I walked past them and made my way to a spot besides the campfire. The night was long, filled with the scent of burnt wood and dying embers. The fire between them crackles softly, doing little to dispel the tensions felt through the air.
Zakir breaks the silence, settling back down, and sharpens his blade quietly. One by one, the rest of the onlookers went back to their own place around the fire, calmly waiting for what's to come during the trials. Sylva, maintaining her distance, sits down opposite to me, all the while maintaining her icy gaze through the veil of her lashes.
I tried to pay no attention, but they were making it too obvious.
I was being watched.
Not that I was surprised, after all they were waiting for me to make a move. Waiting for me to turn on them.
After some time, Zakir gets up and makes his way to me.
"You're awfully quiet," he says, testing the sharpness of his blade. His tone was light, his grip firm on the hilt of his sword.
"I thought you would have had more to say after everything," Sylva added.
They were alert. Waiting for me to make my move. Waiting for me to do something. The past owner of this body might have, but I was smarter than that. Since stepping foot into the clearing I had wondered, why was everyone gathered around so nicely together, to each their own, instead of duking it out and eliminating competition? I had no evidence, but there seemed to be an unwritten rule or some sort of punishment if you were caught fighting in the resting grounds. I decided to test my theory.
"Then tell me Sylva. What do you want me to say?"
Her breath came in shaky gasps as a shiver ran down her spine. The weight of my gaze pinned her in place, her voice trapped in her throat, as fear gripped her tightly. She didn't answer.
Because the man they betrayed would never have asked such a question to begin with.
"Hey, white demon, ease off on Sylva, yeah? If you want to settle the score, we'll do it tomorrow. You know the rules, no fighting once you reach camp," said Zakir as he lay down, eyes closed, seemingly drifting off to sleep.
"White demon? Who? Me? Why do you two only ever call me that, instead of my actual name?"
"We would if we actually knew your real name, dumbass. You yourself have been calling yourself White Demon, that's what everyone outside of vampires knows you as."
'"White Demon" sounds cringey, right? You can just call me Zhao Feng.'
The words hung in the air, unexpected, while a brief silence was held. Then suddenly, Zakir's head snapped up, his eyes wide with confusion. Sylva blinked, with an unexplainable expression on her face.
"I'm sorry? Zhao… Feng? Was that what you said?" Zakir's voice had a slight tremor of disbelief, his eyes staring deep into my soul.
Sylva, her brow furrowed in shock, shook her head.
"You… Why are you telling us your name? After what we did? Do you think we're a joke? Are we just your playthings that you can just mess with?"
Sylva was now visibly angry, and I detected the slightest hint of a tear running down her face, though that could simply be my imagination for the night was still young. I didn't understand the situation. Was it because my name didn't match the previous one that they knew? Impossible. They themselves said that I called myself by an acronym, therefore no one should have had knowledge of my actual name. However, given the current circumstances, there must be something I am missing.
"Just because I told you guys my real name, you think I'm screwing with you? What kind of logic is that?" I asked, trying to figure out what it was that I missed.
"I knew you were stupid, but how hard did you hit your head? Just your real name? Give us a break. You know better than us what it means when a vampire—no, when a vampire of the noble faction gives out his name," said Zakir as he moved closer to the campfire, allowing me to see his appearance for the first time.
"Why us? What have we done for you to have done such a thing? After all that time we spent together, we still decided to betray you. Why would you consider us as your family? You just turned your back on your vampire lineage. Do you have any idea what those consequences are?"
Family? It was then that the last piece of the puzzle came to me. It seems I made an immense miscalculation on my part. How was I supposed to know my own name had so much meaning behind it?
"When a vampire is born, only they and their family know each other's real names. Vampires are the only demons known to have both a first and a last name. It is said that the family name of a vampire carries tremendous power, to only be shared amongst them as they were a species known to be intraspecific (interacting only within their own kind and not with other species). If someone outside the family is bestowed with the knowledge, they become part of their family, and with that, so does the tremendous power that comes with it," Sylva said, as her face came within centimeters of mine, her breath, shaking with each word.
However I could tell from the moonlight glow, there was still something left unsaid, as the final thought lingered, uneasiness building up inside her. She took a deep breath, and finished what was on her mind.
"By sharing their power with other species, they themselves are exiled from their own. It is the duty of the original bloodline to eliminate such outcasts, preventing others from gaining their strength."
Sylva's voice trailed off at the end, her head drooped over my shoulder.
"You're the one who told us all of this. Why are you acting like this is news to you?"
Because the truth was, it was news to me. But before I could dwell on her words, the air thickened, heavy and motionless, as a suffocating force crept into the clearing.
Tension rippled through the camp. Wary glances were exchanged as the rest of the demons tensed up, bracing for the unexpected visitor. Zakir, his hand already at the hilt of his sword, and Sylva, her eyes, unblinking, glued towards the source of everyone's unease.
And yet—
I felt nothing.
"Sylva? What did you mea—" as my voice faltered, noticing a change in the mood.
For a moment I thought they were planning to settle the score right then, but realization dawned upon me. I scanned the area, senses on high alert. Everyone seemed to have turned towards the trees, their survival instincts screaming at them to acknowledge whatever seemed to be there.
Everyone except me.
My moment of clarity must have briefly shown on my face, as Sylva's hand, pressed against my lips, signaled for me to keep silent, her unblinking stare unwavering from the danger ahead. Zakir, too, stole a glance at me, a brief puzzled expression forming on his face wondering why I looked so caught off guard, before turning his attention back towards the forest.
A dark figure emerged from the trees, gliding towards us as if air itself carried them forward. Their robe, as dark as the night, concealed their figure. Their face remained hidden behind a mask, but their presence was undeniable.
How could I not sense it? My past self must have been able to. Everyone else's senses are sharp. Was I careless? Did I unknowingly validate their suspicions?
But I had no time to think about what this meant.
The dark figure stepped forward. Their voice rang out, hollow but commanding.
"The first trial has come to an end. Those too weak have already fallen."
A brief pause, as if to let the truth sink in.
"The second trial begins immediately."
No rest. No break. Only the next challenge. From the looks of it, the previous trial had done its job. Rivalries had been forged, alliances shattered. If I had to guess, it was designed to thin our numbers. The real challenge has yet to begin. The shadow clad in dark continued:
"The first trial wasn't about skill or strength—it was about being able to do anything it took to stay alive. No rules, no mercy. With such simple instructions, it was obvious what was going to happen."
Their eyes flickered across the survivors, as if the echoes of past betrayals still clung to the air.
"This time, you will not be on your own. No fewer than two, no more than three. Those who fail to arrive in a group… will not proceed."
A heavy silence fell over the camp once again.
My gut twisted with an unshakable sense of dread. I didn't dare look at Sylva or Zakir. I didn't need to. Thanks to my big mouth and curiosity about wanting to know more about this new world and my new identity, I have to deal with a problem I had no idea about. It was clear something had changed when I revealed my name to them. There was no choice. They would inevitably make me part of their group, through force or persuasion.
Because now, they weren't just being wary.
Now, uncertainty also clouded their minds. Who was I? What happened in the forest after they left?
I slowly raised my head and matched their gaze. I made many mistakes today, but there was one thing I was certain of.
I was no longer the only one with questions.
Since things are playing out this way, there's no turning back. On the surface, we would be working together to survive the next trial, yet underneath, just as they will be investigating me, I'll be doing the same—learning everything I can about this world, about them, and…
about myself.