Kaius woke up hours later and moved carefully so as not to wake Dilan. Honestly, he wanted to let him sleep all day. He didn’t know how those prisons worked—whether Dilan had ever had time to rest, or if the loop repeated every second.

Right now, he regretted skipping that part of the explanation. Back when he was Daniela, he had always despised that section of the story. He used to skip it whenever they explained what “that thing” was and why locking people away was supposedly the best solution. And he wasn’t lying—some people did deserve it. But most were like Dilan.

They were called, colloquially, the Eye toward the Ark or simply the Eyes. According to what he remembered from the story, they were individuals from sorcerer bloodlines who had a deeper connection to stolen magic—so deep that they could see the Ark and all the spirits within. Some even said they could sever the link between magic and the sorcerers themselves.

In this world, as the books had explained, those individuals were reincarnations of people who had once tried to protect the mages—back when peace still existed between them. For that reason, they were granted a gift: the angel Castiel, who oversaw reincarnations and human blessings, along with his siblings who had created them.

Kaius snapped out of his thoughts when he felt saliva dripping from his mouth. He was hungry—for human blood. He didn’t understand why this was happening. The original Kaius didn’t need to feed every day. He knew this world wouldn’t be exactly the same, but from what he understood, the biggest changes were in the story—not in the vampire traits themselves. Even the books had assured him things would be more or less the same.

As he walked toward the occupied cabins to feed, he kept thinking about what he was missing. He kept recalling the story, wondering if the original Kaius had done something differently.

He entered cabin 7, where a man and woman were staying. The woman was in the hot springs. He approached her there, drawn in by her charisma and physical beauty. He saw her rise from the water and invite him to join her. He couldn’t lie—she had a stunning body. Thinking back to his life as a human, she was exactly his type: tall, curvy, not too thin, with large eyes.

She approached him provocatively. Kaius asked:

—Are you okay? You came here with someone, didn’t you?

She replied:

—He’s not my husband. He’s my boss. And he’s old. Maybe you’ll satisfy me better.

Kaius froze. He couldn’t do it. He only wanted to feed—nothing more. He had never done anything like this before. He was still a virgin. His mind was that of a 21-year-old virgin, so he had to improvise.

He leaned in and kissed her neck. Just as the woman began to give in, Kaius struck—biting her neck. She froze in shock. Kaius drank what he could. When she tried to push him away, he pulled back.

Her eyes were filled with tears and fear. She tried to flee, but Kaius used his super speed and hypnosis. He convinced her that they had slept together, and that she had hit her neck during the act—so he bandaged it.

Her expression shifted—from terror to desire—as if nothing had happened. He said goodbye flirtatiously and left. Once he was out of her sight, he used his speed again.

He was deeply embarrassed. His face was completely red. But even in that moment, he didn’t feel like an amateur. In fact, he felt that if he had gone further… he could have finished everything.

He arrived back at the cabin. It was 8 a.m. He entered quietly.

I need a drink.”

That was when Kaius remembered: in the story, Kaius was a drinker. There wasn’t a single episode where he wasn’t seen drinking. And he was never shown drinking directly from blood bags, even though he stored them. He used to say it was because he preferred the freshness of a neck—but he also kept bags in his storage box. Still, he was never shown drinking from them directly.

So maybe he did need to feed daily… he just hid it in the whiskey.

Kaius figured he’d try that once they had their own house. He didn’t want Dilan to be recognized too early, so they’d stay in the cabin for now. Though he’d have to build the house himself. He’d need protections carved into the wood, and some energy and magical stones. To make it safer, he’d use something he’d seen in the online store: a Crystal Heart.

From what he’d read, these hearts were installed in a location and turned it into a magical space. They were made from a stone that naturally attracted magic from nearby sources. Some even had amplifier rings—spells that lasted for months and boosted the stone’s capacity and strength. With the stones he’d place around the house, they’d collect all the magic needed and distribute it.

So he’d have to start testing his ability to create stones and tools.

He went to the kitchen and pulled out pancake mix, eggs, and bacon. He prepared the batter and cooked the bacon. The eggs would wait until Dilan woke up. He checked the bedroom—Dilan was still asleep. He looked in on him one last time before heading to the bath.

He sank into the tub with salts and activated the ring. According to the god, it would contain instructions on how to create minerals, along with a list of magical stones and gems. He turned the ring to open the chat. It only said:

[Turn it all the way. —Michail]

He obeyed. Closed it, then turned it fully. A third layer opened, revealing an instruction book and what looked like a PDF:

[How to Use the Mineralization and Magical Plant Ability —by Angel Castiel]

[Step 1: Feel the magic within you. It’s easier if you imagine it as magical water flowing through your body.]

[Step 2: If you don’t know what to create, the manual will give you a general idea of all known stones and their properties.]

[Step 3: Imagine the shape of the mineral or plant (warning: for plants, you can only create seeds—be creative with your magic). For example, if you want to create a Shi-Red, a basic light mineral, think of it as a small blue pearl that can illuminate dark spaces.]

[Step 4: Finally, imagine the stone emerging from a part of your body. If you want it to appear discreetly, you can make it come from your closed palm. Be grateful the only place it won’t come from is your butt—because without that restriction, you’d be pooping gemstones. That’d be awkward 😨🤣]

Kaius laughed at the last comment. It was true—maybe the pain wasn’t the worst part, but pooping gemstones? No thanks.

He opened the file. It was a detailed list of the world’s magical stones. He started reading when he received several notifications from the ring. He opened the second screen—it was the store. The alerts said his account had changed to “mixed buyer,” and he was receiving multiple requests for rare minerals.

He opened one. It was from a fairy who needed an energy gem—one that could generate magical spaces. This one was level 3. When broken, it would leave behind energy and turn the place into a mystical zone. A Sher-Tuyed: a red diamond with a blue mark in the center.

The price was insane. They offered 50 Clints, and it kept rising—soon it hit 100.

He followed the manual. Imagined a river flowing through his body, glowing reddish. He felt it moving, and how he could stop it. He let it flow until it reached his palm. He imagined the stone forming there. It hurt—but it was bearable.

When he opened his eyes, the stone was in his hand. A beautiful blood-colored gem with a blue center. Its quality was stunning.

He checked the listing again—it was at 189 Clints. But that was for medium quality. His was high quality. So he contacted the buyer and offered the stone for 200 Clints, claiming it was “good quality.”

What he didn’t realize was that what he could create wasn’t just good—it was legendary.

The stone glowed in both colors. That was the mark of its quality. The fairy accepted the offer. He placed the stone into the store’s inventory, and its stats appeared.

He made ten more and listed them. Their stats appeared automatically:

{Sher-Tuyed — Unique — Quality Level 10}

Kaius was stunned. According to the system, level 10 quality turned a level A stone like the Sher-Tuyed into an S, or even L or O tier. He didn’t know what would happen. He just sent the stone to the fairy.

Suddenly, the price on the screen jumped. It surged to 2,000 Clints on its own. Everything was going crazy. Everyone was buying the stones. He panicked and closed the ring.

He tried to relax—but then started coughing. He couldn’t stop. His hand regeneration was slow. There was still a hole in his palm. He cleaned up and stepped out of the tub, nearly falling as he exited the shower.

—What’s happening to me? Did I make too many? But they were only level A…

Then he remembered: quality. A level A stone with quality 10 was already legendary—or even omega tier. And they had warned him: stones drained energy.

He felt like he was drugged. Like he’d taken Mimosa—a plant that intoxicates vampires. In high doses, it sedates them. In low doses, it makes them feel drunk or paralyzed. Here, he just felt extreme exhaustion.

He got dressed and left the bathroom. It was 10 a.m. Dilan was no longer in bed. He found him at the counter, eating bacon and pancakes.

—Sorry I took so long in the bath. Want some eggs, Dilan?

—No thanks. I’m not really into them anymore.

Kaius grabbed three pancakes and some bacon, sitting beside him.

—Dilan, if you ever want to talk about what happened, I’ll listen. I won’t pressure you. I promise.

Dilan stayed quiet. Said nothing more. Kaius understood and didn’t push.

As they ate, Kaius thought: if Dilan was an Eye, maybe he could teach him magic—or give him an amulet to use nature magic properly. But Dilan would have to choose to stay.

—Dilan, did you think about what I mentioned last night? About living with me?

Dilan swallowed.

—Actually, yes sir. I wanted to know… how long could I stay with you?

Kaius looked at him with warmth.

—Dilan, if you want to stay forever, you can. Just like if you choose to stay one day—I’ll never kick you out. I only asked to know if you wanted to learn magic.

Dilan looked at Kaius with fear. Kaius understood why.

—Dilan, my magic is different from what you know. I won’t make you use the Ark. In fact, my goal someday is to destroy it—and free those souls.

Dilan stared in disbelief.

—There’s other kinds of magic? Why don’t people use them?

Kaius looked down, sadness in his eyes. He knew that if he taught Dilan, he’d have to tell him the truth about the Ark.

—Dilan, if you want to know that… you’ll have to make that choice. That’s why I’m asking.

Dilan looked at him. He knew maybe it was a secret only shared with certain people. But if other magic existed, why did his family insist on using the Ark? Or maybe the magic Kaius spoke of wasn’t accessible to them.

He remembered Kaius was a vampire. Maybe that magic would kill a normal person. But if that were true… why would he offer to teach it?

—I want to stay with you.

Kaius stared at him, stunned. He thought Dilan would leave. But deep down, he wanted that boy to stay—and to give him some happiness.

—Dilan, I’m not pressuring you. I want you to think carefully. I want you to see this as choosing your future. Either way, if you decide to leave, I’ll give you enough money to live—maybe not forever, but at least until you’re grown. We’ll stay here two more days. That’s your time to decide.

Kaius saw Dilan’s sad expression again. And he did something that marked the beginning of Dilan’s affection for him. He stood up and hugged the boy from behind.

—Dilan, I want your life to be good and full of freedom. And with all my heart, I want you to stay with me. I didn’t give you that choice because I wanted to let you go—I want it to be your decision. Because what you choose could change how you see your people. I hope it doesn’t sound strange… but I’d like you to be part of my family.

Kaius spoke from the perspective of someone who had suffered at the hands of his own family—and from the perspective of someone who had witnessed everything and couldn’t do a thing about it. Both experiences had taught him that honesty with someone like Dilan was far better than a lie that could complicate everything, or even hurt that sweet boy even more.

A child who had suffered in a horrible place simply for being who he was. And when he finally broke, no one ever apologized. They justified it by saying it was “for the good of the community”—a hollow, senseless greater good.

Kaius swore that if he ever encountered those people… he would rip their magic from them.

And for some, that was a punishment worse than death.