I’m your father, Kaelen Vornir

She smiled, her expression sharp and knowing. "You shouldn't curse the Darklord."

Before Kai could say anything, she turned and vanished into the darkness, leaving him alone in the quiet cold.

Kai rubbed his arm and frowned. "Why do I always feel like I'm missing something?" he whispered, his voice so soft he could barely hear it himself.

Kai leaned on the old wooden fence, looking up at the faint light of the blood moon. His mind was filled with memories, each one more troubling than the last. He never meant for any of this to happen. It all started with a small outburst—just a moment of frustration during a tough level of the game.

"Stupid game! Stupid Darklord! Who designs something this impossible?" He hadn't thought much of it at the time. It was just a game, wasn't it? 

The crypt's faint blue glow had flickered in a strange way, but nothing happened. At least, not then. Now, standing at the edge of the spooky village, the weight of those words felt heavy on his chest. Every part of him shouted to turn back, to run to the room where he woke up, to do anything but go through the door. 

Kai walked up to a villager standing next to a fountain full of flowers. She wore a simple dress and moved with the same eerie grace as the others. Her glowing violet eyes glanced at him as he spoke. 

"Excuse me," Kai said, trying to keep his voice calm. "My name is Kai, and Darklord—"

The woman froze, her expression unreadable. The villagers nearby fell silent, their low murmurs ceasing as they turned to glance at him. For a moment, all Kai could hear was the soft hum of the stones beneath his feet and the steady pounding of his heart. The woman's lips parted, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned abruptly and walked away, her movements swift and deliberate. The other villagers quickly followed suit, leaving Kai standing alone by the fountain. 

"Okay… that was weird," Kai muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Guess he's not exactly the most popular guy around here."

He watched them walk away, their figures fading deeper into the village. His hand gripped the wooden fence so tightly that his knuckles turned white. What kind of game was this? Did it even matter anymore? It was becoming harder to remember who Kai really was or where he came from. For some reason, things that once felt familiar now seemed... wrong.

Kai stood there for several minutes, lost in his thoughts. Then, a strange sensation crept up his spine. He looked down at his feet and saw shadow ants. They were small but incredibly fast, completely blending into the dark. These ants could move through shadows, almost as if they became part of the darkness. They often appeared in swarms but traveled silently, staying hidden until they attacked. Their bites caused hallucinations or nightmarish visions, tormenting their victims until they went mad. Maybe they were a tool for psychic control by the vampires.

He cursed under his breath as he kicked his foot in the air, trying to shake them off. The ants moved across his boot, sliding right through the cloth. A cold shiver ran down Kai's arms, and he jumped when the ants crawled up the back of his hand. "Fucking weird," he muttered, rubbing his palm against the fabric of his pants, still damp with sweat. As if they sensed his unease, the ants suddenly disappeared.

"Damn you, Darklord! Why don't you show up so I can end this?" Kai cursed the Darklord again as he wiped his hand on his shirt.

He started to turn away, but before he could move, a boy stepped out from the shadows. He was tall and thin, with deep-set eyes that faintly glowed in the red light. His voice was soft, almost a whisper, as he spoke.

"Nyx," the boy said, his tone urgent yet careful. "Your father is looking for you. He's waiting at the farms."

Kai's breath caught in his throat. He stared at the boy, trying to read his face for any hint of a lie. "My father?" he repeated, his voice barely audible.

The boy nodded once. "He said you'd come."

Before Kai could ask anything else, the boy stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

Kai's mind raced. His father? Could it really be him? The thought that his father might be trapped in this world too sent a cold shiver down Kai's spine.

Without wasting another second, he turned and sprinted toward the farms, the soft glow of the village fading behind him.

The air grew colder as he neared the edge of the farmland. Rows of crimson-colored crops stretched out in front of him, and the faint outline of a farmhouse appeared in the distance. His heart pounded in his chest as he ran, his mind swirling with a mix of fear and hope.

"Dad?" Kai called as he got closer to the farmhouse. The door creaked open just a little, but there was no answer.

Kai slowed down, his footsteps crunching on the dirt path. The silence was heavy, broken only by the faint rustling of the wind through the crops.

"Dad!" he called again, this time louder.

 "Is that you, Nyx," the voice replied, calm and patient, as though they were back home and not in this nightmarish world.

Kai moved toward the voice, passing through the narrow hallway lined with old, fading pictures. He stopped in front of one, his eyes narrowing. It was a painting of a family standing in front of the very farmhouse—but their faces were blurred, smudged beyond recognition. Only their eyes were clear, glowing faintly with an eerie light.

Chills ran down his spine as he hurried his steps, finally entering the back room. There, at the worn wooden table, sat his father. Or at least, the man who looked like him.

The room was dim, lit by a single lantern that cast flickering shadows over the figure. His father's face seemed familiar, but something was wrong—his features were sharper, his pale skin catching the light strangely, and there was a faint shimmer in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Nyx," the man said again, standing slowly.

Kai froze, his breath catching in his throat. "Dad?"

The man smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You've grown," he said, stepping closer. "It's been so long since I've seen you."

"Long?" Kai whispered, confusion creeping through his fear. "I just saw you yesterday. Back home. We—" He stopped, his words faltering as the truth sank in. I'm not home anymore. Maybe time works differently here.

The man tilted his head, watching him with a mix of fondness and curiosity. "Nyx....."

Kai flinched at the name. "Stop calling me that! I'm not Nyx! I'm Kai Mercer!"

The man's smile faded, and his expression turned dark. "Kai Mercer? No. That name belongs to a man who once lived in a world of fleeting moments and pointless pursuits. But he died long ago, and that was an accident, Nyx. You didn't kill him."

"Didn't kill him... but who... I didn't kill anyone... I just took out a loan and..." Kai trailed off, his mind racing.

The man looked at him through his glasses, studying him for a long time before speaking. "It's better if you don't remember anything, Nyx. Your mom and I always wanted you to forget that incident... it was all an accident, and I know you never meant for this to happen..."

Kai took a step back, his legs brushing against the doorway. "You're not my father," he said, his voice shaking.

"Am I not?" the man replied, his voice soft yet sharp, like a knife slipping between ribs. "Didn't I teach you everything you know about farming? Didn't I prepare you for this?"

Kai shook his head, his thoughts spinning. "No. My dad's a programmer. He builds games—he doesn't…" He trailed off, his eyes flicking to the man's hands.

They were pale, almost translucent, with veins that faintly glowed beneath the skin. His fingernails were dark, nearly black, and as he moved, Kai noticed that his shadow didn't quite match his movements.

"What are you?" Kai demanded, his voice growing louder, filled with a mix of anger and fear.

The man chuckled softly, the sound echoing unnaturally in the small room. "What am I?" he repeated. "I'm your father, Kaelen Vornir."

"It's all my mistake. I shouldn't have cursed the Darklord. I shouldn't have opened the Veil. I just—" Kai thought, his stomach twisting as the man's words sank in. His mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of this strange reality.

"You're lying," he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

The man took another step closer, his glowing eyes narrowing. Kai's mind was a storm of questions, each one more unsettling than the last.

Was that really his father? Was any of this real?

As he turned to leave, his eyes caught something on the table—a small, intricately carved figurine. It was shaped like the oak tree in the village square, its roots twisting around a crescent moon.

Kai picked it up, his fingers brushing the smooth wood. The moment he touched it, a vision flashed through his mind—brief but vivid. He saw the oak tree, its roots glowing brighter than ever, stretching deep into the ground. Beneath it, something pulsed with dark energy, something alive. Kai staggered back, dropping the figurine. The room spun around him, the shadows closing in, until his father's voice snapped him out of it.

"Why didn't you come here after leaving? Your mom and I have been waiting for you for two years."