The apartment door slammed shut, the sounds of rushing feet echoing throughout the hallway. Kane threw his keys onto the plush couch, his frustration clear, as he quickly strode through his apartment and burst into the comfort of his office.
"Vampires! Fucking vampires!" he muttered under his breath, a surge of annoyance coursing through him. "No, of course they couldn't be the typical wooden stake or beheaded and dead."
His mind raced, struggling with what this new reality meant, so far removed from the folklore he knew. The traditional weaknesses seemed to have no bearing on the cold, hard skin he'd just touched.
Picking up the closest journal, Kane deftly flipped through its worn pages, his eyes frantically scanning each word, desperate to find the specific entry he remembered.
Throwing the first book down with a heavy sigh, a slight shake in his hands, he quickly snatched up the next and continued to scan through its contents.
"No, this one was when I dreamed about the guy named Goku fighting to save his planet," he mumbled, tossing it aside. "Full-blown Saiyans, alien invasions, energy blasts. totally different kind of crazy."
The second book hit the desk with a thud.
"Nope, this one is about a marine going to space and becoming a blue alien," he sighed, recalling the vivid imagery of bioluminescent forests and spiritual connections.
Massaging his temples, a faint ache already starting, Kane threw the third journal down in frustration.
"Who would even think of devils with big boobs as a plot point!" he exclaimed, a mixture of bewilderment and slight disgust in his voice. "Honestly, some of these dreams."
For the first time in years, Kane felt a bubble of real annoyance as he read through some of the bizarre entries. He used to think having a vivid imagination when dreaming was something unique about him.
But now that reality had shifted, the strange words written in the journals were no longer mere fantasies; they were more like a cryptic lifeline, a fragmented map to a world far stranger than he'd ever imagined.
"Marble body, sparkling and blood-sucking. Here it is!" His voice held a triumphant note as he finally located the entry.
Moving to the couch, Kane excitedly sat down, settling into a comfortable position, his long legs sprawled along the cushions as a soft pillow was placed behind his head.
Reaching for the remote and aiming it at the unlit fireplace, he quickly pressed a button and watched the flames come to life, their warm, orange glow dancing and further lighting up the dim office.
(January 27th, 2001: This dream in particular was quite an odd one. I'm not sure if it was due to the horror movie I'd watched the night prior, or that cheesy romance movie, but this was weird.
A beautiful family, almost like they were sculpted from marble. They shimmered in the sunlight, almost as if their skin caught fire on direct contact.
Golden eyes that turned black and then blood red.
Cold to the touch, silent as night.
Love between a simple girl and one of these 'people'.
The hunger in their eyes, the most unnerving thing I could see. Special powers: one who could see the future, one who couldn't stop reading minds.
The welcome to Forks, Washington sign. Always cold, damp, and sad.
Whispers of their names. The human, Isabella. The monsters, the Cullens. The protectors, the Quileutes.
Fragments of danger: nomads killing people, hunting her. Hunger and love mixing up, hurting more people than helping.
Pain, love, hurt, death, and war.
I don't know what these fragments of memories mean, but this dream held more uniqueness than I'm used to. One thing I was one hundred percent certain of was that those beautiful people were vampires.
Her haunting golden eyes still made me shiver.
Twilight.)
Kane stared at the journal entry, his eyes wide and unfocused as the fragmented memories played vividly in his mind once again.
His heart thumped so hard in his chest that his ears throbbed with each beat, a heavy, desperate rhythm. A large lump formed in his parched throat, making it difficult to swallow.
"Fuck." The word was barely a whisper, laden with dread and disbelief.
Dropping the journal onto his chest, the book falling with a soft thud, Kane leaned back on the pillow, closed his eyes, and let himself think deeply.
Has all this already happened? he wondered, the question echoing in the silent room. Thoughts swirled around his head like a storm, unanswerable questions popping up and multiplying.
Should he even be involved with anything supernatural? Were the events in his dream already happening, or were they still to come? How many other vampires, or worse, other supernatural beings, had he been in contact with since his rebirth here without ever realizing it?
The soft crackling of the fireplace and the gentle, radiating heat coming from it brought a slow, creeping sense of calm to Kane's racing thoughts and emotions. His fast-beating heart gradually slowed to a calm rhythm, each beat a little steadier than the last.
Less than a week ago, he was concerned he would be the only person in this world with a variation of immortality, alone. Now, he had learned that he wasn't alone; this thought, ironically, brought a hint of dark humor to his overwhelmed thoughts.
It's not like I can control the outside world, or change what's already set in motion. The one thing I can do is continue to use my System to ensure my own safety, though.
Those vampires in my memories easily moved at blinding speeds, an almost imperceptible blur, but the real concern is their raw strength and their terrifying durability.
Fortunately, Kane knew he wasn't one to dwell on negatives for too long, a pragmatism born from his 'second life.'
Sure, he had been completely blindsided by the revelation of supernatural entities existing, especially ones from his forgotten dreams, but he did what he always did when faced with the unknown.
He made plans, adapted quickly, and rolled with the punches, ready to face whatever came next.
Snapping his eyes open, a newfound resolve hardening his gaze, Kane rolled off the couch with a smooth movement and stood up, staring intently at his desk, or specifically, his research notes on it.
Pulling out the office chair with a scrape, he sat back down, a determined glint in his eye, and opened his notebook to a fresh page.
I first need to hide the existence of the System. One of them can read minds; I don't want this secret to come out, ever.
Flipping through the pages, Kane's eyes jumped from idea to idea, his mind working furiously as he thought hard about how he could possibly bypass that type of invasive power.
[Ding!]
The chime of the System startled Kane, a sharp, clear sound amidst his frantic thoughts, as a notification appeared in front of his eyes.
[The Absorption System will never be discovered. Any thoughts you have that could indicate its existence are shielded and protected from supernatural powers.]
Oh, thank God. Kane thought, the enormous wave of tension in his body relaxing almost instantly.
A small, genuine smile flickered on his face as he looked down at a specific page: a detailed list of traits from animals, insects, bacteria, and even man-made substances that, when combined, would turn him into a top predator.
"When I first made this list, I thought I wouldn't need more than a fraction of it," he murmured to himself.
"Now, though? I could really make something of myself. Something truly powerful."
"First phase of traits is nearly complete; tomorrow, it should be done."
Kane picked up his pen and slowly began marking off items on the list.
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Foundational Resilience & Energy (Phase One):
Axolotl (Perfect, Scarless Regeneration): Establishes the most robust healing and cellular repair system, ensuring the body can handle initial stress from other absorptions. (Done)
Naked Mole-Rat (Pain & Cancer Resistance, Longevity): Provides pain nullification and robust cellular health, making the body impervious to discomfort and disease, and enhancing overall vitality. (Done)
Cyanobacteria (Enhanced Photosynthesis/Energy Efficiency/Self-Sustainance): Provides an inexhaustible, self-renewing energy source, eliminating physical fatigue and significantly reducing the need for food/water. This fuels all other processes. (Done)
Zebrafish (Accelerated Tissue Development/Growth Rate): Drastically speeds up cellular division and differentiation for all forms of regeneration. (Incomplete)
Planarian Flatworm (Resilience/Survivability & Cellular Regeneration):Adds ultimate cellular resilience and rapid, comprehensive healing/regeneration, including regeneration from single cells. (Incomplete)
Starfish (Centralized Regeneration / Self-Reabsorption): Prevents unintentional cloning from regeneration, ensuring a single, dominant individual. (Incomplete)
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"Tomorrow I'll visit the aquarium I think."