Variant: The Inception

Channelled Rage

"Vampires", says a voice from the background, belonging to a man in his late fifties with an eyepatch over his left eye. He has a rugged looking face, the face of someone who is battle-experienced. There's a rather large scar on his face stretching from the center of his forehead to under his eyepatch and reaching under his earlobe. He is standing beside a table. His large sword on the table. He is facing an audience which mostly comprises of teenagers between the age of fifteen and twenty. The room is a very large one, not originally built to serve as a classroom, but currently functioning as one.

"They've existed for almost as long as we have", says the man. He further continues "all the hellish training you've gone through for the past eighteen months has been to get you ready for what's to come, and also to thin out the herd. Congratulations gentlemen and Valkyries, for making it this far. From here on out, you are part of the anti-vampire army, young recruits. I'm Yohanne, your guardian trainer", he added. "To fight the fight you are going to fight, you need to know all, and everything there is to know about your enemy. Listen carefully, for I will only ever say this once. Firstly, they aren't humans and If you didn't already know that, I wonder how you made it here." The class chuckles. He continues "they were originally humans, we share the same ancestors and origins. Legend has it that, thousands of years ago, humanity faced a threat, an extinction level threat. It was an extraterrestrial invasion.

"A group of humans figured out a way to fight back. They captured one of the aliens. By using parts of its body on some volunteer human test subjects, after a lot of failed attempts, were able to successfully enhance their capabilities.

"They gained immense speed, superhuman strength, and also regeneration. This, although, came with a price that humanity at the time was willing to pay. In order to attain such abilities, the 'vampires' had to consume human blood, otherwise they would just be ordinary humans" he continued, pacing about and gesticulating rapidly. "It is said that the surviving humans at the time donated their blood to the 'warriors' who in return kept them safe and eventually fought of the invasion." He pauses and stares at the class intensely as though waiting for a student to openly contradict him. The students, however, are all listening intently and attentively, eagerly waiting for him to continue. He eventually obliges, "afterwards, an organization was formed to 'keep' the vampires in check. At the time it was all just formalities because had the vampires decided to wipe out humanity, nothing could have been done against them.

"See, vampires do not need human blood to live or survive, they do need it, however, to activate their powers; live longer, and also regenerate. It is believed that if a vampire chooses, they can live a normal life, and die a normal death. Though, they choose not to. A vampire can live up to a thousand years if they consume human blood regularly. But they eventually turn into dust. A vampire above the age of one hundred will have a wrinkled body unless he takes blood, and if he or she doesn't, within a week they dry up and eventually turn into dust. The more frequently they consume blood, the more they lose their conscience."

A girl with long brown hair raises her hand to speak. "Your name and what you want", Yohanne retorts. The students turn to look at her in amazement, surprised at her confidence to interrupt the scary looking man.

"Jenny", she responds, "If they die after a thousand years, how are they still alive now? Do they reproduce or something?"

"I was getting to that. Write down your questions and ask them at the end of the class" Yohanne says to the class, visibly irritated.

"It's possible to turn a human into a vampire: When a human dies with the blood of a vampire in their system, they are reborn as one. Usually, they are wild, unpredictable and emotionless, for an incubation period of around three months, before they regain their intelligence." He sits on the table, facing the students. He continues "when they are reborn, it takes that long for the brain to regain full control. All they do during the incubation period is act based on the instinct of a wild animal; survive at all costs.