บท 18: A Silent Apology - A sudden Reunion?
The sound of a rhythmic bleep echoed inside a sterile room with the scent of ammonia. Nikolai's necklace lay on a small desk beside several machines.
Meanwhile, a machine pumped various liquids into a large box.
The room was wrapped in an eerie atmosphere. Nikolai was sealed inside a strange machine full of a green liquid. He floated naked, with his eyes closed tight while floating inside.
A male with a claw scar on his face in a black tuxedo stands beside the machine. He placed his hand on the glass. His eyes gazed with regret at the wounded Nikolai. The man was Sebastian, and his atmosphere and aura felt completely different.
"I don't expect you to believe me or forgive me when awake." Sebastian's voice sounded softer and less arrogant—even his slight mocking tone vanished.
There was no response.
Nikolai remained silent, his wounded form filled with deep purple bruises and gruesome cuts.
"This is all I can do because of my master's past. If I were to do this in public, I might be disposed of because of my lord's shame."
Sebastian then lowered his posture, kneeling before the box containing Nikolai. "Forgive me for insulting your father and especially what horrible things said about your mother."
He placed his head against the floor once, twice and then, on the third knock, he lifted his head and returned to his feet. "Although you will continue to hate me, I don't mind. Your father was the man who trained me and, at one point, my goal."
Nikolai made no response, or changes.
[This stupid boy, he used to chase me, Vlad, and Ivan back then as a mere human who served a lesser clan of vampires. I remember Ivan used to teach him self-defence—no wonder his insults irritated me more than usual.]
The apology wasn't anything special or drawn out. His sincere words echoed through the silent room before he stood up and started to leave before turning back once. "I hope you can protect and guide the young miss well. She isn't as harsh or strong as she might seem from the outside. It was her who spent the most time with you until your heart stabilised."
There was still no response.
[True, that girl reminds me of myself back then... I lived according to my father's rules but learned of my fate to become a tool for retaining blood purity, then I tried to rebel, only to meet Ivan, who saved me and showed me a different world.]
*Click*
Once, Sebastián left the room as if he heard the man's words and pretended to be sleeping. Nikolai's eyes snapped open. He gazed toward the door before slowly closing his eyes and placing both hands against the machine's glass.
'Stupid old man, if you just punched me a few times, it would have the same effect. Now it's obvious I have a mother and father complex...'
[So you were awake, pretending to be asleep?]
—Detected Patient's Awakening, draining healing fluid, please wait.
'I can still hear you from out there—what a strange contraption you are, indeed.'
[The most amazing woman made me exist, so of course I am! Does this mean you heard what that girl said while you were recovering?]
A series of draining sounds, bleeps and engine noises started filling the room. The screen beside his bed listed his vitals with a monotone beep, showing everything was normal.
Then the bed began to tilt, becoming flat while the green gooey substance vanished, leaving him exposed before the glass screen opened with a loud expulsion of hydraulic gas, which dried his body and left him spotless.
"No. I was really an inch from death at that point. All I could see was darkness... There was nothing else, only an endless void, and no matter how much I shouted or screamed, I was trapped in an endless silence."
[I see, so you peek at an old man's thoughts but not a beautiful woman? Are you okay?]
Nikolai shook his head. The amulet became cheekier the longer they spent together. Instead of rising to her making fun of him, he climbed off the bed.
At first, his legs felt heavy, as if they became lead with no sensation, almost causing him to fall onto the floor like a lump of meat.
The thick scent of ammonia and bleach filled his nose while his hands grabbed onto the metal frame to keep himself standing. Nikolai felt strange, and looked for some spare clothes to wear, but it seemed all his were taken for cleaning by someone.
*Click*
Once again, the door made a hydraulic sound. Before the lock opened and they slid apart, he thought it might be the old man coming back. However, when he remembered his state, he could only grin bitterly and turn towards the door slowly.
"Ah?! What... Y-You're awake... Why are you..."
The visitor stood shocked, holding a freshly cleaned pair of black pants and a white shirt on a hangar; both looked ironed and still hot, with steam fluttering from them.
However, her long blonde hair fluttered from the cooling air conditioning from the doorway.
Selene's ruby eyes gazed up and down Nikolai's body. The longer time passed, the deeper her shade of red grew before her mouth opened agape. "Y-You... why is that thing hanging out with no shame? Cover yourself. Idiot!"
Nikolai just rubbed his head, feeling a little itchy, while stepping forward to grab his clothes. He didn't feel any shame. His father always taught him never to feel ashamed of his own body, and that was before his transformation.
[You are loving this, aren't you?]
'Honestly, yeah. It's quite fun seeing her react like a normal woman. Nikita doesn't even blush and even asks if I want to join her in the shower, so I almost forgot what a regular woman was like.'
"Pass me my clothes, and stop staring at my body," Nikolai said with the most sarcastic grin.
Meanwhile, Selene could only remain like a deer in headlights. The protected princess of vampires saw the ferocious nude body of a werewolf and couldn't control her desire to drink his blood on the spot.
She spun around the moment he grabbed his clothes, her hands missing the exit button twice before slapping it with a loud bang.
"Did you enjoy what you saw, princess~ Hahaha?"
"Shut up! I am an idiot for worrying, stupid mutt... why... it's nothing like the textbooks. What was that... gruesome weapon."
"Yeah, yeah~ don't forget my bonus payment for winning." Nikolai waved Selene off, only to remember he forgot to mention needing to drink her blood.
'Oh well, I will see her tomorrow.'
He then began to prepare to leave and noticed several messages on his phone, most of them from friends from high school and college.
There were also so many ads and a message from his father, which only said two words.
[Good Job]
That made Nikolai shocked. His father must have known.
"That's right, I cannot hide anything from Dad. He even knew when I stole an extra chunk of meat from the hotpot."
[Why does he sound so stingy when listening to your vision of the past?]
'A reunion with those guys...? I wonder if Nikita is going to go.'
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