The Phenomenology of Vampirism

Since the dawn of human civilization, every culture in history has, whether consciously or not, identified a seemingly recurring phenomenon woven into its folklore and mythology: Enigmatic creatures of the night whose primary source of sustenance is none other than man himself. Vampires, ghouls, lilû; no matter what they are called, they all share some common traits such an unnaturally long lifespan-or even immortality-and an incessant hunger for human flesh and blood.

There are certain points through the course of human history in which myth and reality finally converge. At times like these, there lies great unseen potential for expanding the horizons of the human spirit, but accompanying it the possibility of an eternal damnation. Through experiencing one such moment, I lost my grasp on what it meant to be human, which lead me to reject who I used to be. The ruination of my mind is the price I pay for my transgressions against my humanity.

Before you crack open the dusty tome that is my life and study its chapters, I wish to warn you, dear reader, that the events I'm about to narrate were never meant for human comprehension. And how could they be, when they arrive at the irrevocable loss of humanity itself? The sublation of all that is human into this malignant consciousness-this dark blight upon the fabric of being itself-that is the tragedy which has befallen me.