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Present Day
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After Damon finished preparing dinner, the three of them—Damon, Phoebe, and Claire—gathered around the small table in his modest apartment to eat together.
"Wow, Damon!" Phoebe exclaimed, her eyes wide with delight as she took another bite. "You never told me you could cook like this! Everything's seriously delicious!"
A faint smile curled on Damon's lips.
"Well… I guess I have a few hidden talents," he said, pride subtly slipping into his voice as he watched them enjoy the food he had prepared.
As they continued eating, laughter and conversation filled the room—light moments that briefly made them forget the chaos outside.
Then Damon reached for the remote.
"Let's turn on the TV," he said casually, "Maybe there's something interesting on."
But the moment the screen flickered to life, the light mood was shattered.
FLASH NEWS.
The screen blared with urgency, the headline impossible to miss:
"MYSTERIOUS DISEASE RAPIDLY SPREADING IN PASAY CITY – LOCKDOWN DECLARED"
The three of them fell silent, forks frozen mid-air as they listened.
The anchor's voice was tense:
"An unknown illness has begun to spread rapidly through Pasay City. Witnesses report symptoms that include intense coughing, vomiting blood, and extreme pain. The virus appears to be airborne, prompting the city government to enforce an immediate lockdown. Citizens are advised to wear masks and cover their skin to minimize exposure."
Damon's face darkened.
The description—it was too familiar.
Claire glanced at him, a creeping unease building in her chest.
"Damon… this sounds like…"
"I know," he said, his voice low and strained, his eyes glued to the screen.
The same symptoms. The same pattern.
The cheerful atmosphere from moments earlier was now completely gone.
The room turned silent as Damon's eyes remained fixed on the breaking news. His face darkened, the shadows of the past creeping once more into the present.
"This… this is far too similar to my ability," Damon finally said, his voice low and serious. "Whatever this virus is that's spreading—it behaves exactly like the effects of my blood. I need to investigate it myself."
Phoebe and Claire both looked up from their plates, startled by the sudden shift in tone.
"But I can't bring either of you with me," Damon added, firm and resolute. "I know what I'm capable of. I know the danger my blood carries. I won't risk either of you getting hurt."
The weight of his words lingered in the air.
Phoebe looked at Damon and slowly nodded. She had seen it with her own eyes—the devastating effect of his blood. She knew he wasn't exaggerating. And if someone else had managed to recreate or harness it… it was a disaster waiting to erupt.
"I understand," she said quietly. "Honestly… I also have something I need to do. Something personal. That's partly why I came to see you today. I wanted to tell you in person."
Damon didn't press for details. He simply looked at her, eyes filled with trust and concern.
"Just be careful," he said. "Whatever it is, don't hesitate to call me if anything goes wrong. I mean it, Phoebe."
She smiled faintly and nodded, appreciating the sincerity in his voice.
Before the night ended, Damon turned to Claire with a grave expression.
"And you, Claire," he said firmly, "I need you to promise me one thing. Never—under any circumstances—reveal my identity to anyone. Please."
Claire met his gaze without hesitation. "Even if it costs me my life, Damon, I will never betray your trust," she vowed. "I promise."
Those words meant everything to him. And for the first time in a long while, Damon felt a small sense of peace settle over his shoulders.
That evening, in Damon's small apartment, the three of them shared a quiet, meaningful dinner. Despite the growing darkness outside—of secrets, danger, and a strange virus looming—there was a brief moment of warmth among them. A fleeting breath of normalcy.
Before they parted ways, Damon took a deep breath, grateful for two things:
First, his diary—the very book where he had recorded every truth about himself—had been returned. That alone brought him immense relief. Second, the person who had found it… turned out to be trustworthy. That, perhaps, was the most unexpected gift of all.
Now, he could finally move forward—clear-minded and more determined than ever.
But the question that haunted him remained:
What was this virus spreading through Pasay?
It mimicked his ability. It killed like his blood.
And if it continued to spread…
He needed to know how to stop it.
Before it was too late.
…
After several hours, Claire finally arrived home — a modest place she shared with her only remaining relative, Kevin.
Claire had lost her parents at a young age, and it was Kevin's family who took her in. Now, she lived with her cousin while continuing her studies, trying to rebuild the life that tragedy had once shattered.
Kevin, on the other hand, had also grown distant from his own parents and chose to live independently early on. In doing so, he became Claire's sole guardian — treating her not just as a cousin, but as the little sister he never had. And he swore that nothing, absolutely nothing, would ever harm her again.
He still remembered the day she was kidnapped by Pastor Jun's men. Kevin nearly lost his mind searching for her — sleepless nights, endless roads, and desperate prayers. He didn't stop until he found her. And when he finally did, he witnessed a nightmare he would never forget — the massacre carried out by the one person he swore to hunt The Fool, who slaughtered everyone in that event except the Pastor had almost escape.
At first, he doesn't want to provide help with the fool but since his cousin Claire was involve in that human trafficking, that was the moment he himself cut off the head of the Demon Jun Cupad pretending to be a Pastor.