Vampire

Origin
The vampire (genus Sangunaris) is, quite simply, a type of youkai that requires consumption of human blood in order to survive. Most vampires possess a natural aversion to the light of day, thus being branded as an almost exclusively nocturnal genus; though they can survive a diurnal lifestyle with the right precautions. Legend often speaks of their beauty, unparalleled by any other creature, and many survivors of vampire attacks can often attest to this.

There are a vast variety of species of vampires, most of them able to draw their lineage back to common ancestors in Europe, where they thrived between the third century BCE and the eighteenth century CE. In recent centuries, however, many of these species have either been driven to extinction or retreated to remote mountainous areas of Eastern Europe, where they can be found lurking in caves and the ruins of medieval fortresses. Records show that there are possibly only two extant species of vampire left out of over half a dozen back in the sixteenth century: S. chiroptera, commonly known as the devil bat (or, in the case of more extravagantly-colored individuals, "painted" devil bat), and S. versipellis, also known as the common werewolf. For the most part, vampires found in Gensoukyou are either migrants from Europe or are humans that have been turned by these European vampires.

Description
Out of the two extant species of vampire, the Devil Bat Vampire (S. chiroptera) is the most common, with an estimated population of about five thousand individuals, with the vast majority of these individuals found in Eastern Europe. Though uncommon, S. chiroptera can also be found outside of its natural range. Unlike most species of vampire, S. chiroptera possesses wings, which may or may not be necessary for flight, depending on the individual. Devil Bat Vampires are native to Europe, though they will, on rare occasions, be found in other places around the world, including in Gensoukyou. At first glance or from a distance, they may actually come off as humans if they are disguised properly. However, if one knows what to look for, it is not difficult to distinguish a normal human from a Devil Bat.

Due to their bodies being technically dead, Devil Bats cannot reproduce like living creatures. Instead, they reproduce by a process known as turning, which is the standard term used for any kind of vampiric reproducing. The process of turning a human into a Devil Bat is normally very delicate, involving draining a living human of every last drop of blood, then by feeding the newly-turned vampire fresh human blood before the end of roughly twenty-four hours. Though the last step is not necessary to turning a Devil Bat, it makes the process go much more smoothly, and the resulting vampire will normally be much more mentally sound and able to control their brutal instinct much more easily. Most turnings are considered accidental--the result of an overenthusiastic Devil Bat drinking a little too much in order to slake his or her thirst. Due to the proud and arrogant nature of most vampires, they will rarely turn someone on request, if at all.

Physical Traits

 * Unaging (though there are rare cases of vampires aging normally for a year or two after turning, most vampires will not physically age)
 * Fair or pale skin
 * Cold to the touch (though they do grow warm after ingesting human blood)
 * Long, razor-sharp teeth (the top and bottom canines)
 * Tough, clawlike nails
 * Slightly-pointed ears
 * Unnaturally-colored eyes (commonly red, but there have been records of vampires possessing gold or even completely white eyes)
 * Very large, functional bat wings
 * Inability to be seen in a mirror, photographs, etc.

Abilities
Devil Bats, after they are turned, can also differentiate themselves from humans with a variety of abilities. Many of these are seemingly-mundane abilities they possessed as a human, just enhanced to superhuman levels (for example, being able to lift four hundred pounds as opposed to only being able to lift forty). They may also possess unique abilities that may vary from individual to individual, but as a distinct species, all Devil Bats possess the following skills:


 * Superhuman strength and speed
 * Accelerated healing
 * Flight (only with the use of wings unless specific magic is learned)
 * Enhanced senses (namely hearing, smell, and sight--including being able to see in very low light)
 * Shapeshifting into a bat at will

Weaknesses
Of course, though vampires have a wide plethora of benefits, they also come with a great number of weaknesses that may spell their end or leave them helpless for a period of time if they are not careful. For example, a vampire:


 * Can be killed by being impaled through the heart or the head (by a wooden stake or otherwise)
 * Can be killed by decapitation
 * Can be harmed and killed by exposure to sunlight
 * Can be harmed by contact with silver
 * Can be weakened and eventually starved from not consuming human blood
 * Can be weakened and harmed by prolonged exposure to rain or flowing water (includes streams and rivers, or just water being poured out of a pitcher)
 * Can be weakened by garlic
 * Can be weakened by holy power (including holy water, but not other artifacts like crosses)

Characters of this Species

 * Remilia Scarlet
 * Flandre Scarlet
 * Kurumi

Description
The Common Werewolf (S. versipellis) is the less-common of the two extant vampire species, with an estimated population of two thousand individuals, most of these located in the New World. S. versipellis is said to have been driven to extinction in the Old World around the year 1770, though a handful of the species escaped and fled west to the New World and east into Asia. A lucky few may or may not have found refuge in Gensoukyou, but this number is said to be incredibly small (with no more than perhaps three or four). They are unique, as they are the only known species of vampire, both extinct and extant, that cannot die from exposure to sunlight. They can develop terrible burns if exposed for extended periods of time, but they cannot burn to death underneath the sun's rays. At the expense of this little perk, however, they are forcibly turned into a large wolflike creature on the full moon every month, but they are at their strongest on this night.

Just like other vampires, werewolves cannot reproduce sexually, but they can reproduce through a method known as turning. Unlike the turning process for Devil Bats, a werewolf only needs to be in his or her wolf form, and bite a human hard enough to break the skin. Once the human is bitten, they must die before the full moon sets in order to complete the transformation. The newly-turned werewolf will often find that foods that were once delicious to them are now unable to satisfy their hunger, and they must rely on consuming humans in order to survive. Unlike other vampires, a werewolf cannot just get by with a few mouthfuls of human blood; they must consume flesh as well in order to keep from starving themselves.

Physical Traits

 * Unaging
 * Fair or pale skin
 * Long, razor-sharp teeth (the top and bottom canines)
 * Tough, clawlike nails
 * Pointed, wolflike ears (may be located on the top or sides of the head)
 * Unnaturally-colored eyes (commonly gold, but there have been accounts of werewolves possessing red or blue eyes)

Abilities
Werewolves possess some abilities that are similar to Devil Bat vampires, but they also possess some powers unique to their own species:


 * Superhuman strength and speed
 * Accelerated healing
 * Enhanced senses (namely hearing, smell, and sight--including being able to see in very low light)
 * Shapeshifting into a large wolflike creature on the full moon

Weaknesses
Just like other vampires, werewolves possess a variety of weaknesses that may or may not be unique to the species:


 * Can be killed by being impaled through the heart or the head (by a wooden stake or otherwise)
 * Can be killed by decapitation
 * Can be harmed or killed by contact with or ingestion of plants of the Aconitum genus (also known as wolf's bane)
 * Can be harmed by extended exposure to sunlight
 * Can be harmed by contact with silver
 * Can be weakened and eventually starved from not consuming human flesh or blood
 * Can be weakened by holy power (including holy water, but not other artifacts like crosses)

Characters of this Species

 * Kagerou Imaizumi

Related Species

 * Devil