Days went by after discovering my spidery powers of wall climbing and meeting Meiling the Gate Keeper. Not much happened in between then and now and thank God for that. The vampire said nothing about me escaping from the well and has pretty much just been ignoring me and it was glorious. Being free from her agonizing nagging was a godsend and I milked every minute that went by without her bossing me around. At least I tried to. Instead of the vampire to be the pain in my rear, I had Sakuya to take her place for her.

It sucked that I didn't get away with not having to do anything, but it wasn't a disaster or anything. Oh, wait! It totally was!

During the past couple of days, Sakuya was ordered by the vampire to teach me how to clean, wash, and basically be the one thing I could never be in my life – a butler. Despite my deep resentment to the idea of being the nightbeetle's servant, I gave the basic things like cleaning and such a try with honest effort given. And it was a disaster for the ages, the biggest disaster being the incident with the windows. There were hardly any windows in the mansion to begin with and I managed to outright destroy three of them while trying to clean them. How? No clue. Either the windows were paper thin or I didn't really understand my unnatural strength. Personally, I think it was a little of both. Either way, Sakuya flipped out and scolded me worse than any woman has in my life and told me to get lost while she took care of my mess. Later she had calmed down and gave me another chance, only to yell at me again when I broke a fourth window.

So, now I managed to get the rest of the day to myself by, apparently, sheer incompetence on my part. I wasn't too upset about it, but I did feel sorry for giving Sakuya more work. Then again, she always looked like she was in her own happy little world when cleaning by herself so maybe things worked out well for the both of us.

With nothing to do, I decided to just stroll around the mansion until doomsday came along. Going outside to see Meiling was a no-go. I can only take so much sunlight shining directly down on me before wanting a bullet to the head. And I didn't want to bother her while she was working anyways. My first impression of her was that she was a dedicated type and I definitely didn't want to get in the way of that.

And wouldn't you know it? My aimless wandering around the mansion proved to be a huge mistake. Despite the stupid size of the place, I had managed to run into the single person in the world I did not want to see – that vampire, Remilia.

I had just turned the corner down the seventh hallway I had come to and there she was in the undead flesh. She was strolling down the hallway towards me, hands in front of her chest like a proper noble or whatever the hell she considered herself to be. Her strides were smooth, each step being neither too small nor too big. It almost looked like she was gliding over the floor in her movements.

She spotted me and smirked with who-knows-what going through her arrogant little mind. With no interest in getting any closer to the vampire, I did the sensible thing and turned my ass around and headed back from which I came.

I think I'll just go back to my room. That should waste a few hours trying to get back to it.

I made my way down the hallway with my room set as my destination. During all my wandering around the mansion, I had noticed that the inside of it was strangely larger than it appeared from the outside. It made for great exercise going to and fro one place to the next, but it was starting to get old real fast. If I could get myself another motorcycle (rest in peace, my baby!), I could turn this entire place into my playground. But that was just wishful thinking on my part. A pet dream, even.

I took a right down the next hallway then immediately spotted the same vampire I was trying to get away from. Again she was walking down the hallway wearing that same snarky grin she had just a minute ago.

Baffled with her sudden appearance, I stopped where I was. "What the hell…?" I muttered then did a one-eighty and backtracked again.

Must have gotten around a shorter route or something…

Making my way back the other way, I took a left only to see the blasted girl walking down the hallway again, cocky grin and all. I clenched my fist, knowing full well that she was loving the stupid little game she was playing with me. Whatever voodoo it was that she was using wasn't tickling my fancy one bit.

I turned around once more and ran until I spotted a room sitting off to the side on its own. I grabbed the doorknob to the room and opened it to find that it was one of the custodial rooms the fairy maids use. It was stuffed with all sorts of cleaning supplies, leaving not much room for an individual, but that didn't stop me from stuffing myself inside and slamming the door shut and leaving myself in darkness.

"I'll stay in here the rest of my life if I have to… Damn girl…" I grumbled.

"I'm beginning to think that you're trying to avoid me, my childe," said the vampire, her voice seemingly resonating from both the darkness of the closet and from the far corners of my mind.

I tensed up in fright from hearing the vampire's strangely ethereal voice. Obviously she wasn't in the same room as me, but it sounded as if she had spoken directly into both my ears at the same time. Her words were crystal clear in my head. I made the educated guess that she was using more witchcraft on me so I just kept my mouth shut and hoped that she would simply go away and leave me be.

"Giving your master the silent treatment now, are you? Well, that's fine, but eventually you're going to have to come to terms with your position in this mansion whether you like it or not," the vampire said, her voice echoing persistently in my head.

I remained silent, pretending like I couldn't hear her. She said nothing more for a moment, but eventually spoke again.

"Hey…" she said, her voice suddenly loosing that pristine arrogance it normally had. "Hey, you can hear me… right? This is working as it should, right? You can hear me?"

I bit my lips as I started to snicker. The self-confidence the vampire possessed seemed to only go so deep. From what the vampire said herself, I'm the first person she's sired so I guess that she wasn't exactly an expert at the whole sire thing. Again, that was just a guess, but that guess is slowly looking to be a correct guess.

"Oh, come on! Say something!" the vampire shouted, her dignified demeanor casted off in favor of the spoiled brat she truly was. "I swear, if you hear me and are just ignoring me then I will dip you in pigs' blood and leave you to the wolves! Trying to make your master think she's talking to herself is a grave insult! I'm warning you!"

I could keep this up all day. It was unexpected, but this little bit of payback worked for me. Though hearing her disembodied voice inside my head was beginning to give me a headache, I didn't expect her to continue trying to talk to me for much longer. Surely, she would give up eventually. Hell, maybe if I never answer her telepathic babbling then she would give up, thinking she wasn't able to talk to me. One can only be so lucky.

Then I felt it, the sudden presence of another creature within the dark room with me. My body tensed up and I heard the demon speak, her cold breath hitting the back of my neck and making the hairs stand up on end.

"Coming out of the closet is always the hardest part, my pet. But I assure you I can give you far harder challenges if you so choose," she said in a chilling, dark voice.

"Ah!" I cried out in a burst of fright.

In my state of panic, I crashed through the closed door in a bid to get away from the vampire. I broke the door off its hinges, sending it flying into a wall. I slipped as I scurried out of the room, nearly falling before regaining balance. I whipped around and faced the closet to see the vampire casually stepping out of it.

Her eyes went to the closet door that now lay demolished at her feet. The closed demon wings behind her twitched and her lips quivered before she drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment. "Damaging your master's mansion…" she said as she exhaled, clearly annoyed with what I did.

My heart was still beating like mad in my chest from the fright she gave me. "Well, stop pulling that creepy vampire shit on me then," I suggested earnestly. "I'm constantly on edge in this insane asylum as it is and you're trying to talk to me with your vampiric joogaloo." I lifted up my arms. "Look at me. I'm sweating like a druggie whose car is being searched. There's dark patches under my armpits. You can start calling me the damned Water Boy with all the liquid pumping outa' me," I said as I let my arms fall back down.

Going by the way the vampire was glaring at me, you would have sworn that I had just called her mother a whore. She took in another deep breath and exhaled as if she was trying not to blow a fuse or something. What in the Lord's name was her problem this time?

The vampire placed her hands on her hips and she took a couple steps closer to me. She was trying to frighten me again, but I stood my ground. "The fact that I have yet to turn your ribcage into a xylophone after all your repeated insults speaks volumes to the amount of tolerance I have for you as a fledgling," the crabby vampire said.

Was simply breathing the only thing I needed to do in order to get this girl's period going? I wasn't even trying to antagonize her, yet I was apparently doing a flawless job at it.

"You seem to have forgotten, if the stupid look on your face is of any indication," she said then cleared her throat in preparation to lecture my ears off. "You purposely tried to avoid your master and ignore her calls to you… I wish I could say that was your most serious crime."

"I'm sure…" I said with a tired sigh.

"You tried to go back on your word to serve me for eternity," she continued, her voice getting louder and harsher with each word. "I would have even settled with that being your worst offense."

"That so-called deal should be voided since I was half-dead," I uttered under my breath.

"But even after all those insults, you still had the gull to sexually assault me! And in front of my guests, if I may add!" she yelled, making me cringe.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen. That was nothing more than a love tap," I retorted with lighthearted intentions.

My little retort did not fly with the vampire. She showed how she felt about it by searing my heart with her demonic influence. The pain became unbearable the instant her eyes started to glow. My entire body locked up under the scorching pain and I fell to my knees. I clenched at my chest as I gasped for air while the pain sucked it away like any inferno would. The tyrant left me to miserably groan at her feet for a time.

"Is violence the only thing you will answer to? Because I can do violence. Oh, I can do violence real good," she said in vindictive humor.

My forehead was pressed hard against the cold marble floor, my chest feeling seconds away from exploding apart. "St-Stop! Cut it out, already!" I shouted, my voice coming out strained and miserable.

And the pain stopped while leaving traces of it lingering. I took a minute to catch my breath before getting back up on my feet. The pain had hurt something fierce, but all it managed to do was fan the burning resentment I had for the vampire. She could torture me all she wanted, but she wasn't going to get me to agree to be her slave.

We both stood there in the hallway, her crimson eyes on mine and mine on hers. How long we just stood there staring at each other with contempt for one another could be anyone's guess. I think it had turned into a staring contest at some point – a contest to see who would yield first – but the wretched vampire pulled her bullshit mind trick on me. I had forgotten that utterly unfair tactic of hers.

"Take a seat. Seiza-style. Now," she commanded me.

Her command was a resounding chime in my mind and that oppressive feeling came over me like a sudden downpour. Even the scornful glare I was maintaining on her vanished without a trace with the turmoil that enthralled me from within. I was so caught up in that inner turmoil that I didn't even realize that I had carried out the vampire's order. Just as she commanded me, I was now kneeling down on the floor with my legs folded underneath me, knees together and my hands resting on my lap. I was sitting in some stupid Asian way of sitting. It was uncomfortable to the highest degree. At this point, all the vampire would have to do was tell me to put my hands behind my head and I'd be a regular prisoner of war. I couldn't even look up at the vampire I felt so defeated. So I just stared at her feet, grinding my teeth away in complete powerlessness.

"Look at me, Isaac," the vampire commanded, her voice having lost its previous callousness. It was more settled. Quiet, even.

I did as I was told and looked up at the girl standing before me. She placed her hands gently on my face, one on either side, and glided the tips of her fingers about my cheeks playfully. Her face wasn't as heated as it was a moment ago either. It matched the sudden aura around her that encased me – a serene sternness.

The vampire's command got my focus to her, but her crimson eyes were what made my focus stay. They were like a vast sea of blooming blood when you looked deep enough into them. Beautiful… Mysteriously beautiful… How can someone look so incredible?

"I said it once. I will say it again… The blood in our hearts binds us together. It is a bond that cannot be easily broken once established. That is the truth. Can you bring yourself to accept that as the truth?"

A troubled sigh escaped from me. "It's the way that bond was established," I began, that night playing over in my head a few times, each time more infuriating than the last. "I was dying… You came along to ask the most absurd question anyone could ever ask a dying man… And I answered you. I just wanted to make you smile and now I'm paying for it… It's just not fair."

"Was it supposed to be fair?" she asked. A very strange thing to ask, I think. "Since when has fate ever been fair, hm? Could you tell me that, Isaac?"

"Well- I…" I sighed when I lost the words to respond with. After a few breaths, I started again. "There's, like, seven billion people on the planet. At least half of them would kill their entire families to have what you gave me," I stated stressfully. "You could have asked any of them and gotten someone much more willing than me to be your slave."

"Well, I didn't ask them, now did I? I asked you."

"Why the hell me?!" I exclaimed angrily. "Didn't you do your research before picking me out of the crowd? I was a…" I sighed again when the only real memory of the kind of person I was manifested perfectly in my mind. "I was a drunk with only a motorcycle to his name and no ambition…" I spoke the truth and that truth was a needle straight through my heart.

The vampire giggled and, damn it all, it nearly made me smile. I fought against the smile and just barely won against it.

"You're getting flustered over a life that no longer matters," she said. When my eyes fell from hers, she slightly jerked my head, getting my eyes back on her. Her expression became serious all of a sudden. "There is something that needs to be made clear so listen well…" She leaned forward a little, the distance between her face and mine shrinking in the process. I shivered a little when her cold breath touched my lips. "That night, when I sired a newborn vampire, a man died and another man was born. You are the man that was born. Not the other way around. Do you understand?"

All I could do was shrug my shoulders. I didn't understand. Not really, at least. And I think she could easily tell that I didn't.

The vampire smiled at me and stood up straight, giving me my personal space back. "You will in due time. I did not expect your development to go without difficulty," she said. Suddenly, she was looking at me with a condemning glare. "Of course, you've been doing your damnedest to make it as difficult as you possibly can."

And I kind of just sunk my head in between my shoulders because I couldn't really defend myself against that accusation because, well, she was right. But if she would just tell me why she chose me out of so many more serviceable options then maybe – and I emphasize the word maybe – we could work something out between us. If anything, I just want to understand her motives better. It might not be so difficult to work for (working instead of serving just sounds better) an undead being if I saw her less of an undead being. I don't know… I'm just trying my best to be reasonable at this point.

"You still hadn't answered my question," I confronted her. "Why did you-"

"Because I felt like it," she plainly said. "There. You have your reason."

She gave me a reason, but it wasn't a sensible one at all and I opened my mouth to interject her preposterous answer, only for her to continue speaking before I could get a word out.

"If that reason is not good enough for you then make it good enough because it is going to be the main motive behind many of my actions and desires," she said. She spoke clearly and with a heavy assertiveness in her stance.

I was utterly astonished with her ruthless statement. "You cannot honestly expect me to believe that a fuzzy little feeling you got when you saw me dying alone in a forest was all that made you want to turn me!" I said, voice raised and angry.

But the vampire merely raised her voice higher. "I expect you to carry out my commands regardless of the reasons behind those commands! Do you understand?!" she shouted, her voice ringing painfully in my ears.

There was no winning against her. Not right now, at least. Once I uncringed, I answered back reluctantly. "Yes… Yes, I do."

"Yes…what?" she asked and waited impatiently for an answer.

I sighed quietly and fixed my answer. "Yes, ma'am."

It didn't look like the vampire was going to take that answer either, but after a quick thought and a haughty huff, she went with it. "It's a start…" she said, sounding slightly unsure. She turned her back to me. "You will return to Sakuya and continue your training and you will put in the effort to learn your new duties," she said sternly. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at me. "You will put in the effort… Won't you?"

Feeling indifferent but not completely against her demand, I nodded. "I will try, but I still don't know what you expect from me. I mean… A butler? Seriously?" I said. I still sort of felt like the whole me becoming a butler thing was just some cruel joke. It was cliché and stupid, if you wanted my honest opinion. "Damn it, vampire, I'm a mechanic, not a butler," I jested in an attempt to unsour my mood.

"I expect progress in your training," the vampire said as she returned her sights ahead of her. "Show me progress and I'll reward you for your efforts. Some of those rewards could be answers to whatever questions that linger in that little head of yours, if you so choose."

It was a reasonable offer, I'll admit. Continuously bonking heads with this girl wasn't going to get me anywhere anyways. So, despite a good amount of averseness still built up, I'll accept my post here in the mansion as the vampire's servant. Though, I wasn't too keen on her idea of training. Even if it did lead me to knowledge of my powers, I would rather avoid being locked up again if I can help it. That thought led to another question.

"Why don't you just tell me the things I can do instead of throwing me in a hole to wait and see if I figure things out myself?"

"Because you don't listen," she harshly stated. I kept my mouth closed to that one. There was simply no denying the accusation.

She started to walk off just when I remembered something. "Wait!" I called to her and she stopped and waited for me to continue without turning to face me. "Um… Is there any chance I could get my wallet back? It's the only thing I own here and it would just help with the morale thing if I had it back," I asked as politely as I was able. It was hoping for a bit much from her after my past transactions, but I wanted to at least try to ask. I really wanted my wallet back.

The vampire gave me an answer, but not before sighing. It sounded like she was disappointed with my simple request. No clue as to why. "That wallet does not belong to you. It belongs to someone who has passed on. The sooner you realize that, the better off you will be," she said softly and, just like that, she headed off to wherever her whims take her.

Remilia Scarlet… What's going on in that mind of yours, hm?

I remained in that uncomfortable sitting position until the vampire left my sights. Once she was gone, I fell backwards onto my ass. "Oh, baby Jesus…"

That talk with the vampire was beyond exhausting, but it was… productive. Way more productive than our other encounters, at the very least. I was still having a hard time fathoming it all. This mansion, the things within it, Remilia Scarlet the Vampire… All of that was still so unreal to me. My mind was in a constant state of being blown, and I didn't know if I could handle it all. But what else could I do? Leave? The vampire scared me enough. I couldn't imagine what I'd find if I walked out those gates that Meiling stands guard of. Would I find something stranger than that weird blonde lady of another dimension? God, I hope not. My screwed up mind can only take so much insanity.

I took in one big breath and exhaled it through my lips, making them vibrate. "Oh, Jesus… How in the world am I gonna make it through this?"

"You'll do fine," said a sudden, soft voice.

My heart jumped from its current position right into my throat, forcing me to jump into the air with it and onto my feet. I quickly turned to see it was only Sakuya.

"Good Lord, Sakuya, don't do that," I said with a smile. I pounded my chest softly to get my racing heart to slow back down.

She smiled back. "I take it I scared you?"

"You kidding? My heart was already halfway down the hallway. Didn't you see it?" I joked.

I got a little chuckle out of her. "No, but I did see you come to some terms with our Mistress," she said.

"Now don't go jumping to conclusions now," I warned. "I'm just gonna go with the flow of things. That's all."

Seemingly satisfied with that conclusion, Sakuya nodded once at me and said "Then I'll leave it at that."

We headed off to another part of the mansion to continue on with my training. How everything was going to turn out was still high up there. I just hoped I could keep it together while living in the house of the Scarlet Devil.