I peered my head out of the tent my father had set up to look at the night sky. The stars that peeked through the forest canopy were always mesmerizing to me. As I lost myself in the sight above, I heard a voice call out to me.
"Axel, I thought you were asleep. Want to join me?"
I got out of the tent and walked over to the campfire that my dad had set up. I sat next to him, and he passed me a cold cider from his cooler.
"Any reason why you woke up?" he asked.
I looked at my dad, noticing the signs of aging on his face. I had recently moved to the city, far away from the wilderness area that my dad called home. It didn't feel like I had been gone for long, but seeing his face highlighted the time I had spent away from him.
"No reason, really. I've always loved looking up at the night sky during these times, even when I was younger," I replied.
My father took a long sip of his drink and scoffed. "Hmph, I thought you'd outgrown that by now."
"Not even close. I still find the sky beautiful when viewed from a forest or a campsite. The sky in the city just doesn't feel the same..."
I opened my can of cider and took a swig, feeling the cold drink clash with the heat from the fire. My dad always had a knack for making impressive fires, talking about the "quality" of the wood and being particular about kindling.
"How is it in the city?" my dad asked.
"It has its ups and downs. Moving into a flat on my own was definitely scary at first, but you've taught me how to fend for myself. I have a steady job and I'm attending a local university."
"Well, I'm glad it's working out for you," my father said, his words devoid of emotion but with good intentions. Since my mother's passing, he had hidden his emotions from me, as if he believed showing any vulnerability would be a sign of weakness. Even during the time my mom died, he hid his sadness behind an emotional wall.
"How do you do it, Dad?" I blurted out, caught up in my thoughts. My dad looked at me with a strange expression.
"What do you mean, Axel?"
"How do you stay so strong? I know Mom meant so much to you, yet you haven't stopped for a day. You went back to work almost instantly and helped me move out, knowing you'd be alone. How did you move on so quickly with everything changing around you?"
My father put his can down and stared into the campfire, choosing his words carefully. After a moment, he spoke.
"Change is something everyone fears. Being thrown into the unknown is a part of life, though, and sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and cope. It may not be the best way to deal with hardships, but it has always been my way. If I were to stop, even for a moment, I would probably crumble. That's why I have to keep moving forward."
"Doesn't it ever get tiring, though?"
"Of course, it does... but life is as beautiful as it is tiring. We have to endure moments of hardship to truly appreciate what it has to offer. Only then can we grow into the people we are meant to be."
My father showed a rare moment of vulnerability with these statements. He usually didn't talk so emotionally about himself. I wondered if he had had a few too many ciders, but for me, it was a cherished moment. The man I usually saw as a brick wall had finally let me in, if only partially.
"Dad, I..."
As I was about to respond, the surroundings seemed to dissolve. The familiar forest transformed into a dark wood, and beasts emerged from every direction. The once massive campfire in front of me noticeably shrank to a small flame. My father, who had been sitting next to me, staring into the fire, also dissolved into thin air.
I looked down and realized that my body had shrunk to the size of an 8-year-old. Surrounded by the beasts, I sensed someone approaching from behind. As I turned around, I only heard two words before everything went dark.
"Found you."
"NO!"
My eyes shot open, filled with fear of being captured by the old man. But as I regained consciousness, I realized I wasn't in the forest any more. Instead, I found myself in a dark-bricked room. I let out a sigh.
"I guess I'm still alive... but I've been captured."
Looking down at my arms and legs, I noticed bracers attached to all four limbs, which were chained to the wall. Though not fully taut, the chains allowed me to stand up and move around to some extent.
As I stood up, I noticed for the first time since entering this world, I was wearing clothes. The touch of the grey cloth against my skin brought a faint smile to my face.
"I never knew how grateful I could be for clothes until now!"
Examining myself, I also noticed that some of my injuries had healed, leaving scars scattered across my body. Perhaps I had finally been saved...
But as that thought crossed my mind, a sharp pain surged through my chest. It was then that I became aware of something cold pressed against my chest, which I hadn't noticed before. Pulling aside the grey robes draped over me, I saw something "attached" to my chest.
"What the f-"
The device attached to my body was black and seemed to be a kind of magical device. Its strange shape pulsated with red lines, as if it were breathing. Whenever the stinging pain occurred, the device would glow and alleviate the pain.
"Is it... absorbing the obscurus? It can't be. Such a device would be widely known if it existed!"
Or would it... An obscurus was a dangerous force that every witch or wizard would dread, but what if it could be controlled? What if it could be subdued? Thinking back to the story of Credence in the Fantastic Beasts series, he had somewhat harnessed it for attacks before his demise and he showcased incredible destructive power. A young boy wielding immense power such as that could be seen as dangerous to any ministry across the world.
"It can't be that some kind soul randomly decided to cure me... there must be a catch."
I sat back down on the floor, pondering the situation. If I were with that old man now, I was almost certain he wouldn't have attached this device. The way he looked at me indicated that he didn't care about anyone's well-being, even that of a child. The question remained, then: who had taken me?
Just as I was about to touch the device on my chest, someone called out to me.
"Don't touch it... It's an extremely fragile device meant to temporarily alleviate your pain."
My head shot up as I looked at the man who spoke. He had short grey hair and red eyes, and his face appeared pale. Yet, he exuded a sense of gentility. A sword, reaching down to his ankle, hung from his hip. Upon closer observation, I noticed his fangs.
"A... vampire?"
"Oh, so you are aware of what I am? Perhaps a family member taught you about us when you were younger..."
The man walked over to me and took a seat on the floor in front of me. I noticed he had sat just out of reach of the chains, as if somewhat cautious of me suddenly trying to attack.
"Now I have to ask, what is a boy like you doing in the middle of the Black Forest alone? A boy with an obscurial within him, nonetheless."
The man instantly started to question me. I sighed and started to speak:
"I doubt my answer to those questions will satisfy you. I don't know how I got here. A few months ago, I woke up and here I was."
"Woke up randomly here? This is very deep within the Black Forest. Not even most wandering wizards ever venture this far... Maybe you were bewitched by one of the beasts here?"
"I couldn't tell you... as I said, I have no recollection of how I ended up here."
The man scratched his stubble for a moment.
"You seemed to have come from the direction of the Blightheart domain. Could they have done something to you?"
"Blightheart...?"
The man let out an exasperated sigh.
"Figures you don't even know that... Okay, I'll give you a bit of an explanation of where you are then since you helped me with that incident before..."
I wanted to question how I even helped this man but decided to stop myself after hearing he was going to give me some sort of explanation.
"Currently, you are in the Black Forest and within the deepest part of that forest. This place is coated in a magical enchantment that was set up many, many years ago by ancient witches and wizards, an extremely powerful lot at that. It was intended to be a sanctuary for the magical beasts here and has remained as such for a long time..."
Black Forest... could this be the Black Forest in Germany then? I listened intently to the man who was still explaining my 'situation'.
"A couple of hundred years ago, different clans and 'that' family decided to reside here, some moved in earlier than others, of course. After all, the forest itself with the enchantment was a natural barrier of sorts that allowed for a layer of security for the people residing here."
"And you, my young friend, are currently within my clan, the Blackfang clan."
It took a moment for me to digest the information. At first, I considered if the man could be lying to me, but he didn't have any reason to just lie randomly to an 8-year-old boy unless he was sadistic.
"So you are a vampire of the Blackfang clan."
"That's right. Rufus Blackfang is my name, and I'm of the 'Commander' rank here. You ran into some of the 'Thralls' of our clan before I found you, I believe."
It started to make more sense now. I had my suspicions when seeing those thralls after all. Vampires weren't all mindless beasts, and they even had a pact with the ministry. It wouldn't make sense if they all acted the same way as those thralls.
"Those 'Thralls,' why do they act that way?"
"As vampires, we have a lust for blood, as is our nature. Us more 'level-headed' vampires are able to balance our diet with different livestock. Those, however, who know no such thing as 'balance' find it easy to be overcome by that lust and become almost mindless beasts that just want blood to satiate their hunger..."
Rufus' eyes narrowed as he stared at me. His expression changed as he asked me coldly.
"Now I'll ask again... what is your 'reason' for being here?"
"I already told you... I don't know why I'm here. Do you really think I'm lying to you?"
Rufus reached into his pocket and brought out a small device, which he placed on the floor between me and him.
"This is a Secrecy Sensor. It will detect any lies by vibrating. I want you to tell me again, what are you doing here?"
Looking at the sensor for a moment, I sighed and said the same words again:
"I do not know why I'm here... to give you the full story. I awoke in this damned forest months ago and set up a camp for myself to survive. During the time I was trying to survive here, I developed an obscurus. I planned on leaving this place as soon as possible, but as I was just getting used to my cozy little rock home, a man appeared with the intent of capturing me. I ran from him and ended up here."
Rufus looked at the secrecy sensor for a moment and then looked at me. His gaze softened from the previously stern gaze he displayed.
"Seems you aren't lying... What a pitiful fate you have, young man, to just be sent into this forest with no abilities whatsoever... well, that's not counting the one ability you have that's eating you from the inside."
"Yeah, about that... what the hell is this thing?"
I pointed at the device that was attached to my chest. I was aware of how hard it was to quell an obscurus, and this thing was managing to do that.
"Ah, that's something the head had in his stores. He has a perverse amount of magical equipment dating back centuries ago. When I brought you back, I looked for something to help you out. Unfortunately curing an obscurus is impossible, however that device will at least suppress it for the time being…"
"Well, that's a shame..."
I guess I was hoping for too much. However, this was still better than the situation I was in previously. It gave me time, something that was precious to me considering my state.
"Who is this 'head' that you just mentioned? Is he the leader here?"
"Yes. Felix Blackfang. He's the head of the Blackfang clan and the oldest vampire here by a long mile. He's been alive for over a century and has guided us for nearly all that time."
Felix Blackfang... another name I didn't recognize. I felt like deep down I was hoping for some sort of 'sign' of what time period I was in, but hearing all these names, 'Blackfang,' 'Blightheart,' started to make me feel annoyed as I couldn't link them to anything. I needed to confirm this, though, no matter what. After Rufus' mood switched to a more light-hearted one upon realizing I was being truthful with my words, I decided to probe him... carefully...
"I won't say all my memories are gone… I do vaguely remember being told id be going to a school called Hogwarts… I think I was told the head master was called Dumbledore?"
I carefully watched Rufus' expression, knowing that this was an important piece of bait laid out.
"Dumbledore... ah, you mean Albus Dumbledore. Even word of his power reaches here. I'd love to meet that man at one point; however, our head is wary of him despite his glowing reputation."
Reputation... could this be after he defeated Grindelwald? Wait a minute...
"Wait, we are in Germany, right? In the Black Forest?"
"Yes, that's correct... wait, I don't even know your name?"
"It's Axel. Anyway, why the hell are you speaking English? Why was that old man speaking English as well? I thought I was still in England?!"
Rufus let out a light laugh and started to explain.
"Well, consider yourself lucky! Most of the clans here are German, and some of them even speak other languages. It just so happens you've had the luck of meeting people thus far who are English!"
"Luck my ass! Do you see the state I'm in, you damn vampire?!"
Rufus' light-hearted laughter continued after my statement for a moment and then simmered as he put his hand to his chin.
"Wait, you mentioned an old man, chasing you and speaking English? Did he have scars and blotches on his face?"
"That's... right, actually."
Rufus sighed and showed me an expression of sincere pity once again, something I felt like I'd have to get used to in this life.
"Seems you ran into Jason Blightheart... You'll be safe here at least, young man. If you spent any longer out there, he would have definitely caught you and experimented on you. He's a dark wizard and a researcher for the Blightheart family, who has no room in his moral compass for, well... 'morals.' Some of the words of his exploits have travelled through the forest, and it gives anyone a shiver who hears them."
I felt a shiver down my spine just hearing that. Remembering what he said and thinking back to the 'me' who even considered approaching him made me actually feel lucky for once after being dropped here. At least this clan didn't plan on experimenting on me... at least for now, it seemed.
"Well, you've heard everything you wanted to hear, Rufus. Can you let me leave now? Maybe help me get out of this forest?"
Rufus' expression dropped, and he heaved a sigh.
"Unfortunately not, Axel. In the Blackfang clan we always follow the heads orders and currently Felix is not within the clan and travelling. We aren't sure when he will be back but until he is you will have to stay put".
"Great..."
Despite being chained to a wall, at least I was protected by the four walls surrounding me. This clan was able to survive here for so long, so I can assume they have decent protection against any beast that would attack, and I wouldn't have to worry about that 'Jason' coming after me while here.
"Well, since I'm here for a while then, can I ask you about your clan? You mentioned 'Commander' and 'Thralls.' Is there some sort of 'hierarchy' here?"
"That's correct... you know, you don't speak like someone your age at all."
I scoffed and spoke with a slightly sarcastic tone.
"You really think I'd talk like a normal 8-year-old after the situations I've been in? Besides, I've always been mature for my age."
"Point noted... Okay, let me explain a bit then..."
Rufus went on to give me more details about this 'Blackfang' clan I was in. He explained that it was split into different tiers. At the bottom were the thralls, used as 'cannon fodder' by the clan due to their mindless behaviour. They usually try to contain them; however, those two that escaped were seen as defective, and Rufus initially departed to put them down. He thanked me for helping him on that endeavour, which finally explained why he 'owed' me. He then explained the tiers above. There was a 'General' tier of Vampires, those who weren't mindless yet had normal talent. Then there was a 'Commander' tier which Rufus was a part of, those with talent. Finally, there was the head, which was only occupied by Felix Blackfang.
"Does that about explain it all, Axel?"
"I guess it does... Why do you have a sword, though?"
I looked at Rufus' sword that was on his waist. He unsheathed it and pointed it upwards.
"Well, our head's 'style' is definitely older than most other clans and families. The witches and wizards of this age usually use wands or staves to produce magic; however, our clan was strictly trained in martial magic. Honestly, in this day and age, it's not as prominent as it used to be, but it's still a field of magic that can produce wondrous results."
Rufus sheathed his sword after explaining a bit, and finally, he picked himself up from the floor and looked down at me.
"Well, I have to make a report about you now to the others... Don't worry, we won't do anything to hurt you while you are here."
As Rufus went to leave, I called out just before he left.
"Wait, one last thing... What year is it?"
Rufus chuckled as he spoke.
"Your memory must have really been rattled... It's 1989."
Rufus left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. I could only think of one thing to say at this point in time.
"For fuck's sake..."