The best reunions are crazy, bloody, and deadly! Wait, what?! That’s not— This one is no exception. ENJOY!
.
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“Jack, you’re back?!!”
That, he finally was, and for good this time.
Yet, before he could even say anything, a tiny body launched itself at him, Lilly hugging him with all her strength, as if she’d never let go, something crazy happening.
Her Quirk went out of control.
WARP!
WARP!
WARP!
…
In their tiny kitchen, a sibling duo suddenly started warping all over the place, if only a few centimeters at a time, her emotions and mind clearly in chaos.
And as he looked down at her face, all he saw were tears. Tears of relief, but also an emotion so primal it couldn’t be explained in words; to her, he was her ANCHOR!
He was the brother she loved so much.
He was almost like a parental figure.
He was the only family she had left.
…
It had been the two of them forever.
First the training, then his sudden disappearance... it had all been too much to handle. Yes, she had received his message explaining it all, but that did little for her worried heart!
Yet, even as the tears kept flowing, there was no reproach to be found in her. She didn’t care about anything else. She just wanted to hug him forever.
The two didn’t speak and just remained like that.
She kept tearing up, and he kept hugging.
Oh, and they kept warping…
WARP!
WARP!
WARP!
….
It continued, all until angry knocks came from their downstairs neighbor. A few of those warps may have been slightly above ground and incidentally caused big THUDS!
That’s when she finally came back to her senses.
Yet, she didn’t let go even then. She burrowed in his chest, enjoying his warmth. He was fine. Everything was fine. She just wanted to stay with him forever.
Happiness.
Happiness.
Happiness.
…
It was a blissful moment.
A crying little sister and her big brother.
And as he gently wiped her tears, what he found underneath was pure happiness, one that turned into shock as she finally noticed his appearance. He looked WAY different!
Her amethyst eyes went from weapons to clothes and shoes in bewilderment.
“T-That?! Is that Guild gear? WHAATTTTT?!!”
Her brain short-circuited.
This was way too much to take. First, he went away to try his luck in a portal, and now he had come back completely changed?! She kept blinking, unable to process the situation.
He couldn’t help but smile, delicately holding her shoulders as he playfully winked at her. “Not to brag, but your brother just got invited to a guild. Neat, right?”
Invited to a Guild?!
Invited to a Guild?!
Invited to a Guild?!
…
Something wasn’t right.
Guilds absolutely cared about one’s Quirk! Did that mean he had actually Awakened?! That’s what it meant, right?! She found her breathing accelerating as she hurriedly chimed out.
“Tell me everything! I’m your favorite sister, right?! So you have to tell me!”
“Oh? Are you sure you want to know, now? It’s getting late.”
“I DON’T CARE! DON’T YOU DARE!”
She heroically called out. In fact, she had already planted her ass on their old black sofa with more holes than leather while patting the empty spot next to her.
With a smile, he indulged her, their reunion turning more than exciting. He kept some details for himself, but that didn’t stop him from treating her to the most epic story.
“You see, there was this White Portal and an incredibly greedy bastard selling it! But, as you know, whiteys are quite rare, so that’s why I had to leave in a hurry to buy it before—”
“Hold on?! Buy? Did you say buy?! With what money?!”
“Oh, I won a Magic Core from a bet at school.”
“M-Magic Core? That’s worth 5k Credits!”
She was already trembling, and the story had barely begun. Yet, what followed was incredibly hard to fathom, everything lining up for the craziest tale ever.
— Entering a Portal Solo
— Facing a Shadow Wolf Army
— Meeting an Eldritch Shadow Monster
— Becoming a General and Leading Them All?!
….
Then it got even better.
A Quirk and a Guild Invitation?!
The words coming out of his mouth sounded so ludicrous, yet she believed them all. Not only would he never lie to her, but it also explained his current getup!
Yet, that wasn’t even her main concern.
“I WANNA SEE!”
Her eyes gleamed with the enthusiasm of a thousand suns. And as she pitifully looked his way, Jack actually felt all his resistances melting.
“Alright, but not here. Let’s do a moonlight outing, just like old time’s sake.”
He had barely finished that she ran around their apartment like a crazed worker ant! She opened an old cupboard, revealing a line-up of pink thermos, and then she got to work.
Grasp powder from their barely standing pantry
Boil water in their old but reliable metallic kettle
Mix it all, and add LOTS of marshmallows!
…
Jack let her do her thing.
In the meantime, he dropped his Razorspear back in his room, only keeping the Voltstrike Baton. And as he returned to the living room, she was eagerly by the door.
Two gigantic hot cocoa thermos, a picnic bag, snacks, and lots of comfy blankets. She was MORE than ready to go, already leading by example as she cheerfully sang.
“Moonlight outing. Moonlight outing! Tu-du-du!”
“Moonlight outing. Moonlight outing! Tu-du-du!”
“Moonlight outing. Moonlight outing! Tu-du-du!”
….
How long had it been since the last one?
He followed, his own steps eager.
Before long, a sibling duo cruised through the empty streets of the old District. The 69th Avenue itself was quite peculiar. It was old and decrepit, yet as shitty as safe.
None dared to cause trouble here for the bluest of reasons: Charon. This place was his territory, and he had one hell of a warped sense of justice.
In the past, he had witnessed crimes quite often…
He had taken it upon himself to clean it up.
Organized Crime? → Straight to Grimrock!
Bloody Murder? → Straight to Grimrock!
Vandalism? → Grimrock, again!
Littering? → Grimrock!
…
He’d just pick bad guys and drop them along with the actual criminals he was ferrying. As for getting out once admitted, no amount of appeal would possibly work.
Thus, Jack and Lilly walked around, feeling safe.
Oh, and the night was magical!
Everything felt more alive, more special, the sound of their footsteps echoing in a rhythmic and inspiring beat. Even the air was as refreshing as incredibly… normal?
That’s when he realized. It was actually a shitty night. He was the one who had changed. All the burdens that had haunted him all along had significantly lessened. He had done good.
He was on his way to become a real Super!
“Moonlight outing. Moonlight outing! Tu-du-du!”
“Moonlight outing. Moonlight outing! Tu-du-du!”
“Moonlight outing. Moonlight outing! Tu-du-du!”
…
As soon as he joined her sweet chorus, she winced. Yet, she didn’t complain about all the notes he was missing, nor did she say anything people closed their blinds in fright.
Besides, where they were going wasn’t any less spooky.
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Before long, they reached their destination, one that would have sent chills down the spine of even professional Supers. They were on a quiet rocky beach by the side of the river.
Well, River didn’t do the place justice, either.
Long ago this place had been the third largest river in Canada. But ever since the Mana, the advent of the Northern Reaches, and the Island’s solidification, it had grown relentlessly.
What had once been a mere waterway for ships now looked like a sea of turbulent darkness, one that would devour anything and anyone braving it. It was—
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
That's when it happened.
Massive glowing bodies jumped out of the water. There were three of them, yet the siblings couldn’t help but gasp since seeing one was already hard as is!
Black, with white spots.
Large, yet incredibly smooth,
Runic glowing patterns all over!
He instantly knew what they were as soon as he saw them, Lilly already dancing in place excitingly. After all, not only were they amazing-looking, but they also brought good luck.
[Ding! Witnessed Pods of Astral Orcas!]
[Congrats on a lucky encounter!]
[LUCK ++, LUCK ++, LUCK++]
….
Turns out the luck was literal!
This was amazing, yet Jack waved the notifications away.
Now wasn’t the time. He simply grabbed Lilly’s hands, the two enjoying the moment. The creatures splashed up and down, and some more, as if ethereal guardians visiting Earth.
They watched their dance with rapt attention, so much so that the two remained almost motionless for the entire thing, only their mouths moving in exclamation.
And then it was finally over, the calm returning…
“Hehe, can you believe this?! Astral Orcas! I can’t wait to tell all my friends at school, but even then don’t think I’ve forgotten about your Quirk, I still wanna see it!”
She chimed in, already getting busy with the blankets. Then, in a matter of seconds, she had it all set up, creating the perfect viewing picnic spot. She was READY!
Hot Chocolate in one hand? Check!
Popcorn in the other? Check!
Curious eyes? Check!
…
And now it was his turn. Chuckling, Jack turned toward his shadow, one that even now seemed to glimmer slightly in his vision. Then, he addressed his audience as if a magician.
“For my next trick, I’ll need an offering!
“Oh? That sounds cool as hell!”
“Milady, if you will….”
He extended his hand, and she instantly understood his meaning, placing an entire handful of popcorn, so much of it that it threatened to spill all over the damn place.
Yet, that would suffice. With this, he refocused on his shadow.
“You’ve all heard of cheese, but here’s something else: POPCORN! The preferred snack of Drama Gods, keyboard warriors, and movie enthusiasts alike. Sweet, salty, delicious, and—”
That’s when he felt his power activate. He felt an incredible desire ooze out of his shadow. Then it finally wriggled and— CHOMP! A Shadow Wolf lept out, munching the popcorn!
A nightmare-inducing maw clenched and— SPLATTER!
A certain wolf instantly exploded in a shower of ink, yet there was no regret to be seen. Its last look was one of profound contentment. What was one death in the face of popcorn?
It was totally worth it!
It was totally worth it!
It was totally worth it!
…
In fact, Jack could feel it.
From the deepest parts of his shadow, came pangs of jealousy as Ink Wolves howled to themselves in disappointment ‘It should have been me, not him!’
Yet, he didn’t let it affect him, and neither did he give any attention to the tiredness that came over him. Instead, he focused on grabbing the crumbling Shadow Core ASAP!
Only once was it safely back inside his shadow did he relax, glancing at a glowing yet shell-shocked Lilly by the side with a teasing look. Even now, she was way too baffled.
“What was THAT?! It looked like a wolf, and yet?!”
“Hehe, didn’t I tell you? My new friends!”
“You mean those are your Quirk?!”
She wasn’t sure what was crazier: the fact that a single wolf already looked like an incredibly powerful monster, the fact that apparently there were tons more, or… THAT!
As she glanced at the splatters of ink, she felt at a loss.
It had literally self-imploded on spawn! What kind of power did that? Yet, she wouldn't say anything. For all she knew it was an amazing power. Why else would a guild care?
Instead of complaining, she grasped a handful of snacks with the most impish smile, and it was enough for him to understand what she wanted. And soon, on the deserted beach…
“AGAIN! Let’s try chocolates!”
“AGAIN! Maybe they like gum?”
“AGAIN! Gummy bears this time!”
…
Jack simply kept displaying his Quirk, the family resemblance more than apparent by now. The way she screamed AGAIN would have been enough to chill a certain training instructor.
Yet, Jack didn’t mind it one bit. Every time he summoned a wolf, they’d suffer an abominable fate, and yet that didn’t stop them at all.
FOOD!
FOOD!
FOOD!
..
Just like that, they kept going.
What was dying once to immortal monsters? Shadow wouldn’t mind either since Jack would run out of Mana way before his Eldritch friend, one he didn’t dare summon.
If it took so much energy to summon a measly wolf, he’d surely die from summoning their leader! That’s why he simply settled for wolves and kept showcasing his Quirk.
Showcasing his Quirk.
Showcasing his Quirk.
Showcasing his Quirk.
…
Was there anything more stupid than that?
The more one knew one’s Quirk, the easier it would be to counter, right? Well, that’s why he loved this beach so much. It was situated at a place that was simply PERFECT!
Still, even if he wasn’t worried about getting seen, he was getting tired. Struggling to breathe, he finally stopped, only for Lilly’s voice to chime once again.
“Oh, can we do one last time? I’ll do ALL THE SNACKS!”
But before Jack could even protest, he felt it.
WRIGGLE!
WRIGGLE!
WRIGGLE!
…
His shadow went crazy.
As for all the wolves in there, they were already standing at attention and rumbling with excitement. ALL THE SNACKS?! OMFG, HOW AMAZING WAS THAT?!
They were like LitRPG junkies hearing they’d get all the skills. And at that moment, they couldn’t bloody stop themselves from begging him to let it happen.
“Alright, one last time. But that’s it.”
“You guys are ready?”
“3…2…1.. GO!”
As for what happened next, it was a shitshow. The drain was even more massive this time as not one, not two, but three wolves exploded out, grabbed their prize, and then—
SPLATTER!
SPLATTER!
SPLATTER!
…
Yet, that wasn’t all. Lilly wasn’t on the blanket anymore.
She had warped faster than lightning, her slender fingers running across the dark, corrupted fur, enjoying the feel of it until the very last moment when it all blew up in her face.
There now stood a Lilly covered from head to toe in blood.
It wasn’t just her face or her hair, but her entire being that was bathed in blood!
She looked even worse than him after his Aurora Training and barely looked human. Yet, how did she still look so goddamn cute?! It was even truer as she sweetly giggled.
“Pfft— those wolves are so damn gluttonous!”
That they were, for real.
Utterly exhausted, Jack crashed next to her on the blankets but couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked at their current appearances, utterly contagious laughter resounding.
“Pfft— Could you imagine if anyone sees us?”
“Hehe, they’d be scared for life!”
“For real….”
Two bloody ghosts cackling in the dark, having a picnic at the bewitching hour, the laughter echoing in the night and spreading like an evil curse. Yes, just as they sipped hot cocoa.
Every hot gulp sent warmth all the way to his toes, especially as he noticed the sweet in of caramel hidden amidst the sugary goodness. She had added a secret ingredient just for him, eh?
He simply enjoyed himself, not caring about where they were.
Yes, because their current location was terrifying.
If one looked carefully, they’d see IT.
Jack found his eyes wandering toward the dark, tumultuous expense of water. And as he focused on a specific spot in the distance, he saw it akin to a mirage amidst the black fog.
Grimdark, the prison Island.
Grimdark, the prison Island.
Grimdark, the prison Island.
…
It was there, a castle of despair.
Towering, dark, mystifying, and a place utterly devoid of hope. Just looking in its general direction was enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies.
It came with a feeling of oppressiveness, death, and derelictness. It wasn’t a place for the living, and even seeing its blurry obsidian outline was enough to traumatize many.
Even Supers would avoid this beach for a reason…
He could feel the mirage drawing him in…
As if calling out to him….
No, it WAS calling.
No, it WAS calling.
No, it WAS calling.
.
“This is my power. Use is and escape, but do it BEFORE the river.”
.
“̸͈̒T̴͇̾h̸͈͝i̸̥̕s̶̫͐ ̸̥̈ḯ̴̻s̴̫͌ ̴͈͆m̷̙̐y̷͉̒ ̷̫̕p̵̥̍o̸̼͆w̵̱̓ë̴̜r̶̟͊.̶̨͆ ̶̰̽Ȗ̶̟s̶̟̀e̸̮̅ ̵̟̆ǐ̷͕ś̶͜ ̴͎̚a̵̟͋n̵̼̄ď̴̦ ̸̺́ȅ̴̝ś̵̗c̴̯̚â̵͉p̴̗͛ẽ̵̥,̵̯̈́ ̴̤̌b̴̟̈u̸̡͗t̸͇̐ ̷͇̍ḏ̶̽o̶̮̍ ̸͕̍i̴̺̕t̷̾ͅ ̸̘͌Ḅ̵͐E̷͙̔F̵͖̽Ó̴͍R̵̙͠Ë̷̗ ̸̤̏t̸̹͌h̶͍̉ȩ̶̄ ̴̰̈r̸͚̀ḭ̶͐v̸̆͜e̶̘̚r̶̢̀.̴̪̕”̷̜̋ ̵͎͘ ̴̥͋
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“̵̪̺͉̙̦̼̯̪͙̼̊͝T̵̡̺͚̪̲̦̫̈͗h̵̡̢̳̞̰̺̙͔͓̰͂̏̉ǐ̷͕͔̦̯͉͂̕s̸̡̟̲̱͚̊͑͆̄̌̚͜͝ ̶̟̬̗̪͉̣͉̈́͗̒i̴̻̤̗̮̙͕͗̀s̵̢̱͔̻͇̜̺͙̘̬̋͒̈́̀͌̅͂̑ ̸̢̫̫̓̄m̴̹̀̃y̸͓͈̣̙̥͌̊̔̿͊̀͘͝͝ ̷̤̈́p̴̳̼̠̮̜̺̬͕̞̋͛͐͛̀̑̂͂̈́͜ò̵̭͇͕͎̎͒̒̾̍̅w̷̮̼̫͖̟͉̝̌͐e̸̝̝̮͍͓͐̑́̇͠ŗ̷̳̭̯̪̬̖̮̰̇̅̕.̸̻̇̇̏̓̒͜͝ ̶̧̗͇̝̳̅Ǘ̴̡̧̩͈͖͈̪͂̀̆͛͗́̋s̴̨̞̟͙͙̘͓͆̃͛̚e̸̢̛̳̥͇̺̘͔̱̜̍̓̑͗͋̈́̄̍̅ ̶̢͙̩̈́́̓̈́́͗̍͊͑͗í̷̖͎̰̓͋̾͊͛̓́ͅͅs̶̨͚̘̖͓͈̤̘̼̎̀͌́̇͝ͅ ̶͇̣̘̗̏͑̔̋̔̐̕a̵̰̣͔͙̱͚͙͒͌͋͊̓̕͜n̷̨̢͓̣͇͖͎̪̎̕ḑ̵̪͕̣̤̯̬̘̍͒̐̓̓ ̶͖͍̗͉̠̘̆̃͗́͌̊e̸̜̟̩̫͔̐͊͑̿̎̕͠ś̸̡̰͕̩̺̳̄̀̀̔͠c̶̗̥̪̺̥̚a̶̻̣͚̎̏̆̿͆p̸̗͚̜̺͖̥̙̱͔̌̀̍̐e̷̬͑̾̽̌̍͝,̵̭͍͐̿̉͑͐̏̍̕ ̶̱̱̺̲̽̿̋̈́͐̃͝͝b̶̢̧̼̝͉͎̲̻̝̓͒̈͒͋̈́̒ư̵̦̇̿t̶̘͚̫̰̘̫͍̒̅̎̍͐̿̑ͅ ̷̰̜͒̓̕͠͠ḋ̸̘̰̭̰̤̠̙͔̉̈́̀̏̃́̆̐̚o̸̳̳̠̠͌͂͠͝ ̵̳̺͇̗̍͒̈́ỉ̷̪̈̒͗͊̂͋͒͝t̷͕̀̐̓̇͒̽̀̔̕ ̶̪̩̉̉̉B̵̟̼͉̰̻͚̫̗́́̃̇Ḛ̷̢̛̼͕͓͓̟̮̝́͗̾F̴̧̭̥͌̆̈̈́͋͌͌͝Ó̷̡̰̦̱̫R̴̛̺̘̫̤̬̰̎͛̾̉̿̑̀͠Ȩ̶̡̡̻͓̳͉̗̤̰̈́̇̑̿͝ ̵̯̖̖̿͛̎̑̈́͊̿̔̓͑t̵̨̄͗̋̓̈͜͜ĥ̴̡̧̛̰͇̖̣̠̹̯̿̈ê̸̼̻͂ ̴̹̑̉͆̃̍̿̚̕r̷̻̜̭̥̖͚̞̀͂i̷̝͓̾͗̉̑̚v̶̙̯̠̜͉̯̈́̎̆͜ë̷̳́͗͑̏̓͊͜ṙ̷̟͕̪̤͕̰̫͓͕̺̌̒̋̈́͂͛͆͘.̵͓̰̝̖̳͓̯̩́̀̈́̋̍̀͗́̆͠ͅ”̸͖̪̯͆̓̾̇̇̾̀͠
…
.
It started as a murmur but grew.
A murmur, a mumble, a call, a shout, and finally a roar! Carried by the dark wind, the sound reached his ears and burrowed in his brain as if invading his being.
And that’s when he saw THEM! Dark glowing eyes, ones lacking vitality yet glowing with malevolence. Eyes gazing straight at him. Eyes that spoke of demise and doom.
They were inside Grimrock, way too far, and yet he saw THEM?!
Then, an instant later, he saw IT!— or perhaps it saw him.
An immortal monster. Dark nails, dark blood, and an even darker oppressive grudge that would soon encompass the world!
.
“̸̢͎̬͓̜̼͈͎̟̰͐̎͗̕̕I̶̢̝̹̾̾̈́̔̿̽̆̚͠t̴͈̊̈́̽̍̕’̷̙͉̗̣̦̈̂̀̀ş̷̖̦̤̰̳̳̙͊̅̌̐̕͝ ̸̛͇̥̭͎͑͑́̔͊̂͋̌̄ẙ̸̪̝̥̞͔̫̘̺ö̴̡̨̜͈͔̦̩͈̬͖̀ǘ̶͙͓̹̯̞̹̘̞̓̍͆̐͗̐͐̋͝.̷͖̳̩͇̱̈́̉́͆̈̊̒̑̾ ̸̛̻̙͇̞͇̦̬̋̌̑͑̾͑̊͘͝D̴̘͘͘į̵̛̲͇͇̣̗͕͎̻̃͂͐̽̀̊̕̚ͅd̴̮̟̯͎͑̑̾͌͆̈̔̚̕͜͠ ̵͓̪̟̺͐̄̈́̂̏͋͋̃̍̀y̷͓̬͖͓͉̿̄ͅö̸͍̯̺̺͈̯̦̹́̑͐̌͑͛̓͑̌ų̶̧̟̲̩̜̻͊͑̂ ̴̡̧̨̧̛̟̼̽͆̀̈́̾̆̈́t̴̟̻̜̠̜͇̬͚͇́͆̊̿̍͊̏́͆͠ĥ̶̨͔̤̠̙̰̼̱̽į̴̬̹́͛͠n̷̯̘͔̠̟̻̻̅̈̋̏̿́͘͜͠k̴̬͖̞͚̬͔͂͛̌̌͘̚ ̷̝̲̩͉̤̫̱̉͗̉̀̎ý̴̛̲̳͎̲̅̚͜o̸̲̠͉͈̅̒͛̄͊̕͠ǔ̶̺̗͈͕͎̼̻̻͔̎̇̍͂͠͝ ̸̲͑̅̇c̸̢̜̖̼̽ó̵̧̗́̈́̊͑u̵̢̟̤̝̣̠̫͈̓̎̓͊̿̐͛͝ͅḻ̷̡̝̠͉̱͎̊͋̀͌͊̇͠d̴̛̺̯̝̥̱̺̀̒͗̍́ ̷͉̞̼͓̓̓̂͘͘̕͝r̴̙͉̗̺͖̭̳͍̓̈̔̆͂͐̄͘͝͝e̵͎̭̣̹̗̗͈̝̽͆͌͒̋̄́̚͝͠j̸̻̺͙̳̭̘̀̈́̀e̸̢̨̗͖͙͇̝̫̬̔͌͐͗͆͘͜͠c̴̛͔͈͙͛̌̌̄͋̏͛͛̍t̵̢̢̜̗̦̙̦̰͕̖̓̽̐̋̉͊̃ ̷̜͍̺͉̟͍̼̤̹͔̉́̏̈́͋͂͠ṃ̷̤͉̻̠̣̥̎̈́̀̕͝e̶̛͙̖̺̜̻͕͉̣͋̀̃̐̊͌͘̕?̸̹̪͚̜̤̹͂̂̑͐̓͗͛”̶̜̘̹̄̅̇͜ ̸̱͆
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̸͇̩͕̣̙͉͐͛͜͝“̸͈̝̟̜̺̩̻͔̣̳̑̀̑̍̒̇̓̏͘Y̸͓̭̰͑̅̉̈́͂̿ͅỏ̸̢̨̫̘̺̞̳̺͉̐̈́͜͠u̵̢̫̾̄̈͗̏͊̈́͊͠͝ ̴̨̞͎̳͊̊̆̋̀̽̕͠w̸̩̻̖̉̾͒͝į̸̢̢̛̦͖̰̘̯̙͓̂̿̚l̵͕̘̔̓l̷͍̮̫̜̩͈̱̘̙̆͒̽̍̒͌̏ͅ ̶̢͕̦̙͖̯͓̫̘̉̽̅b̷̲̘͕͊̏̿͒́͛͐̉̚ȩ̷̳̝̙͈͍̮͚̤̱̾̓͒̿͊̐̕͝͠ ̶̫̠͙̞̦͚̦̭̘̌̌̀͋̉̈͌̕͜t̴͉̗͙̺̾̽̃́͗̈́́̆h̷̨̥̙͙͇̹̝̋̇̄̂̌̑̂̕̕ȩ̷͕̩͕͎͉͉͈̑ͅ ̷̨̣̭͉̪̻̺̏͐͛́ì̶͓̘̱̤̭̦͊͒̅̇̽͋̈́̂n̵͍̩̑̊̏͌̽͂͐͝š̴̖̣͓̰͋͗̒t̷̡̪̳̩̻̝͙̮͓̟̒̏͆ŗ̷̛̛̥̳͕͈͕̺̫̭͑͌̄͝ͅu̶̡͍͇̤̬͎̅͌̑͋̇̚ͅm̶̨̧͕̘̪̭͚̓̓͂̿̾ẻ̴̺̘͜n̷̛̠͖̲͊̂̈́͊́̑͝͠t̷͙̼̙̥͖͈̜̞̣̀͗͗̎̈́̿̐̚ ̶̖̼͇̯͇̝͇̬̒ổ̵̝̮̮̩̄̕͜͠f̷̠͇̟̤̿̔͛̏͑̐̐̂͆̂ ̷̛̗̟̜̫̩̆̑̔̎́ͅm̸̖̱̟̝̩̋͌͋̀̀͝͝ͅy̶̪̻̘͚͖̻̓ ̵̹̬͔̌̑͊̿̉̄̌̃͘͝ͅr̵̹͓̥̣̗̈́͒̃e̵̛͈̣͕̙̲̙̱͑͑́͋̑͂̒͠ͅv̸̭͖͕̜̠̫͆͒̈͂̄̊̌̒͘é̷͍̐̂͋͆͑̇̒͗͝n̶̝̱̤̈́͋̀͜g̶̦̝̓̎̒̊͒̈́͠ȇ̸͚̺̤͔̱͉͙͈̯̇.̷̭̖͌̀͊͑”̴͍̇̏ ̶̙̠̖̞̩̪̙̘͚̕
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̷͍̣̠͈̙̑͒͗“̶͙͕̱̀̉͗̐̈̿Į̶̠͚̩̰̓̀́͛̓̆̒̍̊ṱ̶̨̀̄̋̀̌̿͝ ̵̮̲̹̜̘͒́̾́͜͜w̵͍͊̀́ͅͅi̴̧̨͕̭̙̤̫̳̦̙̓̿̇̅̌́̐̕l̸̫̺̠͍̖̬͛̀͊̿̓̚͜l̷̹̆̚ ̸̡̹̖͛̃̑͘͝͝c̶̢̛̖̫͚͊͒͛́͜͝o̴͓̓̐͝n̷̗͔͎̍̾͊̄̕ṡ̷̢̧͙̼̥̣̲͚̩̈́̈́̒͂͆͘̕ụ̷̣̜͚̮̋ͅṃ̸̧͙̦̱̏̑̽̒̇̚͝e̶͔̲̿͒̾̑̀̉̕̕̕ ̸̩͚̮̫͌̏̇͒͛̆̋ͅy̵͈͌̋o̸̮͖̝̻̟̻̹͋̇̽̎̀͂̉̉͐ü̵̝̬̦̮̯̗̩̠͈̻̽̔̆.̴̡̺̳̦̯̺̔̌̈̈̉̽̎̈ ̸̨̡̛̞͉̤̺̱̏́͐̃̈̅͋͝Y̸͔̗̋͆̍͐̑̆̆͐͌o̷͙̫̘̭̜͔͍̓̊̑̐̈̓ų̶̘͓͎̮̊̂̈́͗͛̎͜ ̷̨̡͍̭̮̱͚̤͎͆͠͠ŝ̶͉͉́̍̇h̸̺͈̽à̷̛̲͇̯̼͇͎͂́̑͂́̇l̸̤͓̏̈́ļ̷̡̨̩͎̣̭͙̠̇̍̌͋͑̌͂̔͝ ̴̘͔̈́́͒̈́̅͂̕͝͝b̷̢̛͇͇̘̬͚̝̻̈̐̍̓̉̽̇̈́͜͝ȩ̴͚͙̗̣̥̩̉̒̾̍͜͝ ̷̛̮̟̱̻̞̯̔́̀̀̂͒̓̊͘ͅm̶̬̠̙̮͂̃̌̉͘i̸̢̺͕̘͙̣̬̗̭̰͛n̶̯̯̖̤͆̽͑͝͝e̸̛̳̲̺͖͈̮̬̾͂͐̈́͋̓̀̓ͅ.̶̻͑̈͒̐̎̀̓̇͘͝”̶̗̭̮̭̜̜͔̍̋
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Jack clutched his head in pain.
It WANTED it, and he could feel it. This thing wanted him to help it take revenge upon the world. It wanted to bend him to its will, and it offered him all the power in the world for it.
His consciousness was getting hammered by dark thoughts. Kill! Destroy! Obliterate! Get revenge! Except, it was wrong; it was all wrong. It was missing…. CHEESE!
Just as he struggled, thousands of voices rose in protest.
They went, “Woo!” “Woo!” “Woo!” and even “WOO!”. Those were honestly the most inspiring and insulting calls Jack had heard in his life. After all, the wolves all resented the dark being.
What a cheap bastard! Its promises were even cheaper!
Immortality, they had it already! Infinite power? They were already following the Greatest General! As for revenge, they had sent the Goblins, Orcs, and the shitty worms packing already!
They were so fucking done with revenge that they all sneered!
Inside Jack’s mind was an earth-shattering scene as Shadow Wolf after Shadow Wolf appeared, all with the same haughty, disdainful expression toward that wind.
It was too much, their voices drowning it.
The discordant wind stopped. What had been a terrifying shout was quickly squashed into a whisper, and then nothingness. As for Jack, he stared right back at those glowing eyes.
“You promise a lot, but I doubt you can even deliver.”
“You think you’re some hot shot? Think again!”
“Not interested. Go fish, you idiot!”
SHATTER!
SHATTER!
SHATTER!
It all vanished: the wind, the dark thoughts, and the creature.
Jack was left shaking with remnant dread. Whatever creature was in there, it was VERY powerful for its consciousness to breach Grimdark’s boundaries, even while locked up!
Still, he’d be damned if he became a vessel for some mad entity! He shivered as he thanked god for the Ink Wolves. Without them, that would have probably been one hard fight.
Good thing their silly minds were just built different.
And as he heaved a sigh of relief—
“JACK?! Are you alright?!”
Lilly’s worried voice woke him, her face an inch of his as she gently shook him, trying to make him regain consciousness, and only once he gave her a reassuring smile did she stop.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just need a good night’s rest…”
“Ah, sorry for going overboard with your Quirk…”
“All good. Let’s go home, shall we?”
The return was uneventful.
A few minutes walk and the two of them were back home, with Jack making sure the door was locked a couple dozen times, even knowing how silly he was being.
Then, he slipped into the most comfortable clothes, wished Lilly goodnight, and plugged in his phone, his mind still buzzing with the earlier events, suddenly feeling pressured.
Wolves were great, but he didn’t fully know how to use his Quirk, which was a problem. Sadly, it wasn’t as if he could ask anyone. He remembered the System messages.
[Hidden Path: Became a Contractor!]
[Congrats on a New beginning!]
[Path of the Shadow!]
Hidden path and all, this would probably be hard to learn even at Legendary-U. Still, he wasn’t out of options yet. Some facilities focused on identifying unknown Quirks.
They would only give a vague idea, but it would probably help a ton in his case. He should probably check that first thing in the morning, right? Maybe play hooky from school a bit more.
He could probably claim he was still “recuperating”.
The training instructor would back him up.
But just as he had finally decided…
< Ding! New Message! >
< Ding! New Message! >
< Ding! New Message! >
…
It was his phone. It had finally charged enough for his messages to appear. On there, a familiar Shark avatar kept popping out over and over again with messages.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
“JACK, I’M COMING BACK!”
“SEE YOU AT SCHOOL TOMORROW!”
“WHY?! WHY AREN’T YOU HERE? I’M FINALLY HALF-NOT GROUNDED ANYMORE. I WAS SURE WE COULD PARTY TOGETHER AND EXPLORE THE ENTIRE SCHOOL!”
“HOLY SHIT. YOU WENT TO TRAIN AGAIN?! WERE YOU A LEMMING IN ANOTHER LIFE?! HOW SUICIDAL ARE YOU?! DON’T WORRY. I’LL BE THERE WHEN YOU COME BACK!”
“ABORT! WORRY, I REPEAT, DO WORRY! HURRY A SHITLOAD! WE GOTTA PICK OUR CLASSES! GET BACK TO SCHOOL ASAP! DAMN AT THIS RATE THEY’LL PUT US IN A SEWING CLASS. DON’T DO THIS TO ME. I CAN’T HANDLE NEEDLES!”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The more he read, the more Jack chuckled.
Just picturing Sharky sewing made him smile, not because he couldn’t do it, but because he’d definitely eat the needle by mistake! And with this, he changed his mind.
“Forget Quirk analysis for now. Tomorrow’s… Thursday, September 18. Yep, might as well lock in the classes I want. I’ll go during the weekend instead, no rush.”
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late to get his first picks. There was one class in particular that he ABSOLUTELY wanted: Runic Magic, aka what Devil-Guy had been doing day one.
The whole thing sounded so fucking amazing!
Was it because it was powerful? No, but it didn’t require a Quirk! It only took Mana, and there were workarounds for that, albeit incredibly costly ones.
In any case, he grinned, already picturing seeing Sharky again.
He was already expecting the next day…