I walked down the street with my phone in my hand. I stared blankly at the screen, my body moving along as if on autopilot. On the screen was my bank information. Only there were more zeroes on the balance than I had ever seen before in my life.

  I guess money isn't going to be an issue for a while.

  I let out a snort and stuffed my phone into my pocket. I could worry about my newfound wealth later. Right now, I have a meeting to get to. A meeting with a Vampire. I still couldn't quite get used to that thought. It made everything seem surreal. The Blue Orchid came into sight. It was a medium-sized cafe that purported to supply its customers with a variety of meals and specialty blends to go with. I'd never set foot in the place before, though I had known vaguely of its existence. I knew the place ran more than a little pricey, and I'd never had the extra money to justify such an extravagance. The place was meant to serve an upper-class clientele, all the folks who worked in Toronto but chose to live in Hadford because it was cheaper and less crowded.

  I passed through the glass doors decorated with the motif of an orchid and into the main entrance of the two-story building. The interior was as richly appointed as the exterior of the building, as well as its reputation seemed to indicate. Unlike other cafes, this was set up more like a restaurant, with a hostess waiting at a small podium to seat customers.

  “Afternoon. There should be a reservation under the name Van Dorn.” I approached the podium with a small smile. Argyle had sent me a message stating that he’d reserved a table for our meeting on the upper floor.

  The hostess, a petite blonde with a polite smile, glanced down at her tablet. "Ah, yes, Mr. Van Dorn's reservation. Please follow me, sir."

  I trailed behind her as we ascended a curved staircase to the second floor. The upper level was even more luxurious than the first, with plush carpeting and intimate booths separated by ornate wooden screens. Soft classical music played in the background, creating an atmosphere of refined elegance.

  She led me to a secluded corner booth where a man—no, a vampire—sat waiting. Argyle Van Dorn exuded an aura of timeless sophistication, his pale skin almost luminescent in the dim lighting. His dark hair was tied back neatly, and his deep-set eyes regarded me with keen interest.

  "Your guest has arrived, Mr. Van Dorn," the hostess announced, gesturing for me to take a seat.

  "Thank you, dear. Aiden, please, have a seat," Argyle said, his voice smooth and cultured. As I slid into the booth across from him, I couldn't help but marvel at how... normal he seemed. If I hadn't known better, I might have mistaken him for just another wealthy businessman. I was sure the rest of the populace was the same. I focused my aura senses on the man across from me. It seemed almost exactly like anyone else, though significantly stronger than many I'd seen up to this point. There was something about it, though. Something off. It was a small, tiny thing, but it felt off, like a note that was just slightly off pitch. I was sure that if I opened up my [Auric Vision], his aura would be a slightly different colour than others I'd seen.

  "I trust you found the place without difficulty?" he asked, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as I flinched, returning to reality.

  "No trouble at all," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "Though I have to admit, it's a bit fancier than my usual haunts."

  Argyle chuckled softly. "Ah, yes. I find that a touch of luxury helps to set the right tone for important discussions.”

  A waiter appeared at our table, offering menus. Argyle waved them away with a graceful gesture. "Just a pot of Earl Grey for me, thank you. Aiden?"

  I hesitated, suddenly unsure of the etiquette when dining with a vampire. "Uh, coffee? Black, please."

  As the waiter departed, Argyle leaned back in his seat, his piercing gaze fixed on me. Very slowly and deliberately, he reached into the inner pocket of his suit and removed a disk with a domed top and set it on the table between us. His fingers tapped away at the surface for a moment in a way that spoke of familiarity and long practice. "Now then, Aiden. I imagine you have quite a few questions about our world. Where would you like to begin?" I felt something settle over us; nothing pinged in my aura senses. I had the vaguest sense of what the small object was doing; it was something like a magical privacy screen.

  Interesting, wonder how that works.

  I took a deep breath, trying to organize the whirlwind of thoughts in my head. "I guess... how does all this work? The magic, the monsters, the whole System. How has it stayed hidden for so long?"

  Argyle's lips curved into a slight smile. "Ah, the eternal question. It's a delicate balance, you see. The world you've known and the world you're now a part of have coexisted for millennia. Organizations like the White Banner and the Unseen have worked tirelessly to maintain the veil of secrecy. Even if for different reasons, the goal is the same."

  Our drinks arrived, and I took a sip of my coffee. It was bitter but had a deep richness to the flavour that made the coffee I drank previously pale in comparison. "But why keep it secret? Wouldn't it be better if everyone knew?"

  Argyle's expression turned grave. "Imagine, Aiden, the chaos that would ensue if the general population suddenly learned of magic, monsters, and beings like myself. The panic, the fear, the inevitable attempts by governments and corporations to weaponize or exploit these forces. It would be catastrophic. Not least because the System is not a democratic force, not everyone has access to it, and certainly not equal access."

  I nodded slowly, seeing his point. "But how do you keep it all hidden? Especially with things like dungeon breaches?"

  Argyle took a sip of his tea before answering. "It's a multi-faceted approach. The White Banner works closely with governments worldwide to contain and neutralize threats. They have specialized teams for cleanup and disinformation; they are one of the largest magical organizations in the world after all. The Unseen, my faction, focuses more on self-policing our own kind and maintaining the secrecy of our existence. Though we also assist with the dungeons that are more far-flung, allowing the Banner to focus their efforts on dungeons that are closer to the population centers."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "And the System?" I pressed. "How does that fit into all this?"

  "Ah, the System," Argyle's eyes gleamed with interest. "We believe it's a result of our world crossing certain thresholds of ambient mana. It hasn't fully manifested on Earth yet, but it's growing stronger. Those who can access it, like yourself, are referred to as Rankers. The System provides a structure, a way to quantify and develop magical abilities. But it's not without its complexities."

  I leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you mean by complexities?"

  Argyle's fingers traced the rim of his teacup as he spoke. "The System isn't entirely predictable. It interacts differently with various bloodlines and innate abilities. For instance, a vampire like myself experiences it differently than a human would.”

  I thought about my own experiences with the System, the way it had changed my perception of the world around me. "So, how do people usually get access to the System? Is it random?"

  Argyle shook his head. "Not entirely random, no. Exposure to high concentrations of mana, such as during a dungeon breach, can trigger access. And then there are those who are deliberately initiated by organizations like the White Banner." Argyle turned more contemplative. "There is also your situation, which, while rare, is far from unique." I remained silent, waiting for him to continue. I was already struggling to process all the revelations of the past few minutes.

  "You experienced something called [Soul-Sheer]," Argyle went on, though I felt a slight disturbance when he said the words Soul-Sheer. It was like the strange capitalization that happened when someone referred to Skills. As if the System itself resonated with it. "records of it are somewhat sparse, but we do know a few things. [Soul-Sheer] occurs when an individual is trapped in the area during the formation of a dungeon. Those unconnected to the system or without innate magic can't handle the massively increased mana. In most instances, this would kill the individual outright. Rarely, however, someone will survive."

  “Those that do survive it, one and all, are stronger than those initiated in other ways. They come out of it with more Skills, at higher rarities and usually with higher stats and unusual Classes.”

  My mind was reeling. I had so many questions that I couldn't parse them all into something manageable. This explained a great many things, though. It explained my Class, it might even explain my Bloodline. It certainly seemed to have had an effect on everything else.

  "And one other thing. To our knowledge, every single individual who has survived their [Soul-Sheer] has come out of it with a title that enhances them. Every. Single. One." Argyle shot me a knowing look, to which I shrugged. He might know about the title I had, but I wasn't about to give up the details of what it did.

  "How does the Banner initiate people?" I wanted to turn the conversation away from my experiences in the Soul-Sheer, and this was an important tidbit of information. If I knew how the Banner initiated their own people, I might be able to initiate my family, which would help solve many of my worries about their ability to take care of themselves in this strange new world I was now a part of.

  "It's rather simple, all things considered, there are two options that we are aware of. An individual must be either taken into a dungeon where the increased ambient mana will initiate them naturally, or someone already initiated must inject the uninitiated with as much mana as they can handle. This would trigger the System connection; they're typically offered a small selection of Classes that, as far as we can tell, are based on their highest attributes. For instance, it would be unusual to see someone starting with higher than average Dexterity and Intelligence be offered anything from the warrior Class line." The gears in my mind cranked to full speed. If this were true, it wouldn't be a problem to initiate my family. It had requirements attached, I didn't yet have answers for however. I would either need to find a weak enough dungeon that I could carry them through it without worrying about their safety, or I would have to be able to inject them with the right amount of many. The latter of which I would need significantly more control to be able to do safely.

  “This is a lot to take in.” I let out a sigh, taking another sip of hot coffee.|

  "I would imagine it is, it was much the same for me when I was initiated into the world we now know. So many questions, so few answers." Argyle let out a low chuckle as he raised his teacup to his lips. "Fortunately, I had a mentor during those formative years to help steer me in the correct direction."

  "What was it like becoming a Vampire?" I asked, swept along by a sudden surge of curiosity about the man who sat across from me.

  "Complicated," Argyle responded. "The world was very different back then. It was much easier to hide in some ways."

  "It was a different time," Argyle continued, his eyes taking on a distant look. "I was turned in the late 1300s, during a period of great upheaval in Europe. The world was changing rapidly, and those of us with... special abilities... had to adapt quickly."

  I leaned forward, fascinated. "So you've been around for over 700 years?"

  Argyle smiled, revealing just a hint of fang. "Indeed. Though I'm not even considered middle-aged among my kind. The elders of our community have seen empires rise and fall."

  "And the System? How does it affect vampires differently?"

  Argyle set down his teacup, his expression thoughtful. "For us, the System interacts with our innate vampiric abilities. Like monsters, we have no Classes; instead, we have Species and Skills that align with our nature. But it's a double-edged sword - while it enhances our strengths, it can also exacerbate our weaknesses. And power often comes with a cost."

  I nodded, processing this information. "Is that the same for other Species?"

  "Mostly, yes. Werewolves, Fae, Trolls - We all have different abilities, though within our groups there is typically a thick vein of similarity."

  “You mentioned a cost, what does that mean?”

  Argyle's eyes glinted with amusement. "Ah, curious about the intricacies of vampiric existence, are we? Let me explain some of our peculiarities. Our progression is tied closely to our nature as blood-drinkers. Our skills often revolve around enhancing our natural abilities - speed, strength, regeneration. But more importantly, we have a unique relationship with mana."

  He paused, taking another sip of tea before continuing. "You see, Aiden, vampires are essentially mana siphons. We don't just consume blood; we consume the mana within it. This allows us to level up faster than most, but it comes with its own set of challenges."

  "Challenges?" I prompted, fascinated despite myself.

  "Indeed. The more powerful the being whose blood we consume, the more mana we gain. But it's a double-edged sword. Consume too much too quickly, and it can overwhelm us, drive us mad. It's a delicate balance between progression and madness. More than one of my kind has fallen victim to the siren song of power and had to be put down for it." Argyle's expression turned somber. There was a story there, I was sure, but I wasn't willing to push at it.

  I couldn't begin to imagine how different things were for the members of the Unseen from what I'd experienced myself, or, for that matter, how different it would have been to be a vampire in the Middle Ages. That was prime fantasy material right there.

  As I pondered the complexities of vampiric existence, a sudden shift in the air caught my attention. My aura, which had been quietly monitoring our surroundings, flared to life with an urgent warning. A presence was approaching, one that radiated power on par with Argyle himself, if not slightly greater. The aura felt different from Argyle's; it lacked the off-colour sense I got from the vampire. Instead, it felt more earthy, more natural, as if the owner embodied the natural world in a way I hadn't seen before. As if they were a part of the earth itself, yet there was a chill to it that spoke of freezing waters and clawing ice.

  I tensed, my hand instinctively moving to reach into my [Inventory]. "Argyle," I said, my voice low and urgent, "We have company coming." I didn't believe in coincidences like this. There was no way whoever was putting out that aura was here for anything other than me. "Did you set this up?" My voice was low. Dangerous. If this were a setup, I'd fight tooth and nail. I didn't think the vampire had set me up, however. I could feel his aura, and it felt agitated. He was just as irritated by this as I was, possibly more so.

  Argyle's expression shifted from confusion to irritation as he, too, seemed to sense the approaching presence as it drew closer. "I assure you, Aiden, this is not of my doing," he said, his voice tight with a combination of exasperation and annoyance. "Our meeting was meant to be a private one." He tilted his head to the side and sniffed at the air. "Unfortunately, it seems one of my associates intends to join us."

  "Another vampire?" I questioned, relaxing slightly.

  "Unfortunately, not, that would be far simpler."