Kirian

Mysterious but beloved by everyone who meets him, Kirian is a vampire who disguises himself as a normal human. Thanks to his magic-infused brooch, he is able to walk in sunlight and repress his bloodthirsty urges. Although a social person, Kirian mostly spends his time in solitude because he doesn't want to bring innocent humans into his dangerous life.

Despite being a vampire himself, Kirian is a vampire hunter. He was unwillfully turned into a vampire a long time ago and doesn't want anyone else to suffer the way he has. He wants to kill every vampire that exists, especially the one who ruined his life to begin with.

However, things get complicated when Kirian becomes a target for another vampire hunter.

“Ah, it seems to be in reverse. Fret not, lad. Oh… you’re a man of God and don’t believe in fortunes?” The tarot card reader laughed. “Very well, but it’s not all bad.” Kirian didn’t want to hear it, but the man pressed on. “Your future will be filled with misfortune, but the wheel represents the ever-changing cycles of life. After all it is darkest just before the dawn.”

***

As he locked eyes with the vampire hunter—Kirian felt his heart sink deep into his chest. It was an amalgamation of emotions really: awe at seeing so much of Isabel in the young man’s features; terror at the hand fate had dealt them; and agonizing woe at the thought of what could have been had she never perished in his arms. Sometimes fate could be exceptionally cruel.

Kirian remained rooted to the spot, his eyes taking in Isaiah’s every feature.

The young man had the same soulful blue eyes, the same moon-touched hair, the same facial structure even…the resemblance was utterly striking, but the vampire hunter’s features were twisted into an expression of pure hatred, something the vampire had never seen on his sweet Isabel’s face.

Kirian had weathered many storms in life, but at that moment, his heart shattered in his chest—and for an acute and fleeting instance—he wished the shards of his broken heart would embed themselves into the soft tissue within his ribcage, kill him from the inside and put an end to centuries of regret and loneliness.

The vampire didn’t know if he would ever recover.

It all started with Aurora.

***

1500’s

Life had never been easy for Kirian Emsworth.

Kirian was born in the 1500’s to a family that had absolutely nothing. He’d never met his parents—they’d died shortly after his birth when an unnamed plague swept through the country like wildfire. However, from what he’d heard from the matrons and nuns that ran the dingy orphanage he called home, they were dirt poor and barely had a bronze coin to their names.

The boy’s father toiled away endlessly in a sugar plantation owned by a cruel nobleman, while his mother wandered the streets begging for coin and food. They were young and poor, and Kirian was an extra burden they simply couldn’t manage to bear, so they left him in a basket outside the orphanage doors and the rest was history.

Kirian spent his formative years surrounded by the nuns of the Catholic Church, and would often see them tending to the injured and forsaken. Even at a young age, he was attentive enough to hone in on the details of conversations—hushed whispers in the dead of night long after the children had supposedly gone to bed.

A new age was upon them: an age of ghouls and monsters.

Vampires and demons roamed the street, killing and feasting on humans as they pleased simply because they could. They were stronger and faster, and took advantage of this—turning humans (especially those who resided within the poorer areas) into nothing more than meals to appease their ravenous appetites.

People went missing in droves, and the orphanage (in conjunction with the local chapel) served as somewhat of a safe haven for those who’d lost loved ones, or those who’d escaped the clutches of the vampires and lived to tell the tale.

Vampire hunters would occasionally stop by to spend the night, and growing up, Kirian began to idolize the brave men and women who gave their lives for such a divine cause. Once he came of age, Kirian swore his own oath to the Catholic Church and promised to devote himself and his life to such a holy cause.

The young man was a hard worker—assertive in the line of duty but sociable when he wasn’t tracking down resident ghouls or vampires. He was an amicable young man, a person who seemed to radiate a natural warmth. Kirian was easy to like, and as a result, had many friends in multiple places. He was beloved by his co-workers and the public alike, and soon enough, his personality won him the affections of a vampire named Aurora.

Kirian turned Aurora down time and time again, but she persisted.

It wasn’t difficult to see that the young man’s heart belonged to another—a sweet priestess by the name of Isabel. She was a devout believer, a kind young woman who’d dedicated her life and her talents to the church. There was just something about her that felt so warm and accepting. It was difficult for Kirian to fathom at first, but when he was with her, he felt so much lighter—felt the burdens temporarily ease off his weary shoulders.

Isabel was the closest thing to home he’d ever had, and the young man cherished each waking moment he spent with her. It was clear to everyone, Kirian had fallen head-over-heels for the priestess.

Unfortunately, Aurora noticed too.

The vampire burned with jealousy and came up with a dastardly plot to end the priestess’ life, but before she could act out her plan, fate had something else in store for them all.

Kirian fell extremely ill and apothecaries and doctors alike all uttered the same thing: there was nothing they could do besides pray and seek divine intervention. He deteriorated before everyone’s eyes, but before death could claim him, Aurora broke into his home in the dead of night (and against his will) turned him into the very thing he swore to eradicate.

Kirian turned and fled from his home, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake.

People in the area began to go missing once more, and it didn’t take long for the town to realize that the beloved vampire hunter had turned. It was devastating news, but the townsfolk came together and decided to hunt Kirian down and put an end to his misery.

It didn’t take long for the news to reach Isabel.

One evening she overheard the nuns and priests lamenting Kirian’s fate. Heartbroken but not hopeless, Isabel decided to take matters into her own hands. She acquired a blessed gemstone, and at nightfall, made her way to the area that Kirian seemed to frequent. It took multiple nights, but eventually, she found him hunched on all fours in an alleyway like an animal.

There wasn’t a sliver of recognition in Kirian’s eyes. He attacked her on sight, effortlessly knocking her to the ground and burying his fangs into the tender flesh of her neck. Fatally wounded, Isabel pressed the gemstone against his heart in one last act of selflessness.

Recognition flickered in Kirian’s eyes.

Shortly after, the recognition shifted into realization then terror—he had fatally injured the love of his life, and neither action nor prayer would be enough to save her.

Kirian knew it. Isabel knew it—but she smiled up at him all the same.

The young man begged her to stay with him, but he’d slain enough monsters to know that she’d lost far too much blood. Kirian did the only thing he could do and held her tightly as she bled out and passed away in his arms.

Kirian wept until his chest felt as if would cave in under the intensity of his sobs. He would never be whole again, and in the midst of his turmoil, he uttered a vow to vanquish the vampires.

It all started with her…

It was all because of her.

***

1800’s

The life of an immortal was a lonely one, and while the years helped numb the once overwhelming pain, Kirian still missed Isabel deeply.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, she’d visit him in his dreams—and he’d awaken, heartbroken, an all too familiar guilt bubbling up in his chest.

Everyone he used to know had long since passed and Kirian, while still his likable and endearing self, kept his distance from most humans. His life was both messy and violent, and the last thing he wanted was to grow attached and endanger the ones he held dear.

At the end of the day, he would only bring them suffering and grief. In the rare circumstance that he didn’t, he would have to watch them grow old and die while he remained tethered to the mortal plane.

Kirian spent his days masquerading as a human, while he spent his nights slaying vampires. The vampire had made a name for himself in the darkened corners of vampire society, feared and revered by vampires who referred to him as “The Duke.”

Every day was nothing more than an atonement for his past sins and failings.

However, one day, things changed when his identity was revealed to the church. A skilled vampire hunter by the name of Isaiah was tasked to eliminate him.

Kirian had long since sworn to never hurt a human again, so when news of the vampire hunter reached him, he went into hiding. Isaiah however was persistent, and after what felt like an endless game of cat and mouse, the two finally met each other face to face.

Their meeting rooted him in place—the cogs and gears in his head spinning to try and make sense of what was happening. After centuries, he’d never forgotten her face…

Isabel.

***

Bio written by Foxofspades