"Hhhaaah!"
Suddenly, a boy sat up and glanced around, he looked a little lost. However, he soon calmed down before he closed his eyes as he placed his head on his knees and started breathing heavily.
"Same dream huh…"
He then heard a voice and raised his head as his eyes fell on the boy who lay beside him with a bitter smile.
The boy had a frail-looking body and a pale face. He had brown-black coloured eyes and black hair. His cheeks were a little shrunken and his lips were all dried.
He looked malnourished and weak.
"Yeah…"
"A dream where the Vampires call them the strongest race in Yrniel? Your wishful thinking has gone too far, '43'"
The boy muttered.
"But it felt very real…"
"Your imagination is a little too vivid. We, vampires, are a cursed race, the weakest of them all"
"Why do you say that!? We are not cursed! Don't you see? We are stronger than normal humans!"
"Alright, don't start this again. The answer is within your own words, we are stronger than 'normal' humans. We are no match for humans who cultivate.
Vampires can never be a match for humans.
Also, don't forget your name, '43', you are nothing but slave number 43. Slave of those humans who you think are weaker than yourself.
The same goes for me and all the other vampires, we are nothing but slaves.
Heck let alone being stronger than humans, we can't even manage to get food for ourselves.
Honestly, I hate myself for being born into the cursed race."
'43' turned silent under his words. He had nothing to say.
'42' was right, they are nothing but slaves
"Alright, now don't think too much about that fantasy dream of yours, wake up, it's about time they feed us, then we have to work in sun."
A dissatisfied look appeared on '43's face when he heard about working in the sun as he questioned.
"Since they already know that our whole body weakens and starts itching under the sun, why do they make us work under it?"
"We are the slaves, we will have to work whenever they want us to. It's our fault for being a cursed race, a race that even the sun does not like."
'42' snorted in disgust.
He was disgusted by his race.
He shook his head and sighed before he then stood up and started stretching his body, getting ready for today's work.
'43' sighed and stood up as well, he then started fixing his clothes.
His looked weren't much different from '42', a pale face, black hair, small nose, dried lips, and a weak looking body. His eyes, however, were a little different, they were pale red. Although the red colour was very light, his eyes still looked like an unpolished gem, giving him a strange charm.
He then started fixing his so-called clothes before the two of them heard a voice.
"Come out you bastards! Do you plan on sleeping your whole life!? Here's the food! Anyone who doesn't come out now will not get it. So move your asses!"
'43' '42' and others rushed out of the room and quickly lined up.
They were then given their 'food', which was, dog's blood and they started drinking it.
"S-Sir, i-isn't the amount l-less than what we were p-promised?"
Suddenly, a vampire questioned. The humans who were 'giving' the 'food' to the vampires paused before one of them glanced at the vampire and narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?"
"I-isn't the amount l-less than w-what we were p-promised?"
"How dare you question me!? You think I would want this filthy dog blood you drink!?"
"N-N-"
"Stop! That's enough! None of you are getting the food today!"
The man announced.
"Wh-"
"Protest and you will not get the food tomorrow as well!"
The vampires who wanted to protest turned silent. It was better to stay hungry for one day rather than stay hungry for two days.
It was not like this was the first time they would have to stay hungry either.
Although it will be a little troublesome, they were used to it.
The lucky vampires, who had already drunk the blood given to them, thanked their luck, while the unlucky one glanced at them with a gaze filled with jealously.
'43' belonged to the lucky group, however, unlike others, he did not feel good at all. He glanced at how the people of his race were treated and wondered.
Were they really the cursed race?
A race abandoned by everyone? Even the Heavens?
"Alright! Now move your asses and start working! If any of you doze off or laze around, don't expect to get food for the next 2 days!'
Before '43' could think more about it, the human who gave them food shouted and all the vampires walked out.
As soon as '43' and other vampires moved out in the sun, they felt his body weakening and starting to itch, however, since they were already used to this feeling, they ignored it.
'43' then grabbed a pickaxe and started ploughing the field.
Yes, that's what these slaves were made to do.
Plough to field and grow food to feed humans.
They were forced to work under the sun, even with their weakened body. Many vampires died from exhaustion but the humans treated their deaths as nothing and new vampire slaves were brought here the next day.
…
After a full day of work, '43' '42' and other vampires returned to their rooms, and then without saying anything to each other, everyone lay on the floor and slept.
They knew one thing, if they do not sleep well, they won't be able to work well the next day, which would result in them not getting the food the day after. That would further weaken their body and they won't be able to work again.
The cycle would continue this way until they die from exhaustion, just like the other vampires in the past.
Since no one wanted that fate, they did not dare to fool around and just closed their eyes.
'43' wasn't any different either, he already liked his dreams more than the reality, so he quickly closed his eyes and entered the dreamland.
...
"Dammit! I knew we shouldn't have trusted these humans!"