“HA!” Jerome screamed as he leapt up from his bed, unable to process clearly the events that just transpired. His thoughts were still in a frenzy from the night before, but his head is still attached to his body, and no mark of blood could be seen on his neck.
He examined his arms and ankles and saw that they were fixed. But as he did a closer inspection on his arm, he noticed that it was mechanical, a fake arm made to replace his real one. It was heavier and bigger, but he was able to swing it better than a real one.
Remembering the events that occurred the night before, he quickly looked around, but he saw no signs of Silent Dagger. Instead, he found himself inside an abandoned warehouse, devoid of anything other than scraps of metal which may have been used to create his arm and ankle replacements.
Suddenly, his watch rang. He was late for work.
Quickly, he covered up and left for work immediately. It was already 2 PM, which means that he missed most of the day. Without bringing anything, he headed off to the city, passing by the rails he always traveled on.
The evening before was dangerous, it could’ve been his last, and he may have never seen the light of day, but something, or someone, healed him before he died.
He examined his arm once more, realizing that its skeletal design could help him thicken air and fling objects. It was also shaped like a cone that increased in diameter the closer it was to the elbow, making it easier to thrust through air.
He then attempted punching with the new arm, but when he attempted to jab, he heard clicking noises from within the arm which made him stop.
Whoever made the arm probably wasn’t the best technician, but they did a fine job, for him at least. He was able to walk and use his right arm again, allowing him to fight any breaker he may encounter.
While testing his arm, he wasn’t able to notice that he had missed his stop. He stepped out of the tracks and unto the pavement, passing by the usual stores he passes by every morning.
Before entering the shop he works in, he checked his heart to see if it is still beating, and true enough, it still pumped blood. He then opened the doors and walked in.
“Good morning” he said, as his voice echoed back to him.
He must’ve been the earliest again, just like always. With confidence, he walked in, but when he reached the middle of the store, he noticed a pool made of a strange liquid. Perhaps the person who did the previous shift was bad at his work, he thought to himself.
He went to the back to fetch a mop, but as soon as he emerged again at the store, a young girl, someone in her middle teenage years, stands in the middle of the pool of liquid.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Jerome asked.
“Yes.” The girl replied
Jerome threw the mop and removed his coat which served as his uniform. He then went to the counter to grab some money for himself.
“Then its useless to keep pretending.” He said as he threw the coat to the puddle
“Are you this breaker’s killer?” he continued as he pointed at a corpse right beside the pool.
“Yes.” The girl replied.
“You needed to wake up” she continued
He examined the corpse before going around the store to grab snacks and drinks, all of which he has always wanted to taste, but was never able to.
“I am aware.” He said
“I’ve only been helping him here to keep things stabilized” he continued.
“Will you allow me one more question?” he asked
“Yes.” The girl replied
“Were you the one who found me?” he asked
“Yes.” The girl replied.
He then grabbed the girl by arm as they both exited the old run-down store he used to work at.
“Where is Silent Dagger?” he asked
“Silent Dagger ran after she barely dodged my Nemesis Breaker.” The girl replied
“Are you here to kill me?” he asked
“No, I’m here to inform you.” She replied
The girl then began walking towards the park across the street. It was empty of children or adults, and garbage filled the park’s grounds to the point that the grass could barely be seen anymore.
Jerome followed her to the park, looking closely at her arms to see if she tries to do anything which may harm him.
“I would’ve killed you if you weren’t you.” The girl said
“Who am I then?” Jerome asked
“A war is happening, and many desire to be the victor. But by fighting battles, they only make the war worse.” She replied
“Everyone has a goal they wish to obtain, and their desires fuel the flames of war.” She continued
The girl then stood on one of the benches and pointed her finger straight towards Jerome
“While everyone is busy trying to fight the war, you have the ability to end it. Everyone who survived became a breaker, breaking the laws of the world. And the breaker who is destined to break this war is you.” She said
Jerome sat down next to her and began to munch on one of the snacks he stole from the store.
“Are you sure?” he asked
“I scanned you with my scanner. The power you hold is not the power you own. You’re only using a fraction of it.” She said
“Then why did you help me if you knew that?” he asked
“Because my desire is for the war to end.” She said
She stepped down from the bench and walked towards the fountain in the middle of the park. It no longer has water in it, but its beauty as a masterpiece still showed despite its age. Jerome followed behind her as the autumn leaves slowly fell from the trees.
“Show me your seal.” The girl said
“Why should I?” Jerome asked
“You are aware that once I activate my seal, I’ll have access to abilities which could kill you directly, right?” he continued
“My scanner will warn me if you ever plan of such.” She replied
Jerome sighed as he prepared to show the complete essence of his seal.
“Magnus magicae, set.” Said Jerome. The floor below him glowed and revealed a magic circle. A similar magic circle then formed in his chest, circling his heart, and forming the seal that resembled a tree.
“Kominus Maerta Adminum, seal!” he continued, as the line that formed his seal then burned its way through his body. It feels as if his skin was burnt deep down, but his own senses have acquired the pain tolerance needed since he has been doing the same thing over and over again repeatedly ever since he acquired the power.
“Impressive, I was correct.” The girl said
“Take it as a thanks for saving me” said Jerome, as he shut down the circle and his seal.
“Your system is working fine, you should be able to do more with my upgrades.” The girl said
“Now there is only one thing left to know. Who are you?” asked Jerome
“Omnipotent Vision” the girl replied
“Nicknames huh. I’ll call you vision then.” Jerome replied
“What happened after I went out last night?” he asked
“Silent Dagger was set on killing you, so I drove her away through my Nemesis Breaker. She was able to dodge it narrowly, but it left a scar on her.” She said
“I took you in and repaired you through my metal manipulation technique. Your arm should contain lots of gadgets, and you should be able to run and jump faster.” She continued
“And to pay you back for what you did, you expect me to end the war, right?” he asked
“That is correct.” Vision replied
Jerome nodded then headed towards a dark alley, Vision followed closely behind.
“Destroyer is the top breaker, and he has always been. How could I even match up to him when all I could do is manipulate air?” Jerome asked
“You could do more than that. Believe in your abilities” Vision replied
“Ever since the beginning of this war, all I could do is thicken the air around me and make things fly with air. Other than that, I am powerless.” Jerome said
“Your seal tells your story. It glows gold, meaning, it could glow red when you have unlocked your full potential. You have to hone your powers and learn all the secrets that lie in it.” Vision said
“The reason why you are unable to use your powers to their best potential is simply because you haven’t practiced using them at all. You rely on the basic properties of your ability, which is to control, and you believe that you could only control air since it is the easiest to manipulate, as it is available everywhere. However, if you were to try and focus on other aspects of your ability, and other materials, perhaps you could find the true scope of your power.” She continued
“You sound like you know me more than I know myself, which is hilarious because I am the controller of my body.” Jerome said
“That is most probably the case. My eye could tell me many things.” Vision said
Suddenly, she pulled Jerome down to the ground.
“Hey, what was that for?!” Jerome asked
“Burning Eye” Vision replied
Burning Eye was another top breaker, though Jerome hasn’t seen her before.
“Prepare for battle” said Vision as she ran towards the open street
Comments (0)
See all