3 A Vampire’s Memory

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Naberius asked.

"I'm going to talk to him," Lenora answered.

"Why would he want to talk to you rather than me? Perhaps he wants to meet with his kind," he said.

"Naberius, you met nothing you didn't immediately kill, eat, or have sex with. Besides, I don't understand why Mephiles doesn't tie you up outside with the rest of the animals."

Naberius watched as Lenora walked back into the library where Mephiles was by himself and wanted to have some peace. Unlike the other demon leaders, Naberius was the only one who did not know how to keep his mouth shut. He has always been the talkative one for discussing his earlier life and the achievements he made. He always looked at himself as the top of a game and never agreed with any of the criticisms people made of him in the past. Naberius simply stood there and walked back to where the other generals were and caught up with what they needed to say.

Meanwhile, Lenora walked up the steps that led to where Mephiles was being peaceful. He did not care about the arguments that the generals made up and never cared about hearing any of them. Mephiles knew it would be perilous to command an entire army of demon leaders and force them to do as they are told. But Lenora stayed with him to be by his side and remind him that there will never be a day where all hope would be lost. She opened the door of his library and walked to the chair that stared at a painting of Mephiles standing on the top of a mountain.

"You said you wanted to speak with me, Mephiles," Lenora said.

Then Mephiles said, "Did you hear Naberius down there? Gathering together, he said. Indeed, it is a complicated profession to rule a band of generals who know what they're saying. But they don't seem to speak their minds clearly like they want to. Over here, I'm just minding my business and taking care of this castle like Harald and Lancelot used to do. Someday, this place will not seem like an empty box because some people might come here and expect company."

"Well, it is a kingdom. Of course, people who are that curious may want to know of it and someday live inside it. They might make civilization in front of the castle with you as their king," she said.

"I did what had to be done, Lenora. If I had waited a little longer, Harald would've already gotten to me with his legion against me. He already used one of them that killed my wife. On that day, he already proved to me he does not deserve such a life. Again, it is mine by right and deed. If refugees want to come and live in the kingdom, fine by me. But they must know the penalties for crossing me. They shouldn't worry. They'll have plenty of food and drink given to them if it's the only thing they desire."

"Mephiles, I am honored to be by your side during your reign. But I just have one question. Am I troubling you when I'm near you? Have I been doing something wrong this whole time?"

"Not at all. Whatever you've been doing to keep this castle intact, I want you to keep doing it. For the past year, this place has been my home and I've already just begun meeting an entire group of generals who swore their loyalty to me. I just need to know how long their loyalty will last. It could be for ten years. Maybe five years. Could be for only one year, I don't know. I'll just let you know that you have done the best you could and I'm thankful for it."

Mephiles has always admired Lenora ever since she came to him and knew that she will always have his back. She reminded him of his wife whenever she used to come to him for aid and to be assisted. Lenora stares at the painting for a long while and begins imagining her childhood and all the events that happened in those days. She had her eyes squinting at everything that the piece of art contained and looked back at her tragic days. But before she could do that, she looks back at Mephiles and places her hand on the top of his chair.

Then Mephiles looked at Lenora and said, "I know why you hate humans. I know why all vampires hate humans for what they did. But you swore to me you had nothing left, and you were betrayed at every turn and needed to find someone who had a deep hatred for his kind. I punished them... you punished them. You and I... we hate our species. We despise all who have taken so much from us, and they all needed to pay with their lives. And we understand why most of them need to be dealt with."

"Of course. I will address the war accordingly. I hope your generals will just... listen to me," Lenora said.

"They will have no choice. You are the leader of the floor guardians and the ones who command the demons. I am their king. They obey me and so, they... will obey you. The matter is closed," he said. Then, Mephiles and Lenora looked up at the large painting and saw everything for how magnificent it was to the eye.

The king simply gazed upon it while Lenora started seeing herself back when she was a human and lived in a mansion with her family. She was only eighteen years old and there was once a day where she became engaged to a man of a massive fortune, but her father refused for her hand to be taken by a man whose riches empower his mind. Lenora did not want any other man but the rich man, and she eventually grew attracted to him more than anyone. His name was Ramsay of Britannia, a young man from the far east with many riches and a pure heart. Lenora was very kind to him, and Ramsay's heart and soul were as pure as the stars in the sky.

The day came when Lenora's father found the man sleeping with his daughter, and he became nervous by just thinking about what Ramsay may have done. They did not have sex, but it sure seemed that way because of how Lenora's father pictured everything in his head. The time came when Lenora's parents confronted her and told her so many things she did not know would come out of their mouths. Very threatening words came from her parents, and they eventually banished Ramsay from ever being welcomed into their home. The Britannian would not back down so easily since he would occasionally hide and hear the awful things Lenora's family would say to her.

"I never wanted you, Lenora. You sicken me, do you understand? The moment you came out of me, I knew you were wrong!" Her mother said.

Then her father said, "Power is for money, girl. When Ramsay came to know you, I knew there was a sudden shift in the wind. Not only did you allow him to come to your bed, but it may seem as if he impregnated you. You are not ready to leave this house. Not until you learn how the world truly works. Stop complaining about love and fortune. This is the way things are. Now get away from me!"

One day, a dark spirit entered Lenora's mind and encouraged her to do the right thing and end her torment. At first, she seemed alright with doing whatever this spirit told her to do, but what she did would end up with her until the day she became a vampire. On that night, Lenora left her parents inside their own houses and made sure she would never be seen by them again. Her parents were struggling to find her and settle things with her, yet they did not know she planned to leave them. Lenora did this to teach those two a lesson not to stop her and end her relationship with a man she loves.

Her parents were left by themselves without warning, and Lenora left the mansion to live somewhere else. Unfortunately, she never saw Ramsay ever again because she walked her path and had her fate to walk to. She followed the dark spirit where it led to a mansion filled with vampire masters and those who walked in the darkness. A whole week later, the vampire king gave her a chalice of his blood, and she drank the blood and became a vampire.