In the most ancient of times, there was a master and his servant traveling the land past the Carpathian Mountains. Crato Icertis was the master, and Mallen was the servant. Both were from the country of Romania, during the time when Romania was under the rule of the Roman empire, many centuries before it became subjected to Turkish rule.

Crato was a merchant who sold luxurious cloth and material. He often saw the Roman emperor as he rode on his fine, mighty horse. The Roman emperor was cloaked in purple, gilded with power and might. He ruled at a time when the country was called Dacia; its modern name would later become known as Romania.

The country fared well under Roman rule. The Roman emperor Trajan was one of the Five Good Emperors. He was known as a just emperor and a moral man. The Roman conquest of Dacia supplied the empire with grain and precious metals, improving the economy and making life very livable.

Crato and Mallen lived quite substantially. Crato owned a large home with a fountain and a vineyard. He had a wife who bore him no children and who had long since passed.

Crato had servants to do his bidding; Mallen was one of those servants. Mallen was not only a servant but also a close confidant. Crato trusted Mallen to run his business and affairs, to handle shipments, to process payments, and other important duties. Mallen was given charge of the dye process where other servants processed dyes for the clothing Crato sold.

Most of the clothing was wool, linen, hemp, sometimes leather. Things like cotton and silk were very expensive. Dyes were made from plants, roots, bark, crushed insects, nuts, and mollusks. Snails were used to make purple dye, the most expensive color for clothing. Only powerful people wore purple, the color of royalty. Blue was the color of nobility.

Mallen favored the color green, particularly olive green. Crato liked the color blue best, but he became jealous of the Roman emperor wearing purple clothing. His jealousy grew into a pursuit of power. He cared not for the Roman emperor's goodness; he wanted to become greater than the emperor.

"But you're rich enough," Mallen argued. "Look around you! You're like a mini emperor with your servants and trappings around you. You're the one who makes the dyes for the emperor's clothes, making you the richest merchant of them all. Enjoy life to the fullest! Find yourself another wife, maybe have some children to pass on your business to."

"What power does a merchant convey?" Crato said in response. "The time has long since passed for me to have children. The business will be passed on to you after my time, for you are like a son to me, Mallen. While I still breathe air, I wish to become more powerful than the emperor himself."

"Forget about power. There's lots to enjoy!" said Mallen. "Women, food, clothing, the night sky – "

"I've grown past those indulgences," Crato interrupted, turning on his heel as he faced the vineyard that supplied some of his dyes. "You're young, and my time is nearing its twilight. My time will not end under someone's rule but my own."

Crato was in his sixties; Mallen was in his thirties. Crato longed for power; Mallen longed for nothing more than a good life. But one decision made by Crato would forever change Mallen's life, turning him from a carefree man who lived for pleasure into a fearsome man who lived for blood.

"Pack up and let's go," Crato said one early morning, waking up Mallen by tossing linen clothing at him. "We're going past the Carpathian Mountains."

"Why?" Mallen inquired, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

He wondered why in the world would Crato want to go beyond there for. It wasn't a city or harbor where they often sold merchandise to traders or people in the marketplace. It would be a long journey going through the mountains even by horse.

"There is a man there who will give me the power I desire," Crato told Mallen. "Get dressed and pack a few of your things. I want to be on our way long before noon."

Mallen pushed his long dark hair back, letting it stay loose, instead of tying it back with a ribbon. He quickly washed and got dressed, packed his belongings in a satchel, and ate some bread and grapes before heading out with Crato. The estate was left with another trusted servant. Mallen was the only servant who accompanied Crato on his journey.

The travel was long and difficult. Crato and Mallen each had a horse: a black stallion for Crato and a brown chestnut mare for Mallen. They sometimes stopped to drink water from their own canteens, and to eat the bread, fruit, and cheese they brought with them.

The long summer nights were coming to an end, and it was getting close to harvest time, the weather getting colder as leaves scattered throughout. It was nearing Mallen's favorite time of year, though Crato preferred summer.

When they stopped to water their horses, Mallen asked Crato, "Who is this man you are looking for?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Crato admitted. "I did some searching, and I was told there is a man in the caves beyond the Carpathian Mountains, the only one who can give such power, the power to become more powerful than any emperor or ruler."

"Why do you want to be so powerful?" Mallen asked, unable to believe that Crato dragged him across the country in pursuit of something as ridiculous as power. "The Roman emperor is a good ruler. Dacia is faring wonderfully under his rule. I strongly advise you to enjoy life, as I do."

"Ah yes, but what is life without power? Though I am a rich merchant, I am still lesser than the emperor. I observed the Roman rule closely. I saw their great power and dominance over various countries. I want to become more powerful than the Romans. I don't want to be beneath anyone; I want to establish dominance over all people."

Mallen tried to reason with him, but Crato was set on his ways, lustful for power. He had servants, an entire business, abundant wealth, and crops galore, but it wasn't enough for him. Fed up with such a man, Mallen attempted to desert his master, but Crato threatened to kill him should he leave his side. Mallen reluctantly traveled with Crato, not wishing for his life to end in such a way.

After crossing over the Carpathian Mountains, the master and the servant traveled on until they reached a mountain range of treacherous cliffs and dark caves. They camped out during daylight before going into the caves at nightfall. It was there where they finally met the giver of such power.

Mallen watched in horrified shock as Crato sealed his own fate by agreeing to a deal with a demon. Crato received the power he wanted and became more powerful than any human, but at a terrible cost.

Because the demon deal was signed in blood, blood became the source of Crato's power. He became its slave, requiring blood to keep that power. It was his life source, one that made him inhuman by the need to take human life in order to sustain his own.

Mallen became fascinated by the strength of Crato's new power. Once he saw how powerful he was, Mallen finally understood why Crato wanted power. This wasn't about being high on the class rank or social status; it was about rising above the human level, Mallen realized.

Though Crato was a vampire, he was careful not to kill any of the servants he fed on. He simply took what he needed and allowed them to live, not wanting to kill. Crato wasn't a cruel person; he strived to be better than others, but to his own detriment.

Where Crato was power-hungry and egotistic, Mallen was sly and deceptive. Mallen waited until Crato was asleep before killing him with a wooden stake. After Crato was no longer a threat to him, Mallen cut his arm and bled it onto a cup, drinking his master's blood, and thus getting all his powers from him.

While the first vampire only wanted power and never actually killed any of the people he fed on, the second vampire became cruel and killed people for blood. He derived pleasure from having the power to end a man's life in an instant.

All former aspects of his human life became irrelevant as Mallen indulged in his new vampire life. The bloodthirst affected him more so than it did Crato, who was a conscientious man, while Mallen was reckless. Mallen saw his master as weak, believing himself to be the stronger man. He did as he pleased, having no regard for human life. He used people for his own purposes, manipulating others and controlling anyone he wanted.

After the mystical water brought Mallen to life out of the fiction book he existed in, Mallen became the deadliest killer of all time by killing anyone he saw as a threat. He learned about other people that have also been brought to life by the mystical water and was startled to learn that many of those other people were vampires. He killed the notable ones he felt would stand against him, goading other vampires into submission. Mallen became the leader of all vampires, earning a vicious reputation.