IV
Fire
Vampires are children of Fire.
They consume and spread, and burn anyone who gets too close. A breath of wind may put out the flames, or spread them further. They are dangerous and unpredictable, vollatile [sic] and unquenchable. If a flame is put out, it is gone forever, but for the rare times it cheats it's [sic] own demise, leaving glowing embers which may, with help, be rekindled.
~koolkidpage.
Vampires are destroyers despite wanting to nurture.
They are made.
Vampires are but a result of nature. Just like water created, earth nurtured and wind was but a shadow of what had been, so Fire was made to make the wind come true.
They have existed since Earthlings knew Fire, so the Fire enticed the Thirst, which gave way to Teeth ripping flesh, to Fangs drinking blood. Since they saw light so has the world known destruction. The world made them. It needed them for destruction. For all things would have to become past.
And long after the first ones were made so have they begotten more of them, cursing them, forever walking.
Burn.
Vampires burnt. Always have. They're like the flames of a campfire: first they are so weak that a gust of wind may put them oout, but throw in a flame, an older one, a stronger one and they'll burn as the blazing sun—they sought company to survive, created communities, covens, just as the Fire became one with other flames.
They hurt. Because they burnt. To feed they sought the destruction of another being, so they could stand atop their curse. They fed on the Earthlings, much like the fire burnt the trees and scorched the soil.
Spread.
Vampires were like the plague. Too many of them and the world would wither and die; too little and they too would fade, although in a much slower fashion. When one drank blood at death (1) they spread like a wildfire. It was so fast, there wasn't even time to think about what you had become.
Fangs would fight to reach where no one had ever reached before, to spread—weren't they a species with reproductive needs?—to attempt to spawn new life even though it was a mockery of birth. When one becomes a vampire they are birthed—or so they wish—into a new life.
Unpredictable.
What went through their minds? No one could say. Not even other vampires could tell you. That made them dangerous, as they did need not to cling to mundane things to make their will come true. The can wait—or not.
They went through their long lives just like the fire, dancing in an erratic way. They could spread—or not. As their power grew, so did their unpredictability, because of newfound ability to mask feelings and make split-second decisions. They learnt not to trust any instinct but destruction, for not doing so would be death.
They were as gullible as they were volatile—beware!
Unquenchable.
The thirst of Fire for things to burn could not be stopped. Even when trying, a vampire would not lay off the thirst. How everything vibrated with life made them so much thirstier, living amongst the living only intensified the craving. Ultimately, it could not be contained.
The longing of the fang for the flesh drove them mad, and all their machinations centred about surviving —only a deranged soul would seek to dominate, for that wasn't the Fire's place— so that they could bring sorrow upon the world, harbingers of destruction.
Frozen.
They could only exist in a sole state; that of unquenchable hunger, just like fire couldn't exist any other way that wasn't burning. It was so ironic that while water froze, it could melt, whereas the Fire could not be put out or else it would die.
They did not age, just like the Fire just burnt ablaze; they just became mightier and fearsome. And they would only return to the Earth when they turned into ashes, just like the wood that lit the Fire—even when the Fire corrupted it could not change the truth about things so vampires would belong to the Earth when stabbed.
They were an evolutionary dead end, for they could not change. (2)
Longevity.
Vampires could live impressing and long lifespans, and Old Ones, really Old Ones were so old, so ancient—like the Fire of Asia (3)—it was difficult to grasp how something can be walking the Earth for so long.
But Fire was a doting father, and would give his offspring loathsome instincts for them to survive and walk the Earth for years to come. It might be cruel, but any father would want his offspring to be strong, to not fade and be no more.
And yet they were bitter because of their longevity. Because, unlike Earthlings, they'll come to know the time when their work crumbles and vanishes. Nothing outlasts them.
Fade.
Vampires will fade when the twilight comes and can destroy no more.
(1) I can't remember how they made vampires in the Being Human universe. Methinks they drank vampire blood upon death.
(2) TAKE THAT HERRICK!
(3) In Udwada, India, there's a fire temple —a temple for Zoroastrianism— where the flame itself has burnt for over a thousand years. The fire has burnt in that place since 1742. In Iran there's an even older one, in Yazd, Iran, where the flame fas been burning since 470 AD. These are both places of Zoroastrian worship.
Authoress' Place
Well, there it is. I might add new chapters about other elements if new species come. In fact, I've been thinking Type-4 or zombies might be metal —In some cosmologies, such as Chinese, metal is the fifth element, others include Wood and aether—.
I hope you enjoyed it.
So, how was my splitted-into-four-10-page-long one-shot? I hope you enjoyed it. Not bad for having being made between yesterday and today —all of it—? (see publish date), It's about 4:40 am right now.
I really loved koolkidpage's idea, so I ran with it —one more time, I hope I did ask permission (I didn't check nor I can remember, I just copied and pasted the post when he was bickering with Andrew Carralack that very same day)—.
My internet is a bit iffy and won't let me check :(.
Edit 11/10/2016: I didn't remember until cleaning this chapter up how much English phrasal verbs tripped me up when I was young(er).