08
"What a bloody mess!", Kojin muttered, burning his blood stained clothes in his house's garden.
As the flames died down, he doused the ashes with a spray of water, then walked back inside, pouring himself a glass of strong alcohol.
Sitting on the sofa, he turned his gaze toward a black, rectangular suitcase, crafted from fine leather with a sturdy build.
This box was retrieved by him, from the crashed car of Bronca brothers. Leaning forward he kept the glass on table and touched the lock of the suitcase.
As dense flames erupted around his hand expanding the lock's structure, weakening it entirely.
Kojin gripped the handle and jerked the suitcase open. Inside lay ten glass vials, each filled with a blood-red liquid. He picked up one of the vials, staring intently at it.
He was sensing, an odd connection with these vials. This sensation was familiar to him.
One he could never forget.
He knew what was inside of them.
He knew what this red liquid was capable of.
He remembered the lives it had ruined, the countless children who had suffered because of it, all while he was powerless to stop it.
"I swear...", He muttered while gritting his teeth.
"I never got the chance to pay back for the pain I received," he whispered with a grim smile forming on his face.
*Z//z//z//z*
Kojin's phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out, he glanced at the caller ID. He closed his eyes briefly, then answered, bringing the phone to his ear.
"Where are you?" Mason asked quietly.
"At home," Kojin replied.
"She just woke up. Her parents are in the room with her now," Mason informed him.
"I'll be there," Kojin said, placing the red vial back into the suitcase as he ended the call.
+++
White tiles, plain walls, and a silent corridor with a series of numbered rooms. Outside on a steel bench sat Mason, listening to music with his earphones plugged in.
He opened his eyes and looked at me, removing the earbuds.
"Room number 001?" I asked, noticing he was seated in front of the door. I had planned to ask a nurse for directions, but this room happened to be on the first floor, and spotting Mason was purely coincidental.
"Her mom's in there right now," Mason replied. "I told her there's nothing too serious. The doctors think her body had an intense allergic reaction to something she ate, which caused her temperature to spike. Nothing abnormal, but they'll need further tests to be sure."
I listened quietly as he continued.
"Since her temperature stayed elevated for quite a while, her muscles and tissues may have suffered some damage. She'll be weak for a few days, but she shouldn't have any long-term problems. Luckily, it was controlled before it could harm her organs," he added. "I didn't mention that part to her mother."
These are the side effects of forcing my core's energy into a normal human body. I know it's my fault, but at that moment, it was the only option. Further exposure to dense energy, even if external, could have been far more severe and dangerous.
*Click*
I turned at the sound of a door opening. A caramel-skinned woman with long hair, much like Meloni's, stepped out of the room with moist eyes. She looked to be around 40, dressed in formal clothes as if she'd rushed straight from the office.
"Kojin?" she called softly.
I wasn't sure how to respond. No matter what anyone said, I felt responsible for Meloni's current state.
I bowed slightly, removing my cap, and nodded.
"Oh, I don't know how to thank you, child…" She pulled me into a light hug and ruffled my hair. "I'm so indebted to you. I can't imagine what would've happened if you hadn't been there. I'm so sorry you had to go through all this—"
"Please, Ms. Olin. I'm her friend; what I did was something any friend would do, so there's no need to apologize. You're like a mother to us," I reassured her, gently rubbing her back as she struggled to keep her composure.
"Still-" she persisted.
"What you need right now is some food. I can tell you haven't eaten anything. Please, calm yourself, go home, change, and get something to eat," I urged her.
"Don't worry about anything here. I've taken care of all the formalities, and we're with Meloni now. Don't stress yourself; you heard what the doctors said, right? It's just an allergy, nothing more."
"Thank you, child. I just don't know how to-"
"I said it's alright. Trust me. Mason, can you drop her home? Ms. Olin, you shouldn't drive right now," I said.
I looked at Mason as he nodded and walked with Ms. Olin outside.
Could I have handled things better from the start? If only I had made a different choice. These questions have been running through my mind for a while now. In just a matter of hours, my normal life has started to unravel.
Throwing the cap I was holding onto the empty bench, I sighed, closed my eyes briefly, and then opened the door to the medical ward.
The room was noticeably warmer than outside. I unzipped my jacket to relax a bit and quietly closed the door. There lay Meloni on the hospital bed, with bottles of medicine hanging on either side, a direct line attached to her hand.
Everything around her was stark white—so unlike her usual, vibrant self. The sight felt heavy, almost gloomy. I stood beside her bed, glancing at the labels on the medicine bottles, reading their contents and dosages.
She opened her eyes and turned her head toward me. She didn't say a word, just stared, her gaze fixed on mine.
After a long silence, I asked, "How do you feel?"
"I should be the one asking questions," she replied.
I nodded, prepared to face whatever she wanted to ask.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Me? I'm perfectly fine."
"Right! You're a superhuman after all," she taunted with a smirk. Though her body was completely weak, she was doing her best to look strong.
"You could…say that," I replied. In a way, that does make sense. But what am I really? Even I don't fully know. I only recently discovered that there are others with powers like mine, so I'm not alone.
"So… you can teleport?" she asked.
"You could…say that," I replied again.
"Don't give me that 'you could say that,'" she said, squinting her eyes.
"I can shift positions… as far as my energy spreads," I responded, giving a more precise answer.
"Your energy?" she asked. She seemed to find this fascinating. I could tell from the look on her face and her excitement. If she were in better condition, she'd probably be beating the answers out of me.
"Energy exists within the soul. It's actually present in every soul, and its nature is the same in each one. When that energy is somehow concentrated at a certain point in a specific way, it forms a core. It's a completely natural process," I explained.
"Then why do I feel sick, but not you?" she asked. She had a point. If energy is the same in every soul, why did she feel sick when I pushed my energy into her?
"It was a temporary measure, but our only way to escape. I pushed my energy into your body, blocking the paths of your own energy and making it circulate as if we were the same body, according to my core. It puts a strain on the core and the body receiving the energy because I temporarily disrupted the natural flow of your energy," I replied.
"Cool…" she muttered.
"Huh?"
"I said that's so fucking cool", she said that with a smirk.
"…" I didn't know what to say. I never expected this kind of response.
"So… I can teleport too?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"But you said I could if you made the energy circulate?"
"But you see what the aftermath of that is, right?" I asked, gesturing to her condition.
"Wouldn't I get used to it if it were done regularly?" she asked.
"Absolutely not. There's no chance I'm doing that again," I said firmly.
"Then… what about those people?" she asked. "Won't they come after you?"
"No," I replied.
"But you can't be sure, right? They were crazy and didn't think twice before attempting murder," she said.
"Don't worry. I just met them. It was a misunderstanding. It's all resolved now," I said.
"You met them? Again? Are you crazy?" she got furious and tried to sit up.
"Hey, hey. Believe me!" I said, supporting her head and raising the bedrest so she could sit up properly.
"They were good people; it's all resolved now. Just a small misunderstanding," I said.
"Well, if you say so," she said, looking me up and down. "But you clearly wouldn't have been alive if you actually met them."
This girl. I saved her, and she's still doubting my ability.