I tightened my hold on mum's hand so that I could keep walking, fatigue threatening to stop me in my tracks. Mum was taking me to a church, so a priest may cure me. Mum had no idea what I had, but I wasn't as uncertain. I was sure I was turning into a vampire. I tripped but mum held me up and I managed to find purchase again. The shining sun didn't help. Eventough it was early in the morning, maybe 7, the sun seemed brighter than I've ever seen it before. My eyes drooped and dreams gripped me, trying to take me down into their land. It didn't help that last night I hadn't slept. Not through lack of trying; I bundled up in a corner and kept my eyes closed for an hour before I couldn't bear it anymore and decided to practice my spells.

Something bothered me about my actions when under the… control of my disease. My magic was better. It might have been my state of mind, but I remember how my Gust spells weren't as strong, or how it took me longer to cast them after I went back to my normal self. Not to mention I couldn't spellgrave as well. I could imprint myself with it, but I lacked the finesse I previously had. At a certain point I bit my arm for no reason, tasting blood but unable to detach my teeth from my flesh. I eventually managed, barely managing to slip out of being pulled into that feral mode I was in before. I hated how it felt.

We reached the church, it was built from white marble, it's roof tiled red and a bell tower jutting into the sky on the opposite end of the structure. It looked like a typical Christian church I had seen back on Earth, except instead of a cross this one had a woman embracing a something shining, judging by the rays. Looking closer, it seemed to be a star. The massive wooden gates, too big for me to call them a door, swung open and revealed an old man, dressed from head to toe in white garments, lined with red.

"Good morning." He said, yawning and wiping away a tear.

"Goodmorning! May we come in?" Mum hurried to talk.

"Sure." The man strained to push the gate open and let us through. Once shielding from the sun, I felt better and I yawned. The gate swung closed with a loud 'clang' and the priest, as that's what he seemed to be, walked past us.

"Alright, what is the purpose of your visit?"

"My son… he seems to have a disease." My mum held me in front of her, hands on shoulders. I felt her hands shake a bit.

The man lifted a finger as if to say 'one moment' and went over to the altar, sitting in front of an empty pool. He reached underit and brought out a thick book, which he opened.

"What are the symptoms?"

Mum looked down at me expectantly. Sweat rolled down my forehead as I responded.

"My… I feel tired when I'm uh… in sun."

"Tired under the sun?" The man asked flipping some pages.

"Y-yes." I responded.

"Have you been biting?"

"Biting?" My mum asked.

"Yes, I bit myself on the arm right here…" I lifted my right arm to show the bite mark on my bicep, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Fast healing?"

I nodded sheepishly.

More pages flipped.

"How long has he been sick?"

"Well, he seemed fine until 2 days ago."

"Any recent illness before that?"

"Yes, a week ago."

"Uh-huh." His page flipped only once this time.

"Tell me, any feeling as if you were an animal?"

"What?" Both me and my mum asked.

"As if you were a predator, and everything was prey?"

Mum looked down at me in a look I didn't want to see. I nodded.

"Alright, well this is a bit concerning."

The man put the empty book on the altar.

"Concerning?" My mother asked, concerned herself.

"Not to worry, I can cure him. It isn't something you should be concerned with."

Before mum could ask what he meant he pointed at me.

"Child, come here."

I walked forwards toward him, feeling my mum reluctantly let go. He kneeled in front of me to be my height. His hair was strangely a dark blue, and he could be described as quite handsome. Also, much younger than any priest I ever saw.

"What's your name?"

"Arret."

"Alright Arret." He smiled and stood. "Come this way." He led the way to the side of the building, where a darkened corridor held 5 doors, one at the end and 4 more on the sides, 2 on the left, 2 on the right. He went to one and opened the door, revealing a dark stone room, a window blocked from the outside by something, and something on the floor at the opposite end I could barely see.

"Now, this might be a little scary, bit could you walk in and wait a bit?"

I nodded and he smiled, before the door closed, leaving me with a slither of light from under the door.

I looked around in the darkness, trying to make out any shapes in the darkness, but ultimately failed. I felt less tired than before. I kept staring at the light so not to go back into the state of mind. Suddenly there was a scraping sound and I turned just as the window was jnblockdd, blasting me with light. I covered my eyes, temporarily blind, and walked out of the path of sunlight, my legs already trembling from fatigue. I decided to sit down. The door opened and the priest walked back in. He yawned before gesturing to me to come closer. I sheepishly walked over, trying to stay out of the sun.

"Alright, Arret, I need you to come over here." He proceeded to walk through the light, to stay under the window. I walked around and to him. I then saw something on the wall: chains. I flinched but then jumped when my wrist was clasped in a manacle. Before I could say anything, my other wrist was also clasped and I sagged away from the wall, the metal biting into my skin.

What the hell!? I was expecting him to check my symptoms, or something, and then cure me with a potion or something. It seems I'll undergo alternative treatment. The priest walked away and stood in the middle of the sum ray.

"Sorry if that scared you, Arret. I'm sure you only have blood disease, but in case you have vampirism... I can't take any risks." His hand stretched out, palm open. Suddenly, a shining, golden magic circle twirled out of thin air and spun in front of his fingertips. He swung his arm, and it flew through the air, before stopping on my left, the middle of the star pointing at me. This priest could summon magic circles just like that... I stand no chance; I can't escape.

5 more circles surrounded me before the priest stepped forwards closer to me. He stopped about a meter away.

"Alright Arret, this shouldn't hurt." He held his hands in front of him as if he was containing something. He spread them open and a magic circle began forming, before completing when it reached the size of the priest's torso. Then all the circles activated at once. Light beamed into my eyes, golden and powerful. I didn't close them, I didn't feel the need to. My vision was filled with golden light, I didn't know when I blinked, or if I moved my eyes. I just seemed to be swallowed by the golden light.

I fell unconscious.

...

I awoke, and my hands were no longer tied up. I stood and felt a pain behind my eyes as I looked around. I was greeted by my room. The sun shone through the window, illuminating it. I stood up and walked to the window, looking out upon the city. The sun beat on my face, but I didn't feel tired. I opened the window and felt the breeze hit my face. I was back to normal.

I closed the window and sat on my bed. That priest... he could summon mana circles, and make them fly to a certain place, before activating them. Just how strong was he? Even my Candle, which I could also summon the mana circle instantly, wasn't practised enough for me to activate in any other way but through touch. Was it even a matter of the spell, or my mana manipulation? I knew I could throw spells, but that priest just willed the mana circles to a spot. I wasn't paying much attention, but he seemed to use 2 different spells, 3 with the one in his hand. I couldn't remember what they were, but I remember that they were different. He could summon and move 2 different spells, while auto-drawing a third. Did he go to a mage academy? Maybe, but if that's how good they were... I had ways to go.

Speaking of an academy, I wonder how I got blood disease. Its connected to vampirism, which probably means its transmitted from one person to another. There is only one time I remember physically interacting with someone other than my family: the fight on the stairs. Sure, calling it a fight was an overstatement, but I still like to think of it as one. During it, I remember the girl, whatever her name was, grabbed my collar. I instinctively put my hand on the nape of my neck. Didn't I have a mark there? Huh...

Does that mean that girl was a vampire?

I remember Rohan saying she hadn't come to school for a while. I looked down at my feet, thinking. Since vampirism is probably contracted through physical contact, how did she get it? Didn't she have a brother, who also wasn't in? Could it be that... their family were vampires? Nah, it's just my imagination going wild. She must've also had blood disease, just like me. I'm happy she didn't know magic, at least. But what if their family were vampires? I looked at the window.

No! No. I had enough of an adventure already. I wish to just go back to school.

...

Summer break seems to exist in this world, and is fortunately long. It takes place from June to September, basically 3 months. And it was right around the corner. We already had end of year finals. Of course I had no qualms about whether my grades were good or not. I was a little bummed that we didn't learn anything more about magic but I had been practising with mum. Wish I could learn some new spells, though. Maybe go to the magic shop and browse books. I had a hard time explaining to mum why I already knew spells, but eventually she just accepted I saw them before.

I had also been practising spellgraving. Even after all this time, I was barely at the level I was before when I had blood disease. It took me a few weeks of sneaky training to decrease the time needed for me to spellgrave down to the same level, and up to now to manage to make it so that I was able to fly the same as before. With much less finesse, but I was still able to. The guy and that girl hadn't returned to school and they have long been cast out of the minds of my classmates. Apart from Rohan.

"You think she's gonna return next year?"

He asked me as we looked at the rest of the children play as we sat down next to the door. It seems he had given up hope of her returning this year.

"Probably not." I shrugged.

"Y-you really think they're v-a-vampires?!"

"Shh!" I moved my hand over his mouth to quieten him down.

"Sorry," he sheepishly apologised.

"Yes I do still think they're vampires. I mean, how else would I get blood disease?" I half whispered.

"I-I guess... but-" he swallowed. "What if they weren't...?"

"Then I guess I was wrong."

"No w-way to know for sure..."

"Yup."

...

This has gotta be the stupidest idea I've ever had. Before, I acted out of character because of a borderline mind controlling disease. Now? I was just insane. Why am I even doing this? Fear and anxiousness filled my heart as self esteem left it. But in doing it to make sure I'm wrong. They're hopefully just sick from blood disease, even if they could have easily cured it, probably much easier than me. What would I even do if they were vampires? If I didn't die. Could I tell someone? Would that someone even care? I'm sure I can figure something out.

I had an irrational bad feeling about it and I didn't want that bad feeling to suddenly become rational. So I just sneak into the Susoido home, see if I could find, like, bodies in the basement or something and then get out. I almost trembled as I walked up to the inner gate. My heart beat quicker and quicker but I felt a fire slowly be lit inside. What I'm about to do is stupid, reckless, dangerous and unnecessary. I should be practising my magic, getting stronger, preparing. But preparing for what? In case the world suddenly decides to kill me? I didn't have a reason to get stronger. So, I might as well make one. However, if they were vampires I don't think I could defend myself. Not just because they were probably much stronger than me. But because I don't think I could... kill someone. I have a feeling, as if my stomach was being sucked into an abyss, whenever I think I about how to deal with a vampire. I wouldn't be strong enough to injure them and run away like last time; they probably had a multitude of abilities. But I could... kill. I looked at the gates before me, and took a deep breath, closing my eyes.

I opened them, confidence and determination filling me. I can do it. I stepped forwards.

And turned around, walking away. I wasn't ready. I didn't think about what abilities vampires had. It was safe to assume that vampires were similar to those under the effect of blood disease, but with stronger symptoms. Now, what abilities did I aquire? Enhanced mana control and power, enhanced physical abilities, or being able to use mana to enhance oneself much better than before, fast regeneration, and enhanced senses. Probably some other abilities as well, but those were the ones I knew about. And I wanted to fight something that had those, not to mention stronger than mine and probably an adult and not just a 5 year old? I was in over my head, it was stupid to even think of doing something like that. But I also stopped myself because of something else: I felt anger. I wanted revenge. I almost lost my humanity because of the disease.

I almost attacked my mum.

I clenched my fist as I walked into an alley. I wasn't ready to try and do that. I couldn't just go there and potentially fight a vampire. This time, I won't win like I did against that goblin. No, I had to think this through. Yes, I was angry, yes I wanted revenge, but was it worth doing? Maybe it would be better to let it go and focus on something else.

But what if my family is in danger?

What reason do I have to get stronger?

I walked through alley after alley, memorising the way. Eventually I followed the road to a small square and looked upon it. Knowledge is power, as some from Earth would say. I smiled as I walked towards the church.

I would confront them. In time.