Soul Reaver

Dragul at night was like a kaleidoscope, illuminated by the gleaming adverts attached to sprawling skyscrapers. However pretty, at night it was dangerous. For any human, that is. It was the largest city in Vampyrsk; as the name suggests, it was home to many a bloodsucker. Human beings were second-class citizens, living rather ordinary lives so long as the sun was up. Walking those same streets at night was a death sentence; and on that dreadful day, I'd unwittingly scheduled my execution. 

Having fallen asleep before closing the shop, I rushed home, racing the sunset. Perhaps I could have hidden in the shop; however, they would have checked the shops within the first hour of moonlight. The only safe space was my home, where a vampire could not enter 'less he was invited.

All was lost for me, I knew that. Within minutes, I'd be enveloped in darkness. Seconds after, I would be devoured by those lurking in shadows. 

I clung to what hope I could muster, praying that the vamps weren't as thirsty that night as they were every other night. To my dismay, the sun had set and a sinister aura encircled me. They'd already found me; no, they'd been stalking me for some time. 

Waiting.

Say I could sprint for three more miles without slowing down or resting, I'd be pursued for just under half an hour. But that doesn't account for the fact that vampires are faster than humans– stronger than humans. Running would only delay the inevitable, and would likely provide those monstrosities with entertainment and a meal. I was no court jester– or a toy for one's amusement. 

Tonight, I was going to die and I was prepared to do so on my terms. I paused beneath the street lamp; perhaps part of me thought its gleam would ward off the monsters. I looked around, unable to see my pursuers but I sensed their leering eyes.

"What are you waiting for!?" I called out, arms outstretched. "Enough games! No more cat and mouse! Just get it over with!" 

"Aren't you a tough guy…" I heard an alluring woman's voice. My body remained still, yet my eyes darted toward the source of the sound. I saw nothing but her crimson eyes, beaming through shadows. Instantly, she'd bewitched me. I was entranced– even aroused– and I felt as if I wanted her to consume me. With each step, the bottom of her heels echoed through darkness until she'd entered moonlight. 

If whatever spell she'd cast on me hadn't already charmed me, her hourglass figure embraced by tight leather would have, as would her beautiful face beneath her golden hair. 

Her gentle smile was the prequel to her slender fingers dancing on my chest.

"Oh no… Are you scared?" she teased, circling me while running her fingers from my chest to my neck. 

"N- No," I lied through shuddering teeth, compelling a giggle to dance between her soft lips.

"Then why else would your heart race, pumping that delicious blood just for me?" She leaned in close, whispering into my ear. "Maybe you're just turned on… I've met plenty of human males just like you… With fantasies."

"I've no such thing," I lied again.

"Perhaps that statement was once truthful; however, I'm certain that is no longer the case. Why, you ask? That's because I'm a special vampire… Do you wanna know what makes me special, babe?" She'd completed a full circle around me and ran her cold fingers around my neck.

"I'm a siren. Do you know what that means? The moment you laid eyes on me, you were mine. And if you're lucky… I can be yours for tonight. Is that something you want?"

Her words were as slick as they were deceitful. 

"I've heard of your kind. The only satiated pleasures will be yours and yours alone. No more toying, just end me where I stand, please."

She chuckled, her lips were mere inches from mine. 

"You sure? You won't even see if there's a chance that my words are true?" 

"Even if they were, I die regardless."

"You'll die in pleasure."

"What pleasure is there in knowing my death is looming?" 

The vampiress clicked her tongue and furrowed her brow.

"You're no fun. Fine, I'll grant your wish for a swift death, but know this: I do not feed because I enjoy it, I feed because I must."

It was then that I realized... her offer may have been honest. Perhaps as humans have rituals to thank the animals they feast upon, she thanked her meals with pleasure. Or maybe, this too was part of her game, making her prey believe they missed out before they died. Regardless, my fate had been sealed. 

Her lips embraced my neck as she sunk her fangs into my body. It stung at first, then the wound went numb and paralysis coursed through my body. I'd heard the screams of those being sucked of their life essence, and I'd assumed it was painful, but I realized then, through my own screams, that they were from anxiety rather than pain.

As my essence left me, and my vision faded, I felt as if my body and spirit were separating. Could this be what death felt like? Was it true that the soul and the body are in fact independent of one another?

My questions were answered quite abruptly as the world around me shifted in the literal sense. Street lamps, once straight, grew crooked. Tires became oblong, buildings became diagonal, and the moon was misshapen. What was most strange was that the world looked as if a green filter was layered over my vision. 

The woman was gone, as were the other vampires whom I couldn't see before, but could sense. I was alone here; at least, that's what I thought.

"Raphael… The day has finally come…" A booming voice echoed through my brain, reverberating off the walls of my skull. I looked around as if unaware that the voice was being directly transmitted into my brain. 

"Who's there!?" I called out.

"I am the Elder God… I am your savior. Your resurrector."

"Resurrector? So I am dead?" 

"Yes, your body is dead, yet your soul lives. Your soul exists now in what is called the Spectral Realm, one of the many planes of existence in this world. Tell me, Raphael, would you like to have your soul reunited with your body?"

"Say that I do, what exactly is in it for you? I presume that there must be some catch. Such an offer hardly comes without a cost."

"Quite perceptive, aren't you, Raphael? Yes, there is a cost. In exchange for your rejuvenation, you will serve me as my Reaver of Souls."

"And what exactly does me being this so-called 'Reaver of Souls' entail?"

"I will grant you power beyond that of which you could have ever achieved as a human. And with that power, you will vanquish those vampiric parasites of the material realm and consume their souls."

"Say you do revive me and I refuse to consume any souls, then what?"

"Then you die of hunger and will return to the Spectral Realm, where you will wander for all eternity or be eaten by the many wandering souls that linger here…"

"And if I refuse to be revived, I take it that I will suffer that fate regardless?"

"That is correct."

"Then I have no other choice. Fine, revive me. I'll act as your Reaver of Souls if it means I can avoid an eternity in this place."

The Elder God cackled and I felt a peculiar hunger overwhelm me. My senses grew sharp and my body surged with physical strength.

"In order to return to the Material Realm, you must be at full strength. Do you see that soul behind you? Defeat them, rendering them weak enough to be consumed."

I turned to find a green creature, dragging its knuckles along the ground like an ape. 

So this is a soul? I thought. I wondered if I too would lose my humanoid shape if I wandered the Spectral Realm for too long. Regardless, I wouldn't allow myself to test that theory.

Once I set my eyes on my target, the tips of my fingers turned into claws, similar to that of a vampire in the Material Realm. I lunged forward at the soul, impaling it with both hands before ripping it apart. Its corpse faded and became a ball of spectral energy, the simplest form of a soul. Instinctively, my jaw unhinged. Like a vacuum, my throat began pulling in the soul and before long, I'd swallowed it whole.

"Good, Raphael. Now, will it, and you will return to the Material Realm. Your murderer will still be there, but now she is your prey. Remember, a vampire can only be killed by one of their weaknesses."

I willed it, and the world around me returned to normal and I was transported back into the Material Realm. The street lamps were straight and the moon was once more a perfect sphere. My physical body, which I now inhabited, stood where I last stood in the Spectral Realm. Based on the look of confusion on my murderer's face, I imagine my body seemed as if it'd disappeared and reappeared across the road.

"Surprised, siren!? You sucked my body dry of all its blood, yet I still live. What say you, demon!?"

"My, where did all this bravado come from? Could it be that you are a mutant just now discovering his powers?"

"Not quite. You see, as you are a devourer of blood, I too have become a devourer of sorts. Though it is not blood I thirst for, it is your soul." I knelt to pick up a wooden plank. I snapped it in half, giving it a sharp edge, before aiming it at my foe.

The woman laughed at me, covering her mouth whilst holding her midsection. 

"Is this some sort of joke!?"

"Unfortunately for you, it is not. Now, vampire, prepare to face your doom!" I dashed forward, just one step propelled me five times the distance it would have before I became the Elder God's pawn. All it took was three steps before I was within striking distance of my killer. Her eyes had grown wide, just before my makeshift stake could strike her heart, she leaped away, landing atop a parked car.

As the car's alarm blared, echoing through the silent streets, the vampiress showed her fangs with a defensive hiss resonating off her tongue. For once, those crimson eyes of hers showed fear. Her gaze aroused me once more; this time, my arousal wasn't of sexual lust, but bloodlust!

I threw myself at her, clasping my makeshift stake like a knife. With each attempt at her life, I could feel myself growing more accustomed to my new abilities. At first, my speed seemed to be equal to hers, but as the fight continued, it was obvious that I outmatched her. 

The vampiress swung her claws at my face, but I easily could weave past her futile attempts. One of these attacks was sloppy, such that I was able to deflect her claws with mine, throwing her off balance, though only for a second. 

A second was all that I needed. 

My stake splintered from my grip as I plunged it into her heart. She let out a ghastly shriek as her body and mine fell to the ground. I wasn't sure if I'd struck the heart, so I pulled out my stake and stabbed her repeatedly until she'd stopped moving.

I watched the light leave her eyes, and as she breathed her last breaths, her soul escaped with them. It took the form of a yellowish orb, flying away and bumping into walls like a disoriented housefly. 

My mouth gaped and the soul, try as it may, could not escape. It and the air that surrounded it was sucked backward before being consumed by me, satiating my hunger for souls. However, once I consumed her, I felt as if I was undergoing yet another change. 

"Great, Raphael. Having consumed the soul of a powerful being, you have obtained some of her abilities. You too can influence minds with a simple gaze, though only the easily manipulated can be fooled through this manner.

"Your initiation is complete. You've done well...

"My Soul Reaver."