Before the place was crawling with police and low-level Supers, I scavenged what calories I could from the church attic. The fat pool brought me back from the brink of exhaustion, but my Power had yet to recover fully. Weakness had settled into my bones and it wasn't leaving any time soon. There was a serious rebound to Crystal, I had learned. It was not addictive, but as its Power left, it took a toll on the way out.

As of yet, I was only a slightly fatter rat, still with nowhere left to go.

People were towering giants from my level, tromping about with big dumb feet at every turn, especially as night turned to day and the population roused. They might not have been overly shocked by a rat, but one the size of a small cat caused troublesome questions. So, relegated to the shadows, I searched for somewhere to hide until night came again and I could hunt.

As anyone would do, lost in an unfamiliar city, I returned to a known territory for safety. Sticking close to the alley walls as the early morning sun took over the sky, I followed my gut until I could find a path of ascent, off of the streets. Once I had a clear sightline, memory could take over in guiding me.

A sufficiently dense pile of garbage was all I needed. It was enough to find a means of climbing to the roof level, then the way was certain. Though navigating proved difficult with little ability to jump using my stubby rat-legs, there were many boards and laundry lines that could be carefully taken across the gaps. This form was lacking the mobility I was used to, but I hardly had another mutation in me. Springier legs were not an option.

The rooftop's paths nonetheless took me slowly but surely to my destination. The same old roof with the cowboy flics on constant repeat. That was where I had decided my home base would be. At least until a better one announced itself. 

Here, I could hunker down and wait for my Power to rebound. Bonus factor; I could do it with some entertainment. All's well that ends well, as the humans say.

Naturally, nothing could be so simple in my life.

As I came up to the window, the house was not as deserted as it had been earlier. Instead, there was a man and his wife cooking breakfast while they seemed to be getting ready for work. It was a cramped space, but they danced around each other with considerable experience to do their tasks. Countless mornings of the same routine made for tight coordination.

As long as they left promptly, I figured, there would be no major problems here. It was almost cute to see, the little romantic flourishes they made as breakfast was created and the shirts were buttoned.

The TV had been flipped off to save power and the fold-out bed had been collapsed back into a couch. Sitting my little body down on the windowsill, I hoped they wouldn't see me in the dusky morning light. But I was too tired to keep going in search of a different resting place, so I accepted the possibility.

Suddenly, the man and woman turned to look at their front door. Through the glass, I could hear the locks sliding undone. Someone was coming in, and they had a key. With my interest piqued, I sat up a little to try and see past them.

Not an intruder, but by the look on their face, it was not welcome meeting either. Bad news turned worse.

The two looked shocked to see their son enter the house with torn up clothes on his back. But that was not nearly the limit of their surprise and confusion. Even as he closed the door behind himself and threw off his shoes, they stood perfectly still, unsure almost of if this person was their son. Watching intently, I could only wonder why.

Surely, I thought, this can't be new?

"Daniel!" The young man's mother shouted, worry finally breaking her out of her trance. "What in God's name happened to you?!"

He sat back on the couch and breathed out a heavy sigh. "It's been a long night, mother. I thought you two would be at work by now, honestly."

There could be no mistaking it. Daniel was a Super. His entire body was surrounded by a light green aura, and his eyes glowed noticeably. Spiderweb cracks ran along the surface of his skin as if it were made of aged stone. His short black hair hung in his face and dark circles rested there beneath his eyes. Surely, it'd been a pretty long night for him as he said. For a Super to be at their limit, who knows what he had been up to.

His father spoke out in frustration. "Did Alejandro do this to you? What the hell happened?"

"What?" I whispered. I couldn't stop myself from voicing my thoughts out loud. That wasn't... possible.

Daniel briefly turned his head to the window but did not apparently notice the black lump lazing against its lower half. He turned back to his father, giving a bit of a scornful laugh. "You are going to have to remember that I've always been like this, Papa. Your son has always had Power, see? It's not complicated. I am simply blooming a little late, that's all. You can't go around saying otherwise."

The old man was having none of it. "Don't push bullshit on us! We can't just go along with everything you do. We give you a place to live, but we have told you before... We will not be accomplices. You'll bring the fucking Americans down on all of our heads!"

Daniel took a bag from his pocket and threw it down with a thud. It came to rest on the coffee table by his feet, only heightening the tension in the room.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

My eyes lit up. The bag of Crystal was full to the brim where it fell. So much potential in so little space, just sitting by some guy's feet.

After admiring his own green glow across his hands, Daniel explained. "Once I survive the awakening, I will go to live at the King's palace, so you don't need to worry about that. You won't have to look at me anymore after this. I know I am a disappointment to you because you resent a better life. You are both too spineless to follow me down my path out of this gutter... I'm sad for you."

"We're not trying to control you," the mother pleaded, trying to deescalate. "We just don't understand what's happened. How is this possible for you to look so different?"

"All you need know," Daniel said, "is that the King has given me this gift. As long as I remain loyal to him, and I always will... Then, I can live the dream you both know I've always had. I can do the impossible now, mamma." In speaking, the emotion which came over his face was hard for him to contain as his eyes drifted into a detached stare. This was a man who had seen the face of his God, as far as he was concerned. Overcome with an almost religious experience, the gift he had been granted was overwhelming.

From what he was saying, I couldn't believe it. The Conquistador had the ability to awaken Powers in a person and he was keeping it secret. Whether temporary or permanent, he had given this Daniel not just random strength, but a unique and personal set of his very own abilities.

With a Power like that, the Conquistador could make an army greater even than the Lich King's. He could be planning an all-out war. By the laws of randomness alone, he would come across spectacular Utility Powers, the true dark horse of any Super conflict.

Seraph had to know about this, I decided. Watching as the parents agonized over the ticking clock, I simply marveled. How long did the southern border have before war broke out? 

The father angrily tucked in his shirt and pointed to his son, breaking me from my spell. "We will continue this conversation tonight! You stay right here. Forget what your mother says. I won't allow you to give your life to a mad man, understand!? Stay put!" he ordered.

On Daniel's face, I could tell he had no plans to stick around. He only shrugged. "It is a little late to care now. You never cared as long as I was a nobody running Crustal, but now that I move up? Tsk." He leaned forward to grab one of the blue rocks from his bag. He popped a max dose in his mouth like a piece of candy.

The mother was conflicted. "Maybe I should stay, Pappa? I can talk this through with him. The boss will let me miss a day of work. Please."

Before anything more could be said, Daniel stopped her. "There is nothing for us to talk about. You don't need to go to work if you do not want to, but you can't stay here. I need to sleep and build up my strength for the awakening. Soon, I will be taking care of you both, like I always said I would. I always look after my own... So does the King. A good man. A man worth following..."

His father was stone-faced as he forced the wife to head out with him. He could not bear anymore of this conflict, nor leave his wife to bear it for him. They were working people, and they had to keep moving. The chaos of schemes and Power was a plague that they ran away from. Right through the door of their tiny, miserable apartment, leaving Daniel talking to himself.

Everybody was merely trying to survive and help those they cared about, I mused. Even if it meant separation and coldness with them. Some were willing to risk more than others to do it.

After the door creaked shut, Daniel turned on the TV. My luck took a turn for the better, with old Clint's face coming with an electric crackle back into view. As Daniel threw a blanket over himself and relaxed, he watched idly and waited for sleep to take him. That was his routine.

Yet, he turned his head towards the window. He addressed me directly and confidently, taking me completely by surprise. "The Conquistador sent you, didn't he?"

Oh, shit. I froze for a second, thinking of what to say. With lying as my only choice, I sat up to boldly to answer him. "Y-yes. Just checking you made it home." I grit my teeth. I should have left the moment the house was not empty. Better yet, the moment a humungous threat traipsed through the front door.

He looked back to his movie. "Did you enjoy the show? They're frightful people. Scaredy cats!"

Daniel was speaking about his parents, I realized. With so many plans rushing through my head, I had missed that fact at first, leaving an awkward silence in the gap. "Most are," was my hesitant reply. 

Being mistaken for an animal spy of the Crystal King was a convenient cover, but it had me wondering. Crows perched all around the area where I laid, most facing Daniel's house. What if this was not such an unusual means for spies here, I worried. Had I just given away myself to the real feathered watchers?

There was barely enough energy in my body for me to run if I needed to. At this rate, any conflict would have me reduced to a single cell form.

"You have a nice sleep," I said, continuing the lie. "We'll uh... continue to check up on you, Daniel."

A prompt end to our interaction satisfied him. He was quite used to speaking with strange animals, apparently. "Very good," he nodded. Taking hold of a string on the couch, Daniel closed the blinds and hid away my entertainment behind them.

My heart was pounding. With a wary eye to the flocks of crows that only happened to be growing in number, I started to climb down and back to street level. My paranoia doubled as some of them hopped over to the roof's ledge to watch my descent. It was merely prey instinct, I told myself. Crows watching a potential scavenge on the move.

As I hit ground level, jumping off the mound of garbage, I grabbed a banana peel to eat. Chewing nervously, I stared at the blackbirds and waited for them to move again.

Minutes passed before they finally alighted and went to go and find some other rat to bother. I had elected not to run away, both to avoid appearing guilty and because I really didn't have the stamina. It didn't make this garbage any tastier or assuage my worries, but the gamble had paid off for now. I was in the clear.

This city was turning out to be a far more dangerous place than I had expected. There were Crystal gang members and American Heroes on every corner. And caught between all that violence, people tried to live their lives and get by. Myself included.

I set the goal that by nightfall, I would be back to half my previous size. Then, once everyone was sleeping, I would go on the prowl for another dose of Crystal. I would only need one rock if I wanted to try flying across the border. It was a half-finished plan with enormous risk. Getting caught in the Killzone might put my healing abilities to the test. Might even be more than they could handle.

Now, if I only had more Crystal...

I could store it for such a rainy day. Never again would I have to fear being wiped back to the Protozoa age. Using the full control of my Power that the Crystals granted, I could take in and store its leftover in my cells without activation. Using slow-release, not only would I have an incredible store of mass so that I could heal back practically from any size, but I might get the training I needed to permanently gain mastery over my evolution.

The jungle called me. To fight a Kizmet would be an achievement unlike any other, and I still wanted that. But first, the chance for a different growth was too unique to pass.

Tonight, I had a date with the devil.