The Heart-Shaped herb. A strange herb that gave a lot of powers to its users thanks to its vibranium-rich soil and mystical bullshit.
It can boost the body of the user well beyond human limits. Speed, strength, reflexes, senses, everything is dialed up to eleven.
Then there is the mystical aspect of the plant, like the Ancestral Plane, where the user meets their ancestors and may or may not receive the recognition of Bast.
However, it turns out that the most useful part of the herb's powers for me is to throw hands.
Within the abandoned warehouse that I've turned into my temporary training place, I used the full range of my powers and pounded the thick metal pillars with my fists.
However, I always noticed how my body seems to want to move in a certain way whenever I am practicing boxing.
My every punch, for a split second, morphs into a claw strike before going back to my practiced form.
My ever dodge makes my body twist in an unnatural form, similar to a feline, before resetting itself into a proper stance.
Every bounce on my feet feels like I would just shoot off any second as my body instinctively wishes to lunge forward like a panther.
Admittedly, it caused me a lot of problems during my practice in the past few days, but thankfully, I have learned to relinquish control and go with the flow whenever my instincts demand something of my body, allowing me to slowly acclimate to the fighting style I inherited from the herb.
Now, here is the problem.
I do not remember the herb magically making its user a martial arts genius or giving them such panther-like instincts.
The possibility that I may be forgetting something is really high, but I also have a feeling that it may not be that simple.
Just how much of my abilities, Extremis, and the Herb combined are the same as their versions from those movies?
The biggest question is, if they were changed to something else after whatever the hell happened to me after I died and was reborn in this world.
Unfortunatley, there is no way for me to know the truth behind this, so all I can do is adapt to my situation and focus on my immediate goals.
Speaking of.
"You know, hiding in the dark and watching me with such an intense gaze is going to make me assume that you've been stalking me, Erika."
"Then, consider us even since you've stalked me before as well."
I chuckled at the vampire's words as she stopped hiding behind a beam and leaned against it with her arms crossed, an amused smirk on her face.
"You could have just asked to join me, you know?"
"....Gabriel, I have seen your training regimen. There is no way I can keep up with you."
Hm. Interesting. So she thinks she can't keep up with the fake training regimen that I show off, trying to be very flashy, whenever I feel her nearby? That means she might be weaker than I imagined.
That, or she is lying or exaggerating, which still means she might be a threat in the worst-case scenario.
....I really hate thinking so deeply about things.
Shaking my head, I walked over to the water bottle I kept for myself and drained it completely while Erika casually sat down on the bench nearby.
"So, what are you doing here? During daylight no less."
Erika smirked before tossing a thumb drive at me.
"Remember that favor you asked me about? I found a good place you can hide your brother in."
At my surprised expression, she chuckled and leaned back a little.
"Don't be so surprised. We are very well connected and have a lot of properties across this country, and even beyond it. The location I just gave you is a safehouse that we used to use for interrogating Lycans. It's hardly used these days, so it should be safe for you to use."
"...Thank you, Erika. Really."
"Hey, what are friends for, right?"
"Yeah."
I chuckled at her words before sitting down by her side.
"So? What have you been up to these days? Haven't seen you in a week after that meeting-"
"-Date."
The raised eyebrow I gave her made her chuckle before she gave me a dramatic look of betrayal.
"What? Do you plan to dump me right after getting what you wanted? You cheater!! You monster!"
"....Wow. For a second there, you sounded serious."
Once again, she gave me an overly dramatic, serious look and nodded.
"I am very serious!"
At her childish acts, I could not help but laugh, which she did as well before we settled into a comfortable silence.
Then, she spoke softly as she stared off into the distance.
"I've been very busy these days. A really big event is happening at the castle, and they need everyone on board. Not to mention that Selene is a hassle to look after."
Selene? What does she-Oh! Right.
I think Erika had something to do with Selene in the movies. Some kind of friend or companion or something along those lines? I can't recall clearly.
As for the event, it must be that gathering with the Vampire Elder Amelia.
I really wish my memories were clearer. I could have remembered the exact timeline of things and ended things with a well-placed bomb in the way of her train.
As for where I would get said bomb, one should never underestimate the resources of a private company, especially one run by Lycans, as was the case with Antigen.
"Who is Selene?"
I need to act ignorant since I can't tell that the woman she is speaking about is my potential sister-in-law, provided things remain the same despite my proactive efforts to change destiny.
Erika hesitated before speaking.
"She is...my charge, so to speak. My job at the castle involved looking after her and making sure she didn't do something stupid."
"So, like a nanny then?"
".....Not exactly, but close enough."
Huh. Who would have thought a centuries-old vampire would need a nanny to look after her and make sure she doesn't fuck up? I don't think this point was ever brought up in the movie, at least based on my fragmented memory.
"Must be a pretty stressful job then?"
"Oh! You have no idea! She is so rebellious and cares so little about the rules. And yet, she is never punished because she is close to someone truly important."
Hm. She must be speaking about Victor. I remember he took Selene in as his own after 'rescuing' her from her home.
I can't imagine the heartbreak the woman will feel when she realizes that the one who murdered her family was her adopted father/vampire sire.
Victor really is one hell of a monster.
Erika continued her venting as her fangs extended and her eyes turned electric blue.
"Just this morning, she left with two other Death Dealers, oh! Death Dealers are this group of vampire warriors, by the way."
"Anyways, she left with Nathaniel and Rigel to hunt down a pack of Lycans that she supposedly tracked down yesterday. The problem? We are expecting important guests tonight, and she is expected to be there, but she just left, which means things become difficult for me."
"...Ok. That just sounds horrible."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Why not just quit? I mean, you are immortal, yes? Why not leave your group behind and go somewhere else? The world is a pretty big place, yeah?"
For a second, I saw a shadow in her gaze. A haunted look followed by one of actual consideration before she shook her head.
"Let's leave that aside for now. I am more interested in what kind of powers you actually have. Show me!"
I smiled a little at her words and raised my hand, heating it up to barely a quarter of my full strength since I did not want to show my full power to her just yet. At least not until I am sure she is no longer a threat.
"As you can see, I can heat up my body to ridiculous temperatures."
"Huh, neat. But how hot is that, though? I can't tell visually."
"Alright, see this."
I placed my hand on the steel beam nearby, making it sizzle and bubble before it melted into liquid.
The way Erika's eyes widened was really comical.
"Wow, ok. That's some serious heat."
I saw the worried look on her face, knowing exactly what she was thinking. So, to assuage her fears, I placed my glowing palm near her face.
...I really felt bad about lying to her when I saw that she did not even flinch when my palm came close to her face, showing how much she trusted me. It really makes me feel like an asshole.
Unfortunatley, I can't reveal the truth to her just yet. Not until I can be sure that she will not relay that information back to her Coven.
It is a cold logic, but a necessary one.
"Don't worry, I don't think my heat can harm you."
A lie. I know that if I go full strength with Extremis, I can produce temperatures close to 2500 degrees Celsius, maybe even more, should my Heart-Shaped herb finally give me its full power. However, even at 2500 degrees, I can produce small amounts of UV radiation, which should be able to harm most low-level vampires.
Turning off my power, I prepared to remove the palm from near her face, only for her to grab it with her own palm.
"....You are warm. Like, really warm."
"...Yeah. That's the effect of my power."
"Hm."
I hated the way my heart leapt with her every action, how I felt joy at the mere act of holding her hand. It made me feel like a teenager all over again.
Thankfully, my logic still reigns supreme, so I did not dig too deeply into her actions. Even if her actions do mean exactly what I think they mean, I cannot afford to look at them that way for now.
At least not until I have secured the safety of myself and Michael.
We remained like that until evening, when she finally left, saying that she needed to go and prepare, leaving me behind in the Warehouse, where I finally let go of my control over my emotions.
'Truly a dangerous woman!'
Unfortunately, my happiness and confused emotions would not remain for much longer.
When I returned to my brother's home to get him some food after his shift, I found Michael completely shaken and unable to form coherent sentences.
What I feared the most had finally begun as Michael had been caught in a firefight between the Lycans, who were there for him, and the Vampires, who were after the Lycans.
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: https://patreon.com/Tiranus2