1 Awakening

My head, it hurts...'

Those where Alfred's first thoughts when he awoke. His head was aching it was as if someone cracked his skull open.

As he gathered his consciousness back together he realized he was resting on a cold bed made of steel, his surroundings we're damp and filthy. On the ceiling was a dimly lighted lamp powered by a clear viscous liquid that was coloured murky brown.

'Who am I?

Alfred struggled to recall his identity, his memories were in a shamble. The more he thought about his memories the more his head hurt, it was as if something was clawing it's way inside his skull.

After struggling immensely, he gave up on collecting his memories for the moment. He soon tried to move his body.

Alfred sloppily tried to move his arm but it was to no avail. Rusted chains were seen tying up his two arms and legs, on his neck was a collar made from sturdy steel tied to his bed. Feeling the biting cold of the wind he struggled to get his chains off but the strength left in him was not enough.

'What... What is this?'

Alfred thought as he touched a bright red gem that was inserted in his right hand, he tried to touch it but a sudden shock from his collar stopped him. His head loudly crashed into the sturdy steel bed rendering him unconscious.

Alfred was awoken by the sound of a metal door hitting the wall.

A large creature about 4 meters tall, with dark red fur and the skull of a moose as a head. Its hooves cracked with power as it's stepping were getting louder and closer.

The creature seemed to be like a minotaur from legend. It was crouching, struggling to fit into the tiny room. Its jaw started to open revealing 4 rows of sharpened teeth and a black tongue, it seemed like it was speaking but all Alfred could here was gibberish.

After it "spoke" silence ensued, it's red glowing eyes stared at Alfred. It felt like it was looking at his soul, it's mouth was no longer moving. It was now wide open and the sound of frightening laughter came out.

The common man would have been paralyzed due to fear or even pass out, but Alfred resisted the urge to gouge his eyes out. He tried to communicate with it using simple words and phrases.

"Ummm, where am I?

Alfred's voice was steady on the outside but in the inside he was mentally crying.

The creature seemed confused, it was I'm a daze. It was surprising that Alfred was capable of speech yet it couldn't understand him.

It places his bony hands on Alfred's small head and it sensed something, it was no longer laughing. Soon after that he left the room but not before leaving a murky brown liquid in a glass bottle beside Alfred's bed.

'What the fuck did I just witness?

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain going through his head.

The pain was immense and brought with it a torrent of familiar and strange memories. Those memories clashed unto one another. Alfred's eyes turned bloodshot red as he fainted.

Hours passed until he awoke, his head still in pain. All the memories were scattered, he couldn't understand it.

When he awoke he found his arms no longer chained, his legs no longer crippled yet his skin was still deathly pale.

His eyes darted around the room hoping to find an explanation to his miraculous recovery. At the corner of the room stood his answer, a humanoid being with long thin fingers wearing what seemed to be a plague doctor's outfit.

It spoke with a cold a chilling voice. "You seem to have awoken, your wounds were though to heal."

Alfred tried to speak but the Plague Doctor's bony hands quickly covered his mouth.

"You need not speak young man, you are fortunate enough to be able to stay conscious at all. Speaking will only tire you"

Alfred's head was spinning, trying to find a rational explanation to the events that have happened.

The doctor reached in his pockets to retrieve a bright red liquid contained within a glass bottle, it was like a potion of some kind

"Before your frail mind faints again, I urge you to drink this. You should feel a lot better, you may even remember who you are"

Alfred was surprised the "doctor" knew his case of amnesia, still he didn't trust him. There was an instinct ingrained in his mind to be wary and untruthful to strangers.

Alfred tried to refuse his offer but, the doctors right hand was still on top of his mouth. The doctor removed his hand, suddenly he moved his fingers in a triangular manner, or was as if it was casting a spell. Suddenly Alfred's mouth went ajar, his mouth stretched to an unnatural degree.

"If need to remind you, I am in control here. Your life is in my hands, so you need to cooperate. If not, then only The Old Gods will know what will happen to you"

The doctor poured the liquid into alfred's mouth without a qualm for his consent.

Alfred's pupils horrifyingly rolled back into its socket, from his nose dripped a sticky black colored mucus. His body spasamed, his skin blistered and his arms grew claws.

After what seemed like an eternity he body calmed down his skin turned back to normal. All the effects disappeared and Alfred returned to normal.

"Fascinating, his resistance to the potion was amazing. It was greater than everything in the records of truth. Though the claws were an unexpected but welcome mutation"

"If I succeed in this, then my masters life wouldn't be for naught. I might even have a chance to avenge him, who knows"

"Dracule, bring him to his designated quarters.  I expect him to wake in a few days, still I would make haste."

The same creature from before appeared and carried Alfred with its long and bony hands, its eyes were pitch black yet it showed it was capable of intelligence.

It walked on the stone pavement, each step reverbed on the floor. It passed a 8 rooms in total. Each room housing a unique specimen, some mortal some not. Either way all of them screeched and howled but it was not because of the horrifying monster, but because of the unconscious Alfred.

The monster ignored their ravings and continued onward towards Alfred's room.