Damian could no longer ignore it, something about him had changed on a fundamental level. He had spent days testing his new abilities, but the full extent of his transformation remained a mystery.
His strength, speed, and heightened senses were undeniable, yet he still wasn't sure what he had become. Every possibility he entertained in his mind seemed ridiculous, yet he couldn't dismiss them outright. And now, after his encounter with the mysterious woman in the warehouse district, he had more questions than ever before.
...
The night air was crisp as Damian walked through the quiet streets. He wasn't sure why he was out here, maybe he was hoping to run into her again, or maybe he was just restless. His mind kept replaying the encounter, analyzing every word she had said.
You'll have to choose...
Choose what?
The sound of approaching footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. Damian tensed, his senses sharpening. Someone was following him. He could hear their breathing, the steady rhythm of their footsteps against the pavement. He turned a corner and stopped abruptly, pressing his back against the wall. Whoever was behind him would have to pass right by.
Seconds later, the figure appeared. A man, tall and lean, dressed in dark clothing. His movements were too smooth, too calculated. Damian knew immediately that he wasn't just some random passerby.
"Looking for something?" Damian asked, stepping forward.
The man stopped, regarding him with an unreadable expression. "Not something, someone."
Damian's jaw tightened. "And let me guess, you found him?"
A small smirk played on the man's lips. "You're quick."
Damian took a slow breath, preparing himself for whatever was about to happen. "Who are you?"
"That's not important."
"Then what do you want?"
The man's smirk widened. "Just to talk."
"I'm not interested."
"You should be."
Before Damian could react, the man moved... fast. Faster than any normal person should be able to. One moment he was standing a few feet away, the next he was right in front of him. Damian barely had time to dodge as the man lashed out with an open palm, aiming for his chest.
Instinct took over. Damian ducked and rolled to the side, coming up in a defensive stance. His heart was pounding, but not with fear... with excitement. He had never faced someone like this before.
"Good reflexes," the man said, straightening. "That confirms it."
"Confirms what?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he took a step back and smiled. "We'll meet again, Damian."
Before Damian could press for more information, the man vanished into the shadows, leaving him standing there, fists clenched and mind racing.
...
The following morning, Damian sat at the kitchen table, absently stirring his coffee. Lisa sat across from him, watching him with a curious expression.
"You look like you didn't sleep," she commented.
Damian exhaled through his nose. "Just been thinking."
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "That's new."
He gave her a dry look, but she only grinned. "Seriously though, you've been acting weird for over a week now. Are you gonna tell me what's up?"
Damian hesitated. He wanted to tell her, more than that, he wanted someone to help him make sense of everything. But how could he explain something he didn't fully understand himself?
"I'm fine," he said finally. "Just... trying to figure some things out."
Lisa sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Alright. But if you ever want to talk, you know where to find me."
"Yeah," Damian muttered, staring into his coffee.
His thoughts were elsewhere. Something was coming, he could feel it... and if last night was any indication, he wouldn't have to wait long to find out what it was.
….
Damian couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Ever since the encounter with the mysterious man, an unease had settled in his chest, a constant awareness that something, or someone, was lurking just out of sight.
His senses had grown sharper, his instincts more refined, but that only made the paranoia worse. Every shadow seemed deeper, every sound more distinct. He could hear things he never would have noticed before... the hushed whispers of pedestrians, the scurrying of rats in the alleyways, even the faintest rustling of leaves overhead.
The city felt even more different now. Or maybe he was different.
He had spent hours trying to reason with himself, attempting to dismiss it as overthinking or paranoia, but deep down, he knew better. The world hadn't changed... he had. His body was adapting to something unknown, something unnatural. Every day, he felt stronger, faster, and more in tune with his surroundings. He was becoming someone, or something, else.
...
Sitting at his usual spot in a quiet café, Damian stirred his coffee absentmindedly. The bitter aroma did little to soothe the thoughts running through his mind. He needed answers, and he wasn't going to get them by waiting for another strange encounter to fall into his lap. If someone was looking for him, if there was more to his recent changes than just heightened reflexes and unnatural speed, then he needed to start digging himself.
Lisa's voice broke through his thoughts. "You've been spacing out a lot lately."
Damian blinked and looked up. Lisa sat across from him, arms crossed, eyes sharp with curiosity. "I'm fine," he muttered.
She sighed. "You keep saying that, but we both know you're full of crap."
He exhaled slowly. Lisa was perceptive... annoyingly so. But what could he tell her? That he felt like he was turning into something not quite human? That he had encountered a man who moved faster than any normal person should? He wasn't even sure what the truth was himself.
"Just dealing with something," he finally said. "It's... complicated."
Lisa studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. But if you start growing fangs or developing an allergy to sunlight, let me know."
Damian stiffened, his fingers tightening around his coffee cup. It was a joke, but it hit too close to home. He forced a smirk. "I'll be sure to keep you updated."
As Lisa continued talking about her day, Damian only half-listened. His mind was racing. If these changes continued, how long until they became impossible to hide? How long until someone else noticed?
...
That night, Damian decided to test himself further. He found an abandoned construction site on the outskirts of the city, a place with no prying eyes. Standing in the middle of the open space, he flexed his fingers, feeling the strange energy coursing through him.
He took a deep breath and ran.
The world blurred around him as he moved. It wasn't just speed... it was precision, an instinctive understanding of how to shift his weight, how to angle his movements. He leaped, clearing a stack of wooden pallets with ease. Landing smoothly, he pushed off again, scaling a half-built structure in seconds. His breath came steady, his muscles barely strained. It was exhilarating... and terrifying.
Something had changed him, and he was only beginning to grasp what that meant.
As he stood atop the steel framework, looking out over the city, he knew one thing for certain... he couldn't ignore this any longer. Answers wouldn't come to him... he had to find them himself. And if that meant stepping into the unknown, then so be it.
Whatever was happening to him... it was only the beginning.
...
In the next day, Damian continued his experiments. He started with subtle tests, how much weight he could lift, how fast he could move, how far he could jump. The results were staggering. He could lift objects that should have been impossible a few days ago. His balance was unnaturally perfect, his movements seamless and fluid. He even tested his endurance, running for miles without feeling winded.
Then, the real questions began.
The joke Lisa had made about vampires stuck with him. It seemed absurd, but the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He hadn't been injured since this change started. He wasn't sure if he needed as much food as before. His senses had grown incredibly sharp, and his body was stronger than any normal human's should be. The idea of vampires was ridiculous... but so was everything else happening to him.
So he decided to test it.
He checked his reflection in the mirror. He could still see himself clearly, but something was... off. His features were sharper, his eyes held a depth that hadn't been there before. It was subtle, but enough to make him uneasy.
Then, he tried something more extreme. He took a sharp knife from the kitchen, holding it against the palm of his hand. He hesitated, then pressed down. The blade barely pierced the skin before stopping. He pressed harder, and only then did it finally break through. A thin line of blood appeared, but within seconds, the wound sealed itself as if it had never been there.
His heart pounded. Rapid healing. That wasn't normal.
Damian exhaled shakily. "What the hell am I?"
He wasn't a vampire. He had ruled that out. But he wasn't just human anymore either.
He needed more answers... and soon.