Knight Xavier floated in the air, blurred objects whirling around him. Despite his apparent vulnerability, an eerie calm enveloped him. His focus was intense, and within his eyes, something flickered, something azure.
Undaunted, Zhan Shen surged forwards with excited anticipation.
With a flick of what remained of his gauntlet, Xavier sent streaks of glass and concrete, spiraling out in lashes of wind.
Zhan Shen was a specter in motion, effortlessly sidestepping and evading the attacks, and in a burst of wind, he unleashed a punch, a fearsome strike that had crumpled the Knight’s armor previously.
Xavier’s eyes crackled with blue lightning, his gauntleted hand clenching into a fist and moved to the side.
Instantly, the fabric of the old butler’s suit, the sleeve of the hand he had punched out with, moved. As if manipulated by an unseen hand, his arm swerved abruptly, altering the trajectory of the punch.
BOOM!
Zhan Shen's fist collided with the wall nearby, obliterating a will-o-wisp sign and pulverizing the concrete into dust, leaving behind a conspicuous hole.
For the first time, a hint of confusion dashed across the old butler's face, but it swiftly transformed into an... almost impressed, grin.
Fist still embedded in the wall, Zhan Shen unleashed a roundhouse kick, aiming perilously close to the Knight's head.
Xavier's reaction was swift. Another gauntleted fist commanded telekinetic forces, pulling at the fabric of the butler's pant leg. The opposing forces struggled with such intensity that the outer silk material tore off, leaving only the inlaid ogre skin unscathed.
BOOM!
The kick missed as well, striking in close proximity to the first, another hole punctured through the wall in a cascade of rubble.
Ecstatic, Knight Xavier pressed on, hands thrust forwards, palms facing forwards. He strained with effort, face reddening, veins popping over his forehead.
Instantly, the air around Zhan Shen became heavier, weighed down by an unseen force. The air seemed to flicker and flash, trembling. Everything that existed around the elderly butler had been telekinetically enhanced, forming a cylindrical space of almost enhanced gravity, confining him.
However, despite Xavier's best efforts, he could not form his hands into fists, and a droplet of blood appeared from his nose.
Zhan Shen had been momentarily taken off guard, but while he handled the attack with relative ease… the floor did not.
In an explosion of splintered wood, his free foot plunged through the flooring, halted only by whatever lay beneath.
With that, the old butler was in a rather awkward position, an arm and a leg stuck within concrete, the other leg ensnared by wood, all his movements further restrained by telekinesis.
Blood trickled down the Knight’s nose, his eyes bloodshot, but a manic grin adorned his face, anticipative of victory.
Miles hesitated, the Caucon lined up in a perfect shot. The Knight was floating in place, and while his aim was clear, something, perhaps the whispers of wind, perhaps logic, or instinct, held him back.
James however didn't share such reservations. Having failed to earn a lesson, he aimed with the reclaimed Doghead, and shot another volley of bullets.
His aim had improved, and bonus points for not dropping the rifle. Yet the attack was as unsuccessful as before, for the Knight redirected the bullets towards the restrained butler.
Immediately, Zhan Shen’s eyes narrowed, and the Amathaka enchantment upon his face flickered, straining against... something.
The old butler barely moved, but the bullets never touched him. They harmlessly brushed past, each missing by a hair's breadth to clatter harmlessly against the concrete walls.
Despite being impressed by the feat, despite the fact that Zhan Shen managed to remain unscathed, Miles felt a flicker of anger.
With a swift motion, he disarmed James, effortlessly robbing him of the Doghead.
His hands moved with familiar ease, promptly unclipping the plebeian magazine. Tilting the rifle sideways, Miles peered into the internal mechanism, and with the full might of his strength, pulled out a vital component, leaving the circuitry sparking.
With a sharp glare, he dropped the now useless weapon back into the bewildered hands of its former wielder.
James was already sputtering excuses and apologies, none of which he cared for.
Fortunately for the young man, Miles' anger was mollified somewhat by the fact that Inani, the muscular girl, had somehow managed to bring the fatally wounded Hayato Ryota to safety.
At least someone had proven useful.
Haruka was distressed, hurriedly tending to the injured gangster. Multiple syringes of wound-mend, way above the safe limit, had been injected, and although the ripper-doc must've known well the effects of overusing such forceful healing aid, it didn’t seem like she had had much of a choice.
Her hands had extended, mechanical crevices of a hand implant, spreading out her fingers into thin surgical tools, deftly working on reconnecting his vital organs. A nervous gaze would occasionally dart towards the clashing Epsilons, focusing upon the broken section of the wooden floor... but she carried on with her work.
Miles’ gaze returned to the seemingly regretful James, “Just leave, go help Haruka-san.”
The young man froze and with a disappointed yet resigned gaze, nodded, but to Miles’ great annoyance, he did not act as he had agreed, remaining rooted in place, staring at the fight, perhaps the Knight.
With a focused exhale, Miles leashed in his temper and dismissed the boy's presence once more, returning his attention to the confrontation before him.
The elderly butler moved despite the telekinetic weight upon him, easily pulling out his limbs from the concrete. But the moment this leg touched the floor, it splintered through the wooden flooring, joining the other.
The Knight was struggling to hold him down, his teeth were painted dark scarlet as blood trickled down his nose, but he didn't seem to care. A growl of effort, and instantly, every free piece of debris, glass, and will-o-wisp sign, anything that could be used as a weapon, were hurtled with telekinetic force.
Yet, Zhan Shen merely narrowed his eyes, and exhaled smoky air. The distortion upon his face flickered, nearly dissipating entirely.
His body appeared to vibrate, the movement merging with the telekinetically weighed, trembling air. The old butler never moved, and again, nothing ever touched him. They harmlessly phased through, clattering against the concrete walls.
The Knight seemed shocked, pausing for a moment in disbelief, and with that, Miles could see old Zhan had lost his initial interest. He was no longer impressed.
A flash of non-existent light caused dark rings to flicker around the old butler’s eyes, and a ripple of force burst through him, only made visible due the pressurized air cylinder he had been trapped in. The telekinetic force was disrupted, and the old butler broke free effortlessly.
The Knight groaned and the ability that kept him afloat trembled, as if that had been an injury upon himself. His eyes grew manic, enraged and desperate, launching a flurry of the blade shards he had kept close as a final defense.
Each blade moved in a conflicting, complex pattern, but Zhan Shen easily avoided each blade, and flashed forwards in a burst of wind.
The shards had missed their target, but they rushed forth, neither stopping nor turning back...
Knight Xavier grinned with blood caked teeth.
Zhan Shen froze, realization flashing across his face. He attempted to retreat, but a burst of telekinetic energy returned a bombardment of glass, rubble and bullets, forcing him to defend.
Miles had been observing the confrontation, when suddenly, he felt an unusual sensation upon his skin.
Howling gales of air, rushing towards his torso. Screaming winds, warning him of one single thing.
He would not be fast enough to dodge, not all of them.
Instinctively, Miles grabbed the clueless James, and dodged to the side, while discreetly, almost accidentally, stepping behind the young man.
They crashed onto the floor, Miles' fall mostly cushioned by the hapless boy. Even as he pushed himself up, his hands felt the wooden planks, noting the presence of thin scratches, but strangely almost purposeful and methodically engraved, but before he could examine any further, his sense of smell exploded with the familiar scent of metal and iron, of fresh blood. It wasn’t his.
Miles felt his throat dry, mouthwatering, but he hurriedly controlled himself, and pulled back.
James pushed himself up, wincing, but he was staring at Miles with widened eyes, “You… saved me?”
Miles nearly choked, not at the misunderstanding that he had most definitely not purposefully orchestrated, for he was a paragon of selfless virtue, but… at the state of the young man.
Most of the blade shards had pierced James' right arm, almost to the bone, while those that had missed had left his face maimed–the top of an ear missing, along with a sizable chunk of his cheek revealing teeth and tongue through a grotesque, gaping hole.
Recoiling at the sight, feeling a sliver of guilt, Miles pointed at the injuries, “And you... should get to Haruka-san, fast.”
The straw haired young man’s gaze lowered.
His face recoiled in terror, the hole in his face squirting blood.
James screamed.
Miles couldn’t help but wince, the screeching grating upon his sensitive hearing, but then, the straw-haired boy's noise was smothered out, utterly overshadowed by a resounding roar of pure rage. One that Miles had only ever heard a few times…
THOOM!
A powerful gust of wind surged through the clinic, the strongest that had occurred so far, blowing away James' screams and shaking the counter itself.
'There is no way, right? Old Zhan surely wouldn't think those screams were mine?'
Even as he waved his hand at James, to be silent and to go get himself treated, Miles peered out.
Unfortunately. it was as he had feared, and that… that, was no longer a fight.
***
Knight Xavier heard a disconcerting snap, his arm twisted unnaturally, bone broken by a mere slap.
A forceful shin to his torso mangled what remained of his armor, the brutalized silver metal piercing through his stomach.
Xavier was stuck mid-air, enduring attacks that always managed to break something, that rendered him unable to react.
The Capital Knight Armor's vital support systems, pumping healing and pain-numbing agents into his bloodstream were all that kept him alive, the only reason he was not screaming in agony. However, even while Balin's elixir could work miracles with most injuries, it couldn't mend broken bones, not in an instant. All it managed to do was prolong his suffering.
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He was outclassed in speed and strength, so terribly that he couldn't even manage to patch up what remained of his armor. The once pristine silver steel was now a weapon against himself, puncturing and ripping through his own body.
Attacks rained down, blurring into a tormenting storm, with speed so great he could no longer discern punches from kicks, or knife stabs from physical strikes.
The life in Xavier's eyes dimmed, his barely one hundred Endurance attribute unable to handle the brutal assault, but for a fleeting moment, his gaze managed to discern his assailant.
The distortion enchantment upon the face had completely vanished, revealing an elderly face with a perfectly trimmed white beard. The pale visage of his face exuded an unnerving calm, but his eyes, eyes surrounded by pitch-black circles, radiated pure rage. An insatiable fury towards he who had touched something he never should have.
Terror-stuck, Knight Xavier struggled to attack, but he had barely begun, when punishment came swiftly in the form of a strike to his chest, fracturing his rib cage, and puncturing his lungs.
The relentless assault paused as he flew through the air, allowing a moment of clarity.
Xavier considered himself a noble Knight.
He had joined the order, seeking those monsters he despised with every fiber of his being, but failed in his search.
He had finally found a clue, a forgotten technique resurfaced to inform him of their return. But he had failed to find anything of note.
So, in a last-ditch attempt he had tracked a person of interest, and somehow, managed to stumble upon one of the devils.
After years of searching, he had succeeded, he had found one of them, but here he was. A pinnacle Epsilon of the city, thoroughly outclassed, being beaten to death.
The old man's rage was palpable, his demeanor completely estranged from what had been. But, why?
Even though the old man defended a monster that wore the skin of a young man, even though Xavier had struggled to hold on, what they had had was an honorable duel.
Xavier had only retaliated against the unjustified interference, striking out against the cowardly intrusion of a third-party, the beastly creature that had interfered with a gun.
Rage and indignation consumed his mind.
What had he done wrong? What had he ever done wrong?
What did people like him ever do to deserve their fates?
Nothing!
It was always this city, this accursed city, where powerful individuals protected the wrong people, allowing the privileged to stand behind, and crush the unfortunate to their whims.
Darkness encroached upon him, his life fading, even though his mind remained resolute.
He was Sir Xavier Nayir, Capital City Knight.
Despite having been born an Epsilon, circumstances had forced him into one of the most common fae abilities known to man, Telekinesis.
A base ability, at the lowest tier of his rank, allowing the manipulation of non-living objects through mental power. It was limited, for the larger the object, the higher the strain on his mind. The further the object, the more difficult it was to control.
When most trained the ability, they focused on improving these limits–size, weight, quantity, range, and control, but Xavier couldn’t have become a Knight if he had been ordinary.
He was the only known Epsilon in the entire world with the capability of Flight.
Functionally indiscernible from the ordinarily Delta tier ability, it was in awe of this that he had been bestowed the title of ‘Knight of the Sky’. It had been the proudest achievement of his life, despite having condemned him to the role of an over-hyped watchman.
His knighthood had led to his ability being subjected to great scrutiny; the Corporation eager to replicate his result. While he had explained it away as the result of a moment's inspiration, an instinctive ability he had gained through sheer randomness, well, the reality was different…
As if it had called him, Xavier found himself in that familiar world, floating in the endless expanse of darkness. The realm was a pure abyss, empty save for a colossal ball of azure lightning, crackling and flaring as if a blue Sun.
This was the core, the secret behind his ability, a concentrated gathering of telekinetic energy within a world he had been told was his 'spirit' realm. This core was a focus, the foundation of his unique abilities like a Sun was to life.
This core allowed the exertion of telekinesis, over his own body, on himself. It was the bedrock of his flight, even the perfect motor control that had allowed him to face the old man head on.
Moreover, Xavier could manifest this energy externally, allowing his most unique ability, Marionette Core. For some reason, this ability had had trouble manifesting within the clinic, perhaps due to the old man’s interference.
The Knight could feel he was on the brink of death. He knew he wouldn’t survive if this kept up. He didn’t even stand a chance to run away right now. If he wished to change his fate, he would need to sacrifice something.
Teeth clenched, muscles spasming, Xavier directed his telekinetic will upon the Sun of lightning energy he had painstakingly grown over the years. A symbol from one that had been truly dear to him. If there was a cause he could sacrifice it for, that would be... now.
With a decisive crush, he ruptured it all, and the world of void collapsed around him.
Azure lightning flickered within his eyes, inside him, crackling under his skin, and… Xavier's eyelids tore apart crying tears of blood, overexerted blood vessels burst, while ears and nose hemorrhaged.
A blinding flash of blue illuminated the entirety of the clinic, overwhelming even the light of the will-o-wisps, and a head sized core of energy manifested from the Knight, surging against any interference and manifesting with ease.
Having crawled back from the verge of death, Xavier let loose.
The marionette core fueled by his destroyed core rushed out with unprecedented speed, but Zhan Shen reacted with eerie calmness and sidestepped the attack with uncanny precision.
The lightning sphere missed him by a single, short inch, and unlike before the elderly butler did not allow it to pass by. An unruly presence manifested about him, the rings around his eyes growing darker, and his hands almost glowed in a meld of darkness and light, grabbed on to the ball of energy, safely containing it.
Zhan Shen stared at the floating figure, whose final desperate attack had missed. The Knight of the Sky had failed.
With ease, he crushed out the sphere, exactly as he had done so far.
So, why? Why would a man who had failed... smile?
Xavier grinned through blood, broken bone, and muted agony. A grin of satisfaction.
Instantly, the marionette core shattered, splintered into numerous smaller spheres, escaping the old butler’s grip and hurtling in different directions at alarming speeds.
Zhan Shen's eyes widened, his figure shifted, barely phasing through the attack, and he turned around attempting to retreat, but Xavier wouldn’t allow it.
With a maddened cackle, he had a few of the energy cores exert their power upon the old butler, or more specifically, his suit, pulling him back and slowing him down... just enough.
Knight Xavier's face was pallid, his body grievously injured, but his telekinesis, his ability, was stronger than ever.
He had recognized the emotion in the eyes of this old man, towards that creature.
While Xaver was unable to understand who would care for a monster in human skin, it did not matter.
Once the creature and the rest of the weaklings were in his control, he was confident the old man would not dare do anything. And finally, he would take a step towards revenge.
***
Miles found himself completely caught off guard. Even though their opponent was a Knight of the City, he had allowed himself a hint of overconfidence after shooting through the infamous armor, and technically evading the surprise attack of an Epsilon. Combined with the fact that Zhan Shen was in close proximity, and about to completely eviscerate the Knight in rage, he had relaxed.
To make matters worse, this attack was ridiculously fast. Even if James had still been here, Miles could not have reacted fast enough to use the unfortunate young boy as a meat-shield again.
He dodged to the side, or rather, tried. The ripper-doc's counter offered no defense, the attack seemingly phasing through the material. He could only watch as the azure lightning core struck him and... painlessly entered his body.
Initially he was puzzled by the lack of apparent damage or effect, but confusion turned to horror, as he felt a sense of sluggishness pervading his movement.
His body didn't obey, resisting his own commands, as if controlled by an unseen puppeteer.
Miles felt as if he had returned to the grand hall of the Lykaon mansion, his body at the mercy of a greater being. His mind was a mere observer, body manipulated by another.
Panic surged through him, but fortunately, a series of familiar Ding!s rang out, forming messages before his eyes.
[Interference from Foreign Ability Detected.
Fae-ability: Telekinesis (Category: Epsilon (Lesser) - Originating from Ordinary Sprites)
Trained and evolved in line with the nature of the World Beyond the Veil forming a Secondary Ability: Marionette Core.]
Miles hated himself for the thought, but he couldn’t help but feel relief, hoping that the system would take care of everything.
[Ability Disruption Attempted.
No Mementorium Detected.
No Harvested Soul Points (SP) Detected.
Newborn User is unable to interfere with Ability: Marionette Core.
Disruption failed.]
To Miles's desperation, it appeared even the system was powerless to help. A single message crushing all hope, and just as he began to contemplate alternative solutions...
A beat, a pulsating throb reverberated through his blood vessels, the entire circulatory system resonating in unison.
The notification before him flickered, glitching out, as if encountering a system error. With the noticeable absence of the notification sound he had become familiar with, the previous message glitched itself into something new.
[Warning.
Foreign Energy has affected the title Cursed.
Title Cursed has affected the Foreign Ability in return.
The Š̷̱͉y̸̫̝͐̇͋̀s̷̬̣̮̾̊t̴̑͆ė̶́͝m̵̨͔͇̆͝s o̴͎͎̤͕̓̀f̵̰̳̒́͠ ̸̠͙̗̣̇̄́̉O̸̅̅ŗ̶͙̏̑͊͠d̴̎͑̇̃e̶̬͆r̷̛̄ holds no responsibility for any repercussions.]
Miles instinctively felt a twinge of worry at the message, yet he welcomed it over nothing at all, and with it, he sensed something, someone within him.
Vaguely familiar, this 'someone' was different from the foreign ability wrestling over control of his body. No, they felt like an intrinsic part of him, an ally in his struggle for control.
YES.
This ally gently nudged his fingers inwards, almost as if mimicking claws. Miles allowed his upper jaw to set forwards, as if preparing for the growth of fangs.
Nothing about him had actually changed, but he found this shift in posture... right. Natural, almost an instinct.
BENE FACTUM, NEWBORN.
Then he felt it, knowledge and comprehension hidden within him, brought to light. Or rather, forcefully dragged out, so he could see and understand.
[Discipline: Haemomancy broadened. Skill: Sanguine Aspectus - Common unlocked.]
Instantly, Miles's vision shifted, and he could no longer see... correctly.
His eyes seemed to have been tinted with blood, and all he could see was a world of absolute crimson.
Everything appeared in shades of red, but distinctively, five human silhouettes stood out.
Glowing tendrils of red spread over them forming a comprehensive network, and at the very center of their bodies, were diamond-like objects glowing with otherworldly light.
Miles instinctively knew those diamonds were hearts, expanding and compressing to the rhythmic beat of flowing blood. He could even hear the sound, an almost overwhelming beat that echoed within his ears.
Three hearts were nearby, their beat slow, but further away were the final two, throbbing with power. One on the ground, the other airborne.
To Miles's horror, he realized the sight was stirring up an alarming hunger, drawn to those bright diamond lights like a moth to a flame. He was beginning to feel that familiar desire, the thirst...
When he realized.
Try as he could, he couldn't move.
The thirst faded as Miles remembered what had been forgotten in momentary distraction.
The Marionette Core!
It was inside him, attempting to control. He could feel it. An overwhelming sense of wrongness.
A MORTAL... BARELY DAKINA, DARES PUPPET CHAOS GIVEN FLESH?
Miles' lips curled into a snarl, and all the blood that moved within him, reverberated in anger.
A spark of rage kindled within him, and he felt his right arm move, the blood boiling, the painful heat muted and insignificant.
[The Blood Burns.
-0.4 BP (Negligible. Not considered) lost.]
In a punch that defied all logic of what he should be capable of, his arm struck at the counter before him. The boiling blood exploded, his skin and muscle ruptured, but so did the counter.
The steel bent inwards, and the object weighing a few hundred kilos was sent crashing a few meters ahead, towards the two epsilons watching in shock.
[Conditional Undeath Activated. All wounds healed. No Blood Points lost.]
Even before he could feel the pain of his injured hand, the bleeding halted, the blood was pulled back to him, re-entering his vessels, and the skin and muscle were healed instantly, with almost surgical efficiency.
The spark blazed, overwhelming him in a wildfire of hatred. It was supposed to be an anger towards the wrong, and it was that too, but this was different. It was a pure and unsatiable fury, directed at no one and nowhere, everyone and everywhere, both at the same time. Rage for the sake of rage.
Miles felt his eyes close of their own volition.
He could feel it now.
This... part of the rage wasn't his own emotion, it did not come from him, or his thoughts. No, it came from the entity within.
With that, Miles knew he had been wrong.
This entity wasn’t an ally, nor was it an enemy to him.
Miles had only read about its existence in the vague mentions of the system status, but with this anger, with its thoughts affecting his mind, he finally knew who it was.
In a burst of agitated blood energy, his eyes burst open; abyssal, pitch black, from the sclera to the pupil. These were no longer the eyes of a man, but the eyes of a devil, a... beast.
Ding!
[Warning: Irrevocable changes may have occurred to User Titles.
Vessel of the Beast Within (Sealed) -> Vessel of the Beast Within (̷͈̪̌̃̈U̴̫̮̿n̷͙͈͇̉̉́͝s̸̪̖̜͗͛ę̵̨̘̈́̚a̴̩͓̱͚͑͐̀̃l̸͎̣̊e̶̡͇͌̇͋̈ḓ̸̨̨̓͛)̷͙̱͚̬͋̍̅̈́]