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1.  In 1879, Louis Pasteur observed, accidentally, that old bacterial cultures lost their virulence over time. He had decided an injecting the chickens with a fresh culture of a bacteria before a holiday. However, due to some reasons,he could not do so and ended up performing the procedure using the old cultures. Unexpectedly, the chickens only showed mild signs of the disease and survived. When they were healthy again, Pasteur, intrigued by the results, injected them with fresh bacteria. To his amazement, the chickens did not develop the said disease. This procedure became a stepping stone in the field of vaccination.

In easy words, microorganisms (bacteria/virus) usually lose their function over the period of time if they're kept in a host where they cannot further divide.

E.g. Venom in the vial.

2.  Four full moons as red blood cells have a life span of 120 days.

Btw, It's Past Ares' POV, from a third person's POV 😂

Enjoy! ❤

Drip

Drip

Drip

His hungry gaze quietly followed the hot blood oozing out of the gash inflicted upon the centre of a dirt ridden palm, forming a thick crimson trail that bifurcated further as it reached the junction of a scarred index and middle finger. Several tiny round drops born out of those small trails dipped down one after another into the crimson pool gathering beneath, igniting an insatiable burning in the pit of his gut. The faint metallic smell lingering in the air around him made his throat burn raw with an unquenchable thirst whilst his elongating canines impulsively tore their way out of his aching gums, poking their glinting tips out of the small space present between his parted lips

It was taking all his will to stop himself from grabbing the wrist of the man sitting in front of him and shoving the blood pooling out of the open wound directly into his own mouth.

"Argh!"

Another torturing minute had passed with much agony before he eventually moved his head away from the man collecting his blood in a bowl,

"Just some more moments..."

He kept chanting those words under his breath like a mantra until a scruffling sound reached his ears followed by a flat monotonous voice,

"The bowl is full."

Gleaming emeralds lifted up to stare at the man standing with the bowl in his hands looking back at him with a blank gaze.

"Place the bowl on the floor and come here."

As if under a trance, the man robotically followed the commands thrown his way. His hands securely put the bowl near his lord's feet while he trudged wordlessly to sit down before the said vampire.

As soon as the man lowered himself down in front of him, Ares rushed forward to grab the back of his neck with just enough pressure to bring the man at eye level with him.

"Forget whatever you saw and did in here. Only remember that you helped a merchant with his luggage and you hurt your hand in the process. He gave you this money in return for your hard work."

The man's pupils were dilating and contracting with rapid alternate movements as if his body felt unable to decipher the situation he had currently landed himself into. The reigns to his thoughts and actions were being subjected to an uncanny game of tug of war.

"Go."

Soon after Ares was done speaking, the man stood up from his spot, turned around and without sparing another glance behind, started walking mechanically towards the stairs leading to the entrance, in order to move out of the dungeons.

"He is gone."

Ares sighed before leaning his head back to support it against the rough texture of the stone wall. His ears were still able to detect the light crunching of leaves produced by the man as he took larger and larger steps into the steep hills in order to put as much distance as possible between him and the the medieval castle.

"It is done."

Creak

His eyes opened suddenly as his senses detected another sound in the background. A door was being carefully rotated around its hinges, followed by small footsteps that padded lightly against the ground above him. The green in his eyes started glistening with an unnatural glow as he directed all his attention towards the source of unexpected sounds.

They seemed to be getting closer to the dungeons beneath his castle, the place he currently occupied.

Upon focusing some more, a light lavendar scent wafted into his nostrils,

'It is her.'

His unblinking gaze slid down to the bowl placed beside him before once again, lifting up to stare at the dimly lit stairs.

'I have to feed him before she gets here.'

Whirling around rapidly, his pale hand disappeared inside his black coat before emerging out again with a shiny pair of keys clutched tightly in it. Wasting no time, he inserted the lustrous metal inside the big lock securely guarding the door in front of him. After a bit of jingling resounded through the empty dungeons, a light click followed in succession.

Slowly, the door moved away from its frame, parting the red sea of pitch black darkness inside to let the light coming from the sconces in the hallways, pave a dimly lit path on the entrance of the deadly silent cell. Glimmering emeralds moved from one side to the other, scrupulously examining every nook and cranny of the gloomy prison until they stopped midway, trained on an unusually darkened space in the far corner.

Despite the newly casted dull glow, normal human eyes would have easily failed to see the rapidly moving figure inside the deeper parts of the cell, the figure his glowing emeralds were fixated on at that moment.

Hunkered down uncomfortably against a stone wall, the boy peered up at Ares with an uncanny mixture of hazel and crimson tinting his eyes. He was digging his nails into his own arms causing fresh blood from the wound to ooze out and cover the already dried patches of scarlet lacing his pale skin.

'He seems to be in an enormous amount of pain.'

The urge to turn his head away from the gloomy scene was hitting him hard. He couldn't bring himself to face the sad reality staring up at him with an emotionless gaze. He wanted to storm out of the suffocating cage but the fast approaching footsteps in the distance kept him frozen at his place.

'I wish I could've stopped this from happening.'

He clutched his hand resting at his side into a tight fist, making several veins pop out on his arms,

'I have to do it fast.'

Reluctantly, he stooped down to pick up the bowl neatly placed near his feet before straightening himself up again. His gloved hand reached forward to further open the gate allowing more light to illuminate the black space causing the huddled figure in the corner to crawl back instantly.

'Light must be hurting him.'

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Ares forced his legs to step inside the room. His sudden motion formed small ripples into the dark liquid of the bowl causing it to almost spill over the bent corners yet it was prevented from happening every time as the steady hands gripping the utensil tightly, carried it in such a fashion the surely provided the preservance of every single drop swirling inside the bowl.

"Henry."

Standing mere inches away from the crouched figure, he called out his name to gain his attention.

The odd combination of amber and scarlet slowly lifted up to gaze emtionlessly at the dark lord. The eyes who never dared to look at him with anything other than utter love and respect were now staring up at him devoid of any expression. They seemed to look right through him as if they couldn't recognize the man standing before them. Their sole attention was fixated on the bowl resting in Ares' grasp.

Just as Ares opened his mouth to let another word out, the boy curled on the ground suddenly jumped high from his position to snatch the bowl away from his lord's hands. His pale bony fingers had almost been successful in grazing the rough texture of the bowl before the pureblood came back to his senses, moving out of the way with an unnatural speed to avoid the unexpected attack, but the feral boy didn't stop at that point. He kept pouncing on the mud bowl full of blood, trying to somehow grab it out of his lord's hands, almost scratching Ares in the process.

"Enough, Henricus!"

His deep voice boomed across the hallways, making the cold walls quiver with fright.

He hadn't even finished shouting the command completely when Henry's knees dropped down to the ground with a loud thud, causing a look of pain to cross over his stoic gaze. He couldn't recognize his master in this state yet his body still did.

The venom running deep inside him acknowledged its source.

Ares had never had a slave before, neither human nor vampire. Deborah was the only one, an exception. He treated her as a motherly figure in his bleak existence and her death had left him scarred for life. He had sworn after her demise to never take another slave again let alone make a human go through transition without their consent.

Not even in his darkest nightmares did he ever imagine that, out of nowhere, his oldest companion would be thrown his way as a transitioning nightwalker slave.

He was upset on the situation but he did not blame Faith for it. He had seen desperation in her eyes, the desperation of an honest person longing to be trusted. He didn't doubt her intention but he also couldn't turn away from the fact that Gabriel, the man who had killed two of the most important women in Ares' life even before he had the possibility to meet them, was the same man who had ruined Henry's chance at a normal life.

'Henry was supposed to live a wholesome life. He was to have a family that he grew old with. This was never supposed to happen.'

Shifting the bowl in his right hand, he let his free hand pass through his raven mane, gripping the hair at the back of his head with frustration.

'Faith must not have known, but I am sure that Gabriel was well aware of the attenuation of my venom.'

A venom which has been extracted from the vampire a long time ago loses its full capabilities. When it's introduced into a human's blood, it does not grant them all powers that a vampire holds. It mutates the person into a creature stronger than a human but far weaker than a normal pureblood's slave. These nightwalkers were considered the lowest of the low amongst vampires.

'A fate that now awaits Henry with open arms.'

For some moments, the cell was engulfed in nothing but panting noises originating from the semi-transformed nightwalker as he stayed rooted to the ground on his knees as if he were bound by some invisible chains. His abnormally coloured stare was still trained on the mud bowl grasped in his master's hand letting his inner turmoil show clearly on his face.

He had nothing but hunger on his mind.

"Here. Drink this."

Not being able to watch any further, he crouched down in front of the unrecognizable boy, placing the bowl carefully on the ground. He watched silently whilst the eager boy didn't fail in sparing another second as he leapt forward to grab the bowl, hastily bringing it to his lips, pouring its contents down his throat greedily.

'Henry..'

He had once raised this boy as his own, taught him to read and write, taught him to fight, taught him the rules of this world and the manners of living. Having witnessed his parent's murder and killing a vampire in the process had taken a toll on his little body. He was like a living corpse when he had met the vampire prince and Ares had brought it upon himself to return the boy's smile back to him. Now seeing the lips who smiled so earnestly at his wedding a few days ago, marred with another living creature's blood was tearing his dead heart into several unfathomable pieces.

Not being able to help it, he slowly lifted his hand, placing it gently on the matted hair of the boy who was busy gulping down large amounts of blood,

"Look at me, Henricus."

The slurping sounds echoing in the large cell suddenly stopped as those uncanny pair of eyes lifted up once again to stare blankly at him, awaiting his lord's next command.

Ares could sense her standing outside the stairs of dungeons now. He knew he didn't have much time to waste anymore.

A determined look overtook his expressions as his hands gripped the new nightwalker's head from both sides, forcing him to look sqaure into his own glistening emeralds,

"Remember every word of what I am about to tell you, Henricus Christensen. I, your master, Ares Aléxandros King, may not be with you to protect you when you complete your transition after four full moons. Till then, I shall try my best to ensure your safety."

He paused for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and carrying on with his compulsion,

"You, my child, will not be as strong as others in matters of agility and strength as the venom inserted within you was old, having lost the true essence of a pureblood's venom. Fear not, your lord shall leave letters in your name which will prove to be helpful in my absence. For physical strength is not always necessary to survive. Even a small creature such as an ant can defeat a gigantic elephant if it uses its abilities in the right way."

He could see Henry's mutated pupils contracting and relaxing with alternate patterns, a clear sign of his compulsion setting into act.

"If on the fourth full moon your lord does not come for you, leave this burning castle along with those letters and do not look back for even a mere moment. Survive and I shall join you again one day as your proud mentor."

A crimson liquid that resembled a diluted drop of blood trickled down Henry's emotionless eyes as Ares muttered his last words to him for the night,

"Survive, Henricus Christensen. Survive."

With that, he stood up, letting his hands drop back to his sides. Henry was still staring stoically at the place his lord once occupied. The tear dripping down his chin was telling that his brain had clearly absorbed the message his master had left for him. It was a sign that the Henry he had fed and raised for years, still existed deep within the monstrous shell clouding his judgment at that moment.

"Drink."

Not being able to stare at him anymore, with one last command, Ares left his vassal in the rusting cell, swiftly moving out of it to lock the door behind him.

Just as he was taking the key out of the iron lock, he sensed a presence entering the hallway, unfurling a strong scent of lavender intermingled with a faint trace of petrichor that cocooned the underground dungeons in a warm comforting embrace.

'My other self's scent on her has become weak.'

He kept his back facing her, refusing to turn around as slow careful footsteps gradually became louder and louder to his ears, drawing his focus solely to the woman nearing him with each passing second.

'A beloved granted by magic.'

His hand fisted around the keys tightly clutched in his hand in order to control his emotions one way or another.

'It's dangerous. Why did she even come down at this time?'

He hadn't fed since the day she had arrived. Her scent had gradually driven him to the edge, rendering every other creature's blood tasteless to his tongue.

The fear of not being able to control himself due to his emotional uncertainty was like a sword constantly hanging over his head. Weeks long hunger along with emotional uncertainty was never a good combination for a starving pureblood.

Vampires needed a bit of their beloved's blood every now and then to keep functioning normally, but he couldn't bring himself to force her for it and now it had become too late. Every creature's blood was calling out to him and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop once he started, killing the other person in the process. Morover, Henricus needed fair amounts of blood every day and accidentally sucking someone dry in the town would only create more problems in this path.

His train of thoughts stopped abrupty as he noticed  the soft padding produced by her light footsteps had halted whilst a warm feeling crawling over his cold back had taken its place, indicating that she was now standing right behind him.

Realisation made his suppressed hunger come back many times stronger, hitting him like tides washing over a broken piece of flank floating in a deep abyss of a sea. Much more than the lavendar scent of her skin, his mind was going wayward with the metallic smell of her blood swooshing in the veins hidden deep inside her flesh. Her wildly thumping heart was the only sound that filled his ears rendering him enable to focus on anything but her.

'Control...'

He was sure if he applied any more pressure on the keys, the skin on his hand would split from the impact.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

In his haze, he hadn't noticed the blood escaping from between his fisted fingers, dripping down to taint the ground near his feet.

'So it indeed broke the skin.'

Warm hands suddenly made contact with his tightly clasped fist, fumbling around with the bloodied mess to somehow make him lose his hold on the metal digging into his skin.

'She is so warm. Is her blood just as warm?'

"Ares!"

Constant jingling of keys accompanies by her alarmed voice caused his attention to shift back towards her frantic state. His little wife was still busy prying his hand open with a wide panic stricken gaze.

'I am scaring her.'

Those large fearful eyes along with the pain shooting up his arm from the wound helped him clear his senses for some time as he closed his ruby eyes, taking a deep breath in the process before opening them again to reveal gleaming emeralds in their place.

"Do not worry. I am fine."

Not liking the worry creasing her brows, his uninjured hand moved forward to rub the skin resting between her brows in order to free it of the frown forming there.

"Look."

Slowly, to calm her anxiety down, he opened his wounded hand to uncover a set of iron keys laced with a sticky scarlet liquid, hiding a deep laceration underneath.

"Oh, God..."

He watched as a look of astonishment crossed her widened eyes as she witnessed the skin repair itself with a remarkable speed. In mere seconds, only a scar was left at the place where blood was oozing furiously out of the injured tissue before.

"You.."

Her low mumble brought his gaze back towards the small female clinging dearly onto his hands. He could see her lips quivering before she pressed them together to stop their undesired movement.

'Is she cold or upset?'

His eyes travelled down to take in her disheveled state. Her untied black tresses were scattered on her exposed shoulders streaming down her back resembling a dark stream reflecting a moonless night resting in its core. Patches of dried tears were covering her rosy cheeks narrating the story of what she had been doing since he had left her in the room alone. His brows scrunched as he noticed that she was still wearing the same night dress he had unbottened himself that evening.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue lightly before removing his coat hurriedly only to drape it on her small shoulders. It covered her more than the dress itself.

His mind was extremely aware of the pools of greyish blue hue following his every move as he silently buttoned up his overly large coat dangling down her visibly smaller frame. His bowed frame had allowed him to peer closely at her stiffened form where out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the red rims of her own glistening with unshed tears, hitting him with a strong urge to wipe her lashes before they had a change to get moistened again.

'How can I stay mad at these eyes that look so innocent. Untainted of any darkness...'

Out of nowhere, she broke his chain of thoughts by snatching the bloodied set of keys from his strong clutches with a sudden tug.

A low hiss escaping past her lips reached his sensitive hearing causing his eyes to swiftly shift towards her tightly clasped hand, scanning over it to look for injuries. Before he could ask her to uncurl her fingers she moved the keys in her other hand, lifting the set upto his eye-level,

"The wound must've healed leaving no traces but the blood sticking to these keys tells another story."

A delicious aroma suddenly tickled his clouded mind, turning him rigid in his feet. Unable to pay attention to her words, his eyes zeroed in on the source of the fragrance, causing his pupils to visibly dilate as sudden realisation dawned upon him.

She had grazed her hand while snatching the set of keys away from his hand. Now the dangling keys in front of his face carried a mixture of both his and his beloved's blood.

"Why are you hurting yourself? Are you angry at me for lying? I know I shouldn't have. I was just scared, scared of your reaction. You keep avoiding me in future calling me names like, 'Daughter of the Abbot' or 'Daughter of a traitor.' I was afraid that you would react the same way in here as well, that you'd abandon me after I told you everything."

His glinting gaze was still trained on the keys clinking in front of his eyes. His mind had drowned her sweet voice into an incomprehensible melody. He could hear her uttering unintelligible words in the background but his mind was too far gone to understand anything except for the mouth-watering scent embracing him in a deathly hold. The predator inside of him was scratching at his insides, howling furiously to find a way out.

Something in him seemed to have snapped.

"Go."

He cut her midspeech, muttering a single word out of his gritted teeth as he gave her outstretched hand a small nudge.

"What?"

Her stormy gaze was staring confusingly at him.

"I said, run!"

This time he had pushed her shoulder with a bit more force indicating the urgency in his tone yet she stayed rooted to the same spot.

In order to not harm her, he swiftly moved towards the far corner of the room, from where only his glimmering ruby eyes could be seen by her.

"What's happening, Ares!?"

In his eyes, she seemed more worried than frightened, only acting as an invitation to his increasing hunger.

'I have to get out of here.'

Probably having sensed his intention, she hurriedly moved in front of his crouched figure just as he was about to run towards the stairs.

"Move, Faith!"

Seeing her approach him, he burried his head between his bent knees covering the top of his head with the help of his arms to avoid looking at her. An animalistic growl tore out of the back of his throat as he tried his best to keep the beast inside of him at bay.

"Go away, please!"

Contrary to his constant pleads, he felt her lower herself down in front of him, raising her hand slowly to place it beneath his chin to lift it up towards herself.

"Look up."

The determination in her voice surprised him. He had never met a human who was so willing to be in close proximity to a hungry vampire.

Not being able to resist the temptation, his shivering body gingerly obliged to her absurd demand, letting her peer down into the eyes of the animal he was desperately trying to save her from. The dull orange tinge coming from sconces was casting her black shadow on his crouched figure, causing her to squint her eyes in order to inspect his distraught features closely. After some moments, a small gasp escaped past her soft lips, letting his barely functioning senses know that she had finally noticed the deteriorating change in him.

Recognition seemed to have dawned upon her worrisome expressions,

"You look just like that night. You haven't fed. Have you?"

He had no idea which night she was talking about but he was sure that if she didn't move away from his grasp in time, he'd end up doing something that he would be regretting for many of his upcoming nights.

"Move, now!"

He couldn't push her away from this distance. The force would end up making her fall and hurt herself. Even in its frenzied state, his mind was more worried about the human woman hell bent on blocking his path.

Instead of receiving an answer, warm fingers started crawling up his cold cheeks, lightly brushing his hair away from his clammy forehead before entangling themselves in his jet black mane.

"You can drink my blood."

His eyes widened for a fraction of moment as her careless words settled inside his frenetic mind,

'Does she have a death wish?'

"You do not know what you are talking about, Faith. Move!"

His warnings did nothing to faze her as her fingers continued stroking the hair at the top his head, trying to bring some comfort to his agitation.

"I know what I'm doing, my lord. I've done this before."

"You know nothing! I am not in control of myself!"

His replies were becoming more and more urgent as the last bit of green specking his irises was rapidly getting devoured by a deep crimson tinge encircling it from every direction. Just before it could completely disappear, two soft hands moved down to cup his rugged cheeks, stroking them gently with the pad of their thumbs, shocking him ever more with her unusual behaviour.

"Let me go, Faith."

His voice had now turned into a barely audible whisper as his fall stricken grassy gaze stared helplessly into her unwavering eyes.

"I can't and I will never."

"Why? You have been extremely averse to the idea of staying with me up until now."

His shivering lips were turning blue in colour as they hardly managed to let his next words out.

"I still want to go back but not at the cost of hurting or harming you. You, too, are my Ares."

With a baited breath, he watched her turn silent for a moment after the unforseen declaration, probably waiting for him to respond somehow but he did not know the appropriate words to say.

'Is she finally accepting me?'

Awestruck, he watched her tilt her head down for a mere second, almost as if she were carefully contemplating her next words. Hardly another minute had passed as she lifted her chin up again with a decisive expression set on her face, dazzling him with her next words,

"I am and will forever be your wife. Just as you are and will forever be my husband."

"...."

"In sickness and health. Remember, Lord Ares?"

All resistance left his body as soon as the air carried her lightly whispered mumble to his ringing ears. He was speechless, gawking down at her whilst she matched his astonished gaze back with her own intense one. The look she had shining in her eyes, he had scarcely seen it on her since the moment she had started staying with him.

Acceptance.

It was all he needed to see.

Her unwarned words had caused the animal inside of him to run bersek.

The chains holding the beast down inside the battered cage of his body rattled loudly one last time before breaking into several tiny pieces. A roaring growl tore out of the back of his throat as his large pale hand shot out to grab the back of her neck, gripping her hair with just enough force to close the distance between them with a speed too unnatural for a human to obtain. His other hand securely wrapped around the curve of her waist as, without wasting another moment, his canines plunged deep inside her slender neck, tearing the pale flesh open to expose the rapidly throbbing vessel beneath.

Ecstasy.

There was no other words to describe the feeling he encountered as the first drop of her blood made contact with his cold tongue. He had never tasted something so heavenly during his short life span on earth. Not even the sweetest honey or the oldest wine could ever compare to the thrill he felt while gulping down this melted euphoria.

Empty hallways were resonating with loud slurping sounds as the vampire lord, resembling a newly turned nightwalker, stayed latched onto the neck of his magical beloved for an uncertain amount of time. The process only slowed down when the woman slumped in his iron grip suddenly started digging her nails in the flesh of his back through the filmsy material of his shirt.

'Is she fine?'

The sudden thought caused him to separate his bloodied lips away from her pale neck. Gingerly, he took his fangs out of her soft flesh, careful in not damaging the skin any further. His eyes which had now returned back to their original grassy green, travelled the length of her neck, examining the two punctured holes left by his recent activity whilst his hand slowly caressed the torn skin lovingly.

'It must hurt.'

Moving her hair to the side, he leaned down once again to lick the swollen wound.

"I wish I could feed you my blood right now to heal you but I know not whether it would harm the already established bond, imposing upon it in some way. I shall give you my blood in some days, once yours has left my body."

No response came from her side causing his brows to furrow as he placed a hand on the back of her neck, tilting it down to make her face him.

"Love?"

Several raven locks slipped down her naked shoulders, sliding away from her cheeks to sprawl everywhere on his large arm. Half closed greyish hues peered up at him with little cobalt specks dancing in them. Mesmerized by the bewitching stare, he lifted a leather clad finger, tracing it gently over the lower rims of her eyes.

'She looks like a doll, my doll.'

As soon as the leather made contact with her soft skin, a small smile bloomed across the corners of her paling lips, immediately transforming his worry creased brows into a look of sheer astonishment.

'She is smiling at me..'

He knew that a vampire's prey felt the same intoxication as the vampire during the feeding process, mirroring the effect of being under the influence of alcohol yet he couldn't help but let his heart swell at the sight of the first smile his dearest had ever given him.

'Am I allowed to be happy in this moment?'

Glimmering emeralds remained trained at the small curve kissing the corners of her mouth even when out of his peripheral vision he saw a small hand reaching out to touch his face.

As his eyes hungrily drank in the enchanting smile in front of him, afraid that it might disappear any moment, soft pads of her small fingers started rubbing against his blood laced lips causing his eyes to widen promptly.

'What is she...'

Reluctantly, his gaze shifted away from her smiling lips to her caressing fingers giving his parted lips a slight graze every now and then. Not being able to understand her intentions, he stayed rooted to his spot, watching her silently as after a moment of stroking his swollen lips, she pulled up the coat's sleeve to rub it directly against his freezing mouth.

'Is she trying to clean the blood?'

Before he could ask the reason behind her actions, a soft whisper reached his heightened senses,

"My lord.."

"Yes, love?"

"Do you want your wedding gift right now?"

"Huh?"

Unbeknownst to him, a surprised sound escaped past his parted lips at her daring query. Before he could come out of his initial shock to assess the situation more, the woman slumped in his arms leapt forward, tugging the strings of his shirt to make him meet her halfway.

"Fait-Mmph!"

Her name was lost on the tip of his tongue as a soft pair of lips suddenly covered his cold ones.