“Ryzen? What’s going on?” Enancia asked, clearly seeing that something was wrong.

He was currently warily looking around the room, trying to see if he could find anyone or anything out of place. What worried him the most was that the vampires they met earlier were not okay with Enancia being here.

He doubted that the humans were doing anything. They all seemed to be relatively harmless and besides, they had treated Ryzen and Enancia quite well.

“Ryzen!” Enancia shouted, annoyed that she was being ignored.

He glanced over at her and sighed, “One of my skills just leveled up.”

She gave him a puzzled look and asked, “Am I missing something? Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Not when it’s my shadow guard skill that levels up,” Ryzen said with a sigh.

A look of realization came upon Enancia’s face as she recalled the skill description. “Wait.. so someone is tracking us?”

“It seems likely,” Ryzen groaned.

“Hm…” Do you think it’s those vampires from earlier?

“Maybe.”

Ryzen took a moment to think and then decided to pull up his skill description again. Perhaps, the level-up gave him something useful.

Shadow Guard (Passive) (Mythical): There were many who held a deep hatred for the shadow soldiers and many who would often search for them, yet they were never successful. This was because of their Shadow Guard skill. A small shadow barrier now surrounds you at all times, giving protection against all mental, poison, and search attacks. Track whoever dares to search for you.

Ryzen squinted his eyes as he realized he was indeed able to sense the location of whoever was tracking them.

A sigh came out of Ryzen’s lips as he stood up from the bed and walked towards where the man was. Fortunately, he wasn’t far away.

“Ryzen! Where are you going?” Enancia said.

“I’ll be right back,” he said with a glance back at her.

“Ryzen! I’m coming with you!” she moved to get up but Ryzne shook his head.

“No, I’ll be fine. You just stay here and rest, okay?”

“But…”

However, Ryzen had already left, leaving Enancia feeling quite upset.

He hopped into his shadow and moved through the small house and back out into the main area of the village. As soon as he actually saw where he was being led, he realized it was in fact the same area where the vampires were located.

He sighed to himself as he went into the building and consequently, down a long flight of stairs. After an obscene amount of time going downstairs, he entered a dark hallway with a few torches emitting a little light.

He slowly explored the hall in his shadow until he came to a dining hall that held various amounts of chatter in it.

He carefully entered the room and watched as the vampires he had seen earlier enjoyed whatever it was they were eating. Likely, some mixture of human blood since they needed it to stay alive.

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

He easily maneuvered his way to find the exact vampire who was tracking them. After a few moments, he came across a young woman talking to the exact vampire he had spoken with earlier.

She had purple hair and a petite frame. What’s even more strange was that she had similarly long ears to Enancia. She wasn’t a vampire but she didn’t seem to be a demon either. “Hedmon, there I can’t find one of the outsiders. I fear he may be up to no good,” she said worriedly.

“Hmm, that is strange. A tier six skill such as yours should easily locate them unless they are using a jamming skill.” Hedmon said in contemplation.

“I know we shouldn’t cause any trouble but… I guess I’m worried for our… ya know?” she said with a glance at her stomach.

Hedmon sighed and rose from his chair. “Very well, I shall go speak with the demon girl and vampire boy. Tell me where the one you can find is located.”

“They are staying in Eric’s house. Based off the details I can gather, it seems to be the powerless demon girl.”

“I see. I shall go pay them a visit if it will make you feel better. I, too, am wary of them; however, it is always best not to start unnecessary trouble.”

“Thank you, dear,” Marilee said.

Hedmon nodded his head and rose from his seat. He proceeded to go back in the exact direction that Ryzen had come from.

He silently followed Hedmon until he reached the staircase. It wasn’t until then that he decided to reveal himself.

“Hedmon, right?” Ryzen asked, hiding himself in the shadows. He wasn’t planning on hurting Hedmon as he seemed like a good man. However, he would ensure Enancia would be put in no danger.

Hedmon swung around towards Ryzen and immediately summoned the same red claymore he had before. Ryzen knew getting hit by that thing would likely result in his instant death.

“Who goes there?” he boomed.

“Relax, I’m not here to harm you. I’m just making sure you’re not about to do the same.” Ryzen said.

Hedmon slightly lowered his sword and growled, “Step out of the shadows.”

Ryzen slowly moved out of the corner he was hiding in.

“It’s you, the strange boy with the shadow powers. Tell me, how did you come here without anyone finding you?” Hedmon asked.

“That’s not important. What is important, is that you stay away from us and we’ll stay away from you.” Ryzen said.

“And how do I know you do not mean us harm?” Hedmon questioned.

“Because if I did, you would already be dead.”

At this, Hedmon lowered his sword and sighed, “Unfortunately, it seems you’re right. Nobody had a clue you were here.”

Ryzen slightly relaxed and turned to walk back up the stairs. As long as Enancia was safe, he wouldn’t bother these vampires.

“You care for that demon girl greatly, don’t you?” Hedmon said.

Ryzen stopped and slightly turned, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“She was kind to me… in her own special way.”

Hedmon laughed, “Sorry, I don’t mean to make fun of you… I understand your point completely. I, too, care for those close to me…” Hedon paused, thinking about something.

“Alex… tell me, are you human?”

“Yes,” Ryzen said. There was no point in hiding what was already discovered.

Hedmon nodded, “My wife is an elf. They don’t exactly mix well with vampires which is why we’re here. Along the way, we managed to find a small group of humans barely surviving and decided to use our strength to help them. In turn, they give us their blood which allows us to live.”

Ryzen nodded, “Thank you.”

Before Hedmon could respond, Ryzen disappeared into his shadow and made his way back to Enancia. He half expected her to be asleep but instead, she had stayed up. She was clearly quite worried.

“Boo,” Ryzen said, appearing behind her.

She jumped back in surprise and slapped Ryzen in the face. Upon realizing who it was, she immediately went red in the face and shouted, “Ryzen! You fucking retarded piece of shit!”

Ryzen tenderly rubbed his face with a smile, “I apologize. I had to ensure your safety.”

“You idiot!” Enancia said as she buried her face into his body and started to punch him with her fists softly.

A slight knock at their door got her to jump and glare immediately at the door behind her. Ryzen smiled and thought about Hedmon. Somehow, he didn’t really mind him.