Supposed that you lived in a world full of people with powers. Said powers manifested itself in various ways, and had shaped the world into accepting that they existed through scientific findings.
Do you still believe in the supernatural?
That question hadn't bothered me before the summer break two years ago when I died. However, after that, I started to believe the supernatural. After all, having a former all-powerful legitimate more-than-five-hundred-years-old vampire inside your shadow would change that perspective.
Before, I was a happy person. After that incident, I just wanted to live a normal life. Going to school, parties, graduate, get a good job, find a husband, marry, have kids, you know, the usual things girls like me loved to daydream.
Unfortunately for me, the dream of having a normal life was just a dream.
Because after you've encountered an Oddity, you would meet more and more of that blasted supernatural creatures.
"I take offense to that, Master. Do not put me in the same categories as most of those weak Oddities."
Please kindly be silent, Kiss-Shot. Despite being a powerful vampire, you're still an Oddity in my eyes.
"If you take that man's definition of Oddity, then what are you? What are we? Aren't we a pair of Oddities, Master? This is why I never understand your way of thinking."
That was true. After that incident where I gave my everything to Kiss-Shot and came back to life as a vampire, after the struggles to come back to being a human, in the end, I didn't turn back into a human. What an irony. I understood why that man laughed back then.
According to that Asian mediator, I was something close to a human but not a human. Kiss-Shot was something close to a vampire but not a vampire. This was the result of the harsh reality where you couldn't make everyone happy, the only way to satisfy everyone was to make everyone unhappy. I couldn't turn back into a human, thus I was unhappy. Kiss-Shot couldn't die, thus she was unhappy. Humanity couldn't be rid of its predators, thus they were unhappy. A pair of new kind of Oddity was born, thus the supernatural were unhappy.
Well, that summer, while it left a bitter taste in my mouth, was easily the most memorable things in my dull life. Sure, we live in Brockton Bay, but it wasn't as if I was seeking trouble. I generally tended to avoid problems except those that confronted me directly.
Like my best friend Emma. I knew something had to happen to her over the summer break two years ago but I didn't know what. After that summer we kind of drifted apart and she went to bully me every time she had the chance. Usually, she tried to hurt me through her in-depth knowledge of me with words, and the physical pressures were left to her new best friend Sophia Hess. Naturally, I tried to find out what happened, but so far my effort was halted by Sophia. Nonetheless, I didn't falter. If the girl they bullied was the past me, I would be a wreck inside, but try to keep a strong front. However, Emma's words didn't mean anything to the current me. It was Sophia's actions that irritated me.
A little elbow here and there. Pushed from behind on the stairways. Shoved on the hallways. Her actions irritated me to no end. It didn't help that Kiss-Shot loved to egg me.
"I never throw an egg to you, Master. I just expressed my thought about your... former snack."
By the way, that was her way of saying, ex-best friend.
I didn't want to stoop to their level by escalating. So I just kept my head down. In my current state, my healing factors was better than a normal human, although not by much. Any pain I felt from falling off the stairs every day would disappear before the sunset so Sophia's action wasn't worth escalating.
But the thing that I feared the most was me losing control. I wasn't a normal human. The early weeks after my change, I broke my bathroom's door handle, accidentally pierced my cheeks when I brushed my teeth, moaning when I got to eat steaks raw. Yeah, all sorts of embarrassing things happened every time I lost control. That was why I never responded to their actions.
I forgot to mention that Winslow, my high school was a shithole. It was a miniature version of Brockton Bay with so many E88 and ABB recruits. So every time the bullies cornered me nobody would stop them. I had a suspicion that if I brought it up to the principal she would just brush it aside if it meant preserving the school's status. No need to drag it down further, she maybe thought.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Emma approaching me with Madison Clements, another of Emma's group but I didn't see Sophia. Well, this meant that whatever they would be doing it wasn't anything physical.
"Hey Taylor, what's your sorry ass doing here?"
I didn't reply to Emma's goad. I never replied. Usually, Emma would bring her group and circled me, preventing me from escaping her. However, because today she only brought Madison, I can just ignore her and go my own way. School had already ended and I didn't want to spend more time in this shithole than necessary.
When I took the first step away from Emma, she took my hand and gripped it tightly. "Where do you think you're going, Taylor?"
I know Emma wasn't bright, but how stupid was she? She insulted me by asking what am I doing in this place and indirectly looking forward to me leaving this place, but when I took the step to leave her, she asked me where do I going?
Oh right, she was an unreasonable bully.
"Away from this shithole, Emma. After all, wasn't that what you mean by asking me what 'my sorry ass' doing here?"
There was a fury visible on Emma's face. She was angry that I talked back. God, how unreasonable was she? When I didn't reply, I was wrong and Sophia usually went physical. When I replied like today, I was wrong. Grow the fuck up, Emma. Life didn't just revolve around you. I learned that the hard way.
I released my hand from Emma's grip and continued my way to exit Winslow. When I started to walk down the stairs, suddenly someone pushed me from behind.
As I fell down, I saw who did it.
It was Emma. That bitch. So she didn't need Sophia to do something like this huh? But my eyes widened in surprise when I saw Emma also fell with me, a shock visible on her face.
That big idiot!
I used my arm to balance myself and then caught her before she hit the ground. That was lucky.
Everyone in the vicinity just looked at the scene of me carrying Emma on my arms, some with disbelief on their face, including Madison.
I didn't care for that. My attention was on Emma. Especially Emma's body.
Emma wasn't as tall as me, but she got a nice shape of a body, or else she wouldn't survive being a model. Logically, her weight shouldn't be that much different from mine.
And yet she wasn't heavy on my arms.
"Hey, Emma..." I called to her as I tightened my grip on her body. I wouldn't let her get away. I had to know.
"Release me, Taylor. Or I'll humiliate you in front of the entire school. Nobody else can know."
Ah, so it was a secret then, with Sophia probably already knowing. Still, "Let's have a nice deep talk about that particular trait of yours, shall we?"
"Are you mocking me?"
"Five P.M. at Fugly Bob. I'll wait for you there. If my suspicion is correct, maybe I know someone who can restore you."
After saying that bait, I put a nice smile on my face. Surely Emma would be interested if my suspicion that it was because she encountered an Oddity was correct. Most Parahumans powers were weird, but because their existence can be explained with science, I never grouped them with Oddities. Oddities were simply everything supernatural in nature that couldn't be explained by science.
After all, if Emma was a parahuman, there would be a mention of a parahuman with a power to make herself lighter without losing her body structure. No. It had to be an Oddity because her appearance didn't correspondent to her weight.
Or maybe, my knowledge of cape scenes was shit, and Emma really was a parahuman. Maybe it was just my bias because I was an Oddity that I immediately assumed Emma's problem was caused by an Oddity.
Still, Emma coming or not, I would come to Fugly Bob anyway. I craved a hamburger with raw beef and Fugly Bob was the only one providing it.
Emma arrived with Sophia in tow after I finished eating my hamburger. My guess was correct. Sophia already knew the problem Emma had. Also, with Emma being here confirmed my suspicion that it was a problem caused by an Oddity. If Emma's weightlessness was a parahuman power then she wouldn't come here in the first place.
"Taylor."
"Emma," I nodded at her. "I've thought about anything that can remove someone's weight but I couldn't find anything relevant. You've... met with something inhuman, haven't you?"
Emma glared at me.
"I take that as a yes. From the timeframe... hmm, sometime after the summer break two years ago. That's when you began to change. You became close to Sophia... Tell me, Emma. What did you meet that day?"
Emma bit her lips. From beside her, Sophia looked at me, as if analyzing me. "As expected of Hebert. You talk nonsense. Come on, Emma. Let's get out of here. No sense in wasting time with her."
But Emma didn't budge. Even when Sophia tugged at her, Emma didn't move. She looked at me. "It was a crab."
A crab? I don't know any creatures with similar form to crab that can remove someone's weight. I frowned, lost in thought. Sophia looked at Emma in confusion. Maybe she thought Emma was just humoring me or something?
"Emma," I looked at her seriously. "Do you really want that problem gone?"
Emma stared back at me. "...Yes."
"Come with me," I stood up from the table and made a move to exit Fugly Bob. Behind me, Emma and Sophia just looked at me. "What are you waiting for? I know someone. He helped me solve my problem before. If there's someone who knows a crab that can remove weight, then it would be him."
Emma relented. She really wanted her weight back, huh? Emma followed behind me, with Sophia beside her. I led them outside to the place where that man resides. An abandoned building near the docks.
The journey passed in silence, I had nothing to talk to my former best friend and they didn't belittle me like when we were in school. When we arrived, it was already past sunset.
Illuminated by the moonlight beam coming through between the broken roofs, the form of the blond-haired Japanese man with the Hawaii shirt stood to face us.
"You looked good, Taylor. Did something good happen?"
Meme Oshino. The self-proclaimed mediator between various sides of Oddity and Human. He described what he did was balancing the nature of the world. To achieve it, the balance between Oddity and Humanity should be preserved.
"I bring you a client, Oshino. How much do I owe you after this?"
"Slow down, Taylor. We'll discuss your debts later. Now, what seems to be the problem, Miss?" Oshino approached us. But for some reason, Emma took a step back. Why? What made Emma felt fear?
Emma took a deep breath before she looked straight at Oshino. She mumbled something that I couldn't hear, under her breath. Seeing Emma's reaction, Oshino stopped, and just grinned. "If you're afraid, that's fine, miss."
"I'm-"
"Anyway," I interjected. Undoubtedly, Emma would be mad. "I do not recognize the Oddity that plagued her. She said it was a crab, and it took away her weight. Nothing comes to my mind."
Oshino grinned even further. "Taylor. I'll cut two million of your debt because of her. As for you miss..." Oshino turned her attention to Emma.
"Barnes. Emma Barnes."
"Miss Barnes, do you want to have your weight back?" Emma nodded at the question aimed at her by Oshino. "The cost is ten million dollar. Do you accept?"
"Yes."
"Do you even have that much money, Miss Barnes?" Oshino's grin impossibly became even wider.
"Even if I don't have it, I'll just put myself in your debt like Taylor."
I pictured that Emma's problem wasn't big for her and instead just a minor inconvenience. But she was quite adamant in ridding herself of the Oddity's influence on her body.
I forced myself to keep quiet. I don't want to escalate things between Emma and me, that was why I just held myself back whenever they bullied me in Winslow. However, that didn't mean I don't want to dish my revenge on Emma if I can. This was such a time. You didn't know what you were getting into, Emma. And that was fine with me.
"Then come back here after you thoroughly clean yourself tonight. Preferably no makeup and white clothes. You are about to have an audience with a god."
This piqued my interest.
"Oshino, explain. What do you mean by Emma meeting a god?"
"That Oddity is Japanese in nature. 'Omoshi Kani', translated as Weight Crab. It's a myth from the mountain in Kyushuu region. It's also known as 'Omoishi Kani' or 'Omoshi Gani'. Another way of saying it is 'Omoishi Kami' which has two meanings in English, either Heavy Stone God or Emotion God. It's a play on words, 'kani' means crab while 'kami' means god."
"My God, Japanese language is such a pain," I made a remark.
"But that's the beauty of it, Taylor. It diverges from Emotion God into Weight Crab. That's the gist of the explanation. Miss Barnes," Oshino looked at Emma with a serious face. "You made a wish when you met that god, didn't you?"
Emma hesitatingly nodded.
"That's the nature of Japanese god. They grant your wish. However, to them, we humans are not something important, so they didn't pay too much attention to us. In fact, Miss Barnes. That God is still right beside you."
Emma widened her eyes. "Right... besides me?"
"Gods are everywhere, and yet they are nowhere... Such is the nature of the supernatural. It's not something that we mortals can understand. It's my job to understand both sides and mediate between them. "
Even though his appearance was that one of a flamboyant man, Oshino Meme was truly a capable guy. Nobody talked after he concluded Emma's problem.
"I... I will be back here tonight. Please let me see the god."
"Then I'll see you tonight. Taylor, I want you here. You'll act as a backup if something rowdy happened."
What was I, a bodyguard? "Yes, yes, I know. Speaking of which, Oshino. You said that she met a Japanese God. However, we're in Brockton Bay in the United States. How can there be a Japanese God in this city?"
"Gods are interesting Oddity, unlike others like Vampire for example. They are formed through faith and become stronger the more faith peoples have in it. If I recall correctly, this city had a group of Asian thugs, hadn't it? ABB or something. It's possible that the appearance of a Japanese God in this city is because they are a religious bunch."
ABB? Religious bunch? I wanted to laugh but even I know that religion is between peoples and what they believed. Who knew Lung could have a shrine dedicated to a crab God. Heh, the image of a Dragon worshipping a Crab made me chuckle.
Emma already left with Sophia. I didn't come with them because I had something else to do and I don't want them knowing. And besides, being Emma's besties was not my place anymore.
"Where are you going, Oshino?"
"Preparing things. We're about to meet a god, after all. We need to be respectful. I should also change my clothes."
Oh wow, was this the time when I can see Oshino Meme in another outfit than his Hawaiian shirt?
From my shadow, Kiss-shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade came out in her eight years old body. Her golden hair swayed in the air as she landed on the ground.
"How much, Master?"
"Not too much. Oshino said I am just the backup. Even though Emma had two years of bullying on me, I don't want any accident if it involves Oddity," I sat on the ground, allowing her to me.
"Fine."
After that, it was a bliss.
This was the second or third time that I needed Kiss-Shot to drink my blood and I haven't familiarized myself with the feeling. It was as weird as the first time but certainly necessary.
"Thank you for the treat, Master."
"Ah yeah. Oh, Kiss-Shot. If the worst happens, can I borrow your sword?"
"Everything mine is yours, and everything yours is mine. Haven't we made that pact?"
I remembered that. It was back when I had just regained some of my humanity, and Kiss-Shot felt angry that I made the decision to make everyone unhappy. We patched things up and sealed the deal with that pact. Luckily we are of the same gender, because if we are of different gender, then that pact made me sound like a creep.
"I know, I just want to ask for permission, I guess... After all, it's a famous sword."
Kiss-shot went back to my shadow, and I stood up, feeling a little better than before. A side effect of vampirism. Testing myself, I took a jump and it was definitely farther than my usual jump. To where was the extent of this vampirism? I tried to change my form to a mist, but I couldn't. So advanced shape-shifting was out. Well, as long as I have my advanced regeneration and strength, it was fine.
About five hours waiting outside the building was so boring. Finally, when the clock pointed at eleven o'clock, Emma came back together with Sophia. Emma wore a white blouse and skirt.
"Where's that man?"
"I'll accompany you to him."
We entered the building, specifically to a different room pointed by Oshino to me. When we arrived in front of the room, it was to see Oshino in a Japanese priest garb. Even his hair was combed and neat. If the atmosphere wasn't serious I would make a remark about him.
"Come inside," Oshino gave a gesture to come. We entered the room. It was styled as a Japanese shrine complete with candles as the source of light. "Please be respectful. An audience with a god is a serious matter."
Emma and Sophia entered first, with me the last. I saw Oshino offering Emma a small glass of alcohol. "Sake is said to close the distance between gods and us. Since I don't have any sake, alcohol will do."
Emma sipped it.
"Let's start by relaxing yourself. Close your eyes and continue tilting your head down," Oshino guided. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine."
Was this method... hypnotism?
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yes," Emma's relaxed voice replied to Oshino's question.
"Then please answer my question." Emma nodded while eyes still closed. Beside her, I saw Sophia opening her eyes and stared at Emma. I had a feeling she still didn't believe the existence of supernatural.
"What is your name, Miss?"
"Emma Barnes."
"What is the name of the school you're attending?"
"Winslow High."
"When is your birthday?"
"February 12th."
"Who is your favorite novelist?"
"Stephanie Meyer from Aleph."
"What is your favorite classical music?"
"I'm not interested in classical music."
"How did you feel about entering high school?"
"I felt glad because Sophia's with me."
"What type of person is your first love?"
"I don't want to say."
"What is your most painful memories up until now?"
"..."
Emma didn't reply. She kept silent.
"What's wrong? I'm asking you to recall your worst memories."
I saw Sophia began to move towards Oshino, so I moved and held her back. "Don't interfere," I whispered to her ears. "It's for Emma."
"I-It was... two years ago. I was calling Taylor to ask about her experience in the summer camp... Suddenly we were mugged by ABB thugs. One of them... one of them attempted to rape me."
Ah. So that was what happened to Emma. Hmm, but that still didn't explain why did she bully me?
"You said he attempted to rape you, meaning it didn't happen?"
"No. A cape came to save us."
"I see... How did you feel after that?"
"I feel weak... I was weak. Only the strong survive so I don't want to be weak. Everyone else I know is weak. My father, my mother, my sister, Taylor, everyone is weak. I don't want to be like them."
"I see... What happened after that?"
"I bully Taylor every day in school. Taylor was weak. I don't want to be associated with a weak person. She bothered me."
"...Thank you. Now, please open your eyes slowly without looking away."
Emma opened her eyes and let out a shocked gasp tinged with fear.
"Can you see anything?" Oshino asked her.
"I-I see it... It's the same as that time... a huge crab. A huge crab is in front of me..."
"Is that so, I can't see anything. How about you Taylor?" Oshino threw the question at me.
"I can't, how about you, Sophia?" I passed it to Sophia.
"No," was her short reply.
"B-But I see it clearly!" Emma insisted. I couldn't see it, but I believed that you saw it, Emma.
"Then, isn't there something that you want to say?"
Emma still stared at the empty spot in fear. But before she could say anything, she was thrown back by an invisible force and held on the wall of the room.
"Emma!" Sophia in my grasp tried to move but I held her back. "Release me!"
"No, as much as I want to help Emma, I can't. You don't see anything, I don't see anything. There's nothing that we can do to help Emma. She needs to overcome this on her own," I whispered on Sophia once more.
"Not quite, Taylor. As much as she needs to do this herself, a helpless teenage girl like her can't release herself from the crab's grip," Oshino approached Emma and grabbed the air. Was that the crab? He then did a Judo throw on the air/crab and put his feet on it. Of course, to Sophia and I, it was seeing Oshino with his feet on the air.
"Now what to do after this? Taylor, you can easily dispose of this god as long as I had it under me, right? That would definitely solve the problem. Do you want that, Miss Barnes?" Oshino asked Emma once more. That was just like Oshino. In his eyes, he couldn't help Emma as Emma was the only one who could help herself.
"No. Please wait, Mr. Oshino."
Oshino smiled. "Then it's all yours. A little tip from me, the Japanese way of respecting God is to bow. The closer to the ground the better, especially since we're dealing with a god."
Emma bowed down on the ground. "Thank you very much. I was burdened with my feelings and you were there to carry it. But you've done enough. I wanted to be strong, but casting aside that feeling of weakness was wrong. I beg of you... may I have my weight back?" gradually, Emma's voice was mixed with sobbing. This was her genuine feeling.
As sudden as Emma being thrown, Oshino's feet touched the ground. The Emotion God was gone as Emma's wish had been granted.
In the end, I didn't need to do anything as the backup. Well, if holding Sophia's back to prevent her from interfering with Emma's interaction with the god counted, then yeah, I did something.
The problem solved, Oshino bid farewell to change his outfit back. That man really loved his Hawaiian shirt. Sophia went to Emma's side to comfort her, leaving me with nothing to do except standing awkwardly.
I wouldn't say that I sympathized with Emma. However, I did understand why she bullied me from the bits of what she said. She wanted to be strong but seeing me as weak. She wanted nothing to do with me, but back then, after losing my humanity, all I wanted was to share the story with someone else so I bugged Emma even after she rejected me. Maybe she felt annoyed by me and wanted to push me aside or something. So she bullied me. I understood her, but that didn't mean that I would forgive her.
The journey back was in silence. After Emma stopped crying she didn't say anything. I also didn't feel like saying anything. Sophia was also the same.
Of course, the silent night was broken by five gang members circling us. If I guessed from the color of the clothes, these guys are members of the ABB. The crab worshipper, I smiled slightly.
"Hey girls, are you available? Because I want to use you!" One of the gang members said as the others laughed at his flat jokes.
Sophia protectively pushed Emma behind her.
"Hey, Emma. You've bared your innermost heart to me. For that, I am grateful. This is when I pay you back. I will reveal what happened to me that made me knew Oshino Meme. You must be wondering what happened to me."
I cracked my finger in anticipation.
"What is this? The delicate girl want to fight? We are the ABB!"
"Having an invincible leader doesn't make you invincible, idiots."
I took a deep breath.
"On the summer break two years ago, I died."
I jumped and kicked the first guy with my leg. Not waiting to see the result, I moved and punched the second guy in the gut. I ducked, avoiding a blow to my head, and crushed the third man's crotch in my grip. His shout actually hurt my ears. I threw his body to the fourth and fifth member. Then I stepped on their legs, breaking it.
Their scream filled the silent night. To be honest, the fight wasn't as messy as my previous fights. There was no blood on me.
The scream seemed that it got the attention of the other members. Because another five ran towards me.
I changed my hand into a metal bat and bash them towards the first two. If I chop them with my hand, chances are their heads will be cut open in two so I'll play it safe. They fell unconscious in an instant. The other three stopped when they saw their fellow gang members down. One of them chose to rush to me. I dodged and caught his arm, twisting it until it was broken. I threw the eighth guy into the ninth guy while the tenth ran away. I twisted the leg of the ninth guy. Ouch, knees didn't bend that way.
Then the biggest threat came.
Lung.
The last guy reported to the big boss himself, huh?
"A new cape alone? How arrogant."
I looked towards my left and right, but couldn't see Sophia or Emma. They must have run away when I fought the mooks.
"Sorry, Mr. Lung. But I am not a cape. Nor am I trying to take ABB down. I was just passing here when they tried to mug me," no need to give him an edge about Emma.
"You dare to lie to me?! My guy saw your hand turned into a metal bat!"
How do I explain that it was a side effect of being a part Vampire? Right, of course, parahumans would count it as a parahuman power.
"You know, even if this wasn't planned, I didn't feel bad when I crushed them. Do you know why Mr. Lung?"
Lung fell silent. He didn't answer.
"Because they changed my best friend. I guess you could say that this is a revenge?"
Lung roared wildly and rushed at me, throwing a punch. I blocked it with my arm, which immediately became broken after the impact. Lung's power was tremendous that my body was still thrown back even after I blocked it.
"Ouch, that was a good one, Mr. Lung," correcting the position of the broken bones, I waited a few seconds to heal. "I just have a question for you, you know, since you haven't ramped yet."
"Speak," Lung ordered me. Feeling no pain in my arm anymore, I spoke.
"Do you people worship crab in your shrine?"
Apparently, that was the wrong question to ask because immediately Lung foregoes any answer and just roared. A draconic scales began to appear on his arms as he turned into the infamous dragon mode. He swiped his bulky arms trying to get me, but I jumped far backward with my enhanced strength and ended up crashing into a building. Damn it. The discrepancies between my weakened and strengthened form were too far.
When I got my attention back to Lung, he was turning more and more into a dragon. This time, he already went on all four and a small tail was coming from his... tailbone? Another roar and I blocked his body charge again.
Shit. I dodged his tail swipe and punched him. Aside from doing nothing, all it did was breaking my arms once more. Even after this much enhancement, it wasn't enough to sucker-punch a dragon? And to think normal Oddities were easily defeated by even a weaker me. Fearsome, indeed.
There was something that I want to try. Kiss-shot, please.
"Right away, Master."
From my shadow, a Japanese-style sword emerged. Its name is also in Japanese, Kokorowatari. It was a beautiful sword longer than even my whole body. This sword was famous and known as Oddity Killer.
Was there a reason I brought out this sword? Yes. I have never fought a parahuman before, so this was a chance that I didn't want to waste. I had a question ever since I delved into the supernatural world. Were parahumans an oddity? Oshino theorized they were still fully human but had powers. I didn't think so. On another side, Kokorowatari could only harm Oddities, or so Kiss-Shot said. I've jokingly slashed Oshino Meme once with Kokorowatari and there was no wound on the place I slashed.
Now to test the theory...
I put my attention to the airborne dragon. It breathed fire on me. I had no choice than jump. But this time, I jumped towards the transformed Lung. With a cry, I stabbed the legendary sword through Lung's eye.
It did nothing?! Shit!
There was no wound on Lung's dragon eye, disproving my theory that parahumans were also Oddities.
Falling to the ground with a high speed, I was thinking about how to defeat Lung. Kokorowatari was useless, my enhanced punch wasn't enough to break his scales, I couldn't do any advance shape-shifting.
Suddenly I felt something big coming at me from above. When I looked up, it was Lung's body. He intended to squash me with his body. Shit! I was not going to die from just that but-
Lung's big dragon body slammed into me from above.
"Taylor!"
Don't say anything Emma, you were going to alert Lung about your presence.
As I said, I was not going to die from just this. But regenerating my body from scratch felt weird as hell. Correction, regenerating my body from liquid splattered around felt weird as hell.
Lung ramped down back into his human form. It was lucky that I needed time to regrow everything. if my healing came instantly, Lung wouldn't transform back into his human form. After seeing his work, Lung left the perimeter. And by a perimeter, I meant the farthest my blood was splattered. After Lung left completely, Emma and Sophia came to the place I splattered.
"Taylor..."
"Yo, Emma. What's up," I greeted Emma. Or I should say, my severed and bloodied head greeted Emma. I laughed when I heard Emma shriek in fear.
"T-T-Taylor!?"
"Give me another ten minutes," I asked her.
As I promised her, after ten minutes my body went back to how it was before Lung squashed it.
"So, let's head back."
"Wait a damn minute! What just happened?!"
"Like I said, Emma. I died. Then I came back as a vampire," I flashed her my canine teeth. "It's a pity I never get the answer from Lung. I want to know if the ABB worship crab as their god."
"As if that answers anything, Hebert," Sophia retorted, but her eyes had a strange glint.
I blinked. Oh right, they were total newbies in the supernatural world. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Vampires can regenerate from almost anything so... here I am."
"Why weren't you burned when you walk under the sun?"
"Circumstances happened and I'm now not fully vampire," I answered as I searched the vicinity for the legendary sword that slipped through my grasp when I fell down. Ah, it was beneath a big chunk of rock. I knocked on the rock twice to get a feel for it. Then with a deep breath, I punched the stone into little shards.
"It's still in a good condition. You're not angry, are you, Kiss-Shot?" I directed my question at my shadow.
"No, Master. It's still in a good condition so I'm not angry."
"Gee, that meant if I broke it you're going to be angry with me, am I right?"
"Taylor, who are you talking to?" Emma asked me in confusion.
I put the sword away in my shadow. It sank into the shadow, being pulled by Kiss-Shot inside. Then, after that, Kiss-Shot came out of my shadow. She bowed curtly at Emma and Sophia as greetings.
"Greetings, former snack of my master."
"F-Former snack?" Emma asked in apprehension.
I smirked a little. "Vampire eats humans, Emma. They are the enemy of humanity."
Unconsciously Emma took a step back at my admission. "W-What?"
Interestingly, Sophia didn't back down. She was looking at me intently.
"Though I assure you, I never eat any human, I swear. Not interested."
Oh god, seeing Emma's reaction like this, I had to wonder why I never disclosed this information to Emma before. Though what was that, Sophia? Why were you looking at me like that? Somehow I felt unsafe.
"Anyway, let's go home. It's this late already and I don't want another incident like just now."
They nodded. Facing someone like Lung was terrifying to normal people like them. Despite Emma's hate, she even grieved for my body. If I were dead I was pretty sure I was going to haunt her regardless of her feeling towards me. Sorry, Emma. No forgiveness from me.
The journey back had no similar incident to the Lung fight. Despite not doing much, I was very exhausted by the time I got home. Well, if you count fighting Lung as not doing much. Kiss-Shot drained my vampirism away to her, making me back to almost human again. A state I absolutely adore once I adjust.
After that, Kiss-Shot went back to my shadow, and I decided to sleep with a yawn. Today sure was an eventful day. I hoped nothing bad happens tomorrow.