Adam's wounds healed, and Azrael hugged him, crying tears of relief that Adam had survived. Adam hugged Azrael back, kissing his head, not just grateful for his life being saved but also worried for the boy's safety.
Adam then reached out, taking Johan's extended hand. Johan pulled him up. Azrael clung to Adam's leg, still scared of Johan's earlier display of bloodlust.
"I'm Adam," he introduced himself. "I believe I owe you my life." Lyra walked over, tears still visible, relieved by Adam's recovery.
"I can't believe a human is trying to protect a variant," Johan remarked, looking at Azrael.
"This child is named Azrael, and behind you is my partner, Lyra," Adam replied. "Azrael isn't just a variant; he's my son, whom we adopted."
"Our son!" Lyra added, stepping closer.
"I don't mean to intrude on the happy family," Johan said with a smile, "but I want to know if you somehow know Vlad?"
Adam and Lyra exchanged surprised glances. "Yeah, we know him," they answered in unison, curious about Johan's connection to Vlad.
Johan smiled. "Then where are you headed, if I may ask?"
Adam paused, considering whether it was safe to reveal the human civilization's location. "Before I tell you where we're headed," Adam pressed, "I want to know your relationship with Vlad."
"Alright, I understand the circumstances you're in, and I'm still a stranger," Johan replied. "Let me tell you how I met Vlad. First, let me give all of you a comfortable place to hear my story."
Johan's Story
With a gesture, they were all instantly teleported inside the airport building's lounge. "Please take a seat and enjoy your rest here," Johan said, gesturing to a soft couch. Adam, Lyra, and Azrael settled in, while Johan pulled up a chair and sat across from them.
"As you know," Johan began, "I became a zombie while waiting for my flight home. I'm not sure how long I roamed around this airport. However, I regained consciousness as an evolved variant. Looking around, I saw endless zombies and other variants. I knew my family's chances of survival were slim, but I still held some hope that they might miraculously survive this apocalypse."
"After wandering for some time, I went to the rooftop. Guess who I met there?! Vlad, standing and deep in thought. I approached him to ask who he was and what he was doing here." Johan leaned closer. "He told me his name, and he was surprised to see the first evolved variant that could speak. He told me he was looking for humans who had gone missing all over the world. He said he needed to feed on their blood. He also mentioned that someone had single-handedly saved all of humanity and relocated them somewhere else. He said the feat of carrying that out within hours was tremendously impossible. He needed to search for that person for help and get his 'thirst' back in order."
"I asked him if, with all humans relocated, my family might still have a chance to survive and live their lives there. He nodded. He told me that if by chance I saw any humans still around the area, it might be my chance to see my family again. Before he left, he asked me to taste his blood. He sliced his wrist and dripped his blood into my mouth. He said he hoped to meet me again and then left. That's it. Isn't it interesting? Before I knew it, I had powers I never could have imagined. Slowly, other variants evolved as well, creating havoc and destruction, killing each other to eat their mana cores and get stronger. I have been waiting here ever since."
Adam and Lyra listened to Johan's story attentively, shocked by the coincidental nature of what had transpired.