"Rin!" Canin cried as the dust withered away before his eyes. He pawed about in the street in the spot where they had been and turned circles looking for his traveling companion. The other three stood around puzzled and slightly shocked at what had just happened. Ray was helping Jex to his feet and Nimer paced about on edge.
"The one?" Jex finally asked. "What does he mean by that?"
"Did Nimer not tell you?" Canin growled. His amber eyes raged with fury looking toward the guide. "Tell them! Tell them who Rin really is."
Nimer frowned and turned a cold shoulder to the wolf. "They don't need to know, yet. The more important thing is we need to find him immediately before the vampire gives him more power before he awakens."
"What would happen if he gains more power?" Ray said, kneeling down and picking up her broken arrow off the ground. Mud soiled the feathers and she felt a sense of loss looking at the mangled wood. Shaking her head, she turned and marched right up to Nimer. "There can't be any more secrets. First you won't tell us who you are and now you won't tell us who Rin is. If this is going to affect our journey, we need to know these things, Nimer."
Nimer frowned and looked up to the full moon hanging in the sky. "I can't tell you. Can't you see I'm trying to protect you?"
"Us knowing nothing isn't protecting us," Ray spat firmly.
Nimer's icy eyes bore into her and he had to swallow his rage. "Zinlar their leader can read minds. If you knew, he'd know who Rin is and use him. That's why one thing is for certain, we must find Rin. Being 'the one' means he knows and that vampire was sent here to retrieve him for the cult," Nimer turned to the distraught wolf who was sniffing the ground continuously, trying to pick up a scent if any. "Canin, we are going to try and find him," he said approaching the lycan.
Canin looked up, mud dripping from the end of his snout and his ears fanning forward. Low rumbles of growls reverberated from his throat. "We better. If he awakens and breaks my memory spell, I'm blaming you," Canin snorted.
"Have you found any trace in scent yet?" Nimer asked. "The only thing I can do is sense the shards that Rin has around his neck. They seem a little far away from our current location."
"Can you depict a direction?" Ray asked.
Nimer raised a hand and pointed out to the east toward the woods. "That way," he answered. "I'm very sure of it."
"We should get going then if we have that much to lose," Jex said.
The other three nodded. It was imperative that they find Rin.
+++
Rin could feel his body materialize moments later and breath came to his lungs once again. His surroundings were dark and musty. There was feeble light coming into the room from a window covered by a holey curtain on the far wall to his left, but from what he could see, there was no other exit. It smelled like rotting wood and leather, not to mention rotting flesh. The low ticking of a clock making light thuds as its pendulum swung back and forth could be heard to his right. He needed to get out of there, but how?
He still struggled greatly against the arm that his capturer had around his neck. "What do you want with me?" he asked pointedly.
He was met with a lisspy laugh. The vampire leaned in close to Rin's ear and said in a low voice, "You are the one and you should be grateful you have been chosen." He then dragged his tongue across Rin's cheek where the line of blood had been, cleaning it while tasting his heart's bleed. "Ravathor searches for a host and I'm able to sniff out every host based on their blood. You will become powerful, Rin."
Rin winced and had an unpleasant expression. Overall grossed out by the vampire's behavior, he began to struggle more, his fingers clawing at his arm. "Let go of me. Let go! I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Your blood is bitter, cold, but refreshing. You are Rin Darkwell, am I wrong?" the vampire cooed.
"I refuse to tell you who I am," Rin spat harshly.
"Don't be like that, Rin," the vampire beckoned, speaking into his ear softly. "I can sense it. You crave power, you want to be helpful, stronger, achieve what others cannot. Ravathor needs a host like you to live beyond human years." He gently dragged his fingers across Rin's thin face, snickering. They trailed down his jawline to his neck as he lightly slid two fingers under the chain of the cross Rin wore. "You have a piece of the key around your neck. Zinlar would be pleased you have found it, and so would Ravator."
Rin's breath quickened, in less panic but more like his words were getting to him. His heart thudded against his ribcage and he whined. "Stop…" he stuttered. "I don't want any of that. You don't…know me…" His thoughts hit barriers in his mind. They were beginning to crack.
The vampire placed a strong hand on his jaw and turned his head forcefully toward him. "Don't deny your awakening."
The feeble man struggled to answer with his jaw being held. "My awakening?"
Rin let out a cry as his whole body was forced to the ground, the back of his head being held down and his cheek pressed against the rough surface of the ground. The floor smelled stronger than the room and he could feel bile in his stomach churn as he gagged and tried not to vomit.
The vampire released him shortly afterwards and crossed the room. The sound of a match striking a rough surface split the silence, a small crackle of a fire igniting shortly afterwards as the vampire lit a small candle inside a glass lantern.
He could see the room more clearly; A small bed with a dirty sheet sat in the far corner and a round table that had seen better days occupied the opposite corner along with a cabinet. That was where the lantern sat next to a leather bound book with worn pages. But Rin was even more terrified than before at what he saw surrounding the room in the dim candle light.
Bodies of several men, women, and even children lay lifeless and shriveled up like prunes sitting up against the walls. Bite marks littered their necks. Their eyes had rolled back in their heads leaving their eyes white and soulless. Blood stained the floor running in a web of different directions and seeping into the cracks and holes of the wooden floor. The thin man couldn't hold in his bile much longer as he bowed his head and released what little substance he had in his stomach.
The vampire squatted down in front of Rin and he rested his arms on his knees while his hands fell limp in front of him, a smile on his face that hunted Rin. He nearly asked what this man was so happy about.
"Isn't it fantastic?" the bloodthirsty monster asked him.
"You're a mad man if I've ever seen one," Rin said bitterly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
The vampire threw his hands out to the side. "Welcome to the life of a monster, Rin. We don't play nice. Never have, never will! We just keep winning!" He belted a laugh as he stood and turned on his heels and headed toward the cabinet. The rusty hinges squeaked as he opened the door and pulled out what looked like a small vile full of dark red liquid. From what Rin could see from his spot on the floor, there appeared to be several more in holders on the shelf.
He turned back to Rin, wiggling the vile back and forth so the content sloshed around. With a light pop, he pulled the cork off the top and waved the vial in front of his nose, taking a long wiff before letting out a long breath of air. He settled again on his toes in front of the man on the floor. He took hold of Rin's hand and placed the cool, glass vial in his palm till he clasped it.
"Take it," the vampire urged. "Your body must be powerful enough. Becoming like me will make you so, Rin."
Rin found himself taking it from him and looked down, seeing a faint trace of his reflection in the red liquid of the vile from the light of the lantern. He was hesitant but something drew him to the liquid, much like his soul was yearning for it, yet he refused again to drink it.
He frowned. "I…I don't want such things…Never have, never will."
The low lit red eyes of the vampire watched Rin intensely. "I can sense you lying to yourself…" he said in a quiet voice. "Don't lie to yourself. Give in Rin…Give into greater power."
"I'm not…I'm not lying, I swear on it," Rin said, trying to hand the vial back to the vampire who in return pushed it back towards him.
"Drink, Rin."
Rin's mouth hung slightly agape and he slowly brought the edge of the vial close to his face till could feel the glass surface on his lips. The vile smelled of blood and oddly sweet. His heart beats matched the low thudding of the clock and rang in his ears. He hesitated and questioned himself once more. "Do I want such power?" he asked himself.
"You're a monster," his own words rang through his head.
"Not as much as you, Rin," came Canin's answer.
Rin's heart fluttered again. "I was meant for this…," Rin thought.
"Drink," lulled the voice of the monster in front of him, his grin curling more and more till it resembled the moon; large, white, and gleaming.
With a loud click, the clock began to chime like a loud bell. He slowly tipped the vial and drank.
One, two, three…