A short distance away from the ruined walls of the former Vampire Kingdom, two short figures chased each other across the ancient buildings of the old city. The remnants of the once glorious empire were now only a pile of rubble and useless stones. The walls had lost their former glory.

The two figures, a boy and a girl ran through what was once a beautiful, lively village. Its big, derelict houses told a story from ages ago. Its black cobblestone pavement, now brittle and broken into pieces, trembled as the two crushed it under their weight.

They dashed past an old fountain, the dirty ceramic statues that once depicted their king were now nothing more than a moldering sign of a glorious past.

“Kai, wait up!” The girl’s voice rang behind the boy, who only gave her a silent glance before he turned around, running faster toward the edge of the town with a faint smirk on his face.

Kana pouted, and pulled out a green crystal as she yelled toward Kai “Fine, if you’re going to be rude, then I won’t be polite either. Swift Step!” She used a spell and her body glowed with a faint light as her speed suddenly increased by threefold.

She quickly caught up to him and touched his shoulder as she passed him, kicking up dust behind her. Kai’s smirk disappeared, replaced by a helpless expression as he cried “You’re cheating!”

Kana turned around and stuck her tongue out “All’s fair in a race.”

Kai’s eyes burned with determination after seeing the girl’s cheeky attitude and he sped himself up with a similar spell, catching up to her almost in the same breath. He passed her rather quickly, and glancing behind him, he saw her joyous expression had turned to one of defeat.

Am I really going to seriously fight with a brat?... Kai contemplated inwardly as he saw the finish line they set - the old, abandoned town square, appear within his view. Even though she is better than me at wind magic… aye forget it… I’m the older brother after all.

He let out a sigh as he tripped himself, falling face first on the ground, allowing Kana to easily pass him. He got up, dodging the broken pieces of the ancient cobblestone pavement, he arrived in front of her in barely any time.

“I win.” She said, panting, a wide smile plastered on her face, revealing her tiny, sharp fangs.

“That’s because I tripped…” Kai acted like it was a mistake, and made it sound like an excuse, much to Kana’s delight. “That was your mistake.” She giggled, putting the crystal away before placing her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

He remained silent, inhaling deeply as he slowly regained his stamina. Kana straightened herself as well, the both of them were now standing shoulder to shoulder.

They had both grown taller, Kana was about the same height as Kai, just a little bit shorter, and both of them had dark crimson eyes - their race’s signature. Her eyes were big, much like her mother’s, but she had her father’s thin lips and small nose.

Her long and curly hair was the pale gold of a wheat field, and she wore a red dress and black shoes - a gift from her mother. Kai’s long silver hair was tied in a ponytail, and his facial features resembled Ray’s a lot - small eyes, a sharp chin, and a small nose, but he inherited his mother’s plump lips.

He looked with curiosity at Kana, who let out soft pants as she regained her breath. I am close to a Medium Core Two Star Magician, and I have a wand, while she is only at the Medium Core One Star rank, and only uses crystals as catalysts… Am I stupid?

She noticed his burning gaze, and her face flushed red as she nervously asked “W-w-what is it?”

“Nothing,” he replied calmly, “I was just thinking about what to wear for your birthday.”

“Ah, that… Don’t worry about it, just wear whatever makes you comfortable.”

He nodded slightly as he said “You do the same as well”, they walked over to an old stone bench, jumping up as soon as they sat on its chilling and wet surface “So cold…”

They explored the ancient town, their eyes widening as they walked through the historical buildings, and getting a scare upon seeing the occasional skeletons, unknown of which race they belonged to, due to their missing skull.

“I can’t believe our parents agreed to let us explore this far out,” Kana said as she walked shoulder in shoulder to Kai, their footsteps resounding in the dark and creepy alleyways.

“They only agreed because of the emergency device I invented, although it’s only effective in a small perimeter, it should be enough from here to my house.” He said, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he pridefully explained.

“Yeah, thank you for that, you’re really smart. How did you even come up with that?” She asked curiously, failing to notice Kai’s nervous expression. I barely explained it to my parents, but it should be easier to find an excuse for Kana…

“I uhh… I wanted to go out and explore, but my parents refused to take me anywhere, so I thought if they could find us in case of any danger maybe that would work, even I am surprised they agreed.”

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Well, I didn’t exactly lie…

“But how did you create it?” Her question pierced through his heart like a whooshing arrow, and he gulped as his nervous lips parted. “It’s not that complicated, I uhh, followed someone’s advice and started carving crystals, and after my parents refused to take me anywhere I thought that by using two crystals that had the same mana waves, I could create a device that would allow one to detect the other once mana was sent into it…”

As they explored the abandoned buildings, finding nothing of value and getting creeped out by armored skeletons of long-dead warriors, they finally reached the end of the town, marked by a huge, wooden gate, most of its frame eaten away by the rain and wind.

Both of them halted in their footsteps, watching the large, tempting gate with the curious gaze of a child. The green canopy of the huge trees peeked out from behind the walls, and the sweet song of the chirping birds rang in their ears.

Goosebumps spread over their body as a wild idea ran through their heads at the same time.

“Should we go outside?”

The two stared at each other, gulping as they began walking forward toward the unguarded gate.

I know this is a bad idea, it definitely is, one hundred and ten percent a bad idea but… The gate is right there, the outside world!

Kai yelled at himself inwardly, his gut telling him not to cross that barrier, but he couldn’t help himself, the excitement of finally exploring a fantasy world sending adrenaline all over his body.

It can’t be that dangerous… right? He told himself, despite being aware of the rough geography and the dangers lurking within. Most of the monsters in the vicinity aren’t even Two Star, it should be fine…

Finally, he arrived in front of the gate, the other side barely visible through the numerous holes decorating the green and dry wood. He removed the useless plank that acted as a lock and pushed it open, its hinges groaning as they moved after countless years of rest.

The world outside the walls appeared before them - A dark and moist natural path surrounded by trees taller than the walls, covered by lush-green vegetation, a stark contrast to the dead kingdom they grew up in.

The enormous trees provided much-needed protection against the harsh rays of sunlight, which burned stronger and brighter compared to the ones covering the kingdom. They inhaled deeply at the same time and took their first step outside the safe haven of the city.

Kana wrapped her hands around herself as she shivered nervously, feeling overwhelmed by the completely different atmosphere. The humidity in the air caused her hair to straighten, and she let out light sneezes as she trailed behind Kai.

In comparison, he was feeling nostalgic, the scene before him reminiscent of the forests from his old world. Albeit, the trees were much smaller…

Regardless, he could not help but be amazed by the biodiversity of the forest. There were at least a few dozen different species of plants. The grass and the surrounding plants were of a dark shade of green, with a few flowers and bushes having a reddish hue.

Thick vines traveled on the cold ground, climbing up the gigantic trees, and decorating them with a few pink flowers that sprouted every dozen meters. Accompanying it was a bright green, moss-like plant that similarly climbed up toward the tree’s canopy.

They passed a few fruit-looking plants, but they decided against picking them.

The bushes and tall grass rustled as they advanced, and a few small animals such as horned rabbits and large squirrels ran away from them as they passed by their location. A few smaller reptiles fled in horror as well.

The ground gradually flattened, with only a few patches of grass growing over the beaten ground, and the poorly concealed traces of a separate road that lead toward the kingdom could still be observed.

Kai’s heart suddenly skipped a beat as a shiver ran down his spine, his gut feeling telling him to be alert. “We should go back.” He said, his voice barely a whisper.

Before she could say anything, he grabbed her hand and started rushing the same way they came from, his pulse rose rapidly as his mind and body became alert, adrenaline coursed through his muscles.

He tightened his grip around Kana’s arm, causing her to wince in pain, but he didn’t stop, uneasiness shadowing his mind, he pulled out a green crystal and used ‘Swift Step’, reducing the air resistance around his body.

The wind blew his hair back as his speed increased slightly, but the panic in his mind only grew with each passing second. “Kai, what’s going… on…?” Kana struggled to speak as the air blew out the oxygen in her lungs, her mind becoming lighter, about to pass out.

“Kana!” He stopped and quickly shook her, causing her eyelids to twitch rapidly.

She inhaled deeply, coughing as color returned to her face. “Just tell me… what’s going on…” she pleaded in a weak voice, her eyes having yet to regain focus.

“I have a feeling we’re being followed, watched…” he paused briefly, trying his best to find the right word, “hunted…”

A shiver ran down their spine as the word left his mouth, the looming feeling of danger becoming increasingly stronger. He frantically looked around, trying to find, or hoping not to find, the source of his uneasiness.

They traced their steps as he listened carefully, his ears twitching at the slightest sound. His heart skipped a beat every time the grass rustled, and he jumped up every time they accidentally crushed a fallen branch.

He suddenly halted his footsteps, Kana stopping right behind him as she looked around, frightened by Kai’s reactions. His pupils widened as his eyes snapped toward a rustling bush located to their right, where two yellow eyes slowly became larger, as their owner slowly walked out of the vegetation.

Its white fur shone under the few rays of sunlight that sneaked through the dense canopy, its imposing size towered over the two children as it limpidly made its way toward them

Their bodies shivered with fear, the lips of their open mouths trembled, and their pupils widened as the creature stopped right in front of them, blocking their only path of retreat.

Kai’s mind was buzzing, his heart threatened to jump out of his chest as the beast’s image appeared in his mind, and almost instantly remembered the name of the canine looming over them.

“An Obbborik!”