1 The Encounter!

The Irula Peninsula— a desolate region far removed from the Wide World. Here, bumpkins galore survived on meager resources, far away from populated places. No powerhouse had a reason to come to the already looted ruins or leech off the sparse vitality of these far-off lands.

This was how millennia passed from the Days of Gods. The day came when normal humans thrived. Now, villages and small cities spotted across the Irula Peninsula. There were three kingdoms and a few sects made up of refugees of the Tao Path.

Of course, in a small village next to the many Ancient Ruins, a man named Caleb didn't know any of this. He didn't care either way. Caleb liked his slow and pampered life.

As if hearing his thoughts, a woman screamed, "Get up, you lazy idiot!"

Caleb grumbled and unwillingly left his padded bed and his comfy blanket. The light from the Sun burned his sapphire eyes, so he blindly stumbled down the stairs and smacked his face into the wall.

"Finally! You need to start taking care of yourself better!"

Caleb rubbed his aching face and stared at the slightly shorter woman. She finished cooking toast and eggs. Her long brown hair hung from her right shoulder and Caleb eyed her worn apron up to her patched shirt. She gave off a deceptively homely and domestic perception.

Caleb yawned and mumbled, "Morning, Amanda."

Caleb smiled as the pain faded from his face. He sat down on a chair beside Amanda. His fork stabbed the egg and dropped it on a slice of toast. The yolk bled over the top and Caleb took quick small bites.

"Caleb. Remember to help with the Harvest. The Tao Sects are coming. We need to do our best to make Mom proud."

Caleb nibbled slower to stop crumbs from sticking to his face. He licked the yolk around his mouth and grunted. Amanda frowned and pursed her small lips.

"Caleb! Why aren't you listening to me!"

Amanda glared at Caleb. She didn't eat any of her food yet. Caleb looked up and into Amanda's earthy eyes. He swallowed his last bite.

"I'm listening. Keep talking."

Amanda scooted her chair over and poked Caleb's cheek.

"I know you're not. You're treating me like I'm Mom. You know Mom's gone, but you can't rely on me every day to take care of you."

Caleb snorted and ate some more. She kept poking his cheek while he enjoyed the touch of her warm, but calloused hands.

"I'm serious! It's already been a year and we're both grown up. You're eighteen, today! It's time for us to live our lives! Mom wanted us to do better than the Neeman Village!"

"Amanda, why can't we live freely? We don't have to live greater. I don't care about destiny. All I care about is you."

Caleb wrapped his arms around Amanda and rubbed his cheek against hers. Amanda felt his stubble brush against her face and smelled his musky body.

"Ugh…" Amanda's brain froze for a second in the moment of closeness but snapped out of her dream. "Hey! Don't change the subject! I was talking about how useless you've been! You didn't help me clean up the house, cook, shop, sew…"

Caleb droned her out and constricted tighter around Amanda's resistance. He felt her perky body with his arms around her waist. Her breasts fitted his hands quite nicely.

"Mom was right in adopting you. We'd make a great family."

Amanda flushed red and pushed Caleb back into his chair.

"S-s-shut up! Listen when I'm talking to you! You're always taking advantage of me!"

"Oh?" Caleb grinned. "But don't you like taking care of me?"

Amanda stuttered, "Th-that's n-not true, idiot! We're family! Th-that's why!"

Caleb grinned wider. "Then why don't we get started on making a family?"

Amanda pushed him again and realized she couldn't look at Caleb anymore.

"S-stop messing with me! I-I told you to listen!"

Caleb sarcastically replied, "Aren't I?"

Amanda grabbed the dirty pan and waved it at Caleb.

"Y-you're going to s-start working now! I'm t-tired of washing your cl-clothes… a-and preparing your b-bath… a-and everything embarrassing!"

Caleb waved his hand and reluctantly said, "Fine, fine. I'll do it."

"Good!" Amanda huffed, her face red with emotion.

Caleb chuckled and tapped her nose.

"Only if we start sleeping in the same bed."

Amanda screamed at Caleb. When she threw the pan at the table, it hit the plate of eggs, and both flew off and splattered on the floor. She stomped away, grumbling nervously under her breath.

"Well, I'm not cleaning that up."

Caleb left the room and put on his shoes. He wanted to take a walk so Amanda could calm down. Usually, he teased her until she gave into his demands. It was strange that she refused. After spending so much time conditioning her, Amanda basically took over every chore in the house. If she demanded something out of him, his lazy lifestyle would come to an end!

Caleb lived the perfect life and almost had a perfect wife in the making. His days passed in between meals and naps. He only wished his mom was around so she could see her grandkids grow up.

The subdued sounds in the Woods cleared Caleb's mind and he began to wander aimlessly. Time passed and the Sun went down. The cry of an owl broke the backdrop of buzzing insects.

Caleb shook his head and realized he got lost.

"What? But how? I swear I was walking a few minutes ago…"

He retraced his steps, inspecting the ground for footprints and the foliage for damage.

"This is absurd! Why is the trail bringing me back in a full circle?"

Caleb found himself back at the clearing where he last stopped. He scratched his head in confusion before trying to leave a few more times. Seeing no change, Caleb gave up and moved forwards.

"Must be some force keeping me here."

Caleb ran forth, bouncing on his heels like a rubber ball. The grass tickled his feet, like ants carrying his weight. He moved faster and faster, rushing without abandon! In a single bound, Caleb crossed over three paces!

"I'm as fast as the wind!"

Suddenly, blinding blue light flashed! Caleb yelled as he was pulled down by an archaic force. The ground spun around him! The plants retracted and then covered up the hole!

"Oh, f********ck!"

Caleb slid down a long, smooth, stone slide. The path curled and spiraled; spun and twisted; dropped and lifted; disappeared and appeared! Caleb's arms flung wildly, trying to grab a surface to stop, but they helplessly slid off!

He fell forwards and landed in a field of grass. Around him, a varying height of grass grew and formed an unbelievably complicated design.

"I'm… alive? What is this place?! How can there be a place so full of vitality?"

The entire ruins had grass covering every inch of exposed surface. The blades of grass swayed, shifting fluidly in between design to design. The very air thrummed with life. Caleb couldn't process the intricacies of this area.

"Oh? What's that?"

Inside the gigantic domed ruins, a tall pillar of stone stood straight in the center. Designs infinitely more complex than the grass spread all over the stone. A small and surprisingly barren cubby held a levitating orb. It looked like a ball of grass the size of two fists and it shimmered a deep spring green color.

"Ah! This must be my destiny!" Caleb cried, as he scratched his head. "Thank you, Gods, for giving me this fortune, but… can I decline your offer? I'm living well off in my village and I've got the love of my life. Heroes always go through great suffering, and more often than not, they die before they can rest."

Caleb stood in the domed ruins, all alone, and without anyone to direct him. His pulse sped up and the exhaustion of moving around so much started catching up. He didn't have great aspirations or big dreams! Why did fate choose him? Wasn't there another person more in need or more motivated?

"I'll be, uh, going now?"

Caleb clapped his hands together and bowed. He then turned around and tried climbing back into the slide. However, the smooth surface slipped through his hands and he couldn't force his way back up. Caleb anxiously wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"F*ck! Is there really no way?"

He looked back at the hovering orb. He sighed and slowly walked over to the orb. It was undoubtedly luring, almost like Amanda pulled him to her bed, dropped her skirt, spread her legs, and whispered for him to come closer as the blush spread across her face.

Caleb breathed heavily and felt a tingle in his pants.

"The f*ck? It's just a ball! This isn't like one of her breasts… Keep yourself together, Caleb!"

He stood, awed at the beauty of the orb. A strange energy permeated his skin, reenergizing his body and boosting his… vitality.

Caleb couldn't help himself and grabbed the orb tight to his chest! The ruin rumbled wildly, shaking the ground and swaying the tall pillar!

Still, Caleb didn't blink. His consciousness transferred to the orb. Inside, a gentle force carried him higher and higher. He felt like a God, able to bend reality and twist time itself! An invasive thought interrupted his inflating mind.

"What do I want?" Caleb asked.

The subspace shook up and down, as if nodding.

"Could my parents come back?"

The subspace shook side to side.

"Bah! I guess there isn't enough power to bring back souls after death… Could Amanda and I be protected from this World? I wish to live happily by her side, for as long as I live…"

The subspace engulfed his consciousness. In the domed ruins, the grass rapidly shriveled, turning from green to brown and finally, black! The pillar cracked, crumbling under the absorption force, and then revealed a crystalline core! The vitality swirled around Caleb and invaded his body! It drastically changed in composition!

Power invaded his virgin blood, purifying it beyond imagination! Strength flowed through his organs, perfecting his digestion to wholly repurpose even the smallest piece of bread to use! Sturdiness flowed through his bones, making his head the densest! Robustness reinforced the performance of his muscles! Vitality flowed into his heart, improving his regeneration and endurance!

His skin peeled apart and expelled waste, finally revealing a smooth, yet extremely thick layer. A design made completely from lines the size of hair strands materialized over Caleb's heart. Even looking at the patterns made from the lines would destabilize a person's soul!

Caleb's body pulsated and the area around him cleared. Dust caked the stone of the domed ruins. The fluctuations long disintegrated the rocky debris. What remained of the change was Caleb. Caleb and the crystalline slab in the center of the domed ruins, actually!

Caleb slowly regained consciousness as the crystalline slab fractured apart. The sounds alerted his interest.

"Wha— this power… What did I do?"

Caleb clenched his fists. His body overflowed with power far beyond what he thought to be possible. Without fatigue or aches, he prepared to deal with what emerged. He didn't notice that he wasn't affected by the shaking ground! His body swayed like bamboo in the middle of a storm!

The huge crystalline structure broke apart, revealing a throne-like device. A platinum blond woman rested atop the tech, like she was asleep. Various tubes connected to her bare body, emphasizing her fantastic proportions. If Caleb faced her before his transformation, he didn't doubt that just her seductive form could snatch his free will.

After absorbing the orb, Caleb fought against his many desires and solidified his convictions. No one would stand between him and Amanda living happily! His mind stayed clear and focused! That is why his eyes squinted, judging her threat… although with passive disinterest.

The woman opened her eyes, gasping for a deep breath. The tubes disengaged and dangled powerlessly. She felt dizzy and her thoughts were a tangled mess. Her name... was…

"Vanessa?" she softly whispered.

Caleb helped her stand up. She stood a head shorter than Caleb, with pudgy cheeks. Their eyes met as he bent down. Her vermillion eyes inspected his blue eyes.

"Hello, Vanessa, right? Would you know how to leave this place?"

Caleb awkwardly covered his privates since only scraps of his clothes remained. Caleb didn't know that Vanessa spoke in a raspy gibberish of noise before. Still, Vanessa appreciated his body, despite Caleb's attention.

"Uh…" she moaned and drool started forming at the side of her mouth.

"Great. She is stupid! How am I going to get out of this?"

Oblivious to the meaning of her stare, Caleb moved Vanessa to the side and fiddled around with the crystalline structure. His hands patted down everything. Something was bound to work!

Vanessa shivered in excitement. Her face reddened and she breathed heavily. Behind the wildly fumbling Caleb, she stalked him. Two sharp fangs sprouted in her mouth and she latched onto Caleb's back!

"Agh!!! What the f*ck?"

Vanessa's legs tightened around his thighs and her arms slipped under his armpits and gripped onto his biceps in an x-shape. The lumps on her chest pushed on Caleb's back, but she leaned forward and clamped down towards his neck!

"Get off!"

By pure reflex, Caleb threw her off.

"Wha— How did I do that? Nevermind, why are you clinging to me? I'm a taken man!"

Vanessa giggled as her blush spread from her face to down her neck! The closed smile on her face creeped Caleb out! Then, she licked her lips!

"You! I'm not interested!" Caleb warned.

She crouched down and pounced! Caleb once again reflexively kicked his leg out and smacked her neck! Vanessa slammed into the crystalline wall and staggered off balance.

"F*ck! I'm trying to get us out of this place! The least you could do is cooperate!"

At this moment, the domed ruins stabilized!

"Huh? What was that?"

The crystalline throne rose up on a large platform of stone! The thrust of the ground tripped up Vanessa, but Caleb stayed standing.

"Woah! I nearly fell there!"

The domed ruins split open from the top, like a lotus flower. In a matter of moments, they arrived back on the surface! Morning came, light shining on the horizon.

"Ah… Amanda's going to be worried. I better get over to her as fast as I can! That freaky woman can survive on her own, if she stayed alive since the creation of those ruins."

Caleb dashed off, somehow sure the direction he ran in was where Amanda stayed.

Vanessa rolled back onto her feet. Her bumpy awakening didn't work out as she thought. Why was her contractor so hard to get? Didn't he need to feed her? How else would she recover and give him vitality?

She was Vanessa Von Vilhelm, the ancient vampire Progenitor from the Days of Gods. The God who created her decided to reuse her vitality absorption trait to power a wishing orb for his inheritor. Her memories blurred when she was lowered away and the Gods disappeared. The years spent frozen in a coma until now degraded her.

But, her purpose was to serve, no matter how hard it was! Vanessa sniffed the air and trailed behind Caleb.