The day I managed to evolve into something more than a vampire, I exit the 24th Ward.
In the sky the sun is still out with few clouds around, and in fact it's the point where it shines brightest in this place. It seems to be three in the afternoon according to the sun's position.
"Hah..."
I stretch my body comfortably under the sunlight, feeling the warmth on my skin.
"Hm..."
I'm a vampire now, so isn't it contradictory that the sun makes me feel so good? Well, not that it matters anyway since I'm not burning or turning to ashes like in the movies.
Praise the sun!
Although I wouldn't say I desperately missed it, it's true I desired it a bit after spending so much time in dark, stinking tunnels.
After all, while it's true that every day I leave the 24th Ward to return home and enter again early the next day, this is the first time I've left so early to see the sun at its highest point.
Cheerfully, I take out a change of clean clothes from my backpack and removing my clothes that are torn in several places along with stains of dried blood, I clean my skin with a towel soaked with water from a bottle I also kept before putting on the new clothes and throwing the dirty clothes in the nearest trash can.
After that, I walk through the streets under the strange looks of people who see me pass.
But feeling good about myself for managing to evolve again, I ignore those people and their curious looks. Well, I'm already used to them seeing me as a monster with undead skin, so it's not like it's a new sight or anything.
Arriving at the park where I once talked with Mrs. Kiriko, Rei's mother, I stop for a few seconds before reaching a conclusion. I approach the bench under a cherry tree, and lie down on the bench enjoying the weather.
With the soft and slightly cool breeze caressing my skin, I hear the birds singing, the noise ants make walking among the park grass, water being spit from the mouth of a stone lion and spilling into the clear pond, and other pleasant sounds of nature I couldn't perceive so clearly before.
Little by little I close my eyes, feeling peace, before frowning with annoyance.
Because at that moment...
One of my All-Seeing Eyes that are still in the 24th Ward, transmits to me in real time something happening there.
In the scene where I died at the hands of Mr. Vampire, then evolved in body and soul, and then killed Mr. Vampire leaving a bloody mess...
There, a silhouette approaches.
The silhouette stops to silently look at the crime scene with what appears to be curiosity.
Since the All-Seeing Eye has its own night vision, the darkness vanishes and I can see the scene as clear as day despite being in the deep tunnels.
That said, the silhouette is also seen perfectly.
It's a slender figure, and by its body proportion it seems to be a woman. I say "seems to be" because actually neither her body nor her face are seen clearly. That's because her body is covered by white bandages like a mummy, wrapping every inch of skin. Over it she wears a garnet cloak with hood and drooping ears on both sides, and a flower-like scarf around her neck.
Even on her bandaged face, two holes can be seen at eye level. The hole made in the left eye bandage is dark and her eye isn't visible there. On the contrary, her right eye shines intensely with an unmistakable glow. Black sclera and crimson iris.
She's a ghoul with a kakugan.
I'm surprised because I know exactly who she is.
"Ah... fuck."
While I curse, the bandaged figure approaches a blood stain stuck to the cracked floor and crouches down slowly.
I freeze. That's my own blood, the one that was spilled when I was beheaded by the vampire. When my soul entered my body, I had absorbed all the blood from the surroundings to regenerate and at the same time enhance my bodily evolution, however, traces like these remained that have merged with the ground and are difficult to separate.
Knowing what's coming, I sigh with resignation.
As expected, the woman's silhouette extends her long arm, and using her slender finger touches the ground where my dried blood is. The bandage on her finger is stained with black, viscous blood. She brings her finger to her lips between the bandages, and slowly sucks her finger.
Um? The figure is petrified in place, before her body started trembling as if she'd received an electric shock.
I look with strangeness through the All-Seeing Eye at this disturbing scene. And hearing the moans produced by the pleasure of consuming something extremely delicious, I reach a conclusion.
'A pervert.'
At that moment, the All-Seeing Eye receives frequencies from her voice that sounds somewhat crazed and excited.
"Interesting... A true predator has finally appeared, heh. Is this the prologue to something catastrophic?"
What she says could have sounded quite chilling and cool, but seeing how she instantly sucks her finger after speaking in that dramatic tone, the impression I have of her isn't about someone cool and threatening, but of a pervert with weird fetishes.
At that moment, the woman's figure slowly straightens up, and suddenly her face moves upward looking toward where my All-Seeing Eye is floating.
"Shit!"
I curse opening my eyes in the park, before sitting up on the bench with alarm.
Through the All-Seeing Eye, I observe how the bandage around her mouth moves to form what appears to be a wide, disturbing smile.
Opening her lips, she says with an amused voice.
"Found you."
While I'm about to make my All-Seeing Eye disappear to prevent her from tracking me, she acts and in the blink of an eye her kagune materializes in a crimson blur before striking the eye and completely destroying it.
—Crack!
"Arghh!"
As a consequence, an extremely unpleasant pain attacks my consciousness as if someone were driving burning needles into my brain.
If the eye that's connected to my consciousness is destroyed, it could cause serious mental damage that could leave me incapacitated.
At least, that was when my brain was incomplete and weak. After evolving and recovering my brain, and even surpassing by several levels a normal brain of both humans and supernatural beings, now facing this amount of damage doesn't cause me great losses apart from having to endure a bit of annoying pain.
After about ten seconds, the pain in my consciousness gradually fades and only the sensation of a sore head remains as if I had a hangover.
I sigh while rubbing my temples.
"I was careless..."
I trusted in my All-Seeing Eye's stealth, its small size and discreet nature for most, and didn't think someone would find it so easily in the darkness of the tunnels.
But thinking about the other party's identity, I suppose it makes sense the situation turned out this way.
"As expected of the founder of Aogiri Tree."
Although about five years more or less remain before the Tokyo Ghoul story officially begins, she must have already founded the famous terrorist organization much longer ago despite herself not being more than twenty years old currently.
'Find me... Huh? It might be true. I couldn't hide forever anyway.'
So, should I cause a bit of chaos in the world? Hehe...
While I laughed carelessly at that exciting prospect, I get up from the bench while cleaning my butt shaking off the dust, and head to the Takagi mansion.
"Eto..."
I'm a bit curious what this crazy woman will try to do. It's quite obvious the taste of my blood awakened her curiosity about me, and she might start looking for me from now on.
In the past I might have worried and become paranoid. But honestly? Now I only feel anticipation for the type of encounter we'll have.
Halfway there, seeing the reflection in the glass of a closed store, I stop abruptly.
"Ah... To hell with this."
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