Raven black hair perched upon a seamless face with chilly ice blue eyes and a figure that was a little broader and on the athletic side but by no means manly.

It was the girl that had come with Grisile during my first lesson, one of those who had been groomed since birth by the clan they were born into despite being human because they possessed uncanny potential or strong ties.

A Sanguine.

If Qixi had it right, she should be from the Zelkren clan, situated more towards the north of the Vanna territory. If I remember correctly, they're the strongest of the three major clans within Pora.

Vampire territory, while similar, didn't work exactly the same as humans did. Vampires didn’t have so much exact territory and more hunting grounds and claims over certain cities and villages. It was understandable considering they didn’t actually rule the land they resided in. They made sure to keep these places away from each other and leave distinct, uneven gaps to not let others catch on.

Exposing anything about vampire territory to any non-vampire broke the seventh rule of Fall, “one can not reveal anything of our nature to those who do not share it.”.

Though nondescript the rule didn’t allow for one to expose any undead species without breaking it, which apparently had very dire consequences. Supposedly there were only a few undead that could do so and escape with their lives intact.

“Staring is rude, you know.”

Her head swivelled and her eyes locked on mine, leaving me unable to stop staring without disrespecting her. Ironic if you ask me.

“It wasn’t my intention, I’m just lost and couldn’t help but be thankful for a familiar face.”

My honestly which was just dipped in a tad bit of fibs was met with a dismissive scoff, her eyes whipping back to inspect the red armour.

“You don’t look nearly as lost as you used to, mutt.”

She looked to have lost interest in me so I decided to pass her and save myself the trouble. If I asked for direction there was a chance she’d lead me to a boiling cauldron and eat me alive.

Passing by her in the narrow hallway though, a stray thought stuck in my mind and I couldn’t help but blurt under my breath, “I’m sorry for Kell’s behaviour.”

“Then at least you aren’t as stupid as he is, it almost makes me sorry for you. A lost dog doomed to have your death made into a show for those of a higher pedigree."

Scathing, but she’d have to do better then. What would’ve scared me a week ago didn’t phase me. I both knew what was coming and had gotten used to the alarming sense of danger thanks to constantly being around Qixi. Those two things allotted me a sense of calm that she clearly didn’t expect, not provoked in the slightest as I was both tired and sick of any vampire's antics.

Lost and growing increasingly weary I trudged on, taking moderate breaks as I could feel my feet giving out. That amazing stamina had been sapped by the healing process, leaving me to have an even greater need for rest. Hallway after hallway passed me by, draped in black so indistinguishable I struggled to understand how anyone navigated through it.

“Vannis, what are you doing in the southern wing?” A voice asked from behind.

I didn’t need to look to know it was the blonde Savrin I had saved with my own two hands the first day.

“Tired… lost… and a little hungry,” I said, offering one of the more genuine smiles I mustered.

I liked Sven, more so than anyone else in this place. Our interactions felt completely honest and without some form of natural tugging force pulling us together. Quite the opposite actually.

Sven went out of his way to help me, purely because I had helped him. His actions might've been nothing more than a gesture of courtesy but they made the hollow existence all the more bearable.

“Lost? You’re lost?! That lawless animal just let you leave the medical ward without any directions?! I’ll have his head!!” Sven said, a bit over dramatic as he started stomping the way I came.

I motioned for him to stop, mainly because I wasn’t sure whether he was joking and I knew Qixi didn’t get along with humans at all. In fact, he despised cattle, thrall and Savrin alike.

“It’s fine Sven, I just wanna know how far away I am from my room so I can sleep like a brick,” I mumbled, forcing myself back up and wobbling again.

Damn legs, built like twigs.

“Not far. The crypt is big, but that’s really on showing on the lower floor and upper floor. The middle floor is easy to navigate once you get the hang of it.”

“I disagree, the south wing alone is bigger than my home, courtyard and land included.”

Sven stopped dead in his tracks, turning around to give me a double-take. He looked incredulous and completely astounded by something.

Did I offend him?

“…always imagined you were some commoner from a backwater village who just happened to get unlucky. Living in some shack and tilling away at your inherited land.” Sven said in a tone that made me realise he was just genuinely surprised his initial guess was off.

I wasn’t really sure how to respond but he clearly had some misconception that I was less fortunate in my past life.

“Would it be too intrusive to ask for a little detail… no actually, forget I said anything.”

“It’s definitely for the best,” I replied, heading towards him and making sure my lead didn’t get too distracted.

Second law of Fall, this life is a new one free from the stains of the past, something I both liked and despised. On one hand, it prompted me to leave behind years of isolation. On the other hand, it also pushed me to forget about my loved ones.

Something that wasn’t going to happen.

***********

The soft sheets of my bed were in a rugged state after a night of sleep that has progressively been getting worse and worse. Making it back to my room last night I didn’t even have time to inspect the bookshelf properly before the allure of a proper bed took me.

“Is it getting… easier to bear all this?” I wondered to myself, staring at the wooden canopy above.

With every day I got more used to the hunger I would awake to, more used to the cold that pervaded my skin and the beat of my heart slowly drumming away in my chest. My skin crawled at the thought that I might actually have been growing more and more accustomed to this life, but for now, I just had to accept it.

Until the Blood Rite was over, I had bigger issues than my slowly collapsing identity or peace of mind. I felt afraid yet I couldn't let it show or let it embrace me.

The same two brutes in clothes poorer than mine came as they had done the first night in my room, dragging an almost soulless looking body that I had more of a chance to inspect now. Choosing not to knock, they rather unceremoniously threw the thing into my room.

The thing wasn’t a thrall like them, forced or tricked into servitude, it was cattle. Seeing me awake and vigilant inspecting them from my bed the two scurried off, which made my instincts all the more excited.

To be feared was something that a small and ever-present part of me relished in.

The cattle had shoulder long ginger hair and eyes that looked as hollow as a corpse. She was a girl, I could tell in my less rampant state from the small protrusion on her chest. The figure was too skinny for it not to be a girl. Even just seeing the state of her drew a portion of empathy from my remaining humanity.

She made an unmotivated attempt to scurry to the back of the room, chains by the hands and legs causing it to take far too long to be an effective means of escape. That didn't stop her persistence, trying and trying to get away from me like she could smell the hunger I felt.

“Can you speak?” I asked in the gentlest tone I could muster, my rather light voice echoing through the room.

She didn’t reply, just shrivelled away even further.

What… has been done to this poor thing?

I was curious, like always, to try and learn anything I could from her while being as kind as I could muster in spite of the hunger. But after giving a few more prompts for conversation and my control over the hunger waning, I came to a conclusion that this girl was too far gone.

Bar reacting on basic survival instincts, she was essentially a corpse. Even more pitful than I.

“It won’t do you much good, but I’m sorry this happened to you,” I spoke, a sinking feeling in my gut looking at the poor excuse for a living creature.

Ten minutes later I was huddled against the wall glancing down at my shivering hands and retching at the taste of blood dripping between my fangs. Every tiny little noise made me shudder like I had done something horribly wrong and was waiting for my punisher to arrive.

I… Why…

Her moans of pain and struggle to stop me were replaying in my mind, the sickening dripping of her bleeding out over my stone floor blistering itself in my ears.

My reprieve in those moments was the realisation that no matter how much time I spent in this new life, I would never get used to the sensation of life being torn in two by my own hands.

The fact that I was too weak-willed to make it quick only worsened the cascading guilt that was bound to assault me every morning for the rest of my days.

Sven, Kell and Delphine all asked what was during the morning lessons with Vale. Sven didn’t share my problem and neither Kell nor Delphine seemed to be bothered by the need to drink blood in order to survive. I was the outlier and so I kept it to myself. It is better to be a little quiet than nuance.

Unfortunately, Ella didn’t take my excuse of still feeling exhausted.

“You talked for hours and hours with Qixi, there’s no way moving around could make you exhausted after seven days of doing nothing.”

“P-Please just drop it.” I stuttered in response, bring my head down against the table we sat on.

“You aren’t even paying attention to what Lady Cathre is saying.” She said, pointy towards the very beautiful teacher for our lessons on politics.

She was a woman even shorter than I with a quick temper for anyone who forced her to repeat herself and even greater disdain for the taking of notes. Lavender hair and cyan eyes made her perhaps the most unique looking humanoid thing I had ever seen, leading me to question what her exact origin was. No matter the case I wasn't in the mood to play around with Ella, using what little willpower I had to listen despite what she may have presumed.

“I’m perfectly fine as long as my heart is still beating,” I said, lying through my teeth.

“Fine, be stubborn, just listen for heaven's sake.”

I started making my attention to the speaking more noticeable so Ella would stop pushing the subject but what Lady Cathre was describing wasn’t new to me. Qixi may not have gone into as much excruciating detail, but he had described the underlying principles of what would be considered the right and wrong thing to do in most situations I was going to encounter.

Apparently, they’d yet to go over the rules of Fall in standard lessons, something that struck me as a bit odd.

My lessons for the day finished and left to my free time and my own devices. I made my way towards the medic bay I had left just yesterday. No one bothered me on my way there, thankfully.

This morning the difference in skill everyone had was night and day, but I didn't improve beyond not stepping on my own feet. Delphine tried to help but I’m not surviving the Blood Rite at this rate.

I knew what I needed and what I wanted. Qixi possessed it and I had to get it. The mental distress could wait until I was living safe and sound in some cave.

“Woah there youngling, what are you doing back here. Please don’t tell me Vale put another hole through you.” Qixi said, his voice tinged annoyance at the prospect of having to heal me again.

“You said you’d teach me magic if I came back after I was healed.”

“Kid, that was a few days ago and I remember things pitch-perfect from hundreds of years ago. I said “maybe”.”

“My mistake, I didn’t mean to twist anything you might’ve said.”

“Ha, good, I’ve done very bad things for much less.” He said through a chuckle while I backpedalled.

We stood in his office, ten metres wide and seven long, holding only his desk and bookshelves filled with mostly nameless books or items I dare not touch. I haven't a clue where the thing in front of me slept. The entire room seemed more of a spontaneous getaway than a permanent residence.

I found it hard to deny how strange my hopeful teacher was, old age clearly enhancing his habits and character instead of diminishing it. Thankfully the man didn’t scare me nearly as much as some of the other crypts residents did.

He put both legs up on his desk leaning back on his chair and eyed me like a butcher inspecting the newest stock.

“Why, my dear Vannis, would I teach you magic.”

I doubted I could simply tell him it was because I needed it, nor would the truth that it would make me feel more human and closer to my family to practice something my mother once had.

“I just want to learn, my curiosity for it has always been there. Even in these grim circumstances should my desire not to pursue it above something that might actually save my life be enough.” I said.