There he was wearing a dark blue doublet, appearing fresh from the tailors, not a fade or a blemish on it, and over this a very elegant baldrick, embroidered with gold. A short cloak of black with his family's crest on it fell from his side, showing his status as a Spanish marquis. On his side draped a rapier nothing too fancy, and if you looked really close you could see the wear on it from hours of practice and use.

He stood there staring out into the middle of the field the sun beating down on his neck, the carriage driver behind him mending the wheel of the cart. As he looked around he started to laugh. “ha, it would be the day I was going to meet her.”

“What was that m’lord” the driver asked

“It was nothing,” the marquis said, “I am only pondering to what extent we will be tardy.”

“I do apologize m’lord, if it wasn’t for me you would be almost there by now.”

“Don’t let it bother you,” the marquis responded, “you are a good driver , and I have no real interest in meeting her anyway.”

“Really m’lord? But she is to be your wife”

“You may not know this but I have no interest in marrying at this moment in my life. When I can still be out there exploring this wonderful world.”

“But m’lord where would you go?”

“I have actually been thinking about that, I want to go to the America’s.” The marquis responded.

“But m’lord what of your family?”

“My brother could take care of them”

“But you are the oldest,” the driver stated desperately.

“Do not worry good sir, I understand the importance of my stature and what this marriage will mean to my family. I will not falter on what I have to do.”

As Marcus started to come to, he noticed the feeling of the sun beating upon him was still there. Groggy, he started to open his eyes. As he did a flash of sun hit him. Quicky he retreated back not wanting to get burnt. As he fully came to he realized that he had been laying in the sun for an untold amount of time, and he was not burnt.

Confused he stood up and slowly put his hand into the light. As his fingers entered the stream of light he quickly pulled back expecting it to hurt, but there was nothing. Again he extended his arm this time a little further and without pulling it back.

As his hand entered the stream of light coming from the basement window, he could feel the warmth of the sun. For the first time since his rebirth he had felt the sun. The warmth skipping across the skin, the feeling of subtle hope that started to build inside of him was something he had missed for so long. Of all the things he had given up, this was the most profound, and this was the one thing he had missed the most.

For the first time in over 200 years his eyes started to water. These were not tears of sorrow, or pity; no these were tears of joy. These tears of hope, there was something in these tears that he had thought he lost. These tears showed that a part of him was still human. He was not a monster.

As he stood there with the sunlight washing over him he opened his eyes. He notice he was still in the basement of his assailant. With a new found confidence he decided it was time to leave this place.

He started to make his way up the stair slowly moving so not to make a sound. As he reached to top of the stairs he peered out the door. There was a long hallway with two doors on one side and windows on the other. At the end of the hallway he could see his salvation, the front entrance to this house. He made his way down the hall swiftly, with not even a creak from the floor to alert anybody that might be listening.

  Moving from window to window with the sun bathing his body as he passed. Enjoying this sensation, not wanting it to ever stop.

As he reached the door he peered out the window into the open yard just beyond. Excitement started swelling up in him. He reached for the handle and turned it. He was going to escape.

As the door started to open the sun flooded in. When he moved to step outside the sun hit him. This was not the warm feeling he was just feeling, no this was the burning sensation that he was used to. Quickly he jumped back throwing the door shut. As he did he noticed that there were symbols scratched into the glass on the door.

When he turned around to go check the windows he heard somebody say. “Do you know it is not polite to leave without tell your host farewell?”

When he walked to where the voice was coming from he entered a dining room area. There was a medium sized table in the middle of the room. At one end there was the man from the night before sitting. He was eating a bowl of noodles. Calmly the man looked up from his bowl and gestured toward the chair at the other end of the table. “Sit I would like to speak with you.”

“Actually, I would rather stay standing.” Marcus replied.

“That wasn’t a request.” The man said, looking sternly at Marcus.

With that Marcus went ahead and set down in the chair. Trying to stay calm Marcus quickly asked, “Why are you keeping me here?”

“You look hungry, would you like something to eat.” The man said.

With a confused look on his face, Marcus asked, “Are you offering?”

With that the man said, “give me one moment.” He got up from the table and walked to the kitchen. A few moments later he came back carrying a bowl of noodles like the one he was eating. He placed the bowl in front of Marcus and said, “Eat.”

Marcus looked at the bowl for a moment. He looked up at the man with a confused look on his face saying, “Um, i can’t eat this.”

With an annoyed look on his face the man said, “For somebody that almost died last night you sure are picky.”

“It’s not that, I would love to eat this. Unfortunately my kind can only feed on blood.” Marcus quickly stated.

“Really? What would happen if you ate that?” The man said gesturing to the bowl.

“I would throw it up and it will make me weak.”

  “And what happens if you don’t get any blood?”

“Well in that case i will fall into a state of hibernation. And I would stay like that unless somebody gives me blood.”

“Wow, your kind really has become weak.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Marcus said, slightly insulted by somebody calling him weak.

“Well, at one time your kind could eat regular food. They could even go outside without being afraid of the sun.” The man stated.

“And how do you know this?”

“Simple, I was there.”

“Just who are you?”

The man smiled at him and then got up from the table saying, “Let me see what I can do to get you something proper to eat.”

Marcus just sit wondering what he should do. After a few moments that man came back into the room with a cup in his hands. He placed the cup in front of Marcus then walked back over to his chair. Marcus looked at the cup and noticed that it was full of blood. His hunger took him over and he downed the cup before he could even think.

The man chuckled at that and said, “I guess you really were hungry. Is it good?”

Brought back to reality by man's words, Marcus placed the cup on the table and looked up. He looked at the man carefully looking for a cut or any sign of a cut or wound, but there was none. Confused as to where the blood came from he asked the man, “If you don't mind me asking where did you get this?”

“There are a few things we need to talk about before I can tell you any of that.” The man said.

“Um, sure what is it?” Marcus said, feeling like his hands were tied.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“First you are to never go feed at one of those establishments again.” the man said. “If you do I will finish what I was doing last night.”

“Than how am I supposed to eat?”

“I will make sure that you have the blood you need.”

“Okay, what else?” Marcus said annoyed.

“Second, you will be helping me hunt down those gluttonous fools. So we can return the balance back to how it is suppose to be.”

“So you want me to help you kill off my own kind?”

“Yes, that is what I said”

“I’m not sure how much you know about us, but it goes against the contract if we kill each other.”

“And what will happen to you if you break this contract?”

“Well my sire told me those who break the contract are judged by Exitium Mor Mortium.”

“Really so this Exitium will find anyone that breaks the contract and judge them?”

“That is what I was told.”

“And how can this individual existence judge all of your kind?”

“I, um, I really don’t know. Even for my kind that is something I can’t imagine.” .

“What all does this contract state that you cannot do?”

“Um, let’s see. We are to control ourselves when we feed and also when we sire the next generation. We are to respect those of our kind who came before us. Always stay hidden. And never kill each other.”

“To me that sound more like a code of conduct than a contract.”

“Well we get to live forever if we follow it. So it is a kind of contract.”

“So you are saying you will lose your immortality if you don’t follow it?”

“No, I don’t think we will lose it. We just have to agree to it that’s all. And if we break it we will be judged by Exitium.”

“Hmm, see the issue I am having is that I remember a different contract.”

“A different contract?" At those words Marcus looked at his captor waiting for him to continue.

“The contract I remember is one that was made to make sure that war would never happen again between the families.” The man stated.

“What are you talking about between the families?” Marcus inquired. Suddenly looking looking as if he realized something, he looked at the man. “And on top of all this, why am I even telling you! I don’t know who you are.”

With that the man smiled. “I will tell you who I am in a minute, but first let me tell you the contract I remember.” With that the man leaned back and settled into his chair a bit. “This is a story from a long, long time ago. One it seems your kind has long forgotten.”

  In a dark room carved from a cave sat a man. There was a stone slab in the middle of the room and another stone slab against the far wall. This stone slab was about four and a half cubits in length about two cubits in width. It was raised on three sides of it. It had little carvings of people carved into the side of it. The carvings looked as if the people in it were struggling over some unknown item. Cushions filled the inside of it. As he sat there with his eyes closed he would occasionally reach over to grab some fruit off the slab in front of him. While he was sitting there he heard a familiar voice. “Is it ok if I enter?”

“You know you are always welcome here.”

At that moment a man in his mid-thirties entered the room. His black hair draping down past his shoulders. His skin was bronze and eyes that showed a pain that could suck anybody into it. Looking around the room, he said, “For somebody living in exile you sure are living comfortable.”

“Nobody want to be uncomfortable. But I still miss the outside.” The young man said with a look of longing in his eyes.

“Well maybe I can change that for you.”

“What do you mean?”

The man smiled and made his way over to a cushion. “What if I told you that I may have a way for you to leave here?”

“And what would that change.”

“It could change a lot; they want to meet with you.”

“Why would they want to meet with me I’m the exiled one, remember.” He stated with a look of disgust on his face.

“I am sorry for everything that has happened to you but please hear them out. You might find that this can be very beneficial to you.”

“Ok, I will hear them out but if I don’t like what they say you cannot blame me for being rude.”

With a smile on his face the older man said, “that I cannot.”

With a nod he turned around and left the room. Several moments later seven people wearing dark cloaks enter the room. Of the seven only the man from earlier had his head uncovered.

As they entered the rest uncovered their heads. As they uncovered including the first man there was four men and three women. As they stood there one of the women stepped forward. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had silver hair and dark blue eyes. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then said. “We are requesting your help.”

“Why should I?” the young man inquired.

“Because you are one of us.”

“Really, I am one of you? This is what you do to one of your own? Cast them out, make them feel different?” The man said getting louder and louder ending in almost a shout “Also I warned you this would happen. You refused to listen to me. So you called this upon yourself.”

“Aya, what is he talking about?” One of the men standing behind her asked.

“It does not matter.” She said back quickly.

“No, I think it does.” One of the women stepped forward this time.

“Geshtu has a right to know, actually we all have a right to know.”

“Wer even you?” Aya snarled.

“Aya, you are the oldest I will give you that, but we all are equal.” Geshtu stated, “If you have information we need to know.”

“Ah I see.” The man said as he stood up, “So my banishment and everything that followed was her doing alone. And here I thought all of you hated me, Shala of course I exclude you from that statement.” Looking at the first man that entered. He started pacing back and forth as if he was thinking on what he should do.

“We have no other choice we can take.” The one known as Geshtu said as he fell to his knees, “We all have come here because we have tried everything else. Please help us.” As he said that he bowed his head to the

floor. At that all the others, except Shala, fell and copied him in a plea for help.

“Get up, I never said I wouldn’t help you.” The young man said exasperated.

“So you are going to help us?” Geshtu said as he stood up.

“I will, but my help comes with a cost.” The man said firmly, finally coming to a stop in front of the group.

“Name your terms.” Geshtu said with the rest of them agreeing.

“First the families must go to sleep. That way this will never happen again.”

“But if all the families go to sleep we will lose the governing power of the utuku.” Geshtu said taking the lead position in the negotiations.

“Ok, then only one family will be awake then.” The young man said, sounding a little annoyed.

“Would it be ok if the families change out every so often?”

“I don’t care as long as they are not all awake. I will leave it to you to figure out the details.”

“Ok I believe we can agree to that.”

“Alright for my second condition. Utuku are not allowed to get too powerful again. They are not allowed to control too much land.”

“That sounds reasonable. What is the penalty if they break these rules?”

“Hmm, Neti Do you know of any runes that I could use to destroy their energy?” The man asked the shortest woman in the group.

With a smile she answered “I actually have something better than just destroying them.”

“Really and what would that be?”

“Simple you absorb their energy into yourself, making it your own.”

“Can you teach it to me?”

“I can.”

“Ok then, if they break the rules I will take all their energy from them.” The man stated to the group.

“Ok then that concludes our business. Please come with us so we can resolve everything.” Geshtu stated.

As the group turned to leave the young man said one last thing. “If they get too large in numbers I will destroy as many as needed to return things back to how they need to be. I will not allow something like this to happen again.”

At that Geshtu truly believed he could destroy them all if he so desired to. “If you see the need to then you are more than welcome to.” With that they started to leave.

The young man turned to look back at the place he had been living for so many years. The carving in the walls. The stone slab he spent countless hours setting at and pondering anything he could. The ceiling that told stories of the life of the day. Images of life, growth, and war. All of this that he carved by hand. Investing his heart into making. Releasing a final breath knowing he will never return to this place. His prison, his punishment, his home. He finally turns to follow the others.

“See, like I said before, the contract I remembered was slightly different than yours to say the least.”

With that Marcus was astounded. Who was this man for him to know these things? A part of him didn’t want to believe him but he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that knew this person was speaking the truth. And on top of it all the way he told the story was as if he was there and witnessed it.

The hardest part for Marcus was that if this man was speaking the truth then why was he living his life the way he did? He was careful to keep himself in control. Not to feed too much or to kill those that he fed from. Everything he did in life was to make sure he didn’t break the contract, but this man was now telling him everything he knew about the contract was in fact wrong.

Marcus sat there in silence for a while before looking up. “So you’re telling me everything about the contract is fake? There is no exitium that will kill those who break it?”

The man chuckled, “ there is an individual known by Exitium, but he is not so bored to go around killing every nightwalker that acts out of line. No, what he does is not focused on the individual but more on the entire race. When your kind grows to plentiful he,” he paused as if searching for the right words, “thins the number so to say.”