The New Me

The river water exploded outwards from the impact, splashing all around the area.

Wherever the liquid fell, it corroded everything, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

The jet's surface showed signs of corrosion and decay as soon as it touched the river, but it showed no signs of stopping.

At full speed, it emerged on the other side of the river, skidding across the grassland until it struck a huge boulder, leaving a trail of caved-in earth behind.

Even after enduring the violent landing and corrosive forces, the aircraft remained intact. The decay and corrosion on its surface mended itself as if it had never been damaged.

Then, without warning, the aircraft disappeared, as though it had never existed.

The Seislith, expecting a luscious snack, seethed in anger when it felt nothing but a hair falling into its mouth.

The massive serpent looked around with human-like confusion but found nothing. With an annoyed hiss, it swept its tail at the nearby trees, venting its frustration, then dove back into the darkness of the forest.

The haunting silence returned.

On the other side of the river, the air shimmered. The aircraft, which had once disappeared, reappeared once more.

"Is it gone?"

Inside the jet, two women stood before a screen displaying a detailed map of the surrounding area. One had wavy purple hair that bounced as she moved, and the other possessed silky black locks that exuded nobility and grace.

On the radar, a massive red dot—along with several smaller ones—moved away from them into the depths of the forest.

"Thank goodness," Vanessa sighed in relief, watching the Seislith retreat. "Even with six eyes, that thing still can't see through cloaking spells."

Her gaze shifted to the status screen. "Now, let's see what kind of damage we're dealing with."

"Seislith?" Alvin, sitting behind them, looked at the screen displaying an image of the massive basilisk-like creature, his face pale.

"A Seislith is a six-eyed serpent, a hundred meters long, known for its sharp fangs and horns. Its venom is extremely dangerous." Elara staggered back and took a seat before replying.

"So this is the world of vampires…" The sudden encounter with such a terrifying creature left Alvin baffled. "It's really… unique."

"Tamarka is home to several dark supernatural species, and the ruling power of this world is the vampires," Elara explained, looking slightly better than before. "We shouldn't stay here for long. It's too dangerous—even for us."

Turning to face him, she added, "Alvin, go change. Vanessa left an outfit for you on the bed."

Looking at his burnt, blood-stained uniform, Alvin's mind flashed back to scenes of Fugestu before he shook them off. "Alright, I'll change."

He stood up and walked towards the area where Elara had changed earlier.

Vanessa focused on getting the aircraft moving again.

"Were these the only male clothes you could find?" Alvin emerged from the bedroom with a forced smile on his face and wearing an oversized t-shirt and shorts on his body.

The shoulder of the t-shirt could be seen falling off from his body, revealing a defined neckline to the ladies.

"Hmm?" Vanessa turned her head. She looked at him for a second with narrowed eyes and then replied, "These were the first ones I found. Sorry if they're uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine. Just a bit too loose." Had it not been for his newly toned body, Alvin knew the shirt would have slipped right off.

"Take a seat," Elara said, a hint of heaviness in her voice. "We're leaving soon."

As she spoke, her gaze flicked to the nearby red dots on the map.

"We strayed from our original course due to the sudden spatial disturbance." 

"We were supposed to head directly to the Metanoa family from Earth, but the disturbance forced me to change coordinates at the last moment, bringing us to this wilderness—far from our destination."

Elara glanced at Vanessa and caught the worried look on her face, which softened her expression. "Don't worry too much about it. They only told me not to stay on Earth after the full moon, but they didn't say I had to return home right away."

Seeing the defiant look in her eyes, Alvin raised an eyebrow while Vanessa simply shook her head.

"What do we do now?" Alvin asked, taking his seat. Simply watching the projections didn't excite him—it all felt too unreal.

"We need to get out of here first, then plan our next move," Elara said firmly, her eyes sharp as she scrolled through one of the screens. "It's actually a good thing we didn't head straight to my family's home."

"They might have caused trouble for you because of your low power and age."

Alvin tensed, understanding the hidden meaning in her words. "So even after being bound to you, I won't be safe?"

"I guess I need to get stronger while we're away from your home."

"You and me both," Elara sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fortunately, a bit farther from here, I have a hideout only my grandmother knows about. We can stay there and train for a year."

Alvin looked at the place she pointed to on the map—a small hill in a clearing, a few miles away from the forest. In a desolate corner of the forest with some barren land and a long river of blood stood a lone house on the small hill.

The jet hummed back to life, lifting off the ground as a rush of air sent dirt and debris scattering in all directions. Within seconds, Alvin spotted the house right before him.

Perched atop a flat peak, the two-story structure resembled a small villa—at least by Earth's standards. It stood isolated, accessible only by an inclined path that wound up from the barren land below.

Woosh!

The wind howled as the massive jet landed smoothly, blowing away the dirt on the ground with a powerful gust.

Upon stopping, the side of the jet hissed, and a gate appeared on its surface out of nowhere. Alvin stepped down from the jet, landing on the new world for the very first time.

'The new scent of the air, the new sky, the new house and a new me.' Alvin stared at the house before him and said to himself.

This was where his new journey as a vampire would start!