Henri’s recollections, despite being unsavory, held some essential intel about this planet. Alfred chose to accept his position instead of avoiding reality.

He remembered a phrase from the famous detective Sherlock Holmes;

‘When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’

Alfred was sure he was still alive; the grumbling in his stomach and the acrid taste on his tongue was like a wake-up call, reminding him that the dead don't experience hunger.

He was baffled by his hunger since he'd already consumed five liters of blood.

Alfred thought to himself ‘If I am alive, and all 3 memories inside my head are true then I must be in a parallel world.’

The analytical side of his brain compelled him to make sense of the situation quickly. He tapped his chin in contemplation as he processed the knowledge coming from Henri’s recollections, then organized the most important points in his head.

The realm Alfred had ventured into teemed with creatures of myth, arcane sorcery, and the enigmatic Vesperans. A wry grin crept upon Alfred's face as he contemplated the sheer fantastical nature of this place. He soon uncovered a sobering truth—the denizens of this realm had been locked in an interminable struggle spanning three millennia, an unending battle with no discernible victor.

Henri had limited knowledge of the world, however, he was aware that the landmasses on either side of him were parted by an impassable void known as the Deadstorm Abyss. The western lands were occupied by humans, while the eastern regions belonged to the Vesperans.

The deceased man lived at the farthest edges of Shadowed Peaks Territory, a domain belonging to one of the fifteen great clans across Gratos. He wasn't sure how many clans there were in total on this vast continent.

It was common knowledge that dangerous creatures lurked around the outskirts of the slums, and anyone who ventured out unprotected would be swallowed up before they could take a single step.

The clans had the duty of defending their lands from Monster waves. They took on missions to lower the number of monsters in the area and were seen as heroes by ordinary people.

Alfred knew he was a Vampire from the description given to the general public about Vesperans, it wasn’t a lot of information but enough for him to make a judgment.

Humans were weak, they didn’t heal quickly and couldn’t regrow limbs. However, they could use magic to strengthen their bodies, fly, and improve their quality of life. At higher levels, magic could be powerful enough to level cities and overthrow continents.

Vesperans, however, were strong and extremely fast. They could not use magic, but they did have a unique energy that let them have magic-like abilities. They got their energy and strength from the blood of living creatures.

How did Alfred find out he was a Vesperan? Firstly, he just drank 5 liters of blood which could be fatal to any human. Secondly, he was able to survive as an infant living with dogs.

Growing up, Alfred was deprived of basic resources and endured too many physical assaults; no human could have survived such an upbringing without succumbing to death.

The surest way to tell if Alfred belonged to the Vesperan race was to get a blood test. At the borders, they had strict testing processes in place to protect citizens. Alfred would have to take extreme precautions in order to get his hands on one of these testing devices and find out the truth.

There were no Human-Vesperan cohabitation settlements in Gratos, although there were many Vesperans living among the humans in secret. There was a strict human policy against such things. Therefore Alfred ruled that taking such a risk was unnecessary, as it could lead to him being discovered

Vesperans and humans appeared to be the same; the only visible distinction was that Vesperans had slightly longer canines on average and shaper eyes. However, there was a subtle difference between them: while people had various blood types, Vesperans exclusively had type S- in their veins.

‘If I'm truly Vesperan though, I shouldn’t be feeling this level of hunger. Didn’t I just feed? Furthermore, how did I end up in a human settlement? What am I?’

[Status Opened.]

At the thought of Alfred wanting to know about his species, a window popped up.

[Name: Null
Species: Dhampir
Level: 1
Mana: Null
Shakti: 10SP
Strength: 7
Speed: 5
Defense: 5]

“Holy s*** I'm a mixed breed?”

Alfred's wealth of information let him know that a Dhampir was a hybrid between a Human and a Vampire. He allowed the corner of his mouth to curl up in amusement; he thought, 'This could either be terrible or maybe we can use it to our advantage.'

‘Wait, why are name and mana empty? And what is Shakti? Oh! What's this child's name?’ Alfred was further perplexed by these notifications.

It suddenly occurred to him: the boy didn’t have a name. How strange, he thought—he must not have been given one yet. That meant that null was all he had in the way of identity for now.

Alfred cackled with sadistic delight as he declared his new identity to himself. 'It doesn't matter what your name was before! Now that we share the same body, your name shall be Alfred!' He commanded himself with a sense of utter control.

[Name: Alfred.]

A notification popped up, declaring his new name.

'Ah-ha, maybe Mana can change as well. That's a relief since it would be such a disappointment to move to a place like this and not have any magic available.'

The youth sank into a trance as he considered his abilities. 'From what I can tell, I have no severe issues with the sun, nor am I fragile like a human infant. What's more, there's the prospect of me being able to do magic. I'm assuming this Shakti thing could be inborn Vesperan power, altogether, I feel very strong.'

Alfred gazed around, startled to find himself deep in thought and unaware of his surroundings. His stomach growled, and he felt a gnawing emptiness in his gut as if the walls of his stomach were collapsing in on themselves.

‘I should stop all this needless thinking, everything will probably come to light in due time. For now, let me do something about this hunger.’

The youngster walked out of the small cottage onto the street. It was made of sun-dried brick and brown prairie grass, a material that looked like hardened mud. Mudbirds circled overhead, diving occasionally to catch insects.

He couldn't help but notice that the birds and insects were larger than they usually were, almost as if they had been given steroids. They resembled creatures he was used to on Earth, just exaggerated versions of them.

All the homes were crudely built from mud, straw, and manure. They all looked like small huts, except for one simple home covered in vines like an abandoned shed.

The ground was a sea of garbage, the unholy offspring of neglect and decay. Feces from countless creatures mixed with putrid sewage water, formed a vile slush that clung to everything it touched. The air was thick with the acrid stench of rotting filth, assaulting his nostrils and making him retch uncontrollably.

‘Urgh, how could people live like this? This is sick!’

Alfred trekked past a few huts before coming upon an open road, which he then followed to the market. As he reached the entrance of the market, Alfred noticed people hurrying between stalls that displayed a variety of merchandise.

The market was a mecca of low-quality merchandise, with most stalls hawking appliances and clothing that wouldn't last more than a few washes or uses. He pushed his way to the center of the market, ignoring everything except for his gnawing hunger pangs. The smells of roasting meat and bubbling stews became stronger as he got closer to the food stalls, wiping away any other scent in his nostrils.

As he approached the first food stall, he noticed a large burly man behind it, selling hot meat buns. Knowing how pricey meat was, he could only imagine what ingredients were put into it, so he decided that ignorance was probably bliss in this case.

“Excuse me, sir, 2 meat buns please,” Alfred asked politely.

“Go away, I'm not giving handouts!” The man barked in response, his anger palpable.

“No one said I wanted to buy it without paying, did they? Are you trying to sell it or what?” Alfred grinned slyly.

“That'll be 10 Qi coins per item,” the man said skeptically as if he knew the boy wouldn't be able to cover the cost. “I'll take 4,” Alfred declared with assurance.

He had a peaceful expression with a wide grin. He was so trusting and calm that it seemed like he had no worries at all. The man couldn't help but get lost in the depths of his dark eyes.

Normally, the cashier would take payment first, but there was something about this young boy that made him stand out. He had no doubt that he would pay after receiving the goods.

He quickly bagged up the buns and gave them to the youth. Then, with his other hand, he motioned for Alfred to provide payment.

The child swiveled on his heel with poise and composure. Before the man could utter a single sound, he had already vanished into the sea of people.

The man jolted back into reality, disoriented for a second before he let out a thunderous bellow. "Hey, you coward! Come back here!"

His words echoed through the empty alleyway as he pointed his finger in the air and yelled out "FENG, chase him down - he's escaping!"