Episode 1

My name is Ogen and I'm a completely average guy. My daily routine consists of waking up, eating lunch, going to college, eating dinner and sleeping. My parents died in an accident when I was 10 years old and none of the friends I had back then were at my side during that ordeal.

My parents were pretty well off and they left me a decently sized inheritance. My relatives also jumped at the chance of getting even a part of that inheritance. They were being nice to me, whispering sweet things in my ears that they would do if I decided to give them some. They all were trying to suck up to me.

After multiple rejections, they stopped bothering me and getting involved in my life altogether.

It was tough at the beginning. I had to learn how to cook for myself, how to pay taxes, how to use the appliances in our home… Looking back though, it was fun. It distracted me from the death of my parents, and I was excited seeing the progress that the effort I put in rewarded me with.

That routine however would be disrupted today. I was on my way back from college when I zoned out and somehow ended up in a foggy swamp. The fog was difficult to see through and no amount of me blowing it away with my hands would make a change.

The air was very humid, and the grass was wet. It seemed like it rained in that place recently.

Moving from my spot would've gotten me only more lost so I just stood in place. For a while.

Suddenly a singular creature that looked like a firefly approached me. Instead of their normal green light, this one was glowing a deep radiant crimson. As I moved my head to look around, the firefly also followed and remained in my field of vision.

"I suppose there is no other way but to follow this little critter." I said to no one in particular.

It started moving and I quickly followed. The directions we took next didn't make any logical sense. It moved in a straight line first then took a sharp turn to the right and then it zigzagged in a straight line. Soon enough though, I would find myself in a place different from the gray lightless landscape I woke up in.

We stumbled onto a small hill. At the top, I could see a large tree that looked like it lived for at least a hundred years. I could also feel a gentle cold breeze coming so I approached the hill and went up.

What would greet me was that tree that looked larger than any tree I had ever seen in my life. Up close, it looked like it was allowed to grow unabated and cared for a lot longer than a hundred years. Despite its age it seemed full of vitality. Its leaves were as vibrantly green as a young tree that's still in its prime.

On both the left and right were two rocking wooden chairs. On the left chair sat a man that looked to be the same age as me. His eyes were a deep vibrant crimson that glowed in the darkness.

"Oh, sorry about that. I'll get rid of the fog right away." He said before the sound of his fingers snapping echoed through the foggy swamp.

The fog dispersed right away, and I could see that it was night, and it was a full moon. The moonlight illuminated the man's face. His facial and bodily features were sharp. His body looked like it was in peak condition. He had short velvety violet hair.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" His tone sounded harmless and welcoming enough.

If he wanted to do something to me, he would have. If he could control the fog, he could have done other extraordinary things that would have put my life in danger a long time ago. I approached the chair that I now realized was cushioned.

The cushion was red and upon putting some weight on it, it was soft, but it held its shape pretty well. I sat down and we stared into each other's eyes for at least half an hour from that point onward without saying a word.

I decided to break the ice.

"Where am I?" I said as I relaxed into the chair.

"This place is close to where I live. I always come here when I want to relax or think." His voice was suave and alluring. Many a girls would love to talk to this guy.

Before I could continue, he held his hand in front of me, palm open, to interrupt me. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question."

"How did you get here? Humans can't access this place unless invited." The look in his eyes was serious.

Humans? Does he mean to say that he is something else outside of a human?

"That's what I would like to know. I was on my way back from college and at some point, I found myself in this place." I said as I arched my back forward and propped my elbows onto my thighs, supporting my chin with the back of my hand.

"Interesting." He was silent for a bit after saying that.

"You called me a human. Are you trying to say that you are not one? Was that firefly that guided me over here your doing?" I began to enter the zone and became the cold and clinical self that was avoided by others.

"To answer your first question. I am a vampire. A family leader in fact. And to answer your second question, that little creature was indeed my doing." He seemed relaxed.

"...Can you prove that somehow?" I was careful not to let my emotions show on my face or in my speech. Who knew what this guy would do to me if I pissed him off.

"Hmm… What would you like me to do?" What an amazing question.

"How should I know what a vampire like you is capable of?" I sounded slightly exasperated as I said that.

"You are right. Sorry." After he said that he swiftly cut his left wrist.

Blood began to flow from his wrist down his hand and onto the wet grass. He then closed his eyes and the blood that began to flow out of his wrist's veins faster and faster, suddenly stopped in midair as it was falling.

That blood then floated back up into the palm of his hand as it accumulated into a marble. That marble of blood floated above the palm of his hand. He extended his hand toward me, palm fully open when that sphere then turned into a wheel that seemed to spin at blistering speeds for an object of such a small size. It wasn't larger than a bracelet.

After a few moments, that wheel then turned liquid again and turned into a small puddle in his palm. I could barely notice it, but his wrist had already healed by then.

"Okay. Okay. That's enough. I believe you." To say I was surprised would have been an understatement. Luckily it did not show on my face, an ability that came easy to me as someone that is not very emotional.

"It's strange though. I would have expected a human to freak out or try to run away." He said, expecting an immediate response.

"If you can do that and lift this fog and on top of that even own this place, there would be no point." I said as I relaxed back into the chair again and enjoyed the comfortable cushion.

"True enough. You are a strange human. You don't seem to be panicked or surprised. I can barely read you." That sentence earned a right eye twitch from me, reminding me of the way I am.

I couldn't help but sigh in annoyance.

"People don't like me because I'm cold. Non-emotional. Boring. I have already faced a good enough amount of torment because of that. Nobody wanted to be around me or speak with me."

I could see the smallest tinge of sympathy in his eyes.

"Humans are cruel like that, huh?"

I only nodded silently.

"My name is Barakia." The man said as he got up and approached me with his hand extended for a handshake.

"Ogen." I said after I approached him and met him for the handshake.

"Since we are acquaintances now, I should probably show you what I really look like." As he said that his crimson eyes glowed, turning them into a much brighter shade of red.

Red mist formed around him in the shape of a tornado. After a couple of moments, that mist would dissipate. His visage now looked more like he was a 50-year-old man. He had an amazing looking, well-groomed beard that would make any man jealous. His facial features had become a lot more worn out, but he retained the same physical features. He was still as tall as me at 187 cm.

He was now wearing a military uniform with a lot of strange looking accolades strapped to his uniform's left breast. It was black and had floral looking gold accents.

"Do vampires have a military?"

"No. It's just something I had one of my subordinates bring from the human world. I did put some of my own spins on it to make it look my style." I couldn't fault him for that. He had good tastes.

He looked into my eyes for a bit. His eyes though looked vacant, as if he was reminiscing about something or being in deep thought.

"How old are you?" That was a strange question coming from a vampire.

"I turned 20 two months ago, in September."

He remained silent for a while until he sighed, his exasperation obvious in his voice.

"I am far too old to give you an accurate number… but I have lived for over 2000 years." It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't know if he should.

"You know, I have a daughter. She is 500 years old now, but she looks just as young as you. We vampires mature at a much slower rate than you humans, so I thought…" His words became stuck in his throat.

"Come out and say it. This shyness does not fit someone as old and wise as you." My exasperation with his roundaboutness was evident in my voice.

He sighed.

"I want to ask you for help." Now that was surprising.

"With your daughter?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry Barakia… but my parents died 10 years ago. I don't know what you should do as a parent. I haven't had any." That came out a lot more bitter than I expected.

"No. It's my fault. Sorry. I shouldn't have asked anyway." Barakia looked disappointed.

"I can at the very least listen. But not now. The sun seems to be coming up." I said as I looked towards the rising sun in the distance, painting our surroundings with faint shades of red.

He looked at the sun and then at me.

"I understand. Whenever you want to meet up just whisper my name and you will be summoned into my Silent Garden." His eyes followed me as I got up from the chair.

"I'll bring you some stuff tomorrow that may allow you to learn more about us since you seem so curious." I said as I turned to face the way out which looked like the same fog as before but turned into the shape of a doorway.

I looked behind him and with a smile… "I'll see you next time."