“This is beyond ridiculous!” Rachel continued. “I mean, how are you going to explain this? People just don’t physically mature overnight like…I don’t know, geckos?”

“I really don’t see what there is to explain,” I calmly replied as I continued to observe my reflection. “I’ve only met a handful of people since arriving here. And what’s more, I’m a hunter. There’s a certain level of strangeness implied with that title, right?”

“Why am I the only one concerned about this?” Rachel asked with a lot of dramatic energy, I thought. “Kyler, you could be suffering from a condition that causes accelerated aging! What if you’re living ten years a day or something?”

“Oh, I know what you mean,” I said with a nod as I recalled an event from my past. “You’re talking about an entropy curse. Yeah, I got hit with one of those about four hundred years back by some childish witch who’d overestimated herself. She had this habit of aging people by centuries in the blink of an eye if they displeased her.”

“What?” Rachel said with disgust. “That’s murder!”

“Well, yes, Rachel, it is murder. That’s why she did it,” I said. “The woman saw herself as one of those mastermind types who punished incompetence with death. You know the sort. Fool, you’ve failed me for the last time. That kind of thing. She became dependent on that silly gimmick to her ultimate detriment.”

“What happened between the two of you?”

“I stole her territory from her,” I said. “She didn’t have much to offer but I took it all anyway. She’d gotten cocky with me at a little mixer my sister Hedonia was hosting, boasting about her power and her so-called empire, and how dare we offend her and all that.”

“You offended her?”

“Yeah, that was the silliest part of all. Believe it or not, she crashed the party and was furious that she hadn’t been invited, like she thought she was Maleficent or something. The woman was a total cartoon.”

“So, what happened?” Rachel asked.

“Well, I decided to take her to task. Show her who she was dealing with so that she’d learn a little respect for her betters. Instead of absorbing the lesson however, she showed up at my home one-night raving about how I’d pay for daring to cross her. She then cast her little curse on me despite my warning.”

“You warned her not to do it?”

“Of course,” I said. “I always try to be sporting about these things when dealing with a colleague of the supernatural world. I informed her that she’d die if she tried it, but she mistook that as me threatening her and fired it off, and then she withered away in seconds and turned into dust. I had her remains swept outside and promptly forgot about her.”

“Are vampires immune to entropy curses?” Rachel asked.

“Not necessarily.” I replied. “Magic in all its forms is formidable. Saying something as boastful as That could NEVER work on ME, is the same as inviting disaster. The issue regarding that fool’s spell-crafting is that she was a complete hack. She tied her curses to the lifeforce of her enemies to power it. Ordinarily, not a bad technique, but she used it as a one-stop solution for all her attacks.”

“I don’t follow,” Rachel said. “All this talk of magic is new to me.”

“To simplify it to its most basic concept, magic comes in two varieties,” I explained to her. “White and black. Both types are sacrificial in nature. To cast a white spell, the power comes from within you. You’re sacrificing your own energy to fuel it. To cast a black spell, you use the power of someone else. You’re sacrificing their energy to fuel it. Get it, now?”

“I think so,” Rachel said. “So, white is good, and black is bad?”

“Hardly,” I said with a tisk. “Magic is a neutral force in all forms. Its morality is determined by its use, not its origin. For example, what if a wizard specializing in healing magic didn’t have enough personal power to cure someone with a mortal affliction? Would you call it an evil act if others voluntarily gave their own energy to him so that he could use it to save his patient? Is that any different from donating your plasma during a blood drive?”

“I guess,” Rachel said. “But if that’s the case, then how can white magic be used to harm someone?”

“Asks the girl who apparently has never had a lightning bolt flung at her face,” I said sourly. “Anyway, to conclude my story, the witch thoughtlessly used her curse against me, but failed to realize that since I am undead, I have no lifeforce with which to power it. So, the magic rebounded and latched itself to the nearest living source, which was her. And that was the end of that.”

“Did you warn her in the same tone of voice you used to warn Doug about Schulz?” Rachel suddenly asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe? Yes? Absolutely,” I replied. “Why? What does it matter?”

“Well, that’s not really giving a warning, Kyler. It’s more like taunting them with the knowledge that something terrible is about to occur without sharing the details.”

“Semantics!” I declared.

“Would you please put some clothes on?”

“Stop telling me what to do,” I said crossly, as I tossed myself back onto the bed. “You could at least try to sound more impressed, daughter. You just learned a valuable lesson about the nature of magic straight from the lips of a thaumaturgist of eld. Many would be evokers would kill for the opportunity to study at my foot.”

“And what pray tell is a thaumaturgist of eld?” Rachel asked sarcastically.

“Just an old timey way of saying a wizard who really knows his craft,” I said humbly. “I was a graduating student of the Scholomance, I’ll have you know. Within its blackened halls, I mastered arts both wonderous and profane. With one breath, I could create a miracle. With the next, I could unleash a disaster. The power I wielded over life and death was unmatched…oh! Speaking of which…”

With some excitement, I summoned forth my character status screen and stared at the options that had been unlocked by me reaching the thirteenth level. As Alpha had promised, from level ten and up, I would receive access to what she called a skill tree.

Once every level, I would receive three status points to level up my basic attributes like strength and constitution. But I would also receive three points per level to invest in the skill tree, unlocking new abilities that would deeply impact the way I used my powers.

The stats I needed to upgrade were a no brainer. I placed my first three points into endurance and dumped the remaining six into constitution, increasing my health points to thirty-two, while bumping up my tolerance for intense cardiovascular activity to an impressive thirty-five minutes. With this, my human form had gained considerably improved survivability. Thirty-two health points was nothing to write home about, though. I wouldn’t feel truly at ease until I had that number over one hundred.

It was something to work toward, I suppose.

Now, with that out of the way, I jumped to the interesting part and studied my skill tree. It was divided into four equal sections with branching paths down each line, leading to powers I’d previously possessed, as well as entirely new abilities, which I found very enticing.

“Incredible,” I murmured to myself as I perused these exciting possibilities. “Look at this! These trees are branched into four separate routes, each representing the paths my siblings and I followed. Beasts, mist, shapes, blood. All the power we ever wielded, now up for offer for the price of but a few dead monsters!”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

I then began laughing at myself. “How absurd,” I said between giggling fits.

“What’s got you so amused?” Rachel asked in her usual flippant manner.

“Oh, it’s just…how to put this?” I said after settling down a bit. “I once considered myself near the pinnacle of sorcery, beneath just my sister and my mother. But lo and behold, daughter; all my centuries of hard-earned knowledge and gradual expertise are now here floating before my eyes, reduced to a few nodules on a glorified spreadsheet. Everything that I represented, everything that distinguished me…to see it presented in this reductive manner…It somehow feels both hysterical and diminishing.”

“Ah,” Rachel said. “I bet there’s a word for that feeling in German.”

“The Germans have a word for everything, Rachel,” I said as I continued to stare at the screen. “It’s probably something they’re taught in kindergarten and encouraged to use against crybabies by their parents. Narrschmerzlichspott?”

“Don’t be rude. All the German people I’ve ever met have been perfectly kind,” Rachel said frostily.

“Of course,” I said. “That’s what the Kaiser’s lads were known for in the trenches. Kindness and baked goods. All that bayoneting was just their way of asking their neighbors if they wanted to try some Bienenstich Kuchen.”

“That’s not a real word, you made that up,” Rachel said accusingly. “Do you have some sort of problem with Germany?”

“Honestly?” I frowned as I recalled an annoying memory. “I once fought a Lutheran knight of the old kingdom for the fate of a girl who’d caught my roaming eye. He interfered before I could properly introduce myself to her and dared to challenge me. Even worse, he won our subsequent duel and drove me away. Everything about that night was a shameful disgrace.”

“Whatever happened to the girl?”

“She married him. Bloody playboy that he was. I wasn’t obsessed, though. I didn’t care. I still don’t. To hell with them both! He got lucky and she missed out.”

“What were their names?” Rachel wondered.

“Adelbert and Emmaline,” I said darkly.

“Clearly not obsessed,” Rachel said with an audible smirk.

“Oh, shut up,” I muttered. “I beat him eventually, y’know. You could say he was my first true rival. The only genuine holy knight I’ve ever faced. It took me forty years and twenty attempts, though. Humans aren’t supposed to get stronger with age, but Adelbert loved making me angry.”

“What was he like?”

“Entirely too forgiving,” I said, as I sat up. “And he laughed far too often! He was always making jests at the drop of a hat! The smug fool never took anything seriously. He and Emmaline both. Far too much laughter and cheer. That’s not a proper marriage! It was the bloody dark ages; they should have shown a little grave solemnity! Should have thought of their station! But noooo, they gave no consideration to appearances and lived like playful children. Even now, I’m embarrassed for them both.”

“You sound as though you miss them,” Rachel said.

“What? No! Don’t be silly,” I scoffed. “As I said, we were rivals! It’s the duels I missed, that’s all. He was the only mortal I ever met who could really challenge me, which I found extremely vexing. From the moment I met him, my task was to extinguish his vile light and prove my superiority.”

“How’d you go about doing that?”

“Well, Bert was always riding around the countryside doing good deeds for no apparent reason. Probably driven by his faith or some similar insanity. So, I’d occasionally ambush him or show up when he least expected it and pick a fight. Heh, one time I appeared wearing the armor of his best friend and fought him to a standstill in a royal tourney. Nearly got him too, but Emma figured out it was me and warned him in time.”

“Never underestimate a devoted wife,” Rachel said sagely.

“A lesson those two taught me well,” I said quietly. Then I shook my head violently in an attempt to clear it. “Goodness, Rachel. Didn’t I tell you not to bring up any old memories today?”

“And didn’t I ask you to please put on some clothes?” she countered.

“Ha! Touché.”

__

After giving the matter some thought, I decided to spend my first six points in blood, the skill tree with which I was most familiar. I first went 3/3 into a spell called [Blood Orb] then followed it up by going 3/3 in [Hemokinesis], which completely restored my ability to telekinetically manipulate blood.

As soon as I selected those talents, I felt a familiar sensation of power return to me. My awareness of the very blood stored in my veins now burned within me, a resource waiting to be used. I ran the tip of my finger over one of my teeth and smiled gleefully as I caused the drop of blood welling at its tip to float away and dance throughout the air.

“The Lord of Blood is back,” I announced to the dog and spear.

“Well, oh Lord of Blood, we still don’t know what caused your body to change so rapidly,” Rachel said. “Sorry to bust your bloody bubble, oh that sounds so gross as I say it aloud, but don’t you think finding that out should be your top priority?”

“Are you still focused on that?” I said mockingly. “I figured that out ages ago. Feels like centuries. You really need to get caught up with the times, Rache.”

“What? Well, would you mind sharing with the class?” Rachel said with more of her trademark exasperated annoyance. “Our fates are tied to each other, remember? If something’s affecting you, then I should know about it as well.”

“Sure, sure,” I said as I resumed studying my skill tree to decide where my final three points should go.

“Well?” she said.

“Just a moment, please,” I replied as I considered my options.

“KYLER!” she shouted, breaking my concentration.

“Okay, all right!” I said, yelling in return. “Rachel, use your head! This body was malnourished and weak. Kyler Evans probably hadn’t had a decent meal in years, nor any regular sleep. Living like that is extremely harmful for a young person’s physical development. But ever since I took over, we’ve been eating and sleeping extremely well. Combine that with the healing ability I acquired from that crab, and this is the result. A strong, healthy body restored to peak condition. If anything, this is probably what Evans was meant to be like if his life hadn’t been so miserable.”

“They tortured him,” Rachel said angrily. “All the resources of a noble family and that academy, and this is how he was treated. Like a dog. Doesn’t that infuriate you?”

“It doesn’t please me,” I said. “But there’s nothing we can do about that. More importantly, it’s not our fight. Getting involved with those people won’t benefit us in any way.”

“It doesn’t have to benefit us, Kyler,” Rachel said. “We can choose to avenge him of our own accord. Because he was a boy who deserves justice, as do all the innocent who suffer.”

“Daughter, throw that fantasy away, I urge you,” I pleaded. “No matter how righteous you believe yourself to be, I promise that soon enough, you will be the reason an innocent person suffers. Not because of malicious intentions, but because of simple, desperate need. You’re a vampire now, Rachel. You aren’t allowed to be a good person anymore.”

“Don’t tell me what I can be!” she said. “I know who I am!”

“Just as I know what you are,” I said. “Well, whatever. Some lessons are best learned by themselves. Hey, you know what? I’m going all in on basic [Transfiguration]. Three for three."

“What?” Rachel said, caught off guard by the change of topic.

“[Transfiguration],” I said with an idiotic smile on my face. “This was a power unique to my sister, Protea. She could reconfigure her own form into anything she imagined! Transform and become whatever she wished! A bat, a wolf, a titanic dragon! She was incredible! Sadly, such abilities are far too deep into this skill tree for me to reach now, but the basic form of the skill was easy to acquire. What I've gained isn't true shapeshifting, but I can now make alterations to my appearance and my clothing.”

I stood up and summoned the equipment I’d gathered so far during my adventures. I then studied myself critically in the mirror and clucked my tongue in disapproval. “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I mean, it’s utilitarian I suppose, but is that good enough? I don’t think it is.”

“Well, what do you expect, Kyler?” Rachel asked. “It’s just basic gear. The truly eye-catching pieces can only be earned from higher-leveled targets.”

“Even if that’s the case, I still reserve the right to look like a gentleman,” I replied. “Style is the right of all sentient beings.”

With that in mind, I closed my eyes and focused. Using this new power came surprisingly easy to me. It was as if I’d wielded it since birth. That must have been an anti-frustration feature of the system. By making new abilities as intuitive to understand as possible, it prevented hunters from having to needlessly experiment to grasp how to use their new abilities. I approved of such a thoughtful design.

As I cast [Transfiguration] l watched as the appearance of my armor transformed into a nicely matching set of dark pants, polished leather shoes, and a shirt and tie with a handsome maroon vest to top it off. All I was missing now was a nice gold pocket watch to complete the look.

“My clothing still maintains its defensive value, but now it’s so much easier on the eyes,” I boasted. “Admit it, Rachel. Daddy looks good.”

“Uh. Uh, yeah,” Rachel said. “You look…nice.”

“Do I really?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

Oh, dear, did my ears detect a note of shyness in her voice?

I decided to store that away for now. For future amusement.

After evaluating my reflection once more, I gave myself a whistle of appreciation. “Looking good, feeling good, yaddi-yadda. Just in time for our evening meal, too! What a good day to be alive, am I right?”

[Your use of magic has triggered your vampiric hunger.]

[Hunger 1/10]

"Impressive. The system has even managed to quantify that?" I said to myself.

[Warning!]

[When your hunger reaches 10/10, you will enter an uncontrollable FEEDING FRENZY.]

"Well, duh. Calm down you silly system, you're not dealing with a newblood," I said. "I'll keep track of things."

Honestly, the status screen could be such a nattering old hen, couldn't it?

[Warning!]

[Your progeny RACHEL's Hunger is currently 9/10]

[Your progeny RACHEL will soon enter an uncontrollable FEEDING FRENZY.]

"Hey, Rachel, why don't you and I take an evening constitutional before dinner," I quickly suggested. "What do you say? That sounds like fun, right?"

"Why? Jamie and her men are waiting for you downstairs," she said churlishly. "Let's just get it over with."

"Rachel, let's just go for a freakin' walk, PLEEEEASE," I strongly urged as I grabbed her and jumped out of the room's only window before she could argue with me any further.