Chương 14: A Day in this Normal World
[FBI Alert: This story contains scenes that may traumatize and scare children. Sensitive individuals should refrain...]
Landon was lying in his bed, resting.
He had just returned to his hotel and was thinking about what had happened a few hours ago.
After apparently destroying one of the shadow entities, something strange occurred with one of the ninjas. His haki sensed the presence of a third person, not physically there but appearing through one of the two remaining assassins. His haki made him feel as if someone's consciousness had taken control of one of the shadow demons, possessing it.
He felt himself being watched, evaluated. He even sensed surprise and curiosity.
Landon realized that the person who had taken control in front of him was probably the true mastermind behind these ninjas, the one pulling the strings behind the scenes...
'The leader of an assassin organization from Japan, maybe...? He creates some sort of shadow soldiers, who knows how, assassins that follow his orders and do the dirty work for him, or them...' Landon felt this theory was plausible.
Landon sensed the "master" looking curiously at the flames on his hands.
'He's probably never seen this before. I don't even know if phoenixes exist here, if they're a supernatural race in this world, and even if they do exist, none are like me...' His power, after all, came from a legendary mythical fruit from another world.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Landon turned toward the shadow ninja, where he knew the master had taken control, and looked straight into his yellow-green eyes.
His haki suddenly sensed a jolt of surprise, perplexity, and even greater confusion...
'He didn't expect to be discovered...' Landon thought, a small arrogant smile forming at the corner of his lips.
'Haki really is a cheat...' Landon mused, realizing it was possible that, as he had seen with the ninja demons impervious to almost all damage, haki might be a natural counter to all supernaturals, just as it was to Devil Fruits in *One Piece*...
Landon sensed something was about to happen, the person behind this was going to respond, even though he felt the ninja couldn't speak. He knew there would be some form of communication...
Then, he felt the consciousness suddenly brought out surprise, even concern, a sense of urgency. Its attention was abruptly elsewhere...
Landon felt he was going to leave.
"Wait..."
But the consciousness vanished, and the ninjas dissolved into black smoke a few seconds later...
----------------------
'What a strange world...' Landon thought, his head resting on his pillow.
'Michael had explained the basics of the supernatural, but tonight's situation far exceeds what he told me...' Landon realized that this world was truly mystical and dark.
'I did well not to transform yet, keeping my trump cards hidden...' No matter who would want to harm him in the future or plot against him, they would never be able to withstand the true power of his Devil Fruit.
Landon had realized tonight that, even with the invulnerable ninja demons, his fire could hurt them, but it just wasn't enough to kill them.
But Landon knew that if he had transformed into his hybrid form, his flames would have multiplied in number, intensity, and destructiveness. He could have killed them, even without haki.
'Pfff... It's a shame, I was eager to fly through the sky. That won't happen anytime soon...'
Landon sighed in disappointment, closed his eyes, and began to fall asleep, but without lowering his observation haki around him. He wasn't sure how the ninja had found him or if the demons would return...
'The observation perimeter is about 11 meters, half of what it is when I'm fully awake, but it'll do...' With this last thought, Landon surrendered to sleep.
*******************************
Landon woke up four hours later. He hadn't slept much, but he didn't need sleep to function; he only slept for comfort.
He got out of bed and walked to the window, looking at the sky.
'It's a little after 6 am...' This was one of the strange but useful abilities Landon had inherited. Sailors could easily tell what time it was by looking at the sun, estimating distances traveled, and other things...
He stretched a little and started his haki training and combat style without wasting any time.
'My armament haki has improved...' he realized.
'Nothing beats real combat...' Landon could now cover his entire forearm in haki for about 4 seconds, and he could cover his entire fist for a little over 10 seconds.
He continued his training for another hour before taking a quick shower.
He dressed and left his room.
"How are you, Alfred? Did you sleep well?" Landon asked his friend as he arrived downstairs at the hotel.
"Wonderfully, sir. And you?" Alfred replied politely, with an odd sort of English accent that Landon was convinced he had never heard before, and probably fake.
'He really takes his role as Batman's butler seriously...'
Landon smiled in amusement at his friend's childish behavior.
"Like a baby. So, any news?" Landon sat at the counter.
"Well, first of all, the power outage has been fixed, and the electricity is back on."
"Well, not a moment too soon..." Landon said.
"And there's news regarding the Walcott case..." Alfred said, capturing the attention of the young man with gray-green eyes.
"The investigation was slowed due to the blackout, but they've discovered that the garden is basically a cemetery, filled with many of the Walcotts' victims. They say around twenty bodies have been found so far, but experts are certain there are many more, they estimate just under a hundred..." the butler continued.
Landon simply sighed. He had known from the start that this would be the case, but he had still hoped to be wrong.
"As for the father and the assailant, there's no news. There's not even a physical description of the attacker. The police are convinced the father is dead by now, but without a body, they're forced to issue a arrest warrant..." Alfred said calmly, speaking and standing in a refined and dignified manner.
Landon, however, was surprised by his words.
"Really? No criminal sketch? The victim didn't describe the attacker?" he asked.
"No, the police and FBI insisted, but it's said she refused to describe or help in the search for her hero, not wanting to betray the person who saved her," Alfred explained.
Landon's eyes widened.
'I didn't expect that...' he thought.
"Between that and her ramblings about what happened, it's unlikely the girl will be of any use to the investigation. It's possible that even if they capture the father and bring him to trial, she won't be called as a witness..." the older man continued.
"Well, it's a really surprising case..." Landon said, lost in thought.
"Surprising, bizarre, and grim..." Alfred concluded.
Landon sighed and continued chatting with his friend for a few more minutes.
He used half of his remaining dollars to extend his hotel room booking by two more days, in addition to the two he had left.
'The rest will be for gas. I need to get back to hunting, but the woods are under heavy surveillance right now...' Landon couldn't go there. It wouldn't be a problem to hunt discreetly, as long as he didn't use his most visible powers. The issue was that he didn't have a license.
You need a license to hunt and sell the hunt booty legally, and Landon didn't have one. He made arrangements with the butcher, Angus, who didn't ask questions or say anything.
Angus had told him about the license when he first came to sell his catch. He even mentioned an old client of his, a masked guy who went by the name "Carefree Shadow." It was soon discovered that his real name was Bob Dummar. No one knew why he insisted on that alias, but it didn't matter. He, too, didn't have a hunting license, but that didn't stop him from hunting. He was quite skilled, actually.
He managed to avoid the police and authorities for a while, but eventually, he got caught, and it caused him a lot of trouble. There were numerous charges against him, the first being that he had a firearm without a permit.
'I don't really have to worry about that, I can use a rock or any small projectile...' Landon thought.
But there was also the fact that the hunting license regulated biodiversity, ensuring animals weren't hunted to extinction. There are specific times and species to hunt during those periods. Plus, using a weapon in areas frequented by humans, like joggers, could be considered endangering the lives of others, even attempted murder.
Beacon Hills didn't take that lightly. The guy even spent some time in jail and had to pay a hefty fine, but they didn't trace it back to Angus.
'I need to find another source of income in the meantime,' the young man thought.
'But for now, I'm starving,' Landon thought as he headed to the hotel's cafeteria where breakfast was served.
Landon devoured several portions by himself, leaving the people around him horrified before heading to the hospital.
He arrived 20 minutes later, pulled up his hood, and entered the building.
'Hopefully, no one will notice me...' Landon thought. He began to consider finding a job at the hospital. He could easily be a nurse, given Marco's knowledge and a bit of extra learning, but that wouldn't be the right thing to do.
Landon didn't want something too front-facing, where they would need him. He had thought about it, and the best option was maintenance.
'I could go around the rooms, clean the operating rooms, maybe even while a patient is still inside, and I could possibly carry out the idea I've in mind...' Landon thought. He had been planning this for a while: coming to the hospital at night, going to one of the rooms, and healing with his flames throughout the night.
Landon had decided not to use his transformations, keeping them as trump cards, which greatly reduced his healing abilities. He estimated it would take about 3 hours of intense healing or around ten hours of continuous treatment.
The first option wasn't possible; he could only last a few minutes at best, not hours, which left the second option. It was exhausting and long, but entirely doable.
He came up with the idea after a chance encounter with a sick little girl. His haki told him her cells were deteriorating, that life was slowly leaving her, and that she had about a year to live.
It had been two days ago, just before the Barrow incident. She had stopped him in the hallway, looking for her stuffed animal.
Seeing her shaved head and pale complexion, Landon understood that she must be in the terminal stage of an especially aggressive cancer.
The little girl was in a white patient gown and had left her room. His haki sensed that someone, probably her father, was asleep in the chair next to her bed.
She weakly asked him if he had seen her "Flashy Cow," her plush toy that glowed in the dark. She had lost it when she had a crisis and the doctors rushed her to surgery, dropping it somewhere along the way.
Landon told her to wait and quickly scanned the floor with his haki, eventually finding it under one of the chairs in the west wing. He brought the plush back to her. The girl took it in her hands, hugging it tightly against her, before weakly thanking him and heading back to her room with difficulty.
Landon stood there for a few seconds, watching where she had gone, his fists clenched.
He shook his head, thinking back to that memory:
'I need to get a maintenance job here, with both day and night shifts or some free hours...' Landon thought with conviction.
*************************************
Lydia was in her bed. She wouldn't be going to school today, slowly recovering from yesterday's experience. Aiden was with her, keeping her company.
"Did you know that since I've gone back to school, I haven't attended a single math class, not even the exams, and yet I have no absences and excellent grades?" the blond boy said with a smile, sitting on her bed beside her.
"What? I doubt you hacked the school's system," the redhead, half-lying on her bed with her back propped up, replied.
"No, I didn't hack anything. I just made sure Ethan went in my place. No one suspected a thing..." the boy answered with a smug grin, proud of his trickery.
Lydia chuckled at Aiden's words.
"It's an advantage to have a twin, I guess. How did you get him to agree?" she asked curiously.
"I promised him I'd take his place in the different language classes," the boy replied.
"Foreign languages are only taught in the first years at Beacon Hills..." Lydia stated with certainty.
The blond werewolf smiled.
"Yeah, he was green with rage..."
The redhead burst out laughing at her former lover's words.
"You're really a bad boy." Lydia looked at him.
Aiden looked back at her.
"Yeah..., I am. But I'm not... at least not mean anymore..." he said, looking her straight in the eyes before continuing.
"What I did to Boyd, being involved in his death, I... I'm going to become a better person."
He looked her straight in the eyes and took her hand.
"I promise you, Lydia..." The redhead saw that he was sincere, she was softened by his promise. He had been the one who found her on the balcony yesterday, carrying her in his arms and comforting her, warming her up before the ninja demons reappeared a few minutes later.
She couldn't find the strength to resent him; she had feelings for him.
"Well, listen, I have to go to class now. Ethan and I are going to accompany Scott to school. Those weird black ninjas from yesterday were looking in his direction before they left. They're probably going to attack him today or tonight, so I need to protect him," the boy said, still holding her hand.
Lydia said nothing, just nodding.
'He's really making an effort to integrate into Scott's pack...' she thought.
"Will you be okay if I leave? If you want, I can stay by your side..." he said softly, gently caressing her hands.
"No, don't worry, go ahead. Go take care of Scott," Lydia replied.
"Are you sure? I can stay with you if you want..." the boy started.
"No... go on, don't worry," the redhead said, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Alright," Aiden replied. He leaned in, gave her a tender kiss on the lips, then stood up and left.
Lydia stayed lying down for a few more minutes after his departure, relaxing quietly before pulling herself together.
'Well, I have work to do too...' She got up, rummaged through her bag, and went to her desk, opened her laptop, and inserted the USB drive.
'Hope this helps me...' she thought.
She opened the folder and found a single document.
'It seems like Alison gathered everything into one document...' She opened it and saw it was about fifteen pages long.
The girl's green eyes noticed a short text at the beginning of the document, which seemed to be a note from Alison:
(I've compiled the most relevant and likely ones first, and the less related ones after... "Thanks Alison, you're the best." "It's my pleasure, darling...")
Lydia smiled at her best friend's words and started reading:
Hitodama/Onibi Will-o'-the-Wisps:
It is said that Hitodama (火魂 /人魂) are the souls of those who, at their death, did not find rest... These beings, for mysterious reasons – regrets, unforgiven sins, or broken loves – could not find the strength within themselves to leave this world. When their bodies perished, their souls, detached but trapped in this world, turned into a dark blue flame, floating aimlessly through forests and hills, homes, or villages.
Last mention or appearance: January 1923, Japan, the village of Inunaki was entirely emptied overnight, no villagers were ever found, not even their bodies. But several nearby villages reported that on the night in question, the sky was lit up by hundreds of blue lights rising into the air.
Consequence: About 300 people who were never found. The village became a mystery, a local legend, and many people visited it. Some rare visitors lived their lives with simple happiness and satisfaction, but most ended up hanged, poisoned, or stabbed, sharing one thing in common, they all did this to themselves, committing suicide... The place was eventually sealed off and declared a forbidden zone in 1972 by the government...
--
Even more terrifying were the Onibi (鬼火), the "demon fires." Unlike the Hitodama, which were lost souls, the Onibi were manifestations of malevolent spirits, a purple flame that induces madness... These violet flames danced in the air, accompanied by enticing laughter, calling to their observers, drawing them into the darkness of the night. Many travelers and children followed them into the night, never to be seen again.
Last mention or appearance: January 1988, Tokyo, Japan. A mother whose daughter had been raped and murdered by a young man, who was acquitted thanks to his wealthy family, made a pact with the Yonkai (evil spirits) driven by hatred. They carried out her revenge, and in exchange, she paid an unknown price. In one night, the entire family was wiped out, silently and without commotion. The next morning, the scene showed some family members dismembered, others eviscerated, with some intact bodies showing no wounds or damage, but they were empty inside...their organes had been removed... all organs found delicately arranged around the body of the victims.
Consequence: 17 dead, including all relatives up to the second degree. The mother was found a few days later in a state of extreme malnutrition. Authorities fed her, but she vomited everything immediately. She was taken to a care facility, where the same thing happened – no matter the food, she regurgitated it immediately. She spent the night there, and by the next day, her eye sockets were empty and bleeding, and her right arm was partially torn off. Both missing limbs appeared to have been consumed by the woman...
She died a week later in a psychiatric hospital, starving to death as she desperately tried to bite into her left hand... All attempts to feed her or inject nutrients directly into her bloodstream had no effect, only her own flesh could nourish her...
Hitodama/Onibi: a Flickering flames from the world of the dead, wandering through the night, reminding the living never to forget the respect owed to spirits and always to fear what cannot be clearly seen in the darkness, what lies hidden on the other side...
--
Xiuhtecuhtli-Xoxoauhqui, the Lord of the Turquoise Fire.
Legends say that in ancient times, long before the world as we know it took shape, the heavens and the earth were dominated by immensely powerful entities. Among them was one who ruled over fire, heat, and life itself, stemming from an Aztec belief: Xiuhtecuhtli-Xoxoauhqui, the lord of the blue fire.
It was said that Xiuhtecuhtli-Xoxoauhqui did not live like others but within the burning depths of the earth, at the bottom of roaring volcanoes, where no one dared venture. His body was adorned with turquoise stones, shining like dying stars, but his eyes were as black as the deepest night.
Last mention or appearance: 79 AD, Pompeii. From recent archaeological finds: secret documents and glyphs suggest that something else was happening in the city... events surrounding a man named Lucius Tiberius Callidus, an ambitious citizen of Pompeii, dreamed of power but was constantly rebuffed by the city's elite. Ridiculised, powerless, and frustrated, he turned to the supernatural.
Numerous documents show that he had traveled all over Rome, visiting dark, cursed places discreetly for years before returning to Pompeii. He brought with him occult objects and dark rituals, calling upon Xiuhtecuhtli-Xoxoauhqui. In exchange for his servitude, Lucius received powers and the ability to control turquoise flames. He charmed and manipulated citizens, rallying them to his cause, making promises, and they followed him in a revolt against the greedy rulers. His supernatural flames burned the magistrates and council, and he eventually achieved his goal and took control of the city.
However, his ambition didn't stop at Pompeii. Lucius wanted to conquer Rome and the entire Empire, he wanted the world itself to be at his feet. Gradually, his followers realized the destructive madness consuming him. Their new leader was worse than the previous ones. They tried to stop him, and despite his powers, they managed to weaken him after many losses. Lucius, driven to the edge and on the verge of defeat, decided that the ungrateful people didn't deserve him as their leader, king, and ruler. No documents explain how it ended. We don't know the rest, but the only thing we know is that this night was the night when Mount Vesuvius inexplicably awoke after thousands of years of slumber and engulfed the entire city...
Consequence: unknown, death toll unknown...
---
Lydia continued reading attentively, completely absorbed in the words written on the page...
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