AGE 1047 d.C. - Mountain Cárpatos
The snow crunched under Vlad Corvinus' boots, but it did not sink.
It left no footprints.
As if it did not exist.
He stared at the charred ruins of the village where, a century ago, his brothers Marcus and William had sealed their fate: one becoming the first vampire, the other the first lycanthrope. Now, all that remained were bones chewed by beasts and the echo of their cursed names.
How much longer will you run from what you are?"
Alexander Corvinus' voice scratched at his mind. Vlad clenched his fists. He knew his father watched him from the shadows, but he did not deserve his answers.
Toji's System flashed before his eyes:
Copy
[Celestial Strength: ✔️] [Trace Absence: ✔️] [Combat Skills: 67%]
-Still not enough," he muttered.
A liquid growl rumbled through the trees.
Three figures in black armor emerged, red eyes glowing like embers.
-The Master wants your head, you bastard," the leader spat, baring fangs.
Vlad didn't flinch.
He didn't need weapons.
The first vampire lunged, claws extended like daggers.
Vlad did not dodge.
He let them touch him.
The claws tore at his cloak, but his skin did not bleed.
-What...?" the vampire managed to stammer before Vlad grabbed his head and smashed it against a rock. The skull exploded like a rotten pumpkin.
The second one attacked from behind.
Wrong.
Vlad spun around, ripped the arm off at the wrist (sinews and bones twisting) and used the severed limb as a mace to crush the skull of the third.
The last vampire, staggering, tried to flee.
You're a damned demon!"
Vlad reached him in three steps, lifting him by the scruff of the neck like a puppy.
-No," he whispered, while his golden eyes glowed with the same brilliance as Alexander's. -I am the trial.
He squeezed.
The crack of the broken collar echoed in the night, followed by the whistling of the wind through the trees.
Vampire blood dripped from his hands as Vlad sensed a familiar presence.
Among the trees, Alexander Corvinus watched, motionless as a statue.
-You kill like them," his father said, his voice deep. -But you still don't understand why.
Vlad wiped his hands on the snow.
Then show me, then."
Alexander turned to the south, where the lights of a military camp twinkled in the distance.
-There is a man there who wins battles without being a monster. -His eyes fixed on Vlad: Rodrigo Vivar. Look for him.
Vlad looked to the south.
Something was waiting for him there.
iguing the smell of gunpowder (unusual for the time), he found the corpse of a mercenary.
In his bag:
A repeating crossbow too advanced for the 11th century
A map of Valencia with vampiric markings
A coin with the face of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar
The System blinked: [OBJECTIVE: THE CID - 89% AFFINITY].
That night, as he slept against an ancient oak tree, Toji appeared to him in a dream.
The warrior from another life was fighting a four-armed demon.
"Look for the one who lost something... like you," Toji told him before disappearing.
Vlad awoke with a start.
Around his camp, giant wolf tracks formed a perfect circle.
That night, as he slept against an ancient oak tree, Toji appeared to him in a dream.
The warrior from another life was fighting a four-armed demon.
"Look for the one who lost something... like you," Toji told him before disappearing.
Vlad awoke with a start.
Around his camp, giant wolf tracks formed a perfect circle.The tracks led him to a hidden cave.
On the walls, ancient murals showed:
A William tearing Alexander apart
A faceless figure (him?) stopping him
An army of shadows watching
The System updated:
[CORVINUS MEMORY: 34% UNLOCKED]
Vlad emerged from the cave and slashed his palm, dropping blood onto the snow.
"I will not be a spectator," he vowed. "I will be the end."
The earth absorbed his blood. The medallion glowed brightly, casting a luminous path southward.