Darkness.
It was all he could see.
Looking up, a bright moon illuminated the darkened skies. His surroundings suddenly filled up with colors, morphing into a lush forest. The sounds of rustling trees and the wind whistling resounded throughout the area.
It was a serene moment for Rex as he stood on a familiar-looking rock formation, but that moment would be brief. He heard the crackling of branches to his right, turning to the sound. Fear gripped his heart, a recognizable feeling he couldn't help but dread.
A shadowy figure appeared out of the bushes, snarling at the sight of him. It leaped at him, crashing into Rex.
He tumbled to the ground with his attacker, struggling as he felt his arms get pinned down. He could barely make out his attacker, a small dark entity with fangs.
Fangs.
Wait…!
He realized what was going to happen, but it was too late. His attacker bit down into his shoulder, enormous pressure crushing him. An all-too-familiar pain shattered through his shoulder.
"AHHHHH!"
Rex screamed as he got up, eyes clenched shut as he clawed at his shoulder.
H-Huh?!
He opened his eyes to find himself half-naked in bed, the pillows and sheets colored in a dark shade of red. The fear still shook him, shuddering in place.
Wha- where am I?
Looking around, it was a well-kept bedroom with a closet and a large drawer with a mirror attached to the wall. Beside the bed were two bedside tables with lit candles atop, dimly lighting the red room and small windows that let in some moonlight. In front of the bed was the door, closed shut.
Rex began to move around until he felt a sharp pain around his shoulder. Looking at his injury, he realized the blood-soaked wrap was replaced with a fresh white bandage along with his arm in a cast. It was tightly done to make sure it was properly treated.
These feel brand new… He glided his fingers over the bandages.
Rex carefully got out of bed, touching the wooden floor barefoot, only to recoil back from the shocking cold. Hesitating, he ignored the frozen boards, numbing his feet, and cautiously made his way to the door.
What is going on here? Rex wondered, only remembering that he lost consciousness at the bottom of some stairs.
Pulling open the door, he was met with a recognizable maid standing right in front of him. She held a silver tray with what seemed to be a soup atop it.
"Oh, you're finally awake," Sakuya said impassively, walking by him to place the tray on the drawer. Rex scrambled away from her as she made her way.
"Y-You?!" He fearfully shouted out, backing up against the wall. Various thoughts were going through his head as the maid turned to him. "Get back! I warned you!"
Rex grabbed whatever he could, a small booklet off of one of the shelves by him and waved it threateningly at her.
Sakuya sighed at his pitiful display as she walked up to him. Her hand instantly appeared at his wrist as she forced him down to the ground, dropping the booklet. He was put into an awkward strainful position as she continued to hold his wrist, her strength overpowering his.
"Don't do anything funny. Follow my directions or else I'll be breaking your other arm," Sakuya intimidatingly ordered, putting more force behind her grip.
"Ack?!" Rex cried in pain, his arm being put into an awkward position. In fear of his other arm being broken, he gave in. "A-alright! Alright! I'll listen!" He felt her let go, relieving himself. His wrists stung as he glared at her.
"You should be grateful. If it weren't for my master's orders… you wouldn't be here," scowled Sakuya. "I've brought some food for you." She brought the tray laying on the drawer over to him.
Getting up from the floor, he looked down at the tray to see a warm bowl of soup. He was famished, drooling as he smelled the dish. But he couldn't trust a damn thing in this mansion after seeing that chopped up human. He covered his mouth with a hand as he felt nauseous thinking about it. Rex pushed the tray away from him, clearly not interested in eating.
"Don't worry, it's not made from humans," Sakuya pointed out, picking up on his thoughts. "It's chicken soup, something to start as you were out for three days," she insisted.
"T-Three days?!" Rex finally talking, startled for how long he was out. He looked back at the dish and couldn't handle his stomach's constant growling. Giving in to his hunger, he decided to give it a taste.
"Do you require any assistance?" Sakuya offered, raising a spoon. He wouldn't be able to properly eat the soup she prepared.
"H-Hell no! I'll do it myself…" Rex waved his arm in disapproval. He could not fathom the thought of his killer spoon-feeding him.
"Hmph- Wise choice. It would pain me to have to feed you, even alone think of it," the maid scoffed, having offered her help only because of her job. It was pretty clear that she disliked the task her master assigned her.
"Tch, good to know I'm not the only one," He retorted.
With a shaky hand, he picked up the bowl with his good arm. Rex hesitantly brought the soup to his mouth.
Much to his surprise, it tasted just like... chicken soup… as she had just stated.
He drank the entire thing out of starvation. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he placed the bowl back on the tray, letting out a warm sigh.
Hah… Wait- do humans taste like chicken?!
Rex dreaded at the thought before the maid flicked the back of his head.
"You idiotic humans... " Sakuya sighed, picking back up the tray. "Always reluctant to question every obscure detail," she bitterly spat out before disappearing.
Rex stood there rubbing the spot on his head, mumbling in frustration. According to the maid, he was being kept here on her master's command, the only reason he was still in one piece and not chopped up for what could possibly be their next meal. He shuddered at the thought.
Sakuya had put away the tray and appeared back with a cup of tea in hand. "Here, this herbal tea will help ease the pain caused by your injuries," she handed him the cup and saucer.
"T-Thanks…," He muttered.
Despite their conflict three or so days ago, he couldn't turn down her aid even if her "kindness" was forced. Rex accepted the tea and sat on the bed, sipping at it. It had an unpleasant bitter taste but he surmised that's just how medicine usually tastes.
"…"
"..."
The mood was awkward as Sakuya nonchalantly watched him from the end of his bed as he sat on the side of it, drinking her tea.
Can you stop staring... please…?
After a few troublesome minutes for Rex, he was nearly finished. It was making him uncomfortable as he could feel her stare bore into his side as he drank the last drop. Coughing to catch her attention, he handed the empty cup without looking at her.
"T-Thank you… I appreciate it," Rex whispered under his breath, bothered with having to thank the maid, prior to having memories of her trying to kill him. She took the cups without a word and vanished.
Alone for a bit, he collapsed back onto the bed, one arm outstretched and the other still in his cast. He could feel the tea's effect start to kick in, his sore muscles and aching slowly disappearing. Instead, it was replaced with heavy drowsiness that washed over him.
Rex could feel his eyelids get heavier by the second as he laid atop the red sheets.
"Jeez… what was in that drink..." he tiringly muttered.
In a matter of seconds, he fell asleep from the combination of both his exhaustion in his weakened state and the medicinal tea. Sakuya was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed as she watched him sleep. In her left hand, she was casually flipping her knife around her fingers with expertise.
Just what do you see in this human… Remilia…
Sakuya couldn't find a single thing about him that stood out aside his time power, a poor imitation of its powerful predecessor. He wields a power that shouldn't belong in the hands of some careless human. The maid glowered at Rex and threw the knife in her hand.
Ker-Thunk!
It landed right above his head, lodged into the wooden edges of the bed. Rex, unaware of how close he was to death, continued to sleep away… alone in the room.
"Achoo!" sneezed a red-headed gatekeeper.
She was inside the mansion all drenched from standing guard in the rain. Meiling had fallen asleep outside. Not even the rain could wake her up.
She sat on a wooden chair in the recently cleaned dining room. Koakuma was right behind her with a towel in hand, drying off her hair.
"Geez Meiling, at least remember to bring an umbrella outside…," the devil pouted, rustling the towel over Meiling's scarlet hair.
"Oh yeah! I should've thought of that!" Meiling finally realizing what she could have done, Koakuma nearly facepalming at her stupidity.
"You should've known better Meiling," a voice called out, Sakuya appearing right before them. "Knowing you, you probably wouldn't have," she sighed, grinning at her good friend.
"Hey... what's that supposed to entail?" Meiling mumbled, leaning forward against the tabletop.
"Quit moving if you want to be properly dried!" Koakuma cried out, reaching forward along with Meiling to keep up with her.
"Hai~," the gatekeeper listened, staying still as the devil finished drying her hair. She left the towel laying atop her head, drooping over the sides of her face. Meiling's soaked cap hung off the coat rack off the wall.
"So… any news on the human?" Asked the gatekeeper, propping herself up with an elbow atop the table.
"Yeah, he's awake," Sakuya replied, properly arranging the plates inside one the cabinets.
"R-really?!" Meiling jumped up ecstatically. "Looks like we'll have another hand around the mansion~!"
"It would be nice to have more people around," Koakuma joined in.
"Hmph, I doubt that," the maid stated, shutting the cabinet doors. "I reckon he'll want to go to the human village rather than staying here."
"Huh? Why?" the gatekeeper asked.
"I refuse to support and work with a person like him," Sakuya bluntly stated as she headed into the kitchen.
"But didn't you mention at one point that you wouldn't mind an extra hand? You even said you would prefer them to be human! This is your opportunity!" Meiling fretted, taking the towel off her head.
"Yes, I have," the maid confessed before turning to face the gatekeeper. "But this human was not what I had in mind. He could rot away for all I care… actually, it would be better for him too."
"I mean it all comes down to what Remilia says," stated Koakuma, taking a seat beside a disgruntled Meiling. "What has she said to all this?"
"...," Sakuya refused to answer her question, staying silent as she went into the kitchen.
"Hehe, I'm guessing she said yes after all~!" Meiling excitedly said, picking up on Sakuya's silent answer before a dagger suddenly pierced into the table in front of her. "Yeesh, she's really upset today," the gatekeeper jumped back in surprise.
"I think she's been like that for the past couple days Meiling…," Koakuma muttered in disbelieve, wondering how the gatekeeper was not aware of her friend's recent attitude.
"Let's go spar, Sakuya! We haven't had one in a while!" Meiling jumped up becoming bored with the tense atmosphere.
"W-wait! Where will you guys fight? It's raining outside right now," Koakuma stammered, perplexed at the guard's sudden change of mood.
"Outside, where else?"
"Wha-?" the devil let out a confused breath.
"Who cares if it's raining, that'll make the sparring session a lot more thrilling!" Meiling grinned, punching the air in front of her.
"I'm willing to have a spar," Sakuya answered, wanting to take her mind off of her work for a bit. She needed something to release her pent up stress.
"O~kay!" the gatekeeper hollered, raising a fist in the air. She marched to the entrance of the mansion. "Come on Sakuya! Let's get sparring already!"
"Don't expect me to dry you again Meiling," Koakuma sighed as she got out of her seat, heading toward the library.
"Hehe! I won't be going easy on you this time!" Meiling challenged, crossing her arms.
"We'll see about that," grinned Sakuya, trailing behind the gatekeeper to head outside for their upcoming spar.
This was what she needed, a good spar to get her worries off her mind.
Patchouli let out a tired sigh as she closed the book she had just finished reading. She placed it on top of a pile of books stacked beside her, adding another to its collection.
She stretched out her arms in her seat, relieving her muscles. Outside, the pattering of rain was filled with the clashes of fist and knives.
"I figure they're at it again," the witch said as she laid back in her seat, hearing the sounds of familiar sparring between her two friends. "I suppose it has been quite a while…"
She stared at the book she had been reading, a human illustrated onto the cover.
I wonder how the human is faring…
Closing her eyes, she listened in to the sparring session.
Hm... Sakuya is not going easy today.
Rex had dreamt of the bizarre clockwork world he had previously been in, finding himself back in its outlandish environment. The last time he was here was when the whole place was crumbling, but not a trace of that seems to have happened.
"Why the hell am I back here again," Rex grumbled, standing atop the giant rotating gear. Ruffling his hair, he could only guess what was coming next. It was discouraging to find himself back in this dreadful place, the area filled with a sense of foreboding.
Only the echoing clunk and thuds of rotating gears would respond.
He sighed and continued to observe his strange surroundings until a clear voice cut the silence.
"Are you the one they call… Rex?"
Rex was startled by the sudden voice, looking around to find the speaker.
"Y-yeah! Who are you?" He called out into the dark clock-like world.
"My identity carries no importance as much as this warning I bring," the mysterious voice spoke inside his head. "Listen well, as I don't have much time..."
"A-Alright, I'm listening," Rex hesitantly responded, unsure of what was transpiring.
"Be wary of what the future may hold… a power like yours is desperately sought for…," The voice warned him until a static noise started to fill Rex's mind.
"If you can't contro-...-.-turn-.-..-.aga-inst-.-...-yo--.-"
"Agh?!" He cried in pain as he was clutching at his head. The voice was becoming scrambled in with the noise, unclear of what he was saying.
"-.-Esse-..-.-nce.-...-Spring. .-"
"Urgh?! M-make it stop!" Rex screamed at the top of his lungs. He held his trembling head as he fell to his knees, the static resounding throughout his mind. His mind felt like it could split in two.
"S-stop! STOP!"
His mind went blank.
…
*chirp chirp chirp*
A new sound entered his hollow thoughts, of crickets chirping in the distance.
Opening his eyes, he was met with the same dimly lit scarlet room he had been in. His head was slightly throbbing from the nightmare he just had.
W-what the hell was that…? Urgh…
Rubbing his temple, he got out of bed, vaguely remembering what happened. He turned to fix the sheets and noticed a familiar knife embedded into the wooden framing above where he had slept.
Yikes... What was going on when I was knocked out?
After properly tidying up the bed, he pulled out the dagger which took a bit of force for how deep it was lodged into the framing. It was a blue dagger belonging to the maid he disliked very much.
Did she try to kill me when I was asleep? Rex pondered, the thought worrying him, knowing he wasn't safe regardless of where he was in this cursed mansion.
Looking out one of the small windows in his room, it seemed he had woken up in the middle of the night, another day he had slept through. His sleeping schedule was definitely fucked up now.
Stretching out his only working arm, he could feel the effects of the medicinal tea. His recovery had been somewhat faster, unable to feel some of the previous sore spots on his body. He was still half-naked, shirt nowhere to be seen, but his red short jacket was hanging off a rack by the door. The night was getting colder so he just stuck with it, wearing the jacket over his bare upper body.
His homemade cast was getting in the way, so he just ultimately decided to take it off. Unwrapping the binds, he freed his hand from the multiple bandages wrapped around it. Opening and closing his hands, his arm almost felt good as new, only slight twinges of pain here and there. It looks like he'll have to be careful with it for the time being.
For his shoulder… yeah, he won't be messing with that for now.
Treading across the freezing floor, he grabbed a candle off his bedside table and walked outside his room for the first time. Looking around, it was a dimly lit carpeted corridor. Candles and lanterns hung off the walls providing meager lighting with windows letting in the moonlight.
"This place looks creepy as hell now that I think about it…," Rex muttered to himself, choosing to just wander around.
Walking down the hallway, the shuffling of his steps and chirping of nighttime insects were all he could hear. Coming up to a split pathway, he knew the whole mansion was a damn labyrinth. Taking a left, he continued down the hallway until hearing a rustling behind him.
He immediately swerved around at the sound, candle raised in front of him. There was nothing there.
"Oh don't do this to me, please," Rex begged in fear, feeling as if he was that idiot that went into the scary mansion in every typical horror movie to end up dying. He maintained his composure and persisted ahead, cautiously checking every angle.
After a couple of minutes of nothing happening, he couldn't anticipate what would happen next. The lanterns and candles lighting the hallways snuffed out simultaneously, leaving himself with his candle in hand.
"Oh fuck me," Rex mumbled, knowing something was coming.
He felt it, a powerful presence was just ahead of him. The darkness made it hard to figure out its appearance, only its red eyes stared back.
Rex was speechless, alarmed at what he was seeing. He scrambled back in terror, watching the scarlet eyes advance towards him.
"H-Hey! Don't mess with me! I-I'll burn this whole damn place down with me if I have too!" He threatened, figuring he could light the carpeted floor on fire. It was an attempt to escape the situation but it was futile.
"And to think this is the human supposed to play a large part in fate," the stranger sighed, getting closer to him.
"I-I mean it! I really will-." Rex shouted, poise to throw down the candle.
For a split second, he caught sight of the figure, the moonlight revealing them. It was a young girl with light blue hair in a light pink dress. Then, they disappeared- only to appear right in front of him.
Scarlet eyes gazed back at him, her face a couple of inches away from his face. Raising her hand towards the candle, she extinguished the flame by simply putting her thumb and index finger together at the tip. She smiled back, showing off her fanged teeth. Rex jumped back away in shock only to find her floating in the air.
A-a vampire?!
"Fate surely is unpredictable… I suppose it's destiny for us to meet my lowly servant," the mystical stranger chuckled, giving him a devilish grin. An audible gulp could be heard from Rex.
"D-Don't tell me…" He spoke, aware of who he was standing in front of.
"Ah, have you realized who you're standing in the presence of?" the vampire boastfully said, putting both her hands to her waist. She straightened her back and raised her chin in an attempt to appear taller.
"Yes, it is I, the lost daughter of the Vlad Tepes, Remilia!"
...
Uh… who?
alright- for starters, I apologize for how long it took to update this but I have been pretty busy! I've been doing stuff for college portfolios and school/art has been sucking up my free time. Also, I did get a bit stuck on this chapter lmao, but I know where to drive this story now!
So I've read my other chapters and found a handful of errors (oh lord- but mostly grammatical). To let you know, I proofread my writing and I'm not exactly the best at it -.- I do try my best but please bear with it. I'll be going back to fix those minor errors and hopefully, I'll catch them all. As per usual, if you spot any misconceptions let me know! Thank you for reading and enjoy your day!