Little Sebastian stared at Valarius' bleeding palm for several seconds before the man gently guided his hand toward the boy's mouth.
What followed was agony.
Sebastian writhed as he felt Valarius' blood flow down his throat and churn violently inside his stomach. He collapsed onto the floor, clutching his abdomen as groans escaped his lips. It was a pain only he understood.
Valarius had known the process would not be easy, yet witnessing it firsthand was harder than he had expected. For a moment, he turned away from the child, silently hoping Sebastian would survive.
"Do not die on me, child," he said softly as Sebastian struggled to keep his eyes open.
Minutes passed with nothing but groaning and violent convulsions.
Then it stopped.
The screaming.
The writhing.
Everything.
The living room fell into an eerie silence, and only Valarius' heavy breathing could be heard.
Then Valarius realized something that sent panic through him.
The child's heart had stopped beating and for the first time in a very long time, Valarius panicked. It was an emotion utterly foreign to him, yet there he was, unable to hear Sebastian's heartbeat.
He immediately picked the boy up, fear tightening its grip around his chest, though he desperately held onto the belief that Sebastian would awaken soon.
"You're strong, Sebastian. I know you are. You cannot die like this."
As he held the boy in his arms, memories from his human life resurfaced.
Once, long ago, he had a son.
A little boy he had loved more than life itself.
But sickness had stolen him away at the tender age of nine.
Sebastian reminded him so much of his son, and that was why he had grown so attached to the child despite knowing him for only a short time. Somewhere along the way, he had started to see Sebastian as his own.
Lost in those memories, Valarius almost missed it.
Sebastian gasped and his eyes shot open.
"You're back!" Valarius exclaimed, relief washing over him.
Had the child died, he knew he would have blamed himself forever.
"How do you feel?" he asked, helping Sebastian to his feet.
"My head..." Sebastian murmured, clutching it with both hands. "It hurts."
He felt very different but he couldn't explain exactly how.
Valarius was grateful that the transformation had not killed him, but he also knew one thing for sure.
Sebastian would never be the same again.
As the days passed, Valarius forged weapons suited to Sebastian's size and began training him in swordsmanship and archery.
The boy learned quickly. His newfound vampiric abilities made mastering the skills surprisingly easy.
But something was wrong.
Sebastian never craved blood.
He grew stronger at an astonishing rate and possessed every other vampiric trait, yet he had never once tasted blood and seemed perfectly fine without it.
It was as though that part of him remained dormant.
Whenever Valarius went hunting, he brought Sebastian along. The child displayed extraordinary skill in tracking and capturing prey, but never any desire to feed on it.
It made Valarius wonder how long Sebastian could continue without blood.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks turned into months.
And through it all, Sebastian remained by Valarius' side.
His abilities had already surpassed that of an average vampire, and Sebastian believed he was ready to face the people who had hurt him.
Truthfully, he probably was.
But Valarius advised him to continue training and grow even stronger before seeking revenge against those who had murdered his family.
Sebastian knew he was prepared but because Valarius said he needed more time, he obeyed.
He buried his desire for vengeance and devoted himself entirely to mastering everything Valarius taught him.
Until one fateful day.
Valarius left the mansion for business elsewhere, and in his absence, little Sebastian decided to take matters into his own small but destructive hands.
He left the mansion.
Then the forest and eventually, he arrived at a narrow road.
It wasn't empty.
For the first time in his life, Sebastian saw carriages.
His eyes widened with wonder as he watched them pass. He had definitely seen horses but not a carriage.
When his parents was alive, they had forbidden him and his siblings from leaving home without supervision. Fear had ruled their lives.
Because of that, Sebastian knew very little about the kingdom he lived in.
His family had been outcasts.
Stigmatized by society.
Especially by the nobles who had eventually united against them and taken their lives despite their innocence.
Sebastian continued down the road until he reached a bustling market.
People moved in every direction, voices filled the air, and merchants loudly advertised their wares.
As he looked around curiously, taking in the sight, something deep within him awakened.
His gums began to itch.
Immediately, his senses sharpened.
Just walking past the humans, he could perceive the unique scent of each person's blood.
And every single one of those scents called out to him.
Sebastian's eye twitched.
What was happening to him?
Was this what Valarius had spoken to him about?
It was deep, dark hunger awakening within him.
One that demanded to be satisfied.
He drew in a breathe as he realized what this was.
The bloodlust Valarius had warned him about.
It clawed at his young mind and threatened to drive him mad, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
Panicking, Sebastian rushed through the crowded market in search of an escape.
Then he nearly collided with someone.
He stepped back quickly and found himself staring at a little boy around his age.
The child looked sick.
Very sick.
The boy was clad in sackcloth, and his messy hair hung over his face in tangled strands. The boy could barely maintain eye contact as he absentmindedly picked at his nose.
It was obvious he had no home.
He lived in the market village itself.
Yet despite his appearance, there was something unusual about him.
His scent.
Though the boy looked frail and was unhealthy, his scent was fresh.
Inviting.
The kind of scent that would capture the attention of any vampire.
Then the thought came.
Without meaning to, Sebastian imagined sinking his teeth into the boy's thin flesh.
Immediately, he felt his fangs begin to lengthen.
He was seconds away from pouncing when Valarius' words echoed in his mind.
Only feed on those who deserve it.
Or better yet...
Feed on animals.
Sebastian trembled violently as he fought to suppress the bloodlust raging within him. The sensation was maddening.
As he stood there, locked in a silent battle with himself over whether to drink from the boy or resist the urge, the child suddenly spoke.
"I'm Benjamin," he said with a small smile on his dirt stained face.
"What's your name?"