Vampire Mikaela

Michaela the Vampire is the fifth chapter of the Owari no Seraph manga.

Summary
While Yu is working to earn his demon weapon, the streets of Sannomiya, Kobe are filled with shrieks of terror, as the populace are being terrorized by Horsemen of John. A young girl trips and falls, with one Horseman hovering over her. Seconds away from death, a young vampire vaults between them, his sword drawn and puncturing his own hand with thorny vines. With a single sweep of his blade, the beast is completely obliterated. The people rise up and cheer, feeling relief that they will finally enjoy the protection of vampires just like the people of Osaka. However, a vampire named Lacus Weld corrects the humans, informing them that they're little more than livestock that the vampires own by virtue of their power. The vampires then direct their taunts at Mika, whom merely gives them the brush-off with a cold indifference. What does prompt a reaction from Mikaela though, was the young maiden he saved. He hadn't really caught much of a look at her during the commotion, but she appeared to be in her young teens and quite pretty. Smiling, she offered her throat to him, happy to oblige him with a taste of her blood for valiantly saving her life.

Mika's memories flood his mind, at that moment. Perhaps he felt he'd come full circle, but his mind retreated to that one fateful night four years prior. Lying on the cobblestone, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of his brothers and sisters of the orphanage. His life was flowing out from his torn body, and he felt it was a just punishment for failing his baby brothers and sisters so miserably. The vampires that came to assist Lord Felid had surrounded the boy, noticing he was still alive. As they were about to finish him, a small girl called them all off with a single word, and made her way through the crowd. She immediately claimed ownership of poor Mikaela, and they obediently obliged her, addressing her as 'Your Majesty.' This was Queen Kururu Tepes.

She then addressed the corpse of Felid Bathory, demanding an explanation for the dozens of children bleeding all over the place. Like a jack in the box, he sprang up to his feet, apparently unphased by the bullet that had plunged itself into his skull moments before. At least for the likes of Vampire Nobility, Mika realized that it would take much more than a gun to put them down for good and exponentially more so for the likes of Progenitors like Felid or Kururu. The vampire attempts to charm the Queen, though she makes it clear that she's not as naive a child as she would appear - she was the oldest vampire standing in that chamber, after all. They then begin arguing, with Felid demanding an explanation as to why she was keeping Seraphs in her care when she was specifically supposed to have hunted them to local extinction, four years ago. The moment he brings up the subject of sharing this with the Progenitor Council though, Mika and every vampire bear witness to the most disgraceful beating Felid has likely taken in his entire existence, all at the hands of Kururu. He then begs her forgiveness and promises not to mention a word of this to the Council, and she spares his life.

With Felid prancing off, Kururu turned her attention to the dying Mika. She asks the boy if he wants to live, and without hesitation, he replies no. The Queen smirks, punctures her lip with her fang, and bridges her lips fully to his, forcing her blood down his throat. And so, the boy cheats death that night at a horrible, painful price - from that moment on, Mikaela was no longer human.

The next day, after the incident in Sannomiya (and presumably having declined the young girl's offer), Mika attended an assembly of Vampire Nobles in Sanguinem. There, he learned of the threat known as the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, stationed in Tokyo. This Army, on top of stealing territory from vampires and killing vampire compatriots, were also delving into forbidden arts and experimenting on Seraphs. The Queen proclaims that the point of this assembly was to declare war on the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. Within his heart, Mika resolves to himself that somehow, he will rescue Yu from this war, unaware that his own friend and orphanage brother was clawing his way to the Front Lines.

Back at the Army Headquarters, Glen Ichinose naps in his seat during a war council meeting held by the upper brass. And surrounding him, were high ranking officers that all held the name Hīragi, including their leader, General Tenri Hīragi. Glen openly snubs everybody in attendance, and basically struts out and treats the whole meeting like it was a waste of time. In all fairness, the Lieutenant Colonel was not completely in the wrong, as he was more concerned with the state of the country than the subject of the council, which was simply bickering about family politics. He then runs into an irate Yūichirō, browbeating him for an explanation as to why he'd vanished for ten days without hooking him up with some Cursed Gear first. The brash youth actually ends up cheering Glen up, and the man decides to grant the boy's wish finally.

Chapter Notes

 * Though Mika is not completely human, he's not exactly a vampire either. In the four years since Kururu sired him, he has still grown up and maintains the appearance of a young man in his late teens. It appears that his transformation into a vampire is not yet complete.


 * Vampire weapons are curiously similar to Cursed Gear used by humans, though at the same time different. They seem programmed to respond to commands given by their wielders, which makes the hilt sprout thorny vines that puncture the wielder's hand, actually feeding on the vampire's blood and turning the blade a shade of vermilion.