In the garden of 7 Bevel Road the flowers sway in the breeze, the wind whispers through trees' leaves, and the morning sun slowly washes the dim shadows of dawn away. The garden comes to life, like fairylights hanging from a wall lighting up one at a time, the sunlight hits the flowers bringing colour to the world.
And after the flowers it reaches the windows, where it seeps in, falling on a calm, bloodied face.
Aliard stirs as the sun hits his sleeping face; his eyes flutter open. He stares at the ceiling and it stares back. He waits; waits for the impending hangover headache. The churning of his stomach and liver, protesting the abuse he knows it can't take anymore.
Except he feels nothing. Other than a curious weight on his chest. He looks down, and sees a mass of blonde hair,
"Agh," he screams quietly.
It screams back, except it's not quiet at all. It's a piercing shrill scream, with terrified eyes looking up.
"It's okay, it's okay," he says, regretting the little scream, he'd known it was Lilith anyway, why had he done that he can't help but wonder.
Lilith doesn't stop screaming though, instead she starts sobbing, blubbering unintelligible dribble all over Aliard.
"Lilith, relax," he tries to calm her, moving to wipe the dribble off of him. He pauses mid-way when he sees the blood, Lilith still sobbing all over him. His skin crawls.
"Are you okay Lilith, what happened?" He says.
"Mhmf, blud. Blegh, and then mergh and blergh." She speaks into his top, impossible to understand.
"LILITH," Aliard shouts at her.
"ALIARD," she shouts right back.
"ARE YOU OKAY," he continues the shouting war, blue eyes staring back into her spring green.
"IT'S YOUR BLOOD NOT MINE, IDIOT," she shouts back.
"WHAT? MINE?" He shouts back, incredulous. Is this a big prank by Lilith? But why would she, he wonders.
"ARE YOU NOT SORE?" She continues shouting,
"NO, I'M FINE," Aliard shouts and then shrugs. "What happened then?" He asks, wondering, a frown beginning to form.
"I DON'T KNOW YOU STARTED SCREAMING AND CLAWING AT YOURSELF," Lilith shouts back, worry plastered on her face. "ARE YOU REALLY OKAY? AREN'T YOU SORE?" She shouts into his face.
"NO, I'M REALLY OKAY I FEEL THE BEST I'VE EVER FELT, IN LIKE.. FOREVER?" He shouts back, somewhat confused.
"REALLY. REALLY REALLY? YOU PROMISE YOU'RE OKAY? YOU REALISE YOU'RE COVERED IN BLOOD AND LAST NIGHT WAS TERRIFYING." She shouts back at his face, inches from his.
"YES. YES A DOZEN TIMES YES, THIS IS A PRANK YEAH? I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THIS COCK." Aliard shouts, a twisted half-smile, half-frown on his face. "And you can stop shouting now," Aliard chuckles, shaking his head.
"WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Lilith shouts back, cocking her head to one side.
"Okay enough, it's not funny anymore," Aliard says dully.
"WHAT? THAT'S NOT ENOUGH INFO?" Lilith shouts in his face, pressing hers closer.
He rolls his eyes, shouting, "I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH SHOU-" until Lilith plants her lips firmly on his, his shout dying into a gentle murmur.
"I'm glad you seem okay, but I really wasn't lying so I dunno. I'm gonna see what the internet says," she says, wiping her mouth, her face scrunching up. She gets up and starts stalking upstairs, but pauses to throw out, "and go clean yourself you stink of blood."
"Huh?" Aliard gets up, walking into the bathroom. It really sounds like she's not joking, he thinks.
He stares at the bloody mess that is his face for an age. Heart smashes against his chest, nausea blooms from his stomach, up it crawls through his bbody, like a fire crawling up a branch. Hairs raised, he reaches up and runs his fingers along the bloody trails. The blood has dried, but he could almost imagine as it ran down, in bloody tracts. It looks like his face had been raked by claws.
It felt too real.
With shaking hands Aliard reaches for the tap, hand slipping on the slick metal; blood mixing with his sweat and making his hands slide along the shiny surface.
His nails scratch at the metal, they feel too long he thinks while frowning. The water runs and his hands tremble as they move under it.
Blood runs, mixing with the water, dying the basin a grim reddish-brown. Aliard scrubs at his hands and arms, flecks of bloody water splattering along the walls and mirror. He looks up at the mirror, then up at the ceiling. There's a faint buzz coming through the floor. Finally he looks left, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"She obviously meant take a shower," he grumbles to himself, looking at the mess he'd made and strips muttering stupid to himself over and over.
As Aliard finishes up his final rinse in the shower, he notices a small blue square at the corner of his vision. Focusing on it, it pops up to cover his entire vision.
Welcome to the Real World (system), Aliard White! This is an introduction to the Real World (system). If you now understand that the Real World (system) is a system (system) please acknowledge this; if this explanation is vague and you have a desire to further understand exactly what the (system) system (system) in the Real World (system) title entails please make your desire known in some effective way so that the Real World (system) system (system) might know.
Firstly please read on.
As you are now part of Real World (system) you qualify to invite non-participants to participate. This is a great way to ensure the entire universe is part of one ruling (ruling as denoted in the T&C) system. This can be done through two ways. If a person comes to a conclusion (based on own principles of society and level of advancement (further T&C apply, please contact your local Adventure Guild)) that external factors are involved in the distortion of laws or principles to allow supernatural phenomena they will receive an auto-invite into Real World!
If a person comes into direct contact with something that is a direct result of Real World and it alters their life in some way they will receive an auto-invite into Real World!
The interface, as your species would detail it, can be entirely controlled through whichever method you desire. Simply convey what you want done, and assuming it is a part of Real World it will be done!
If you would like more help simply seek your local Adventure Guild.
Finally, you have been allocated a choice of classes that most suit you, choose wisely. Each class is as valuable as the next.
The only class that suits you is Magician, as such you have been automatically assigned this class.
Your change from Human to Vampire is now complete. You killed a Vampire Prince! You have taken his place and are now a Vampire Prince. 4 XP received for defeating Noname, Rank E (2XP) You have leveled up from Level 0 to Level 1 (1XP) You have leveled up from Level 1 to Level 2 (1XP) You have leveled up from Level 2 to Level 3 (2XP) Regeneration has reached level 2!
"What the f-," Aliard whispered to himself. Water running down his face, he reaches up and rubs his eyes. The blue boxes are still there.
"What the actual fuck?" Aliard says to nobody in particular. What is the system, he thinks.
The (system) system (system) in the title Real World (system) stands for the exactly what Real World is.
That is to say, this is a categorising system which will define, in a relative fashion, everything appropriate.
Relative as in, relatable to you. Any and all information shared with you through Real World will also be altered to suit you personally.
A full breakdown of this can be found in your local Adventure Guild, but as a current example to sate your detected levels of moderate confusion:
Your stats will be laid out as such; one point in a stat represents the average human in said stat. This is to say that one point in strength means you are as strong as the average human, two means you are twice as strong, three means you are three times as strong and so on. As you now have understand, to a basic degree, what the system (system) is it will no longer be displayed in the Real World title. If you would like to remove all extra beginners hints (these will automatically be removed after 7 Human days) please let your desire be known.
Why does it say system so often? He can't help but wonder. These are kind of annoying, and it all seems pretty self explanatory so; remove beginners hints.
Beginners Hints have been removed.
"Aliard," a gentle voice calls out.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Oh right, dismiss or go away or whatever he thinks, and the blue boxes disappear.
"One second," Aliard calls out, turning off the shower and grabbing his towel.
After drying himself he apprehensively checks the mirror. Unblemished smooth skin stares back, no sign of any marks as Lilith claimed there should be. On top of that, his acne scars seem to have disappeared? He raises his eyebrows. Even the faint wrinkles he'd developed from smiling, raising his eyebrows - simply living - seem to have gone too. It was like his face had been ironed, and made paler. This is really strange, he can't help but think. But then he did just get what looked like game system notifications. Right, I need to look into this properly, he thinks.
"Or maybe I'm dreaming?" he whispers to himself as he drags his fingers along his face, his nails trailing and leaving a faint white mark. Oh yeah, I'd meant to check my nails, he thinks as he frowns. They were long, far too long. From the day he'd begun piano he'd kept his nails uncommonly short; he hated the feeling of his nail sliding on a key or tapping against them if they got too long. Yet his nails looked like they'd been growing for a week or two, maybe longer.
I'll have to fix that he thinks, looking up. And then he realised his hair was far longer than it should've been. He'd been so distracted by his skin that he somehow hadn't picked it up. The roots looked silvery, and his hair looked like it'd been growing for weeks as well? This was getting really really weird. I guess that really rules out elaborate prank, Aliard thinks. Although that'd really been ruled out the moment he started getting game notifications. Speaking of which, Vampire Prince? Uh, status page?
Aliard White 22 Years Old Level: 2 Vampire Prince Magician Rank E Untitled Healthy Guild N/A Strength 3.5 +0 Dexterity 7 +0 Charisma 7 +0 Intelligence 8 +0 Wisdom 8.5 +0 Constitution 3.2 +0
"Wait-"
"Aliaaaard," Lilith came sailing through the door right then. "What the fu-" She trails off. It's clearly Aliard, but he's so much paler than he was before. Where his ribs could faintly be seen are gone. His very lean muscles are still there, maybe a little bigger, but his skin is so much paler, and most importantly it's clear. There're no scars on his back anymore, his acne scars are gone and his face looks like a skin commercial. His hair is so long, so much longer than it should be, and the roots are a silvery grey colour. But most importantly, his eyes are different. There are little tiny splotches of red in them, barely visible but definitely there. But she relaxes after staring at his eyes, because they still scream Aliard. Intelligent roving eyes, always aware, with an ever-present pensive look in their depths.
Most importantly, none of the wounds from yesterday are there. It's like everything had been spraypainted over.
"How," she says quietly, throwing herself into his arms.
"I really don't know. I don't understand what's going on," he replies.
The shower drips slowly and a gentle hum sits in the air as the fan works. Lilith stirs, and then gasps.
"What did you do in here? Why is there blood everywhere; what the hell Aliard. I said clean yourself not shake yourself clean like a dog," she admonishes him, a half disappointed, half amused look on her face, to which he just shrugs.
"Come on," she sighs and brings him upstairs to be clothed.
As they walk upstairs Aliard explains the notifications and Real World, a feeling of helplessness settling into his stomach. By the time he's clothed and they're lying on the bed there's a familiar dark feeling crawling up on him.
Lilith lies with her back on the bed, mouth half open as she thinks.
"Great, so my boyfriend is a vampire now? Can we still go for walks in the sun? Can we still eat together, are you even human anymore?" She laughs at him.
"This isn't funny Lilith," Aliard responds. The dark feeling spreads. This simply doesn't feel like a dream. But then there's one easy way to test that.
"Aw come on, I'm just kidding," she sits up, pouting cutely, "you always used to say life is basically a game without the status screen, well look! Now it really is," she laughed again.
At which point Aliard got up, walked purposefully to the wall, his arm lifting and drawing back. He throws his fist at the wall, his body twisting and adding power, like a coiled snake striking. His fist flies towards the wall, far faster than he could've ever thought possible, and smashes into the wall, burying inches deep, a plume of dust shooting out of the hole.
"Aliard!" Lilith jumps up, concerned. "What the fuck are you doing?" She questions, eyebrows raised.
"Owww, motherfucker that was sore." Aliard pulls his hand out grimacing. The skin on his knuckles is torn and bloodied and sore to move, but don't feel broken.
"Why? And are you okay?" Lilith questions, peering at his hand.
"Forget my hand for a sec. I just punched a hole into our wall. A wall of compressed, double layered bricks, with concrete filling. Can a normal human do that?" Aliard questions, heatedly.
Lilith pauses, staring at him. "Holy fuck," she says, sitting back on the bed. She scoots back to the headboard, staring at the wall silently.
Aliard looks at his hand. It's more painful than when he'd broken his hand falling off his skateboard as a kid, but testing the mobility shows it's clearly not broken, somehow. Abilities
Vampire Prince Abilities Level Magician Abilities Level Shadows 1 Magic! 0 Flit 1 Regenerate (passive) 2
What's shadows? He wonders with his eyebrows raised. Well everything's fucked now, might as well. Shadows Aliard thinks, and immediately there's a flare of power, writhing tendrils of black fade into existence whirling around him.
A writhing face appears in front of him, formed by the shadowy dust filling the air.
"Aliard my dear, you're weak and we've not got long. You can call me Noname. The real Noname," the face laughs wildly.
Oh dear, I've fucked up, Aliard thinks.
"Aliard, my dear. Turn her. Take the Shadows and turn her. You won't be able to stay together if you don't, you know this. Do as I say, and quickly," the face continues.
"ALIARD WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON", Lilith jumps off the bed, away from Aliard and the mass of shadows around him.
Fuck it, Aliard thinks, things can't get any worse if I listen to the clearly insane floating fucking head.
"Gather the Shadows to you, wrap them around you, around your being. You'll feel it," the face continues, speaking quickly, yet enunciating each word clearly.
Aliard does as it says, he can feel the swirling Shadows all around him. The mass of black responds to his call, and much of it swirls in around him, gathering closer and closer.
"Good good, my dear boy, very good. Now take a deep breath, breathe it in and infuse it into your bite, like a snake injecting venom, and bite her. Turn her Aliard." The face cackles, slowly drifting off, out of form as Aliard takes as much of the shadowy dust as he can, and then turns and leaps on Lilith.
And as he does he can't help but wonder why he'd agreed to do this. Although he thought it was probably the only way things could work out, a feeling he had deep in his bones, it also didn't feel right that he'd just listened to that thing. But it was too late now, the Shadows exploded out of his mouth as he bit into Lilith's neck, a flash of black and then all of it's gone. Only the two of them stand, Lilith slowly collapsing into his arms, her spring green eyes staring into his red flecked blue eyes.
"What the fuck is going on," she whispers, growing weaker. Blood trailing from the bite on her neck.
Aliard panics and lifts her feet up with his right arm, his left arm holding her back.
"Just relax, it'll be okay. It'll all work out, okay. Do you trust me?" Aliard asks, slightly panicked.
"I trust you," she smiles back at him, falling completely limp in his arms, blood dripping down onto the floor.
He places her on the bed, sunlight streaming on the window, catching her face beautifully, glancing off her blonde hair. She looks peaceful, like an angel, Aliard can't help but think. The blood runs onto the red bed sheets, mixing with the shades of red, almost indiscernible. It almost looks like she's sleeping. His hands shake, and he swallows hard, pushing the tears and breakdown that threatens to explode.
He runs and gets a towel, cleaning the wet blood off her neck. Pulling it away he inspects the bite, he couldn't believe what he'd done. And how had he managed to bite so deeply he couldn't help but wonder; pausing as he took a closer look at her neck, shocked. The bite was gone. But, how?
Gently lifting her head he double checked, but it's not there.
"What..?" he says quietly, shaking his head he sighs. This is all just too crazy, he thinks. Sitting back against the headboard, a dark feeling of helplessness spreads through him. Everytime he glances down at Lilith's head lying on his lap it goes a bit, but then looking longer makes it return as his heart jumps with anxiety.
Everything's fine though, right?