NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: First encounter!
First encounter!
Chapter 26: OUT OF MIND!
Vira: So, problem solved?
Author: Nah, I just decided that aside from posting and checking who gave me a Powerstone, I'm not looking at the Inkstone.
Vira: How are you gonna post the chapters, then?
Author: Thankfully, I can publish them from another section without touching the dashboard. And anyway, the Powerstone notifications were never in the dashboard—I always used the inbox to see who gave them.
Vira: Won't you still see the collection section in the inbox?
Author: Yeah, but it only shows the increment. I won't even know if someone unbookmarks.
Vira: Out of sight, out of mind.
Author: Yep!
On the topic of Vira's importance, Vira's strength is highly inconsistent. If he just wandered around for a while, he could gather thousands of animals, and with him as a main hub, he could pretty much lead them to wipe out any city or even a small country.
After all, it's hard to defend against his non-exhaustible army, which, given a bit of time, would multiply significantly—either by recruiting new ones or simply breeding. Unlike humans, who have a relatively long growth and pregnancy period, rats, lizards, birds, etc., can breed on a large scale in just a few years and quickly gain combat effectiveness.
The more terrifying part is that no creature has ever been unattracted to him. Even insects are strongly drawn to him—he can walk into a beehive, eat their honey, and they still won't sting him. The same goes for ants; they like him too.
Unfortunately, their social structure makes them similar to humans. While they like him a lot and most likely won't harm him, they will still place their job on a higher pedestal than Vira's orders or their own feelings.
The same applies to humans. If they are in a group with Vira and have no preconceived dislike, no one really hates him. Unfortunately, it's impossible not to have a preconceived dislike. As intelligent creatures, humans are influenced even by minor things. So, let alone those who have a feud with him or outright evil intentions—like the businessman who intended to use Vira's power for his own dishonest gain—even someone meeting him for the first time would still feel some level of dislike.
After all, his cursed grey eyes, the serpent bound around his neck, and sometimes being surrounded by crows are not very likable traits.
In some societies, he might be admired for having a serpent or a crow, but in this place—where serpents are feared and crows are literally called harbingers of death—it's pretty useless.
Also, Vira was not exactly a well-behaved, well-kept child. He was a mess most of the time and wasn't even aware of how his ability worked on humans. After all, even if it worked like magic on animals, for humans, it was more like an extremely slow brainwashing ability.
While it would grow, or Vira would eventually discover and use his druid-like ability to even rule over humans, that was a matter for the future. For now, our main character, Vira, had wandered around the Oadby city area.
After sneaking past security for the third time in half a year, he had once again returned to the place where he had a significant experience... Well, truth be told, he was scared of the gun.
Speaking of which, the gun hadn't even left the holster of the two guards, and everything Vira had done was ultimately useless. The guards were there for the girl, and when he escaped through the small window—ordering birds to block sight and potentially any bullets aimed at it—it had all been a pointless act. The two men hadn't even left their post. They were guarding the granddaughter of the head of Corah; whether or not there was a food thief in the house was none of their concern.
Back to the present—he had come to the manor, leaping over the fence in a swift jump, planning to slip in through the side door to check if there were any leftovers from lunch. It was well past lunchtime, and if there was nothing, he would have to return and eat at the crib. After all, no one prepared food at 2:30 except for restaurants, and he doubted any of them would let him in.
Fortunately, as soon as he entered through the side door and stepped into what appeared to be a living room, a scent hit him. The pleasant and appetizing aroma of smoked fish enticed him so much that he had to fight the urge to run straight toward it.
But even if he was no longer afraid of a gun, he still didn't fancy having a few holes in him—or in his pets. So, he asked a hummingbird to scout ahead.
Naturally, it wasn't because Vira was dumb. After all, hummingbirds were fairly loud. But this one, which he had stolen from traders, was exceptionally beautiful. It most likely wouldn't be attacked. At worst, it would be taken to the girl as a gift, given how rare such a striking bird was in the UK. Using his connection with it, he could pinpoint where the girl was—though he wasn't quite sure why he even cared. All he came for was food.
A few seconds later, the bird returned and told Vira that no one was around aside from the girl near the food.
Now, with his stomach growling, Vira didn't hesitate. He followed the scent straight to the girl's bedroom.
As soon as he entered, she saw him. But reminiscing about the taste of the food he'd had before—and knowing she wasn't much of a threat on her own—Vira jolted toward the bed and started eating. The food was a bit colder than he would have liked, but it didn't matter.
The girl, on the other hand, saw a boy—who looked even younger than her—suddenly leap onto her bed like a bolt of lightning and snatch the food from the overbed table in front of her. But strangely, she didn't seem to mind.
Perhaps it was the faint familiarity she felt when looking at Vira. Or maybe his messy way of eating made him seem less like a threat.
Whatever the reason... watching him eat seemed to awaken her own desire to eat.
For the first time since the food had arrived, she reached for the neatly placed fork and knife, attempting to eat the smoked salmon.
Why do I say attempting?
Because as soon as she moved her fork toward the fish, Vira snatched it from her hand and threw it on the floor. In the process, his dirty hands smeared food onto her sleeve.
Though slightly disgusted, the girl still didn't give up. But not wanting to eat like Vira—with her bare hands—she shifted her attention to the tomato soup. Just as she raised the silver spoon, before it could even reach the porcelain bowl, Vira snatched it away and drank all the contents in a single gulp.
She still didn't give up. This time, she reached for the mayo-laced egg, uncaring if it would dirty her hands. But Vira was faster. The moment she moved, he snatched it. Then came the cucumber, then the potato, then the steak. Every time she reached for something, it was stolen right from under her hands.
Finally, all that remained on the table were the steak, boiled vegetables, and a small slice of cake.
Being smart, she didn't go for the best food this time. Instead, she reached for the worst option—the vegetables.
It seemed like a wise decision. Vira, seeing the vegetables, ignored her and continued eating the steak.
Taking advantage of the moment, the girl quickly started eating. First, the peas. Then, the asparagus. But just when she was about to eat her favorite vegetable, she lifted it to her mouth… and it was snatched away.
Vira didn't like peas or asparagus, but he did like carrots. After finishing the steak, he noticed the carrot in her hand and grabbed not only the bowl but also the one she was holding.
Having lost even the food she deliberately saved for last, the girl finally snapped.
Frustrated, she tried to get up, but in her rush, she bumped into the overbed table and fell back onto the bed—then burst into tears.
Vira, however, remained unconcerned, chewing on the stolen carrots without a care in the world.
Watching him, the girl eventually stopped crying. Then, she raised her hand and performed a series of gestures.
THE END
{out of context but i seem to have disappointed a few as the collection droped from 290 to 287 during night so to prevent demotivation i would be doing as i said in the first section}