The Blood of Vampire: Chapter 4 - The Agony of the First Embrace
Jatex spent three days in the abandoned tunnels, paralyzed by the memory of the First Embrace. He couldn't trust his own body, which now moved with the terrifying speed of a predator. He was perpetually pulled toward the nearest life-source—the relentless, spiritual obligation of the Thirst.
On the fourth night, the craving became paralyzing.
He was fighting it, slamming his fists against the metal duct until his knuckles bled. No. I will not erase her choice.
But the Thirst didn't care. It was a cosmic predator focused only on survival.
The struggle was a desperate, silent battle between the cold logic of the predator and the hot agony of the brother. Jatex fell to his knees, his breath catching in ragged sobs, consumed by guilt.
Aeliana. What did you do to me?
In that moment of absolute surrender, the raw, destructive energy of his Grief spiked. The pain—the unbearable knowledge of his sister's death and his subsequent murder—was immense.
The Thirst, desperate for any energy, momentarily paused its demand for life essence and lunged instead for the massive, chaotic energy spike of his Trauma. It consumed the raw emotional pain, mistaking it for viable energy.
The effect was instantaneous and shocking. The agonizing, clawing hunger vanished. His Weave stabilized, flooded not with stolen life, but with the dark, turbulent power of his own, self-inflicted spiritual wound.
He didn't need to Siphon the living. He could Siphon his own pain.
It was a terrible, terrifying revelation. He had found a way to survive without becoming a monster, but the price was absolute: he had to continually consume his own emotional soul to live.
He stood up, his tears gone, replaced by a chilling clarity. The monster within was sated—but only by destroying the boy. His journey south was now a course of spiritual self-cannibalism, designed to collect the Wards and end his curse, whatever the cost to his sanity.