A Shade of Vampire 78: An Origin of Vampires

by Forrest, Bella

  No, this was truly a sight to behold.

  These were planets hurled through space at ridiculous speeds, wandering comets with fiery green tails, stars imploding and collapsing in on themselves… black holes powering entire galaxies! The universe here was wild and untamed, subject to violence, clashes, and explosions the likes of which many people wouldn’t even see in their lifetimes.

  Compared to the ethereal colors of Eritopia, for example, our Milky Way was savage. Like a lioness prowling in the darkness, roaring and slashing at everything within its reach. I was floored and speechless, having completely tuned out of the conversation. I didn’t even hear my sister calling out to me.

  “Tristan. Tristan!”

  Finally, I reacted, my head snapping back to her. “Yes. Sorry. This is all just… mesmerizing.”

  “I know. You’re entranced.” She giggled. “We’re getting close.”

  “Close to where?”

  My mind was a hilarious blank. I’d basically forgotten where we were going. It made her laugh. “Trexus-2, nimrod. Look over there!”

  She pointed at a solar system not far from our position. It had a big sun, perhaps larger than our own. Fifteen planets spun around it, small marbles in soft shades of gray, blue, and orange. It didn’t take long to identify the three we knew were inhabited.

  The strange haze that had prevented us from getting more detailed views of the three Trexus planets was more visible, as well. It only spanned around them, without affecting the others in the system.

  “That mist thing is weird,” I said. “What is that, exactly?”

  “We were never able to figure it out from afar,” Derek replied. “Hopefully we’ll understand it better once we get there. It’s like a shapeless filter of sorts, blurring our telescope imagery.”

  By now, our necks were stretching as we leaned closer to Derek and Sofia so we could get a better view. It looked so quiet. So peaceful. Filled with secrets waiting to be discovered. Threads to be pulled. Curtains to be drawn. My limbs tingled with excitement. If there was one thing my sister and I would never tire of, it was this feeling, right here—the thrill of discovery, the bewilderment, the thousands of questions that filled my head, beckoning me to answer each and every one of them, making sure I’d leave no stone unturned.

  Esme and I looked at each other for a brief moment. As if reading each other’s minds, we both smiled. It wasn’t a grin. It was a hopeful, timid curve of the lips. It was a thought that we dared not put into words, for it might crumble and vanish before we could make it into a reality.

  “That’s Trexus-1, closer to the sun,” Derek said, drawing our attention.

  The three Trexus planets were right next to each other, easily within reach if there were methods of space flight readily available for their people. The one we’d called 1 was reddish in color, and it was the smallest. “It’s mostly deserts and rocks, isn’t it?” I asked, remembering some of the data we’d skimmed through from the telescopic observations. The haze wasn’t as obstructive from this distance, as opposed to what we’d seen through the telescopes.

  “Yes. And quarries. We noticed a lot of settlements around them. My guess is they’re exploiting the resources. But the oceans are small and few,” Derek replied. “Chances are there’s not a big population.”

  “Look at Trexus-3,” Sofia added, moving our focus to the slightly bigger, blue-and-white planet on the other side of 2. “Given its distance from the sun, it’s mostly ice and snow. There’s plenty of water, but it’s permanent winter out there.”

  “That would probably mean even fewer people. We did find structures and settlements there, though, didn’t we?” Esme asked, her brow furrowed. I knew she was already digging through the memory of what she’d read from Dmitri and Phoenix’s observations on the topic.

  “Exactly. It’s inhabited, we just don’t know how many of them are there, given the haze,” Derek replied. “But it’s Trexus-2, our destination, that is the most fascinating.”

  Indeed, the closer we got to it, the more beautiful it seemed. Its patches of green and blue reminded me of Earth. It had the perfect conditions for life. The atmosphere, the right distance from the sun to allow for a healthy climate and changing seasons… My heart was already racing as I wondered what kind of people lived there. I’d been wondering from the moment we’d first been told about the mission.

  It was also the biggest of the three, though still slightly smaller than Earth. It had two moons, to my surprise. One was almost half its size, a monstrous white marble, while the other was merely a pebble, crimson in color. They seemed close to one another, and perhaps someday they might even collide. I knew the white one would win that battle rather quickly.

  “Imagine what that big-ass moon looks like at night!” Esme exclaimed, her eyes wide and twinkling. “It’s got to cover half the sky…”

  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Sofia replied, smiling broadly as our interplanetary spell began its descent toward Trexus-2.

  We finally passed through the thin layer of mist, and we were now able to see much more. My breath left me as I stared through the windshield.

  If the journey itself had been full of wonder and awe, our approach was loaded with adrenaline—not because of the ride, but because of the anticipation that was building up in each of us. Our destination was truly the crown jewel of this solar system.

  Its waters were deep and blue, tourmaline velvet stretching for thousands of miles, and filled with who-knew-what kind of marine creatures. The continents were wide strips that had broken off from the whole a long time ago, scattered across the planet, with oceans swelling between them. I could see the green patches of woods, the rocky mountain clusters, the deserts. White clouds threaded above. The eye of a storm looked right at us from the dark side. I did not want us to be down there, only imagining what sorts of calamities it might let loose.

  “Preparing for atmospheric entry,” Derek said, flipping various switches on.

  The control panel blinked in a plethora of colorful lights as the shuttle responded to his commands. Sofia pulled one of the levers to her right, and the entire vessel roared to life. Behind us, neatly tucked against the wall, the serium batteries’ blue glow intensified as the engines were kicked into motion.

  “As soon as we reach it, the interplanetary spell will likely disintegrate,” Nethissis warned us. “It’s one of the risks we calculated from using just a handful of proteins in a blood droplet from you, Derek. Had we had a pebble, at least, from Trexus-2, we wouldn’t have had an issue.”

  “That’s okay, Nethi. We prepared for this,” Derek replied.

  “One minute,” Sofia warned us.

  The world ahead expanded, and we could see the mountain ranges better, snaking through fields of emerald green. We were away from the storm, thank heavens. We had clear skies, and we’d agreed on a certain set of coordinates, using the shuttle’s navigation system. They were supposed to lead us straight to the largest settlement we’d observed through the modified telescopes.

  Esme took my hand, squeezing gently. I gave her a reassuring smile. “We’re okay. It’ll be okay,” I whispered, knowing she sometimes needed my support. She was one of the bravest creatures I knew, but even Esme had her weak spot. She was a walking contradiction, my sister. Thrilled and scared of new adventures, at the same time. It made everything more exciting.

  “Twenty seconds,” Sofia said.

  I counted the rest in the back of my head as the interplanetary spell bubble began to shake, forcing its way through what seemed like a sturdy, dense atmosphere. The magic buzzed around us, the sound nearly scratching my brain with its sharpness.

  “Five, four… three, two… one!” Sofia breathed as we went in.

  My heart stopped for a moment, everything else shaking around us. The entry was surprisingly smooth and short, though, prompting me to open my eyes so I wouldn’t miss a thing.

  “There she is,” Derek breathed.

  We were heade
d for one of the biggest of the five continents, an S-shaped piece of dry land covered in lush forests, rich fields of wheat, and broad mountain ranges. Rivers streamed across from north to south, and there were cities built along them. Dozens! Dozens of cities, many of which we hadn’t been able to properly observe through the lenses.

  “Holy crap,” Esme managed, her jaw dropping.

  “We’re headed for the southwestern shore,” Derek said.

  “That’s where the coordinates take us, right?” Nethissis asked.

  The interplanetary spell bubble began to fade, like a pretty summer’s dream, golden flakes flying away as the shuttle became active and subject to gravity. The engines grumbled softly, the batteries zinging behind us, as Derek and Sofia piloted us to our preset destination.

  They checked the computer board occasionally, following its screen compass in order to guide us in the right direction. The shuttle made a sharp left turn and a daring drop, ripping a gasp from my throat as I gripped the plush armrests.

  It was Esme’s turn to take my hand in hers and mouth an “It’s okay” at me. My cheeks burned, and so did my throat, but she was right. We’d get through this. We had to. A crash wasn’t going to kill me, but I was in no mood to get myself maimed so early in the game.

  “Everybody, get ready,” Derek said. “We’re steady now, but we’ll be landing soon.”

  From what I could see through the windshield, the terrain was smooth. The sunlight wasn’t too bright, either… It seemed odd, like a soft haze. It cast itself over the world, deepening the shadows and sharpening contrasts in ways I’d not thought possible. It was breath-taking.

  We were flying over fields of wheat and flowers that reminded me of the English rapeseed cultures—patches of bright yellow blossoms that went on for miles. To our west, deep woods rose above the rolling hills, cradling all sorts of tales of their own. Behind them, a mountainous beast reigned over the land, with snowcaps and rocky ridges.

  To our left, the ocean awaited, and on its golden shores a giant city bloomed, with tall towers and brick-colored roofs. As we descended, I could see its massive pier and the harbor, where strange ships were anchored, their veils glistening in metallic red and green as the wind blew against them. Narrow alleyways created a marvelous maze of passages across the entire city, with green squares and a group of majestic, palatial buildings smack in the middle, on higher ground, overlooking the others.

  “I doubt there’s any air travel here,” Amal said, her voice barely audible. She, too, had found herself mesmerized by the view. “We would’ve been intercepted already, don’t you think?”

  Sofia seemed inclined to agree, but she only offered a faint nod in response.

  Derek, on the other hand, held on to some skepticism. “Maybe they don’t need airships or don’t use them as often. It all depends on how quickly they saw us coming,” he replied. “After all, what took hours for us meant days for them.”

  That theory was quickly proven right as we got closer to the ground level. The ships we’d seen earlier in the docks weren’t regular vessels at all. They had bat-like wings pulled tight against the steel and hardwood bodies, and I was willing to bet they had engines at the back, and that they could easily take to the air once they left the bay.

  “Oh, they definitely fly,” I said, pointing at the ships.

  Their metallic structures glimmered in the sunlight, making them look like stylishly upgraded frigates with shiny sails and dark, expandable wings. I was already dying to ride in one. They looked like an insane amount of fun.

  “They’d need more than that to communicate with their next-door neighbors, though,” Esme mused. As if Trexus-2 was simply eager to prove itself to her, our shuttle’s safety systems beeped angrily, as objects appeared on the radar screen, directly behind us.

  The white dots moved quickly over the green glass. A split second later, we watched them zoom past us—smaller, catamaran-shaped vessels that flew as fast as Earth’s military planes. There were six, each of them painted white, with long glass panels on the top and the sides. The air rippled behind them, and green lights glimmered from their bottoms. They didn’t look like regular fixtures, but rather something akin to an alchemist’s fire… strange and unsettling.

  “They’re using some kind of magic,” I whispered, sweat dripping from my temples.

  The flying ships slowed down and performed a straight dive into the ocean waters, not far from the red-and-green ships. Their white silhouettes vanished beneath the shore, their rapid movements startling the ocean and moving the frigates, ever so slightly—like a playful nudge, at best.

  “What do you think those were supposed to do?” Esme asked me. “Show of force?”

  “I think they would’ve at least fired a weapon in the air or something. Right?” I replied. Our shuttle looked significantly more advanced, a boomerang-shaped vessel with an alloy frame and an intricate fusion of space tech and magic, but it was obvious that the people of Trexus-2 had learned a thing or two about flight, around the same time as, if not just a little bit later than, our Earth.

  “Right. So, reconnaissance, then?” Derek suggested.

  “Maybe, but those are definitely not reconnaissance.” Esme gasped, staring ahead.

  Red flares were shot from the edge of the city, leaving a crimson smoke tail behind as they swooshed past our shuttle. They’d been fired accurately, forming a path for us to follow. From what I could see as Derek and Sofia decided to swing us between the red lines, the people of Trexus-2 had definitely seen and prepared for us.

  “I’ll take that as an invitation to land,” Derek muttered, steering the shuttle downward.

  We were led to a massive, stone-plated landing strip less than a mile from the harbor. It arched around the city’s edge. The closer it got, the better I could observe the architectural details. Needless to say, my breath had run short at the sight before us.

  This place was superb. Its buildings were massive, with elegant brickwork and masonry, the façades painted beige and red, with sharp archways and enormous, sloped roofs. The windows were all shuttered, but wide open during the day. Flowers adorned every corner and junction, splashing red, green, and yellow wherever my eyes settled for a second or two.

  Gnarly gargoyle-like sculptures held up the roofs, their jaws wide and fangs sharp against the upper winds. A palace rose in the distance, with pointy towers and wrought-iron balconies, a dark gray giant overlooking the entire city. Around it, sumptuous villas and building complexes stretched for several miles, with parks and streams and stone bridges forming an elegant pattern. I was instantly struck by the gothic feel of it all.

  There was grandeur on the outside, the wisdom of ages infused into each brick and stone block. I could only imagine what awaited on the inside…

  “Preparing for landing,” Derek announced, flipping another set of switches before he steered the shuttle in its hovering position.

  My heart was already stuck in my throat, my mind buzzing with anxiety and anticipation. What would they be like? Were they welcoming us, or were we landing in a trap?

  “If they wanted us dead, they probably would’ve fired something more potent than red flares at us,” Sofia said, noticing my strained expression. I felt the sweat trickling down my face. All the experience and preparation in the world wasn’t enough for what would come next. This feeling would never change, and both Esme and I knew it.

  The thrill of the unknown would forever be the same, whenever we set foot in a new and foreign world. Amal took deep breaths, closing her eyes for a few moments, as the shuttle finally reached the landing strip.

  “Okay. Time to introduce ourselves,” Derek said.

  He sucked in a breath, gawking at something outside, his lips moving slowly. I followed his gaze and understood his hesitation. As soon as we’d landed, uniformed soldiers had poured onto the landing strip, forming a thick line just outside our shuttle.

  They looked a lot like us, and it startled me. Human-like, with at
hletic figures and tastefully tailored military garb. They didn’t carry any weapons, though, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking it as a good sign.

  “They’re not armed,” Sofia said.

  “We shouldn’t be, either,” Derek replied, giving us a brief glance. “Leave the weapons here, for now. You all have access cards for the shuttle.”

  I nodded, not disagreeing with the decision. Unlike Esme, I wasn’t a fan of weapons in general. I’d done more damage with my claws and fangs when I’d had to.

  “What are they doing?” Esme asked, carefully analyzing the soldiers.

  “I believe they’re waiting for us to come out,” Nethissis murmured, clutching her satchel.

  Derek and Sofia were the first to remove their safety straps as the shuttle’s engines quieted down. Esme and I followed, along with Nethissis and Amal. We stopped in front of the shuttle’s ramp, Derek’s hand hesitating over the control button to his side.

  He nodded. “All right. This is it.”

  Esme gave me a faint smile, and I braced myself for whatever might come next.

  “Ready?” Derek asked, looking at us.

  We both nodded back, waiting for a similar reaction from Amal and Nethissis. When they silently confirmed that they, too, were prepared, Derek pressed the control button and the ramp went down with a loud click.

  Sofia, Esme, and I pulled on our head covers and masks, given the broad daylight awaiting us outside. Derek, the lucky bastard, had no need, much like Amal and Nethissis. For now, I was fine with that, as long as he did the talking first, like we’d discussed, and assured these people that we were not hostile in any way.

  Just slightly light-sensitive.

  Derek

  My heart was pounding in a way I’d never felt before.