Lying on the sofa, feeling my magical core slowly tearing me apart from the inside, was the perfect conclusion to my little revenge act. Blood dripped from the corner of my lip, warm and metallic, and every breath echoed like a searing pain deep within my chest. I felt the fragments of the core, which had only just begun to recover, crack once more. It was a stark reminder of the reckless stunt I had pulled that night.
Hanako purred mournfully on my chest. Her furry muzzle brushed against my cheek, trying to lick wounds invisible to the naked eye. Her green eyes watched me with such intensity that I almost felt ashamed. Well done, hero, you've made a poor nekomata cry.
"Don't worry," I rasped, lifting a hand with great effort to stroke her head. "It's just a small scratch. It'll heal before the wedding."
The most important thing was not to accidentally remind her that such a wedding might be a thousand years away. My current goal was to comfort Hanako, not to throw my usual dry barbs.
Irina stood in the corner of the room, as motionless as a statue. Her vacant gaze was fixed on me. In one hand, she held her tattered pink rabbit; in the other, the spoon given to her during breakfast. After eating, she had simply kept holding the utensil, seemingly unaware that she could discard it with the dirty dishes.
Suddenly, the window opened with a soft click. A small bat fluttered into the room. Airi, even in this form, moved with a lethal elegance. Her leathery wings folded, and she landed smoothly on the carpet, shifting back into her human form. In her hand, she held a small glass vial filled with a murky blue liquid.
"Look at you," her voice was sharp, devoid of its usual playful tone. "Disgusting. Covered in blood, your core on the verge of collapse, yet you smile as if you've done something heroic."
Leaning over me, she squeezed my chin so hard I heard the bone creak. I tried to turn away, but her grip was like iron.
"You look more like a worried mother than a demon right now," I tried to remind her of our status. We had endured enough embarrassment already. "I just... need a little time."
"Time?" She snorted, the familiar demonic glint flashing in her eyes. "You don't have time, you fool. You're bleeding not just physically, but spiritually. You're like a leaking bucket; life itself is pouring out of you. If you don't drink this now, you might not wake up tomorrow morning."
She uncorked the vial and pressed it to my lips. The liquid smelled of sage and mint, a classic concoction for restoring magical strength.
"Drink, my Prince," she hissed, sensing I was ready to mock the cheap potion. "Or I'll drink it myself and deliver the medicine with a kiss."
I had to surrender, or even the shards of my former pride would vanish. As I sipped, I felt the liquid burn my throat. For a moment, I recalled the genuine elixirs stored in my infernal treasury. A single drop of those could incinerate a weakling but could restore a titan in an instant.
Airi turned on the television, and the room was filled with the monotonous voice of a morning news anchor. The announcer, with perfect hair and a forced smile, announced the sudden illness of Baron Grigory Vorontsov.
"...sources report the Baron's condition remains serious. Doctors have advised a long period of rest. His youngest heir, Mikhail Vorontsov, has already paid for his father's recuperation in Sochi."
I managed a thin smile. I doubted the potion was what eased the agonizing pain; rather, the news of Vorontsov's downfall acted as a better analgesic than any medicine.
"Well, you did it," Airi crossed her arms, watching me with a mix of anger and concern. "You got your revenge on the old man. But what's the point if you're a vegetable for a week? Who will look after you? Me? Hanako? That doll?" She nodded toward Irina.
"We'll figure something out," I said, feeling my consciousness begin to blur.
"And what will you tell your hunter friends?" Airi continued.
"We can say I have the flu. Or I was hit by a car. Or kidnapped by aliens. Making up plausible stories is a habit of mine, you know that."
She shook her head, her lips thinning in dissatisfaction. "You could have waited," she whispered, sitting on the edge of the sofa and stroking my face. "A week. A month. You are immortal, why the rush? A little more and your core would have shattered into dust." She lowered her voice to a whisper, thinking I wouldn't hear. "Then who would rule this world? Who would sit on the throne that belongs to you?"
I wanted to reply that I had no plans to rule Earth, but my eyes suddenly closed, and I drifted into sleep.
After a few weeks, my body had recovered enough that Airi allowed me to leave the house. The risk of a relapse was minimal, and if I had a seizure, Hanako would be there to bring me back.
The magical injury still manifested as a dull ache during sudden movements, but at least I could walk to the park. Hanako darted around me in her cat form, and to manage her overflowing energy, I began entertaining her with a small pocket mirror.
Sitting on a bench, I reflected sunbeams across the park for her to chase. She lunged into bushes and swiped at the air, acting completely feral. The neighbors looked at us with clear disapproval. One man with a bulldog even commented loudly about how strange it was to bring a cat to a dog park.
I chuckled, ignoring him. Hanako didn't care either, until a scruffy pit bull broke loose from its leash and charged at her, barking ferociously. Hanako froze for a split second, then, before the dog could reach her, she shifted into a girl and let out a low, predatory hiss, baring her fangs. The dog skidded to a halt, yelped, and fled back to its owner with its tail between its legs.
People around us froze in shock. Some pulled out phones to record the incident. I slowly stood up, feeling a pang of pain in my chest, and approached the frightened crowd.
"It's fine," I said, showing my hunter's badge. "Just standard training. No threat."
The official hunters who arrived minutes later were not amused. A stern man with a scar on his cheek stared at me intensely. "You realize scaring civilians isn't a great idea? Pick a more secluded spot next time."
"My apologies," I replied with a tone of faked resignation. "We'll be on our way."
Hanako, back in cat form, followed me reluctantly. That night, the apartment was silent. I sat on the sofa, showing a video of kittens to Irina. She sat perfectly upright, her glassy eyes watching the screen without a shred of interest. Hanako tried to nudge her, but the homunculus remained a statue.
"Leave her be," I said tiredly. "She won't respond."
The next day, we were at the guild training grounds. The sun was merciless, reflecting off the dusty hangar walls. The air smelled of dust, sweat, and disappointment. I stood in line with two dozen other lucky individuals, feeling a bead of sweat roll down my back. My magical core ached, a reminder that skipping guild duties was a bad idea, even for an ancient being.
Oleg Gromov paced before us. His lean frame in a tattered camouflage uniform was the embodiment of a drill sergeant. His scars were a map of past battles.
"You think this is a game?" His voice was a muffled gunshot. "You're the shield of humanity. The only thing between civilians and the monsters crawling out of portals. And you? You skip work, arrive late, and forget your reports. Do you want to die, or do you want the people who trust you to die?"
I watched in silence. Why was I, someone fully aware of my responsibilities, listening to a lecture about paperwork?
"Teamwork isn't just a pretty phrase," he continued. "It's what keeps you alive. Alone, you're bait. Together, you're a force. Remember that if you want to see next month."
A quiet laugh came from beside me. Dima was standing there in his black tracksuit, a goofy grin on his face. "So, bro, enjoying the corporate party? I told you I'd nag you if you stopped showing up. Enjoy the community service."
"What are you doing here?" I asked, a headache starting.
"Just moral support," Dima patted my shoulder, nearly knocking the wind out of me. "I couldn't let my best friend suffer alone. Besides, building a career together is more fun."
I sighed. When did my life become a comedy?
"Quiet down there," the instructor snapped. "Voronov, Krivtsevich. You two are the worst I've seen in years. One acts like a circus clown, the other like a ghost at his own funeral. You think your skills make you invincible? Without a team, you'll die first. Now, run. To the obstacle course."
The following day, we were in the industrial district of Novosibirsk. Rusted workshops stood alongside graffiti-covered walls, and the air smelled of ozone and foreign magic. Oleg Gromov led our group of a dozen rookies.
"The portal is ahead, and it's unstable," Oleg barked. "Anyone who lets their guard down becomes lunch for the local fauna."
We approached the ruins of an old factory where a pulsating brown hole gaped in the wall, smelling of dampness and acid. We stepped through, the transition feeling like a plunge into cold water, and found ourselves in a giant underground labyrinth. Slime dripped from the walls, and bones crunched underfoot.
"Form a circle. Backs together," Oleg ordered.
The rookies huddled together, clumsy and disorganized. Shield-bearers collided, and an elementalist accidentally blocked everyone's view with an ice wall.
"Attack together, damn it," Oleg yelled, but it was too late.
Rats surged from the tunnels. Not ordinary rats, but behemoths the size of calves with razor-sharp claws and toxic slime on their fur.
"Wow, look at how fluffy they are," Dima dove into the fray, his shadow-clad fists tearing through the first rat. "Maybe we should take one home?"
"Shut up and hit," someone screamed.
I stood in the circle, faking effort. I parried and dodged without much enthusiasm. Hanako was doing the work for me, tearing through creatures at the front line.
Suddenly, a massive rat-alpha emerged. It was twice the size of the others, with horned plates on its back and venomous saliva. Its roar made the rookies panic.
"Fall back. This is beyond you," the instructor shouted, genuine worry in his voice. He lunged forward with his hammer, but the alpha barely flinched, striking back and wounding Oleg's shoulder.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a shield-bearer named Igor slip on the wet stone. A younger rat sensed easy prey and lunged. My reaction was faster than my thought. I blurred forward, hitting the rat with my shoulder like a sledgehammer. The monster was sent flying into the wall and went silent. It was too fast, too efficient for a rookie.
Hanako zipped past me like lightning, sinking her claws into another rat's throat before it could attack a confused elementalist. Silently and skillfully, she saved the girl's life.
Oleg delivered a final, crushing blow to the alpha's skull. The remaining rats fled.
"Collect the trophies. Fast. Before the portal closes," Oleg called out, clutching his bloodied shoulder. He glanced at me, not with a question, but with deep suspicion.
The walk back to camp was silent. At sunset, Oleg lined us up. "You were pathetic today," he started bluntly. "Disorganized and reckless. People could have died."
He walked down the line, his eyes blazing. He stopped in front of me. "But there was one person who didn't flinch. Krivtsevich. He acted decisively and saved a comrade. That earns respect."
He patted my shoulder, but his eyes said something else. I'm watching you, rookie. You're hiding something.
"Dismissed. Briefing tomorrow."
As he left, I felt Dima's gaze on me. "You were amazing, bro," he said, dropping his act. "You ran like a demon."
"Adrenaline," I dismissed him, faking a wipe of sweat from my brow. "I was just worried about a teammate."
But we both knew that was a lie. The worst part was that I had drawn the attention of a guild veteran. Being watched by someone with power was the last thing I needed. It was irritating, and I hated being irritated without a good reason.