The Cullen Effect

Challan

Ryokan

His chest felt tight.

'She left me.'

'She's gone..'

I dropped to my knees. I checked each room of the house and still couldn't sense her presence. 'Why does it hurt so much?'

"Why does it matter to you?"

'Why does it hurt so much?'

"I never got over Carlisle for a reason."

It felt like my heart was getting ripped into pieces. Every thought of Yn was driving me crazy. Memories of what happened a few hours ago burning fresh in my mind, like fire to a home.

I spent all those years adoring her.

Loving her.

And for what? The whole time she was still in love with another man. She never looked at me. Not once. And the worst part is.. even after she broke my heart.. I still can't seem to bring myself to hate her.

"I still love her."

Looking up, all I see is a pitiful excuse of a man sitting on the floor. One that can't even cry real tears. He could only sit there with that sorry excuse of an expression on his face.

Looking away from my reflection, I'm met with the sight of our immortal companion, Challan. His presence, a mere reminder of the past. A good memory to remember.
———

Spring, 1950

The Georgia sun was beating brightly on the trees and ground below. Walking on a dirt road were two unnaturally beautiful looking people, hand in hand.

"Ryo, I have a question." The woman turns to ask her partner. "Yes, Yn?" He turns to look at her. She was much younger than him, so of course she would have many questions to ask. Her curiosity made her shine in his eyes. Many newborns jump into their new lives without questioning anything.

Like savages. They kill mercilessly. Even their own kind.

She almost became like them too. Hungry and killing without reason. Until he found her. Willing to teach her and guide her throughout this life.

To him, she was like a blind Angel. Beautiful and curious about everything around her. She couldn't see the wrong in this world yet, and because of that, he was willing to protect her from it.

"Do you think we'd be able to feed from animals the same way we do from humans?" She puffs her lips out while looking at the ground below them. "We could. Although it gives us a different feeling than human blood." He answers.

"Really? How so?"

"Animal blood is like a cheap replacement for human blood in a way. Yes, we can drink it, however, it doesn't give us complete satisfaction. I believe we have better control over our thirst than those who feed from the animals. The ones who feed from animals go feral at the thought of human blood. We however, have more control over ourselves. We know when enough is enough. They don't."

"Oh."

He stops walking causing her to stop too. "Would you like to try animal blood, Yn?" He looks down at her. Yn thinks about it for a bit before hesitantly nodding her head yes.

"Alright."
———

Sometime after, they stood in a clearing in the middle of the woods. The sun was just beginning to set, and the air was warm. The freshly green trees swayed gently into the summer breeze and the faint scent of nearby peach trees blessed the air.

The woman clutching onto the man looked up at him confusedly only to see him staring out ahead, eyes squinted as if looking for something.

"Ryo-"

"Yes Yn?"

"What animal do you plan on catching?"

"Whichever I see first. Preferably a smaller animal."

Her mouth silently lips an 'oh'. Not even a minute later, there is a rustling in the bushes. Both Ryokan and Yn go stiff, waiting to see what it was in the bushes. After a few more rustles, a white bunny jumped out and Ryo grabbed it by the ears before it could run.

The poor bunny kicked its legs trying to get free from his vampiric iron grip, but was unsuccessful.

Ryo calmly walked back to his shocked pupil and held out the bunny. "Here. Bite into it." Yn looked nervous at the thought of biting into the live bunny. She had never done anything like this before. "R-Ryo.. I don't think I can drink from it like this.." She says hesitantly, looking at the ground.

"Would you like me to kill it first?"

Looking back at the now still bunny, Yn shakes her head no. "I-it's fine... I'll just get it over with..." she sighs. After grabbing the bunny by the neck, she slowly sinks her now extracted fangs into the bunny's warm neck allowing it's blood to flow into her mouth.

As fast as she had started to drink, was as fast as she pulled back in disgust. "What the hell?!"

"Language, kid."

"I apologize. But this is disgusting! Do our kind really drink this?" She asks, eyeing the bunny in her arms. Despite her panicked nature at the moment she was still as gentle as she normally is, cradling the injured animal towards her chest like a mother to her child.

"Some of them drink from animals, however very few. They believe drinking from the humans is immoral, with all good reason seeing that they were once human themselves." He explains calmly maintaining eye contact with her until she tears her gaze away and onto the bunny.

By now the animal began to act strange. It was convulsing strangely, so Yn gently lay it on the soft grass beneath them. "What's happening to it?" She asks worriedly. "It's dying." Ryo replies bluntly.

"I'm sorry.." she bends down and begins to gently stroke the animal's fur in a comforting manner. "Because of me you have to die a painful death." She says sorrowfully. The taller male places his hand on her shoulder. "Don't feel sorry for it. It was going to die anyway."

———

A few hours later,

Yn returned to the woods in search for the bunny she had killed earlier. The moon was high up in the sky surrounded by an abundance of stars, casting a faint glow to the ground beneath her. By the time she reached the clearing she noticed something was off.

The white bunny wasn't dead anymore. It was sitting there, in the grass, staring straight ahead. Almost as if it were frozen in time.

But she knew that wasn't true. The bunny twitched its nose..

Once..

Twice.

Then hopped forward. A few times till it was at her feet. Leaning down she picked it up and looked it over. It's fur was stained a reddish brown color from the dried up blood earlier. How pitiful.

"I'm sorry. Now you're doomed to be alone for the rest of eternity.." the bunnies crimson eyes started back at the saddened girl. As she cradled it in her arms, she felt a small nibble on her finger coming from the small animal.

"Challan.." she mumbles softly. "Yeah.. you're Challan now. My brilliant companion." She pets him softly. Behind a few trees, Ryo stood watching her with a small smile on his face.

"Cute.. Another mouth to feed." His eye twitched slightly at the thought of having to take care of the small animal.

He sighs aloud before turning around to lean on the tree. "At least she's happy."

A/n

I'm turning 19 this Saturday. Wish me luck.
I love you guys. <3