His town was in ruins, corpses littered around this once lively part of town. A priest fell to his knees with his hands intertwined together. He uttered quiet prayers, for all of the dead bodies around him. They looked like they had died in shock, making terrified expressions. Men, women and children littered the streets, looking more grey than the clouds that covered the once lively town.

       A vampire had come, one the church had not expected. He had come and taken the lives of people slowly, stealing their lives away and leaving their bodies wherever he saw fit. Before the priest had realized what was happening, the vampire had killed off everyone in the town.

       Osaka Sogo, the priest dressed in white sat outside his church, hot tears rolling down his face while the rain started to pour. He was all that remained in this place, a priest who couldn’t save people with the words of God. 

He remembered the vampire very well, a blue haired boy with bright blue eyes. He had come inside the church one day and killed everyone the priest had tried to save in the blink of an eye. But when he approached the priest, he clicked his tongue to the top of his mouth and left without a word.

He remained on his knees until the morning when the sun peeked through the clouds. The entire town was grey and reeked of meat going bad. He couldn’t stay here. He would die of disease.

As he was packing up his things, he knew that the vampire would be on the move, most likely to the next city or town closest to them to kill the people in a similar manner for his own survival. In that moment, the priest swore that he would save those people from their fate. He would stop at nothing to keep them safe from the vampire’s wrath.

There had to be a better way.

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In the beginning he had tried to save villages in many different ways. Enchantments, silver, garlic… anything that should have kept the vampire away. It was desperate small attempts made by one man and every time, he failed. He had made many friends along the way who he had lost to the vampire’s hand.

       Every time he had hidden from the blue hair, leaving the town and running once the killing had started. By some miracle he slipped away from his fingertips, the meal that he would never let the vampire have. He doubted that those blue eyes would spare him again.

       He started to research… other methods. Scanning through texts and talking with as many as he could. And each time if it wasn’t something that he had tried before another topic had come up.

       Killing.

       Killing the people before the vampire got to them was a topic that he had thought about for a while. It was mercy killing in his eyes but killing nonetheless. He had found a method that would kill the people in an almost painless way. 

A royal red tea with an enchantment that would grant any wish that a person desired. The tea would use the hearts of men to its advantage, continuing to drain the life out of the people that drank large amounts of it. It would wither their minds and bodies, and make them believe that they couldn’t survive without the tea. If a large group of people made the same wish…

The priest sighed after reading this text, setting it down and looking up at the sky. There was nothing for him to lose aside from his clean hands. The priest got up, taking the book with him while he started to walk towards the next village. He had been going through this cycle for months… and if this was the only way for him to save them. He would serve them mercy.

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They had been playing this little game of cat and mouse for quite some time now. Though, they were by no means cat nor mice. Osaka Sogo, once a holy being, now had a much more corrupted vision of mercy and God’s will. He had killed thousands of people now with his tea, the red liquid that he thought was saving the people.

       Mercy killing he would call it. Killing the people’s minds and dulling their bodies so that they would not feel the end that would come their way at the end of his time with them. With each try, he would kill villages, small or large by breaking their very mind and soul. For what reason? He had become obsessed with this idea of justice. This was his way of saving people, there was no other solution. He was saving them from the cruel fate that the vampire would serve them.

       The white haired priest approached another town, he was a long ways from where he had come from now. He had walked further than he had ever imagined with his blessing tea to satisfy the greed within people's hearts. The boy walked away from the small town, walking a few meters away, no more than five before he fell to his knees and touched the ground. He started to pray 

       From the ground rose his teahouse, bright flashing lights on top of what looked like a run down building. The tea pot moved slowly above a sign that read, “Pray for the tea.” The priest smiled to himself, not regretting a moment to learning magic from a wizard he had met along the way. 

       After the set up of the building was finished, he walked back to the dying town, approaching the first person that he saw. A farmer, one who looked old and frail was trying to tend to his crops in the dry soil. The priest put on a warm smile and then approached the man, walking over to him and tapping him on his shoulder.

       The man looked shocked at first, as if he didn’t know what the young boy wanted. He only stared up at the saintly creature that seemed to glow a bright white. And even when he had gathered himself, he did not speak. Instead he motioned towards the dry ground and the seeds that have yet to grow.

       The priest would only chuckle and hand him a piece of paper before walking away, a small spring in his step. The old farmer looked confused at the piece of paper 

       He took a step back into the building, walking to the front where the alter stayed waiting for anyone to enter his teahouse. But the clock kept ticking and the night wouldn’t last forever. He stayed waiting for someone to come in, waiting to show the ability of the tea that he had perfected. The tea that he would use to kill these people.

       But his reason was just, wasn’t it? He had no regrets for the people he had turned into tea in the past, they were all at peace now. They all died a peaceful death after all. They were mindless by the time Sogo had killed them off.

       Finally, the door opened and in came the farmer who he had offered his help to earlier. He gave the man a warm smile, motioning him to come forward towards the altar where the tea was brewing. The old man, who looked as worn out as his crops took a step forward. Sogo Osaka took action quickly, offering his hand to the man.

       “What is your deepest desire? Tell it to the cup.” he said softly, bringing the china up to the mans mouth, a warm smile still planted on his face. The poor old farmer, who’s heart appeared to have withered leaned into the cup and whispered his wish. Sogo could only giggle while he pulled the cup away from the man and brought over the kettle. He picked it up with care, before pouring the contents of the kettle into the cup.

       Though because it was special, it didn’t simply stay in the cup. The bright red liquid landed in the cup before it flew back up into the air and swirled around the air. The priest wasn’t surprised by this by any means but the farmer watched with side eyes, taking a moment to understand what was happening.

The liquid glowed bright while it swirled around the room until it fell back into the cup. Watching the cup spin in it’s saucer was quite the thing to admire, watching it rock and almost fall, but always stabilizing itself. When it settled, Sogo picked it up and offered the cup to the man, a piece offering in a way.

       “This is your blessing.” He whispered. The farmer took the up into his right hand before downing the glass. After the priest received his cup again he ushered the farmer away, insisting that his blessing would arrive shortly.

       When the doors to the shop closed, Sogo only giggled and poured himself a cup of the tea, without making a wish. Wishes always took away a certain taste that the tea had. The wishes always masked what it actually tasted like after all. It was a taste, one that only he could enjoy afterall.

       With a soft hum he walked to the front, slowly continuing to sip from the cup while locking the door to his little cafe. They would open tomorrow night and the fun would begin. For he heard rain outside and cheered of happiness come from the farmer who had visited him earlier. Howls and cries of laughter while the rain rushed down on the town.

       He heard laughter and gasps from outside as well, demands to know what kind of miracle had caused this. Aha yes, he would be back in business soon enough. Tomorrow it would start. He would convert them into something wonderful and save them from the vampire that ran through the streets.

       He set the cup down on the alter while the lights turned off, a small smile on his face. The drink was a little more metallic than normal. How odd. It wasn’t usually this bitter. Perhaps he had added too much blood.