Supercharged Flavor

The frosty chill of that afternoon day still lingers in my mind. I can't say that it was anything special or particularly unusual, but for some reason, it lingers. Standing before my own front door, I allowed the gentle breeze to caress my skin, a silent companion to the thoughts swirling within me.

The words Cacophony had left me with this morning surfaced in my mind. "Today, you'd better experience a whirlwind of emotion! I'm thirsting for a supercharged flavor."

Even without fully understanding the meaning of those words, a part of me felt as though I'd fulfilled her expectations. Another piece of me felt doubt, a tinge of worry that I may have failed. Not that I'd been endeavoring to complete her task in the first place.

Twisting the doorknob, I entered the house. 

"Oh, you're back. Next time, return far more promptly.", she chided, her words tinged with a mixture of playful admonishment and serious annoyment.

Such warm words of welcome could only have come from the mighty vampire empress. Currently, she was sprawled on the couch soaking in her own boredom, but after seeing me enter the house, she jumped onto her feet. 

She was adorned in the black and red dress she'd created when we first met. I guess she couldn't wait to put it on again after I washed it.

"So, you had an emotion-filled day yet?"

"Well... um, maybe?"

The joy she'd been expressing when I first entered seemed to disappear. "Ah... fine, fine. It can't be helped. No matter the era, it's natural that school be a troublesome endeavor for the student." 

Casually, Cacophony marched forward with a thoughtful expression as she went. There was a sense of confidence in her stride forward, one that I realized she always made sure to keep about her. 

Before long she'd made her way to the doorway and I, thoughtless in my approach, allowed her to slip past me. It was only as her arm brushed against my own that I realized it. 

Vampires can't touch sunlight. For Cacophony, something like that could-!

A tremor of fear cascaded through my veins, an electric current of panic coursing through me. Without a second thought, I seized Cacophony's hand, desperately attempting to tether her to this world. There hasn't been enough. I haven't spent enough time with her to allow her to disappear like this! I can't even confidently say that I understand her yet! 

When I'd finally returned to reality, Cacophony had formed a snide, smug expression on her face. 

"Calm yourself, my dear servant. I can hear your heart beating from here." 

"Huh, but-" 

Bathed in the afternoon sun's golden embrace, Cacophony glowed, her radiant skin a canvas for the sun's adoration.

"Thought I'd up and vanish on you? Perish the thought. In fact, you should repent for ever having such foolish thoughts about your empress! Some no-name, ordinary vampires may have passed on when faced with sunlight, but I am different. I am a step above, an utterly superior existence, not some pathetic slave to the sun. A vampire that has conquered the sun! Yes, truly I am the only creature fit to bear the title of empress!" 

Somehow, it seemed that Cacophony's ego swelled to become even larger than it was before. At the moment, it seemed to eclipse even the brilliance of the sun. Hearing her rant, all of my previous worries melted away. 

"I wasn't worried at all about you vanishing or passing on or whatever. My innate senses as the lord of darkness warned me of a venomous bug buzzing around. When I attempted to kill it, your hand was simply in the way. Now then, state your business in coming to the doorway!" 

Cacophony sighed at my response, "Such a shame. I found your loyal act of caring to be quite cute." 

"I-uh. Cute?"

Flustered, any words that I attempted to form in my mouth refused to exit. In the midst of my confusion, Cacophony said something remarkably interesting.

"Veri, it's time you tried your hand at some magic." 

"Really?" 

Ever since I'd first seen Cacophony form that fireball at the graveyard, the reality of magic had been weighing on my mind. I'd held myself back from asking Cacophony about it directly, but I really, really was interested in learning how it worked. And of course, potentially learning a spell or two myself. 

"It'd be a good way of spicing up your day. On top of that, if you're ever in a position where you need to defend yourself, it'll come in handy." 

"Alright! Not that I need more methods of defending myself, but I'll gladly take you up on your offer! So, when do we start?" 

"Now, or well, first we've got to find a location. One where praying eyes won't reach." 

"We can't just use my house?" 

"It's not like we can't, but I'd prefer not to. There're a couple of reasons, but the biggest is that your house might get a bit... damaged." 

"Ah, I see. I've got a spot then." 

The trip to the location was short, it was pretty close to where I lived. It was a relatively small and unpopular park. It consisted of greenery and a couple of benches. It was unremarkable, and just like I'd predicted, there wasn't a single other person nearby. 

Still, despite its apparent unpopularity, the park exuded a silent beauty. The perfect backdrop for a calming chilly day. I'm sure that there are parks that far exceed this one in both size and brilliance, but few could mimic that special feeling that this park had. It was the one and only, Sunflower Park. 

"Yup, this'll work.", Cacophony remarked to herself.

Excitement thrummed in my veins as I lifted my hand, covering my right eye. "Well then, let's get started!"

"Yup. So, to begin you'll want to-"

Cutting her off, I began my incarnation. This is a special move of my own creation. Over the years, I've used it to exterminate a multitude of vicious, monstrous beasts. Creatures so foul that the mind can hardly comprehend their horrific features, one of the few reasons I'm inclined not to elaborate further on this point.

"Decaying the gates of heaven down to their most basic component and crashing through all limits! Defy the logic of the mortal realm. Kōgeki!" 

With a flourish, I thrust my hand forward.

... 

"So... you actually want to start or what?", murmured Cacophony.

"Ahem! I was just a little off my game just now. Anyway... yes please." 

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Cacophony prepared herself for the lecture she was about to give. 

"First off, you're going to need a basic theoretical understanding of what magic is. It's a little more complicated than energy goes in and a spell comes out. See, it all starts with the soul-" 

I swear Cacophony threw the word 'basic' at the start to cover herself. The long-winded speech that she slammed into my ears confused and boggled my mind. Normally, I'm considered one of the top students in my class, but every word that came out of her mouth went completely over my head. Not once did she mention mana, wands, or any of the classic fantasy magic stuff. It was all complicated stuff about souls, chants, higher powers, inscriptions, and a bunch of other stuff. By the time she was done, it felt like I'd just escaped from Unlimited Void.

"Got all that? In short, the first step is for you to become aware of your own soul."

"Yu-Yup... I'll do my very best." 

Closing my eyes, I clasped my hands together and imagined that I was sitting under a waterfall. Then I-

"Veri? Stop all that nonsense and start already." 

I froze. I have absolutely zero clue what to do right now. No average person could've ever hoped to understand the crackjob of an explanation! 

"Cacophony... how'd you learn to use magic?" 

Her entire body twitched slightly, like I'd asked something that she didn't want to remember. 

"It was a different time then. Magic was more prominent among the people. Shamans of all types existed, though most didn't specialize in offensive magic. To make a long story short, living among shamans greatly improved my understanding of my soul. Then after I became a vampire, magic was like second nature." 

"Is it like that for all vampires?" 

"To varying degrees I guess. As a rule, a vampire will outclass a human regarding both knowledge of the soul and magic technique. As a race, vampires are better built for understanding the soul compared to humans. Since magic is the materialization of the soul, it makes sense that we'd be better at that too." 

Woah, woah, woah! I feel like I just heard something super important! Vampires are better built to understand the soul... Well, Cacophony did mention that vampires suck blood as a means of sapping the soul of their victim. And magic is the materialization of the soul... doesn't make any sense to me but I'll keep it in mind! 

Inurrpting my mental notetaking, Cacophony said, "Since I'm here we can cheat a little bit. 'The eyes are a window to the soul'. I heard someone say it on TV, it's a saying that must've come from a mage. By looking deeply into someone's eyes, a skilled mage can get a better understanding of their soul."

Pulling me by the collar, Cacophony dragged me closer to her. Naturally, I struggled to meet her eye to eye. Instead, my eyes darted from thing to thing, place to place, and anywhere Cacophony wasn't. For some reason, I get this feeling that I've been doing this a lot lately.

"Hey... This doesn't work if you refuse to look me in the eyes. I command you, as your empress, to meet my gaze this instant!" 

Like a soldier falling in line, I followed her order and met her gaze. Hold on, flag on the play here. Since when was I, the great Veri, reduced to being her loyal dog? I mean, besides when I said I'd be her servant... Oh, so this is what it feels like to bear the weight of your own actions.

Embarrassment and nervousness rushed through me as I peered into her glowing red eyes.

"That's odd. It's hazy." 

"A soul can be hazy?" 

"That's why it's odd. Well, if it's like this I can't tell you anything useful." 

Disappointed, I sighed. Guess that means that magic and supernatural powers will forever be beyond my reach...

"Veri... let me suck your blood." 

"Right now?" 

"You heard me right. Come on, let's do it." 

Pulling down the edge of my shirt's collar, I exposed my neck to her. Like the night walker that she is, in turn, she exposed her sharp fangs. The entire process didn't last very long, but the odd sensation of having all my blood being pulled from every corner of my body was strange. 

When she withdrew, Cacophony wiped a trickle of blood from her chin, wearing a self-satisfied smirk.

"You liar. You had a totally amazing day filled with memories. Your blood tastes like a finely crafted wine, rich with pathos." 

"Huh... how would you-" 

"I told you when we first met, didn't I? Vampires take a lot more than just blood. We snatch pieces of your soul in the process. I can taste the majestic blend of emotions you experienced today! It adds to your great taste even more!"

"I see... That explains what you said this morning then." 

"Now then, you'd better tell me everything that happened to you today. It's imperative that I catch up with my servant after all."

After that, it seems that Cacophony gave up on teaching magic for the moment. Given all the information that was dumped on me today, I spent quite some time just trying to catalog it all.

We also had cup noodles for dinner. Not a big deal, but I should head out and grab some groceries later.