The Awakening!

<Ping! >

Just like a single droplet of water bursting on his forehead, his consciousness began to ascend to the surface. The rest was a realm of uncertainty and darkness, but there was something... tickling his senses.

It was a dimly lit room, where even in the absence of much else to grasp, a trace of grandeur lingered. A throne, radiating majesty, stood prominently, while its occupant kept his eyes closed, immersed in a sea of uncertainty.

Every second feels like a prolonged breath, projecting his thoughtful nature. At that moment, reality seems distorted. Then, with a gentle movement, his eyelids parted, revealing the awakening of a new essence of life—crimson cornea burned with intensity and deep black pupil hinted at eternal darkness, absorbing the surroundings.

Amid the profound clash between certainty and uncertainty, a question emerged: "Where am I?" Yet, it quickly dissipated as he realized the oddness of pondering a fact that he already knew.

Above, elegant chandeliers hang, their candles flickering and casting a gentle glow. The breeze tries to find its way into the room, playfully stirring the curtains and causing his nearly shoulder-length silver hair to dance.

Before him stretches a red carpet, adorned with a black line running down its center. At the end of this path stands a gate that encapsulates his very identity. Its distinct and intricate design proudly displays the emblem of vampire heritage, leaving no room for doubt—this is... the Palace!

Be that as it may, even with this realization, another layer of uncertainty emerges. Despite being in the Palace, something feels amiss. Many things don't align with what he should be certain about.

It's all so confusing, simply explaining it won't provide any answers.

He applies pressure to both hands resting on the armrest, intending to rise from his seat. But his attention quickly shifts to something else.

Appearing in his field of view is:

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◽ Identity: Anubis

◽ Title: The Crown of the Vampire Lord*

◽ Origin: Pure Vampire

◽ Class: [?]

◽ Base Level: 1 〔0.0% / 100%〕

◽ Class Level: 0 〔0.0% / 100%〕

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Apparently, that's just his floating status. At least, that's not unfamiliar enough. Still—"I don't know why, but I feel somewhat unsure," he murmurs before continuing his motion.

Anubis walks forward, with every step feels heavy as if burdened by a bitter mental weight. The gate in front of him creaks as he gets closer. A light seeps through the gap that divides the grand gate until it engulfs everything.

If behind him is indeed the throne chamber, there are many interconnected rooms and places in The Palace. Anubis anticipated at least one of them, however, what lies ahead is something completely unrelated.

Aside from the intensifying wind that makes his hair unruly, his feet also sink slightly into the sand. Anubis finds himself standing on a small stranded island with scarce vibrant hues in the scene. Among the two most dominant colors, only a clear cloudless sky and an expanse of boundless ocean are visible.

Once again, he observes everything thoughtfully in search of a familiar element, but to no avail. Despite the brightness and clarity of this view, one thing is completely absent.

"The sun... it's not there?!" Anubis exclaims in surprise.

It can be safely assumed that this place isn't in the underworld because if it were, Anubis would immediately know. However, stating that this is the upperworld is also inaccurate for the same reason, so another possible assumption is—Curious, Anubis murmurs, "A separated dimension."

From the very start, strangeness has permeated everything, but if there's one thing that stands out, it's the fact that Anubis doesn't sense any signs of life in this place. As a vampire—more than just that, even—he possesses an ability: 「Bloodthirsty!」, which allows him to sense the presence of creatures of blood.

That's an almost impossible occurrence, unless the aforementioned assumption is correct.

In a separate dimension only few can enter or exit. However, dimensions are not the same as the genuine world with all its authenticity. It has limitedness. A dimension has an essence as its heart, and if someone inside moves away from that center, they will eventually reach the boundaries to the outside realm.

Fuelled by curiosity, the aspect of vampire flowing within Anubis intensifies, causing a pair of bat wings to emerge from his back. 「Vampire Aspect: Wings!」. Each flap lifts his body higher as his gaze fixates to a particular direction.

What was once an expanse of boundless sky and ocean, after Anubis flies further, his thoughts realized on the spot. He comes to a halt at the edge of the dimension, like impenetrable mist. If he were to take a few steps back, the view would once again be obscured as the limitless sky.

Anubis decided to enter through the impenetrable mist-like with an unshakeable self-confidence. Strong current was trying to push his figure back out, while at the same time Anubis lost his sense of direction, but in moments like these, echolocation seemed to come in handy.

A final flap forced the mist to disperse as Anubis broke through their grasp. Leaving him with another phenomena, his entire form now damp, seemingly vaporized into smoke.

It didn't just stop there, yet.

<Ping! >

[!] Alert: Rays Susceptibility!

_

Anubis gazing upwards, it could be said the kryptonite for vampires—or so the legends tell—hanging boldly in the now-cloudy sky. "Aah, so the sun is here after all," he mused mid-enthusiastically.

His skin, which was normal before, slowly fades away after the moisture all over his body evaporates. In a short amount of time, Anubis' form appears thinner with a face as pale as those who lack blood.

Below him is still an ocean, but a landmass can clearly be seen ahead. It's a chasm adorned with lush green trees that is the outermost part of the Jungle of Chanach.

If it weren't for him, vampires in general would burn to ashes or run for their lives at the sight of the sunlight, but Anubis is just that different. By paying half of his total strength, Pure Vampire can withstand the sun's rays under such conditions.

The situation right now isn't the best, but there are hardly any reasons that come to his mind to turn back. That's because, from this point on, signs of life can both be felt and seen. From the melodious waves crashing against the shore, the rustling of leaves in the winds to the chirping of birds.

But the most important of all that made Anubis shows a slight smile of satisfaction. "This is the presence of…humans?!"