So I think I just killed Lioness-

I don't know-

I look at her and she's there, dead, her head battered to a pulp- it's nothing more than a red splotch on the ground now, the bits and pieces around it aren't even that distinct, it's all just red.

My body can't stop moving, my legs have been walking back and forth for- I don't know, it's been long enough that they're starting to burn but I don't wanna stop. Can't stop. Actually. The feeling that I got from seeing her bashed head isn't pretty, but it also isn't guilt. I think it borders on disgust. That isn't really the most prevailing feeling that I get though- No, the worse thing that I feel from doing what I did isn't emotional, more like... logical? If that makes sense?

See, Lioness isn't exactly a weak player here in the slums. She's influential and her cats run around the place, gathering information, attacking people, anything really- and I think that's where the problem stems from: Lioness has a lot of cats out there doing god knows what and what happens when she dies? Do they go on a rampage? Start killing people? Breeding?

Shit. This is bad. Very bad. I have to leave the scene of the crime before- 'Before what?'- A good question because I don't really know what's gonna happen to me when someone finds out that I killed Lioness. As far as I know, the feline doesn't have any allies and I think the only time she was seen talking to someone is when Vorpal came to the slums to have a talk with the major players here.

She was seen talking to another girl during that time, a cape with the powers to grow quills around her body that she can extend, shoot out, or turn into armor. She can also poison them if I'm correct.

As far as I'm aware, the two aren't really close so I don't think I have to worry about Dart Rat chasing after me because of Lioness' death anytime soon but the other people that went to that meeting? Jet Junior? Ace? Policia? They're a-whole-nother story.

And since I don't want to be the reason why almost all of them spent their money exterminating feline shaped, wildly breeding, genetically engineered bioweapons- I'm gonna have to clean up my mess so that her death doesn't trail back to me.

I grabbed my costume and wore it. I tested out what I can do to it using Theikos and the results are promising; I can move the clothing and the Dye can change color on a whim.

I decided to dunk an entire can of dye onto myself when I knew what it can do. The ones that washed over my skin is probably gonna disappear after I clean myself later but the one on my hair should stick. It's Rainbow Dye after all.

And speaking of cleaning, 'I should probably get started on clearing this place,' - Now, where to start? Lioness' corpse, of course. It's only common sense that the body is the first thing a criminal takes care of after their crime.

I pulled on Lioness' tail and dragged it to the wall furthest from the trap door. I covered it up by placing my old clothes over it, a simple placeholder until I can find something that can burn the corpse and this room. Which I'll search the building for. And if I can't find anything, then I can always come back here a few hours later with an entire can of gasoline.

The Market's close enough.

After pocketing all of my knives and the two burner phones, I went back upstairs and set off to the janitor's closet as fast as I could, I didn't have time to check any other room of this place- Didn't even bother to check.

I had a plan after all and that plan involved me going to certain rooms that can possibly have the stuff I need. I didn't have my hopes up since this place is as abandoned as it can get and chances are, the cleaning stuff inside the janitor's closet or an equivalent of it already got raided by a passing druggy that wanted, well, needed to get his hands on things that can make drugs.

Lye is my best bet on destroying Lioness' body (if the acid is strong to even burn her genetically modified body that is.) but since it's used to make things like heroin, this place is definitely empty of it. So the next best thing that I hope I can find here is either bleach, ammonia or if I'm lucky, even something techie made- I opened the door to the janitor's closet and sighed in disappointment, 'Of course the place is gonna be empty!'

Ok, so, guess that leaves me with nothing but a vague hope that I can go back to the market and find something to burn Lioness' body with.

I stopped when I was about to walk clear the door of debris, 'Everything's gonna be too late if I do that.'

Are the cats attacking by now? - I spent way too much time panicking didn't I?

Shit.

Left with no other choice, I walked back down to the basement and without hesitation, walked closer to the gigantic generator that used to create power for this place and the lower Gloria: As a magician capable of enchanting, I am able to push Theikos into objects and give them special effects. That process happened to my costume and the dye and the results were effective enough.

Magnets are widely known for conducting Theikos because of the electricity inside of them and I think Geniuses compared it to how Theikos got trapped by Earth's magnetic field.

Because of that, magicians usually use magnets whenever they want to enchant something.

And sometimes, enchanting can go wrong, from an effect that's not supposed to happen to a lack of power. In rarer cases, Enchanting can cause things to explode- That doesn't usually happen, obviously with Theikos being this adaptable energy that can do anything, it'd be a surprise if someone, somehow manages to do something so wrong that they cause Theikos of all things to go haywire.

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Hopefully, I am one of those someones.

Ok, I'm gonna be blunt, I don't know what I'm doing and my best bet of causing Theikos to explode is to basically just pump the generator in this room with so much Theikos that it explodes. Taking the building with it.

With a plain in mind, I pressed my palm against the cold, smooth surface of the generator's magnet and coaxed the Theikos into entering it. It started slow, like usual, but things started to get better after a minute or two of me sitting there, panicking for my own life because I'm paranoid about someone finding out about Lioness' death through some bizarre, occult related power.

Lights around me started to flicker on and off as I pushed Theikos into the machine, I felt it move, slowly spinning against my palm. Encouraged, I willed more of the energy to come and it spun faster. And faster- It got to the point where I had to let go. I looked at my palm, no visible damage but the burning feeling persists.

I rushed out of the building as fast as I could, the lights that turned it all into a horror show were encouraging enough, but then there was the sound of someone sobbing echoing across the halls.

I know that it came from the generator going to shit, that much is obvious if I think about it but a part of me- a little, itty-bitty part of my brain that helped primitive humans survived the night through paranoia whispered things to me- It's the ghost of the Lioness.

I couldn't even laugh at that thought because I was too busy running away like some kid that got dared to enter a haunted house and instantly regretted their decision for doing so.

I took a detour when I saw the debris blocking the door and went to the room directly next to it before jumping out of a window.

Shattered glass landed around me as I felt Theikos boosting me while I landed and proceeded into a roll. Tiny pinpricks hit my back and a few parts of my body but the boost managed to keep the damage away. The sound coming from the building behind me came to an all time high as the lights turned wild, causing my shadow on the concrete ground to turn into a flickering specter.

With boosted legs, I ran away and as the sounds turned distant and darkness swallowed me, I felt confident enough to turn around and that was a mistake because everything went white when I did. I screamed as my body curled into itself, a hand grabbed my face and two fingers covered my eyes, rubbing my eyelids and making the pain even worse. The rubbing stopped and then rang.

Buzzing sounds and a headache were the only things that I felt after everything but I pushed through them with gritted teeth while I forced my legs to straighten and start walking. I can't stop now. That explosion was loud, bright, and will catch the attention of brave and stupid people and if I'm lucky, then both at the same time- and those people aren't good for my health. They aren't good for anyone's health.

I walked slowly but did my best to do it as fast as I could. I willed the Dye all over me to become black, I don't know if it happened or not, but I felt something and it's not like I'm stopping trying to do it. At the same time, I also boosted myself with Theikos, feeding my body more and more of it before translating it into regeneration. Again, I don't think something's happening but I feel something- And that's what counts.

Right as long as I can feel, I'm alive. And being alive means there's hope.

I think I started groaning at some point, my body turning my pain into audible calls for help is a good sign that it's at its limits but I didn't stop, I kept going.

Something liquid and painful rose up my throat and went out my mouth and nose- I coughed and sneezed, things got worse when both happened at the same time and I fell over. Dying. Probably.

Hopefully.

And like an answer to my pleas, everything went black.

Electricity ran through my body and I woke up with a gasp. I started feeling my body, starting by tapping my chest then going down until I touched my stomach. Everything felt normal except for the painful ache in my head, my legs felt fine and my arms can move. My breathing is normal too, my senses are feeling accurate and there's no more ringing in my ears.

Looking around lets me see that I'm lying in the middle of the slum's abandoned water system. I don't know exactly which part I'm on though. The overcast sky filled with smog that mixed in with the clouds told me that it was at least day. The sun is nowhere to be seen but that's normal when I'm this below sea level.

If anything, it told me it's most likely morning and the sun is just hiding behind the tall concrete walls.

Standing up, I grabbed my head when the headache worsened. But only for a second before everything went back to normal.

Now that it's off the ground, my back felt oddly cool, and touching it got me to feel skin. So a part of my newly bought jacket is now torn. Great. Can this day get any worse? Yes. Definitely. And I hope that it doesn't happen.

I walked to the edge of the water system and looked around until I found a Sewer tunnel that has long since dried up. Entering it, darkness took over my vision until it adjusted so well that I can see everything as if it was day. I walked deeper into the tunnel, passing by a small set of stairs that I climbed, it led to a circular room, and judging by the box with a yellow lightning on its center, one that's most likely used as a place to manage the Sewer's electrical systems back in the day.

Sitting down let me breathe a sigh of relief. It was followed by me staring at the walls with vacant eyes.

So mercenary work is hard, that should've been obvious from the get go but fuck me- I haven't even gotten a job yet! All I did is fight some other cape and I'm already starting to struggle!

My jacket has a hole in its back for fucks sake!

The anger that I've bottling went out at that moment and I kicked the wall as hard as I could. I didn't even react to the shaking walls around me and just huffed after the fact. A small rock hit me in the head and I grabbed it before crushing it into dust.

'Right, Theikos.' I tossed the broken rock away and went back to noticing the energy around me. It can probably repair my clothes, right?

I tried doing and following that idea and the first thing that I my managed to do with it is move the fabric of my clothes and the jacket wriggled around me like a worm, and I felt it move across me like it had a life of its own.

I also found out that moving the entire thing all at once is hard but doing it to individual parts? Easy. So I started with the arms first before gradually going bigger and bigger as I got the hang of it.

The Dye also got practiced and I got to change the color of my shoes into green.

"I can work with this." So I did, continuing on with the practice because I only ever have time for the time being.