Chapter 1
Where am I? I'm still here, alone and forgotten. Blood continues to flow from my body, and all I wish for is for it to stop. I long for it all to end, please, make it stop.
How am I still standing? Is this a sign that I will be alright? No, it's impossible. There's no fixing this.
I can't understand how I'm still upright. The frustration is driving me mad! Move, body, move! We must escape, we must survive. Why are you failing me now when I need you the most? Please, move! We're dying! Don't give up, please.
I'm weary, so weary. But I can't give up, I can't rest. To rest is to perish, I must remain strong. But my body is reaching its limit, maybe I should rest for a moment, conserve my energy until help arrives. Yes, that would be wisest. Conserve my strength. Help will be here soon.
It'll all be over soon, I can sense it. My end is near, and there's nothing I can do. Fine. I'm too drained anyway. I wish I could have done things differently, but it doesn't matter now. It will all be over soon. Finally.
I feel the chill, I wish someone could warm me or hold me. I feel no pain now, but my body shivers in an attempt to warm up. Yet, I remain cold.
My body has turned pale, the cold is slowly draining me. I think it's time for me to close my eyes for a moment. Let me rest for a while.
He collapsed into a pool of blood, his once blonde hair now stained red with his own blood.
An unknown figure emerged from the shadows, dressed in a sharp outfit. A shirt with a bow tie, a vest with a stylish jacket, tailored pants, and polished shoes. The figure gazed down at the unconscious boy with a sense of resignation.
"I told you that the power you sought wouldn't come easily," he murmured. "That makes it nine."
With those words, the figure vanished into thin air.
Balthazar slowly regained consciousness, his eyes fluttering open to a canopy of trees above him. The sky was a crimson hue, casting an eerie light. As he tried to sit up, he felt the rustling leaves beneath him and realized he was in a forest.
'Why am I here? What happened to me?' he wondered.
A sharp pain in his head made him wince, and he noticed his torn sleeves. Recalling a biting sensation, he checked for a wound but found none. However, dried blood on his trousers indicated something had transpired.
'I should be injured, but I feel...fine?' Balthazar thought, perplexed by his sudden well-being.
As he pondered his whereabouts and the events leading up to this moment, he noticed a peculiar change in his vision. Despite the darkness, he could discern intricate details with uncanny clarity. The ants on the trees, the grooves in the bark—all visible to him in the night.
Confused and disoriented, Balthazar grappled with his newfound abilities and the mysteries surrounding his current situation.
'Hang on... are those ants?' Balthazar's eyes widened as he noticed the newfound change in his vision. 'How is this possible? Could it be from all the fruits and vegetables Nanny has been cooking? They say it enhances eyesight... Or is that just an internet myth?'
What had transpired? Was he transformed into some kind of vampire, needing blood to survive? It would explain his rapid healing and strange abilities. The supernatural stories he had read seemed to align with his current situation.
Checking his teeth for any signs of fangs, he found nothing amiss. Everything appeared normal.
Swallowing hard, he examined himself for any additional blood besides that on his trousers. The survival of the earlier incident in the park, the deal with the mysterious stranger, and his current state led him to dread the worst-case scenario.
'No, calm down, nothing has happened,' Balthazar reassured himself. 'I would surely remember something like that... but would I really? I still have no recollection of how I ended up in these woods.'
A sense of unease washed over him as he felt an unfamiliar presence lurking nearby. Swiftly turning to confront the perceived threat, he was met by a man who assured him, "Calm down, child, I am not your enemy," before his shadow dissipated.
Balthazar's expression turned serious as he recognized the face of the man standing before him—it was the same individual who had bitten him.
"Allow me to share a story with you, kid. I want you to understand the gravity of your situation," the strange man said ominously.
Vampires had recently made an appearance in the area, horrifying creatures that survived on blood and human hearts. Even witches were known to fear them.
There was a suspicion that vampires were not human but something of unnatural origin. They seemed to have a friendly relationship with other supernatural creatures, which only added to the fear.
The man recounted a tale of a newcomer to his village, a mysterious individual who only emerged at night and seemed to be connected to the livestock being drained of blood. Eyes glowing red, the man's visits from weak-looking guests hinted at something sinister.
As the livestock in the area continued to die, suspicions arose about a monster in the forest. The man, however, knew the truth and began to conduct experiments to learn more about the creature.
His research revealed the creature's vulnerabilities to water and garlic, leading him to discover fire as a means of defeating the vampire. But his victory was short-lived as he woke to screams one night, only to discover his neighbor's lifeless body and the vampire responsible for the chaos.
Determined to rid his town of the undead, the man set the town ablaze, watching as the vampires burned to ashes. With only his torch in hand, he vowed to continue his mission to eradicate the vampires.
As the flames engulfed the town, he left behind the ashes of his former life, ready to continue his fight against the demonic creatures that had destroyed everything he held dear. He began his journey to study the transmutational mechanics of vampire suppression, arming himself with knowledge and determination to make the vampires pay for their atrocities.