Fate's path for all of God's creations is like two opposites fused into a single union. Each being holds within them both the light of life and the seeds of their own destruction, with only a faint percentage granted the chance to endure. This world is not purely white, blackness will claim it wholly should the spark of resolve ever dim.
In a human life, a mother is meant to be the sun which never fading for her child. And even if that sun dims, Thalia must become the moon, not as bright, but still able to light the darkness of night.
If Elric were human, perhaps Thalia could accept him. No, since the beginning, Thalia had merely condensed the selfishness of her own heart.
Thalia let out a long sigh, releasing air that felt like it carried a thousand fine needles. Her eyes lifted to the starlit sky, dark blue and scattered with glittering specks until a soft snore pulled her attention away. Elric was fast asleep on her lap. Thalia's hand reached out to gently brush his hair, though a moment later strands were caught between her fingers as she gripped tightly.
"I hate you."
Thalia loosened her grasp, her eyes settling on Elric with hollow emptiness, unaware that the lids concealing those blood-red eyes had fluttered open.
"You're still so immature!"
Theo's voice echoed like a maddening fragment of memory. This journey into maturity had never been Thalia's wish.
What is the true meaning of maturity?
Each human will interpret a single word or phrase in their own way. Even poison has a place in life, just as joy can become a snare when the vessel meant to hold light cracks and shatters.
"Don't disappoint me!"
Thalia's back leaned against the wall, seeking to ease her weariness, "It's always like that with you, isn't it?"
The brilliance of stars began to fall, one by one, while the dark blue hue faded with the sun's rotation, ushering in dawn. The night breeze exhaled its final chill, and the first light of morning stretched out, rousing every creature across this slice of the world.
Warmth and hope will follow those who carry them.
Elric opened his eyes, unfazed by the sunlight piercing his pupils. A hand tousled his pitch-black hair, "It's hurt."
The thick blanket was tossed aside as his small feet hit the floor, stomping with each step. The door creaked open and Elric approached Alaric, who was still immersed in the documents scattered across his desk. Luke greeted him with a courteous bow.
"Father."
Alaric spared him a single glance before returning to his writing. Elric gave his father's ankle a rough nudge, frowning when he was ignored.
"Father, I'm upset."
Alaric merely cleared his throat. Elric planted both hands on his hips, "Mama grabbed my hair in her sleep!"
The flow of ink paused as Alaric's hand froze mid-stroke, a drop of black bleeding onto the page, "Why?"
Elric folded his arms across his chest and looked away, "Mama said she hated me."
"Oh."
Alaric rested his chin on the back of his hand, eyes sharp as they fixed on the door, though his ears still caught Elric's words.
"Are you even listening, Father?"
Alaric touched Elric's forehead, prompting the boy to pout and cover the spot.
"Your mother hated you long before you were born."
Ah, that was not something a father ought to say. But Alaric wasn't human so perhaps "father" never truly fit him. Elric drooped at the words and hugged Alaric's leg.
"But it's your fault anyway!"
Elric's voice rose in a childish burst of defiance. In return, Alaric pressed his finger harder into Elric's forehead, making the boy stumble back slightly.
"Your grandfather."
Elric let out a soft sob, his whimpering rising until it echoed like a loudspeaker in a great hall. Alaric remained silent, indifferent to the outburst of frustration.
"Huwaaa!"
The commotion subsided when Elric's lesson time arrived, calming him despite a few lingering sniffles as he shuffled toward the study. Alaric watched the small figure vanish behind the door.
"Humans are troublesome, aren't they?"
Luke responded calmly, "Didn't Lord Alaric marry Lady Thalia for her blood?"
Alaric signed his name in a flourish of ink and passed the document to Luke.
"That was the first reason."
Luke glanced toward the door, as if Elric's presence still lingered.
"A dhampir born of blood's union… truly fascinating."
Alaric said nothing. His dark red eyes glowed faintly in the dim light. Luke bowed slightly, then exited, pausing before a grand framed painting depicting Alaric and Thalia in their wedding attire.
"Well, I suppose it had to be this way."
No curve of a smile marked that sacred vow. Only eyes meeting the painter's lens, and two beings who formed the focus of the piece. Footsteps echoed as Luke walked away from the canvas that seemed to whisper silent truths.
Beyond the wall of time, Elric sat bathed in boredom as his tutor recited arithmetic—meant to mold character and build capability.
The sound of palms clapping together filled the room as the wooden puzzle clicked into place, though Elric's eyes stared listlessly.
"You're very clever just like your father. Of course, I'd never compare your status to Lord's Wife."
Not "Lady Thalia," but "Lord's Wife."
Elric's expression did not change as his tutor spoke ill of Thalia.
"But Mama tastes good."
That simple sentence made the tutor falter make she had once secretly taken Thalia's blood.
Sometimes, vampires are weak to wordplay especially when it's tied to blood.
That night, the scent of blood hung in the air like perfume, and its stains painted the floor like drops of fine art. Elric stared at his blood-soaked tutor, fallen by the sharpness of a blade and Alaric's own blood.
Not all doors need to be opened some stay locked for a reason, even if a treasure chest lies behind them.
"So there are rats playing vampire too, huh?"
Alaric looked down at the tutor with an expressionless gaze, his hand pointed toward her mouth. Every drop brought fresh agony to her soul.
"Mama."
Elric's cheerful voice rang out as he saw Thalia standing in the doorway, pale and afraid. In her eyes danced the reflection of Alaric's blood destroying the tutor's spirit. Thalia choked, clutching her own throat as she remembered drinking Alaric's blood.
"Don't worry. It's only poisonous if I allow it."
Elric hugged Thalia and spoke with childlike wonder, as if describing an impressive show. Thalia ignored him, stepping toward Alaric earning a frown from Elric. The tutor's body crumbled into a fine dust.
Thalia grabbed Alaric's collar tightly, "Tell me, can blood still be poisonous even after the first time you not allowed it?"
Alaric smiled darkly with his glowing eyes illuminated by moonlight and stars woven into the night's embrace.
"Of course, Thalia."