Hearing the angry voice of the old butler, Miles couldn't help but smile.
Zhan Shen seemed fine, if a bit tired, which was reasonable, having done whatever the hell he had just done.
Holding out a hand to his guardian, he asked, "Right back at you Old Zhan. What the sh*t was that?"
Zhan Shen grabbed onto the outstretched hand, and Miles easily pulled him up.
The Butler lightly patted his clothes, and answered with a shrug, "That-- Well, that was just a little trick I picked up from my old master. He was a Taoist priest from a rural area of Xian. He excelled in… the spiritual field, and naturally taught me some of his craft. I took a gamble and tried it out on whatever that thing was."
Miles was surprised. This was not something he had known.
'Old Zhan's master is a practitioner of the Spiritual? A Spiritualist?! Specifically, a Taoist priest from the East? So the Art of the Spirit, it actually works!?'
Using Fae Serums was undoubtedly the easiest and most direct method of gaining power in the current world. But there were also some who followed more unorthodox and unique methods.
The very same day the Fae invaded, or more specifically, exploded out of the Earth, a series of unusual phenomena occurred all over the world.
Colorful lights burst out from places with historical significance, a series of locked doors spontaneously appeared at completely random locations, melted glaciers reformed as if by magic, rain fell back into the sky, just to name a few.
But the most controversial of these incidents was what was experienced by a select few people.
Those few who were considered true grandmasters of the world, great men and women who had reached the very apex of their fields, specifically those with histories leading back thousands of years, experienced an awakening.
Supposedly, these grandmasters gained massive increases in their power and ability. Martial Artists could slash through bullets, shatter walls with a punch, and manifest glowing light upon their weapons. Monks and Priests who had meditated and cultivated self-discipline for decades, could now perform miracles ranging from super strength to healing the unhealable.
Miles's decision to practice Qigong and meditation may even have been due to this.
Then, there were the more unusual Shamans, Exorcists, Witch Doctors, or simply, Spiritualists. They were suddenly able to accurately predict the future, contact the dead, know things they shouldn't have known, and other odd actions.
But of course, the majority of the world had refused to believe them. Even as the mythical Fae invaded the world with supernatural powers and highly advanced technology that might as well have been magic, the majority of these experts were met with distrust and skepticism.
The Spiritualists had it the worst, as their abilities were not even as physically visible as the others. Plus, they had to work with the pre-existing notion of Fortune Tellers and Shamans being con-artists that tricked the innocent and the stupid.
Miles had also been one such skeptic. Not one who stubbornly refused to believe out of a bloated sense of ego, but simply one who remained open to all possibilities until he could come across concrete evidence.
But he did remember one thing. The majority of those Spiritualists who at least seemed credible had always said one thing. That their abilities were gained by the help of spirits, beings who live around us, unseen and invisible.
'If the 'trick' that Old Zhan used originates from a Spiritualist, and since it did work, does that mean the Beast Within is a so-called spirit as well? But I don't think so…'
Instead of making vague guesses on his own, Miles decided to simply ask.
"Old Zhan, that's news to me. So your master was a Spiritualist? And Spirits, they're not just tall tales?!"
The old butler laughed, "When would I have told you? Unless it ever came up like this, probably never. It's in the past, a life I had left behind..."
Miles was intrigued, but since old Zhan seemed to wish to leave it be, he would respect his wishes.
Zhan Shen continued, shaking his head sternly, "Of course not, Master Miles. Spiritualism is as real as the Fae! As I'm sure you already know, the concept of spirits is one of the few that is shared by the majority of the cultures of the old world. If any of them are to be true, or even hold semblances of truth, don't you think that spirits should exist?
Well, I can confirm it for you. They do exist. I've seen a couple of spirits myself, even conversed with them back in the day.
So while I cannot confirm that every Spiritualist is genuine, I can confirm that Spiritualism as a field is definitely not a lie."
Miles nodded, his trust in the old butler being more than sufficient evidence. Besides, he had literally just seen an unstoppable beast sealed away by using the teachings of a Taoist Priest. There was no longer room for doubt.
He made a mental note to investigate the fields a bit more, when he got the time. Who knows, he might find something interesting.
"Then the Beast Within, is it a spirit too?"
Zhan Shen raised an eyebrow, "The Beast Within?"
"Yes, the shadow creature you just 'sealed' away. I believe it is a part of the Vampiric curse, a physical manifestation of the beast inside. It might even be the source of the vile, inhuman aura you can sense. But the Beast Within is a part of me now, so the source is myself, I suppose."
The old butler paused in thought, slowly adding, "I see. So that's the name of that creature. Well, I'm not too confident about whether it is a spirit. Spirits are not meant to be visible to the ordinary eye. They are always present, but invisible and hidden. But this Beast is visible to all.
And yet, in a way, it was also similar to a Spirit. To be exact, it felt like a unique and strange existence, something in between. A Spirit that is not a spirit.
And if I'm right, then the strength of this 'beast within' cannot be measured in general terms. Its power depends on the energy it can access. With limitless energy, it may even be unstoppable."
Miles was intrigued by this revelation. It made sense. If he had more Blood Points, the power of the Beast would've been far far more. But in the end, he simply nodded, growing silent.
Noticing that Miles wasn't asking any more questions as he would under normal circumstances, Zhan Shen seemed to realize something was wrong. His eyes fell on the fleshless corpse, where Miles's own gaze resided.
He heaved a light sigh, "Master Miles, are you upset about his death?
It was that Beast who did the deed. You weren't even involved. In a way, I might actually be guiltier than you. If I had chosen to perform the sealing rite sooner, he would've lived. But I didn't. If he had attacked while I was sealing the Beast, I wouldn't have been able to defend either of us.
And even if you were the one responsible, with everything you've prepared yourself for, I find it hard to believe you'd be anything but fine…"
Miles shook his head, his fists tightening, "I'm not upset about his death. I understand why you made the decisions you did. He trespassed, he attacked, he might've even killed us given the chance. His death is well-deserved. But... did he deserve to die in such a horrible way? His body can barely even be recognized as a corpse now.
It would have been better if I was the one who had done the killing. At Least then, it wouldn't have been so inhuman.
And the worst part is, I could feel what the Beast felt when it consumed him. I kind of… liked it. No... actually, I relished it, I loved it. It was the best thing I ever tasted, and I can--couldn't wait for the next time.
The elderly butler grew silent for a moment as if he wasn't sure what to say.
Finally, he cracked a grin, and shouted with mock anger, "Oi! The best thing you've ever tasted? Is that a jab at this old man's cooking? I'll have you know, I'm an accomplished chef with multiple job offers from all over the city! I won't stand any insults to my skill! Any more of that, and it's my resignation you'll be tasting!"
Miles was surprised by his sudden outburst, but finally forced a smile, "Old Zhan, it's too bad your sense of humor isn't as accomplished as your cooking."
Zhan Shen laughed good-naturedly for a few seconds, satisfied that Miles was feeling better.
Finally, he placed a hand on his ward's shoulder, and proposed softly, "Master Miles, I know you chose this path yourself, but if it is something you no longer wish for, we can still turn back…"
At that, Miles decisively shook his head, "No! You saw the immense power of the Beast Within. It destroyed an Epsilon in a few seconds! I want that power, I will need it, if I am to get Lykaon Industries back. I will need it, to achieve my dream, to achieve their dream."
Besides, Miles didn't even feel it was possible to turn back anymore. The system had said the form could be changed and that the decision wasn't as important, but he hadn't seen anything to prove this.
Perhaps Miles had missed something, but as far as he could see, he was now a Vampire, a Kindred. It wasn't that he was displeased with the powers and abilities or anything.
It was just that...
Zhan Shen grinned, slapping him reassuringly on the back, "Then, that's that! It's your own decision and you're doing this on your own terms. Things don't get better than this. Freedom to do what you want.
All you have to do is control yourself. Tame the desire to submit to your desires. Let the mind rule the body. Really, I've told you this stuff already!"
Miles took a deep breath. Yes, that was that. He had made the decision himself, and he was very satisfied with what the system had given so far. All he had to do was control himself.
Confident in this solution and definitely not with the intention of distracting himself, Miles decided now was the perfect time to check what had changed with his status.
There had been a bunch of notifications and it was high time he properly saw what he had gained.