[3rd person PoV- 2 days later]
Ian walked forward to meet with Ruby in the appointed place before going to the lab on their first day.
"You are late," Ruby stated as she wiped her glasses.
"Sorry, had a meeting with my father." 'To spy on the R&D.' Ian thought as he watched Ruby put her specs back on.
"Let's go." Both of them walked towards the Luxury Meals restaurant.
"Have you seen Natasha?" Ruby asked Ian to which he shook his head.
"Not even heard about her after the banquet. Its as if she vanished into thin air. I can't even get her contact details of her SAD or PCD." Ian sighed as they walked in silence.
As they arrived a few meters away from the restaurant they saw a rather familiar person going into the restaurant. "Is that…?" Ruby asked Ian to make sure what she saw was not her imagination.
"They are siblings, so it is most likely her." Ian nodded as he walked forward.
"Wait!" Ruby grabbed his arm.
"She doesn't want anything to do with us." Ruby reminded him.
"It doesn't hurt to greet one of the princesses." Ian shrugged.
Walking into the restaurant they saw Prince John getting up from his desk as if he were sleeping there. "Long time no see sis. What brings you here?" Prince John asked Natasha.
"To order some food, your highness." Both of them saw Natasha bowing towards John.
"Still rigid as ever. You need to loosen up one of these days." John's eyes landed on both of the new entries inside his restaurant.
"Looks like some old acquaintance of yours are here today." Natasha looked back and froze in shock as she saw Ian and Ruby.
"What do you need to eat?" John asked from the desk waking up Natasha from her fake shock.
"The usual," Natasha replied as she went and sat down on a chair.
"Don't hold them up too long they are meant to start their introductory session in 30 minutes." John stretched.
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[Ez PoV- 1 week later]
It was easy to guess why Natasha was in my restaurant. But who cares, my goal in opening the R&D is nearly complete not that they can find anything I am working on even if they had the best spies infiltrating the base.
*Skitter* My nanobots arrived with the final dose in my lab.
I retrieved the final dose which will rank me up to rank 1.
Taking it, I activated the hologram as I walked into my hidden base where Sophia was sleeping in her container.
Ignoring her I injected the serum while concentrating on my first mutation.
One had to be extremally careful during ranking up an award to not deviate too much from their original award. Should they do something like that corruption was imminent.
For example, if someone like Luke who had the ability to generate lightning from his fist decided to mutate his award ability into the battery award like Ellis' he will definitely become corrupted.
However, if he were to mutate his award into something like generating and manipulating his lightning from his whole body it would work safely for him.
One could also subtly change the nature of his award slowly.
For example, Luke could go from changing generation of lighting from his fist to storing the power of lightning in his fist. Then in the next mutation, he could turn it into having alternate energy storage in his fist. And finally, he could mutate it to become the same award as Ellis'.
This way he won't suffer corruption and can acquire the same award ability as Ellis provided he will be limited in the potential development of it, unlike Ellis.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
As for me for my first mutation, I decided the best mutation. The longer a victim of my award ability stays within my vicinity, the faster and stronger my award ability will work on them to fully form a complete link between us so that they will be subjected to any of my suggestion in the future easily.
This wasn't deviating from my original award at all but rather strengthening it.
I felt strength coursing through my body before it faded.
Suddenly I felt the link in Sophia strengthening and integrating faster in her. I smiled at this as I went back into the cube to strengthen myself.
30 minutes later I came out with the physique of a rank 1 award user but unlike a typical rank 1 award user, I was enhanced in every sort of way including my senses.
Now I just have to wait for both my chosen ones to rank up and begin accumulating rank 1 award particles for me.
*Yawn* I stretched myself as I walked out of the tunnel before taking place of my hologram and turning it off.
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[The Almighty One's Country- 3rd PoV]
Amidst the room where several cardinals, archbishops and bishops gathered was where the pope of the Almighty One sat as she listened to their arguments.
"Most holy one we should definitely capture prince John Emberson. He knows more about the chosen ones than we do." Archbishop Robert the mentor and guide of the 3 teens who were sent to the empire stood up and tried to convince the pope.
"And what? Incite war between the empire and our religious devout?" Another archbishop asked Robert in anger.
The argument kept going and the pope carefully listened to all their argument but still couldn't make up her mind.
*Ting* Everyone looked at the door from where a loud sound of a bell ringing had sounded.
"Come in." The old pope called out.
An old woman in her 60's walked in with reverence before bowing to the gathered council.
"We received a message the children send to us before their capture and death in the empire." The woman replied in worry causing everyone in the room to stay quiet.
"Carry on." The pope instructed her.
"This is the PCD and SAD. A device now common in the empire developed by prince John to efficiently communicate from one corner of the empire to the other without any problem." The pope's eyes shook at hearing that.
"So, they improved upon their communication systems so what?" A bishop asked.
"Not just that these devices are capable of…" The woman began listing all the features of the device astonishing everyone there.
"It was the act of sending these devices that got them captured." The old woman said in sadness while Robert looked at the device in anger.
"Why would they risk capture just for some device?" Robert asked in confusion.
"Because at least one of these devices are now used even by the peasants in the empire." At this everyone's look turned horrified.
"Lilly order our research team to dismantle these two devices and begin studying how to produce more of the same item." The pope quickly declared.
It didn't take an idiot to know how useful effective communication was especially when it was so easily given to every single citizen in the empire. The empire might grow beyond powerful not long with these devices.
"Oh, planning to steal my tech are we!" Suddenly a hologram appeared from the SAD alerting everyone in the room.
"Prince John Emberson." The pope recognised John as she had taken over the girl during the interrogation to seek the information from John about the messiah.
"So, you are the nut job that kept screaming at me in the interrogation room." John mocked the pope.
"You dare speak disrespectfully to the holy one!" A bishop came forward to punch John only for his fist to pass through the hologram and punch Lily.
*Bam* Lily flew back and crashed into the wall as the phone dropped.
"Truly idiots." John giggled as everyone looked at the hologram in fascination.
"Would I be dumb enough to walk right in your midst… actually I am crazy enough to do that so never mind." John waved his hand off as he grinned.
"What do you want?" The pope asked John.
"How about when I ask of you, you…" John pointed at the pope.
"…come directly to the empire and get me out of there safely?" Everyone in the hall looked at John in anger.
"It won't be for free. I can reveal to you the name of the 4 chosen ones I am aware off after you rescue me." Everyone in the room became deathly quiet.
"4?" Robert looked at John in shock.
"What? Can't believe while you plebs spend so much effort looking for 1, I found 4 of them so easily?" John grinned much to everyone annoyance in the room.
"What makes you think I can't come to the empire myself and take you away?" Suddenly the temperature of the whole room began to increase.
"Oh, you can come to the empire and take me." John smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.
"But you will only leave with my dead body along with the corpses of your precious chosen ones." The pope became quiet as John began to clap and dance.
"Hahaha!" John stopped his crazy act as he looked at the pope.
"Seriously woman what did I tell you the last time we talked? Look upon why I was allowed to become a candidate to the throne even though I am a soulless." Everyone in the room drew a sharp breath at hearing the term soulless.
"Now what is your decision and take your time to answer. I will call back in 2 days." John's hologram disappeared.
Everyone in the room turned towards the pope. "Go and investigate why prince John was allowed to claim for the throne!" She ordered as she looked at Robert.
"Robert…" Before she could finish she noticed the PCD activating with John's hologram again.
"On second thought screw waiting for 2 days. I am a very impatient person with mood swings. You know how periods are right?" John pointed at his stomach while laughing.
"I will give you 10 seconds to make a choice. After every second you make me wait I will kill off 1 chosen 1 each. So, altogether you got 13 seconds to make a choice before the last chosen one is killed." John smiled sadly as he held up 10 fingers.
"10 Almighty one… 9 Almighty one…" John kept counting down as he closed off a finger of his, after each second.
"8 Almighty one… 7 Almighty One."
"I agree." The Pope spoke before John could even say 6.
"Aww, here I was hoping you would wait until the last second where I could lie and use it as an excuse to kill one of the chosen ones. But oh well." John shrugged his shoulders.
"You can either wait for my call or investigate on your own pointlessly like you have been doing for these past few years. Bye, bye." John waved as he disappeared.
There was a few moments of quietness before the room burst into noise.