Tamarka

"Na-Tarē!"

Vanessa's loud and firm voice shook Alvin's body and mind, pulling him out of the state of stasis. For a fleeting moment, he felt that his body had become weightless, as if it had been suspended in the void.

Bang!

A sudden jolt from the seatbelts yanked him back to reality, slamming him into his seat. 

Feeling the chilling coldness vanish, Alvin slowly opened his eyes only to squint at the sight of the blinding light coming at him.

But in no time, his eyes adjusted to the light, and the first thing he registered was the streaks of light flashing towards him.

Just as he was about to freak out, Alvin registered the presence of the two women and the aircraft they were flying in.

The incoming rays of light moved past the aircraft without touching it—like stars stretching into infinity.

They were moving at an unimaginable speed through what appeared to be a tunnel of swirling energy.

At the far end, a planet zoomed into view in the form of an image; its surface shimmered in an eerie purple hue. Dark patches of cyclone-like gas clouds marred the planet, making it appear so scary that the thought of living on it sent shivers down his spine.

"That is Tamarka—the dark world of vampires."

The weary voice beside him forced Alvin to look away from the beautiful yet chilling sight before his eyes.

Turning his head, he was startled to see Elara and Vanessa standing near the controls, sweat dripping from their foreheads.

He could see energy oozing out of their body, encasing the aircraft in a protective barrier, keeping it stable in the air.

For the first time since they had taken off, Alvin felt a tremor coursing through the jet—something he had failed to notice before.

"What happened?" His voice carried genuine concern as he took in their strained state.

Though Elara appeared to be faring far better, he could sense she was pushing herself to the limits.

"Let's land first," Vanessa responded, exhaling sharply. She turned to Elara. "Can you hold it on your own for a moment?"

Elara gave a tight nod. Vanessa withdrew her energy, and immediately, the jet wavered, almost derailing from their course.

Gritting her teeth, Elara pushed herself harder, stabilizing it with sheer willpower.

Vanessa wasted no time, gripping the controls. "Brace yourselves. This is going to be rough."

Boom!

The aircraft surged forward, vanishing through the tunnel.

Tamarka—The World of All Dark Races.

A massive full moon shone over the land, spreading an ethereal violet glow. Its energy washed over the planet like a thin blanket, covering everything it landed on.

As far as the eyes could see, one would catch a glimpse of towering mountain ranges, their shadows covering the smaller ones. These peaks were riddled with several caves providing natural sanctuaries to the inhabitants of the world.

In one of Tamarka's more desolate corners, where mountain peaks were shrouded in hazy mist refracting the moonlight in the air, making it look akin to an Aurora light.

A river, deep crimson in color and of unknown origin, carved through the open fields filled with gray and silver grasses that glistened under the glow of the moonlight. The river stretched to the depths of an eerie forest.

This was no ordinary forest.

The trees alone were oddly unique in this place. They were tall, obsidian black with glowing green veins pulsating along their barks.

The veins shimmered in a subtle glow as they let out a low, subtle hum.

One moment they hung from the tree branches, and the next these vines would come to life. They slithered like living serpents, curling and twisting unnaturally.

Then—

ROAR!

Just when everything appeared to be peaceful—haunting but peaceful—a sudden roar of a mysterious beast tore through the silence of the forest.

The roar was neither a howl nor a screech but something in between—a disgusting concord of rage and hunger.

The disturbance sent blood-colored bats screeching into the night, their wings flapping frantically as they scattered in every direction, trying their best to survive whatever disaster had awakened.

Thud!

A section of the forest shook as trees toppled like dominos. From the shadows, a massive crystalline blade emerged; its gleaming surface reflected the moonlight as it moved through the forest. The blade slowly rose into the air, revealing the monstrous serpentine head it was attached to.

The creature, a Seislith, raised its head into the air.

Its six glowing crimson eyes were all looking in different directions, scanning the surroundings.

Its mouth gaped open, revealing a fork-like huge tongue and fangs as long as great swords. A faint black liquid dripped from the fangs.

A single drop of that liquid dropped on a nearby tree, and it melted in mere seconds like an ice flake on a fire stove, bubbling and producing poisonous mist.

The Seislith flicked its tail and launched a wolf-like beast into the air from its hiding place.

The unfortunate creature, barely the size of Seislith's single teeth, spun in the air helplessly, whimpering for its life. It had already given up resistance in the presence of such a behemoth.

Just when the wolf thought it would die in the serpent's mouth, something happened.

Zheng!

A strange vibration pulsed through the air.

Not just the air—the entire forest trembled. The nearby crimson river rippled as if a meteor had fallen into it.

Crack!

The sky broke like fractured glass.

And out of nowhere, a black aircraft with an impossibly sleek, futuristic design flashed out of the crack.

Instead of going straight, the aircraft suddenly moved downwards at a diagonal angle.

The flying jet slammed into the wolf at such a speed that it obliterated most of its body, leaving only the rear end with the tail that fell into the serpent's mouth.

Boom!

After slamming into the short-lived wolf, it streaked through the sky, hurling down towards the ground like it would crash at any moment, but at the last second, the aircraft stabilized and slid through the grass field, submerging right into the crimson river.

Splash!