"I see... alright, I understand," Hanah murmured.
Nolan, who was sitting casually on the sofa, looked toward his wife. "Did something happen? You look worried."
Hanah walked with slow steps toward the sofa and sat beside her husband. "Mrs. Teacher—Sarina just called. She said Nova still hasn't come to school until now!"
"Hasn't come to school? But didn't he clearly leave the house this morning?"
"That's true. But the thing is... Nova is a child who has never been absent from school. Even though he doesn't have many friends at school—or more accurately, doesn't have any friends at all—he's never skipped. Could something serious have happened to him?"
"Calm down." Nolan gently put his arm around Hanah's shoulder. "Don't immediately think the worst. Maybe he's just having some minor problem outside."
Nolan released his embrace and stood up from the sofa. "Alright, in that case I'll go look for him now. Maybe he's at the park near school, or at his regular bookstore. I'll check the route he usually takes."
"Be careful on the road," Hanah said while looking at her husband.
"Of course. I'm leaving now."
◇◇◇
"I don't care about what's actually happening with you, kid," he said while licking the blood still flowing from the corner of his lips—blood from Nova's hard punch earlier. "The point is, all of that is absolutely not a problem for me. Either way, you're still just a kid! So, stop grinning as if you could kill me with that little power of yours!"
"COME HERE! FIGHT ME WITH ALL YOUR ABILITY!"
Blood began flowing rapidly from both his palms. The dark red liquid didn't fall to the ground, but instead floated in the air, slowly forming sharp projectiles resembling arrows with needle-like pointed tips. Dozens of projectiles formed in seconds, all floating in the air.
With a quick hand gesture, the vampire launched a barrage of attacks toward Nova from about fifty meters away. The blood projectiles shot forward rapidly.
SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH!
Nova saw the attacks shooting toward him at high speed—too fast to be avoided by a child his age.
But Nova looked unafraid. His body moved with fighting instincts he had never felt before.
Instead of retreating or looking for cover like he had done before, Nova actually shot forward—straight toward the vampire—while dodging each blood projectile with extremely fast and efficient zigzag movements.
His body moved like a dancer—jumping left to avoid three projectiles, spinning to avoid five other projectiles, sliding low on the ground to avoid ten projectiles coming from above. He successfully dodged them all.
*Woah... my movements have really become much faster than before,* Nova muttered internally while continuing to run at a speed that even surprised himself. *I can see those projectiles moving slower than usual. Has my time perception changed? Or have my reflexes increased drastically?*
"HAH?! Impossible... speed like that at his current age? Even children who have just awakened their powers aren't that fast!"
The fifty-meter distance felt like nothing. In five seconds—time that should have been impossible for that distance—Nova was already right in front of the vampire, just one meter away, their faces nearly facing each other.
The vampire immediately panicked—for the first time in this fight. With a reflex movement, he gathered all the blood floating around him and brought it in front of his body, forming a thick blood shield while preparing for a close-range attack.
But it was too late.
THUD!
The sound of a heavy impact echoed through the forest, even making the ground beneath them shake. Nova delivered a hard punch with his right hand—whose bones were now reinforced by poison—straight to the vampire's face, right on the right cheek.
The force of the punch was truly extraordinary. The blood shield that was only half-formed shattered like glass hit by a hammer. Nova's fist penetrated the shield and struck the vampire's face with full momentum.
CRACK!
WHOOOOSH—CRASH—BOOM!
The vampire flew far backward like a projectile shot from a cannon, his body soaring through the air. He hit the first large tree trunk—CRASH!—its trunk cracked and collapsed. His body continued to slide and hit the second tree—CRASH!—that tree also collapsed. Even the third tree couldn't stop his momentum—CRASH!
The vampire finally stopped after his body was embedded in the fourth tree trunk, creating a large crater in the tree trunk. He fell to the ground hard, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
Nova stood at the spot where he had punched, his right hand still raised after the blow. He stared at his own fist.
*Although I still haven't awakened my special power like my younger brother,* Nova contemplated while opening and closing his fist several times, *but now I feel like I have real power. My punch strength has really become many times stronger than before. This is truly amazing...*
*But I still can't use this reinforced body perfectly. My movements are still stiff in some parts, my coordination isn't optimal yet. It seems I need to learn to control it properly starting now, or I could injure myself with this power.*
In the distance—about thirty meters from where Nova stood—the vampire slowly rose again from the rubble of fallen trees. His body moved with slightly wobbly movements, but his severely injured face began regenerating quickly.
The broken jawbone reconnected. The cracked cheekbone fused back together. The wounds on his face closed. In seconds, his face looked like it had never been injured.
But his expression was very different from before. There was no more condescending smile. All that remained was pure rage radiating from his red eyes.
"YOU... YOU'VE REALLY MADE ME ANGRY NOW, YOU DAMN KID!"
Nova stared at the vampire with his usual flat expression.
*Whatever happens next, whether I can really defeat this creature with this reinforced body... I don't know. The chances are probably very small, almost nonexistent.*
*But I will keep fighting. Not because I want to be a hero. Not because I want to be a hero. But because... my body itself refuses to give up.*
The vampire raised both hands high above his head. Blood began flowing out in much larger quantities than before.
"COME OUT, MY BLOOD CREATURES!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Nova's feet began shaking violently—no, not just shaking, but trembling as if there was an earthquake of 6 on the Richter scale. Cracks appeared in the ground, spreading like a spider's web in all directions.
Nova quickly shifted his gaze forward.
"Hah?! What's that?!"
From inside the cracked ground, five large creatures the size of adult grizzly bears began emerging—rising from the ground like zombies rising from graves. But they weren't ordinary bears. Their entire bodies appeared to be formed from blood that flowed and pulsed like giant hearts.
No fur. No skin. Just dark red blood masses shaped like bears with glowing red eyes. Their claws were long and sharp like swords, their fangs large and pointed.
The five blood bears immediately ran toward Nova at a speed that was unreasonable for their body size.
*Creatures made of blood?* Nova analyzed quickly while preparing to dodge. *Is the blood from these creatures also poisonous like vampire blood? If so, I need to avoid direct contact as much as possible.*
GRAAAAAR!
The five blood bears attacked Nova simultaneously from various directions—two from the front, two from the left and right sides, one from behind—creating an attack formation that was almost impossible to avoid.
Nova moved nimbly, his body contorting with movements unnatural for a child his age. He jumped high to avoid the claws of the first bear, spun his body in the air to avoid the bite of the second bear, landed in a crouching position to avoid the attack of the third bear.
Each movement was executed with almost perfect precision, as if he could predict attacks before they happened.
*I can see their movements... their attack patterns... everything is clear to me now.*
But even with his enhanced abilities, fighting five giant creatures simultaneously was too difficult. Nova didn't have enough fighting experience, didn't have special techniques, only relied on reflexes and instinct.
And in one moment of carelessness—
GRAB!
One of the bears successfully caught Nova with both its massive arms like giant tree trunks. Its grip was very strong.
*Damn! Trapped!* Nova struggled with all his might to break free, his muscles tense, his reinforced bones withstanding the pressure. But the bear's grip was too strong.
Suddenly, Nova felt something very dangerous. The body of the bear holding him began glowing with increasingly bright red light.
*Ugh, no... this is very, very bad. I sense a deadly danger will occur if I don't break free right now!*
Nova struggled with all the strength he had—pulling his arms, pushing with his legs, twisting his body—but the bear's grip didn't budge at all, even tightening further.
At the same time, the four other blood bears ran toward Nova and joined in hugging him tightly from all directions—from front, back, left, right.
Nova now truly couldn't move even a bit. Even his fingers couldn't be moved. The five giant bears hugged him from all sides, their bodies made of blood pressing with extraordinary force.
*No... I can't move at all. They really won't give me a chance to escape even one millimeter!*
The red light from the bodies of all five bears grew brighter, hotter. Nova could feel terrifying heat beginning to burn his skin.
"NOW EXPLODE AND BE DESTROYED WITH THEM, KID!"
BOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion occurred right where Nova was—an explosion far larger than the previous explosion. A giant fireball with a diameter of almost twenty meters appeared, swallowing everything in its radius—trees burned, ground blackened, air became hot.
The shockwave from the explosion spread in all directions, toppling trees within a fifty-meter radius. Thick black smoke covered the entire battle area.
The vampire stood in his place while smiling satisfied, his red eyes gazing toward the explosion with a victorious expression.
"So, how about that?" he said in a mocking tone while crossing both arms over his chest. "I told you from the start, kid. Nothing will change even if you become a little stronger than before. The difference in power between us is too large to be bridged by just a little physical enhancement."
He laughed lightly with a condescending tone.
"I'm curious... why did you have to fight to the death if in the end you'll still die anyway? Why not just let yourself die from the beginning and not painfully? Why choose a painful way like this?"
The vampire shook his head while smiling faintly.
"But I must admit, I was really surprised to see your ability. I never expected there to be a kid like you who has speed much faster than children your age—even faster than some C-rank Sages I've fought. And your punch strength... enough to injure me who has high-level regeneration. That was really very interesting to see and experience."
"If only you were given a few more years to develop, maybe you could become a real threat to me. But unfortunately, fate didn't give you that chance."
When the smoke began thinning slowly, from a distance Nova's body could be seen lying on the blackened ground with burn wounds far more severe than before.
His clothes were tattered—his black hoodie burned in many places, his school uniform torn to shreds, his shoes almost shapeless. The skin on his arms and legs was burned, his peeling skin releasing blood that flowed, soaking the ground.
His face was full of burn wounds and blood flowing from his nose and mouth. His black hair was partially burned.
The vampire began walking slowly toward Nova lying motionless. He felt one hundred percent certain that the kid couldn't do anything anymore.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Meanwhile, inside his head that was nearly losing consciousness, Nova began experiencing something strange. His consciousness began drifting, not anchored to reality, floating between the conscious and unconscious world.
And in that half-conscious state, various memories of his past began appearing like a film played at high speed...
◇◇◇
*Who am I really? I'm just an ordinary kid... a child who doesn't have special powers, doesn't have any special talent except intelligence. What can be done with the intelligence I have? And what mistake have I ever made that made my life this difficult? Why do problems keep coming one after another to someone who has no power like me?*
Nova saw his younger self—aged 8 years old—sitting alone in the school corridor after class ended. His eyes stared blankly at the floor.
*Accused of bringing cigarettes to school when I didn't even know what cigarettes were. Accused of hitting another class's kid when the one who actually hit was another boy—Rendra from the next class.*
*And the kid who was hit—who should have been a witness—was too afraid to tell the truth and joined in accusing me because he was afraid of being intimidated.*
Nova remembered how he had tried to explain many times, patiently, calmly, with evidence he had collected. But no one believed his words. Even the teachers who should have been neutral had already decided he was guilty before hearing the full explanation.
Even the girl he had helped before from Rendra's intimidation, the girl who should have known the truth, joined in accusing him because of social pressure.
*Why? Why did the person I helped betray me instead?*
The memory shifted to the teachers' room. Young Nova sat in a chair with his head bowed, while his mother stood beside him facing the anger of other students' parents.
"YOUR SON IS A CRIMINAL!" shouted a woman with a bright red face. "HE HIT OUR CHILD UNTIL INJURED! LOOK AT THIS!"
The woman showed a photo of her child who indeed looked injured—bruises on the cheek, split lip.
"A CHILD LIKE THAT SHOULD BE EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL!" added the man beside her—the woman's husband—in a high tone that made the room echo.
And his mother—Hanah—could only stand there, accepting all those harsh words with a face that kept smiling. She looked like she didn't care about their words.
"Sorry... I'm so sorry about this incident," Hanah said while bowing deeply. "We will take responsibility for—"
"RESPONSIBILITY ALONE ISN'T ENOUGH!"
Young Nova could only sit there, clenching his hands so tight that his nails dug into his palms. He wanted to scream, wanted to explain the truth, but his voice seemed stuck in his throat.
*Mom... why does Mom have to hear all this? When Mom didn't do anything wrong. I should be the one protecting Mom, but instead...*
After those parents left by slamming the door, Nova finally spoke in a voice that was almost a whisper:
"I didn't do all that, Mom."
Hanah crouched in front of her child, looked into his eyes gently, then smiled. There was no anger, no disappointment.
"Mom knows. My child isn't that kind of person. Mom believes in you. So don't worry about all this. Mom thinks it's better if you're schooled in a different place, okay?"
*I could only watch Mom being scolded by them, and could only stay silent when Mom was yelled at like a criminal. Mom didn't even look angry at me at all. Why? Why is Mom never angry? Why does Mom always protect me?*
*I don't have any power to protect the people I care about. I'm just a weak child who wants to do what good people should do.*
*But why did it turn out like this? Should I not have saved that girl from intimidation? Why did I have to help someone I didn't even know well? I don't know the reason myself either... my body moved on its own when seeing someone in difficulty.*
*I'm not someone who wants to be a hero like a Sage. I never intended to be that from the start. Why should I be a hero when I don't have any power to protect myself and the people I care about?*
*And why did that black ball creature say I have to be Justice's replacement? Why me? Why must I be chosen? I never even asked for this.*
*Why do I have to become Justice and fight for the lives of others I don't even know? I'm not a hero. I don't have the ability to save people.*
*My younger brother—Noah—is the one suited to be a hero or Justice. He has power, he has talent, he has everything needed to become someone great. Not me.*
Nova remembered his younger brother's face smiling widely when he first successfully awakened his power.
*Am I jealous of my younger brother who has power? Am I envious of him?*
*Of course not. Why should I be jealous of my own family? I'm proud of him. I'm happy to see him happy. There's no hatred, no jealousy.*
*I could have died here if I wanted to from the start... since the vampire's first attack, I could have given up. But my body won't let me die. My body seems to be screaming loudly: "GET UP! FIGHT! DON'T GIVE UP!"*
*I don't know myself why I'm still forcing myself to fight to the death against a vampire that shouldn't possibly be defeated by a child like me. Logically, I should have died many times over. But every time I almost give up, there's something inside me that refuses.*
*Maybe it's not that I don't want to do that, but my body itself is forcing me to do it. I'm just following what my body says and thinking about what my body wants to do. Like there's a survival instinct stronger than my thoughts.*
*I don't know the answer. I don't know why I'm fighting. I don't know what my purpose is. But what I do know is—*
*GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!*
*I must get up! I must fight! Not as a Sage protecting the world. Not as Justice bringing justice. But fighting for myself!*
*I will fight for Nova—for my existence, for my right to live, for the people who believed in me when no one else believed!*
*I will keep fighting as myself, which is Nova! Not as a hero, not as anyone's replacement, but as NOVA!*
◇◇◇
And at that moment—in the moment when Nova's consciousness was almost completely fading—his body moved.
Nova's hand moved. His fingers gripped the blackened ground. His muscles tensed despite being full of burn wounds. His reinforced bones provided strength that shouldn't have been possible.
Slowly—very slowly—Nova's body began to rise.
First, his hands supported his body. Then his knees. Then his legs.
In a movement that looked like a zombie's, Nova stood upright.
But something was strange.
His eyes were still closed. His eyelids didn't move.
The vampire who was already about ten meters from Nova stopped stepping. His red eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly with an expression he could no longer hide—fear.
"Hah?! No... impossible..." he muttered with a trembling voice. "You must be joking, right?! No child could survive that explosion!"
When the vampire was close enough, he could clearly see Nova's condition. A body full of burn wounds, peeling skin, blood flowing from his wounds. A face covered with blood and black dust from the explosion.
Nova stood upright as if his body felt no pain whatsoever, as if those wounds didn't exist.
And at that moment—
Nova opened his eyes.
Slowly, the blood-covered eyelids lifted, revealing irises staring directly at the vampire.
That gaze was completely different from before.
Not the gaze of a twelve-year-old child who was afraid or confused.
Not the gaze of someone nearly dead.
It was a very cold, very sharp, very focused gaze.
A gaze without emotion.
*What... what is this?*
The vampire felt something he had never felt in his life as a Vampire who had killed many humans.
Fear.
*Why... why is my body suddenly trembling?* The vampire stared at his own hand shaking beyond his control. *No... don't tell me I'm afraid of this kid. That's impossible, right? Me, who has killed many humans, afraid of... this kid, clearly impossible?!*