Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 16: Surprise Visit

I didn't know if it was because of the nap I took during the day, or perhaps the inevitable confrontation with Mom. It could also be the constant fear I had of someone dangerous finding this place. Whichever it was, it made it impossible for me to sleep early like I wanted. It wasn't until an hour past midnight that I could finally close my eyes and find myself in the dreamworld, where I saw the same two shadows from days ago, still hidden by the same mist.

Oddly enough, I slept quite well after that. Of course, that meant I woke up late in the morning, and I was now running downstairs, still in my pyjamas, to see if I could somehow make it in time to find any food at all.

As I walked into the almost empty cafeteria, I saw Anna, Allison and Sylvia sitting at one of the tables. Only their backs were visible to me. Thinking that they had been waiting for me drew a smile on my face. It wasn't until I walked around them that I saw two strangers eagerly eating everything in front of them.

The first one was a short and robust man. I said short, but I could tell he was still taller than me. His face was mostly hidden by his medium length brunet hair and unusually large braided beard. Despite all the hair, you could still see his light green eyes, rosy cheeks and rather big nose behind it.

The other one was a guy with unblemished, snow white skin. His short, silver hair was almost translucent, and it made it difficult to tell where his forehead actually ended from a distance. One could probably laugh at it if not for the pair of sharp crimson eyes, which gave him the air of a cold and calculating person. His pupils were Cat-like, like mine, which only helped in making his gaze all the more intimidating. His somewhat long and pointy ears were another trait he shared with me. Finally, two big pairs of fangs peeked from his mouth whenever he opened it to gobble up more food. The upper ones were the longest.

The clothes both of them wore could hardly be called so. Torn, burnt and dirty. They were nothing more than rags at this point. I didn't even bother guessing their ages. I'd probably find out later. Although, they both looked to be at least twenty years old.

I had no doubts about the races of the two individuals in front of me. A dwarf and a vampire had mysteriously showed up overnight. That said, nobody had ever mentioned the existence of dwarfs.

I wonder how many other races I'm not even aware of.

Since they were facing my direction, these two newcomers were the first ones to notice my presence when I walked towards them. The dwarf, after swallowing the last bit of food, was also the first one to speak. "Is this girl the one helping you, Sylvia?"

Finally aware of my presence, she turned to look at me and answered. "Yes, this is Nora."

"Hey there! My name's Rex, and this unfriendly looking fellow here is Alex," he said, wrapping his arm around the vampire's neck to pull him closer.

Alex frowned and pushed him away before he cleaned his face with a napkin and bowed from his seat. "The name's Alexander Barlow. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Any elegance he attempted to show was completely dulled by the state of his clothes. I struggled to contain my laughter.

"Ha! Serves you right for trying to act all fancy!" Rex commented, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Oh, but vampires must have class, am I right?"

Alex brushed the dwarf's hand away and sneered at him. "Says the one aiming to achieve the ultimate dwarf stereotype. His real name is Reginn, by the way."

The dwarf grimaced for a split second before he returned to his wide smile. "Just ignore this bloodsucker. I do prefer Rex."

I could only smile at their silly exchange. It was nice to see Allison was not the only one to welcome her change so openly.