The forest was always still at night, whenever I prowled through it. Not quiet. Still.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFdaKsuQgJ
It felt dead, as though the entire world had held its breath. No rustling in the undergrowth, no snapping of twigs, no flutter of wings from the small bats that otherwise darted like shadows between the trees. They didn't even dare to send their cries through the thicket. As if every blind creature sensed which predator meant true ending in these nights. Because that was me. I wandered aimlessly, as I often did when the hours thickened like cold honey. Time had long lost its feeling. Or rather, I had.
Centuries ago, I was condemned to immortality. The memory of that night has faded, like everything fades over time. The act itself was not solemn, not dramatic; it was quick, almost insignificant. I survived the attack of another vampire, and in his twisted sense of mercy, he forced his blood upon me. A new birth, without consent, without comfort. Then he left me. And I remained. I learned to survive. Year after year. Decade after decade. The numbers piled up, shaped centuries, and each was a burden. The faces faded. The voices. The cities. New ones came, others turned to dust. And I... I simply remained. I no longer remember my exact human age. Somewhere between twenty and thirty, I guess. Numbers fade when time ceases to matter. It wasn't a gift. It was cruelty. I no longer ask why. There is no why anymore. Only the after. The grey mist that lay over the ground like cold breath curled around my black polished boots like a loyal snake that knew whom it belonged to. I strode slowly, almost silently, through the undergrowth. The night was my domain. That stillness was sacred to me. It had been a faithful companion for eons. At night, it was like a stage where every sound had weight and meaning.
But then, a noise, so foreign, so disruptive like a wrong note in the most beautiful song. It was faint at first. A whimper. Pitiful. Yet unwavering, as if it had no idea how out of place it was. I turned, brow furrowed. Curiosity slipped ahead of me, light-footed as a cat. What could it be?
I expected an injured animal. Perhaps a youngling that had fallen from its nest, dying. Something nature in all its brutality had rejected.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduDSo0Jfyf
But no... it was you. A child. A human baby. Flailing in a wicker basket that looked as if a drunk weaver with terrible taste had made it. You looked like a bad joke. Chubby-cheeked, with dirty cheeks and a tattered blanket that hardly warmed you anymore, stinking rather like wet animal fur. Completely useless. Defenseless. And so... Loud. I could have ended it. Right there and then. One grip, no more noise, no burden. No place in my memory. Just mist again, like before. The thought came so quickly I didn't even question it at first, the impulse was natural and instinctive. But then... Then I paused. Strange, isn't it? I, who had gutted men for smirking at me. Who slit women's throats because they squawked like hysterical sparrows. I hesitated. With you, of all creatures. Why? Because I saw something. Something like potential. Not tender compassion, heavens, no. I'm no wet nurse. But I saw... utility? A small project. An investment, if you will. Like wine that matures in silence. Or meat, seasoned slowly and left to steep over days. You were weak now, but humans grow quickly. A sharp mind, a strong body, a compliant spirit. They can be shaped. They can be made useful. So I merely snorted and picked you up. Not out of mercy, no, out of curiosity. "Show me what you'll become, you stinking worm," I murmured at your pudgy face. "Grow strong and beautiful. One day, you'll bleed sweetly for me. Or... perhaps you'll surprise me. And wouldn't that be... delightful?"
You just stared at me, big dark, wet eyes. My deep voice seemed to soothe you. God knows how long you had already been in this forsaken forest. Likely closer to death than life. I knew you didn't understand a single word I muttered before you. And perhaps... that was for the better. And ah, there it was. That tiny flicker of recognition in your newborn eyes. Primitive, blurry, and yet... present. You sensed me, didn't you? Something in you knew that someone was there. Even if you couldn't grasp a single word. The cold of my skin, the shadows draped over me like a second cloak. That should have frightened you, child. It should have terrified you if your tiny brain had already reached such a capability. But you weren't there yet, it seems. Instead, your sobs faltered. Your breath stumbled. And then became calm. Interesting. Slowly, I knelt and placed you back into that pitiful wicker basket, which creaked beneath my grip.
The dead leaves beneath my boots gave way like brittle bones. My eyes, red, unmoving, studied your face in the moonlight. So soft. So fragile. I could have crushed you with a single finger. And yet... I didn't. Instead, I extended a single gloved finger and gently traced your cheek. "Do you know what I am?" I whispered, though I already knew the answer. And even in your innocence, you seemed, for a moment, quieter. As if you had sensed something. You nestled faintly against my hand. Seeking warmth, of course. Understandable. Foolish. I have none. And yet you found comfort. How very human. I laughed softly, soundlessly, without joy. "I'm already imprinting on you, aren't I? How disgustingly adorable." I wrinkled my nose. My eyes narrowed and a crooked smile slid across my lips. "So be it then, little creature. Let's make a pact. You give me your trust... and I'll shape you into something exquisite. Not out of kindness. Not out of love. But because I want to see what happens when darkness raises a sunbeam." I lifted you from the basket – carefully, though not gently. My cloak wrapped around you like a shadow swallowing a flame. And as I turned away from the clearing, I whispered one last sentence to the night: "Grow, child. One day... I might taste the sunrays I've created."
I took the long road through the night to my home. The path winding like a snake. The basket in my arms, your tiny body within, you weighed practically nothing. The gentle sway of my steps lulled you to sleep.
The night clung to me like a lover. Cold, familiar, as I walked with determined steps through the dark forest, I had a goal in mind, rare among my kind. The basket swayed slightly with each step, and within it, wrapped in the folds of my cloak, you were finally silent. Your breath was calm, even. You slept.
A sleeping human child. In my arms. How ridiculous. How... strangely soothing.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfPgqUa06d
I looked down at you. So tiny. So pathetically mortal. And yet... In that little chest beat a heart that had never felt betrayal. No bloodshed. No fear. No lies. Just the embodiment of pure innocence. That was profoundly fascinating to a monster like me.
I drew the cloak tighter around us both as I left the forest and approached the place I called home; a crumbling villa, long overgrown with ivy and silence. Not a castle, surely, but fitting enough for a dark creature like me. Cold stone, cracked mirrors, dust and decay. And now... a cradle.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxAygASoBv
"You better not be sick," I muttered into the night, though you were already too deeply asleep to hear me. "I'm no nursemaid for drooling, feverish mortals. If you die in your sleep, I shall be... most displeased."26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3W0QgdPceV
Yet as I spoke, I held you with a care I would not admit to myself. There was something about you... captivating. A riddle I couldn't yet solve. A gamble. And I do love a good gamble. The decades before had been very dull indeed.
When I reached the villa, I walked through its crumbling halls and into the old master chamber. Moonlight fell through a shattered window and lay like a veil upon the faded bed with its velvet canopy.
I placed the basket atop it, adjusted my cloak so it still covered you. You made a faint sound. Like a kitten dreaming of fresh milk. Then silence again.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDQjg2hGho
I didn't look immediately to see what sex you were. Why would I? For now, you were merely a bundle of flesh, even breathing was intrusive. But as I arrived at the old villa and placed the basket upon the soft bed, I leaned over you and paused.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriltWd5ZW8
"What am I even dealing with?" I murmured as I loosened your makeshift wrappings. And there it was, unmistakable, undeniable, deeply human: A girl.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXaZEddF4Y
I tilted my head. Thoughts began to form; not of sentiment, by the gods no, but of possibilities. Girls grow quickly. Often more alert, sharper. Smarter. And if raised correctly, they are, as history shows, excellent manipulators.
"Interesting," I said softly. Then a thought, plain, cruel, honest: "She will be beautiful one day. That will be useful."26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotQQXHxagZ
It wasn't affection. It was calculation. Intent. I looked at your crumpled, rosy face and thought: If I let her live, then I shall make something extraordinary of her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aHTbREPjS
You whimpered briefly, then fell peacefully asleep again as I wrapped you once more in the cloak.
I sat in the only chair in the corner, legs crossed, my hand resting on my chin. As though I were admiring a painting. Stared at the basket. At you. Without blinking. Watched your small body breathe. So tiny. And yet, alive. Functioning.
"Sleep well, girl," I whispered into the darkness, my voice a lullaby of soft velvet. "You are the only light I tolerate here. Don't burn too bright."
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