The Vampire’s Path

It’s unclear how much time had passed. The surrounding darkness remained thick, and consciousness was still somewhat hazy. Slowly, after an unknown amount of time, time itself seemed to lose its significance, and his awareness finally grew clearer. In his mind, a voice began to call out, "Wake up, wake up..."

Opening his eyes, Fars looked around. The space, not particularly small, had several large shelves. Some were empty, while others had scattered items. In the center, there was a large stone platform with an egg and a scroll of parchment placed upon it. Fars immediately recognized this place, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, and began cursing the ancient mage who had set up the wards here.

Fars was once a nobleman, born into a well-off family. He had a comfortable life, living as a pampered son who spent his days walking his dog, teasing ladies in town, and indulging in every luxury. However, when turmoil struck his homeland, his family was affected, and those who could flee, fled to another kingdom for refuge. Eventually, his family fell into decline. Unable to accept the loss of his noble status, Fars had to find a way to survive. With his modest magical skills and a formal mage title, he wasn’t destitute but lived a life of excess, mostly indulging in pleasure.

Mages were considered the highest-ranking profession in this world. After the end of the Nesser Era, the energy levels of this world plummeted, causing magic to decline. As a result, the number of people with magical talent became rarer, and magic itself became more mysterious. In the past, legendary mages could even challenge the gods, making mages revered in the eyes of ordinary people. The various empires treated mages with great respect, and even low-ranking mages like Fars were treated similarly to minor nobility and received stipends of gold each month. Thus, Fars was able to live comfortably.

However, someone who had once lived in wealth would never be satisfied with simply surviving. Fars, too, grew restless. In the past, he lacked ambition and responsibility, but since his family's fall from grace, he yearned to restore his family’s fortunes. The problem was that as a former noble, he knew that acquiring land or a title in a foreign kingdom was almost impossible. Land had long been claimed by other nobles and kings. Gaining a hereditary title or land was as unlikely as an unqualified apprentice becoming a high-level mage.

Luckily, Fars was still an officially registered mage, or else his survival in this foreign land would be in jeopardy. The best way he could think of to change his fate was to improve his magical skills and try to become a high-ranking mage. The various empires were eager to welcome high-level mages. If someone with such skills agreed to serve in the empire, they would be granted a title of Count and a piece of land. Of course, these titles and lands were temporary; if the mage died and their heirs didn’t have sufficient merit or fail to become high-level mages themselves, the titles and lands would be revoked. But for Fars, this was still the best option to rebuild his family.

However, resources were scarce. Magic was a profession that consumed vast amounts of money, and most nobles couldn’t afford to support a mage. Fars regretted not dedicating more time to improving his magic skills when his family was wealthy. He had always seen magic as a powerful but distant pursuit, something impressive but not something he focused on. Now, with no family fortune to fall back on, Fars realized that without external support, reaching a higher level of magic through meditation alone would take too long.

The quickest way to gain resources, aside from illegal methods, was to explore ancient ruins. There were many relics left over from the previous era, though they were incredibly dangerous. Even finding a couple of ancient magical items would be enough to fund his endeavors for a while. But the New Era had been ongoing for over 3,000 years, and most ruins had already been explored. Only a few dangerous places, like monster-infested areas in deep mountains, still held some value. But the risk of death for adventurers was high.

After months of contemplation—or perhaps simply out of desperation—Fars registered as an adventurer at the guild, driven by the alcohol he had consumed. Although a low-tier mage, he could still take on A-level tasks, thanks to his unique status. Thus, his adventurer career began.

Nobles were often seen as cunning, and using his quick thinking, Fars completed several tasks. After a few years of hard work and investing money in improving his physical abilities, he achieved the rank of a mid-tier mage. With increased power came the opportunity for greater risks.

A new ruin was discovered in the south, in the dangerous Qihar Mountains. Though on the outskirts, the area was still perilous. The adventurer leading the expedition sought powerful individuals to join, and Fars participated. Though only a mid-tier mage, his magical abilities were still valuable, and high-level mages rarely volunteered for such dangerous expeditions. Fars and two other mid-tier mages joined the group.

At first, the exploration went smoothly, and despite encountering several monster attacks, the group was strong enough to push forward. Eventually, they reached the ruin’s treasure chamber. However, the wards on the treasure were difficult, and the group feared triggering a legendary mage’s defense mechanism.

Despite the danger, one of the other mages, overconfident, suggested they try to break the ward. The mage, claiming to be a disciple of a high-level mage, convinced the leader to let him attempt it. Fars, unwilling to interfere, helped but was cautious. He secretly carried a vial of vampire blood, just in case the ward’s legendary spell proved fatal. Consuming the vampire blood would allow him to revive as a vampire if he died.

The spell trap, however, was not what it seemed. The mage who set it up had been deceitful. The trap was designed not to protect the treasure, but to direct the legendary attack at the party. It worked as planned, killing everyone in the chamber. Fars, in his last moments, managed to drink the vampire blood and was reborn as a vampire.

Fars woke up once more. His memories were intact, and he cursed the deceitful mage and his “beloved” teammates. The world, it seemed, was unforgiving. “Well, at least I’m alive. But the road ahead will be hard,” he sighed. Now a vampire, Fars knew that the world saw him as evil, and he would be hunted by both the Church and his former comrades.

In the land of Aelras, vampires were seen as dark, evil creatures, living off human blood. The Church and other religious groups were fiercely opposed to them. Even the Mage Guild had no tolerance for such creatures. Once a mage became a non-human entity, they were no longer recognized by the guild.

For Fars, this was just the beginning of his new, dangerous life as a vampire.

There are many theories about the origin of vampires in Aelras, and two of the most credible ones are: The first theory is that vampires are descendants of an evil god. This is a story that vampires themselves strongly promote, as it would prove that their bloodline originates from the divine or demonic realms, which explains why vampires often appear as nobles. It cannot be denied that, in many cases, vampires do indeed carry themselves with a noble demeanor. They are well-dressed, speak formally, and enjoy luxury. Of course, whether they maintain the same politeness while feeding on human blood is another matter. The second theory is passed down among mages. They believe that vampires were the result of experiments conducted by the great archmages of the Nesser Era. Unable to control their creations, the vampires escaped and grew in power, eventually becoming a new race. This theory is deemed credible because of the legendary status of the great mages from the previous era, who we