Kaius woke up the next morning after a pleasant night of sleep—no nightmares, no feelings of negativity. That dark memory of his so-called father being a cruel man must have been triggered by the incident at the bakery.

—I wonder how the memories of this body work. I think it’s one of the many things I’ll ask the god of this world.

He got out of bed and looked at the physical clock in the room: it was 6 a.m., which meant he could go out and feed without many people noticing. He dressed in the same clothes from last night, swearing he’d buy new ones as soon as he could.

While putting on his shirt, he noticed a pendant around his neck—something he hadn’t seen before. He didn’t remember Kaius ever wearing anything like it in the story. Kaius wasn’t into pendants; he preferred rings or bracelets. He had never worn anything like this, but it felt strangely familiar.

He took it in his hand and examined it more closely. It was a silver pendant with a stone in the center that looked like a ruby. He turned it over to see if it was engraved. What he saw nearly made him faint.

There was an “S” carved into the metal, along with a phrase in Russian: "мой маленький Руби, никогда не снимай это. С любовью, В.С." Kaius knew the language from his past life. It said: “My little ruby, never take this off. With love, V.S.”

Memories rushed in. In the story he knew, there was a group of vampire brothers from Rus, from Kiev, said to be the oldest of their kind: the Sindorovs. There were four brothers, though only three were known—Dmitri, the eldest; Michail, the middle; and Victor, the youngest. The fourth was only mentioned a few times, never seen or described.

Victor was the most rebellious, and also the most powerful. Not just because of age, but because he was a mix of races. No one ever knew which. The book and series never specified. They only said he was older than any vampire or human, and that when he got angry, people claimed they could see hell in his eyes.

In the series, his eyes became two crimson dots in the middle of a shadowed face. In the book, the description was vague: “Eyes cold as ice, but burning like the deepest pit of hell.”

Despite being the youngest, he was a mountain of a man—almost two meters tall, with golden blond hair, nearly the color of pure gold. His strength… Kaius didn’t even want to remember the difference. Michail and Victor were always fighting, but they never let anyone hurt the other. Dmitri was the mediator between them, though in the later seasons and final books, even Dmitri had betrayed Victor—and vice versa.

Kaius looked at the pendant again. It was the Sindorov family pendant. And that meant only two things: either you were part of the family… or you had stolen it. Not even the brothers’ lovers were given one.

He didn’t want to think about what it meant. It depressed him. So he didn’t care. He pulled on his shirt, letting it cover the pendant, and slipped into his pants.

Outside the hotel, the streets were quiet. That morning, he wanted to try something new. He had read about Kaius’s powers in the book and series: typical vampire abilities—hypnosis, super speed, and super strength.

First, he chose a target: a man in his forties, wearing a suit and tie. He cornered him in an alley using his super speed.

First, speed.

Then he locked eyes with him.

Then, the stare.

He activated hypnosis. Thankfully, he had read the book more than ten times and knew how to trigger it. It felt as natural as breathing. It wasn’t hard to hypnotize the man so he wouldn’t remember anything.

Finally, mental control.

He bit him and drank his blood. He also wanted to test something: Kaius’s self-control. If the body had memories of being human, it might also have memories of restraint and skill.

He was draining the man when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his head. That was the self-control mechanism—or at least how it was described in the story. He pulled away and hypnotized the man again, making him believe the bite came from his partner.

The man returned to the main street, and Kaius used his abilities to move to the next alley without being seen.

Then he went back to the bakery from the day before. He had been addicted to bread when he was a woman, and this didn’t seem any different. The only difference now was that he could eat whatever he wanted without worrying about diabetes. The paradise of anyone with blood sugar issues.

He didn’t want to stay at the hotel again, so he started looking for a map to find the nearest city. He was in a small town called Eureka Springs, in Arkansas. It was a beautiful, picturesque place, full of hot springs and massive forests that could easily hide someone.

Luckily, he didn’t sparkle in the sun. In fact, he burned—but thanks to a bracelet with a spell, he could walk in daylight like any normal person. So he could live normally. Maybe he’d stay a day or two longer. It wouldn’t be so bad. But maybe he’d switch hotels… or find a house just for himself.

That day, Kaius set out to explore the streets, first looking for a phone store. He found a Cherryphone center, though he preferred Gansumg. Even he admitted that the second generation of Cherryphones was better in this era. In his time, they were already on model 17—and that was just eleven years later. But the first two were decent.

He bought the Cherryphone 5G, which was trending at the time, and continued exploring the town. Thanks to Kaius’s charisma, he found a hotel with hot springs, located right by the forest. He made a reservation with meals and spa included. He wanted to treat himself before getting trapped in the dramatic story of an unbearable teenager who thinks she’s immortal… and her now brother with a hero complex.

He headed toward the site in the middle of the forest, where there was a cluster of small houses near the springs. As he approached, he felt something—like walking through a curtain.

That was… a magical barrier?

He thought he knew what it meant. He had read many books on magic when he was a girl, and even in the story, places like this were described. But if it was what he thought, he’d have to wait until nightfall.

At the entrance, he walked up to the building that looked like the main office.

—Good afternoon, miss. I’d like to reserve a house with two beds for three days and three nights.

—Of course. Will your companion arrive later?

—Yes, tomorrow morning.

The woman looked for the key to the house he’d be staying in.

—Here you go: house number 9. The cart will take you to your door.

He rode in the cart. The driver explained that the springs were rising behind the rental house, up the hill. They arrived. The house looked like one of those cabin-style homes from movies—elevated, made of oak, with lighter wood stairs.

He got out of the cart and walked up to the cabin. He climbed the steps and entered. It was cozy. Small, but warm. A functional kitchen made of wood and limestone. He could order food—he had reserved that service—but maybe he’d cook. The fridge was full, and so was the pantry.

He explored the house. The next day, they’d take him to the spa, and he’d visit the hot springs at night, since they stayed open late. He settled into the personal tub, took the ring, and activated it.

—All right. Now I want to talk to you, god of this world. I need to clear a few things up.