DEFINE LIFE

"Stay away from me... Vampire... Someone... sa... e..." cries the man. He is shaking in fear. Tears are flowing out from his eyes, snorts from his nose. And there he goes wetting his pants.

"Rude, aren't you? How could you compare me to those lower-class bloodsuckers? I am Dracul, an existence beyond what your puny mind could comprehend. Now, tell me, why are you people pestering that girl?" I inquired after a little threat. A threat in this situation always works and looking at this fuck, I am sure he will say anything to save his life.

"She... The girl... Her father owed us money. Oh, Holy Christ, save me..." the man answered.

"Owed? Not owes... Didn't you fuckers take her father? That should be the end of the deal. So, I ask again. Why are you after the girl?" I said as I picked up the handgun from the ground.

"Heeekkk!!! I will tell you everything. It's my boss. He wants the girl because of her unique awakening. She can detect lies and... and... she... can also detect hidden objects... My boss wants to use her as a human detector to find the treasures hiding under the sea... That's all I know. My boss... He... He is at the Old Mercer's hotel... Please, I don't want to die," the man babbled out all the information he knew. I can sense fear in his voice.

"Does she know about her ability?" I asked.

I know Cecil doesn't know how to use her skill because if she knew, she wouldn't have any problem joining one of the prestigious academies with her op power. But she is a mere cleaner in a strip club. The question is, how the hell do these guys know?

"I... I... don't know," the man stuttered.

"How did you guys find out about her abilities?" I inquired.

"Dreams... Through dreams... I... I dream about people I touch, and my dreams tell me about their abilities and usage. I... spare me. I will become your loyal dog. Please... Just this once... I don't want to die. I want to live," the man said while grabbing his chest.

I can see the dark-murky red aura emitting from my body, slowly binding the man like spider webs. And it's slowly reaching for his neck. I extended my hand and touched the aura.

It's cold and slimy. I can feel it. It's like an extension of my body. It's reacting to my anger. Anger... Yes. It's the anger I am feeling toward this bastard. I can smell death around him. I can smell the scent of rotten blood from his clothes. This trash has killed too many people, and now that it's his time, he dares to beg...

Is this how he defines life? Death to others and life for him? No. He should have prepared for death the moment he killed an innocent.

"So, you want to live after destroying who knows how many lives. Don't you want to repent? Tell me, what does life mean to you? I might just let you go if your view of life is better than mine," I said while checking the gun.

Ah! So, this is the safety lock. Haha. He was pointing it at me with the safety on. *Click* I removed the safety lock and pressed the muzzle on his forehead.

"Please... Mercy... Oh, lord. Dracul... My god... All mighty lord, Dracul... Spare me... Please have mercy... I don't want to die..." the man is begging and crying. The read aura is slowly squeezing his throat.

Look at this fucker begging like a bug...

"Mercy? Do you think life will give you mercy when you go around killing innocents?" I kicked him, sending him crashing into the wall behind him, "You are carrying a gun, so I expected your view on life will be related to guns and bullets. But you disappoint me..."

Dang! This inhumane strength. I sent a full-grown man flying yards away with a simple kick. I haven't used a strand of my power yet. Super senses, super-speed, fear, energy control, and now super strength. I wonder what else I can do in this Dracul mode.

"Argggg!!! Someone... save me..." the man tried to yell, but his voice seemed to have stuck in his throat.

He fell to the ground. He is squirming like a worm, gasping for air. He is scratching his throat, tearing apart his skin with his nails. It's as if the skin around his throat is itching. Foam is coming out from his mouth as the red aura squeezes the life out of him.

"Devil... Get away... Aaaaggg! Ants... get them off... Aaaaaa! Get them off... Kuggg!" screamed the man while tearing apart his own throat.

So, he is hallucinating now. Interesting... But killing him with hallucination, no. It's not good enough. I want him to see his death with his own eyes.

I pulled the red aura back into my body, releasing the man.

"Allow me to share my view on life before you go to the other side," I said.

"Kugg... Save me..." mumbles the man.

His eyes were fixed on me. Blood is oozing out from his neck. And he ain't got any energy left to scream or move. Yet, he begs for his life.

"Life is hard to define, yet sometimes one bullet is enough to erase it all," I pointed the gun at that bastard and shot a single bullet, targeting his forehead.

[Bang] The bullet pierced through the man's forehead. A small hole formed on his forehead. His body went limp. Blood is oozing out from that bullet hole.

"Void flames," I turned the gun and the dead body to ashes.

I killed someone for the first time in my life. Yet I don't feel anything. My heart and emotions are perfectly calm. Time to get out of here. All the noise must have alerted the nearby people. If someone complains, the heroes might come after my ass. Luckily, there aren't any security cameras in the area.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The blood flowing from this man smells nasty. I must deactivate this power, or else the detection satellites will target me since I haven't registered this power.

I absorbed every trace of red aura within my body as I made my way to the car. I can feel a cluster of power around my heart. It's the same sensation I felt when I used the void flames. So that's how it is... Instead of letting the energy flow like an open dam, I have to restrict the flow. And since I can feel it like any part of my body, I should be able to control it at my will.

...

Fuck! I feel so weak and sluggish. Everything feels so slow. My mouth is dry as hell. I need some water. I am hungry too... It looks like using Dracul drains my stamina and energy. Great power comes with great risk, I guess. Somehow, I dragged my legs to my car. Cecil came out running.

"You ok? You don't look so good," Cecil said as she helped me to get in the car.

"Yeah. Just exhausted. Here. Code is 54654," I pulled out my card and gave it to Cecil, "Buy some food and drinks... Some chocolate bars. I overused my ability. And you can have anything you want."

Cecil hurriedly ran into the gas station shop. She came back after a while with two bags filled with snacks, chocolates, water, and soda.

We ate inside the car without saying a single word to each other.

Pheww! Nothing can beat the good old classic orange soda. I am full. I can feel the exhaustion slowly seeping away. I can feel my limbs again.

...

I drove the car in front of Cecil's house. Both of us got out of the car.

"Pack your bags. You are going to live with me from now on. I will take care of you. And you will be going to Xavier's school with my sister starting tomorrow. As for those loan sharks, leave them to me," I said with a reassuring smile.

After what happened, I can't let her live alone anymore in fear. I know there are many like her out there, and I can't help them all, but I can help her get back to her life. Maybe living with mom, sis, and grandma will help her, if not completely, but up to some extent, forget the bad days she faced. I know it will be hard for her to trust anyone again. But I won't give up.

If you don't like my reason for helping her just because of that, then... Will you accept it if I say she is so beautiful that Dracul has fallen for her?

"Live with you!!!" Cecil looked flustered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Ah! I... I didn't mean it that way," I replied.

Cecil stared at me for a couple of minutes. I can see distrust in her eyes. She furrowed her brows and brought her face closer to mine. She is looking into my eyes. It's kinda awkward. But after a while, she smiled.

"I see... For some reason, I can tell you are not lying. Then, I will be in your care," Cecil smiled as tears began to fall from her eyes, "What?! Tears! Why?" She is confused.

I see...

I hugged her.

"There... there... No need to cry anymore. Everything is going to be alright," I said while softly patting her back.

We stayed there for a while until Cecil calmed down. She went inside to pack her things.

I took out my phone and dialed a number. I can't move on my own and kill those loan sharks. So, I called him for a favor. I know he won't say no to me.

"Mr. Fury,"

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