Laura sat awkwardly with her now empty blood bag in hand, watching the interaction between Dunstan and the man unfold in front of her. The man who had come into the room and yelled at Dunstan was named Ryan, from what Laura could piece together, he was some sort of superior. Once the man seemed to calm down, Dun left the room, leaving Laura alone with Rosa and Ryan. She wasn’t sure if she should say something or just also leave the room, if she was honest, the only thing Laura could think about was to ask Rosa for another bag.

“Do you feel better now?” Rosa asked.

“A bit,” Ryan answered without hesitation.

Rosa looked from Laura to Ryan, “Not you,” she said, shaking her head.

Rosa looked back at Laura expectantly, waiting for a response.

“Oh, I feel a lot better, could use another bag though but other than that, no more pains or aches,” she answered back, meeting Rosa’s eyes.

“I bet you could,” she murmured back, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Laura looked from Rosa to Ryan and then back at Rosa, understanding the curiosity, Rosa perked up and gestured towards Ryan, “This here is Ryan, he works as a liaison between us and the council. You know, the secret magic society Dun mentioned,” she continued in a more formal tone. “Due to your new circumstances,”– she said and looked down at the empty blood bag in her hands then back up to meet Laura’s gaze, –”Ryan will debrief you. See him as an introduction into your new life,” she finished.

Laura wasn’t sure what to answer so she nodded silently as she listened to Rosa.

“Here, take this,”– Rosa said as she fished up another bag from the box and handed it to Ryan, –”I have a feeling, she will pay more attention if you let her have this. I trust you have everything under control, so I will leave you to it,” she said, finishing with a smile before she made her way out of the room.

Rosa closed the door as she left, leaving the two alone. Ryan looked at Laura who sat staring at the bag in his hands.

“Suppose I should sit down,”– Ryan said awkwardly as he began taking a step towards the chair next to Laura, –”And I suppose this is for you,” he continued, handing Laura the bag before he sat down next to her.

Laura happily accepted the bag, “Thank you,” she said gently.

Laura wasn’t sure what to expect so she opened up a corner and began to slowly drink from the bag, as she waited for Ryan to speak. Ryan looked uncomfortable as Laura drained the contents of the bag, not quite sure on where to start. It had been a while since he had the need to hold a debriefing after all. Meanwhile, Laura thought he was scared of her as she glanced at him, but on second thought she somehow sensed that wasn’t quite it, if anything he seemed nervous at least, so Laura decided to take the lead.

“So, a debrief? What exactly is that?” She asked.

Ryan gave her a half smile, “So, ahem,”– he shifted in his seat before continuing, –”Let’s start with what Rosa and Dunstan told you, as I assume they said something at least,”.

Laura nodded as she answered back, “Yeah, he told me that there was a secret society of old men and that Rosa and him were some sort of magical policemen,”.

Ryan shook his head in disappointment, “Yeah, not quite. Yes, there is a society that is kept from everyday people. It’s located in a very remote place but has gates, as they are called, in most major cities around the world,” he lectured.

“Gates?” She said, puzzled.

“Yes, think of them like a doorway that can take you to almost anywhere on the planet in an instance,”.

“So, like a portal?” She asked, confused.

“No, what we classify as a portal is not the same as they are used in, let's say a video game. Portals are something only used by higher beings, but I think that is a little bit too much off topic,”.

Laura nodded along trying her best to pay attention.

“Going back to what I was saying,”– he continued, –”There is a city by the name Ashholm, which is just like your typical city, except it’s magic,”.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“How is it magic?” She chimed in.

He took a moment to ponder the question. Thinking about it, Ashholm did feel like most other cities, cars driving around, seemingly ordinary people walking on the street. There wasn’t really anything that stood out in the city as magical, even the building he worked in, which was the head office of the magic council, looked like a normal office building. “I don’t know, it just is,” he shrugged, “I guess you will just have to see when you get there,”.

“I will get to go there?” She curiously asked.

“Yes, as part of your transformation from human to vampire, you will be shown where and how to get into Ashholm, as well as, be introduced to some new people who will help you get a better understanding of your new life as a–,” she cut him off.

“Vampire,”– her eyes left him and trailed down to the empty plastic bag she was holding, –”Is being a vampire bad?” She asked softly.

Before Ryan could answer, the door opened and Dunstan walked in. They both looked at him as he leaned himself against the workbench.

“Yes?” Ryan finally asked.

“Oh, don’t let me interrupt, just here to listen,” he answered, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture.

Ryan looked at him suspiciously before turning back to Laura, “Once we finish up here, Rosa will take you to Ashholm, where we will make introductions to one of the vampire-run corporations. They will answer any questions and help get you situated,”.

Dunstan let out a scoff.

“Was there something you would like to add?” Ryan accused, glaring up at Dunstan.

“Just that she isn’t going to one of the corporations,” he flatly replied.

“And why not? That is the procedure, vampires take care of vampires and that is how it has always been,” Ryan argued.

“She just isn’t,” Dunstan answered, his eyes shimmering red for a second as he glanced at Ryan.

Ryan’s temperament showed on his face, as he got up to stand in front of Dunstan. “If you think, you can just break procedures and do whatever it is you want, you can take it up with the council,” he practically growled.

“I would happily talk to the council,” Dunstan replied with a friendly smile.

“What is taking so long?” Rosa asked, poking her head in from the door.

Ryan turned his head to look at her, “He interrupted the debrief,”.

“Yes, I told him to fetch you. We found them,”she answered before her head disappeared again.

Ryan looked at Dunstan and sighed, before he too, walked out.

Dunstan looked at Laura with a smile and asked, “Well, shall we?”.

Somewhere in an abandoned warehouse near port Dundas in Glasgow, sat a man in a dimly lit room and put his pen to paper.

“I, Will Moorelong have been chosen to witness history, which is why I have written so hastily in this journal. I feel as if it is my duty, not only to myself but to the order of which I serve so dutifully, to write down the events of this glorious day. It is currently a Thursday in the middle of November and I, Will Moorelong have been chosen by the high priest of our order. I have a very important task. I, Will Moorelong have the honour of preparing the chamber, no, scratch that,”– he said out loud as he erased the last part before continuing, –”I, Will Moorelong have the honour of–, oh, no, it is starting soon. I don’t have time, I must get everything in order before they arrive,” he murmured to himself.

The man closed his journal and stood up, turning to look behind him. The dimly lit light began to surge and become brighter until the whole room was visible, exposing empty shelves standing in a row and three cheap tables cluttered with paper and books close to the centre. In the very centre of the room, was a white circle drawn on with chalk. Once the man could see everything again, he rushed to continue his work, going from one desk to another, his focus fixed and unbreaking. He knew time was running short and that his master would find a cruel if not deadly punishment if he failed in his task. He turned from the desks and began to draw symbols around the circle.

The giant metal door opened upwards, revealing a tall, bald man in a black business suit. Before the door fully opened to let in a dark brown SUV, the man walked up to Will.

“High priest, I am alm–,” the bald man cut him off.

“Did I not tell you two to stay put?”– He growled in a low tone, –“Where. Is. Chip?” His cold voice came out as a whispering promise of death.

“C-Chip said he was going on a snack date last night. I-I haven’t seen him sense,” Will answered in a pleading murmur.

The bald man gripped Will by the throat and lifted him, his body shifting as bones rearranged and grew, the suit ripping until fabric fell to the concrete floor, exposing his hulking form. Through yellow eyes, he looked at Will struggling to breathe as he held him above the circle.

“In the shadows depths, chaos is confined. A god trapped in darkness entwined, with blood as the key, the seal shall be broken. I summon you forth, let our wrath be spoken,” his words rumbling as they came out.

He let out a snarl and bit into Will’s shoulder, the grip around his neck strangling the scream he tried to let out. He ripped Will open, his blood flowing down into the circle. The symbols began to glow in a sinister red colour as they absorbed the crimson liquid. He dropped Will’s lifeless body into the circle, the symbols slowly devouring the mass. He turned around in his massive form and looked at the men standing in front of him, having left the SUV to witness Will’s part in the ritual.

“Since the beginning of our kind, we have revered our god. Our people once built churches and preached about the Blooded One, but the council feared us,”– he sermonised, –”They tore down our chapels, announced our god as a harbinger of evil. Too long have we hid in the shadows of their pitchforks and torches,”– his voice turned solemnly before he continued, –” In the void of darkness, in which our god was imprisoned, shall we break the shackles that bind. We shall bring the Blooded One’s vision of fire and brimstone, of corpses littering the world. We shall bring his revenge to fruition,”.

“Remind me again, why are we letting her come with us?” Ryan asked behind the steering wheel.

“Because we couldn’t just leave her there,” Rosa answered from the back as she was digging through a duffle bag.

“We could have let her off at–,” Laura cut Ryan off.

“She is right here and I promise I will stay in the car,” she said, sucking on another bag.

They took a sharp turn before slowing down, arriving at what looked like an old shipyard. Dunstan was the first to leave the car, before Laura could turn to look at him, he was gone. Rosa and Ryan, both left the car and walked to the back. Laura couldn’t see what they were doing, but once the truck was open, she heard another duffle bag open and metal clanking.

“Laura, you will have to stay here while we go inside, okay?” Rosa said, zipping up a tactical vest.

“I promise, I won’t leave the car,” she answered back over the sound of magazines being put into pockets.

Laura looked on as Rosa and Ryan both walked away from the car. Rosa looked like someone straight out of a SWAT movie, while Ryan walked beside her in his fancy business suit. Dunstan appeared before them, like from thin air to Laura’s eyes. The three stood talking in the dark, Ryan occasionally gesturing at one of the roofs close to the warehouse.

Dunstan turned his head and looked at Laura, she met his now shimmering eyes. He winked once, then he was gone.