Chapter 1
Chapter 1
New York
In a luxurious room, a young man was sleeping with a slightly furrowed brow. After a few moments, his brow furrowed even more before he finally woke up.
Two blue eyes opened as he blinked with confusion, feeling a slight headache taking hold of him before he looked around aimlessly.
"Who am I?" the bewildered young man asked himself.
He could remember a monotonous and gray life that he assumed was his current life, piecing together the details. But he could also recall another more colorful life, although he could only remember a few things. There were no faces, just pleasant memories of watching all kinds of fictional stories on the internet.
He couldn't help but approach the mirror in his room, and even though he was prepared, he couldn't help but stare at his face.
He saw an attractive face with strange dark silver-blue hair and blue eyes.
He was 20 years old and it had been some time since he finished high school. He could recall his grandfather urging him to go to college, but in his previous state, he had no interest in anything.
He sighed.
Despite being able to remember his two lives so far, he was more influenced by what he assumed was his previous life. That's why he couldn't help but be surprised by his current body, which he was sure differed greatly from his previous body. Not only was his face different now, but his body was quite muscular and fit, unlike his normal body before—neither fat nor skinny.
He sighed.
"What kind of strange situation is this?" Damian thought to himself, deciding to acknowledge his current identity.
There were many strange things in the memories of this life. It was as if he were a machine, never smiling and unable to feel any emotions. A blank slate that only did what it had to do.
Even strangers were the memories of abnormal strength. He distinctly remembered how, as a child, he lifted something that had fallen under a car by accident, effortlessly lifting it from one side.
"I guess I reincarnated like in novels," he casually thought.
Knock, knock.
"Mr. Damian, are you awake?" came a gentle smile from a beautiful woman dressed in some kind of black and white dress. She looked like a maid, with blonde hair and light eyes, appearing to be around 40 years old.
"Sophia," Damian thought as he looked at the woman. Sophia had raised him since he could remember, and although he used to feel nothing when looking at this woman, he couldn't help but feel affection for the closest thing he had to a mother.
"Good morning, Sophia," Damian said with a slight smile that felt strange. Perhaps he had never used the muscles in his face to smile before.
"Mr... Mr. Damian, I'm here to remind you that you have to meet with the family lawyer in a few hours to receive the assets left by your family," Sophia said, stumbling a bit at first after seeing Damian's smile, leaving her stunned.
"Thank you, Sophia. I'll come down in a moment," Damian said, nodding.
"Of course," Sophia said, confused, knowing Damian like any mother would know her child, and she had never seen him smile before. She couldn't help but worry.
On the other side of the door, Damian had a complex expression. He was thrown into this world out of nowhere and didn't know for what purpose.
"And what the hell is up with my hair? I've never seen anyone with this color in my two lives," Damian thought, touching a lock of it.
Damian sat on his bed, contemplating if he was some kind of anime protagonist. He could remember a few who matched his physical description, but ultimately, anime was different from reality.
He couldn't help but mock his thoughts as he looked at his hand and waited for something to happen.
He imagined fire or wind bursting forth, but nothing happened. He couldn't help but chuckle as he lay down.
While lying there, lost in thought, he remembered an incident where he received a small electric shock. Unlike the pain anyone would expect to feel, he only felt a slight warmth. He sat up again, focusing on that sensation and imagining lightning running through his hand.
Out of nowhere, yellow bolts started emanating from his hand, quickly covering his entire body, and unbeknownst to him, his eyes turned red.
He quickly stopped and sighed to calm himself, although occasional small bolts could still be seen before returning to normal.
Now that he knew there was some kind of supernatural power within him, it was easier to try and tap into it. After all, having the certainty that it was there made it easier than blindly searching.
Damian had no experience in sensing energy or anything supernatural, but he tried to think about the lightning and imagine its power. Several minutes passed, and unknowingly, his consciousness became blurry. When he came to, he was sitting on a throne with 12 beings around him.
The moment he saw them, their names and abilities appeared in his mind, and in that instant, he knew who he was. He was a vampire, to be more precise, a progenitor with 12 familiars known as the Avatars of Calamity.
To use the power of his familiars, he had to speak their names, and the familiar would appear in the world. Fortunately, he could use the power of each of them without summoning them, but on a more limited scale. Summoning his familiars would expose him due to their large size, especially on his first attempt.
He wondered why he couldn't access this place before awakening his new memories.
Deciding to save the questions for another time, he entered the bathroom to freshen up before going downstairs to see Sophia.
His family, or rather, the family he belonged to, was very wealthy, especially his grandfather, who was a politician. Now, why did he say "the family he belonged to"? It was because he was the only person left. His parents had died when he was very young, and his grandfather had recently passed away, leaving him everything he had. He was currently in New York, in the mansion where he used to live with his grandfather.
Furthermore, it was 1988, and it sucked that the technology he was accustomed to wasn't available.
"I suppose those are the assets mentioned by Sophia, but I have to say it's not bad. My family, or rather, I, am quite rich," Damian thought idly. He couldn't say he felt sad about his grandfather's death. He was a politician and was always busy. They weren't close, and they barely saw each other.
When he arrived downstairs, he saw Sophia talking to some maids. She was the housekeeper of this mansion, which explained why her dress wasn't that of a maid, although it resembled it slightly.
"Hello, Sophia," Damian greeted her with a slight smile.
"Oh, hi, Damian. Would you like to have breakfast first?" Sophia said after dismissing the maids.
"Sure, there's still some time before I have to meet with the lawyer."
"Please, Mr. Damian, have a seat. I'll arrange for your meal," Sophia said, smiling awkwardly as she saw Damian's smile again, realizing it wasn't a hallucination.
After taking a seat at an excessively large table, he began to observe his surroundings. There were large windows and white walls with two chandeliers on the ceiling, as one would expect in a wealthy family's mansion.
After a few minutes, the chef arrived with the food—a plate of plantain tortillas and blueberries, along with juice.
"I wonder if being a vampire means I still need to eat. I haven't felt the need to drink blood, although I'm not sure how that feels," he thought with an ironic smile. In his previous memories, he had no complications in that regard either. He couldn't help but suspect that his soul was somehow dormant, and it was only his body functioning automatically.
Seeing Sophia standing by his side, watching him, he couldn't help but ask her, "Sophia, have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, sir, I've already had breakfast. Don't worry, I'm ready to go," Sophia replied, smiling slightly and wondering what caused this change in Damian.
"Huh? Are you coming with me? I suppose it's normal as the family's housekeeper. Well, it's better to have her as support in case there's something I don't know," Damian thought. He wasn't really involved in his family's business affairs. Usually, he conducted inspections and ensured that everything was in order in a cold and calculating manner.
While having breakfast, he started thinking about his future plans. He still didn't know if he was in some kind of fictional world he knew before reincarnating, but he also didn't remember what kind of world he started in this era unless it was slightly behind in time.
"Well, over time, I'll gather clues and find out if it's a normal world or one I already know."
After breakfast and getting ready for the meeting, he saw Sophia waiting for him to leave.
"Is everything ready, sir?"
"Yes, is the car ready?" Damian casually asked.
"Yes, sir. Please follow me."
At the mansion's entrance, a vehicle was already waiting for them. Sophia opened the door, and they both got in. They sat in the back seat in silence as the car departed.
During the journey through New York, Damian could clearly see the difference in time he was accustomed to. He could see many shoe shiners and people with Walkmans, something quite different from what he was used to.
He sighed.
"Is something wrong, sir?" Sophia asked with a concerned expression. She didn't know if Damian was sad about his grandfather's death, although she could swear that it wasn't the case if he was the Damian she knew.
After a moment of silence, he finally responded, saying, "It's nothing."
"By the way, Sophia, I remember that I have to go to Los Angeles tomorrow," Damian said, changing the subject.
"Yes, sir, everything is prepared. Your plane is ready to fly to Los Angeles early tomorrow morning, and I've also arranged for someone to accompany you," Sophia said, nodding.
"Okay, thanks, Sophia," Damian said.
"It's my duty," Sophia replied with a smile.
The place was quite far away, as it took them more than half an hour to arrive. When they arrived, they were greeted by a 45-year-old lawyer in a formal suit.
After exchanging greetings, they got straight to the point and walked toward her office. There, she informed him about all the properties and stocks he would inherit. He already knew about the buildings owned by his family, but apparently, there were also many shares in important companies.
And that's when he discovered where he was.
"So, it's Marvel, huh? I hope it's not Marvel Comics, or I'd be in trouble," he thought with an ironic smile.
Among the stocks owned by his family, he possessed 10% of the shares in a company called Stark Industries. And in what other world would that company exist? To make sure, he supposed he could look for Captain America.
"But... hahaha, Marvel? Seriously?" Damian thought, shaking his head. He wondered if all fictional worlds were real somewhere out there.
He sighed.
After completing the transfer of assets, they quickly returned home. Tomorrow's luggage had already been prepared by Sophia, so he didn't have to worry about that.
"Sophia, do you want to come with me tomorrow?" Damian asked. Although he didn't appreciate this woman before, now he wanted to. Deep down, he saw her as his mother. Even in his previous life, he didn't remember anything about his family.
"I don't think it's a good idea, Mr. Damian. I have many things to take care of here," Sophia said hesitantly. Even if she really wanted to go, she had to stabilize everything after Damian's grandfather's death.
"I understand. I suppose I'll try to return quickly. Also, please call me Damian," Damian said, looking at her with a smile.
"Hm," Sophia nodded, her cheeks slightly flushed. She couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming. If Damian called her "mom," she could die in peace.
Upon entering the mansion, Damian decided to use the computer in the study. The monitor was on top of the CPU, accompanied by an old keyboard and a clearly non-laser mouse. After researching a few things like Captain America and World War II, he could be sure that he was in Marvel, more specifically, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). That was a relief because, with his powers, he shouldn't have any problems living as he pleased in this world. Although he wouldn't be useless in Marvel Comics either, there were many powerful beings like the one he didn't mention yet, not to mention even more powerful ones. His knowledge wouldn't let him live peacefully.
Before resting for the next day, he thought about his powers, as he wanted to develop them as much as possible, especially the powers of his Fifth Familiar: Regulus-Aurum. After all, this familiar could control one of the fundamental forces of the universe, electromagnetism.
With the manipulation of electromagnetic energy alone, he could do things like fly, shoot rays, create force fields, and detect all kinds of things, both living beings and machines and what he was most eager to do.
Electromagnetic cannon.
A classic.
Of course, for now, it's just an idea, and his powers are overwhelming. He could destroy the entire mansion if he loses control even slightly. If he unleashes all his power, it's not impossible to destroy half of New York, and that's without summoning his familiars.
He must learn to apply those functions because, with his familiar right now, he can only destroy.
Going to Los Angeles is also a good opportunity to go to the desert and train with his powers, test the limits of his physical strength, and try out his familiars. All of this without harming the city or being detected.
"After all, SHIELD already exists, and I don't want to be in their crosshairs so soon. If I'm on SHIELD's radar, I'll also have Hydra on my neck. Although I could easily destroy anything they send, it's annoying to have flies buzzing around and kidnapping people who might matter to me," Damian thought seriously. It's not the right time to expose myself.
Besides, if I'm not mistaken, in Los Angeles at this time, a certain bright heroine lives nearby.
The next day arrived quickly, and at the airport, we can see a very handsome young man of about 20 years boarding a private jet, particularly standing out with his dark silver-blue hair that no one would think is a natural color.
Once inside the jet, Damian took a seat and looked at the woman who would be his assistant on this trip. She was a beautiful and voluptuous woman with black hair, a delicate face, and green eyes.
"Good morning, Mr. Damian. I'm Ana Jones, and I'm at your service on this trip. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything," she said with a serious and professional demeanor.
"Heh, she can say something so suggestive with such a serious face," Damian thought, amused, unsure if she did it on purpose or not.
"Of course, Ana. When I need something, I won't hesitate to ask," Damian casually replied.
Being a trusted person for Sophia, he arranged for her to come to facilitate everyday matters. Unfortunately, Sophia couldn't come after all. She had her responsibilities.
Going to Los Angeles was originally just a formality. Being present at the inauguration is all he had to do, and he could have avoided going, but now he has a more important purpose, which is to train with his powers.
He plans to infiltrate a prison by turning into mist and training the powers of his tenth familiar: Dabih-Crystallus. He intends to practice his powers, whether by viewing memories, implanting compulsions, or directly reading minds. If in the process, he ruins the minds of some people, haha, it's a shame, after all, they are evil people.
He couldn't help but pause at that thought. It doesn't seem to bother him to think about killing people. He's not sure if it's because of his fragmented memories of being a vampire. After all, humans are his food, and he has no mercy toward his food.
Deciding to set that aside and wait for the right moment before drawing any conclusions, he thought again about his familiars.
His familiars are very powerful, but for the most part, their abilities are very crude, using their immense power to overwhelm others. The protagonist of the anime Strike the Blood was the same. He always used overwhelming power to solve things, and when that didn't work, it was the armor of the plot and that embarrassing dialogue that solved everything.
After 6 hours of flight, during which he casually conversed with Ana, he could understand a bit of her personality. She is very intelligent and surely excellent at her job. However, unless it's work-related, she's not good at talking about other things, not to mention that her usual lack of expression doesn't help. She's truly clumsy and somewhat naive when it comes to double entendre in words.
Upon getting off the jet, a car was already waiting for him. After getting in with Ana, they went to the hotel where the ceremony was about to begin.
The inauguration ceremony went smoothly, and he didn't really have to intervene. That's what the hotel manager was for. After the whole ceremony and the start of the banquet, he decided to leave first. After all, his presence was actually unnecessary, but it was a custom of the previous owner of his body, and it's also good for people to know the face of the owner.
After requesting a car, he was taken to the mansion his family had on the outskirts of the city.
"Mr. Damian, shall I order some food for us?" asked Ana with an expressionless face. She was really hungry, but as an exemplary employee, she would ask Damian first.
"That would be great," Damian said, nodding.
After a quick meal, he asked Ana for a map. He looked at it for a while before memorizing the routes he needed.
"Mr. Damian, are you going somewhere?" Ana asked.
"Yes, I'm going for a walk," Damian casually replied.
"Alright, please be careful," Ana said, looking at him seriously.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. By the way, I'll be late, so don't wait for me," Damian said as he headed towards the garage, hoping there would be some decent car.
After changing his clothes and reaching the garage, he found several cars but was undecided between the two. He didn't know whether to go with the Corvette or the Ferrari 250 GTO.
Finally, he decided to go with the Ferrari, so he got in and sped off. Even if he wasn't an expert driver, it's very easy to drive at high speeds with his abilities.