Kyrion had taken a trip to Chicago to try all sorts of regional delicacies from the Chicago Dog which Kyrion was suspicious of, to the Italian beef sandwich. He’d wanted to go alone. His hair had already shifted from black to red as he relaxed only to be startled.

A coughing fit occurred behind him as some seemed to have followed him. Kyrion expected to go alone, but someone had accidentally tagged along on his teleportation.

Scowling, Kyrion turned to see Moca holding two frappuccinos from the new coffee stand that opened up next to the school. A dazed look appeared on her face as vertigo hit her like a hammer.

“Why does my stomach feel like it’s inside out?”

“Too much caffeine.” Kyrion lied. “Maybe you should take two steps back.”

Kyrion stated as he tried to get her to walk back through the portal.

“Doubt it. Where are we?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Two steps back and you’ll feel better. I’ll bet my younger brother's pride on this.”

“Fine, tell me this. Why do you seem to disappear so quickly?”

“I’m very flexible and love free running.” Kyrion didn’t lie, he did love running in places he shouldn’t be running. It was a hobby he picked up on when escaping from Minah and decided to practice just because. Here it was something people did for fun, most of them didn’t have magic.

“Uh huh. Guess you have to keep in shape somehow.” Moca squinted.

“Yes…Anywho. What were you doing so close to me?”

“I had an extra coffee and I was trying to give either you or Mira the drink. Since I saw you first I followed you. And here I am. I was pretty sure we were inside a building though.”

“Ah…How good are you at keeping secrets?”

“Like the one involving rings? I haven’t told my dad about it.”

“Fair enough. Well while you all were given basic magic and stuff, Kilo helped make a device that brought out my own. It allows me to teleport.” Most people wouldn’t question Kyrion on the matter, nor would they delve deeper.

“Alright. Does Mira know?”

“Not yet? It's still in the testing phase.”

Moca didn’t believe the lie. “Try again.”

“Try what?”

“Try to lie.”

“About what?”

“Kilo has spent too much time with Mira to get anything productive done.”

“I ate of the dungeon and gained powers?”

“Last chance Or I tell Mira my suspicions.”

“I could just leave you here. Then play dumb. But that would get me in trouble. Booo… Fine truth is I am a being from another universe that was summoned here to kick off the apocalypse and I’m trying to lay low until I get everyone I can prepare for what's to come. Then I go back home and spend the rest of my life with my future wife.”

“Future wife? Who is that?”

“Shouldn't matter to ya. My past is dark, troubled, and sharper than piano wire. Ya shouldn't get involved unless you to risk your life following me around.

“Where are we anyways?”

“Chicago. Now then let's find those dogs. According to the recipe, you need to start with hot dogs. To the pet store!” Kyrion felt someone grab him by his shirt but kept moving.

“Kyrion, no! Bad! Hot dogs don’t have dogs in them!” Moca skidded across the sidewalk as Kyrion seemed unhindered by the pull.

Kyrion was two feet away from the pet shelter he was about to enter before stopping.”

“What else would a hot, dog be?”

“Hotdogs are a type of meat mixture made from leftover parts, sometimes beef, sometimes pork, and rarely chicken or other meats.”

“So there could be dog in it?”

“No! Do they eat dogs where you come from?”

“Wolf meat is too stringy. Anyhow, I think I get it. Where do I find this all beef Chicago Dog?”

“Why don’t you follow your nose? Mr wild man.”

Kyrion pursed his lips for a minute and sighed. “I hate sifting through the smell of gas, trash, various aerosols and people.”

Following his nose, Kyrion led Moca to an area right next to a neighborhood. On the outside, it looked quite beat up and the area it was in was somewhat worn down. Going inside, outside of a creaky floor the place was quiet, and homely in a restaurant sense. Sitting down at a table Kyrion read the menu and smiled. “They have everything! Well, except for the pizza. But I can go somewhere else for that.”

“So what, are you going to spend a week or two trying everything? Just keep teleporting too and fro?”

Kyrion looked to the right as his scarf looked towards the reader. “Nobody has time to wait.”

“Time? What do you mean?”

“I won’t be finishing at your school. I have maybe a month or so left there before I need to move on.”

“You're going to drop out?”

“There is somewhere else I need to be, your school is fun and all and maybe in another life I’d enjoy attending a peaceful place like that. But I don’t have the free time for that.” Kyrion sighed.

“Are you ready to order?” A waitress arrived wearing an all-black uniform.

“One of everything, everything on it. I want my Italian Beef sandwich baptized as well. I can handle it. Yes, to any upsizes and…”

“Is that a joke?”

“I will eat it all here. Also what's left goes to her. Also, Kyrion handed the waiter a large wad of hundred dollar bills.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Uh…Are you that well off?”

“I don’t know how money works. Don’t you have tips and things for people who serve you?”

“That was a tip?” Moca looked up.

“Yes, and to show them that I’m good for it. Not like it’s going to matter soon anyways.” Kyrion placed another stack on the table.

“Uh..Where did you get all this money? Didn’t you just start working for the school?”

“Hmm? Oh, I have another source of finances.” Kyrion had been going around and healing terminal patients at various hospitals around the country as payment. He’d received a stipend for his work and had been collecting funds for both his mech and various uses. He’d spent the week of chaos after the demands on the TV healing the sick and injured when he got out of school.

“Is it illegal?”

“It goes against my code of ethics.”

The two stayed silent before the first few rounds arrived and vanished into the bottomless abyss. Kyrion’s white scarf turned somewhat brown as it was covered in gravy.

By the time it was done, Moca looked somewhat ill. Having watched it all disappear.

“Where does that go exactly?”

“It becomes fuel for my body and magi–, teleportation”

“Kyrion…So, why is your hair such a deep red? Did you dye it? Somewhere between when I was following” you and the teleportation?”

“Oh… I forgot about that. This is the natural color, I dye it black but lately it’s been shifting red. Whenever I use my new talents.” Kyrion said a plausible lie, he’d been shifting it to black with mana but he had to reserve a level of control to keep it there and thus released it when far from home.

“Got it. Are you the demon that Mira tried to summon with the fake cult leader?”

Kyrion felt a familiar sensation as time slowed. No, his conversation partner suddenly sped up. The swift movement and change in tempo caught him by surprise as he matched the increase.

Moca’s expression went deathly monotonous as something stole her consciousness.

A stiletto with a fang symbol on the handle was thrust towards Kyrion’s throat.

Unsurprised, Kyrion watched the blade connect and then shatter on impact as his body was much more durable than most of this world's natural weapons. Despite being enchanted, the work was so rudimentary that Kyrion could dispel it before the weapon hit. He chose not to, however, resulting in the linked enchantment lashing out revealing the creator's mana signature. “

Time resumed its regular flow as the power faded. “Moca, why did you just try to kill me?”

Moca’s eyes seemed to have gone vacant as though a fog had drifted over.

Scowling Kyion pushed mana into his eyes and saw a tether that connected to the back of her neck. The injury was faint and of a power he wasn’t used to. He then looked between the source of raw mana and Moca, finding that the signatures were similar yet basic, If this method was widespread spread it could explain the limited magictech in this world.

“No innovation.”

Approaching the waiter Kyrion placed another stack of money in his hands. “This is for the food, also. Keep an eye on her but also keep your distance. I don’t know what’s going on but I clearly know I don’t like it.”

Kyrion traced the path of injury out of the building down a street and into an alley where five people with powers seemed to be waiting. Each one of them wore the Slayer insignia.

“Didn’t ya parents ever teach you it’s rude to interrupt another’s meal?” Kyrion cracked his knuckles and approached. His accent shifted between country and somewhat refined as he tried to avoid frustration.

“How did you find us so fast?” One of the bandits stated.

Kyrion let his senses trace through them and clicked his tongue as he realized that these too were puppets under someone else’s thrall. The line extended further and further.

“A magic based Esper ability you sure got lucky. Sever.” Kyrion snapped his fingers and watched as the tether Moca was connected to snapped.

The five pawns shivered and then keeled over as they lost consciousness from the rebound. None of them were Espers or proper members of the slayers. But their minds were being used to channel the power.

“How did they know I was going to Chicago?”

The slayer's cloaks rose off their forms then flew off to find new targets.

“No no. Sever.” Kyrion cut the connection and scowled as it was a great distance away based on the rebound.

Kyrion checked their IDs and confirmed that they were locals but upon analyzing the cackets he noticed that they had a design that allied them to body jack anyone pressed with the needles inside.

“My Chicago deep dish pizza!”Kyrion bellowed as he realized he had to take Moca home and no longer had time to enjoy his dinner. “Guess I should start meddling so that they stop. I know your listening slayers! You have made an enemy out of me. Better hope I’m busy with other projects for the time being. You had my attention, and soon you’ll face eradication.”

Kyrion then walked back to the restaurant where all his food had vanished. Along with his scarf.

“What happened to my food?”

“Well. Sir, it seemed to vanish while you were gone. I don’t know how to describe what I saw.”

The creature looked Kyrion in the eye. “I sent half to your dungeon to be recreated later. But as payment, Karl wants you to visit a certain bar, and retrieve an Attache case from a man in a leather coat, wearing a fedora.”

“Holding food I paid for, hostage. Do you want to go to war?” Kyrion state.

“Favor for flavor. Karl’s mind does come from this area after all.”

“Fine.” Against his better judgment, Kyrion healed the damage caused by severing the tether connected to Moca. Next, he splashed a bit of water on her face to wake her up.

“What? Who?”

“Caffeine crash. Be careful around that new shop?”

“Fine. Sheesh, my head is spinning.”

“You have two options now. Go home, now, or follow me for a bit longer, whatever happens from here on out will be on you.”

“I can keep going.”

Kyrion squinted and sighed. “I’m going to a bar. Are you still coming?”

“I don’t trust your levels of common sense.” Moca stated.

“I’m not looking to cheat on my fiance.” Kyrion squinted.

“And you aren’t my type either. Mr.Tea over coffee. I don’t trust you on some other side of the country without supervision.”

Kyrion clicked his tongue and opened his eyes. “Would have been easier if you said no.”

“Fine, where are we going?”

“The Three Legged Table. It’s a good ten minute walk away if you go slow. Ask for the made man test. Then they'll have you drink a special tea to test your endurance.”

“You’re insane. Who are you talking to?”

Kyrion eyed his scarf and proceeded to wash it off with water mana. “You’re too smart for your good. Sadly in this situation, you got my name wrong.”’

Placing the scarf on his neck Moca sighed.

“Is that a joke back home?”

“I hope not. If it becomes a running statement I may actually have a few screws loose. Imala forbid.” Kyrion placed a hand on his chin and sighed.

“Still following. I don’t want another hot dog misunderstanding.”

“If another chiwawa steps up to me and starts barking. They are getting tied to a spit and marinated in Djon mustard till they stop barking.”

“No you aren’t.”

“Fine.” Kyrion rolled his eyes, heading out of the shop and to the boarded-up bar in what should be abandoned land.

Knocking on the door to what appeared to be an abandoned building. Ended with a voice coming from the inside. Who are you and what do you want?”

“I’m here for the made man trial.”

“What is a young blood like you doing in a run down place like this? You can’t walk around with hair dyed that shade of red.”

“It isn’t dyed. Can I take the trial?”

“We’re you followed?”

Kyrion eyed a few spots where he’d noticed some tails a while back. “I’m here in peace, and guns don’t really scare me all that much.”

“Though does everyone carry a gun here or just the people who walk around this area, at this time of day?”

“What!?” Moca looked around in surprise.

“Are you dumb?”

“No, but I prefer that to insane as a middle name. Now then, are you going to let me in? I was told to retrieve an Attache case.”

“So you are aware of that as well.”

The door opened and Kyrion walked into a strange building. The guard talking to him, appearing to be an elderly man in his nineties. His movements were clear and planned out as he maneuvered to a table and then took a seat. His expression relaxes as he hits a button on his couch and the T.V. is turned on. The model wasn’t a flat screen and seemed built into a wooden structure with limited range. Everything else in the building seemed old but well-maintained as though Kyrion had stepped into a different time period.

“Now then. Why would you want to join our order dying order?”

“A friend asked me to come here.”

“What makes you so sure that you’ll be of service.”

“Oh I won’t be but.” Kyrion adjusted his shirt and nineteen guns fell to the floor in pieces.

“I was with you the whole time. When did you have time to grab them?”

“I’m an alien, from another universe with vast and insane levels of magical power. This is normal. If I didn’t value their lives then they would be un-armed instead of unarmed. Just be lucky, Ander would have overestimated them and would end up stuck trying to identify the people he reduced to ash if they attacked him.”

“Who is Ander?”

“A tiger wearing human skin. Also he has a height complex. Now then. What's this test you talked about?”

“Malört, there is a bottle of it on the table. Pour yourself a shot and drink it.”

Kyrion walked over to the bottle, took the lid off, and wafted it in. “Oh, that's not a plant I recognize. What was fermented to make this tea? Smells like it has latent medicinal properties.”

“What are you going on about?” Moca took a whiff. “Kyrion, that's tea (alcohol).”

“Yes, tea. I just said that.” Kyrion picked up the bottle and began to down it like water. Within thirty seconds it was all gone. “Not the worst tasting medicine, almost good when compared to the other experiments. In fact, I think I like the herbal taste, it reminds me of the tea my mother gave me when I wouldn’t go to sleep. It tastes of nostalgia, but none of the sleeping herbs. The burn is a bit weak though.”

“So you were a melatonin baby.” Moca nodded in acknowledgment.

“No I was trouble, and had a habit of breaking into places in the house that I shouldn’t have been able to. Why is there a large complex under this floor by the way? I noticed it when I walked in but wanted to pass the trial first.”

“Ah, so you can tell. Back during the prohibition era people were looking for all kinds of ways to smuggle booze from one area to another. Our old leader had the idea to build and underground system that went to various shops that would buy and sell the booze. The project was canceled when Larkson found something deep underground that couldn’t be explained. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. The government made us stop working on this project, but they weren't too mad about it for some reason. They even bought some of the blueprints.”

“What did they find?”

“No idea, But the government sure was interested in it. Over the years, no one has been dumb enough to go down there and as one of the few surviving members, I am the last guardian of this place.”

“Do you want to live forever?”

“No! I’m well over a hundred, the piper will come when he comes and I will not dodge him.”

“Admirable. Mind if I go down there?”

“It’s dangerous. And I don’t recommend it.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“The case is in the closet by the door.”

“Mind If I come back whenever? I need to drop this girl off first.”

“You are not coming back here alone. You could get hurt.”

“Why do you insist on worrying about someone like me, you should be worried about yourself. Following someone you don’t really know, for no reason could get you killed.”

“We go now or you don’t go at all. How does that sound?”

“Dumb as you have no way to prove that I went here alone.” Kyrion opened the case and saw a strange monocle. Next to the monocle were two keys and a letter.

“Should the worst come to pass I ask that you give these items to a young man in red who knows the password. He is the key to finding the salvation of this world.”

“A pretty bad key. If it's me. Fine, I don’t sense any monsters around but you should still be on your toes.”