Salthazar shrugged, night had fallen and the knights set up camp near an old swamp. Suddenly a loud cry could be heard, a young blonde haired boy came rushing out of the underbrush, a massive creature chasing after him. Salthazar sighed, “curse these Vampswills and their foul magicks!” he pulled out his sword, though it was no Excalibur, not yet, and struck down the strange bug creature. Upon closer inspection it seemed to be some overgrown wood eating thing. He turned to the terrified boy. “Are you alright lad?” he offered softly, holding an armored hand out. His armor was a dark red to represent the land of fire.

The boy hesitantly took his hand and stood up, dusting himself off. “I am fine your majesty”, he noticed the royal crest upon the armor the other wore. “Simply scraped and bruised is all, those Vampswills and their magickks are an intense lot they are.”

Salthazar nodded in approval, “you would be right about that my boy”

Suddenly, a man appeared from the treeline, “boy! where did you run off to?” came the call of a man dressed in a black cloak with an orange oni mask covering his face.

The boy ran over to hug his leg, the man picked him up and looked at the King, “thank you for finding my nephew your highness”, he bowed his head in thanks as he spoke.

“No problem, some odd creature was chasing after the poor boy, I couldn’t very well stand by as one of my subjects is devoured by some horrid Vampswill’s magicks.” Salthazar supplied as he spoke with a soft voice.

The masked man nodded, setting the boy down, the child made to walk back into the wood with his uncle, before Salthazar called over to him, “boy, what is your name?”

The boy turned to him, blank eyed and stone faced, if one studied the boy’s emotionless eyes they would see nothing but silent hatred. “My name is Zillah.”

The two then departed and Salthazar was left to scratch his head in confusion at why the child’s bone chillingly cold eyes had been filled with the hatred of a man ten times his young age…

Elsewhere, Carbel sat in his tower, lightly humming to himself as he worked on a larger pair of robes for his son. Zillah entered the tower, followed by the masked man.

“Mother, why did you not tell me of your uncle?” he asked as the masked man vanished before Carbel turned around.

“Uncle? I have many uncles, the one closest to my mother was Varn. He always-” Carbel found himself cut off by his son.

“Wears an orange oni mask. I met him in the forest, he saved me from the giant termite demon colony. But one escaped his Vampira and chased me through the forest.” he paused for a long time before he spoke again. His voice was flat and dead. “ It was there, it was there I met my father for the first time.”

When his son finished speaking, Carbel found himself shivering in pure rage.

“You...saw him? Well then, for the next few years we will have to amplify your training.”

Zillah nodded, his fists clenched, “He spoke about Vampswill as if we were filth…”

His mother pulled his son close, “You didn't use any Vampira or magicks did you?” a chord of worry echoed through his soft tone. Vampira was the magic that Vampswill used.

“No no of course not mother, he wasn't any the wiser and he even saved me from the monster.” Zillah pressed his face into his mother’s chest, wrapping his arms around his mother’s waist. “Mother I don't want ever, to be separated from you again...I’d never let myself be caught by him, not now I'm not strong enough, I must get stronger.”

Carbel held Zillah close and tight, settling him in for a meal of roasted milk maid, for it was a well known fact vampires of Diure devoured humans whose sins had become so great it grew like a curse to their blood. That curse was a beacon for demons. Fortunately, Salthazar was not a full human, but a Vampire with no Vampira, which would only help Crabel in the end..