The Fallen Vampire

Chapter 162: No More Dreaming

"I remember the day I brought her home vividly. Needless to say, as the son of immigrants, my parents were not too happy. They thought I had become too 'westernized'.

I was furious, but Dhalia here was as cool as a cucumber. She walked right up to the kitchen table and introduced herself in such perfect Japanese that you would have thought that she was born there herself."

"Y-You're exaggerating again, Hideo..."

"Look at her trying to be modest, isn't she the most precious thing?"

"""""Awww..."""""

Sitting within a world-famous restaurant in the heart of New York were an older couple who were absolutely gushing over each other.

The man was handsome, and looked like what would occur if one put a yakuza member and a male model in a blender.

He had long, oil black hair that was mostly held in a bun above his head.

Though Taira often remarked that he was getting more gray in there as the years went on.

His almond shaped eyes were soft, but crystal blue like a lump of sapphire underneath a summer sky, and his body was in remarkable shape for a man in the later stages of his forties.

Still clinging to his arm after all this time was a woman whose beauty was unrivaled for her age. Stay connected through m-v l|e'-novelhall.net

She had a slender, but lithe figure, with curves that hadn't yet started to droop or show any signs of aging.

Her black hair had been cut short since her mid twenties, and on more than one occasion her taper had been crisper than her son's.

Her lips were full, and always seemed to be curved in a half smile, and her brown yes were warm and inviting.

Across the table, the girls hung off their every word and detail with bated breath.

Taira was sitting in the middle of them, but for some reason he didn't seem to be as engaged in their talks as he usually would have been.

Ever since coming to the restaurant, he had just been feeling... sick.

There was this foggy unnatural feeling clouding over his mind that made him feel like he wasn't quite supposed to be here.

But he couldn't exactly explain why he felt like that.

Eventually, he just told himself that maybe it was because he was too busy painting earlier and neglected to eat anything.

'Wait... What did I paint again...?'

As Taira crinkled his brow in confusion, his mother suddenly picked up the fact that her son didn't seem to be feeling all that well.

"My baby? Are you alright?"

Briefly, Taira felt like the words coming out of his mothers mouth didn't fit her.

But that couldn't have been the case.

She had always been the sweet and nurturing type, so hearing her ask about his wellbeing shouldn't have been out of character in the slightest.

"I'm fine, ma. Just a little sleep deprived is all."

A look of understanding passed between Hideo and Dhalia.

"N-Now everyone... we want you to know that we are more than accepting of your relationship, but you shouldn't neglect your health..."

"I have been waiting all week for this...!" Hideo excitedly picked up a rather large steak knife and hovered over his plate excitedly.

At that moment, Taira couldn't say what happened.

He simply stood up instinctively and backed away from the table warily.

"Taira?!"

"Honey, are you alright?!"

"Why are you sweating?!"

Taira tried to catch his breath and regain some sense of normalcy, but eventually he simply excused himself and ran to the bathroom.

Once inside, he promptly locked the door before leaning on the sink and trying to catch his breath.

"What is wrong with me... Why am I acting so weird lately...?"

Taira ran some water from under the sink and let it pool into his palms before submerging his face.

Upon re-opening his eyes, he noticed something unfamiliar on his body.

From underneath his shirt, a strange glow could be seen coming from around his navel.

Lifting up his shirt, he found an unfamiliar tattoo on his body.

The head of a fox, with six spade-like tails behind it and an initial on each.

He easily recognized the ones that seemed to be for his lovers at the table, but there was an extra one that he didn't recognize.

'Inadu...'

When a splitting headache took root in Taira's mind, it nearly sent him collapsing over.

However, he felt like he was midway through a breakthrough of some sort, so instead of running from the pain, he embraced it.

Gritting his teeth, he did the only logivcal thing he could think of, and smashed his head into the bathroom mirror.

Pain flooded his mind as his vision temporarily lost focus and lines of blood ran from his forehead.

But even still, he saw no reason in stopping.

He bashed his head into the mirror, once, twice, then three more times in quick succession.

The final time, he struck his head on a particularly sharp piece of glass, and not only speared his brain, but died almost instantly.

-

*Gasp!*

Taira awoke with a panic, and the first thing that he did was try to get a general sense of his surroundings.

He was in some kind of cave, lying in a shallow lake and with dark green vines burrowed into his body.

He tried to rip them out, but as soon as he touched a vine he heard an icy cold and feminine voice.

"Pleasee, rest more, my morsel. I fear you and your brides are the best treats I have had in centuriesss..."