The Fallen Vampire

Chapter 85: A Promise Kept

Taira stared at Keran's milky white skin and pulsing veins for longer than he would have liked to admit.

The longer he stared, the worse his hunger seemed to become.

Perhaps allowing Ayame to mutilate him in order to get his point across wasn't really the best idea, and he would have been better served to find another method.

He wanted to say no to her offer, but as he remembered the sweet and familiar taste of her blood he felt like doing so would have been a crime against nature.

"I suppose... it is best that I do not try to study on an empty stomach."

Keran smiled inwardly as if she was about to get everything that she wanted and started walking closer to Taira.

As her feet carried her towards him, she made brief eye contact with Enyo who was floating in the corner.

She was giving her a wide smile and a rather passionate thumbs up as she mouthed 'good luck!'

Coming to a stop in front of Taira, Keran tried to stop her heartbeat from beating so loudly within her chest but it proved to be to no real avail.

Her mind was constantly flashing back to the last time where she allowed Taira to drink from her, and the overwhelming pleasure that came with his bite.

'Is something like that... going to happen again..?'

Taira dropped his hands onto Keran's waist and pulled her body in closer to his own.

His lips hovered above her skin for just a moment, almost as if he was hesitating.

He briefly recalled the last time he had tried to drink from her, and his brow crinkled in annoyance.

'I hope that old bastard doesn't try to show up again...'

However, he eventually lost all of his sense of resistance and plunged his fangs into her neck, causing a sensual moan to escape her lips.

Unlike before, Fenris did not interfere in Taira's drinking of Keran's blood, likely because he no longer had a reason to.

But because the beast god did not interfere, he could see all of her memories without restriction.

And as a result, a wellspring of deeply buried emotions surfaced within his heart.

The memory that held the most significance for him, was ironically the one that he should have hated the most.

-

BANG!

Indra's back hit a stone wall with a loud thud, and he slid down the pathetically as his body collapsed onto the floor.

Looking up through red eyes, he stared at his attacker with an expression of disbelief and betrayal.

She was a woman with a lithe figure who wore a black dress and heels of the finest craftsmanship.

Her skin was like dark chocolate, with eyes that were a chilling and empty violet.

She tossed her long raven hair over her shoulders and stared down at Indra coldly as if she were looking at an insect.

"I cannot believe this... All twenty years that I have put into training you all gone to waste. How can the grandchild of the great Dracul possess no talent for cultivation?!"

Indra lowered his head until it touched the floor and tried to speak without trembling.

"Mother, give me another chance… I am sure that earlier was no more than a small-"

Crack!

With lightning quick speed and efficiency, Dhalia kicked Indra hard across the jaw and sent him clattering across the bedroom.

"The nerve of you... That you had already embarrassed me once at your ceremony wasn't enough, but now you actually want me to allow you to do it again? Preposterous."

Dhalia folded her arms and started heading towards the door.

"Neither your father nor I have anything left to say to you. If you want to appease us in the future, just stay out of our sight and don't address us casually."

The door closed with a slam, and Indra remained on the floor; unwilling to move.

How had this happened?

His whole life, he had always shown the most talent of all of his brothers, and was even suspected too be the next crowned king.

But he had lost it all in an instant?

How?

Why?

What had he done to deserve a fate like this?

Though he was a prince, he was never an arrogant person and had never mistreated anyone.

His entire life's focus had only been on earning the approval of his father and mother and being the kind of man that his beloved could depend on.

Now that his future had gone out the window... how was he supposed to face them? Face her?

*Click*

Finally stirring from the floor, Indra looked up and found his window opening on it's own, and a familiar young woman leapt into his bedroom.

Keran's eyes scanned the room and she immediately found Indra picking himself up from the ground.

"B-Beloved, are you-"mmm

"I'm fine."

Indra showed no evidence of his inner turmoil, and turned his back to Keran as he spoke to her in a cold and unfeeling tone.

"Y-You don't seem fine! Why won't you look at me, I just-"

"Keran. I don't think that we should see each other any more."

Indra was clenching his fists so hard that he could have ground a rod of iron into metallic dust.

This decision was not at all an easy one, but he undoubtedly believed it was for the best.

He just had to get through his reasoning without faltering.

"W-Why... why would you say that..?"

"...You saw the ceremony today. I don't no have a future that will make me worthy enough to be beside someone like you, nor will I have the power required to protect you. It's better now if we stop this."

"I-Indra, you don't mean-"

"Yes I do, Keran! Just go!"

Indra had never yelled at his lover for any sort of reason as long as they had known each other.

Not even when they were five and she developed a fascination with dying his hair with tomato juice. (It was as ineffective as it sounded, but that did not stop her from tryin fr .)

And now that he had actually yelled at her in this setting.. his own heart broke from the weight of his actions.

But this was all a means to an end.

He could hate himself later, but for now he just had to put on a convincing enough act to make her leave.

However, he was surprised when he felt her hand wrap around his wrist softly and started to pull him around so that he could face her.

He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't help but turn around and he was broken hearted by the scene waiting for him.

He and Keran were both crying silently, each of them knowing the full truth of everything that was going on without uttering a single word.

"Don't... speak to me like that.. I don't like it, and I know that it's not who you are.."

"..forgive me."

Sobing, Keran threw herself into Indra's arms and held onto him for dear life as if she were afraid he was going to run away from her.

"You're so stupid... I don't care if you can't become king, and I have never asked you to be strong for me! All that I have ever wanted is for you to continue to be with me and treat me kindly! That is what I deserve, and nothing else will ever matter!"

Looking up, the river of tears running from Keran's eyes only further fueled Indra's feelings of remorse.

"So you don't have to push me away just because you are hurting! I will never leave you, and I will never allow you to feel lesser about yourself just because you can't do a stupid thing like cultivate! You will always be the man I love, and nothing will ever be able to change that!"