Lenore stirred as she returned to the conscious realm, strange sounds being heard out the window of her inn room. As she groggily began to wake up, she moved her hand across the mattress before realizing something was off. She shot up, her mind fully awake as she looked around the room she currently dwelled in. "Where am I?" She asked no one, panic quickly setting in before her memories halted her dread. "Oh, that's right. I died." She remembered finding herself in this strange era and city, the encounter with the three criminals, and meeting Deku.
From there, she followed the directions to the library he gave her only to discover it closed for the night. While understandable, she was a bit disappointed about that factoid before she went to find an inn to rest in before daylight arrived. On the way to finding a cheap inn, she did discover a building that selled many types of wares, including parasols, something that she knew she was going to need if she was forced to go out during the day. She eventually did find a cheap inn, able to purchase a single night of rest with the money she got from her victims' wallets before the sun rose.
Realizing that the noise outside would prevent further sleep, Lenore got up from the bed to change back into the clothes she looted before grabbing the parasol she bought from the 'convenience store', readying herself for the day ahead.
As she stared at the door that led to the sunlit world, Lenore took a deep breath and worked up her nerve before opening her parasol. Grabbing the door handle, she opened the exit and stepped out into the sunlight. When she didn't feel the familiar sensation of being lit aflame upon stepping out, the vampiress opened her eyes, thankful that the parasol did its job protecting her from the light. Making her way out of the cheap motel room and off of the vicinity of the building, her mind was drawn to the strange wonders around her.
Now that it was daytime, she got glimpses of strange carriages, cars, that functioned without anything to pull them. People all around her used devices made of a glass that reacted to the touch, changing images rapidly. Screens larger than the devices seen on buildings, through windows, all displaying one thing or the other. Then there were the murals that depicted… heroes.
Many signs showed off men and women wearing clothes that seemed over-the-top for the purpose of making them seem larger than life, emphasizing their strength, beauty, grace, anything that made them great. Some were shown with a product, others talking to the public, yet others saving and protecting people. It boggled Lenore's mind at how many of these people were using their abilities to keep the populace safe. Especially the one with striking blond hair, All Might. Something about the man's visage, even through murals, seemed to put people at ease.
Strangely enough, Lenore thought that something similar could be felt from Deku, though a tad bit more inexperienced than All Might.
She shook her head and escaped those thoughts. Now wasn't the time to get distracted, right now, she needed to look for information at the library.
As she made her way to said trove of knowledge, she thought of how she was going to need to search for more prey later on to get coins and food. It's not like people will simply hand some out to a stranger that they meet on the street. As much as it pained her to admit, she may have to resort to some unnecessary violence to survive. Then again, was it truly unnecessary if it was for the sake of survival?
Following the path she remembered taking last night, Lenore eventually made it to the library, entering the building and closing her parasol as she stepped into the shade, grateful to no longer be in the dangerous light of the sun for now. Looking around, the vampiress saw that there were few people reading from the books, and a majority of the people were looking at strange devices on the desks. Computers, if the memories of last night's prey served her well. Supposedly, they were connected to some kind of network of information. Truly, a marvel of humanity and technology's advancement, one that will be of great use, but for now, she'll stick with books for the time being. No point in having all the knowledge she could ever desire if she doesn't know how to use it.
Regardless, Lenore began her search through the library, hoping to find something that detailed the history of the world since she died. Perhaps even some of the laws and customs of Japan if she were to blend in better with the people here. She can try to pass off as simply a foreigner, but if she draws too much attention from her ignorance, she may end up in serious danger.
Eventually, Lenore does find some books pertaining to what she was looking for, a boon for the time-displaced being as she grabbed what she could, noticing that most of them seemed to be more focused on recent history, at least, recent for her. For some reason, there were few scriptures that detailed events before the 20th century. Everything beyond that era was seen as ancient history that, while honored, no longer has a place in the new world.
Just like her.
Her demeanor dropped as the thought crossed her mind. She was a two-hundred year old vampire that was sent to God knows how far into the future! What place was there for her in this world? It's not like she could simply go back to Styria!
"...Could I?" The vampiress whispered to herself as she looked towards the computers. It had access to all the information of the world. Surely, it should be able to tell her about how to get to Styria from here. It may also hold information about her sisters and where they may be, if they were alive after all this time. Gathering her resolve, she made her way towards the machines, shaking off her nervousness as she sat down, looking around to see if anyone would try and spy on her. Seeing nothing of the sort, she got to using the computer, trying to recall what few memories of her victims would help her use the device.
"Let's see…" She muttered to herself as she looked at the mouse and keyboard. "It shouldn't be that hard, can it?"
For someone that came from 15th Century Styria, she didn't struggle as much as most would expect. Once she learned that she had to click down on the right-mouse button to click on the strange symbol that looked like a strange looking 'e'. The next bit was a lot easier to understand. It was still a bit curious for her, but as long as it worked, typing and searching wasn't too complicated. She finished typing in Styria and pressed the 'enter' key, hoping to find information on how to get back home. She clicked on the first link that showed up, eager to see what else she could find that might help her.
What she found was less than ideal, as it appeared to simply be an informational entry on the state, but there didn't appear to be any information on traveling there. All it seemed to be was the basic knowledge and history of the Austrian state before its collapse.
"What in the…" Lenore whispered as she reread that. Styria… collapsed? She continued reading the historical section, learning of how it was absorbed into Austria, split apart, then some kind of economic and political crash led to a civil war that collapsed the state. That… that didn't sound right. How did that happen at all?
What was more damning was that there was a lack of certain figures being involved. There was no mention of her sisters or their council being mentioned anywhere. It was as if they didn't exist at all! And upon further inspection, she realized that there were no mentions of vampires anywhere to begin with! How was that possible, Carmilla was committed to her batshit insane global conquest plan! There should be some mention about it!
Opening another tab, Lenore searched up vampires, clicking a link similar to the first before she began reading. "A vampire is a creature from folklore…" Folklore?! In what world were vampires seen as fiction, a fairy tale creature?! She continued reading, trying to find if there was any evidence that proved their existence in history, and yet, the only mention of them were in myths, superstitions, diseases, fictional stories, but nothing to suggest that they existed! Hell, there were more entries that justified their non-existence as the result of grave-robbing, rabies, and quirks!
Desperately, she searched the names of her and her sisters, trying to find anything about them, only for the search engine to come up empty. Something inside her just died; perhaps it was what little hope she had left in her. Getting up from the desk, she went through the library to find anything about vampires. She eventually found several books… in the fiction section, further amplifying the despair that was growing in her stomach. To think that vampires were relegated to mere fantasy, their actions seemingly forgotten.
Defeated, Lenore put the book back where it was, leaving the other books on a nearby desk before she made her way to the exit. "How could this happen?" She thought to herself as she opened up her parasol and stepped outside, a haunted look on her face. "Has humanity simply tried to deny our existence? Or did they extinguish all forms of vampiric life and erase any trace left?" If that was the case, then it meant that she had nowhere to go. Nowhere to belong anymore. There was no place for her in this world, and she lost where she used to belong. What was left for her now?
As she walked through the droves of people that surrounded her, she looked down towards the edge where her parasol's shadow met the sunlight. It would be so easy for her to lower her only shield against the sunlight and burn to ashes once again. Nobody would know her, as any memory of her is long gone. Sure, people might notice a woman turning to dust, but they would probably chalk it up to a villain with a quirk in the crowd, not a creature of the night perishing because of the sun. She'd probably be forgotten later on, anyways.
And yet, something stopped her. What if the same thing happened again? What if she tried to kill herself only to end up further into the future? Would she be denied to rest in peace just like the day before? Would she be cursed to venture further in time, never finding somewhere that she could belong?
As her thoughts spiraled out of control and dove towards darker topics, she felt herself bump into someone, bringing her back to reality. "Oh, apologies." She said half-heartedly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, ma'am!" A familiar voice said before she looked towards the speaker, both their eyes widening as they took a good look at each other. "Ah, Lenore!" Deku greeted as the vampiress' eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, Deku, what a coincidence. How are you?"
The green-haired young man scratched the back of his head sheepishly before giving his reply. "Well, it's going alright. I'm gonna go to another area to patrol with my teacher soon."
Lenore blinked. "Your teacher?" She asked before a gruff voice was heard. "He means me, missy!" An answer was heard below, prompting the vampiress to look down and see an elderly man wearing a white jumpsuit with yellow accents, his eyes hidden behind a black domino mask. Beneath that mask, however, laid eyes that held countless years of experience and wisdom. Whoever this man was, it was clear to her that he was an experienced warrior, one that learned how to survive in his line of work.
"Ah, I'm sorry for ignoring you, Sir…?" Lenore began.
"The name's Gran Torino!" The now named Gran Torino told her. "It's not a big deal, but really, my student here needs to watch where he's looking!" He turned towards the student in question. "And how to apologize properly!"
"I-I said I was sorry!"
"Hmph! That nervous attitude is also gonna need some work, Midoriya! Ya can't let your nerves get the better of you!" As Torino scolded Deku, Lenore perked up.
"Midoriya? I thought you were called Deku?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Well, you see, Deku is my hero name." He responded. "My actual name is Izuku Midoriya."
"Oh, come on, didn't your mother tell you not to give your name to strangers?!" Torino yapped out, eliciting another jolt from Izuku, which in turn, got a small smirk of amusement from Lenore. "Sure, she may have a pretty face, but ya don't even know her all that much!"
"Well, it looks like you and your teacher are busy." She said with mirth in her voice. "I hope you learn as much as you can from him. As a wise person once said, 'fear the elderly in a career where men die young'."
"Heh, wise indeed! That sounds like words to live by." The aging hero said with a grin. "Seems like you got a good head on your shoulders!"
"Why, thank you, Sir Torino." Lenore said as she took a small bow, making sure to angle her parasol to avoid being caught in the sunlight. "I do try my best to learn what I can to… get through life."
"Best you do," Torino said. "Can't really become much of what you want to be if you don't learn what you need."
"Indeed…" Lenore muttered, a slightly hurt expression forming on her face. The conversation would've stopped there had Izuku not noticed it. "Heh. It's almost amusing, someone like me trying her best to work her way in life. Everything seemed like it would fall into place before I came here."
"Um, are you okay, Lenore?" Izuku asked. "You look a little bit down. Is something the matter?"
Realizing that her emotions were getting the better of her, Lenore couldn't help but continue. "I used to fit into something, you know. But ever since I came here, I've started to struggle to find my own way. I just…" She turned to look at the hero duo. "Can I ask you a strange question?" Upon receiving a nod from the two, she asked them: "What do you do if you've lost where you belong, but you don't fit in anywhere else?"
That question threw Izuku and Torino through quite a loop, as if the world just went through an immense emotional whiplash. That kind of question wasn't one that most people would spring on to someone out of the blue. What exactly happened to her to bring up a question like that? However, the question she asked began to settle in their heads. What would they do if they ended up in such a situation? Such a question was not one that could easily be answered.
And yet, Izuku felt the gears in his brain turning a bit faster, trying to come up with an answer. For some reason, he felt like there could've been many answers to that question, but something told him that the simplest answer is the best one.
"That's a bit hard to answer." Izuku began to answer. "I guess what you do is try and make a place to belong in. It makes sense to me."
Lenore was shocked at the bluntness and honesty of the answer. "You make it sound easy. It could take years to make such a place."
"But the lad's right." Torino said with less vigor than before. "It's a whole heck of a lot easier than trying to make things the way they were once before or trying to force yourself to change to fit in. And besides, it could be simple or it could be difficult. You'll never know until you get up on your own two feet and do it. Don't try, do it."
For some reason, Lenore couldn't find a response to that answer. The way that both heroes said it with such earnest resonated with something within her. It was as if a voice within her subconscious was telling her to believe in what they were saying, that she needed to have faith in their words. "You actually believe that?" She questioned with mirth in her voice. "That… that's actually somewhat comforting. I actually want to believe what you're saying." She let out a quiet, dry laugh as she wiped something from her eyes. "You seem to have a way with words, don't you?"
However, something caused Izuku to panic. "Ah! Lenore, you're bleeding!" He screamed out, causing Lenore to panic. Shit, she didn't realize that what she wiped away from her eyes was her own tear! Soon, Izuku might end up causing a scene that would get a nearby church involved, and since the world seemed to have forgotten about vampires, who knows what they'd-! "We need to get you to a doctor! Does anyone know where a clinic is?! Or a hospital?!"
What?
"I-" Lenore began before she began to process what he said. "Midoriya, don't worry, I'm alright!" She yelled out, grabbing his attention. "It's alright, I'm not injured or sick! It's-" Shit, she needed a cover story, quick. "This is just a side effect of my quirk."
"Your quirk is doing that?" Midoriya asked, calming down a bit.
"Yes. You see, my quirk gives me some… vampiric abilities." She began to lie to him. "I have long fangs, I need to consume a certain amount of blood to sustain myself, and act somewhat irrationally at times. The downside, besides the whole bloody tears, is that I am also extremely sensitive to sunlight. It's alright."
Hearing the explanation seemed to have calmed down the young man, who began to take deep breaths. "Oh… I see… okay, that's good." He said before continuing. "Are you sure? Doesn't that have any negative side effects on your health?"
"Well, not really." Lenore stated, cupping her face with her hand. "Nothing really bad has ever occurred because of my tears, but that's probably just because I always had a healthy flow of blood."
"Well, there is a blood bank a few blocks nearby." Izuku mentioned, which Gran Torino nodded to. "He's right, just walk a few blocks down and take a right, it's pretty hard to miss. They offer up some blood bags to people who's quirks require them."
"I see." Lenore bowed her head. "I thank you for this information. It has been good to meet you, Sir Torino and Sir Midoriya."
Earning a nervous laugh from Izuku and a gruff laugh from Torino, the vampiress waved a farewell to the pair as they parted their separate ways, which was returned in kind. "Good luck, Lenore! I hope your life gets better!" Izuku said.
"Thank you! Good luck to you, too!" She responded as she walked to the directions Torino gave her. It was strange, having a conversation with two strangers that, while it was their jobs as heroes, would earnestly help her so genuinely. Usually, most people wouldn't bother after the initial apology, yet Midoriya seemed to connect with her just a short while after she thought she wouldn't see him again. It was quite nice.
Once again, the words of advice that the pair gave her rang in her head. Was it really possible to just make somewhere that she could belong in? It seemed like the childish dreams of an optimist, and yet, she felt that the words rang true. She knew that she wouldn't get anywhere trying to go back to the past or forcing herself to change. She had to take action herself and make something new out of her second chance at life.
"Perhaps some humans do have something in them besides violence after all." She muttered to herself. Yes, perhaps she will trust their words and forge a new path, one that wasn't tied down by her past or despair.
What could go wrong?
With Izuku and Gran Torino
As Izuku walked alongside Torino to the train station, he felt a bit lighter, he felt good seeing Lenore looking a bit happier. As if he helped get rid of a weight on her shoulders. "Something on your mind, sonny?" Torino questioned the young man and brought him back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing much, Torino." Midoriya responded. "Just got a bit on my mind, that's all."
"Well, I need you to come back to the real world, ya hear? It doesn't matter how gorgeous that Lenore lady is, you need to focus on what's going on in front you!" Torino said teasingly, laughing as Izuku sputtered in embarrassment and gained an atomic blush.
"N-n-n-no, it's not like that!" Izuku stammered out. "Yeah, L-l-lenore is pretty and-!" Izuku tripped over his own words.
"Ha! I'm just messing with you, kid!" Torino laughed out loud. "Ah, you're just too easy to mess with!" As easy as it was to laugh at the young man's behavior, Torino forced himself to calm down. "Don't worry, I know you're just happy to help out someone like her. She looked like she needed to hear those words."
"I-" Izuku coughed to collect his composure. "Yeah. She looked so down when she asked us that question and I just couldn't leave her without saying something to help. For some reason, even though my answer seemed simple, it felt like it was the best response I could give."
"Heh, well, you're right on both accounts." Torino told the lad in a grandfatherly voice. "Still, never thought I'd meet someone with another vampire-like quirk, not since that cult a few years back."
"Huh? A cult of vampire quirk users?"
"Oh, trust me kid, I got a whole bunch of those stories." Torino began. "Long and short of it was that a bunch of nutjobs thought that they were actual vampires, some going as far as to call themselves 'The Sires of Dracula'. They made a whole mess of things before me and a squad took them down."
"Woah, that sounds really fascinating!" Izuku awed.
"If you want, I can tell you more stories on the train." Gran said. "But first, we gotta get on the darn thing."
"Oh, right!" Izuku exclaimed as he and Torino began to speed-walk to the train station. As they did so, Izuku's mind was brought back to Hosu City, which was on the path that the train was going to take them through. Knowing that the Hero Killer, Stain, was there, he couldn't help but worry about his friend, Iida Tenya, who took up an internship there. Hopefully, he'll come back to UA without problems.
Besides, what could go wrong?
Elsewhere, as things begin to go wrong
"Kurogiri… release the Nomus."
Fuck me, this took longer than it should've. Anyways, that was chapter 2 of "Of Blood and Heroes", ladies and gents! I hope you all enjoyed reading it more than I enjoyed writing that ending conversation that fucked me over several days! That's what happens when you don't properly plan out your chapters! Anyways, expect updates to be a bit slower following this, because I have a job interview soon, and if things go right, a job! Finally, I get an income again!
Anywho, thank you for the support you all have given, without you, I doubt I'd keep my motivation for this story! And to answer two reviews over on FFNet
You might see something of the other sisters, don't worry about that, but Carmilla isn't going to appear here. Sorry
Yes, Hell does exist in Castlevania, but this is mostly an excuse to ship Izuku and Lenore, so I am going to exercise some creative freedom here.
Anyways, now that this chapter is done, I hope I can catch you all next time! Klyju, out!