Transformation... 1

Two whole months had bled by since I'd met Verona, the woman who claimed to be my mother, the Vampire Queen. Those months had been a whirlwind of books, food, and enforced rest. Stacks of leather-bound books on everything from geopolitical power struggles to vampire etiquette had become my constant companions.

"You'll be my son, the prince of Vampires," Verona had declared. "You need to be knowledgeable and conduct yourself accordingly."

Knowledge was all well and good, but the physical training I craved was frustratingly absent. Whenever I brought up mana breathing, Verona would scoff. "Pointless," she'd sneer. "A human's body and a vampire's are vastly different. Any progress you make now will be useless after the transformation."

So, I ate, I read, and I slept. Rinse and repeat for eight whole weeks. The result? An undeniably chubbier version of myself. My reflection, staring back from the full-body mirror, was a stark contrast to the battle-scarred man I'd been in my previous life. No more rough edges, no more reminders of past brawls. My skin was smooth, my hair a cascade of silky black, and even the extra weight couldn't hide the fact that I was undeniably handsome.

A far cry from the scarred, menacing figure I had been before. In that life, the scars had been a badge of honor, a testament to the battles I had fought. They were also been a barrier, pushing potential love interests away. Beautiful, sophisticated or gentle women? Out of the question. It was something that kept me hidden from the media world, a reason I used a puppet to represent me in my own clubs.

Here, though, my reflection held a different kind of power – a I looked good. A stark contrast to the scarred warrior I once was.

Today was the day. The day I transitioned from a human to an immortal creature of the night. A nervous thrill danced in my gut, a mix of fear and anticipation. The life I knew was about to end, replaced by something unknown, something powerful. As I stared at my reflection, a single thought echoed in my mind: This is just the beginning.

*************

He pushed open the heavy oak door, the moonlight flooding the room, casting an ethereal glow on the regal figure seated by the window. It was her – Verona, the woman who was to be his mother, the enigmatic Queen of the Vampires. Her crimson eyes met his, and for a fleeting moment, a flicker of warmth, a genuine maternal concern, softened their usual predatory glint.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her voice a silken caress.

The boy, his heart pounding against his ribs, swallowed hard. This was it. The point of no return. He had spent the last two months in a whirlwind of enforced education and uncomfortable inactivity all for this day. Yet, beneath the apprehension, a steely resolve had taken root. "Yes," he said, his voice firm.

Verona's smile widened, a hint of predatory anticipation lurking in its depths. "Come here," she beckoned, opening her arms in a gesture that could be interpreted as comfort and possession.

He walked towards her, the moonlight highlighting the stark contrast between their figures – her, an embodiment of timeless elegance, and him, a tangle of nervous energy sheathed in newfound plumpness. The only sound was the soft rustle of his clothes as he crossed the distance that separated them.

When he reached her, Verona rose, her movements fluid. With a gentle touch, she began unbuttoning his shirt, the coolness of her fingers sending shivers down his spine. Lifting him effortlessly, she placed him on her lap, his back cradled against her silk gown.

Her touch lingered on his neck, her voice turning low and intimate. "I will bite you," she explained, her words brushing against his ear, "inject you with my blood and mark you as mine. It will be painful, a trial worse than the one you endured upon awakening. Brace yourself."

Before he could react, her fangs descended, piercing his skin in a single, swift motion. A jolt of searing pain ripped through him, a primal scream tearing from his throat. He writhed in her lap, his struggles a pathetic display against her unyielding form. The red in her eyes intensified, mirroring the burning crimson that now bloomed in his eyes.

The agony was unlike anything he'd ever known, a relentless assault on his nerves that threatened to consume him. His screams devolved into whimpers, his consciousness flickering at the edges. Then, blessed oblivion claimed him, and he slumped unconscious onto the cold stone floor.

Verona watched him, her expression unreadable. A flicker of something – perhaps concern, perhaps anticipation – crossed her face before it settled back into its usual mask of cold indifference.

She knelt beside him, her touch feather-light as she brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead. Now, the wait began. The transformation was underway, and with it, the forging of a creature, the predator's cub.

***********

Two figures flickered in the a bright space, their forms no more than inky shadows. One, taller and more defined, represented Rei, the other, smaller and wispy, a clear depiction of a child – Raven.

"So, what now?" Raven, the child's voice barely a whisper, broke the tense silence.

"I don't know," Rei replied, his voice heavy with a mixture of trepidation and acceptance. "She said the merge would be slow, a gradual process. But 'he' has already formed … it's just that he is waiting for something. And that woman's blood was so strong. I don't know much about magic and souls but her blood I think her blood caused

'him' to form rather quickly." He gestured towards a pulsating cocoon of crimson liquid in the center of the room.

Raven nodded solemnly. "Okay."

A heavy sigh escaped Rei's shadowy form. "We both had pretty terrible lives, huh? And you, so young and full of potential, maybe could have achieved so much. Unlike me… who was used, discarded. And after he awakens, we… we'll disappear. Our personalities erased."

Raven tilted his head, a gesture somehow conveyed despite his intangible form. "I don't think so. Maybe I wouldn't have lived long enough to truly become strong. This world is harsh, unforgiving. Maybe I would have died on some angry adventure, or fallen victim to a powerful being's attack as collateral damage. And about erasing… I don't think that's quite right. You are me, and I am you, as she said. We're simply becoming whole again, returning to the way we were always meant to be."

Rei considered this, the tension in his form easing slightly. "I suppose you're right."

Suddenly, the crimson cocoon pulsed with a blinding light, a churning vortex forming within its depths. Both shadows recoiled instinctively.

"What's happening?" Rei cried out, a flicker of panic flickering across his form.

"It's time for him to awaken," Raven said, a hint of serenity in his voice. "It's time for him to be whole."

The vortex roared, a maelstrom of crimson energy pulling the two shadowy figures towards its heart. Their forms merged, intertwining, becoming one. As they were consumed by the light, a single sentence echoed through the chamber: "We are no more. Only He is."