Icy cold winds felt like stinging icicles on Mallen's face as he walked on the snowy land in the north. Though he wore a scarf underneath Iérti's coat, he still felt the low temperature. The land was separated into seasons: winter in the north, fall in the east, summer in the south, and spring in the west.

Mallen and Iérti lived near the west side of the land, but not in it. As seasons changed in the land, each part of the land experienced every season, but certain far areas remained the same season, thus the four major parts of the land experiencing only one season year after year.

Mallen was glad winter already started in his location; that way it was easier for him to acclimate to the colder temperatures in the north. He pulled his scarf closer to his neck, adjusting the coat jacket so it would try to keep out most of the prevailing winds. A human would've felt the cold creep through clothing, chilling them to the bone. A vampire felt the same cold but was able to withstand it better.

Nobody in the land knew the location of the only library in the land, nobody except Mallen. He had secretly unearthed it from a book, selecting which buildings he liked and wanted to bring to life. Mallen dropped book pages in the mystical water, watching as the mystical water source brought the buildings to life by materializing and moving the necessary atom particles and such to a certain location before materializing it fully. He had done the same with a few other structures and buildings, including the castle he lived in.

A human king previously owned the castle and had been materialized along with it. The king died under mysterious circumstances, his body found in a lake many distances from his castle. While many assumed it was suicide due to his irrational behavior, Mallen knew the dark truth: the king was killed by the cruelest vampire in the land.

The king's psychiatrist had seen Mallen draining the Bavarian king of his blood. The king was declared mad by government counsellors who wished to take him off the throne due to his excessive spending on luxurious castles, thus bankrupting Bavaria. The psychiatrist took the king far away from his castle in an attempt to kill him. Instead, a vampire killed the king before the psychiatrist could.

The psychiatrist froze in terror when he saw Mallen fling the king's body into the lake. Mallen's eyes were red and fierce, his fangs still stained with blood. The terrified psychiatrist turned to flee, but Mallen overpowered him in less than a second. It took him longer to die, since the psychiatrist struggled more than the king did.

After feeding on him, Mallen let the dead psychiatrist join the king's dead body in the lake. Mallen sighed deeply, wiping his mouth with his sleeve before heading for the castle and claiming it his own. He lived in that castle ever since.

Mallen remembered exactly where the library was located. He stopped when he sensed a large presence ahead of him, unseen in the heavy snow. Mallen could hardly keep his eyes open; the snow was falling so much. He moved forward, relying on his vampiric senses.

He sensed a high heat signature up ahead, indicating the creature had the highest levels of thermal heat. That's the dragon guarding the library, Mallen thought, knowing he would have to be extremely cautious. He took a deep breath, slowly approaching the dragon.

The dragon was asleep, his massive body as big as two full castle rooms. He was entirely muted purple with shimmery scales. Dragons were mostly purple in color, though they also came in blue, red, black, green, gold, or grey. All dragons had sparkly scales resembling fish scales.

Dragons were usually known to guard treasure, mostly gold and jewels. The library was the greatest treasure in the land because it held all the books they came from. They wouldn't have come to life had it not been for those books. Mallen had elected a dragon to guard the library, permanently compelling him and thus making sure nobody ever ventured in.

The snowfall thinned out the closer Mallen got to the dragon. The dragon was sleeping in front of a huge building. It was beautiful stone white with light grey marbling and gold streaks.

The door was black with intricate swirls and curlicues, making it look rich and fancy. The same intricate swirls and curlicues twirled upward around the building in the form of a gothic iron gate, ebony black and elegant. The door handle was thin and gold, shining like a new coin.

The dragon tensed, sensing a vampire presence. He raised his head, frowning at Mallen as he proceeded to slowly come close, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

The dragon huffed his breath, rising upright with his wings outstretched as he fixed his gaze on Mallen. He roared when Mallen came about a castle length's away in distance, his orange eyes glaring and his mouth open with fire deep inside, threatening to incinerate should he come closer.

Mallen stared in astonishment at seeing a dragon again after so many centuries. He remained standing, his eyes carefully evaluating the dragon and his surroundings.

Mallen looked directly into the dragon's eyes, using his powers of persuasion and mind compulsion to control the dragon the same way he did so many centuries ago. Let me through. Do not harm me, Mallen commanded, speaking directly to the dragon's mind in a firm, authoritative voice.

The dragon's orange eyes softened as he bent to Mallen's mind compulsion. He straightened his body out of a fighting stance, lowering his wings and closing his mouth.

Mallen stepped close, gently putting a hand on the dragon as if putting a hand on a horse, the gesture as a small appreciative thanks before continuing on his way. The door was just a stone's throw from the dragon, who stood watching Mallen as he walked in through the gate, opened the door, and entered the secret library.

It was like entering a magical world. There was a beautiful self-sustained garden in the center with flowing water fountains circling it and flowers blooming eternally. Books filled the walls from top to bottom, the ceiling adorned in lavish paintings with intricate clocks and stopwatches hanging from the frames and ivy.

The air was fresh and clean, fragrant with flowers and misty rain droplets. Four staircases ascended the many stories high building, providing stopping points at each floor. There were flowers and vines at the edge of the staircases, decorating it with its beauty. It was a hidden paradise only Mallen knew about.

Mallen breathed deeply, taking in the peaceful environment. He recalled the many hours he spent reading books. He read almost all the books in the library, learning everything about each creature and its connection to the land, even discovering things that existed outside of the land. Things like spaceships and alien planets, Mallen thought, knowing exactly where to find books on space travel.

Books were categorized according to genre, subject, place, language, and history. Mallen was fluent in many languages, including his native language Romanian. He knew most European languages including Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Polish, German, Icelandic, Turkish, Greek, and Serbian.

Mallen loved to spend time in the library and often did so many centuries ago. He loved to read books and enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed designing and making clothing. He smiled as he fondly remembered the many hours he spent reading by the window while listening to the rain.

Had he been human, Mallen would've been sipping on a cup of tea while reading; it would've been his favorite drink. He did try it several times, liking the taste and smell but not able to fully enjoy it the way a human would.

Mallen brought himself back to the present, finding it way too easy to relax in this place. He walked over to the fantasy section of the library where all the fantasy books were located. He walked inside a secret tunnel made entirely of greenery and arching leafy branches.

The library's tunnel had various flowers and foliage, making it look very magical. It shimmered an enchanting blue color from bioluminescent lights produced by glow worms. Mallen always felt like he was in a magical fairytale world whenever he was in the tunnel.

The ground was incredibly soft, his footsteps soundless as Mallen treaded slowly. It was a velvety moss that felt like silk to the bare feet, though Mallen was wearing stylish boots. He walked over to a certain spot amongst a bouquet of lovely pink roses, revealing a tall vase concealed behind the thick greenery.

The vase was almost as tall as Mallen, its circumference a little smaller than that of a tree trunk. On top of the vase, there was a flat lid of unknown material, smooth like glass and hard like metal. It held fast like a cork in a wine bottle, firmly keeping its contents safe in place.

Mallen carefully lifted the lid, seeing the mystical water secretly contained inside the vase. His mind flashed back to when he overheard people wanting to burn up the mystical water source so no further creatures could come to being.

The mystical water source surrounded a small patch of land with a giant tree in the middle. There was only room for the tree, nothing more. Mystical water surrounded the tree like a moat, bringing creatures and book characters to life out of its thick, placid still waters. The creatures and book characters jumped out of the waters and landed on the fresh green grass outside of the moat. The land around the moat was entirely grass, flat, nicely cut and the most beautiful green grass anyone had ever seen.

Mallen had roamed the area, having returned after killing all who posed a threat to his power. After overhearing people making plans to burn the mystical water source, he grabbed a big, tall vase from outside the tent and ran to where the mystical water source was located.

He filled the vase entirely, making sure to keep some of the mystical water for himself. He hid it in the library and came back just in time to see the mystical water source burn, flames penetrating through its sparkling waters and grabbing at the tree in the middle of the moat.

The tree was the most ancient tree in the land. Nobody knew how the tree and the mystical water source came to be, but after vampires appeared, people decided it had to be destroyed to prevent something worse from coming to life.

So glad I saved some of the mystical water, Mallen thought in relief. He looked down at the pure white sparkling water lying still in the vase, moving slightly as though it were alive.

Mallen carefully slid the lid back in place. He carried the vase out of the tunnel and placed it against the wall, going over to the space travel section of the library.

Mallen perused each book, flipping through pages in search of a suitable spaceship. He didn't like some of the designs, wanting his spaceships to be efficient and sophisticated. He finally found a book with steampunk-style airships he liked.

All were copper brown with cream white and regal purple coloring. The airships were able to withstand any atmosphere with protective shields, allowing leisure travel in addition to space travel. They had modern conveniences such as gas and oil lamps, showers, running water, and bathrooms. The interior looked very 1800s with steampunk influences.

Each ship was equipped with gas and oil lamps, candles, kerosene, and minimal electric lighting. Most of the electricity was used to power the ship and its shields, protecting the ship and its inhabitants.

There were individual cabins for each person, that way even crew members could sleep comfortably rather than being all cramped together in one room via separate hammocks. Every room looked cozy and comfortable, each with its own individual bathroom complete with a shower and running water. Mallen especially liked the cabins with four tall windows and low cushioned benches.

These are it, Mallen thought, his eyes still on the sketches in the shipbuilding book. These are the ships I want.

Mallen took one more look at the full color drawing of the finished product, admiring the way the ship looked modern and vintage at the same time, with both 1800s and steampunk influences, yet it was advanced enough to support life aboard as they ventured through space.

Mallen carefully set the book down on top of a pile of books, going over to where he had placed the vase. He looked to where the garden was in the center of the library paradise, briefly admiring it before his eyes started scanning around the library.

He saw a fairy wand atop some books and picked it up, holding it carefully in his hand. The fairy wand was silver in color with a star on top and shiny silvery ribbons flowing from it. Fairy wands were rumored to have been constructed from moonlight, taking its light and forming it into something solid and powerful, though it required taking energy from the constructor.

The fairy wand belonged to a fairy once, but she had perished along with other creatures in the past. The remaining fairies were driven out, forced to evacuate to another planet upon the introduction of fearsome creatures called the drull, shortly before the arrival of vampires. Those creatures were detrimental to fairies in that they were ironworkers.

Iron was as deadly to fairies as sunlight was to vampires. The fairies lived on nearby planets Monshalow and Natvolo, having fled Verdamnt to avoid extinction. Mallen had met some of the fairies and had seen them materialize holographic ships out of the mystical water source so they could leave the planet.

Now we are about to leave the planet, Mallen thought, the prospect thrilling yet terrifying. Vampires never went to space before; it was unknown terrain that was detrimental to humans and vampires. But if they had vessels to travel through space....

Deep in thought, Mallen paced around for a while before reaching a decision. He took a deep breath for what he was about to do.

Mallen used the fairy wand to magically move the garden centerpiece and its fountains outside the library, the doors opening by themselves as the center of the garden started to rise and move in air, phasing through walls.

There was a certain science behind it, but Mallen thought it was too complex to understand when he tried to study it. The closest he could come to understanding was that it worked sort of like his mind compulsion ability, willing whatever he wanted to happen. The fairy wand was like a conduit of energy that carried out his will.

Fairy magic was useful and powerful in some respects, such as levitating people and objects, but it couldn't bring people and objects to life like the mystical water did. The mystical water was the biggest enigma nobody understood. There were rumors it could possibly have originated from planet Yaryar as a type of byproduct of the yellow dust's origins, though nobody was able to confirm any truth about it.

Same was true of planet Mijishin, the illusionary planet. Nobody knew of the oddball planet's mystery origin either, or where its illusionary properties came from, though the Mijishians might have a better understanding of such notions.

The dragon looked quizzically at the floating garden centerpiece, the fountains paused as they traveled outdoors, coming to rest on top of flat ground several distances from the library. Snowfall halted; the weather had cleared while Mallen was inside the library.

Mallen touched the dragon as if to assure him before carefully setting the fairy wand on top of a pile of books. Mallen carried the heavy vase outside and set it beside the garden centerpiece, watching the water freeze in the water fountains from the extreme outdoor temperatures.

Here goes nothing, Mallen thought before getting down on one knee and carefully tipping the vase so the mystical water flowed straight into the crevice on the garden centerpiece. It filled up the entire circumference, like water on tile indents, shimmering pure white and clean. Mallen was amazed at the sight, marveling at how beautiful the water looked. Indeed it was alive, for it brought forth life to being.

The dragon came over, peering curiously while staying a careful distance from the mystical water. Though the mystical water was harmless, both Mallen and the dragon respected it, for it was because of that water they were even here.

Mallen admired the water for a moment longer before rising, going over to pick up the book. He tore out the page with the fleet of ships drawn on it and dropped it in the mystical water, watching it slowly fall. Whereas normal book pages would float in regular water, they sank underneath mystical water.

Mallen stepped back, the dragon stepping back as well, when they saw a brilliant white light shine from underneath the mystical water's surface. A loud rumbling noise came from it, then suddenly the fleet of ships sprung to life, coming out of the mystical water and landing on the icy ground. Mallen stared in astonishment at the ships, the dragon roaring in fright.

The ships emerged one by one, landing smoothly. As soon as the last ship emerged, the mystical water shone that brilliant white light once more before fading to stillness.

Mallen used the fairy wand to draw the mystical water out of the garden centerpiece and back into its original place inside the vase before going back inside and hiding the fairy wand in a secret compartment behind a bookshelf. He went to hide the vase next, coming back to admire the ships he just brought to life from inside book pages.

The spaceships were exactly as indicated in the book. Mallen carefully touched one, chucking in amazement as he surveyed the line of ships arranged in formation.

Mallen turned to the dragon. "Keep guard over these ships, please. You're a great help to me, Vostok."

Vostok acknowledged Mallen with a nod. Mallen looked at the ships one more time before going over to the library, making sure the doors were firmly shut. He thanked the dragon once again before he turned into crows and headed back home, excited to tell about the ships.

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Music:

"Mystified"
by James Dooley

[a very fairytale-esque song for this chapter]

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✨ Fun fact:
Vostok means East in Russian.

✨ Fairies will show up in The Undeterred. Mallen and Iérti will also show up in The Undeterred, and they will meet my Iredescent and irangel characters from Books 1-3.

✨ Fairies will show up in the prequel story The Incandescent. I will show up as a fairy character named Ireyna :) As you probably guessed, I am Írásom in this story. I show up as a fictional character in every prequel story.

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