John was in disbelief that his one eye was red in color. He staggered back from the mirror, his chest heaving, his mind racing to find any logical explanation.
"What the f—k is going on? No, this is not possible! This can't be happening," he mumbled, his voice shaking with a terror that felt cold and foreign. He pinched the bridge of his nose, half-expecting the image to dissolve like a hallucination.
At first, John was in utter shock, frozen by panic, but as a short time passed, his excited, nerdy imagination took over, overriding the fear. He couldn't be broken; he had to be upgraded.
"Wow! I am a super-powered cyborg animal machine sent from the future to save humanity; I knew I was not human," John exclaimed, the words tumbling out in a rush of delirious certainty. "Maybe I am a new model! I am M-1,000,000! I am so awesome! I have to tell my parents; this ain't like in the movies where you keep this stuff a secret." Keeping it secret felt weak, cheesy—like something a bad protagonist would do. His father would appreciate honesty and high-stakes sci-fi drama.
John started doing all kinds of dramatic poses in the mirror, testing out his new look. He held his palm flat and angled his wrist just so. "I'll be back! Hehehe… My father is going to love this; he is a huge fan of the old sci-fi adventure series."
John went down the stairs, his excitement overruling his lingering fear, but still covering his left eye with one hand. The floorboards felt solid under his feet, oddly comforting despite the revolution happening inside his body. "Mom, Dad, I have to show you something!"
John's father, Jiren Fang, was watching TV in the living room, the muted sounds of a sports game filling the air. "What is it, son?" he asked, turning his head as John came down the stairs. Angeline was busy cooking in the kitchen, and the smell of garlic and simmering herbs was heavy in the air. "I'll be there in a sec," she called out, oblivious.
Jiren came to the living room, and Angeline came right after, wiping her hands on her apron. Angeline looked immediately worried, her attention fixed on John's trembling hand over his left eye.
"Son, what happened? Did that boy give you a black eye?" Jiren asked, stepping closer, ready to shift from concerned father to protective one.
"Dad, Mom, please promise me you won't freak out," John pleaded, his excitement wavering as he faced them, the absurdity of his secret suddenly feeling very real.
Jiren chuckled, trying to dismiss the tension. "Well, of course, son. Having a black eye ain't that bad, I had many black eyes in my day. Spit it out, kid."
Taking a deep breath that hitched in his chest, John removed his hand slowly from his left eye and revealed his face. The transformation was far more terrifying up close: His left eye's iris had turned crimson red while the sclera (the white part) had turned completely black. The black was abyssal, framing the red in a stark, inhuman signal.
"Look! I am a cyborg animal machine sent from the future to save humanity! You both have to keep this a secret and also help me complete my mission!" John declared, his voice high-pitched and overflowing with nervous energy, completely missing the genuine horror he expected to see.
Jiren and Angeline were both frozen in their place, their eyes widened in profound shock. It wasn't the panic of a normal parent; it was the intense, focused shock of people whose long-kept secret had just violently burst into the light. After a couple of agonizing seconds—seconds that felt like minutes under the sudden weight of his parents' silence—they looked at each other. Jiren's gaze held Angeline's for a moment of intense, silent communication, and then, inexplicably, they burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahah! Oooohh, hahahaha! Son, you crack me up! You, sent from the future!" Jiren roared, clutching his stomach, tears of nervous relief pricking his eyes. His laughter was too loud, too sudden.
"Hehehehe, darling, you ain't a robot machine or whatever, you are my child, and something more special," Angeline said, her laughter softening into a warm, genuine smile. Her hand reached out, not with fear, but with fascination. "Come here, honey, let Mommy have a closer look at your eye."
"Wait, wait, wait, time out!" John stammered, confusion finally replacing his sci-fi excitement. He took a hesitant step back. "What do you mean I am more special? What's going on?"
"Come here, son, let Dad have a closer look," Jiren urged, his smile now laced with a strange mixture of pride and profound, ancient nostalgia. He reached out and gently took John's chin, tilting his head to examine the black and red eye.
"Babe, look," Jiren said to Angeline, his voice full of warmth and a strange finality. "He has your eye. The color is exact. Guess I'm out of luck, he didn't get any of my family's traits first."
"What about your teeth, son? Show Mommy your teeth," Angeline instructed gently, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"What do you mean by teeth, Mom? Am I an animal machine from the future?" John pressed, still desperately hanging onto his familiar fantasy. He felt his adrenaline spiking again.
"For the last time, no, darling, you are not a machine," Angeline said, smiling. "Just show Mommy your teeth, all of them."
As John instinctively widened his jaw to show his teeth, a sudden, searing pressure erupted in his gums. It was a brief, sharp pain, a feeling like bone remodeling itself in an instant. Then, long, pointed fangs suddenly extended, clicking into place. Angeline beamed, her face alight with fierce maternal pride at this visual confirmation of his full awakening.
"My love, is it okay?" Angeline looked at Jiren, her smile vanishing, replaced by deep concern over the consequences.
Jiren let out a long breath and nodded his head slowly, his expression settling into a weary resignation. "It is time, my love. He is ready."
Then Angeline turned back to John, her face solemn but completely loving.
"Darling, you are the son of a vampire and a werewolf. You are a Hybrid."