I held the guy down and quietly growled as he struggled. My claw was pushing into his skin, not quite drawing blood, but it was close.

“Hey!” A wet rag slapped me across the back. “No fighting in here! Take it outside!”

I turned and it was the… owner? Probably. Anyway, he stared with such a furious gaze, that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

[Sorry, my mistake.] I extended my hand and dropped a pile of Spirit Stones into his. [For the trouble… and the damage.] I grinned. Being in a good mood made me feel like being generous. The man hummed and nodded, quickly pocketing the money. I then grabbed the guy I was keeping pinned and dragged him out by the collar of his leather vest.

He struggled, but I was much stronger than the last time we fought. Some of the patrons in the pub stared, yet none dared to interfere. I guess that was one of the privileges that come with being strong. Oh, and also looking like a Dragon helped, haha! People don’t want anything to do with it.

I dragged the guy into a back alley, kicking and screaming, but he was unable to escape. He even tried to jump a few more times, probably thinking it was a fluke he failed the first time, yet I disrupted those attempts also. I hoped that would bring him despair and he would give up resisting, but no. He became even more aggressive.

[Quiet down!] I slammed him on the ground and dropped a knee on his chest, holding him pinned.

I pushed my claw once more into his neck. [Before we begin, I just need a few answers from you. State your name and place of birth. And be truthful, I will know if you are lying!] That was a lie, obviously. He had a higher Cultivation than I.

“Screw y-!”

I slammed my weight on his chest and growled, getting really close to his face while releasing dense Killing Intent.

[I know you remember me, pipsqueak! Last chance for you to speak or I’ll crush like a worm! Either way, I’ll get what I want.]

The man struggled trying to free himself, and I let him. When he finally gave up struggling I lifted my knee up slightly, just enough to allow him to speak.

“My name is Adam!” He finally shouted defiantly. “I was born in Kinerma, you fucking monster! Not that you would have heard of it!”

[Oh, yeah? Which country? Which kingdom?!] I said, excited, shaking him by the shoulders.

“Russia!” He roared.

Silence descended on the empty back alley. Anyone lingering in it had long since escaped, unwilling to get involved.

My expression slowly stretched into a wide smile, showing my long, sharp white teeth, and then I began to laugh.

[Ha. Haha. Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!] I roared with laughter for quite some time, the thoughts in my head each more ludicrous than the other.

[I knew it! I knew there was something wrong with your face! No wonder!] I stopped laughing, but I was still in a great mood. [That’s an interesting weapon you have…] I said as I examined the high-caliber rifle. [I haven’t seen anything like it in quite a while. So brazenly displaying a magic gun... You are quite far from home, aren’t you, Russian man?]

The man opened his eyes wide. There was a trace of fear behind his gaze.

I stood up and tossed back his weapon. He caught it expertly and then slowly stood up, expression wary and the barrel pointed at my chest.

[Come now, we both know you can’t hurt me with that pea shooter of yours.] I moved the gun to the side and touched his shoulder. Adam flinched back in pain and then hissed as my energy invaded his body.

[Relax. It’s just a brand, hehe. In case you try to escape again, I’ll be able to find you. So maybe... don’t?]

He stared at me with an angry frown while clenching his teeth. I couldn’t care less if he didn’t like it, I was not going on a wild goose chase just after finding him.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

My body trembled and I reverted to my smaller, human form. That way we would be on the same level and could speak like equals… even though we weren’t.

“What do you want?” He hissed.

[What do I want? Everything.] I admitted flatly. [But if you mean what I want from you, the answer is much more simple.]

I took a step closer and smiled. [I want your mind. I want your memories. I want to know everything you know. Capisce?]

The word not used by people of this new world achieved its desired effect. Adam’s eyes enlarged and an unmistakable rush of fear went through his body. “Who- Who are you?!” He stammered.

I absentmindedly examined my nails. [Does it really matter?] I then looked at him, staring right into his eyes, into his Soul. [We are going to have a talk, a long one, and you will provide me with the answers I seek. But not here, not now.]

I turned, scanning the area for any eavesdroppers, but there weren’t any as far as I could tell.

[You probably know this place better than me. Let’s go somewhere private.] What I wanted to talk about wasn’t just for anyone to hear.

“I’m not taking you to my home.” The guy immediately said. What a perfect suggestion!

[You have a home? Excellent! Take me there.]

“No!”

[Yes.]

“Absolutely not! I refuse!” Adam remained adamant in his stance. I just rolled my eyes and then looked at him.

[Take me to your home.]

My Soul power crashed into his mind, his superior Realm offering almost no protection, and in a split-second, his eyes glazed over.

“As you wish. Follow me.” He said and turned, walking back to the main road.

I placed my hands behind my back and straightened up, following him with a smile. After about an hour we reached his home, though he did awaken from the stupor a few times and tried to protest, but I just repeated my order and he fell in line without any resistance.

“Here we are.” Adam said as we stood in front of a nice house in the better part of The City. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it did look like a cozy little place. No doubt the house itself was quite expensive, judging by the proximity to the inner city.

Adam went and knocked on the front door.

Soon there came a sound from within and the magic lock on the door disappeared, opening wide. Out came a pretty-looking redhead. “Oh, you are back already! I see you have found John- Wait, you are not John?” The woman frowned as she noticed me.

So there was another one, eh? I felt the same call coming from her as I did from Adam. And maybe it was the same for this John. That could explain why I was getting all those random feelings.

[Oh, hi! Name’s Gerald. I just found your friend Adam over here and-]

“Friend? He’s my husband.” The woman scowled and looked closer at her husband. “Adam, what’s… Adam?”

The guy was still out of it, staring blankly into space. Obviously, she noticed. Unfortunately, the guy chose that exact moment to regain his wits.

“Alexandra?” He looked with confusion at his wife, but then he turned, noticing me. His expression changed to one of aggression and he jumped between us, his Aura blazing.

“Get inside! Now! He’s dangerous! Don’t let him-!”

My hand clamped around his mouth, cutting his shouting short. We were close to the main road, I really didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention. His wife was unfortunately a brave one and immediately pulled out a blade, going for my neck. I didn’t even bother blocking. The dagger simply slid across my skin without even leaving a mark, and I pushed my way into the house, closing the door behind me.

Adam struggled and Alexandra attacked me without end, trying to stab me, but I just ignored them both until I found a room with a table and chairs. During the entire time, my energy was circulating around me, forming a sort of barrier to block any stray blasts. It didn’t matter what they tried to do, since, unless they were close to the peak of Spirit Realm, none could hurt me.

[Stop… Stop!] I said, but they didn’t listen.

[Stop!]

They froze. [Take a seat.] They did. I released Adam and took a chair for myself. [You will gradually regain your control, but as soon as your emotions spike, I’ll lock you again. Release.]

Consciousness returned to the two Cultivators, but Adam was unfortunately still ready to go. I snapped my fingers and he went stiff. I then released him and he tried to kill me again. Annoying.

I repeated it again and again, however unlike him, his wife quickly realized the reality of the situation and just sat quietly in her seat. Alexandra sat worriedly while watching her husband go in and out of consciousness, but there was nothing we could do, aside from completely breaking him, to calm him down.

Eventually, he got tired enough from mentally swapping states of consciousness that he didn’t attack immediately upon awakening. Progress.

[Right then…] I clapped my hands and they both tensed up, their attention fully focused.

[As I said, I’m just here to talk. Let’s start with something simple.] I said. [For example, what are you doing here?]

Adam already rose to argue, but Alexandra held his hand and spoke in his stead. “What do you mean by that? This is our home! We paid for it just like anyone else. If you think we are just going to-”

[No, no, no…] I lifted my hand to stop her. [I’m not talking about this place. Or this city, or heck, I don’t care about this continent either. No, what I’m asking is… Why are you here, on this planet, Russian girl?]

Alexandra’s eyes widened and she turned to Adam who was frowning with his arms crossed.

[You are from Russia, right?]

She nodded but I could see fear in her eyes for some reason.

[Okay. Then that’s simple. I want to know exactly how, why, and when you came here. I didn’t expect anyone else coming from Earth, but since you are here…] I grinned like a devil. [Might as well tell me your part of the story, right?]