The cloud's wailings had finally stopped with the sun slowly peak out.
"So why exactly were you running straight at me for? We could've started off without the whole fight. Honestly you gave me a heart attack. I'd seriously thought I'd die on the spot right then and there! And what the hell do you mean you're a vampire?"
She blinked a couple of seconds before raising her arms to her eyes, in a protest to what seemed to be the sun's rising gaze.
"Tsk, let's head back in first before anything else."
I had too many questions, and not enough answers.
The walk to another classroom was perhaps even more awkward than our first one.
We were both drenched from the rain and the students' whispers seemed to get louder with each step we took.
We couldn't just opt to go back to our homeroom when we were both in this state, so we both agreed to use another classroom to discuss, though I doubt we'd talk out in open in homeroom even without considering our state.
______
With the door to the empty classroom closing, a silence if not for the clock's rising and descending breath, had descended.
A couple breaths passed by before I asked,
"So Li Fang, could you explain everything to me now? We're in a secluded enough area now aren't we?"
"Ah, yes. But um... I'd like to apologize before anything else!" She bowed her head down with her still wet glasses threatening to almost slip off.
'A complete one-eighty degree personality flip from her kill attitude from earlier...'
I blinked a couple of times, before giving her an answer.
"It's alright. Just answer my questions."
'Of course it wasn't alright - I thought I would almost lose my life. And in all honesty, seeing all these types of different emotions coming from her was just as surprising. But I need to get these questions that I've kept, answered.
Besides, not like I could lecture a person that could take my head within a few seconds based on her mood.'
To me it looked like she was just as confused as I was, and considering Li Fang, a supernatural vampire who didn't have a single clue on what was going on either, made me even more intrigued and just as terrified as to what was going on.
She raised her head back up.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"From the beginning."
She seemed to be a bit hesitant, before asking,
"Can I ask you one more question before I start?"
"Hm, what is it?"
"Are you sure you aren't an oddity?"
I raised my brow at the new term she was using.
"First it was rank and now it's oddity? I really have no idea what you're talking about. But I'll say this at the very least. I am not an oddity, but a human."[1]
She seemed to be shocked at my response.
'Another new emotion unlocked...?'
She cleared her throat twice.
"I see. Well then, I'm not sure where to start, but I'll start based on your first question."
I gave a slight nod.
"A 'rank' typically refers to the classification of an oddity. They range from rank 7 to rank 1. The lower the oddity rank, the more stronger they tend to be. Oh, but don't get it mistaken. The amount of rank 1 oddities there are in the world are so few, you'd never even meet one.
"And if I did?"
She seemed to stare at me for a few seconds. The empty class clock ticked along the seconds filling in the silence.
"You would die."
She stared at me with a deadpan expression. Saying those three words to me as if it was common knowledge, and perhaps it was for the 'oddities' she was referring to.
I flinched and moved back onto the wall I was hovering on, not even realizing my body moved against my will.
I regained my composure.
"A-And what exactly is an oddity?"
"Well, there're myths, or whatever humans may believe given real human form. They're usually as powerful as the belief that comes from humans. The more humans are aware of a belief, the higher the rank usually.
There are also such things as the 'purity' of the belief. If people believe, not just be aware, the oddity becomes much stronger than their current rank. Some might even call them a half rank if the purity is high enough. For example, a four and a half rank."
"And I'm guessing you attacked me because you thought I was one?"
She shook her head in denial.
"I wasn't actually going to kill you. Just probe some information on the black miasma. I later came to realize that you were telling the truth from my ability, but it was honestly shocking!"
She panicked and looked confused a bit before continuing.
"Your soul suggest you're an oddity, but you claim to be human and the taste of your blood can testify to that claim."
I pointed at myself before saying,
"Wait, then I'm an oddity?"
She nodded her head sideways before shrugging her shoulders, giving a disappointed look.
"It's hard to say what you really are... and even I can't figure it out with my ability."
"What if I am an oddity, but I just don't know it. Does that make your ability think my truth is the utter truth, not just what I think may be correct?"
She nodded her head sideways again.
"No, my ability is based on absolute truth, not just what a person may think is the truth. So when you said you weren't an oddity, but a human instead, it was one-hundred percent the truth. It's why I asked you that question at the start."
"So what do I - no my soul, look like in your eyes?"
[1] her ability thinks human refers to the ability to have morals and a human mental state. If she asks him again at the end of the arc, her ability will think hes lying when he says hes a human.