"Stupid Maiden."
Here I am, out in the open for the entire world to gaze upon freely. I doubt anyone would though, I mean it's really coming down right now. I'm soaked, every time I breathe in my nose gets flooded.
'Hold on, you're soaked? That means you're outside right? Why the hell would you be walking outside if it's coming down hard?'
I'm sure that's what you're thinking, or something along those lines.
And now you're all like, 'Wow, how does he know what I'm thinking?!'
Don't worry dear reader, I'm no Joseph Joestar, but as the Dark King my mind-reading abilities are quite sharp!
Now for the answer to the original question, it's Jean.
Almost every morning on my way to school I always stop by the bench just outside Edson Medical Center & Hospice Care to see Jean. You'd think that on a day like today, I'd call it off and just take an Uber to school. In the past, that's exactly what I've done. The last time I did, something happened the next time I saw Jean. The day I skipped seeing her was a Friday meaning that the next time I saw her was a Monday. That day she was wearing a face mask. She was sneezing, coughing, and all around looking terrible. A funny thought has been in the back of my head ever since. I wonder, on that Friday, had she been out in the rain waiting for me?
The part about her waiting for me might be wrong, but the point is that I have a feeling that she was out in the rain.
So here I am, trudging through the downpour with my bookbag over my head like some kind of makeshift umbrella. It's not doing much, but it's better than nothing. As I round the corner to the bench, I see her. Jean.
She's standing there, soaked to the bone just like me. A look of shock flits across her face when she spots me, quickly replaced by a small, amused smile.
"You actually came," she says, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
I shrug, adjusting the bookbag on my head. "Using my wonderful abilities of prediction, I anticipated that you'd be out here."
"Doesn't mean you had to come."
"Now, who would I be to let you stay out here alone? Though I do wonder, why are you out here anyway?"
Jean chuckles, shaking her head. "Well, it's just that I know that out there some people are facing the storm head-on without any worries or fears. I wanted to be like that too."
"Stupid Maiden."
For some unknown length of time afterward, the two of us chatted and played around in the surging rain. The curtain only fell on our little performance when a nurse from the medical center stepped outside and caught us. Safe to say, Jean got a bit of an earful for being so reckless in her condition.
Maybe I was feeling a tad bit bitter or maybe Cacophony's pettiness from yesterday is rubbing off on me. But as the nurse chewed her out I thought:
'Does it even matter? It's not like she's going to get better anyway.'
Jean mentioned it to me a little while ago. She doesn't come here to receive treatment for her condition, it's for the hospice services. Apparently, her heart condition was caught too late, it can't be cured. It can only be made somewhat manageable.
She told me that she'd be dead in six months, but then again that was six months ago. To me, it doesn't feel like I'm talking with someone on their deathbed, but it's not like I have experience in the matter and I don't think I really get it anyway.
Recently I've been wondering though, with all this talk of mages and the supernatural, there might be a way to save Jean.
...
Moving on from that morbid topic, I arrived at school completely soaked and completely late. Following the usual protocol, I walked into the office to get a tardy slip, while inside the morning announcement started playing on the intercom.
"Good morning gators! Today I have to start by talking about a very serious topic. As you all know, yesterday one of our students pulled the fire alarm. Currently, we're still working to figure out who it was, but if you have any information please come down to the office and speak with me. This is a very serious matter not only for us but for the police department as well."
Ah, I totally forgot I did that!
"Excuse me... Are you alright?", the office receptionist asked.
"Oh! Yes, of course! Just had to fend off a mental attack from the Angelic Order is all."
Robotically, I grabbed my tardy pass and scurried out of the office.
Being faced with the consequences of your actions suck. I do have to wonder though, why didn't they use the camera footage to catch me? I mean, it's not like I was in a blind spot or anything.
I continued to ponder that question as I drifted down that lonely hallway. Well, not lonely as in no one else was there, some people passed me as I went. They all seemed to only stare and murmur. Maybe yesterday's special event has strengthened the 567-layer aura barrier that scares away weaker foes. Perhaps it's gotten so powerful that it fends off even normal people!
When I finally reach my classroom, I can feel the water squelching in my shoes with every step. As I push open the door, the entire class falls silent, turning to look at me with a mixture of amusement and confusion.
The teacher barely glances up from his desk before addressing me. "Go to the lost and found and get yourself a change of clothes," he says dryly, as though it wasn't the first time he's had to say that today.
Anyway, nothing eventful really happened at school. I changed my uniform and had to carry around a bag of wet clothes all day but it's nothing too crazy. In the halls, I'd pass by Charlotte a few times, but she never stopped to speak with me or anything. To be fair, I'm not sure what I expected.
In my chest, I felt a funny feeling. It was like I was carrying around a weight. I think, just maybe, it was disappointment...
On the walk home today, I thought I'd take a bit of a detour. The rain had finally let up, leaving the streets glistening with puddles and a fresh, earthy scent in the air. The Florida sun was beating down just as harshly as usual.
Ah, how wonderful.
There's a local candy store I like to visit from time to time. The prices are surprisingly cheap, and the owner always has the best selection of sweets you can find in Miami. It's a small, unassuming place tucked away between a laundromat and an old bookstore, easy to miss if you're not looking for it.
I was maybe a bit overexcited. The thought of sitting down with Cacophony and devouring a whole load of snacks and sweets made me smile. It was the perfect way to relax after a boring day.
I was halfway there when I noticed a boy standing on a small bridge that spanned one of the many rivers crisscrossing the city. Sometimes, I forget that Miami was built in a swamp, resulting in rivers placed sporadically around.
The boy was leaning on the edge of the bridge, looking intently toward the water.
As I walked, I moved to the right side to avoid him. There's always this odd feeling of stress when I pass people on the street. On the one hand, I know any interaction with them is going to be extremely unlikely, but on the other, if they did suddenly start talking to me, I'd feel super out of place.
Just as I was about to pass him, he looked up from the water. As he did, two white blurs appeared around his head.
Ah, it's Fang.
At the same moment that I had that thought, I could see that he was experiencing the same realization.
He took a moment to breathe in, then, he started to speak, "Good, I was just thinking of talking with you-"
"If it isn't the Great Exiled Prince?! Well, well, two servants of the empress meeting in an unlikely place such as this, must be the work of the Angelic Order! Be on guard, whatever trial is ahead of us, it won't be easy!"
Swinging around, I did a full 360-degree turn in order to scan the area for enemies. When I finally went back to looking at Fang, his normally stern expression turned into one of disbelief.
"How is it that you can never seem to be serious?"
"What does that mean? This is me taking this serious!"
That wasn't a lie. In a situation like this one, I wasn't sure how to interact with him. I'm also not sure how seriously he took becoming one of Cacophony's servants. If he did it take it seriously though, wouldn't that make me his superior? I mean, it's servant number one versus servant number three, I totally have superiority!
Thoughtlessly swept up by the flow of uncertainty, I ended up walking alongside him.
"Hey, by the way, what did you think about me calling you an exiled prince? It sounded super cool, right?
"Cool?", Fang's eyes looked at the floor in contemplation, "Yeah, guess it is kind of, hold on we're getting way off topic."
So there was something that he wanted to talk about... I can feel my heartbeat rising, guess I'd hoped we could keep this conversation light-hearted.
"Listen, this is about what happened... Firstly, I deeply apologize for attacking both you and Charlotte. I was backed into a corner and made a horrible decision! I'll take responsibility and pay for any medical bills or any issues that you have from what happened!"
I waved my hand dismissively, "A man such as I has no time to sweat over such minor grievances. That goes double for my comrades."
"I know what I said, and I know that I accepted your offer to become that vampire's servant. I won't go back on my word, but as a mage, I can't just go blinding doing something that, that... sacrilegious!"
So despite his childhood, there are still parts of the way he was raised that he doesn't wish to fully discard. Or it might be that he simply can't. Maybe it's deeply rooted in his sense of self? That's all too speculative, my overthinking is a bad habit.
"So, what is it that you're saying exactly?", I asked.
"I'm saying that...", Fang's eyes flared up and he placed his hand on his chest as he spoke, "I'll be the one to judge for myself if she's worthy of serving or not! And I'll be the one to judge whether she deserves to continue to live. If I decide that she is a deplorable person, I'll take it upon myself to be her executioner!"
Huh.
For a moment I was left speechless, unsure of how to reply.
"Ah... Just as I'd expect from the prince! A gaudy, cocky answer. Truly, your answer deserves full marks! But, I have to say, those are some big words for someone who got so thoroughly defeated."
"I wouldn't mind if someone with a little know-how told me that, but coming from a non-mage I don't want to hear it."
"Since we're talking about magecraft-"
This is my chance! Who cares about that serious stuff about serving the vampire empress and whatnot, that'll all sort itself out. What I want to know more about, is magic! Cacophony's a no-good teacher, but with a real hard-working mage like Fang, I can get some real answers.
"I remember that Cacophony talked about those two dragons that you have. She said they were a rare kind of ghost. So what, did you slay some powerful beast or something? How'd you get them?"
"You remember that story I told you?"
"About your family?"
"Yeah, you remember what happened to the dog I was taking care of?"
It was burned alive by his brother.
"So you're telling me-"
Fang simply nodded.
Damn it, I made him relive a horrible memory. Before the atmosphere becomes too dark, I want to ease the mood. I also wanted to try and make Fang feel a bit better.
"If that's the case, then isn't it true that he never left you?"
"No, it's... When a living creature dies, it's not just their body that decomposes, their soul does as well. The way to offset this process is to have a substantial amount of regret serve as a core that keeps the rest of the soul in place. In this process though, the ego is lost, meaning that the ghost is merely a fraction of the individual that they were while they were alive. That means while it comes from him, the ghost here with us isn't him."
I found myself staring blankly at Fang, trying to process everything he'd just said. Noticing my expression, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Sorry if my explanation was weird," he said, with a hint of frustration. "I was trying to explain it in a way that even an idiot would understand."
"No, no, I got it. Really, I did. And... after hearing all that, I have this thought."
Fang raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "Oh? And what's that?"
"I mean, haven't you been wondering what the regret that allowed your dog's soul to stay on earth was?"
"A bit... it doesn't really matter though if it's not him anyway."
"Well, personally, I think the regret that allowed the dog's soul to become a ghost was the fact that he couldn't have more fun with you."
For a moment, Fang looked taken aback. His stern expression softened, and a flicker of something—maybe gratitude or relief—passed through his eyes. He didn't say anything, but the slight nod he gave me was enough to know he appreciated the thought.
Looking to switch topics, Fang asked me a question. "Anyone talk to you about how you pulled the fire alarm yesterday?"
"No. Guess I'm more sneaky than even I thought."
"You can thank me for that.", he said it with this proud look on his face. "I pulled some strings and got that footage erased ASAP. It was the first thing I did when I was untied."
"Really, how'd you manage that?"
"You'll understand in a moment.", suddenly, Fang stopped in his tracks. He nudged his head forward.
Looking up, we had arrived at some odd-looking building. It seemed like it was put together haphazardly. There was art of dragons, myths, and even some anime characters plastered across the exterior. In the parking lot, two people were screaming at each other in front of a yellow car.
As my eyes looked back up, I read the sign.
'Dragon Mojo: World's Best Dojo!'
What happened to a relaxed trip to the candy store?
"Bao...", Fang murmured.
"Hmmm?"
"My dog. His name was Bao... Just thought I'd mention it."