Darkness envelops me, punctuated only by the gentle touch of raindrops on my skin. The chill of the night air seeps in, mirroring the cold dread creeping into my heart. My heartbeat slows, each faint thud counting down to an inevitable end. Death looms beside me, poised to claim my soul.
I saved a boy, just moments ago. Does that count as redemption? Will my past be revealed to me now? Can the curse be lifted?
'I did something good,' I think, desperation clawing at my thoughts. 'Isn't that enough? Why must my life be taken?'
Vincent – Vin – lies motionless on the cold, wet asphalt, his body broken and bleeding. Pain eludes him, but the numbness brings no comfort. Unseen, the blood seeps from his wounds, draining life from his fragile form.
A woman's scream pierces the air, drawing fearful gazes from the crowd. 'Someone call an ambulance!' a bystander shouts.
A young man, mid-twenties, rushes to Vin's side. Vin's breathing is shallow, his eyes heavy-lidded.
'Can you hear me?' the man asks, panic etched on his face.
Vin's response, barely audible. 'Yes…'
'Don't close your eyes, okay?' the man warns, applying pressure to Vin's wounds. 'Hang in there!
Vin's weak voice, resigned. 'Don't sweat it. I'm already gone. You're wasting your time.'
The man's expression darkens. 'Shut up for a second!
Vin's silence is answer enough.
And the man's panic escalates. The ambulance screeches to a halt, but time is running out.
Vin's hands suddenly shoots out, grasping the man's coat. His eyes lock onto the man's, filled with a desperate plea. 'I did something good... will I go to heaven?'
The man's hesitant response hangs in the air. 'I don't know... I'm not the one to decide.'
Vin's face relaxes, a faint smile spreading across his lips. 'Maybe... my memories will be unlocked. I'll know who I truly was... at heaven's gate or hell's pit.' His voice fades, eyes closing as his grip on the coat loosens.
The man shakes Vin frantically. 'Hey! Can you hear me? Don't die! You're young! You have your whole life ahead!' Desperation cracks his voice.
The city street falls silent, the only sound was the relentless rain.
***
'Where am I?'
The sounds of screams and shouts fill the air. Thick layers of smoke and ash cover the skies.
"Don't let that bloodsucking demon escape!" a man commands his troops.
'Who are those people?'
"At my command, shoot!"
"YES SIR!" the troops thundered.
Suddenly, arrows, spears, and spikes comes flying towards his direction.
'Why am I being targeted?'
Dodging all the attacks, without a single strand of hair falling off, Vin rises from the ground where he lay before, clutching his stomach, the part that hurts badly.
"What the heck is going on?" he says but is soon taken aback by something important. "Why is my voice so deep?"
"DEMON!" the man who lead the thousands of warriors calls out.
"Are you talking to me?" Vin innocently asks.
"Yes! Feel my wrath!" Wielding an ancient sword, Vin instantly knows he's dead serious,
"Blazing dragon, fifth form!"
Smelling death, Vin knows something terrible is happening.
"Please, can't we talk?" He tries to ask the man who comes running towards him with professional swordsman skills.
"No!"
Not knowing how, but dodging each and every attack, Vin realizes the flexibility of his body and how easily and quickly it moves.
"What? You deflected all my attacks!" The man's jaw drops.
"Please, we need to talk."
"Never!"
"Good Lord!" Vin rubs his eyes. Soon, he notices he's standing in a castle that's already burning down. "Where am I?"
"Alberto, I'll take care of this monster myself," a handsome man who appears from nowhere says, clutching a staff tightly. His silky, cream-colored hair and the robe he wears speak seriously of his appearance. Sky-blue eyes that sparkle dully and an air of mystery.
There's truly something suspicious about him.
"Okay, now I'm really serious! WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Vin screams out.
"Your death!" the handsome cold man says.
"Okay? Th-" Without realizing, Vin suddenly feels his body freeze. Colder than he could ever imagine.
[What the heck?] he thinks as he sees half of his body already frozen.
Zapped by another handsome man who enters at this moment, Vin's body flies into the darkness, but with immense energy flowing through him.
"White, did you get him?" Vin can hear the man called Alberto say.
"Of course, you could have gotten him. No one can survive that blow," the icy cold man yells out.
"Snow, I'm not sure. Not just one blast can defeat someone as powerful as Dravil."
"Dravil? Snow and White?" Vin mumbled in the dark as the ice melted off his body. "But my name is Vin."
Walking out from the darkness, the three men took positions, ready to attack.
"So let me guess," Vin stroked his chin, pacing the room, "You guys want to kill me because maybe I'm a monster-"
"Maybe?" Snow spat out, visibly angry at that word, "You are evil, wicked, and heartless. And I will behead you personally."
"Whoa, that is a harsh word," Vin said, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't care if you say nonsense and stupidity, just know you die tonight and that is it!" Alberto brought out a staff and cast a spell into the cloud. "White, as we practiced."
"Sure!"
White held his staff tightly, sending a powerful beam of light into the skies, summoning a beast made of ice and lightning.
"I get it now. You both want to see me minced," Vin smiled nervously as the monster raced towards him, every step breaking the ground.
Without realizing how, Vin's hands touched the shadow on the castle wall, noticing its sticky texture.
"Okay, let me show you what I can do as well," Vin stood his ground, deliberately luring the monster towards him.
As an attack of ice arrows covered in lightning came, he dodged them and pushed the monster towards the wall.
Landing on the ground, Vin's eyes went wide when he saw different hands pulling the monster in, devouring every piece of its bones.
"Impossible!" White exclaimed, looking shocked.
"You know what, I'm out of here," Vin said, walking away.
"No you don't," Alberto threw a ball of lightning towards him.
Catching it with ease, Vin squeezed the lightning into the size of a pearl before dropping it on the ground.
"I'm leaving!" He angrily told them before jumping out of the window , with the strong courage of not wanting to die.
As he left, Alberto slammed his fist into the wall where no shadow was reflected. "If not for-"
"Something is off!" White pointed out.
"What do you mean by something is off?" Alberto asked, confused.
"He never once attacked us back," White said.
"Wait a second, White, you're right!" Alberto took a moment to sit down and think about it.
"I know Dravil. He wouldn't back down from a fight and always has that maniacal laughter and smile on his face, relishing in bloodshed and a huge blood lust," White looked at the rising sun with furrowed brows. "He didn't run from the rising sun, he ran away because he didn't want to fight us. He never had any intention of killing us, not since I started fighting him."
'Who truly is Dravil? What happened to him?' White thought to himself as the troops entered the room.
Snow, who stood by the wall that devoured the magical beast, said, "This castle is alive. A breathing monster."
Walking back, he commanded the troops, his brother White, and Alberto to move away.
Upon doing this, Snow raised his hand and drew an invisible circle in the air with his index finger.
"Sealing Magic - Enclosure!"
A barrier appeared around the castle as he heaved a sigh.
"That will keep it locked for now."
****
Vin rubbed his eyes as he walked through a garden he had stumbled upon. "What happened to me? Why am I so into everything natural?"
Sitting on an old bench, he raised his head and noticed a small puddle of water not far away.
Curiosity getting the best of him, he quickly looked into the water and was taken aback by his own reflection.
"Oh my God! I'm stunning, handsome, and really hot. Even more handsome than that man called White... Snow... whatever!"
Vin smiled at his new features—a jet-black hair that fell to his back, sparkling crimson red eyes, pale skin, and a distinctive facial structure that would leave any woman speechless.
But there was something off. He had fangs in place of his incisors.
"So I am a Vampire Lord? Or a Dark Lord that everyone seems to dislike. Okay. But I only remember pushing a boy who almost got hit by a car, and Bam! I'm in this body," he mumbled to himself, trying to make sense of his situation.
After a few minutes of deep thought, he realized something. "Transmigration, I see. I have to be careful around this world while trying to figure out who I truly am. Especially with these strange people who have magical powers and, most importantly, how to escape death, which always stands beside me."
Standing up, he made his way into the town, which wasn't far from the garden and definitely not from the castle. Going out when the morning sun would soon be up was a threat, and he could feel it in his bones.
"Since I literally know demons don't have a good relationship with the sun, I need something to hide from all these people."
Lost in thought, he walked with his head low, trying not to draw unnecessary attention to his unique attire, which would undoubtedly pique curiosity.
The town was relatively quiet, thanks to the early morning hour. Vin knew this world would be incredibly interesting to explore with his newfound appearance.
His eyes wandered over the shops, searching for something that would provide him with a solution. And then, he found it—a shop with a sign that read "Potions."
"Interesting, you can buy potions here," Vin thought, intrigued by the possibilities.
Without hesitation, he entered the shop and called out, "Hello, is anyone home?"
His deep voice echoed through the quiet space, and a man quickly emerged.
"Yes, I—" The man's words caught in his throat as he caught sight of Vin. Fear washed over his face, and he trembled uncontrollably.
"You have potions? Like a cloaking Potion?" Vin asked, his curiosity piqued. "Or can you perform a cloaking spell? Something that could disguise someone as a teenager, perhaps?"
The man couldn't find his voice, consumed by fear. Vin quickly realized the impact his fearsome appearance was having on the man.
"I won't hurt you—" Vin started, but the man's trembling intensified, cutting him off.
"Forgive me! I'm a father, I have a family... Please, take whatever you want... Just don't hurt me... Please!" the man pleaded, his voice quivering.
Vin's jaw dropped in surprise. He hadn't even finished his threat, and the man was already begging for mercy. Feeling a wave of guilt wash over him, Vin tried to ease the man's fear.
"I won't hurt you," he reassured, his voice softer this time.
Seeing the man's relief, Vin took the opportunity to explain his needs further. "I'm looking for something to help me blend in with the outside world. Maybe a cloaking potion or spell?"
The man finally found his voice and hurriedly retrieved a potion from one of the shelves. "Here... erm... what's the magic word again..."
Vin attempted to interrupt, to tell the man that he didn't need to go to such lengths, but it was too late.
"Dero'ol!"
A blinding light illuminated the room, causing Vin to shield his eyes instinctively. When the light dissipated, Vin found himself wearing a jacket with a hood. The man explained that it was the most powerful cloaking spell available.
"When you wear it, your dark aura will be suppressed, and the outside world will see you as a young handsome boy," the man said, his fear replaced by a mix of relief and awe. "However, those crimson red eyes of yours cannot be covered. Some Rank A mage would feel something off about you, but nevertheless, it is perfect."
Vin quickly put on the jacket after hearing all the explanations. He knew the man wouldn't lie, especially with the fear showing in his eyes.
As soon as Vin pulled up the hood, his entire appearance changed, and he could tell the magic was working.
"Hey, thanks a lot! I'll pay you–" Vin started to say.
Nervously, the man interrupted, "No need... it's for free..."
"Okay, bye!" Vin waved at him while leaving his previous clothes in the man's shop.
As he walked away, the man fell to the ground, muttering to himself, "I'm... alive," as he eyed the clothes. "And I'll burn those clothes!"
Meanwhile, Vin stood outside, feeling much better. With his new appearance in this world, he knew a whole new adventure was ahead.