Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 7: The Invitation

Wasting no time, I got serious.

One moment, William Birkin was mid-roar—the next, I was behind him, my kunai dripping with blood. With a sharp flick, the monster exploded into hundreds of gore-soaked chunks, raining down like rotten meat.

“Still alive, huh? The G-Virus is really something else,” I muttered, sliding the blade back into my inventory.

My Shroud unfurled silently behind me, wrapping around the twitching remains and absorbing every last piece of infected tissue. In minutes, he was captured, and sold.

I stretched lazily and looked toward the sky.

“This little adventure’s almost over. All that’s left is finding Annette Birkin and getting out of here.”

An idea struck.

“Hey, Ciel? If I devour the rest of this city, can you analyze the materials and repurpose them later?”

“Of course, Master. Such a task is easily within my capabilities,” she replied instantly, sounding proud.

“That’s my Ciel~ Alright, let’s wrap this up.”

Leaving a shimmer of leaves in my wake, I vanished.

=====

Moments later, I reappeared inside the orphanage, making my way toward the hidden entrance that led into the sewers. It took only a few minutes to reach them. As I stepped off the lift onto the lower level, I heard panicked voices echoing ahead.

Quickening my pace, I rounded the corner and found them: Claire, kneeling beside Sherry, who lay groaning on the floor, and a blonde woman I immediately recognized as Annette Birkin.

‘Shit. She’s infected already. Looks like I’ll have to show off a bit more than I expected.’

Both women turned as they heard my approach.

“Akari!” Claire rushed over, relief flooding her face. “Help! Sherry just collapsed—I don’t know what’s wrong!”

“It’s alright,” I said gently, with a reassuring smile as I reached for her hand. I gave it a soft squeeze, and she returned the look gratefully. “Let me have a look at her and see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Akari,” she mumbled, then surprised me with a quick kiss before pulling me toward Sherry. “Please... just do whatever you can.”

Nodding my head, I followed behind her before I noticed something.

Annette was trying to slip away. Wrong move.

With a flick of my wrist, a kunai appeared and whistled through the air—pinning her jacket to the wall. She yelped, looking down at the knife before looking at me wearily.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay right there,” I warned, eyes narrowed.

“What the hell, Akari!?” Claire turned to me, wide-eyed.

I glanced at her, raising a brow. “Do I really need to explain what this woman’s done? Even you have to admit she’s far from innocent.”

Claire winced. “…I know, but Sherry’s right there. Couldn’t you have waited until she wasn’t in the room?”

Smiling at her reaction, I leaned in and stole another quick kiss, then whispered, “I was already planning to. Just didn’t want to go sewer-diving to track her down later.”

Claire looked momentarily dazed, then grimaced. “Yeah… fair. Especially since I’m wearing shorts.”

“Exactly.” I winked and turned my attention to Sherry.

She was pale, trembling—black veins creeping up her neck.

“What is it?” Claire asked quietly, seeing my expression tighten.

“She’s infected,” I whispered, gently wiping the sweat from Sherry’s forehead with a rag pulled from my pocket.

“Sherry…” Claire murmured, her voice tight with worry.

“There’s a cure,” Annette’s voice rang out from the side, making both of us turn to her. Her expression was grim, but her eyes burned with urgency. “There’s a vaccine in the lab where I work. It’s deep within a restricted sector but it’s currently quarantined. You’ll need a special keycard to access it… and Sherry’s pendant.”

“Her pendant?” Claire echoed, blinking. “Right. The Chief was demanding it too. What is it?”

I watched as Claire instinctively started to move, no doubt ready to dive headfirst into the sewers and search for this lab.

Yeah, no thanks.

“It’s a key,” I spoke up calmly, earning surprised glances from both women. “It’s tied to the vaccine—used to unlock the containment vault.”

Annette’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

“Does it matter?” I shrugged, already kneeling beside Sherry. “Point is, we don’t need to go sewer diving. I’m going to heal her right here.”

“What!?” Annette gasped, eyes wide. “That’s impossible!”

Ignoring her entirely, I gently took Sherry’s small hand in mine, lifting it toward my mouth. Claire watched silently, eyes filled with confusion and hope.

Then I bit down—not hard, just enough to draw a small amount of blood and ingesting it.

“Akari!” Claire blurted, stepping forward in alarm. “Won’t you get infected doing that!?”

“Fool!” Annette hissed, her voice trembling with disbelief. “You’ve just infected yourself! Now you’ll need the vaccine too, you reckless idiot!”

I waved them both off. “Relax, Claire.” Wrapping one arm around her waist, I pulled her into a casual side-hug, which she returned without hesitation, pressing herself tightly against me. “I’m immune to all diseases. I didn’t just drink her blood, I gave her something of mine in return.”

Claire looked up at me, confused. “What… what do you mean?”

“Let’s just say I’ve got a little gift that’ll take care of it.” I winked at her, then added smoothly, “Give it five minutes. She’ll be just fine.”

Of course, I wasn’t about to say it was the binding that was curing her, not my blood. No need to freak them out with the truth. As far as they knew, I was just some impossibly immune, gorgeous stranger with miracle blood.

Besides, that gave me the perfect opportunity to capture Sherry.

And that was just fine with me.

Exactly five minutes later, Sherry slowly stirred and opened her eyes, blinking up at me and Claire hovering over her.

“Hey, kiddo,” I said softly, offering her a warm smile. “Feeling better?”

“Does it hurt anywhere, Sherry?” Claire asked quickly, gently running her hands over Sherry’s arms and forehead with a look of pure relief.

“It worked?” Annette whispered under her breath, her voice colored with disbelief.

Sherry sat up slowly, her movements no longer sluggish. She looked around, then smiled brightly when her gaze found me. “Akari, you’re okay.”

“And don’t worry,” she added, patting her chest, “I feel fine. Better than ever, actually.”

“Of course you do.” I gave her a grin and then flexed one arm playfully. “And I’m not just a handsome face, you know, I’m strong too~”

“Hihihi, that’s what Claire said too!” Sherry giggled, before pausing and blinking at the way Claire was nestled comfortably against me, our hands still clasped together.

“Oh! Are you two dating now?” she asked innocently, flashing a teasing smile.

Claire flushed ever so slightly, but smirked as she looked up at me with a glint in her eyes. “Not yet. Akari still has to ask me first.”

I glanced down at her, briefly tempted to say the words right then and there but I held back. Claire still didn’t know everything about me and she still had to find her brother. Rushing it wouldn’t feel right.

“If you’re still around after I tell you everything,” I said gently, my voice low so only she could really hear, “then I’d be more than happy to ask you out. You’re an amazing woman, Claire.”

Her teasing expression softened. She blinked once then nodded, the corner of her mouth lifting.

“Sounds like a date, then.”

“I’m so happy for you two~” Sherry said with a bright smile, before her eyes landed on someone behind me. “Mommy!”

She dashed over and hugged her mother’s legs tightly, not even noticing the pair of kunai pinning Annette to the wall. With a silent gesture, I recalled the blades just before Sherry noticed them, letting Annette drop to her knees and inspect her daughter.

Annette ran her hands along Sherry’s arms and cheeks, eyes sharp with scrutiny. “The infection… it’s really gone,” she whispered, then cast me a look—a mixture of awe, suspicion, and fear.

But the moment didn’t last.

“Why are you here, Sherry?” Annette snapped, her voice cold and clinical.

Sherry flinched at the tone, withdrawing slightly. “I… I was scared… there were so many monsters…”

“You were safer back home. You shouldn’t have come,” Annette continued sharply, oblivious—or uncaring—to her daughter’s trembling lip and downcast eyes.

My brow twitched.

Claire’s reaction was even worse. She stood stiffly beside me, fists clenched at her sides, glaring at Annette like she wanted to punch the bitch.

“That’s enough,” I said, stepping forward, voice firm. Both turned toward me, only now seeming to remember we were still here.

Sherry looked like she was about to cry. Annette’s expression was unreadable until she met my eyes, and nervousness flickered across her face.

“Now that you’ve found your mother, we’re getting out of here,” I said, softening my voice for Sherry’s sake.

“You three can leave,” Annette said briskly, already turning away. “But I still have work to do. I need to ensure our research doesn’t fall into the wrong hands—”

“Frankly, I don’t give a shit about your work,” I interrupted coldly, drawing my gun and leveling it at her. “You’re coming with us. Either on your own, or by force.”

“Akari!” Claire hissed, pulling Sherry protectively behind her. “Not in front of Sherry!”

“Don’t worry.” I didn’t look away from Annette. “I’ve placed Sherry under a mild illusion. Right now, she thinks we’re having a cheerful chat about where to go next.”

Claire blinked, then glanced at Sherry who was indeed standing there smiling, humming softly to herself.

“Right… ninja,” Claire muttered, sighing in relief.

Annette scowled. “Who do you work for?”

“No one,” I replied flatly. “But even if I did, what makes you think your opinion matters?”

I took a step closer, my gaze hard. “The only reason you’re still breathing right now is because of your daughter.”

“The things you and your husband did in the name of ‘progress’—it’s revolting. You’ll be glad to know I already dealt with him.”

Annette’s eyes widened. “You… killed William? That’s impossible. The G-Virus would have made him practically immortal by now—”

Claire’s head snapped toward me. “Wait—what is she talking about?”

I sighed and met her gaze. “That monster you met earlier with the huge eye? That was her husband. Sherry’s father.”

Claire looked stunned, turning to stare at Annette again with renewed disgust.

“And now,” I said sharply, returning my gaze to the woman on the floor, “we’re leaving this hellhole. Now.”

“I can’t—”

Annette didn’t finish her sentence. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, unconscious. Claire startled, stepping forward instinctively.

A moment later, a wood clone appeared beside me and caught Annette’s body with practiced ease.

“…Wait, I thought your clones were just illusions?” Claire asked, blinking as she turned toward me.

“I can make solid ones too,” I replied with a teasing smirk. Claire blinked again, then just sighed and shook her head.

“Haah… at this point, I’m starting to go numb to the crazy things you can do.”

“That’s a good mindset to have.” I smiled and offered her my hand. “Shall we get out of this shithole?”

“Gladly,” Claire said, immediately taking my hand while keeping her other arm protectively around Sherry.

‘Finally… time to leave this shitty world.’

=====

30 Minutes Later – Rooftop Extraction Zone

With all major obstacles cleared and no more major threats remaining, our trip to the rendezvous point went surprisingly smoothly. Any undead that remained were dispatched in short order.

We made it to the rooftop just in time to see Veldora standing atop a pile of debris, cackling like a madman as he launched yet another RPG into the distance.

“Kuwahahaha! I love this world!”

Claire, Sherry, and I stared for a moment.

Standing nearby, relaxed and unbothered, were Jill, Leon, Ada, and my clone, just watching Veldora like he was a fireworks show.

“Glad you guys made it,” Leon greeted us with a relieved smile. He blinked at the sight of my clone and the unconscious woman in my arms. “That’s new.”

“I never had any doubt. Our super ninja was with them,” Jill said with a smirk, then glanced at Claire and raised a brow at how close she was standing next to me.

“This is sweet and all, but can we save the heartwarming reunion for after we’re out of the blast zone?” Ada interjected flatly.

“She’s got a point,” I said, dismissing the clones and lifting Annette myself. “There’s only a few hours before sunrise… and this city becomes a wasteland.”

At those words, everyone began boarding the chopper. Veldora and I remained behind.

“So,” I asked, walking up beside him, “did you enjoy yourself, brother?”

“Kuwahahaha! Absolutely! This was one of the best days of my life. Thank you for bringing me here, Akari!”

We bumped fists.

“Where are we going next?” he asked eagerly. “Is it a mecha world? An evil demon king plotline? Or maybe another zombie apocalypse?”

“The next two stops are solo trips. Boring stuff. But the world after that?” I paused, letting the weight of it settle. “We’re going home.”

Veldora blinked, then grinned. “Kuwahaha! I was wondering when you’d say that! It’s time they met the new and improved me!”

While he hyped himself up, I discreetly sent another clone aboard the helicopter to fly the others out of Raccoon City.

=====

With the Clone – Helicopter in Flight

“Is your brother not coming?” Jill asked, glancing at me as the city shrank below us.

“He’ll be fine,” I said. “Trust me, he’s the last person you need to worry about.”

“If you say so…” she muttered, though she accepted it without further argument.

As the chopper rose into the night sky, I turned to the group.

“I’ll be dropping you all off at the nearest city. Once there, I’ll answer your questions.” I paused. “And I have an offer for some of you—but we’ll get to that later.”

Curiosity flickered across their faces, but no one pressed. The whir of the blades carried us into the night.

=====

Back with Akari and Veldora

Once the chopper was out of sight, I floated into the air alongside Veldora. Our disguises faded—Veldora returned to his open-chested black ensemble with a cape, while I returned to my signature black and white with gold trim.

“Kuwahaha! I knew you were going to do that,” Veldora laughed, watching as I raised my hand toward the city.

“We can use the materials later,” I said casually. “Better than letting them go to waste.”

“You ready, Ciel?”

“Always~,” came her smooth, immediate reply.

I extended my hand.

“Azathoth… devour this city.”

Black and purple miasma poured from my palm, growing and spreading until it eclipsed the sky above the ruined city. In seconds, it descended.

And then—nothing.

No more Raccoon City. Only a massive, clean crater.

Veldora crossed his arms beside me, grinning wide. “That ability of yours is truly terrifying, brother.”

I smirked. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

=====

Back with Clone and Co.

It had taken several hours to reach the nearest city undetected and secure a temporary place to lay low but I’d done it. Fortunately, the original me wasn’t stingy when it came to spending money, so I’d managed to rent out a luxurious suite for the next few days.

After everyone got some food and rest, we gathered in the suite’s living room, and—as promised—I sat them down and answered their questions. Not all of them, of course. Leon, for example, wasn’t someone I intended to recruit, and I still wasn’t sure how the others would respond to what I had planned. But I gave them enough to satisfy their curiosity for now.

Everyone was scattered across the couches and chairs, processing everything they’d just heard.

“So you’re an alien?” Sherry asked first, her wide eyes practically sparkling.

“Hmhm, from your point of view, I suppose I am.” I gave her a playful nod.

“Whoa~ So cool~”

“This is really starting to feel like I fell into some kind of sci-fi movie,” Jill muttered with a tired sigh.

“No kidding,” Claire chimed in, her arms crossed. “Alien ninja shows up out of nowhere and saves the world from a zombie apocalypse. That’s something straight out of a B-movie script.”

“All this alien and ninja talk is… a bit much for me,” Leon admitted, rubbing his temple. “But honestly? I’m just glad you were here to help, Akari. Thanks for that.” Then he sat forward, more serious now. “That said, what’s your plan going forward?”

At that, the room grew quiet. All eyes turned to me.

“Before I answer that,” I began, my voice calm, “there’s something I want to say—and offer—to a few of you.”

I swept my gaze across the room, landing on everyone except Leon. He noticed, of course, but didn’t say anything.

“With everything that’s happened, it’s safe to say that Sherry can no longer live a normal life. Not after what her parents did and not with what’s in her blood now.”

Sherry flinched slightly, while Claire, Annette, and even Jill sat up straighter, eyes narrowing with concern.

“What do you mean, Akari?” Claire asked, her tone sharp with worry. She reached over and took Sherry’s hand. “You said she was fine.”

“She is,” I reassured. “I removed all the harmful mutations caused by the G-Virus. But I couldn’t remove the virus completely, it fused with her body in a… unique way. She’s technically superhuman now. She may develop a few abilities in the future like superstrength and superspeed for example.”

That got a round of wide eyes and grimaces.

“If the government finds out,” I continued, tone flat, “they’ll take her. Study her. Turn her into a lab rat. They’ll say it’s ‘for the greater good.’ But they won’t care about her. Not really.”

“They wouldn’t!” Leon snapped—but even as he said it, doubt crept into his eyes.

The others stayed silent, remembering my earlier words about the government's willingness to nuke an entire city and their connections to Umbrella. Not exactly a great track record.

“So I’m making an offer,” I said, locking eyes with Annette and Sherry. “Come live in my world. Somewhere far from here. Somewhere safe. I promise, you’ll want for nothing.”

I added a private mental message to Annette.

‘Be grateful I’m offering this at all. If it were up to me, I’d have already killed you.’

She flinched. But after a moment, she composed herself and nodded.

“I think… we’ll take that offer,” she said, subdued. She looked at her daughter with guilt weighing heavily in her voice. “Like you said, Sherry can’t live a normal life here. Not anymore. If this gives her a second chance, then… yes.”

Sherry looked between us, nervous but clearly hopeful. “Claire… will you come too?”

Claire hesitated. A frown flickered across her face, and she opened her mouth to respond only for me to cut in gently.

“Claire still needs to find her brother, Sherry. But if she wants to come after that, the offer will still be open.”

Claire blinked at me, surprised but said nothing.

“And Jill,” I added, turning toward her with a small smirk. “Offer’s open to you too. You still owe me that drink, remember?”

Jill raised an eyebrow, her mouth twitching into a faint smile. “You don’t forget anything, do you?”

“Not when it comes to drinks and beautiful women.” Was my immediate reply.

The room relaxed, if only slightly.

But the choice hung in the air, unspoken. Soon, they’d have to decide.