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subby_gamergrlTitle: How Like A God
Fandom: Diabolik Lovers
Rating: M (Mentions of Genocide and Torture, Child Abuse)
Summary: In his benevolence as a higher being, Karlheinz rescues a group of children as they face a firing squad for crimes worthy of death and he turns them into his willing pawns in the Adam and Eve Project, a protocol intended to create a new master race of demons to rule over the world below. How he loves and cherishes his new children, too.
“Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in fortune, nor too sorrowful in misfortune.”
It’s this inconsistency that Karlheinz finds so fascinating about these humans; their ever-changing realities and perceptions of the world around them, emotions never running along a predictable path, variables in their own right. His own kind are driven by more base needs and instincts, frankly boring, and are unable to cope within this realm of existence.
Hunters are the least of their problems.
The Adam and Eve Project isn’t just another means to an end, though. His intent is to create a sustainable way of life for all beneath him and hopefully find repose for himself at long last. The only way he’ll ever sleep well is with the knowledge that he left the Demon World better off.
Truly, his benevolence knows no bounds.
So when he happens across a commotion at the local club he frequents, sponsored by an orphanage and church nearby, his empathy is piqued. Four children, one of whom is employed by the club, have been captured as they tried to flee. Sentenced to death by firing squad on the spot, he sees their potential and intervenes.
Poor, pathetic little wretches they are, he thinks upon seeing them for the first time, but so passionate in their pursuit of a better life. The peak of the human condition that mystifies him. Perfect for his experiment. Oh so, so perfect.
“Come with me,” he offers the eldest the choice and extends his hand. “Live among your mortal brethren as beings elevated far above them, prey upon them, take your vengeance. Become my willing servants and you shall be rewarded.”
Ambition shines within the boy’s dark eyes and he takes Kalheinz’s hand without hesitation.
His blood has an unfavorable effect on each of them and the transformation from human to impure vampire is quite the spectacle for him. It’s different for each child, too; the eldest, Ruki, takes to it well and suffers little while the second-born, Kou, having suffered near-death due to multiple gunshot wounds, faced a more grueling transformation.
Precious and cherished, each of them, and Karlheinz couldn’t bring himself to leave until he knew for certain that they had passed through the worst of it. He spends most of his time at the small villa with Ruki, his eldest, and explains the importance of his role as the next Adam. His brothers, he emphasizes, are also important variables and mustn’t neglect their duties.
The other two boys, Azusa and the one they called Bear, seem to enjoy his company after a few days of convalescence. Azusa takes well to hunting little animals unfortunate enough to find their way into the courtyard and drains them of all their lifeblood, greedy little thing. His savagery impresses Karlheinz and he intends to nurture it tot he fullest extent. Bear, however, seems to be blessed with strength beyond his impure ken, exhibiting physical prowess befitting a pureblood instead, and Karlheinz appoints him as the bodyguard of his eldest and most prime subject, Ruki.
Kou, however, has yet to awaken after a few days and he’s starting to lose faith that the boy can complete his transformation at all. Humans are full of pleasant surprises, though, and he continues to hope for the best.
“Now, I must away on business,” Karlheinz announces to his adopted children one rainy autumn eve. “This is your home now and you are family to each other. I expect you to take care of one another.”
Ruki is the first to nod his head and speak out of reverence, “Yes, father.”
So easily bent to my will and so eager to learn, Karlheinz thinks with a warm smile. “Before I leave, however, I have a gift for each of you. After all, you’re my precious sons and I wouldn’t think of not leaving a legacy of some kind for you.”
Azusa stumbles at his feet as he walks over to the coat closet and grasps his pant leg. “Presents?”
“Of course,” Karlheinz says sweetly and leans down to pat the young vampire atop his head. “Just to show how much I adore all of you.”
Ruki knows better but says nothing in turn.
The way his children follow him around, like ducklings would their mother, fills him with such warmth. A genuine touch of human emotion is something he’s sought after for centuries and never achieved until he rescued them. It isn’t enough to sate him fully, but he’ll cherish it nevertheless.
“For you, Azusa,” he murmurs and pulls a ceremonial athame from his satchel. “Taken from the cold, dead hands of a witch I drained many years ago; enough innocent blood has been spilled by it to keep you warm for even longer. You’ll never feel alone with all the souls it has claimed to keep you company, hm?”
“Pretty,” Azusa says with morbid fascination and takes the blade in hand. “Do you…?”
Kalrheinz laughs aloud. “No, child, please. I didn’t drag you from the jaws of death just to end your pathetic little life so easily after. It is yours to enjoy and do what you will with.”
“Try not to use it on yourself,” Ruki says and turns the sharp end of the athame from Azusa’s neck. “We have a duty to fulfill and you can’t see to those responsibilities if you’re dead.”
Azusa remains sitting on his father’s knee even after he calls Bear over next to receive his gift. Karlheinz keeps a steadying hand at Azusa’s back so he doesn’t fall, either, Ruki notices with interest. He even bounces his leg a little to get a giggle or to out of Azusa.
“I have a very special gift for you, my son,” Karlheinz says to the tall youth standing before him. “Bear isn’t a name befitting one of your station or power anymore, so I’ve decided to christen you with a Japanese name like those of your brothers.”
The boy tilts his head at a questioning angle but remains obediently silent.
“Thus I christen thee, Yuuma,” Karlheinz whispers and touches the child’s forehead with the benediction of a priest absolving one’s past sins to usher them unto a new life, blameless. He traces the sigil of his own house into Yuuma’s forehead and taps him on the nose playfully afterwards. “It’s a strong name, of the Bhuddist Sect I believe, and one I hope you’ll be proud to carry.”
“Yuuma, huh?” mutters the boy as he mulls it over in his head. Flickers of memory spark and fizzle, but he cannot grasp the forgotten embers no matter how hard he tries. The golden eyes watching him know more of his past than they let on, but he remains unaware, and takes the gift given with a stout nod. “I like it. Makes me feel like I’m not some dog roaming the streets anymore.”
Karlheinz’s smile thins into a wicked curve and he leans in to whisper, “Of course, you’re no mere animal but a proud vampire, strong and brimming with life. You’ll watch over your brothers and protect this family, won’t you?”
“Yessir,” Yuuma answers without reluctance this time and a smile of his own.
“Ah, yes. I also bought this for you while we were at the train station,” Karlheinz pulls a glass jar from his bag full of glittering, white cubes. “You seemed to enjoy them more than the tea they were supposed to sweeten, so I thought you could do with a bigger supply.”
Yuuma’s eyes sparkle with childlike glee as he takes the jar. “Sugar cubes! I-I thought I’d never be able to taste ‘em again!”
Ruki sighs and relents, “You shouldn’t spoil them so much, father.”
“Oh, now, Ruki,” Karlheinz gently tuts and pats his eldest atop the head. “Let your brothers enjoy themselves. The trial has yet to begin and I would have them enjoy what innocence remains to them.”
Narrowing his eyes, Ruki remains unconvinced.
Determiend to get some kind of enthusiastic reaction from the boy, Karlheinz fishes his present from the bag and reaches out to him with it in hand.
“Here. I was going to save yours for last, but I think you need it now,” he explains and hands the book to Ruki. “It was written by a very dear friend of mine, a scholar and philosopher. His works can only be appreciated by those possessed of unusual intellect, and judging by how similarly our thoughts align, I know you’ll enjoy it.”
Ruki turns the weathered tome over in his hands and notices the title written in traditional Greek, a language his parents pushed him to pursue, and his eyes widened once he noticed the author’s name.
“You knew Socrates?”
“Indeed,” Karlheinz answers with a chipper tone and smile. “Never have I met such a brilliant thinker of the mortal realm and I shan’t soon forget him. Our souls are entwined for eternity and I’d never part with him.”
Ignoring the blatant admission of homicide, Ruki flips through the book and can’t help the childish wonder that fills his eyes. He glances up at his father through his lashes and quietly thanks him.
“My lord,” calls one of the servants, a female Ghoul clad in a maid’s traditional uniform, from the top of the stairs. “The second-born has finally awoken from his comatose state and completed his transformation.”
Elation suddenly fills the Vampire King’s chest and he whips his head around with wide eyes of his own. “Quite the unexpected development. Is he thrashing?”
“No, my liege,” answers the maid. “He seems perfectly fine now.”
Karlheinz rises from his seat and gently places Azusa on the floor, going to climb the stairs with anticipation building with each breath he took. He fully expected Kou to succumb to his wounds and die during the transformation or go mad with the pain, but the boy proves more durable than he hypothesized.
Ah, how diverse and formidable the human condition can attest to the most adverse tribulations.
Opening the door to Kou’s bedroom, he peers inside and sees his newborn son just starting to open his one good eye to take in his new surroundings.
“You three wait here,” he tells Kou’s brothers. “I must speak with him alone.”
Ruki regards the maid with a stiff jerk of his head. “Leave us.”
Karlheinz smiles at the rude gesture, fitting for one who may lord over the Demon World someday, and enter Kou’s bedroom to close the door behind himself. Looking upon his successful experiment with a fond gaze, he pulls up a chair and join Kou at his bedside.
“Where am I?” asks the newly-born vampire. “Everyone else…Did they…?”
“Shh. There, there,” Karlheinz hushes him and runs his fingers through the boy’s soft blonde hair. “Do you remember making a blood pact with me, child? You and your brothers?”
Kou eyes him warily. “That was real?”
“Such adversities you overcame to make it this far,” Karlheinz hums and continues to thread with long fingers through Kou’s hair. “Why, I couldn’t be prouder to call you my own.”
Sitting upright in bed, Kou winces a little and takes another long look around the room. He pulls his arms out from under the duvet and gazes upon the scars left by gaping bullet holes, fully closed now, and all the other burn marks and scars he weathered from torture he endured at the club. His blood burns brighter and hotter than ever before.
“Am I really a vampire like you now?” he asks his savior. “I’m stronger than any human?”
Karlheinz grins at him, all fangs, and nods. “Yes, my son. With your newfound abilities, you could easily subdue any number of those who inflicted pain upon you. Is vengeance what you wish?”
Kou stares back at him darkly.
“I have a gift suitable for you purposes,” continues the Vampire King as he produces a small, leaden box from the breast pocket of his coat. “Here. Open it.”
Popping the hinged lid back, Kou plucks a spherical, red object from within and turns it over in his hands. “What is it?”
Kalrheinz takes the orb from him and explains in a low voice, “An artifact of great magical import, stolen from the confines of the great Geisbach himself just before he passed.”
Mesmerized, Kou watches the orb as Karlheinz moves it back and forth between his hands.
“Meant to replace a lost appendage, I believe, an eye. When its magics are invoked, the wearer is granted the ability to discern deceitful intentions and ascertain the truth of whatever target may be within its sight,” Karlheinz finishes and moves to sit on the edge of Kou’s bed instead of the chair. “May I?”
Kou flinches as his father unravels the bandages around his head to reveal an empty socket where his other eye should be, gouged out months ago.
“Good, it’s drier now,” Karlheinz remarks and traces the crumbling edge within with his fingertips which causes Kou to shiver. “All I have to do is place this inside and…There! How does it feel?”
Blinking a few times, Kou marvels at the miracle bestowed upon him a moment later. “I-I can see! My eye, I – I can see!”
Karlheinz laughs softly and brushes his fingers along the boy’s cheek. “The magic does have a draining effect on the rest of your body, though, so use it wisely.”
Realizing that his ambitions of revenge and genocide are well within his grasp, Kou looks up at his adopted father with a smile at last. He throws his arms around the Vampire King and hugs him tightly, filling the older vampire with an odd sense of warmth. Karlheinz doesn’t know why he embraces the boy in return or why his heart threatens to resume a beat it’s never known, but this feeling is yet another he’ll treasure in the eternity to come.
“Kill them,” he whispers to his son. “Burn them, beat them, drain their blood to the last drop. Feel as it passes through their veins and into your mouth, slowly, gently. Violently.”
Kou pulls away from him and stares up at him again with both of those big blue eyes of his shimmering with untapped potential. So sweet and ambitious. Full of life and wonder.
Karlheinz smiles back at him. “Show them no mercy, my son, for they gave none to you.”
“Yes, papa,” Kou murmurs back to him and grins wickedly.
“I look forward to the carnage you’ll wrought,” Karlheinz sings and pats his head. “You humans are such precious, precocious creatures. So capable and oh, so willing.”
Kou hugs him again and Karlheinz swears he feels his heart leap a little.
The next phase in his experiment will prove to be anything but predictable.
Fandom: Diabolik Lovers
Rating: M (Mentions of Genocide and Torture, Child Abuse)
Summary: In his benevolence as a higher being, Karlheinz rescues a group of children as they face a firing squad for crimes worthy of death and he turns them into his willing pawns in the Adam and Eve Project, a protocol intended to create a new master race of demons to rule over the world below. How he loves and cherishes his new children, too.
“Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in fortune, nor too sorrowful in misfortune.”
It’s this inconsistency that Karlheinz finds so fascinating about these humans; their ever-changing realities and perceptions of the world around them, emotions never running along a predictable path, variables in their own right. His own kind are driven by more base needs and instincts, frankly boring, and are unable to cope within this realm of existence.
Hunters are the least of their problems.
The Adam and Eve Project isn’t just another means to an end, though. His intent is to create a sustainable way of life for all beneath him and hopefully find repose for himself at long last. The only way he’ll ever sleep well is with the knowledge that he left the Demon World better off.
Truly, his benevolence knows no bounds.
So when he happens across a commotion at the local club he frequents, sponsored by an orphanage and church nearby, his empathy is piqued. Four children, one of whom is employed by the club, have been captured as they tried to flee. Sentenced to death by firing squad on the spot, he sees their potential and intervenes.
Poor, pathetic little wretches they are, he thinks upon seeing them for the first time, but so passionate in their pursuit of a better life. The peak of the human condition that mystifies him. Perfect for his experiment. Oh so, so perfect.
“Come with me,” he offers the eldest the choice and extends his hand. “Live among your mortal brethren as beings elevated far above them, prey upon them, take your vengeance. Become my willing servants and you shall be rewarded.”
Ambition shines within the boy’s dark eyes and he takes Kalheinz’s hand without hesitation.
His blood has an unfavorable effect on each of them and the transformation from human to impure vampire is quite the spectacle for him. It’s different for each child, too; the eldest, Ruki, takes to it well and suffers little while the second-born, Kou, having suffered near-death due to multiple gunshot wounds, faced a more grueling transformation.
Precious and cherished, each of them, and Karlheinz couldn’t bring himself to leave until he knew for certain that they had passed through the worst of it. He spends most of his time at the small villa with Ruki, his eldest, and explains the importance of his role as the next Adam. His brothers, he emphasizes, are also important variables and mustn’t neglect their duties.
The other two boys, Azusa and the one they called Bear, seem to enjoy his company after a few days of convalescence. Azusa takes well to hunting little animals unfortunate enough to find their way into the courtyard and drains them of all their lifeblood, greedy little thing. His savagery impresses Karlheinz and he intends to nurture it tot he fullest extent. Bear, however, seems to be blessed with strength beyond his impure ken, exhibiting physical prowess befitting a pureblood instead, and Karlheinz appoints him as the bodyguard of his eldest and most prime subject, Ruki.
Kou, however, has yet to awaken after a few days and he’s starting to lose faith that the boy can complete his transformation at all. Humans are full of pleasant surprises, though, and he continues to hope for the best.
“Now, I must away on business,” Karlheinz announces to his adopted children one rainy autumn eve. “This is your home now and you are family to each other. I expect you to take care of one another.”
Ruki is the first to nod his head and speak out of reverence, “Yes, father.”
So easily bent to my will and so eager to learn, Karlheinz thinks with a warm smile. “Before I leave, however, I have a gift for each of you. After all, you’re my precious sons and I wouldn’t think of not leaving a legacy of some kind for you.”
Azusa stumbles at his feet as he walks over to the coat closet and grasps his pant leg. “Presents?”
“Of course,” Karlheinz says sweetly and leans down to pat the young vampire atop his head. “Just to show how much I adore all of you.”
Ruki knows better but says nothing in turn.
The way his children follow him around, like ducklings would their mother, fills him with such warmth. A genuine touch of human emotion is something he’s sought after for centuries and never achieved until he rescued them. It isn’t enough to sate him fully, but he’ll cherish it nevertheless.
“For you, Azusa,” he murmurs and pulls a ceremonial athame from his satchel. “Taken from the cold, dead hands of a witch I drained many years ago; enough innocent blood has been spilled by it to keep you warm for even longer. You’ll never feel alone with all the souls it has claimed to keep you company, hm?”
“Pretty,” Azusa says with morbid fascination and takes the blade in hand. “Do you…?”
Kalrheinz laughs aloud. “No, child, please. I didn’t drag you from the jaws of death just to end your pathetic little life so easily after. It is yours to enjoy and do what you will with.”
“Try not to use it on yourself,” Ruki says and turns the sharp end of the athame from Azusa’s neck. “We have a duty to fulfill and you can’t see to those responsibilities if you’re dead.”
Azusa remains sitting on his father’s knee even after he calls Bear over next to receive his gift. Karlheinz keeps a steadying hand at Azusa’s back so he doesn’t fall, either, Ruki notices with interest. He even bounces his leg a little to get a giggle or to out of Azusa.
“I have a very special gift for you, my son,” Karlheinz says to the tall youth standing before him. “Bear isn’t a name befitting one of your station or power anymore, so I’ve decided to christen you with a Japanese name like those of your brothers.”
The boy tilts his head at a questioning angle but remains obediently silent.
“Thus I christen thee, Yuuma,” Karlheinz whispers and touches the child’s forehead with the benediction of a priest absolving one’s past sins to usher them unto a new life, blameless. He traces the sigil of his own house into Yuuma’s forehead and taps him on the nose playfully afterwards. “It’s a strong name, of the Bhuddist Sect I believe, and one I hope you’ll be proud to carry.”
“Yuuma, huh?” mutters the boy as he mulls it over in his head. Flickers of memory spark and fizzle, but he cannot grasp the forgotten embers no matter how hard he tries. The golden eyes watching him know more of his past than they let on, but he remains unaware, and takes the gift given with a stout nod. “I like it. Makes me feel like I’m not some dog roaming the streets anymore.”
Karlheinz’s smile thins into a wicked curve and he leans in to whisper, “Of course, you’re no mere animal but a proud vampire, strong and brimming with life. You’ll watch over your brothers and protect this family, won’t you?”
“Yessir,” Yuuma answers without reluctance this time and a smile of his own.
“Ah, yes. I also bought this for you while we were at the train station,” Karlheinz pulls a glass jar from his bag full of glittering, white cubes. “You seemed to enjoy them more than the tea they were supposed to sweeten, so I thought you could do with a bigger supply.”
Yuuma’s eyes sparkle with childlike glee as he takes the jar. “Sugar cubes! I-I thought I’d never be able to taste ‘em again!”
Ruki sighs and relents, “You shouldn’t spoil them so much, father.”
“Oh, now, Ruki,” Karlheinz gently tuts and pats his eldest atop the head. “Let your brothers enjoy themselves. The trial has yet to begin and I would have them enjoy what innocence remains to them.”
Narrowing his eyes, Ruki remains unconvinced.
Determiend to get some kind of enthusiastic reaction from the boy, Karlheinz fishes his present from the bag and reaches out to him with it in hand.
“Here. I was going to save yours for last, but I think you need it now,” he explains and hands the book to Ruki. “It was written by a very dear friend of mine, a scholar and philosopher. His works can only be appreciated by those possessed of unusual intellect, and judging by how similarly our thoughts align, I know you’ll enjoy it.”
Ruki turns the weathered tome over in his hands and notices the title written in traditional Greek, a language his parents pushed him to pursue, and his eyes widened once he noticed the author’s name.
“You knew Socrates?”
“Indeed,” Karlheinz answers with a chipper tone and smile. “Never have I met such a brilliant thinker of the mortal realm and I shan’t soon forget him. Our souls are entwined for eternity and I’d never part with him.”
Ignoring the blatant admission of homicide, Ruki flips through the book and can’t help the childish wonder that fills his eyes. He glances up at his father through his lashes and quietly thanks him.
“My lord,” calls one of the servants, a female Ghoul clad in a maid’s traditional uniform, from the top of the stairs. “The second-born has finally awoken from his comatose state and completed his transformation.”
Elation suddenly fills the Vampire King’s chest and he whips his head around with wide eyes of his own. “Quite the unexpected development. Is he thrashing?”
“No, my liege,” answers the maid. “He seems perfectly fine now.”
Karlheinz rises from his seat and gently places Azusa on the floor, going to climb the stairs with anticipation building with each breath he took. He fully expected Kou to succumb to his wounds and die during the transformation or go mad with the pain, but the boy proves more durable than he hypothesized.
Ah, how diverse and formidable the human condition can attest to the most adverse tribulations.
Opening the door to Kou’s bedroom, he peers inside and sees his newborn son just starting to open his one good eye to take in his new surroundings.
“You three wait here,” he tells Kou’s brothers. “I must speak with him alone.”
Ruki regards the maid with a stiff jerk of his head. “Leave us.”
Karlheinz smiles at the rude gesture, fitting for one who may lord over the Demon World someday, and enter Kou’s bedroom to close the door behind himself. Looking upon his successful experiment with a fond gaze, he pulls up a chair and join Kou at his bedside.
“Where am I?” asks the newly-born vampire. “Everyone else…Did they…?”
“Shh. There, there,” Karlheinz hushes him and runs his fingers through the boy’s soft blonde hair. “Do you remember making a blood pact with me, child? You and your brothers?”
Kou eyes him warily. “That was real?”
“Such adversities you overcame to make it this far,” Karlheinz hums and continues to thread with long fingers through Kou’s hair. “Why, I couldn’t be prouder to call you my own.”
Sitting upright in bed, Kou winces a little and takes another long look around the room. He pulls his arms out from under the duvet and gazes upon the scars left by gaping bullet holes, fully closed now, and all the other burn marks and scars he weathered from torture he endured at the club. His blood burns brighter and hotter than ever before.
“Am I really a vampire like you now?” he asks his savior. “I’m stronger than any human?”
Karlheinz grins at him, all fangs, and nods. “Yes, my son. With your newfound abilities, you could easily subdue any number of those who inflicted pain upon you. Is vengeance what you wish?”
Kou stares back at him darkly.
“I have a gift suitable for you purposes,” continues the Vampire King as he produces a small, leaden box from the breast pocket of his coat. “Here. Open it.”
Popping the hinged lid back, Kou plucks a spherical, red object from within and turns it over in his hands. “What is it?”
Kalrheinz takes the orb from him and explains in a low voice, “An artifact of great magical import, stolen from the confines of the great Geisbach himself just before he passed.”
Mesmerized, Kou watches the orb as Karlheinz moves it back and forth between his hands.
“Meant to replace a lost appendage, I believe, an eye. When its magics are invoked, the wearer is granted the ability to discern deceitful intentions and ascertain the truth of whatever target may be within its sight,” Karlheinz finishes and moves to sit on the edge of Kou’s bed instead of the chair. “May I?”
Kou flinches as his father unravels the bandages around his head to reveal an empty socket where his other eye should be, gouged out months ago.
“Good, it’s drier now,” Karlheinz remarks and traces the crumbling edge within with his fingertips which causes Kou to shiver. “All I have to do is place this inside and…There! How does it feel?”
Blinking a few times, Kou marvels at the miracle bestowed upon him a moment later. “I-I can see! My eye, I – I can see!”
Karlheinz laughs softly and brushes his fingers along the boy’s cheek. “The magic does have a draining effect on the rest of your body, though, so use it wisely.”
Realizing that his ambitions of revenge and genocide are well within his grasp, Kou looks up at his adopted father with a smile at last. He throws his arms around the Vampire King and hugs him tightly, filling the older vampire with an odd sense of warmth. Karlheinz doesn’t know why he embraces the boy in return or why his heart threatens to resume a beat it’s never known, but this feeling is yet another he’ll treasure in the eternity to come.
“Kill them,” he whispers to his son. “Burn them, beat them, drain their blood to the last drop. Feel as it passes through their veins and into your mouth, slowly, gently. Violently.”
Kou pulls away from him and stares up at him again with both of those big blue eyes of his shimmering with untapped potential. So sweet and ambitious. Full of life and wonder.
Karlheinz smiles back at him. “Show them no mercy, my son, for they gave none to you.”
“Yes, papa,” Kou murmurs back to him and grins wickedly.
“I look forward to the carnage you’ll wrought,” Karlheinz sings and pats his head. “You humans are such precious, precocious creatures. So capable and oh, so willing.”
Kou hugs him again and Karlheinz swears he feels his heart leap a little.
The next phase in his experiment will prove to be anything but predictable.
