"The origin of vampires in the human world," Garfield said lazily, "Can actually be divided into several branches, if you really want to get serious about it."
He took a slow drag from his cigar, blew out a perfect smoke ring, and continued.
"The vampire nest Britain is currently worried about, tangled up with the werewolves, descends from a human named Alexander."
Old James's pen paused.
"On the Mediterranean side, the ancestor is known as the Blood Demon, sometimes called the Blood Progenitor."
Garfield flicked ash away.
"As for mainland Europe? That mess comes from the usual suspects, Dracula and his circle, Van Helsing's lineage, and the Dark Council."
"It's been a disaster for centuries."
He waved a paw dismissively.
"Let me explain properly. It's been a while. We'll start with Dracula and Van Helsing."
A long time ago…
Garfield launched into an enthusiastic, highly unstructured explanation, freely mixing vampire history with movie plots, television series, and stories he'd binged across multiple timelines and worlds.
At first, Old James Carter just stared. He had no idea what Garfield was talking about.
Five minutes later, his brain surrendered.
He pulled out a pen and notebook and began scribbling furiously, writing down names, factions, bloodlines, and grudges like a schoolchild desperately copying notes before the bell rang.
Dracula.
Van Helsing.
Ancestors.
Dark Council.
Bloodlines.
Betrayals.
When Garfield finally stopped, Old James leaned back and exhaled deeply.
"My God." He muttered. "This world is far more complicated than we ever imagined. I always thought Paradise Island would be enough."
As he said it, something clicked in his mind.
Without thinking, he let slip an old piece of intelligence, news related to Diana.
Garfield's expression didn't change at all.
That, more than anything, made Old James uneasy.
"Garfield." He asked carefully, "Are you listening?"
Garfield nodded, cigar still in his mouth. "I am. After Steve died, Diana wandered for a while in a bad mood."
He tilted his head. "Did you find my Diana's location? My future daughter-in-law?"
Old James froze. "Why do you already have a daughter-in-law named Diana? Are you… married?"
Garfield puffed up proudly. "Not yet."
"But in the future, I'll bring a generous dowry to Paradise Island, formally propose, and that'll be that."
￣ro￣
Old James glanced at him and suddenly noticed Garfield's face swelling slightly.
"What's wrong with your face?" he asked in concern.
Inside Garfield's soul space, a colossal Pandora Godzilla reared its head and roared furiously.
"YOU SMELLY CAT!"
Back in reality, Garfield rubbed his cheek calmly. "It's nothing. Just got bitten by a giant Godzilla. Not a big deal."
He straightened up, eyes resolute. "What's one more Godzilla? For my wife, Garfield fears nothing."
Old James's eye twitched. "…How many are you planning to court?"
Garfield thought seriously. "Well, excluding Peggy… and counting Agent No. 18…"
He started listing names.
"Forget Black Widow, hard to drive, bad mileage. Carol hurts people too easily. Hermione. Luna. Gwen. Mikaela. Daisy. Sif. Hill. The three Fengxing sisters. Artoria. Athena…"
He paused. "I'll tell you the rest later."
With every name, Garfield's face grew more radiant. until, within his soul world, a True Red Lotus erupted, entering full combustion and setting the entire realm ablaze.
Garfield immediately decided it was wise to stop talking.
Old James quietly wrote down every name anyway. After rereading the list, he frowned and looked up, clearly unhappy.
"Why." He asked, "Did you cross out my adorable granddaughter Peggy?"
Before Garfield could answer…
A furious Pandora Godzilla blazed brighter.
"OLD JAMES," She roared, "YOUR PRIORITY SHOULD BE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN THIS STINKY CAT JUST LISTED, NOT WHY HE CROSSED OUT YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER."
To emphasize its displeasure, Pandora Godzilla fired a blazing red beam straight into the soul-space sky.
Garfield scratched his chubby face, pretending not to feel the sting or itch of the invisible wound. He turned to Old James and patted his hand lightly.
"Old James." He said softly, "Your granddaughter's husband is also a famous superhero, someone who claims to be a real man in the universe."
"He's very powerful, of course… but he still can't beat me."
Old James rolled his eyes. "You're a disguised emperor, praising yourself. And you claim you can marry so many?"
Garfield lifted his head, eyes serious. "Those are just fantasies in my mind."
"We'll talk about them when I meet them. Most of them aren't even in this world yet. As for you, Old James… have you thought about it? About going after that brood of vampires?"
Old James thought for a long time but finally shook his head. "Forget about normal human concerns, aging, illness, death… that's actually quite good."
"Immortality can't be forced, anyway. Most of it is an illusion."
"Even if someone transforms, their soul degenerates, what remains is a cold body, enduring endless suffering. Most of their souls have nothing to do with heaven."
"Hell is more like their home."
Garfield nodded, satisfied, and poured himself some red wine. They spent the next while chatting in the study, cigars burning lazily between them. Soon, Peggy arrived.
After seven long years apart, she had so much to say to the orange cat she had missed dearly.
Old James, always protective of his granddaughter, gave Garfield the floor to respond.
Nestled in Peggy's arms, Garfield reminded Old James one last time before leaving the study.
"Old James, if you find Diana or Vivienne, or Tina, or even Dumbledore let me know immediately."
"Diana has dealt with countless rogue forces across worlds, destructive characters who would tear everything apart. Don't try to cooperate with them, it's completely meaningless."
Old James nodded gravely. "Understood."
After Garfield departed, Old James retrieved a small notebook, flipping to the page where Garfield's name was written.
He recorded meticulously every name the orange cat had mentioned, then sorted through the stories Garfield had recounted.
Turning toward the starry sky outside, he muttered to himself, "Looks like I'll be staying up late again tonight."
…
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of Carter Manor, Aberforth sat with the magical Slug. They were deep in discussion, comparing their respective systems of power.
"The magical power of wizards," Aberforth mused, "Comes from within their bodies."
"Logically, it should be similar to Chakra. But why can't they communicate with it?"
Slug hummed thoughtfully. "Wizards use almost every type of spell. The difference lies in their inherent magical power and their proficiency with each spell."
"In our ninja world, chakra attributes follow single or multiple systems, inherited from the Six Paths Sage Ninjutsu. It's a fundamentally different structure."
Aberforth frowned. "Then there's still a huge gap between our systems. We'll need a long time of cooperation and research to bridge it."
"Then let's start experimenting." Slug flicked its slimy body thoughtfully. "I can split a clone to study alongside you."
Aberforth paused, considering the proposition, the weight of possibility shining in his eyes.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream