The night I died wasn't supposed to be special.
No fireworks. No dramatic soundtrack. Just rain—endless, cold rain tapping against my umbrella like impatient fingers.
I was walking home from another late shift at the convenience store, my sneakers squelching in the puddles. Tokyo's neon lights reflected off the wet asphalt, making the whole world look like it had been smeared with melted candy. It was past midnight, and I was thinking about instant ramen, maybe two eggs if I felt rich.
Then I heard the brakes.
A flash of headlights. A roar.
And suddenly the world flipped sideways.
I remember flying—or maybe falling—and then pain. So much pain that it turned into silence. My umbrella went spinning into the air, a black flower blooming under the rain, and the streetlight above me blurred until it became a halo.
And then… nothing.
Just darkness.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in Tokyo.
The first thing I noticed was the smell. The air was sharp and clean, like pine trees and snow. My head throbbed, and when I pushed myself up, my hands sank into damp earth. I was lying in a forest, the kind you only see in fantasy games—ancient trees, thick moss, the kind of silence that made your heartbeat sound too loud.
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Okay, maybe I'm dreaming," I muttered.
But dreams didn't feel this real. The cold bit at my skin. The wind carried the sound of distant running water. Everything had weight.
I stood up, wobbling. My uniform was gone, replaced by a black cloak and boots. A silver pendant rested against my chest, carved with a symbol I didn't recognize—a pair of wings wrapping around a crescent moon.
That was when I noticed it.
My heartbeat.
Or rather—the lack of it.
I pressed my hand against my chest. Nothing. No pulse, no warmth.
A wave of panic hit me. "Wait, wait, wait—what the hell—"
That's when the scent reached me.
Sweet. Metallic. Inviting.
Like the smell of rain and blood mixed together.
I turned toward it instinctively, my mouth dry. My teeth ached. And then I realized—my canines were longer. Sharp.
I stumbled toward the scent until I found its source. A deer lay by the riverbank, its neck torn open, still warm. The sight should've made me sick. But instead, my body moved on its own.
My hands trembled as I knelt beside it. I could hear the whisper of liquid inside, smell the iron, the life.
And then I drank.
The world exploded.
It was like lightning running through my veins. My vision sharpened, the forest snapping into impossible clarity. Every heartbeat of the forest—the flutter of bats, the rustle of worms in the soil—echoed inside me.
When I finally pulled back, my reflection stared at me from the river's surface. Pale skin. Silver eyes that glowed faintly in the dark.
And fangs.
"Oh," I whispered. "Cool. I'm a vampire."
Then I laughed. A hysterical, unsteady sound. Because of course. I die once and wake up in some fantasy forest as a bloodsucker.
Classic isekai luck.
I wandered until sunrise, trying to piece together what happened.
No smartphone. No wallet. Not even my name tag from the store.
Was this punishment? A second chance? Or just the universe's worst joke?
When the first light of dawn touched the trees, pain seared through my skin. I hissed, stumbling into the shade. My hands smoked faintly where sunlight touched them.
"Okay," I groaned. "Sunlight equals bad. Got it."
I found shelter in a hollowed tree and waited for the pain to fade. Hunger gnawed at me again—sharp, desperate. My stomach didn't rumble like before; instead, it ached with an emptiness that felt ancient.
That's when I heard it: footsteps.
Soft, quick, careful.
A girl stepped into the clearing. She couldn't have been older than sixteen, with messy blond hair tied in a ribbon and a basket in her hands. Her clothes looked like something out of a medieval RPG—wool dress, leather boots, apron.
She was humming.
I held my breath, hiding deeper in the shadows. My throat burned. The scent of her blood was overwhelming—fresh, warm, alive.
No. No, I wasn't going to be that guy.
But when she tripped and scraped her knee, a few drops hit the ground. The smell hit me like a hammer.
I lunged before I realized it.
The next thing I knew, I was pinning her against a tree, her basket rolling away, apples spilling across the ground. Her eyes widened in terror.
"W-who are you?!" she gasped.
I froze. My fangs were inches from her throat.
God, what was I doing?
"I—I'm sorry," I stammered, stumbling back. "I didn't mean to—"
But she screamed anyway. The sound echoed through the forest. Birds scattered.
"Wait! I'm not—!"
Too late. She bolted, vanishing between the trees.
I sank to my knees, shaking. My hands were trembling like I'd just woken from a nightmare.
Except this was the nightmare.
By nightfall, I was starving again.
I tried hunting animals, but each kill only dulled the hunger for a moment. My body wanted human blood. I hated it.
At some point, I noticed the moon rising—huge and red like an eye staring down at me. The symbol on my pendant glowed faintly in its light.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice spoke.
"You've awakened, haven't you, fledgling?"
I turned. A man stood at the edge of the clearing—tall, cloaked in silver and black. His eyes glowed crimson, and his smile revealed fangs far sharper than mine.
"You…" I managed. "You're like me."
He nodded. "I am Lord Varyn of House Nocthra. And you, child, are trespassing in my domain."
"Domain?" I echoed.
He tilted his head, studying me. "Strange. You smell like us, yet your aura is… different. Where do you hail from?"
"Uh… Tokyo?"
He frowned. "I do not know this 'Tokio.' Is it a human kingdom?"
I sighed. "Something like that."
Varyn's gaze softened slightly. "You are newly turned, then. The hunger has you in its grip."
I didn't deny it.
He approached, his footsteps soundless. "You are fortunate I found you before the hunters did. Come. I will teach you what you have become."
I hesitated. "And if I say no?"
His smile widened. "Then you will not survive the next sunrise."
He turned, his cloak rippling like smoke. "Follow me, little one. Welcome to the world of the night."
I looked back once at the forest, the blood-stained river, the faint trail of apples left behind by the girl I scared.
Then I stepped forward, into the darkness.
To be continued…