Rapidly breathing to the point of hyperventilation, Merlin Aglovale was still on his knees, horrified. He had no understanding of the monster before him. She had nearly killed him, but for a reason he hadn’t the slightest inkling of, she stopped. To make matters worse, she knew his name, and that alone implied a lot of things but his brain could barely process the amount of information flying through it.

Trying to regain composure, Merlin slowly rose to his feet. She looked to be a fair bit taller than him, and the way she looked down on him made him feel extremely weak. A mask with a gold trim covered her mouth and nose, and the wings behind her waist seemed to grow larger than they already were. She held a menacing stance, arms to her side with her hand seemingly about to grab something. A weapon?

Having noticed his gaze, she quickly relaxed her arms and stood up straight. Her wings faded away, and all signs of hostility were masked. She looked at him, as if expecting him to say something, but even with this invitation to speak he couldn’t move a muscle in his body. He couldn’t decide whether he would pursue his desire or flee, but he had a feeling any attempts to run away would result in the severing of his limbs.

“Where do you live?”

She spoke to him calmly, far removed from her previously aggressive tone. Even with the change in her demeanor, however, Merlin became even more terrified. After all, what good could possibly come from telling such a dangerous creature where he lived? But on the other hand, what would happen if he lied or refused? She could take his life easily: her arrival made that much clear. He couldn’t risk upsetting her, not even in the slightest. Combat wasn’t even an option.

“I live around that corner and down the street. Can I ask you why you want to know?”

The vampire giggled a little bit before responding, “I want to have a chat with you. How are we supposed to have a proper conversation in the middle of the road, where someone can snoop on us?”

Merlin swallowed hard as he reluctantly nodded his head and began to lead her to his place of residence.

Once they had arrived, he shakily took off his coat and hung it up on the coat hanger by the door, placing his shoes next to it as well. The lady didn’t have to do either of those things. She just let her high heels fade away into dust, and she wasn’t wearing a jacket to begin with. Vampires must not feel cold, he decided. He took a seat a safe distance away from the vampire in his house’s spacious living room.

He had almost gotten what he had wanted. But now that it was within reach, he felt horrified. Despite all his research on vampires, what he lacked for a proper confrontation was solid truth. He didn’t know anything about them for sure. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was actually talking with a vampire or if it was some other kind of monster.

What he did know was that she was able to shapeshift, to some degree. Wings that large did not naturally disappear as easily as hers did. The drunkard on the bench earlier was fine, too; Merlin had seen him reappear onto the bench, and although he wasn’t sure, he could have sworn that the man had gotten a little paler.

Even so, these weren’t grounds enough to accuse her of being a vampire. If she had mistaken him for a different person, she might kill him when she realized it. He certainly didn’t want that. So, he had to act like he understood the situation. He leaned forward and folded his hands together.

“... has everything been going according to plan? I know the higher ups aren’t too happy about recent events, and-”

“Quit it. I can tell you don’t remember who I am.”

He froze. She looked at him through the corner of her eyes, then confirmed his desire and his greatest fear.

“Yes, I am a vampire.”

She lay down on the couch, facing the ceiling. “I didn’t kill you because I recognized you. You’re lucky that I did before any real damage was done.” She tilted her head in his direction, and as she did her body morphed into what appeared to be a younger version of herself in what appeared to be a high school uniform.

“Recognize me now?”

Merlin recognized the uniform almost instantly. Having attended Deschutes High School for all four years, there was no way he couldn’t. The same didn’t apply for the lady herself, however. He still didn’t have an inkling of an idea as to who she was.

“Sorry, but no. It might help if you told me what year you graduated…”

The look on her face quickly soured as she uprighted herself once more. She shifted back into her original form and sighed.

“If you truly don’t remember then I guess it can’t be helped. But I shall ask you again, why were you walking around this early in the morning?”

Merlin looked away as he thought of how he should answer. Telling the truth doesn’t necessarily always yield the best results, since telling someone that you spent hours each night wandering the streets in search of a vampire was likely to raise more concern than anything else. That is, if vampires even did feel such trivial things as concern.

“I do it every day. Nothing special about today, either.”

Before she could say anything, he stood up and walked over to the adjacent kitchen. Without turning to face her he asked, “Want anything to drink? Anything other than blood, that is.”

“How distasteful, assuming that I revel in the metallic taste of blood alone.” After seeing him freeze, she hesitated before continuing, “I would like some alcohol, if you would be so kind.”

His anxious heart pounding, Merlin gently pulled a new bottle of Sangria from a shelf hidden away in a dark corner and uncorked it. Careful not to let the foam spill onto the floor, he filled two expensive-looking glasses with the crimson toxin. When he walked back into the living room he found the captivating vampire standing, staring at a small picture frame that rested on his wall. She turned to receive the glass of wine from him, and promptly reseated herself on the couch. Merlin also returned to his seat, and once he did she questioned him again.

“Your answer hardly gave me what I want to know. Do you have any intention of honestly responding to me?”

She took a sip from her glass then set it down.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I don’t have an answer to give you, other than I just like walking around in the morning before work. Is it really that much of a concern?” Merlin looked her in the eyes, waiting for a response to his partial lie. What met his gaze, however, was not what he had expected at all.

Her face was full of a murderous animosity that flooded his senses with fear. Her eyes had turned pure white, and her wings had reappeared. In her hands she held a massive scythe about as tall as herself. The curved blade was pitch-black, and bore what appeared to be runes that glowed turquoise. The shaft of the ridiculously long weapon had letters etched onto it, spelling out “Court of Winter.”

Frozen in horror, Merlin blinked- and just like before, when his eyes reopened she was right there in front of him. But unlike last time she landed a solid blow into his chest with her scythe’s staff, launching him into the wall. He smashed into the wall at an unbelievable speed, and he knew in that instant that a few bones in his body were broken.

The vampire crouched down over him. “‘I like walking around in the morning before work’?! Even after what happened to your siblings? I wouldn’t believe your lie for a second.”

Despite the pain, Merlin rolled to the side and leapt to his feet. He was only able to run a few steps before she quickly closed the distance and swept him off the floor with her leg. Before he could hit the ground he caught himself with his broken arm and raised his legs, twisting his body to kick her in the face and throw a small mirror at her. It smashed into her face, but the glass shards just fell back onto him and cut his skin. The silver earned no reaction from her either. Seeing her angered face, he jumped and ran out of the living room into the hallway towards the door that led to the downstairs garage.

Knowing she would be right behind him, he leapt down the stairs with a pained grunt. He yanked his car’s door open and started the engine, his entire body screaming in pain. But before he could get on the move, she had caught up.

She ripped the door off the car, grabbed his arm, and threw him out onto the cold garage floor.

She pushed him against the wall, placing the curve of her blade around his neck and stepped on his hand, restraining his dominant limb from making any further attempt at escape.

“This time, you will answer me truthfully and honestly. If you do not, I will kill you for your sloth, as per my original intentions. Be aware that I will be able to tell if you lie to me.” Merlin didn’t want to answer, but she probably wasn’t lying. And he had no intention of letting his life go to waste now. If there was anything he despised, it was people who squandered their lives for nothing. His eyes looked away from her as he gave her a partial truth.

“I’m looking for a vampire.”

“Lies of omission are still lies. Do you really vie for death’s sweet kiss?”

“Tch. Fine. I’m looking for a vampire because I want to be a vampire.”

She froze in place, and the icy, dark blade that was millimeters away from slicing his throat stopped in its approach. She was satisfied with his answer, but she was just as bewildered by it as she was content. She let go of her scythe, and it faded into darkness. Her wings once again shrunk away, and any evidence of her hostile look was completely gone. What replaced her expression was now one of absolute confusion, and she sat down next to him.

“I must admit, I’m quite surprised. I never would have thought that things have gotten this bad for you. Of all the things you could have done to enrich your life, you chose to seek out the bloodthirsty undead.”

“I still don’t understand how you know me. And honestly, I’m kind of pissed off that you brought up my family. But, I’m in no position to retaliate.”

The vampire looked at him with an annoyed look. For a moment, she seemed to contemplate something, but before he knew it she had her hand placed on his chest. A strange red light emanated from her open hand, and the constant pain in his body faded away.

“This is my way of apologizing for being so aggressive. Next time, just answer me truthfully. No need for all this mess.” She glanced at the fancy car that she just damaged, a regretful look plastered on her face. Merlin, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about the forty-thousand dollar car that had been damaged during his flight. His eyes were fixed on the vampire.

“What’s your name…? It might help jog my memory of you.”

The sour expression he was oh-so-familiar with was back on her face, and she thought about their past together. She sat up straight as she spoke loudly, “My name is Rosalind Decius.”

“Rosalind, huh…” Merlin shook his head, failing to recall any kind of memory regarding her. Disappointed, she stood up and began to walk upstairs.

No, don’t go!

“Wait! Even still, can you do it?” he yelled at the woman leaving his garage.

She stopped moving and turned around, her anger evident through the look on her face. “Do what?”

He knew he couldn’t test her patience. Joining the world of the night was his desire, but survival was the priority of every living being’s mind. But when it came to what his heart - his soul - desired, he longed for a change in his life that would end the countless loops of wake up, work, eat, and sleep. As he watched her ascend the stairs, his sole opportunity for change leaving his reach, he knew he had to make a choice.

The excitement within his heart was reaching an explosive volume as he called out, “Make me a vampire!”

But as he looked on, he noticed that her face was now blushing as intensely as the scarlet evening sun. Seeing someone as beautiful as her become so flustered struck something within his heart. He didn’t understand, but that was to be expected- since when has he ever understood the heart of a woman?

Rosalind stiffened up a little bit as she looked away. She hid her face with her palm, then asked him a question. “What will you do with the power you gain?”

Without hesitation, he answered, “Find a place in this empty, cold world.”

She looked back and grinned. “How simple of a desire. Even if I were to grant you your wish, what would I stand to gain for it? What if you turned on me? How can I know I can trust you?”

Merlin contemplated her questions, and answered her carefully. “I will become your servant. If there is some kind of contract to make with you, I will make it. I will do anything and everything in my power to earn your trust, your love, and stand by your side.”

A little bit of flattery couldn’t possibly hurt.

She looked up, towards the ceiling, and grimaced. Something appeared to be bother her. But before he could ask her about it she looked at him once again, this time with an amused, saccharine smile. She began to walk towards him, his heartbeat in rhythm with her steps. She knelt on one knee, gently grasped his hand, and began to speak into his ear.

“I will turn you into a vampire, and my sole condition is that you stay loyal to me and no one else.”

“I will pledge my heart to you.”

Rosalind smiled and sank her teeth into his neck.

The bite hurt at first, but the essence of his soul seemed to have shifted. His physical body no longer cared about such a simple flesh wound, and his fear of her diminished as well. He felt his body temperature drop several degrees, and his muscles grew tighter. The dark, which his eyes had already adjusted to a long time ago, was now clear as day. He could now hear a faint hum of electricity, and he could smell and differentiate the individual food spices in his kitchen pantry. Nothing from Rosalind, though- if it wasn’t for the fact he could see her in front of him it was almost like she was invisible.

But there was something else he could now detect with his heightened senses. Above his home he could smell the strong scent of copper, accompanied by a strong murderous aura that made even his own diluted sense of fear flutter a little bit.

He looked up at the beautiful vampire, questions racing through his head.

Before he could ask her anything, she put her finger to his lips and faded into the darkness.

“Your first task as my servant is to kill The Executioner and prove yourself worthy of being my thrall.”