The Revival of the Vampire Empress!

-Cacophony

The weakness of humans does not concern someone such as myself.

From the moment that I first became a vampire, I have never once stood on even ground as any other. Much less some meager human.

And yet, as I stood over his unconscious form, my hand clasped gently over his forehead, I could not silence the unfamiliar weight pressing against me.

Annoyance. That was all this was.

As expected, his frail human body has failed him just as it has numerous times in the past.

Humans were creatures of fleeting strength, their bodies pitifully mortal. But seeing him sprawled out like this—sweat clinging to his brow, his breaths shallow and uneven—did something to me. It made my fingers twitch with frustration.

"You troublesome child," I muttered, kneeling beside him.

Veri was the type that could bounce back from anything.

I waited to hear whatever stupid quip he would come up with this time. How would he say it? In what tone? How would my servant desperately attempt to soothe his empress?

And yet—

"...Veri..."

He didn't stir.

No, I need only to wait and he'll...

And so I let that moment pass. Then the next.

As a vampire, time itself is rendered nearly meaningless. I could wait here for one hundred years and I'd be fine. But, he...

It was laughable. Truly.

I should have left him as he was, allowed him to recover on his own, if he ever woke up at all.

Why is it that I find myself lifting his body up and frantically marching up the stairs?

This irritation that clings to my chest makes me want to claw my own heart out. It's annoying and I hate it.

I laid him down on his bed and tucked him in.

I turned away, preparing to leave, but something held me in place. An inexplicable tug—a sensation of reluctance curling around my ribs.

With an exhausted sigh, I sat beside the bed.

The second day was far worse.

His fever had not broken. His breaths had grown shallower. His body was wracked with tremors, the sweat clinging to his skin now chilling rather than burning. In his sleep, he gritted his teeth as though fighting something invisible.

It grated on me.

None of this made sense. What could have made him like this in the first place?

Is this the built-up effects of drinking his blood? While I do know that consistent blood sucking can lead to negative effects on the body, I've never heard of a case so extreme. At most, it should've only led to weakness and tiredness. This is far too bad to be caused solely by having his blood taken.

My fingers ghosted over his forehead before I caught myself. I pulled away, curling them into a fist.

'It is only because you are mine,' I told myself. 'It would be foolish to let something of mine break so easily."

'Mine.'

'Mine?'

Well, everything in this entire world is mine, so why would this be a special case?

Even stranger was the realization that I had spent the entirety of the night ensuring he remained comfortable—adjusting the blankets when he stirred, pressing a damp cloth to his skin to keep the fever from worsening.

What a ridiculous sight I must have been.

I had no real idea of how to take care of someone who was sick. I'd spent so much time up on my throne that I'd forgotten how the common people go about life.

The only things that I knew of them were the most basic and bare bones of knowledge.

I had to think hard to come up with what to do next. If I didn't do something quickly, Veri might actually die.

Not that that would be bad, but it's not the most preferable outcome.

As things stand, I need him in order to continue living in the manner that I have. He's useful for a whole host of things. He'd even taught me that a damp cloth can ease fevers. Yes, his knowledge of the world was something that I lacked, something that I couldn't do without!

I racked my brain. I needed to squeeze out every last bit of knowledge that I had in order to heal him.

Using magic is off the table.

I was incapable of using any form of Holy Magic and that was the only kind of magic that would be capable of healing sickness...

Back when I was human, what did the adults do when someone got sick?

When I got sick... Over eight hundred years ago... what did they...

That's when it hit me.

They'd used herbs.

My body moved before my mind fully processed the thought.

I stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind me. The storm outside had raged for over a day, and had finally calmed, but the streets were still slick with rain, puddles reflecting the pale glow of the streetlamps. The scent of damp earth filled the air, mingling with the distant hum of the city's nightlife.

Humans, frail creatures that they were, had survived off the land before their magic and science evolved to this point. Their ancestors relied on the power of herbs, and if that was all I had to work with, then so be it.

I had no knowledge of modern medicine and I had no magic that could work in this situation. And so, this was all I could do.

Rushing through the empty streets, I moved faster than human eyes could follow, my heels clicking sharply against the pavement. I didn't even care about the odd glances from the few night wanderers I passed. They were insignificant. Everything was insignificant compared to this—compared to the maddening need to fix what had gone wrong.

A small apothecary caught my eye, its dimly lit windows promising exactly what I sought. Without hesitation, I slipped inside.

There was an old man behind the counter, his old eyes shut as he leaned back in a chair.

Before he could register what had happened, I was in front of him.

"Give me every herb that you have."

Suddenly looking up, the old man's face filled with shock. "Excuse me?"

"All your herbs. Now."

He blinked, startled, then put on and adjusted his glasses. "Miss, do you—"

I reached into my dress, retrieved a handful of gleaming coins, and tossed them onto the counter.

He glanced down at them, but didn't make any move to grab them.

"That's your payment," I said, voice low with irritation. "Now, give me what I asked for. What's the issue?"

The old man glanced up at me and scratched his head. "Well, what types of herbs do you need?"

At that question, I completely froze.

"Ah—Well, I need... Just give me everything you have!"

The old looked puzzled. "Firstly, this isn't enough for much of anything... Also, what do you need them for? Decore? Sickness?"

"Sickness! Just hurry and give it to me."

The man wasted no time after that, fumbling with jars and packets before shoving the requested herbs into a small bag. I snatched it from his hands and turned to leave.

"Wait!" he called after me. "That's gonna cost a lot more than—"

It didn't matter. In my hurried state I couldn't hear a single word.

Back in Veri's room, the scent of crushed leaves filled the air. I had spread the herbs across his sheets, tucking them under his pillow, scattering them over his chest and wrists. I had even steeped a bitter concoction and forced a few drops past his lips.

He remained still.

Was this not how they were meant to be used?

No, it must be. What else would I do with them?

I narrowed my eyes. "You ungrateful brat. I went out of my way to gather these, and you won't even acknowledge my efforts?"

Silence. His body barely stirred beneath the weight of the fever.

I clenched my fists.

Nothing.

This wasn't enough.

I needed to do something else. I needed to push further.

Like that, the third day came.

I clearly had to come up with a solution that was far more extreme than this one.

Just because this method didn't work doesn't mean that another wouldn't.

Luckily, during the night I'd remembered an ancient means of warding off sickness.

I only needed to gather some materials.

Firstly, I visited a jeweler and got my hands on some gold. The gold is likely the most important material that I needed. Gold is the most revered of minerals for its unique qualities. It never rusts and lasts forever. It was immortality incarnate. By all means, it was a material worth of being considered a symbol of the sun god himself.

The second material I would need is something far simpler, a small woven thread. It was easy enough to find it just by rummaging around Veri's home. Truly, I have committed the layout of this place to heart.

Then, for the final touch.

My fingers hovered over the tiny red gems woven into the fabric of my dress. I plucked one free.

With a careful hand I melted the gold and reshaped it into a small circular amulet. Then I inserted the thread through a small hole that I'd made. Lastly, I placed the small gem in the center.

Bringing the newly made amulet close to my lips, I whispered a small chant before injecting my own magic into the amulet. The scarlet red gem glowed faintly with warmth.

This was it. A ward that would no doubt expel whatever was assaulting Veri's body.

Back in his room, I pressed the amulet against Veri's chest and fastened the chain around his neck.

I waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

The fever remained and his condition didn't get even the tiniest bit better.

My jaw tightened.

I'd failed.

Once again, I'd failed.

The fourth... Yes, the fourth day had come. I had not miscounted. I knew that the number I'd just said wasn't wrong. Throughout all this time I hadn't slept so I knew it was correct.

Veri groaned in his sleep. It was the first sound he had made in hours.

My head snapped up. I was at his bedside in an instant, fingers brushing against his dark skin.

His groans only grew as though his body was ignoring my presence.

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It was showing me that I had no power in this situation. I might be able to jump over a building and I might be capable of conquering this entire world, but I was powerless here.

His groans grew louder as a pain struck his body over and over again.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips. "Are you being serious?"

I wasn't even sure who I was asking. Him? Myself? The universe?

His hand twitched, fingers weakly flexing. Without thinking, I caught them in my own.

I didn't let go.