Chapter Text
Louis looked around him, in the darkness that nearly swallowed him were a thousand hungry eyes. They watched him, waiting for him to make a move, to make a mistake. Suddenly he was on stage, but their expression remained the same. They weren’t watching the play or the other actors or him for that matter. They were watching his movements, his actions. All they wanted to see was if he would fail.
One step, two steps, swing then speak. The role of Adler was again his to assume. The lines and the movements had coalesced into his perfect role, the reaper. He would continue the motions and speeches and mock duels with empty faces for what felt like hours, yet the play would never stop, the curtains never drawn. Eventually Louis would meet the end of his rope, he had nothing left to say, no more others to duel and send back behind the stage in planned defeat.
He stood motionless on the stage, waiting for an announcement of the play’s end although he had a feeling it would never come. Seeing no other option to escape the stage and the abated eyes that stared him down, he began to walk off stage himself. As soon as he took his first step again though, he was back in the dark room, though this time only one set of eyes watched him.
He knew these eyes well, and for the longest time he considered them to be that of weakness. He knew what those eyes meant to him then and even after, but now he hadn’t the slightest idea of what they were to him. The calm, reserved eyes once meant something to him in the form of weakness, then regret and anguish. Now they meant nothing more than chaos and confusion. Louis took a step forward, into the beckoning abyss that for whatever reason called to him.
“Do you love me?” The eyes asked.
“Yes.” He responded.
“How so?” They asked again.
“What do you mean?” Louis was for whatever reason paralyzed by the question.
“I thought you wanted to be friends, but you bullied and belittled me for so long.” They told him, making the deer wince as he was reminded of how he used to despise those eyes.
“I thought so too but…” He paused.
“Now you wish to be lovers. But nobody will ever love you and you know that. The only person that came close you made cry like a heartless monster. Now no one ever will, not her, not your father, not the club or the school. And somehow you hoped that I would be any different.” The eyes receded back slightly to allow for the other eyes to come back and watch Louis.
“Please if you just let me speak! I just want to say something to you, then maybe-!” Louis called to hopeless avail.
“No, nothing for your narcissistic and greedy heart. You need to accept the truth. Everyone you meet and touch with your caustic ego will never love you, all we can do is wait to finally see you lose.”
Suddenly the darkness closed in on Louis, leaving him alone in the dark with only his ridiculers as company as nothing but a pair of floating eyes himself. Then they too shut their eyes, leaving him and the eyes from before alone again.
“Look at you now, just like us. Even you want to see yourself fail and fall apart. What need do you find to throw your life away? To spite those who rightfully hate you?” They hissed at him.
“No! I just-!”
“Silence.”
The two maintained an exchanged look for a few seconds before they also closed their eyes. Seeing how alone he was truly, Louis closed his own eyes, hoping that he too would just disappear.
Earlier That Day, 6:24 AM, Louis Office
Louis rose from his desk, his face irritated from constantly rubbing against his own fur the entire night. He turned on his small desk lamp, causing the thin pool of sweat on his desk to reflect the light back in Louis’ eyes, who because of recent events could already see it despite the darkness. He then realized that all of his clothes were sweaty, it seemed that dream was bothering him physically as much as it was mentally. Louis stood up, walking over to a side cabinet in the corner of the room to retrieve a personal rag of his that he usually only used while practicing. This time, however, the sweat had already left his body, and he would need to clean it off of something else.
I wish that I could sleep somewhere else. I wish that I could sleep in my bed.
‘No… We can’t… Not without him…’
He’s never coming back! He hates me!
‘Force him back… Something, anything… For him back…’
Louis scowled as he wiped his desk with the rag. His new instincts had a sole obsession and never ceased to make it known. Ever since a month back when his teeth fell out, he’d had a voice in his before solitary and empty head. They were annoying and persistent and sometimes would even fight with him over what he should do, all in the name of getting closer to somebody that he used to know.
Louis sat back down at his desk, pulling out from it a small mirror that Dom hat given him two years back. He inspected his appearance before giving a toothy scowl akin to that taken in a carnivore’s mugshot at himself. His fur was matted and his eyes slightly red. Lastly were of course his teeth, of which he’d developed two sharp ones that to the common eye weren’t that noticeable despite Louis’ overtly herbivore appearance. Though to Louis it was much more noticeable as he was the one who now had fangs to bear.
And he’s not here with me! He doesn’t even have to stay long; I just want to know how to live like this!
‘Don’t say that… We need him to stay with us.’
Louis groaned, feeling the air leave his lungs making him realize how empty he felt without it, like his heart had left him just like his love. He hadn’t eaten since his isolation, his only fluid intake being his own blood and that was only out of absolute necessity. Louis swore with each bite of his own wrist the more degenerative his new instincts would become over his past friend. He always had to be careful because if he ever drank too much, his instincts would take over and make stopping nearly impossible.
Suddenly Louis felt his weak heart pulse, its usually rhythmic action echoing throughout his body as it didn’t receive another. The deer clutched his chest, if he was at full strength he might’ve hurt himself or at the very least torn his shirt, however in the state Louis was in now, he was barely able inflict any damage at all. He tried to stand only to fall to his knees, his legs too shaky to stand as he began to become dizzy and lose control over his body.
‘Don’t die… We need him…’
What’s… Going… On?
‘Not enough… Blood…’
Plenty of blood… Too much blood.
‘Never enough blood… For him to love… Us.’
He hates blood.
‘He hates you.’
Louis’ body began to seize up, joints frozen and muscles tight as it felt as though another mind was pushing for dominance in his head. He tried to push out the invading force of instincts and ill thought but ultimately couldn’t destroy them as their thought was a part of him as well. His love. After a few seconds Louis would fall unconscious, spilling tears and spit onto his office’s rug next to the shattered mirror on the ground next to him.
Somewhere
“His heart stopped!”
“Give him some blood!”
“No, not yet. He had too much blood. His own.”
“His own? Is he out of his mind?”
“Just get him the herbs! Its all we can do.”
Louis heard many voices, none of which were familiar to him. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, in fact he wasn’t thinking, only there. He could hear but not process, like the entire world was a foreign language. He then felt something touch his nose, though he was too numb to really know. It could’ve just been a gust of wind and yet with his inability to properly feel or even process what he was feeling, he couldn’t tell.
“One, two, three!”
Low rumbles and chanting formed a chorus in Louis’ mind. Slowly it felt like he was actually waking up, his mind warming again and his nose twitching from a fuzzy feeling. The voices around his sung in low tones, with their numbers they could’ve easily rattled a small herbivore to death, but instead they sung to shake Louis back to life.
After a minute of steadily regaining his senses, Louis felt the feeling on his nose leave before the chorus also stopped.
“He lives!”
Cheering could be heard all around him as through the part of his skull that touched what he presumed to be the ground Louis felt the tapping of feet slightly rumble the surface he rested on. Groggily, Louis would open his eyes, looking up into the red sky above him. The clouds were thin and wisped through the crimson above. He tiredly turned his head to see many people dancing and clapping as they twirled around with him in the eye of the cheerful tornado. He then tried to turn his head to the other side only to feel a hand stop his head.
“Stop… You only hurt yourself in the long run.” A deep voice said.
“Where-?” Louis’ mouth was physically clamped down by a grey clawed hand.
“I said stop. No talking.” The hand released its grip, leaving the deer to groan instead of risking his mouth getting grabbed again.
Louis then saw the hand come back with its counterpart with a bowl of what he instantly recognized as blood. The smell, the sight, the very idea made him go crazy. He tried to move only to recoil into his shell of a body in pain as his body had stiffened greatly.
“So sad. The Father’s own son gone mad for blood.” One hand held Louis’ mouth open while the other trickled in blood slowly enough for Louis to consume it without wasting any.
After a few seconds the hands had finished their job as the bowl emptied the last drop of its original content into Louis’ mouth, which he tried his best to get down as quickly as possible. Louis then felt his body loosen and his mind ease slightly at the energy that was given to him by the vital fluid. Nearly instantly he sprang to a sitting position, allowing him to better see where he was.
The sky was a hazy red and lacked a sun or moon, but he’d already noticed that, only his new view helped him confirm what he thought. Then there was the ground itself, which he wasn’t sitting on like he thought, instead he was currently seated on a large flat rock with a few other stones scattered around it in a circular pattern. Below the rocks was the grass, which Louis could not tell if it was dying or dead. Beyond the open space that cradled him though was what appeared to be an endless forest, and yet despite its near infinite seeming nature, Louis never failed to spot a break in the decaying trees where he couldn’t see the red horizon.
“Where am I?” Louis turned his head as he asked.
A large grey wolf was assorting something in a black box next to him. The box had a red cross on it that Louis could tell had definitely been worn with the paint having been scratched off a considerable amount. He didn’t respond until he finished whatever he had been doing, shutting the box and latching it before turning to meet Louis’ eyes with a deadpan stare.
“You do not know of the realm? Did the Father never take you?” The wolf kept staring at Louis.
“The Father? Who is Father?” Louis looked around again, noticing a lack of people that his earlier awaking showed him should be close by, “And where did everyone go?”
“His children can come and go as they please. That is the privilege of our servitude.” The wolf picked up the box, turning to leave without having answered all of Louis’ questions.
“Wait! Who is Father? Where are you going?” Louis shouted, trying to stand only for vines to erupt from the ground and tie his legs to the stone he was on.
“The Father comes when he is ready, which he is always.” The wolf then sprinted into the surrounding forest, somehow disappearing behind a tree singular tree and never reappearing again.
Louis sat there, looking around at the eerie visage that his setting had provided him with. When he had done plays as Orpheus going to the underworld, he had imagined a similar places in his head as he practiced and performed. The place was reminiscent in most ways to a purgatory, but the hostile coloring sowed Louis with discontent, as if he wasn’t meant to ever be here at all, let alone for eternity.
What the hell is going on?
He tried to pull his legs free of the ensnaring vines, however he found no such luck breaking them free. He then tried to lift the vines off of him only for them to tighten drastically at his hand’s mere touch, now clenching so hard that Louis could feel his legs going numb as circulation was suddenly cut off.
“You toil for naught my child.” The trees in front of Louis began to part before a sea of sanguine mist settled into the small clearing, obscuring Louis’ vision.
“Who are you? Stay back!” Louis thrashed and kicked, however the plant around his legs still bound him all the same.
“You struggle in fear, however there is nothing for you to be afraid.” In Louis’ peripherals he swore he saw motions though the mist prevented him from properly seeing what was presumably circling him.
“Because this is clearly your domain, and I’m tied to a rock like a sacrificial lamb!”
“Pathetic. You show fear knowing that you are a vampire. Tell me, what if this was all a dream? Do you really fear your dreams?” The voice was definitely going around him as it seemed to be moving clockwise to the deer.
Louis then stopped to think of what the voice had said to him. He did fear his dreams, as now they were only about one thing. The voice seemed to notice his silence and sighed in disapproval.
“You disappoint me Louis, all this time and you still show fear at the sight of potential danger? We used to live our entire lives in potential danger, or have you simply disgraced you power by running instead of standing for yourself?” Suddenly the voice was less loud and calmer if not also more distant, and very familiar.
I know that voice…
The vines around Louis’ legs retreated back from wherever it came from in the earth and the mist rolled away, though the opening in the trees remained. Louis got up, quickly walking towards the opening as on its trail Louis could smell a familiar scent in the air. It was rich and old, and Louis personally hated it but despite that he couldn’t help but associate it with…
…Home.
Somehow through the twists and turns of the winding path that Louis set down on it led him to his father’s estate, specifically his large dining room. He was at the foot of the elongated table and sitting at the other end was none other than his father. The imposing red deer was calculated and cold-blooded at heart, his face and body reflecting it as such. He was large and artificially pristine, especially so were his horns which never ceased to completely overpower anything or anyone in a room with their elegant presence and royal size; however, his face was lacking any personal touch. His jaw was straight, and the only real thing of note were his slightly smaller eyes, as they looked as if they might have belonged to a reptile.
Or Legosi.
“Sit. We have much to discuss.” Oguma sat with his hands folded flat and level to the table in front of his face.
“What is going on father? What is the meaning of this?”
Oguma only looked at his son with the same look of contempt he always looked at Louis with. With the usual lack of affirmation, Louis conceded and sat down, trying to ignore the foreboding aura that Louis had never noticed until now. In that moment as he pulled the chair out from its tucked position from the table, Louis swore that he felt an invisible weight begin to burden his shoulders.
Is this how those servants feel around him? Like the very air he breathes is suffocating and toxic? It’s not like I’m any different than them, while speaking to him anyway.
Louis nearly fell into his chair instead of sitting in it, and yet despite hiding it well, there was never a more unfair pairing than that of a ruthless critique and a young star.
“You move as if your bones were petrified and your muscles ribbons. Did your caretakers not administer the right amount of blood?” Oguma pulled out a pen and small paper from his pocket, jotting something down in a cursive form so illegible that it would put doctors to shame.
“I’m not surprised that you were the cause behind whatever that was, however, I was in my office no more than fifteen minutes ago. I believe an explanation is much past due before I answer your question.” Louis tried to maintain the mask he’d always worn around his father; however, he found it very difficult to do without any warnings about their sudden meeting.
I usually have a few days to prepare for this.
“Do you not go to Cherryton Academy, the most prestigious school in this side of the world? Figure it out yourself, the time it takes will tell me how far behind you’ve gotten.” Oguma didn’t look up at all as he began to cross through what Louis could only perceive as scribbles on his paper.
I think I was having a heart attack or something.
‘Legosi…’
No thanks to you. Then I woke up in a strange red forest.
‘With a wolf… Not Legosi…’
Then he left and something talked to me, then I got up and somehow wandered in here.
“Listen, it’s clear to me that you are aware of the more supernatural elements of our world. Am I wrong to assume that you teleported me here?”
For how long has he been a vampire? Years? Decades? No wonder his company’s so big here, it was probably around when this city was built!
Oguma didn’t say a word, folding the paper before snapping his fingers. A near-dead looking lion rushed out from behind Oguma’s chair, swiftly taking the given note before walking towards the wall left of the table. He stared at the wood for a moment before it began to peel back, opening a person sized crevice that the large feline squeezed through. For a brief moment, Louis could see from his far angle what lay on the other side of the newly created passageway. A red glow acted as the background to crimson ferns and maroon trees before the wall sealed itself again.
“If you were more observant you might have noticed the wall so close to where you came in and yet not a door on that side of the room.” Oguma looked up to look at Louis as he waited for the young deer to check to see if the observation was true.
And as the senior deer stated, there was not a door in sight, only a window to a very different world than that which Louis came in from.
“You disappoint me Louis, you are my child and yet you know nothing about the things we have in common.”
“You bought me Oguma; you tried to mold me into a being to your liking. I am not your son nor am I like you.” Louis stood from the table, looking over at his father who only frowned at his adopted son’s attempt at dissolution from his purchased heritage.
“Yes, if you were my son, you would be much smarter. Still though, you are a vampire; I am as well. We are both deer as you can see. The only difference between us is experience and that I don’t reek of mutt.” Oguma too stood, showing his large frame as well as the fact that he wore a grey cloak that was well hidden by the table he was seated at.
“What do you mean? I could not possibly-!”
“You do. I could smell the stench of dog on you ever since you stepped tainted foot into this room.” Oguma began to slowly walk towards Louis, his eyes beginning to glow white slowly as he did. With each step, Louis saw subtle black hands reach towards him from the bottom of Oguma’s cloak, causing it to lift slightly as he moved. Louis stepped back, very aware of his father’s unusual direct hostility as opposed to more roundabout methods.
“Its just that I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me father. What do you mean that I smell like a dog?” Louis sighed as Oguma stopped moving towards him and returned to normal, seemingly once he said the word father.
“It shames me to claim you as my own son, however it is apparent that I won’t have to shoulder that burden as a vampire. Louis, did you think that I, in my years of accumulated wisdom, would not see that my son has become another vampire’s thrall?” Oguma only garnered more disappointment at the confusion on Louis’ face.
“Thrall? Am I meant to know what that is?” Louis began to worry at hearing the word.
“Yes, in fact you are. A thrall is a worker ant to another vampire’s queen. Though, as we are beings not just tied down by the will to live like some of the herbivores in our society, slave is a much more fitting term.”
A slave? To whom?
‘Who else if not… Legosi…’
“And you didn’t even realize it. Yes, I am rather thankful that I did not turn you in all the days that I could have, though maybe you would have been better off with my guidance.” Oguma began to think, a methodical look taking over his face.
“And have you indoctrinated me more? I’m thankful.” Louis remark made Oguma stare him down with his strong gaze, making the younger deer want to shrivel up and blow away, “What is this about me smelling like a dog though? I truly don’t understand.”
“It’s simple really Not all vampires are equal, they experience different changes based on the species of the vampire. In your case, I can tell that whoever bit you is of canine descent as their saliva is much more potent, so strong and long lasting that it takes a ritual to remove its scent. Thankfully only vampires can smell another vampire’s mark or else… The point is, I need to know who bit you. Can you do that?” Oguma looked down at his son who looked up with him with worry.
“Why do you need to know?” Louis’ heart began to beat faster as anxiety set in. He did not like where this conversation was going.
“Because vampires like having control, anyone who bit you must have large plans in motion to need you for them. Such vampires think that they are too smart to fail and would rather go down in a fire of their own creation than retreat to the shadows and recover.” Oguma stated.
Legosi didn’t bite me for some megalithic plan.
‘He needed us… We need him…’
“Are you implying that you’ll do something to the person that bit me?” Louis asked however he knew the answer.
“Yes. By asking that question, are you implying that I shouldn’t? Should I let you resolve such an issue? Because to me, it appears that you’ve grown too pathetic and weak-willed to stand up to your master.” Oguma raised his hand before whisking it through the air, showing Louis from the third person a sight of his office over the days, how he gave up on himself the day of his vampiric development, all through a magic veil that faded as they reached the current day.
“I did that to avoid contact with the world! I didn’t want to risk one of the hundreds of people who see me everyday to notice that I had sharper teeth!” Louis tried to explain, however Oguma only put a hand on his shoulder.
“Louis, have ever heard of Dracula syndrome?” Louis could only shake his head at his father’s question, “It is a lie, created by the legend himself. It suggests that for every couple hundred people, one will have more carnivorous features such as pointier teeth, clearer vision in the dark, and better strength. Of course, it is barely noticed on carnivores as who pays attention to their already pronounced fangs, however we herbivores also don’t need to worry as much as you did. See, our fangs don’t become much larger like the carnivores’ fangs do, sharp without a doubt but also inherently more subtle.”
Louis looked down; he knew what it was. He, however, did not have the heart to tell his father the true reason for his isolation.
“So, you’re telling me I did that for nothing?” Louis asked, trying to sell his act of immaturity.
“Yes. Unless of course, you had another reason for you to lock yourself in there for weeks on end.” Louis froze, had his father already seen through his deception?
“No, nothing else.”
“Perhaps you hid out of fear?” Oguma’s grip on his son’s shoulder tightened as his cloak began to squirm and shake from the inside, “Is the vampire that bit you powerful? Maybe it was fair for you to cower away instead of standing up to your responsibilities as the next Beastar?” Oguma leaned over Louis, trying to look into his son’s eyes who had been trying his best to avert his father’s gaze.
They stood like that for a moment before Oguma stepped back, tapping his foot underneath his cloak, causing the entire wall on the other side of the long table to breach, showing Louis again the hazy red of wherever that place was. Then, through the forest came forth many people, some of which Louis recognized as the building’s servants and employees of his father’s business. They all watched as a crocodile stepped forth holding a calendar.
“I’ll train you despite you being some other dog’s thrall. When you are ready, I will send you back to take your independence from your liege.” The calendar was busy, extremely small paragraphs filled all of the days for that month. Oguma then scratched out the current and next day with his pen.
“You’ll train me for two days so I can kill who bit me? Is that enough time?” Louis nearly gagged at the mere thought of Legosi dying, let alone by his own hands.
“I didn’t say kill, but yes. Two days should be plenty of time for you to learn, under my guidance that is.” Oguma tapped his foot again, sending the many animals back to the red forest. He then reached out his hand towards his son who looked at him before shaking it.
I’m learning magic now. This life never settles does it.
‘Only for Legosi.’
2:23 PM, Cherry Forest
Tem sat in the passenger seat of Sebun’s stationary car, Sebun herself texting who she said was one of her coworkers. Tem tried to write a poem as Sebun had instructed him to do but his hands just refused to cooperate with him. His fingers always shook and trembled and were impossible to guide, always slashing where he tries to tap and gliding when he tries to dash. Tem grunted in frustration accompanied by an annoyed sigh let out by the sheep next to him. The brief respite from both of their grievances was quickly ended by Sebun going back to her phone again, furiously tapping the phone’s screen before turning it off after a couple of seconds.
“Sorry about that Tem. My coworkers can be a pain to grab hold of. They were all meant to come here after you were healed but only two of them said they could make it and now one of those two people is calling off due to family matters so we’re just going to have to drive to the other one.” Sebun said, then waited for Tem to respond only to realize that the alpaca was completely absorbed in his efforts to right a simple poem, “It doesn’t have to be Shakespear, just a few lines will do.”
“You know that’s not my problem.” Tem bore down very hard on Sebun’s clipboard as his gathered frustration began to get to him.
“Hey, easy. Any harder and you’ll break it!” She laughed a little, but Tem only frowned.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write again.” Tem groaned; he still couldn’t get the hang of it.
“Let me help you then.” Sebun said.
Sebun climbed onto her knees in her seat so she could lean over to Tem’s side. She peered from her angle down at Tem’s sheet, markings and slashes but no words, not legible ones anyways.
Still, I think I’ve met doctors with worse handwriting. Hopefully that stupid seal’s therapy will help him gain control.
Sebun then took Tem’s wrist, pushing it to the paper. With her added touch it seemed to give Tem’s hand more stability, causing it to shake and draw out its movements less.
“How about instead of a poem we write a sentence, okay?” Sebun asked.
“Uh, yeah! Okay.” Tem blushed a little.
“The. Bed. Was. Nice. And. Comfy.” Through each word, Sebun guided Tem’s hand through the motions while trying her best not to completely do it for him, however it was just too hard to see him struggle so much for no noticeable gain.
He’s dedicated too. He tries to do everything I tell him to. If only I could fix this for him, maybe he’d be less frustrated.
“Okay, now let’s hit the road!”
Sebun climbed back into her seat normally before buckling her seatbelt with Tem doing the same. She put the keys in the ignition before checking the area around her. Once she saw that there wasn’t anything in the way, she drove through the mansion’s expansive front area and out of the gates that held it all in. The drive from the mansion to the outside of the city was about twenty minutes which gave Sebun ample time to talk to Tem on the way.
“So, Tem…” The alpaca turned his head at the sound of his name, “How’s your day been?”
“I’ve been uh…fine! Kind of wish my hands worked.” He looked down at his useless digits, each one a leech that stole blood from more important areas
“Kind of? It seems to frustrate you a lot.” She remarked, making Tem blush.
“Well, you know… It’s not all bad. I still have you to help me.” Tem awkwardly scratched his head as he tried to smile at Sebun.
“Hopefully we can fix that. We’re going to speak to one of my colleagues. He’s not from here but he’s smart enough to be. He helps with a lot of limb reattachments for herbivores, and he said that he might be able to offer you some therapy to help fix your motor skills.” Sebun then frowned.
“Is there something wrong? Did he say he wouldn’t do it anymore?” Tem asked, concerned that he’d be stuck like this for the rest of his life.
“Nope. Just that he’s ‘busy’, which means he’s probably watching Dinner or some other romance movie. Fascinated by them for some reason.” She said in an annoyed tone.
“How do you know? Are you two friends?” Tem asked, curious and with time to kill.
“We are… Were…” Sebun only frowned more as she thought about if she wanted to talk about this to her patient, “We were friends. Just colleagues now.”
“What do you mean were? If I’m not prying too much of course!” Tem laughed awkwardly after tilting his head.
“Maybe its because he’s a stranger in a strange land, maybe it’s something more but… He’s unusual. Different. I always wanted to ask him, to maybe understand but…” Sebun sighed.
“But? Did something happen?” Tem asked.
“Yes actually. A few years ago, it’s hard to remember now, he just stopped trusting me! He was convinced for some reason that there was something was wrong with me, and I couldn’t do anything to change his mind!” Sebun blurted, making Tem sit back for a moment with surprise. He hadn’t ever seen Sebun so mad before.
“That sounds awful. Are you two better now?” Tem asked, wanting to make sure he wouldn’t be walking in between a feud he wanted no part of.
“I still haven’t completely forgiven him, but he does trust me again. Still, that was a good six or seven years were he just refused to believe a word I said.” Sebun sighed, those were six or seven years of her job being significantly harder for no reason.
“That’s good.” Tem smiled, looking at Sebun as she watched the road ahead.
That felt nice. I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever ranted like that before, let alone to someone who’s actually paying attention.
Sebun briefly looked over at Tem who was still watching her with great interest, attention unwavering.
He actually cares about what I have to say. That’s rare nowadays.
“Maybe I could understand him?”
“Hmm? What do you mean? Like asking him?” Sebun reattached her eyes to the road despite desperately wanting to keep them curiously fixated on the alpaca next to her.
“I mean, you said he’s a bit different, right? I’ve talked to a lot of people that were different than me. Life’s more fun that way!” Tem told Sebun with excitement in his voice.
“Maybe your right, but different can also be difficult, dangerous even.” Sebun thought back to her previous job before she applied for her current one.
Taking the mixed train car like I had a death wish.
Sebun again looked back at Tem only to see that he had an upset face, staring down at his unuseable hands.
Oh shit, I forgot! What was I thinking?
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean-!”
“No, Its fine, you’re right. Different can be bad. I guess that I used to think that if I embraced it then it wouldn’t be.” Tem grinned though Sebun could tell it was with pain and not joy.
Neither spoke after that, both having said something that they feared might’ve been too personal for the other. Sebun was thankful to have gotten at least one less burden off of her shoulders and Tem was fine with listening to Sebun talk about herself more, as before then she would rarely talk about herself. Tem, however, felt as though he had lost a piece of himself with his own words, like the admission of what he believed to be fact still hurt him to say and recognize, like it was a dated opinion and not something he had experience with.
I don’t remember a thing about who attacked me, and those voices haven’t come back. If it weren’t for that book appearing now and then I would’ve asked Sebun for a mental evaluation.
Tem leaned on the car door as he looked out at the approaching city. It was cloudy and dark, the afternoon uncharacteristically resemblant of a blue winter morning. Unlike dim winter mornings were how the entire city was dancing with light as if it were a party or show.
That’s Cherryton. With all of its corruption and issues that plague its people, the city itself is a beautiful monument to ideal values, even if it fails to uphold them.
Tem itched the fur of his right arm, not because of irritation but instead to feel if it was there. Sebun had told him the story of how she saved him once. According to her, his left arm had been broken beyond belief and his right arm was gone completely. What was so strange to him was that as he thought about it, the more the world seemed to spin as he questioned the reality of his circumstances.
I should’ve been wheeled off to the hospital so I could live the rest of my life as an attack victim. Instead, I was placed in a mysterious machine that completely repaired my body, and now I’m on my way to fix my hands as well. And then there’s the vampires…
Sebun turned onto a busy road. Almost immediately a motorcycle that was going way faster than it should’ve been skimmed past the car. The zebra riding it only turned his head for a moment before looking in front of him again, all while Sebun was holding in her obvious urge to let loose and start complaining about things, but she didn’t.
They're real, have to be. It’s not every day that an angel comes down and tells you that you’re their weapon of choice to combat evil, I’d be amiss to not take this as a sign. Not only that but it would make sense, that book was very precise and held a lot of information, some of which lined up perfectly with some things I’ve noticed at Cherryton. Apparently, all that graffiti wasn’t just some rebellious kid but a vampire marking their territory. And the vampires that they showed me make sense too, some of them at least. Legosi has always been quiet and reserved, being a vampire is a pretty good reason. Riz was friendly but also never really got close to anyone. I always knew Bill was strong, before I thought it was because he worked out so much, maybe it was that and the fact that he drinks blood.
Tem stopped for a moment, wondering if he was willing to accept what he was about to say in his head. He’d always looked up to Louis, his charisma, his character, the fact that despite being an herbivore Louis was strong and enduring.
But those would all make sense too if he was a vampire. Still… It doesn’t feel right to say that he’s only the way he is because he’s a vampire. Louis was strong, a leader! No, it feels wrong to attribute his success to drinking blood. Surely it helped but I refuse to have idolized a person solely because of their vampiric qualities.
Tem just couldn’t pretend like Louis was evil like he was made out to believe. The more he thought, the more he began to wonder about the others as well. Of course, he’d never known what they did in their spare time, but only one of them was his killer.
Do they all need to die?
Tem, or maybe his more bloodthirsty subconscious ripped the idea out of his head as soon as he thought it. They were carnivores! Vampires to boot! They lived off of the fear and suffering of herbivores like him. There was no way he could let any of them off the hook for being such detestable fiends.
They might not all die, but they’ll never make prey of an herbivore again!
4:02 PM, Seaside Doctor’s Office
Tem watched as Sebun turned the car onto a coastal road. From their new path, they could both see a rather modern looking building surrounded by a florally decorated stone wall. Vines and flowers that to Tem at least could not contrast more with the building that they guarded.
Not like that’s protecting against burglars. Even a dedicated mouse could probably climb that wall if he really felt like it.
Sebun turned onto the path onto the property only for a low gate to block the path. Next to the car on her side was a small voice box attached to a metal rod sticking out of the ground.
“Hello, do you have an appointment or emergency?” A chipper young voice asked through the static of the communication machine.
“This is Sebun, me and the doctor are colleagues.” Sebun leaned out her window, trying to talk as clearly as she could.
“I’m sorry ma’am but I must ask that you make an appointment or else the doctor cannot-.”
“No! Go tell that seal that his responsibility is waiting at the gate! You can either go get him or I’ll bust through this gate myself!” Sebun demanded with an impatient tone, making Tem smile slightly.
She’s doing this for me.
The sound of static could be heard before indistinct chatter and finally some shuffling all through the speaker of the voice box.
“Sorry about that Sebun, I’ll let you in now.” Despite the static Tem could make out that it was a different person speaking. They seemed calmer and more matured than the previous person was.
“You’re damn right that you’re sorry.” Sebun mumbled under her breath before driving through the now parted gate.
She pulled into an empty space right before a squirrel entered her car and left. Sebun and Tem then exited their car, walking towards the entrance of the building.
Through the glass doors, Tem could make out a hulking behemoth of a man that he recognized to be a panda dressed in a olive green shirt and light brown pants. For whatever reason looking at him gave Tem the chills so he tried to focus on the person he was talking to. A seal wearing a blue undershirt and pants as well as a white coat over his shoulders stood parallel with the panda, though Tem wouldn’t be able to hear what they were talking about until he and Sebun entered.
Ring-ding-ding!
A digital bell rang over the intercom with the arrival of the two fluffy herbivores, causing the two larger animals to turn around and look at Sebun and Tem.
“Gouhin? I thought you said you had family business to deal with?” Sebun questioned, seeming kind of annoyed.
“I do Sebun, trust me. Saguan just wanted to ask me some things before I checked out for a little while.” The panda looked at the seal next to him who nodded.
“And how long will you be gone this time?” Sebun gave the large ursine a disapproving look.
“I… I can’t be certain, but it shouldn’t be more than a week.” Gouhin looked around before beginning to walk towards the doors, only to stop as he passed Tem. He turned around, leaning to inspect the alpaca with heavy scrutiny, “Sebun, is this really the patient? I know not to read off of appearance alone, but I expected more physical problems.”
“Perhaps the calculations for your machine were just that precise Doctor.” The seal smiled, though Tem could read that there was some kind of undertone to his statement.
“I don’t even want to know what you’re implying with that Gouhin. Just go, Tem’s only problem are his hands. He has difficulty controlling them.” Sebun looked at Gouhin with a suspicious, cold glare.
“Ahh, that would be my specialty. So yes Gouhin, you can go now.” Saguan said, waving him goodbye as he left the building.
Sebun too gave a little wave before turning to Tem.
“That was Gouhin, one of the two people I wanted you to see. He’s unfortunately busy as I’m sure you picked up.” Sebun then turned her head to direct Tem’s at the other animal in the room, “And this is Saguan. Hopefully he will be able to help you with your problem.”
The seal bowed before reaching out his hand towards Tem who took it and shook.
“That’s right! Apart from one part of course, there is no hope.” Saguan said, smiling at Tem.
“What do you mean? Am I too far gone?” Tem asked quickly with a worried tone.
“I know your problem very well, almost all herbivores have it to some extent after a limb detachment. Follow me.” Saguan said, making Tem sigh before worry set in again.
“I mean… I don’t doubt your capabilities it’s just… My circumstances are a bit different than your usual limb detachment and reattachment.” Tem itched his arm as he walked, something that Saguan took mental note of.
“Oh, I know. Your left arm was pulverized and your right never recovered. Sebun briefed me.” Saguan said, making Tem hang his head down as he was reminded of the pain.
Saguan felt a small jab on his side causing him to look down. It was Sebun who was looking up at him with a cold gaze.
“I also told you there’d be no reason to bring it up! Look at him, he hasn’t fully gotten over the experience yet! He may never!” Sebun whispered and gestured behind Saguan at Tem who had stopped a few paces behind him, lost in memory.
“I am not a therapist. It is not my job to take care of the patient’s emotional state, it never has been.”
“Would it kill you to just not talk about it? Everyone here already knows what happened!”
“Yes… Everyone does.”
I suppose there's no reason to delay much further then.
The seal paused, thinking about something before looking back at Tem. He pulled out a pen from his coat’s inner pocket as well as a plain white card, handing it to Tem and forcing the alpaca out of his mind.
“Here, I just want to see how you do.” Saguan said as Tem took the writing supplies. “Write the word apple.”
Sounds simple enough yet I know it’s not going to be that easy.
Tem held up the card, using his palm as a base to bear down on as he wrote. A somewhat circular shape was made before Tem tried to finish the first letter with a line on its side, only for his hand to completely rip off of the card and tear it slightly in the process.
Well, Gouhin, you made the machine from my blueprints and as it turns out, you made imperfections. Perhaps your modifications will be somewhat beneficial though. Since you nearly exaggerated the potency of the fluid, he should be able to regenerate much better and to a significantly higher degree.
Saguan looked around before snapping his fingers, and like that, Sebun and Tem were asleep.
4:59 PM, The Dark Room
Tem woke up, though he couldn’t tell through his eyes. The only way he knew he was awake was because he could hear Saguan humming to himself. Did he have a bag over his head? No, he surely would’ve felt it. Still, there had to have been something obscuring his vision. He tried to reach only to feel that his hands were bound in metal to the cold surface he was laying on. Saguan stopped his tune when he heard the small sound of wriggling behind him.
“Awake already? Did you have coffee this morning?” Saguan said. Tem could practically feel the seal’s gaze befall him.
“No, just water. What happened?” Tem asked.
“One thing at a time, otherwise we’ll get nowhere.” Tem could hear what he thought was glass clinking together as Saguan spoke, “So just water?”
“Everyday since I was young. Never liked soda, or tea for that matter.” Tem said. If it weren’t for the fact that he had a feeling the seal wouldn’t answer he’d ask why he couldn’t see or move.
“That’s very healthy of you, and also means I won’t need to tell you to drink more water. Did you know that dehydration can cause difficulties in herbivores with recently reattached limbs? Since water is a vital component in the muscle, dehydration can affect the acclamation faze of the whole reattachment process after reattaching the limb.” As Saguan explained, Tem could hear skin hitting what he assumed to be the floor. His doctor was barefoot.
“You’re not wearing any shoes.” Tem stated, hoping to keep the seal talking until his brain reminded him of something important, “Wait, where’s Sebun?”
“Very observant! I am in fact not wearing any shoes right now. I think their uncomfortable, even the ones designed for feet like mine.” Tem felt something akin to steel brush against his hand for a moment, “As for Sebun, her head his actually only three or so inches away from your own. She is, however, unlike you in the fact that she is still asleep and unrestrained.”
“I was going to ask you about that. What happened? Why can’t I see or move?” Tem tried to struggle but the cuffs around his hands were tight.
“This is my dark room, and its what makes this building unlike any of its brothers in Cherryton. You see, some carnivores are just as weak and fragile as an herbivore to real heavy hitters like bears and tigers. In some cases, animals like ferrets and mongooses find themselves needed limb reattachments, however due to their nature they are much less cooperative than herbivores. Especially when your assistants are all small herbivores. That is why I have this dark room where they can’t see and can’t move. That table you’re laying on has specially designed cuffs for each size of animal, from tiny to giant. What you’re feeling is a mere fraction of its size, I could technically operate on an elephant here if I needed to.” Saguan recited in full the fine details of their current setting.
“I doubt you’ve ever had to reattach limbs for anyone larger than yourself though.” Tem didn’t know if he could even imagine a reattachment for someone his size.
“You’d be surprised.” Saguan seemed to sigh a bit before he put his hand on Tem’s forearm, “Now I’m going to be honest with you, your circumstances are very strange, though that much you knew. I’d normally offer therapy after the initial reattachment however you never underwent that process. You simply grew a new arm for your right and essentially grew a new one for your left after all of the unusable tissue from your left had been removed. It makes my job in your treatment more exploratory and scientific one than that of a practiced professional.”
“What are you saying? Do you mean that because my arms are basically new ones that it will be harder to fix them?”
“I won’t have to fix them, their perfect. The problem lies in that they’re not your arms.”
“What? They grew out of me, right? They might not be the original ones, but they should be basically the same!”
“Yes, as a student of Cherryton I’m sure you’re aware of how your body works three times over. The problem lies with the machine, specifically the fluid that you were healing in.”
“What was so special about it? Aside from being something out of a movie, that is?”
“Hmm… How do I explain this… It’s not science. Well, it is, but its science being applied to a nonscientific thing. That fluid that you were submerged in is what Gouhin and I refer to as Vampire Extract, VE for short. Vampires exist-.”
“Actually, I know, but continue.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised; it seems like every day a new breakaway thrall comes to this island seeking to build an empire of their own. Anyways, they heal very fast. By combining their blood and saliva with a multitude of other things that would fry your brain if I listed them, I created the most powerful healing technology in the world, with the Gouhin providing the resources for me to do so. He and I, however, did not know if it had side effects, so we needed to test it. We told our boss about VE, and he told Sebun to look for someone who we could test it on, that’s you.”
“So you’re telling me that I’m actually just a lucky test subject who happened to have won the medical lottery?”
“And so much more. You see, the VE’s healing property comes directly from the vampire’s ability to heal rapidly. Vampires aren’t just magical creatures of the night; they have their own structure and changes they undergo during and after their transformation, making their body different. In other words, you have the arms of a vampire but the body of a simple person.”
“What? You mean to tell me that I’m part monster now?”
“I wasn’t done. You see, I could technically say that your entire body is that of a vampire, just in waiting.”
“You’re losing me doc.”
“Your entire body was exposed to VE and absorbed it into its system. Your cells won’t change on their own, however if they ever need to repair, they’ll create vampire cells instead of regular ones.”
“So, my body will slowly replace itself with different parts. Doesn’t that mean that I won’t have long until I’m not the same person anymore?”
“I’m not a philosopher. Now, back to why your arms don’t work. Vampires are strong, enduring, and efficient animals. Your alpaca brain can’t handle your new limbs, ready to rip and tear at moment’s notice. It’s like handing a fighter jet to someone who doesn’t have their license, it just won’t work. That is unless…”
“My entire body becomes fit to wield my arms.”
“Your willingness to propose such a drastic yet unavoidable measure make me confident that I can trust you.”
5:11 PM, Underneath The Seaside Doctor’s Office
Tem began to question his resolve as he was slowly lowered into the furnace in the center of the room.
After their talk, Saguan guided Tem out of the dark room which he was told was underneath the main building. Saguan, however, did not bring him upstairs, but down. Down a few sets of stairs until they reached a door, where for the first time in what felt like ages Tem could see. The entire way there was pitch black and when asked how he could see, all Saguan said was that he had memorized it years ago, from where his tools were in the dark room to where each step was on the way down.
The room he was in now was something straight out of a science fiction novel, bright lights and display panels illuminating the clean steel walls, floor, and ceiling. Different offshoot rooms had glass windows that allowed for Tem to see into them, all of which seemed to be cells of some sort, being completely devoid of anything except for a metal table in the middle of them. Their doors could not be described in the same light though as each one had a special symbol of some kind painted red above their handles.
In the center of the main room though was a very industrial-looking furnace which Tem was currently lowering into. The room seemed to be built around the furnace as each of its open floors curved around its base, middle, and now closed top. Tem looked up as the inside of the furnace went dark.
“I appreciate your commitment to becoming stronger, though I must warn you that you are indeed the only person to have undergone the VE treatment process, meaning that I have no idea what will happen once all of your body is replaced. You may just be a regular alpaca with a superpower, you may become a vampire outright, I simply don’t know.” Tem could hear Saguan’s very muffled voice over the room’s speaker.
A safe distance from the furnace behind a raised wall of pure steel sat Saguan at a panel that seemed to control the entire room. From the lights to the intercom, to the locks on the doors and of course, the furnace.
“And if you do become a vampire… I’ll have to kill you.” Tem lowered his head. He wouldn’t want to live on as one anyways, “Though I’d rather that than you become a superhero who can’t die because his cells replicate faster than anything could kill him. That would be miserable.”
The air began to get warmer as Saguan kept talking.
“If you’re wondering how I know you’ll survive at all, well…”
Tem closed his eyes as they began to sting from the heat.
“Let’s say that a twenty-year-old adult of your species has a healing factor of one. He breaks his arm, let’s say that it takes him seventy days to heal, that’s a thousand, six hundred and eighty hours. Now a vampire of your species breaks their arm. He has a healing factor of sixty-three, it takes him roughly twenty-six hours to heal under normal circumstances. Now say that you break your arm. Now that the VE is completely in your system, it should heal much quicker than it did back in the machine. Not only that, but Gouhin highly saturated your VE with extra blood and spit. You should know that when Gouhin decides to do something extra, he goes well beyond the extra mile.”
Tem began to involuntarily thrash and kick around as the chains he was hanging from melted onto his back, causing him to fall onto the more than scorching base of the furnace. Quickly his fur began to burn off of him into flying cinders, one of which landed directly on his eyelid, causing it to melt away. Tem would be screaming in pain if it weren’t for the fact that his vocal cords didn’t work due to all of the water in his body evaporating from the extreme heat.
“That means you actually should heal much, much faster than a vampire. By using the exact numbers for your VE solution from Gouhin, let’s call it VE-2, and the data that Sebun provided me with, I can figure out how fast you heal…”
Tem began to roll around on the floor of the furnace, legs now ablaze and the rest of his body soon followed.
“Tem… If you were to ever break your arm… The number of hours it would take would be… Oh, that lines up nicely.”
“Tem, it would take you one.”
8:28 PM, Seaside Doctor’s Office
Sebun opened her eyes to see that she was wrapped in a comfy blanket that when matched with her wool made her actually quite hot.
I’m smoldering in here, what happened?
She was seated in the waiting room; did she pass out? She stood up, tossing the blanket into her seat as she looked around. In front of her was the reception desk where the voice box outside was connected via a microphone visible through the desk’s window. To her left was the door to the rest of the building that Sebun vaguely knew. She knew that there were a few reattachment rooms for if a person came straight to the clinic instead of going to a hospital, wherein they would get their limb reattached to their body. There were also more atmospheric and comfortable therapy rooms where animals would undergo reattachment therapy to help them acclimate to whatever condition may arise after losing a regaining a limb. Then there was the patient elevator and personnel stairwell that went down into the only dark room in all of Cherryton, as far as she knew anyway.
“Where is everyone?” She asked herself.
Sebun walked over to the reception desk, peering through the glass to look at the small clock next to its solitary computer.
It’s late! What happened?
Sebun figured that she must’ve passed out, but from what? Was she really that frustrated with Saguan over Tem’s old wounds? Unable to tell, she tried to figure out where they were.
Probably in one of the therapy centers. Given how no one else is here and animals with healing or recently attached limbs aren’t allowed to drive, they’re probably using the first one.
And she was right. Through the doors and on the right was the therapy hall, and after turning there she opened the first door, revealing what was behind it. Decorating the room’s walls was a night sky blue along with a large window that would overlook the calm sea if the curtains weren’t drawn, allowing for only a little of the world’s natural light to slip in. Instead, what lit up the room was an orange lamp in the corner of the room that’s light made Sebun feel warm in the mere presence of. In another corner of the room was a soft brown chair that’s cushions seemed to melt into the person seated on them, Saguan. Then in the middle of the room facing the chair and away from Sebun was a nice earthy brown couch.
“What ha-?” Sebun was shushed by the seal who also motioned for her to close the door before pointing at the couch.
Sebun slowly walked over, noticing a mossy green rug sprawled out between the couch and Saguan’s seat. On top of it was a small table with a sheet of paper on it, and on it was written a few simple sentences though Sebun noticed that it was not in Saguan’s handwriting. The seal then pointed down, causing Sebun to look down as she now stood over the back of the couch, allowing her to see Tem who was rolled up in a bunch of the blankets, same as the one Sebun woke up with. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell quietly, and sticking out from the cocoon of blankets was on of his arms, firmly holding Saguan’s pen.
Such a moment she felt wrong to disturb but she had to ask. With the curling of her finger, Sebun silently asked for Saguan to accompany her out in the hallway. The seal reluctantly stood up, having a feeling in gut that his brain urged him to act upon.
The sound of the door gently being closed was invitation enough for Sebun to ask her first question.
"What happened, why did I fall asleep? Furthermore, why did you move me in my sleep? Why put that blanket on me when you know my wool will do just fine? What happened while I was asleep? Did you just see me pass out and figure that you should just continue the therapy while you waited for me to come to? And about that therapy process, I thought you said that it could take years to fully recover-!" Sebun's onslaught of questions was cut off by Saguan beginning to speak.
"Sebun, you have a lot of questions, I get that. I'll start off with I knocked you out." Saguan said without a hint of emotion in his voice, not guilt, not anything.
"You what? I-I wha... Why? How?"
"Sebun, when I say this, I say this as a man of science speaking to a woman science. Magic."
"Have you lost your damn mind?"
"If I did it was probably long before you became my coworker, back when it was just me, Gouhin, and the boss."
"Magic? So you're telling me that you just cured his hands with a wand or some incantation?"
"No, now let me continue. Vampires-."
"Vampires?"
"Sebun..."
"Yeah yeah."
"Vampires exist, they're magical creatures that spread their infection by biting others. Right now all you need to know is that they heal a lot faster than regular people. The machine back at the mansion, the fluid was a mixture of a lot of things though most notably vampire blood and saliva. The fluid-."
"-Was absorbed into his body on the foundational level making his cells replicate much faster than normal, though making it to where his body was essentially growing parts that weren't its own making them difficult to control."
"Yes... How did-?"
"Because I'm just as smart as you or Gouhin! How many times are you guys going to keep me in the dark on things that can or will change my life? You guys just plot to do things and invite me only to never explain the plan or why we were doing it in the first place! And that machine, it was a prototype wasn't it? In order for us to legally test on someone the government would have to send inspectors to investigate if your technology was safe and ethical, but you couldn't have that with something made from vampire blood could you? And asking me to just find someone off the street? I'm glad I found Tem when I did or else he might be carnivore food by now! You couldn't have explained even a little what I was doing? I was practically driving around the city in the dark, by myself, following some of the most vague instructions I've ever received since agreeing to work with you two!"
"I can see that you're frustrated but do please try to remain quiet, Tem is still only a door away."
"Fine, whatever. Just continue."
"Well, in order to enable Tem to use his arms, I figured that all of his body needed to become reborn through its accelerated healing process."
"Saguan... What the FUCK did you do?"
"Sebun, when I say what I'm about to say, I need you to understand that he understood the risks involved with the process as well as the tribulations of going through the pain of having his entire body... Well... Stripped down..."
"..."
"I used to hunt vampires with Gouhin. In fact, that's what our little unit was initially designed for, covert handling of vampiric occurrences in Cherryton. So, underneath this building is actually a facility that was designed to hold vampires as well as get information out of them."
"How did this facility get information out of vampires?"
"Vampires heal fast, that much I've already said. Meaning that fire-."
SMACK!
Saguan waited a bit before reaching up to his face with his left hand. It stung like a bee all over the left side of his face. He looked back a little to see the sheep in front of him. Sebun stood there, hand still raised in the air and her head tilted down so that Saguan could not see her eyes.
"You did not..."
"I did what he I thought would work, he agreed-."
"Let me get this straight. You got me to pick up a student on the brink of death, watch him through the healing process which might I add, would get us all life in prison if it weren't for our jobs being directly tied to the Sublime Beastar himself and the fact that I was sent to the middle of the woods. Then you got me to be his therapist as he was going through all kinds of hell, he had memory loss, I helped him remember, he felt anxious or angry, I was his only company. He couldn't even write his own name because of that stupid healing machine, yet there I was, none the wiser, hand over his, helping him through each letter. Then you try to delay dealing with him by saying that you're 'busy', then when I come to your office you knock me out, take him to an underground facility, AND BURN HIM ALIVE? I would have rather spent the rest of my life helping MY patient recover from nearly being EATEN ALIVE. At least he actually gives a shit about his condition! He spent all of his time trying to write even the simplest of words, trying to remember a singular detail about his attacker, and without fail he wouldn't be able to do it. Without fail he would have wasted his entire day trying to accomplish a Sisyphean task that he never would had to stress about if you didn't give him the false hope that his things would just return to normal! Every day while I would try and contact you or Gouhin, he would be sitting only a little way from me, toiling and pushing himself, destroying his mental health, so much so that I felt bad so I would help him out. All of that, just for you to get an idea in your head that you don't know will work and have no experience in and yet you did it anyway?"
"..."
Sebun quickly opened the door to the therapy room, only to see that Tem was standing at the door, awake and shaking.
"Come one Tem we're leaving!" Sebun took Tem's hand in her own before beginning to walk towards the exit, however she was stopped when the alpaca put his foot down. "Tem, what is it?"
"Should I go with you?" He asked, voice trembling, "I think I've caused enough trouble for you by now-."
"No. There's nothing wrong with you Tem, I actually think I quite enjoy your company..." Sebun started before shooting a killing glare at Saguan that made him want to jump into the ocean and never touch dry land again, "...It feels so wrong. We did all of that together only for you to be set on fire and be turned into a different person."
"..."
"I mean, I guess I shouldn't project my opinion onto you. Since you've proven yourself to be mature enough in my eyes, I'll let you decide what you want to do. Now that you're a super-vampire or whatever, I'm sure that you could get Gouhin to train you after he's done with his business. That way you might be able to find whoever killed you and bring them to justice."
Tem's hand clenched around Sebun's.
"You could also just leave and do whatever you want because of your new ability. You're also legally dead, which, knowing my boss, I could probably get fixed for you if you want to go back to school."
Saguan hung his head before walking off towards the staircase to the dark room.
"Or you could come with me I guess. I kind of just said that earlier to get you out of here. If you did that, I might be able to offer more assistance if you still need help adjusting, I know that its a lot being technically brought back from the dead. But I don't know, you seem pretty capable on your own so I doubt you'll need me any-."
Tem quickly jumped forward, nearly knocking Sebun off balance with a powerful hug. She quickly reciprocated after a moment of shock.
"Thanks Tem. I think that was my favorite option."