Redeeming The Cursed Vampire King

The Beginning

ATTICUS POV

Two hundred years ago….

BALIDIA TOWN.

Once again, the chaos had commenced.

It has been ongoing for the past few weeks. The pursuits of those that my parents and others in town had tagged as “taboo”. The screams of agony from the mouth of the taboos coupled with the sound of victory from some of the other members of town that had been bestowed with the right to fish out the taboos.

Everyone could hear the screams and the cries, and everyone could also hear the fear that was coming from those that were called taboos. Or maybe it was just me that could hear their fears. Perhaps it was just me that felt like the taboos shouldn't be treated as they were being treated.

After all, they were humans too.

They also had blood flowing through them… certainly. Everyone living in Balidia had seen the blood of the taboos flowing during the previous execution process that had been carried out at the town square.

I have seen their blood and it has the same color as mine and that of every other person in town. Yet they had been tagged as dangerous, unholy, and undeserving of life.

All because they were different.

It was all because they could do things that were out of the ordinary. Which would have been beneficial for the town if those in power weren't too scared of the power they didn't understand.

I might be young but I understood some of these things… at least I believed that I did.

“Make your presence available in the town square! The king has ordered!”

The gong of the town criers soon resonated along with their voices, carrying the king’s order to the ears of everyone. Their actions confirmed my suspicions.

They had indeed captured more taboos and, like the previous ones, they would be killed in the town square. I have been called to be a witness to such brutality. The whole town had been called and no one could refuse.

“Ma! I think we should sit this one out. I don't want to witness another blood shear-”

“You are no son of mine, Atticus! A wee lad with no backbone! That is what you are!”

Although my statement was directed to my mother- the only person that could still feel a small ounce of pity for those that were wailing and pleading for their lives, my father, a dominant and elitist man, was the one who responded. Fiercely.

I have always been a disappointment to my father. Throughout my eighteen years of living, he has never been proud of me because he thinks I am too emotional and less masculine for the son he had thought he would be blessed with.

Unfortunately for both of us, I was his only son and only child.

“Follow me this instance, Atticus! I won’t let you drag my name in the presence of the king and elders.”

My father ordered harshly and my mother and I had to follow him out of the house. My mother squeezed my hand tenderly and offered me a smile, but my father growled at her and she immediately took her hand off me like an obedient wife.

She had always lived like that.

Under the shadow of my father.

My father, on the other hand, was a respected man in town. He was recognized by all and praised for his strength and intelligence. My father was one of those that was in the position to stop the unnecessary and inhuman killings, but he would never do that.

He lacked emotions and he lived by licking the feet of the king. My father would never go against the king's ideas and orders.

Loyal subject?

No… I had a different belief about my father. A belief I wouldn't dare say to anyone and wouldn't dare make myself understand or explore. That would be a sin to him and he would torture me if he finds out.

Even though the town square wasn't far from our home, my father made us ride in the chariot. I paid no attention to him nor did I pay attention to my mother, who was sitting diligently and beautifully beside my father.

I had always believed that my mother deserved a better man.

My father didn't deserve her and I would never treat my woman the way my father treated his. I have been practicing, in fact. I shouldn't call it practice because that didn’t do justice to the feelings and bond I shared with Eleanor.

As if nature could hear me thinking about her, the four-wheeled chariot stopped moving and when I exited after my parents, the first face I saw in the crowd was that of Eleanor. My woman. Discreetly, she smiled and blinked at me and I reciprocated with equal secrecy.

Eleanor and I have been seeing each other for the past year. We started as friends but now, we were both eagerly waiting for the day our parents would announce that we were ripe for marriage.

Despite the closeness, we couldn't let anyone know that we were in love or that we had been meeting secretly to do all sorts of things that the community would tag indecent. Whereas, it was love to us. I loved her and I would keep loving her despite the low rank of her family.

“Bow to the king!”

The king's servants announced the arrival of the king to the square just as my parents and I reached our usual posts at the front of the line. It took more than a minute for me to follow the order and pay my respect to the king.

It took all of the will I could summon to tear my eyes off the battered bodies that had been tied together in a way that would definitely be uncomfortable. To make the sight more gruesome, kids were also bound like that.., I could see traces of violence on their bodies.

“Raise your heads.”

The king. The one that started all of this, ordered and everyone complied. My heart went out to the people that were about to face the cruel judgment of the king. The kids were wailing and the adults had become too weak to console them.

It was a pitiful scene, but what could I do?

I was just an eighteen-year-old boy with a father that wouldn't hesitate to kill me along with the taboos if I made the mistake of speaking or acting against the king.

“Make your report, General.”

The king commanded and the general went forward to give the king the report of his hunt.

“Crude bastards”

I thought to myself. My fists clenched and unclenched, but I dared not make a move.

“We have finally captured the last batch of the sorcerers and their families, your majesty. Finally, we will be able to eradicate the existence of the vile creatures living with us-”

“Vile creatures? Do you know how many troubles and disasters we have prevented and eradicated in this town? You are all ingrates! All of you…. Ahhh.”

The general was interrupted by the opposition of one of the captured taboos… I mean sorcerers. He was an elderly man and seemed to be segregated from the rest of his clan. He was bound in a different manner.

He must be more powerful.

The elderly sorcerer’s argument was stopped by a heavy hit from a warrior that was guarding him. The man spat out blood but rather than stop talking, he chuckled, baring his bloody teeth before he continued his speech. He didn't care about the king's presence.

“The lot of you claim that my family is dangerous to the peace and existence of the human race but are we the ones sinning against nature? Are we the ones feeding poisons to others just because they are different from us? You called us vile, but all we have ever done was protect this town and also serve the people of this town. We are the victims. My family, my grandchildren… we are the victims… neither of you is.”

Some groups in the crowd that had surrounded the town square agreed with the elderly sorcerer. It was a relief that some of us could still feel humanity, but those that backed him up could lose their lives if they vexed the king.

“We have endured days without food for the prosperity of this town! How could you do this to us and our children?”

A sorceress gritted out. She was furious but too weak to defend herself or her family. The general had poisoned them and beat them up. He had gone too far, as long as I was concerned.

“Shut them up!”

The king yelled and his men surrounded the captive. Once again, the children wailed loudly and the cries of pain filled the air, piercing my heart and making me whimper. My father sent me a warning glare and I quickly averted my gaze from his.

I turned my gaze toward the position of the lower citizens and I saw Eleanor. She was also wincing and her facial expression showed that she didn't like what she was witnessing.

“Halt!”

The king commanded.

“I thought of giving you a quick death but you had the audacity to speak against me! Burn them all alive, starting with the little ones. Make them stop filling my ears with their profane cries.”

The king added.

The women cried when they heard that their children would be burnt alive and they did all they could to stop that from happening, but their all wasn't enough. How could it have been enough when the men of the king had overpowered them?

“You take a step and I will throw you into the blaze myself.”

I was warned by my father because he knew I could act upon my emotions. To make sure I didn't soil his name, he held my hand… tightly and made me watch the children of the taboos burn to death. I will never forget the painful constriction my heart made.

I doubted anyone would be able to live with the memory of this. My eyes searched for Eleanor n the crowd and I found her shielding herself and some other kids from the gruesome sight. I should be the one shielding her, however, with my father's hold, I couldn't go to her.

“Cease!”

The command ran through the air and I felt the unnatural energy flowing and slipping through the crowd. The order wasn’t even from the king, yet we all obeyed. We couldn't help it.

“You have sinned against my kind, king, and people of Balidia! You have killed my offspring and I summon the forces of the earth to do the same to your children!”

The elderly sorcerer was the one that commanded the men to cease when they made attempts to burn the women and men of his clan after the cries of the children faded. He didn't stop there though. He placed a curse and with immediate effect, the bodies of children in the crowd started falling or going limp.

They died and no one could move against the force that was holding us in place… not even the king.

Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, some of the sorcerers and sorceresses that had been bound vanished right before our eyes. Not all of them, but more than six of them escaped with ease. Or were my eyes playing tricks on me?

“Due to the injustice that we have suffered, we shall not be held for whatever repercussions you all face. For this, I curse you and the land we have spent decades protecting. I curse those that are here today that could have stopped this injustice but chose to be inhuman. I curse you that stand here today to witness the extinction of my kind. May you live like beasts. May your lust for the blood of my kind be the ruin of your generation. May you lose humanity completely. May you be your doom. May you all become killers and may the living offspring of my kind be saved from you.”

The older sorcerer whispered but the wind carried his words. An eerie feeling settled within me as his words settled, taking effect on my body.

“Because I am not inhuman, I will give the lot of you another chance. My descendant will be used to cleanse you and end the curse when you are ready and determined to change, but before then, you will live in darkness and the sun will be your enemy. You will live a cold and miserable life and you will spread this curse, making this land a cold land and domain for bloodthirsty beasts.”

The sorcerer added and, just like before, his words took effect immediately. I was terrified, not for me but for others that were innocent of the crimes we would be atoned for with our humanity.

“We seal this with our lives!”

The rest of the family chanted. The fire that was burning the remains of their children suddenly became hotter and spread to the remaining captives and the elderly sorcerers, burning them… ending their lives.

But they weren't the only ones that lost their lives that day and the words of the sorcerer didn't happen as he had said them.

But I and others became killers that day. To begin my cold and inhuman journey, I even killed one of the two women I loved with all of me. I killed her.

Never had I felt so satisfied. I killed her, yet I didn't feel remorseful because I had lost humanity and the emotions my father never accepted.

I lost my identity… against my will.

But this was just the beginning....