I consider her words carefully before responding. "All my doppelgangers are probably learning different things than me right now," I explain. "These new experiences will inevitably cause their personalities to diverge, but the core of who we are will always remain the same." I shrug, a wry smile tugging at my lips. "As for Atlas, well, he's a historical persona. Have you already forgotten most of my memories?"

Dumitra's eyes narrow slightly. "Not all of them, no. I know that historical and fictional personas are real in this world." Her voice drops to a sultry purr. "And you... you are an amoral, incredibly ambitious, power-hungry megalomaniac."

I can't help but laugh at her assessment. "Oh, you flatterer," I say, waving my hand dismissively. "At least I don't have a fetish for having serfs that I tax into destitution."

"I know," Dumitra replies, her tone amused. "But you still desire complete and total control."

I nod, my expression growing serious. "True, but I want that in a good way. A good and benevolent dictator is better than any other option." I launch into an explanation, ticking off points on my fingers. "Democracy? Too slow, too easily corrupted by money and special interests. Oligarchy? Just leads to the rich getting richer while the poor suffer. Communism? Great in theory, but it always seems to devolve into totalitarianism."

I pause, taking a breath before continuing. "But a benevolent dictatorship? That's where the real potential lies. Imagine a leader with the power to make sweeping changes for the better, unencumbered by bureaucracy or political gridlock. They could implement policies to eliminate poverty, advance scientific research, and create a truly just society. Of course, the key word here is 'benevolent' – you need someone with both the intelligence to make good decisions and the moral compass to always act in the best interests of the people."

Dumitra listens to my impassioned speech with an amused smile. When I finish, she shakes her head slightly. "That's more of a fit for a vampire that's jaded than a mortal who is going to die in less than a hundred years from old age."

I open my mouth to argue, but she continues before I can speak. "Hmm... but perhaps we could change that with the old ways."

My curiosity piqued, I can't help but ask, "Old ways?"

Dumitra's ruby eyes gleam with an otherworldly light. "I could kill you and then feed you my blood when you're dead to turn you into a vampire," she explains, her voice casual as if discussing the weather. "But the chances that you would awaken as a mindless creature are higher than awakening with your intellect intact."

I feel my stomach lurch at the thought. Becoming a vampire? The idea is both terrifying and oddly tempting. Immortality, superhuman strength, the power to shape the world over centuries... but at what cost? At the risk of losing my mind in the process? No, that's a gamble I'm not willing to take.

"No thank you," I say firmly, shaking my head.

Wait a second. Something's not adding up here. I turn to Dumitra, my brow furrowed in thought. "Are there many 'mindless' vampires alive?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

Dumitra's ruby eyes gleam with amusement. "Why, child, why do you think there are fables about vampires and vampire killing in the folklore and culture of Ireland?"

I blink, taken aback by her question. "I... I don't know," I admit, feeling a bit foolish. "How many vampires are alive in the world, anyway?"

A sly smile plays across Dumitra's lips. "From what I know, there are 96. But if you add Ioana and myself, that makes 98. And if you include all of my other 86 children I've sired across the world, then we're looking at 184."

Holy fucking shit on a stick. She gave birth to 88 children over her life? That's not a family tree, that's a whole goddamn family forest. What is she, some kind of vampiric Genghis Khan? I mean, I knew vampires were fertile, but this is ridiculous. She's practically running a one-woman population explosion here. At this rate, we'll need a new branch of mathematics just to calculate her descendants. Vampire calculus, anyone?

"Silent?" Dumitra's voice cuts through my mental gymnastics. She sighs, her expression growing serious. "I'm keeping the existence of my children hidden from the other vampires."

"Why?" I ask, intrigued by this new piece of information.

Dumitra leans in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I plan a coup to kill all the old vampires and replace them with my children. I know the secret to unlocking vampire fertility, but I'm keeping it all under wraps." Her eyes flash dangerously. "I hate the old ones. They need to be eliminated."

Well, isn't that just peachy? Vampire civil war on the horizon. As if regular human wars weren't bloody enough, now we've got immortal bloodsuckers plotting coups. This is starting to sound like a bad crossover between Game of Thrones and Twilight.

Dumitra continues, her voice taking on a grim tone. "Elizabeth Bathory has been creating mindless vampires and throwing them at Ireland for three hundred years in preparation for a war. But I have no idea why the war is happening now, after all this time. Perhaps she was just offloading her trash, and she actually created thousands of vampires in her country with the old ways?" She shrugs, a gesture that seems oddly casual given the weight of her words. "I would need to exterminate each and every one of them."

"Who's Elizabeth Bathory?" I ask, feeling like I'm barely keeping up with this vampire soap opera.

"She is the queen of England and a vampire that has lived longer than I have," Dumitra explains. "Elizabeth is not a natural-born vampire but one created through the old ways."

Great. So we've got an ancient vampire queen ruling England, creating an army of mindless bloodsuckers, and tossing them at Ireland like some kind of undead javelin throw. And here I thought Brexit was messy.

My thoughts are interrupted as I notice the two figures approaching in the distance. As they draw closer, I can make out more details. They move with an otherworldly grace, their steps so light they barely seem to touch the ground. Their raven-black hair cascades down their backs in perfect waves, catching the light in a way that seems almost hypnotic. Their skin is pale as moonlight, with an ethereal glow that sets them apart from any human I've ever seen. But it's their eyes that truly capture my attention - emerald green orbs that seem to pulse with an inner light, filled with an intelligence and intensity that belies their youthful appearance.

Their bodies, though small, are perfectly proportioned, with a lithe grace that speaks of both strength and agility. They wear simple yet elegant dresses that seem to flow around them like liquid shadow. As they draw nearer, I can see the subtle differences between them - one's lips curved in a perpetual smirk, the other's brow furrowed in quiet contemplation.

My voice shakes as I turn back to Dumitra. "How... how old are Virginia and Ioana?"

Dumitra's reply is casual, as if she's discussing the weather. "They're eight years old, child."

I feel my jaw drop. "That's not possible," I stammer. "They can't be this grown up at that age. They're like sixteen or eighteen at best."

A knowing smile spreads across Dumitra's face. "Vampire physiology is different from mortal physiology," she explains. "We mature at twice the rate of humans until we reach full maturity, at which point we stop aging completely."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

My mind reels at this information. Dumitra continues, seemingly enjoying my bewilderment. "Vampires don't urinate or defecate despite having the same anatomy as mortals."

Holy shit. The scientific implications of this are staggering. No waste production? How the hell does their metabolism work? Do they have some kind of super-efficient digestive system that converts everything they consume into energy? Or maybe their bodies operate on a completely different principle altogether.

And the accelerated growth - that's a whole other can of worms. Doubling the rate of human development would require an insane amount of energy and resources. How do their bodies handle the stress of such rapid change? Do they have some kind of enhanced cellular regeneration to cope with the wear and tear?

Then there's the immortality aspect. Stopping aging completely after reaching maturity implies some kind of perfect cellular stasis or regeneration. Are their telomeres somehow protected from shortening? Do they have hyper-efficient DNA repair mechanisms?

And let's not even get started on the implications for neurology. If their brains are developing twice as fast, how does that affect cognitive development? Are they essentially geniuses by human standards? Do they have perfect recall of their entire lives?

The more I think about it, the more questions I have. This isn't just biology - it's a whole new frontier of science. If we could understand and replicate even a fraction of these abilities, it would revolutionize medicine, gerontology, and probably half a dozen other fields I can't even think of right now.

Christ, I need a whiteboard and about a thousand years to even begin to unpack all of this.

As I stand at the edge of the meadow, my mind still reeling from the implications of vampire physiology, I notice the two girls approaching even closer. They draw closer and I can't help but stare. They're identical twins.

"Well, well, well," they say in perfect unison, their voices a melodic echo that sends shivers down my spine. "What have we here? A little mortal girl, all alone in the big, bad world?"

I blink, trying to process the fact that they're speaking in sync. It's like watching a particularly unsettling puppet show. "I'm not alone," I say, gesturing to Dumitra. "And I'm not as little as you might think."

The twins exchange a glance, their lips curving into identical smirks. "Oh, aren't you precious?" the one on the left coos. "I'm Ioana, by the way. Or am I Virginia? It's so hard to keep track sometimes."

"Don't listen to her," the one on the right chimes in. "She's clearly Virginia. I'm Ioana. Or maybe it's the other way around? Who can say, really?"

I feel my head starting to spin. It's like dealing with a pair of particularly sadistic Cheshire cats. "Right," I mutter. "Because that's not confusing at all."

They laugh, the sound like tinkling bells with just a hint of broken glass. "Oh, we like this one, mother," they say in unison, turning to Dumitra. "She's got spirit."

Dumitra rolls her eyes, though I catch a hint of fondness in her expression. "Enough, you two. Ioana, Virginia, stop tormenting the poor girl."

"But mother," they whine, again in perfect sync, "it's so much fun!"

I can't help but snort. "Yeah, a real barrel of laughs. I haven't been this confused since I tried to decipher the instructions for assembling IKEA furniture."

The twins tilt their heads in identical expressions of curiosity. "IKEA?" they ask. "What's that? Some sort of mortal game?"

Shit. I forgot for a moment that I'm supposed to be a medieval peasant girl. "Uh, just something I made up," I say quickly. "You know, childish nonsense and all that."

Dumitra gives me a knowing look but doesn't comment. Instead, she points to the twin on the left. "This is Ioana," she says, then gestures to the one on the right. "And this is Virginia. Try to remember that, little one. They do so enjoy their games of confusion."

The twins pout in perfect synchronization. It's both impressive and deeply unsettling. "Oh, mother," Ioana says, "you're no fun at all."

"Indeed," Virginia adds. "We were just getting started."

I eye them warily. "Well, I'm Lile. Nice to meet you, I guess. Are you two always this... coordinated?"

They grin, showing off teeth that are just a bit too sharp to be entirely human. "Oh, always," they say together. "It's part of our charm."

"Charm. Right," I mutter. "That's definitely the word I'd use."

Ioana - or is it Virginia? I've already lost track - leans in close, her emerald eyes boring into mine. "Mother's told us so much about you, you know. All those fascinating stories."

I feel a chill run down my spine. What exactly has Dumitra been telling them? "Oh?" I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "What kind of stories?"

Virginia - or maybe it's Ioana - picks up where her sister left off. "Oh, you know. Tales of your... unique perspective on the world. Your... unusual knowledge."

They're circling me now, like a pair of particularly graceful sharks. "We find you utterly fascinating," they say in unison. "A little mortal girl with the mind of a man from another time. It's deliciously perplexing."

I shoot a panicked glance at Dumitra, who looks far too amused for my liking. "I don't know what you're talking about," I say, my voice higher than I'd like. "I'm just a normal peasant girl. Nothing special about me at all."

The twins laugh, the sound echoing across the meadow. "Oh, you're special alright," Ioana says. "Special enough to catch our mother's interest."

"And that's no small feat," Virginia adds. "Mother's not easily impressed, you know."

I'm starting to feel like a mouse caught between two particularly playful cats. "Look," I say, trying to inject some authority into my voice, "I don't know what Dumitra's told you, but-"

"Oh, she's told us everything," they interrupt in unison. "About your past life, your knowledge of the future, your... unique circumstances."

Well, fuck me sideways. So much for keeping that under wraps. I glare at Dumitra, who at least has the decency to look slightly abashed. "I thought that was supposed to be a secret," I hiss.

Dumitra shrugs. "They're my daughters, little one. I don't keep secrets from them."

The twins are practically vibrating with excitement now. "We have so many questions," Ioana says.

"So many things we want to know," Virginia adds.

"Tell us about the future," they demand together. "About the wonders you've seen, the knowledge you possess."

I feel a headache building behind my eyes. This is not how I expected this little meadow excursion to go. "Look," I say, pinching the bridge of my nose, "it's not that simple. I can't just-"

"Oh, but you must!" they insist. "We want to hear about the flying machines, the talking boxes, the-"

"Enough," Dumitra interrupts, her voice carrying a note of command that makes even the twins fall silent. "You're overwhelming her. Remember, she's still adjusting to her... unique situation."

The twins pout again, but nod. "Very well, mother," they say. "We'll behave."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Thanks," I mutter to Dumitra.

She nods, then turns to her daughters. "Now, girls, why don't you properly introduce yourselves? One at a time, if you please."

Ioana steps forward first, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I'm Ioana," she says, her voice losing its eerie synchronization with her sister's. "Touch Mage and mistress of invisibility. Pleased to make your acquaintance, little time traveler."

Virginia follows suit, her smirk a mirror image of her sister's. "And I'm Virginia. Sight-Sound Mage, specializing in the inversion of physical laws. Charmed, I'm sure."

I blink, trying to process this new information. "Touch Mage? Sight-Sound Mage? What the hell does that mean?"

The twins exchange a look of delight. "Oh, mother," Ioana says, "you didn't tell her about the different types of magic?"

"How delightfully cruel of you," Virginia adds.

Dumitra sighs. "I was getting to that, girls. All in due time."

I feel like I'm watching a tennis match, my head swiveling between the three of them. "Okay, time out," I say, making a T with my hands. "Can someone please explain what's going on? In small words, preferably. My medieval peasant brain is having trouble keeping up."

The twins giggle, the sound unnervingly childlike coming from their mature bodies. "Oh, we do like her," they say in unison.

Ioana steps closer, her emerald eyes gleaming. "I can make things invisible with a touch," she explains, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Myself, others, objects... anything I can lay my hands on."

Virginia nods, picking up the thread. "And I can invert reality with a word and a glance," she says. "Make up become down, left become right... it's quite disorienting for those on the receiving end."

I feel my jaw drop. "That's... that's impossible," I stammer. "It violates every law of physics I know."

The twins laugh again, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "Oh, little time traveler," they say together, "you have so much to learn about this world."

Ioana leans in, her breath tickling my ear. "I like you," she whispers. "Mother's stories don't do you justice. You're far more... intriguing in person."

I feel a blush creeping up my neck, cursing this prepubescent body and its involuntary reactions. "Uh, thanks?" I manage to squeak out.

Virginia mirrors her sister's position on my other side. "Indeed," she purrs. "We're going to have so much fun together, little Lile."

I shoot a panicked look at Dumitra, silently pleading for help. She just smirks, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Welcome to the family, little one," she says, her ruby eyes dancing with amusement.

Feeling overwhelmed by the twins' intense scrutiny, I take two steps backward, putting some distance between myself and the unnervingly synchronized duo. My mind races, trying to process the implications of their advanced speech and behavior. It's one thing to grow twice as quickly as humans, but this level of intellect? Something doesn't add up.

"Dumitra," I begin, my voice steady despite the unease churning in my gut, "I can't help but notice your daughters speak with an eloquence far beyond their years. Care to explain how an eight-year-old vampire child can converse like a seasoned courtier?"

Dumitra's lips curl into a knowing smirk. She regards me for a moment, her ruby eyes glinting with amusement, before answering with just two words: "Generational. Knowledge."[...]