Sun was sinking below the horizon, casting long shadows as Akondo walked down the street, watching it disappear in thought. "I have to figure everything out before tomorrow—how I'm going to survive this without any serious issues."
He glanced at his phone, muttering, "It's almost night. I'll have to come up with a plan before morning. Once I've got that sorted, I'll handle everything else as it comes. I can't let this mess with my life."
Eventually, he stopped in front of a graveyard, quietly stepping through the gate. He walked deeper inside until he reached his mother's grave, standing there in silence. He looked down at the headstone, his heart trying to summon emotions he felt he should be feeling, but there was only emptiness.
After a few moments, he spoke, his voice breaking slightly. "I'm sorry, Mom. Now… I know why you died that day, but… I can't undo what I've done. I didn't mean to, but please… forgive me."
He felt a strange hollowness where grief should be. Confused, he said softly, "Now… I have to survive—for you. I'll do whatever it takes, even if it means taking out thousands along the way. I won't let you fade away, Mom."
Night had fallen by the time he was back on an empty road. Suddenly, he was interrupted by the rev of engines as three motorcycles roared up, blocking his path.
The riders took off their helmets, revealing familiar faces. One of them was the guy he'd fought in the parking lot. Akondo narrowed his eyes. "Isn't it the same guy?" he thought.
The guy in the black jacket smirked. "I told you I'd get my revenge, you little punk!"
"Oh, this shit again," Akondo thought, turning to walk away, but a big, dark-skinned guy stepped in his path, planting a massive hand on his chest.
"Trying to act tough, huh? Acting like a 'sigma'?" the big guy sneered. "We're here to send you straight to the hospital, kid."
"I don't have time for this," Akondo thought, brushing the big guy's hand off. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did. Just let me go."
"Scared, are you?" taunted a third guy with spiky hair.
"Yeah, I am," Akondo said, keeping his voice steady. "Now get out of the way and mind your own business."
He started to walk away, but the black-jacketed guy lunged at him, throwing a punch. Akondo dodged, catching his arm and slamming him against a parked bike.
"My problem is with you, not them. So I can't just ignore you," Akondo said calmly.
The big guy charged, swinging his leg in a kick. Akondo jumped back, sighing. "Look, guys, I don't want any trouble. I think it'd be best if you just let me go."
But the spiky-haired guy rushed him from behind, locking Akondo in a tight grip. "We're not letting you go that easy."
Just then, a voice echoed from down the street. "Akondo!"
They all turned, spotting a figure in the distance.
"Seren?" Akondo thought, recognizing his friend.
"What are you doing?" Seren called out.
"Who's that?" the big guy muttered, narrowing his eyes at the approaching figure.
Seren walked closer, her gaze fixed on Akondo. "Why are you hanging around with these junkies? What's wrong with you?"
The big guy bristled, scowling. "What did you just say?"
"Seren, leave!" Akondo said sharply.
"Quit messing around. Why'd you ghost me like that? Now come with me," Seren insisted, ignoring the situation's danger.
The spiky-haired guy smirked. "Looks like we've got ourselves a girlfriend situation."
"Yeah, she's hotter than the kid over there," the black-jacketed guy sneered, grabbing Seren's arm. "You didn't want a fight, right? Fine. We won't fight—but maybe we'll have some fun with your girl instead."
"What the—" Seren struggled, her face contorting as she tried to pull free, but the guy only tightened his grip.
Akondo's fists clenched, his voice low and dangerous. "Motherf—let her go."
The big guy chuckled, grabbing Seren's waist. "Nah, I don't think so."
In one swift move, Akondo drove his knee into the spiky-haired guy's face, blood spurting as he stumbled back. Before the guy could react, Akondo punched him hard in the chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
The big guy lunged at him, but Akondo sidestepped, leaping up to kick him squarely in the head, sending him crashing to the pavement, nose bleeding. The black-jacketed guy, watching his friends go down, panicked and bolted, leaving his bike behind.
With the dust settling, Akondo turned to Seren, who stood trembling. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Seren nodded, though tears were streaming down her face. "I... I'm fine... but, Akondo, you're not okay. Not at all."
Akondo hesitated, something shifting in his expression. "Hmm... yeah, maybe I should just go with that," he thought.
"If you're fine, then get lost bitch.. , okay? You just made things worse anyway," he said coldly.
Seren looked up, stunned. "What did you just say?"
"I said, don't ever show up in front of me again. Stay out of my sight." He grabbed her collar briefly before letting go "Bitch"
"Fine… you'll never have to see me again." Tears fell freely as she turned and ran, leaving Akondo standing alone, watching her disappear into the distance.
Behind him, the big guy staggered to his feet, charging at Akondo with a wild punch. Without even looking, Akondo dodged, then spun around, driving a powerful knee into the guy's chest. He followed up by grabbing his arm and slamming him onto the ground, holding him there firmly.
"Don't let me see you again either," Akondo growled, shoving the guy's face into the dirt.
He turned and walked away, stepping onto a different street. His mind buzzed with a strange clarity. "My body… it feels so strong, like I'm more than human. I can sense things coming, react faster—dodge attacks I didn't even see. Whatever this power is, it's giving me serious physical strength too."
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In the expansive field behind Ren Manton's estate, Ren steadied his golden revolver, taking careful aim. With a sharp squeeze of the trigger, he fired—and the bullet hit the center of the target board fifty meters away.
"Perfect. That's three in a row," Ren muttered with a grin. "I might just beat my personal record tonight."
He reloaded and lined up his aim once more. Just as he focused, Maxima approached from behind, her voice soft yet insistent. "Don't practice at night, sweetheart. It's not good."
Ren chuckled. "What, are vampires going to come for me?"
"No," Maxima replied, shaking her head. "But nighttime belongs to dark spirits. It's a time when their energy is strongest. Shooting during these hours… it's just not wise."
"Well, whatever." Ren shrugged, then pulled the trigger, landing another perfect shot.
As he lowered the gun, he glanced up at the clear sky. "Have you noticed? Hardly any snow in the last two days. I thought this place was covered in snow this time of year."
Maxima nodded thoughtfully. "It used to be. I lived here until I was twelve, and it snowed regularly every winter."
Just then, a maid appeared, carrying trays with winter coats for both Ren and Maxima. She curtsied, her voice warm with concern. "My Queen, my Prince… it's cold out here. Please wear these heavy coats, or—"
Ren took the jacket, slipping it on as he gave the maid a nod of thanks. Then, looking down at his revolver, he turned away from the target board, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, aimed, and fired. When he opened his eyes, the bullet had struck the target dead-center.
Maxima and the maid exchanged shocked glances.
"Wow," Maxima murmured, clearly impressed. "Since when did you get this good?"
Ren flashed a confident smile. "I've been better than this for a while, Mom…" He paused, lowering his voice. "All of a sudden, though, it feels different."
He raised the revolver again, firing two more rounds in rapid succession, each one hitting dead center. "That's it. I've broken my record. Time to call it a night."
"Yes," Maxima said, chuckling. "Let's head inside."
A short while later, Ren was back inside the mansion, pacing a private room filled with gym equipment. He was listening to an audiobook through his wireless earbuds while practicing on the punching bag. His fists flew at an almost invisible speed, striking with such force that when he stopped, the bag split open, spilling its contents onto the floor.
Smirking, he sank into a chair, catching his breath. "Massive improvement," he thought, satisfied. "I feel stronger than ever."
He paused his audiobook, titled "Vampire Love" and removed his earbuds, taking a long sip of water.
"Being a vampire sounds rough," he muttered to himself. "Good thing they're not real—or at least, that I'm not one. They have to kill, drink blood just to survive… In a way, if blood is what keeps them alive, does that make them all that different? Maybe that's the point of the story…" He rolled his eyes. "Still, total garbage."
Stretching, he wandered over to the mirror, gazing at his own reflection. "Eat Blood to survive , huh?" he said quietly, a strange glint in his eye.
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Akondo sat in his dimly lit living room, watching TV and sipping his glass of water. "So, from now on... I'm not human anymore," he thought, a strange sense of detachment creeping over him. "I'm bound by a body swap system that forces me to Eat Souls To Survive, huh?"
" I Eat Soul To Survive.."
Suddenly, the System's voice chimed in unexpectedly. "Yes."
"Great," Akondo muttered with a dry smile. "This system is like some AI... barely responds unless it feels like it, but I guess it decided to answer this time."
He leaned back, closing his eyes as he considered his next move. "I need souls," he thought, his mind racing with conflicting ideas. "But I can't just start killing people at random. If I'm going to survive this… I need to find people who actually deserve death."
Just then, a breaking news story flashed on the TV screen. "Tomorrow, there will be a public execution at the Royal Execution Center. A foreign national, sentenced to death for killing a civilian and attempting to assassinate the Queen and Prince of Valloria, will face his punishment. The Prince of Valloria has encouraged citizens to attend the execution as a reminder of the fate that awaits those who commit such crimes. The event will be broadcast live."
Akondo's eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. "Perfect. Whoever this guy is, he's been sentenced to die for something worth a death penalty. If I go there and swap bodies with him right before his execution… it just might work."
He grinned, feeling a newfound purpose settle over him. "It's a good plan. A twisted one… but perfect."
[ To be continued ]