****(POV)

How long have I been slumbering here?

All I know is it has been ages since the catastrophe happened. We all needed to quickly escape the world, or we would have disappeared, slowly but surely. I brought all my servants into exile with me.

While most of my race tried their luck into various realms, I had a trump card. I already had a base developed previously. I only had to retreat here and wait for time to pass.

However, then came the unexpected. My domain got raided by a bunch of birds. The self-proclaimed holy kind, the worst of hypocrites. Servants of one of the main deities in the land. The Lightbringer.

I actually prevailed in that fight, but it did weaken both me and my army a lot. All of my pawns had to be put in a magical death-like state to avoid getting reduced to ashes. Even I weakened a lot. Was I not that feeble I could have revived my allies easily.

It would have been more fun. I always was considered weird for it, but I do consider these weaklings worth something.

I mean sure they are disposable, but I'd rather have them be there to serve me. This is why I kind of lost touch with the other lords. Our ideals clashed a lot.

I was weakened to a point that I would have trouble opening a portal. Well, that is mostly because my specialty is illusion magic. I was never good at dealing with the real world.

I would slowly accumulate power from the death energy in this place. It would take time, but at some point, I would be able to simply brute force a link back to the earth realm. At least, I think?

Funny how some of the weaklings that serve me would be better suited to such a task. I am one of the few that doesn't believe this to be shameful. Everyone has his specialty and that is good enough.

In vampire society, the norm is that if you find out that any underling is better at something than you …you eat him, and then you remain number one. Ridiculously dumb if you ask me.

Sadly I would need blood to get them back. Enough to fill a river. I was planning to keep slumbering here awaiting the world to become habitable for my kind again.

That's when they came. More precisely that is when HE came. Intruded upon my castle by disabling the seal over it. Already at that point, I knew about it.

Still, I always had difficulty waking up. I was still in a groggy state when they came inside the throne room.

He stood in front of me and I finally opened my eyes prepared to greet them. Then I got poked. Right in the eyeball. A proud vampire lord that rules over thousands got poked by some random human.

What is this?!

He quickly apologizes, but I can already discern something very weird. The mercenaries behind him are all shaking in their boots. Obviously, they have realized that I am a bloodsucker.

The small wolf by his side is glaring at me apparently protecting the human. This wolf is not simple. It reminds me of the behemoths of old. Still, even in my frail state, I believe I would overpower it easily.

What is truly mind-blowing is how the human is acting so nonchalantly in my presence. This sparks some old memories of the past.

That's when I decide on a whim to serve them a feast. I want to learn more about this odd-looking group. Simply put I am extremely bored. It won't be too late to drain them of their blood later either.

I bring them to the dining room and leave them alone for a few seconds. Well, I am still listening to their conversation. I want to see how they will react.

Will they freak out? Try to run? Try to put on a brave front? I truly wonder.

As soon as I'm out someone states the obvious about me. Then the peculiar human interjects. He says he doesn't think I am a vampire? Is he perhaps…blind?!

He will give them a signal to tell them if they should run or not. Sadly for them, I'm aware of the "secret "code haha.

I go back in, working my proudest illusion magic. They are all instantly entranced, even the wolf that gave me a bad feeling. As I'm feeling smug I realize something scary. The human has not looked even once at my illusion.

He is completely unaffected! This is crazy! How is this possible?! I try my best to keep my voice calm and steady as I ask him why he isn't eating. There must be some explanation! He looks at me with a smile and politely answers that he's not hungry.

Then he turns to the mercenaries and tells them they can eat but that they should conserve their energy. He knows. He has seen through my tricks easily. He even does a toast playfully with an obviously empty glass, yet doesn't drink it.

To put things into perspective back in the old world If I called myself the number 2 illusionist no one would have dared to take the number one spot.

Yet here he is. Completely unaffected. He gives them the signal that everything is alright, that I am not a vampire. I can see how the others react. They relax instantly. They still believe me a vampire, but they have great trust in him it seems.

That's when I decide that I want to get to know him better. I completely give up my plans to drain their lifeforce and decide to ask him if he wants to go for a walk instead.

It has been far too long. Far too long since I was able to simply talk with anyone.

I really miss my clansmen right about now. But even if I killed everyone here, I would only be able to revive a few of the weakest ones at best. This is not worth antagonizing the only person in a while that isn't scared of my very being.

Well, that is also why many considered me to be weak. All because of that tendency of mine.

Even then I know that he won't be able to stay here long, this place isn't one for the living after all.