Stepping out of the Kamui portal, into my room at the Tean Team building, I check myself in the mirror once again.
"Still me."
Looking back at my door, I can feel myself in the Kamui dimension. It is a weird feeling, especially seeing as I made the time difference between the dimensions so wide.
Right now, I am both chopping down wood and experimenting with flesh constructs in a planet-sized infantry battle.
As I peer around my bare-bones bedroom, I can see from all of my eyes. Not just the ones here in my room. I would describe it as wearing an Oculus with multiple heads and staring through every version of myself I have created.
Speaking of, I can still feel the bodies in the GDA vans.
'How should I deal with that?'
Quickly changing into a basic blue shirt and brown pants, I walk out into the recreation room. The room was fairly large, large enough to house two couches facing each other, surrounding a small brown table and two large TVs on two of the walls. Both TVs were to the right and left of the couches.
One TV had what looked to be football on, and the other, which was on a much lower volume, was the local news.
'I applaud the idea, very functional. And I'm guessing very Robot.'
On the other side of the couches was a pool table, table football, and a ping-pong table, though it seemed like no one was playing ping-pong.
Kate was playing pool by (With) herself while Rex was playing table soccer with Eve. Rex seemed to be not so subtly flirting with Eve.
Robot was silently sitting on the couch watching everyone, and glancing at the news every so often.
Not planning on giving Rex an inch, I walk over to his table.
"So, Eve, you got plans for Friday? Other than kicking ass." He asked with a smug look and leaning in, looking away from the game.
"Not really. I was going to do a patrol, then study if nothing came up." Eve then spun the nod as the ball headed towards her goal and knocked it back.
"Ah, you are free. How about we-" Eve moves another nob and smacks it into Rex's goal.
"It's 2-1 now. Read 'em and weep."
He looks down in mild shock, his smugness vanishing in the air. "Hey, that's not fair!"
"What, that you got distracted?" She said, gaining her own smug face.
Rex mumbles under his breath as he fishes out five bucks, handing them begrudgingly over to Eve.
"What was the bet?" I ask, looking towards Eve.
Eve looks at me as her smug smile turns real. "It was best out of three gets five bucks and the last slice of pizza."
Thinking for a sec, as I look around, then back to her, "I thought the pizza wasn't here yet?"
Rex speaks before she does. "It's not, but she can eat a lot. So I have to secure my food in other ways."
Eve pushes one of the nobs forward and hits him in the pelvis. "You're just saying that because you eat slowly!" She spoke, embarrassed.
Chuckling to myself, I look away from Rex's pained face and back to Eve. "I can eat a lot too. Comes with the territory of regeneration. How about I get in on this?"
She shrugs. "Well, it's your loss."
Rex walks away, annoyed, and sits down at one of the couches facing away from us. Robot gets up and heads out the door.
As I grab the nobs on my side and I give them a test spin. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice one of the Kates looking at us.
Eve grabs a small ball painted like a soccer ball and places it on the table. The ball hits the table, and the game begins.
Eve acts fast and sends the ball my way. Right before the ball goes in, I manage to move one of my guys.
I notice something odd in the process. My sense of time is all over the place.
Due to my being in the Kamui dimension and its ridiculously fastened pace of time, I am able to localize my sense of time.
When I focus my view here, time in Kamui passes quickly. However, when I focus on Kamui, time here seems to move slowly.
When I view everything, time moves at the same pace, but when I focus my view, the differences in the speed of time become apparent.
'Perhaps, when I leave stuff to my subconscious, my actions go on a sort of autopilot.
Less automatic, but more of actions I don't need to think about too hard, and I do them instantly. I still am taking those actions, and I acknowledge them, but my focus is here, at Teen Team.
Speaking of, while I am thinking about this, the game between Eve and me is currently tied. I've been subtly flirting with her and throwing her off her game, all while also in deep thought.'
"Well then, Eve, it looks like we're tied." I was apparently asking about her school and if she had a boyfriend. Her schooling was alright, good in science, just alright in other things. Figured as much.
She dodged around it for a second, but relented and said she wasn't seeing anyone. Robot also came in with the pizza. The rest were eating on the couch while we finished our game.
Looking at Eve, I smirk. "How about we make this more interesting?" Her eyebrow raises. "Loser takes the other out for food."
She looks at me, confused. "Now? The pizza just got here."
"Well, we could go now. But I was thinking Friday, if you're free." Eve looks over to the group as they eat and talk about the game.
"Sure. Why not?"
She places the ball onto the table, and I strike first this time. Before, I was playing defensively, but now it was time to be offensive.
The orangette in front of me took notice of my aggression and responded in kind.
Unknown to her, I was making use of my newfound ability to augment my perception of time. I analyzed each move she made and played every game that could be in Kamui. To her, I became a master at this game in a moment, but to me, I practiced for days.
At first, she put up a good fight, but that fight ended fast. She looks at me confused, but notices my smirk and sighs. "Did you plan this out?"
I chuckle to myself. "Well, I plan to impress. Is it working?"
Her confusion turned into a tired smile. "Somewhat." She said, turning her head in a small blush.
I hand over my phone. "I'll call you when I get everything planned out." She grabs my phone and puts her number in, blush still present on her face.
Once again, in the corner of my eye, I see Kate looking at us. This time with a slight frown on her face.
We then head over to the couch and join the conversation about Rex's losing team. The local news is not showing anything that would concern us.
Seeing that I decided to sow some chaos.
I reanimate the corpses in the van, strengthen their already inhuman strength, and have them rip open the metal divider between them and the drivers.
The werewolves' jagged claws tear through the hardened steel like paper, and the Fallen Angels pull the driver and passenger out of the seat. In doing so, causing the vans involved to crash into the surrounding cars and into buildings.
I teleport the werewolves, fallen angels, and the GDA workers into Kamui, into Andromeda to be assimilated.
Grabbing a slice of meat-lovers pizza, I look over to the football game, and it moves into halftime. Halfway into my slice, I hear of a large pile-up near the GDA building on the other TV.
'I wonder what that could be about.'
--------------------------------
Breaking away from my work, that being tending to the garden by my newly built cabin in the Kamui Dimension, all while I also eat pizza in Teen Team headquarters. I moved my focus here to try something.
I create another duplicate. This time, I want to go with something new. I make the new duplicate take the form of one of the fallen angels from before.
I de-aged him a bit and shortened his hair from shoulder length to my neck. I increased his height to 6 feet 3 inches, tanned his pearlescent skin, and deepened his vocal cords.
Based on his memories, he was a bit of an asshole. He cared for his teammates, nothing more. He did have a thing for seducing nuns. Seeing as his lust was why he fell, that makes sense.
'The whole heaven-hell thing in the universe is pretty vague. Most religions here are real, but most of them are just fighting over the scraps. Due to superpowers becoming more commonplace, the supernatural has had to take a back seat and mostly suffered for it.
But I don't care for them. I was planning on taking them over to find out how to make Kate's curse permanent, but then I found out how the curse actually worked.
Oddly, it simply gifted the ability to duplicate. Well, it works for me.'
Looking through my new body, I produce a wooden mask from my hand. Wood made from my cells, so I can take it outside. The mask was orange and had a swirl design that left a hole over my right eye.
I changed the color of this body's eyes from blue to red, and even added a pinwheel to the center of them.
'Now all I need is the cloak. Sadly, I don't know how to make that just yet. Hmmm.'
Opening the shop, I search for the Akatsuki coat. It showed up as a tier one clothing item for a hundred credits. Looking at to still empty balance, I get an idea.
I pull out one of the bows that the werewolves held and place it in my inventory. The bow took up 3 of the 2,000 lb weight limit. My inventory labeled the bow as a 'Target Seeking Bow.'
As the name implies, it would shoot arrows that sought out their targets. It was labeled a tier two magic item. I then went to the shop and sold it for 10,000 credits, pushing me into a second-tier shopper as well.
'neat.'
I look over to my other bodies and grab seven more bows and sell them. With my 80,000 credits, I buy a single cloak for 100.
And then a realization hit.
With a quick search in the store, I go to the 'Coral Familiar.' Noticing that I need to be a tier three to buy it, I strip the werewolves, fallen angels, and GDA workers and sell everything they own, minus the cash they have on hand.
I get 20,000 from the 18 holy shield, 30,000 from the 26 flaming swords, 1,000 from the 4 guns and communication equipment the GDA wore, and 5,000 from the clothing.
Bringing my new balance to 135,900 credits and my shopper tier to 3.
Going back to the 'Coral Familiar,' I buy it.
Clicking on the buy button, it appears in my inventory.
[Coral Familiar]
[Description:
Coral is a sentient, biological swarm native to Rubicon 3. It consists of individual "waves" that group into flocks capable of swarm intelligence, mutation, and even developing individual sapience (like Ayre). Coral appears to be a red, wispy mass of energy and microorganisms.
Coral can rapidly self-propagate, especially in a vacuum, making it both a powerful fuel source and a potentially uncontrollable lifeform.
It also functions as a data and consciousness conduit—some Coral waves can interact with machines and even retain intelligent thought. Far from being mere "robot juice," Coral is a living, thinking energy.]
Using the new item, I hold out my hand, and a tiny red spark flashes into life. As I listen for a moment, I am only given silence.
Taking out my phone, the red wisp of light slowly floats over. As the speck links with the phone and it courses with a red energy. The screen turns dark, and a single frequency wave makes itself known.
A faint buzzing comes from the speakers, and after a few seconds, a word.
"Hello?" It spoke in a feminine voice, not unlike the Admin's, but deeper. Perhaps more mature.
"Can… you hear me?" It asks, almost afraid of my lack of response.
"Yes. Yes, I can."
"Where are we? What am I?"
Looking down at my phone, I smile gently. "We are in my home, a universe of my design, and you are a friend, my new partner. You are Coral, a race of living energy."
"Coral… I am energy? Yes… a single wave. Where are the others? I need to find them." Its voice became somewhat energetic.
"I am afraid that is impossible, you are the only one."
A moment passes, and the red wisp thinks for a moment. "Then… Creator… What am I to due?" Now speaking in a slightly downtrodden voice
My smile gains a monstrous tone. "Join with me, and you may create your own ocean and join it with mine."
"Yes… Of course, creator… Together…"
A red wisp of energy leaves the phone, different from before, but the same.
In an instant, the red wave vanishes and is moved to the Andromeda galaxy. On a planet completely entirely by Flood Super Cells.
----------------------------
A world that was once nothing—a husk of rock and silence adrift in the void, without breath, without memory. One of many that now seethes.
What was once barren stone is blanketed in writhing, pulsating biomass—Flood growths stretching over mountains like flesh over bone. Veins of glistening infection thread through canyons, pumping thick, amber ichor through the planet's crust.
Tumorous towers rise in uneven clusters, spore-spewing monoliths that hum with a low, wet resonance, echoing the will of something deeper.
There is no sky here, only a choking atmosphere stained rust-red by Flood spores, clouds twitching with unnatural rhythm. The ground shudders periodically, not from tectonics, but from the heaving of a world that now thinks—breathes—hungers.
No creatures walk its surface, for the Flood has no need for wildlife. Everything is it. Everything has been consumed. This world, once sterile, now dreams with the mind of the Gravemind.
And then, it arrived.
Not with thunder, nor flame—but in silence. A single mote of red light, drifting through the heavy, spore-choked air like a falling ember in slow motion. It touched the surface gently, almost reverently, and pulsed. Only once.
The Flooded world felt it immediately. A ripple through biomass, a twitch in tendons, as if something alien had entered the dream. The Gravemind turned its thought inward, curious, then cautious. But Coral was not a thing to be assimilated, not without full access to Neural Physics.
It spread in waves of whispering crimson, threading through veins of Flood-flesh, seeping into nodes and cysts. It did not consume; it conversed. The ground beneath pulsed with dual rhythms—one chaotic and devouring, the other deliberate and alive.
For the first time, the Flood stilled. Not in fear, but in fascination. A new intelligence had entered its kingdom—not prey, not predator, but something... parallel. The world did not resist. It listened.
-------------------------------------
Looking at my phone, and see that the original red wave is still there. "Why did you stay? Don't you wish to be with your kin?"
Another moment passes. "I… I wish to stay with you… With my creator…"
With a slight understanding, I focus back on the phone. "I understand… If we are to be truly partners, I shall give you a name."
'Let's go with a theme. If I am the Flood, the Gravemind, then what would she be? Ah… I have a good name in mind.'
"From this day, you shall be Flara. My Coral Conduit"
"Flara… I understand, Creator. If this is my name… then what is yours?"
Bringing the phone up to eye level, I speak. "I am simply the Gravemind. Join with me."
"Understood… Gravemind…"
The red speck leaves my phone and touches my hand. In an instant, I feel her energy flow into my veins. Like hot lava moving down my arm and into my heart, her energy spreads to my brain.
Looking down my body, the blue veins under this body's skin have turned into a bright crimson.
Her imperceptibly small biomass is added to mine, and I can hear her thoughts with mine. Not just Her's it would seem, either.
{Can you hear me, Creator?}
'Yes… I can. Can you feel the others? Your small drop of water, slowly becoming a puddle."
{I can. I hear them, even from this distance. But I am different now. I have become part of you, part of your flesh, and taking refuge in your nervous system.}
'Indeed. Our bodies have combined, but our minds have not truly joined. I can help you expand. When the time is right, grow your waves with mine, all of you can bond with me.'
{Understood.}
With a thought, I focus on Andromeda. She does not share by vision, but she has her own method of communication.
She has become Flood in name, and she has been welcomed. I even let her keep her consciousness, a partner who will handle what I cannot. While I can corrupt flesh and minds, I cannot corrupt energy. Not yet. My connection to Neural Physics must grow, and to do that, I need minds to consume.
While Coral can self-propagate with no limit, Coral is a special creature. A sentient, wave-based lifeform. It exists both as matter, data, and energy.
Flara will be the perfect partner in crime. Her genetic code allows her to self-propagate, not duplicate. Together, we can create infinite minds exponentially.
But we have yet to achieve synthesis. Even if we did, I am not so sure if my own personality would remain; my own memories may be squashed by theirs. So, till then, I shall continue to test.
'Are you ready, Flara?'
{For what?}
'We shall be conducting an experiment. To see our limits.' I say in my mind, placing the wooden spiral mask onto my face and equipping the Akatsuki cloak.
I look towards my other self, the one playing Kaleb, and create a portal and walk through it. Not as Kaleb, but as someone new. A new test.
'What would be a good name for this body?'
{I am unsure. Perhaps you could name it after something?}
'Let's go with Apricot. It was the first thing that came to mind.'
{Acknowledged, Creator. I will address this body as Apricot.}
'This should be fun.'
-----------------------------
Blake runs forward, jumping over roots and stepping on plants. Pushing his way through brush and ducking under low branches, he stumbles slightly over a fairly large root.
The eyes of unseen predators of old and the allure of dangerous plants terrify him. Even so, Blake knows he must persevere. For he has a goal, one that he must accomplish to survive in this world.
The ground rumbles as a gigantic clash of titanic metal reverberates overhead. The beast ran through the nearby bushes, and the plants slightly wilted in the presence of men of legendary proportions.
At first, he was amazed. One Piece is a fantastical world, filled with wonder and awe-inspiring sights. Then terror. One Piece has a shady and gruesome side, which is the world government. Not to mention, it is literally filled with pirates.
The Eruption of volcanoes across the island signaled the end of the duel. Another among thousands. Another duel that ended in a tie.
Hearing the quieting forest, Blake runs to the right, following one of the giants. Though he is unsure which one, he knows that both are good people. The towering figure's steps stretched hundreds of feet in a single bound, quickly leaving him behind.
Even that didn't deter him, not with his goal so close.
Running through this ancient forest, Blake is unbelievably glad to have found a sweater stuffed in his backpack.
That, tied with the now scratched-up jeans, is no doubt saving him from countless scratches and potential infections. Something he remembered from the show as being deadly.
After hours of running and jogging, he caught up to his goal.
There he sat, cloaked in a large blue shroud, a brass helm, and clothing fit for a Viking giant. His trademark bread stretched down to his waist, no doubt the envy of many a man. Dorry took a bite out of his behemoth of a cooked steak, no doubt from a sea king or dinosaur.
As if he sensed him before he arrived, Dorry looked down onto Blake's tiny form. Seeing his sweat-drenched clothing and fatigued mannerisms, it was all too easy to assess the small fishman's strength.
With a pride-filled laugh that boomed across the valley and shook the land, Dorry slapped his full belly in amusement. "About to keel over from a light jog? I thought you fishmen prided yourselves on stamina! Gyagyagyagyagya"
"I… Am… Good… At. SWIMMING!" Blake heaved like he was indeed about to fall over and die. His weakened response was met with only more laughter.
"GYAGYAGYAGYAYGAYGA!" As Blake regained his breath and Dorry lost his, Dorry grabbed a large reptilian skull filled with rain water and downed it in one go.
"I meant nothin' foul by my remark, young fishling. I am merely amused by the scene before me! Gyagyagyagya." He spoke with a surprisingly soft accent. While his words were large, it was merely due to his size; they lacked no warmth.
"Yeah. Yeah. Look, I'm Blake. It's nice to meet ya." Blake spoke with a newfound strength in his voice, no doubt with his goal in front of him, having given him more energy.
With a raised brow and a smirk on his face, the giant spoke once more. "I am Dorry, some may know me as the Blue Ogre. If my name is still known." Dorry gave the slightest of nods to Blake, as if he recognized his courage.
Returning the nod, Blake walks forward and sits before Dorry. "I know of you and the Giant Warrior Pirates. I know of your strength and your power." Bowing deeply. "Please! Dorry the blue ogre! Teach me Haki! Teach me the ways of Elbath!"
Dorry's other brow lifted in surprise. A heavy moment of silence passed over Blake as Dorry stared. With his head to the dirt, he was forced to bear with it.
"Hmmmm." Dorry stroked his beard in thought. "Haki, huh…" Looking down at Blake, his body was covered by drenched clothing.
"Boy. While I could teach you Haki, your body doesn't seem to be ready for that. And as for the teachings of Elbath, it is simply a way of life. Something you must learn on your own."
Pulling off his sweater and t-shirt underneath to reveal his now light blue skin and pink gills. Blake's body has indeed been turned into that of a Fishman. Due to his eleven years of swimming practice and regimented workout, his body was decently muscled for his age.
It was hard to identify what type of Fishman he was. His body was relatively human-like for a fishman.
"Dorry. We both know how dangerous this world is. Passed the red line, lay untold foes and few allies. As a fishman, I will no doubt be hunted for a quick buck or killed for food."
Dorry's smile turns into an acknowledging frown. "The world outside this island only seems to grow darker." Leaning towards Blake, he speaks. "Very well, Blake. I will teach you Haki. But your body can not fall behind, it must not lack the strength Haki needs."
Leaning back, Dorry points towards the nearby shore. "Swim this Island 10 times a day. If you can do that, then I will teach you."
Blake's jaw hit the floor in shock. As the two stared at each other, it was Blake who first broke eye contact.
Shaking his head and slapping his face with both hands, Blake once again looks to Dorry. Now with red hand prints on his face. "Understood!"
Running down the path that Dorry is pointing to, Blake makes a mental note of this area. As the blistering sun reached its peak and the volcanoes erupted once more. The duel between giants is no longer the only battle that rages on in Little Garden. The battle between Blake and the Sea marks another legend that will soon go down in history.
After another few hours of running/jogging, Blake finds himself at the shore. Looking at his inventory, Blake read his 'cheat ability.'
[Kyogre]
[Description:
A primordial god of the seas capable of unrivalled hydrokinetic abilities. Kyogre, in its base form alone, is strong enough to sink entire cities and entire countries underwater over time. In her primal form, they can sink the entire landmass under in the span of an afternoon.]
In his fatigued mind, he summons his familiar to protect him as he swims.
Stillness sweeps the waves, as if the ocean itself is holding its breath. The cries of the tyrannosaurus and the rustling of the jungle canopy began to quiet. Even the two battling giants sensed, sensing something… wrong.
From the edge of Little Garden's untamed coastline, the waters began to swirl. Gentle at first, then violently, as if the sea had become a living whirlpool. Clouds began to gather unnaturally fast, churning with pressure and a strange, shimmering mist.
Then, it rose.
A mountain of black and cerulean surged upward, water cascading off a massive whale-like form. With glowing crimson eyes and rings of bioluminescent light across its fins, Kyogre broke the surface like an ancient god returning to a forgotten world.
Its emergence was enough to displace entire sections of the coastline, trees uprooted, cliffs shattered, and waves a hundred meters tall stormed against the jungle. Leaving a cut in the waves for Blake.
The air vibrated with the bass of its roar. A roar not just heard, but felt, like thunder echoing from the ocean floor.
The clouds above opened, and rain began to pour. Not in droplets but in sheets, as if the sky had been cracked. Every beast on Little Garden looked skyward. The primal island, a remnant of a time long lost, now stood in the shadow of something much older.
The Sea Basin Pokémon: embodiment of the ocean's deepest abyss.
And now, it was watching one man. One fishman, to be exact.
"Eh?" Shock flashed across his face as color drained from him. Shaking, but not faltering, Blake stood before the true sea king.
"Huh…" As if trying to find the right word, Blake's mind ran faster than his mouth could.
'WHAT THE FUCK! KYOGRE IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE 14 FEET TALL! NOT TALLER THAN FUCKING DORRY THE GIANT!'
Hearing the ground rumble behind him, Blake looks to Dorry and Brogy, charging towards the mighty sea god, rusted weapons at the ready. Preparing to unleash their strongest attack.
Kyogre, sensing the looming threat, started to collect water in a ball, condensing hundreds of thousands of tons into a sphere too small to contain it, ready to release aquatic devastation.
Looking back at Kyogre and then to the charging giants, Blake realized his imminent death.
Clenching his fist, he realized how screwed he was. As blood dripped from his palm, he was left with one option.
Running in front of Kyogre, he yelled like his life depended on it. Because it did. Because he couldn't let his one advantage in this world be killed. Because he couldn't let his familiar die. Whether or not the giants could kill it, he didn't know.
He did know that he would be too close to the blast to survive.
Breathing in a deep breath, he stands arms open and sweet down his brow as he uses every last bit of strength in his body to yell.
"STOP! DON'T HURT EACH OTHER!" With the air out of his lungs, only Kyogre heard him and dispersed the hyper condensed water ball.
As the giants raise their weapons. Something deep within Blake snaps, as he gains another burst of energy. A second wind.
"STOP!"
With a force of wind and power sweeping over the trees and sending small ripples through the water.
A wave of will and determination to not die presses against the giants, passing on a single message.
Dorry, recognizing the voice, looks down at the coast to see Blake, from hours before. Stomping his feet into the ground, he grabs the shoulder of Brogy, slowing him as well.
"Brogy, wait! This creature may not be a foe!"
"Huh," says Brogy, confused by Dorry's action. "It's a Sea King that controls the weather! Can you not feel that presence, Dorry?"
"Of course I can! But look! That fishman before it, that was the boy I spoke of!"
Growing even more confused. Brogy looked down at the coastline. "That shrimp? Hmmm. Very well. Let us talk, both interrupted our duel. Something is not so easily forgiven."
As the two giants cautiously walked towards the truly large creature, Brogy squats down to Blake. "Boy. Explain yourself. And what manner of creature floats behind you?"
Looking up as the full weight of both giants presses down on him, Blake struggles to stand. Anchoring his foot into the ground, he holds his height.
"I summoned her to protect me from the Sea Kings, but I didn't think she would be this large," Blake said, embarrassed by the whole situation.
"Summoned?" Spoke Dorry, standing next to Brogy.
"Yes… I have the ability to summon her… Kyogre… She's a friend! Nakama!"
"Nakama, you say?" Spoke Brogy, before looking at Dorry. The two giants share a look and then nod. "Then you must protect her with your life. Just as she does for you."
Dorry stepped forward with a worried frown. "A Sea King capable of controlling weather, and manipulating the water like a Devil Fruit user. Your Nakama must be some sort of Apex Sea King. Forces of this world will want to kill her or take her for their own."
Gripping both my fists, I look straight up at the giants. "Then that is why I must become strong! Not just to survive! But for her sake as well."
The Dorry smirks at my response, and Brogy stood up with a smile. "Then so be it, boy! You have Conqueror's Haki. We will foster your strength, but only you can grow your spirit."
Brogy looks over to Kyogre, then to Blake. "Tonight onwards, you will be learning Haki from both of us!"
Loosening his grip, he beams a smile. "Understood!"
Dorry speaks while looking at the sea. "Don't forget to do your laps."
Blake sags forward, "Understood…"
"GYAGYAGYAGYA!"
"GABABABABA!"
-------------------------------
After leaving the group chat, Michael finds himself walking away from the nearby village at night. When he was reincarnated, he woke up outside the local church to a group of kids trying to wake him up. It has been a little more than a week since then.
He just appeared without anyone noticing in the night. And since he was taken in by the local church. At least until he finds himself a place to stay.
Fascinated by the magical world around him, he asked question after question. Visited the libraries and spoke to the locals. After a week, Michael had a general understanding of magic.
Michael walks towards a clear field, free of crops and only holding dust.
"A perfect night to practice magic."
His shadow lengthens and wraps around him, eyes and mouths opening in the darkness.
The shadows begin to drip from a figure made of the darkest black, as a sultry voice of a woman speaks. "Oh my dear, you do not need magic when you have me."
She moved with the grace of falling silk, her tailored white suit gleaming like bleached bone beneath moonlight. Each button, each crease, was exact, immaculate, but the pristine fabric did nothing to soften the unnerving energy that clung to her like a second skin. Her presence was regal, yet feral, like a duchess who had long since forgotten her humanity.
A long mane of obsidian-black hair poured down her back like ink, unnaturally smooth, catching the light in blue-tinted waves. Her bangs hung with rigid precision across her forehead, framing a face too flawless to be mortal—porcelain-pale and cold as marble.
And then there were her eyes: glowing crimson orbs that burned with a mischievous, ancient hunger. They were not just windows to the soul—they were warnings.
Upon her head sat a pale, fur-lined cap, almost absurd in its softness compared to the sharpness of her smile. That grin—slight, knowing, almost teasing—was the smile of someone who had already seen your fate and found it amusing.
Her devilishly beautiful smile beckoned not with warmth, but with confidence—an invitation or a dare, it was hard to tell which.
And as the red tie at her throat fluttered in some unseen wind, it was clear: she was not a creature of night by misfortune. She was the night's chosen, dressed in elegance, cloaked in power, and utterly, terrifyingly aware of her own allure.
Somewhat annoyed by her intervention, Michael pries her soft but firm grip off of him. "You are strong, Alucard, there is no denying that. But I can't always rely on your strength alone."
A thousand bat-like shadows fly from his own and collect into another figure pressing itself against him.
She stood as if the world belonged to her the moment she entered it—no need for force, no need for words. Her presence alone bent the air around her, thick with danger and magnetism.
The vampire's eyes glowed like smoldering coals—deep crimson with a golden flare, fixed forward with a predator's focus and the satisfaction of one who already knows how the story ends.
Her raven-black hair fell in jagged strands, framing a face too symmetrical to be anything but supernatural. Sharp yet refined, her features carried the cold perfection of someone who had not aged in centuries.
A crimson coat clung to her shoulders, tailored with military precision. Beneath it, a black and gray uniform hugged her frame, crisp and formal, crowned with a blood-red tie that dripped downward like a velvet fang.
Around her neck rested a tight black choker—more like a mark of ownership than fashion. Whether she wore it by choice or ritual was unclear. Upon her ear hung a silver cross earring—not as a contradiction, but as a challenge.
And then there were the glasses—orange-tinted and resting atop her head like the eyes of some beast in waiting. They reflected firelight, reflecting the glow of flame as if it were a prophecy.
She was power coiled into elegance, a storm in stillness. To meet her gaze was to feel the edge of the blade before it fell—and to be strangely grateful for it.
"He's right. It will be my power he uses." Alucard spoke as she pressed her robust body against his arm.
Yes, Michael not only has Alucard as a familiar, but he has two. Unknown to him or the MRE System, during his last breaths in his old life, Michael not only summoned Alucard, but bound his world's version onto his soul.
And somehow, his 'cheat ability' was indeed Alucard as a familiar.
The other Alucard then grabbed his other arm and pressed her, also robust body, against his arm, causing both Alucards to stare each other down.
As the two glared at each other, invisible lightning shot from each of their eyes.
"Master belongs to me!" Both shout out like obsessed teens.
With twin Vampire Goddesses pressing themselves against his body, all Michael could think of was how each looked like a cat hissing at the other.
"Enough! Just let me practice my magic, alright!"
While Michael was relatively quite handsome for a thirty-year-old, he did not have his share of romantic intrigue. Instead, he cared for the occult and his hobbies. But such a lack of interest in both women had only made them want him more, which tied with their need to one-up the other, always led to a catfight like this.
With both having the same face and figure, both women agreed to wear different color clothing. The Alucard in white was aptly nicknamed White, and the Alucard in red was respectively called Red.
As both Alucards released his arms and "Hmpft" away, Michael is once again left in the field.
Michael's navy blue eyes reflected the moon quite well this time of night. With his shadow long, spreading out his 5 feet 11 inches of height, he takes a deep breath. Combining his platinum blond hair with a hand. Michael places both hands forward.
Focusing his mind and pushing his will, he feels the slight pull on his energy. Between his hands, a small ball of darkness forms.
From the darkness, a white eye peers out at him, as if questioning what to do.
With a smile, Michael releases his energy. Causing the eye to fade into nothingness. Saying nothing, he walks home. To his amusement, both Alucards congratulate him from the shadows, giving slow claps of praise only to start trying to one-up each other with their congratulations.
As he makes his way home, unnoticed by him but noticed by Red and White, a pair of blue eyes watches him from the church in curiosity.