Darker Than Black

Chapter Ten • As Far As Normal Goes

Vann Vernard V

A week had passed since the mission's success. Needless to say, everyone got high marks, the general was captured, the slaves were given places to live, some of the orphans were adopted and Vann was still in the hospital treating his burns. Mira was now under the guardianship of Damon, so she lived in the old Vernard quarters with Vann and Damon. She was settling in quite fine and refused to attend school until Vann was recovered. So most of her days were spent with Vann in the hospital. On account to Damon's words, she was to be kept a secret until her enrollment for which his reasons were unknown. And thus the only news that circulated was about Vann getting hospitalized.

"Vann?" a voice from the door called. "Are you awake?"

Vann opened a single eye, it was Mira.

"Yup," he said shutting his eye.

He heard her chuckle as she took a seat.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"The fact that you're covered head-to-toe in bandages. You look like those cheap mummies in the movies," she giggled. Vann's eyes twitched. But he actually was covered in bandages.

"Doctor says that your ring's healing factor is almost at its peak so you should be released by the end of the day," she said.

"Thank the seven holy gods!" he groaned in happiness. "I feel so lifeless. Say when I get out, you wanna spar?"

"Wow! As soon as you're out huh?" she asked.

"Yup!" Vann smiled.

"Well no. Because I have somewhere I wanna take you today. It's something I found as a little girl. Back in the days," she said.

"Oh man! So where is that place?" he asked.

"No spoilers," she told him.

"Not even a little?" he asked.

"Nope," she said folding her arms across her chest that Vann couldn't help but notice as she had definitely matured over the time he hadn't seen her.

He looked at his bandages and wriggled around.

"What are you doing?" Mira asked.

"Getting out of here," he said.

"Vann stop wriggling around and be still before I call Nurse Joan," she said.

Vann stopped wriggling around immediately.

"I'm sure you remember that Nurse that tested you for prostate cancer because of your overly protective big brother," she said.

Vann remembered alright. And the experience was enough for him to grimace as a shudder went through him.

"Please don't," he begged.

"Then stop wriggling," she said.

"But I need to," he said. He started wriggling again.

Finally he got his ring on.

"There, that's done," he said.

His mana was ready to be used as he had recovered all the lost ones when he used the Destructum.

"Skill Activate: Cellular Regeneration!" he chanted.

He felt his cells being replaced with new ones as once again his mana was drained to the brink of having none left. Removing the bandages, Vann was left in a plain, white T-shirt and knee-length blue shorts. He slipped on his black flip-flops and stood up straight.