Melody is calling me a little earlier today. Does the job start at eight again?

"Good morning, Melody," I answer the call.

"Good morning, Mr. Wolfe," she responds. "The job from yesterday needs someone to cover the same shift today and tomorrow as well. Would you be willing to cover that on either or both shift, Mr. Wolfe? It's at the same wage."

Did they really like my work in the kitchen well enough that they want me to come back? I find that hard to believe, even if I somehow managed to not screw anything up yesterday. I also find it hard to believe there would be a third person interested in me in such a short time, so I'm pretty sure it's not because of that, either.

"Yes," I answer. "That's eight to two at Lenny's Burgers and Fries over on Third Green Street, right?"

"Correct," she answers. "Thank you, Mr. Wolfe. As another job request, Mr. Korriska has asked to employ you every Saturday for the foreseeable future to clean a room, three hundred dollars each time. I'm not entirely certain about this job, though. The other workers we've sent were offered multiple rooms at two hundred each when the call came in yesterday."

My guess on the reason for the higher amount than the others are offered is because of how much extra effort has to go into cleaning that room after that particular session. In the end, I'll make less money than anyone else who cleans the rooms through the week, but that doesn't matter too much to me.

Right now, anyway. As long as the Patron approves of me after the month of training ends, I'll probably not have to worry about finances at all. If I don't become a Sivalshi Guardian, or the pay isn't too great, then the income from that room each week will make up the majority of my income. I'll only need to do probably one or two more shifts each week to be fine on money.

Even if I become a Sivalshi Guardian and the pay turns out to be more than enough, I'll probably still do the conference room as long as I don't need to do guardian stuff. Zane is pretty nice and it'll help me fill my time somewhere warm. Then there's the extra spending money aspect of it.

Melody is probably thinking there's something shady planned for me with the offer because of the strangeness of the situation. That doesn't surprise me, though, since some places do things like that and she's much more considerate of her clients than the other agency I was at.

I've encountered a few of the places the sort of thing she's worried about, though I managed to keep my integrity intact each time. I'm pretty sure part of that's why my last manager hated me. She probably wanted me to disappear and I just wouldn't. There were actually quite a few jobs she sent me to that were shady as all get-out and quite a few, especially towards the end, where the superiors wanted to force me into things.

However, there was always an opportunity to escape before it got to that point. Almost as if something was looking out for me, now that I think about it… did the Patron create those opportunities for me? If so, then how long has he been wanting to recruit me? More importantly, why did he wait so long?

"Ah," I say. "That's because the room we're cleaning is rather bad on Saturdays and needs a ton of effort. It took us the entire shift Saturday to clean it, and that was Zane and me together working at it. The other rooms aren't anywhere near as bad as that one and can be done in far less time."

"I see," Melody says. "That's good, then. I take it you'll accept?"

"Yes," I answer. "Zane actually mentioned it to me on Saturday, after we finished cleaning that room. He probably wouldn't have contacted you if I refused it."

"Okay," she says. "I'll put you down for that, and I'll call the restaurant and let them know you'll be there. I hope I gave you enough time today."

"You did, thanks," I tell her.

"Have a good day," she says.

"Have a good day," I respond, and she hangs up.

Changing my breakfast plans, I instead cook bacon and eggs, then fix up a bowl of yogurt, nuts, and berries before sitting on the couch and eating. This is a quicker breakfast, giving me enough time after to change and make it to the restaurant.

When I step outside after breakfast, I'm greeted by an icy wind. Pulling my hood up and stuffing my hands into my hoodie's pocket, I begin walking. I really need to buy a jacket to put over this. With me having a shift today and tomorrow, then hanging out with Lucas on Wednesday and Zane on Thursday, that means I won't have time to until at least Friday. At least, I won't have time if I want to go to a store that can sell a decent jacket.

What is Sivalshi running from that we have to go north for? Is it something that hates the cold? As slowly as we're going overall, it must be somewhat slow as well.

Halfway to the restaurant, I spot a man calling out to the few people passing by on the street. He has a boy and a girl around ten years old or so with him, handing out fliers to anyone who will take them. If he's got enough money to make fliers, why is he here in the lower districts? Judging by his warm-looking coat that reaches down to his knees, and the better-quality clothes of the children and their scarves, I'd say that they're from the middle districts, but near the upper districts. At least halfway there, anyway.

What purpose does he have advertising and calling out to those who can barely afford to eat and keep the lights on? Why not do this where he's from?

Once I'm close enough to actually make out what he's saying, I tune in. He's stopped a woman passing by with three children, and the boy with him steps forward to offer her a flier.

"-who selfishly use their abilities, rather than putting them forward to help the common person?" He asks her. "These people were granted their powers to help us, yet do they? No, they do not. A select few claim to do it, but when you actually ask them why they do it, these so-called 'vigilantes' only do it to gain publicity. Right now, we're pushing for the government to create new legislation. We want them to crack down harder on vigilantes, to stop these attention-seekers from ruling our streets. We want them to stop media coverage to crush the egoists from gaining the attention they so seek. We want them to regulate power users, force them to register and obey stricter laws.

"However," he tells her. "The government is reluctant to change such a thing. They claim that the vigilantes make everyone feel safer and that the ones who go beyond reason are dealt with. Do you feel safer with them, ma'am? Why would forcing registration of power users, forcing them to obey stricter laws and only serve us through approved methods be bad? It would allow us to better regulate them and more easily catch those who commit crimes.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"How would you feel," he says. "If a classmate of your boys awakened a power in class and hurt them, and then was let be? That's not right, and a power user should not be allowed to roam free after that. What if they go and hurt others? They surely will, they've done it before. They need to be locked away, controlled so that they don't hurt anyone again. They need to be forced to learn their power, then use it to serve us. That's why they have their powers, after all."

He's playing to fears, and his choice of arguments incites a fury within me. That's not justice, that's not fair. That's discrimination, plain and simple. It's not the fault of a newly-awakened power user if they hurt someone. Even if they accidentally cause an entire school building to collapse when they awaken, killing a couple thousand children, it's not their fault. Forcing them into service after is wrong. Yes, they need to be taught how to control their power, but that's it.

I'm about to interrupt him when someone beats me to it. Not just anyone, though, but the only vigilante I actually like to keep tabs on from time to time, like to hear what they're up to.

When he lands between the man and the woman after dropping out of the sky, both adults and all of the children jump back, creating a gap between the preacher and the target.

The figure is dressed in a skintight spellsuit that's dark brown in color, with dark grey patterns on it. It's showing off his lean muscles, every last line of them. He's wearing a pair of black combat boots with brown laces, black gloves with a brown-and-grey emblem on the backs. The patterning of the grey on his spellsuit almost looks as if it's stone that's breaking apart, which is actually rather fitting considering his power.

There's no belt, his spellsuit uninterrupted across his body, and it looks thinner than some others I've seen. Most others I've seen through the news, actually. I've always wondered how he stays warm, and now that we're in even colder territory, I wonder that more.

The vigilante also wears a brown cowl with a similar patterning to it, along with a dark grey mask that covers his face completely, the spellsuit disappearing underneath it. His eyes aren't visible at all, the mask a single piece of plastic without holes.

Crunalz. I know him personally, though I haven't spoken with him in seven years. Not since the last time I saw him in school. He disappeared after his power awakened, and a year later, made a debut as a vigilante. I don't think many people who knew about his awakening and power put that boy with the suspected-child vigilante, even with as unique of an ability as he has.

Now that I'm actually seeing him in-person, I can see that just like me, he stayed a runt after puberty. He looks taller on the news. Taking out the added height from the soles of his boots, he's probably an inch shorter than me.

Looks like I beat you in that game.

What's he doing here in the lower districts, though? Crunalz usually only bothers with the middle and upper districts. He's a high-profile vigilante, and one of the best. His power makes him virtually untouchable by anyone, providing absolute defensive and offensive capabilities.

"That's enough of that, Stephen," Crunalz's voice is altered to make it sound deep and unidentifiable in order to protect his real identity. "You and the organization which you are a part of have been warned regarding stirring up fears."

"Look!" Stephen calls out to the woman. "Look at how a vigilante comes to stop me from attempting to get regulations passed! Look-"

"It is perfectly fine," Crunalz says. "To put forth new legislation and attempt to gather people who will support you in the petition for it. It is not, however, acceptable to push fear, Stephen. By playing to people's fear, you incite panic, cause riots. The homes of several power users have been raided and ransacked by citizens whom your organization have filled with fear of our kind. This is your final warning, Stephen. Stop instilling fear into citizens, or you will be stopped."

"Really?" Stephen asks. "I'm the one instilling fear into people, vigilante? Here you are, threatening me, leveraging your power-"

"I have done no such thing," Crunalz interrupts him. "Do not attempt to change the truth, Stephen. You are convincing people that power users are forces that need to be controlled and regulated when very few of them actually do wrong. I've listened to some of the meetings your cult have hosted, and you push for all power users to be forced into service without a choice, that they are given no free will of their own. You convince people that power users will destroy them if left unchecked and incite panic in people. As it has begun to cause problems for society, we cannot allow it to stand anymore."

"What are you going to do?" Stephen asks. "Attack me, as you power users are wont to do? That won't stand, vigilante. It only reinforces-"

"It reinforces," Crunalz interjects. "That we wish to uphold the peace. By inciting panic against innocent civilians, you have disrupted this peace. Over the last three days, more than two hundred power users and suspected power users were attacked by people converted by your organization. Inciting fear, panic, and riots among the general populace is strictly against the law. Leniency has been shown to your organization. Consider yourself fortunate you haven't already been put in prison, Stephen. Now leave."

Stephen's nostrils flare up, but it looks like he's decided to listen to the vigilante. Turning, he starts to leave.

"Hand me the fliers," Crunalz orders. "As they were designed with the intent of inciting fear, they're being confiscated to be destroyed."

"Let's go, kids," Stephen tells the kids. "Don't give them to him."

Crunalz sighs as the kids follow Stephen. Does this guy not know who this vigilante is?

Extending a finger in the direction of the kids, Crunalz flexes his powers rather amusingly. The fliers in the kids' hands burst into tiny pieces that scatter about for a moment, before flying over to Crunalz and reassembling themselves into a single, neat stack.

His power is to destroy and reassemble things, and he can manipulate the things he's destroyed. I'd thought that was all part of a single ability, but after hearing that we can have multiple, is it possible that they're multiple abilities?

"That wasn't a request," Crunalz says as all three of them stare at him in shock. "These fliers are illegal and will be handed over for destruction. Enjoy your day, and keep in mind what you say before you speak again, Stephen. Do not continue these fear campaigns."

Glaring at him for a moment Stephen then turns and hurries the kids on their way. Crunalz glances at the fliers for a moment before turning to the mother.

"Good morning, ma'am," he dips his head to her. "I'm sorry you had to listen to his plays to fears. We vigilantes have been working with the authorities to stop them and only resort to using our powers when necessary. I hope you can understand that most power users mean no harm and prefer to simply live out their lives as they are."

"I lost my husband to a power user," she tells him. "But that's a single person, not all of them as a whole. I only fear the ones who walk the path of darkness. I do agree that those who have destructive powers need to learn to control them, but that should be done safely and keeping in mind that if they had hurt someone in their awakening, it wasn't intended."

Her words seem sincere, and Crunalz nods, accepting that.

"Have a good day, ma'am," he tells her. "Stay safe and warm."

"You as well," she tells him, then ushers her children on.

Crunalz turns to face me, and for a moment, I wonder if he has any idea that he's standing before someone who knows his real identity. Someone who knows what his awakening did. But that's a bit ridiculous, since we haven't seen each other in seven years and both of us went through puberty in that time.

Even if I didn't grow much, I know I look different enough that someone who hasn't seen me in this long wouldn't recognize me. He probably even forgot that I survived.

After a few moments of us looking at each other, Crunalz simply dips his head to me and flies up into the air rather than making an attempt at convincing me that power users are alright. I suppose he didn't think the man's words had any sway over me.

Wait, Crunalz can fly? Since when?

Ah, crap! I need to hurry or I'm going to be late!