Noah Voltaire stood over Zabo’s crumpled form, watching as a puddle of blood leaked from his torso. His lightning javelins were one of his most deadly techniques in his arsenal. The fact that the young man was still barely breathing was a testament to his strength.
“I have you now.” He smiled as he bent down to look at Zabo’s worn-out face, his eyelids still wet from crying. He glanced around, checking if anyone had noticed their fight. Smiling, he realized he was alone. Opening his hand, lightning crackled from his palms, the energy pulsating with raw, destructive power.
He was unsure what to do with the boy. The disrespect he had been shown was unfathomable, worthy of death, yet the power he showed was disturbing, to say the least. Noah’s curiosity couldn’t allow such a specimen to die. New Esper powers were scarce. If he played his cards right, he could profit over him. Yet that would mean letting him live.
Noah raised his hand, a bolt of lightning coiled around his arm like a hissing serpent preparing its strike. “I’ll just have his body dissected.” He yawned as he charged a lethal attack, the energy transitioned to the ends of his fingertips. Just as Noah was about to unleash it, an unfamiliar sound pierced the air.
A metallic click resonated across the middle of the desolate street. Then, like a choir, several more clicks followed, echoing through the street. Noah pulled his arm away, the lightning fading along with it. His eyes darted from shadow to shadow, his heightened senses straining to pinpoint where the sounds came from. Someone was here. No. There were multiple.
And they were armed.
An icy dread settled over him as he slowly turned to look behind. Emerging from the shadows like specters were figures dressed in the unmistakable blue and white uniform of the Zeus Guild. They moved with military precision, their steps synchronized, and their presence imposing. Each one carried a sleek, high-tech rifle, the barrels glowing with an ominous, faint blue light, primed and ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
Noah looked upwards towards the rooftops of the buildings. More men came into view, they aimed down at him with longer rifles attached with scopes. He was completely surrounded. The elite members of the Zeus guild had come out to play. “Damn it,” Noah hissed. He pivoted, turning to see all the possible angles. Their formation was tight, calculated, leaving no gaps for escape.
No one spoke as the men on the ground edged closer to Noah and the passed out Zabo. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on, and for a moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely as Noah assessed his options. He could try to fight his way out, but even he wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could take on this many armed hunters alone, especially when they had him surrounded.
Slowly and deliberately, Noah raised both his hands in the air as an act of surrender. His movements were careful not to provoke the hunters into action. “What’s going on here?” Noah demanded, his voice slightly shaky. He hated how he sounded right now, betraying the sliver of doubt creeping into his mind. Father will be furious.
This was an unfamiliar situation, a feeling of uncertainty that Noah had never felt before. He was a prodigy, the next patriarch of the Voltaire family, yet here he was, surrounded, outmaneuvered, and at the mercy of forces beyond his control.
The hunters remained silent, their weapons trained steadily on him, their faces devoid of emotion. The only sound that filled the air was the faint hum of their charged rifles, an open threat that needed no words. Noah’s heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears as he awaited a response, any response, from the men who now held his life in their hands.
One of them stepped forward, parting the ranks like a ship cutting through water. The man who emerged was older than the others, his face hardened by years of battle. He slicked his navy-blue hair back into an undercut, shaving the sides close to his scalp. Several scars crossed his face, the most prominent one running from his forehead down to his jawline, giving him a fierce, almost predatory appearance.
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Noah’s eyes widened in recognition. Arcturus Voltaire, a leader of the Collateral Family and the Guild Master of Zeus. His presence here was unexpected, to say the least.
“You’ve been making quite the mess of the city, Noah,” Arcturus said, his voice calm but carrying an edge that could cut steel. “This isn’t Sector 5, where you can treat everything like a toy.”
The weight of Arcturus’s authority was palpable, and Noah’s arrogance faltered. He quickly bowed his head, forcing himself to show respect. “Guild Master, I apologize,” Noah said, trying to keep his voice steady.
Arcturus raised a hand, silencing him with a dismissive wave. “Please, Noah, call me uncle. After all, we’ll be family soon, once Vincent becomes engaged with my daughter.”
Noah clenched his teeth, his forced smile straining at the corners. The idea of Arcturus being considered his superior, let alone his equal, was more than he could bear, but he said nothing. Arcturus continued, his tone shifting to one of mild reprimand. “However, I can’t overlook the fact that you’ve been using the squad I allocated to you without good reason. Harassing citizens like this is bad for the guild’s reputation. Care to explain yourself?”
Noah felt the simmering anger rise within him, but he held it in check. “It’s main family business,” he smirked. “I apologize for putting the guild’s reputation at risk.”
Arcturus shifted his gaze to Zabo, whose blood continued to leak, reaching Noah’s feet. “Well, I think your business here is complete. Return to Sector 5. That’s an order.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, a flicker of defiance crossed his features. A Damn collateral dare give me orders, he should be bowing at my feet. I am the future patriarch.* He quickly bit his tongue, knowing that Arcturus held so much influence in this city and had power rivalling his father, it would be unwise to cause a fuss.
“If that’s the guild master’s orders.” He turned to leave, but in his periphery he saw Zabo laying face first on the ground. He could see his back rocking from his shallow breathing. Noah smiled. He couldn’t leave empty-handed, and the boy could prove useful to the family. Striding over to the boy, Noah reached down and grabbed Zabo by the collar, hoisting his limp body off the ground, he carried his body over his shoulder.
The surrounding hunters instantly aimed their rifles at him, a low hum of energy building as they readied their weapons to fire. One hunter, a large man with spiky orange hair and a cannon-like weapon slung over his shoulder, stepped forward. His voice was deep and steady as he spoke. “Leave the kid.”
“Ah, so the lieutenant can speak. I always thought you were mute, Hazard.”
Zeus’s lieutenant, Hazard, the second in command, looked unphased by Noah’s taunt. Instead, he angled his weapon towards Noah. “We can’t let you kill a man who hasn’t committed any clear crime.”
Noah’s lip curled in contempt. “Oh, so you think you can stop me? You were a nobody in the academy, and you’re still a nobody now.”
Before Hazard could respond. “Hazard, stand down.” He turned to Noah, his eyes cold. “Leave, Noah. Take the random street kid with you, if that’s what the main family truly desires.”
He’s mocking me. With a last glare, Noah adjusted his grip on Zabo and gave a tight, annoyed smile. “Very well, uncle,” he said, the word a sneer on his lips. “I’ll be leaving now.”
As he turned to go, Noah couldn’t resist not having the final word. He glanced back at Arcturus. “Your loyalty to the family will be questioned soon... Uncle.”
Arcturus simply smiled in response. “I remain forever loyal to the main family,” he replied, his voice steady. Noah couldn’t understand what was going through the man’s head, but he knew he had struck a nerve from the slight twitch in his eye.
Noah took Zabo’s limp form and walked away, a trail of Zabo’s blood following closely behind. As he left the scene, the hunters lowered their weapons, the tension slowly dissipating. Arcturus watched him go. When Noah was finally out of earshot, Arcturus turned to Hazard. “Keep an eye on him. I have a sneaking suspicion that the main family is up to something.”
“Understood, Guild Master.”
As Arcturus ordered his men to return to HQ, he took a moment to look at the puddle of blood left behind where Noah had stood. “This could be our moment,” he murmured to himself. “The time to strike and establish a new era of the Voltaire family.”