it doesn't answer my original question.''
The man tilted his head with a ''Hm?''
''Is my status not obvious? I'm a-''
The doorbell rung.
His head snapped towards it.
''A moment please.''
His hand slid off of my head, an action that aggrevated me for some ungodly reason, and then made walked across the room to get the door.
My head also turned towards said door, who could possibly be visiting at this hour.
Unless it was the-
....
''OI, FATHER WAIT!''
My pleas were cut short, Byron wasn't even halfway to the door when it slammed open.
Three people we're standing in the doorway, katanas clutched tightly in their hands, black cloud patterned tatoos covering their chests and arms, there was no doubt about it, they were members of the Kurokumo clan.
''Bastard can't even get a proper door, we're the stupid ones for expecting him to cough up the money..'' The scruffy looking man in the front muttered to himself.
''Eh, you can never be too sure, and besides, someone's gotta rough him up a little if he doesn't pay up anyway!'' The woman directly behind him added.
The third, more stoic looking lackey, just calmly moved behind them.
''Guess you're right.....OI, SHITHEA-'' The scruffy looking man walked inside, going to slam his sword against a nearby wall.
''Eh? Who the fuck are you?'' His face scrunched up in annoyance whilst looking at Byron.
''You may call me Byron.''
''Right right, then listen ''Byron'''' He said with disdain, making air quotes with his fingers. ''You're probably visiting the shithead who owns this place, can't blame you, he was a nice guy, just a little stupid.''
''What he's trying to say is that he didn't pay up in time'' The woman's voice rang out from across his shoulder.
''Right, and considering i've never heard of a ''Byron'' in these backstreets, you should pay up too.''
Byron tilted his head in confusion ''...Who is this ''Up'' i'm meant to be paying..?''
The woman clamped a hand over her mouth whilst desperately trying to stiffle a laugh at that.
...The scruffy man.
Seemed far less amused.
''Oh, you think you're real funny huh?''
In a split second, the man's katana had been drawn from his scabbard, the blade glinting in the light as it rested atop Byron's shoulder
Byron's eyes briefly flickered towards it, he remained undisturbed.
''Look, you're new around here, i get it, sometimes people just don't know the rules of the backstreets, so i'l give you a quick lesson.''
''Oh, im greatful for the offer, but truly, i don't find it necceca-''
SHINK
The scruffy looking man brought the blame down with every last bit of strenght he could muster, intending to fully cut Byron's arm off.
''Smug peice of shi-...'' His eyes shot open as he registered the sight, a single trickle of blood down Byron's shoulder, that was all he'd managed to achieve.
''PFT-HAHA, SERIOUSLY!? YOU CAN'T EVEN CUT HIS ARM O-O-...Oh....Oh crap wait...'' The woman's amusement quickly died down as she realized what was happening.
''Huh!?'' He was in complete disbelief, gritting his teeth in outrage whilst clutching the handle of the katana tightly ''Cmon...move...damnit...MO-MMPH!''
Byron's expression was....something i hadn't seen, admittedly i'd met him a few minutes ago, but, i could clearly tell he was angry, it wasn't the childish pouting anger he'd put up whenever i swore though, it was...genuine outrage.
The scruffy man let out nothing but muffled noises, Byron's hand had encompassed his entire head, those muffled noises turned to muffled screaming as he tightened his grip.
And then pulled backwards.
The most gutwrenching noise i'd ever heard in my life followed, i flinched again, and when i opened my eyes....
The man's head had been brutally ripped off, his lifeless body crumpling to the floor.
''As i have said before.'' Byron spoke calmly, even as the woman and the stoic looking man behind her charged at him with their weapons drawn.
What happened next, felt...agonizingly slow, like my life was flashing infront of my eyes.
He bent down, shoving his entire arm into the scruffy man's torso trough the hole in his neck, i could hear sloshing liquid, followed by...crystalization..?
SHINK
He raised his hand upwards, which had the added effect of mutilating the scruffy man's corpse even further, cutting him open down to his abdomen.
Where Byron's hand used to be, a large jagged knife-like blade of hardened blood had formed around it, a thin spiral stretching from the base of his palm all the way down to his elbow.
The two members of the Kurokumo clan's blades we're just about to connect with his neck on either side, but, in complete reality.
SHINK
They would've been better off had they ran.
It was a movement so insanely fast i couldn't even see what had happened, one moment, they were charging at Byron, and the other, their heads were split cleanly from their necks, a massive spray of blood erupting from the stumps.
The woman's head slowly rolled across the floor, all the way over to me, stopping just infront of my leg, her lifeless expression looking up at me.
''.....''
''First Kindred huh?''
Byron merely nodded.
''Indeed.''
[1] Play whatever spooooky ass suspensful music you want for this portion i guess
[2] 6'5 for freedom units