Eternal Eclipse

Chapter 12

But after a few seconds, I thought to myself that I didn't know the real origins of vampires or whether vampires were really originally human, as they say in fairy tales. So, I continued, "That's what fairy tales say."

"Hmm, I'm not sure either whether before I was a human or not ," Eli said in a confused and sad voice that made me turn my head to look at him.

Eli had already changed and was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to me. I caught a glimpse of the side of his face, and for some reason, I felt worried about his answer. So I got up and sat down, staring at his back, which was facing away from me. It was too quiet, and I felt guilty for what I'd said. I patted Eli's back and said, "Let's go to sleep."

Eli turned his head and, for some reason, smiled at me with a strange look. His brown eyes seemed very gentle, in contrast to his blood-red ones, which always looked cold and cruel. I lay back down, patted the pillow next to me, and said to Eli, "Sleep here."

"Okay," Eli replied curtly, then lay down next to me.

"It doesn't matter if you were human or not, it doesn't matter if other people are vampires or not. Everyone has their own lives, everyone has their own emotions. So, don't say that because I'm human I'm like this or that. And because you're a vampire, you're like this or that. There may be differences in instincts, because we all have differences, but still, I'm me, you're you, and they're themselve. Everyone's different, aren't we?" I said, seemingly trying to lighten Eli's mood, which didn't seem to be going well.

Eli tilted his head and looked at me. "Yes, but not remembering parts of your life is unpleasant. But thank you for your wise words. Would you like something from me? I'll give it to you."

I didn't quite understand Eli's intentions, but I wasn't sure if I should ask him, so I simply replied to his other question, "Then I don't want to live here. It's scary being surrounded by vampires."

"Okay, but you're still going to move out of your house and live with me," Eli said, then gently patted my head.

I returned to my apartment with Eli still following me. We weren't alone; there were people moving my belongings to Eli's residence, which I didn't yet know existed. I watched them pack my things and carry them out of my apartment, then I turned to Eli and asked, "Are we staying at that hotel?"

Eli, who was standing next to me with his arms folded, turned and answered my question, "No, that hotel is just a temporary place to stay because it's closest to my work yesterday."

"Is that so?" I said, seeming unconcerned.

I grabbed some of my belongings and then, Eli and I went to the company owned by Eli's younger brother, whom we'd met yesterday. Eli and I didn't arrive the way Eli had previously, which was quite scary; we arrived in a sports car driven by Eli himself. I couldn't believe that vampires could drive cars, when he could easily get around.

"So vampires need cars too, huh?" I said quietly, staring at the road ahead.

"Not all vampires can do what I do, and teleporting using that kind of power requires quite a lot of energy, so I can't do it often. Besides, these days, if you suddenly see someone disappear or reappear, it'd be quite a shock, wouldn't it?" Eli glanced at me as he drove.

"That's right. If that were the case, there would be headlines about people like you, shaking the world. All I knew was that vampires were just fairy tales. But seeing a vampire in person felt different. And it turns out that some vampires are similar to those in fairy tales, but some are different. I mean, the description of vampires I've always known from fairy tales," I said, turning to Eli.

I looked Eli up and down, feeling that some of the tales were true. It's true in stories that vampires always have handsome, seductive faces, so their prey will be captivated by their appearance and lulled into doing whatever the vampire wants. But the descriptions of vampires aren't as detailed as they are, to the point where vampires can change a person's sexuality. Vampires also usually only attack the opposite s*x in stories, so there can be a romantic feel, but if they're of the same s*x, there's only violence. But Eli is very different. He attacked me, slept with me, and claimed I was his lover. Eli, different, maybe, but I don't know.

Eli glanced at me and said, "First, vampire stories exist because vampires do exist, and the origins of those stories also come from vampires and those who interacted with them directly. Second, in the past, vampires and humans lived in peace. Humans sought refuge under vampire control before they knew of anything that could protect them from wild creatures like wild animals. However, at that time, vampires were still very few in number, and vampires didn't drink human blood, only the blood of wild animals. However, over the centuries, new vampires emerged who eventually drank human blood. Over time, an imbalance developed, and a war broke out between vampires and humans. Eventually, vampires became nothing more than a legend."

"Hmm, that war? How did it happen, and why aren't vampires widely known today?" Hearing Eli's story, I became even more curious.

"Simply put, new vampires emerged, escaping the control of the vampire elders. Then, humans acquired the technology to protect themselves, so they no longer needed vampires to protect them. Previously, when a vampire harmed a human, others would view it as an offering and sacrifice for the safety of the public. However, when humans felt equal to vampires, able to survive without their protection, and many vampires even began to adopt human customs, any attacks on other humans were viewed as aggression, and they viewed vampires as dangerous and rivals. Furthermore, the new vampires were once human, and humans knew that all existing vampires had their origins in humans, so they felt superior to them and had to exterminate the vampires they believed wanted to rule the world and prey on humans," Eli recounted a history not generally known.

"Hmm, and now. Are vampires extinct? I mean, are there many or few?" I asked again.

Eli turned around to me as the car stopped at a red light, "From the beginning, the number of vampires was very small, maybe 1,000,000 to 1 compared to humans at that time. But, back then, there were also very few humans, unlike now. Currently, the number of vampires is indeed small, maybe 10 million to 1. However, there are many sleeping vampires and there are new vampires as well, so even though it seems small, in reality, there are quite a lot of vampires now. What's more terrifying is that many vampires blend in with humans, making it difficult to distinguish them."