Arkhold is hidden behind a thick gray mist. This castle looked majestic from a distance, with its jagged silhouette carved in the pale moonlight. Arkhold is located to the south of the kingdom of Aeloria. This region borders Druvenor, the domain of the beastmen.

It could be said that this castle is far from luxurious. It looks gloomy and doesn't have much decoration. Even so, this castle holds a lot of history and memories of the Ark family, and I always feel at peace in it. Arkhold has always been my sanctuary. Its thick walls were a barrier between me and the unknown horror that lurked beyond.

I know I'm not popular among Aerolia's nobles because I'd rather be alone than be with other barons who like to flaunt their wealth, abuse their power, and curry favor with their superiors for their personal gain. Although I understand that loneliness is a double edged sword—the deeper you dig into its shadow, the more it will eat away at parts of your soul. But I don't care about all that.

I stood in my room, watching the pitch black sky from the window. The night outside was very quiet, as if the world had stopped working. But this silence felt different. A weight seemed to be pressing on my chest.

"What sign is this?"

The anxiety increased every time I took a breath. Despite the reports from the guards—no rumors of unrest, no signs of enemy attacks from outside. But my instincts say otherwise.

Suddenly the silence was broken.

A loud scream broke the night, followed by a loud metal crash from the direction of the great hall. My heart was beating fast. I immediately rushed out of my room.

The castle is under attack.

'But who? Who dares attack Arkhold?'

I ran through the dark corridors, the increasingly clear sounds of fighting urging me to run faster. 

'Is that a Bandit attack?'

'A neighboring baron suddenly declared war?'

It all made no sense—Arkhold had no enemies, and no tensions were brewing on our borders.

As I approached the great hall, the flickering light of the torches on the corridor walls cast writhing shadows like ghosts. I prepared to draw my sword and pushed the door open. There in the middle of the hall, he stood.

'Lord Tharren.'

My uncle.

He stood now and looked cruel wearing black armor. His soldiers around him, wearing the same black armor—stood over the bodies of my soldiers, their blood soaking the cold stone floor of the hall.

I froze.

"What have you done, Tharren? These people… they are our people!"

Tharren's eyes stared intently at me.

"Our people? You mean your people, boy. They were just pawns, and no longer useful. So I killed them."

My hands clenched in anger. My whole body was shaking, not just from anger, but also from the feeling of betrayal.

"You... you damn traitor! Why are you...?!"

Tharen chuckled.

"I just did what needed to be done. You are too weak, you don't have the talent to lead this house. You will lead Arkhold to destruction, just like your father."

My heart ached. I struggled to control my emotions. This man—the monster was my father's most trusted advisor. He stood beside my father through countless battles. That man had guided me to rule Arkhold after the death of my parents.

"No... Tharren..."

"The Arkhold is mine now, Draval. You have proven yourself unworthy. It is time for someone with true ambition to lead."

"Did you approach me and help me rule the Arkhold all this time was just a lie.... All this for what!"

Tharren grinned broadly.

"Power. Power belongs to those strong enough to take it. You've wasted Arkhold's potential."

"Damn bastard!"

I raised the sword, my hands shaking. I was never a good fighter because I rarely practiced sword arts.

Tharren raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? And what exactly are you going to do?"

I lunged forward and tried to attack him. But Tharren dodged easily. He knocked my sword aside with a skillful movement of his sword. I swung my sword again, but Tharren deflected it easily. He countered with a hard punch that knocked me backwards.

Tharren's next sword attack came hard and fast. I couldn't block it. His sword managed to tear through my chest and stabbed me. With a swift kick, Tharren sent me sprawling to the ground, my sword flying from my hand. I was panting, my vision blurred because I was starting to lose blood.

Tharen stepped closer. He looked at me helplessly.

"You were never meant to rule. Just like your father. Weak. Stupid. And now, you die like the rest."

He turned to his soldiers with a final order,

"Throw his body in with the others."

As my vision faded, the last thing I saw was Tharren's back, walking away from me.

***

Everything was dark, so dark that it felt like the void itself had swallowed me whole. There is no ground beneath my feet, no sky above.

"Where am I?"

I tried to speak, but my voice was swallowed by the void. I started running. No matter how far I go, emptiness still surrounds me.

"Is this death?"

"A dream?"

Amidst the silence, a calm voice broke the void.

"Rise."

I tried to understand it. The voice called again, this time more urgently.

"Rise."

When I awoke, my senses were dull, my mind was hazy, and a pungent odor filled my nose. I blinked, my vision still blurry, and what I saw made my heart stop beating.

I was surrounded by corpses. They are my people, my servants, my bodyguards. They were piled up lifeless and thrown into a big hole like rubbish. Their eyes stared blankly into the void, their bodies twisted, torn and broken.

I wanted to scream, but my voice wouldn't come out. It would be better for me to die and not see this terrible incident. Then flashes of memory started to enter my brain. I remembered the sword that stabbed my chest. Tharren's betrayal. I was battered but somehow, I was still alive. My heart, although weak, still beats.

I forced myself to sit up, enduring the pain. I touched the wound on my stomach, even though it was torn and bleeding, this wound did not kill me. My eyes once again scanned the piles of corpses around me.

'Tharren has done this. He has betrayed me, massacred my people, and robbed me of everything I own.'

I felt anger like I had never felt before.

That's when suddenly the sound of footsteps broke the silence.

I became tense. Someone's here. I struggled to move, even though my body protested. I finally managed to force myself to stand up. My hand instinctively reached for my sword, but it was gone.

The figure appeared, moving imperiously.

The creature—no, the man—was tall and pale. His black hair hung down to her shoulders. He wore some sort of noble attire in black with slight red accents. His appearance was cold and exuded a strong aura of death. His sharp gaze made my body tremble with fear and shiver.

"You are still alive, Baron," his voice was very calm.

The man stepped closer and ignored the pile of corpses around him.

"You were betrayed by your own family, murdered and thrown away."

"What.... do... you... want?

I managed to make a sound even though it sounded weak.

The man smiled, cold and full of mystery.

"I just want to offer you something, Baron. A way to survive. A way to get back what is rightfully yours. But it comes at a price."

His words echoed in the air.

"What.... price?"

He showed his sharp and shiny fangs, his gaze was like a predator toying with its prey.

"The curse of immortality. Becoming something more than human—stronger, faster, but bound to the night. A vampire."

A vampire.

I've heard stories about creatures like that, in old fairy tale books, legends made up by parents to scare their children.

My body is getting weaker. And what choice do I have? Die here and be forgotten or accept his offer? Tharren has taken everything from me. I could feel the anger burning within me and with what little strength I had left, I nodded.

"I accept it."

His eyes sparkle and he leans in, his breath cool against my skin. Then his fangs sank into my neck. It felt like my life was draining away. My heart slows, my body goes cold. I could feel myself slipping into void, then everything went dark.

Something changed.

I don't know how to explain it—the transformation that happened to me. My muscles tensed and my senses sharpened. The world around me became clearer but at the same time it became darker. I felt power flowing through me, power I had never felt before. My wound began to heal at an unnatural speed.

Then, something even stranger happened. A metallic clinking sound echoed in my ears.

Ding ding.

I saw a transparent blue light in the shape of a box appear in front of me. The strange box contained numbers and symbols I didn't understand.

[Status Window]

Name: Draval Ark

Race: Lesser Vampire

Title: None

Level: 1

HP: 15/15

Mana: 30/30

Strength: 5

Agility: 4

Stamina: 3

Intelligence: 10

Luck: 2

Attribute Points: 0

[Abilities]

Vampiric Regeneration: Slowly recover health through blood consumption.

Shadow Step: Move unseen in the darkness.

Blood Fang: Absorb random skill from the blood of prey

[Weakness]

Sunlight: Exposure to sunlight causes rapid deterioration.

Silver Vulnerability: Silver weapons inflict extra damage.

Fire Sensitivity: Flames cause severe and irreversible damage.

Holy Magic: Deals extreme damage to the vampire's essence.

I stared at this strange light box, completely confused.

'What is this? It seems like the pale man can't see it either. Are these all my ability statistics? I'll learn it later.'

I still can't imagine that I get this strange power.

"This… this power is strange."

"Strange?" he laughed.

"This could be both a curse and a blessing for you. You have the opportunity and the power, Baron. Use it to take your revenge."

Before I could answer, the sky started to brighten. The first rays of dawn crept over the horizon, approaching me and made my skin started to burning.

"The sun will be your enemy now."

The mysterious man stepped back and disappeared in the shadow.

I quickly grabbed a robe among the corpses, put it on, and escaped from the hole. Before leaving Arkhold, I visited my parents' grave near the fields before the forest. I knelt in front of their tombstones, my body trembling from holding a grudge.

"Sorry to disappoint you... but I swear, I will make Tharren pay for his betrayal. He took everything from me, but now, I have the power to take it all back."

After that, I immediately ran into the forest. Now I realize that I am not human. I am something else, something that is neither alive nor dead. I don't know what the future holds, but one thing is for sure I will kill Tharren.