"Come here, lass!" Robert called, sitting under the shade of a tree.

He watched the tiny blonde girl struggle to pick up the sword and resisted the urge to go help her. She was smaller than the average six year old children he'd seen in human towns. Perhaps it was his fault, he thought. He'd been taking care of her ever since she was born.

Robert was a soldier, not a caretaker. He was trained to kill. He'd been in countless wars, faced off stronger opponents and came out with his life intact, sometimes it had been a close call.

But he'd never been as afraid as he was when Orla gave him her newborn. He still remembered how fragile Elle felt, barely big enough to fit in his hands.

If ever given a choice, Robert would choose fighting off monsters and dragons rather than caring for a new life.

He had had no choice in the matter, however. Orla had him swear a blood oath, and there was nothing more sacred than a blood oath for immortals.

He still wondered if taking Elle away from her home, even under her mother's orders, had been the right thing to do.

 Not that he didn't love Elle. He loved her more than life itself. She was his child in all ways but one. But he knew he wasn't the right person to care for a child. 

"Uncle Robert?" Elle asked now, sitting in front of him.

She sat cross legged with the sword flat on her lap, mirroring his posture. He sighed. He wasn't the best role model, but he was all she had at the moment.

"Did you clean your sword?" he asked, even as the clove oil scent emanating from her sword tickled his nose. A familiar scent. 

"Yes," she nodded, her eyes a bright green, "are you going to tell me the story, now?"

"Yes," Robert leaned back against the tree and looked in the distance, wondering how to better start.

"Who are the Five?" he asked her.

"Arthur in America," she replied, "Venus in Europe, Burak in Asia, Leon in Australia, and Idar in Africa."

"Good," he nodded, "they're also known to be the very first vampires. But that's not exactly true."

"Really?" her eyes widened dramatically.

"Yes," Robert sighed, "a long, long time ago, before even the Five were born, Humans were the only race on Earth."

"There were no immortals?" Elle asked.

"No," Robert said, "In another realm, however, demons and angels existed."

Elle leaned forward, her rapt attention focused on Robert.

"Some of the demons were curious about humans," Robert said, "unlike humans, they knew that another realm exists and that a different race inhabits it. Demons and angels could only peek through windows at our world, but that was no longer enough for some of them. 

"Their curiosity, and their greed to take over the beautiful world of humans whom they saw as weaker, got the best of them. And so a coalition of demon lords gathered and, deploying an unheard of amount of magic, opened a portal between the two realms.

"It was not long before chaos reigned in this realm. Fear and adoration battled in human hearts towards demons and angels. Wars were fought and lost; humans against demons and angels, demons against angels, angels and humans against demons. 

"In all those wars, humans always suffered the bigger loss. Because unlike demons and angels, humans could not work magic, and their weaponry was much less developed compared to now."

Robert paused, wondering how in the world he would explain what happened next to a six year old. She needed to know the story, though, so he simply went ahead, hoping she wouldn't ask questions he couldn't answer.

"Some demon lords... had babies with humans," Robert rushed out.

"Why?" Elle asked. Robert breathed out a sigh of relief that the question was "why?" and not "how?"

"Well, because they wanted to, I guess," he said, although the truth was a lot more ruthless. Records of those times showed that some humans willingly bore demonic and angelic seeds, but most of them were forced to.

"Anyway," Robert rushed before Elle could think of any more mortifying questions, "most of the time, the babies would either die or turn out human. However, there were very powerful demon lords whose babies turned out different. Those were the first shapeshifters."

"So the very first shapeshifters were children of demons and humans?" Elle asked. Robert nodded. Elle frowned a little then cocked her head to the side, "what about the angels? Did they have babies with humans, too?"

"They did," Robert replied, "and just like demons, most of the babies were human, except for those fathered by a powerful angel. His babies turned out to be faeries."

"Oh..." Elle said, "so the faeries are part angels!"

"Yes," Robert said, "but the royal line of the fae is a little more special. They are descendants of a very powerful angel. That's why their magic is stronger compared to the rest of the fae."

Elle pursed her lips and frowned. "What about the witches?"

"Witches are different," Robert said, "they're not descendants of demons or angels."

"Then how were they made?"

"They were made by the fae," Robert said, "the very first fae king had a special ability. He could turn humans into witches."

"Really?!" she asked, "how?"

"A blood ritual," Robert said, "that's how witches were made."

"So the fae descend from angels, and the shapeshifters from demons," Elle said, "and witches were made by the very first fae king. What about vampires?"

"Vampires, too, were the offspring of a demon and a human," Robert said, "but their story is a little bit more complicated."

Elle nodded vigorously for him to continue. She was a curious child. But then again, all children were curious, Robert guessed.

"So, there was a demon lord who had a child with a human woman," Robert began, "at first, their child, a boy, seemed like he was human. For the first sixteen years of his existence, nothing about him was odd. But everything changed one night."

Robert stopped talking. Elle waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she scowled at him, "Well! What happened?!"

Robert chuckled. She was impatient. Just like her mother.

"Well, one night, the villagers woke up to a blood bath," Robert said, "the hybrid child had torn his father's neck apart while the demon slept, then his mother's. The boy drank them both dry, then moved on to his neighbors.

"The boy wreaked havoc on the village, moving from one house to another. The villagers' weapons did not stop him. He was too strong with the power of blood. Some say he had special abilities that enabled him to immobilize his victims, some say he could control minds, but no one really knows the truth. In three days, the village was nothing but an abandoned wreck painted red.

"The thirst for blood had awakened."

Robert paused, thinking about the very first time he'd heard the story himself. It was a decade or so after being turned into a vampire. The story was not for human ears, even some immortals did not know the entirety of it, but Elle was no regular immortal. She had the right and the obligation to know.

"The boy left a trail of blood wherever he went. No one could stop him, human or otherwise. He was too powerful," Robert continued, "over the next few months, his blood lust calmed down, no longer clouding his mind, and he realized that the people he'd drank from and who'd survived have turned into creatures like him. Not as powerful, but just as blood thirsty, if not more. He had made the very first kind of vampires.

"Beings who kept nothing of their humanity except their shape. They were nothing more than beasts who survived on blood. But he could control them. And so the boy had made an army like no other.

"Chaos and death reigned for years. The boy, a man now, rampaged through the land with his army, his powers grew with him, and no one could stop him."

"Not even the demon lords and the angels?" Elle asked.

"No even them. He was too powerful." Robert said, "After decades of bloodshed from which no one was exempt, no fae, no human, no witch, no shapeshifter, no demon or angel, the races finally gathered their forces, burdened by the knowledge that the monster was too powerful for them. They seeked the advice of a seer. A witch who had a special ability to prophesy the future.

"She told them that the monster could only be stopped by his own blood. The Five."

"His blood?"

"Yes, his children," Robert said, not knowing how to tell her that during the monster's rampage, he'd left his seed in many unwilling women. "Anyway, the Five were the key to stopping the monster."

"So the Five are the very first vampire's children?"

"Yes. It took a long time for them to be located. But they were. The children were found, four boys and a girl. They were found and they were trained by all the races. As they grew older, the Five developed abilities and were given command over an army of immortals and demons and angels, an army like no other.

"The Five fought their father and his barbarian army, and emerged winners. They killed their father and killed every single vampire their father has made. It took decades, but it was done. The Five were the new power in the world.

"The other races soon realized that, and they grew afraid of the Five. So they conspired to end them. But it was no use. The Five were unstoppable.

"The five decided that all this death and chaos were brought by demons and angels into their world, so they decreed that the demons and angels should go back to their realm. 

"Some did as ordered, but others refused. The Five chased them down and killed them wherever they found them. After years, every last demon lord and angel was chased out of this realm, and the portal was sealed shut.

"The Five realized they could make other vampires. These vampires were not mindless, blood hungry creatures like the first ones. They were like the Five in some ways, weaker, but in relative control of their blood lust."

"So the portal was closed off for good?" Elle asked.

"yes," Robert, "but it left its effect on the fabric separating the two realms. It was no longer stable. That's why lesser demons can still pass through."

"What about demon lords?" Elle asked, "they can't pass through anymore?"

"They can't, their power is too great to get through the cracks. They need a proper portal to pass."

Elle frowned and looked away, deep in thought. Robert stayed silent, waiting for her questions.

"Can a portal be opened again?" she asked.

"It's possible," Robert replied, "in fact, a few years ago, there has been such an attempt in Ireland."

"Really?" Elle said, wide eyed, "what happened? Did they open it? Did demon lords walk through? What about angels?!"

Robert chuckled, "calm down, lass. No one walked through, because they did not succeed in opening the portal. Their efforts were thwarted before any harm was done."

"Who tried to open it?"

"A group of fae, vampires and witch," Robert replied, remembering the scheme that could have resulted in another dark age. "Someone slipped and told his friend about their scheme. Gossip like that cannot be hidden for long. Fortunately, the royal guards were able to stop it, and the criminals were properly punished."

"Hmm..." frown lines appeared between her blonde brows, "why did they want to open it, though?"

"Why do you think?" He was interested to hear her theories. She was a bright child.

She bit her bottom lip and thought for a few seconds, "maybe they wanted to bring a demon to this world? So they can make stronger immortals like the Five and the first fae king?" her eyes widened, "Or maybe even a new race of immortals?!"

"All those are possible scenarios," Robert said, feeling proud of her sharp brain.

"Is it easy to open a portal, uncle Robert?"

"I'm not very knowledgeable in matters of magic," he said, "but I don't believe it is easy. Otherwise, more idiots would have tried to do it."

"I guess you're right." She chuckled, "they are idiots, aren't they?"

Robert ruffled her hair then rose and looked at the sky. Lunch was close.

"Whose turn is it, today?" he asked. Elle sighed heavily and stood up.

"Mine," she leaned her sword on a tree, took out a dagger from her pants' leg, and dragged her feet deeper into the trees.

He watched her go with a heavy heart. He knew how much she disliked hunting. Animals were her only friends, and it made her sad to have to take down a life in order to feed.

But it was necessary. She had to harden her heart some more, because someone with her blood would not have an easy life.

Was he doing the right thing? Robert often wondered.

Shortly after, Elle came back with a rabbit. Robert looked up from where he'd been hammering nails into a chair leg that was coming loose.

Without words, Elle took a bucket and a container and headed to the nearby stream. There she would skin the rabbit and butcher it for meat. It would be enough for a few days, since she was the only one who would eat it.

"Uncle Robert, did you feed?" Elle asked an hour later, when she was eating the meat that she'd cooked.

"Yes," Robert nodded. Robert had travelled bright and early to the nearest town, which was still a few hours away even with vampire speed, and fed from a willing human. There were always willing humans for vampires.

"Okay, if you need more..." Elle trailed off. 

Robert sighed. He did not like feeding off of her, and rarely did it. However, he disliked leaving her alone and vulnerable even more, so he did take a few sips sometimes. It helped that her blood was potent, only a few drops of it would last him days.

"I know, lass," Robert said, "you eat."

Robert liked to keep her on her toes. It was more to hone her skills, but he was honest enough with himself to admit that he enjoyed her reactions.

Walking casually inside the cabin, he flattened himself next to the open window and peeked out. She had her back to him, sitting on the ground and eating heartily. Her dagger was right next to her, but her sword was still leaning on the tree far away.

Robert palmed the dagger at his hip. He saw Elle stiffen, and before she could turn, he threw the dagger, aiming it to pass a hairbreadth from her ear.

Elle rolled away just as the dagger left his hand, she stood into a crouch with her own knife in hand. Robert jumped out of the window.

"Fast, but not enough," he said, "where's your sword?"

"Behind me," she said, never glancing away from him. Good girl.

"It should always be next to you," he said, "you never know when you're going to need it, Ellie. Always have your weapons handy."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright," Robert rubbed his hands together, "let's have a go."

"But I just ate, I'm drowsy." Elle groaned. Robert raised his brow. She sighed and replied grumpily, "fine."

And so they fought. 

At six years old, Elle was a good fighter. She was incredibly fast. In a couple of years, her speed would outpace his. Her only disadvantage was her small size. But she hadn't stopped growing yet. Hopefully she'd grow to be taller than the average person.

Then again, a small size could be an asset if one was smart. Robert would make sure to teach her everything she needed to know before venturing into the world. Because he knew that they could not possibly live in a forest forever. Elle would go out and explore the world.

And when the time came, he would be by her side every step of the way.

-------------------------

Hi guys!

A little peak into Elle's childhood, and the backstory of the immortal world. I hope it's not too complicated. if you have questions, let me know!

Love,

Mia <3