I let myself be carried out the room and rematerialized next to the father's body. I opened my mouth and plunged my teeth into my wrist. However, nothing happened. Mist once again appeared. I couldn’t harm myself.

“Fucking hell! How many obstacles need I face before a single thing goes my way?” I ran back to the child. It did not cry; regardless, the ladies held the baby with unmatched care and love. Their worried eyes trembled but did not falter.

With prudence in my step, I walked to the ladies. They cast down their eyes. A few steps later I stood above them, the sword’s broken tip hovered above their feet. The women turned, showing me their backs.

Although the intention to give up their lives before that of the baby's was noble, I didn’t care much for their backs; but didn’t the father speak before stabbing mine. And didn’t I understand his words? Perhaps they could also understand my words. Trying wouldn’t hurt. “I’m not going to harm the child. I just want it to breathe on this blade.”

The pair didn’t move. “Leave monster,” one muttered.

Did I not look like a child? One slightly drenched in blood granted, but still a child. Hopefully, that hadn’t changed. I’d take being a child before becoming a beast of decayed blood and grey flesh any day.

“Look, I don’t have a choice. I can kill the both of you either way. Just let me test something and I will let you all live.” I crouched down and patted one of their backs. “I’m sorry for what happened but it’s beyond my control. I didn’t wish to kill him.” They didn’t respond.

If the diplomatic approach didn’t work, then I could think of but one other solution. “Please don’t make me do this.” I raised the sword up high, the air swooshed about. “I just want to test something inconsequential to your safety.”

“We would rather die with the young princess than to let you kill her in front of our eyes, even if it is in exchange for our lives.”

So, the baby was a princess. That would be a useful bargaining chip if the world hadn't come to an end. However, now without the institutions to support such a claim she was no different than any other child. Granted, she seemed to have magic which would make her the most valuable human on this earth. A value which could not be matched with gold, blades, nor kingdoms.

I let the flat side of the blade fall on one of their heads. I raised my sword once again, “This is your…”

Red. Red. Blood. No, why was its colour so vivid? Why was the smell so strong? Scarlet neon ran down the side of the unconscious lady’s head. I jumped down and drank her blood. It was rather sweet, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Steps, rocks clamoured, and an increasing heartbeat came from behind me. I turned; the lady ran away with the child. I would come back for the meal. I transformed into a bat and flew with consistent, quick, and powerful flaps. Air pushed against my body, telling me not to go so fast; however, it wasn’t enough to let them run away. I plunged my teeth in the lady’s neck. When I pulled them out, blood painted the cavern wall red. I reached out and caught the baby. The baby’s eyes were a dark brown, and her brown skin sparkled. Mana emanated not only from her breath but also her skin. I walked back to the sword, held it under her nose and cut my finger. Blood flowed. Although I wanted to test this on someone else first, a pulse in my heart told me that the first to drink my blood would hold a special place in this new world. Or perhaps I wanted to get over with it. And if anyone should have my blood it was this baby, not some corpse which tried to kill me. I brought my finger above the baby’s mouth. Blood dripped down into her mouth. I spoke the words which felt right “You are now my child; Amara is to be your name. The first true vampire of this era and…” I needed to think of a title. Since I was a patriarch, the obvious choice would be to give her the title of archbishop; however, I had never been a fan of the church. And the old patriarch told me to create a kingdom not a church. As such, “You are now my child, Amara is to be your name. The first true vampire of this era and the Queen of all vampires.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Blood continued to flow into her mouth. Her eyes turned from the previous dark brown into a deep violet and the mana which flowed out of her nose and skin turned purple. Her faint heartbeat grew ten times as strong and clear. I could no doubt feel her presence from a kilometre away.

However, her clear skin started to crack and wrinkle. She started to cry, and her outstretched arms contracted under the strain of hardened skin. She rolled up into a ball. Her lips, no longer pink became a muddy grey and her iris’s became red. I placed her next to the corpse of the lady. Her arms which struggled to reach out grabbed onto the lady’s neck with such force it ripped into the lady’s skin. The remaining blood bathed Amara as she sank her teeth into the neck and drank enough blood to give life to her skin once more.

While she took her time drinking blood, I flew to the other lady and drank with gusto before I rushed to the father of the child. His body, although shrivelled was still there. I rolled him over, crouched down and let the blood which still flowed enter his mouth. Nothing happened. I gave it another five, it was for nought. This was awfully boring, and here I expected to make a private army of undead. Well, I guess I wasn’t reincarnated as a lich but a vampire, so it was fair enough.

I looked down to my finger which still leaked blood. I licked it, although stupid I wondered if it would help it coagulate. However, nothing of the sort occurred. Still, I didn’t want to fully heal it just yet. I walked over to Amara and waited for her to finish her meal. Fifteen minutes later, when she let go of the lady’s neck and fell to her side, I walked up to her. “How was it?” I asked.

She burped and closed her eyes. I’m glad I didn’t take an adult as my first vampire. The crisis they would go through would be a great hassle. Here, Amara happily drank the blood before sleeping with great solace.

I brought the blade down to her nose and let her breathe on it. The mist she exhaled had become ten times as dense and formed great spirals in the air. It coated the blade in a dark mist of purple mana. However, this could present a great pain to me. Well, two potential pains. If her mana could still harm me, I had brought to life a potential revenge plot. But then, if her mana couldn’t harm me, I wouldn’t be able to create more vampires, were I to heal my wound.

I retracted the blade. It had bathed in her mana long enough.

The blade rested on my other pinky. I closed my eyes and slid the iron with great force. My heart throbbed and my eyes couldn’t reopen. I stayed there feeling. Feeling the results, however, I couldn’t even feel anything from the pinky I knew was currently leaking blood. I had no pain receptors, or the wound hadn’t reached the necessary pain threshold to activate them.

I opened my eyes like one did after a long night’s rest which was the result of a great sickness. My pinky was neither mist nor blood.