The first sensation was pain. It spread through my body like tiny insects. That was my first, brief awakening. I didn't even manage to open my eyes. Pain, darkness, and weakness. I felt the wind. As if I were flying, but strictly downward. Was I falling?
The second awakening was cold. My eyes still couldn't move. Like massive slabs, my eyelids refused to budge. The cold grew even stronger. It felt like a fierce wind was blowing from above. Cold, wind, and weakness. Would I die like this?
The subsequent events didn't linger in my memory. Only those two did.
After some time, I came to and jolted upright. Silence, weakness, and a smell. Such a strange smell.
I was in a room with wooden walls all around. There was a blanket, a pillow, and my naked body. Nothing else. The temperature was tolerable. The clothes I'd fought the vampire in were gone, but who cares. They were full of holes anyway. Something else concerned me. Where the hell was I?
I saw an opening without a door or any covering. Just a wooden frame leading somewhere. There was no window in the room, so I couldn't tell what time of day it was.
The feeling of weakness was odd. As if I'd been poisoned. I remembered feeling the same way once when a girl, after our time together, tried to kill me. Not the most surprising event from my past, but I remembered the sensation of weakness. It was the same now.
Sitting to the left of the opening, in case someone entered so I could easily take them down, I closed my eyes for a moment and focused. Normally, this happened instantly—an image of a round core full of energy would appear in my mind. But now, it took a whole minute of sitting in silence, and even then, I wasn't entirely sure what happened. I saw a blurry image of my empty core. The picture flickered like an old TV, and the weakness, fueled by the vampire's venom, painted an unpleasant picture of what was happening.
I was somewhere unknown, weak, and barely understanding why I was still alive. I could've been thrown anywhere, and with a body like this, I'd have died in ten out of ten cases. Space, snow, water, a volcano, a jungle, a desert. But I was here. Alive. My body was intact, all wounds healed, and when I raised my hand to sniff it, I realized I'd been treated with something. A soft herbal scent.
So someone had cared for me, which meant they didn't want to kill me. If they did, I'd be dead. Unless, of course, the substance on my hand was a poison meant to kill me later. But let's set aside pessimism for now.
Time to get up and head into the unknown. A simple, clear plan of action. Like before. Not that my life lacked simplicity, but at least I didn't have to solve the problems of an entire planet.
Struggling to stand on stiff legs, I peeked through the opening. An empty corridor, no windows or doors. The same wooden walls. About fifteen or twenty meters long, but I couldn't see further—it was too dark, and my night vision hadn't returned yet. Okay, what to take?
Looking back, I surveyed the room. Empty, not even a seam to pry off a board. The walls were too smooth. And I didn't want to make noise. Approaching my spot, I picked up the pillow and gave it a critical twirl. A pillow fight wouldn't impress my saviors. And tearing it into rags would likely upset them even more. Whatever, screw it. I wasn't going out naked.
The blanket was mercilessly turned into a knee-length skirt, covering my essentials. I wrapped the fabric around my fists and took the sturdiest piece with me. Strangling someone would be tough, but I couldn't just wander into the unknown with nothing.
My steps made no sound. I was light and knew how to move quietly. Slowly advancing down the corridor, I crouched near the exit and looked around.
It was an ordinary hall, except for two oddities. Four walls, as usual, a sofa with no TV, a small dining table, and sliding glass doors, likely leading to a porch, opening to something outside. I didn't see a kitchen, but there was a closed door to the left. Probably there. I couldn't see what was outside, but the light of a typical sunset was unmistakable. So, I was in a normal place with sunlight. That's good.
The silence was deafening, as if no one lived here. But the two oddities in the room made me tense. First, there were two sets of armor, leather by the look of the material—one female, judging by the chest area protruding forward on the mannequin, and the other presumably male. Paired armor? Where had I ended up?
The second, no less strange but oddly fitting find, was a sword. A sofa was standard in most homes, usually facing a TV. But here, there was just a wooden stand, and on it, resting on two supports, lay a sword. A katana, maybe. I wasn't an expert, but it didn't matter.
Waiting another minute and hearing no sounds from outside or inside, I dared to stand and step out.
The large glass doors leading to the grass showed an ordinary scene. Sunset. But the oddity of an endless horizon filled with statues unnerved me. A bead of sweat trickled down my temple as I looked closer at the statues outside. At first, they seemed human. But then I saw a humanoid creature with a fox's head. Then a bull standing on two legs, and in the distance, a massive Chinese dragon. What the…
A step, another, and grab the sword. Trying to lift it without looking at the blade itself, I hit a snag. I was weak, sure, but not that weak. The seemingly ordinary samurai blade wouldn't budge, and a second later, I didn't understand how I ended up pinned to the floor by a foot. What the hell?
"You shouldn't touch what doesn't belong to you," a man loomed above me, a scar crossing his left eye, his blue eyes piercing. He wore a black robe of some kind, and the force pressing on my neck seemed excessive. The floor creaked audibly, but he didn't seem to care. "Got it?"
A similar blade hung at his waist, and this samurai clearly wasn't an ordinary human. Even in my weakened state, I could lift a tank, let alone a sword or a man.
Nodding, he removed his foot and offered his scarred hand.
"I'll be back soon. Sit on the sofa. I need to finish something."
Without giving me a chance to respond, he vanished, as if he'd never been there. It was like a frame change—one moment he was there, the next he wasn't. It wasn't speed; I should've noticed something. Teleportation, maybe?
Looking around and rubbing my eyes, I quietly sat on the sofa, folding my hands on my knees.
Where. The. Hell. Am. I?
---
No more than ten minutes of my awkward sofa-sitting passed when the air in front of the wooden sword stand shimmered, like a desert mirage. The scarred man appeared out of nowhere, holding a wooden tray. The aroma of hot food hit my nostrils, reminding me of the ravenous hunger I'd somehow ignored until now.
"Hungry?" he asked, setting the tray on the low table in front of the sofa. The tray held two deep bowls of rice and some stewed game, a jug of water, and two wooden cups. "After poison, you need to recover."
I nodded, studying my… savior? Jailer? In the bright sunset light, his scar looked even more imposing—a rough line crossing his left eye from mid-forehead to cheekbone. The eye itself was intact, as bright blue as the right. I now noticed his hair was tied in a tight ponytail at the back of his head, and his age was hard to pin down—somewhere between thirty and fifty.
"My name is Yan Chen," he said, pouring water into the cups. "You landed on my territory three days ago. Fell from the sky like a meteor. Quite an entrance. I'd even say dramatic."
Three days? I was out that long? No wonder my muscles were stiff.
"Where am I?" My voice rasped from disuse. "What is this place?"
Yan Chen smirked crookedly, handing me a bowl of rice and chopsticks.
"An ordinary planet. What else? A place among the stars, impenetrable. Yet you somehow got here."
I took the bowl, trying to process his words. An impenetrable planet?
"And the statues outside?" I asked, nodding toward the window.
"Those…" Yan Chen straightened, looking out the window. "…statues are memories. Just memories."
A chill ran down my spine. Something was off.
"How many statues are there?" I asked cautiously, starting to eat. The rice was sticky, the meat oddly spiced, but my stomach welcomed the food. First, regain strength, then get answers. For now, I needed to stay low and quiet.
"Enough," Yan Chen replied evasively. Strange name. Sounds Chinese.
He sat across from me, cross-legged, and began eating his portion. His movements were smooth, deliberate. Every gesture seemed honed.
"What's your name, by the way? And how did you manage to fight a True Vampire?" he asked between bites.
I froze. How did he know about the vampire? Did I say something while unconscious?
"The venom," Yan explained, noticing my surprise. "It has a unique structure. I've only seen it in vampires. Plus, your wounds… distinctive."
"My name…" I hesitated. It had been a while since anyone asked my name. Lately, I'd been known by titles and nicknames. "You can call me Cain."
"Alright, Cain." Yan's eyes narrowed for a moment, but quickly returned to normal—so fast I wouldn't have noticed without my abnormal reflexes. He nodded as if nothing happened. "Your core is empty. Completely drained. That explains why you ended up here. When a cultivator loses all energy at a critical moment, sometimes there's a… glitch in the fabric of reality."
Cultivator? What's that term? He set aside his empty bowl and looked at me intently.
"You're either incredibly lucky or naturally powerful to survive such a transition. Most would disintegrate into atoms."
I snorted, finishing my portion. I wasn't ready to ask questions yet.
"More the latter. Luck was never my strong suit."
Yan nodded and stood.
"Finish your water and rest. We'll talk more tomorrow. Your body hasn't fully cleansed the venom yet."
He turned to the window, pausing to gaze at the sunset. His figure, bathed in crimson rays, cast a long shadow on the wooden floor.
"And don't try touching the sword again," he added without turning. "Next time, I might not stop myself."
Something in his voice told me this wasn't an empty threat. He vanished as before, and I still couldn't figure out how he did it.
I finished the water and leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. The boards were perfectly fitted, not a single gap. Someone had spent years crafting this place.
Outside, twilight thickened, and the statues on the horizon gradually melted into the darkness. Some seemed to move slightly, but it might've been a trick of the shadows.
My thoughts drifted back to the vampire fight. What happened to my world? Did I stop the ritual? Or did my disappearance mean victory for those creatures? How were Mom, Kate, Ellis, my team?
So many questions, no answers. But for now, the priority was regaining strength. My core needed to regenerate, and that required time. Maybe this strange samurai could help. I had to return.
I closed my eyes, slipping into a meditative trance. The empty core stirred unease, but I forced myself to calm down. The main thing was that I was alive. That meant there was a chance to get home.
If, of course, that "home" still existed.
---
I was on guard when Yan Chen returned to the house the next day. I'd slept on the sofa all night, and when the sun barely rose, Yan was already there. After a silent breakfast, I followed him outside and was stunned.
An endlessly flat horizon of grass, statues, and not a single mountain, hill, or anything obstructing the view. A bizarre sight, but Yan kept his mouth shut, so I silently trailed him along a path between the statues. There were countless strange creatures I'd never seen before.
The path was well-trodden, as if used for years. Stone gravel crunched underfoot. I stole glances at the statues we passed. Some looked almost human—men and women in odd clothing, frozen in various poses. Others resembled monsters from childhood nightmares, with scales, fangs, and claws.
One statue caught my eye—a tall man in armor, holding a shield with a star emblem. His face was calm, almost serene. For a stone figure, the detail was astonishing; you could even see wrinkles around his eyes.
"Don't lag behind," Yan Chen called over his shoulder, not slowing down.
I hurried after him, feeling my body gradually return to normal. Weakness lingered, but each step felt easier. The fresh air, filled with strange herbal scents, cleared my head.
"Where are we going?" I asked, catching up to Yan.
"To the source," he replied curtly. "You can start restoring your core there."
I nodded, though I still barely understood what was happening. My core wasn't absorbing energy as usual here. Either there was no radiation, which seemed impossible, or something else was at play. I couldn't figure it out.
The path narrowed. The statues were closer together now, and we walked through a forest of stone figures. Some were so tall they blocked the sun, casting cool shadows.
"Tell me about your world," Yan Chen said suddenly, without turning. "How do they fight vampires there?"
I hesitated. Should I open up to a stranger? On the other hand, he saved me and seemed to be helping.
"In my world, technology advanced for centuries. Skyscrapers, cars, planes. We started conquering everything. But humans, the dominant race, didn't know about another. Vampires. We used many methods, formed teams…"
Yan Chen nodded, showing he was listening. He didn't ask about technology, so he must know about it? The conversation continued throughout our walk among the statues, and I finally reached the end.
"Their leader, a True Vampire, held back from attacking for some reason. But when I captured his…"
"Fledgling?" Yan offered. "They call them different things, but fledglings are those they personally turned. True Ones feel strong parental love for them."
"Yeah, sounds like a fledgling." I nodded, continuing. "Then the True One came to my base and killed all my people."
I clenched my fist. Damn it. How could I let that happen?
"We fought, I killed his fledgling, and then he did something. I didn't understand what, but he tried to kill himself and everyone around. A rift opened, and I'm here. How do you know so much about vampires?"
Yan didn't answer, just quickened his pace. Fine. Around a bend in the path, a small clearing opened, surrounded by statues. In the center was a round pool, no more than three meters wide. The water was perfectly clear and still, like glass.
"The source," Yan nodded. "It'll help your core recover faster."
I approached and peered into the pool. Small pebbles and glowing crystals lined the bottom.
"Undress and get in," Yan Chen said. "No more than five minutes for the first time. Otherwise, your body won't handle the strain."
I looked at the water skeptically, then at my companion. Yan turned away, giving me privacy to undress. Dropping my makeshift blanket "skirt," I cautiously stepped into the pool.
The water was unexpectedly warm and viscous, like liquid honey. As I waded in up to my waist, a tingling wave ran through my body, like a weak electric shock. It was strange but not unpleasant.
"Sit and submerge up to your neck," Yan commanded, still facing away.
I obeyed, slowly lowering myself. The tingling intensified, turning into a light vibration spreading from my chest to my limbs. An image of my core appeared in my mind—now clearer, without static or distortion. It was still empty but starting to glow faintly from within.
"What is this place?" I asked, trying to breathe evenly. "Where do all these statues come from?"
Yan Chen turned and sat on the grass by the pool.
"This place is my prison," he said after a long pause. "I left the life of battles. This is unclaimed territory I took over. Revived, rebuilt from scratch. Far from others. It's quiet here."
He ran his hand over the grass, as if testing its texture.
"The statues are those I met on the long path of my battle-filled life."
"But why did you leave?" The vibration in my body grew stronger, and I had to focus to speak.
"Many reasons," Yan shrugged. "But the main one is that I lost my…"
He looked up at the sky, as if searching for something among the sparse clouds.
"Enough for today," he said abruptly, standing. "Get out of the water."
I struggled to rise—my body felt both heavy and weightless. Climbing onto the shore, I felt a strange dizziness but quickly shook it off. A thin film coated my body, drying quickly in the air.
"Do you feel the changes?" Yan asked, handing me the blanket.
I nodded. The weakness had receded, and a pleasant warmth glowed in my chest, like a tiny spark had ignited.
"Good," Yan nodded. "We'll come back tomorrow. But now… there's something you should see."
He turned and strode toward the far end of the clearing, where the statues were particularly dense. I hurried after him, wrapping the blanket around my hips.
We walked among statues that grew increasingly varied. There were creatures with multiple arms, animal heads, wings, and tails. Some towered ten meters high, intimidating even in stone.
"Here," Yan turned into a narrow passage between two massive statues depicting something between human and reptile.
The passage led to a small enclave surrounded by statues. In the center stood a figure that made me stop.
A tall, gaunt man in an aristocratic early 20th-century suit. Long hair slicked back, sharp facial features, thin lips curled in a predatory smile. A medallion with a red stone hung at his neck. Familiar.
"A True Vampire?" I exhaled, feeling my heart race.
Yan Chen nodded.
"He once fought me, just like you. Killing such a creature wasn't easy, but I had help. I don't know where they come from, but the True Ones I met later are similar. Their features vary, but they're alike. As if they're deliberately bred on different planets. Maybe they share a common parent. I never uncovered their secret."
I stepped closer, studying the stone face. It wasn't the same one, but it was strikingly similar to the one who sent me here.
"His name was Marcus," Yan said, as if recalling the past. "A True Vampire, ruler of a planet full of creatures. It took effort to kill him."
"Was he strong?" I stared at the face, marveling at the details.
The vampire's stone face was frozen in rage and surprise. In his final moments in his former world, he clearly hadn't expected what happened.
"Very. At my stage of development back then, he was the strongest I'd ever faced."
I circled the statue, examining every detail. Marcus was captured in a combat stance, fangs and claws extended. A large crack marred his chest—perhaps a weapon's mark.
"Cultivation, stages of development," I asked. "What are those?"
"A way of life," Yan replied, watching me. "I don't understand how you, ignorant of basic truths, reached the rank of Saint…"
I touched the vampire's stone arm. Cold, rough surface. No signs of life.
"Saint?" I asked, turning to Yan. "What does that mean?"
Yan's eyes narrowed, his scar more prominent in the statues' shadows.
"That you're strong," he said after a pause. "But not enough to survive the vortex of Chaos."
He turned and headed out of the enclave.
"Let's go back. That's enough for today. You need rest."
I cast a final glance at the stone vampire. What rank was he? What was my opponent's rank? And what were these ranks anyway? Another hierarchy?
Catching up to Yan, I asked what weighed on me most:
"Is there a way to return? To my world?"
Yan didn't slow his pace, but I noticed his shoulders tense.
"Possibly," he replied finally. "But first, you need to restore your strength. Without a full core, any attempt to return would be suicide."
I nodded, gazing at the endless plain filled with statues. A world without mountains or seas, cities or forests. A strange place.
"How long will full restoration take?" I asked, trying to gauge my prospects.
"With regular visits to the source?" Yan pondered. "A month. Maybe two. Depends on your abilities and how badly your core was damaged."
A month or two… It sounded both long and short. A fleeting moment compared to the eternity some of these statues had spent here. And an era if people in my world were dying every day.
"Well," I squared my shoulders, feeling resolve awaken. "Let's start now. How can I speed it up?"
For the first time, Yan Chen gave a faint smile. A glint of approval flickered in his eyes.
"Meditation," he replied. "And training. Lots of training."
We continued back to the wooden house, leaving the statue of the True Vampire behind—a reminder that even immortal beings could end up trapped in stone on this strange plain.
---