1 Purple Butterfly
The road stretched endlessly as the car raced along the desolate highway. The surrounding scenery dominated the entire horizon, while the sunset mirrored the brilliance of spessartite. The family of four relished the view of the national park through their partially open windows.
"Wow..." a thirteen-year-old boy exclaimed.
"Yeah, just wait until we reach the waterfall," another sixteen-year-old in the back seat commented.
"Yeah... yeah, I can't wait for that," the thirteen-year-old replied with excitement.
The Bryer family was in the midst of their vacation in Crimsonrock National Park. The park covered an expansive area of ten thousand square kilometers, encompassing various ecosystems.
They drove for another two hours until they arrived at a cliffside. A narrow paved road ran parallel to the cliff, and they parked the car on the left side, finding an open spot near the woods to spread their blanket.
"I want to see the waterfall... Can we go? Can we go?" Austin, the thirteen-year-old boy, was eager to see the waterfall.
"Yes, honey, we'll go there once we've sorted out all our things, okay?"
"Okay," the boy nodded eagerly.
"I'm going for a walk," Drew, the sixteen-year-old boy, told his mom.
"Don't go too far; there are plenty of swamps out there."
"Yeah, don't worry, I won't stray too far."
He strolled towards the nearby forest, observing his surroundings, when he noticed a flickering light amidst the bushes. He approached the bush and peered inside, spotting a peculiar butterfly emitting a purple glow.
As he took a closer look, the butterfly flew away in a specific direction. Quickly grabbing his phone to capture a photo, he found the butterfly constantly moving and refusing to stay still.
He pursued the butterfly for a minute, losing track of his surroundings. When the butterfly landed on a tree trunk, he hastily snapped a picture with his phone.
Upon examining the image, he discovered the butterfly had vanished. Confused, he glanced back at the tree trunk, but the butterfly was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did it go?" He scanned the surroundings but found no trace of it.
*Sigh*
As he turned to leave, drowsiness washed over him. When he instinctively placed his hand on his head, he felt something sticky. Examining his hands, he discovered his palms smeared with purple liquid.
He attempted to wipe it on his pants, but it wouldn't come off. Meanwhile, his dizziness intensified, and his vision grew blurry.
Struggling to maintain balance, he leaned against a nearby tree, but before reaching it, he lost consciousness.
...
...
...
"HAH... *PANT* *PANT*"
He awoke, gasping for air. He remembered chasing the peculiar butterfly in the forest when sudden unconsciousness overtook him.
"Keith, have you awakened?" A voice he didn't recognize reached his ears.
As he turned to look, he saw an elderly man sitting in a chair. The man wore a black tuxedo and held a cane in his hands.
"Who are you? And where am I?" Lost in unfamiliar surroundings, he didn't know what to do and directly questioned the old man.
"You've lost your memories? Can't you recognize me?"
"I haven't..." Before he could finish speaking, a sudden migraine interrupted his train of thought.
Unknown memories of a stranger flooded his mind. Once all the memories were absorbed, he opened his eyes.
"Grandpa Lex?" he inquired, addressing the old man.
"It seems you still possess your memories." The old man rose from his chair and approached him.
"Now, get some rest. I will send someone to provide you with blood when you need it." With those words, he turned and exited the room.
"And don't dwell on the past; it will serve you no purpose."
"... " He had no opportunity to respond, as the door slammed shut.
He got out of bed and sifted through the memories he had just received. From what he could recall, he found himself in a vampire colony within the Reinez continent, ruled by the vampire race.
He was a descendant of a vampire count and was supposed to inherit the title, but his frail body and lack of talent made him the subject of ridicule within the family.
His uncle vehemently opposed his claim and instead suggested passing the title to his son Marvin, who had already reached the seventh stage of the blood-condensation phase. Marvin was nearly as strong as a baron at his age.
With his talent and robust physique, nearly everyone agreed to bestow the count's title upon him. However, the final decision rested with the family elder, his grandfather Lex.
Although fond of Keith, Grandpa Lex had to remain impartial in the matter of inheritance. He didn't want internal conflicts to tear the family apart.
Keith recalled walking through the castle corridor when Marvin began taunting him, specifically mentioning his father and how he abandoned Keith because of his weakness.
Enraged, Keith turned to strike Marvin, but Marvin employed his blood qi to pierce Keith's stomach, leaving him incapacitated.
"You shouldn't exist in this world, loser." Those were the last words Keith heard before losing consciousness.
Now remembering the incident, he placed his hand on his stomach, which had returned to normal.
"Grandpa must have done something to heal me."
"Why do I feel such a strong connection to him? I hardly know him. Could it be because of these memories?"
He longed to return to his world, to his family, but he didn't know how. He sat down on the bed, contemplating how he could find a way back to his world.
"But first, I need to survive in this world."
He rose and approached the mirror, where he saw his reflection. Standing at 5'10", he appeared slightly scrawny, but his pale and captivating face possessed a certain charm.
His red eyes emitted a cold aura. He noticed something on his forehead, lifting his dark brown hair to reveal a purple mark engraved on his skin.
"Is that the butterfly blood?"
The incident involving the strange purple butterfly had brought him to this world, and now there was a mark on his forehead matching the butterfly's blood. He didn't understand the reason for his arrival, but he was determined to uncover the truth.
