Fredozy
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Chapter 64: Power source
🕑 Added 2025-08-20 16:16:38 +0000 UTCHours passed as Kai and Alice worked on the binding spell ln the library, the floor now covered in chalk diagrams and smudged runes. They had gone over every possible edge, every weakness that could break the binding circle, even considering what might happen if the creature inside tried to cast magic against it. The design was becoming less of an idea and more of an execution plan.
Kai had offered his own adjustments in tweaking the activation sequence so the circle wouldn't take more than a few seconds to come alive, making sure its reach expanded outward instead of snapping inward. They even argued over the finer points whether the circle should paralyze the victim's body completely, or simply dampen their magical output. Every scenario came with potential cracks and every crack with consequences.
When they finally leaned back, exhausted but satisfied with the diagram on the floor, they both knew what the missing piece was. And that was the power source.
Alice exhaled, brushing chalk dust from her hands. "Well… that's it."
Kai arched a brow. "That's it?"
She didn't answer directly, instead starting to ramble, her voice picking up speed as if she were afraid of her own conclusion. "I can fuel it with my anger and my despair. They should be enough to charge the spell. It'll hold, Kai. It has to."
But Kai cut her off sharply. "Alice, this isn't just another magician you're trying to snare. We're talking about someone who gorged himself on the source of magic. He's not just powered by it anymore he's drowning in it. Do you really think your rage will even scratch that?"
Her lips pressed tight. Then, quietly, almost defiantly, she muttered, "Unless you have a power source hidden up your sleeve… this is the only way."
Kai tilted his head, humming to himself as he started pacing. "Well," he said, "as I've told you before… I am the simple solution." His voice was light, teasing. But then his smile faltered. "Although now… I don't think the solution would be that simple."
Alice frowned, following his movements nervously. "Then where do we even get something that has a reserve strong enough? Most sources like batteries that are outside the school and even if we had access, the batteries were already used up the last time the alumni tried to hold the Beast. They drained everything trying to strip Fogg of his power and bind him."
Kai nodded at intervals, listening, though his mind was already racing elsewhere. She continued, unrelenting. "The only options left are… a Niffin, summoning a god, or finding a supernatural creature powerful enough to act as the anchor."
When she finally stopped, Kai clapped once, a sharp, amused sound in the quiet library. "What a wonderful and brilliant idea. Love the intellect. Now let's break it down, shall we?"
He held up one finger. "Option one: a Niffin. To summon and trap a Niffin, we'd need a Niffin box. That requires a ritual, and oh…did I mention? You'd also need a filter to actually channel a Niffin's power without spontaneously combusting." He smirked knowingly, though his mind whispered: 'well, you'd be the doing the dying of course.' Out loud, his tone turned mock-sarcastic. "And such a filter? Not exactly available at your local market. It's in the Underworld, in the form of a creepy, crawling leech. So, option one is a no."
His second finger lifted. "Option two: summon a god. Sounds fun, doesn't it? But Alice, summoning a god or goddess takes time. Time I don't have. Time we don't have. And even if I could, what do you think happens if the god in question isn't in a charitable mood?" His tone shifted darker now, grim and edged. "They don't see us as people, Alice. They see us as toys. Ants to burn with a magnifying glass. If we're lucky, they ignore us. If we're not… they kill us for the inconvenience of disturbing their nap. You'd be shocked how often that happens."
He muttered the last part under his breath, almost to himself, then turned away. The heaviness of his tone lingered, and for a moment Alice didn't move.
Finally, she broke the silence. "Then… option three?"
Kai's mouth curved into a small, knowing smile. "Option three. Our best option. And unlike the others… it's already available."
Alice's brow furrowed. "Available? What do you mean…"
In a blur, Kai appeared directly in front of her. Alice got startled as his face shifted and
the veins darkened beneath his eyes, the irises glowing a bloodshot red, his fangs peeking through a sly smile.
"Why so shocked?" he asked, voice dripping sarcasm. "You didn't notice something… strange about me the first time we met?"
But contrary to what he expected Alice didn't scream, or recoil. Her expression softened. Her voice was calm, even gentle, when she whispered, "You're a vampire."
She lifted a hand, brushing her fingers against his lips. Her eyes were half-lidded, searching his face with almost tender curiosity. "Your speed," she murmured. "When you dodged my spell. It wasn't any kind of magic I know. And your magic… it's different. It doesn't feel human. It feels… other."
Inside, Kai thought dryly: ‘Wait… the nature of my magic gave me away? That's what did it?’
He blinked, his features shifting back to normal, and stood there dumbstruck. "Great," he muttered out loud. "Which means the professors and half the senior students probably already pieced it together back in my world. Wonderful. I'm the last one in on my own secret." His expression was so comically frustrated that Alice burst into soft laughter.
The sound was light, musical and sweet to his ears.
"They probably just want you to be the one to admit it," she teased gently.
Kai tilted his head. "So… you're not afraid?"
Alice scoffed. "Afraid? Please. I grew up in parties hosted by my parents and half the guests weren't even human. Supernatural creatures were practically part of the furniture."
"Right," Kai said dryly. "Your parents."
She nodded with a small smile, unbothered.
"Well," Kai continued, "that's option three."
Alice's expression sobered again. "That's all well and good, Kai. But… I don't think you alone could generate the amount of magic needed to power this. You might be a vampire, but even your magic has limits."
Kai smirked, his eyes glinting. "You're wrong."
Before she could ask how, he let it loose. A surge of raw pressure burst from him, sending papers flying off the tables, the library doors slamming open as the air grew thick and heavy. The wind howled through the room, shadows bending, the light itself dimming. Alice staggered back, her eyes widening in shock as Kai's vampiric features snapped back into place.
His voice rumbled low, steady, deadly. "I'm not just a vampire."
He let the weight of it sink in.
"I'm the original. Vampire and witch, bound as one. The original heretic."
And then, as quickly as it had come, the storm of energy stilled. Silence fell over the library, the air still buzzing with the echo of what she had just witnessed.
“Wow…ok, yeah that should do.” Alice said as she adjusted her glasses.
