The Way of the Vampire

16 June, London, 1821

I pen these words by candlelight, my hand still trembling from the events of this eve. Alexander's first hunt has left me both exhilarated and deeply troubled. I fear I have unleashed upon this world a force I may not be able to control.

As dusk fell, I roused Alexander from his death-like slumber. His eyes, now a preternatural green, opened with alarming speed.

"Antoine," he gasped, sitting up with inhuman grace. "The hunger... it consumes me."

I placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. “We shall hunt soon enough. But first, you must learn control."

Alexander's fangs extended involuntarily, his gaze fixed upon my throat. "How can I control this... this burning need?"

"Through will and practice," I replied, leading him to the window. "Observe the streets below. What do you see?"

He pressed his face to the glass, his enhanced vision piercing the gloom. "I see... everything. The people, their heartbeats pulsing like beacons. I can smell their blood, Antoine. It calls to me."

"And there lies our first lesson," I said gravely. "You must learn to resist that call, to hunt with discretion."

Alexander turned to me, his face a mask of anguish. "But how? The hunger... it's maddening."

I sighed, remembering my own early days. "Come. We shall find you sustenance, and I will show you our way."

We ventured into the London night, the gas lamps casting long shadows. The streets of London lay before us, a buffet of possibilities. Alexander moved with predatory grace, his eyes darting to every passerby.

"Come," I said, my voice low and seductive, "let me show you the true power of a vampire."

Alexander followed me willingly as I led him through the winding alleys of the city. I reveled in the way the darkness seemed to embrace us, cloaking us in its velvet touch.

"Watch closely," I instructed, focusing my senses on the world around us.

I closed my eyes, letting the night flood my consciousness. When I opened them again, they glowed with an otherworldly light. Alexander gasped beside me.

"Listen," I whispered. "Do you hear it? The heartbeats of the city, the rush of blood through veins, the whispered secrets carried on the wind."

I could see Alexander straining, his newfound senses slowly awakening to the symphony of the night. His eyes widened as he began to hear what I heard, to smell what I smelled.

"Now, feel the night," I continued. "Let it flow through you, become one with the shadows."

I demonstrated, my body seeming to blur at the edges as I embraced the darkness. In an instant, I was across the street, then back again, moving faster than any mortal eye could follow.

"This is but the beginning," I said, watching Alexander's awe-struck face. "We are creatures of power, of magic. Observe."

I focused my will, feeling the ancient blood in my veins. A nearby rat froze, its tiny heart racing as I exerted my control over it. With a thought, I commanded it to approach us, watching as Alexander's jaw dropped in amazement.

"Mind control?" he breathed.

I nodded. "Over animals, certainly. Humans are... more complicated, but not impossible."

To demonstrate, I caught the eye of a passing drunkard. "Come here," I commanded, my voice resonating with inhuman power.

The man approached, his eyes glazed and unfocused.

"You will remember nothing of this encounter," I intoned, before sending him on his way with a wave of my hand.

Alexander watched all this with a mix of fear and hunger in his eyes. "What else can we do?" he asked eagerly.

I smiled, a predator's grin. "So much more. We can scale walls like insects and leap from rooftop to rooftop with ease. Our wounds heal at an incredible rate. With age comes even greater power—shapeshifting, control over the weather, the ability to fade into mist. No fear, no pain, no limitations. That's the beauty of being a vampire."

"Imagine it, Alexander. No more hiding, no more denying your true self. You could take what you want, when you want it. The night would be your kingdom, the mortals your subjects. You would be a god among insects."

I placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder, feeling the newfound strength in his frame. "But remember, with great power comes great danger. We must never lose sight of who we are, lest we become the monsters humans believe us to be."

Alexander nodded solemnly, but I could see the excitement dancing in his eyes. I remembered my own early days, the intoxicating rush of power, the feeling of invincibility.

"Come," I said again, "the night is young, and there is much more to show you."

As we melted into the shadows, I felt a thrill run through me. In teaching Alexander, I was rediscovering my own power, my own nature.

"There," I whispered, indicating a solitary figure in a darkened alley. "Approach him slowly. Strike swiftly, but do not kill."

Alexander nodded, his body tense with anticipation. He glided towards the unsuspecting man, silent as death itself. But at the last moment, he hesitated.

"I... I can't," he stammered. "He's innocent. I can't take his life."

I felt a mixture of anger and frustration. "You need not take his life, Alexander—but you are a creature of the night and you must feed. Your very existence depends upon it."

"We were humans once," Alexander whispered.

"Forget the humans," I hissed. "They are mere food to us now. We are above them, beyond their petty emotions and frail bodies."

With a strangled cry, Alexander lunged forward. His technique was clumsy, born of desperation rather than skill. The man's startled shout was cut short as Alexander's fangs found his throat.

I watched, ready to intervene if necessary. But to my relief, Alexander pulled away after mere moments, his hunger sated but not overcome.

"How do you feel?" I asked as we retreated into the shadows.

Alexander wiped his mouth, his eyes wild. "Alive," he breathed. "More alive than I've ever felt. And yet... the guilt. Will it always be thus?"

I placed a comforting hand on his arm. "The guilt is what separates us from mere beasts, Alexander. Cherish it, for it is the last vestige of your humanity."

"But what of those we kill?" Alexander asked, his resolve weakening.

"They are but drops in an ocean," I replied dismissively. "Their brief lives are nothing compared to our eternity. In death, they serve a higher purpose—sustaining creatures far greater than they could ever hope to be."

I could see Alexander wavering, the allure of unbridled power battling with his lingering human conscience. I delivered my final argument, my voice dripping with dark promise.

"Embrace your nature, Alexander. Let go of your human weakness. Become what you were meant to be—a creature of the night, unfettered by morality, unbound by guilt. This is the path to true freedom, true power. This is the true way of the vampire. this is our nature."

As I finished speaking, I saw something shift in Alexander's eyes. The last shreds of his humanity seemed to fall away, replaced by a predatory gleam that mirrored my own. 

"Yes," he breathed, his voice thick with newfound hunger. "Yes, I want that. Teach me, Antoine. Teach me to be a true vampire."

I looked at him, this fledgling vampire so full of excitement and hunger. Part of me wanted to warn him, to tell him of the dark road ahead. But another part, a part I thought long buried, reveled in his enthusiasm.

“In time, Alexander, be patient. You cannot learn the way of the vampire in just one evening. See there, the sun is beginning to rise.”

As we melted into the shadows and made our way back to our lodgings, Alexander peppered me with questions.

"Will I ever see the sun again?" he asked, his voice tinged with melancholy.

"I fear not," I replied. "The sun is now our enemy, a bringer of agony and death."

He nodded solemnly. "And what of Marcel? You spoke of him before. Will I meet him?"

I felt a chill run down my spine at the mention of my maker's name. "Pray that you do not, my child. Marcel is... complicated. His presence would bring naught but danger."

Alexander's brow furrowed. "You fear him."

"I fear what he represents," I growled. "The darkness that lurks within all our kind."

As we reached our sanctuary, the first light of dawn threatening the eastern sky, Alexander turned to me with a determined gleam in his eye.

"Teach me, Antoine," he said firmly. "Teach me all you know. I want to understand this new existence, to master it as you have."

I nodded, both pleased and wary of his enthusiasm. "Very well. But remember, Alexander, with great power comes great temptation. The path of the vampire is fraught with peril."

As I write these words, I can hear Alexander moving restlessly in the room above. His journey has only just begun, and I find myself both excited and terrified of what the future may hold. For in creating this new immortal, I have taken on a responsibility greater than any I have known in my centuries of existence.

May God, or whatever dark powers govern our kind, grant me the wisdom to guide him true.



—Antoine