"Why are there so many stairs? It's hard to walk this up for an old man like me,", I stated in frustration.
As I climbed the never-ending stairs, exhaustion weighed heavily on my body. Despite my ability to regenerate and channel life force, it couldn't save me from physical fatigue.
'Damn this body', I let out a heavy sigh as I reached the floor I was on, looking around for a moment to catch my breath.
But my attention, yet again, was quickly drawn to a stunningly beautiful woman with black hair tied up in a ponytail. She was drop-dead gorgeous, and I couldn't help but stare at her slender neck.
She was dressed in black and surrounded by rings of fire that were in the blink of a disappearance. And there, lying unconscious on the floor behind her, was a young boy.
And just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, there was a three-headed, twelve-eyed nasty looking, disgusting, vile, gross, loathsome, abominable wolf in front of me. I mean, come on, that's just ridiculous.
"Old men taste disgusting," the wolf growled.
"Well, that's okay, I'm not old, just well-seasoned," I replied.
"No, wait….did you just speak?", I looked at the wolf in confusion.
"Sir, you…should…" The beauty was about to say something so I turned my attention towards her, but she lost consciousness. A white and gold-coloured paper materialized on top of her and covered her and the boy in flames, protecting them from the wolf.
I realized that this world had people who could harness energy and demons who were against humanity. I glanced back at the wolf, who was now poised to attack me.
"Considering you have regeneration abilities and how massive you are, you must have at least 200 years' worth of life force?" I asked the wolf. As expected, it didn't respond but instead lunged at me with ferocity.
"Have mercy on this old man," I muttered as I sighed at the foolishness of the wolf.
"Since I don't have enough energy to fight you head-on...I'll have to let you stay where you are," I said.
"
Every second that passed, I felt the life force within me draining away. I was using one day's worth of my life force every second, and it was a price I was willing to pay.
I walked slowly toward the slowed-down wolf, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I prepared to take its life force.
With one swift motion, I pierced my hand into the middle head of the wolf and started sucking its life force at a tremendous rate.
The process took me ten long minutes, and it felt like an eternity. With every passing second, I felt my life force draining away, leaving me weak and vulnerable. But I pushed through the pain, knowing that this was my only chance to survive.
As the last of the life force was drained from the wolf's body, it began to crumble, turning into a dry and lifeless husk. I pulled my hand out and stepped aside, releasing my partial domain.
The wolf, unaware of the injury, continued to move forward for a few more seconds before its body started to dry up.
It lost balance and fell to the end of the gallery like a dried-up piece of husk. The poor demon died without ever realizing what had happened to it.
"You know, I've heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing, but this is more like a wolf...well, just wolf's clothing," I chuckled, looking at the dry husk of the wolf.
The wolf's dry and shrivelled body lay on the ground, emitting a toxic aura that made me wrinkle my nose in disgust.
"Note to self, next time bring some Febreze," I muttered to myself.
Ignoring the foul stench, I turned to face the broken glass window. My reflection shimmered in the moonlight, revealing a frail and haggard old man. I couldn't help but sigh at the sight.
"Well, at least I have a new lease on life," I chuckled to myself.
With a burst of energy, I focused on the life force swirling within me, directing it to every corner of my body.
The rush of power was invigorating, and I revelled in the feeling of newfound strength.
As the force settled into place, my appearance began to shift. My body became sleek and muscular, my hair grew long and black and reached my waist, and my eyes turned into a vibrant shade of golden.
"Wow, I'm a whole snack now," I said, admiring my reflection.
But as I looked closer, I realized that my eyes were now permanently vertically slit.
"Well, that's not creepy at all," I muttered to myself, realizing that I would have to be careful not to freak people out.
With a smirk on my face, I focused the force on my facial features. The result was beyond my expectations. My wrinkles vanished, and my skin became smooth and unblemished. I couldn't believe how good I looked.
"Now I'm more of a sugar daddy than a grandpa," I laughed, feeling confident and rejuvenated.
I looked behind my back and saw the ball of flames covering the girl and the body, still protecting them.
I approached the girl and the boy, both unconscious on the ground. I circled around them, trying to assess the situation.
"Okay, they're both alive. That's a good start," I said to myself.
I looked at it, still engulfing the two of them, and scratched my head.
"Now they don't have this shit in movies…How the hell do I turn this thing off?", I muttered in frustration.
With a sigh, I decided to try something simple. I pursed my lips and blew a puff of air towards the ball. To my surprise, it disappeared.
"…"
"Uh!..... Maybe her paper was just a cheap knock-off?", I muttered.
There is no way that she used that flimsy paper to create a protective barrier only to make something which could disappear with a slight blow of air.
Shaking my head I picked up the girl and looked back at the boy.
"Well, he'll have to fend for himself,", I said as I walked down the stairs with the girl in my hands.
"Wow, you smell surprisingly good,", I commented.