About 1000 years have passed since i met Aro. Maybe more, maybe less, the concept of time seems irrelevant when you're immortal.
Humans continue to surprise me; in such a short time they've evolved again. Iron weapons, which despite doing nothing to my skin, seem quite effective against their own kind, and the constructions? From wooden houses to large stone and marble structures. How can beings with so little lifespan evolve so much? But perhaps that's the secret, the urgency of time.
My hair still attracts a lot of attention because of how unnatural it is, so I dyed it black. As for my red eyes? They don't attract as much attention as I expected, as if they've already seen something similar.
While walking through the streets of Rome covered from head to toe, I hear a group of people talking quietly amongst themselves, but to me it was loud and clear, as if they were speaking into my ears.
"Have you ever heard of the man who performs miracles?" One of the group members says:
-"Who?" Another says:
-"Jesus of Nazareth, of course, he healed a blind man, everyone saw it."
-"He must be an imposter, the one pretending to be blind must be with this Jesus to perform fake miracles."
Could it be someone like me and Aro? I think to myself. With some kind of healing ability or just a braggart? Between doubt and apprehension, I decided to look for this man, even if he is like me, he shouldn't be an enemy or he wouldn't help people.
I wait for nightfall and head towards where people say this man lives and quickly find him. The moment I see him I feel disappointed, a completely normal human.
But for some reason I decide to approach the small house where he lives, it seems that more people sleep here but he is the only one awake. When I approach I say:
-"Is this the Jesus of Nazareth who performs miracles?" Kael says with a hint of curiosity:
-"For some, but I don't believe my miracles will bring you any comfort." Jesus says, looking into my red eyes with a serene smile.
-"Do you know what I am?" Kael asks in astonishment.
-"I know you carry pain, and that you are destined to live much longer than my mortal body." Jesus says with a small smile.
That sentence made me a little uncomfortable, and the way he looked at me? As if he understood my pain? I turned my back, preparing to leave, when Jesus spoke to me again:
-"Leaving already? How about we sit down for a bit? Even if there's no miracle for you, I can offer you the company of a friend." Jesus says as he sits down without waiting for me to answer.
Despite feeling uncomfortable, I decide to sit next to him.
-"Don't you feel uncomfortable sitting next to a monster?" Kael says:
-"A monster? I don't believe it's our nature that defines who we are, but rather our actions." Jesus says naturally and relaxed.
-"My actions show what I am; to maintain my existence, I have to consume the lives of others. Isn't that the nature of a monster?" Kael says bitterly.
-"If you were, you wouldn't feel it's wrong, or you would regret it. I'm not saying it's right, but it's nature, just as the fisherman fishes and the hunter hunts." Jesus says, not so sure of his words but confident.
-"Tomorrow you should come, maybe then you can tell if my miracles are false." Jesus says with a hint of humor in his voice.
He gets up, and I watch him head towards his house while I remain seated, thinking about his words. Maybe he's right, or maybe he just said what I always wanted to hear. Regardless, I think I'll come back; however hard it is to admit, I enjoyed talking to him. With someone who sees beyond who I am.
Perhaps it's a bit hypocritical of me, but the conversation was a little long and I got hungry. While walking through the city I see a child running away from two people. I start to follow them silently across the rooftops to an alley where the child is cornered and I listen attentively.
-"Where do you think you're going?" says the first thug.
-"Please let me go." says the child.
The child seems to be around 11 or 12 years old, a little malnourished, but with a lively look.
-"Now you have to work for us, you have to earn the silver coin we paid for you, hopefully we'll even give you something to eat." says the first thug provocatively.
The child doesn't seem to be giving up and tries to escape between the two bullies and is caught. When they go to hit her, I silently fall behind them. The child seems to have been the only one who noticed me but didn't say anything.
-"Good evening." Kael says as he places a hand on the second bully.
While the first one was scared, the child escaped and hid near me.
-"Who are you? She's our property," the first thug said menacingly.
I completely ignored him. I gently touched the child's arm and sent her away. When I saw her disappear, I turned to the thugs who were now approaching me with more intentions as I vanished.
They were scared and started looking around when I appeared behind the first one and grabbed him by the neck, breaking it with a simple movement. The second one looked at me and fell to the ground; the only thing I saw in his eyes was terror. How could I not be a monster? His gaze was all the proof I needed. Before the thug could even beg for his life, I killed him and fed on him.
I looked at the bodies and I touched them lightly with my hand; the bodies began to decay and then nothing remained. As if they had never existed.