《BEAST》
Vol 1.1 - Prologue
The night was bitter and cold.
As the clouds began to mask the light of the moon, the cries of a woman could be heard amidst the silence of the night.
In a dimly lit bathroom, she laid in the bathtub with her legs raised along the sides.
Her naked body was pale white, her hair, gray and frail.
Sweat dripped from her forehead and her back.
Tears poured from her eyes without stopping.
Her hands gripped her large stomach.
She gripped it to the point where blood was now seeping from scratches she had just made.
A tall man wearing glasses, a stained white collared shirt, black vest and black slacks slowly walked into the room with a towel in his hand.
He knelt beside the screaming woman and pulled her hands away from her stomach as he dabbed the blood from her wounds.
¡°You¡¯re almost there, push a little harder.¡±
The woman took in a deep breath before tightening her stomach and pushing.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Her face became beat red as she began to lack oxygen.
¡°Relax and breathe again,¡± The man said.
His voice was relaxed and it seemed to help the woman greatly.
She repeated her previous actions multiple times in a cycle.
After what felt like hours of pain and suffering, silence eventually filled the room.
Only a few seconds after the quietness settled, the cries of a baby could now be heard.
The man reached into the tub and took the baby into his arms and briefly looked at it.
It was a boy and on his back, was a faint brand in the shape of a jagged tail encircling an eye.
He looked back at the woman, lying nearly lifeless in the tub.
Her body scarred, bruised and bloody.
¡°You did well Mira¡¡± the man said with a mournful voice.
With a hoarse and breathless voice, Mira responded;
¡°Take care of Jean, Klaus¡±
As the clouds began to give way to the moon again, its light shone through the small window placed above the bathtub.
The light shone directly on the body of Mira.
Her skin was now withered and her face was sunken.
The frail gray hair was no longer there, and her eyes had rolled back behind her head.
Klaus now cradled the baby in one arm as the other reached for a blade holstered to the back of his waist.
¡°Don¡¯t worry Mira¡ I will,¡±
As Klaus responded, the once lifeless body in the tub, suddenly began to shake uncontrollably.
The skin ripped and the limbs stretched, blood seeping from the tears.
The hair grew back, white as snow, yet coarse and thick.
Her hands elongated and her nails began to sharpen.
The sounds of bones snapping and cracking to joints and muscles popping and deforming, overpowered the crying baby.
Mira was no longer a woman, but a hairy white creature resembling a dog.
Klaus quietly pulled out a blade and brought it up to meet the beasts neck.
Without moving anything but the one arm, he shifted his hand and the blade grew in length.
And with one clean slice, the head of the beast fell into the tub.
Vol 1.2 - Youthless
In the sweltering summer of the European countryside, the sound of cicadas and the river flowing could be heard.
Among the noises, was the heavy breathing of a teenage boy.
Despite his relatively young age, under his basketball shorts and t-shirt, he was fairly well built and toned.
His short dark brown hair was pulled back by the air and wet with sweat.
He stood still looking down into the river flowing through the valley.
¡°Hey, Jean! Slow down will ya?!¡±
The boy, Jean, turned to face the direction of the voice.
Jogging towards him was a group of teenagers, similar in age.
Jean took a sip from his water bottle as he waved at them.
¡°Sorry, I just started jogging, and before I knew it, I ended up pretty far ahead,¡±
The boy who had been at the front of the group behind Jean leaned on Jean''s shoulders before looking at him with a face of exhaustion and agony.
¡°You were just jogging, and you ended up five miles ahead of us!?¡±
Jean gave him an apologetic smile as he responded;
¡°Sorry Joel, I¡¯ll slow down,¡±
Joel eventually pushed himself off Jean''s shoulder and gave him a hard smack on the back.
Jean, caught off guard, tripped forward a bit, but caught himself before falling.
¡°Seriously, we keep telling you to participate in the track meets. If you did, maybe we¡¯d actually win something every once in a while,¡± Joel said with a hint of despair.
A girl with long dark hair, tied in a ponytail, stepped out from the back of the group and joined the conversation;
¡°Joel¡¯s right Jean! A lot of us are graduating this year, and honestly, I don¡¯t want to graduate and say that I was part of a sports team that never won anything!¡±
Jean let out a laugh as he said;
¡°Sorry Liz, but you know I don¡¯t like standing out,¡±
¡°Agh! Well, do whatever you want! Just know that I¡¯ll never forgive you if you don¡¯t participate in at least one event before the season ends!¡±
The rest of the group laughed at Joel''s lackluster scolding of Jean.
Eventually, Joel rallied everyone and together, with Jean, they jogged back towards the school.
Back at the school, Jean quickly took a shower in the boy¡¯s locker room and got dressed.
As he left the room, he pulled out his phone to check the time.
4:30¡
He put his phone back in his pocket and began walking towards the gates of the school.
Jean walked along a cement path for about fifteen minutes before coming across a set of stairs going down into the valley.
He took the stairs and found himself in a small town.
There were tons of people who had just finished work and were beginning to head home.
The produce stands and stalls remained open and the convenience stores neon open signs remained bright.
Jean walked past all the shops and people and eventually found himself in a cul-de-sac.
He stopped in front of a white house and shuffled around in his bag for keys.
After finding them, he opened the front door to the house and walked in.
From the kitchen, he heard a gravely, yet warm and welcoming voice.
¡°Welcome back Jean, how was track?¡±
A man around the age of 56, with short graying hair and an equally graying beard, peaked his head into the entryway of the house.
Jean took his shoes off as he responded;
¡°It was fine Klaus,¡±
The man, Klaus, laughed.
¡°You know you really ought to go to one of those track meets,¡±
Jean dropped his bags on the table in the kitchen.
The aromatic smell of basil and oregano filled the room.
¡°I told you, I don¡¯t like standing out.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
¡°So, you¡¯re confident that you¡¯d win all the events?¡±
Jean took a seat at the kitchen table and stretched his arms.
¡°No, I mean, it¡¯s just that I end up running ahead of my teammates all the time even when I¡¯m just jogging. If I were to run in an event, wouldn¡¯t that make me stand out even more?¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t you want to stand out? Isn¡¯t it a good thing to be fast in a sport like track?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess, I just feel weird when I compare myself to others,¡±
Klaus turned off the stove and let out an exaggerated laugh.
¡°The worries of a teenage boy! You shouldn¡¯t feel like you need to hide yourself. Sometimes, people need some motivation to get things rolling again. And from the looks of it, your school''s team definitely needs something like that.¡±
¡°I just don¡¯t want them to hate me or anything,¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t raise you to be cocky. If you¡¯re honest with them and considerate, they won¡¯t have a reason to hate you,¡±
Jean let out a brief sigh before cracking a smile.
¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡±
¡°So, are you going to run in an event?¡±
¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±
The two of them smiled at each other as Klaus began pouring soup into bowls.
¡°Ah! Go wash your hands!¡± Klaus yelled as Jean was about to start eating his food.
¡°Oh! My bad,¡±
Jean quickly got up and rushed to get washed.
Klaus had a wry smile on his face as he pushed up his glasses.
As Klaus sat there he couldn¡¯t help but think;
I hope he can continue to live like this.
The next day, after classes had finished, Jean made his way towards the track field.
As he made his way there, he noticed the stands were full of people.
Both people he knew and those who were strangers.
On the side of the track, stood his teammates who were stretching and preparing to run.
Joel, turned his shaved head to see Jean walking down onto the track.
A huge smile grew on his face as he placed his water bottle down on a nearby bench.
¡°You came!¡±
Joel stretched his arms and legs as Jean made his way over to the rest of the team.
Jean smiled and gave Joel a couple of pats on the back.
¡°I can¡¯t have you being angry at me for ruining your last year of track!¡±
¡°You know! You¡¯re actually a really great guy Jean!¡± Joel said with enthusiasm.
From behind the two of them, a girls voice called out;
¡°Look who decided to finally show up,¡±
Jean turned around to see who it was;
¡°I decided that I wouldn¡¯t let you guy¡¯s down this time,¡± Jean replied.
Elizabeth, or Liz as Jean would say, had her long and silky dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing the track teams tank-top jersey and some black running shorts. Her skin was reasonably tanned. Many of the boys'' eyes unconsciously wandered to her hourglass-like figure as her clothes stuck closely to her body. Her long legs and above-average breasts made her a popular topic amongst the boys in the school.
She snapped back up from a brief stretch and gave a supportive smile and a thumbs up to Jean.
¡°Don¡¯t disappoint us, Jean!¡±
Jean, Liz, and Joel eventually made their way to their respective events as the crowd began chanting in preparation for the first event.
*****
Jean stretched his legs as he stood in his lane on the track.
There were five other lanes next to him spread out in front and behind him.
The other five contestants were all tall and well built.
Joel was standing in the inside lane of the track.
Two lanes separated them.
As Jean was stretching and breathing, the announcer began to speak!
¡°Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the track meet between Garden Groves Highschool and Cornett Highschool! We¡¯re starting the day off with the 100-meter dash.¡±
As the announcement continued, the starter walked to the sidelines of the track and prepared to signal the start of the race.
¡°Runner¡¯s take your mark!¡±
All the runners including Jean got down and tucked themselves into the starting position.
A few seconds after, the starting gun went off with bang!
Immediately, Jean pushed off the block with all his might and began running forward.
Jean had his eyes closed during the start and after only a brief second after, he opened his eyes to see that he was already ahead of everybody else.
¡°What a display of speed right from the get-go!¡± the announcer shouted.
Jean instinctively started to slow his pace a little bit while still maintaining his position.
He looked back to see Joel, who was three positions behind him.
After slowing his pace, the two runners directly behind Jean began to close the gap slowly.
Jean faced forward once more and steadied his pace, keeping in mind the distance between him and the runner behind him.
I¡¯ll make this runner exhaust himself as we reach the finish line and then I¡¯ll make a break for it!
Jean hatched a plan and put it into action.
He increased his speed a little.
Enough to provoke the runner behind him to start exerting more energy to keep up.
Jean peeked behind him to see the runner behind sweating and breathing harder than before.
Jean¡¯s plan was working.
Moving his attention back in front of him, he increased his speed a little more, and by then, the runner who was on Jean¡¯s tail had fallen back behind Joel.
Seeing this, Joel began to get excited and picked up the pace for the last stretch of the race.
Through some smart thinking and maneuvering, Joel now ended up right behind Jean as the two of them neared the finish line.
Jean looked back to meet Joel eye-to-eye, and they both smiled at each other.
As the two of them were about to cross the finish line, screams echoed from the crowds.
Confused Jean looked into the crowd and noticed looks of panic amongst the spectators.
He turned his head behind him once more and saw that Joel was no longer there.
Jean immediately stopped himself from running.
He scanned the area and noticed a cloud of dust and dirt in the middle of the field.
The color in Jean¡¯s face sank away, and his eyes began to shake uncontrollably.
His vision was getting unstable as he tracked a trail of blood from the track lanes to the field itself.
As the dust and dirt settled, he saw a large hairy bat-like creature hunched over a body.
The more Jean looked, the more he realized.
The body was squashed to a pulp, and its guts were spread out across the grass.
Yet the bodies face remained untouched.
Tears began to well up in Jean¡¯s eye¡¯s as he remained unable to move.
¡°JOEL!¡±
Vol 1.3 - Breaking Through
There was chaos erupting all around the field. Yet the creature standing on Joel¡¯s crushed body remained still, simply turning its head in impossible directions to survey the area around it.
The creature raised its wings as it leaped off the pool of blood. As it moved, the gusts of wind produced by its wings kicked up more dirt.
This time however, the creature continued to flap its wings even after landing.
Jean noticed this, yet he still failed to find the will to move his legs, let alone his body.
Fuck, fuck, fuck¡.
The creature swirled the wings in a way that managed to gather bits of wind and dirt and trap it in a fleshy opening between its chest. It pulsated and widened with each alternating beat of the wings.
After a moment, the creature stopped moving and tilted its head in the direction of Jean.
Jean couldn¡¯t help but make eye-contact with it.
The grotesque features and jet-black fur of the creature was off putting to the point where Jean no longer had words to spare.
The large bat-like creatures¡¯ eyes rolled back behind its head as the bones in the wings snapped and popped.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
In an instant, the back of the creature had become its front.
The head flipped upright in unison with the bodies transformation and the blood-red eyes rolled downwards to come face-to-face with Jean.
Heavy breathing and the gurgles of the creature filled Jeans ears.
What the fuck is this thing!?
This can¡¯t be happening!
Fucking move!
A million thoughts were rushing through Jeans brain yet, he found himself utterly paralyzed.
The creature got down onto its arms and stomped towards Jean.
Tears were now cascading down Jeans face.
Yet, as if time stopped, Jean looked past the creature that was approaching him to see the crowds of people scrambling in the distance.
I just need to move!
Anywhere is better than here!
Jean caught a glimpse of Joel¡¯s body once more.
I¡¯m sorry Joel...
Eventually, Jean brought himself to start moving his body.
He could confidently move his arms, yet his legs were still frozen in place.
Out of frustration, Jean began to slam his fist against his legs, hoping that it would get them moving.
As the creature got closer, Jean¡¯s began to slam his fists more viciously. Constantly, looking back and forth between his legs and the approaching creature.
Sweat, tears and mucus covering his face, his eye¡¯s scrunched up in a momentary fit of anger and self-loathing.
No longer able to contain his frustration, Jean screamed.
¡°MOVE GOD DAMMIT!¡±
His fists came crashing down onto his knee with a force, that even Jean himself couldn¡¯t comprehend.
Crack
With a jolt, his right knee snapped.
Jean screamed out in pain.
However, despite the pain, the adrenaline that had been building up allowed him to push through it.
Movement, albeit staggered, came back to his legs and immediately Jean began running in the opposite direction.
Vol 1.4 - Crashing In
Like a sea of humans, hundreds of people; students, parents, and teachers were sprinting through the school gates. Frustrated yelling and cries of terror filled the air.
There were countless people being shoved to the ground and stomped over in the chaos. Those who were injured in the stampede were stuck on the floor. Many of them were bleeding from the injuries and others were drowning in the pain of broken bones.
Far behind the commotion, Jean was limping his way towards the front gate.
But, not far behind him was the lumbering creature hulking towards him.
Jean¡¯s aptitude for track and the high levels of adrenaline allowed him to move at a quick rate, despite his current disability. This, however, didn¡¯t stop the creature from slowly gaining on him.
Jean constantly looked back to gauge the distance between him and the large bat-like beast.
As Jean got near the gates, the people immediately began to feel the ground shake below them. Looking back to see both Jean and the creature, their state of panic only grew. Their screams and cries grew louder and their actions more lawless. Each individual fending for their own life, purposeful violence grew within the crowd.
Both men and women were attacking one another in hopes to get past the gates that much sooner.
Jean immediately saw the commotion.
Despite the situation, Jean couldn¡¯t help but blame himself for the situation getting worse.
Something in Jean¡¯s brain signaled his legs to change directions and run into the school building.
As he was limping, he leaned over to pick up a rock that was about the size of a baseball.
He looked back once more and saw the creature was nearing arms-reach.
Why the fuck am I doing this?
His mind was filled with doubt and confusion as to his own actions, yet his body was moving on its own at this point.
Shifting the direction of his movement, Jean broke out into a sprint towards one of the open windows on the school building.
Upon nearing the window, he jumped off his left leg and leapt in through the window in a diving motion, with his intention being to roll to break his fall.
However, the moment his right knee met the hard surface of the floor, it gave out and slipped from underneath him. The impact caused Jean to fall onto his side as he slid across the vinyl floor and hit the lockers lining the wall.
Shoving the pain aside, he got up using the lockers as a support.
Jean looked out the window he had jumped through, only to see the beasts large body about to crash into the building.
Why the hell is it only following me!?
What followed was a loud crash, followed by the sound glass breaking and large pieces of debris hitting the floor.
Jean opened his eyes as he found himself on the floor once more. Jean seemed surprised that he had leapt out of the way in time.
The beast stood tall on its two hind legs, casting its massive shadow over Jean. It shook off the large pieces of debris and dust lingering on its back before dropping back down onto its fours. The sheer weight of the creature¡¯s arms crashing onto the floor, shook the ground around Jean and kicked up some more dust.
With the dust gradually growing thicker from the impact, Jean took that moment to frantically crawl towards the staircase.
The creature¡¯s pace had slowed down significantly for some reason as it stood still waiting for the dust to clear. Jean picked himself up, continuing to grab his right leg and made his way towards the staircase.
Jean¡¯s clothin was torn up and his face was covered in sweat and blood. As he hectically made his way up the stairs, the situation that Jean found himself in was causing his brain to move at the speed of light. With a million thoughts running through his head, there was one that held him more than any other.
I¡¯m going to die here¡
Upon reaching the second floor, he leaned up against a pillar facing the window. With his staggered breath, he briefly closed his eyes.
Memories of his years in track flooded in. Even though, he didn''t show it a lot of the time, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he considered the people around him close friends.
Jean¡¯s moment of nostalgia was immediately interrupted as the sound of the creature thumping about echoed through the empty halls of the building. His short rest allowed for his body to catch up to the damage that had been inflicted.
The adrenaline was no longer coursing through him and the severity of the damage became clear to Jean as he was overloaded with pain the instant he attempted to move again.
Immediately, Jean¡¯s hand went to cover his mouth to prevent the inevitable cry of agony. The pain resonating throughout his body shocking every nerve.
He slid down the pillar he was leaning against and laid down on the ground. He slightly turned his head towards the window he was facing.
The sun was still shining brightly, peeking through the branches and the leaves of the tree¡¯s that he saw every day. In that moment, Jean felt a warmth he had never experienced before. His eyes grew heavier and his vision blurrier with each passing second. Soon, the sun was piercing through his own eyelashes blinding him with hazy colors.
With his consciousness fading away ever so slightly, he fell into a dreamlike state.
***This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
***
¡°Don¡¯t let us down Jean!¡±
Joel¡¯s voice echoed in the dark and empty void of Jean¡¯s dream.
¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t let that happen. Not this time¡¡±
Jean scoffed at the meaningless promise he felt he had made to Joel and the team.
I¡¯m sorry for letting you down¡
I¡¯m sorry you had to go¡
Feelings of guilt filled Jean¡¯s mind.
Why did this have to happen today?
Was it my fault?
Jean began to cry.
¡°Do you think your friend would be happy to know that you ran away again?¡±
A deep and almost guttural voice filled Jean¡¯s head.
¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡±
The menacing voice, grew louder.
¡°You¡¯ve run away your whole life, thinking you were doing everyone a favor. Hiding your potential, fearing it as though you¡¯re not something more than ordinary.¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
The voice let out a raspy cackle before speaking quietly.
¡°If you had only let it out sooner, your friend might still be breathing. You let them down again¡¡±
There was no sympathy in the voice. It was simply mocking Jean.
Jean looked up in his vision to see a silhouette of Klaus standing before him.
¡°You shouldn¡¯t feel like you need to hide yourself. Sometimes, people need some motivation to get things rolling again¡±
Jean couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was his own brain giving him motivation. But, no matter what he was hearing, he sensed a truth to it. Jean had always wondered, why he had always felt disconnected from everyone else. He himself, knew that he was attempting to suppress whatever it was inside of him.
Yet here it was, something¡
The voice in the back of his head driving him to break free.
Jean paused for a moment. Then breathed in;
¡°I¡¯m not going to die here¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m not letting anyone down this time¡¡±
***
***
Jean¡¯s eyes shot open as if being shocked back to life. A feeling of invigoration filled his body. The pain began to rapidly subside to the point where Jean could move his arms and legs freely.
He himself couldn¡¯t make sense of such a sudden miraculous recovery and to a certain extent, Jean found himself terrified of what had just occurred. But none of that mattered now.
He looked down at his arms to see the cuts and bruises had disappeared. He reached down and felt his legs to find that they were completely fine. The recovery not only repaired him physically, but Jean found himself with an improved mental fortitude.
His fears were washed away and what took its place was rage. A rage that Jean had never felt before in his life.
Once again, the sound of the large bat-like beast thrashing about the first floor carried its way to Jean. He was no longer paralyzed by the sounds or thoughts of the beast. Jean simply took note of how far away the sound was before moving.
Upon looking down at his arms once more, he had noticed that he was still holding the rock from before. He brought his arm up and gave the rock a light toss into the air.
This feels lighter than it did before¡
A lot lighter.
As the rock landed back into Jean¡¯s hand, the noise from the creature stopped.
Jean stood in the middle of the hall in near silence. The muffled sounds of screaming people and the blaring chirping of cicadas were the only noises filling the silence.
The muscles in Jean¡¯s body tensed up and his breathing slowed. He listened carefully for the beast.
Below!
Jean¡¯s eyes darted to the ground below him as the sounds of cracking floorboards had just barely begun. Instantly, Jean leapt forward as the floor collapsed from below him.
Jean rolled into his fall and stood right back up to face the massive hole in the floor. He slowly took steps backwards, moving ever so cautiously. His eyes focused on the movement of dust that had drifted up.
The dust was blasted away as two massive black hands gripped the sides of the hole. The creature slightly beat its wings and raised itself into the hallway of the second floor. The creatures face contorted as its nostrils flared. Its mouth lined with sharp blood-stained teeth.
It took a step forward as the vertical flesh-like gap between its chest pulsated.
Jean stared into the creature¡¯s eyes with immense ferocity. The grip on the rock tightened with each step he took.
Eventually, Jean stopped moving. The distance between him and the creature was a good eighteen meters. The creature continued to lumber towards Jean without hesitation.
Jean positioned his foot beside one another vertically, as he took a pitcher¡¯s stance. The left side of his body faced the creature directly. With rock in hand, he wound back his arm as his left leg reached to take a massive step forward.
As his left foot hit the floor, his body followed through, dropping down low, in-line with his left leg. His right arm, filled with tension, flung forward viciously, as if his arm would come flying off. His right arm snapped straight out, releasing the rock.
After the rock left Jean¡¯s hand, there was a split second of deafening silence as if the rock had cut through the all of the air surrounding them. Then instantly, the windows lining the halls shattered and a blast of wind trailed behind the rock as it was propelled towards the creature.
Less than a second had passed, before the area in which the creature was standing was drenched with blood. The impact had caused the blood to splatter onto the walls, ceilings and windows.
There was no sign of the creature¡¯s head or neck. What was left, was a bulky headless body stained with its own blood.
Jean found himself in awe of what had just occurred. He looked down at his hands in amazement.
Rather than questions, the feeling of surprise filled Jean¡¯s head. But, his sense of wonder and accomplishment was cut short as the headless body began to contort.
The hairy, jet-black skin on the bodies left shoulder began to bubble as a repulsive face grew out from beneath it. The face maintained the same bat-like structure, yet was devoid of any skin or hair. It was simply a face of meat.
Jean found himself not knowing what to do and before he could think of anything, the creature unfurled its wings and arched its shoulders back. As the chest became more exposed, the fleshy gape opened up to reveal a pulsating tube.
A blast of wind shot out from within the tube and hit Jean in the stomach. The impact felt as if he was getting hit by a truck going at full speed. His body flung backwards, and as if he had no control over it, rag dolled against the floor before hitting and nearly shattering a wall.
The creature stomped forward towards Jean¡¯s lifeless body, drooling, and anticipating a feast. The closer it got, the more frantic the creature began to act. Almost as if it was dancing with joy.
However, the creature¡¯s celebration was cut short as it noticed one of its arms fly off, followed by the whining noise of a sharp blade cutting through the air.
By nature, the creature looked in the direction of the blade. It was extremely long. Much longer than any blade should be. And the one wielding the weapon landed into the upper corner of the wall that Jean had hit.
The man used the impact of the landing to squat into the corner and leap off of it with rapid momentum. Dragging the lengthy sword behind him, the man, still airborne, flung himself towards the creature.
The creature reared back it¡¯s remaining arm in an attempt to swing at the man. However, the attempt failed as the man kicked off the wall beside him, changing his course of flight. In the midst of the man¡¯s alteration, he twisted his body diagonally and spun towards the floor. As he reached the floor, the blade curved along the walls and the ceiling, only to finally come down and cut the entirety of the beast in half. Before hitting the floor, the man used his free hand to catch himself and land back on his two feet.
The blade quietly sunk back to its normal size and the man turned around to face what he had assumed was an unconscious Jean.
On the contrary, Jean was now sitting up, to get a clear view of an old man wearing a button up shirt, suspenders, and black slacks.
¡°Klaus?¡±
Klaus, his caretaker, could only give Jean a wry smile.
Vol 1.5 - In Time
In the afternoon heat, Klaus sat on the back porch of his small and cozy home. With a book in his left hand, he reached for the iced coffee resting on a small patio table.
After taking a short sip of his drink, he placed it back down and returned his focus to his book.
It was a story he had read many times before. One that he¡¯s heard since his childhood. One that had stuck with him to this day.
It was about a young boy who wandered in an empty universe. He had all the food and water he needed, as well as knowledge that went beyond the stars. Yet the one crucial thing he lacked was human emotion. Alone in the world, experiencing wonders and sights with nobody to share it with. However, one fateful day, the universe spoke to him.
¡°Why do you feel so lonely?¡±
The boy would turn his face away.
¡°Of all the knowledge that I have, all the things I¡¯ve seen, I still do not know why it is that I feel so alone,¡±
The universe replied in her melodic voice.
¡°That knowledge is the key to your heartache. If you cannot find humans, create them,¡±
Using the wisdom of the universe, the boy did it.
He had created man. Filled with all the different memories, experiences and desires he had. Each a little different.
But, some of those desires were evil. And the powers of evil manifested in the humans were born with those desires. Thus, evil became a part of the world, plunging it into darkness. As their powers grew, their bodies became twisted into something that was no longer man.
But then, a bright blinding light illuminated half of the world. The power of justice and all that is right fought back against the evil. Although their battle ended in a draw, as a result, they created an eternal balance of light and dark.
The light must protect the weak from the darkness of evil. And evil must cleanse the weak to allow for the rise of the strong.
If only it actually happened that way¡
Klaus closed the book and tossed it onto the patio table.
With the cover of ¡°How to Tell Your Kid¡¯s About Beasts¡± spread out on the table and Klaus leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, the soundscape of summer filled the air.
*****
Brrrr-iiiii-ng Brrrr-iiiii-ng!!!
Klaus jolted awake at the sound.
He briefly took a moment to rub his eyes and check the time on his watch.
3:55 already!?
Klaus heaved out a groan as he got up from the patio chair.
He walked slowly through the sliding glass door, back into the house.
Grabbing the pack of cigarettes from the counter, he flared his zippo open and lit a cigarette, taking a puff before answering the phone.
Exhaling the smoke, he answered;
¡°Hello, Klaus here,¡±
The voice on the other end, seemed in a panic.
¡°Klaus, it¡¯s Ellie, there is a code 4 situation, headed in your direction!¡±
Hearing this, Klaus clenched his teeth, breaking the filter of the cigarette.
As the cigarette hit the floor, beads of sweat formed along Klaus¡¯ forehead.
He took a second to recompose himself before answering.
¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Klaus asked with a calm voice.
¡°We didn¡¯t catch the shift in time. It managed to get away before we could take it down. It¡¯s already pushed pass the boundary line of the subject! You know who it¡¯s going for, so get your ass over there now!¡±
Klaus dropped the phone and ran into the basement of the house.
Behind an obscure secret door, was a room filled with books, notes, weapons, and a variety of strange liquids. It was dimly lit and emitted a dark red hue.
Klaus approached a vault that sat alongside the wall with multiple weapons hanging on display stands.
He opened the vault and grabbed a small sheathed sword and buckled it to his waist. He quickly closed the vault and went to the table to grab a bottle of pills.
He popped it open and out came a small red pill.
Klaus took one and threw it into his mouth as he placed the rest of the pills back down on the table.
He swallowed the pill as he momentarily stretched his arms.
After a few moments, he slowly opened his eyes.
Almost as if his eyes were dissolving, his dark brown eyes turned ruby red.
He shook his head as though he was reorienting himself before walking back up to the first floor.
Upon leaving through the front door, Klaus stood still and jumped.
In the blink of an eye, leaving only shadow of himself behind, Klaus was soaring through the air. Jumping from build to building at speeds faster than the naked eye could see.
As Klaus neared the front gate of the school, he could hear the crowds of screaming and the rumbling footsteps of people running away.
Klaus bit his lip as he leapt off the closest chimney onto another roof.
Shit! Why did this have to happen now!
Klaus unsheathed his blade as he neared the school.
He gripped the handle of the small silver blade with his sweaty hands.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Klaus reached into his pockets out and pulled out a small transmitter and placed it into his ear.
¡°What¡¯s the ETA on your arrival?¡±
There was a brief moment of radio static before the same female voice from before chimed in.
¡°We¡¯re sending two more hunters, an evac team as well as a damage control specialist. They were deployed right after calling you! It¡¯s a ten-minute ETA before their arrival. Stall the beast Klaus!¡±
Klaus grunted as his knees bent on the landing.
Feeling his leg about to give out, he dove into a roll before the weight of the impact broke his bones.
He looked up from his kneeled position.
The school was directly in front of him.
There was nothing but chaos erupting before him. People were struggling to climb over each other to get past the front gate. Klaus scanned the ground as well as the building.
His eyes passed the second floor window, only for it to shoot back to see two figures in the hallway.
Jean!
Klaus could see that Jean was backing up slowly and was holding something in his hand.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Klaus found himself anticipating Jean¡¯s next course of action.
As Klaus watched intently, Jean finally stopped before taking an outstretched step forward and flinging the rock at the beast.
For a moment, Klaus assumed nothing had happened.
But, before he was able to get up completely, the glass lining the hallway shattered as blast of wind came crashing out from within the building.
Klaus¡¯s body immediately froze as he investigated the hallway to see it splattered with dark red gore. His eyes immediately shifted back towards Jean who was standing still.
¡°JEAN! RUN!¡± Klaus screamed.
But it was a meaningless effort. He was still too far from him.
Finally, realizing that he had been neglecting his task, he gripped the sword tightly once more and leapt towards the windows with lightning speed.
As his body flung into the building, he grazed his left hand across the base of the blade, causing large drops of blood to coat the edge of the blade.
Suddenly, the blade juttedforward becoming long enough to potentially slice the whole building in half. With Klaus¡¯s body being flung forward, he slashed at the beast¡¯s arm.
The severed arm flung itself in the opposite direction of the slash with a heavy force.
Catching himself in the upper corner of the hallway, he sprang up his legs and hurled himself into the creature, spinning momentarily in the process to reposition, and swung the blade into the flesh of the creature, splitting its body in two.
Klaus looked back to see a barely conscious Jean murmur his name before passing out on the floor.
Klaus gave Jean a wry smile before darting his attention back to the beast before him.
The beast¡¯s body, which had been split in two caught itself with tendril like strands of dark ooze. Melding together once more, the beast¡¯s hulking figure loomed over Klaus. By now, his blade had sunk back into its initial size.
Immediately, Klaus reacted dashing forward towards the beast once more with his blade at the ready. Planning to pierce the beast, he pressed forward with the sword close to his side.
The beast used it¡¯s one remaining arm to hurl out a heavy punch. Seeing this, Klaus pushed his body forward more and dove underneath the swing while still maintaining his momentum. However, his evasion was short lived, as the beast managed to recover quickly and kicked one of its leg¡¯s out, connecting directly with Klaus'' chest.
The weight of the kick coupled with Klaus¡¯ speed made the impact that much harder as his momentum was shifted backwards. His body jerked in the opposite direction, catapulting him across the hallway into the same wall Jean had crashed into.
Klaus coughed up blood before wiping it off with the sleeve of his white shirt. His slicked back gray hair was no longer sitting in its pristine condition. His hair was disheveled with strands hanging over his eyes.
The transmitter in his ear let out another moment of static before, Ellie¡¯s voice could be heard again.
¡°How¡¯re you holding up old man?¡±
Using his knees as a support, he pulled himself back up as the beast stretched its arms and wings.
¡°To be honest, I¡¯m clearly not as young as I used to be. So, how about you hurry up with that support,¡± Klaus replied with a strained yet sarcastic tone.
¡°Well lucky you because they¡¯re on site!¡±
Instantaneously, three silhouettes blocked the sun as three chain blades came flying towards the beast.
The rattling coils of metal wrapped itself around the body of the beast. The three figures yanked on the chain in unison, managing to pull themselves into the hallway while tightening the chains.As the chain¡¯s scratched against the skin of the beast, the jet-black hairs began to grow lighter in color.
The three figures then took a short leap back before tugging the chain once more. The beast screamed with rage as it became immobilized.
The three figures all twisted the handle of the chain causing hundreds of small thorn like blades to line the chain-links that bound the beast. The serrated edges of the small blades dug into the creature¡¯s skin, shredding it apart. The figures then took one step back before yanking on the chain once more.
The chain¡¯s burrowed further into the beasts flesh and as the final tug was given, the beast was no longer black but was blanketed in white fur as it found its own flesh being torn from the inside out.The beast finally let out a meek wail before the chains finally converged in the center and dismembered the entirety of the beast.
What was left in the place of the beast was a pulsing bead surrounded by pure white hairs. One of the figures, who had pitch-black hair adjusted his glasses before approaching the bead. He tucked the sides of his khaki colored trench coat behind his arms and sides to prevent it from becoming dirtied.
He reached out and grabbed the bead and placed it in a small metal container.
The other two figures retracted the chain¡¯s back into the circular handle as they approached Klaus.
The two helped Klaus readjust himself.
Klaus dusted off his pants and attempted to slick back his hair as he spoke.
¡°Thanks for the assist. Those pills don¡¯t work as well as they used to,¡±
The figure on the right, lowered his white face-mask to reveal a young and clear-skinned man. The hood of his white sweater hung over the collar of his dark blue trench coat. His dark denim jeans clung to his legs as he tapped the tip of one of his white sneakers against the floor.
¡°Well, glad that the pill worked long enough for you to hold the beast off.¡±
His voice was sharp and had a surprising clarity to it.
As he was talking to Klaus, the other figure dropped the hood on their oversized coat to reveal a girl who looked to be no older than sixteen. Her muted blonde pigtails were held together by two small crimson ties. She adjusted her large round glasses while taking off her black overcoat.
Underneath the overcoat, her oversized black hoodie hung over her shorts. Upon first glance, people would assume that her sweater was a dress.
¡°Are you okay Klaus?¡±
Her smooth yet monotone voice carried its way towards Klaus.
Klaus popped his shoulder as he responded;
¡°As good as I can be considering the situation,¡±
The tall figure that had been standing in the pool of the beasts remains, finally approached Klaus. His deep and authoritative voice interrupted the conversation.
¡°Eve, Kade, go assist the evac team and make sure the injured get treated.¡±
The two nodded their heads in unison and made their way towards the ground floor, where the commotion had begun to die down significantly.
The tall figure took off his glasses and began to clean the lens with a small cloth he had pulled from his jacket pocket.
His formal attire screamed position of power. Wearing black suit pants with his tucked in white shirt and black necktie, he looked as if he was going to a funeral. His authoritative aura was only strengthened by his strong facial features and serious demeanor. After putting his glasses back on, he pushed his hand forward to shake Klaus¡¯s hand.
Klaus accepted the handshake.
¡°It¡¯s nice to finally meet you sir. I heard a lot about you during my training,¡±
¡°They¡¯re nothing but exaggerated stories. Eventually you¡¯ll find yourself in a similar situation¡ err-¡°
¡°It¡¯s Richter sir, Sannith Richter. I¡¯m the new head of damage control. Apologies for not mentioning that.¡±
Klaus waved his hand, brushing off the formalities.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Full name is Klaus DeLaro, but feel free to just call me Klaus,¡±
¡°Yes sir,¡± replied Richter.
The two eventually shifted focus to Jean who was still lying face down on the floor.
¡°We should probably get him to the evac point now,¡± Klaus said as he walked towards Jean.
¡°Is that the boy sir?¡±
Klaus let out a sigh before leaning down to pick Jean up.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s him,¡±
¡°It might be out of line for me to say this, but I think this was inevitable. I understand that you had wished to keep him out of the loop because of his circumstances. However, I can¡¯t help but feel as though you¡¯ve allocated a lot of resources into protecting something that is bound to be let loose,¡±
Klaus dusted the debris off Jean¡¯s tattered clothing as he held him in his two arms.
Klaus gave Richter a wry smile.
¡°Not everyone is going to put the same value on something. Sometimes, you have to experience losing something in order to truly discover what¡¯s worth protecting,¡±
Saying no more, Klaus walked past Richter leaving him to stand in the middle of the hallway alone.
Richter pulled back his sleeve to check the time before also deciding to make his way down to the ground floor.
*****
Klaus looked at Jean¡¯s face as he carried him down the stairs.
I¡¯m sorry Mira¡
We did the best we could¡
In silence, Klaus continued to move forward.
Vol 1.6 - Truth in Lies
Jean awoke to the sound of the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. Dazed, he found himself lying in a hospital bed hooked up to multiple different tubes and machinery. Jean inspected the room itself and despite his blurred vision, he knew that this was no ordinary hospital. The room didn¡¯t have the same bleached white color typical hospitals had nor the did it have the blinding white lights installed in the ceiling. Instead, the room was elegantly built with dim white lights emanating from hanging lamps. There were no windows or any semblance of ways into the outside world.
Jean sat himself up to see that despite the unfamiliar setting, the bed and the machines he was hooked up to were familiar. As he adjusted himself, the only door into the room slid open with a hiss. A tall lady with long dark hair, tied up in a pony tail, entered the room.
¡°Glad to see you¡¯re up,¡±
She placed a clipboard down on a wooden table beside the bed as she leaned over slightly to write something down.
Her voice seemingly matched her appearance. Independent and authoritative yet elegant in its own right. Her clothing mirrored that of a stereotypical medical practioner found in TV shows or movies. Long white coat, turtleneck, and a pencil skirt. However, rather than the unrealistic high-heels that entertainment had a tendency to use, she wore white sneakers.
¡°Yeah¡um, how long was I asleep for?¡± Jean asked awkwardly.
The woman put the pen down and positioned herself next to Jean¡¯s bed.
¡°About two hours,¡± she responded.
In her straightforward answer, she leaned took Jean¡¯s arms and began extracting the multitude of tubes that were resting inside his forearm.
¡°To be honest with you, I expected you to wake up on the ride here. You got quite a bit of time to relax considering the trouble you managed to cause today,¡±
Jean didn¡¯t say a word. He simply sat still and watched as the last needle slid out from under his skin.
¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten what happened earlier this afternoon,¡±
Jean looked up to meet the woman¡¯s eyes.
¡°I... I-¡±
His voice was wry and was filled with anxiousness. As Jean unconsciously held his breath, hoping for the doctor to drop the question, the door slid open once more. Klaus walked into the room wearing his usual attire. With a low and soft voice, he asked;
¡°Belle, would you mind leaving me with Jean for a moment?¡±
The lady, named Belle, took all the tubes and needles and threw them away as she answered Klaus.
¡°Sure,¡± she replied.
Her answer was short and to the point. Grabbing the clipboard, she made her way towards the door. She stopped at the door before leaving to say;
¡°I¡¯ll be back after analyzing the data recovered from the incident.¡±
Without saying another word, she closed the door behind her as the sound of her footsteps began faded away. Klaus turned his head back towards Jean as he pulled up a chair and took a seat. He let out a brief sight through his nose and patted Jean¡¯s legs.
¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°I¡¯m¡fine?¡±
Klaus could sense Jean¡¯s confusion and uncertainty. He pulled his chair closer to the bed before attempting to say anything. Klaus took a few moments to organize his words, which was clear to Jean by his halted sighs.
¡°Jean, I didn¡¯t want you to have to find out the way you did. As a matter of fact, I was hoping that I would never have to tell you this.¡±
Klaus¡¯ eye¡¯s locked with Jean¡¯s and he could see the terror growing within him. Klaus staggered his sigh once more.
¡°You¡¯re different Jean. Far more than you can comprehend and there¡¯s no easy way to tell you this,¡±
Klaus paused before continuing.
¡°All this, everything that you¡¯ve been surrounded by is a lie¡¡±
As if there was something lurking behind him, holding his mouth shut, Jean couldn¡¯t muster the strength to say anything.
¡°The world that we live in isn¡¯t as kind as the one you grew up in. I know you feel it in yourself that there has always been something off. Off about yourself and town that you grew up in.¡±
Finally, Jean managed to find his voice and asked;
¡°Then was everything up until this point a lie?¡±
Klaus couldn¡¯t look Jean in the eye¡¯s.
¡°No, not everything. The people you knew were all real. The perfect life was the lie. Growing up in a small rural town, no financial worries, health issues, or threats. Those were the lies.¡±
¡°And by threats, you¡¯re talking about that thing that attacked the school?¡±
¡°Yes,¡±
Klaus¡¯s answer was cold and blunt. However, Klaus couldn¡¯t find it in himself to continue lulling Jean into a false sense of security.
¡°The world we live in is a dark place. Perhaps you and the people in the town were the only ones to have experienced any semblance of peace. There are more of those creatures out there Jean. And all your life, I¡¯ve been killing them off before they could get to you or anyone around you,¡±
¡°So, it was you in the school,¡±
¡°Yes, it was,¡±
Tears began to crawl down Jean¡¯s face and with a stuttered voice he asked;
¡°Then why hide it from me? If the world was so dangerous, why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡±
Klaus flinched at the question. He took a moment and began to reach for Jean¡¯s hand. However, before he could grab it, the door slid open once more.
¡°Because you¡¯re the asset,¡±
Klaus and Jean¡¯s head immediately turned towards the direction of the deep voice. Klaus, seeing who it was, let out a sigh as he turned back around to face Jean.
¡°Jean, this is Sannith Richter. Head of damage control,¡±
Jean wiping away his tears, grew a puzzled look on his face as he introduced himself.
¡°Good to meet your Mr. Richter. But, what¡¯s this about damage control and what do you mean I¡¯m an asset?¡±
Richter took of his trench coat and hung on a nearby rack as he approached the two.
¡°You haven¡¯t told him?¡± asked Richter.
¡°I was getting there,¡± Klaus said with a slight annoyance in his voice.
Richter crossed his arms and stood at the end of the bed facing Jean.
¡°I¡¯m sure by now you¡¯re familiar with beasts,¡± said Richter
¡°You mean the thing that attacked the school?¡±
¡°Yes, exactly that. Have you ever wondered why you were so much more athletically capable compared to your peers? Why your injuries healed far faster than humanly possible? Hell, considering that you woke up only two hours after sustaining the amount of injuries you did, should be raising questions in and of itself. ¡°
Jean felt his heart begin to sink lower than it already was. Richter was right. Klaus had always brushed it off as genetic luck and convinced him that he was just a normal boy. But he was right. He knew it all along.
¡°It seems I was right. You¡¯ve asked yourself these questions your whole life, yet your caretaker has chosen the hide the truth from you,¡±
Richter turned his attention to Klaus who was beginning to grow visibly angry.
¡°As I said earlier, I mean no disrespect. But, todays incident never would have happened if you had told him what he really is from the beginning. Yet, I hear from HQ that you¡¯re planning to pour more resources into training that could have been done earlier in his life. This could all have been avoided if you had just told the boy the truth about his bir-¡°
Klaus jolted up from his seat and violently pushed Richter up against the wall. The impact managed to shake multiple framed photos off of the wall. Holding him by the collar, Klaus lifted Richter off the floor as his back slid up the wall.
¡°You keep your mouth shut. This is a matter that is not under your jurisdiction. You¡¯ve overstepped your boundaries quite a bit in this situation Richter¡ I suggest you leave the room now,¡±
Klaus loosened the grip on Richter¡¯s collar and let him down gently.
Richter glared into Klaus¡¯s eyes. Klaus glared right back at him.
Jean, despite seeing the altercation, was still in too much shock to respond accordingly. However, he looked up and locked eye¡¯s with Richter and asked;
¡°Mr. Richter, what am I?¡±
Richter brushed himself off and grabbed his coat as he began walking towards the door.
¡°A part of you is the very thing that killed all those people today. Including your friends,¡±
Vol 1.7 - Reality of the Situation
A heavy silence filled the room. Klaus rubbed his forehead as he let out a sigh of frustration. Turning to face Jean, he was met with a reaction that came as a surprise. Jean¡¯s face had changed from that of shock and dismay to one of conviction. Klaus took a step forward towards Jean.
¡°Tell me¡¡±
His voice left his mouth with a steadfast tone.
Klaus took a seat in the chair once more. Placing his arms against
the armrests, he returned the same sense of conviction through his own voice.
¡°Your mother was a rare case. When she was pregnant with you, she
had no idea that she would become the thing people fear the most in this world.
Becoming a beast is far worse than death.¡±
Klaus paused.
¡°It consumes your body, your mind and soul. You forget everything
you knew. You target and kill those closest to you. Once they¡¯re dead, you
feast on them, leaving behind nothing but the bones. You¡¯ll feel an eternal
hunger. And you''ll be stuck living and surviving off a life of murder.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s what happened to my mother?¡± Jean interrupted.
¡°She turned, yes. I was there during your birth. While your mother''s situation was different, you too, are a rare case. You
possess the blood of a beast and a human,¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°Your half beast, half human. Your physical capabilities far surpass that of a normal human.
But, up until this point, the beast blood inside you has yet to truly awaken.
Nobody knows what happens when it does¡¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because none of them have lived long enough for it to happen,¡±
Another moment of silence filled the room. The tense atmosphere
only drew out the silence and the conflicting emotions both Klaus and Jean were
trying to suppress.
¡°Were they killed?¡±
¡°They never survived birth¡¡±
There was a knock on the door. Klaus let out a huff of air from
his nostrils as he stood up.
¡°Jean, I¡¯m sorry you had to learn the truth this way. I promised
your mother that I would protect you. That¡¯s why I had to do what I did. But
now, it seems like reality is going to get the better of us both.¡±
Klaus pulled the chair back to its original position before
yelling towards the door.
¡°Come in!¡±
The door slid opened and the woman from before walked in. Still
holding her clipboard, she pushed up her glasses.
¡°I guess a proper introduction is due,¡± she said.
Jean simply looked at her without a word.
¡°My name is Annabelle Matthews. Feel free to call me whatever
you¡¯re comfortable with. I¡¯m the head of health and research here at the
Hunter¡¯s Society.¡±
She reached her hand out expecting a handshake. Jean instinctively
did the same. Her hands were soft which contrasted with her
commanding, almost callous appearance. After letting go of Jean¡¯s hand she turned towards Klaus.
¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re okay with him hearing the results?¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine,¡±
Klaus stood with his back against the wall as Annabelle began to
read from the clipboard.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°Fractured bones, surface and internal injuries, both minor and
major healed within one hour. No operation or physical treatment performed
besides the I.V. drip. ''Potential'' status remains stable and without any signs of
the beast blood impacting it. Brain scans show no signs of damage or other
problematic issues. He¡¯s all cleared to begin orientation and training.¡±
Jean immediately looked to Annabelle and Klaus in confusion. It
was clear to him that there were going to be more questions than answers.
Flushed with anger, he yelled;
¡°Training? Orientation? Potential? Wait, Hunter¡¯s Society? What
more aren¡¯t you telling me Klaus!?¡±
Klaus remained silent as Annabelle answered Jean¡¯s questions.
¡°The beasts are attracted to your blood. At least that¡¯s what
we¡¯re assuming is drawing them to you. For the past sixteen years of your life,
Klaus and a group of hunters from the Hunter¡¯s society have actively been
hunting and killing any beasts that attempted to get near you. Moving forward,
the luxury of simply sitting back and letting others protect you is over. Now
that you know what you are, the only way you¡¯re going to survive in this world
is to be able to fend for yourself.¡±
Hearing these words, they drifted into Jean¡¯s ears as nothing but
pity and subdued disgust.
¡°You¡¯re going to go through a preliminary trial to test your
aptitude. Then you¡¯ll be enrolled in the Hunter¡¯s Academy where you¡¯ll undergo
training to become a certi-¡±
Jean snapped. His body felt hot as if the blood coursing through
his veins were boiling. His anger and frustration amalgamated into intense
rage. Without saying a word, he raised his right arm up and slammed it against
the wall beside him leaving massive branching cracks that reached the ceiling.
The room fell to silence once more leaving behind the sound of tiny bits of
rubble hitting the floor.
Klaus was now standing upright at full attention while Annabelle
had visibly taken a step back upon the impact.
¡°If I¡¯m such a threat to myself and others around me, why don¡¯t
you just kill me now? My life is supposed to be over now right? Fuck off with
your Hunter¡¯s Society bullshit! First you tell me my life has been a lie. Then
you tell me that it was for my protection. You spout some nonsense about my
mother, who I¡¯ve never even met in my entire life and you expect me to just
roll over and accept the shit you¡¯re telling me!?¡±
Klaus put his hand forth attempting to quell Jean¡¯s burst of
anger. Jean swatted Klaus¡¯s hand away.
¡°If all of this was a lie, then I guess you¡¯re just another person
sent to watch over me! Everything you¡¯ve ever said to me was for the job
right!? Promise to my mother? You''re probably the one who killed my mom!¡±
Jean eyed the pen on the table. Klaus, noticing this, attempted
to leap forward and grab it. However, Jean had managed to
snatch the pen away before Klaus or Annabelle could do anything.
Jean gripped the pen with two hands and pointed the ball-point
towards his head.
¡°Here! I¡¯ll make it easy for everyone!¡±
Tightening his grip on the pen he closed his eyes as he let out a
primal scream before pummeling his own head into the tip of the pen. The sound
of the pen piercing through skin and bones brought the room to one final moment
of silence. Jean could feel a warm liquid dripping down his forehead. He opened
his eyes to see Klaus standing right in front of him. Klaus¡¯s hand was hovering
above Jean¡¯s forehead.
Jean looked up to see blood pouring from Klaus¡¯s hand. Jean¡¯s eyes
widened as he saw that the pen had stabbed right through Klaus''s palm. With a
shaking voice, Jean let loose his grip on the pen. He looked down at his hand
to see it wet with Klaus¡¯s blood. As tears began welling up in Jean, he was
embraced by Klaus.
A moment passed before Jean began to hear and feel Klaus¡¯s tears.
Holding Jean like a father would his child, Klaus dropped to his knees beside
the bed. Still holding Jean, the only words Klaus could bring himself to say
amidst weeping was;
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡.¡±
The weeping became painful cries of grief. His voice breaking between the tears, he continued to say;
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry,¡±
Vol 1.8 - The Long Haul Pt.1
Jean, Klaus and Belle walked down a massive hallway. Built in the style of Victorian era chapels, the hallways were tall, expansive and intricate in design. The stone walls and stained glass hinted at the age of the structure itself. The sound of their footsteps echoed far past them, colliding with the echoes of nurses and other occupants wandering about and moving from room to room. Jean added to the noise of the room by whispering to Klaus;
¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened,¡±
Klaus glanced down at Jean to see that he was still tense from the situation in the patient''s room.
¡°No, there¡¯s nothing for you to apologize for. It¡¯s my fault for keeping this from you for so long,¡±
¡°Is it true what you said? About my mother?¡±
¡°Yes, I was with your mother when you were born,¡±
¡°Then what about my father?¡±
Klaus flinched at the question.
¡°It¡¯s best we not talk about him. Let¡¯s just say that he wasn¡¯t the best man,¡±
Jean, deciding that it was best not to pry any further, switched the topic.
¡°So, this training, it¡¯s supposed to prepare me to defend myself?¡±
¡°Yes, at least that¡¯s the goal. There are far scarier things out there than the beast we saw earlier today,¡±
¡°You mean more powerful than that?¡±
¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean,¡±
¡°Huh¡¡±
Klaus put his hands on Jean¡¯s head and ruffled his hair.
¡°No matter what happens today, I¡¯m going to be with you, every step of the way.¡±
Jean¡¯s remaining worries began to slip away after hearing that. As they reached the end of the hallway, the sound of chattering began to grow louder. At the foot of the counter, two individuals wearing lab coats caught sight of the three walking down the hallway. Their faces lit up as they dashed towards Jean, Klaus and Belle. Seeing this, the three of them stopped to face them.
The man adjusted his glasses and grabbed one of Klaus¡¯ hands, clasping it between his own. He made a very rapid introduction immediately after, as he shook Klaus¡¯ hands vigorously.
¡°Hiya, so good¡¯ta meetcha! Names Doctor Elton Brown, I¡¯ll be conducting your boys test today!¡±
He let go of Klaus¡¯ hand and walked over to Jean. He adjusted his spectacles once more and surveyed Jean¡¯s body.
¡°You¡¯re a lot smaller than I imagined,¡±
He brought his hands up to his chin and looked at Jean as if he was performing a mental analysis of his bodily functions. Immediately, the other person walked up and slapped the back of Dr. Elton Brown¡¯s head. His supposed analysis was brought to a halt as he turned to face the individual who slapped him.
It was a lady. She wore her straight long dark hair down to her waist. She was clothed in a dark purple turtleneck and a tight black pencil skirt. Her lab coat was draped over her shoulders as her high-heels raised her slender figure up enough to keep the coat from grazing against the floor. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Apologies for my husbands hyper behavior, he has a tendency to get like this whenever he¡¯s excited. My name is Evelynn Brown, pleased to meet you.¡±
It was clear by the tone and choice of speech that she came from a wealthy family. Her posture alone would help to provide proof of evidence for that presumption. As usual, the reach for a handshake approached Klaus first, then Jean. After a brief introduction, Belle interjected;
¡°These are the two individuals who are going to be assisting your physical assessments,¡±.
Doctor Evelynn Brown made eye-contact with Jean.
¡°We look forward to working with you, Jean. According to your initial physical data, you seem to be quite the genetic anomaly,¡±
Jean gave the doctor a puzzled look. But, before Doctor Evelynn could respond, Doctor Brown jumped in.
¡°Well, you see, unlike most humans, your genetic ¡®potential¡¯ has a unique structure to it that alters the entirety of your body''s inner workings. From healing factor to physical strength, everything about your body significantly boosts those qualities. Now what parts of your body house those aspects? That¡¯s what we¡¯re here to find out,¡±
He stepped back as he crossed his arms and looked at his wife with a smile.
¡°As my husband said, you¡¯re body is quite foreign to our field of study and we hope to find out more while also preparing you to enter the academy,¡±
Each doctor took one of Jean¡¯s sides and stood by it. Doctor Evelynn placed her hand on my shoulder as she spoke;
¡°Klaus, Belle, are we good to take him to the testing lab?¡±
Klaus, who happened to just finish lighting a cigarette, responded as smoke curled out between his lips.
¡°Yeah that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be in the survey room Jean,¡±
He gave Jean a smile and a nod. Jean responded with a nod as the two doctors and began to lead him towards another hallway.
Once Belle assumed that the three were out of earshot, she turned to Klaus.
¡°I was informed the pill¡¯s effect is wearing off quicker,¡±
Klaus tapped his cigarette, dropping bits of ash inside a nearby trash can.
¡°Yeah¡ I don¡¯t think my body¡¯s able to handle the load any longer,¡±
¡°Maybe you should quit the cancer sticks?¡±
¡°If I¡¯m dying, I¡¯m dying with nicotine in my system,¡±
Klaus took a seat on a nearby rest bench.
¡°You¡¯ll realize what¡¯s good for you if you want be alive long enough to see the kid be able to live without you,¡±
Klaus let out a heavy sigh as he leaned forward in the chair.
¡°I read my last physical report¡ In the grand scheme of things, me kicking the cigarettes won¡¯t let me live any longer.¡±
There was a pause in the conversation before Klaus continued speaking.
¡°I never had that much time left. And looking back on it, I was so focused on keeping him safe through my own means, that I failed to see that I was only putting his life at greater risk. In the few couple years I have left, I¡¯m going to make it count,¡±
Klaus took a drawn out drag from his cigarette. He let out a large plume of smoke as he put the cigarette out. He reached into his pocket to pull out his pack of Lark¡¯s. He waved them in front of Belle¡¯s face jokingly as he said;
¡°And it doesn¡¯t involve these going away anytime soon,¡±
Klaus got up from the bench and started to walk towards the door labeled ¡°Survey Room¡±
Belle rolled her eyes as she followed after Klaus.
¡°I hope Jean hasn¡¯t picked up any of your bad habits,¡±
Klaus turned around, with his arms flared out and a smile on his face as he asked in a sarcastic tone;
¡°What bad habits?¡±
Belle gave Klaus an annoyed look as she responded;
¡°Like maybe not pissing off the person who''s trying to help you,¡±
Klaus turned around and waved off the comment.
¡°Jean¡¯s a good kid. Watch over him when I¡¯m not here. I have a feeling things are going to start getting rowdy around here,¡±
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vol 1.9 - The Long Haul Pt. 2
Jean laid still on an operating table as the Brown¡¯s placed multiple microsensors along Jean¡¯s body.
¡°Mrs. Brown, what¡¯d you say these were supposed to do?¡±
Evelynn placed a micro-sensor onto Jean¡¯s forehead. In the process, two bright lights shining through her headlamp nearly blinded Jean.
¡°They are meant to monitor all of your bodies conditions to the most minute detail,¡±
¡°So yes, we¡¯ll know everything,¡± Elton added.
¡°Uhh, okay,¡±
Jean was at a loss for words. This was the first time he was experiencing anything like this and had him filled with thoughts of confusion. Jean couldn¡¯t help but continue to ask questions to get a better grasp of the situation he was in.
¡°So what¡¯s this ¡®potential¡¯ thing I keep hearing about?¡±
¡°Simply put, ¡®potentials¡¯ are like genetic personality traits. To a certain extent, they dictate an individual''s personality, skills, and physical capabilities. You¡¯ll find that hunters have a ¡®potential¡¯ that enhances combat prowess while people like Elton and I possess a ¡®potential¡¯ that leans more towards intellectual expertise,¡±
¡°I see. So is it something in my body?¡±
Elton turned off the overhead lamp off with one hand while pulling down his surgical mask with the other.
¡°Yup. It¡¯s actually a crystallized vein in your body that alters your all of your blood cells as it flows through it,¡±
Evelynn helped Jean sit up and handed him a black suit.
¡°You¡¯ll eventually hear the rest of this down the road, so for now focus on the tests,¡±
Jean looked down at the suit sitting in his hands. At first glance, one might assume that it was a flimsy piece of cloth. However, the quality of the suit indicated it was used for situations such as this. The canvas fabric added a significant amount of weight to the suit and the pockets lining the waist and chest pockets were packed with two-pound weights, making the suit even heavier.
¡°Get into that and we¡¯ll lower ourselves into the training room,¡±
Jean got off the operation table and began to put the suit on over his underwear. After zipping up the front of the suit and buckling in the weights, Elton pulled a lever that caused the entire room to shake momentarily. There was a shift in the stone as the sound of gears turning started to bleed into the room.
As the room went lower, the large glass wall gave vision into a massive room with dark gray metallic tiles. There were multiple lights lining the walls giving a bright white hue into the otherwise gray-colored room.
¡°We¡¯re going to start with your most basic physical capabilities,¡± Evelynn said.
The room finally came to an abrupt halt as the glass wall slid open to give way into the massive training room.
¡°Step out and wait for our instructions,¡±
Jean walked out into the training room. When he reached the center of the room, the glass wall slid shut as the two doctors stood behind a console in the elevator room. After a few moments, the two doctors¡¯ voice began to come from a speaker in the training room.
¡°Give us a thumbs up if you can hear us,¡±
Jean gave them a thumbs up.
After seeing the signal, the Browns began to push buttons. The tiles in the training room started to shift, raising and lowering different platforms along the floor and the walls. Jean nearly lost his balance the moment the tile he was standing on began shifting downwards.
¡°Jean, the tiles are going to keep moving, your goal is to maneuver the moving tiles and get to the red flag,¡±
Jean looked up at the walls. Along the wall to his right sat an unmoving platform with a red flag protruding out of the top.
Why the hell is it so far up!?
¡°You¡¯re on the clock Jean! Get moving!¡±
Jean¡¯s eye¡¯s darted to a timer installed into the elevator room. Seeing that he was already four seconds into the test, he immediately shifted his attention to the situation at hand. His eyes scanned the moving platforms. As his focus narrowed, he could begin to notice the movement of the tiles slowing down. As he took a step forward, he snapped out of the concentration he was holding up until now. Jean felt a spark go through his mind. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Am I able to react faster? Is that why things started to slow down?
Jean took no longer than a second to return to a mode of concentration. Once more the world around him started to slow by a fraction of a second. He shifted his body towards the lowest standing tile and bent his knees preparing to jump for it. As the weight of his body leaned into his toes, unbeknownst to Jean, he left behind large cracks in the spots his feet leaped from.
Jean stretched his arms out attempting to grab the ledge of the platform only to find himself flying higher above the platform he intended to grab onto. As he dropped down towards the platform, he tucked himself and fell into a roll. He used the roll to recover into a sprint. However, Jean found his stride and speed to be much greater than he was used to and ended up sprinting into a platform in front of him. Jean shook off the dizziness and looked for the nearest and easiest platform he could get on. Spotting one, he jumped toward it.
Jean managed to grab hold of the ledge. However, as he attempted to pull himself up, a shocking amount of strength filled his fingers. Jean ended up flinging himself up past the platform. Managing to get as high as to reach the tallest standing platform in the room. He spotted the platform with the flag and began sprinting towards it. His track experience helped him leap across the platforms and maintain his momentum.
The platform separating Jean and the red flag had a gap of what seemed to be at least twenty-five feet across. Putting faith in his newfound physical strength, he increased the speed of his sprint. Taking his last footstep forward at the edge of the platform, he dove towards the red flag. Despite his best efforts, Jean found himself suspended in midair, not even halfway towards the flag. The instant he realized that he had completely missed the mark, gravity decided to start working again.
Jean plummeted towards the floor of the room headfirst. Evelynn began to rapidly push buttons as Elton prepared materials for first-aid. The platforms halted in place, as Jean¡¯s body fell out of sight behind them. There was an audible thud that resonated within the training hall. Evelynn fiddled with a few more buttons before the platforms began to recede back into the ground, leveling them out.
The sliding glass wall opened as the two doctors rushed out to where Jean was lying down. As the two approached, the groaning of a boy who''s had the wind knocked out of them entered their ears.
Evelynn and Elton looked down at Jean who was wide awake, but clearly in back-breaking pain. Elton got down to help Jean sit up. Evelynn also kneeled down with a clipboard in her hand.
¡°How do you feel right now?¡±
Jean spoke through his clenched teeth.
¡°Like my back is broken,¡±
Elton laughed as he responded;
¡°You¡¯ll only feel like that for a moment,¡±
Jean couldn¡¯t help but give Elton a glowering look. Elton responded with a wry look.
¡°Your body is going to recover those momentarily, give it a second,¡±
As Elton began to help Jean stand up, Jean could feel the pain his back start to subside. He flattened out his back and stretched his shoulders.
¡°How¡¯s your back now?¡±
¡°Completely healed¡¡± Jean replied with surprise.
¡°For now, we¡¯re going to mark this test as incomplete,¡± said Evelynn.
Jean simply nodded in agreement. It was obvious to himself that he still didn¡¯t fully understand the powers that came with being half-beast. Right now the most he could attempt to do was to gauge just how far he could go with this.
¡°We¡¯ve gotten enough initial data for your bodies speed and agility levels. The next test we¡¯ll perform is a grip and strength test,¡±
¡°Just throw the ball really hard and grip the pole really tight,¡± added Elton.
The two doctors walked back into the elevator room as the glass wall closed behind them. After fiddling with a few more buttons, a baseball was tossed out of a small opening in the floor. Jean caught the ball as it descended from its launch. Three targets of varying sizes, ranging from large to small, sprung out from the walls of the test room. They were clearly made of thick and durable metal and the denseness of the targets themselves matched that of a steel beam.
¡°Try to throw the baseball at the targets with as much power as you can,¡± said Evelynn through the speakers.
Jean recalled the sensation he felt back at the school. He tossed the baseball a couple times before getting into position. He imagined all the power in his body funneling itself into his throwing arm. He took a step forward and threw the baseball, just as he did before with the rock.
The ball jettisoned from his fingertips, leaving behind a trail of its visible mirror image. Before the doctors could trace the throw itself, the largest target shattered apart. Jean couldn¡¯t help but stare at his hands in disbelief. It was one thing to experience it through pure adrenaline, but it was another to see and feel it while he was fully aware and conscious.
The doctors behind the glass stared at the destruction in awe. Evelynn snapped out of her surprised state and pressed a button that seemed to provide Jean with another baseball.
¡°Same thing Jean,¡± said Evelynn.
Jean repeated the same process as before, but this time aiming for a much smaller target. He threw the baseball and again, the ball traveled at lightning speed, shattering the medium sized target. This time it seemed as though the ball itself shattered as it impacted the target. There were no visible remains of the baseball, just the large metal pieces of the target fell to the floor in heavy thuds.
One more ball was given to Jean as this time the doctors tasked him with hitting the smallest target. This time, Jean focused his vision on the small target before throwing the ball. Upon release, a barely audible dink echoed throughout the room. Jean looked at the target in confusion. Jean looked towards the two doctors to see Elton give Jean a look of equal confusion.
But, their confusion was immediately met with realization as to what had actually occurred. There was a clean hole made through the small target. If someone were to place a baseball in that hole, it would fit perfectly. Yet, the most relevant realization that was made, was the massive cracks lining the wall behind the target.
Elton¡¯s adjusted his glasses and looked to his wife.
¡°Did he just throw the ball through the target and break the wall behind it?¡±
Evelynn smiled and responded;
¡°It appears that¡¯s the case,¡±
Vol 1.10 - The Long Haul Pt. 3
Klaus and Belle watched the tests from a viewing room found above the training room itself. Klaus was leaned up against the glass with his hand on his chin. Belle sat in one of the seats jotting things down on her notepad.
¡°What¡¯re you planning to do about the potential danger that Jean poses?¡±
Klaus took his hand off his chin as he reached into his pockets for his pack of cigarettes.
¡°I don¡¯t like thinking about it. But, if push comes to shove, I¡¯d much rather be the one to kill him than some random hunter,¡±
¡°You¡¯re not always going to be there when something happens,¡±
¡°And you¡¯ve already made that very clear,¡±
Klaus sighed as turned his attention back into the training room. Putting his lighter back into his pocket he grabbed the lit cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers.
¡°Even as an instructor at the academy, Jean isn¡¯t your only priority,¡±
¡°Yes, but he¡¯s my main priority,¡±
¡°Can you really do it, Klaus? If it meant killing Jean, could you do it?¡±
The tone of Belle¡¯s voice made clear to Klaus that the question had an underlying sense of distrust. There was a lingering silence that followed the question. Klaus let out a sigh;
¡°I don¡¯t know¡¡±
¡°Well, I hope for the sake of everyone at the academy, including you, that you¡¯ll make the right choice should the time come,¡±
Belle clicked the top of her pen, stowing it in the clamps of her clipboard. She stood up and left the room without another word, leaving Klaus alone in the room.
______________________________________________________________________________
Jean sat in a chair as the two doctors drew a blood sample from his arm.
¡°Didn¡¯t Dr. Belle already take a sample earlier?¡±
Evelynn took the syringe from Elton as she transferred the blood into a test tube with some other liquid in it.
¡°The sample that Belle took was for your body analysis, this is for your weapon,¡±
¡°What does my blood have to do with weapons?¡±
¡°Every weapon that a hunter carries is partially forged by their own blood. It corresponds to each unique ¡®potential¡¯ drawing power from it,¡± Evelynn responded.
¡°I¡¯m curious to see what the forge team manages to create considering your ¡®special¡¯ condition,¡± added Elton.
Jean couldn¡¯t help but feel as though to Elton, he was nothing more than a once in a lifetime discovery. Comparatively, Evelynn seemed to view Jean as an actual person. Disregarding her high-class and statuesque demeanor, there was a clear sense of understanding and sympathy towards Jean¡¯s situation that was lacking in her significant other.
Elton helped Jean off of the chair and gave him a fresh set of clothing, that luckily weren¡¯t the hospital gown he had been wearing earlier. After putting on the clothes, Jean was escorted out of the room and back into the hallway where Klaus was waiting for him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
The three of them approached Klaus, who after seeing them, ashed his cigarette.
¡°So how¡¯d everything go?¡± asked Klaus.
¡°We got all the data we needed, for now,¡± replied Evelynn.
¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡± Klaus asked Jean.
¡°I¡¯m fine,¡±
¡°Glad to know that you recover pretty quickly after falling,¡± Klaus added with a chuckle.
¡°You saw that?¡± Jean asked embarrassingly.
Klaus gave Jean¡¯s shoulder a pat while giving him a smile.
¡°Did you hear back from the academy?¡±
Klaus shifted his attention back to Evelynn.
¡°Yeah, they said they would admit Jean under proper supervision,¡±
¡°I see. I¡¯m glad there weren¡¯t any issues with your entry,¡± said Evelynn with relief.
¡°What does that mean for me?¡± Jean chimed into the conversation.
¡°New school, new subjects, taught under my supervision,¡± said Klaus.
Klaus knew that Jean was still hesitant about the situation that they found themselves in. All Klaus could hope for was that him being there would able to help Jean transition and learn more effectively.
¡°You¡¯ll start in a few weeks. We¡¯ll take that time to teach you the basics,¡±
¡°Alright,¡± said Jean.
¡°We¡¯re also going to be there monitor and assist you when Klaus can¡¯t. Think of us as your support team,¡± Elton interjected.
The four of them stood amongst one another and carried on their conversation as a familiar tall-bodied figure approached from behind them. The sound of his coats buckles clanking against another signaled to the group of his presence. All four of them moved their focus towards the figure to see Richter. Richter gave them a nod as greetings before stopping in front of them.
¡°I see that the initial tests are complete,¡±
¡°Yes. We managed to get ample data to run our initial calculations from,¡±
Richter began to eye Jean. This made Jean reel back and turtle behind Klaus, avoiding any eye-contact with Richter. Richter caught a glimpse of the bandage wraps covering Klaus¡¯ hand.
¡°Is that injury from earlier today?¡±
There was an obvious tension between the two of them after the incident that occurred in Jean¡¯s hospital room. Klaus didn¡¯t want to prolong the conversation nor did he want to spend time seeing Richter. Klaus brushed off the question, simply saying;
¡°It¡¯s not something for you to worry about,¡±
¡°I see. Well, I hope it¡¯s nothing serious,¡±
Jean could feel the intense aura emanating from Richter. His presence alone made Jean feel small. In front of Richter, it didn¡¯t seem to matter that he was half-beast. To Jean, Richter only viewed him as another potential target to hunt.
Noticing the tension, Evelynn nudged Elton¡¯s arm, apparently signaling him to lighten the mood. Elton slinked forward rubbing his hands together. With a nervous smile on his face he said with an audibly shaky voice;
¡°Umm, sorry to interrupt. But, we have a couple more things to get done and we¡¯re on a tight schedule, so we¡¯ll be going on ahead Mr. Richter,¡±
Richter¡¯s gaze immediately shifted away from Jean and Klaus as his menacing aura dissipated in the process.
¡°Very well. Apologies for taking your time,¡±
¡°Oh! It¡¯s no big deal sir, just wanted to let you know haha,¡± said Elton.
Elton awkwardly pushed Jean away from the group and began leading him down the hallway. Evelynn followed soon after, leaving behind Klaus and Richter.
¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand my perspective Klaus, nor do I expect to understand yours. I just want you to know that if the time comes and you aren¡¯t able to follow through with your duties, I¡¯ll be the one to kill him,¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine. But, if you lay a hand on him before I¡¯m lying dead on the ground, I will come and find you,¡±
Klaus turned away from Richter and made his way towards the three that had gone on ahead of him. Richter watched Klaus walk down the hallway before pulling away to answer a phone call.
¡°Hello? Yes, the asset is under supervision¡±
Richter stayed quiet listening intently to what was coming through his earpiece.
¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be sure to pass it on. Good-bye,¡±
Richter hung up the phone as he continued down the hallway.
Vol 1.11 - Academy 101 Pt. 1
The open window of the car let in a cool summer breeze. It kept the humid summers of the countryside from sticking to their skin. The car passed by farm after farm. The crop fields greenery spanned across the tall mountain ranges for what seemed like miles. The black Prius Jean found himself riding in jolted as its suspension dropped. Jean woke up instantly. He looked at the clock on the dashboard from the backseat. It was nearly five in the afternoon, which mean Jean had been asleep for three hours.
Elton steered the car carefully through the rough terrain. The sound of dry gravel cracking beneath the tires filled the rest of their journey. The car approached a large, intricately designed metal gate. Two men, both wearing odd eye covering helmets and a navy blue uniform, approached the car from a security box.
¡°How can I help you?¡± one of the men asked.
Elton pulled out his badge to show the man.
¡°I¡¯m here to transfer the asset,¡±
The man peeked his head down to see Jean. He took the badge from Elton and passed it to the other man. He took the badge back to the security box. A second or two later, he came back and returned the badge to Elton. He gave Elton a nod before turning around to whisper something to his friend. Jean hesitantly turned his head back as they passed through the gates. Jean managed to catch a glimpse of the two men staring at him intently with a look of disgust on their face.
Jean turned back around and sat silently until the car came to another complete stop.
¡°We¡¯re here,¡±
Jean looked out the window to see a large man holding a cane standing at the front of an enormous door. However, to Jean, it seemed as though the size of the old man trumped the grandiose nature of the door. Despite his bald head and a graying mustache, his shoulders were broad and his body was muscular. The suit he was wearing seemed as if they would rip from even the slightest movement of his muscles.
Elton got out of the car and Jean followed. The old man greeted both of them with a massive grin. His massive hands reached out for a handshake. First Elton shook his hand with Jean following after. The pace of his handshake was fervent, shaking it quickly before letting go.
¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, Jean, I¡¯m Elliott Davis, a professor and the headmaster of the academy. Feel free to call me whatever you like. I¡¯m looking forward to having you at the academy,¡± he said with a deep gravelly voice.
¡°Thank you for having me, professor Davis,¡± Jean responded reluctantly. There was still a sense of doubt and uncertainty within Jean. Everything around him was happening so fast. He hadn¡¯t really had any time to mourn any losses nor was he able to collect his thoughts. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much Jean could say or do to alter the situation.
The three of them walked in through the large doorway into a wide foyer. It was filled with students socializing or those making their way to their next class. The chatter was interjected with greetings aimed at the headmaster.
¡°Good morning, Headmaster,¡±
¡°Morning, Professor Davis,¡±
The headmaster made sure to return a greeting to all the students as he walked past them. The sea of people naturally parted as he made his way to the staircase at the back of the foyer. After the initial rouse of energy subsided, people began to take notice of Jean. Jean could hear the whispers in the crowd.
¡°Is he new?¡±
¡°Looks a bit old to be starting now,¡±
There were a few chuckles among the quiet chattering near Jean. Jean hunched his shoulders forward slightly and tucked his head down as he followed behind Elton and the headmaster. Eventually, they found themselves at the end of a hallway on the second floor. The headmaster opened the door to a large room with walls lined with books and different tools and weapons. In the center of the room, on top of a circular gray rug, was the headmaster¡¯s desk.
He pulled out a large parcel from one of the drawers and handed it to Jean. He pointed his hand towards the empty seats in front of his desk.
¡°Take a seat,¡±
Jean and Elton listened. The headmaster also sat down in his executive chair. The leather seat creaked as the headmaster sat his large body down.
¡°Inside that parcel is everything you¡¯ll need for now,¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Jean opened the package to find new uniform along with what seemed to be door keys. Other than that, he pulled out a few pieces of paper with his class schedule and room number on it.
¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Jean said as he put the items back into the package.
¡°No need, I am very aware of your situation. If anyone attempted to enroll here at your age, there would be a lot of hoops to jump through,¡± the headmaster said.
¡°Most of the students here are enrolled from between the age of four and six,¡± added Elton.
¡°Is that why the students were looking at me weird?¡± asked Jean.
¡°Maybe. You do give off the new student vibe,¡± Elton replied with a chuckle.
The headmaster adjusted himself in his seat before speaking.
¡°Don¡¯t mind the other students, they aren¡¯t aware of your situation and that leads me to talk about the conditions in place for you. The Hunter¡¯s Association, well at least the few that are aware of your genetic nature, aren¡¯t too keen on you being accepted here. So, they¡¯ve allowed you to attend assuming you follow these rules,¡±
Jean nodded, signaling the headmaster to continue.
¡°You must not let anyone find out about being half-beast. You must attend all of your classes and pass accordingly. You are not allowed to participate in any sparring practice with anyone other than a professor that knows about your situation. You must have weekly check-ins with either Dr. Elton or Dr. Evelynn. You must remain on campus at all times. You will be under strict supervision from informed staff. I could go on but those are really the only major ones you¡¯ll need to worry about,¡±
Jean looked overwhelmed by the large list of rules that was just said to him. Even Elton seemed to have reeled back a bit in his chair upon hearing the conditions. And as the headmaster had said, those were only the major ones.
¡°I- I see. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have any problems following those rules,¡±
The headmaster gave Jean a smile as he clasped his hands together on the desk.
¡°I¡¯m glad to hear,¡±
There was a knock on the door. The three of them turned their attention to the door as it opened. Klaus stepped into the room wearing his usual attire. He adjusted his blazer as he pulled a smoke from his pocket and lit.
¡°Glad you could join us, Klaus. Is it okay for you to be smoking in front of Jean?¡±
Klaus smiled as he walked up to the desk and took a seat in another empty chair.
¡°Sorry Elliott, but Jean has never seen me not smoke,¡±
The headmaster simply returned the smile and replied;
¡°Well as long as Jean doesn¡¯t have an issue with it. Well since Klaus and Elton are here, I¡¯ll have someone show Jean around,¡±
The headmaster picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number. After a few rings, the call connected.
¡°Could you send Eve up to my office? Yes, thank you,¡±
¡°Eve as in Dr. Evelynn?¡± asked Jean.
Klaus and the headmaster let out a laugh. Klaus took a drag from his cigarette and said;
¡°No, unfortunately, Dr. Evelynn isn¡¯t going to be arriving until later tonight. This Eve is, uhm, let¡¯s just say she¡¯s unique,¡±
Jean cracked a wry smile as he asked;
¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±
Jean¡¯s question was answered when the door opened from behind them and in walked a girl, no taller than five-feet. The hood on her black overcoat was down, letting her light blonde pigtails hang in front of her chest. Her arms were hidden inside her oversized coat sleeves. She brought up her arm, still hiding inside the sleeves, to push her round glasses up. Her eyes looked cold and emotionless, yet somehow beautiful and mysterious. Jean wondered if she was like one of those girls in the comic books he had read growing up. Cold-hearted exterior, but her true emotions are locked deep within her sort of thing.
¡°You called, headmaster?¡±
Even her voice carried an icy tone.
¡°Yes, thank you for coming Eve. This here is Jean, please show him around while I finish this meeting,¡±
She nodded in response and immediately turned her attention to Jean. Jean got up to greet her as he reached his hand out for a handshake. She looked at it his hand, then scanned the rest of his body. Jean found himself giving her a nervous smile. She didn¡¯t react at all to Jean¡¯s greeting. Her hand softly grabbed the sleeve of Jean¡¯s outstretched arm and pulled him toward the door. Jean looked back at the three men sitting in their chairs and attempted to wave goodbye as he was being pulled out of the room.
_______________________________________________________________________
¡°Elliott, I¡¯m grateful that you agreed to allow Jean into the academy,¡±
¡°Er, if I may interject, why exactly did you agree to accept Jean, Headmaster Davis?¡±
The headmaster let out a sigh.
¡°Klaus and I have known each other for quite some time and we¡¯ve been through a lot together. I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t try and do something to help. Perhaps it¡¯s against my better judgment as a teacher. But, as a friend, I can¡¯t bring myself to turn my back on Klaus,¡±
¡°I see. Considering the circumstances of Jean¡¯s birth, I can understand why anyone would be reluctant to take Jean in. But, I have to ask. Klaus, does Jean know about your involvement?¡±
Klaus shifted in his seat momentarily.
¡°I¡¯d rather him not know about it for the time being. If anything, I hope he doesn¡¯t find out at all,¡±
¡°As a father, I can understand your point of view, but I don¡¯t think that will be your choice to make,¡± said the headmaster.
Klaus crushed out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.
¡°And that¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of¡¡±
Vol 1.12 - Academy 101 Pt. 2
Jean was led through the hallways by Eve. The two attracted the attention of what seemed to be the entire student body. The whispers around them grew as they headed up the stairs. There wasn¡¯t a peep from Eve during their little tour. She mostly used hand gestures to point in general directions, and Jean simply guessed what she was aiming at. She would give a nod if what he said was correct and shake her head when he was wrong. The only time she would speak would be to greet the professors who happened to be passing by.
The two eventually ended up standing before a plain wooden door in what seemed to be a completely different part of the building. Massive windows were lining the wall of the hallway and doors on the other. From the look of it, it was the dormitories. Eve reached into the pouch pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a key and handed it to Jean. He took the key and unlocked the door in front of him.
The moment the door opened, a waft of stale air crept its way into the hallway. Not exactly the best first impression of his new home. Jean stepped into the room. It was lightly furnished with a single bed and a small desk and chair. The sliver of light coming through the still window curtains cast a string of light across the floor. There was dust resting on all the furniture, even the ground. There was enough dust that Jean could see his footprints as he entered the room. The distinct smell of aged wood and the chemical polish used to maintain it lingered. It didn¡¯t help that the air itself was stagnant, making the smell that much more poignant
Jean made his way towards the window and slowly pushed the curtains aside letting in a cascade of sunlight. It enveloped the room with a bright yellowish hue. Jean opened the window and let the warm summer air in. How long has it been since this room has felt this? Jean couldn¡¯t help but think to himself. In a way, the place was beginning again, just like he was. However, unlike Jean, the room now had a purpose.
Why am I doing this?
Questions about whether he was honestly doing the right thing lingered in his mind. Even now, Jean had no sense of purpose. He had merely been going with the flow. It was still only a few days ago that Jean watched his friend die with Jean, himself, potentially ready to be buried six-feet-under. Over time, Jean realized that he never found time to mourn his friends. Despite knowing them for many years, Jean couldn¡¯t find it in himself to weep for them.
Now they were nothing but a passing memory. That isn¡¯t to say that Jean felt nothing for them. It felt as though, somewhere, deep within Jean¡¯s soul, something was stopping Jean from losing it, suppressing an ever growing urge growing within him.
Jean snapped back into reality as a loud clap traveled its way into his eardrums. He turned around to see Eve standing at the edge of the doorway. Her glassy eyes felt as though they were looking far beyond Jean. With her usual flat, emotionless tone, she finally spoke directly to Jean.
¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I can feel your heart. I can see that you¡¯re worried. But, I want you to know that you¡¯re doing the best thing you can. See you around,¡±
Jean waved good-bye as tears started dribbling down his cheeks. Jean, surprised, quickly ran and closed the door, kicking up the dust that filled the room. Jean sat against the door as he curled his legs in. His head rested on his knees as he began to sob with all his might. Unlike before Jean felt the overbearing urge within him wash away and replace itself with relief. Eve¡¯s words played in Jean¡¯s head.
¡°You¡¯re doing the best thing you can,¡±
With the summer sunset radiating a bright orange light, Jean couldn¡¯t bring himself to stop the tears. As the dust settled once more, a light gust of wind entered the room to shift the dust just a little bit more.
Jean woke up to the sound of footsteps marching through the hallway of the dormitories. He pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 7:30 P.M. Jean flicked on the light in his room. A pile of dust had formed near the corner of the room. Jean assumed the wind had done it while he was asleep. Jean got up and dusted himself off before reopening the package he had received earlier. Jean pulled out the uniform and placed it on a clean part of the floor.
With a light turn, Jean cracked the door open to see students in their casual clothes making their way toward the staircase. He closed the door and walked into the small dainty bathroom in his room. After pulling on a string that was hanging from the ceiling, a bright fluorescent light turned on. Jean jumped at the sight of himself in the mirror. Specks of dust covered spots of his clothes while the bags under his eyes were swollen red from the crying. He turned on the faucet to see water pour out of it. After washing his face, he took off his clothes and shook off the remaining dust before putting it back on.
Recovering the best he could, he left the room and followed the trail of students. Jean zipped up his blue hoodie as he lurked behind a group of loud-mouthed students.
¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯s a student! He looked like he had to be sixteen or maybe older!¡±
¡°What if he¡¯s a new teacher?¡±
¡°Not even. He looked like he was completely lost haha. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be a teacher,¡±
Jean put his head down and slowed his pace falling even further behind the trail of students. Upon making their way down the stairs and another corridor, the students entered through a tall door with intricate patterns carved into it. Almost as if it told a story, the carvings depicted a man with a sword and shield fending off a massive beast as it spat fire at him.
Well, that¡¯s a cliche. Looks like something you¡¯d find in a fairy tale. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Jean proceeded to open the door as a few more students were approaching from behind him. The door led him into a massive dining hall. While it looked similar to a typical high-school cafeteria, it was grander in size, and the food didn¡¯t appear to look or smell like absolute garbage.
Jean mimicked what the other students were doing as he grabbed a tray and lined up near the food. There was no lunch lady. Instead, it seemed to be in a buffet style. Students took what they wanted, however much they wanted and walked off to sit down at a table. Jean did the same. Plating himself some grilled chicken, french fries, steamed vegetables as well as a small cake, he scanned the room for an empty table.
Jean managed to find one in the far corner of the room and began making his way there. He took his seat and started eating. Jean hadn¡¯t eaten much that whole day, so he relished each bite of the food. Jean was interrupted by two trays being placed on the table, followed by their respective owners taking a seat. Jean looked up to see two boys, both around the same age as Jean. One of the boys happened to be Asian and wore his hair parted. The other boy had a buzz cut and had light brown skin.
¡°So you¡¯re the new guy right?¡± one of the boys asked.
¡°Yeah, I guess I am,¡± Jean replied.
¡°You¡¯re all everyone can seem to talk about right now. I¡¯m Donovan, but you can call me Donny,¡± said the boy with the buzz cut.
¡°Oh and I¡¯m Dae-Ho,¡± said the Asian boy.
Jean swallowed his food before responding;
¡°I¡¯m Jean. Nice to meet you two,¡±
¡°Likewise. Knowing the people here, they gossip more than they talk, so we figured nobody was actually going to come and talk to you,¡± said Donny.
¡°Then why¡¯d you two come?¡±
¡°I guess you can say that we think gossip is dumb as hell,¡± said Donny
¡°Plus, there¡¯s gotta be at least a few people willing to give you a decent welcome to the school. So, why not us? Especially considering we¡¯re going to be killing beasts together in the future,¡± Dae-Ho added.
¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± Jean said. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to accept their greetings openly. But, not wanting to be rude, Jean engaged with them for the rest of dinner.
¡°So what kind of executor did your potential get you?¡± asked Dae-Ho.
¡°What¡¯s an executor? Did you mean weapon?¡±
¡°What!? You¡¯re enrolled here, and you don¡¯t know what an executor is?¡±
Jean simply responded with a blank stare, and it seemed to be more than enough to get Donny to explain.
¡°Think of it like this. You¡¯re the judge, and your executor is your executioner.¡±
¡°What about the jury?¡±
¡°What do you need a jury for if there¡¯s already a bloodthirsty monster ready to kill everyone in sight standing in front of you. You just kill it,¡±
¡°Were your parents not hunters?¡± asked Dae-Ho
The question made Jean shift in his seat a bit.
¡°No, I don¡¯t know what happened to my parents,¡±
Donny slapped Dae-Ho¡¯s arm carrying a message of ¡°why¡¯d you ask that?¡±.
¡°Sorry to hear about that,¡± Donny said.
¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to hit a sore spot,¡± Dae-Ho added.
¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡±
¡°So, why¡¯d you enroll now then? You¡¯re like fifteen or sixteen right?¡± asked Dae-Ho
¡°Is it weird for someone to enroll that late?¡±
¡°Yeah. Most kids are enrolled here from the age of four,¡±
¡°Why so young?¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s when our potentials begin to develop. So we get tested, and if it¡¯s a potential that¡¯s good for hunter¡¯s we get enrolled here,¡± replied Dae-Ho.
¡°Did you two ever have a choice? To come here I mean,¡± asked Jean.
¡°Not really. My parents were stereotypical Asians. They wanted me to be a doctor, so when they found out my potential was suited for this and not that, they thought the quickest way to get rid of me was to send me here.¡±
¡°Do you still keep in contact with your parents?¡±
¡°Haha, no. They ghost me, so I guess I don¡¯t really have parents either,¡±
¡°Sorry to hear that,¡±
¡°Haha, you¡¯re good. I¡¯ve been like this for the past twelve years, so it doesn¡¯t bother me much,¡±
¡°What about you Donny?¡±
Donny put his fork down and leaned back in his chair.
¡°You could say I had a choice. My dad was a hunter, and my mom was a nurse. Dad died hunting down a beast with his team. At that time I was four, so my mom was scared that I would end up having the potential to be a hunter. Sure enough, her fears came true. She didn''t want to send me because she didn¡¯t want to lose me as well. But, I kept whining and complaining. I guess in the end; she saw too much of my dad in me. So, she reluctantly sent me here,¡±
¡°But weren¡¯t you only four? She could have just scolded you and kept you from coming, right?¡±
¡°Who knows why she let me come. It seemed like it would be a bad topic to bring up with my mom, so I never do. But I don¡¯t regret coming here. Even though I might not have known the truth about the world when I was four, I don¡¯t think I would have been able to do anything else,¡± Donny said as he shrugged his shoulders.
¡°Why are you two sharing this stuff with me? I just met you,¡±
The two laughed briefly.
¡°We¡¯re training to fight things that can kill us at any moment. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a point in hiding who we are when there¡¯s the chance that we might die at any time. I¡¯d rather have people know me than for me rather than become another tombstone with a name on it. Dae-Ho and I had talked about this before, asked each other the same thing when we first met.¡±
Dae-Ho nodded in agreement.
¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Jean said.
¡°So what about you Jean? Did you have a choice?¡±
There was a moment of silence.
¡°No, not really. To be honest with you, I don¡¯t even know if I should be here. I don¡¯t know much about this hunter stuff and compared to everyone else. I¡¯m completely inexperienced. I guess I was just put here because there was nowhere else I could go,¡±
¡°Guess we¡¯ve all had it rough in one way or another,¡± said Donny.
¡°But that¡¯s what makes us human right?¡± asked Dae-Ho.
Jean hesitated to chime in, but something in his heart said that it might be worthwhile to trust in these guys.
¡°Yeah,¡±
Vol 1.13 - Academy 101 Pt. 3
Jean woke up to his blaring phone alarm. He quickly grabbed it and shut it off as he begrudgingly forced himself up from the bed. Jean scratched an itch in his bed hair as he made his way towards the bathroom. He turned the water on and began getting ready for school. He looked in the mirror briefly to see how long his hair had gotten in the past few days. His frazzled hair made it seem like a porcupine was resting on top of his head.
Maybe I¡¯ll get it cut soon.
After taking a brief shower, he put on his uniform for the first time. Jean took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. The navy blue blazer and the matching slacks made Jean feel awkward. He had been so used to wearing whatever he wanted to school. After putting on his shoes, he opened the door to be greeted by Dae-Ho and Donny.
¡°Yo,¡± Donny said while giving Jean a casual salute with two fingers
¡°Morning!¡± Dae-Ho added, giving Jean a smile and a peace sign.
¡°Hey, guys. What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Jean replied.
¡°What, we¡¯re not allowed to come pick up our friend?¡± Donny asked with a sarcastic tone.
Jean let out a slight chuckle before responding.
¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant,¡±
¡°We¡¯re just fuckin with you,¡± Dae-Ho said while giving Jean a pat on the arm.
The three made their way down towards the cafeteria for breakfast.
¡°Some floating rumors told me that you¡¯re going to be in all of the entry-level classes,¡± Dae-Ho said.
¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like gossip?¡±
¡°No no, this is casual information gathering. Gossiping is talking shit and giving false information,¡± Dae-Ho responded.
Dae-Ho wasn¡¯t wrong. Jean had been placed in all of the entry-level classes for obvious reasons. He was a bit nervous to see what the classes had in store for him.
¡°You know, your classmates are going to-¡±
Dae-Ho interrupted Donny mid-sentence while holding back his urge to laugh.
¡°What?¡± Jean asked with a perplexed look on his face.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Donny, realizing the joke simply replied to Jean¡¯s question, saying ¡°Nothing,¡±
Dae-Ho unable to hold it in anymore, burst out laughing. Donny also covered his mouth with his hand as he chuckled as quietly as he could. Jean, looking ever-so confused, raised his eyebrows at the two boys dying of laughter. The two of them didn¡¯t stop laughing for a while.
After eating, Jean parted with Dae-Ho and Donny and walked to his first class. He looked down at his schedule.
Beasts 101 in room 107.
Jean paced around the corridors looking for the room. However, after a few moments, he realized just how lost he was. He began looking around for a sign or map of the school. As he was searching, Jean noticed a trail of children, who seemed to be around the age of four or five walking through the hallway.
Instantly, Jean realized why Donny and Dae-Ho had been laughing so hard. Jean reluctantly followed the children. They all funneled into a room near the middle of the hallway. Jean¡¯s eyes lingered on the door number.
You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.
The plaque on the door read ¡°Room 107¡±.
Jean reluctantly opened the door to see a classroom filled with children running around. The kids, upon seeing Jean, quickly ran to their seats and stopped causing a ruckus. Jean closed the door behind him as he slinked towards an empty desk in the back corner of the room.
Jean could feel all of the kids looking at him with confusion. A little girl sitting in the desk in front of him finally turned around and spoke to Jean.
¡°Hey! That¡¯s not your seat!¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°You have to go to the front,¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because you¡¯re the teacher!¡±
Jean immediately felt the embarrassment swell up within him. He put his head down, not wanting to show his face. But, his hiding was interrupted immediately as tiny fists started hitting the top of Jean¡¯s head. He jolted up shooing away the fists with his arm.
He locked eyes with the little girl from before. Her hair was parted down the middle, and she wore glasses that seemed a little too big for her face.
¡°You can¡¯t sleep! You just woke up,¡± she said.
Jean sighed and pushed past the embarrassment to tell the truth. He turned to face her and leaned forward to meet her at eye-level.
¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±
She crossed her arm and looked away as she introduced herself.
¡°It¡¯s Alyssa,¡±
¡°Well, Alyssa, I¡¯m actually not the teacher,¡±
The moment Jean spoke those words, all the children looked at each other and went back to their antics from before Jean had stepped in. Only Alyssa stood still and stared back at Jean.
¡°If you¡¯re not a teacher, who is?¡±
Upon asking, the door creaked open once more and again all the children ran back to their seats. Even Alyssa dashed back to her seat and sat up straight. Jean looked to see who had walked in. A familiar figure stepped into the room and placed some paperwork on the podium at the front of the room.
Seeing who it was, Jean put his head back down on the table with even greater embarrassment. Standing behind the podium with a massive grin on their face was Klaus. Jean could only bring himself to think;
I hate this¡
Vol 1.14 - Mother
The class felt like it would drone on forever. The children sat attentively and listened to Klaus¡¯s lesson. Jean only managed to catch a few of the things Klaus happened to be saying. Before he knew it, the bell had rung and the kids were packing up for their next class. Jean raised his head to see Klaus sitting in the seat that Alyssa had been sitting in.
¡°Did you always sleep in class?¡± Klaus asked as he lit a cigarette.
¡°Nope. Guess it¡¯s a new thing for me,¡± Jean said while letting out a yawn.
Jean watched Klaus take a draw from the orange filter of his cigarette.
¡°Should you be doing that here?¡±
¡°Probably not, but it feels nostalgic to be back here. Couldn¡¯t help it,¡±
Smoke trickled out from between his lips, eventually pursing his lips to push the rest of it out.
¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve been able to talk like this,¡±
¡°Yeah, it does feel like it¡¯s been a while,¡±
Klaus sat up in his seat and flicked the burnt ash out of the window.
¡°How¡¯re things so far?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t say for sure. Didn¡¯t expect my classmates to be kids,¡± Jean said with a groan.
¡°Haha. I should have told you before. I¡¯ve just been caught up with some administrative stuff,¡±
A breeze of wind brushed into the room. The two of them took a moment to look out the window and appreciate the scenery of the countryside.
¡°Did you catch any of what I said today?¡± Klaus asked.
¡°Bits and pieces,¡± Jean replied. He propped his chin on his palm as he continued to gaze out the window.
¡°I¡¯m not in any position to scold you about this, but I just want you to know that if I could have had it any other way, I would have. I honestly thought that I would be able to protect you for a bit longer,¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°What would have happened if you died before I found out?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t really say. Guess I was too caught up in the promise I made to your mother,¡±
Jean held his words for a moment. Despite his hesitation, Jean decided to ask.
¡°What was my mother to you?¡±
Klaus ashed the cigarette and tossed the butt out the window.
¡°Honestly. I guess you could say she was like an older sister to me. I met her for the first time in this room. Good old 107. She was extremely bright. In both meanings of the word. She would light up the room wherever she went. Always top of the class. All the kids looked up to her. Wouldn¡¯t make sense not to have fallen for her at one point or another,¡±
¡°But, you didn¡¯t end up with her?¡±
A somber smile appeared on Klaus¡¯s face. One that seemed to hold weight behind it. Klaus closed his eyes for a moment as if he was watching the past come rushing back to him.
¡°Despite her age, your mother had a lot of responsibilities placed on her. I don¡¯t think she could have had a proper love with everything that was going on. But, I guess that¡¯s what being a promising hunter entailed,¡±
¡°Did you ever meet my father?¡±
¡°Unfortunately, I never got the chance to,¡±
¡°How did she pass?¡±
Klaus paused to scratch his neck. He leaned back in the seat and rested one arm on the desk.
¡°Peacefully¡¡±
¡°Jean, I know that this might be too much to ask, but- I want you to do the best that you can while you¡¯re here. Now that you know the truth, things are only going to get harder. And I might not always be there to protect you,¡±
¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Jean said quietly.
¡°Good. Well, you better get to your next class,¡± Klaus gave Jean a smile as he handed him a late slip. Jean knew that the smile was full of guilt. He got up from his seat without saying another word and walked towards the door. Before leaving, Jean poked his head back in.
¡°Klaus, thanks.¡±
The door closed behind Jean leaving Klaus alone in the room. He sat still in the chair looking out the window for a little while longer before getting up to pack his things. As he was putting his materials in a small bag, Eve walked into the room. Klaus looked up to greet her.
¡°Hey Eve. Finished your training early as usual huh?¡±
¡°Yes,¡±
¡°Thanks for showing Jean around,¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t any trouble,¡±
Klaus lit another cigarette as he slung his bag over his shoulders.
¡°Klaus, how much longer do you have?¡±
Klaus pulled the cigarette away from his mouth and blew out a plume of smoke.
¡°Two years... Give or take,¡±
¡°Make it count,¡±
Eve spoke these word with a tenderness that cut through her usual cold demeanor. It was the first time Eve had spoken to Klaus in that way. Her pigtails swung over her shoulders as she turned around to leave the room. Klaus looked down at his watch before taking another pull from his cigarette and left the room in silence.
Vol 1.15 - Blade
Jean¡¯s classes went as followed; Beast 101, history of beasts, weapons training, first-aid 101. All of his classes were scheduled for an hour each, with a lunch break between history of beasts and weapons training. Apparently, the children had additional classes afterwards for regular subjects like English and math. Luckily, Jean was allowed to opt out of them. The rest of his classes seemed to be located in the same hallway, which made finding the respective rooms much easier.
Jean entered his next class to be met with stares from both the teacher and the kids. Standing at the front of the room was an elderly lady holding herself up with a wooden cane. Despite being late, she greeted Jean with a warm smile and gestured to take an empty seat.
¡°Now, as I was saying, beasts have been around for as long we can remember. But, it wasn¡¯t always that way. Long, long ago, humans lived without having to fight these monsters. But, one day a dangerous virus began to take our blood until we didn¡¯t have anymore.¡±
Her voice shook slightly as she spoke. Despite the topic, she had a very homely nature to her. Someone could easily imagine her as the loving grandmother cooking desserts for her children. But, who knew, she could be exactly that. Jean couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to what she was saying when she mentioned that things weren¡¯t always this way.
A boy at the front of the class raised his hand. The lady nodded her head at him.
¡°Wha- what happens when we lose all of our blood?¡± the boy asked with immense enthusiasm. It was a strange sight to see a child asking such a morbid question. As a matter of fact, Jean had never asked a question so dark in his life.
¡°Well, our blood helps to keep us alive so we can do all sorts of things. So, when we don¡¯t have anymore, we pass away,¡±
Jean wondered how she was able to communicate such depressing topics to children in a way that didn¡¯t freak them out. Perhaps it was her motherly tone. Despite the shakiness in her voice, she spoke with a loving tone that would make anyone open up to her. Her kind, yet frail demeanor also made the atmosphere of the room lighter.
¡°So if my finger gets the papercut and the blood come out, do that mean I die?¡± a younger boy asked.
¡°No dear, after a little bit, the cut will go away and you won¡¯t lose anymore blood,¡±
She paused for a moment to scan the room for anymore questions before continuing her lecture.
¡°The virus made life hard for humans for a very long time. Almost sixty-five years! Can you believe that?¡±
The students shook their heads in disbelief.
¡°But, thanks to a very smart doctor, named Killian Kafka, he found a way to fight the virus. He gave the cure to many people who had the virus. And that cure changed our bodies forever. Every person in the world is now born with what¡¯s called a potential. It¡¯s a small ring in our bodies and as our blood passes through it, it makes us better at certain things. You¡¯re all here because you possess the potential to be a hunter,¡±
Jean could sense the teacher¡¯s faint stare as she spoke.
The class ended without a hitch. Both Jean and the kids packed up their things and started to head out the door. The elderly lady, stopped Jean as he neared the door and asked if he could stay behind to have a brief chat. It didn¡¯t seem like he had much of a choice, so he decided to stay.
The elderly lady sat down in one of the chairs and finally introduced herself to Jean.
¡°I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t introduce myself as you came in. There¡¯s a lot to cover in the time allotted for each class. Regardless, it¡¯s nice to finally meet you Jean. You can call me Mrs. Yannis,¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. I should be the one apologizing for coming in late,¡±
¡°Well then that makes two of us,¡± she said while laughing.
¡°I hope that you were able to learn something. They always have me teaching the children so it¡¯s hard to properly convey the necessary information to them sometimes. And for you, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a big grating to hear me lecture you like a child,¡±
Mrs. Yannis seemed to always have a warm smile on her face. Jean couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she was like in her earlier days, but decided against asking her about it in the moment.
¡°It¡¯s fine. I get that I don¡¯t know much about this world, so it¡¯s just something that I have to deal with for now,¡± Jean said with a slight shrug.
¡°Well, I hope it all goes well for you moving forward. And trust me when I say that you¡¯ll be out of these classes before you know it,¡±
She got up from the seat and took Jean¡¯s right hand and gave it a light pat.
¡°I¡¯m sure it must be hard right now. But, after having lived in this world for as long as I have, I can say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So keep your chin up dear,¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try,¡±
She let go of his hand and watched as Jean waved goodbye and left the room.
Jean was greeted by Dae-Ho and Donny near the cafeteria. Jean noticed them snickering and giggling as he approached.
¡°How was class?¡± Donny asked while laughing.
Jean nudged his shoulder.
¡°I hate you guys,¡± Jean replied in a joking tone.
¡°Hey, it¡¯s funny to imagine you being the only person to ever end up in a class with kids,¡± Dae-Ho said.
¡°It was just an issue of circumstances,¡± Jean affirmed.
¡°Yeah, it is. But we¡¯re never gonna let this go,¡± Donny added.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Jean waved his hands, brushing off the joke.
¡°Whatever,¡±
The three of them laughed as they made their way into the cafeteria. After getting their food, they found an empty table and sat down.
¡°So, still no news about your weapon?¡± Dae-Ho asked.
Jean finished chewing a piece of broccoli before speaking.
¡°Nope, not yet. Why? Do I need it for class?¡±
¡°Not really, but everyone uses a training blade that¡¯s similar to the real thing, so that they¡¯ll know how to use their own weapon in a real hunt,¡± Donny answered.
¡°Do you have any idea what your weapon looks like?¡± asked Dae-Ho.
¡°Not a clue,¡±
¡°Well that sucks,¡± said Dae-Ho disappointedly.
¡°Why do you wanna know so bad?¡± Jean asked.
¡°Because everyone¡¯s got a different one! Even if they might look the same, they all do completely different things!¡±
Donny put his fork down and drank the rest of his orange juice.
¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it now. You¡¯ll get your weapon eventually. Plus you¡¯ll get to see what we mean by ¡®they¡¯re all different¡¯ in a little bit,¡±
The three of them finished their food and made their way back towards the dorms to get their weapons for the next class. However, Jean was stopped by the headmaster.
¡°Jean! How¡¯s your first day of classes?¡±
¡°It¡¯s going good sir,¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad to hear. It seems like you¡¯ve already made some friends,¡±
Dae-Ho and Donny nodded their heads slightly in greeting.
¡°I was actually looking for you Jean. There¡¯s something I have for you,¡±
Before Jean could say anything, Dae-Ho jumped in and asked;
¡°Is it his weapon!?¡±
The headmaster laughed.
¡°Yes, it indeed is his weapon. Sorry for the delay on its arrival Jean.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay sir,¡±
¡°Well, follow me and I¡¯ll show you where to get it,¡±
Jean turned around to face Dae-Ho and Donny.
¡°I¡¯ll meet you guys in class,¡±
¡°Gotcha,¡± the two of them said.
After their exchange, the two of them continued on their path back to the dorms, while Jean followed the Headmaster down a different hallway. Jean and the Headmaster filled the walk with light conversation. Mostly consisting of Jean¡¯s first day. Eventually, they arrived at an elevator and stepped in. The headmaster pushed a key into a keyhole on the panel housing all the buttons.
Upon turning the key, a series of mechanical noises started to emanate from the roof of the elevator car. There was a brief jolt and the elevator began descending.
¡°Don¡¯t mind the jumpiness of the elevator. It was just switching rails,¡±
¡°Switching rails?¡± Jean asked.
¡°Well, because of your circumstances, your weapon was being developed by my personal R&D associate,¡± he replied with a grin.
¡°Is that why it took a while to finish it?¡±
¡°Yes, according to him, your beast blood was quite finicky to forge anything with,¡±
Before Jean could say anything, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened up into a massive room filled with tools, weapons, gadgets and strange colored liquids. Behind one of the many tables was a man with long parted hair jotting things down on a clipboard.
¡°Jino, I¡¯ve brought Jean,¡±
The man looked up as his name was called. His hair was well groomed and his face was slim and well structured. Upon first glance, one would guess he was a model of some sort. He leaned under the table and stood back up with a long case in his arms.
¡°Glad to finally meet the boy who really fucked with my brain,¡± Jino said.
¡°Sorry about that,¡±
Jean couldn¡¯t help but apologize.
¡°I¡¯m just fucking with you. It was pretty cool to work with that half-beast half-human blood. Anyway, here it is!¡±
He undid the hooks on the case and opened the lid to reveal a sheathed katana. The black handle was intricately braided with a soft red leather while the sheathe was decorated minimally with the red leather being tied around it like a charm.
¡°The sheathe was made from carbon fibre, so it should be pretty damn light. And we decided to paint it black to match the handle,¡±
Jeans eyes traced the weapon up and down.
¡°Well what¡¯re you waiting for! Pick it up!¡±
Jean reached into the case and lifted the sword out. As Jino had said, the weapon felt light and balanced. Jean grabbed the weapon by the handle and slowly pulled it out of its sheath. Jean could almost hear the sharpness of the blade as it emerged from its casing. As he held the blade in his hand, he felt a sudden stir in his body. A slow, humming vibration resonating from somewhere deep within him.
Jean snuck glances at the Headmaster and Jino, but they didn¡¯t seem to notice anything different about him. But, it felt like the sword was shaking, almost as if the vibrations coursing throughout his body were in sync with the blade. The feeling stopped abruptly. There was an unnatural amount of silence. The world around him was now floating in time. Then, there it was. A familiar guttural noise coming from his head.
¡°Hehehe¡ Do you feel it Jean?¡±
It¡¯s deep and disjointed cackles resonated in his mind. Jean¡¯s eyes darted around the room hoping for someone, anyone to pull him out of whatever it happened to be.
¡°They can¡¯t help you right now Jean,¡±
Something has to have stopped the time!
¡°Nobodies stopped time, you¡¯re just seeing things quicker. Hehehe, how¡¯ve you been since we last talked?¡±
What the hell are you?
¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that Jean! Haven¡¯t you realized? I¡¯m you¡ A better you. Faster, stronger, smarter. Beast blood ain¡¯t so bad when you just let it in,¡±
Fuck you! What the hell do you mean you¡¯re me!?
¡°You know exactly what I mean. I know about as much as you¡ Think of me as another conscience,¡±
What do you want from me?
¡°Hehehe, it¡¯s not what I want from you. It¡¯s what you want from me¡¡±
Fuck are you talking about?
¡°Still playing the fool Jean? I know, deep in your mind, you despise the situation. You hate everything that¡¯s happened. I can help you make it better,¡±
That doesn¡¯t sound like anything I want!
¡°Really? You don¡¯t want to leave this school? You don¡¯t want to blame Klaus for everything? You don¡¯t want to kill the feelings of the guilt you never asked for?¡±
Shut up!
¡°Hehe, Jean¡ Let me out¡±
The voice began to fade away. But, not before saying one last thing.
¡°I¡¯ll make it worth your while,¡±
The voice was gone completely and Jean stood in silence. Sword still gripped in his hands, his eyes darted towards Jino and the headmaster, who now seemed to be acting normally.
¡°What¡¯s wrong Jean? Is the weapon not to your liking?¡±
¡°Huh!? Whatcha fuckin mean by that?¡±
Jean found himself in a moment of disorientation.
¡°Huh? Oh, no it¡¯s really nice. Thank you,¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I thought!¡± Jino shouted.
¡°What he means to say is that he¡¯s glad you like your weapon,¡± the Headmaster said.
The Headmaster pulled is sleeve back to check his watch.
¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time to head back up. You have your weapons training class soon,¡±
Jean, with the weapon gripped in his hand, nodded in agreement. The two of them made their way back to the elevator. Jean turned around to wave and thank Jino once more before getting in the elevator and returning to the surface.
Vol 1.16 - Ending the Day
The field was massive. The well-maintained fields of grass stretched for what seemed like miles. The crowds of students were split off into their respective groups. Donny, Dae-Ho and Jean conversed while making their way towards their group slowly.
¡°Can¡¯t believe you ended up with a fucking Katana!¡± Dae-Ho shouted.
¡°It¡¯s literally the most generic thing you could have ended up with,¡± Donny added.
¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t really get to choose. They just kinda gave it to me,¡±
¡°I¡¯m telling you, once you see everyone elses, your Katana ain¡¯t gonna look like much,¡±
Jean shrugged off the comment without much care.
¡°As long as it can kill beasts, doesn¡¯t matter what it is,¡±
¡°Haha, you got us there,¡± Donny said.
Donny and Dae-Ho had their own weapons strapped on them. Donny had a mace hanging from his waist belt. Dae-Ho on the other hand, had the weapon covered in a black wrapping. The blanket accentuated the width and length of the blade.
The three eventually arrived at their location. The students were huddled within their own friend groups, seemingly waiting for the instructor to show up.
¡°Well, we are a bit early,¡± Donny said while shrugging his shoulders.
¡°Might as well warm-up and get ready,¡± Dae-Ho said as he slid his weapon off of his shoulder.
He slowly undid the bindings tied around black cover to uncover a partially sheathed claymore. The top half of the dark brown sheath was hollowed out, while the bottom half maintained a fully covered top half. The blade itself emitted a glare as the sun rays hit its well-polished surface.
¡°Don¡¯t you think the swords a bit big for you, Dae-Ho?¡± asked Jean.
¡°Hey! What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Dae-Ho exclaimed.
¡°That¡¯s what the potentials are for. Our weapons are infused with our blood. So the power of our potential runs through our weapons. It¡¯s kind of like it¡¯s a living thing and you¡¯re helping each other out. Balancing each other¡¯s capabilities,¡± Donny explained.
Their conversation was interrupted by a comment coming from behind them.
¡°Glad you¡¯re actually payin attention in class, Barnett!¡±
A short and toned, lady was walking towards them with a duffle bag full of wooden swords and different pieces of protective gear. Her straight long hair was tucked inside her green tracksuit. Most likely to keep it out of the way. Her facial features were rough, but not without its own charm. However, she had what seemed like a permanent scowl plastered across her face.
¡°Hurry your asses up and start doing your stretches!¡± she commanded with an intimidating voice.
A few of the students quietly groaned as they began performing a series of different stretches. Jean and the other two, intimidated, didn¡¯t protest and joined in with the other students. As Jean was performing his stretches, he felt his collar get jerked backwards. Losing his balance, he fell back to find his shirt collar being gripped by the instructor. She dragged Jean away from the rest of the group, who didn¡¯t seem to notice his absence.
¡°So, you¡¯re the new kid,¡±
An almost evil smile appeared on her face. She tightened her grip on Jean¡¯s collar and got close to his ear. Jean froze as her silent, breathy words entered his ear.
¡°You¡¯re lucky this school is paying me not to kill your ass. If it were up to me, I would have ripped you apart before you even stepped past the entrance,¡±
The color in Jean¡¯s face drained. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of power Jean may have possessed, the murderous aura emanating from her paralyzed Jean. She loosened her grip and pushed Jean away. The aura around her dissipated and her she returned to her normal, less intimidating, self. Jean ran back to the group, turning his head to catch another glimpse of the instructor. She stood still, with crossed arm, and the same scowl.
¡°Tough luck. Dealing with Serizawa is a bitch. She hardly ever lets up. Only reason everyone deals with her is because we have to,¡± Donny said with an angry tone.
¡°Just don¡¯t piss her off and you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Dae-Ho said.
Even though she wasn¡¯t surrounded by a terrible aura, Jean could still feel her detest in his body. Upon finishing the stretches, Serizawa signaled to huddle up.
¡°Alright, you¡¯re going to start with drills three through five. Then find a sparring partner and try not to kill each other,¡±
¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± the students shouted in unison.
The huddle dispersed and began swinging their weapons in rhythmic patterns. Each swing choreographed seamlessly with one another. Donny walked Jean through the practice drills. Jean pulled out his sword, revealing the dark onyx blade.
¡°Woah¡ Now that ain¡¯t the kind of katana I was expecting,¡± Dae-Ho said.
Despite the darkness of the blade, the light sheened off the blade, almost making it seem translucent.
¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not kidding. A black katana?¡± Donny asked.
¡°I didn¡¯t really get a good chance to look at it earlier, but it¡¯s pretty cool,¡± Jean said.
A part of Jean was in awe of the fact that he was holding such a sword in his hand. It was a surreal sensasion. Jean followed the drills as Donny had demonstrated. Beginning slowly, he caught on quick. Increasing the swift movements in speed with each successful completion. Within thirty minutes, Jean was performing the drills with ease.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Jeez, you catch on quick!¡± Dae-Ho exclaimed.
¡°You sure you¡¯ve never done this kind of thing before?¡± Donny asked.
Jean looked down at the sword gripped in his hands.
¡°Never,¡±
¡°Well, I mean you have the potential to be a hunter, so I¡¯m honestly not too surprised,¡± Donny said.
¡°Maybe that¡¯s what it is,¡± Jean agreed.
¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten the drills down, do you wanna try sparring?¡± asked Dae-Ho enthusiastically.
"I can''t," replied Jean.
"Why?" asked Donny.
"Special circumstances,"
Dae-Ho groaned with disappointment.
"Dude, how''re you supposed to even learn to kill beasts if you can''t even practice actual fighting?"
"He''s right you know? Clearly,there''s something you''re not allowed to tell us, and if you don''t wanna say anything, it''s fine. All I''m going to say is that right now you don''t even know how to use the sword that you''re holding. Whatever ''circumstance'' is holding you back from learning to kill beasts isn''t worth listening to."
Jean hesitated upon hearing Donny''s brief lecture. Jean was aware of why he wasn''t allowed to spar. But, another part of him realized that the only other person he could spar with right now was Serizawa and he wasn''t about to ask her. He loosened his grip on the handle for a moment and immediately gripped it once more. Against his better judgment, Jean decided, that there was no point in holding back any longer. This was his life and there wasn¡¯t much he could do right now to change it. And most of all, he didn''t want to give way for another incident to occur.
¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Jean said with confidence.
Donny refereed the sparring session. Taking an empty plot of the field, out of view from the other students and professors, Dae-Ho and Jean distanced themselves and turned to face each other. They checked to make sure their protective gear, consisting of a few hard-shell pieces that strapped onto different parts of the body, was tightened and properly equipped.
¡°Jean, just try to use those drill patterns,¡± Donny said.
¡°Hey! No assists! That¡¯s b.s.¡± Dae-Ho complained.
¡°Thanks for the tip, Donny!¡± Jean said.
The two fledgling hunters readied themselves. Dae-Ho¡¯s experience showed in the stability of his form. Jean on the other hand, with no real combat experience, held a stance that somewhat seemed to be logical. Hovering his hand over the handle, Jean held his breath waiting for the signal.
¡°Start!¡±
Suddenly hearing Donny¡¯s voice, caused both Jean and Dae-Ho to jump into action drawing their swords from their sheaths. Dae-Ho reached his right arm behind his back and took hold of the hefty sword and pulled it out with ease. Jean, pulled the sword out, letting is arm move with the flow of the sheaths shape. The blade resonated with a stinging whir as it left its casing.
The two instantly, dashed towards each other, impacting with loud clash of blades. Jean pushed himself away before, Dae-Ho managed to twist his cross guards around Jeans wrist. Stepping back a few paces, Jean regained his composure. He took that moment to try and remember one or two of the drills and implement them. As Dae-Ho took slow calculated steps towards Jean, he lunged himself forward, swinging his blade to the side. Dae-Ho, seeing the attack coming, stopped his movement and stepped out of the way.
Ending up next to Jean as he was mid-swing left an easy opening for Dae-Ho. He turned the weapon around and took a jab at Jean¡¯s sides with the pommel of the claymore. Even with the padding, Jean felt the impact knock the air out of him as he collapsed to the ground.
Dae-Ho dropped his sword to check on Jean as Donny rushed over to see as well.
¡°You okay? Didn¡¯t expect you to jump at me!¡± Dae-Ho said while laughing.
¡°You got your ass beat,¡± Donny said with a grin on his face.
Finally managing to get some air back into his lungs, he sat himself up.
¡°Don¡¯t get up to soon!¡± Donny insisted.
Jean shook his head.
¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m okay,¡±
Jean was indeed fine. The pain was only momentary as the beast blood coursing in his veins were healing him rapidly. The other two helped Jean up. Donny and Dae-Ho took a short break before getting around to their sparring. Jean put his sword back into its sheath and practiced the drills until the class ended. The last remaining class of the day was first-aid 101. This was luckily, another class that Jean shared with Donny and Dae-Ho.
The three of them walked into a wide lecture hall lined with rows of chairs. More and more students began trickling in behind the three of them. The sudden rush pushed them to find their seats. Soon after, the room was filled with the conversations of students ready to end the last class of the day.
A group of students surrounding the three of them leaned in towards Jean.
¡°First time seeing you around. You the transfer student?¡± asked the boy sitting directly behind Jean.
Jean turned around to face a blonde-haired boy. His voice and his face screamed, pompous asshole. There was a certain condescending look to his face. His head seemed to always be slightly tilted above whoever he was talking to. Most likely to mimic the feeling of looking down on someone.
¡°Yeah, I am,¡± Jean replied.
¡°Nice! I¡¯m Larris by the way. Anyway, what¡¯s up with that? How¡¯d you manage to transfer here so late?¡± Larris asked.
¡°Special circumstances,¡± Jean answered.
¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±
¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just saying I had some circumstances that made me transfer late,¡±
¡°Okay, so then what are those circumstances,¡±
¡°I can¡¯t say,¡±
¡°Stop bullshitting me and just say it,¡±
Donny, who was shaking his leg in annoyance, fed up with the pestering, turned around to face Larris as well.
¡°Back off Larris. Just because your dad is the head of investigations, don¡¯t mean you have to interrogate every single person like you¡¯re your dad,¡±
Larris¡¯ eyebrows furrowed as he glared at Donny.
¡°Are you jealous that I actually have a dad to look up to?¡±
As Dae-Ho was about to get up from his seat and say something, Jean stood up first. He began curling his fingers into a fist. Clenching them tighter with each passing second. Jean could feel his adrenaline building. The thought of having enough power to knock this blonde punks head clean off filled his mind.
Then there it was again. The out of body feeling, the slowing of time¡ and the same guttural voice.
¡°Do it, Jean. You know you want to,¡±
It would kill him, right?
¡°Oh yes. You can end this little shits life right now,¡±
Jean fists tightened even harder.
¡°Do it¡ What¡¯re you waiting for! DO IT!¡±
Jean let out a sigh and the world around him faded back to normal. Jean thought to himself that a situation like this was the reason for why the stringent rules were placed on him. The voice went away, and Jean could only glare at Larris. Unlike in the stare down he had with Donny, Larris looked straight into Jean¡¯s eyes and felt a sense of terror.
Leaning back in his chair, he turned his head away.
¡°Alright, I guess I went a bit far,¡±
Upon hearing this, Jean sat back down in his seat. The clock struck one o¡¯clock and the doors to the lecture hall promptly opened. An all too familiar sight strolled in. The long dark brown hair and the slender figure couldn¡¯t be mistaken for. Doctor Evelynn Brown approached the podium and placed her materials down.
There were whisperings amongst the boys in the very back.
¡°She¡¯s the new first-aid teacher? We got lucky¡±
¡°Yeah, she¡¯s actually hella hot,¡±
Evelynn, as if she was still preparing her materials, reached into her bag. The boys behind Jean were still whispering about Evelynn. As Jean turned his attention back to the front of the room, he felt a sharp brush of air fly right past him. Only a moment later, he heard a slight dink of an impact resonate from behind him.
Evelynn was wiping her fingers down with a handkerchief.
¡°That teacher straight up just threw a block of chalk at that dudes head,¡± Dae-Ho said out loud.
¡°Shut up and quiet down,¡± she said firmly.
There was a collective gulp of nervousness in the class.
Glad to see she¡¯s as blunt as ever¡
The rest of the class went without a hitch. Evelynn spent most of the class showing off grotesque injuries, discussing crucial healing herbs and other introductory level content. Jean couldn¡¯t help but admit that despite her demeanor, she was one hell of a teacher. The clock struck two signaling the end of the last class of the day.
The trio spent the rest of their day eating, lounging around, and spending time in the student recreation center. Jean finally found himself feeling a sense of relief. All the worries and denial he felt since the incident were forgotten, even if it might have only been for that moment. It was as if his life would come back together again.
Vol 1.17 - Crime and Punishment
Weeks went by without much disarray. Following his day-to-day schedule and abiding by his contractual obligations for the most part. Still a bit fearful of Serizawa, Jean continued to his sparring sessions with Donny and Dae-Ho during their weapons training class in secret, making sure to avoid any suspicious eyes.
Summer was coming to a close as the weather began to grow colder with each passing day. On occasion, there would be light rainfall, wetting the fields and plunging the sky into a dim gray. However, for the most part, the sun continued to shine on most days. On one of those hot and humid days, Jean and Dae-Ho were continuing their sparring session without Donny as he was feeling sick.
¡°You¡¯re- getting better,¡± Dae-Ho said while catching his breath.
¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m still nowhere near you or Donny,¡±
¡°You¡¯re gettin there. Pretty quick too. Plus your attacks have been getting heavier recently,¡±
The two took a seat on the grass, undoing the buckles on their padding. Dae-Ho leaned back on his arms as he took in the sunlight.
¡°I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t been caught yet,¡± he said.
¡°Don¡¯t Jinx it,¡± Jean replied lightheartedly.
¡°Well, we¡¯ve been doing a good job of keeping it on the down low, so we should be fine,¡±
The sound of the bell chiming to signal the end of class carried itself throughout the field. Not long after, the bustling sound of several footsteps passed by them in the distance. Jean and Dae-Ho brushed off the loose grass from their clothes, grabbed their gear and joined the crowd. They had gotten a routine down for getting out of weapons training without raising any suspicion. Typically, Dae-Ho and Donny would take their padding and go on ahead of Jean. Jean would stay behind momentarily before joining the back of the crowd. However, this time, Dae-Ho took Jean¡¯s padding for him and merged in with the rest of the group. Jean followed the plan as usual afterwards, waiting for a few seconds before jumping in with the rest of the students.
Even with the effort they went through to keep his sparring a secret, there were times, where he would feel anxious about it. Whenever he passed by Serizawa, he could feel the intense glare trained on him. Regardless of whether she knew about the sparring or not, they hadn¡¯t been caught yet, so Jean didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it. But, there was always a sense of insecurity lingering in the back of his mind.
Once again, Jean managed to get out of weapons training without any issues and met up with Dae-Ho in their next class.
¡°Another day of sparring, done,¡± Dae-Ho said.
¡°Yup,¡±
The two of them entered the lecture hall and took their seats. Usually, Evelynn would show up right as the bell chimed. However, this time, Evelynn had come early. She conducted her usual string of actions. She approached the podium, prepped her material and wrote a question on the chalkboard. Her usual routine broke as after she finished writing, she approached Jean and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
¡°The headmaster and Klaus want to see you. It¡¯s best you don¡¯t keep them waiting,¡±
Dae-Ho looked at Jean in confusion.
¡°What¡¯d she say?¡±
¡°I gotta go meet with somebody,¡± Jean answered. He figured it was best not to disclose anymore than that as he didn¡¯t want to get Dae-Ho too involved. Jean gathered his things and got up from his seat. Dae-Ho gave him a look of worry.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jean assured.
¡°Alright, if you say so,¡± Dae-Ho responded wryly.
Jean made his way out of the class room and towards the Headmasters office. On the way there, he happened to see Klaus waiting outside of the room, smoking a cigarette.
¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±
Klaus crushed out his cigarette and tossed it into the trash can beside him. He let out a sigh that pushed out whatever smoke was left in his lungs.
¡°You messed up, Jean¡±
Jean didn¡¯t need to hear anymore than that. Jean sighed and pushed open the door into the Headmasters office. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk filling out some paperwork. Upon Jean entering the office, he put his pen down and pushed the paperwork aside. He gestured for Jean to take a seat, which Jean did immediately.
¡°Jean¡ I¡¯m assuming you know why you¡¯re here,¡±
Jean nodded in silence.
¡°I genuinely believed that the rules placed on you wouldn¡¯t be an issue. I know that you¡¯ve been sparring with your friends in secret. But, I also believe that you understand the importance of sparring, which is why I¡¯m assuming you chose to go through with it,¡±
Jean nodded again.
The door opened once more as Klaus walked in. He took a seat in the chair next to Jean.
¡°Klaus, as his supervisor, I¡¯m disappointed that you haven¡¯t been able to steer Jean away from his course of action,¡±
¡°Don¡¯t blame, Klaus¡¡± Jean finally said.
¡°I¡¯ve been avoiding Klaus and sparring in secret. He couldn¡¯t have known,¡±
¡°But, somebody did,¡± added Klaus.
¡°Jean, I¡¯m not angry at you and if it were up to me, I would let this slide. However, just the simple act of accepting you into this academy was a difficult task. That means that I can¡¯t let this go unpunished,¡±
¡°I understand,¡± Jean said.
¡°As for you, Klaus, moving forward, I expect you to keep a closer eye on Jean,¡±
¡°I understand,¡± Klaus said.
¡°Jean, your punishment will be solitary confinement for two days. It¡¯s the lowest level of punishment I was able to get cleared by the higher ups. Normally, they would have you killed on the spot. Especially considering what you are,¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡±
Klaus said nothing to protest, nor did Jean. They both understood that this was the best outcome to come from the situation. The headmaster stood up and began to escort Jean out of the room. Jean looked back to see Klaus still sitting in the chair, motionless.
The Headmaster led Jean into a building separate from the school itself. It was a dull and dilapidated building. Seemingly, not having been used in recent years, the door squealed as the Headmaster pushed it open. With Jean following close behind, they walked down a flight of stairs that seemed to go on forever. Their quiet descent ended as they came face-to-face with a large metal door that the Headmaster opened with a key.
Behind the metal door was a long hallway with more metal doors lining the walls. The headmaster opened the first door on the right and waited for Jean to enter.
¡°Jean, I understand that this isn¡¯t the life you want to live, but right now there isn¡¯t much you can do. I hope that moving forward you can understand that,¡±
Jean clenched his fists and turned around to face the Headmaster.
¡°That¡¯s why I chose to go against the rules, Headmaster. If this is the world I¡¯m expected to live in, I decided that I¡¯m not going to sit around waiting for somebody to tell me how I need to live in it. Whatever I am doesn¡¯t change the fact that I lived through watching some of my closest friends die. I¡¯m not going to let that happen again,¡±
The Headmaster gave Jean a slight smile. Despite his best attempts to hide it behind his stern face, Jean felt as though the Headmaster sympathized with him.
¡°As a teacher, there¡¯s not much I can say to you right now. However, from one human being to another, you keep doing what you feel is right¡ I¡¯ll be back to get you in a couple days. I¡¯ll be sure to make something up for your friends to explain your absence,¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡±
With that exchange, the Headmaster closed the metal door and locked the door. Jean rested his head against the cold, hard bed. In the deafening silence of the empty room, Jean closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
Vol 1.18 - Breach
Jean woke up in the dark room after what seemed like a long and arduous nap. The only light in the room came in the form of a dainty light bulb hanging from the ceiling. He cleared off the dust that was lingering on his clothing. Despite being underground, he could hear the faint sound of the outside world. The muted chirping of crickets and the flowing of a river traveled through the thick walls. Based on the fact that there was light and some form of connection to the outside world, Jean concluded that this place wasn¡¯t originally used for solitary confinement.
Without much to do, he paced around the room. Someone had to have told the Headmaster about the sparring. His only real guess was that it was Serizawa. She had made her stance regarding Jean very clear from the beginning. She must have somehow caught a glimpse of Jean sparring and decided to inform the Headmaster. Jean sat back down, realizing that there was no point dwelling on it.
¡°Trapped in a cage aren¡¯t we?¡±
Jean jumped up upon hearing the all-to familiar voice. Being alone, Jean decided to converse with this beast-side of himself vocally.
¡°For a lack of better words, yeah¡±
¡°Let¡¯s just break out,¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already gotten in trouble for sparring, I¡¯m not going to risk getting myself killed,¡±
¡°Hehe, being in here, we might as well be dead,¡±
Jean sighed, ignoring the pessimistic statement.
¡°So, how¡¯re you talking to me?¡±
¡°You¡¯re me and I¡¯m you. It¡¯s a mental link. It¡¯s as simple as that,¡±
¡°Are all beasts like this?¡±
¡°No. Don¡¯t you pay attention in your classes?¡±
¡°Shut up and just tell me,¡±
¡°Whenever a human¡¯s potential becomes corrupt, they lose control of it the enhanced blood flowing through their bodies. Any conscious link they might have had to their original mind is lost when they turn,¡±
¡°And they just crave human flesh, is that it?¡±
¡°Not necessarily. Beasts have unfinished business as well. Except on rare occasions, potentials don¡¯t go corrupt for no reason,¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°If a human becomes corrupted with enough hatred or negative emotion, anything linked to their last thoughts become their mission. Take somebody you hate for example. You turn with that hatred still lingering in your heart, as a beast, you¡¯ll hunt that person down until they¡¯re killed by your hands,¡±
¡°Then how am I able to maintain control of my own mind,¡±
¡°Because you and me are merged as one entity. When a human turns into a beast, they¡¯re taken over. They don¡¯t share the body,¡±
¡°So you can¡¯t take over my body?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
¡°Like I said before, I only know as much as you in regards to this half-beast nonsense,¡±
¡°Wait, then how do you have your own conscience? Or know anything about beasts in the first place?¡±
¡°One would do well to know about their own kind. As for my own conscience, I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s a manifestation of the human mind. I assume beasts don¡¯t have the ability to communicate on a higher level beyond maiming and killing,¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you should know your own kind?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never lived as a beast that¡¯s taken over a human body. I only know about the functionality of beasts,¡±
¡°I feel like you¡¯re hiding something from me,¡±
¡°You¡¯ll discover the truth soon enough without me telling you,¡±
¡°How much more to the tru-¡±
Jean was cut off by what sounded like an explosion going off. Shortly after, the bell began to chime.
¡°Hehe, looks like they¡¯re here,¡±
¡°Who''s here!?¡±
¡°Beasts,¡±
Jean had never considered that beasts could get into the school, especially with all of the teachers and security that happened to be surrounding the campus itself. The noises began to grow louder. There was now the faint noise of screaming. The same fear from the day of the incident rushed over Jean.
¡°No, no, no! Not again!¡±
The sound of fighting began bleeding through the walls of the room. Jean was torn between going out to fight and the returning feeling of dread.
What do I do!?
¡°Hehehe, what do you want to do Jean?¡±
¡°What am I supposed to do!? I don¡¯t have my weapon and I¡¯m stuck in here,¡±
¡°Are you scared, Jean?¡±
Jean didn¡¯t want to admit it, but knowing that this other-self of his knew what he was thinking; he spoke the truth.
¡°Yes. I¡¯m scared out of my mind. My legs are shaking and my body won¡¯t move,¡±
¡°I¡¯ll ask again. What do you want to do?¡±
Flashes of the incident played in his head. Joles blood splattered across the field, the pain he felt during the whole ordeal. But he also remembered his one-on-one encounter with the beast. The power and the adrenaline. All of it came flooding back to him.
¡°I don¡¯t trust you yet¡ But, I need your help. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m getting myself into, but I¡¯m not going to sit in here and wait for those things to get to me or kill anymore people,¡±
¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask. Go to the door,¡±
Jean stood up and approached the large metal door.
¡°Break it down, Jean¡±
Jean turned his body sideways and ran towards the door, slamming against it with his shoulder. Jean fell back upon the impact, but looking up, saw that there was now a huge dent in the door.
¡°AGAIN!¡±
Jean got up and without hesitation ran at the door once more, full force. With a loud thud and a crash, the heavy duty hinges of the door came flying off. The door fell to the floor, cracking the concrete floor below it and kicking aside the dust and dirt.
¡°That¡¯s the power we possess, Jean. Use it,¡±
The voice faded away.
¡°Hey! Hey!¡±
There was no response.
¡°Shit!¡±
Realizing that he didn¡¯t have time to waste trying to get the beast inside him to speak again, he began making his way up the stairs at full speed. Moving with finesse, he leapt up entire flights of stairs. His body felt better than ever. No amount of fear he felt hindered his ascent. Reaching the top of the staircase, he slammed open the door to see the academy in full chaos.
A massive fire was raging, enveloping half of the school. He could hear the sounds of weapons cleaving into the flesh of the beasts clearly, despite the distance. Suddenly, he saw a small body come flying out from the second floor of the school. As the body got closer, Jean jumped towards them and caught the individual.
¡°Hey! Are you-¡±
Jean stood horrified at the lifeless child resting in his arms. Jean silently sat the body down against a nearby tree. The child¡¯s stiff soulless eyes stared back at Jean. Unable to look, he closed the child¡¯s eyes before standing up. Tightening both his fists, Jean stood up and turned to face the burning school and the group of beasts stomping their way into the school.
Arc in Review: Prologue Arc (This is not a new chapter)
Hey all! So this isn''t a new chapter but a personal arc-in-review. I wanted to do this to really look at my work, as the author, from the most objective lens I can. Of course, that doesn''t mean that there won''t be any personal bias or subjective views, but hopefully by talking about my own short-comings, thought processes and other things, I can hope to catch things that I can improve on in the future!
Before moving forward, I wanna give a huge thank you to all the people following the story. Beast has steadily been growing in audience and I''m extremely grateful that people are enjoying the story that I''m wanting to tell. I also want to give a special shoutout to SWKennington, Magicgearhulk, and the_random_user for voicing their criticisms as it has helped me tremendously with both boosting my drive to improve as a writer and to focus on the weaker elements of my story. So, once again thank you to everyone who has been reading BEAST and hopefully I can continue to deliver a narrative that people can enjoy reading.
I wanna start off by talking about the positives mainly because I personally feel like there are more negatives than there are positives to come from this prologue arc. I don''t want to necessarily excuse errors in my writing by saying that I''m a novice writer and am still working on building my style and improving my narrative structure and content. However, I do feel like I should preface that information before moving forward.
But with that being said; let''s talk pros.
When I first was brainstorming the idea for Beast, I really drew inspiration from Bloodborne and a lot of the different anime that I''ve watched over the past few years. And I think that the prologue chapter really captured the tone of the narrative that I wanted to push for, while not setting it in stone. While I wanted to push forward a darker tone, I still wanted to maintain leeway for light-hearted moments to shine through without making it feel jarring or illogical. While I don''t think the execution of this was perfect, I think that there were a lot of moments that worked. Especially upon entering the academy.
Another thing that I personally thought was okay was the character dynamic and flow of dialogue. I spent a lot of time editing character dialogue and attempting to put an individual voice to each character. While at times I found the dialogue I was writing to be stiff, for the most part, I wanted to approach it from the perspective of making it believable. The conversations between Klaus and Jean, I think are a really good way to kind of explain my thought process. In the initial chapters, there was a familial tone that I wanted to bring to the relationship between those the two characters. Where after the events at the school, it would create a sort of rift between them. Looking back, I wish I could have fleshed out the initial relationship a bit more, I think, for the most part, the introduction and the build-up were okay. Overall, in regards to dialogue, I think is one of my stronger suits. That isn''t to excuse the issues in the actual flow and sound of the character interactions, but more so a personal analysis of those aspects.
The reason I chose not to dwell too much on the initial relationship is because I wanted to create an air of mystery behind Klaus. Keep him an enigma as one of my friends said. This stemmed its own set of issues, but I think that I managed to accomplish what I wanted to with Klaus for the time being. Not divulging too much information, but not keeping too much from the reader.
The next thing that I wanna touch on was the first and, really only action sequence of this entire prologue arc. The fight between Jean and the bat-like beast was one of the toughest writing experiences I''ve had as a novice writer. I had never really written an action scene and ended up fumbling my way through the sequence. I was genuinely struggling to create a fight that was engaging and exciting without over-explaining to the point that the readers can''t formulate their own ideas or choreography of the fight.
However, while it isn''t perfect, I thought that the fight scene wasn''t too poorly done. Originally, I wanted to get some panel art done for this chapter. Unfortunately, that plan fell through and I wasn''t able to do that.
Something I enjoyed writing quite a bit was the friendship between Jean, Dae-Ho and Donny. The three characters all have their own individual circumstances and in a way, I wanted to use that as a skeleton to bring these three together. I also wanted to use it as a way to demonstrate the global scale of the narrative. I thought that pulling in characters from different cultures and ethnicities would be a great way to emphasize that fact without shoving it in the readers face.
The actual dynamic was also something I enjoyed writing. All three of these characters borrow a lot of personal elements from my life. Whether that be friends and peers that I know or elements of myself, I wanted to bring that sense of comradery to the story.
This covers the positive portion of the arc-in-review.
Now on to the negatives!
The overall feel of the academy portion of this arc did have a lot to be desired in terms of narrative weight and content. While I thought the pacing was okay, rereading through those chapters, I personally felt as though there was a bit of repetitive content. Especially in terms of Jean''s character interactions. My focus for these sequences was more so on having Jean interact with the many characters in the story. But, in doing so, a lot of the character dynamics felt stilted and overdone. For example, the interaction between Klaus and Jean, while slightly different, felt similar to the conversation Jean has with Mrs. Yannis in the very next chapter. At least in terms of tone and content.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Another major issue I had with the academy portion was that there were a ton of new character introduced. While I was writing these parts, I ended up pushing a lot of the side-character development to the back as I thought that I would be able to return to these characters at a later time. However, I realized that doing that would only hinder any weight that the narrative might have when shit starts to hit the fan. Because the interactions between Jean and these characters are so brief, it makes them feel expendable and as a result, makes it harder for the readers to care for their well-being.
Continuing on the topic of characters, let''s talk about Jean. As the main character, I know that there is a lot riding on his development. Unfortunately, I genuinely feel as though his motivations and reason for accepting the situation were a bit half-assed. While I did do this on purpose, I felt as though, even his temporary motives should be made clear. And sadly, that didn''t feel to be the case while looking back.
There is an unclear ambiguity to how Jean''s character changes his mind on the situation. Simply saying that he had no choice but to accept it. While narratively, it works for where the story started and is going, it just felt a little hollow for me. His motivations are something that, as the author, I know are imperative. His purpose later in the story is something that I have set in stone and have fleshed out quite a bit in the brainstorming phase. But that still doesn''t excuse the lackluster development of his early motivations in this prologue arc.
Even though there is a build up for the change in thinking, a part of me still feels as though it wasn''t made clear enough. And even if it was clear, it just have the "oomf" that I wanted it to have.
Another major issue with this arc, staying on track with characters, are the one-dimensional aspects of certain characters. Especially, Eve. While characters like the Evelynn, Elton, and the Headmaster have some sort of character beyond just their archetypes, Eve is really the crux of the negative here. While we get some momentary depth to her, due to the archetype I chose, there wasn''t much I did for her that went beyond that.
I won''t talk about Serizawa here for obvious spoiler reasons. Just keep in mind that Serizawa isn''t mentioned in this because she''s only just been introduced and there isn''t much for me to speak on without giving the later story points away.
The next set of negatives really stem from the issues that some of the users I mentioned pointed out. More specifically the solitary confinement. Looking back, I genuinely wished I worked on the chapter a bit longer than I had. The implications of solitary confinement raise a lot of issues. For example, I can see the readers question the brain power of the higher-ups, let alone the Headmaster. On top of that, the consequential implications it has for Jean is far greater due to his mental state (I''ll critique this element later as well). Solitary confinement was genuinely only used a plot device to push the narrative forward and I do agree with people that it was a terrible call. While it might have functioned for the purpose of the narrative at the moment, the potential for confusion and issues to arise later on could have been a lot greater if this segment of the story was longer.
Now going back to Jean, his mental state. This was something that I feel I should have emphasized more as the author. While it plays an underlying role throughout the entire story up to this point, it just never feels coherent or consistent. And because of that, there is a lack of focus on it. I genuinely wished that I had caught onto that earlier and fleshed out the psychological conflict more. However, I am taking this as a learning experience and hoping to improve in this aspect of the story.
Now let''s get to Klaus to end off this arc-in-review. What the fuck did I do with Klaus? While earlier I said that I was happy with what I had done with Klaus, I am still extremely disappointed that I chose to put him in the backseat to the level that I did. Especially considering his relationship to Jean. This is really the crux of the empty feeling I get from a lot of this arcs chapters. The first few chapters establish this relationship and in subsequent chapters, he takes a major backseat. While writing, the reasoning for this was that I really wanted Jean to come forth into the narrative more as the main protagonist. So, I ended up focusing more on his individualistic life rather than a cohesive narrative tying in elements and characters from the previous chapters that should have remained relevant.
Overall, this prologue arc was a really important moment for me. I had the opportunity to practice my writing a lot. Especially with styles that I was not really used to. While in my eyes there''s a lot to be desired from this arc, I''m still proud of myself for working on it and putting it out there. Excuse my ego-boosting statement. Regardless, I learned a lot from reading the critiques as well as rereading my own writing with a critical lens. Moving forward, I encourage and welcome critiques.
I do want to continue to do these arc in reviews at the end of each arc in the future. Personally, they''re very beneficial for me. But, let me know, as a reader, if you find this to be interesting. Nonetheless, thanks for reading through my ramblings and personal critiques.
Oh and one last thing!
I''ve made a twitter account for people who want to follow progress on Beast as well as any other projects that I might be working on in the future. I''ll be posting things to help notify people of any edits that I might make to Beast, as well as polls for questions I have regarding things in the narrative. If that''s something you''re interested in keeping up with, follow me @CKoalaWN
Once again, thanks to everyone for all the support!
Much love
Confused Koala
Vol 2.1 - Pushing Back
The ground shook endlessly with the stomping of the beasts. The school charred amidst the raging flames. Jean felt himself growing angrier at the sight of the chaos. A deep shaking resonance rumbled within Jean¡¯s arm. Something within Jean told him to move forward. Taking one step at a time, he soon came face-to-face with a massive beast. It¡¯s long and disheveled dark fur ruffled in the wind as it turned its hideous mug to face Jean. A small porcelain mask covered the top-half of its dog-like face.
The creature¡¯s long boney torso twisted around as it¡¯s rear legs followed. It¡¯s slackjaw hung low, baring its disproportionate set of teeth. It reared its head back and let out a high-pitched screech into the night. Jean stood before it, unfazed by its ear piercing scream. The rumbling in Jean¡¯s arm grew stronger. Standing still before the towering beast, he glared at it in silence. The beast leapt forward, swinging its claws towards Jean.
The rumbling in Jean¡¯s arm, seemingly reaching its peak, made him stretch it out to his side. The sound of a crashing window pane followed by the swirling of air flew out from the school. A silhouette of a black sheathe came spinning towards Jean¡¯s outstretched arms. Catching the handle of the blade mid-spin, he flung his arm forward, causing the sheathe to propel itself towards the beast, leaving the blade in his hand. The impact of the black casing shattered the forehead of the beast with an audible crack of the mask alongside its skull.
The beasts reflexes fell short, failing to recover before one of its arms went flying off into the distance. Leaving behind a gashed and bleeding stump, the beast fell on its back, thrashing around on the ground. Dashing around its body, Jean slashed away at its remaining limbs, ripping them apart without mercy. The beast lay on the ground motionless, leaking blood from its immobile torso. Jean pulled himself atop the creatures forehead.
Jean stared into its glowing red eyes intently. There was something somber about them. They stared back at him as if the grotesque creature below him was begging for mercy. The sympathy was short-lived as the image of his friend being plastered across the ground flashed through his mind. Jean pointed the sword downwards and without hesitation, began stabbing its eyes.
Stab after stab, the blood spurted out from the beasts eye sockets. His hands stained with fresh red blood, he pulled out the sword out. A long-held breath finally escaped Jean¡¯s from between Jean¡¯s lips as his arms went limp and his body lax. He stepped onto the beasts belly and sliced it in two, exposing a pulsating core.
¡°Beast 101¡ They aren¡¯t dead until you destroy the core.¡±
A heavy arcing slice came down through the shoulder of the beast.
¡°Run¡¡± Eve said.
The group of crying children huddled against a brick wall stood up and scrambled away from the chaos. A voice crackled through the radio static in her ear.
¡°If you¡¯ve cleared the west end, get back here! Something big¡¯s coming!¡± the voice shouted.
¡°Okay¡¡±
With her axe still in hand, she dashed back towards the front gate. Eve slaughtered any beast that stood in her way with a prowess matching that of an animal hunting easy prey. Her eye¡¯s constantly scanned her surroundings, looking for anyone or anything. Halfway from reaching her destination, she spotted Jean.
She changed her original path and began to dart towards Jean. Her eyes widened as she saw Jean eviscerate the beast before him. She reached Jean just as she witnessed Jean plunge his sword straight into the beasts core.
¡°Hey...¡±
Jean turned to face her, but Jean didn¡¯t know how to react considering the situation. He assumed that she was aware of his half-beast nature, but didn¡¯t know whether she knew about him being put in solitary. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
¡°Eve¡Uh, I can explain th-¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said, cutting Jean off.
"Come with me," she added.
¡°Wait. There¡¯s something I have to do,¡± Jean said.
Eve watched silently as Jean walked over to pick up his sheathe and the body of a little girl. Holstering the sword to his hip, he knelt down to pick her up. He held her in his arms, cradling the lifeless body. As he walked back to Eve, she asked;
¡°Did you know her?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ Her name was Alyssa,¡±
¡°I see,¡±
Without saying another word she turned around and signaled for Jean to follow her. Moving fast, Eve lead Jean towards the front gate where there were scattered gathering of guards, students and teachers. Students who were able-bodied enough to fight, were holding off smaller beasts that had made their way onto school grounds in groups of two to three. The guards were grouped up at the front gate, fending off any approaching beasts. A few of the elderly teacher¡¯s were moving groups of injured students and children towards something that seemed like a bunker.
The remaining teacher¡¯s stood spread out amongst the area fighting off the larger beasts. Eve and Jean met up with a group of teachers consisting of the Headmaster, Klaus, Serizawa and Mrs. Yannis.
¡°I saw you managed to save the kids. Thanks Eve,¡± the Headmaster said.
Eve nodded in acknowledgment. The Headmaster, noticing that Jean was standing behind Eve, immediately fell into a state of confusion.
¡°Jean!? Wha- I mean how!?¡±
Before another word was said, a shrill howl resonated throughout the area. The sound sent a paralyzing shock throughout every person''s body. Jean felt his legs almost give out upon hearing the howl. The beasts that were surrounding them grew passive for a moment, before their eyes began to emit an even brighter glow. Soon after, as if overtaken by an even greater force of nature, the beasts began to dismember, crush and tear apart every living thing with an even greater aggression.
Without hesitation, the teachers sprung into action, leaping in different directions. Eve did the same, launching herself into a backflip and releasing an onslaught of downswings and upswings onto the Beasts.
Jean found himself surrounded by a familiar chaos once more. Still holding onto Alyssa¡¯s body, Jean felt his sense overload.
¡°What do I do!? HEY YOU FUCKING BEAST! WHAT DO I DO!?¡±
There was no response.
Jean felt rhythmic gusts of air begin to hit his back and soon found his leg¡¯s froze in place.
¡°No, no, no. Not again! I killed one just fine! Why can¡¯t I just move!?¡±
The all too familiar feeling of fear overtook his body. He didn¡¯t have to turn his head to see what was towering behind him. He couldn¡¯t turn around even if he wanted to. He was paralyzed. There was no moving from where he was. Jean felt tears welling up. There was a disappointment he felt in himself. A question of where all the resolve from earlier went filled his head.
Jean unable to do anything, simply closed his eyes, just as he did before and waited. The sounds around him began to fade out, leaving only the crackling of burning wood to permeate his senses.
A razor-sharp whirring flew overhead. Then it stopped. A fleshy thud hit the ground as Jean opened his eyes. Mustering enough will to turn his head, he saw Klaus cleaving away at beast behind him. There was a sense of desperation in Klaus¡¯s attacks. With every slash he took, it grew slower.
¡°Run Jean!¡± Klaus shouted.
Where would he go? What would it matter if he ran? It was then Jean realized something. He truly had been running away. Even before he knew about this other side of him, Jean was always running away from a fear of something. And he finally knew what that something was. Jean broke free of the fear inside him and gently put Alyssa down.
Klaus continued to sluggishly attempt to kill the beast. Barely managing to dive away from its attacks. Beads of sweat rolled down Klaus¡¯s face as his breathing grew shallow with each passing second. He hovered a hand over one of his jacket pockets before returning his grip to his sword. The beast, visibly growing agitated by Klaus, took another shot at Klaus. Once more Klaus dove out of the way, but found his body being lifted up and his waist being crushed by the same beast¡¯s tail. As it¡¯s long snake-like tail coiled itself around Klaus, he felt whatever air he had left in him being forced out.
Jean dashed towards the beast, unsheathing his sword in the process. With one fell upswing, the beasts tail was severed. Klaus dropped to the ground. Jean quickly helped Klaus recover. The beast¡¯s staggered upon receiving the injury. But as Jean and Klaus had expected, it recovered almost immediately, growing a new tail.
¡°Don¡¯t you fucking touch him,¡±
Klaus glanced up to see Jean¡¯s back.
¡°Looks like you¡¯re the one protecting me now,¡±
Vol 2.2 - I Want to Live
Jean tightened his grip around the blade. The beast stared at Jean, it¡¯s punched in nostrils flaring with every breath it took. The commotion surrounding them continued to grow louder. The sounds of sharp steel cutting into monsters and claws digging their way into human flesh grew in intensity. Yet none of it fazed Jean or the beast. The beast hunched forward, whipping its tail back and forth. Jean¡¯s eyes followed the movements. Jean began pacing around the beast, almost methodically, making sure to maintain eye contact with it. Jean¡¯s took a few more steps before stopping. The beast turned to face him, still whipping its tail.
Klaus watched as Jean circled the beast. Still struggling to pull himself up off the ground, he couldn¡¯t do anything but watch. Reluctantly, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small tin container. He slid the top open and let a small red pill roll out onto his hands. Klaus forced his trembling hands to his mouth, letting the pill drop into his mouth.
Jean finally broke the tension, pushing off of his left leg and sprinting towards the beast. It roared in response, sending a shockwave of air at Jean. Jean dove to the side, watching the shockwave shatter a group of trees behind him. Jean pressed forward, shifting the blade closer to his side. As he nearly reached within striking distance, the beast lashed it¡¯s tail at Jean. Jean dropped to the ground, sliding under the tail and slashing one of the beasts legs in the process.
The beast staggered forward slightly, as there wasn¡¯t enough power in the attack to render it immobilized. Jean pushed himself back up and immediately began charging at the beasts back. Failing to notice Jean¡¯s immense speed, the beast found a blade stuck halfway between its belly and its waist. Jean struggled to pull the blade out, as the beasts upper-half twisted around to face Jean. Jean¡¯s power alone wasn¡¯t enough to kill the beast. It¡¯s tail wrapped around Jean, lifting him up into the air. Jean hung from the beasts tail like a punching bag. With the blood rushing to his head, he felt a crushing force smash against the length of his entire body, sending it crashing into a nearby wall.
The shock of hitting the wall forced a spray of blood to discharge from Jean¡¯s mouth. He attempted to push himself back up, but found his body working against him. Clutching his stomach, Jean propped himself up, using his sword as a support. Blood trickled down from his forehead to his chin. Even though he was standing, his body was too weak to do anything about the approaching beast.
It was then that a lengthy blade found itself digging its way through the shoulder of the Beast. The beast fell to its knees as the blade cut deeper and deeper, past its shoulders and down to its stomach.
¡°NOW JEAN!¡±
Hearing Klaus¡¯s voice, Jean used every ounce of strength left in his body to sprint at the beast, dragging his sword behind him. Reaching the striking distance, Jean swung his sword at the beasts head, separating it from its neck. Klaus twisted his wrist, turning the direction of the blade. With precision, he brought the blade upward, butterflying the beast. It¡¯s fur shriveled white alongside its body.
The Headmaster came rushing over to help the two.
¡°You¡¯re a little late,¡± Klaus said.
¡°Not really the best time to be cracking Jokes,¡± the Headmaster responded.
Jean lightly pushed the Headmasters hand away as it reached out to help him.
¡°I¡¯m fine. Please take care of him,¡±
The Headmaster nodded and gave Jean a wry smile.
The fighting around them continued at full force. Jean stretched his shoulders as he felt a burning sensation envelop his injuries. Whatever bones happened to shatter during the impact felt as though they were slowly being forged back together with pure fire. Although he was healing, the pain in his body didn¡¯t feel as though it was getting better. Jean limped over to skirmish happening closer to the gate.
Another sharp screech carried itself through the area. Unlike the last time, the beasts went completely passive. The army of beasts retreated back into the forest behind the gates.
Everyone who had yet to enter the bunker watched the beast slink back into the darkness with confusion.
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked one of the guards.
¡°Did we scare them off?¡± another added.
¡°No¡ Something¡¯s coming,¡± the Headmaster said while still holding onto Klaus.
¡°Get- get everyone inside,¡± Klaus urged with a strained voice.
The Headmaster, the teachers and guards began to send the remaining groups of students down into the bunker. As Jean began to limp over, Serizawa stopped him. She took hold of Jean¡¯s shirt and pulled at it.
¡°This is your fault you little shit!¡±
Immediately, the teachers began pushing the students into the bunker faster.
The Headmaster began running over to break the two up. Before, he could say or do anything, Serizawa brought a knife to Jean¡¯s neck.
¡°Nobody try to fucking stop me! I knew it was a bad idea letting this fucking thing into the school,¡±
¡°Serizawa, drop the knife,¡± Klaus said, holding himself up with his sword.
¡°Shut it Klaus! You¡¯re just as responsible for this. How many people died tonight? No, how many kids died!? All because we decided to try it your way.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°Enough!¡± shouted Klaus.
She pushed the knife closer.
¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯ve had enough of. Letting a monster like this run around. We all know why you kept this thing so close Klaus. To be completely honest, it¡¯s pathetic. Where¡¯d the old Klaus go? If this things ¡®mother¡¯ was anyone else, you¡¯d have dealt with it the right way!¡±
¡°Wha- what¡¯s she talking about?¡± asked Jean.
¡°Guess the old man kept it from you. You were never supposed to be born kid. You were supposed to fuckin burn in the womb. But, your sympathetic ¡®father¡¯ over there couldn¡¯t do it. So he managed to convince everyone that you were a worthwhile specimen. That you¡¯d become a revolutionary asset to the hunter¡¯s¡±
¡°Serizawa, I said that¡¯s enough!¡± Klaus shouted.
Ignoring Klaus, Serizawa continued;
¡°Turns out, he just used that trashy fucking line as a way to keep you alive and protected. Let you live a normal life? Fat fucking chance, we all knew that shit was bound to hit the fan, and guess what? It¡¯s happened twice. So thanks a lot Klaus, you really fucked up this time!¡±
Jean couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak. Neither could anyone around them.
¡°HEADMASTER! THERE¡¯S MORE TROUBLE!¡± a panicked voice shouted, breaking the silence.
Everyone turned their attention to a guard running out from behind the left-side of the school.
¡°What happened?¡± the Headmaster asked.
¡°We¡¯ve located some more students trapped in the school, sir!¡± the guard responded.
She holstered the knife and shoved Jean away, turning her attention to the guard.
¡°Tsk, well where the fuck are they!?¡± Serizawa shouted.
¡°They¡¯re trapped underneath the underground training facility!¡±
¡°Shit. What do we do?¡± Serizawa asked.
¡°If those kids are left in there, they¡¯ll die before we can put the fire out. We don¡¯t know whether the beasts simply retreated or whether they¡¯re setting some kind of trap either. We don¡¯t have the manpower to defend against another attack like that,¡± the Headmaster responded.
As the group of teachers were deep in thought as to how to tackle the situation, the sound of a helicopter approaching from the distance caught Jean¡¯s attention.
¡°I hear a helicopter,¡±
¡°Huh? What the he- Wait, I hear it,¡± Serizawa said.
The blades of the helicopter sent constant waves of wind, stirring up the trees in the forest. The helicopter shone a searchlight over the area in front of the gate. Jean covered his eyes, attempting to block the bright light.
Ropes dropped from the helicopter, followed by two individuals who slid down them.
¡°Richter! Kade!¡± Mrs. Yannis called out.
¡°Seems we¡¯re a bit late to the party,¡± Kade said.
¡°We were briefed on the situation on the way here. But, we only know that there was an attack on the school. Care to update us on the situation, Headmaster?¡± Richter asked with his usual authority.
¡°The beasts retreated, but we aren¡¯t sure of their intentions. Most of the students and staff were moved into the underground bunker with the exception of those standing right here. There¡¯s also a group of students trapped in the underground training facility. Because we¡¯re severely underpowered, we¡¯ve been discussing how we should go about handling the situation,¡±
¡°I see,¡±
Richter scanned everyone who was standing in the area. His brows furrowed upon seeing Klaus in his tattered state. It furrowed even more upon seeing Jean.
¡°I was informed that Jean had been put in solitary,¡± Richter said sternly.
¡°Well, he was in solitary,¡± the Headmaster responded.
Richter, clearly agitated, turned his head away and began to deal with the situation.
¡°Here¡¯s the plan, Kade and the lady in the tracksuit will lead the rescue effort,¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine with anything as long as I¡¯m not in that fucking bunker,¡± Serizawa said while crossing her arms.
¡°Where¡¯s Doctor Elton or Doctor Evelynn?¡± asked Richter.
¡°They¡¯re both in the bunker treating the wounded,¡± Mrs. Yannis answered.
¡°Send either one out here and take over their position for the time being,¡± Richter ordered.
Mrs. Yannis said nothing more and began heading into the bunker. He turned to Serizawa and Kade.
¡°One of the doctors will accompany you and help deal with any immediate injuries the survivors may have. But your main mission is to get them out and either into the bunker or another location of safety. Understood?¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kade replied.
¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s hurry it up,¡± Serizawa responded.
Richter turned to address the remaining teachers.
¡°Klaus get into the bunker and get treated. Everyone else will stay here and defend the gate in case the beasts attack again. Understood?¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
Everyone responded but Klaus and Jean. The teachers and the guards that responded all began to disperse to their respective positions.
¡°I¡¯m staying right here, Richter,¡± Klaus said sternly.
¡°What do you intend to do in your condition?¡±
¡°I can still fight,¡±
Klaus gave Richter a defiant look. Richter sensed that nothing he said was going to make Klaus change his mind.
¡°Fine. Do whatever you want,¡±
Richter turned his attention to Jean, staring him down with a piercing glare.
¡°Let me help,¡± Jean said.
¡°I think you¡¯ve done enough. I¡¯m going to have you sent to HQ. Once the helicopter lands, you¡¯re getting out of here. You¡¯ll be dealt with accordingly,¡±
¡°No¡¡±
Jean felt powerless against Richter. But, his resolve was stronger than ever. Even though Serizawa tried to kill him. Even though he heard an ugly truth. Even though he didn¡¯t fully understand himself, he knew one thing. The beasts were after him and he was done running away.
¡°My entire life has been a lie. Right now I feel like I¡¯ve been betrayed. But, I¡¯m slowly beginning to learn the truth of the world. I might be half-beast but the other half of me is still human. And as a human, I have things I want to- no, I have things I need to protect. So I¡¯m going to fight. I¡¯m going to kill every single one of those fucking things,¡±
¡°Things you need to protect? Even after hearing a so-called ugly truth, you still feel the same?¡±
¡°I do. At this point it doesn¡¯t matter to me, what happened back then. All that matters is that Klaus protected me and took care of me. Aside from him, there are others that I need to protect, and that includes myself. I won¡¯t let these feelings go to waist,¡±
¡°So you want to survive, is that it?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t just want to survive. I want to live,¡±
Vol 2.3 - To The Mistakes Ive Made Pt.1
¡°Klaus¡ Klaaaaauuuuuus, wake uuuup¡±
Klaus groggily raised his head up from his arms upon hearing the soft whispering. He propped his chin atop his desk and opened one of his eyes. His eye was met with pure white skin and long flowing hair.
¡°Mira?¡±
Mira, who had her chin propped on her arms, stared at Klaus. She gave him a glowing smile.
¡°Looks like you¡¯re finally up,¡±
Klaus rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, stretching out his arms. Klaus looked out the window to see the sun dropping below the treeline.
¡°It¡¯s pretty isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°You could say that,¡±
Mira chuckled.
¡°You see this pretty much everyday huh?¡±
¡°Most days, yeah,¡± Klaus responded while yawning.
¡°I miss being here,¡±
Klauss eyes lingered towards Mira who was staring out the window as well. Her eye¡¯s shimmered against the sun rays beaming through the forest. The slight smile on her face never disappeared. But, Klaus knew that there was something she wanted to say. Mira never made her true emotions known. They were always hidden behind a mirror, never reflecting truly reflecting herself.
¡°The view gets a bit repetitive after a while, but I guess it¡¯s nice to know that it¡¯s there every now and then,¡±
Klaus reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes.
¡°Ah! I thought you promised to quit,¡±
¡°Old habits never die,¡± Klaus said as he began tapping the pack against his wrist.
¡°You know those are gonna kill you right?¡±
¡°That¡¯s if the beasts don¡¯t get to me first,¡±
He pulled out a cigarette and tucked one between his lips and lit it with a lighter.
¡°Why would you say something like that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the truth. The fact of life,¡±
¡°What¡¯s the issue with being a bit optimistic?¡±
Klaus took a drag from the cigarette and inhaled it deeply.
¡°I don¡¯t think we really have the luxury of being optimistic,¡± Klaus said while exhaling the smoke.
¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be nice though? To not have to worry about all.. well all of this?¡±
¡°Yeah, it would be nice,¡±
The two continued to stare out the window for a while.
¡°How¡¯s the testing going?¡± Mira asked.
¡°It¡¯s going about as well as we can hope for it to go,¡±
There was a brief moment of silence.
¡°It¡¯s scary to think about it. Combining humans with beasts¡¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°I wasn¡¯t to keen on the idea at first either. But, every day, we lose more hunter¡¯s than there are beasts. It was inevitable that we¡¯d have to start thinking of a way to make hunting them easier,¡±
She shifted her gaze to Klaus.
¡°Are you really okay with that? Becoming a part of something that we¡¯re meant to hate?¡±
¡°It was inevitable. There¡¯s only so much we can do in our current state,¡±
Klaus began ruffling through a pile of papers on the desk as he ashed his cigarette.
¡°I saw your file finally come through,¡±
¡°Really?
¡°Yeah. Looks like your body is reacting well to the procedure,¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t really make me feel great to hear that,¡±
Klaus couldn¡¯t say anything to that. How could he?
¡°You know¡ When I volunteered for the program, even though I don¡¯t like the idea, I thought that I was going to be able to do better.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve always dreamt of a day where we wouldn¡¯t have to fight. I wanted to be able to travel to places and see the sights rather than showing up to see it being destroyed. I thought that this procedure would give me the ability to do that, but now I¡¯m not so sure. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯d be nice? Work a normal job, laze around watching TV, going to cafe¡¯s¡ You know the mundane stuff.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a nice dream¡ I wouldn¡¯t mind a life like that.¡±
¡°When do you think the procedure will start to take effect?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know¡ But, if it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure that when it starts, it¡¯ll be fine,¡±
¡°I hope so,¡±
Stacks of paperwork lined Klaus¡¯s desk. Grabbing a piece of paper from the top of the closest stack, he jotted some notes down on it before setting it aside and grabbing another one. He repeated this process in his office for hours.
After what felt like an eternity, he dropped his pen and stood up from his seat and opened the window. He lit a cigarette as he stared off into the skyline. There was a calming breeze that rustled the curtains. Their shadows danced across the wooden floorboards of the room.
The calming sense of the moment was interrupted by loud and rapid footsteps approaching the door. Soon after, the door slammed open as an out of breath woman in a nurses uniform rushed in.
¡°Klaus! You have to come quick. Something''s happening!¡±
Klaus quickly crushed his cigarette and followed the nurse.
She led him to an operating room. On the operating table, was Mira. Despite being tied down, her body was moving erratically, kicking and flailing her arms around. The doctors and nurses, struggled to hold her down.
¡°What¡¯s happening!?¡± Klaus asked.
The nurse pointed to the screen. It was a sonic scan of Mira¡¯s body that was tracking her internal state, live.
Klaus¡¯s jaw began to drop slowly as something began to grow and morph inside her womb.
¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening. Nothing like this has happened before!¡±
¡°Try to get her under control!¡±
¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve been trying to do for the past fifteen minutes! No amount of sedatives we give her has been working, which is why I went to get you! What should we do!¡±
Klaus grew nervous as he clenched his fists.
¡°Get everyone out of there. I¡¯ll go in,¡±
¡°Wha-¡±
¡°Just do it!¡±
The nurse, despite being hesitant, followed Klaus¡¯s instructions. As soon as she had cleared the operating room, Klaus entered. Mira¡¯s movement was growing more aggressive with each passing second.
He cautiously approached her as the nurses and doctors watched from the other side of the glass. The rattling of the ties and the clanking of the operating table grew louder as Klaus stepped closer.
¡°Mira¡¡± Klaus whisphered.
Mira screamed out in pain, her arms pulling against the restraints. She was sweating profusely and strands of her long hair were sticking to her skin. The color in her skin had gone pale and her veins were protruding through her skin.
¡°Mira, I know you¡¯re in pain right now, but I need to you get a hold of yourself¡± Klaus continued to whisper to her as he paced closer to her. Eventually, Klaus stood by her side. He managed to grab hold of one of her hands and held it tightly within his. He caressed her head as he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
He knew that the woman laying before him wasn¡¯t Mira. Something was trying to take hold of her. Her face began to look sunken in as she bore her teeth at Klaus.
¡°Mira, I know you¡¯re in there. If you can hear me, I need you to beat whatever¡¯s inside you right now,¡±
Mira continued to scream and shout.
Klaus continued hold her hand. After a few minutes passed, Mira stopped moving. Klaus looked at her lifeless body resting on the operating table. Klaus pressed her hands against his lips. Unable to hold back his tears any longer, he wept.
A fragile hand touched Klaus¡¯s cheek. He looked up and there it was. The smile that never went away. Mira smiled at Klaus intently through her exhausted state.
¡°Klaus¡ I heard you¡¡±
Vol 2.4 - To the Mistakes Ive Made Pt.2
Klaus sat across from the council head who was a fairly old man. His slicked back hair and his stern demeanor warranted respect regardless of his actions. He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.
¡°Klaus, I hope you understand what it is you¡¯re asking me to do,¡±
¡°Sir, I¡¯m fully aware of the request and I¡¯m prepared for the repercussions,¡±
¡°Letting whatever inside Mira be exposed to the public poses a great risk. While I respect your skills, both as a hunter and a scientist, I doubt convincing the rest of the council members to let that thing live in the open will be an easy task. Regardless of the potential scientific implications,¡±
Klaus got close to the Council Head¡¯s desk.
¡°Think about it sir, nothing like this has happened in the fifteen years since this projects conception. We don¡¯t know the true potential for what this child can do, and regardless of whether it¡¯s half-beast or not, the other half is still human,¡±
¡°What are you trying to say?¡±
¡°Keeping that child here and experimenting on it could potentially cause unwanted problems. If the child is as powerful as the research says it could be, knowing our ways, we¡¯d only be creating a new enemy,¡±
¡°It¡¯s a child Klaus! If it shows any sign of aggression, we can simply kill it,¡±
¡°And destroy a high-value specimen? I don¡¯t think anyone working on this project would consider it a worthwhile gain. All I¡¯m saying is provide me with the resources to observe and personally train the child,¡±
¡°You can¡¯t instill humanity into a monster, Klaus¡¡±
¡°But, what if we can! I need you to trust me on this. There¡¯s something big here and I think this is the best way to tackle it,¡±
The Council Head let out a frustrated sigh. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°Okay, Klaus. I¡¯ll see what I can do. If I can convince them, you owe me a lot more than a beer,¡±
Klaus stood up tall before the Council Head¡¯s desk.
¡°Thank you, sir! I¡¯ll make sure this project is a success,¡±
The whistling of the wind and the rustling of the vibrant leaves filled the room.
¡°I hope that the baby will grow to be handsome,¡± Mira joked.
¡°I¡¯d laugh if the child wasn¡¯t considered a specimen,¡± Klaus snapped.
¡°Oh don¡¯t be so negative. Even still, it¡¯s a human baby,¡± Mira said while stroking her belly.
¡°I don¡¯t want you getting attached to it, Mira,¡± Klaus said sternly.
¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to take care of it, aren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Yeah, bu-¡±
¡°Then, I don¡¯t see the problem with getting attached. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll never see him and even if it was through some experiment¡ He¡¯s still my child,¡±
Mira smiled as she continued stroking her belly slowly with the front of her long slender hands.
¡°I don¡¯t get how you can be so loving towards it,¡±
¡°You¡¯re not the one carrying a baby, are you?¡±
Klaus waved his hand at her as he got up from his stool. He walked over to the window and slid the glass window open. He proceeded to stick a cigarette in his mouth.
¡°Uh uh! Not this time, Klaus!¡± Mira shouted.
¡°What?¡± Klaus asked with a surprised look on his face.
¡°The baby?¡± Mira said while pointing to her large stomach.
Klaus slid the stick back into the pack and closed it. He pulled the stool up to the side of the bed.
¡°Mira, if-¡±
Klaus felt Mira¡¯s hand grab his wrist. She placed his hand against her stomach and rested her two hands atop his.
¡°In this business, we never get a chance to breathe. We forget how it feels to live, what it means to live. Whenever I see or feel moments like these, I think maybe the world isn¡¯t so bad¡¡±
Mira¡¯s voice carried a motherly tone. Warm, kind, caring. All things that couldn¡¯t be felt in the lives that they lived. A distant dream that rarely ever becomes real.
¡°Feel him, Klaus,¡±
Mira guided Klaus¡¯s palm across her stomach. He felt the smoothness of her skin as his skin glided across hers. Mira stopped let his hand go, only for Klaus to slightly jump in his seat.
Mira laughed.
¡°Did you feel him?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ I did,¡±
Vol 2.5 - Lingering Uncertainties
The different teams had now gone their separate ways. The courtyard that they had been standing in was far more barren than it was before. Only Jean, Klaus, Richter, Eve and a few teachers Jean had never seen before stood around the gate. Richter began pressing multiple sets of metallic poles around the perimeter. Jean simply watched in silence.
Klaus stumbled over to the log that Jean was resting up against. He groaned as he bent down to sit beside Jean.
¡°I¡¯m getting old¡¡±
¡°Yeah. Well after a beating like that, I think anyone would lose a couple years,¡±
Klaus lit a cigarette.
¡°That¡¯s the part where you say ¡®no way Klaus. You¡¯re still super young!¡¯¡±
Jean and Klaus couldn¡¯t help but laugh at Klaus¡¯s ridiculous impression of Jean.
¡°Old, but still manages to crack jokes in probably the worst situation possible,¡±
¡°It¡¯s important to re-center yourself every now and then. You lean too much to one side, you¡¯ll just end up falling over,¡±
¡°Is this one of your analogies or metaphors?¡±
¡°It¡¯s an analogy,¡± Klaus responded blowing out a stream of hazy tobacco smoke.
¡°Well what¡¯s it even supposed to mean?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just my roundabout way of saying sorry. I know that I haven¡¯t been there for you very much recently¡¡±
Klaus remained silent for a moment.
¡°I forget how easy it is to lose sight of what¡¯s important¡ When you¡¯re a hunter, we don¡¯t really get to live life. We become so desensitized to it all. But occasionally, when there¡¯s something that kicks you awake, you realize the value in the little things. And in my experience, it¡¯s the little things that leave the biggest impression,¡±
¡°To be honest, I think I¡¯m starting to see what you mean,¡±
¡°What makes you say that?¡±
Jean thought back to the experiences he¡¯s had until now. The grief, the pain, the joy, all of it.
¡°There¡¯s a lot I¡¯ve taken for granted. And even if it was because I was na?ve, I¡¯ve come to realize that something as simple as being able to spend time with friends can matter more than I thought,¡±
Klaus placed his hand atop Jean¡¯s messy hair.
¡°You¡¯re a good kid, Jean¡ and I¡¯m proud of you for that,¡±
Richter plunged the final metal rod into the ground, creating a perimeter around the courtyard. Richter paced back a few steps and gave a nod to a teacher holding onto a button.
Seeing the nod, the teacher pushed it. Not a moment later, streaks of electricity sparked between the rods creating a barrier around the bunker and everyone inside the courtyard. Richter tested the barrier by throwing a decent sized rock at it. The moment the piece of stone met the electricity, it shattered into nothing but dust. Confirming that the barrier was in working order, he turned to face Klaus and Jean.
Klaus stood up to meet Richter as he approached.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
¡°So, what now?¡± Klaus asked.
¡°We wait¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s it!?¡± Jean asked as he stood up from the log.
¡°The teams have been assigned their tasks. Trust them to carry it out.¡± Richter responded.
His response was straightforward and stern, but Jean knew that Richter was right. Considering their position, there wasn¡¯t much that they could do but defend the main gate and be ready to inform the other teams if something goes wrong.
But Jean was restless. He felt a shiver down his spine. Maybe it was the eerie silence. Maybe it was just him being paranoid. But, the idea of simply waiting for something to go wrong didn¡¯t sit well with Jean.
¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust them, sir¡ I just think that we could be doing more than just standing around,¡±
¡°There¡¯s a reason we¡¯re stationed here, Jean,¡± Richter said.
¡°From what I understand, the beasts main target is you. That means that if they¡¯re planning to attack again, having you here will give the others a chance to get everyone out,¡±
¡°So, you¡¯re using me as bait?¡±
¡°You said you wanted to fight. If you¡¯re true to your word, then this is how you¡¯ll do it. It isn¡¯t guaranteed that the kids still trapped in the school are in any condition to help the rescue team fight their way back. We need to do everything we can to keep any beasts off the rescue team. And that means keeping you here,¡±
In Richter¡¯s brief explanation, he didn¡¯t evoke a sense of superiority. He was simply stating a fact. After Jean¡¯s demonstration of his resolve, Richter seemingly decided to put his faith in Jean. Of course, Richter had his reservations about how much Jean would be able to help.
Eve happened to be pacing around, ignoring the conversation between the other three. Like Jean, she also felt something was off, but couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it.
Serizawa, Kade and Doctor Elton pushed the rubble piled against a wall out of the way. After a few minutes, they managed to make a space large enough to enter and exit from. The three of them carefully made their way back inside of the school. Luckily, due to this section of the building being lower to the ground, the flames had yet to envelop the area.
The group turned on flashlights and latched it onto the straps they had around their shoulder as they entered a dark hallway. One end of the hallway had a single staircase leading down into a door covered by more rubble while the other end was completely blocked off by the collapsed rubble of the floor above them. Serizawa approached the blocked doorway.
¡°God dammit. Not more of this shit,¡±
¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to do some more heavy lifting,¡± replied Kade.
The three of them bent down and began pushing aside broken pieces of wood and stone. After another few minutes, they had cleared the doorway enough to open it. Kade moved in first followed by Serizawa, then Elton. The room itself was large. However, the visibility was severely limited. Especially considering the size of their flashlights. Due to the size of the interior, the smallest of sounds caused an echo to resonate. Even the slight shifting of a pebble could be heard.
¡°Hello?¡± Kade called out.
There was no answer. Strange, they all thought.
Kade called out once more. Still no answer. Serizawa¡¯s patience waning thin, pushed Kade out of way and shouted.
¡°Alright you little shits! If you¡¯re in here, you better say something before ¡®I¡¯ kill you!¡±
Kade and Doctor Elton couldn¡¯t help but think to themselves;
How did this lady even get hired as a teacher?
But still there was no response. To ensure their safety, they stuck close together and surveyed the area as best they could.
¡°You¡¯re sure that guard said there were still kids trapped here?¡± Kade asked.
¡°He made a god damn commotion about it. Why would he lie?¡±
The three continued to search the room. Making sure to check as much of the space as physically possible. They lifted toppled furniture to see if there were any children stuck underneath the rubble. They searched feverously, moving quickly but as thoroughly as they could. Considering the time constraint, they decided they would have to stop the search.
¡°Was that fucking guard blind? This place is completely deserted!¡± Serizawa vented her frustration.
¡°Something isn¡¯t right, here,¡± Kade chimed in.
¡°Way to tell us the obvious, Kade. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be part of some elite squad?¡± Serizawa said.
¡°No, I mean¡ Like you said. Why would that guard lie about something as important as trapped children?¡±
Elton continued surveying the area. He continued to push things out of the way in hopes of finding someone. Getting tired, Elton straightened his back and stretched. As he stretched his back, his flashlight shone the light up towards the ceiling. Immediately, Elton let out a scream as he fell backwards.
Hearing Elton trip, Serizawa and Kade turned towards his direction. Elton¡¯s face had gone completely pale as he shakily pointed his finger towards the ceiling. Serizawa and Kade unclipped their flashlights and shone it up in the direction of Elton¡¯s finger only for them to briefly feel a sense of dread.
Hanging above their heads were massive spiderwebs with the limp bodies of multiple children hanging from cocoons.