We walk through Dracula's castle, seeing different statues and various pieces of history that were thought to have been lost to the ages. There's a section dedicated to Japanese mythology. We decide to go in and look around. I notice a piece of paper that has Japanese writing on it; I can't make out the words. "Be very careful with that. It's a teleportation rune that teleports one person to Japan. The only bad thing is that it's a one-way trip. I never used it obviously and just wanted to keep it here as a sentimental token of a lost friend." Dracula says she appears out of thin air next to me.

"I guess I'll just put that back." I say that as a portal opens, it sucks me inside and closes on itself. Everyone is shocked and doesn't know what to say. They look toward Dracula. He looks at them and shrugs. "I warned him," he says.

Elizabeth walks up to him and asks. "Where in Japan is that rune taking him?" He looks at her with a solemn face. "Not where in Japan...but when." I open my eyes and see two people staring down at me; they look Japanese. I get up off the ground, look around, and notice that this isn't the Japan I had heard of recently. It would appear that this is 14th-century Japan. "Ah shit. I shouldn't have touched that paper." I think to myself as the Japanese men walk up to me slowly.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" The Japanese man is confused. I look at the man, confused. "Can I understand Japanese? I never learned it." Then it dawned on me. "I put the book into the darkness, and Vestis must have swallowed it and added it to my mind, and I've learned to speak and understand them." I think to myself as the men get closer and poke me with a spear.

I look down at the spear and grab the shaft. "That's not very nice, you know, Baka!" I say this as I snap the spear in half.

The men look shocked that I snapped the spear in half. They look at each other before screaming out. "It's an Oni!" and they run towards the village, alerting everyone.

"What's an Oni?" I think to myself. Lumen speaks to me in my head. "In Japanese mythology, they were considered to be demons that thrived on havoc and ruin. It was said that they bring bad luck, plagues, and diseases around them. It would seem that they believe you are one of them."

I sigh. "Why can't my life be easy? Why do I have to deal with shit like this?" I think to myself as I see what appears to be priests coming from the village. They're holding rosaries and speaking into them. "I would assume that they are currently trying to exorcise you." Vestis growls. I look confused. "Exercise? Why would they want to work out with me?" I ask. Lumen and Vestis sigh. "They want to banish your dumbass." Vestis says.

I turn towards the priests and smile. "There's no need to worry; I'm not an Oni. I'm just a simple man." I say it calmly. The priest looked at me, sensed the dark energy within me, and began to sweat. "You cannot trick us, you foul monster! You will never come into this town and harm any of us!" One priest says as they throw a piece of paper out and it sticks to me. The paper lights up for a split second before burning to ash.

The priests see this and gasp. "It didn't work!"What kind of monster are you?" One asks. I sigh and say this through gritted teeth. "I am not an Oni; like I said before, I am a simple man. I would also like to know where I currently am." The priests slowly calm down and whisper to each other before looking back towards me and speaking. "If you truly are not an Oni, then drink this holy water!" One says as they throw a pouch made out of animal skin. I groan inwardly. I open the pouch and drink the water.

I gag; it's the nastiest water I've ever tasted. Nothing happens as I finish the holy water and throw the pouch back to them. One of the men grabs it and looks at me with squinted eyes. They suddenly see the light within me and fall to their knees. "I am sorry, oh great one, for assuming you were an oni!" One of them says: Realizing they saw Lumen, I don't correct the man.

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"If you are truly sorry and plan to repent, Then allow me access to this village and bring me to the nearest inn." I say it in a soft, gentle tone. The men look up at me. "Thank you for showing us mercy! May we ask your name, oh great one?" One priest asks. "Do not let them know my name; simply give them your name. If they were to know who I was, then surely there would be a war." Lumen says it in my head.

I sigh. "My name is Kamen; please get up off the ground. There is no need to apologize for your actions." I say, and the men slowly get up from the ground. They led me to the village, avoiding eye contact. As we walk in, the men from before are yelling out. "Why are you bringing that monster in here? Kill it!" The priests look to him. "How dare you disrespect the great one! Know your place!" One priest yells out as the men shut up and look down.

We finally arrive at the nearest inn. I look up and read the sign. 'Tokagowa Inn' "That name sounds familiar." I think to myself as we walk in. I look around the inn and notice that it's also a bar. Everywhere I look, there are people drinking and eating. Some are fighting; I would assume someone lost a bet, or maybe they're rivals. Not my worry.

I walk up to the counter and tap on the wooden desk. A woman comes out in a mask. I noticed her eyes shine purple for a second. She looks at me up and down. "You certainly look like you're far from home. What can I do for you, traveler?" She asks in a kind and friendly tone. I smile back at her. "Can you tell me the village that we're currently in?" I ask.

She laughs before answering. "You're currently in Tokyo. I thought you would have known that when you entered the village. Did you not read the sign?" I sigh. "I didn't have the time to read the sign. I was attacked by two men outside. They accused me of being an Oni," I say. The woman freezes for a split second before responding. "You don't look like an Oni. How about you stay for a few nights and let me cook for you?" She asks before her eyes shine purple again.

"Lumen, what is up with her eyes?" I ask him. "It would seem that she is trying to charm you or possibly just control your mind; play along with it and see what she does. I would be on guard if she tried anything." He says. Vestis laughs. "If it were up to me, I would have eaten her as soon as I saw her eyes. It's clear she's an Oni." Vestis says.

I look back into her eyes. I reply with a smile. "That sounds great to me." I bow. As I come up, I see she rolls her eyes before smiling again and motioning for me to follow her to a room. She stops at a room and hands me a key. "Your room is here." She points at the door. It reads '5'. I smile back at her. "So, what will you be cooking?" I ask.

She giggles. "That's a surprise. I can't let you know that." She walks down the hall into the kitchen. I walk inside the room and notice a weird energy on the walls. I look closer at them and notice a small piece of paper. I pull it out of the room and look at it. "This rune seems like a spell that would make someone complacent and willing." Lumen says before I can.

I put the rune back on the wall, walked outside, and sat in the dining area with everyone else. They seem to not notice me at all. I can sense different energies around the room. Most people have malicious energy around them. "It would seem that a lot of these people are criminals. I'm not surprised with how the emperor is." I think to myself as I recall what I learned in history class at school.

Suddenly, the woman walks out of the kitchen and places a plate of food down in front of me. It reeks of malcontent and evil. I look back up at her and smile. She turns to walk away, and I grab her arm. She turns around and smiles back down at me. "Is there anything else you need, sir?" She asks. I smiled back. "All I need is to know why there's an Oni in this town."

She takes a step back before looking around; no one notices her. Grabbing my arm, she leads me into the other room. "How did you know I was an Oni, and do you plan to kill me?" She asks as her eyes shine purple again, but this time with a hint of red. I laugh. "Why would I hurt you? Were you planning on hurting me? You should know that vampires are pretty resilient to a lot of things." I say this as my eyes shine red.

She takes a step back. "How could I not tell that you were a vampire?" She asks, reaching for something behind her back.

I raise my hands. "I'm just a simple man, er, well, a simple vampire that was teleported by accident. I'm not here to harm anyone unless they're here to harm me." I say this as I let the pressure from the darkness out with a big smile on my face. The woman is taken aback by the pressure that I can produce. "You're no ordinary vampire! Are you with Vlad?" She asks through gritted teeth.

"Authors note"

Hey guys, I just want to say thanks for sticking around, and I hope that you're enjoying the novel. I know it's a lot to ask, but can you rate or review my novel and share it? It would mean the world to me!