The Voice of Eros

You have heard of the story of Dorian Gray. A fascinating tale of immortality and immorality, but nothing that ever seemed believable. That was until, in your studies of art within the Duke's household, you discovered some pages of a diary that once belonged to a "Basil Hallward". This was the first step on a journey of investigation into the world of mysticism, magic, and art. Piece by difficult piece, you track down fragments of truth behind the legend of Dorian Gray, until one day a notion crosses your mind; "What if Dorian's was not the only portrait? What if the artist had a portrait of their own? What would that immortal creature be doing now?" This idle fancy was an idea that you just couldn't get out of your head, and when you heard of an illusive and secretive art dealer who seemed to be a new face, but had the confidence and knowledge of a seasoned professional, you decided to arrange a meeting...

Safety comes in the form of a comfortable bed in an old manor house. Lucas' house. You wake late afternoon, and are informed by the attendants of the house that Mr Nobel had watched over you night after night during your recovery. Not recalling much, you assumed that you must have slept away the majority of it. Inspecting your body, you are impressed by how quickly you have healed. The vampiric blood that you have consumed has sped the healing process exponentially. That said, the memories of your experience still remain. When you close your eyes, you see your tormentors; you relive that which you persevered through. Is this really the world you want to wrap yourself in? Is the danger that you have experienced worth the immersion in this vampiric world? There is a knock at the bedroom door...

You travel with the creature, Edgar, for a few weeks, attempting to avoid large cities and towns. Sticking to the places that are always the last to hear any news. The plan is always the same; Edgar waits in the nearest wilderness whilst you travel ingot town and barter where possible, or taking overnight guard for livestock so the creature can assist in the task without being spotted. Soon you end up in a mid-sized town. Not one you recognise, but there is a checkpoint upon entry. You feel rather confident as you make your way through. Explaining the nature of your business, the guards eye you suspiciously but let you pass. You make your way further into the town, and no sooner had you lost sight of the surrounding wilderness you are apprehended by some rough looking guards. They quickly arrest you, gage you with a rag, cover you in some kind of hessian sack, and bundle you into the back of a cart. By the time you see proper daylight again, you are being ushered into an old, and rather derelict mill. You are ushered up the stairs and into an unused room at the back. The guards, likely some kind of local militia, do not torment you. In fact, they barely pay attention to you at all. They do not question you, and any words you make are quickly subdued by a sharp smack. Days pass. Perhaps even weeks. One stormy night, you hear a commotion downstairs...

As the drizzly dawn breaks across the docks, the dense muscular hand is clamped across your mouth as the personality known as "Hyde" keeps you silent whilst they load the crate in which you are hidden into the ship's cargo hold. Such a juxtaposition you feel as you watch this known killer, holds your mouth closed with a deathly grip, whilst also attempts to make the noises of a swine with the subtle enthusiasm of a child. Once the cargo is loaded, and the ship starts to sail out of the dock, his grip loosens. In fact, you find that the loosening of the grip coincides with Hyde appearing to desperately resisting the urges of sleep. Again, the image of this grown beast of a man trying to jolt himself awake is an odd sight to behold, but soon slumber takes him, and in that slumber, his body transforms to the slighter and slender frame of the doctors. Several hours into the journey, the doctor wakes...

They have taken you. The society, the hunters, whoever they are, somehow found out about your connection to Lucas and then found you. You were on your way to visit a friend when a group of people pulled you into the back of a van and drove off. The vampiric blood surged within you, and you know you definitely injured a couple of them before you were sedated. When you wake, you find yourself shackled in a dark and damp room reminiscent of some medieval dungeon. You have no idea how long you have been kept in this cell, but each day, a lone elderly gentleman and a young woman come to see you. They ask you questions about Lucas, Vampires, and the Society that you now live in, and when the answers that you give are unsatisfactory, you receive a beating from the young lady. You take a little solace in the fact that you tell them nothing of any importance, but as the days draw on, you find yourself getting weaker. The bruises seem to hurt more than they should. A fever grows in your body. A migraine like you have never experienced before, and a thirst, a thirst like you haven't seen liquid in a year. You are tormented by these strange symptoms, and you feel that you may well cave to the demands of your captors for one drop of blood. Vampire blood. Lucas's blood. You prepare yourself for the inevitable as the door to your prison opens...

It has been a couple of months since you have been locked away in this sacred prison cell. The wound on your leg healed remarkably quickly, but as it did so, the reality of your situation became clear. You had been bitten by a werewolf. You were now one of the unholy creatures that were told in the scary tales told to children... and there was no known cure. After a week or so, time became a blur in this captivity, the first pangs of pain beset you. It was as if you were experiencing the worst growth-spurt from your pubescent years, or some unknown force was stretching out your muscles beyond their capacity, or moving your internal organs around inside your body. The agony was paralysing, and didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason as to when it hit. It was not limited to the sways of the moon like your companion. The pain, the changes, they would hit at such random times that it was impossible to predict. Your friend was taken away almost daily. You were grateful for his company when the pain hit. He would hold you, reassure you, and stroke your hair in comfort through the worst of it. But there were many times that the pain hit when you were alone, and in those times it was almost unbearable. After a lonesome night of agony, you wake with your head laid upon your dear friend's lap. The ebbs of pain linger, the tears come unbidden, and your companion gently sooths you...

Dragged from your room out into the rain, you are manhandled through the industrial district towards the docks. You can feel the fear of the situation creeping in at the edges of your consciousness, but for now your scientific logical mind maintains control. As instructed, you manage to pack a bundle of spare clothes, some of the Doctor's notes on the situation, and a handful of writing implements to record your observations. Much as the situation is extremely unsettling, you are grateful that this opportunity will provide some valuable observations for your research into the situation... if you survive the experience. Hyde is eager to get to the docks as soon as possible. You wonder whether he can feel the change coming, unlike his softer counterpart. Evidently frustrated at the slow pace, he grips you by the elbow and drags you down the street...

A few more days have passed. The hunter seems to be going in cycles of unfounded hatred and zealotry, only to have a moment of sensibility, then to return to vile accusations. After a certain point, you loose patience and decide that the only way to convince this disagreeable man that your cause is just, is to show him the effect of the blight on the wilderness. His focus on the purity of human souls is all encompassing, but maybe, just maybe, if he can physically see that it isn't just the humans that are being affected, he will realise that you are not the enemy. You set out an search the woodland. Alone at first. The journey with this vile man will be difficult enough without also needing to search for a good example of the blight. You can feel that something is off in the wilderness. Like the evil has pervaded the atmosphere itself. At last you discover an area far enough from the human settlements, and yet still devastated by the blight. The destruction is overwhelming. You feel the sorrow deep in your soul. Returning to your home, you force the hunter up and out, ignoring his protests, determined to convince him that you are after the same goal...

It has been a fortnight since Lucas Nobel gifted you with his blood. The taste of that blood was like any other blood. You would not have been able to differentiate it from cutting your finger and soothing the wound in your mouth. However, the effects after a few short moments were evident. It wasn't like any narcotic. No sense of delusion. It simply felt as if you were the healthiest and happiest you had ever been. A euphoria that felt more natural than synthetic. You feel more alert, more robust, more (for lack of a better term) alive. The days passed, and the effects did not seem to diminish. You wonder how long they will last. You receive a message requesting your presence. When the day comes, you once again find yourself entering the home of Lucas Nobel...

A few days have passed since you found the doctor in the abandoned house. You can tell that the experience has shaken him. He keeps demanding to be strapped into the chair, saying that he can feel the change upon him, then looking confused when nothing happens. He is not sleeping, and with each day that passes, he becomes more and more agitated. More and more confused. He swears that it has never been this long between changes. Not since the early days of this manifestation. The Doctor's lack of sleep also affects your own. Part from worry for your employer, partly from how he interrupts your sleep demanding to be restrained. On the fourth day, you finally convince the Doctor to rest, and you are finally able to settle into your own bed undisturbed...