POV Main

I talked with Sith about Carol, Pine, request for help for Adam. Sith also told me about hatred, that Hail and to smaller degree Luigi had for Diana. I felt those topic were important. I needed some time, to let them submerge into my brain, so I decided to move another topic.

We called Lynx. Lynx had his lovely days with Suzan, so he didn’t participate too much in matters of Unlimited Devas. He was doing his tasks and helped when needed, but his free time was mostly booked those days. Still, it was topic, that touched his tasks.

I got requests for trade for health strengthening potion. I got good deals, for level three mixtures mainly, but I couldn’t produce it for all buyers. I thought it through. I decided to tell, how, I thought, they could be able to upgrade heart mixture to health strengthening, [Body integrity] enhancing potion. I got ability to produce that potion after Dee cracked second snippet of memory. He got info about ways to construct artificial body to himself. He said, that it was too complicated to start that project till later stages. What was that knowledge at its core. It was knowledge about physiology and anatomy of animals and ways to link it to bio-stone. My theory was, that by feeding different animals, best different alive animals, bio-stones could learn that some knowledge without memory snippet. They got samples of mixture to work with. Also Dee old diet of animals with abilities to restore and recover themselves could have been important factor. All of that combined could be enough for other stones to upgrade medicine.

I told all of that to Sith and Lynx. We, mainly they, started to organize their animal biomass feeder with accordance to my theory. It was mainly part of Lynx task. Why did I tell them? I didn’t want to hoard things. I wanted to have benefits, but also let us grow. It was also part of my need for friendship. I became soft, I thought it sometimes about me, that it was because I felt relatively happy those days.

After, we talked about some light stuff.

I went back to topic of Hail hatred some other day. I felt it was important, to deal with hatred, as people with lot of hatred hurt those involved with them and themselves. If we wanted Hail to join us, we should help him with that corrosive feeling.

I had theory about feelings at large. It wasn’t my theory, but I had my own spin on it. There is no consensus about interpretation of facts I would describe below, but there were some statistics, that made them objective in my opinion.

Humanity at some point started to research psychological and physiological phenomenon around the world. That meant, that we checked all main cultures and people living beyond that cultures, how person was responding, how body of person was responding, when they felt some feelings. Do you know, that even people living in enclosed tribes in Amazonia responded in the same way for joy, fear, sadness and anger? Response was in biochemistry of body and movement of muscles of our faces. Some wanted to add feeling of disgust as another universal base feeling, but I saw it as a mistake.

I saw joy, fear, sad, anger teamed with willingness or unwillingness as basic buildings blocks of human feelings. It meant, that I thought, that any other feeling was some mixture or complicated construct of those building blocks. For me hatred was anger crossed with helplessness. It was anger, that couldn’t be projected on root of anger. That lack of aim created another layer of anger for helplessness. That created feed back loop, where topic of root or helplessness was making more anger, that couldn’t be freed away. It made pressure to look for a way to free it. Looking for a way without success grown enclosed anger. It heightened pressure. Boiling water without release for steam would destroy pot.

I knew, that Hail needed release, which meant letting him attack with anger Diana, or another feeling, that would balance him. I talked with Sith about it, as he had some clever ideas before. He said, that he didn’t know Hail enough, to point another important topic in his life except revenge, but maybe we could use Hail as captain and trainer of squad of our supporters, that would be fated to fight and guard us against Wicked Devas. That way, we would use his drive for revenge to good use. There was risk, that Hail, would use those people as cannon fodder, so he needed supervisor. Sith didn’t want to waste his time on being Hail supervisor. I didn’t want either. After some thoughts, we decided to ask Huntress, if she could supervise other Devas, when they led supporters with different tasks.

Then, there was case of Adam. We could try to brainwash him, to counter earlier brainwashing. It was low line of action and probably detrimental to Adam. I had no good solution. Sith said, that we should show to Adam ugly face of Diana. He wanted to create false show, where someone would pretend to be Diana and would ask a favor from Adam. Then Adam would be in some kind of trap and we would help him. It wasn’t bad plan, it was just unreliable. Even, if we would succeed, we would live with risk, that Adam would one day find out, that it was show and we lied to him about Diana.

I had nice idea, that originated from Sith take on topic. Lets say, that we, Unlimited Devas, would invent special weapon against Diana. Pine would get it for some time for safety or whatever reason. Adam would find out about it. Would he try to warn Diana or even would try to steal that thing? Most likely. If Diana would respond and all case would appear as hoax, would she show her ugly side to Adam? Most likely. Risk was in that line of thought, that she would bewitch Adam anyway.

Was Adam really that important, to make so much effort, to pull him to us, asked Sith. No, I said, but Pine was very important to us. Why? I was convinced, he had experience, and if we left him alone, he would create competition. So, let him make a choice, which way we use to convince Adam. That was smart, I thought.

POV retired policeman

I was retired. I had lot of time. I liked detective work. It was like searching for piece of puzzle, then another and another, then putting them together. After that you went to culprit and asked him or her, if picture was impressive. Then smiling and showing picture to judge in court.

First puzzle piece was phone. Murderer called for emergency. He just needed phone without his phone number to do that. I knew some area, where call was made. I supposed, that he destroyed phone after. We, I and police forces went there and searched area. We found destroyed phone in small stream. There was no fingerprints there.

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We asked many people, who lived in area near burned hunter house, if they saw anything suspicious. They saw too many suspicious things. Most suspicious was SUV with bunch of young people. I didn’t believe, that they were murderers, as from experience I knew, that when there was many people at crime, some would betray others. Murderer seemed to plan this crime, so he wouldn’t came with some loud bunch. There were other suspicious cars. I used turned back logic as murderer seemed to be smart. I was looking for car or other mean of transport, that wouldn’t be suspicious. I watched lot of city cameras recording. I watched first those, that was on direction to main roads out of city. I suspected, that car would have registry numbers from other city. Police let me in secret check, which cars was marked as stolen in time crime was done or close after. I got sixteen clues, which all led to people, that weren’t involved in murder. Some thieves were caught that way. I changed my way of thinking a little. I saw some cars, that looked as one could use them for hunting purposes. Lost guy was hunter and burned house was hunter house. If I wanted to hurt someone in that house at that time, I would pose as hunter to gain trust. I got three cars, one was local, but I checked it too. Locals didn’t have alibi, which, in my opinion, showed, that they were too unexperienced to do this particular crime.

One of others was from Suvalkai, other from White Hill. Guy from Suvalkai was real hunter, so I went after White Hill one. Then, it showed, that he most likely wasn’t culprit, as he was in Halfcity with wife and too children at that time. I went to Suvalkai with no real hope. I thought, it would be dead end, but wanted to see that dead end before I would report, that I couldn’t solve that case.

It wasn’t dead end. During my trip, when I was in train, I got info, that this hunter changed hunters clubs, and in area of old one, police had unusual number of missing people. I just needed to see him, before I would report, if he could be culprit. After years of work in police I could tell much by hunch. This hunch didn’t tell me, if person was the one, that killed. Hunch told me, if person had mental ability to kill others.

POV awoken to magic

From twenty three people that went through training some started showing results. One person could generate lightning hand long. Two people could freeze water in glass. Three people got some control over flame. Two could stabilize flame, plasma into torus form, one could change flame into cone that flied through air, but couldn’t stabilize.

I was training smoothing smoke. I even dreamed about smoke. Nobody noticed. I felt, that I got some proficiency in that magic ability, but I couldn’t find nice uses to it. I didn’t really understand, what I did through my magic.

I couldn’t make smoke move in direction I chose. I just changed it flow within its natural direction. I was frustrated, as I wanted to achieve some trick, I could show and impress. So I tried harder. Then even harder. It didn’t help.

Devas told us, that they scheduled rotation in two days. Only those, that showed result could stay and train their magic ability further. I panicked. I felt that my ability was similar to plasma ball somehow. I didn’t want to change focus of magic training. I told Lily and other Devas about my discovery. They took me after training to check my ability.

They could somehow feel, that my ability was genuine, but they couldn’t make heads or tails, how it worked. More came, to check it in hope, that secret ability could be learnt. I got attention, money, time to work with them and ask questions. They treat me right, but I could tell, that some of them started feeling frustrated.

There was this guy, Nameless, En, that didn’t seem to be frustrated or discontent or bored. No, he seemed to be fascinated, that I got this magic ability. He seemed to be respected by others and I felt, that I was treated so good, because of his good will toward me. He spent lot of time with me since I developed that magic. One day he said something important.

-= What do you want from life Henry? – He asked first.

-= I just wanted to have good life, before I joined Devas supporters. – I said. – Then, when I thought, that I could build it with you, you showed me this magic abilities. Now I thing, there is more to life.

-= How much you, Devas supporters, suspect that we are different from you? To what degree?

It could be slopy question, if I answer wrong, I thought.

-= You are still human. We thing. You are somehow enhanced in magic. It’s because you are somehow tied up to real Devas, you are their avatars here.

He smiled.

-= It’s true and not true. There are important details, we are omitting.

I stopped breathing for a moment.

-= If you told me, that there are important detail, then you want me to ask about them. – I stated.

-= No. I wanted to let you feel, that there is ugly side to things and if you would stopped topic here and now, I wouldn’t talk about it anymore.

-= Would there be some punishment for me then?

-= Other than you wouldn’t know them? No.

-= So I can ask you, that you should never tell me about that ugly side and you would complied to it?

-= Yes.

-= Why? You want something from me. You want me to ask about this ugliness.

-= Yes, I do. But there is difference between manipulating person into doing something, and cooperating with person, so this something would be done. I want to cooperate.

I thought about way he talked. He treated me carefully as I was egg. I sighed.

-= You knew, I would want to know.

He smiled again.

-= I suspected, that person, who was creative enough to find out new magic ability, without being Deva, would want to know.

-= So tell me.

-= Devas are physical objects. They exist and grow here. They choose us, avatars as you called us, because they need help during their growth.

-= Ugly truth is, that they ate magic, so you started teach us, to share your burden. Did I guess correctly?

-= Nice guess. Truth is more straight forward. As every animal, they feed on biomass. During their growth, they develop taste for more complicated animals with better developed neural system.

-= So human sacrifices…

-= Human bodies for now, at least.

-= Isn’t that the same?

-= No. Human body can be taken from morgue, human sacrifice is usually quite alive and unwilling victim.

-= But there can be day, when they would eat humans alive. Isn’t it true?

-= Don’t know. Before we got supply from morgues, we substituted human bodies with lot of heads of animals. It was very inefficient then.

-= Do you know, that the way you describe Devas, and even your calmness has something demonic in it?

-= Beyond our organization, there are some chosen ones, they are in minority, that use human sacrifices from time to time as far as we know.

-= And you fight against them?

-= Not really. Devas prevent us from infighting between chosen. You, awaken to magic, will be our army to fight them.

-= Stop. Can you even hear yourself? You’re the bad guy here. Fact, that there are even worse guys doesn’t make you any better.

He was silent.

-= Why are you silent? Don’t you have anything to say to me?

-= No. You told me to stop. I stopped talking.

-= So say your worst.

-= Some hosts, Devas chosen as we officially call them, defected or died. They were replaced, which went with side effects. There is one low level, that want to defect. I hoped, that you could replace him as host.

-= And you think, that after all you said, I would want to do it?

-= Most likely. I get to know you and you seem similar to me.

-= Why would I want it then?

-= What do you want to know, before we start preparation?

He saw through me. I was prolonging that conversation, because I didn’t want to confirm to myself aloud, that I wanted to do it.

-= I want to know everything.

-= Some info is secret, depending on tier you are in organization. But there is enough unrestricted knowledge. I think, we should start with history.

Was my choice correct? I thought, that there was only one way to confirm that.