The Astral soul system-Chapter 177: Pins and needles

Maximilian turned a corner, heading to the arranged spot they were supposed to meet before suddenly stopping as he heard voices

"You absolute moron"

"Ouch! Ah! Diane, not so hard"

"Shut up. You deserve this. What sort of a moron would do something that stupid."

Xavier groaned

"It felt like a good idea at the time"

"Seriously? Allowing yourself to almost get killed felt like a good idea? Your ability works on elemental,psychic and SOME special class attacks,dumbass. How do you of all people not know that. Honestly, some times it’s like you forget that if your opponent’s ability is one you can’t take,all it takes to kill you is one good hit"

Recognizing the voices, Maximilian stepped in with a sigh, seeing Xavier shirtless,sitting on the bed while Diane patched him up, making sure to adequately scold him for his stupidity,which from what he could hear,was absolutely deserved.

"Max!"

Xavier exclaimed, seeing him.

"Please, come help. Diane’s torturing me"

Growling, Diane pulled hard on the bandage she was working on, making it dig harder into his skin.

"Ah! See? See what I’m talking about?"

Maximilian wasn’t exactly in the mood to get cussed out by the an angry Diane,so he just ignored Xavier’s nonsense , taking a seat and waiting for her to finish with the bandages.

"Where’s the other guy?"

Diane suddenly asked without taking her eyes off her work.

"I thought you guys were meant to be attached at the hip"

Maximilian let out a sigh, dropping into the chair

"Resting"

Was all he said

Diane didn’t ask any questions, finishing up the bandages while intentionally tightening it so it’d be uncomfortable .

"There, now you won’t die,moron"

Maximilian straightened up, asking.

"Have either of you made any contact with the others?"

Diane shook her head, taking another seat.

"The network’s down,at least for students. And for some reason there are no teachers except the ones that came with us. The school clearly said a few more would be joining us later"

Maximilian sighed.

"Yeah, and the second years are all gone,No trace. I spent the entire afternoon investigating the base but not a single second year is in the base."

"And something’s messing with the beasts "

Maximilian looked at her curiously.

She didn’t bother looking at him but still responded,her golden eyes peering upward like she could see something the others couldn’t

"I can feel it,in my goddamn bones. Something wasn’t right about the ones we saw, they were lacking something important"

"So...you’re saying they’re being controlled somehow?"

Hearing that, Diane’s eyes darted to Maximilian,a glint of something other than her usual vivacious belligerence .

"Control...no. the opposite actually"

"What does that mean?"

Xavier asked.

"I don’t know... and it pisses me off"

Maximilian turned to Xavier.

"You really didn’t notice anything...weird?"

Xavier thought as hard as he could but ultimately came up with nothing, shrugging and apologizing for not being more help.

"So, anything interesting happen to you?"

"I was almost assassinated"

"What?!"

Xavier got up to his feet, ignoring his injuries and even Diane reacted.

Debating over it for a while, Maximilian eventually decided to tell them about the attempt on his life.

The two listened attentively as he narrated how him and Neo had been attacked by unknown people using strange abilities and had met a classmate that had helped them escape.

"Whoa"

Xavier said, sitting back down.

"Sounds like an eventful afternoon"

Diane commented.

"So that’s what you meant by resting"

Maximilian didn’t reply at first,sighing before

"He isn’t in any immediate harm. If anything he’s in perfect health. He’ll be up soon, just needs to be alone for a while"

Xavier groaned, slamming his hand on the bedframe.

"Damni-"

"Stop moving so much asshole!, you’re going to kill yourself"

Diane yelled, silencing him.

"Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Still..."

He faced Maximilian.

"That sounds absolutely epic. I wish I could’ve been there to help, and meet this Valerie girl, she sounds awesome "

"..."

Hearing that, Diane calmed down, looking at him too

"Yeah, where is this chick anyway?"

"Um,we split up after getting to the base "

"You didn’t get her number?"

Maximilian chuckled

"Must’ve slipped my mind"

Diane rolled her eyes at that response while Xavier sighed,disappointed.

"So what do we do now? Something major is definitely going down,we don’t know what it is, we can’t call our families or anyone for help, and not even half of us are even here"

Diane was right, they had absolutely no idea what was happening, only that it was wrong, and they were at the center of it . Maximilian was starting to feel like this wasn’t just about him,that there was something bigger at play here. Maybe it was because of his ability or the kind of life he’d led but he’d gotten a feeling for when he was being watched, and right now that instinct was screaming at him.

"Something always seems to go wrong, doesn’t it?"

He suddenly muttered grimly

"Neo out of action, you being injured, for some reason,Zaria who’s probably one of the strongest first years is missing,Jade, Sable, and then there’s him, probably one of the most skilled and mysterious people I’ve ever met. Do you guys get the feeling that... this is all going strangely smoothly? No big ruckus,no noise, even with the network down, and students getting injured, nothing"

Xavier was the one to reply first.

"My parents used to take me and my sister to go play in bases whenever they went to other planets for work, and you’re right. It’s way too peaceful around here. It’s been bothering me since we got here"

Diane nodded.

"It’s way too quiet. It freaks me out. My fur’s been on end ever since we got here."

Maximum was grateful he wasn’t the only one that felt it.

"It’s honestly kind of familiar "

"Yeah "

Xavier agreed but Diane herself was lost.

"It reminds me of..."

Xavier finished the sentence.

"...that planet. The black portal"

"That strange sense of familiarity with a lingering feeling of dread, but this time it isn’t the base itself, it’s something else, something i can’t put my finger on "

"What are you guys talking about?"

The two boys exchanged glances before looking to her as they began to explain the strange experience on the black portal planet.

*********

Sable was sat right next to an unconscious Jade, both still in the woods. By now,her breathing and pulse had stabilized, pleasantly surprising Sable with the effectiveness of of the tonic. She was even beginning to reconsider not asking how Zen made it, not for any special reasons, but just to satiate her burning curiosity. She trusted him however,so she was willing to wait.

Her mind kept going back to the fight with that goddamn lizard, playing back every second in her head, trying to find a way to win against it but just ended up frustrated. She didn’t even know enough about the damn thing to draft a strategy against it.

Her eyes fell on Jade’s face and then the bow she’d dropped some distance away.

"If only I had a way to attack from a distance"

She looked up at the moon and said to no one in particular.

"What?! You’re not helping me anymore?!"

*Pierce*

Sable suddenly looked down. Her hands had accidentally transformed, piercing the blood bag.

"Just my luck"

She said, quickly emptying it and luckily only a little had poured on the ground.

She looked at the blood on the ground, muttering

"What a waste"

She stared at it’s silently for about a minute,her mind suddenly going back to a time when she would sit on her grandpa’s lap as a little girl in a library surrounded by books while he read her stories, stories of what the world called vampires, although he always called them a different name Bloodborn , children of the abyss,and a whole bunch of others.

The thought about her grandfather sparked a hint of melancholy in her

"Bloodborn..."

She sighed, transforming her hand and gazing upon it’s monstrous form.

"Grandpa Sully,if you saw me now, like this... what would you think? Would you..."

Sable sighed, unable to finish that sentence.

She transformed her arm back, looking at the blood again as she tried to remember those stories

"Strength of a hundred men,speed of a falling star,wit to rival the devil’s, and a physical form bathed in sin"

Sable took a deep breath, continuing.

"A black heart,a tainted soul, and a never ending thirst for life itself. Total dominion over life, and what carries it:...blood"

Sable suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh, what am I thinking? I’m going insane "

She held her hand over the few drops of blood that had fallen onto a rock, trying her best to visualize it moving .

She kept at it for a few minutes, not sure what she was expecting.

After a while she seemed to go into some sort of trance,her eyes returning to their crimson color, and before her shocked unbelieving eyes, Sable watched as a bit of blood, barely as thin as a needle floated upward towards hee hand.

Her glowing eyes intensified, spurred on by the success as her sullen mood temporarily disappeared.

More and more needle thin drops began to rise when...

"Nghhh"

*Rustle*

Sable’s focus shattered immediately, the drops of blood falling as she felt movement next to her,it had barely been over an hour since Zen left. She hadn’t been expecting anything until at least tomorrow morning.

Was that tonic really that effective? Extremely low quality my ass!

Jade yawned,her eyes fluttering open to reveal a faint glow that quickly disappeared.

She found herself tucked in a familiar Jacket and feeling someone’s body next to hers, she looked to her side to see Sable frozen like a deer in headlights , staring at her with those blue orbs.

"Sab-"

"Wait, please, just let me ex-"

"You’re looking better, I’m glad"

Those five words instantly shut Sable down. How was she even supposed to react to that?

"I’m sorry,i should have warned you properly"

Jade shook her head

"I’m just happy I could help. You asked, remember?"

Sable felt a bit conflicted.

’There’s a difference between asking for help and outright using you as a blood bag ’

"I don’t think -"

"You are okay, right?"

Sable was once again stunned. Why was she reacting like this. She’d almost killed her and her first concern wasn’t even her own safety.

"I-i am"

"Good. You scared me. It’s just...you came out here all alone, where no one would find you,you looked like you were dying despite not having any injuries, and you wouldn’t let me help you,so i panicked and i-I thought you were trying to..."

Sable didn’t need her to finish that sentence. Her eyes dilated as she realized why Jade had burst out crying and wouldn’t leave her alone. She thought she was trying to kill herself, and when Sable thought about it, she realized that was exactly what it looked like from her perspective.

Her eyes flashed back to the moment she’d bitten Jade, and unlike most people instead convulsing or screaming like most,she had actually embraced her, hugging the little vampire and pulling her close.

’So that’s it, that’s what kind of person you are’

Sable thought as two words describing Jade burned themselves into her mind

’Self-sacrifice’

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you,i was just... hungry"

Hearing that ,Jade instinctively moved her hand to her neck, tracing a would that had closed up already.

"Sorry about the bite"

"It’s fine"

Jade smiled

"It didn’t hurt"

Hearing that, Sable was confused. She’d always assumed the bite hurt since every living person she’d ever bitten had died and she couldn’t exactly ask how the experience was. She suddenly realized that Jade was the first living person who’d survived her bite and this was the chance to learn more

"How do you feel? Are you feeling weak or dizzy?"

Jade shook her head

"No...no. i feel...strong. Stronger than ever. It feels like"

*Bam!*

She suddenly slammed her fist into the side of the tree they were resting against, almost knocking it over and leaving a visible deep imprint "

Sable flinched a bit. That was definitely unnatural . Could it have been that weird potion?

"Like my insides are on fire"

"What about the bite? How did it feel?"

Jade thought about how to describe it for a second before speaking.

"At first it was just...numb, nothing,then after about two seconds i started feeling... what’s it called?"

Jade spent about five minutes trying to describe it before Sable successfully guessed

"Pins and needles?

"Yeah, that! But literally everywhere except where you bit me, spreading down, followed by a chill going down my body. It felt... relaxing, like my body was going to sleep, and waking up at the same time. It was nice"

Sable stared blankly for a while. Never in her life would she have expected a vampire bite to be described as "feeling nice". And form the genuinely relaxed and pleasureable expression on her face,it didn’t seem like she was lying .

"Em..."

Sable noticed a hint of red in Jade’s cheeks as she spoke again.

"It also made my knees weak. I could barely stand"

Hearing that, Sable didn’t know how to react.

"Oh...is that so"

’god! Why do weird things like this always happen between us? That’s three times now’

"So...do you, remember waking up... before now I mean"

Jade nodded again affirmatively to Sable’s dismay.

"Please forgive me. I swear it’s not like that. I wouldn’t-"

"Sable. It’s fine. I know you had a good reason. I trust you"

Seeing Jade smiling brightly at her, Sable felt like she was melting on the spot.

She’d done what from her perspective was basically assault,more assault, and even more assault before taking advantage of her while she was vulnerable... and then more assault. And all she had to say was "I trust you?". If she was sat in front of a jury right now, she’d be facing imprisonment,if her family didn’t help that is.

Sable sighed, giving up on trying to understand this Self-sacrificing angel’s logic.

"So... you’re a vampire"

"I am not!...I mean... don’t call me that. I’ve accepted it but it still feels weird"

"Oh, sorry,i won’t "

"You are way too calm about this "

Jade chuckled

"Well, Zen’s also not human so-"

Jade’s voice cracked as she realized what she just did. She’d broken her promise, and on the first day.

She looked at Sable who had a calm expression.

"Yeah,i guess. Wait, how did you know that?"

"How did you know?"

Sable raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn’t exactly make an effort to hide it"

Jade nodded. That was true

For someone who had so many secrets, Zyro Zen and Zaine didn’t really feel all that secretive. Even the ill-fated had been revealed to Sable when she’d simply asked, and he’d even promised to tell her more later.

The two sat there quietly for a few minutes before Sable suddenly said something that had been bothering her.

"Hey Jade"

"Hmm?"

"Listen...I need to bite you again"

"Okay"

"!!!"

Sable once again didn’t know how to respond

"...A-are you sure?"

Jade nodded.

"I trust you"

Sable sighed

’What is wrong with this girl’

She tried to speak again, mostly to make it feel more normal for herself but Zen’s words rang in her ear.

"The vitality from the potion is intense,way too much for a normal human body to handle. Once she wakes up, you’re going to have to siphon off some of that vitality ’

’Hmm? What happens if I don’t?’

’A few things, but most likely she might explode’

She looked back at the huge dent in the tree, and all the words disappeared.

Instinct, taking over, Sable’s eyes turned crimson as she suddenly grabbed Jade’s shoulder

"A-ah!"

Sable’s eyes immediately lost their color literally and figuratively as she heard a pained sound coming from Jade.

"Did i hurt you?"

"N-no, it’s fine"

That was a lie.

Thinking back, Sable suddenly realized that literally every other time she’d taken blood from a human had been forceful since they were an enemy she intended to kill. She’d never had a willing donor or one she didn’t want to hurt before so she’d instinctively uses the same grip she’d used back then.

’i...I hurt her’

Sable had initially thought she’d kept all the brutality of her vampire life separate from her normal life but it seemed some of those traits had bled into her regular behavior . She was becoming more hard handed and violent without realizing it.

’Is this what grandpa meant? Watch yourself or the thirst will become all that you are’

She’d actually stopped caring about boundaries a while ago as long as blood was involved. This couldn’t go on or she’d end up the same way as her grandfather’s stories.

’Maybe i shouldn’t do this ’

"What are you waiting for?"

"Um...uh...well"

"...."

"...."

"...."

"...."