The Dread of Damned

The figure across from me spoke with a calm, measured tone, his eyes locked onto mine. "You may not realize it, but there is something in the human world. Something they use every day, unaware of the true danger it poses. It has woven itself so deeply into their lives that they can no longer function without it. That... phenomenon is called technology."

I blinked, the word echoing in my mind. "Technology?" I repeated, the familiarity of the word from my world sending a jolt of surprise through me.

He seemed to misinterpret my reaction.

"Yes, technology. It exists everywhere in the human world, beyond our territories. It was developed slowly, over time, through various devices: mobile phones, computers, cars—though these terms may mean little to you now. In time, you will come to understand." He spoke these names in English, a detail that only deepened my confusion. He assumed I knew nothing of these things.

"And at first, it was harmless," he continued, his voice unhurried. "But then, it caught the attention of an outer entity, one that sought to conquer Earth. When he came for it the four people fought it back, the now known founders of four Nocturnal Families before they erected a barrier around the earth, it could not break through the protective field that our ancestors erected though it still tries, it also found another way to infiltrate: through technology itself. It began to infect humans, using their own creations against them. The infection started subtly, erasing their sense of self, corrupting their minds, turning them into vessels for the entity's will.

"The infection gave rise to new, unstable powers in their bodies, but humans are frail. They cannot hold even a fraction of the entity's essence without going mad. These infected beings became dangerous to those around them, but only for a short time before they combusted into nothing. However, there have been increasing cases where humans survive, fully controlled by the entity, blending seamlessly into human society. These beings are almost impossible to detect by normal means."

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. I needed the moment to process it all.

Was this world some twisted manifestation of every child's nightmare from my previous life? Some manifestation of the grim warnings that mothers told their children back home? It was all too bizarre. I half expected cameras to reveal themselves, like I was part of some elaborate psychological study. But the sharpness of my memories until now made it hard to believe this was a mere illusion.

"The entity grew restless," he continued, his voice steady. "It soon turned its gaze to us, the Nocturnals. Unlike humans, we are far superior in every form—physically, mentally. It tried to control us, too. But we fought back, at a great cost. Eventually, we discarded anything related to technology and retreated to the way we were before its rise."

Another pause. His eyes were distant, as if he was reliving old battles.

"But the barrier is weakening," he said quietly. "After millions of years of relentless attacks, it's starting to falter. And the infected are growing stronger as the entity's influence deepens."

I frowned. "But if we've discarded technology and raised the barrier around our estates, how does it still threaten us? At least until the barrier fully breaks?"

He studied me for a moment before answering. "You live in the innermost part of the Estate, the heart of the Nocturnals' domain. Surrounding this core is thick tall forest , protected by an additional barrier erected on the outer edge of forest, and beyond that barrier lives the true population of the Estate—vampires. They are weaker than us, vulnerable to sunlight, dependent on blood, and lack our powers. But they are still superior to humans.

"They are the ones who interact with the outside world. They are the soldiers, the traders, the lifeblood of our economy. Unlike us, they cannot avoid technology when they travel to humans world. And while not all technology is inherently dangerous, it's when one becomes enamored by it that the corruption sets in. Vampires, unlike humans, can hide the effects of the infection for much longer. Their bodies don't show signs until it's too late."

His expression darkened. "We have Nocturnals trained to detect them, raising another barrier beyond the population of vampires where they are screened going in and out Some vampires who fall to this corruption gain strange, dangerous abilities, allowing them to infiltrate deeper into the Estate bypassing the barrier. But a larger number of vampires disappear, and we suspect they are gathering somewhere, biding their time, though they still attack the estate in small number randomly."

He glanced toward the window, his eyes tracing the dark forest beyond. "We believe they are amassing their strength for something big. The entity's influence is growing. And it's not just our house—other houses are seeing the same signs. We think the entity is creating a joint army of the infected, preparing to launch a full-scale assault on all of houses one by one."

I leaned forward, the unease rising in my chest. "But what would they gain by attacking us? Destroying us won't make it any easier for the entity to break the barrier, will it?"

His gaze sharpened, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something darker in his eyes. "Each of the five houses guards an object—an artifact containing a fraction of the founders' power. The entity believes that if it can obtain these artifacts, it will have the strength to finally shatter the barrier."

I felt a chill crawl up my spine.

"The infected humans," he continued, "are mindless, driven by the entity's will alone. But the vampires it controls... they retain their minds, their personalities. They don't lose themselves. Instead, they begin to worship the entity as if it were a god. They call themselves..."

He paused, his voice lowering a notch.

"The Damned."

The word hung in the air between us, heavy and final. I repeated it softly, as if to get used to its weight. "The Damned."

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