Chapter Text
Scott didn’t know how long he’d been walking but the Town was coming into view and he was still alone. Normally he would have a companion or two with him but now when he kinda wants them there, they aren’t. He’s still gripping onto the tattered note that he received from a lone chest and he has mixed feelings about it.
He had just left town after Pearl interrupted the converting and now he had to walk all the way back?? He could fly back but the note was a little worrisome and he decided to save that bat transformation for a ‘if needed to escape’.
‘All this back and forth talk about Apo is driving me a little crazy’ Scott thought as he rounded the clearing of the Town. He could spot most of the humans there, though they weren’t inside the walls and they were holding something, huh.
“Well, fancy seeing you guys out and about” Scott smiled as Apo turned her head towards him, Scott smiling a little more at her expression.
“I thought you’d left.” Scott nodded as the rest of the humans now faced him. Scott raised his hands up, note still in his hand making it visible for all to see.
“Hey, I mean no harm-”
“Right, so you attacked Pearl just because?” Martyn raised his eyebrow as both he and Abolish raised bows at him.
“Well, that was then, this is now, I’m not planning to attack you guys right now, am I?” Scott replied, counting the humans that were there.
“Where are the others.” Pearl spoke, not acknowledging the remark Scott had made.
“Here’s the thing-I don’t actually know- oh,” The elder vampire began before his eyes made a bee-line behind the group. He could see Shelby, Pyro and Avid running towards him, seeming clutching something as well, “nevermind there they are.” Scott finished just as Legundo spotted Owen and Drift to the right.
“So, speak, what do you have being here if thou haven’t a means of causing harm?” Ren asked, eyeing Scott suspiciously which, to be fair, he doesn’t blame him.
“I just have a note telling me to come here.”
Scott raised his letter high, dangling it around and showing everyone.
“Sire- what is it? You received one as well?” Pyro asked, walking around the Town’s people, holding his own note.
“So,” Cleo began as she made her way to the front of the group, Shelby, Avid and Owen finally standing with/behind Scott, “we all got secret notes that told us all to come here and we did. No one thinks that’s suspicious?” A few nodded their heads, Scott had to agree as well.
While he was tempted to believe it was a trap, no one would have known what his note had said. No one had that information as it was way back when Scott was alive, well human alive.
Shelby had opened her note and re-read it again and again before looking at Scott. He could sense her gaze on him but he ignored it. Avid’s too. He really needs to start ignoring his gaze now.
“Wait- so you guys didn’t send this?” Sausage asked, peeking his head towards Scott and only Scott who shook his head.
“Yeah no, wasn’t me, and I doubt it was anyone of my fledglings.”
“How would you be so sure about that?” Abolish asked. Scott just deadpanned at him. The guy was smart and Scott didn’t want to say too much.
Before Scott, or any of the other vampires could reply, a booming and unsettling feeling washed all over them. Shivers fell down the human’s spines and the vampire's skin grew tight. Tighter than they would normally feel.
“What is that?!!” Drift yelled out as she pointed to the sky.
The rest turned their heads up as well and all the blood left in Scott drained. He’s not sure why but he suddenly felt this immense fear. This looming that if he turned invisible right now they could still see him. He felt watched.
“∴ᒷ ⍑ᔑ⊐ᒷ ⎓𝙹⚍リ↸ ||𝙹⚍.” We have found you.
The thing spoke. Well, not really. Scott could hear it in his mind and by judging everyone else’s reaction, so could they.
What creeped Scott out the most was how familiar the things looked. Almost like deja vú. The things wore white masks that covered their eyes, leaving their bottom half visible, though their mouths never moved. What was familiar was the strange marking on said mask. It looked like a rectangle but broken?
“Ah… okay this is weird now” Cleo muttered and Pearl agreed. Scott did too. He was finding himself agreeing a lot with others lately.
“What be these monstrous things from above?!” Ren held a torch up high, not doing much to see clearly. Right….Scott forgot. Humans don’t have night vision powers. Yeah.. that sucks.
“They don’t look friendly” Avid spoke from behind Scott. ‘Neither do you after recent events.’ he thought as he squinted his eyes.
“ᓭᓵ𝙹ℸℸ.” Scott.
Ok so for some reason that feels very familiar.
“Can these things speak English?” Owen muttered in annoyance, crossing his arms. He seemed more so annoyed rather than spooked. Scott could smell his fear though.
“I’m going to guess that shooting arrows and this thing won’t do anything” Martyn started saying as he loaded his bow with Legundo knocking his arm a bit.
“Stop it…for now, you said it yourself”
“𝙹⍑ ⍑𝙹∴ ꖎ𝙹リ⊣ ||𝙹⚍ ⍑ᔑ⊐ᒷ ʖᒷᒷリ ᔑ∴ᔑ||. ⍑𝙹∴ ꖎ𝙹リ⊣ ∴ᒷ ⍑ᔑ⊐ᒷ ᒲ╎ᓭᓭᒷ↸ ||𝙹⚍.” Oh how long you have been away. How long we have missed you.
A piece of paper dropped from the sky. The figures disappeared from view but the markings stayed there. Bright purple.
“Well, that was slightly awesome, terrifying? Absolutely" Shelby exclaimed nervously as she stepped forward to claim the paper that fell.
“Nuh uh uh. Stop there.” Apo appeared in front of Shelby, surprising the other girl a little. Scott can acknowledge how fast the traitor was getting, though only to be annoyed as he remembered who’s side she was on.
“Not fair at all” Drift muttered as she eyed the paper just as Sausage picked it up.
“ ‘Vampirism can only get you so far,’ ” Sausage began reading aloud. Almost immediately everyone quieted down. They were all fools under one thing. Curiosity. Even Scott himself.
“ ‘Let everyone see how much you’ve changed dear winner’ ”
“Dear winner? What does that mean” Sausage asked after he finished reading. Before anyone could do so much as move, the paper in his hands brightened. It glowed at an alarming rate before sucking everyone in.
ᗢᗢᗢ
Screams were heard on both sides as everyone fell down onto the ground. Grass licked at their knees and elbows and even for some, Martyn, their mouths.
“Pleugh!” Said man spat out the grass that had made its way into his mouth. “What the fuck just happened?!” He began to stand up when a familiar hand came into view- Ren’s hand. Martyn smiled shortly and grabbed onto it as Ren lifted him up.
“Ye alright there?”
“Yeah I’m fine, but where are we?”
Ren shrugged as he didn’t know. A lot of Martyn’s view was his fellow humans standing up, even some of the vampires had taken to the ground. Well. Except Owen, who transformed into a bat mid-fall and had just turned back.
“Lucky vampires- only saying this once!” Martyn said as Legundo and Cleo raised their eyebrows at him. Ren did too but more subtly.
Wait. Pyro thought. Why aren't we sizzling? Pyro glanced at the bright sun that shone down on them. He couldn't hear nor smell burned flesh of either of his companions. Very strange.
“Where’s Scott?!” Avid freaked out as he looked around and couldn’t see that long flowing cape, nor the beautiful red eyes he’d known.
“Sire isn’t here?” Pyro got up immediately and looked around. Owen and Drift looked at each other then looked away. Best not to stop the ‘sire’ thing right now.
“Scott isn’t here? Where even are we.” Cleo asked as they took a look around the surroundings.
“Wait, isn’t that him? Like from before” Shelby yelled out, pointing to a blue-haired man sitting on the floor.
“Holy shit I think you’re right-” Pearl exclaimed as she slowly walked up to him. “-but why is his hair back to blue?”
Everyone, some begrudgingly, walked over to Scott. A much younger looking Scott.
“Is it me, or does he seem healthier?” Avid asked as he took in his appearance.
“No, you are definitely right” Pyro agreed as he eyed Avid.
“So what? He’s off guard.” Martyn marched right up to the younger looking Scott and grabbed his arm. Well, tried too. Martyn’s hand fell right through.
“What the-”
“Okay. Wow…”
“Oh my goodness”
“What be this void stopping us from laying hands on that monster?” Ren clenched his fists together.
“Can he even see us?” Abolish asked as Drift came in, “Not even going to talk to him, just straight up touching him?”
Younger Scott fiddled with something that was on his arm, a long black wrist band? Martyn didn’t know, but it suddenly dinged which grabbed everyone’s attention. Mostly because of a screen that popped out in front of Scott too which he didn’t seem bothered by.
“What sorcery-”
“What is that?!”
“This is too weird, why are we still here?!”
“Are we getting to know more about Sire?”
“Stop it with the Sire thing.”
“Welcome to Third Life!” A picture with the name ‘Third Life’ appeared on screen. The screen was big enough so that everyone could see it without crowding around Scott. The video continued, “An experimental world with a twist. You will be joined by thirteen other people,”
Thirteen others? For an experiment. For as much as Legundo was a doctor, he didn’t really like this.
“, and all of you have three lives.”
“I’m sorry, did that screen just say three lives?” Cleo blurted out.
“No yeah, what did that mean?” Apo winced.
Avid didn’t want to know either.
“On your first life, you will have a Green name and you will have to do is survive in a very small enclosed space. When you die, your name will change to Yellow. A neutral ground to say.”
Owen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. In fact he had never heard of this. It was quite intriguing seeing as seemingly human Scott was a part of this.
“If you die again, you will be on your third life and you will have a Red name. As a Red name, you become hostile and get infected with the Red Disease. Your goal is to eliminate all other players until you are the last one standing. If you die on your last life you are out.”
“What the fuck?” Martyn whispered. No seriously. What in the hell?
Drift’s eyes widen with that information. Why would anyone do this? It sounds horrible.
Apo blew some hair out of her face as she took in this information. She could see Ren shifting closer to Martyn.
“Enjoy.”
Was the last thing the screen thing said before it closed and disappeared from view.
“So let me get this right.” Pearl began as the vampires shifted closer to the group, “We are watching? Reacting? Doing something here, seeing a young Scott play in a death game.” Cleo nodded their head. They understood that much, the instructions were pretty clear.
“Why though?” Drift asked, her eyes scanning over Scott who was dusting the dirt of his pants and standing up.
“So we do get to find out more about Scott!” Shelby exclaimed as she tugged on Avid slightly.
“Can we just do this and go back home.” Martyn muttered as Sausage agreed.