Alpha's Nala novel Chapter 32

Theo

Times had changed.

That's all I could think of as I watched the mortals mingled with my people, whom I should note were all creatures of the dark.

Back in the old days, humans feared our existence.

Only at the mention of our name, they would cower away from us and tightly locked their homes at night. For extra precaution, they always have garlic on their bedside table or bound around their necks.

Funny thing.

Through the years, as the fear grew inside of them, resulting in clouding their minds, they started to fight back with stakes and crosses.

I chuckled at the idea.

Little did they know, those things have no effect on us.

Let alone, kill us…

For over a millennium, there's no vampires — nor witches — reported dead because of the above-mentioned weapons.

We are immune to all of it; Hollywood's movie version doesn't justify any of our weaknesses.

I don't even know if they know any of it...

Until a century ago, they started reciting stories.

By now, I could tell how perplexed you are about the idea of stories being our drawback...

It's unusual and a unique approach, to be honest, but it's the most effective weapon in human history that could actually harm us.

How?

Stories about our weakness, and coming from thy lips of a human, makes us mortal.

It could start off with someone saying that a stake could stop a vampire's heartbeat or holy water to burn a vampire's skin. When a new individual heard about it and told someone else, and that someone else delivered the same story to another, and so on, the tale about the disadvantages becomes true.

I don't know if it's the power in telling or the strong belief of the human heart that makes it real, but it's there.

It's fatal and dangerous, and it's destroying my race to no end…

So, I decided to hide my kind and learn to adapt.

It was a cowardly move, I admit that. Though, seeing how famous our fictions of weakness are and how powerful the humans' belief was at that time, I don't have much of a choice.

Patiently, I waited in the dark for the fantasies to die down until the mortals no longer believed in it — as we had never been real in the first place.

Thankfully, that's how a story works.

Humans stop telling them when they do not see the use of it any longer, or if they wanted to begin and create a new one.

Still, it took almost a decade and for another civilization to be established around the area...

Anyway, sensing no trouble anymore and discovering my people were suffering due to the lack of permanent residences and food, I started building my empire from scratch.

It wasn't easy though...

I had to undergo a lot of transitions for the past years; had to watched different plagues sweep the world, and even observed technologies improved and ultimately thrive.

However, shifting from one identity to another was the least of my favorite. It was one of those things that I cannot bear to do for I hated deceiving people.

I may be a Vampire that is known to do that, but I was raised well and with honor.

I value my virtue, particularly my honesty…

Still, the frauds and conspiracies were needed since I have to meet the same individual that was helping me construct my vision for my people.

The meetings occurred multiple times in a year and surely, they would question me at one point, since I never aged or look different by the passing of time.

Worse of it all, and sadly as it can be, I had to watch them die in the process at a certain age.

I let out a sigh at the thought.

Clearly, this infinite gift of life was a curse rather than a blessing...

But do I have an option to escape this life?

I could not go back in time and tell my parents to find another one to love and marry.