Leon sat atop one of Nevermore’s towers, his legs dangling over the edge as he watched the pretty goth Barbie below playing the cello.
She was completely engrossed in it, her body moving subtly with every swipe of the bow, and Leon found himself nodding along to the music.
‘The Book of Shadows should already be with Thornhill.’
That was the problem.
He knew exactly where it would eventually end up, and he knew Morticia would eventually burn it to protect Wednesday.
Taking it now would be easy.
Replacing it without disrupting the timeline was the difficult part.
‘I need the original.
But I also need the story to keep moving.’
Leon watched Wednesday finish her performance as Enid lingered nearby.
“…I’d be kicked out of my family pack with no prospect of finding a mate.”
“I’m failing to see the problem here.”
“I could die alone.”
“We all die alone, Enid.”
Leon listened for a little longer before pulling back his senses.
‘Pretty much exactly like the show.’
The people themselves looked slightly different from the actors, but the resemblance was close enough to be uncanny, just like Beacon Hills had been.
He glanced up at the large moon hanging over Nevermore before standing.
Without another thought, he leapt from the tower, caught a ledge below, and pulled himself through a window, landing back in his room.
“Since I intercepted her encounter with Tyler,” Leon muttered, “she shouldn’t contact him tonight.”
He dropped onto his bed and picked up his phone.
With nothing else to do, he opened the System Shop.
The Shop seemed to change after major encounters, adding new items and abilities at random.
Leon had been checking it whenever he remembered, hoping something useful would appear.
He frowned.
“With everything that happened, I completely forgot to check.”
***********
[Current SE: 27]
[Shop Inventory:]
[Items & Equipment:]
(Same Items)
[Abilities & Traits:]*
[Nexus Link – 100 SE]
[Type: Active Trait]
[Description: Establishes a permanent mental and energetic tether with a designated servant, companion, or mate.
Allows instantaneous, silent telepathic communication regardless of distance.]
[Siphon Share – 50 SE]
[Type: Active Trait]
[Requirement: Nexus Link]
[Description: Temporarily channel and utilize one signature physical trait, sensory enhancement, or active combat skill belonging to a linked companion for 5 minutes.]
[Vitality Tether – 50 SE]
[Type: Passive Trait]
[Requirement: Nexus Link]
[Description: When fighting within close proximity of a linked companion, both parties receive a 15% boost to physical health regeneration and reflex speed.]
[Gravebreaker – 100 SE]
[Type: Passive Trait]
[Description: Attacks inflict more destructive damage against undead, ghouls, reanimated corpses, and flesh-eating monsters.
Striking their weak points deals a crushing blow that halts their natural regeneration.]
[Phantom Presence – 100 SE]
[Type: Active Trait]
[Description: Fully suppresses the user’s physical presence.
For a short duration, become completely undetectable to supernatural senses, tracking abilities, smell, body heat, and heartbeat.]
[Cosmic Anchor: Wednesday – 500 SE]
[Type: Passive World Trait]
[Description: Marks the Wednesday universe with a permanent spatial lock.
Upon leaving, the world’s faster time flow is synchronized to match your slower original world, allowing you to return to the exact moment you left.]
***********
“Wow.”
Leon stared at the list for a moment.
“I really need to check the Shop more often.”
He was still studying the new abilities when a sudden sound pulled him out of his thoughts.
Knock.
Knock.
Leon reacted instantly.
A powerful push sent him off the bed in a blur.
Crash!
The bed splintered apart from the force of his movement as Leon landed on his feet, his Deagle already in his hand and aimed at the source of the sound.
“Keep it down, man!” someone yelled from the room next door.
Leon ignored them.
A scarred, decapitated hand was tapping frantically against his desk.
‘Thing.’
Leon lowered the gun and smiled.
“So she sent you to me instead of Tyler.
Makes sense.”
Thing opened its palm and revealed a message written across it.
Call me: 413-555-1938 — Wednesday
“Alright.”
Leon grabbed his phone and dialed the number.
A moment later, Wednesday’s face appeared on the screen, her expression as flat as ever.
“You’ve got quite the friend here,” Leon said, nodding toward Thing.
“That’s Thing.”
“How can he see?” Leon asked.
“He has no eyes, proper organs, or anything else that should let him function.”
Leon activated X-Ray Vision.
Thing’s body seemed to peel apart like the skin of an apple, revealing a completely ordinary hand beneath it.
As Leon continued examining him, Thing flipped him off.
“He doesn’t like talking about that,” Wednesday said.
“He’s sensitive.”
“Oh.
My bad, Thing.”
Thing tapped against the desk as if brushing it off.
“Let’s focus,” Wednesday said.
“Are you still willing to help me escape?”
“Principal Weems will have her guard up now.
You still think you can get out?”
“There’s the Harvest Festival this weekend.
Attendance is mandatory.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m going to use it as cover. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
If you’re still keeping your word, that is.”
“I’m a man of my word.”
“And if you’re not, I can still make it worth your while.”
Leon raised an eyebrow.
“You planning to pay me?”
“Twenty dollars.”
“Ah.
You can keep your fortune.”
Wednesday’s eyes narrowed.
“Then why help me?”
“I already told you.
I want to.”
She studied him for a moment.
“Still, why?”
Leon shrugged.
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’re good.”
He was about to end the call when someone appeared behind Wednesday.
“Hey, Leon!”
“Hey, Enid.”
Enid waved awkwardly.
“Umm…
goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Leon smiled and ended the call.
Click.
“Oh my god.”
Enid smacked her forehead.
“Was that too awkward?
Does he think I’m weird now?”
“Definitely,” Wednesday said.
***********
The days passed, and the Harvest Festival drew closer.
To Leon’s amusement, Wednesday behaved almost exactly as she had in the show despite their arrangement.
She came and went, barely acknowledged him, and acted as though their deal was nothing more than a practical transaction.
Still, every now and then, Leon caught her looking in his direction.
Like she was trying to solve a puzzle she hadn’t been given enough pieces for.
As for Leon, he spent those days making use of the world he’d entered.
He’d already decided to secure as many useful bloodlines as possible before leaving.
With a little charm, he managed to befriend several outcasts, including some vampires who willingly shared small amounts of their stored blood with him.
Unfortunately, most of what he received turned out to be normie blood.
That was nearly useless.
So Leon adapted.
After some “convincing,” he ended up with several small vials containing genuine outcast blood.
The first sample he tested was from a vampire.
***********
[Vampire Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[Absorption Complete — 20 Supernatural Energy Acquired]
[Bonus: New World Bloodline — 50 Supernatural Energy Acquired]
[New Ability Unlocked: Extended Lifespan]
[Extended Lifespan: The Host lives for centuries, with a lifespan estimated around 300 years.]
[Contradicting Ability Detected: Eternal Youth: Lv2]
[Merging Abilities…
[New Ability: Eternal Lifespan — Lv1]
[Eternal Lifespan: The Host lives for centuries, with a lifespan estimated around 500 years.
(Increases with level)]
[Current SE: 97]
***********
Leon stared at the final notification.
Then he smiled.
An extra few centuries of life was hardly something he was going to complain about.
The next few blood samples produced similar results.
[Werewolf Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[New Ability Unlocked: Retractable Claws]
[Current SE: 157]
Leon flexed his fingers and claws extended from his fingertips.
“That’ll help maintain the hybrid act.”
He looked at the next vial.
[Siren Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[New Ability Unlocked: Water Affinity]
[Current SE: 227]
Leon stared at the notification for a moment.
Water had always been one of his worries.
The vast, endless ocean had always made him uneasy, and having an ability that let him move through it more naturally made him quietly relieved.
Next came the Gorgon.
[Gorgon Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[New Ability Unlocked: Petrifying Gaze]
[Petrifying Gaze: One look into the Host’s eyes would freeze someone with a weaker physique for a couple of seconds.]
[Current SE: 297]
Leon raised an eyebrow.
“Now that’s useful.”
The next abilities were less impressive.
[Shapeshifter Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[New Ability Unlocked: Vocal Replication]
[Vocal Replication: Automatically copies the target’s exact voice, speech patterns, and tone for a few seconds.]
[Current SE: 337]
Then came the Swarmer.
[Swarmer Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[New Ability Unlocked: Insect Telepathy]
[Current SE: 367]
Leon stared at the final ability.
“…Right.”
He set the vial aside.
“Moving on.”
His attention shifted to the remaining samples.
The psychics were different.
Every time Leon tried to use his Compulsion on one of them, he felt resistance immediately.
He could probably overcome that resistance eventually by leveling Compulsion again.
He wasn’t going to spend his SE on that.
Not yet.
So he changed tactics.
With the female psychics, his charm was enough.
A smile.
A little flirting.
The right amount of attention.
They were generally willing to share a little blood without asking too many questions.
Xavier was another matter entirely.
Leon looked at him for a moment.
He wasn’t going to waste a perfectly good bloodline simply because the target happened to be a guy.
‘It’s just a little blood.
He’ll live.’
A tiny rock flicked from Leon’s fingers.
It struck Xavier hard enough to open a small cut on his head.
“Hey!”
Leon was already moving.
“Are you okay?”
He stepped closer, helping Xavier steady himself before touching the wound long enough to absorb the bloodline.
***********
[Psychic – Animator Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[Absorption Complete — 20 Supernatural Energy Acquired]
[Bonus: New World Bloodline — 50 Supernatural Energy Acquired]
[New Ability Unlocked: Physical Animation]
[Physical Animation: Causes the artwork to physically step off the canvas and interact with the real world for a few seconds.]
[Current SE: 437]
***********
Leon grinned.
“Now that’s fun.”
He grabbed a sheet of paper, drew a simple figure, and watched it peel itself off the page.
It moved for a few seconds before crumbling into nothing.
Leon stared after it.
He immediately started thinking about leveling the ability.
Then he stopped.
“Later.”
He picked up the next vial.
[Psychic – Seer Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[New Ability Unlocked: Spiritual Perception]
[Spiritual Perception: A weak sense of ghostly presence, echoes, and residual spiritual energy.]
[Current SE: 507]
Leon tested it.
Nothing.
He frowned.
“Probably useful eventually.”
Only one vial remained.
The one he was most interested in.
[Psychic – Telekinetic Outcast Bloodline Detected…]
[Absorption Complete — 20 Supernatural Energy Acquired]
[Bonus: New World Bloodline — 50 Supernatural Energy Acquired]
[New Ability Unlocked: Kinetic Force]
[Kinetic Force: Capable of throwing, lifting, or crushing small targets without physically touching them.]
[Current SE: 577]
Leon’s eyes lit up.
He looked at a pen sitting on the desk.
Crush it.
Nothing happened.
He concentrated harder.
The pen trembled.
Then rolled slightly.
Leon stared at it.
“…Seriously?”
He tried again.
The pen lifted a few inches before dropping.
That was it.
Leon had already imagined himself crushing enemies with nothing but a thought.
Instead, he could barely move a pen.
He sighed.
“You’re fucking useless.”
He leaned back and rubbed his forehead.
He could already tell how many levels this ability would need before it became remotely dangerous.
Then his thoughts turned to the final bloodlines remaining.
“The only ones left are Wednesday’s and Enid’s.”
He paused.
“I should probably wait until Enid fully transforms.”
If her Alpha bloodline had not awakened yet, absorbing her blood now might give him a worse result.
“I’ll wait.”
That was the smarter choice.
Leon put the thought aside and turned his attention back to Enid.
Despite all the bloodline collecting, he hadn’t forgotten her.
Unfortunately, their interactions remained fairly minor.
A little flirting.
Her endless babbling about things Leon didn’t particularly care about, though he still listened.
And every time Leon got a little too bold, Enid found some way to create distance.
She never seemed angry about it.
She simply wasn’t ready.
Leon had noticed the pattern by now.
He respected that.
Annoyingly, it only made him more interested.
Back in his previous life, when he’d first watched the show, he’d had a small crush on Enid.
Now that he was actually around her, the fact that she didn’t immediately fall into his arms somehow made that old interest even stronger.
He smiled faintly.
“You’re trouble, little wolf.”
************************************
[AUTHOR’S NOTE]
Enjoying the Homelander template in the Teen Wolf universe?