Vampire Reincarnation

There is an uneasiness flowing through me… however, we’ve finally left that accursed forest. One day we shall return, I shall return. I can feel strength coursing through my veins… surely because of that beast. I cannot wait to dine upon it again.

“Ouch…” Kai groaned as he dragged his footsteps through the forest. Rubbing his chest, in the place where Hideyoshi had hit him with the force of what seemed to be a hundred horses. Really didn’t have to hit me that hard… He cried internally as he felt a burning sensation cover his entire upper body. This will take me at least two days to heal from…. It could be worse, I guess. Looking around, Kai didn’t notice the bodyguard, or rather, observer anymore. Clearly, the man’s stealth skills were top-notch. Then again, I don’t have any good detection magic. I hope the academy can fix that. Ahh… the academy, I still need to wait three to four years…

As he walked, he sent a trace of mana inside his body and observed the changes within the Mixed Mana Core. Its hue remained the same, however, its size has increased by 50%, and the amount of mana it could store more than doubled. A smile broke out on Kai’s lips, the kind that could not hide his happiness. Of course, the star revolving around his core shone beautifully, and even brighter than before, as it received mana of better quality. After a few days, my core will finally settle and I will be able to operate at one hundred percent. Until then I will absorb as much mana as I can. Hehehe… Aina, Elly, and Euphy would be proud of me. I wonder how they’re doing…

Kai walked slowly, reminiscing about the almost full year he had spent in Evicario, the Elven Kingdom. A chuckle escaped his lips. Remembering all the pain and panic attacks he might have caused the three women during his healing process and even after that. However, a melancholic feeling washed over him, and his smile turned softer whilst also thinking about Sverik. Hah… he must be eating well at the academy…

Smirking, he stealthily pulled out a Health Regeneration Pill and popped it into his mouth, instantly melting and circulating through his bloodstream. It’s really rejuvenating… Ugh, but it still hurts. He laughed bitterly and slowly marched through the woods. Much to his dismay, the way home took much longer than when he got here. Partially due to his wounds, and partially because he still had some tasks to complete. Bowing down and collecting a couple of strands of a rainbow-colored plant, he smiled softly to himself and then continued on his way home.

As time passed, the moon slowly began descending, slowly starting its final phase. The sky turned brighter, and the stars began to disappear. Even so, Kai walked leisurely toward the city gate. Putting his mask back on as he left the forest, he nodded toward the guard as a form of salute and hurried on toward Karfi’s bar. Onyx must be missing me… He thought as the thick snout of his companion passed through his mind. Hehe, I should cuddle him to sleep today.

However, his heart skipped a beat as an unfamiliar growl echoed in his ears. His head snapped to the side, however, nothing appeared within his field of vision, aside from the large number of people crowding the streets. A shiver ran down his spine, and, frowning, he turned his attention toward a dark alley, and a faint sense of deja vu hit him as he slowly approached it. A strange pressure enveloped him, familiar yet not, which made him take a step back.

Before he could think of when he first had this feeling, the sudden sound of hurried footsteps made him forget any apprehension he had, and he followed the invisible presence as closely as he could. Luckily he was much too familiar with the alleyways. Isn’t this just like… Darky! Finally, it clicked in Kai’s mind, and his desire to catch up to the beast grew even more. Unfortunately, even if he knew the streets like the back of his palm, predicting the movement of something he couldn’t see still proved to be difficult.

He looked for hints in the environment - Crushed trash, puddles, muddy footprints, anything that could tell him where this strange animal went. His heart raced as he traced the steps, and realized the direction he was going in. Isn’t this… towards Karfi’s place?! Alarmed, he hurried in his footsteps and pulled out his wand, as well as the silver sword. Placing the wand in his mouth, he pulled out a large bag filled with medicinal powder, after which he quickly scanned the area.

Bang! A sudden collision alarmed him of the beast’s presence, and, without thinking twice about it, threw the bag in that direction, followed by a strong gust of wind shot from his wand. The bag exploded, scattering the powder. Most of it landed on the ground or got blown by the wind, however some of it landed on the beast, which now turned visible in Kai’s eyes. Using his keen vision, he ran through the alleyways, jumping on top of a rooftop after amplifying his legs and running across the tiles until he caught up with the creature.

Blinding Light! He murmured under his breath and shot a bright beam of light right in front of it. Brandishing his sword, and jumping down from the roof, he landed just behind the beast. It didn’t stop upon hearing the commotion but instead hurried its footsteps. “Damn it!” Kai cursed, panicked. However, the time it took him to recover from the fall put him behind the thing by a dozen or so meters. So fast! Rushing away from his location, a couple of men gathered around the place where he had cast the ‘Blinding Light’ spell. They shrugged at each other as they met in the alley's center.

“Was it me or did the sunrise for a second?” One man asked, his shaven beard and sharp jawline standing out as he rubbed his chin.

“No, that seemed to be magic. Much worse… inside the city no less.” Another one said, his old age beginning to show through some white hairs growing out of his head.

“Right, another dumb child.” A blond-haired man with eyes as blue as the ocean spat on the ground and prepared to return to his house before being stopped by the older man.

“Now, now, let’s see what the commotion is about. We could be missing out on something fun.” His eyes held a hint of excitement, but mostly boredom. “After all, for us adventurers life is very monotonous, we can have a bit of fun now!”

“Geh, you senile man, what’s so fun about seeing a kid get arrested? I’m going back inside, the sun ain’t even up yet. People will think we’re vampires.”

“Ah bollocks Tim, just come with us you boring bastard, haha!” The handsome man chuckled and grabbed the blonde man’s arm, then dragged him toward the direction Kai had rushed off to.

The boy was quick on his feet, and he caught up with the beast in a little over a minute, however the destruction it did upon fearfully entering the main road was considerable.

Screams of terror rang through the city, like loud bells from a church’s tower. Barrels and boxes filled with dried food, beverages, and spices, splattered all over the ground. Not to mention the countless wounded civilians dragging their bodies to the side of the road.

The invisible creature rushed through the street as fast as Kai chased it, but to any random onlooker, it looked like Kai was destroying everything before him. He bit his lower lip and ignored the whispers and shocked gasps.

Despite his perseverance, however, he wasn’t able to catch up to the invisible creature. Kai’s only luck was that it didn’t know where it was running to, so its speed had slowed down considerably.

Fucking hell, if only I wasn’t already exhausted! Kai cried internally, however, he pushed through and gritted his teeth despite the pain. I shouldn’t have used all my mana pills... damn it!

Finally, once the road was relatively clear of people, Kai raised his wand and pointed it at the beast, then murmured under his breath. Slowly, a large ball made of yellowish-blue flames formed before him. He aimed and shot it directly toward the thing. The fireball landed squarely on its back, earning Kai a loud grunt of pain, followed by an angry growl.

Almost instantly, the animal turned toward the boy, his form finally taking shape as its invisibility gradually faded. Unlike Darky, this creature’s body wasn’t akin to a dark void or mist, but more to a bipedal wolf.

Its scarlet fur, decorated with dark undertones, glistened under the gentle light of the moon, and its yellow eyes glared at Kai with a mixture of hatred and fear. Baring its sharp fangs, the creature’s mouth opened wide, similarly to that of a snake, revealing a few sets of razor-sharp teeth. The onlookers watched with shock as the unfamiliar beast revealed itself. Its unnatural shape, cries, and freakishly wide mouth made everyone take several steps back. Similarly, their vision turned to Kai, a boy no taller than their children, facing this beast.

A shiver ran down Kai’s spine as his hair stood on end, and he prepared to roll away from any attack the creature might do. However, much to his surprise the animal didn’t get closer than a few meters before taking off in a sprint again. Once again turning invisible, the only sign it left behind was the dead fur flying about in the air. What the fu- Kai cried internally and immediately gave chase after shaking off the initial shock.

That thing is strange! He thought, his eyes focused on the ground. Now that the beast was running through a clean street, the hints Kai had toward its position diminished greatly. Letting out a light sigh, he grits his teeth and releases what little mana he had left, just enough for him not to faint. Spreading it throughout the street, and filtering out what he could see, he hurried on forward. Finally, his eyes lit up. There it is! He kicked the ground and immediately sped toward a location a few dozen meters away, his heart racing upon recognizing the surroundings. Soon, the beast would arrive at Karfi’s bar, and a cold shiver ran down Kai’s spine upon realizing this. Damn it, why there?!

Putting his wand and sword away, his speed increased slightly once again. The wind whistled past his ears, and his figure practically became a blur - A furious torrent running through the wide and narrow streets of the city. He knew Hideyoshi was watching him, however, that fact didn’t bother him as much as the thought of his friends getting hurt.

The mana he spread faded away, and he lost track of the beast, however that didn’t matter. Kai stopped and looked around, his eyes widening upon landing on Karfi’s bar, and his heart raced upon noticing the beast had stopped right in front of it. Its invisibility remained, however, its loud, wet sniffs landed on Kai’s ears. Without hesitation, he pulled out his sword. With a light step, Kai threw caution to the wind and aimed his blade where he thought its legs were.

His eyes widened, however, as the sword hit nothing but air. The beast’s light footsteps rang in his ears, and he turned around, flabbergasted by its speed. What?! Regardless, he grit his teeth and stared at the beast’s location. Clutching the sword’s hilt with both hands, he approached it carefully. Kai almost forgot to breathe as the pressure coming off the angered beast descended upon him.

He glanced back as the bell’s soft jingle rang into his ears, and saw Karfi, Natasha, and Tausi appear from inside the bar, their expressions turning to confusion as soon as they saw him. In contrast, Onyx, who yawned lazily as he sneaked in between them, immediately went on high alert. He dashed forward and joined Kai, standing by his side as he snarled at the invisible creature.

A low growl escaped the beast, and a loud sniff rang into the air. Onyx took a step back, its yellow eyes seemingly meeting the beast’s. As they clashed, the creature’s scarlet fur once again materialized before Kai. Its brows were furrowed, and eyes were locked on to Onyx.

Suddenly, from its standing posture, it fell on all fours, its resemblance to a wolf becoming more obvious. However, unlike before when it showed itself, it didn’t growl or snarl but only stared at Onyx silently.

Countless other people gathered around the three, some from their own houses, inns, or bars, and some followed Kai and the destruction left in his wake. From up close, the beast dwarfed Kai’s stature, something he hadn’t noticed until now. It was even bigger than Onyx, from what Kai could tell, in his true form. Quickly turning his head, and glancing at the people that took care of him when he needed it most, the resolve he held within hardened. I need to protect them!

He didn’t know why the beast rushed here, nor did he care. All he knew was that he had to stand his ground until someone came to help. I really doubt I can fight it, at least not in my current state… and that Hideyoshi fella definitely won't help. That’s the city guard’s job, speaking of… there’s no way they haven’t been informed yet, right? Kai thought and took a quick look around. He saw several familiar faces - Adventurers that frequented the guild’s headquarters, some of whom were ranked a couple of notches higher than Kai.

Their expressions, a mix of fear, disgust, and amusement, twisted Kai’s stomach and made him feel like throwing up. He clicked his tongue in the end, and, just as he turned back, the beast lunged forward.

Its snake-like jaw opened wide, revealing the insides of its mouth. The razor-sharp teeth sent a shiver running down Kai’s spine. Its throat - as wide as his head - seemed ready to eat him in one gulp, and the stench coming out of it made Kai’s stomach churn.

He took a step back as he brandished his sword, trying to stall for time. Onyx backed off as well, sensing the weakness coming out of his companion’s body, however, he placed himself a couple of centimeters in front of Kai. The Obborik’s body flashed with a few gentle lights as he buffed himself silently, and waited for the enormous beast to take action.