“Wait!” suddenly finding his voice, he almost shouted. And then he felt stupid as the woman took a half turn to look back. “Is there anyway to show my gratitude for saving my life?”

“No need. You’ll leave tomorrow.”

“I… You are the first person I saw in weeks. Could you at least tell me where I am?”

“Oh don’t act all innocent now!”

“Innocent?”

“You either think that I believe you acting all confused, or truly straight out of the forest. But I don’t care which it is. In the end you are just like the rest or you’ll be.”

“Out of the forest? I don’t know what it means but is surely am… At least could you tell me what the rest are?”

The woman sighed before answering.

“I can see through your mirage, with ease” the woman paused for a moment, as if she was thinking. Maybe he was telling the truth. It was easy for her to look through a vampire’s mirage and see the real creature, but this one’s was really weak… as if he was in fact newly made. “A vampire. That’s what you are, if you truly didn’t know. And it’s almost certain a newest addition of the Qvilick North-Forestern Clan. That’s how they usually do this. They turn someone, then toss them out in this region to see if they survive or not. They are a bunch of nasty bastards if you ask… well, probably anybody else but them.”

Freyan was left silenced by these words. Even if they were not much, he couldn’t take them lightly. It was clear as day that even if this woman appeared to be human, she know much more about these things than him. And he was almost overwhelmed by the so many new information now. Yet many words meant nothing to him.

“Mirage?” he looked puzzled at the woman.

Something seemed to change in her attitude as Freyan asked questions again and again. That coldness, that strictness seemed to lift little by little. As if she couldn’t keep up the appearance.

“Do I have to tell you everything?” she turned to Freyan.

“I would much appreciate it so, I’ll be in your debt.”

“I don’t know if ever I need such favor… Very well, I answer your questions, until I get tired of them. You’ve really never learnt about the ways of magic before, have you?”

“No…”

“People above can be so ignorant these days” she sighed again. “All right. Let’s start with the mirage. Vampires, and also other human like magical beings have, or can have a faint magical aura, that hides their true aspects from humans. Well… it works only with common people. Those who understands magic will see through such a disguise easily.”

“I see. So you are a magic user?”

“Obviously. And you hardly see a human here who doesn’t know how to use magic a little. You are in the Second Side, or Axzavion. Magic is more powerful here. Hence the more magical and dangerous creatures.”

“Like the one that chased me…”

“Yes. The phantasm can be dangerous even to the more experienced, if they caught unprepared. Listen… I don’t have hopes for you, to be honest. But if you have a little humanity inside you, don’t kill an innocent. Please.”

Many things have happened to Freyan in these last few days. Many things, that would shock him so much if he were still human, that he wouldn’t be able to get around his mind. Struck by fear, he would’ve been dead, eaten by the first wild animal or monster he met. Yet, something was different. With his new self, he always moved on, shutting out disturbing thoughts if needed. But this sentence hit him in his chest so hard, it literally ached.

“Kill?” he asked hesitantly. “Why would I kill anyone? Least an innocent?”

“Don’t fool yourself! And don’t try to fool me! Vampires drink blood, that makes them tick. Even if you haven’t got the chance to do it… You really thought you’ll make it through the coming month, or even the weeks without human blood?”

“Human… blood?” the thought terrified Freyan. And in the same time, even the mention of it, made him feel like a dried leaf. He fed when the night started, but now he felt as if it didn’t matter at all after just mentioning such thing. Moreover there was no way defying the fact the fight with the phantasm left him thin on energy. He opened him mouth trying to fight the dryness in his throat. His claws started to grow. His eyes gleamed up for a short time. He felt feral instincts trying to take over his mind.

“What’s happening to me?” he asked almost shacking.

“This is what I was talking about” she answered, than stepped back pointing her staff at him. This is the moment, she thought, when he will attack.

Freyan plucked all his claws in to the ground as the unpleasantness of the thirst turned into pain in span of a few seconds. He started to shiver. He looked around, but it was meaningless. Even as he saw the woman right before him, and moments before he heard the animals moving about somewhere behind the house, he could not hear even a single heart beat. So he didn’t move besides trembling. Not knowing what to do panic took over his mind.

Even the mysterious woman started to have her doubts after long moments. Still she stood ready. Even as the Great Spirits started to talk to her suddenly.

“He must not die...” spoke the first voice only she could hear.

“… Not on sacred land” continued the other as if the wind itself spoke.

She could still feel their presence. The Spirits still lingered near her as if they had still other things to tell. But as usual the Great Spirits wasn’t the ones just to chatter. She took an other deep breath.

“I don’t have to watch this!” she said it out loud. Then she took her staff in to one hand and tapped with it on the ground. In an instant the earth seemed to swallowed her. She emerged behind her house where Freyan couldn’t see her.