“In the days after the liberation of Luna, Earth's moon, our people took in the husk of what remained of our planet, our cradle. For the first time in tens of thousands of years, humans with free will gazed at what had been done to our Eden, our home, in sorrow and horror.

A great anger was lit in our souls.

Had we at that time known the full extent of what the gods and devils, those tyrants, had taken from us during the great enslavement, our wrath would have been unquenchable.”

- Elistar Iscariot, Grand Magister during the second Kingfisher dynasty.

The brothers were a strange pair. They gave off the impression of being jokers and jovial companions if somewhat innocent fellows.

However, there was an underlying current of raw power there. I could feel it in my bones, especially now that I had awakened my connection to my domain. No part of me wanted to test the limits of that friendliness, at least not until I acquired much more power. I did catch them giving me wary looks from time to time after my little episode.

That said, I was having second thoughts about hitching a ride with Greg instead of Grigg. My first impression was that he was the less talkative of the two. I quickly realized my assessment had been wrong. Terribly wrong.

While his never-ending tales of whatever escapades the lower strata of ladies and esquires in Murktown was rumored to be up to and if I was to believe the geezer, witnessed by him, was somewhat entertaining. It mostly felt irritating at this point.

Frustrated as I was having a constant monologue going beside me while I was desperately trying to work my slow way through my memories to understand how I had ended up in a grave. It was one of the things I planned on avoiding in the future. Some may enjoy such things, but being buried alive was not for me.

On one side, I had what I now understood was fifteen years of juvenile thoughts and memories of Alucard before I died, sitting like a shallow, putrid pond of worthlessness. Its sour undertone was just enough to be a stain on my mood.

Sure, it was a drop in the ocean, and I'm not afraid to admit I shied away from those memories because of the severe dissonance of my thoughts now and then. Honestly, I was more than a bit ashamed of quite a few of my actions.

Calling prior to death me a pitiful waste of breath was being generous. It had been me, however, something I would need to come to grips with, and I needed the practical information stored in those memories to deal with whatever consequences those actions sent my way.

Not having the whole picture was frustrating, but I knew it would come with time. I had been an egotistical little dirtbag born with a silver spoon up my bum, an embarrassment of a human. To be fair, I didn't kick puppies, so something redeemable had to be there. I been give access to the best teachers money could buy, and I wasted it like an idiot.

Now, I didn't mind the egotistical part, but the little shit part… If I was going to be a shit, I aimed to be an enormous world-drowning one, not some little dingle-berry. Aim high or go home.

Then there was the time between the memories of different lives, the time spent in darkness. It felt like thousands and thousands of lifetimes had passed since I died and was brought back to life. The sensations of what I had witnessed and done there loomed over me like a tsunami about to hit an unprepared village. The ideas and feelings coming from there were just too foreign—at least some of them.

Looking too closely at those sensations was best done in small batches. Little that I recognized as human lurked in those memories. Deciding to label the entire collection “Handle with care.”

In addition, I was trying to piece together how I had ended up in the graveyard by asking Greg, and it was taking a bit of work. According to him, I was delivered to them last night together with the rest of those who had fallen that night during regular attacks or diseases running uncontrolled around the city. Nothing out of the ordinary.

My file was sadly still at the southern guard house in Murktown, and the brothers had already informed me that some baker had found my body and reported it to the Guard. There was not much else in it, but I needed to return within seven days, or the file would go to the Chancery.

Getting myself proclaimed not dead was a hassle I could do without, and from the memories I had gathered so far, my dearest aunt was unlikely to let an opportunity like that pass her by.

Then there was the state of my body. It was a miracle I was functional.

I had felt my ribs healing on the way here. Then, there was the amount of tissue damage I had sustained or should have sustained to my brain between dying and being brought back. It would have been substantial.

To top it all, I could run a hand over the smooth left part of my chest where there should been a puckering scar, at the least, if not an open wound, by all the stale blood on my clothes. Instead, there was smooth skin. Skin that desperately needed a proper tan.

With all of this and my access to a domain, I was coming to accept that I had Awakened. The first step on the road to becoming something else. Possibly someone powerful.

Tentatively, I reached out to the dormant rift inside me to assure myself that it was still there. It was addicting, like poking at a scab if the scab contained a portal to immense power.

If Greg and Grigg hadn't assured me all my stuff would be safely stored for seven days at the morgue before the city burnt or sold it, I would already be running into the woods to see what wildlife needed culling or if there was a village that needed pillaging. Battle and blood seemed to be the optimal path to gain power when becoming an Awakened.

My time in the darkness had shown me that, and I really like power. Copious amounts of bloodletting, when appropriate, was an acceptable side effect.

“...Rolland and Sir. Gunther had a bet on who could hike Mrs. Brook's skirts the most times during the Winter Rose festival…”

Yeah, he was still going at it. The persistent geezer. If it weren't for the aura coming off the old man, I would have told him to shut the bloody hell up long ago. Instead, I sat here pretending to listen, but it was getting difficult. Gossip was not my vice. That he kept handing me bread and cheese helped a lot. I had been ravenous since I woke up, and my brush with power had just made it worse.

No, it was time to take control of my own future.

Memories told me we were less than an hour from Murktown now, and since I had already awakened, I was further along the road to becoming a power by my own right than I had been when they threw my cold corpse to the burial pit. When life gives you lemons and all that.

Leaning my head back slightly while I continued pretending to listen, I got a magnificent view of the enormous mountains to the east. The Kingdom's second-biggest supply of silver and iron came from those misty gray mountains.

Once upon a time, they used to spew forth burning rock and ash from the bowls of the world—fire and brimstone. That's what the history books said, at least. Considering how much time had passed, I would put it under fable, not history, but thankfully I`m not in charge.

To the west, the Ironwood forest stood dark and foreboding, with its enormous Ironwoods looming over anyone who dared enter its shadows. The area was the main prowling ground for the Hunters Guild in the kingdom.

Something about the forest keeps creating new dungeons and anomalies at an unprecedented rate.

It was claimed that during the first ten steps under the shadowy canopy of the enormous Ironwood trees, you would bump into something that wanted to kill or eat you. Dungeons? Just choose a direction and walk for a few minutes. One would make itself known soon enough.

Now, I do not know if that was true, but I did know there were at least a hundred thousand Hunters in Murktown, and a large part of them spent their time in the enormous forest.

Not that my memories could teach me too much about the life of a Hunter, or anything else for that matter.

At best, I could say that my previous self had a vague idea about anything that wasn't to do with drinking, illegal substances, gambling, and licentious activities, more often than not where it was not wanted. Topping that together with an inflated ego and a large mouth. I`m honestly surprised I made it that many years ago. The only thing that had stopped more than one duel was my family name. Not that I was completely certain I had that protection anymore.

The more of my memories I was sifting through, the more I was starting to wonder who I had pissed off enough to send me back to pick up the pieces of my previous life. Wouldn't it have been better to start from scratch? Even with the recovery of most of my memories before death, things were still far from clear. There were too many things that simply hadn't interested me before dying.

The fact that large swats of it didn't fit in any timeline I could make up or down off didn't help either. It was like trying to piece together a puzzle without any edges or corners.

I was startled out of my contemplation by a deafening roar and the sound of wingbeats. For a moment, the sun was blotted out, and then we sat in shadow. Identifying the disturber of my peace was not a difficult task time.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I could only gap at the enormous drake that was coming around for another strafing run. Drakes looked more or less like dragons, except for the long tail that ended in a needle, which was like a wyvern tail.

They also lacked access to a domain and intelligence of dragons, but that didn't make it easy for anyone to fight these great beasts up close. Mostly, I knew it was a drake and not a dragon on account of us still being alive.

A drake this size could lay waste to a small town before any reactionary force could be sent.

On the bright side, drakes, in general, didn't have any options to attack from a distance. The flying beasts were all claws and teeth, with a tail swipe or two for good measure. Then again, considering the size of that thing, I started questioning how good it would be if it decided to land on us.

Unluckily for us, it wasn't after a town this time. If I had to guess, it was after the oxen. They were large and magnificent, all sixteen of them. They were still standing calm and in perfect order despite the predator close by. In other words, they were just about right for dinner and maybe a nice snooze for the enormous emerald-green drake, which was now aligned with the wagon again and picking up speed for its next pass.

In a moment of clarity and absolute brilliance, all I managed to contribute with the word.

“Shit.”

I'm uncertain if it was uttering profanity or making a statement of an impending involuntary bowel movement. It could have been both.

“Shit, indeed,”

Greg answered before standing up in the driver's seat and facing the incoming drake.

It was the first time I had seen Greg without even the hint of a smile. His serious expression had transformed him from a goofy old man to a stalwart veteran ready to spit death in the face.

If my muddled memories served me right, the highest-ranking Awakened close by was Lord Harrison Lowell, the Duke of Murktown's Champion and Lord Horatio Grim, the leader of the Murktown Hunters Guild. Both were rumored to be at rank three or Journeyman if one was being fancy about it. They would both have felt the presence of a drake this size close to the city.

Greg reached down and picked up a large shuttered lantern from under the driver's bench. I could have sworn it wasn't there a minute ago. With a look of great concentration or constipation, it was difficult to say from where I sat. He reached up and opened the shutter on the brass lantern, and a beam of green and brown light hit the drake, forcing it to bank its wings to keep aloft.

I could feel the energy vibrate in the air when Greg reached across the veil and opened his connection to a domain.

The depth and presence of his dominion radiated while he stood punishing the faltering drake was immense. I wanted to crawl behind the wheel of the cart and hide. It was like Greg had more right to exist than I had. Like he was more real than me.

He had to have been a rank three, at least, as impossible as that seemed. Had I known a rank above that, I would have claimed him to be at it.

‘Then, from behind us, another presence appeared as if out of nothing, and it was equally powerful to Greg. I almost jumped out of the wagon and started running.

A beam of brown and red hit the reeling drake as Grigg joined his brother in subduing the flying creature. It was too overwhelming for the great Drake. Its attempts at circling away stopped, and I'm sure it was dead in the air as it came tumbling down a short distance from us.

It hit the ground with a great thud only thirty meters away. The now landlocked animal was lying there in a twisted heap of dead flesh. Its limbs contorted in unnatural directions as if the animal had tried tearing itself apart to get away from intense pain.

I could hear Greg sigh in frustration before he set the lantern under the driver's seat, where it disappeared in the dark. Turning to me, he said,

“Well, that was unfortunate. It would seem more players are entering the game earlier than expected. I wonder who told them. Yes, shit indeed.”

I could feel my eyebrows rising to their full extent. Not because of what Greg said, it made so little sense that I was unable even to give it any more than a passing thought, but that before me stood the jolly old man again, with his too-big black top hat. The transformation was so sudden that I was starting to question my sanity.

Before I could retort, I heard Grigg say from the side of our wagon,

“Well, this is a mess and a half. I think it's time we said goodbye to our new friend for now and took our wagons someplace else for a bit, maybe someplace warm. With grapes. Yes, definitely grapes.”

“What?”

That was all I could muster at this point. Even if I had witnessed the things happening around me until now, I didn't have any context to make any of it make sense.

The lack of understanding stabbed at something inside me, something dark and merciless. I did not like my lack of control over the situation at that moment, not one bit. I promised myself not to let this second chance at life be wasted by only debauchery. I would have to temper the debauchery with personal growth and study.

Until I was powerful enough, I would have to temper my hedonistic instincts with some self-control and work. The very thought brought the cold sweat and shackles on, but I knew the end goal would be worth it.

“My brother is right. It is best that we leave. Forces from Murktown will already be gathering and sent to this area. At the same time, I wouldn't mind having a short discussion with the local who’s-what’s. This is sadly not the time for that.”

An echo of the power he had wielded overlapped with the old man as he said that.

“Now, I think you should consider putting some distance between this place and the people coming to poke around, my friend. It's one of the few times anyone can say it was a good idea to piss off Thanatos. Well done, by the way, with that one. I'm sure you had your reasons, but flipping off one of the death gods? One day, you will have to tell me the story behind that. At least it has freed you from the tapestry of faith.”

Greg grinned his checkerboard grin as he said that and reached under the driver's seat again. This time, he brought out a large brown sack and an even larger brown backpack. Holding them out to me. From what I could tell, it just came out of nothing under his seat.

I was trying to understand what he meant by Thanatos when I accepted the sack and the backpack. The backpack was almost heavy enough to slip out of my hands.

The sack contained my clothes and the things that I had been carrying around prior to my graveyard adventure.

I was doubly surprised to find my money pouch and satchel untouched. I would still need to enter Murktown within the next few days, or I'm sure the sweet old innkeeper would pillage anything in my room and have it sold one minute past noon the same day my lease ran out, but by the looks of the massive backpack I had been given, I now had options.

It took a minute or two, but I was dressed in my off-white shirt, black and gold doublet, and dark brown pants again. Not to forget about the boots. Removing the tag on my toe. I almost moaned when I slipped the boots on. I would see about having more ordered for different occasions when I got back to town. Footwear shouldn't feel this good.

Looking down on myself, I couldn't help but notice how shabby my clothes looked despite being clothes of leisure and not running around in the woods. They were good quality, but someone had done a number on them recently. The hole on the left side of my chest didn't help with the image. A couple of days in the woods would, at the least, give me an excuse for that.

Finally, I slipped the sturdy leather satchel containing my credentials, family ring, and money over my head. The flap was folded to prevent water from entering easily. The sword I belted on was high-quality steel from my home region. Despite my lack of interest in swords or physical activity in my previous life, it fit my hand easily enough, and the weight was good.

That was another issue that needed to be fixed sooner rather than later. I had memories of battle with a plethora of different weapons, but I had none of the training or muscle memory to take advantage of them. I foresaw the next few years would be spent turning me into someone formidable. It was something I looked forward to.

Putting on the heavy backpack took a bit of effort, but when I figured out the straps, it rested easily with most of the weight on my hips. It was made of high-quality leather and cloth, treated with some sort of fat or oil. I would have to thank Greg for it. It was an expensive piece of equipment.

Finally ready, I walked around the cart to see Grigg and Greg standing by the fallen Drake. To my surprise, the monster was stripped of almost all its flesh, the last pieces disappearing before my eyes, leaving behind bones that looked sand-bleached.

The brothers turned to me and, with their now familiar happy faces, stood smiling.

“Alucard! Come, we have a few things to discuss.”

Grigg said in his happy voice.

“Looking dashing, by the way.”

When I reached them, Greg spoke.

“There is a slight change in plan. The pile of bones behind us sped up our timetable a bit. I'm sorry to say we won't be able to bring you to Murktown. Don't worry, though. The paperwork claiming you have passed away is mysteriously gone. It's the least we could do, and it should give you a few more days before you have to return.”

I interjected, gesturing at my backpack and the wagons,

“Why are you doing all of this? Don't get me wrong—I'm grateful for any help. Things are confusing enough as they are, but I don't see what you gain from it.”

Grigg let out a short laugh but didn't say anything. He just gave me his signature checkerboard smile before wandering over to the drake's bones and rummaging inside its skull for a bit before he stood up. The next moment, the drake bones were gone.

I just looked on, dumbfounded. At my expression, Grigg grinned while walking back to me and held out a clear crystal. It barely fit in my hand, and it was just a bit longer than my palm. I also knew what it was, almost dropping it in shock. It was an Ability Crystal, by its clarity and of high quality, going by its size. I had only heard rumors of crystals this big. It was a princely gift.

He nodded with satisfaction and said,

“Our mistress sent us to help you. Don't worry, Alucard. If I understand her actions right, she did this for her benefit, too, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind your gratitude. Besides, we got all of these nice bones for the puppies. They will be ecstatic when we get home. You should visit sometime. It will be fun.”

Before I could say anything, Greg held up a hand and took over.

”We have to leave. Now,” he said as he looked down the road towards Murktown. In the distance, I could see a dust cloud, and it was getting closer by the second. Turning back to me, he said.

“You have been given a second chance. I won't tell you what to do with it, but if I were in your shoes, I would spend some time to grow in power. In the end, it's the only thing that matters and, for you, probably the best deterrent from ending up in a grave again. Just don't put your humanity aside. Oh, and keep an eye out for your aunt. She is being entirely unreasonable about the entire thing.” He finished with a nod towards the hole in my doublet.

“Thank you. I don't—"

That was all I had time to say while looking at the brothers. Before I knew it, they had a hand on each of my shoulders, and then they were gone. One moment, they were there. The next moment, they were not. Turning around, I could see the wagons and oxen had also disappeared.

Then it was just me again. I would need to get used to that. Well, maybe not for long if I didn't move, looking at the dust cloud getting closer. With that, I set off into the forest, still clutching the large crystal firmly in my hand.