Kari was a selfish person. The environment he was brought up in taught him selfishness and Kari’s continued survival necessitated its presence. Some part of his psyche despised it.

But on the whole, Kari welcomed it, and justified it.

Indeed, he believed all people to be inherently selfish creatures. Selflessness? Most of the time it was just a way to pretend that you held some tiny piece of virtue in your soul. Charity was the behaviour of the strong, the lucky, or the just plain stupid.

For people who had too much. True virtue didn’t exist, because in the end, people only did things they wanted to do, based on what they felt in the deepest, purest part of their being.

At least I’m honest, the man would tell himself.

Kari didn't pretend that he was a selfless person or even a selfish one. He was just like everybody else. Normal. Justified. As bad or as good as the rest of them.

Which was why he lay in wait on a frozen street in the mountainous coal-mining town of Kajesh.

Not lying in wait for a victim who he would then attack; no, rather an unfortunate victim who would instead walk into the alleyway and spring the trap that had been laid for him.

Pure white snowflakes danced down from the ashen grey sky. They must’ve come from high above the mountain peaks, as the black soot of Kajesh’s coal had yet to taint their frail forms.

Kari stood hidden in the doorway of a frozen alley, concealed in the shadows of the sooty town. Sickly rats scurried through the gutters of the filthy, cramped boroughs. Kari’s strong body stood as still as a statue.

He quietly cursed to himself as he felt the blood pooling in his feet. It was frigid, and standing still did not help in either regard. He was miserable, and it showed on his bearded face and dark, stormy blue eyes.

Kari’s curly dark brown hair was cut roughly about his face; his own work, done quick and dirty on the road. He had no time or resources to spare for the finer things in life.

Kari had identified this alleyway as a potential shortcut, but shortly after turning into it, he noticed two people take up positions on the roofs behind him, at an angle that a normal person would never notice. Then, he noticed that there was another pair far ahead, at the end of the side street.

Owing to the presence of falling snow, Kari had the benefit of being able to precisely “feel” everything within a 30-meter radius about him.

Indeed, all people born on the planet of Apolaphia were blessed with ADAM’s Gift, a boon that granted dominion over a random chemical. Kari was an exceptionally rare hydro-hand, with power over water.

There was no telling what Gifts the ambushers possessed. Kari guessed that they probably affected only rare or specialised substances. It was only the unfortunate like them that had to resort to unsavoury deeds to survive. If they had better Gifts, the bandits would probably have a better lot in life than ambushing strangers.

Despite the apparent advantage he would have in combat, owing to the difference in their Gifts, Kari felt there was no need to risk his life in a battle when he could simply slip by. Whatever happened to the poor sap that sprung this trap was not his problem.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Kari’s many experiences travelling Apolaphia alone had long taught him that it was better to be safe than sorry.

He just needed to be patient.

The hydro-hand ran his hands over the Stasis Bracelet on his left wrist. A priceless enchanted gift from his past that he could use to augment his power. Over the last few years travelling Apolaphia alone, it had accumulated damage, becoming chipped in places. Lucky, none of the marks that denoted seals had been damaged. Who knows what may have happened had the enchantment come undone?

I should have this repaired... Kari thought to himself.

Fortunately, the engraving on the inner face of the bracelet bore not even a blemish.

‘Live in the moment’. A cliched saying, rather ironically placed on a bracelet that could partially freeze time.

At long last, someone else entered the alleyway. They walked past Kari with nary a thought, completely unaware. The two bandits ahead became alert, and when the newcomer was close, one of the bandits leapt off the roof, blocking the way forward, shiv in hand.

The newcomer reacted immediately and without hesitation. There was shouting and struggle, and the first bandit lay in the street, dead all too soon.

It wasn’t over yet though. There came a whistling noise as the second bandit loosed an arrow from his vantage point. The newcomer reeled back as the force of the blow struck him. Yet quick as the first, the second bandit keeled over with a shout and slid gracelessly off the roof, head knocking rhythmically on roofing tiles as he did so. The newcomer fell against the wall shortly after, clutching at the shaft in his chest. Behind Kari, the other two would-be ambushers also fell, suddenly dead.

Kari remained hidden in the shadows for a few moments more.

I’d rather not risk being mistaken for an assailant. Better to be safe than sorry. He thought.

Kari peeled away from the shadows and carefully approached the scene. Checking behind and in front, he found all of the bandits were dead, killed by their very own weapons.

Perhaps the victim had control over metals? A rare Gift to have.

Kari turned to the victim himself, now a corpse sitting against the wall. He pulled the arrow from the man’s chest.

Though that doesn’t explain why he’d let himself die to a steel-tipped arrow… Kari thought.

Pools of blood slowly spread across the tiles from all three men, dark rivulets worming their way through gaps in the pavement, inking in a seal of death. There was no doubt that they were dead, as Kari could now use his Gift to manipulate the water in the men’s bodies. If they had been alive, the rule of Universal Law would have prevented him from even trying.

At this stage, Kari would normally have hurried on his way and left the scene. In fact, Kari decided that he had well stayed past his welcome in Kajesh. The sooner he left this wanderer’s stop of beggars and thieves, the better.

But as Kari walked past the bloody scene, something caught his eye. The inner lining of the now-deceased newcomer’s robe. Kari had seen that pattern before. He rummaged through his own pockets and procured a discoloured rag. Kari’s hands began to shake as he compared the fabric to the one worn by the man with an arrow hole in his chest.

The pattern matched exactly.

How many years had it been?

Without hesitation, Kari began to search the man’s corpse for any clue. A coin pouch. Some rations. A piece of paper from the town square. The keys to his lodging.

Damnit…

There was nothing to indicate the dead man’s identity or the Order he belonged to.

Kari was growing nervous. His instincts told him that it wouldn’t be long before someone else came across the scene, and he didn’t want to be around when that happened. Frantically, he began to check the less obvious places: seams of the man’s clothes, the insides of his gloves and shoes…

Praise ADAM. Kari thought as he felt something inside the man’s belt, hidden beneath the worn leather.

Gathering snow into an icy blade, Kari cut the belt open and recovered its hidden contents. He pocketed it without time for examination. It was long past the time to leave.

Finally, a lead. Kari thought as he turned the corner and quickly began to make his way back across town to his room. He would examine his find there.

A strong gust whipped across the face of the snowy town and a chill ran across Kari’s spine. Instinctively, he turned around. The few people on the streets around him had stopped and a woman screamed in the distance. Curious heads watched from the windows lining the street. Kari followed their gazes and five words couldn’t help but escape his cold, numb lips.

“By the blood of the Elders…!”