"B-Blanche. Blanche. Wake up… please…"
My head throbs. I feel cold, and my body doesn't feel right. I open my eyes only to find myself in a cell. I get up, holding my head, then I peek through the cell's bars only to find someone I didn't want to see. One of Aléa's sons, Raz, looks guilty.
"You. I should kick your ass for what you did."
"I-I know… You have every right to be mad, but uh… we got that cult shut down. Y-you should be happy with the jobs done."
"Happy? Oh, you think I should be happy? You failed to do the one thing I asked of you. Do you have any idea what could have happened to me? If I had melted right there because of your incompetence I wouldn't even be here."
"O-ok that does seem bad…"
I take a moment to look at myself. My skin doesn't even look human. It's the shade of snow. A very pale and unnatural look. Now that I think about it, I feel so cold. Something is wrong with me. Did my body accept that gift? Damn that Lune cult or whatever.
"What happened?" I glare at the boy in front of me.
"W-well… after you drank the blood it alerted the High Court to your… d-death. W-when the High Court sent a bunch of holy knig-"
I wasn't even listening anymore. That blood had done much more than kill me. My heart may not be beating anymore, but I'm still moving. The High Court can't dispose of me due to my status, but my life has become forfeit to them. I'm a tool now. My ears twitch at the sound of footsteps down the stairs.
"Raz. Stop talking. You're going to give her a headache."
The Alèa kid immediately shuts up as the oh-so-amazing know-it-all comes down the stairs.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure, Baskin?"
"I've come down to study your body, Blanche. I see you are as pleasant as usual."
"Tch. For a doctor, you have no tact."
"Blanche. Do I really need tact to deal with you? Shall I remind you of last time when you broke that arm of yours for trying to con the house of Glade?"
I remain silent and turn to look away. I'd rather not recall pulling such a stunt. If the Glade family wanted me killed they'd do it by now. Damn dukes and their money.
"As I thought. Now I need some blood samples, Blanche. As soon as I analyze them the High Court will need to figure out what to do with you. You're useful to them thank the gods, but you need to keep it that way if you're going to survive… well survive is an odd way to put it."
I glare at Baskin as he chuckles to himself. I reach my hand out through the bars to him. I wait for the inevitable stab of a syringe into me. He picks a vein and ever so gently pokes the syringe in. I look at the syringe and my blood looks dark. It's still red, but it's not a healthy color. It's as if it's gone stale. Baskin looks captivated by it. I suppose another thing to experiment on for him.
"Are you done, Baskin? I want to be out of this cell as soon as possible."
"All in due time Blanche. Should be an hour or two at most. Just be patient for once."
As he takes out the syringe filled with my blood and puts it away I look back at the Aléa kid. He still pisses me off, but now that I've calmed down I don't know exactly what went wrong on his end of the plan. That doesn't excuse what he did to me though. It's best if I ignore his stuttering annoying-looking face. As if on cue Baskin leaves to do his analysis or whatever. That Aléa kid also left leaving me here. Alone.
I can't really do much in here. I get up fully off the dirty bed and walk over to the mirror. I was right. I don't look like myself. I feel like some old weathered doll. The same body, but unrecognizable. I look like a damn ghost. My eyes have turned red, as those from the cult had. My nails are sharp. I feel like I have knives for fingers. My hair looks normal so far, but I notice some white growing at the roots. My hair color might change in the next few months. Long black hair turning white. God knows what my parents will say.
Whatever, one thing at a time. What am I going to do for two hours? It's not like there are books or a game here. Just damp corroded walls, a bed, and a mirror. Not to mention the bucket which stinks of foul endeavors. I decided to chuck the bucket out the bared window. If the High Court can't bother to clean their cells they can at least pay for another bucket. Now that was the most entertaining thing I could do. What else can entertain me?
I guess I can practice my magic. I hope that damn blood didn't affect how mana transfers through my body. I channel my mana into my hand. Huh? Why did my magic already leave my body? I simply wanted to cast some fire magic. Not have it to explode in my face like that. It's like nothing was holding my mana from exiting. There was no friction. That's going to make magic far more complicated. How the hell am I supposed to form magic when I can't even form the circle? I suppose a dead body has less to attach to and it is hard for mana to be controlled if there is less holding it back.
***
I am going to lose it. I've been trying to get a handle on my mana, but I just can't seem to get it under control. Any magic I try blows up in my face or fizzles out because I can't form the circle. I need something like training wheels to remotely get this done. It's so embarrassing I might need that damn bracelet again to slow down my mana. Only children use them and to make it worse it's a clunky piece of magical technology.
Footsteps coming down the stairs break my thinking process as Baskin makes his appearance once again.
"Blanche. I have a lot to say about your predicament."
"Well then say it Baskin. There is no point in making me wait."
"Well first of all it seems your body has been ravaged by progenitor vampire blood. As such you have become a vampire, but you cannot make any kin as far as I'm aware. The High Court has decided to let you go, but under some conditions."
"Oh, great conditions. How thoughtful of them."
"I know you have your reservations about this arrangement, but they could easily have you killed under the current circumstances. This is your best option."
Baskin hands me a sheet of paper filled with legal drivel. I read through it of course, but I still hate it. There are three conditions I have to sign to be let out. The first is arguably not that bad. I have to get blood from a local healer to consume. If I ever harm a human outside of self-defense then I can be killed. The second is that I have to act like nothing's wrong in public. The last is more of an aggravation. The High Court will send its shadows to spy on me. I sign as it's not like I have much of a choice here. I hand the paper back to Baskin.
"Are we done here?"
"Just after one thing. Your body requires blood to function. Your beating heart can't cycle your blood anymore as it can't move anymore. As such you need a steady supply of blood or you will go feral. Here."
Baskin hands over a container of blood. I drink it, but I hate thinking it tastes sweet. It feels like my first cup of water in ages.
"Make sure to drink it often, Blanche. The sun will hurt your eyes right now, but if you don't drink it it'll do far more than just hurt your eyes. You'll physically disintegrate. I'll have someone come down and let you out after sending the document to the High Court."
He then leaves without another word. Damn know-it-all explaining what I already know. Vampires can walk during the day as long as they are fed well. Water will hurt. Garlic will give you indigestion. It's common knowledge.
I look back down at my pale hands. My life will forever be under supervision know. I now rely on humans like cattle, the High Court has its goons on me, and I must refrain from public outings. This isn't how anyone should live.
I just want to live.