Yumi's eyes fluttered open as the sun's ray hit her from between gaps of the vines encased around her like a cocoon.

  It was that dream again. It's the same dream that kept haunting her every single night.

  Yumi knew at the back of her mind that her mother only did what she did to save her. Yet, there still remained a hint of resentment in her heart. She felt like she was abandoned.

  Her mother promised that they'd always be together no matter what. But now there's an ocean standing between them. She doesn't even know whether or not her mother is still alive—if she escaped from those people coming after them.

  The only thing Yumi had left of her mother was a tiny piece of paper which she kept in a locket with a sloppily written word: LIVE.

  Yumi sighed. She pressed her palm on the wall of vines and the cocoon instantly unwrapped itself, merging back with the huge branch from where she laid to sleep. But as soon as she was freed from her cell, she found a man standing at the edge of the huge branch.

  Yumi's first instinct was to grab the knife on her waist and stab the man with it. But the man simply caught the knife between his fore and middle finger and gave Yumi a disapproving look.

  "Eumalin Egner! How many times do I have to tell you, sleep in your bedroom!"

  Yumi scowled at the mention of her full name. Whenever her adoptive father mentions her full name she knows a long line of litany is coming after it.

  It's been four years since Yumi washed ashore in this continent. After her mother left her on that departing ship, she lived there for several months—hiding like a rat in a sewer.

  In her months of staying there Yumi learned that the ship she was in was a surveillance vessel. It was headed for a mysterious continent that they discovered hundreds of years ago.

  Yumi heard about the mysterious continent in passing. They said anyone who entered it never returned. But she was too busy running for her life to pay attention to such trifles. All she knows is, if she ever finds a place that does not spit out the people it swallows, she would stay the farthest away from it.

  Unfortunately, humans and greed are like congenital twins. Even when the continent already costs them so many lives they simply could not leave it alone. Every year, rulers of the central continent would send ships in rotation to keep an eye on the continent, hoping to unveil its mysteries. Obviously to no avail.

  It was only when Yumi was forced by her circumstances inside that very place that she learned how foolish their attempts were. The ward that surrounded the Dark Continent is beyond any human mind could fathom. Even after living there for years she still couldn't understand much of it. As far as she knew, the ward did not keep anyone from entering, but it kept everyone from leaving—including the beings that ruled the land.

  Yumi couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful towards those stupid marines. If she weren't caught by them she wouldn't have been trapped inside such a huge prison. Now, all hopes of ever seeing her mother have vanished.

  It all happened one day due to a lapse in judgement caused by prolonged hunger. No wonder her mother always made sure they ate at least once every two days no matter how dire the situation. Hunger makes people irrational.

  Yumi can only blame it on her terrible luck. Two weeks prior, the marines had placed a special trap around the supply room to catch the mouse that had been stealing their supplies. That mouse was obviously her.

  Yumi only managed not to fall into their trap thanks to her special ability—the same ability that made her a wanted person. The problem is, she was left with nothing to eat. She endured hunger for weeks until her mind just snapped.

  In Yumi's desperation to fill her growling stomach, she snuck into the supply room without a proper plan and inevitably sprung the alarm. She instantly fled the scene, but the marines had been laying in wait and did not allow her to casually leave.

  The marines chased Yumi into the upper deck where several more marines were waiting in pincer. Yumi was cornered. She was left with two choices; jump off the ocean, or get caught and die. Her eyes lingered on the silhouette of a mountain chain from a distance and without a second thought free-falled into the ocean.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  But Yumi underestimated the ocean's cruel waves. Not to mention that she has been starving for weeks. She ended up getting catapulted by the waves and lost consciousness.

  The next time Yumi woke-up was to a white ceiling. A woman in white came to check on her but before her brain could process what was happening, her body acted on instinct. She attacked the person whom she thought was dangerous.

  That day came as a blurry memory of Yumi. She seemed to have injured several nurses and doctors before a powerful man appeared and suppressed her with a mere snap of a finger. They ended up locking her up for several months after that as she was simply uncontrollable.

  That powerful man was Jensen Egner, a grand sorcerer and the head of the town—the same man whose long rant went past Yumi's ears while she zoned out.

  "...you are going to the academy in a few months. You need to learn how to act like a civilized human!"

  Yumi's face instantly contorted at the mention of the academy. "Do I really have to go there?" she couldn't help but whine.

  "Yes," her adoptive father responded dryly.

  Jensen kept telling her that it's a prestigious school known for producing the most talented students, but she was dubious. She may not have received proper education but she's quite sure Rainbow is not amongst the choices for a prestigious school's name.

  "I like our local school."

  "But our local school doesn't like you," Jensen retorted.

  Yumi's lips twitched in annoyance.

  "If you only controlled those fists of yours..."

  "He startled me!" Yumi reasoned knowing full well who Jensen was referring to. "I was engrossed in doing that painting project we had and did not notice his presence. When he grabbed my shoulder my fist just flew to his face on its own. It was an accident!"

  Jensen couldn't argue with that. Even if Yumi was reluctant to share her past, the deep scar on her body was enough to tell her story. That’s why he tried to be more lenient and understanding. But that doesn't mean she's freed from the consequences of her actions. Fortunately or unfortunately, the world isn't built to cuddle the broken.

  "And what about that poor girl you threatened with a knife?"

  "She closed the door when I told her to keep it open, twice! My mom always told me that once is for the wise, twice is to be polite, thrice deserves a knife."

  Jensen’s temple throb. Her mother must be really something. Guess he should be grateful she merely threatened the poor girl.

  That is another thing about Yumi. She hates doors with passion. The first thing she did when Jenson got her, her own room was dismantling the door. Yet, even with the room doorless he still found her cocooned on top of a random three the next morning.

  That's usually the root of most of their arguments. Jensen didn't mind her wild stubbornness or unusual quirks, but sleeping outdoors is something he cannot allow.

  The Dark Continent isn't a safe place for humans. One cannot be too careful even inside a human town—especially in the night. Powerful beings rule this continent and humans happen to be among their diet.

  "Anyways, no chocolate for a week!"

  Yumi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why?!"

  "I believe your mother has taught you that every action has repercussions."

  Jensen doesn't really know Yumi's mother. He only heard of her, whenever Yumi inadvertently mentions her in conversations. Usually her mother's name would come up whenever she shares something philosophical related to survival. From that he understood what kind of mother Yumi has—a smart, a bit eccentric but loving and resourceful one.

  Jensen didn't know why they got separated but he knew their separation devastated Yumi's mother as much as it did Yumi.

  Meanwhile, Yumi's lips formed a thin line. She wanted to argue that she only sleeps on trees when there are no vampires in town. But seeing the stern look on her father's face, she knew that argument wouldn't work.

  Aggrieved, Yumi jumped from the tree, landing on the ground with ease. She ran towards their house without looking back.

  Yumi slaps the door with her palm, carrying a hint of her anger with every slam before turning the knob. It was to warn the person inside to stay clear from the door while she opens it. The last time she opened the door, she almost severed someone's neck. Luckily, it was Jensen who had a quick reflex.

  Since then, a rule has been added in their mansion and that is to stay away from the door when Yumi is entering.

  As Yumi pushed the door open, she suddenly felt tingles on her neck. She paused, her shoulder tensed, eyes brimming with alertness.

  Yumi turned towards the empty streets and found a pair of outlandishly beautiful people, their skin as pale as the clouds on a bright sunny day. The pair leisurely strolled down the street with a proud gait as though the world belonged to them.

  They must be here to find a human for a blood-pack. That's usually the only reason why vampires visit a human town. Most vampires think that humans are below them—which to be completely fair, is true. They are the top predators in the continent while humans are but their prey.

  Yumi lowered her eyes and entered their house without making a sound. That was one of the rare instances that she didn't mind a door.

  In those mere seconds, Yumi had calculated her chance of winning against the pair.

  Vampires are superior to humans in every way—speed, strength, senses and even magic. Yumi had never fought one before so she can't gauge how strong they really are. But she's confident she can flee with her life in an inevitable attack. The only problem is she's not too familiar with the terrains of the dark continent.

  Jensen doesn't allow her to stray past the ward that protects the town so she never got the chance to familiarize their surrounding landscape. That lowers her survivability by a certain percentage but it's not called survival if the chances of surviving is high.

  Yumi shook the thoughts away. It's fascinating how her mind always strays in that direction whenever she meets someone powerful.

  When Yumi first arrived, she was confused by why they called their town, Eznar, a human town. It did not take her long to realize why it was so.

  After Yumi proved herself credible to be freed from her prison, Jensen began teaching him about the world outside. From him, she learned of the mysteries of the dark continent that humans of the central continent could only dream of learning.

  The dark continent is home to a species called Vampires. They look much like humans but paler and more beautiful. Coupled with their lives that could last for millennia and their superior strength, they were like the perfect version of humans many organizations had dreamt of achieving.

  Vampires are nocturnal beings—which probably contributes to their lack of melanin. The sun, however, doesn't hurt them as can be seen by the two vampires walking in broad daylight earlier. They simply prefer the night as it was in their innate nature.

  What fascinated Yumi about Vampires was the fact that they did not enslave humans. From what she had learned, vampires have a preference for human blood. Apart from being delicious, human blood is better at enhancing their strength compared to animal blood.

  If the vampires wanted to they could have captured humans and enslaved them for their selfish needs. They had the ability, after all. But that's not what happened. Instead, humans retained most of their human rights in the continent.

  Human towns were established and vampires were banned from forcibly taking a human's blood. They instead must go through a blood-pack and give the humans certain benefits in exchange for their blood.

  But the most peculiar part—the laws concerning how humans are to be treated were written even before the first humans arrived on the continent.