Chapter 12
“How??”
[Becoming a human was the best decision I had ever made.
I worked. I fell in love. I had a family. And now I'm writing this while my grandson, Vincent, plays beside me.]
“And what happened to your vampire family? And how did you become a human?”
“And why is my dad's name here?”
[I don't know whether vampires were once humans or whether humans were once vampires.
All I could find out is that for some reason these two species have enough similarities that reversing a spell can interchange you.
But dear descendant, you currently do not possess the qualifications to learn it.]
“What are the qualifications, Crow?”
[You might still be in lower tiers. Hence, I'd recommend you wait till your Tire 10 before attempting to read this book again.]
“What happens if I read it now?”
[After all, you cannot read the text without using a spell that you need to be Tire 10 to use.]
“So you took precautions against me.”
[I'll now use rest of the book to explain vampires and how to live as one.
I'll also tell you how to get to Velacia. Though I don't believe you'll ever want to go there.]
“Alright… but if becoming a Tire 10 is really necessary, then by the time I actually become one, wouldn't the people I love and want to live with already be dead?”
“What use is that spell for me then?”
[First things first, I want you to secure a way to get blood.]
“Ah… that's a good idea. But how??”
“Black market or something??”
[And don't ever reveal yourself to anyone.]
“Nah… I'll still be telling mom and dad. The max that'll happen is I'll get bonked.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
[Now I'll begin the explanation about vampires.]
“It seems that'll take too much time.”
“Whatever. It's almost time's up. Mom and dad might be coming back.”
“Hey ring I would like to go back.”
Asmodeus once again felt the strange sensation. The feeling of a fabric being taken off and another put over him.
“Great, we are back, and I'm somehow still connected to the heart monitor. That's not the strangest thing today, though.”
“Anyway, where is my tablet?”
***
Vincent and Cassandra had gone down to meet Dr. Nathan.
They were invited in.
“Please take a seat.”
“Your son is stable now. Dr. Nathan is already familiar with the case. He'll review everything and discuss the next steps with you.”
The ER doctor pointed to Nathan standing beside him.
“Doctor, what happened to our son?” Cassandra's voice shivered.
Vincent placed his arm on her shoulders, comforting her.
“He's currently stable. But when I reviewed his reports, his blood counts were significantly low. The anemia appears to be sever enough to cause dizziness and fatigue.”
“Is it also what caused his fainting today?” Vincent questioned.
"Most likely, yes. When the red blood cell count becomes too low, the body's ability to deliver oxygen decreases. Fatigue, dizziness, and fainting can all result from that.
But what I'm more concerned about is the underlying issue.”
“Which is?”
“Currently I'm not sure. That's why I believe bone marrow biopsy is necessary.”
“What exactly is this biopsy?”
"It's a procedure where we collect a small sample from the bone marrow, usually from the hip bone. That sample allows us to see whether the marrow is producing blood cells properly.”
“Without getting that sample, we're mostly guessing.”
“How serious is it? Is it really that bad?” Vincent's voice trembled.
“Serious enough that I don't want to ignore it. Not serious enough for me to make conclusions before we have evidence.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The room felt unnaturally quiet.
Cassandra turned toward Vincent, worry written across her face.
Vincent gently pulled her into an embrace, resting his hand on her shoulder.
Tears slid across Cassandra's cheek.
“There, there, Cassy. He'd be alright soon. Don't worry.”
Vincent didn't believe his own words.
*Hic
It was long while before someone spoke.
“Doctor...” Cassandra finally managed, “how worried should we be?”
Nathan remained silent for a second before answering.
“Worried enough to take this seriously. But not enough to lose hope.”
“I see…”
Vincent patted Cassandra's shoulders, trying to calm her down.
“Doctor, is there anything else we need to pay attention to?” Vincent asked.
“For now it's better for him to rest. We don't want him overexerting himself before the procedure.”
“Can he come home?”
“It's better if he stays here. I'd prefer him to be in observation before the biopsy tomorrow.”
“Will it hurt?” Cassandra's voice quietly came out.
“The procedure is uncomfortable but tolerable. We'll try our best to make it less painful.”
It wasn't the answer Cassandra was looking for but it was honest.
“What happens after the biopsy?” Vincent asked, his voice much quieter this time. “What if the results are bad?”
“Then we'll take the next steps. One at a time.”
Nathan waited for a moment.
Neither parent didn't ask any more questions. There weren't any left to ask.
Tears continued to roll down Cassandra's cheek, while Vincent stared at the floor, trying to digest everything the day had thrown at him.
Nathan tried to break the grim silence.
“Sir, ma'am, don't lose hope. Please get some rest. It'll be a long day tomorrow.”
Having said that, Nathan left the room.
Cassandra broke down, crying uncontrollably.
*sob… sob…
Vincent continued to pat her back, comforting his wife while his own fears grew deeper.
‘Why? Just why is my son going through whatever this is? WHY?’
Vincent's thoughts kept circling the same question.
At some point, Cassandra calmed down, and both decided to go check on their son.
Vincent was about to open the door when—
“Vince, wait…
It doesn't look like I was crying, does it?”
Cassandra tried to put on a brave face.
“Not really, Cassy. He won't notice that much. He'd probably just say he doesn't want more needles.”
“That's our Asmo for you.” Cassandra chuckled.
***
Asmodeus was stretching on his bed.
“Why is it taking so long? I could have read Crow’s book a bit more…”
Asmodeus heard footsteps approaching.
“...Vince, wait…”
“Mom?”
“...It doesn't look like I was crying does it?...”
‘Mom was crying? Why?”
“...Not really Cassy. He won't notice that much. He'd probably just say he doesn't want more needles…”
‘Are the results that bad? Do I really talk about the needles when they’re this scared?’
“That's our Asmo for you.” Cassandra chuckled.
‘Should I really joke about something this time?’
‘I don't want to keep joking about my life.’
The door creaked open.
“Asmo…”