Free Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7 by Various Authors

experimentations, it combined to create a mismatched, patchy elixir, programmed so that there were 'no negative consequences'. But, obviously, that was not the case." The woe in Jeremy's voice roused Jacob from his own distress, dismayed at causing Jeremy any more trouble, yet desperate to find out what happened to the world that had made him hated by everyone – everyone except Jeremy.
    "They gave the mixture to every human able to afford it – our forbearers already had their immortality and peace of their own. They also explained the so-called 'generosity' of the creatures people had traditionally feared, in 'helping' with the creation of the elixir. No human objections at this stage: immortals were confined and a minority, thus voiceless. Not until those unexpected consequences began." Although they both looked into each other's eyes, they saw nothing except the story playing out in front of them both.
    "It changed what it meant to be alive. Like a disease it killed those humans whose bodies' could not, or were unable to, accept it. It took the away the immortals' eternity and granted those mythological beings a human lifespan instead. Only now, this span was now extended by a few years or so for every creature that survived the devastation – it was indiscriminate . People rebelled at the consequences of their action, and so they slaughtered all the weakened immortals, naturally, as the 'cause' of this 'disease'.
    "Society broke down. The remaining immortals – watered down originals – were tasked to maintain the previous societal system, while supporting the current, as the only creatures able to ensure this. There was a term, I think, that described what we are now – feudalism. Whilst before – even the books in archive fail to explain – there were many complex systems that I couldn't make sense of… For example, I keep the old ways alive in the antique books in my keeping here, whilst using the knowledge – of healing, technology, et cetera – to help others at present.
    "In my case it almost worked, until the fire…
    "So, what are we then?" Jeremy wound down with resignation. Jacob likewise calmed to hear the quietened words and more peaceful expressions, not the rejection he expected. "We are shadows of our original makers. Mortality remained for most, but those with enough of the 'poison' in their makeup became immortal, and often feature characteristics of the creatures we benefited from.
    "So, this is where a library full of fiction comes in handy, I suppose – probably being the reason for its existence – to discover such origins. I assume the remnants of the elixir in you, Jacob, comes from a shifter, hence your form, with it being passed down through infected, but possibly dormant, generations before its potency came to you. I, on the other hand, believe my origin is that of a vampire, but only with pale skin, sharper teeth and a reduced appetite to show for it – with the characteristic immortality as well."
    Their eyes broke contact as they thought over the new information, heads bowed low, reluctant to see the effect of the information in each other's expression. Jacob seemed to have calmed down when Jeremy risked a glimpse, his hands were relaxed and his shoulders hunched in thought, rather than in pain. Jeremy, after sweeping ivy off a nearby chair, sat down. Given the situation, Jeremy did not dare glance at the flesh hidden by the robe ending above Jacob's knee. Instead, he waited for Jacob.
    They both sat still for a time. Jacob eventually shifted in his seat, earning a sticky squelch and another stained robe. He raised his head, met Jeremy's eyes and spoke after setting aside his inhibitions, and with a blush rising from his collar to his ear. "Canine. Canine shifter. Both my parents were too, before they died from an attack by a mob, while I escaped. Erm, yeah, fur, but I also have a, erm, bulbous glandis, you know, a penile knot, as a quirk ." A smirk, filled with self-loathing