[Interlude]

The life of a demigod has never been easy. Even with all the propaganda and benefits that come with the role, if one thinks about it hard enough, it definitely isn't worth it.

Especially for the 'good' guys.

Publicity? Fame? That's all well and good at first. People enjoy being in the limelight and newly introduced demigods get on the news as easily as celebrities.

But then the job kicks in. Rampant crime. Overpowered villains. The judging and nigh-omnipotent media. Once your head's out of the clouds, it starts becoming a gloomy world.

One gets used to it all though. If there's anything that he could confirm with certainty is that humans adapt. They've adapted when the concept of supernatural powers appeared and they would surely adapt now.

He would have thought that he would get used to all the machinations and standards that his new life would have gifted him.

Obviously, that is untrue. In fact, one could hypothesize that there will always be new things to come as long as the concept of 'magic' or 'demigods' is out and about.

Such as now, for example.

There have been better days.

"What's the damage?" He relaxed slightly as he gathered around his colleagues. A fellow new generation demigod straightened at his appearance.

"We're still counting the bodies." The grim silence afterward was palpable. Nobody expected this. No one expected a massacre of this scale and no one expected that it could have been done by someone that wasn't a demigod.

"There shouldn't have been that many in the bank." The doubt that radiated off of one of the cops was justified. "Especially not to the scale that you've stated."

"One of my colleagues reported the motive." He waved his hands towards the bank then towards the streets. "The man was suicidal. Possibly an extremist with ties to one of the cults. He didn't just kill in the bank."

"If you check the report, the bank was his final stop but not his only one." Another cop helpfully supplied the information.

How sickening.

"By the gods..." He couldn't keep his distaste hidden as he heard the news. "What kind of man would do such a thing?"

"That's what we're looking into right now," the cop replied. His phone was vibrating with noise as he simultaneously joined the conversation while hearing the news. "We're getting the man's background profile. Everything he did in public, we're looking into. His family life? Also being checked."

"We're not leaving any stone unturned for this one." The other cop's tone was solemn. "The media is having a field day. The public is scared and it's our job to reassure them that it's safe."

"Easier said than done." He waved his hand at the growing crowd of spectators. It's taking the police force to even hold them back. "With all the dead bodies here, I'm pretty sure no one's going to leave their homes."

No one's going to believe them either. Such a shame. He could tell that these cops are doing all they can for the benefit of society.

He eyed the medical team that was entering the bank. "No one was left alive. I'm not sure why you need doctors when we should be hiring detectives."

"They're not there for recovery. We're gathering the bodies for evidence and for clues."

"I'm pretty sure every single one died with a bullet in their head."

"We're looking into their profiles as well, see if there's any other motive other than a suicidal massacre that hasn't been seen in years." The cop rolled his eyes at the demigod's attitude. "We're also taking the killer's body."

"For evidence and clues as well?"

"We did say we can't leave any stone unturned." He pointed this out with efficiency as he listened to his phone. "There may be something on his clothes that could clue us in. An emblem or a symbol, anything really. It might lead us to the cult behind this."

"You think it's a cult?" He scratched his head as he pondered the conclusion. It makes sense. It was both logical and probably one of the more sensible theories.

"It makes sense. No man would kill this many unless ordered by some organization." He raised his hand as if halting from any other protests. Good idea, considering that he was about to retort to his statement. "Not that I'm saying that the other scenarios aren't possible. It's just my beliefs."

"I'm not sure if I should be concerned if such beliefs would cloud your judgment in the future."

"It won't." His assurance was both confident and comforting. He paused as he listened intently to the words of his speaker. His eyes hardened at the words. "We've got news."

"On the killer?"

"Indeed." The cop's mouth turned into a thin line as he caught the words. He grabbed one of his subordinates with a zeal that shocked even the demigod. "Grab an ambulance and tell it to go to this address!"

He frowned as he watched the cop hastily write. "More trouble?"

"Yes," the chief murmured as he shoved it towards the stunned cop. "He's killed before."

Of course.

He's been in these types of situations before. The rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins as he expertly navigated through the busy crowds of pedestrians was a familiar experience.

He sensed his colleague moving at the same pace. He could tell that the demigod exactly knew the location and from his hasty movements, it was urgent.

Another familiar experience, shame for him to admit it, was the large crowd of civilians blocking the way to their destination. Unlike the ambulance that ran ahead of them, the civilians would do anything in their power to get their attention.

The media even more so.

A large wall of flesh bombarded his senses as he heard the flashing of cameras. His allied demigod clucked his tongue at the obstacle ahead of him. He had been in hundred if fights but none of the murderers and drug dealers scared him more than the reporters standing in front of him. Luckily he had Shepherd with him, he didn’t know why but having the commander with him made him feel safe.

"Commander, did you know that the killer had been examined by the Nightfall General Hospital twice and found him not dangerous to the society?" It was the woman from the Daily Constant. She had a smile on her face and she was enjoying the look of complete surprise.

It was people like her that made the police department have a love-hate relationship with the media. It wasn’t about saving lives to them, all they cared about was making headlines. But he couldn't blame them when their own people were the once leaking information to them. With the spike of powerful criminals and new demigods being discovered every day the need for regular police had diminished over the years. This meant lower budget and no pension fund for a lot of them, which resulted in cops trying to find a meal ticket every chance they got.

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"The New York police department and the New York Hero association are looking into the situation but I can't disclose anything about this situation until further evidence is acquired."

He always laughed when the police used a line like that when he was younger. Like they were expecting the people not to understand the meaning behind them. If only the people of the world understood that this is real and not entertainment like the old comic books people used to read and let them do their jobs without making it so hard.

The closer they got, the harder it was for him to control his body. It was the moment like this he regretted he didn’t have eyes like the rest and had to feel this madness around him.

[ End interlude]

"What a dump!" Surprisingly, the noise of a man complaining wasn't what I noticed first. "If it wasn’t for those damn demigods..."

The first thing I noticed was the heat.

Then I noticed that I was noticing the heat. This would, of course, reveal that I can still sense my surroundings. Which would lead to noticing that I can still think which would only mean that I am still alive?

That's not good.

Not good at all.

My fingers twitched as my eyes opened at the sudden revelation. I instinctively stood up as I scanned the environment around me.

My eyes spotted a man with a burly physique with tuffs of brown hairline his face like a scruffy beard. His eyes opened up in surprise at my sudden movements before watching me with a wary gaze. I instinctively reached my sides.

My eyes widened at the sudden lack of comfort. Where's my gun?

My hands shook as I contemplated my current situation. The man, finally shaking out of his stupor, glared at him before switching his attention to his hands. He shook his head before grunting. "I should stop drinking."

I narrowed my eyes before shifting my attention towards my appearance. The steady movement of my chest all but confirms it.

I'm alive.

Alive.

Alive.

I ignored the burning sensation around me. I ignored the fusion of skin and bone and just continued listening to the word. The world paused. A cold sensation washed over my entire my body as if being doused by a wave of cold, unrelenting water.

Then came the anger. An indomitable rage surged within my body as I struggled to understand the situation.

The world was dyed gray. Time itself paused as if caught in an unrelenting grip. Despite my confusion, an instinctive feeling prickled on my skin as I watched the world crawl to a halt. Even I, who have never felt the true power of a divine deity could tell that this was the work of God.

My eyes widened as an ancient voice whispered into my ear.

'Kill...' The word vibrated through me.

Kill? Kill who?

As if reading my thoughts, the voice answered, 'Sandra...Price.'

Then the world reverted to normal. Color, once dull and gray returned back to its vibrant state. The frozen man went into motion. Despite this, I blanched at the intervention.

I noticed a glint of metal in the man's hands. A gun.

He aimed towards me.

I blinked. As if on instinct, I watched it with an almost indifferent reaction. I couldn't help but ask myself questions. Questions that I thought I knew the answer to.

What would a gun do?

What would it to me?

The answer didn't seem as obvious as I first thought.

He fired.

A dull sensation ran through me as it pierced my fragile body. I took a step back, not out of pain but surprise. I glanced at the man's shocked face, his jaw failing to lift upwards. I shifted towards the location of my wound.

It was already closing.

I heard more gunfire. New sensations roared to life as I endured the barrage of bullets that coated my body.

"What the hell?" The man's voice was shaking with terror. His eyes were bloodshot with palpable fear.

"Shooting someone you just met isn't really polite." I waved away the injuries with an almost nonchalant air.

"Y-You're one of them, aren't you." The anger and disgust in his words were evident. "You're one of those freaks."

"Calling someone you just met a freak isn't polite either." I shrugged as I inspected my form. New knowledge swam through my mind as I watched my wounds close. Abilities and power the like of which I have never seen imprinted into my mind.

Regeneration, superhuman strength, and more coursed through my veins.

"Go to hell!" More gunshots rang into the air as it trailed after me.

I have a nasty smirk as it punctured through my injured form.

"You first."

All the years of killing had prepared me for moments like this. I felt the adrenalin rushing through my body like it had done so many times before. My hand grabbed his neck and I could feel his body resisting and fighting for air, to him it was life and death, but to me, it was a dull experience because I knew for sure. I would win.

I looked confident on the outside but I had to admit that there was still some doubt left. What was the reason God had brought me back and was killing this man what he wanted? Personally, I didn’t want to, I always respected the people who worked in cemeteries, to me they were doing god’s work.

The answer rushed through me. Literally and metaphorically.

Power - overwhelming and addicting power - rushed through my body. A feeling of pleasure and elation bombarded my dulled senses. The sensations that tingled my skin could not be compared to any mortal pleasures graced on this Earth. My eyes glowed with revelation and reverence. God was rewarding me and I knew I had his blessing.

With the permission of a divine deity, my confidence was bolstered to new heights. I knew what to do. Intricate plans were appearing into my mind's eye as easily as breathing. I almost lost my breath at the sudden action.

With efficiency befitting of a demigod and experience mastered through years of patience, I strode towards the man's body. Godly blood pushed into my limbs as I easily grabbed the corpse and with little effort, dumped the man inside the incinerator.

It was an easy solution. Quick, painless and consumed little energy.

I inwardly hid a frown as the body burned. It was a shame that I couldn't hear his dying breaths, however. It was always interesting to hear the melodies of death.

I picked the gun up from the floor and found two bullets inside. I wasn’t sure but it looked like a Colt M1911. There was nothing else inside the barn except for some empty alcohol bottles and dead bodies. By now I had a lot of experience with dead bodies and I knew that letting them rot would not be a good idea.

A chilling wind blew forward. My eyes widened as my senses blocked most of the stinging pain. I scanned my form once more.

I am naked.

I clicked my tongue as regret swelled up inside of me. I should have taken the man's clothes. The thrilling rush of adrenaline faded as the remainder became the focus of my thoughts. My mind cleared as the images of carnage disappeared. I need to control my emotions. With my new abilities, controlling my bloodlust could spell the difference between success and failure.

Which means I need to scram. I need to practice and master my newfound powers before an experienced demigod discovers the murder scene.

I still have time before anyone would notice any abnormalities. I could prepare and flee to a more secure location before anyone would investigate.

Luckily, it was night and nobody could see me running through the fields naked towards the house nearby. It was freezing outside but I didn’t feel anything except for the frozen earth beneath my feet.

I winced as the stinging pain jolted throughout my body. The jagged terrain tore through my skin as if it was paper. I sighed as I felt the divine power of my god flood through my body. The warm aura coated my body, dulling my senses with its omnipotent presence.

Blood splattered all over the grass ridden grounds. Rocks and plants were painted red by my essence. I ignored it and focused more on my skin. My eyes widened at the continued growth of my power. My wounds were closing.

I smirked. I suppose being a demigod may have some perks.

I trotted towards the house with a leisure yet hasty pace. My eyes eyed the building with a judging stare.

For a house, it was old. Stone bricks layered unevenly throughout its infrastructure. Windows decorated the front two stories in an orderly matter. It lacked the transparency of a modern window but became more clouded with time. It may not be the ideal home for an average citizen but for the desperate, it was enough.

I moved forward, opening the door with careful yet confident motions. I widened as the door clicked open with little resistance.

The first thing I saw was the picture of the man I had just killed sitting in the fields with his wife on his lap. It was the only thing inside the house that had no dust on it and looked well preserved. I didn’t know if she had left him or died and I didn’t really care. The only thing I mattered to me was finding a fresh pair of clothes and getting out of here, I didn’t know if he had kids or friends that would visit so I didn’t want to stay here for long.

First thing I had to do was get rid of the burned flesh that was sticking to my body like old glue. I found the shower and did my best to clean my body to the best of my ability. The first rule to murder was not to leave any evidence behind.

I found an old hoody and some jeans that looked like the only clothes that were still clean. The man was clearly a size larger than me but it was good enough for now. The only thing I couldn't find was a pair of shoes that would fit me as the man’s feet were smaller than mine. Luckily for me, I found a pair of old slippers that fit, I knew that going outside with them would be suspicious but it had to do for now.

I kept looking around and found a couple of hundred's the man had kept for a rainy day and was looking for more bullets when I found a couple of boxes full of ammunition in the kitchen cabinets.

I opened the box and there were enough bullets left to get by for the time being. Seeing the bullets made me feel like a kid who had opened his Christmas presents and had found exactly what he wanted. I finally have everything I need to start hunting.