The Portal: Life with the Vampire and Werewolf Queens
Chapter 1: The Portal in My Room
Jiro's room was a sacred haven for a true otaku. The walls were plastered with vibrant posters of Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and a massive One Piece banner he'd saved up for nearly three years to buy. In one corner, his gaming setup glowed with RGB lights, boasting dual monitors, a mechanical keyboard worth a month's allowance, and an ergonomic chair his mom insisted he get "for his posture." The desk was a chaotic shrine of his favorite anime action figures, a half-empty bag of potato chips, and a glass of iced coffee untouched for the past half-hour. In the background, his lo-fi anime playlist hummed through Spotify, the perfect vibe for his late-night gaming grind.
Jiro, a lanky 16-year-old with perpetually messy hair, sat hunched in his chair, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he played Valorant. "Yo, Kael, cover my left flank!" he shouted into his headset, his character sprinting through the virtual battlefield. His eyes were glued to the screen, but half his mind was still replaying the anime episode he'd watched earlier—the one where the protagonist unleashed an epic transformation mid-battle. "If I were in an anime, I'd totally have cool powers by now," he muttered to himself, picturing himself as a sword-wielding hero.
Suddenly, his monitor flickered—not from the game, but from a bizarre glitch, like static laced with streaks of blue and purple. "What the heck? Did my GPU just die?" Jiro grumbled, tapping the screen. But before he could even think about rebooting, a loud whoosh echoed through the room. His action figures toppled over, the iced coffee glass crashed to the floor, and his chair nearly spun from the sudden gust of wind. In the center of the room, a circular portal materialized—glimmering like liquid starlight, swirling with arcane symbols that pulsed with magic.
"Is this… an isekai?!" Jiro yelped, stumbling backward and falling off his chair. His heart raced—not from fear, but from sheer excitement. After all the anime he'd binged, he knew exactly what a portal meant: adventure, power, and probably an epic quest!
From the portal stepped a towering man, clad in gleaming silver armor straight out of a high-fantasy RPG, with a flowing blue cape embroidered with sun and moon sigils. His golden hair shimmered, and two swords strapped to his back looked sharp enough to slice through anything. His presence was pure anime protagonist material—cool, confident, and radiating the aura of a true hero.
"Greetings, young man of Earth," the man said in a deep, resonant voice, locking eyes with Jiro, who was now sprawled on the floor, frozen in shock. "I am Arken, the Great Hero of Lumora, and I need your help."
Jiro's jaw dropped. "For real? Me? Help? Wait, wait, wait—this is straight out of Re:Zero! What's the deal? Is there a demon king we need to defeat? Or maybe a dragon?" His voice brimmed with barely contained enthusiasm.
Arken gave a weary smile, tinged with exhaustion. "It's not that simple, boy. But I have a mission for you." Before Jiro could ask more, he noticed Arken carrying two unconscious girls, whom he gently laid on the floor. One had long, silky black hair and skin so pale it seemed to glow under the portal's light. The other had wild yet striking brown hair, with features that screamed readiness for action, even in sleep.
"Who… who are they?" Jiro asked, scratching his head. They looked like cosplayers fresh from a convention, but their aura was… different. Almost otherworldly.
"They are the queens of Lumora," Arken replied, pointing to them. "This is Vespera, the Vampire Queen, and this is Lyra, the Werewolf Queen. They are the cause of a war that has ravaged our world, and now, I want you to watch over them."
Jiro swallowed hard. "Vampire… Werewolf… Queens?!" His brain short-circuited. "Hold up, why me? Why are they asleep? And why in my room?!"
Arken explained everything. In their world, Vespera and Lyra had been bitter enemies since ancient times. Their feud fueled a war that nearly destroyed Lumora. As immortals, they couldn't be easily killed, so Arken's only solution was to bring them to Earth, where their powers were nullified. Using magic, he erased their memories and diminished their abilities, rendering them nearly human—save for some lingering instincts. Jiro's mission: take them in, teach them to live as humans, and prevent their powers from resurfacing.
"Why me?!" Jiro protested. "I don't know anything about babysitting queens! I can't even do my own laundry!"
"Because fate has chosen you," Arken said with unwavering confidence. "And for your protection, I've ensured they recognize you as their Master. They cannot harm you." Suddenly, a crimson magic circle flared beside him, and he added, "The war in my world rages on, so I must leave immediately. I'm counting on you, Jiro, to handle them."
Before Jiro could brag about his new "Master" title, Arken vanished into the portal, which closed like a bursting bubble. The room fell silent, save for the lo-fi music and the soft snores of the two girls on the floor.
"What am I supposed to do now?!" Jiro wailed, fighting the urge to panic. He glanced at the sleeping queens. Vespera looked like a gothic princess, draped in a black dress that could've been ripped from a Victorian-era anime. Lyra, on the other hand, wore a more casual outfit, but her nails were unnaturally long, and she exuded a strange energy even in sleep.
Then Vespera's eyes snapped open, glowing like twin rubies. "Where… am I?" she asked, her voice cool yet laced with elegance. She fixed her gaze on Jiro, her expression shifting to alertness. "Who are you? And why… why do I feel compelled to obey you?"
Before Jiro could respond, Lyra stirred. "Ugh, my head's killing me!" she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She spotted Vespera and her gaze sharpened. "You?! Why do I feel like I know you?!" she snapped, looking ready to pounce.
"Quiet down, mutt," Vespera retorted with a mocking smirk. "I don't know you, but I'm certain I don't like you."
"What did you call me, bloodsucker?!" Lyra shot back, nearly leaping from the floor.
"STOP IT!" Jiro yelled, throwing his hands up. "Calm down! I'm Jiro, and… uh… you can't fight in my room! I'm supposed to look after you, so you have to listen to me!"
The two girls turned to him, sizing him up. "You? Look after me?" Vespera asked, her tone dripping with skepticism but oddly compliant.
"Master? Ha! You look like you need a babysitter more than we do!" Lyra laughed, but Jiro noticed she didn't attack, despite seeming to want to.
"Look, if you two keep fighting, I'll kick you out of my house!" Jiro shouted.
The girls froze, their expressions shifting to deep thought, as if grappling with some buried memory. Their anger simmered, but they knew they had no recollection of their past, so they fell silent. They didn't like each other, but something in them acknowledged they had to obey Jiro to avoid being cast out.
With no other choice, Jiro spun a tale to keep the peace. He claimed they'd all been childhood friends, but a recent tragedy had erased their memories, which was why they were here. He begged them to cooperate and avoid fighting.
"I don't know… I'm skeptical about this 'Master' nonsense, but something in my head says I should listen to you," Vespera said, her voice laced with doubt.
"I don't know if you're telling the truth, but I'm too tired to argue. I feel like I've been through a war," Lyra grumbled.
"Whatever you say, I'm the one taking you in. If you don't listen, you don't eat," Jiro declared. The girls rolled their eyes but turned away, their attitudes screaming defiance despite their compliance.
Minutes later, Jiro tidied his room to make it a "temporary shelter" for Vespera and Lyra. He gave Vespera a blanket, noting her aversion to the sunlight peeking through the window, and scrounged up food for Lyra, who seemed ravenous. But the quiet evening descended into chaos when the two began bickering over the last slice of pizza in Jiro's fridge.
"That pizza is for civilized beings, not dogs like you!" Vespera sneered, yanking the pizza box.
"What was that? At least I don't drink rat blood to survive!" Lyra shot back, nearly crushing the box in her grip.
"Rat blood? I do not drink rat blood!" Vespera snapped, furious.
"Enough!" Jiro yelled, slumping onto the sofa, utterly exhausted. "If you keep fighting, how are we supposed to live in the same apartment?!"
"I refuse to share an apartment with that mutt!" Vespera declared.
"Huh? I'd rather die than live with a pale freak like you!" Lyra retorted.
"Stop it! You've been living together since before you lost your memories, so quit acting like divas!" Jiro interjected.
Then Jiro noticed deep claw marks on a metal chair frame near Lyra. "Wait, did you do that? Why'd you wreck my chair?!"
"Uh… well… it's her fault! She's so annoying!" Lyra stammered.
Jiro realized their vampire and werewolf strengths lingered and asked if they could control it to avoid damaging things. He explained that his mom, who was abroad, would be furious if her stuff got ruined. He warned them that using their strength to break things or hurt others would lead to consequences.
Despite the chaos, Jiro felt an odd sensation. The girls were a handful, but they had a certain charm. Vespera, though sarcastic, had moments of grace that made Jiro's cheeks flush. Lyra, despite her fiery nature, showed genuine concern when she noticed Jiro's exhaustion, quietly backing off from their fights.
After dinner, Vespera yawned and asked for a place to sleep. Both girls were still confused by their situation and memory loss, but their bodies craved rest. As they settled in—Vespera on the sofa, Lyra on a pile of cushions on the floor—Jiro stared at his paused game on the monitor. "If this is an isekai," he whispered to himself, "it's definitely the most chaotic adventure ever."
"How am I supposed to give these two a normal life when they're always at each other's throats?" he muttered, dreading the days ahead.