The Bounty Hunter

Chapter 84: Vision

August 8th, 2089

It is a beautiful summer day and the weather is pleasant, which is unusual for Tokyo at this time of the summer.  Veronica and I have taken full advantage of that, currently sitting outside having a picnic at a local park for one of our regular dates.  We’re both lying beside each other on the blanket, gazing at the clouds as they float by.  Normally, Veronica would be training Hikari, but Kira volunteered to spar with her today.  Seems like her part-time job has reawakened her fighting spirit.  Rin went along with them so she could watch.  They’ll be back late since Hikari also has a photo shoot for her modeling job afterwards.

“Terra, do you think we’ll be able to fit in at school?”  Veronica asked me.  With the 1st day of school less than a month away, Kira and Veronica have been getting both anxious and very excited.  That’s understandable though since it is a completely foreign concept to them.  Education in the other world was through parents, tutors and apprenticeships.  It was just about always a one-on-one learning experience.  I smiled lightly to reassure her as I responded “You’ll be fine.  I have no doubts that you will not only fit in, but you’ll become some of the most popular people in school.”  She gave one of her dazzling smiles in response.  “Okay, since you’re so confident I have no choice but to trust your judgement.” 

Veronica than paused for a moment before asking a new question “Have you been making any headway on Hikari’s situation?”  I sighed at the question before responding “Not yet, but I have been looking into one of the legends here that could potentially solve that problem.”  Veronica and Kira are both aware of and in support of my desire to try and figure out a way to lengthen Hikari’s lifespan.  100 years is simply not that long of a time, considering that both Veronica and Kira are likely to live up to about 1000 years and I could potentially live just as long if not longer due to my magic and augmentation. 

“What legend are you talking about?”  “The Fountain of Youth.”  “A fountain?  How strange.”  Veronica listened attentively as I explained the myth behind it.  “It was said that if you drank or bathed in the waters of the Fountain of Youth your youth would be restored.  There have been accounts of the Fountain of Youth ranging back thousands of years from all over the globe.  It was not always a fountain, sometimes it was described as a spring or a river.  However, the most prominent of the stories involves an explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon, who was said to have searched for the Fountain 600 years ago by the command of his King.  He allegedly never found the fountain, although the details of his travels indicate several potential locations I can look at.”

Veronica briefly contemplated what I had said.  She then turned to me and said “I think that it sounds promising, but given this world doesn’t have as much of a background in magic I would not get my hopes up.”  I sighed as I knew she was right.  I am not too concerned about finding the Fountain, since I am confident that de Leon was on the right track.  Records show that he asked the locals for the location, presumably in a coercive manner.  Magic users in Europe likely died out by the 16th century due to the hundreds of years of the Inquisition before that, but I believe that magic was still used by the shamans of the indigenous tribes in the new world. 

It would make sense if they were aware of the magical Fountain and were forced to tell de Leon about it.  He probably never found it because it was magically warded, but that won’t hinder me.  Hopefully, the fountain isn’t dormant or gone dry.  At that point, my only remaining option would then be to try and develop a ritual that would lengthen Hikari’s lifespan.  But I have no clue how to go about that.  The best I can do right now is enchant her telomeres so that she retains her youth.  It’s a poor mimicry of the Fountain, since it won’t stop her from dying of old age. 

Veronica and I fell back into a companionable silence as we continued to gaze at the clouds.  Her hand was entwined with mine and her warmth was a comforting presence.  I did not keep track of how much time flew by as we simply lied there together without uttering a single word.  Her scent was intoxicating, reminding me of a forest in spring, and her hand was smooth and soft.  I could feel my desire building up, but I restrained myself and simply continued enjoying the moment. 

As the sun started to set we packed up and returned to the apartment, where we found a note from Kira saying that she and Rin were staying with Hikari tonight.  Immediately after reading the note, I swept Veronica off her feet and kissed her passionately as I headed towards the bedroom.  Once there, Veronica and I slowly started stripping each other as we continued exchanging deep, prolonged kisses.  Her lovely pointed ears flicked to and fro cutely, making me unable to resist rubbing them.

The moment I did so, Veronica’s composure vanished as she let loose a moan.  She promptly blushed as she shyly stuttered “P-please don’t do that.”  I knew better though.  Veronica wants me to be strong and controlling in bed, ignoring her pleas and asserting my dominance.  I don’t know if she is self-aware of her major masochistic tendencies though.  Her moist eyes were gazing at me expectantly and I obliged.  I brought my lips close to her left ear and whispered “No.  I think I’ll continue.”  I then bit her lightly on the tip of the ear with my teeth while I simultaneously pinched the other ear.  Veronica let loose an amorous cry as she got further aroused.  Before she could put up a token protest, I kissed her again.  I vigorously rubbed her ears, watching as her body trembled from the build-up of pleasure. 

I pushed her down onto the bed, taking the time to play with her nipples and breasts, before entering her while we were closely entwined.  I gazed deep into her eyes the entire time as I slowly and gently had my way with her.  Eventually, Veronica reached her “limit” and breathlessly begged me to stop.  Again, it was obvious that she wanted me to do the exact opposite.  I did so happily, ignoring her entreaties, as I whispered various things about how I’ll only stop when I want to and the like. 

Each time I denied her with coldly spoken words, I would “punish” her by biting her ears hard.  I could feel Veronica’s body shiver excitedly even as she let loose a gasp of pain each time.  She was so cute and submissive that it flipped a sadistic switch in me that I didn’t even know I had, causing me to “punish” her more frequently just to see her reactions.  This eclectic mix of tender loving and S&M was an amazing turn on, leading me to have my way with Veronica until she was satisfyingly exhausted of all her stamina.

After our enthusiastic romp in the sheets, I stared up at the ceiling with Veronica sleeping gently in my arms.  The moonlight filtered through the curtains and I slowly closed my eyes as sleep started to claim me.  But before I could slip into my dreams after a blissful day, one of my splitting migraines suddenly appeared.  I gritted my teeth as I weathered the pain, refusing to make any noise of discomfort or to move and wake Veronica up.  The splitting pain soon passed, allowing me to finally fall asleep. 

Other than the nightmares that used to plague me in the past, I was not the type of person to dream.  I am especially not the type of person to have as unusual a dream as the one I am currently having.  Why am I standing in the middle of a meadow at night?

It was a very strange meadow, one that was seemingly endless and filled with flowers that were covered in part by eerie, unnatural mist.  The flowers were many and varied, some of which I could recognize and others which I had never seen before.  The nighttime stars were obscured, save for a single gap which allowed the full moon to shine down in all its glory.  The lights of a city could barely be seen through the mist and darkness, situated somewhere within the boundless meadow of flowers.  There was an artificial quiet, as if the vision was on mute, that broke suddenly as the sounds of metal clashing upon metal, the death cries of man and beast, and chants that activated magic resounded.  Figures in the mist danced back and forth as the sounds of battle continued. josei

In just a few minutes, however, those sounds died out as one side achieved victory.  A bat-like shriek echoed into the night, causing the mist to part and show me the battlefield.  The flowers there were trampled into the ground, covered in blood and gore.  The pungent smell of blood mixed with the sweet scents of the flowers to create a disconcerting perfume.  The area was strewn with freshly made corpses, the features of which were obscured by their metal full face helmets.  They all bore the same coat of arms:  a two-headed brown serpent entwined with a red rose. 

I focused my attention onto the victors, noting their crimson eyes that stood out against their pallor.  Their pronounced canines were extremely conspicuous as they let out jubilant cries of triumph.  A hoarse whisper entered my ears as I continued to observe “Soon, the city of Verlush shall fall and then we shall feast.”  Another sharp pain stabbed into my brain, causing my eyes to close once more.  When I opened them, I was greeted by the sight of my bedroom ceiling.  A feeling of exhaustion surged through me, causing me to fall back asleep before I could even ponder about my strange dream.