Another day went by, and Reign found himself stuck in a dull routine of procrastinating .
Realizing he was just wasting time, he started working out and improving his fighting skills. He knew that being strong wasn't enough if he wanted to get better.
With a body of a monster and an explosive speed attributed to his crawling form, Reign made improving his sense of balance his top priority.
He dedicated time to practicing, meticulously adjusting his movements.
From time to time, he would fall asleep suddenly as his body shut down. It was odd for an undead being like him to worry about such things, but he had no choice but to deal with it.
Over time, he observed his balance sharpening, enabling him to maneuver with faster agility and precision.
His new nimbleness provided him with a clear edge in close-quarters combat scenarios.
"Why's she not bothering me?" Reign muttered after waking up from a short nap.
Anna had been unusually quiet, sparking his curiosity. He decided to leave his spot and check on her, just in case.
It wasn't that he cared about her; he was simply curious. If she did leave this place and abandon him for good, then he would have to find a new hiding spot. He was pretty sure more demon hunters would come for him.
Reaching the corner of the mine, Reign spotted George standing there, his expression serious.
"What's happening?" Reign grumbled, and George, unsurprised by his sudden appearance, simply answered.
"Anna told me not to tell you this, but look," he said, pointing his finger.
Reign turned his head to follow the gesture, and his eyes landed on a red cocoon pulsing with energy, resembling a beating heart.
"What the hell is that ugly thing?" Reign asked in confusion.
"Fuck off, that thing has my daughter," George scolded.
"We got attacked?" Reign inquired, but it didn't seem to be the case, as George showed no signs of panic.
"No, it's not that. It's... something else," George replied.
"Anna has been going through some changes lately. She's been acting strange, talking about her heart aching and feeling like she's on the brink of breaking through to something new. When I asked her what she meant, she told me not to disturb her."
'What the hell! Don't tell me she's also evolving? Reign cursed inwardly. Here he was, thinking he was catching up, but now Anna was also growing stronger. At this rate, his chance of killing her might be gone for good.
Little did he know that he was the cause of all of this. Anna felt a new emotion stir inside her the moment she saw him, but his cold attitude towards her made her depressed .
Subconsciously, this disappointment triggered her evolution.
'Alright, I'll kill her now,' Reign decided. This was the perfect moment to finally get rid of her. He was a monster, so killing someone like her wouldn't even affect him in the least.
Slowly, he approached her cocoon with the intent to slash it open. It appeared thin and fragile, so he felt confident that he could do it.
But before he could get any closer, his body froze as he heard a whooshing sound. Blood tendrils started attacking him, forcing him to run away.
"Wait, she's awake?" he muttered aloud after seeing that the tendrils stopped chasing him after a certain distance.
"I forgot to mention, you'll be attacked the moment you get close," George spoke.
"Tell me that beforehand, you old man with a daughter complex," Reign cursed.
He anticipated protest from George, but George remained calm. He seemed like a different person altogether now that Anna was confined .
"Hey, I know you want my daughter dead, but even for an ugly monster, your attitude is unacceptable," George replied with a tone filled with disdain. He looked down at Reign, showing no signs of fear.
Was this the same cowardly person as before?
"She came all the way here just to save you. You'd be dead by now if that old man found you. She killed him for you, even fed you, and you didn't even say thank you once," George added sharply.
"Fuck off, I never asked her to do that. She's the one who's been forcing herself on me," Reign retorted, clicking his tongue.
George locked gazed with him and sighed. "You're just a child," he added.
Reign was stunned after hearing him figured it out.
Kidnapped as a child, he had spent years in a laboratory, forced to mature through pain and violence. But, deep inside, he lacked the experiences necessary to mature into an actual teenager.
"Do you want me to tell you the story of how I met her mother?" George opened up.
"Nope, why should I?" Reign shook his head.
"Hey, just listen. It's not like you're doing anything," George insisted.
'I know it, Anna inherited her stubbornness from her father, 'he sighed to himself and decided to listen. He might learn a thing or two.