Vampire Reincarnation

However not all hope is lost… Deep inside me there is a power that can put anyone to their early death…

The voice boomed throughout the hall, and Kai's legs shook as the presence bore down on him even harder. Unsure of how to react, he stood there and waited for for whoever it was that made him stop moving. 'MY Orchid Merchant Organisation' he says… does that mean he's… Orphelia's dad? Kai gulped at the thought, now clear to him more than ever than his earlier outburst alerted the man. Why not send the guards then? Does he want to make an example out of me?!

"Sir… this is…" The butler began, however his sentence was cut short by the man.

"Silence Francois, can he not speak for himself?" He yelled as he walked past the entrance, his figure becoming clear under the fading sun. He had long locks of ebony hair, with an impressive beard and jawline. He was muscular to a surprising extent, and his blue eyes seemed to be able to reach within Kai's soul. However if he had any such powers, he would be able to see Kai's face beneath the mask, and his reaction wouldn't be as mild.

"Sir, I am a friend of Orph- the Young Miss." Kai said, correcting himself despite his nervous voice. "I just wanted to meet her, we're old friends!"

"Old friends?…" The man muttered, his vision turning hazy as he searched within his memories. His pupils widened soon though, as he looked at the scrawny youth in front of him. "She did mention someone had saved her a year ago or so… Could it be you?"

"Yes sir, that's me! I met her by chance when I was travelling." Kai replied, omitting the saving her part. He knew that flaunting such accomplishments would be too vain, as the man already knew the truth.

However the man frowned once again. He waved his hand, releasing Kai from his pressure, and waved for him to follow.

Kai didn't dare lag behind, quickly walking past the butler with his head lowered and Onyx following suit.

The inside of the building made Kai feel even poorer than before, as long sets of red carpet decorated the floors, each one leading to a different room. Statues of bronze and brass decorated the hallway crafted out of a majestic white marble. Chandeliers, all identical to each other, hung from the ceiling, each of its branches holding one small, yet extremely luminescent light crystall; They sat a couple of meters apart, illuminating every corner of the building.

Kai followed the large man behind the stairwell, where a door crafted out of a dark brown wood swung open at his mere presence. Awesome…

It revelead an office-like room with green walls decorated by classy paintings. A desk made out of solid dark wood completed the image, behind which was a large window toward the outside. Papers and documents were stewn about, with each corner messier than the other.

The man sat down at the desk, the chair creaking under his weight, and signaled for Kai to sit opposite him. The boy did as told and climbed up on the chair. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it wasn't bad either.

Silence filled the room for a few moments before the man cleared his throat. "I know she gave you a letter, please show it to me." Kai didn't hesitate to pull it out, letting the man inspect it. After reading it, his expression softened slightly, and he handed the letter back to Kai. "Tell me what you remember on that day, as much as you can. I want to confirm that it is really you and not someone who wants to take advantage of my family."

Kai gulped and swalloed his own saliva, then recounted as much of the battle as he could. Being that he was fighting for his life with a set of, hard to admit, but mediocre sword skills. He couldn't recall what the bandits looked like, neither face or clothing, but he did recall what Orphelia was transporting that day. After all it was hard to forget such spices, herbs, pelts and corpses.

After hearing Kai's story, the man nodded and stood up. Before Kai could even reach, he gave him a deep, ninety degree bow, and said in a solemn voice. "Thank you very much for saving my daughter that day. If it you hadn't intervened, I'm afraid the graveyard would have a stone with her name on it. I sincerely thank you, thank you…" A tear even dropped down onto his desk, sullying a hopefully-not-important document.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Kai's heart shook upon hearing the man's heartfelt thanks, blood rushing all throughout his body as a weird feeling formed in his stomach. He wasn't sure what it was, but the gratitude and honesty emitting from the man made him feel weak.

"Please, you don't need to-" Kai tired to lift the man, waving his hands in front of him, however the man didn't allow him to finish the sentence.

"No, this is the least I can do." He said, his body still at a ninety degree angle. "My daughter's life is more precious than the entire Organisation. However I cannot afford to gift you my livelihood, so the least I can do is present to you my gratitude." However, much to Kai's relief, the man rose up and sat back down. His eyes looked at Kai with a certain tenderness, not noticing the uncomfortable situation the boy was in.

"Ahem," Vlad cleared his throat and picked up some papers, arranging them in a neat stack. "I overheard you were looking for Orphelia. Sorry to say but she's gone in the capital. She went there for the first time after you saved her, to visit my son, and ever since then she's wanted to return. A few months ago I gave her the opportunity, to manage one of our companies. It's a failing one, and she's got three years to revive it. Wether or not she succeeds will tell me if she is fit to lead the business going forward."

Kai's expression fell after hearing where Orphelia was, but in the end all he could do was sigh. I guess I'll see everyone in the capital then… That tought lifted his mood ever so slightly, though he couldn't be sure what the future held for him. "Uhm…" His lips parted, "I don't want to be rude but what about your son, could he not inherit the business?"

"Ahahaha," Vlad erupted in laughter. "That son of mine cannot manage his own finances, let alone an entire organisation's. Besides he only wishes to study the blade, magic and nothing else. I sent him to the Magic Academy early via some sort of genius program, and he's barely come home since."

Really? Well I guess it's not that suprising. Kai thought, nodding briefly at the man's explanation. "I hope Orphelia manages to become the official heir then."

However, as Kai finished that sentence, the man's gaze turned colder as he eyed Kai like a vulture. "You… are your eyes on my daughter, by any chance?"

Kai's face instantly reddened at the question, and he stuttered as he shook his head. "No no no, sir how could I… definetely not."

"So are you saying she's not good enough for you then?!" He roared with a faint smile.

"I didn't-"

"Bwahahaha!" Vlad laughed, leaning back on his chair and slapping the table with a moderate amount of force. "Kid you should have seen yourself. I can tell that your face is redder than the carpet on my floor. Bwahahah!"

The man's teasing words took Kai by surprise, after all, he fully believed that Vlad was serious. Look at him, a man his age talking about stuff like that… aren't I only thirteen here?! He felt quite wronged about the entire thing, however he could let out an awry chuckle as he tried to calm down.

"I have to ask though," Vlad began after ceasing his laughter. "Why are you wearing that mask, it's so ugly and worn out. I get protecting your identity but, you can do better! Plus that thing won't help you against people with the 'Special Eyes'."

Special Eyes again… I think someone else mentioned them at some point, but I completely forgot who. I hope he doesn't have special eyes…

"I… the last one I had was destroyed when I had a slight misunderstanding with someone."

"Slight misunderstanding?" Vlad repeated, raising an eyebrow, taking a closer look at Kai's attire. "I knew someone like you who travels between cities wouldn't lead an easy life, but people have 'slight misunderstanding' with you, a child?"

Kai chuckled awkardly as he rubbed the back of his head, adjusting the hood to cover his hair better at the same time. "I'm not exactly a saint either, you know…"

"Haha," Vlad got up and circled the desk, glancing at the sitting Onyx before turning to Kai. "I can tell. Tell ya what kid, I will let you pick a few pieces of equipement from my shop, and can have a better mask with some enchantements comissioned for you. That is, if you are willing. On top of that you can have a permament discount on any of the shops owned by the Orchid Merchant Organisation." He flicked his wrist and a platinum-colored card appeared between his fingers, and he placed it within Kai's hands.

"I can also get you a reccomandation letter for the Magic Academy."

"Ah," Kai looked at the card, able to see the reflection of his burned up mask and dirty cloak within. Knowing the value of the card, he didn't hesitate to store it within his ring. "Thank you sir… About the Magic Academy, I already have a reccomandation letter. Well, more of a guranteed entry? Arthur wrote it for me and sent it to Aina."

"Huh? Arthur… you mean… the Headmaster?! And by Aina you mean… the… the Elven Leader of the Northern Gate?!!"

Kai nodded, and the man's joyous smile froze on his lips for a second before he shook his head with an awry expression.