As the process began, Athan felt nothing at first. But soon, a strange warmth spread inside him—something familiar yet elusive, like a part of him he had never fully understood. Then, suddenly, a shift.
Something was gone.
He didn't feel weak, but… different.
He looked at Balwin, only to see him growing taller—no, wait. It wasn't Balwin increasing in height. It was Athan himself shrinking. His body felt lighter, his limbs smaller, and before he could react, dark shadows swirled around him, sinking into his skin.
In the next moment, he was no longer his usual self.
He was… a child.
Balwin grinned. "See? It's done, Athan."
Athan stared at him, his voice coming out softer. "Wait… I'm small?"
Balwin chuckled. "Yep. Small in every way."
Athan scowled before quickly walking over to a mirror. The reflection staring back at him wasn't the formidable vampire he had always known—it was his younger self. His childhood face, wide-eyed and youthful. His clothes hung off his smaller frame, oversized and awkward, his pants nearly slipping off, barely clinging to his waist.
He groaned. "Wow, Balwin. You really made me look like I just enrolled in a real school."
Balwin laughed. "Ahaha, remember—it's just a disguise. Think of it as a mask."
Athan frowned. "And how do I undo it?"
"Look at your elbow," Balwin instructed.
Athan rolled up his massive sleeve, revealing a small marking etched into his skin. A seal.
"So, how do I break it?" he asked.
Balwin smirked. "You know, vampires hate feeling weak, but… you're not just any vampire."
Athan narrowed his eyes. "Stop stalling and tell me already."
Balwin shrugged. "Fine, fine. I was just messing with you. All you have to do is release your vampire aura into the mark. But… I strongly recommend you don't."
Athan raised a brow. "Noted. I won't."
"Good." Balwin stretched. "Well, I'm heading out to explore the market."
Athan blinked. "In this heat? You know that's not good for me."
Balwin smirked. "Oh, my bad. I forgot you're a vampire. Well, see ya!" He turned toward the door.
"Wait," Athan said, his tone suddenly serious. "I need to tell you something important. There's a group searching for you."
Balwin halted, then slowly turned back. "A group? Searching for me?" He walked back and sat down. "Go on."
"They attacked me. They wore eye patches with strange symbols on them."
Balwin's expression darkened. "Symbols? What did they look like? Something common?"
Athan nodded. "One of their patches had the image of a weighing scale. They also wore black robes, but they weren't like ours."
Balwin frowned. "What do you mean, not like ours?"
Athan shook his head. "Their robes… felt different. Almost like just a sheet thrown over them. It seemed out of place."
Balwin smirked. "Sounds useful, though. If you get lost in the forest, you can use your robe as a blanket."
Athan rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. The important part is who they were. They weren't just humans. There were demons and vampires among them. I confirmed it after I killed them and inspected their bodies."
Balwin's smirk faded. "Demons, humans, and vampires… working together?"
Athan nodded. "And I couldn't sense them before they attacked. They used some kind of strange magic—an illusion, but different. More like cloning magic, but… it felt real."
Balwin leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. "Hmmm… a magic you can't figure out. Interesting. Tell me everything—start from the beginning. What exactly happened that day?"
Athan exhaled, his gaze sharpening. "Alright. Here's what went down…"
After I went to the Ranch Republic, near the border, I started searching for you, thinking you might be somewhere in the country. One day, I arrived in an important business city and heard rumors about a mysterious group targeting wealthy individuals, mercenaries, and people connected to the government. There were also reports of horrendous crimes—kidnappings, assaults, and worse.
Balwin raised his hand, and for a brief moment, small red lightning flickered around his fingers before vanishing.
"You know me," I continued. "If I hear about a woman in danger, I can't just stand by."
Balwin nodded. "Yeah, I know. You've got a knight's sense of duty buried inside you."
"So, I started investigating. One day, I spotted a group of robed men chasing a woman. She was strong—fighting back—but they still managed to capture her. They dragged her into an alley and used some kind of sleep magic. She resisted for a while, but eventually, she collapsed.
They were about to—" Athan's voice darkened. "Well, they were about to do something vile. That's when I stepped in."
Balwin's eyes narrowed.
"They attacked me at first, but then… something weird happened. Their necks twisted unnaturally, like they were snapping into place. After that, one of them suddenly recognized me. But the strange part? They didn't seem to know me before they attacked."
Balwin tapped his fingers on the table. "So you're saying they acted like normal assailants at first. But after that strange movement in their necks, they suddenly knew who you were?"
"Exactly!" Athan said.
"That sounds like mind control," Balwin mused. "Or at the very least, some kind of external influence. For now, let's assume they were being controlled."
Athan nodded. "It didn't end there. When I told them to let the woman go, they looked confused and asked me, 'Woman? What woman?' Like they had no idea she was even there.
Then, they said they had been searching for me all along—that I was the one they wanted. But I just happened to run into them."
"Wait," Balwin interjected. "So, at first, they attacked mindlessly with their abilities. But after that shift, they suddenly started talking and thinking?"
"Exactly. And they were shocked—like they genuinely didn't know why they had a woman with them. But they were certain they were searching for me."
Balwin leaned back. "That means one of two things. Either they were playing dumb, or they were truly being controlled by someone else. What happened next?"
"They placed the woman beside me and started questioning me about you. They kept asking, 'Where is Balwin?' 'Where is he hiding?' I didn't answer. That's when they used magic—not the weak abilities they had before.
And then… I saw them." Athan's voice dropped.
"The Vampire King appeared. The Punisher Leader appeared. But they weren't real."
Balwin's eyes sharpened. "Illusions?"
Athan shook his head. "No, it was more than that. They were created from a red substance—something almost alive. And their strength… it wasn't a cheap trick. They were nearly as powerful as the real ones.
The robed men just stood back and didn't attack. They let those red clones fight me. I defeated the fake Vampire King and the Punisher Leader, but before I could interrogate the robed men, my Vampire Charm skill failed. And then—"
"They killed themselves," Balwin finished, his voice laced with understanding.
A tense silence followed.
Balwin let out a short chuckle, though his expression remained unreadable. "Well… that doesn't sound good at all."
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shook the building. Without exchanging a single word, Balwin sprinted to the window. Athan was right behind him.
Outside, towering over the city streets, was a colossal golem. But this wasn't just any ordinary construct. It had a strange aura, and right in the center of its chest was a symbol—an eye with a weighing scale.
Balwin's lips curled into a smug smile. "Well, speak of the devils."