This chapter takes place in the earlier parts of Volume 7, before the tournament.

Malachi Talgan’s POV.

I was taking a casual mid-morning stroll through one of the school’s many parks. The cobblestone roads, the brilliant purple trees, and the many seating areas made these places an overall pleasant experience. When I coupled that with the students who often greeted me with a simple smile or wave or those who at least ignored me with some respect, I quite enjoyed this little university.

It was a great way to bide my time, simply enjoy life, and live in the moment that was a new day. At least, I thought it was better than constantly struggling in a blood-soaked forest or field in a never-ending war against people who wanted to flay me alive or take over my land, always wondering if today would be the day that I or someone close to me would die.

Perhaps if I had come to this nation sooner, things would have been different…

Well, that would never happen. Time is as it was, always moving and never able to be taken back. I opened my eyes, which I had closed while looking up at the sky, and had to blink a few times. I wondered if my sight was playing tricks on me again because there was simply no way that was happening. Yes, it was impossible.

I took my glasses off, cleaned them using my shirt, sighed deeply while rubbing my eyes, and put them back on. Yet, for some reason, the man was still there. He was different, much different than the last time I had seen him. But there was no doubt in my mind that it was him.

Before I knew it, I was already stepping up to him. The youthful face was now mostly wrinkled and covered by a long white beard that went down to his chest. The once bright blonde hair was also now matched in white. He lacked the appearance of his youth as he was hunched over at the back, using a cane to meander slowly down the path.

But it was his eyes. Those emerald green eyes. Even with those thick glasses, I would never mistake them, nor would I forget the mole underneath them.

Curiosity? Temptation? Anger? I wasn’t sure what I felt. Regardless of what sense it made, I called out to him, “Excuse me, Sir, may I have a moment of your time?”

I spoke toward his frail looking back, but he didn’t even bother to face me. “No,” he spat.

Well, I don’t remember his voice, considering it’s been so many years, but it must be him. I know; I am certain.

The Hunter.

“I just have a question for you,” I insisted.

“And I have no urge to speak to a moggy that drinks the blood of others. Leave me alone,” he grumbled, slowly walking away from me.

“Oh? How did you know I was a Vampire?” I asked.

“You can’t mask the stench of blood no matter how hard you try,” he mumbled.

The old man continued to move forward, but I was only more confident in my actions now. I didn’t believe that anyone, especially a Human, could identify me as a Vampire by a single glance. And even though he was a frail old man…

I still believe I would die if I faced him. Even now, I still have nightmares about that day…

“You know, old man, you remind me of someone I once met many, many years ago. Do you happen to recognize me?” I said with a grin as I took off my glasses and trailed behind him.

“I wouldn’t know a thing about you. You probably hit your head somewhere and are remembering events that never happened,” he scoffed.

I chuckled at his bitterness. “I’m sure you killed my uncle.”

“Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?” he responded without a hint of remorse.

Yes…it is him…what are the odds that I run into him here, of all places? Across the ocean and decades later?

“Does sixty years ago, northern Amoth around the old Talgan Oracle sound familiar?” I questioned.

The old man stopped and turned his head slightly. His emerald eyes narrowed as he inspected me. I could feel his intense gaze wash over me, and a cold sweat broke out on my back.

“Yes…I remember that face somewhat…and those eyes. You were the brat that got away, mmm? The son of that Beastmen Vampire Lord was it?” he questioned.

“So you do remember? And, nephew, not son,” I corrected.

Although he was basically my father, that hardly mattered anymore.

“And what if I do? Are you here to get your revenge on me or something?” the old man said in a low voice.

I chuckled. “No, not at all. I think we both know I couldn’t harm you if I even tried. Although I never witnessed it for myself, I know I wasn’t nearly as strong as my uncle,” I said.

“Then, what is your purpose for bothering me, Vampire?” he growled.

“I just want you to tell me about that day, please.”

—

Somewhere in Northern Amoth Vampire Lands, 343 Ice Dragon Emperor Calendar.

Eliseen’s POV.

“Ten-man scouting party. All of them are from the kingdom,” I muttered quietly.

“Yes, but they are heading the wrong way, so they have not found us yet. It’s best to let them go, let them wander around, and let them get killed by a beast if luck is on our side,” Iveis whispered.

“But won’t they find us eventually? They are closer than we anticipated,” I questioned, unable to hide my worry.

Iveis’s red eyes turned to me. “Of course, but we will move again, as we always have. Preparations are already well underway. So go, tell the others that a patrol is close so that they remain vigilant.”

I nodded and felt a spark of worry. I really didn’t want to leave the man for some reason, but it was my job to run and report what we saw while he was tailing them. I looked over at the group of Humans trudging through the thick forest, and my heart sank.

One of them had turned around as if he had seen me. I could feel his gaze, blood lust and everything, but in that exact moment, he turned and continued walking behind his men.

Yes…there’s no way he saw us. We are out of the earshot of even the most gifted Humans and hiding far too well for a single man to spot us. And surely he wouldn’t just ignore us if he did…that’s not what Humans did.

“Go, Eli, waste no time in your report and stay back while you are there. Our watch will be over soon anyway,” Iveis ordered.

“Yes, sir…” I said quietly, slowly sneaking back through the brush to a safe distance.

I stood up and let the warm blood flow through my limbs. I sprinted through the brush, everything around me moving past me as a blur. I had been in this forest for years at this point and felt that I knew it like the back of my hand.

After sprinting through the woods for long enough, I made sure to backtrack, properly clear my trail, and I passed the first lookout group. After more running, I ran past the other group. I reached the mouth of the cave that was covered by foliage and made sure to avoid the traps.

The cave was dark, but I could still see just fine, and it wasn’t long before voices started to echo off the stone walls. I gave the door a series of quick knocks and opened it. Of course the guards, all Beastmen, ignored me, most likely smelling me before I reached the cave entrance or even before.

I really didn’t know how far their sense of smell reached, but it must have been further than my hearing; that was almost certain.

“Eli? Why are you alone?” one of the guards questioned.

“We found a Human patrol from the kingdom not too far from us,” I said.

The four guards exchanged disgruntled looks as they grumbled about the Humans being here faster than expected. But they continued to chat amongst themselves, and I took that as the conversation being over. I passed the group that would replace Iveis and made my way through the winding tunnels to the command post.

We stumbled upon this entire system while on the run from a rebellion, and we’ve been nothing but lucky. This tunnel system must have been created by an earth mage many, many years ago, as the signs of use had faded with the passage of time.

Now, it was just filled with about a hundred or so people…with nowhere to call home. However, some still believed we would take back our principality.

“Sir Gran, I’ve come with a report,” I said into the mostly empty cavern.

A Beastmen Vampire looked up from a scroll and nodded for me to continue.

“We spotted a ten-man group of Humans from Arotal close to camp, Sir,” I informed him.

“Are they mounted? Any slaves?” he questioned.

“No, sir. They are all on foot, wearing the expected scout uniforms of the Chapter of the Sun,” I answered.

The Vampire rubbed the tip of his black beard and nodded. “Were they lost? How have they managed to gain some upon us in so little time? The last Human camp was over four days away…and that was reported recently,” he growled at himself.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“The group seemed to be doing fine. They were uninjured and were packed with supplies,” I said.

“A deep scouting party, then? Not unheard of, but most definitely not common,” he said to himself.

Sir Gran was one of the four Beast Siblings and handled the information gathering when…well, when we were an actual nation. He has led us to victory and safety many times since our exile, and it’s thanks to him that many of us still draw breath and have a place to rest.

“Was there any Human of note? A mage, perhaps?” he questioned.

“That—no…, I don’t believe so. And there were no mages, at least, not any presenting as such, Sir,” I answered.

“Well, it matters not,” he said, shaking his head. “Go then, Eliseen, get your well-deserved rest while you can. It appears we will be leaving this place much sooner than expected,” he said with a fang-filled smile.

“Yes, Sir,” I said, taking my leave.

I went deeper into the system until I reached the communal living arrangements. There weren’t many private rooms to claim and sleep in, and those were already taken by the minor nobility we had with us. However, any “room” here was just a tiny offshoot of the larger one. Calling it luxurious was the furthest thing from reality.

I made sure to clean myself from the forest so as not to drag in dirt from the outside and clutter the space, but it was more of a formality than a requirement. Keeping this place clean was just not possible for us.

What I would do for a proper bath in a home with a roof…

I waved to the citizens and others as I crawled into the sack I called a bed. I would eat when I awoke, but in the meantime, I would just get as much sleep as I could, as I’d been out on patrol for over a day. It felt like sleep came to me quickly, but I shot awake, eyes wide and my heart thumping.

The bell was being rung, and everyone was in a sudden panic. I grabbed my weapon and rushed to the front along with a handful of other soldiers and guards. The earthen tunnel shook violently, kicking up dirt as the sound of magic, blades, and screams echoed off the walls.

How? I—I couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes? Did…did I lead them to us? But I made sure I wasn’t being followed!

Iveis!

“Someone’s coming! Arm yourselves!” the soldier shouted.

“No—it’s…Sir Gran, Sir Meren, and Lady Veronica…” someone muttered in disbelief.

Sir Gran was being dragged by his two siblings, Meren and Veronica. Veronica had a deep slash across her stern face, cutting her eye and slicing the tip of her wolf ear off. She, too, was a Vampire…her wounds should have been healed…none of us were so low on blood, especially not our elite soldiers…they had been bested in a matter of moments.

“Call for Lord Talgan immediately and retreat through the tunnels this instant!” she growled.

“You, take my brother to the rear!” Meren ordered a soldier. “The rest of us will defend this position to protect the civilians and buy them time!”

A guard ran off to alert the lord while the other dragged Sir Gran through the passage. The rest of us took our positions in the narrow tunnel and waited.

The wait was excruciating. The screaming and sounds of battle only continued to grow closer until, eventually, they stopped.

“How many, Sir Meren?” a guard asked quietly.

“One man,” he growled.

“One…man?” he repeated hesitantly.

“Silence—he’s already here,” Veronica snapped.

A bright white light crept along the walls of the dark tunnel. A single set of footsteps were the only sounds besides the rough breathing and nervous fidgeting of weapons. The intense bloodlust seemed to emanate from the source of the light, suffocating us all. Sweat dripped down my back and I tightened the grip on my sword.

After a moment, the light illuminated a single man draped in a golden cloak, hiding his face. He wore only a metal breastplate, battered and dented. Blood was splattered across his clothing. He just silently walked towards us, his enormous sword sheathed on his back.

Veronica let out a war cry that shook me to my core. Her bestial roar was followed by an order to charge. And we rushed the man together. After all, it was ten against one…

Surely that would be enough?

Splat.

As I was running, a warm liquid splattered across my face. I looked over to my right in what felt like slow motion. The woman next to me…her head had suddenly vanished in a mist of blood. I hadn’t even seen a spell, nor sensed it.

I stopped, locked in place from fear. As a flash of light blinded me, the man was already in front of us. A golden sword made of light magic danced across our group and with every swing, it took a limb or a life. Veronica swung her dagger at the man, but he dodged backward and sent a punch straight into her stomach.

She didn’t just crumple but instead flew back into the wall, making a Beastmen-sized hole in the stone. Sir Meren thrust his sword into the exposed man’s back, but in the blink of an eye, he had already spun around with a kick that knocked Meren off his feet, followed by a fist that sent him back into the ground.

With a single swing of his new light sword, two guards were reduced to headless corpses, never seeming to regenerate. The other two soldiers who rushed in first were still on the ground, surrounded by the bodies of their friends. The Human man simply silenced their screams by sending a golden hammer of light into their heads, blood splattering across the walls.

He’s a monster…a monster…and could it be…was this the same man…did he…he noticed me after all? How?

The man picked up a sword from the ground as Veronica rushed through the hole in a rage. For the first time, he took a step back as the two traded blows. Sparks flew as the Human effortlessly parried her blade and sent it straight through her chest.

He was about to finish her off with magic, but Meren raised himself from the ground and threw a dagger at the man, forcing him to use Veronica as a shield. The dagger embedded into her back, and the Human kicked Veronica into her own brother.

The following two soldiers rushing forward to assist were effortlessly cut down. I hesitated and took a step back. I was afraid, deathly so. No Human I had ever met had such an overwhelming bloodlust, nor did they display such martial might.

“Retreat! Only Lord Talgan can fight this man!” Sir Meren roared, coughing up a glob of blood.

I turned and ran immediately, nothing but fear driving me forward. I felt awful. I wanted to help. A part of me yearned to stand in a fight, but I couldn’t. If Sir Meren and Lady Veronica didn’t stand a chance, then I would be nothing but a bug to him. I was just a scout, not a soldier…

And I didn’t want to die.

When I turned around, I could hear the screams of my fellow countrymen. Only Sir Meren and Lady Veronica followed behind me, their heads hanging low in defeat. We made it back to an empty living quarters. The civilians had evacuated deeper into the tunnel system.

Only Sir Eban remained, and when he saw his siblings in that state, he rushed to us and asked, “What…what happened to you two?”

“A high-ranking Paladin has arrived…he might even be an Inquisitor. We can’t best him…” Veronica spat with a growl.

“What of Gran?” Meren questioned.

Eban grimaced. “He’s dead. We couldn’t stop the blood,” he said solemnly.

“Then…it must be—”

Eban’s words were cut short as the footsteps reached us. The Human man stood at the entrance, completely unharmed and covered in blood. The three siblings raised their weapons at him as another source of bloodlust leaked out from behind us.

“L—Lord Talgan,” Eban muttered.

The Lord himself had arrived. He was a tall, muscular Beastmen. His gold and red armor shined even in the dim torchlight, and he wielded no weapons of his own. His wild brown hair flared out like a lion, and his long braided beard reached the center of his chest. His almost entirely blood-red eyes glared across at the Human as he sneered at him.

“Retreat with the others and ensure a safe escape. I’ll face this foe alone,” Lord Talgan said in a low, deep voice.

The Human stood tall even with the lord’s bloodlust bathing him. “You are a long way from home, little man,” Lord Talgan growled.

“You are a Vampire Lord, correct? How fitting that a beast lives in the depths of a dark and dirty cave,” the Human said, his voice sounding far too young for such a deadly warrior.

The Human tossed back his hood, revealing his blonde hair. There was not a wrinkle or scratch on him, only a single, small birthmark below his piercing emerald eyes. He couldn’t have been out of his teens.

“They’ve sent a boy to kill me?! The Holy Kingdom must be running out of real men!” Lord Talgan guffawed.

The young Human just stared back with an empty expression. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on his face. Instead, he reached behind his back and unsheathed his great sword. The shiny gray metal reflected the light along with the large green dungeon cores embedded into it. The blade oozed power and was a symbol of terror for our people. There was no mistaking it…

“…an Exarch, huh? Such a young one at that…just how desperate are they these days to be giving children that blade?” Lord Talgan questioned.

“Continue to buy more time, beast. You and your spawn will not make it out of this forest alive,” the Human said in a low voice.

Lord Talgan dropped into a low stance and raised his fists. “You won’t be the first Exarch I’ve killed, boy.”

“Today, you will understand what it means to be prey,” he said, gripping Hubris with both hands.

“Uncle! Uncle! Ru—”

Lord Talgan whipped around and shouted, “Malachi! Go back! NOW—”

There was a flash of light as the Exarch closed the distance in a blink of an eye. Lord Talgan barely managed to dodge to the side; the sword crashed down and destroyed the floor where it hit, leaving a sizable crater.

“Let’s go,” Eban whispered quietly.

I ran ahead as Eban swiftly grabbed the Young Lord. The small child flailed in his grip, shouting and screaming, snot running down his face. The sounds of battle echoed behind us and shook the entire cave system. The Human must have been holding back, but now he was going all out.

To think…that was just a fraction of his strength…a real, breathing Exarch has come for us…can Lord Talgan truly win?

The ground shook violently, and we were knocked to our feet. The floor beneath us began to crumble, and I reached out to grab the ledge, but I was already falling, and my world turned black.

When I came to, Lady Veronica was glaring down at me. “Stand up, coward. Go make yourself useful and figure out where we are.”

“Yes… My Lady…” I said, rubbing the back of my head and feeling the wet blood mat my hair.

I looked around and saw that we were in a completely different place. The air was damp, and I could hear the sound of running water. Also, there was light.

From the ceiling, not where we crashed in from but further in, the sun was shining down. It seemed like an entirely open cave system that was not immediately connected to the tunnels we were living in.

And…was that a house?

Eban and Meren were standing side by side, grabbing the Young Lord by the collar and holding him still as they looked at the house. It seemed like a small wooden cabin that had sunk down into the earth. It was completely mangled and sat atop a small mound of stone, nearly touching the ceiling.

Then they both turned to me. I hung my head and simply nodded. I ran over and began scaling the small hill until I reached the top. Now that I have had a close look, I see that it really appeared to be some old cabin.

The wood was rotted and cracked, and half of the construction was completely gone. The side facing me had no door, so I was forced to crawl into a gap and into it.

The wood creaked, and a part of it gave away with a single step, so I just stepped back and looked around. There was nothing of interest, really…the only remarkable thing was the amount of books thrown around and what looked to be old clay pots lying shattered everywhere. That, and a single painting on the wall, caught my eye.

I carefully made my way toward it and took it off as best I could. However, it was damp from the moisture and fell apart in my hands at the edges. If I had to guess, it was a portrait of a family, but their faces were smudged to an unrecognizable degree. But there was one striking detail still somewhat visible.

A little girl was sitting between two people. She had bright purple and black hair…and red eyes.

“Let’s go, coward! We’ve found exits so hurry up if you don’t want to die!” Veronica's shout echoed in the cave.

I carefully wrapped the painting, or what was left of it, in a piece of cloth I had. I wondered why I was being so careful with a painting of a family I had never met…, but for some reason, I felt inclined to save it…

Who is this little Vampire girl…?