Cer'iq would never forget the day it happened… For it would change the course of his life forever… The day started well. Cer'iq and his parents had arrived in Thais to visit the Pendragon's, something that he had been looking forward to for weeks. He loved visiting Edward and Stella, though the reason he enjoyed it so much had more to do with their children. Having no other children his age to play with back in Thornkeep, his sole companions were Michael, who was ten, a year younger than himself, and Estelle, who was eight.
With their parents busy catching up with each other, it was the perfect chance for them to sneak out of the castle and have some fun. Michael led them to his secret hideout, an open field filled with wildflowers hidden deep within the woods behind the school. Cer'iq felt at peace there, surrounded by the pure beauty of nature and far enough away from the city that the sounds of the bustling city were nothing but a dull murmur in his sharpened ears.
"Are you sure it's safe for us to be out here?" Estelle asked, looking about nervously. "Surely you remember the stories father told us about all the monsters that roam these woods."
"Of course I remember, but I doubt we're in any danger here. The war students sometimes use this field to practice," Michael claimed.
"Besides, the monsters in these woods can't be any worse than the ones in the Dire Woods," Cer'iq added in. "My father told me that there used to be demons lurking in those woods. That's why I'm not allowed to leave the village on my own."
Estelle's eyes widened. "Demons!? When was this?"
Michael just rolled his eyes at his sister. "Don't be so dramatic, Estelle. Thais used to have demons too, back in the days of our great ancestor, Rhen Pendragon. In fact, from what I've heard, it sounds like Thais was basically ruled by demons before our family took over."
Cer'iq nodded. "My mother told me about that. She says the land was nothing but a barren wasteland at the time. Every last tree was burnt and dead. The city was in absolute shambles. The walls had been utterly destroyed and people didn't dare to leave their houses for fear of Ahriman and his demons."
"I forget sometimes that your parents were actually there, living throughout the events in history that we can only read about," Estelle said. "It's odd to think that they're vampires, considering how normal and… well, nice, they seem."
"What do you mean by that?" Cer'iq raised a brow at that.
There was a brief period of silence in which Michael and Estelle exchanged a glance between each other.
"Look, I know that it's hard to accept it, being half-vampire yourself, but you can't deny that vampires, in general, are evil," Michael said. "My father has told me stories about what happened. He told me about some of the things your uncle did. How he and the other vampires tried to enslave humanity by plunging the world into eternal darkness."
Cer'iq looked away, not wanting to meet his friend's lilac eyes. Of course, he knew all about what Uncle Gyendal had done in the past, having heard stories from his own parents about the Orb Quests. However, he also knew his uncle's reasoning behind it. While he didn't condone what his uncle did, he did understand why he did the things he did. The humans weren't exactly innocent either. They had hurt his uncle, leading him to do those awful things. Of course, he knew he couldn't tell them that. As far as the Pendragon's knew, Gyendal had vanished into thin air and hadn't been heard from since.
"I don't believe that. No one is entirely evil. We all have good and bad in us," he defended his kind, quoting something that his mother had told him once.
"You may see things that way, but the other vampires aren't like that. They are evil!" Michael retorted. "How can they not be? They hunted down my mother, ripped her wings right out of her back and killed her in cold-blooded murder!"
Hearing those words stirred something deep within Cer'iq. They struck him directly in the heart as if the insults were aimed at him. In a way, they kind of were. He was, after all, a vampire, or rather half-vampire. These vampires that Michael was hurling insults at were his kindred, his family, and he didn't like it. He knew for a fact that his friend's claims were false. Not all vampires were evil. Rashnu, the Druid of Darkness, wasn't evil, and his mother claimed to have some friends back in the underworld who weren't evil either. Marcello was one of them.
"Humans have committed their fair share of crimes as well!" Cer'iq retorted. "Has no one ever told you about how humans used to hunt vampires just for the sport of it?"
"Did we really do that?" There was no anger or hostility in Estelle's voice, only an earnest sense of curiosity.
Cer'iq nodded. "I read all about it in a book about the history of Ghed'ahre."
Michael scoffed. "That's probably just a lie the vampires wrote down to try to make themselves look better. The only reason we hunted them was to protect ourselves. According to the memoirs of my ancestors, Vampires we're out of control at that time, much like the demons. My ancestor, Rhen, and her friends had to wear garlic around their necks and carry stakes just to ward them off."
At that, Cer'iq finally snapped. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he had bolted forward at vampirism speed, grabbing Michael by the neck and pinning him back against a tree.
"They were only out of control because they were starving! They were locked out of the overworld for years because humans like you were staking them for fun! And need I remind you that my mother was among those locked underground at that time, the very same vampress who went on to become your ancestor's friend!" Cer'iq hissed. His fangs which were ordinarily hidden, bared for all to see.
At that moment, it was as if something or someone had possessed him. His body was filled with fiery rage, preventing him from thinking rationally. All he could think about at that moment was the boy whose neck he gripped and how he wanted to do something horrible to the boy…
"Let… me… go…" Michael thrashed to get free but to no avail.
"Cer'iq, please stop!" Estelle cried out. "You're hurting him!"
The Brown-haired princess' pleas fell on deaf ears. For her friend was gone at that moment, replaced by the blood-thirsty vampire that stood before her.
Cer'iq removed his hand from Michael's neck, but he did not release him. Instead, he grabbed him tightly by the arm, preventing him from making a run for it. That was when he noticed the bloody pierce marks in Michael's neck exactly where his nails had been only moments earlier. The sight of blood caused an overpowering thirst to rise in his throat.
His method of revenge upon the boy was made up. Pushing Michael's head to the side, he slowly drew his mouth nearer to the fresh blood locking what was to be found on the outside first.
It was his first real taste of blood and it tasted divine… better than any human food he had ever tasted before. He wanted more… He craved more…
"Stop!" Estelle cried out again.
He was just about to plunge his fangs into the boy's neck, razor-sharp teeth hovering only inches away when he heard an all too familiar voice yell out to him.
"CER'IQ RAVENFOOT TEOMES!"
It was the sound of his father's voice that finally brought him back to himself, and once that had happened, it didn't take long for him to realize what was happening.
Michael, Estelle and himself were locked in a ring of unnatural purple fire. Their parents were standing well enough away, staring at the scene with a mixture of various expressions. However, his gaze was locked on that of only one… his father…
There was shock and horror, but above all other emotions, there was disgust and shame. Cer'iq could see it clearly on his father's face. It was a sight he had hoped to never see.
"Stella, can you put out the flames?" Edward asked his wife.
"I can try," replied the winged woman.
Closing her eyes, the healer reached out her hands and summoned a cloud to come and pour down rain on the ring of fire. The children all got soaking wet as a result, but it proved its purpose in extinguishing the fire, leaving a ring of scorched grass and flowers in its place.
Staggering backward, he released Michael from his grip, staring down at his blood-smeared hands with wide eyes, ignorant to the concerned king and queen who ran past him towards their son.
He had just tried to kill someone… his own friend… he realized that had he not been stopped, he would have drained Michael completely dry. For that was how much control he had over himself at the time.
He felt hot drops of liquid well up in his eyes, trickling down his face, his body trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to express how truly sorry he was, and how he didn't mean to hurt Michael, but he could not bring the words to leave his lips as everyone he opened his mouth he remembered that it was that very same mouth that had consumed his friend's blood. He had never felt so repulsed by himself… like he wanted to rip his own tongue out.
His mind was in chaos. There was no other way to describe it. He was at war with himself. One part of him felt shame and guilt towards his actions, yet at the same time, there was a part that roared within him, craving more of the blood he had sampled. It frightened him
Gazing into the eyes of his friend, he saw that he was staring back at him with pure hatred.
"You're a hypocrite!" Michael spat at him, his voice a bit hoarse. "You claim that not all vampires are evil, but in reality, you're no better than those who slaughter mercilessly! You're just like you're cursed uncle! A vampire and a dark mage!"
The thought that he might have caused the ring of unnatural fire had briefly crossed his mind earlier, but it was soon forgotten as the war waged on inside his head. Only now was he able to comprehend the matter. He had magic, and if what Michael claimed was true, it was dark magic, the one thing he knew his father hated more than almost anything else.
"You're nothing but a monster!"
Those words echoed through his brain, repeating themselves over and over until his brain hurt. Michael was right. He was a monster… He was a vampire… a creature of the night who craved blood. He had always been aware of what he was, but he had never fully grasped the meaning of it before now.
In the blink of an eye, his mother was at his side, one of her spidery hands resting on his shoulder. "How dare you speak such things of my son!" She hissed.
A part of him was relieved to hear his mother defending him, but at the same time, he wished that she wouldn't. Everything that Michael said was true. There was no use denying it. His mother might be understanding of him, but he had a hunch that his father wasn't so understanding. Risking a glance back at the armor-clad man, he saw that he was unchanged. He stood unmoving, his expression still much the same.
Cer'iq hung his head in shame, looking away. He couldn't bear to look upon his father's disgust towards him for long.
"That son of yours just tried to rip my son's throat out!" Edward declared, pointing an accusing finger at Cer'iq. "He endangered two of my children!"
"He's just a boy, practically a newborn when it comes to vampires! It takes years to overcome the thirst!" Te'ijal retorted. "It took me and Galahad at least 300 years!"
Cer'iq gulped. That knowledge was not at all comforting. Was he really going to struggle like this for the next 300 years? That was an awful thing to think of.
"In that case, perhaps it would be best if you and your son stayed away until the time comes that he overcomes his thirst."
"Edward! Surely you do not mean that!" Stella protested. "It was only an accident, and no one was harmed in the end."
"No one was hurt this time, but I will not risk it happening again. I will not have him endangering our children, or anyone in this city for that matter," Edward's mind was made up and everyone could see as much as nobody made any attempts to protest further.
"Very well then, my family and I will bother you no further," Te'ijal said with a hint of bitterness as she turned to leave, pulling Cer'iq along with her. "Galahad, are you coming?" She asked, stopping as they reached him.
Galahad simply nodded his head and started to walk off ahead of them. Not a word was said between them as they went on their way.