You wake up seeing a village and people in flames, unable to do anything.

Castle Age - Burning Village by Andreas Rocha

Screams filled the heavy and hot air.

**** is heard, surrounding you in every direction possible. It is a mix of terror and anguish by all genders and ages - children, women, men, and the elderly.

You open your eyes slowly, but you can't seem to speak. You feel small and it's like your body isn't really yours. You are unable to turn your head or anything but stare straight ahead, shock slowly rising within you as a horrific scene plays out before you.

Flames are everywhere and mass panic along with it. You see people engulfed in flames and wooden houses being eaten by fire, fueling it further.

Dangerous men, dressed in a black robe remain unscathed; their faces hidden underneath the darkness of their hood while casually slaughtering anyone who tried defend themselves or run away. You want to do anything to try to stop these monsters, but you can't...

...you can only watch.

There is one particular woman who is shadowed by the raging flames around who hasn't been killed or engulfed by flames. You can't see much of her face, but you feel she has her back turned towards you. Her arms are spread out wide, as if trying to protect you.

"Stop! I won't let you harm my baby!" she screams.

One of the dark-robbed monsters turns its attention towards her and walks slowly, pulling out a sword from behind.

At this moment, you try your hardest to yell. Scream to the woman to run away, but you only end up hearing yourself wail like a baby. You pause in your mind to come to an understanding that a baby is exactly what you are. Is this a memory that is suddenly coming to fruition? That's impossible though since there is no way you can remember something as a baby, right?

There is no time to dwell on such things as the screams of seemingly hundreds echo as they perish. You are **** to focus on the woman in front of you who is risking her life to protect you. Was this your...mother?

Is this actually a memory?

Without warning, you hear the wisdom of your master, Jamkas echoing in your mind with his gravel voice. As the darkly robed killer slowly approaches, you can only watch in horror.

Life moves without warning, Araatris. I'm sure your parents were very loving, but it is to them that you should honor as well, otherwise you may have never reached us...

No...

As monks, we aim to live peacefully and in harmony, but that is a non-existent dream because in truth, we are filled with emotions. We can only strive to keep these emotions in check so that we may not act out with them.

You didn't want to see any of this!

Perhaps, in some ways, you not learning of your parents may be a good thing. Even if they had no intentions of bringing you to us, I hope to raise you into a fine woman that will make them proud, that will help make the world a little better, and will exemplify us as a family.

Please, don't kill her!

No matter the **** whether it is me, your parents, your friends, your allies, and...if fate chooses, your lover, then move on to better yourself, but never act in emotion...especially hate because that emotion will eventually destroy you.

The dark being stood in front of the woman who quivers in fear but never leaves her footing. While raising its sword, you can't scream out or cry any longer as the weapon pierced through the woman's chest and out from her back, spilling blood all into your view and covering your view in darkness.

You snap your eyes open.

Tears filled your eyes and drop down your cheek. You feel something smooth and warm against your lips. Only lowering your eyes do you see a man...or woman...kissing you.

Your pupils contract as you remember where you are and push the person off you in a panic. You look around frantically and find yourself in the same caverns with your back leaned against an uneven wall. Everything is lit for a meter around you, including this mysterious person, by a strange glowing magic ball levitating in between. You wince as you feel your shoulders and upper back ache in pain. You must've been blown back and hit the wall you are leaning against.

No, there are better things to worry about like who this person is and why the hell he...or she was kissing you?!

Before you open your mouth, the person before you with white long hair, green feminine eyes, straight nose, and smooth, slightly pale skin; speaks with a great smile.

Harukaze: the variation by panthera-ja

"Araatris, you've come to! I was afraid that my awakening had given you a long concussion. I didn't have time to warn you as I started to feel the first pain in hundred years, but it may have been best to stand several meters away instead of standing in front of me. No matter, your blood has freed me! I am truly indebted to you!" Maxius' voice escaped from the person's perfect lips.

Oh, my god, you think, unable to stop staring at same Maxius who was once bones, now looking like a human being...although the gender is still unknown. The more you stare at "his" face, you think he might actually be a female, but then again...he oddly has the same male voice you heard when communicated to you through magic. Plus, the spacing between his features indicate that of a male...you think.

Instead of being confused at the face, you decide it is better to look down as Maxius is currently naked. He lacked the breasts of a woman and...well, you can see that he has a cock that is erect and quivering in front of you.

Definitely male.

Shaking your head and quickly wiping the tears away from your eyes, you had many questions, so you decided to ask the most obvious one.

"Are you...really Maxius?" you ask, hesitantly.

Maxius blinks a few times and chuckles. "Well of course I am! You'll be glad to know that my transformation didn't include any bloodlust! I feel so refreshed as if I have been reborn anew! The whole process was so painful, but it lasted only a couple of minutes before my organs and flesh regenerated out of thin air! It was magnificent, I tell you! Oh, I should've awakened sooner...ah, but then I probably wouldn't have met you. Hm...well, I should be happy for my heritage at least."

He just can't stop talking, meaning he really is Maxius. So, the best possible situation occured which is good. Since you were knocked ****, it would've been bad if Maxius grew "thirsty". You would have been easy picking.

Speaking of which...

"Why did you kiss me?" you glare, furrowing your eyebrows.

Maxius flinch and you see some sweat start to appear on his forehead. His smile turned crooked and you didn't need to guess to know that he planned to make an excuse.

"A-ah...well, you were **** and I wasn't sure whether you were breathing, so I decided to help breath oxygen into your lungs. I've heard that it helps if-"

You kicked into his pretty face with your feet, causing him to grunt and slam into the ground. The light ball that illuminated the area wavered a bit before maintaining its brightness.

Maxius sat back up and rubbed his cheek where you hit him. Oddly enough, there is no bruise or at least irritation on his face, but you weren't being serious while kicking him and it could be that he's tougher than he looks thanks to his transformation.

He gives a defeated smile. "O-okay, I admit that I deserved that, my lady. I could not help it though when tears started to fall from your eyes. You looked like you were in so much pain and not because you hit the wall. Perhaps you would like to talk about it?"

Now he's trying to be sweet by saying "my lady". This guy is simply the worst, even if he has a pretty face.

You grow grim while thinking about that...dream or perhaps vision in your mind. You aren't one to dismiss it because it felt...real.

It felt true.

Right now, you can't focus on what that vision means. You heard stories how Madness insights painful dreams and hallucinations to make a person grow mad. If that is true, then you definitely need to be on guard.

"No," you answer flatly and then narrow your eyes, curling your lips, "First, we need to find some clothes for you and maybe one of these skeletons has something for you wear. Second, you need to do something about...that."

You pointed to his throbbing cock which you can't ignore, especially after his admission of how he wants to court you.

You need to be on guard not only within this mountain but apparently around this guy too. His innocent face is nothing but a facade behind a perverted, yet intelligent man.

Maxius looks down and he curls his lips in embarrassment. He tries to play it off smoothly.

"Ah, I'm sure it will go down on its own. The excitement in my soul when seeing your lovely body and face must have transferred into this new body when I awoke. You should take it as a compliment, you know?"

"Don't make me kick you again," you snap with dangerous eyes.

Maxius quickly shuffles back a little so your feet couldn't reach him. He put out his arms in defense.

"Y-your threat is noted, but I thought monks are supposed to remain calm, yes?"

You chuckle lowly, nerve-wracking the naked man before you. You give a "sweet" smile.

"I am calm, Maxius. I will try to tolerate your antics, but should you try to touch me again, I will calmly test your regeneration abilities by rupturing one of your new organs, do I make myself clear?" you warn, your voice soft and tonally consistent.

Maxius shakes his head quickly and holds his tongue from saying anything more.

"Now, let's find some clothes because I refuse to have a sorcerer stand by me nude," you instruct.

The sorcerer regains his composure and waves dismissively.

"Ah, that won't be necessary actually," he grins, causing you to notice two fangs protruding out, "...I can create cloth out of magic! Of course, it won't have any special properties, but at least it'll keep me somewhat warm in this cavern. I completely forgot how cold it can get!"

You shrug, not caring the way or method. You just don't want to see his obvious "attraction" towards you.

Before beginning an incantation, he stops and gasps.

"Oh wait, I don't even know what I look like! To be fair, I don't know what I looked like before, so the transformation could have changed me physically as well. Bah! It doesn't matter, I'm a new person from this day forward! I'll just stir up a mirror spell so that I can see myself. I'm sure you can guess that I'm very picky about my choice of colors and so I'll need to know what I look like before I create some magical clothes for myself," he explains.

Oh god, so he doesn't...know?

You widen your eyes, unable to keep your stare away from his face as he begins his mirror spell. You feel your mouth slowly curling up and crookedly as you try to maintain a straight expression. An urge to laugh rises from your chest as you anticipate his reaction if it is anything similar to the shock you received when you first saw him.

...and you are right.

A deep gasp emitted from Maxius' lungs and his eyes went full upon seeing the reflection as a semi-transparent glass faded before him.

"I'm a woman! No...that can't be right since I clearly have a penis! Don't tell me this is what I looked like before? No...no...no, that can't be or else I would've remembered it immediately. I don't recognize this face! It isn't mine! Damn, is the price I have to pay for becoming a dhampir? My life is full of nothing but tragedy!"

As he panicked and ramble on, you laughed out loud for the first time since the **** of your master.

"...why must it be a pretty face? I wished to have at least a cool, rugged face where I could grow out a beard, but my skin is too smooth...too feminine!"

You continue to laugh and for once, you feel glad to have him accompany you. Perhaps...things will be better onward than you think.

Probably not. If anything, this guy will be certainly an amusing fellow to travel with.