Everything was black.

That was what I assumed until I realized that black was just how we interpret a shade of color with a complete lack of hue. It was not that the visible light was totally absorbed or being absent, but the inability in my side to actually sense it. I didn't know if it's any different, but this time, it just felt like.. darkness. Complete darkness.

I also couldn't quite tell if ‘feel’ would suit the most to describe how I experienced or perceived things back ‘here’. There was no sound to be heard, flavor to be tasted, scent to be smelled, or even things to be touched in this expanse of unending darkness.

While hovering around would be the best way to describe the sensation, I couldn't tell whether I was drifting or was I pinned to one point in space.

It was pleasantly quiet. All things that had happened could be left behind, not that I could remember any. With no grasp of the concept of time running here, this relentless darkness could possibly last forever but felt like just a brief or even vice versa.

Eventually, I felt like I was starting to become the universe itself since there existed nothing else, and I was the only thing present. The images of me as a human with body and limbs started fading away. I couldn't see any part of my body, but the impression of it splitting apart into pixels started emerging onto the surface.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out of nowhere within my head. “Kid, listen.”

“Wha— who's there?” I confused, started to look around, searching for the sound source.

“Finally you can hear me,” the voice gave a sigh clue.

“Are you a grim reaper? Is this the afterlife? What hap—” I was still trying to look around, but was cut midsentence.

“Chill. You have no time for those questions. At least for now,” the voice sounded reassuring.

“What do you mean?” I baffled, started to lose patience as the manly voice didn't get to his point faster, contradicting what he'd said that I had no time.

“Three metallic spheres lodged inside your back. In the process, one destroyed a couple of fragments of your spine. You fell freely from a height of a hundred feet. The majority of your bones are broken and the shards shred your muscles. You're doomed,” he explained

“...” I couldn't say a word. The fact that I didn't feel any pain, made me doubt what he had said. But figuring out how I ended up in this situation, nothing else could be more convincing than this.

“Now listen to my offer. I will try to heal you as much as I can, but in exchange, let me get inside your consciousness. The time is running slower here in your subconscious, but reckoning the pitiful state you're in, I still have no time answering any of your queries,” he emphasized now rather quickly.

“Does that mean you'll take over control of all of my body?” I couldn't help my curiosity.

“I'll… probably be able at some point. But I won't. There's no reason to do so,” he pondered for a moment but ended convinced. Hearing his hesitation, I started to believe what he was saying. But before I got a chance to say whatever I'd say, he continued. “Deal?”

“Uhh.. sure” as soon as I finished my word, a beam of light gradually lit up in front of me. It continuously grew until the once-all-dark universe became completely bright. Looking down, I saw my hands fading into existence. I started to realize that I was incorporeal the whole time in the darkness.

Seeing nothing aside from myself, I sensed a soothing smile directed at me, before all of a sudden, everything turned back dark as I went unconscious.

--

‘Kid. Sleepyhead. Wake up.’ The same voice awoke me.

Opening my eyes, I found it surprisingly easy to adjust my vision to the sudden exposure of bright, despite being closed for what I supposed to be a long time. Except, it wasn't bright at all. There was obviously light since I could see the sea of mixtures between boulders and rocks around me, but mainly the light couldn't reach where I was.

Looking up, I saw the blue sky with clouds scattered here and there that I missed a lot by now. Hanging at the edge of my eyesight were two high grounds, ended at the edge, and stood before each other─ a narrow cliff.

‘..Kid!’ the mysterious man's voice snapped me back.

“Uh, Yes! Sorry I was distracted. Wait, where are you?” I puzzled, couldn't quite figure where the sound came from.

‘I'm INSIDE you,’ the man emphasized.

“Whoa, that sounds erotic for some reason,” I teased expressionlessly, the man sighed. ‘So I can talk to you only by thinking of it?’ I asked mentally, trying if it was actually possible.

‘Yes, kid, you can,’ he retorted unexcitedly as if tired with my shallowness.

“Kid, kid, kid. I have a name!” I shouted aloud since I wasn't accustomed to talking mentally.

‘If you do that publicly, people will definitely call you crazy,’ he let off his amusement as hard as if he had never laughed in a century.

‘Duh, thank you for the reminder,’ I rolled my eyes, indicating my sarcastic sentence, bringing me to wonder whether he could see what I did.

As if reading my mind, he warned me, ‘I can see your eyes rolling.’

Surprised, I halted and let out a stiffened face. ‘You can read my mind?’, I asked with an increasing tone out of my curiosity.

‘No. That's why I don't know your name,’ he revealed.

‘Oh, great. It's Kai,’ I voiced simply.

‘What?’

‘My name is Kai Antoine Frederik. Or Kai Frederik. But Kai is enough,’ I spelled out further, getting up to my feet and started walking around. ‘So what ARE you that you can be inside me?’ I interrogated him.

He paused for a moment. ‘I'm a vampire. I was─’

‘You're a WHAT?’ I stopped midway, interrupting him as I couldn't hold my surprise.

‘I'm a vampire.’ he repeated. ‘I was for some reason forcibly pulled into you. But since I have no idea how to get out, nor what will happen if you die, I chose to save you,’ he paused briefly, ‘but partly because I was irritated by the one possessing the girl.’

‘Wait, so Sheryl was possessed by a vampire, and it wasn't actually her, and you are the very same creatures as that horrifying blood-sucking species??’ I made sure with an intense tone.

‘Your explanation sounds kinda insulting. And don't compare me with those mere commoners! I'm a Gentry. A noble of my kind,’ he insisted.

‘Yea whatever. But you killed her!’ I yelled immaturely.

Without a delay, he rebutted my complaint immediately, ‘That's a rather rude accusation for the one saving your life, kid.’

‘It's Kai.’ I stressed, narrowing my eyes. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Sure, Kai. I indeed took over your body when you fainted back then and defeat the commoners, but I didn't kill the girl,’ he clarified casually. With a hint of either curiosity or purely teasing, he went on to his suspicion, ‘Besides, why do you care so much about her?’

‘Oh.’ I responded awkwardly, couldn't hide my embarrassment, I blushed even more, ‘I.. liked her since high school.’

‘Pfft.’, he laughed as loud if not louder as he did the first time. ‘I don't know what high school is, but I say you're quite popular for a stuttered guy to be visited by a girl of his liking.’

‘Don't mock me, I have a history.’ This time I was serious.

Seeing my reaction, his laughter constantly lessened until he sent a snappy answer with a weighty tone, ‘Everybody does. Not sure if I want to know any glimpse of that for now.’

‘Why is it, are you in a hurry or something?’ me asking with an innocent tone, trying to lower the apparently increasing intensity.

‘It's been six months since you fell and went unconscious here. We better get moving,’ he explained concisely.

“SIX months??” I gushed loudly as I couldn't contain my shock. “H.. how─ never mind.” I was speechless. I looked down at my palm while flipping and stretching it to ensure if he was telling the truth. But the holes, damage, and tears suffered by my clothes during the course of the incident acted as evidence of what he said. Luckily, aside from the ripped apparel I was wearing, the other items I brought with me, including the pendant and the scarf still remain.

The fact that my body survived the injury he mentioned *cough* six months ago *cough* was a miracle in the first place, so I was just going to let this off this time, bringing into account my excessively hurting stomach. ‘Let's get going. I need to eat and drink something. I should've been starving to death,’ I continued mentally after gathering myself.

‘Then, please. After you,’ he spoke as if told me to lead the way in a polite manner.

I looked around in search for a detour to leave, since I was at the bottom of a 100 feet gorge, climbing up would be impossible without any tools. After finding one, I stopped, asking one last substantial question before the departure. ‘What is your name?’

‘Radon Alastair.’