《Fantasy Annihilation》 Prologue "Take this!" I shout while pointing my arms at a giant mech. Guided by my hands two black spheres crashing into the mech shield. But mech didn''t stay still, as soon as the two miniature black holes disappeared, it launched a barrage of missiles towards me. I quickly dodged to the side, while also deflecting few rockets with my psychics. "I guess I''ll have to get a bit more serious," I said to myself while gathering energy at my palms. Soon a plasma ball, almost like a miniature sun started forming at my fingertips. But my opponent wasn''t so generous to wait for me so I could finish my move. It instantaneously dashed towards me, wanting to break my concentration. Nevertheless, I stood there calmly watching as it was getting closer to me, without budging even for an inch. Just as it was going to crash into me, I smiled, and a wormhole appeared below me. It sucked me in while leaving the miniature sun behind. I appeared several thousand kilometers away looking at an explosion caused by the mech crashing into a ''sun''. It may seem far, but on a cosmic scale, it''s less than a hair''s breadth. And if not for my psi barrier I''d be already roasted, by gamma radiation. "And with that last mech, my job here is done," I said satisfied, before heading out to collect the loot dropped by the mech boss. Although thanks to my class and race I can fight in space without any space suit, other than short bursts of speed for dodging, traveling is still painfully slow compared to other classes. After one hour of collecting scattered loot, I finally managed to get back to my ship. I still remember the day I build it... Well technically it wasn''t me who built it, but It was me who created schematics and brought all the necessary materials! Thus a new frigate was born which I later named Innuendo. It was a small multi purpose spaceship. It could do anything from mining to fighting. Though it wasn''t the best at everything, it was good enough for me. Truly a jack of all trades among all starships. "Pressurization complete, you may now enter the ship." A synthetic voice rang out. I walked out of an airlock into a large round room with a hologram of a galaxy hovering in the middle. As you may have already guessed, it was a bridge of the ship, and that hologram is the map of the known universe. "Sal, get us to Kepler C-132 station." I ordered the ship AI. "Aye, ma''am." It replied. Kepler C-132 station was a pirate den hidden in an asteroid belt around the Mu Arae star, only 50 light years away from The Solar System. They say that "The darkest place is under the candle" and C-132 was the epitome of that. "Activating FTL drive." Sal informed. As I watched as the stars turn blue, then violet before finally disappearing I realized that I''m already in the game for too long. What? I''m not a shut in or some sort a game addict. I still have a life. Nevertheless, I think it''s an appropriate moment for me to log out. Let me just check my status first, well I can''t progress with my stats any further, but still, it has become my little quirk to always check the stats before logging out. Status. My thoughts guided the system to open a status window. A blue box popped out in front of me almost instantaneously.
Name: Rachel Luminas
Nickname: Phase Title: Star Devourer
Race: Nova Gender: Female
Class: Psyker (Lv.99) Sub-class: Graviton (Lv.99)
Health: 500/500 | 0.1/s Barrier: 9000/9000 | 30.0/s
Psi: 9000/9000 | 15.0/s Stamina: 500/500 | 1.0/s
Mind: 999 Body: 999
Willpower: 999 Coordination: 999
Well as expected, I didn''t get anything new for defeating the boss, but it was still a great experience.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Command: Log-out" I used a voice command this time. Soon the image blurred and character selection menu greeted me. I only had one character. When I started playing the game I considered creating more characters, but back then I barely had enough time to play one character, so I stuck with Phase, and after finally maxing her stats out I got used to playing with Phase so much that I stopped even considering switching to a new character. She was a unique race, a Nova. The race made up of energy held in place by their innate Psionic powers. Basically a sci-fi elementals. According to their race origin story, they do not originate from any particular region. They just spontaneously come into existence at seemingly random places. You''re probably also wondering why I would play a female character in a VR game. I''d probably create a male character if not for the fact that that Novas are mono gendered species. While technically they are neither female or male, their body is similarly shaped to that of a human female. Hence the game treats them as a female only race. The way they look varies from player to player, but some things never change. For example, they always sound like a glowing woman made out of energy, with strange markings covering the body. The hair looks like levitating strands of energy that slowly wave in a snake-like manner. Of course, that''s how they look without any equipment. But most players tend to disguise themselves as a human with technology, so they don''t stand out that much. It''s no different for me. Right now my character looks like a Caucasian woman in her twenties with a straight blonde hair and blue eyes. I left her body shape intact so I wouldn''t have to adjust to three different forms. Why three? Well, there is also my original body in real life. Anyways when you turned off the device responsible for transformation, my character white skin turns into a green membrane which seems almost ethereal. What''s underneath the membrane looks like another world, a blue nebula with a green glow seeping out. It moves very slowly, just like syrup, giving it mysterious vibe. The strange white tattoos appear only on Phase''s right side of the body. Reaching from her collarbone across the slender waist until finally stopping at her shapely feet. And let''s not forget about hair swaying like a tail made of aquamarine plasma. "It''s a shame that VR allows only first person gaming," I said to myself. I opened the menu, and just as I was about to completely quit the game, a pop up appeared. A simple question.
Do you believe in alternate realities or worlds?
Yes No
Without thinking much, I selected yes. Well usually I''d ponder a bit more, but I really wanted to quit the game, so that''s why I''ll answer with the first thing that comes to my mind. By the way what the hell is this question? Are devs doing research or what?
If you could explore an another world would you prefer a fantasy or a sci-fi setting?
Sci-Fi Fantasy
If you''d thought that I''ve selected Sci-Fi you''d be wrong because this time I chose fantasy. Why? Because I think fantasy setting would be a breath of fresh air after playing a sci-fi game for so long. After answering the question, I pressed the quit the game button, and the standard black void of disconnection surrounded me, a few seconds later it dissipated, and I woke up in a strangely similar, but also unfamiliar environment. Why am I still on my ship? Why everything looks much more detailed? And why there is a fucking hole in my ship?! Chapter 1: Beginning Finally, after a bit of experimenting and strolling around my ship, I somehow managed to partially grab my situation. For starters, I can no longer log out, and besides that, most of the game feature still works. I still able to access menus or other game related stuff, but everything associated with stuff outside the game is not showing up. On top of that, the ship was unpowered and thus also unprotected. At first, I thought that what''s happened is a result of some unknown bug or something and that I''ll just have to wait until the devs fix that. Unfortunately for me, the game world is simulated at 168x speed compared to real world, that means for every hour outside the game a week passes inside. So I thought I''d have to wait at most few weeks. Usually, the game should automatically disconnect you if you spend too much time in the game, but I don''t think this will be the case. Something tells me that everything that''s happening right now is real and I''ve been somehow transported into a game world. It may sound that I''m already starting to lose my mind, but I noticed that everything has become much more detailed, undistinguishable from the real world and there was also this strange questionnaire about different worlds that appeared moments before I got stuck here. Well at least thanks to that gaping hole I know that there is some sort of organic life and breathable atmosphere on this planet and if my guess is true, then there should also be an intelligent life as well. There is one thing that scares me, but it isn''t the idea that I''m currently stuck in an alien body in an unknown world, far from my family. Instead, I''m scared about that I feel nothing about these things. Void. Null. It''s like I''ve never cared about them that much. Is it this my way of coping with this situation? Or did I really didn''t care about them? Anyways there is no point crying over spilled milk, let''s just survey the area around the ship and see if there is anything I can do about my current predicament, but first, let''s turn the ship''s power on. I went to the bridge hoping that there would be a way to restart the power from there, but unfortunately, the main generator was completely busted. Usually, when the generator is destroyed there is enough power in an accumulator for at least 1 hour of FTL flight, but now it''s completely drained, so either I barely made it to this planet, or the ship was lying here for a few years already. I really didn''t want to go to an engine room, so I decided to power my ship using my body as a generator substitute. Because of their bodies made out of energy Novas are the only race that can do this. I started siphoning the energy out of my body, I did it a few times already, so I knew the procedure, but as soon as it reached the ship, I felt an immense pain, as if something was eating me alive. "Arrgh!" I screamed and cut the connection. What was that? It never happened in the game before. Of course, there was a pain in the game, but it was inhibited to a certain degree, so the game can appeal to a broader audience. Even dying didn''t feel this pain. "Status. Health!" I growled angrily.
Health: 473/500 | 0.1/s
Draining 27 health was already this painful!? Well, at least I managed to slightly power up the ship. I''d better act quickly before it runs out of energy again. "Computer turn on the backup generator" I ordered, but nothing replied. I guess 27 hp isn''t even enough to power the ship VI let alone the AI. Damn it. I suppose I have to do it myself then. I opened the control panel. While searching for a backup generator, I took a quick glance on remaining ship systems. The hole going through my ship had only grazed the generator it isn''t something that can not be fixed, but unfortunately exotic matter condenser was completely obliterated rendering FTL travel impossible, so even if I''m able to leave the planet, moving to other systems would take too much time.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Power up complete. Energy levels at 10%" Said mechanical voice. "Computer what''s the required time to repair the main generator?" "Estimated repair time 4 days 12 hours." Since I don''t want to stay in this place any longer, I guess I''ll just have to go for a walk a little bit sooner. Thinking about my current situation, I formulated a plan in which I decided that it would be the best course of action to just leave the ship cloaked while also exploring the world for useful materials... Eh, who am I fooling right now? I just want to explore the unknown world. It may be dangerous, but it''s still better than waiting here for something that may never happen. "Computer what''s the required time to repair the main generator with a cloaking field enabled?" "Calculating... Estimated repair time 1 month 2 days" This time it took a little longer for it to calculate the time. Ok, so I just have to return after one month. "Computer send a probe to scan the surroundings." Before it managed to reply, I left bridge so I could pay a quick visit to an armory, hoping to pick up some equipment, while it was busy scanning the planet. Luckily everything was in its place. I took a storage device from the locker and put it on my hand. It looked like a white leather glove with barely visible blue veins going along the tendons. It created a window to a subspace and because of its small size the storage space was limited to 2000 liters. I''ve also created and uploaded a few additional disguises onto my multi tool. After all, it''s better to be safe than sorry when going into the unknown. Finally, I picked up some weapons, mostly sidearms. Although I could even use heavy weapons, my current class had great bonuses to psionic powers and carrying unwieldy around would be a pain in the ass, especially when I do more damage with my mind. Of course I could switch my class to something more gun oriented, but still, my race is not suited for that role, and the only reason I leveled different classes was that I wanted to max out my stats. "Scan Complete." The emotionless voice informed me. What a perfect timing. I was about to leave the armory and wait for the scan to finish in my room, but now I can go straight to exploring. "Computer compile the map from the data you''ve collected and uploaded it onto my multi tool along with heat signature scans. After I leave the ship turn on the cloak and start the repair of the main generator." I ordered "Affirmative." It replied. Browsing through the data I received, I''ve reached the hole and then jumped through it out into the world outside. Usually, I''d use an airlock, but I thought It''d be more fun and faster this way. I slowly landed on the ground and looked around. So It''s exactly as the scans say, I''m stuck in a middle of some alien swamp, which surprisingly looked like an average swamp. Fortunately, according to heat scans, there should be a large cluster of living organisms 34 kilometers to the north. I hope it''s a town and not some sort hive. Walking for an hour made me realize how inefficient it really is, but since we''re on a planet, I can''t open wormholes freely. If I don''t know the exact space coordinates, I may end up stuck in a wall or a tree, so basically, I''m limited to a short distance teleportation, only a few dozen meters at most. Flying is also no go. If there is intelligent life on this planet, It will make me stand out too much and also close proximity to a planet will make me use up much more psi. I''ll just have to grit my teeth and continue this slow and tedious journey.
The red flashing lights were disturbing the darkness of the night, the fire trucks surrounded an already burnt down house. There was a man who held his crying wife. She cried because it was her son who lived in that house. Unfortunately for her, the firefighter didn''t have good news. He approached them, struggling to say what he wanted to say. "May I have you for a moment?" He asked. "What''s happened to my son? Is he alive?" She answered through tears. "Unfortunately what you will hear next may upset you. I''m sorry, but your son has been found dead..." "How did this happen?" The husband asked. "We''ve found his remains in a VR capsule. At first, we thought that the fire has broke out while he was inside of a game and due to some malfunction it didn''t wake him up. But surprisingly the evidence shows that the fire has started from the inside of a VR capsule. It was as if his body had self combus..." A firefighter stopped after realizing he has already said too much. "All I can do now is to assure you that at least he didn''t suffer." He comforted the family. "I bet he''s in a better place now."
"Fuuuck!" I cursed as I ran. A huge spider was chasing me while hopping from tree to tree. I didn''t know what it wanted from me, but I wasn''t eager to find out, it was so disgusting that even looking back made me feel shivers going down the spine. "Fuuuck!" I screamed as I started running even faster. Chapter 2: First Contact "Whew" I sighed with relief after I''ve finally managed to get away from the giant spider. Thanks to that experience I managed to learn a new thing about myself. It turns out that I have a severe case of arachnophobia, well at least when it comes to giant spiders. With my current power I could''ve easily crushed it with my mind alone, but despite that, I still kept running until I wasn''t able to sense its presence. "Next time, I won''t be the one who''s running away" I promised myself. I checked the map to see how far is the "town." it turns out that I ran in such a way that the distance didn''t shrink, in fact, it even grew a little. At least now I know that I can outrun a car. Ok, no more running. I''m going to take it slow and walk to my destination, even if it''s going to take me half a day. The first few hours of my journey went unbelievably smooth, even the swamp was replaced by forest in no time and most of all there were no giant spiders or other disgusting monsters on my way. There was one time when a pack of wolf like creatures approached me. The only difference between them and wolves was a large horn on their forehead. I should''ve tried the same method when I was being chased by that spider. I didn''t even have exercise to scare them away. It turns out that my real form makes them run for their life. "Aaah" I heard a faint feminine scream far in the distance. It sounded like a human, so I guess it''s worth checking out. After following the overall direction from where the scream has come for few minutes, I managed to pickup some fighting noises. From there it didn''t take me even a minute to reach the source of these sounds. A man desperately fought back against the pack of these pseudo wolves I''ve met earlier. What caught my attention was his weapon. He was holding a spear. Yes, a regular spear with an iron tip and a wooden shaft. With a tree behind his back, he was almost like an unmoving mountain. I didn''t notice her at first, but there was also a young girl behind the man. She was curled up on the ground shaking from fear. She must be the one who screamed earlier. Is this why he''s still fighting? Should I help them? But before I could do anything, the man looked at my direction. His eyes meeting with mine. "¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€" He shouted something unintelligible. Unfortunately, I''ve unintentionally distracted the man. One wolf noticing his opportunity jumped at the man and bit his hand. The man didn''t scream, he just grits his teeth and stabbed the wolf with a dagger. "¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€" He again shouted something. He''s probably pissed off at me because I''ve distracted him. Also, I don''t think that in his current condition he''d be able to fend off those beasts. What''s strange is that even though the man and the girl were clearly in mortal danger, I still don''t care about what will happen to them. Nevertheless, I will still save them. They may have some useful information about this strange place. Last time the wolves were scared off by my appearance, it''s also an excellent opportunity to see how the locals would react to my original form. When I undid my disguise the wolf pack quickly scattered and fled. It was clear that they were terrified by my original appearance. Poor wolves...
My name is Arwen, at least that''s what people were calling me since I can remember. Currently, I''m working as a hunter sadly nowadays I hunt mostly boars. Although they''re more dangerous than your typical prey, it''s more profitable to hunt them since the traders guild stated that they will pay extra for every extra boar carcass sold. Usually, such thing would not happen, but in the recent years, boar numbers multiplied that they''ve become a real threat to the local populace and most of all nobody knows the cause of the anomaly.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I''ve always overworked myself, but after I got married, I started working even harder. After all, I have to provide for my family. Unfortunately, today''s god of luck is not on my side. I''ve been already walking around the forest for 3 hours already and haven''t even managed to find any hoofprint. I''m slowly beginning to regret that In addition to the bow and dagger I usually carry with me I also brought a spear. I did it only because the spear is the best weapon to defend yourself against something that''s charging at you. Although my spear is shorter than a pike, it''s still a perfect weapon against boars, especially when they trying to skewer you with their tusks. "Aaah" I heard someone scream in a familiar voice. It was my daughter Rosa, she was in danger. What was she doing here? Did she follow me? No, I''d notice here way earlier. She must''ve had went into a forest on her own. - These and other similar thoughts were swirling in my head as I madly ran in her direction. Fortunately, she wasn''t that far away, I''ve managed to get to her in less than two minutes. She was standing in the middle of a clearing surrounded by a pack of horned wolfs. They were slowly circling around her, and with each step, the distance between them and my daughter was getting smaller. I quickly grabbed a bow and fired few arrows at the wolves in hopes that they change their focus to me. I''ve managed to hit 2 out of 3 wolves. Although it didn''t kill them, they''ve still paused for a bit confused about what''s happened. But this was all I needed. I tossed the bow onto a ground and jumped between wolves and my daughter. We didn''t have time to talk to each other, so I only told my daughter to stay behind me, and slowly moved my back towards the closest tree. It may sound easy, but fighting a pack of wolves while also protecting someone is really hard. These beasts weren''t making it easy for me either. They were still slowly circling around probing me from time to time, steadily draining my stamina. The wolves were just waiting for me to slip up. The battle of attrition would probably drag for hours if not for a woman I saw. She was one of the most beautiful women I saw in my entire life, second only to my wife. Her clothes were certainly not from this part of the world. Which country she''s from I wonder? But there is no time to think about this stuff. She was watching me fight, and when our eyes met, I felt a strange chill running down my spine. Nevertheless, I decided to warn her "I won''t be able to fight much longer, please take my daughter to the village!" I shouted. I felt a sharp pain in my wrist before I dropped my spear. A wolf was grabbed my hand with its fangs. Fuck I got distracted! I pulled out my the dagger with my free hand and stabbed the wolf through its head killing it instantly. "I''ll only hold them for a little longer, take my daughter and run!" I said. I was about to make an opening for my daughter to go through, but then something unbelievable happened. The woman''s hair started glowing before she had completely transformed into a... Goddess. I could feel her divine aura scaring the wolves away. With only her presence she had managed to send horned wolves running while whining.
Why is this guy prostrating before me? What''s going on? A loud sound of a facepalm went through the forest as I realized my stupidity. They''ve probably never seen someone from my race before, and now the guy thinks I''m some kind of God. At least the girl didn''t act too weird. Probably because she''s still shocked after everything that has happened. I really have not thought that I''d blow my cover so soon. Well, it''s not something that my Psionics can''t fix, but still memory editing might have a completely different effect than in a game. I also wanted to learn the local language, and the quickest way is to read the required part of the mind. The man was still kowtowing, annoyed by his constant pleading I''ve finally "broke" and read their minds. It turns out that the girl came to the forest looking for her father, who happened to be the crazed worshipper now. I decided to respect their privacy and didn''t read more than last two hour. Finally, before breaking the connection, I erased everything connected to me from their minds and quietly left the crime scene. It would be better if I could edit memories, but hey not everything is overpowered about my character. Chapter 3: Making it harder for myself Reading memory back in the game was way different from what''ve experienced now. In game it was similar to watching a movie, you also couldn''t do it against other players, in fact, it was only possible to use it on a designated NPCs. But now it''s like reliving the memories of a person from the 1st point of view. You feel their emotions, think their thoughts, you are them. It''s a really addictive experience, I shouldn''t read memories very often, or I will end up as some kind of memory vampire. At least I got the knowledge of a local language from them. It''s not on a native level, but it''s still close enough. While concealing myself with psychics, I followed Arwen and his daughter making sure that they reach their village safely. Well, I didn''t mind helping them again, after all, I''ve already helped them once, and it would be a shame to let them die a few hours later. Fortunately, I didn''t have to help the hunter again, they''ve encountered few animals and even brought a rabbit with them, but aside from that nothing else has happened. We''ve managed to leave the forest, arriving at the village in less than two hours it wasn''t really that impressive, it was a typical medieval village, with wooden houses which still used thatch as a roof. The population wasn''t that big either. After expanding my psychic perception, I could feel around one hundred people who were currently in the village. I must say I''m a little disappointed by it, I expected something more... fantasy...ish, I guess. Thanks to reading Arwen''s mind I have also acquired the basic knowledge of the writing system, so I decided that it might be a good idea to check if there is some sort of a notice board in the village. Maybe I''ll be able to learn something useful. It didn''t take me long to find one. It was located in the middle of a marketplace, a wooden board with few notices stuck to it. I read through them, but there wasn''t anything interesting in there, mostly advertisements or some odd job requests. Well, I guess I''ll just continue my journey to the town I was heading initially, it w only 14 km left, so I should cover the distance in around 2 hours. "Hello, there miss. Is this your first visit to our village? I''ve never seen you before." I heard a raspy voice coming from behind me. Although I was still in unnoticeable mode, a someone has managed to spot me. I wouldn''t be surprised if that person had a natural resistance towards this kind of psychics. It was a popular skill among NPCs and was a necessity for every non Psyker player. Deciding to be careful I turned around while also readying myself to strike at any time. There was a crooked man, with a long white beard was standing few meters away. His bald skull was reflecting the sun like a mirror. Did he oil his head or what? He couldn''t be a psyker because there were no psi undulations around him, but I still got this strange vibe from him. Haven''t I seen him somewhere else before? "Well, I was heading towards the nearby town, while I stumbled upon your village, so I decided to take a closer look." I quickly formulated a half-truth, even surprising myself since I had no experience in lying before. "Ohhh, That''s why. But you lady have an unusual accent. Are you perhaps from the Veridia Kingdom?" He asked. "Uhmm..." Because of my lacking knowledge, I really didn''t want to answer that question. Veridia may not exist at all.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want. It''s not like that matters, everyone has their own circumstances, but since you''re heading to Hagen could I do me a small favor?" He asked. "If it isn''t anything troublesome then sure." I agreed so I could get away from this strange guy as soon as possible. "Thank you. It won''t be troublesome I assure you. Just give this casket to my granddaughter Lucia, she is working at The Sleeping Bat Inn. You can''t miss it, it''s the first Inn you''ll meet after entering through the main gate." He said while putting the casket into my hand. "I''ll keep that in mind, but aren''t you worried that I may steal the casket and its content?" I asked. "You seem like a good and trustworthy person, and besides that, there is nothing valuable inside, it has a sentimental value only." He explained. I talked to the man for a few minutes longer, but unfortunately, except for the fact that he was a former mayor of this village I didn''t learn anything "I then umm... I should get going... The town is 14 km(~9 miles) away, and I want to get there before the dusk." In fact, I could get there in a matter of minutes, but the man doesn''t have to know about it. "I bid you farewell then. I hope we''ll meet again someday." He replied. "Goodbye," I said and resumed my endeavor After making sure that I far enough to not be seen I stored the casket inside my dimensional glove and strode towards the town which was apparently named Hagen. To make my trip as short as possible, I''ve decided to just go in a straight line until I reach it. Thankfully, this time my choice didn''t result in any strange encounters. In fact, it allowed me to witness one of the maybe not one most beautiful landscapes I''ve ever seen, but still a gorgeous one. An enormous medieval town standing in a middle of a field was surrounded by an equally massive wall. Countless stone buildings were producing faint streaks of smoke. The people crowded the streets, from here it looked like an ant colony. I decided it''d be better to just walk in through the main gate. I don''t want to constantly hide from people like some sort of criminal. It was heavily guarded and from what I could see it appears that you have to show some kind of permit to enter the town. No worries though, I think that with a little help of ˇ±magicˇ± it won''t take much time to persuade them. Opening the menu on my multi-tool, I''ve selected one of the three disguises I had uploaded onto it. In a matter of seconds, my appearance started changing. I began shrinking at a rapid pace, before finally stopping at around 127 cm (~4 feet 2 inches). From the appearance, I''ve basically become an 8 years old child, but hey It will be probably way easier to cheat my way through the gate with that appearance. Nobody would suspect an 8-year-old child of anything. At most the guards could reprimand me and if they won''t let me in... Well, I will just have to sneak in. I quickly made my way to the gate without getting myself noticed. It wasn''t that hard, all I had to do was to keep a low profile, while also supporting myself with my powers. There was a short queue of people waiting to be checked by the guards. The screening process proceeded very swiftly. Since I didn''t have any ID or local money with me, I decided to play a lost child card and see if it gets me in. My current clothing was a bit unusual, but thanks to it they won''t mistake me for a peasant kid. As I suspected the guards have managed to spot me very easily, after all, they are trained to see more. Soon after one of them approached me. He wore a black gambeson with a steel breastplate and jack chains protecting various parts of his body. Despite his guard uniform, he looked pretty average. "Hey kid, what are you doing here alone? Are you lost maybe?" He asked. "Umm... I went with my father to the nearby village, b-but then a wolf pack attacked us..." I said with a trembling voice while hiding my head between my hands. "Those damn wolves! We should''ve killed them long ago." He whispered angrily to himself "I''m sorry about what''s happened, but tell me is your mother still in the town?" He asked. "M-mum? Yes, but I''m not going until my father comes back. He told me he will be back!" I lied while also pretending to be on the verge of tears. "Don''t worry. I''m sure he''ll be back, but in the meantime could you come with me?" He asked calmly. It starts becoming a pain in the ass. I should''ve sneaked in or at least tried going in as an adult first. Why am I always making it harder for myself!? Chapter 4: Performance I must say that throwing a tantrum, before faking a mental breakdown was really amusing. I''ve never seen anyone so confused before. Well, I should feel bad for playing on guard''s emotions, but I''m not planning to exploit him for long. After I get into the city, he''ll probably never see me again. At least not in this form. He brought me to a small room with wooden table and two chairs on the opposite sides of the table. Probably an interrogation room, but I don''t think they would interrogate a child, right? Did they manage to see through my disguise? No that''s impossible. Maybe I wasn''t convincing enough? "Just wait here for a minute. I promise I''ll be back soon, so don''t worry, I just have to go get my friend." The "average" guard spoke with a reassuring tone. So they didn''t find out, after all, maybe he''s not allowed to bring me with him. "Uhm," I replied quietly and just sat in the corner, while also hiding my head between my knees. Pretending to be a girl who is confused about the loss of her father is really troublesome. I just hope I won''t waste much time here. "I''ll be back in a minute, so please don''t leave the room until I''m back" He added, before finally slipping out of the chamber.
Ehh I guess it''s another one of these boring days. Standing for hours in front of the city gate checking documents of merchants, adventurers, and many other travelers. I hate this job. When I signed up, I thought I would be helping civilian, defending them. Just cause, I thought. But it turns out that it''s just child''s dream. All we do is provide a security theater, we''re just making people feel safe. Every major crime organization had connections in the higher-ups, preventing us from taking real action against them. If not for the fact that I have a family to support I''d have quit this job long ago, but I must hang on. "Hey! Dave look over there! What is that girl doing here?" My companion Carl has interrupted my thoughts. After looking at the place, my colleague has pointed at I''ve noticed an 8 or maybe 9 years old girl looking around as if she was searching for something or someone. Everybody else seemed to ignore her, after all, what''s the kid Was she lost? "Maybe she''s lost," I answered. "Yeah, that''s possible. You should go and ask the girl yourself, you always liked young girls." He said jokingly "Are you implying something!?" I barked at him while caressing pommel of my sword. "Nothing at all." He replied while pretending to be scared. Nevertheless, I still decided to approach the girl, better me than this idiot. She noticed me as I approached her. Her curious eyes scanned me from head to toe. "Hey kid, what are you doing here alone? Are you lost maybe?" I asked her, but since I was never good at talking to children, this is what came out of my mouth. "Umm... I went with my father to the nearby village, b-but then a wolf pack attacked us..." She replied. Ugh... It was excruciating to look at the young girl in the state like this, and most of all this tragedy could easily be avoided if only they could let us kill those demonic wolves. But no, some greedy bastard decided that killing them is too much of a hassle and not worth the money. After all, someone from the Venator Guild takes care of them eventually.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Those damn wolves! We should''ve killed them long ago." I whispered to myself. "I''m sorry about what''s happened, but tell me is your mother still in the town?" I asked. Her accent and clothing suggested that she was certainly not from our country, or at least her parents weren''t, so I had to make sure that she had a family behind the walls. "M-mum? Yes, but I''m not going until my father comes back. He told me he will be back!" She replied barely holding her tears. Somehow I felt that there was something wrong with her answer it felt as if she was afraid of her mother? Anyways I have to report this to our commander, she''ll decide what to do with that girl. "Don''t worry. I''m sure he''ll come back, but in the meantime could you come with me?" I tried coercing her into going with me. "No, I''m not going anywhere without my daddy!" She shouted. Countless eyes turned towards us. Oh God, this is going to be hard. I can even hear the laugh of that stupid Carl. "I''m not telling you to abandon him. I just want you to follow me so you can meet some of my friends." I pleaded again. "He promised, he told to wait for him at the gate!" She screamed through tears. "But what if he won''t return today? Will you stay here for the whole night?" I tried reasoning with her. "B-but dad told me to wait. Dad told me. He said he''ll be back." She started crying. "Don''t cry, everything is going to be fine." I hugged the girl to comfort her. "My name is Dave. What''s yours miss?" I swear I could hear Carl calling me a lolicon in the background. I''ll deal with him later, he can''t even understand that''s not the time for such jokes. "R-Rachel" She replied timidly. "Rachel then. Will you please come with me? I show you, my friends, as I promised, maybe even our commander will meet you." I offered my hand to her. She just nodded and grabbed my hand. I could see from her expression that she still wasn''t alright. I doubt anyone would be after such short period of time. At least she''s cooperative now. I brought her to an interrogation room with me. Yeah I know, but these are the rules, we can''t let anyone further into our headquarters without superior approval. I just had to find my boss, she''ll probably rush to the girl as soon as she hears about it. My boss always had a sweet spot for kids, especially girls. I won''t judge her, as a father I always wanted to have a daughter, but the gods have only blessed us with two sons before my wife has become unable to bear a child. I told Rachel to wait for me and not to leave the room. Fortunately, she didn''t object, she just sat in the corner and curled herself up. Poor girl, I''ll make sure that I''ll make sure that you won''t experience anything like this ever again.
To my surprise, Dave actually did come back after the minute. He brought an armored woman with him. She was probably this commander he was talking about. Her expressionless face was betraying years of experience in the battlefield. Her lifeless eyes and a cold gaze told a story of a woman who killed countless people. Her red hair felt like a testament to the blood she has probably spilled over numerous battles. But everything changed when the fire natio... I mean when she looked at me. Her face took on an elated expression, the fire begun to burn in her eyes. She looked more like a predator now. I readied myself to pounce at her with everything I''ve got, but something unexpected happened she just walked to me and hugged me really hard. I think I went a little overboard with my performance. "It''s okay, everything will be fine. I''ll take care of you." She said while stroking my hair. Ugh... Now I feel awful for tricking them, but it''s too late to turn back now. The only option left is to push forward, down into the rabbit hole. Well not really, but I don''t want to kill people without reason. "..." I really didn''t know how should I behave, so I decided to keep my interactions with them to the bare minimum. I believe that at least this way things won''t get any worse. "Rachel, could you tell us your mother''s name?" The woman asked me. I think that for two reasons I shouldn''t give them the name of my mother. Firstly it''s because last time I checked my mother was still on Earth, and secondly, they probably want to use it so they can search for her, and since she isn''t in the town, they won''t find anyone. "It''s okay. We won''t bring you to her if you don''t want" The commander interrupted my thoughts. That''s unexpected, did they jump to some sort of weird conclusions? "It''s Phase." After hesitating for a bit, I told them my "mother''s name." Using my nickname as a name of my fake mother may backfire at me later, but I think connecting me to myself might also yield some benefits. There is only this one thing that keeps bothering me. Why did her face turn ugly for a split second after hearing my nickname? Is something wrong with that name? Chapter 5: Bait I should''ve have sneaked into the city, but no I had to enter the city through the official channels. And what did I get from this? Nothing! Except for this annoying woman who''s constantly brushing my hair since we''ve entered a carriage driving to her home. At least she isn''t talking about adopting me anymore, I wonder why she gave up on this idea so quickly. Maybe she realized that nobody in their right minds would adopt a child they''ve just met. Anyway, I think that going along with her plans for a while may actually help me. It will be a good chance to learn something useful about this world from her, and it''s not like I''m going to spend more than a day or two with that woman. Her house was apparently located in the upper city and from what she told me it''s reserved only for nobility and more affluent people. That means she is probably a noble of some sort. I hate a concept of social status based on one''s birth. During our ride, I''ve also managed to learn a few less or more important things, including her full name which by the way was Sely Abysu. A fitting name for a strange woman I''d say. "Mrs. Abysu." I gently tugged at her cuff. "I told you, you can call me Sely..." She replied. I didn''t want to get friendly with her, so I just stared at her, perfectly playing the timid child part. "Anyways what''s the matter?" She added after few seconds of awkward silence. "Do you know my... mum?" I tried probing a bit. Especially after seeing her reaction back in the interrogation room. "Not really, but don''t worry I''ve already sent someone to look for her." She replied I could tell from the way she acts that she''s hiding something, but I didn''t mind it. At least not yet.
*An Unknown Place* A young boy opened a door leading to a room with only a single candle sitting on a table as a light source. He was told to deliver a message to a person in the room, but because of dim light, he couldn''t see anyone. "Excuse me, I was told to deliver a message here." The boy said before pulling out a sealed letter from his pocket "A message?" A feminine voice replied before a human silhouette appeared from the shadows. With a grasping motion, it took the letter from the boy''s hand and merged with the shadows again. Usually, he''d wait for a tip, but this time he was too afraid to stay in the room any longer. He quickly turned around before dashing through the door, afraid that the whoever was in the room might not be a very ''friendly'' person. Just as the doors have closed themselves, the silhouette approached the candle. Under the dim light of the candle, silhouette became more apparent, revealing a woman in clothing as dark as the night and a cloth masking half of her face. The only thing that wasn''t covered by material was her azure eyes hiding sorrow deep beneath the surface and her golden hair which felt almost ethereal in the yellow candlelight. "What!? Abysu family have found my daughter, and now they are planning to use her against me!? Is she alive? No! That''s impossible!" The woman said to herself, before vanishing from the room.
"Lady Abysu. We''ve arrived." Said the carriage driver. A few seconds later the driver opened the carriage door and helped us get out in a gentlemanly fashion. The view was really astounding a huge mansion surrounded by hedges creating an elaborate pattern, the living fence was covered in a rose like flowers that gently swayed in the wind forming an illusion of movement. On top of that, there was a small pond with a waterfall-like fountain. Everything here contributed to a feeling that this place was a separate ecosystem cut off from the city.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I wonder why would a such a wealthy noble work as a simple commander. Maybe it''s the way how things work here? "Stay close to me." Sely grabbed my hand. I was so immersed in admiring the beauty of the garden that I didn''t notice when we''ve arrived at the gate to her mansion. Due to its massive size calling it a door would be a little understatement. While I was standing there admiring every detail, Sely gently pushed the gate. Surprisingly it opened smoothly and without any resistance. "Welcome back Lady Abysu." As soon as we stepped into the mansion, we or rather Sely was greeted by an old man in a suit. "Hello Gerard, take me to the Father. I''ve got something important to tell him. Ohh and take Rachel to the default room." She said while pushing me towards a butler. What do you mean by the default room? And why are you suddenly leaving me with that guy? What happened to your annoying behavior? "As you wish milady." The butler replied and grabbed my hand dragging me with him. He wasn''t gentle at all, he just walked at his own pace not even letting me slow down. I even pretended to cry, but he just slapped my face and told me to shut up. If not for my patience and curiosity I''d already have crushed him into a pulp, but since I''m currently a ''harmless girl'' I just followed him.
"Father you won''t believe what has happened?" Sely said to a middle aged man sitting in a chair. "What is it this time? Have you found yourself another toy?" He replied, clearly annoyed by his daughter quirks. "Even better. I found a girl named Rachel who claims to be Phase''s daughter. The girl has the exactly the same color of her hair as her ''mother'' She even has her eyes. On top of that, I couldn''t tell if she was lying." "What!? But you have a [Lie Detection] skill." The man exclaimed in surprise. "Exactly and that means that either she was telling the truth or she had a skill that counteracts [Lie Detection]. " Sely said. "Haha. We''ll finally have a chance to catch that thief who stole our family treasure. I will make sure she suffers a lot, before turning her into a mindless slave and even if Rachel isn''t Phase''s daughter, we can always use the girl as livestock." The man grinned revealing his long fangs. The butler brought me to a room that looked almost like a regular room. There was a bed, some furniture and it even had a small shelf with a few books resting on it. Everything would be ok if not for the barred window and reinforced doors. "This will be your room from now on." The butler said before closing and locking the door. Ha! I wonder if authorities know about what happens in this house. That means everything is settled, I''m escaping this weird household of kidnappers, but first, let''s read some of the books. There might be something useful in them and as Blood Crows say "Knowledge is power." Immersing myself in the books I lost my sense of time and before I noticed a dusk has come, but I didn''t mind the time spent reading the books because I was able to learn more about this world. What made a bit anxious was that the most of the books were about the anatomy of different sentient races and species. It turns out that the humans are not the only inhabitants of this world. There few races already associated with a fantasy world. Races like elves, dwarves or beastmen, but there were also races like Anlar which were basically jellyfish-like creatures. Since I won''t be able to read for much longer, I decided that now would be the best time to escape. Before someone reminds himself about me. Suddenly I felt a strange presence rapidly closing in on my location, it wasn''t heading from inside of the mansion, but from the outside, and before I could disappear a masked female appeared between the bars of the window. "I-Ilya is it r-really you?" The person asked. "N..." Before I could deny her question, she took off cloth masking her face, revealing the face that looked almost exactly like the adult version of my human form. Currently, I could literally pass for her daughter, so I wasn''t really shocked that she mistook me for her daughter. "Stay there, I''m coming for you." Her voice shook. She transformed into a black mist, which then entered the room through the window. Is that magic? I couldn''t feel any psi undulations, so I guess the magic is fundamentally different from psychics. Just as the mist begun reforming into back into the woman, a huge glowing a complex shape surrounded by a circle appeared on the floor. With many symbols along each line. "No!" As soon as a shout escaped woman''s mouth, the gravity in the room has increased several times. Because of a sudden change, I fell to the ground along with that mysterious lady. I could easily get up using only by strength, but I could tell that it wasn''t the case for the woman, so I decided to act like a little girl for a bit longer, at least until I find out what is this all about. After all, I could already feel at least twenty people rushing towards us. Was I just used as bait? Chapter 6: Phase Two We didn''t have to wait long for someone to enter the room. In fact, after few seconds, a middle-aged man entered the room, while the remaining presences stayed outside. The man was surrounded by a mysterious air. I couldn''t describe this feeling with words, just by looking at him, you knew this man held many secrets. His slightly gaunt face only made his already sadistic smile look more inhuman. "I didn''t think you would fall for such an obvious trap. You''re getting old Phase." The man taunted. "Go fuck yourself, Vlad." She replied through her clenched teeth. It was evident that the gravity didn''t make it easy for her. "I wouldn''t talk back if I were in your place. After all, in a fit of rage, I might vent my anger on you or THAT little girl. Hahaha!" He replied and pointed his bony finger at me. "What do you want?" The woman growled angrily. "Hoho, you should know what I want, after all, it was you who stole it. Hand it over, and I might kill you quickly." A creepy laugh reverberated throughout the room. "The shadow gem? But I have already absorbed its power. It''s useless in its current form." The other Phase replied. "Oh, but you should also know that there is a particular method which allows the extraction of such power. Although I''m told, it''s an incredibly slow and painful process, and since I''m not proficient with the method yet, I will have to train myself on your daughter first." The sadistic man replied. "Leave my daughter out of this! You can have me, but let my daughter go." The woman begged So she still thinks I''m her daughter. I''ve got to clarify everything unless I want to face another ''mild'' annoyance. "I believe you misunderstood something. Currently, you''re clearly not in a position to negotiate. But worry not, after I''m done with your daughter she''ll happily offer herself as a test subject." Vlad toyed with her. I know I should feel wary, but during the conversation, I''ve managed to take a closer look at the guy''s stats, and I must say I almost laughed out loud. His stats were not even one-tenth of mine.
Name: Vladislav Abysu
Title: The Sadist Race: Human (Lesser Vampire) Gender: Male
Health: 300/300 Mana: 143/425 Stamina: 224/231
Mind: 99 Body: 65 Willpower: 79
>>>>>>>>> Coordination: 99 <<<<<<<<<
"Just wait until I free myself I swear I will fucking kill you!" The woman shouted angrily. "I don''t think you should use such language in the presence of a child. Hahaha!" Vlad replied and then turned around before leaving the room. "Lock them up in a cellar, and when you''re finished prepare everything for the ritual." I heard a muffled voice from behind the door. "Yes my lord." A familiar voice replied. Soon after the ungentlemanly butler entered the room, In his hand there a pair of handcuffs made out of a weird crystal. He approached Phase and me and handcuffed us together. After he locked the cuffs, I felt the gravity return to normal value. "Don''t even think about using magic, the cuffs are made out of dimcite. On the second thought, please do. I''ll gladly watch as you two squirm in pain. Now get up and move!" The butler ordered. Surprisingly enough Phase only glared at him angrily but didn''t reply. She was probably afraid that he will lash out at us, me in particular.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I have to resolve this misunderstanding as soon as we are alone. During our whole trip into the bellows of the mansion, I pretended to sob silently, I had to keep up the image of the helpless child for a little more even if it meant fueling the anxiety of ''my mother.'' We were brought to a large basement with two rows of cells, only half of them were empty. The remaining were filled with different people, of various races and genders, but still, the majority of them were little girls. There was one thing that they had all in common. Everyone had countless bite marks on their necks. Most of them were already dead, not in a physical sense, but in psychical, their eyes were devoid of life, and their brains have lost their higher functions long ago. I couldn''t even pick them up with my psychic awareness. "Get inside." The butler pushed us into the first empty cell, before locking the door to our cage. "I really do hope you won''t become failures like the others down here." This was the last thing the butler said before leaving us alone. Finally. Now I have to deal with this woman who still thinks she''s my mother. "I''m sorry it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have acted on impulse back then. I''m sorry." She apologized while hugging me and caressing my hair. No, this is where she''s wrong, it''s not her fault. Well, I guess I shouldn''t translate my nickname to their native language. "Hey! Look at me! I''m not your daughter, I might look like her, but I''m not. I didn''t say anything earlier because I didn''t want to uncover myself." I replied. "W-what are you talking about?" It was evident she was confused by my response. "It''s not your fault that we''re stuck here, in fact, you wouldn''t be here if not for me. When Saly Abysu asked about my mother I told her my nickname, but who would have thought that there will be a person whose name is the same as my nickname and on top of that looks similar to my current self?" I explained "So you''re not Illya?" She finally released her grip, after the thought that "No, I''m not. Now listen to me, I have a way to escape from this place. I can even take you with me if you promise me one thing." I made a proposal. "But you''re still a child. You even haven''t awoken your mana core or magic circuits yet. So what can you do?" The things she said have actually picked my interest, but currently, time is not a luxury we have, so instead of satisfying my curiosity I decided to remind her of her situation. "It''s up to you to believe me or not, but tell me can you escape from this mansion on your own? And trust me, I''m not as young as I seem to be." "I see your point. What is that one thing you want me to promise?" She asked cagily. "I don''t want to erase your memories, so just keep my existence a secret," I replied truthfully. "Erase memories...?" She paused for a second before adding "I accept your conditions. After all, I don''t have anything to lose in trusting you." Although it might seem as if I trusted her, I didn''t. She was a person with some strange shadow powers, probably from that gem she mentioned, but I didn''t want to kill her since it was me who put her in danger in the first place. "Then it''s settled. Just don''t get in my way." I said before unleashing my full power. I disintegrated the handcuffs by ripping its atoms apart using gravity manipulation, effectively transforming cuffs into a fine dust. Freeing us from the cell was even simpler, I just bent bars creating a gaping hole 2 meters (~6 feet, 6 inches) in diameter. "What''s going on?" Phase said in a stupor. "We''ll talk about it later, but now let''s just get out of this place," I replied and left the cell with my new companion. I thought about killing other prisoners out of misery but since Abysu family will just kidnap more people. That means by killing already dead prisoners, we will be indirectly ruining more lives. Judging by the look on my companion''s face she had similar thoughts. Before leaving the cellar with Phase, I bent the bars back to their original shape, just to be sure. "Stay close to me, in fact, it would be better if held my hand," I informed Phase. She just looked at me for a second and grabbed my hand. A few seconds later we started fading. This time I used my powers to create an actual invisibility cloak for us, not just another but due to how tasking it is to maintain it while moving I''d say we have around ten minutes before I run out of energy. After we''ve completely faded something unexpected happened, my vision turned completely black. It was something that never occurred back in the game. Despite this inconvenience, I was still able to perceive my surroundings, although in a bit different way. The feeling was hard to describe, it felt as I was watching the world through electron microscope but set on a macro scale. "What''s going on!? Why can''t I see anything?" Phase asked nervously. She probably wasn''t able to perceive the world the way I do. "Don''t worry, it''s only temporary. It''s a side effect of turning us invisible." At least I hope it is. Chapter 7: Not so grand escape. We were currently running through the hallways of the mansion. Fortunately, I''ve managed to remember the general layout of the building, so navigating through the corridors wasn''t that huge of a deal. Basically, everything went completely smoothly until we''ve reached the main hall. It was full of people moving around. They were preparing this place for some sort of special event. Was the ritual, which Vladislav mentioned, supposed to happen here? "I-I can''t breathe." I heard Phase. She was breathing very fast with each consecutive breath becoming quicker and more shallow. Oh shit! I forgot that by default invisibility cloak also cuts off the air. It''s a side effect of its sound isolation property. In the game people usually, carry o2 masks with them, so I never encountered this kind of situation before. Also because of my race, I don''t have any oxygen in my storage, and I doubt deuterium or tritium will be of any use. I have to do something before she suffocates, but removing the cloak in such busy place wouldn''t be a good idea. Since the removal produces a sound similar to popping a balloon, It would instantly attract everyone''s attention. I had to think of something real quick, after all, I didn''t want Phase to die, nor I wanted to draw the attention of some unknown powerhouses. I''d really like to use a wormhole right now, but without a psi beacon, guiding me, the exit can appear up to 100km (~62 Miles) from the desired location. Screw it! I will just remove the sound isolation from the cloaking field. It will make some noise, but nobody will be able to see us. With a bit of maneuvering, we''ll be able to safely exit the mansion. "When you hear a bang don''t panic, it''s only a side effect of my ability. It will make it easier for you to breathe, but it will also remove the sound isolation from my invisibility cloak." "S-Sound Is-solation?" She asked while struggling for the air. "Yes, sound isolation. Just remember to not make any noises from now on, ok? Since You don''t have, much time you''ll have to be satisfied with this answer for now" I answered. "Y-Yes." She replied. "Ok, now be quiet," I said and waved my hand. It wasn''t necessary, but I liked making exaggerated movements while using my powers. A loud bang traveled across the hall, and with it, everyone who was currently in the room turned their heads towards us. They were looking for the source of the sudden noise. Fortunately for us, they couldn''t see us, so they just stood there with a surprise painted on their faces. Finally, after few seconds someone has decided to check the source of that noise. A young woman in maid outfit approached us clearly not knowing what to do. "Uhm... There is nothing here." the girl said. I was about to get past the maid when she suddenly stumbled and fell toward us. The time has literally slowed for me as the girl neared the edge of the invisibility cloak, and once she touches it, it will collapse. I could dash away from her, but only if I left Phase behind or risk having her arm ripped off. Well then let''s go with the flow then. If I can''t use stealth, I will use force instead. Albeit I will still try to pin the blame on you Phase. Dispelling the cloak, I pushed the girl away from us. I didn''t use much force, just enough for her to regain the balance. "Aaahhh!" The maid screamed although I''m not sure if she screamed because she saw us or because she was falling. As expected, everyone was currently looking at us, most of the people emanated hostility, I could feel that they are readying themselves to pounce on us at any moment. For an onlooker, it might look intimidating, but for me, it was a pitiful sight. Plenty of broken souls forced to serve under some sort of a vampire family. A genuinely sad view. Somehow I knew I could help them, fix their minds, even despite the fact that I never tried mending minds before. But why should I do it? I owed nothing to them and helping them now, could only be detrimental to me. I''m not some kind of a hero to help everyone I meet.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Some of the servants tried to stealthily leave the room. They were probably trying to report our escape, unfortunately for them, I won''t let this happen. Without making any moves, I locked the surrounding space, freezing everybody inside the room. It was a weak skill which was mostly used to break the opponent''s flow. It wasn''t that hard to free yourself from its influence, even a mid-level player could easily break the lock, but the people inside this room didn''t even reach the low-level standard. Since [Space Lock] was an AoE skill Phase was frozen by it as well, but in her case, she was able to break the lock herself in a few seconds. "What''s goin..." Phase tried asking, but I interrupted her by putting a finger to my lips indicating that she should stay silent. "They can see and hear everything, so you should keep your voice down," I whispered to her. "I understand, but what''s going on? First I can''t see a thing, then I almost get suffocated, and now everything seems frozen in time." She whispered back. "Simply put it''s the ability of mine, but we have no time to waste. We''ve got to leave the mansion before the servants unfreeze." I explained. "Let''s go then." She said before approaching the door leading outside. "Hnng!" Phase pushed the door, but it didn''t even budge. Clap. Clap. Clap. A slow clap resounded throughout the hall. When I turned around, I saw the familiar face of the man whose name was apparently Vladislav. He was standing there with his creepy smile. "Well done Phase. I''ve never thought that you''d be able to escape the cell. I must say I have underestimated you. To think that you can even freeze people in time. How did you get that power?" He was slowly approaching us. "It wasn''t me though." Phase answered. "Lies, lies, lies. Who else could do this? Are you telling me that this girl without even an ounce of magic could do all of this? She has so little magic that I don''t even feel compelled to drink her blood." The man replied. "But it was her." Phase argued. "Oh, please do you take me for a fool? Fine, if you don''t want to talk, then I shall make you do so." The blood flew out of Vlad''s palm and formed a sword in his hand. "Come on!" He yelled while readying himself in a stance. I''m done! I''m not going to prolong this anymore. My cover is already halfway blown and letting Phase fight in my stead will probably not work. I hate it, but I''ll just have to memory wipe everyone after I''m done with Vlad. "Don''t fight him Phase, we''ll be leaving soon. I''m already tired of this." I said with an irritated voice. Without further ado, I pushed at the doors, steadily applying more force until the doors have finally yielded. I wanted to annoy Vladislav a bit, to make him think we''re ignoring him. To my surprise, Vlad has almost dropped his sword from the shock. "Impossible. The door was reinforced with a magic formation. A mere human should not be able to breach it." He exclaimed. "What can I say, I just work out regularly, and besides I''m not a human," I replied nonchalantly. "So, it was you after all..." He replied, shocked even more. "Originally I didn''t want to attract too much attention. But since you saw us, it doesn''t matter now. I''ll just erase any obstacle, so you''d better not stand in my way." I exclaimed. "I don''t know who you truly are and how strong are you, but I know that I can''t afford to let you go now." A strange red aura started seeping out of his body, along with it his muscles begun growing. And with Vlad''s muscles, his appearance also changed he was now looking more like an athlete in his prime than a middle-aged man. "Ready yourself!" Vlad shouted. His muscles bulged, and the man rushed at me with his sword ready to slash at any time. Maybe in my previous life, I would feel threatened by him, but currently, I only felt emptiness. "Useless," I said and slammed him to the ground with a force of 25Gs. "Urghhh! How!? Why is a human child so powerful?" The vampire was barely able to speak under my gravity field. "Didn''t I tell you before that I''m not human," I explained. "Gah. Release me! You said you don''t want to attract attention. Killing me now will only make you stand out even more. How about we make a deal instead?" He tried to bargain with me. "Sorry, It''s too late for negotiations, and I''m already fed up with this whole situation. But don''t worry, I won''t kill you. What I''m going to do will be more unpleasant." It won''t, but scaring him a bit won''t hurt us. I waved my hand lifted him from the ground, bringing him closer to my face. While watching his miserable face, I put my finger on Vlad''s forehead and entered his mindscape. Ugh, I hate this feeling. Luckily, this time I didn''t dive too far into memories, all I did was removing last 10 minutes from Vladislav''s memories. Though erasing them was more tiring than the hunter''s ones. Probably because of Vlad''s higher willpower. After I was done with Vlad, I repeated procedure with the every servant, who saw us earlier. Their minds were already broken, so it wasn''t that much of a hassle. The whole process of memory wiping took me no longer than a minute. Nevertheless, I grabbed Phase and left the mansion wasting no time. After all that effort I wouldn''t want anyone to see me. Info. Worry not! I''m not dead, nor is the fiction dead. I was just struggling with some IRL difficulties that kept me busy for ~2 weeks, and because of that I didn''t have much time to write but now I''m back in business, and the next chapterwill be coming soon. Here is a ~600 word PoV that I''ve scrapped. It''s still somewhat canon, but I won''t include it in the main story. Its quality may be a bit lower since I didn''t proofread it. Spoiler: Phase When I received the information that my daughter may be alive, I was skeptical at first. But after contacting some of my sources, I learned that a little blonde girl was seen with that vampire bitch Sely. I had to check if the rumor was true. I would do anything to rectify my mistake from two months ago, even if costs me my life. I knew the chances that it''s my daughter are very slim, but I had to try. Getting through the town to the mansion wasn''t hard. In fact, it was probably the easiest part of my plan. Surprisingly when I arrived at the gardens, I noticed that security seemed lax. Compared to the time when I stole the shadow gem, the number of guards was significantly lower. Nevertheless, I still didn''t let my guard down, because fewer guards didn''t necessarily mean it was easier to sneak in. I carefully scanned my surroundings, before noticing two guards patrolling the garden. Keeping my distance, I secretly tailed them listening to their conversation. "You heard that? Lady Abysu had brought herself an another girl to toy with." One of the guards said to the other.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Yeah, I even heard that the girl is supposedly a daughter of that thief Phase." The second one replied. As if stirred by his voice, something inside me snapped. Without thinking much, I rushed towards the mansion. I didn''t exactly know where they might have held the girl, but I had a hunch. I closed in on a window of a particular room. It was the only room with bars instead of glass as a window. From what last time, the room was used as a cell for the children they''ve brought. Reaching the bars, I''ve noticed a small girl who was reading a book, because of golden hair covering her face I wasn''t able to see the girl''s face. "I-Ilya is it r-really you?" My voice was trembling. She turned her head towards me. I was finally able to see her face with full clarity. She looked exactly like my daughter. No, she was my daughter! "Stay there, I''m coming for you," I said, barely holding my tears. I used the power of shadow gem to enter the room. It wasn''t a pleasant feeling, but it wasn''t bad either. It just felt different. When I reformed, I noticed that something isn''t right. A huge magic circle was surrounding us. I was caught in a trap. "No!" I screamed, realizing my stupidity. I let my emotions cloud my mind, but unfortunately, it was already too late. A massive force pinned us to the ground. I was barely able to breathe, less much getting away. I could only look at my daughter, who didn''t even resist the force. I cursed myself and my stupidity. How could I do this? How could I doom my daughter and myself? Why did I let my emotions take over me? I had to get us out of this situation, but unfortunately, it didn''t take long for a familiar face to show up. Through the door, Vlad entered the room, with his signature smile painted on his face. "I didn''t think you would fall for such an obvious trap. You''re getting old, Phase." The man said playfully, pissing me off in the process. "Go fuck yourself, Vlad," I replied in anger. "I wouldn''t talk back if I were in your place. After all, in a fit of rage, I might vent my anger on you or THAT little girl. Hahaha!" He threatened me. "What do you want?" I grit my teeth. I had to endure, at least until I find a way to save my daughter. I can''t lose her again.