I sat alone at the table, long after the other two Overseers had already left. The things I learned in that conversation continued to cycle through my mind. Anybody would have been shocked to learn some of those truths of the world. I wasn’t a religious dude before, but I didn’t hate most concepts of deity.

The fact that gods only helped humans to farm them for faith and souls? I could live with that. It actually made me less uneasy about the whole idea. It was always easier to trust someone when you knew the purpose behind their actions.

But the way these particular gods were going about it bothered me quite a bit. They were uniting humanity under a single banner by persecuting the natives of this world.

Considering that these gods wanted humans to die as often as possible, it was easy to see the benefits of doing such a thing, especially if there were powerful creatures native to this world like dragons and such.

However, I couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t tell me everything. At the very least, I held onto a small thread of hope that gods didn’t usually declare genocide on dozens of species so easily. Fighting in self-defense or on the battlefield would be one thing, but deliberate murder of innocent children, the elderly, and other non-combatants?

There was no way that I could ever support that.

And then there was one other detail that I had to consider. Perhaps most important for my immediate situation, my chosen prophet was one of those ‘monsters’ that the other Overseers had ordered the entire human race to hunt and destroy.

That might complicate things a little bit…

Of course, I would never regret my decision. I was able to save that woman and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I used to get in trouble for that kind of thing a lot in my previous life. The captain said it was my fatal flaw, but I thought it was my greatest strength. I just couldn’t look the other way when people were suffering due to the actions of others.

That didn’t mean I was stupid. Though I disagreed with what the other Overseers were doing here on a fundamental level, I didn’t have to openly oppose them. Even if my prophet was one of their targets… but nobody needed to know that yet.

In fact, it could end up giving me some advantages if I played my cards right. From the brief display that I saw, my new prophet was stronger than any human from Earth could ever be. The other Overseers talked about various worlds and having multiple assignments. If I played my cards right, it might be possible to return to Earth as a god. Considering that this world seemed to be more of a fantasy world, it could even be possible to take some followers over with me. I would lead a legion of monsters to save my family, my friends, my country, and my world.

The Director and his Unification Army most definitely wouldn’t expect that. I mean, who would realistically plan for an army of fantasy aliens led by the soul of a dead traitor?

Then again, given the number of conspiracy theorists on Earth, I wouldn’t put it past somebody to have predicted it.

Anyways, that would be my ultimate goal. I would find a way to return to and save Earth. In the meantime, I would build up my power here and raise up an army powerful and faithful enough to liberate a world.

While I learned the ropes and amassed some power, I would have to quietly carry the burden of knowing that I was the last hope for the people of Earth. This was a burden that I would have to carry alone, for now. Earth’s problems were not Hanulfall’s problems.

“Auto,” I called out, “Ya there, buddy?”

I heard a faint click and turned, seeing a door open that wasn’t there before.

“Affirmative. Have you concluded your assimilation of the newly acquired data?”

“Yeah, let’s go with that. Can you take me back to Hanulfall? I want to see that the vampire is okay with my own eyes.”

“Understood. I will comply.”

My soul shuddered as a faint jolt traveled through my form. My senses began to fade once more. What a terrifying ability. There was nothing that I could do to stop it since I hadn’t the slightest idea how he did it in the first place.

It probably wasn’t a good idea to make Auto mad. At least, not until I got a lot more power and understanding. To do that, I needed followers. To get followers, I needed teachings. To establish teachings, I needed a purpose.

With that thought, my senses completely abandoned me, and my entire world went dark.

***

A cheerful tune echoed off the nearby mountains as Ray strode down the chilly path while whistling. She gazed in wonder at the gorgeous ball of yellow light that was beginning to peek over the mountains. The sky over the mountain ridge glowed in a warm array of colors, accentuated by the occasional fluffy cloud. She stepped in the occasional patch of cold snow that felt a little mushy, but it was pleasant compared to the hard stones and scattered twigs that poked at her feet. Any scratches or bruises quickly healed, and the cold wasn’t all that bothersome for her.

Another hour or so and she should reach the place full of people. She didn’t know what was waiting for her there, but she felt confident. Though it was rather painful, she beat a giant bird! She survived a fall from at least fifty times her own height! What else could the world throw at her?

She whistled on autopilot and a familiar tune filled the air as she walked, blissfully ignorant of her surroundings.

Which might have been why she didn’t see the people until she was surrounded.

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed man with a pretty face, a sword, and a shield stepped out onto the path in front of her. Ray skid to a stop a few meters away from him. She sensed movement from the side and heard rustling in one of the bushes that lined the path as a white-robed young girl stomped out with an angry sneer on her face.

Ray startled in recognition. She looked behind her and saw the dagger user in a new set of leather armor. Beside him was the bow user.

They were the same four humans who she’d found dead when she first woke up. The same four that she had briefly observed before experiencing something rather painful that she didn’t want to think about.

“Fancy outfit you got going on there. Looks like we found a kitty cat lost in the woods,” the swordsman said nonchalantly.

Kitty cat? Ray twisted her body and looked down over her shoulder, but she couldn’t see a tail. There were plenty of bloodstains and some dried egg yolk though.

“Pretty sure I’m not a feline,” she informed them.

“See, we met a vamp a week ago on this mountain. Know anything about it?” the man continued, ignoring her helpful comment.

Ray shrugged. She honestly didn’t know. She knew that she wasn’t human, but she also wasn’t a vampire.

The white-robed girl raised her hand and it started to glow with a white light. Ray felt a tinge of unease. She felt an inexplicable sense of danger from that light.

“You came from the direction of the peak! You obviously know where the vamp is!” the girl practically screeched.

Ray grimaced at the unpleasant sound.

“Now, now Suzy. There’s no need to get so heated.”

Suzy? Another name to add to the list.

Suzy reluctantly lowered her hand as the swordsman took a few steps forward.

“Miss, the vampire is dangerous. I don’t know why you are out here, but if you know where it is then you need to tell us. We need to put it down. It’s a danger to all of humanity.”

Ray gave him a weak smile.

“Sir, I don’t know where it is. I just escaped from the nest of a giant flesh-eating bird.”

The man blinked in surprise, doing a double-take as he reappraised her.

“A giant flesh-eating bird… you mean a roc? Are you actually an adventurer?”

A roc? Was that what those birds were called? Ray stored that info away in her memory and then shook her head.

“Hmm,” the man paused as he thought for a moment. “Where are you going? If you can deal with a roc by yourself then you can obviously pull your own weight. Maybe we can help each other?”

“I’m headed for the place full of people over there,” Ray replied, pointing at the big wall.

“Cairel? I’ve never seen you around the guild there. Are you an adventurer from another town?”

Ray opted to remain silent. She noted that the swordsman's hand still hadn’t left the pommel of his sword. Also, she could smell the warm blood of another individual hiding nearby. When she listened closely, she heard the faint rustling of leaves as someone moved out of sight.

They were clearly unwilling to trust her, so she decided not to answer.

The man examined her for a moment and then held up his hands.

“I apologize for the interrogation. That was rude of me.”

He took a few more steps forward, reaching out his hand.

“The name’s Jonathan. I hope to see you around more.”

Ray stared at his hand for a moment, perplexed. She saw his face fall slightly and hesitantly reached out to grasp it. His grip was firm as he shook her limp hand. She looked up and met his eyes.

What she saw there was shock.

The man released her hand and stepped backward, reaching for his sword.

“You almost had me,” Jonathan growled. He drew his sword and pointed it at her. “You vamps are real good at deception. I was almost convinced that you were a human until I saw that red eye.”

Ray took a step back, confused by the sudden shift in direction. She was fairly sure things had been about to end peacefully.

“Thing is, you’re pretty. A little branding and I bet you’d fetch a good price.”

Huh? Ray had no idea where this was going but she didn’t like the greedy gleam she could now see in the man’s eyes. She looked around for a way to escape, but she was still surrounded.

With an annoyed grumble, she reached down and picked up a rock as her preparation for a fight. After her recent experiences, she wasn’t afraid of dying, but she still didn’t like pain.

Worse than pain, though, was the unknown. She didn’t know what they were going to do if they won.

Right now, there was an awful lot of unknown if she let them catch her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a fight.

Ray seized the initiative, throwing the rock as a distraction and then launching herself forward to deal the first strike.

As she flew, she wound her arm back to throw a powerful punch.

The fighter sidestepped the rock and quickly raised his shield to intercept her fist. His stance remained firm, though his surprised expression betrayed the amount of effort it took to keep his shield in place.

Ray’s right hand, however, was a bloody mess.

She wasn’t done though. She grabbed the rim of the shield with her bloody hand and pulled it aside, hooking her left fist towards the man’s armored chest with a shout.

She released her grip on his shield as her left fist smashed into the man’s chest, denting his armor, and pushing him back.

He stumbled a few feet backward before recovering and returning to his stance. The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye and he stared at her with dazed eyes.

“So fast…” he muttered in awe.

And then an arrow slammed into her lower back.

Ray stumbled forward, turning to see the dagger-user carefully approaching while the bowman knocked another arrow. She reached back, fingering the shaft of the arrow while her eyes moved back and forth rapidly between each of the four humans.

She carefully yanked the arrow out with her nearly recovered hand, grunting in pain as she held it in front of her.

“Hey vamp! If you give up, we won’t hurt you anymore,” Jonathan promised.

“Hah!” Ray laughed derisively. “What a pathetic lie. You never had to hurt me in the first place.”

The man scowled.

“The buyers don’t like damaged goods.”

“I don’t get it. You guys were fine to let me go until you realized I wasn’t human and suddenly I’m for sale? What kind of twisted logic is that?”

They paused, looking at each other.

"Uh, aren’t you a vampire? This is pretty normal, right?" Jonathan responded with a hint of confusion in his voice.

“You’re not human,” Suzy sneered. “Monsters don’t get humane treatment.”

“And who said I’m a monster?” Ray countered, turning to look at her.

She felt the wound on her back slowly closing while her knuckles finished inching back into their natural positions. She decided once again that her recovery ability was a beautiful thing, and she would be forever grateful for it.

“We say, the gods say. Monsters are forsaken by the Overseers, rejected by your own creators and inferior to humans. Your only place is under our heel,” Suzy responded, her face twisting into a slightly manic expression.

Ray, for her part, had no idea how to respond to that, mostly because she had no idea what Suzy meant by any of those three points. She shook her head. All that really mattered was that she disagreed.

“So where does that leave us, then? I'm not going without a fight,” she warned them.

“Don't worry about that. Vick here is a rogue. He's got all kinds of ways to take someone down without external injury,” Jonathan replied with a motion towards the red-haired dagger user.

Vick nodded silently, pulling a black rope out of thin air. He raised the rope, and it began to levitate as it extended itself towards Ray.

She sliced at the rope with the tip of the arrow, taking a step back to distance herself from it.

An excruciating pain struck her side and she looked down. She found a faint glowing light resting against her dirty cloak near her waist. Though the light did no visible damage, it burned!

Ray hissed, gritting her teeth as she launched herself at Suzy, hoping to stop her before she could use that weird light again.

A shield entered her vision and sent her reeling into the ground. Ray spit out a glob of blood, baring her fangs at the humans.

Inside, she desperately continued searching for a way out.

Try as she might, she couldn't find one. The dark-haired archer and thief circled around, preventing her from running while Jonathan blocked her way forward. If she stayed in place, Suzy would keep attacking with that burning light.

The rope latched onto her wrist, interrupting her thoughts. It shifted, twisting around her back. Ray turned with the rope, releasing the arrow to clutch at it with her now-free hand. She grabbed the end and tried to wrestle the rope away from her.

Another white light struck her in the back, causing her to flinch. In her brief moment of hesitation, she relaxed her grip.

The rope promptly latched onto her other hand and pulled her hands together. Shortly after, a second rope latched around her feet and Ray lost her balance, falling face-first into a pile of bloody snow.

She felt a firm grip reach under her and then she was moving through the air as Jonathan picked her up with one hand and slung her over his shoulder.

“She's a feisty one. A lot stronger and faster than I was expecting for a vamp though. Her punch dented my armor.”

“The sun's up. Also, she bled when I hit her with a normal arrow...” the archer pointed out. "Are you sure she's a vampire?"

Vick shrugged.

“She has a red eye and you saw the fangs too, right?”

“She could be a snakekin…”

“Who cares if she's a vampire or not, she isn't human. All monsters are the same. The gods have forsaken them. No matter how strong they are, someday this world will be cleansed of their sinful existences!” Suzy half-shouted, her tone rising with vindictive fire.

The other three humans stared at Suzy with tired eyes. None of them decided to respond.

“Anyways, we should head back to town…” Jonathan continued.

Ray listened in silence. Her mind took in every detail to form a plan of escape. All she needed was one moment.

She didn't know when the moment would come, but when it did, she would be ready.