The carriage rattled along the dirt path with plain empty fields on both sides that had begun to look like the void as it grew darker and darker. It was only a little after sundown but the sky was overflowing with dark inky clouds that were heavily laden with rainwater waiting to pour over any minute. This made it a lot darker than usual of the time and there was a sense of impending danger in the atmosphere.

The carriage finally came to a halt and a woman stepped out of it, dragging a heavy brown suitcase after her with some difficulty. She was barely visible in the dark because of her black dress and black hair. She seemed to blend in with her dark surroundings and had someone witnessed her standing there by the road, they could have easily mistaken her for an apparition or a mirage.

She put her suitcase down on the ground and looked around to see where to go next. Before she could ask the carriage driver for any suggestions, it sped off with the rest of its passengers.

She knew she was a little outside of town. She could see their tiny twinkling lights from where she was standing. She began making hasty steps towards the town trying to reach there before the storm unleashed.

But the heavy downpour began before she hadn't even walked for a few minutes. She was immediately totally soaked and she looked around in a panic to find a place to wait it out. After straining her eyes for a while she saw a dim outline of a huge mansion on top of a hill a little farther away from the main road. She didn't give it much thought, there wasn't time anyway, and ran off-road towards the large house looming over the fields in the middle of nowhere.

As she got nearer she realised it was much bigger than she had assumed. She could see the details every time lightning flashed in the sky. The dark walls of the mansion turned white in the glow of it and it seemed as if the high towers of the mansion would be struck by it any moment.

A large area surrounding it was separated from the rest of the endless fields with the help of a tall iron fence. There was a high iron gate which had intricate decorations carved up in the iron. It wasn't bolted and left ajar with enough space for her to slip through.

She walked up the stone stairs and knocked on the heavy wood door. The brass door-knocker matched the extravagance of the rest of the place and she could barely lift it. A few moments passed and no one came to answer it so she knocked again. Finally, the sound of undoing the bolt was heard and the next moment the heavy door slowly moved.

A middle-aged man with a thin face peeked outside with curiosity. His attire suggested he was the butler.

"I'm sorry to intrude at this hour but may I stay here until the rain stops?" Her voice was quivering as she was now cold and she was shivering because of her wet clothes sticking to her skin making the cold seep through.

When the butler didn't agree immediately and began pondering over it she added, "Please don't turn me away. All I ask is a little corner to seek refuge from this downpour. " She pleaded.

The butler finally opened the door further and let her in. She quickly picked up her suitcase and walked in with hasty steps.

Once inside, she looked around in awe as she had never seen such a huge place before. The ceilings seemed to touch the sky and huge chandeliers hung down from it. But oddly, not all of the candles in them were lit and neither were many of the extravagant candelabras. She could tell every corner of the room was well decorated but because all the lighting elements were not being used to their full potential, the room was dimly lit and the shadows on the walls seemed ominous as one moved.

The butler left her standing and made his way upstairs seemingly to inform the owner. She did not move from her spot, scared she would offend them and be turned away and waited for someone to approach her again. She stood there hugging herself trying to bear the cold until the butler arrived, as water dripped down from her skirt onto the floor, creating a ring of water around her.

The butler returned with another man following him down the stairs. This man was much younger than the butler, about the same as her own age, and seemed to be the owner of the house as was evident by his confident gait contrasted by the quick steps of the servant.

"A woman?At my doorstep? At this hour? Now that's a peculiar sight! " He remarked as he approached her.

She was embarrassed to hear this and looked down, " I was traveling to the nearby town but the rain made me take this unexpected detour. I just want shelter for a while. " She repeated hesitantly.

"Are you travelling alone?" He asked with a little surprise.

"Yes." She nodded as she hugged herself tighter and shivered.

"Are you not afraid?" He followed up.

"I am a traveller, I don't have a home. I travel around and learn about people and their lives and then use them as inspiration for art. " She explained and added after a pause, " I know how to be careful and avoid danger. "

"Are you being careful now?" He prompted, slightly amused at this strange encounter.

"Should I be wary?" She now looked up at him. His face was hidden in the dark and she couldn't exactly make out his features but she could tell he had long silken blonde hair and light coloured eyes that were fixed on her.

"No. " He then switched his tone to a polite one, "You're safe here. A room will be prepared for you to stay. You can change your clothes and get some rest. I don't think the storm will pass until the morning. "

"I am so grateful to you. " She answered and then she was directed to a room by the butler. She was tired from her journey so she wasted no time in getting herself into a fresh set of clothes and then going to bed.

...

The chirping of the birds woke her up and she removed the heavy curtain from the wall-length window to peek outside. It was well past sunrise and the sky was now clear. She freshened up and then went downstairs to see if she could ask for something to eat. She was very hungry as she now remembered she hadn't had dinner last night.

She was hoping to see an extravagant assortment of food items to be already laid on the table as expected in such fancy mansions and she would be offered to try a little bit of everything. Thinking about such an opportunity encouraged her hunger even more and she couldn't wait to see such a sight she had only ever dreamed of.

But she was surprised to see the table empty with not even a drop of tea or a crumb of bread to be seen on it. Her hopes were instantly crushed but she had to do something. She could no longer bear her hunger and was beginning to develop a stomach ache so despite seeming impolite she decided to ask for it herself.

"Did everyone have breakfast already?" She asked the butler who seemed to be caught off-guard by it.

"Uhh... breakfast is not served this early in this household. " He managed to answer and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Could I have something to eat? I would like to leave now but it would be very nice if I could have breakfast. I hope it's not too much trouble." She smiled sheepishly.

"Su..re...sure. " He answered and then scrambled away haphazardly.

He returned half an hour later with a single plate in his hand and set it down on the dining table in front of her. She was even more surprised to see it was just an assortment of fruits which she was certain were taken from the garden as she had noticed them when she had looked out of the window earlier. She looked up quizzically at the butler.

"I apologize for the inadequacy. Our pantry was flooded last night and everything was ruined." He explained nervously.

"Was it really raining that much?" She asked.

"Yes. It got worse later in the night." He answered.

She thought about it in confusion for a while but after a few moments she smiled, "Thank you for this breakfast."

Having rested and eaten she left the mansion and was once again on her way to the town. The weather was beautiful and there was no obstacle in the way and so in about half an hour she had reached her destination and was now searching for an inn. It wasn't a difficult task and she easily found a quaint looking place.

The innkeeper was a soft-spoken man who seemed good-natured and as he escorted her to her room, began talking to her.

"You are lucky to arrive here today. You didn't have to face the storm yesterday." He commented.

"Actually, I was here yesterday. I was caught up in the rain but those kind people by the hill gave me shelter." She announced cheerily.

"What people? There is no one there." He responded nonchalantly.

"What are you saying? There is a mansion on top of the hillock there with some people living there. "

At this, the man turned to face her and she was surprised to see a look of pure horror on his face. He quickly jumped away from her and backed up against the wall as much as he could.

"Y...yo-u...you came from the mansion???" He was barely able to speak.

"Yes? So what?" She was confused.

"Are you aware that a vampire lives there? Of course, you have to be. And you're not even bothered by it. He turned you too didn't he? You're a vampire too!" He rambled and then he picked up the cross from the wall and put it in front of her face, "Go away!!" He screamed.

"What are you talking about? Nothing of the sort happened! Vampires do not exist. I am a regular human being. " She exclaimed, utterly confused at everything.

"I will not fall for this trickery! Go away, leave this town and don't ever come back!" He screamed.

By this time a few people had heard his screams and had gathered there. When they heard about the situation they were terrified too and joined in with the innkeeper. Some of them even began throwing stones at her.

She tried to defend herself but once they began throwing rocks, she quickly retreated to save herself from getting hurt. She picked up her suitcase and retraced her steps back to the mansion.

The butler was surprised to see her at their doorstep again.

"Can I come in?" She was shivering once again but this time out of fear. He didn't say anything and let her in.

Once again she was standing in front of the blond-haired man whose face she still couldn't see properly because the place was still dark, the windows having been covered with thick curtains, despite daytime.

"The townspeople threw me out. They accused me of being a vampire. They accused you of being one too. What a superstitious bunch!" She was annoyed at this ordeal.

"You don't think vampires exist?" He asked.

" Of course not! No well-read person would. This is why one must explore the world, so they can free their minds of such nonsense." She responded.

The man pondered over it for a few moments and then spoke " I feel responsible for this. If you hadn't stayed here, none of this would happen. Tell me if I can do anything to help you." His tone was sheepish.

"If I could have a place to stay until I can plan my journey further, that would be very helpful." She asked hesitantly.

"Of course! You can stay in the room you were in last night. "

"Thank you. You have been so kind to me. How will I ever repay you!" She exclaimed.

"First, you must tell me your name." He responded.

"Riie Kira. " She answered.

" I'm Gouenji Shuuya. " He replied.