The Light of my Life

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At twenty-five years old she was a dangerous kind of beauty with pallid skin and alabaster hair that gave her a haunting, supernatural visage. Her crimson eyes always burned with fiery passion for her art and her ageless face was the fantasy of every young man. Right out of college she got a job in the family business, though this wasn't your run-of-the-mill custom. When talking about a family's business people often had a picture in their heads, one of tradition. 

Some pictured a line of successors of a secret family of nobles, or ancient tradesmen that had traveled the world! All fantastical dreams, but none hit the mark. No, this wicked beauty was a high profile model on the fast lane of life. She lived on the runway, for the runway, and nothing else.

Alukah Illyana, or Illyana Alukah if you forgo the Japanese tradition of using the last name first. The young woman was born and raised in Japan, despite her European roots. She was also a Vampir. Many believed this was what gave her an edge in the field. The haunting, unnatural beauty of Vampir was legendary. And for good reason. But their looks were far from supernatural. They were vain creatures. They evolved to be beautiful. Ancient Vampir, the original progenitors of the race were hideous monsters. Feral looking beasts that, with just one look, could send a human running. But after living side by side with humans for so many years the Vampir grew to abide by these desires. They could not find willing prey if they looked like rotting roadkill. Humans alone are to blame for their godly charm and undeniable draw. Beauty took work, because they chose to no longer Beasts.

Their ability to Charm their targets to feast on blood is something old, forgotten. It just wasn't done anymore. They didn't need to. With improved looks, and tempered physiques all a Vampir needed to do to draw in prey was show a little ankle. Vampir needed blood to survive. Their bodies lacked the ability to make one nutrient or another and blood had become a perfect substitute. There were many animals and creatures in this world who ate or drank blood as part of their diet. Humans like to think they don't, but delicacies such as Blood Sausage, blood soups and stews, blood pancakes and so on. There were even creatures who subsisted entirely on blood. The Vampire Bat was named after their kind for a reason after all.

There were many who ended up forming unhealthy attachments to a Vampir's wiles. To eat they needed food. They could feed on pig's blood, or deer. But Human blood had everything they needed and oftentimes had addictive properties that fell into strange lines with Vampir physiology. Some Vampir take advantage of the weaknesses of others. A person can become addicted to the feeling of being fed from just as a Vampir could become unable to start their day without a Human's blood. But it was rare for Vampir to drink from the same source as it became stale, so they have described. The act occurred even less now that supplements and other tools were available to them in this modern world. The world of today was much easier for a Vampir to survive. For all monsters. 

The modern world! That is where this story takes place. Trains, planes, and automobiles were no longer awe inspiring inventions and all the knowledge in the world fit in one's back pocket. Here magic and the supernatural did not need to hide behind closed doors. Humans were sometimes influenced enough by the realms to learn magic, or find love within the ranks of the mystical creatures of the known world. Everyone had to live, work, and find a way to survive together. Sometimes they didn't get along and the dangers of the world twisted tenfold. Magical curses, deadly attacks from Demons or Monsters following their instincts, or Human zealots who hunted their kind like it was a sport. There were horrible encounters that would breed nightmares into even the war-hardened soldiers of this world.

But the world could wait. Our story takes place in Japan. 

Illyana had the looks and personality of an idol, but the dedication to her work that was needed to succeed. She studied hard in school. She went to a top University. She learned to live, but they were hard lessons. Many times Illyana was treated like an outcast, not because of her beauty or behavior, but her race. Vampir were some of the most feared of demonkind because of their parasitic relationship with Humans. There was animosity, but there was also a fearful respect between the two races who were each other's natural predator. Her childhood was not as bright as one would expect of a Fairy Tale like this. She was privileged. Her family were among the top 1% and spread their wealth across the economy and owned a few businesses that hired workers and created trade opportunities that sometimes crossed the realms.

It didn't matter. Money could only buy so much happiness. Illyana found herself at the center of her parent's fights. Her father was an entrepreneur and currently ran an international company that provided Japan with thousands upon thousands of jobs for citizens and foreigners alike. He was a bright star among the dullards that thought themselves enterprising and worthy of praise. He earned his arrogance and pride and stood above many not only in his work but his Charity Dinners and speaking skills. It was said that he was the first man to Charm her mother, so to speak. His name was Helel Sahar. An ancient Vampir who family lived for generations in Europe until they migrated after a deadly war swept across the countries. His great grandfather had settled in Japan and used their generational wealth to create a business empire on the island. 

Her mother had lived a lavish life and would suffer nothing less. Her father was expected to succeed or lose her eye. A European Noble with an ancient pedigree. She was one of the many daughters of Lilith so her infamy was only rivaled by her admirers. She was a simple woman, despite her expensive tastes. She enjoyed traveling and liked to imagine herself living a charmed, Cinderella sort of life. Father had taken her away from her home. The youngest of many sisters, she felt alone, left out of her family's activities. Illyana felt her mother was one to exaggerate such things as she often displayed rather narcissistic tendencies that bordered on madness. With Helel her mother, Lilitu Alukah, felt she got her happy ending.

There was a third woman in the picture. 

Her father was a polygamist. As were the majority of Vampir. Her mother was actually his second wife and much younger than the first. There were many rumors, some of which he put to rest, but he could never bury that image. It was the fate of the rich. Camilla Sahar, an Oni native to Japanese realms, was a dangerous woman. She was cunning and highly intelligent. Illyana respected her authority simply because she knew how to present it to the girl. Her actions always had rhyme, had a reason. Sometimes Illyana felt her mother was slowly drifting into madness, something she feared for herself as an offspring, to the offspring of Lilith. Devils could be unpredictable creatures.

In that she was not an only child, per say. Two other girls belonged to Camilla. Their oldest sister was the child of a mistress whom they never met, nor knew anything about. Her birth is what made his wives put a tight leash on him that stretched until this day. Helel loved his wives, but he also loved himself and one day fell to the whims of his ego. It left a scar on their family's dynamic, one Illyana hated. When they argued, when they fought, she was always in the middle of it. Whenever he angered her mother enough she would take Illyana and leave.

Vampir sires were immensely protective of their spawn. Male or female born, a Vampir was as dangerous as a mother bear and he threw dangerous fits of rage when she would leave for days or even weeks at a time until he apologized and straightened out his priorities. She strived to become something, someone, so she would no longer be a tool for negotiation between her parents. Illyana wanted to live her Fairy Tale. She wanted to meet her prince and get whisked away on the back of a white dragon. She didn't want people to be afraid of her. She wanted to show people that she could be cute. 

She wanted to be a princess!

Due to her hard work she was able to become a top model in Japan and was hired by the Blood Moon Modeling Agency located in Tokyo at eighteen years old. It was a Demon owned business that was an equal opportunity employer so one would find a mix of Demon and Human working together. Even Hanyou, Hybrids, were given chances they wouldn't see in many other places. Even today there was some separation between Human and Demon because sometimes when disagreements happened more people died than was necessary. It was just a means to reduce their insurance costs. She worked long hours and got great pay, but she was rarely off and hadn't had a vacation in, ever. So like any other day she worked from dawn until dusk and came home half past dead.