The Vampire and The Idiot

Behind Blue Eyes

The night sky was filled with dark gray clouds, while the rain poured heavily. An occasional thunder was heard once in a while. Its' loud and powerful presence can make anyone flinch or cower in fear.

Mariano walked in the streets with an empty gaze. His whole body was soaked, as the heavy rain poured over him. He was almost numb to the clap of thunder that was heard in the distance.

His mind was too clouded to even notice the state that he was in. He welcomed the darkness and cold. Somehow, he found comfort and calmness in it. Whatever brought people fear, he found peacefulness in it. He was so used to the darkness and rain clouds that seem to follow him wherever he goes.

 Suddenly, memories of his past flashed before his eyes as a clap of thunder was heard in the heavens. Every good or bad memory, he remembered it all. Each of his victims' eyes, each screw-up and beat up he received, he can see the images vividly in his eyes. The way he inflicted pain to the innocent, just like how people inflicted pain on him. Mariano remembered the thrill and the love of ending a spark behind a person's eyes.

No one loved him and anyone who knew him - feared him. They saw him as a monster that has no soul or heart. Human or not, he was a man with no morals nor rules. For that, he never had anyone in his life. His parents gave him up for adoption, and the people who adopted him hurt him, to the point where he almost died, if he didn't escape, he would've died. From then on, he had hatred in his heart, pushing away the ones who tried to get close to him and lived bitter and angry at the world.  

There were only two people who lasted long enough for him to actually respond to their love. One was Xerxes, he was the one who practically raised Mariano and gave all he could to provide their food and shelter when they roamed the streets each day, like rats. They were truly like brothers and he will always be grateful to have someone like Xerxes.

The second was Eliza.

The story he told Thalia was something he made up. The truth was Eliza was still alive but unfortunately, he had to erase her memory of him. He remembered meeting her for the first time, he was still a human back then. Hopelessly in love with the princess of Venice, like every boy in their small city.

Unlike them, Mariano approached the woman and proclaimed his love for the girl. To his surprise, the girl liked him back. He knew he wasn't ugly, he might be homeless, but he was called handsome by some women who took time to notice the ragged beggar.

Many courted the beautiful princess of Venice, but out of all her suitors, she found herself admiring Mariano the most. With nothing to give her, Mariano showed her his love by writing love letters and singing songs for her. Not long after, they fell in love but like every love story of a rich girl and poor boy, their love was put to end by her father.

Feeling angered by this, Mariano proposed marriage to Eliza and told her to elope with him but Eliza didn't want to leave the lavish life that she had and wanted their relationship to stay as it is. Mariano felt betrayed and left her that night with the world on his shoulders.

When he came back for her, he found out from a servant that he and Eliza trusted - that Eliza had already left Venice to be married off to the Duke of Switzerland and she voluntarily agreed to the marriage.

That was the day he knew everything will never be the same for him.

Mariano started becoming the beggar they really saw him as. Robbing people and stores from left to right, initiating fights and becoming alcoholic. When Xerxes tried stopping him, they would always end up in a fight and he will walk out on him. Until one night when he got really drunk, he stumbled on an alley and saw a man and a struggling woman. The woman was screaming her head off, while the man kissed her neck or that was what he thought.

Until the woman laid dead on the floor with blood running down the man's chin and clothing. Mariano tried to get away but the man got to him first before he could leave. Mariano remembered trying to get away from the man, but the man was too strong for his frail body. Just like the woman, he was drained by the man with his sharp teeth and left him to die there on the dirty alleyway.

The next morning, he woke up with a new feeling in his body. At first, he thought he died but once he felt the pain in his neck, he knew that he was still alive.

Then a man came inside of the room and introduced himself as Luciano and the one who saved him from death. Luciano was kind and was good to him and Xerxes. He gave them a roof over their heads and food for their stomachs. Ever since then, he saw Luciano as the father he never had and looked up to him. 

If he only knew that it was the start of something that will forever ruin his life, he would've just stayed dead.

A few decades later, he also found out Eliza to be turned by the Duke himself and was so different from the last time they saw each other. She was turned into a monster with a raging lust to kill and feed. If Luciano met her first, Mariano was sure that the two will fall in love so easily but then again, he doubted it, for the two of them never felt any emotions - unlike him.

Being a half vampire and a half human, was something he was always grateful for. When he was accidentally turned by the careless vampire in the alley, he forgot to kill Mariano. Thus, making the venom eat his human blood slowly and painfully, but Luciano somehow saved half of his humanity and turned him to what he was today.

Although, many nights he wished he didn't. Many times Mariano wished to turn back time and just stop himself from ever loving Eliza or be that monster. Unfortunately, he can't and will forever suffer the consequences of his mistakes.

With a lot of thoughts in his mind, he found himself in front of Adriano's house. The rain had already stopped, leaving a cold breeze in the air and the smell of wet pavement. He walked to his friend's door and knocked.

Frantic voices were heard inside but Mariano was too dazed out at that moment that he couldn't make out what they were saying clearly. Suddenly, the door opened and relief washed his eyes once he saw Johnson, Adriano, and Sylvester behind the door.

"Mariano?" Johnson asked shocked, and Mariano smiled.

"Yes."

"Thank God you're okay!" Johnson hugged his friend and Mariano patted his back, Adriano also pats him in the back.

Mariano walked inside and saw the house was still the same as they left it. They walked into the living room to see Xerxes and Micah sitting on the couch with mixed expressions on their faces, just like Johnson and Sylvester earlier. He frowned in confusion, shouldn't they be happy that everyone is safe?

"What's wrong?" Mariano asked.

Johnson looked at his friend with an indifferent stare and everyone was silent.

"Thalia's missing."

"What!" Mariano roared, making everyone in the room flinch.