Beloved

A Blessing Or A Curse

There you are... The one who will bear an end to this madness. I am Dracula but you may address me as 'My Lord'.

The voice came from everywhere, and it made chills run down my spine. I thought he was asleep, why did he summon me?

"Yes, my lord."

I sense doubt intertwined in your spirit. What is it that troubles you child?

I'd better not lie to him, he'd probably be able to tell and kill me. "I am wary of your descendant, Jak'al."

And what exactly are you wary of?

"I fear him, he is powerful. More powerful than I ever thought anyone could be and it scares me that I have to trust him wholeheartedly and to dance around him so that he doesn't kill me." Dracula went silent before talking again.

Ymir, you are the only thing that Jak'al lives for. If anything were to happen to you, it wouldn't be by his hands. Trust the word of someone who knows all too well what it is like to lose a beloved. Hurting you is not on his mind at all, all he wants is for you to be safe. He wishes to love and cherish you, just as all vampires wish to do to their beloved. Fear him not, for it is he that has your back the most.

With that, the doors opened and I left. I thought about Dracula the whole way back and all that was on my mind was about how he really only called me down there to give me relationship advice. I welcomed it though. And since he actually sounded a little hurt while talking about his own lost beloved, he seemed more believable. I made my way back to the room with some pep in my step. I don't know why but talking to Dracula has cemented me even more in my decision to give Jake an actual chance.

I walked in the door and the smile that I had been harboring dropped. Jake was angry, his eyes were red. The person he was talking to, however, was extremely calm. They both turned to me and the man that he was with dropped to a knee. "Hello, it is nice to finally meet you Ymir." He knew my name. I looked to Jake and he nodded. "Likewise." I said simply and he rose to his feet.

"I am Kabal Terran Van Tepes, elder brother to your beloved here." I was shocked, I didn't know Jake had a brother. "Oh, uh..." I was nervous, I didn't expect this. "Leave us Kabal."

"As you wish, brother. Goodbye for now Ymir, expect to see a lot more of me." Kabal left but my uneasiness stayed. He held a certain air to him, a mischievous air that I intend to avoid if I'm going to stay here longer.

"What's wrong?" I approached him slowly and examined him. His stance was rigid and he was pinching the bridge of his nose with the pads of his thumb and index finger. He looked to me and his eyes shifted slightly before he opened his arms. "Can I hold you and tell you about it?" He opened his arms and I eyes him. His face was sunken and he seemed depressed. I could only feel pity and empathy for him.

Ok Ymir, you got this. All you have to do is sit with him, like in a prolonged hug.

I hyped myself up momentarily before walking into his open arms. He placed his chin on my head and sighed. "It's all going to crumble..." He started and I waited for him to continue. "If we fight, the covenant peacekeepers will destroy us. And if we don't... House Albu will. We're stuck with the only action of being conquered by one or the other." He explained and even though I didn't know much about the covenant, it seemed that the odds were stacked against us.

"I just want to protect my people, like my predecessors did in their times. But it seems they'll all be slaughtered." I didn't look at his face, but I could hear the hurt in his voice. Something wet dropped onto my head and I assumed it was a tear. It was followed by soft murmurs that eventually turned into sorrowful cries. He wailed for them, he actually cared. I removed his arms and looked at him. He seemed hurt that I moved but didn't say anything.

"I... I want to help. You're not as much as a monster as I thought you were, you have feelings and attachments to life. And on that note, I want you to change me." My voice was shakey because I knew I was making a decision that I would not be able to reverse but so be it. If I am going to be here, I might as well fight.

"...I won't turn you, not yet." He laid down and turned on his side, facing away from me.

"What, why not?"

"I just won't."

"But we need to save your people."

"We'll find a different way, I guess."

"Why? I'm right here trying to help, let me help save you!"

"No!"

"Give me a valid reason as to why you won't turn me!"

He stayed silent so I asked again. And to no avail, he didn't respond.

"Jake?!"

"Because you'd immediately fall in love with me!" I was confused so I stayed silent and waited for an explanation.

"Since you are my beloved, the opposite is also true for you. The only reason that you are as free-spirited as you are now is because you remain human. If I were to turn you... You'd fall hopelessly in love with me as I have for you but it will be completely against your will and that is not something that I want to accept." He stood and reached out slowly for my shoulders. I didn't stop him so he touched them lightly and looked down at me.

"I want to gain your love on my own, fair and square, not by the power of some curse set by a demon millions of years ago. Don't you understand? I want you to love me because you truly do, not because you have to."