Written by **EYRAM**
In the small town known as Ravensville, shrouded in mystery, a thick fog loomed over its skies all year round, and though small, it had the best technology and an abundance of facilities. Yet it was unknown to the general populace.
Maybe those conditions were what made it the meeting place for two unlikely individuals, Anne Starweaver, a high school student with the warmest pair of blue eyes and the glossiest strawberry blonde hair to go with it, accentuated by her smooth, rosy skin, giving off an innocent reverie to anyone who gazed upon her.
And Jack Blackwood, or at least he was known as, was notorious for his aggressive nature, with deathly pale skin, icy blue eyes that pierced into the soul of those who gazed upon them, and jet-black hair, a sharp contrast to his skin that overall made everyone who looked at him shudder.
Yet Anne saw beyond his cruel visage, the searching soul who did not know how to interact with others, and approached him. Despite his aloof nature, she was always ever so friendly, and he perceived her to be very innocent, and this paved the way for feelings of love to begin to develop.
Fresh out of high school they got married, at first everything seemed ever so normal, but then Anne noticed his inhumane strength, how he could carry the heaviest things, some of which were even more so than his whole body, How he could traverse the longest distances in such a short time to be with her every time she really needed him, how he never seemed to sleep or feel tired regardless of all the stress they went through. He was a vampire.
She confronted him with her uncertainties, expecting him to brush it off as a joke and give a more reasonable explanation, but he told her he was, without any hesitation, but she still looked at him the same way he looked at her and asked.
"Are you not even a little bit scared?"
"You've been a vampire all this time, and I'm still sitting here. Has anything changed?"
They were young and in love, so as long as they were together, the world did not matter. Their connection got deeper, and soon Anne found out she was pregnant. Jack was in a state of disarray, not knowing the consequences of cross-breeding between their races; moreover, they were both teenagers at the time in their freshman year at the university.
What many vampires had failed at -conceiving a half-human, half-vampire child, a crossbreed between vampires and their dependents, humans. A dhampir- they succeeded, their child was the very first of their kind, the very first DHAMPHIR.
One day, Jack went on a long journey -leaving Anne in their huge mansion- to a faraway land located off the human radar, the Vampire Settlement, where the 8 main vampire castles and several auxiliary ones dwelled.
He went on to his own castle, where the Envy vampires dwelled, and went through their data collection only to find out -What exactly was a Dhampir? -
A creature neither belonging to the Day nor night but in-between, characterized by bright solid colors such as red, yellow, or violet highlights in their eyes, hair, or even skin, depending on raw active power exerted, said to be without weakness but with all the strengths of a Vampire.
No real Dhampir has existed; they were nothing more than a fantasy, even for Vampires, but some experimentation was conducted while Greed vampires led the dark legacy, a governing body for vampires that mutated some humans, turning them into incomplete dhampirs.
These incomplete Dhampirs were the perfect counter to vampires like the legends stated, but rumor has it that a true, complete Dhampir is capable of destroying the immaculate balance between creatures of the day and night, light and dark, or, in other words, good and bad.
After returning home, Jack ultimately decided not to disclose his findings. After a month, Anne looked visibly strained; moreover, unusually, her belly looked like it was half-term through the pregnancy. Her body was even failing. Jack could not bear to witness her in that condition and left to seek the aid of his old-time friend Gus Gluttony -famed for his formidable power to disempower enemies and empower allies- to empower Anne in her time of need.
Gus gave an abundance of power to Anne, but put a condition stating that as long as by the time the keepers of light, a "human" based organization against vampires, strike, he would take it back. At that time, the vampires would need all the strength they could get their hands on.
The power that Gus Gluttony bestowed upon Anne was a temporary lifeline, allowing her to regain health and vitality. However, once the keepers of light struck and he reclaimed his gift, she would face the harsh reality of her weakened body—one that had been pushed beyond its limits.
Without his strength, she would be vulnerable, mustering the persistent pain of childbirth while battling both the elements and the physical toll it had taken on her. The return to her natural state would thrust her into an uncertain fate, endangering not only her life but that of her unborn child.
Not too long after Anne was back in temporary good health, A violent storm broke out outside campus while she went out to view an eclipse from a mountain range nearby.
And with it, her water broke, only a little over a month into her pregnancy. Soon, strong winds surrounded her. Anne wailed in pain, a high-pitched sound that overshadowed the deafening sound of thunder, followed by blinding flashes of lightning casting eerie shadows in its wake.
And just as she attempted to leave, a large tree fell, blocking her trajectory. Anne felt what she could only describe as the embodiment of pain itself in the truest sense; her insides felt twisted, and she had absolutely zero mobility. She wanted to end the pain with everything within her body and outwards.
It was absolutely unbearable. Before she knew it, her screams got so loud, her vocal cords began to hurt.
Just when she felt as though she would die at any moment, she heard a small cry, the cry of a child. At first, even nature was against her very existence, but now the feeling within her, motherhood, made all that pain worth it.
She carried her baby girl in her arms only to feel another pain, like there was another one, and in the midst of the eclipse, she had twin girls, then subsequently, the storm also settled.