"Good morning!" The mayor yelled towards the crowd. Several voice amplifiers constructed from copper horns carried his voice throughout the large crowds. Additional mana-radio speakers were set up to carry the sound even further.
The mayor spoke slowly and solemnly, "We are here today to honor the actions of the great hero, Earnest. He sacrificed everything to save the lives of the great people of Atlanta. I don't wish to hog the floor today, so allow me to introduce our first guess of honor. Please welcome Ms. Orrow. The mother of the late and great Earnest Orrow." He clapped his hands while stepping back from the stage. Most of the audience clapped to welcome her as well. The chorus of hands was loud enough to make it feel like the street was shaking.
A woman walked up to the microphone. She had neat blond hair tied up in a bun and a homely look to her. She looked at the crowd in silence for a moment and the crowd slowly quieted down in response. "I knew my son had great power..."
She paused for a moment before managing to find the words she wanted. "I'm so proud of him for what he's done... But I wish he hadn't."
Tears formed in her eyes. "I asked him to help, but I didn't know." She shook her head back and forth while tears poured down her cheeks. "I didn't know he would die from using his powers! If only I knew!"
Sobbing noises rang out from her as she covered her face. Surprisingly, OP Baldy walked up and patted her on the shoulder to attempt comforting her. She glared at him, "WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP HIM?! You're supposed to be the greatest esper, right?! It should have been you!"
Mr. Sai grimaced before sighing and shaking his head. "I too have my own limits. I am not a god." He stepped back from the crowd while looking slightly depressed.
The mayor quickly took over. "What a brave woman!" He clapped excitedly. "We all deeply mourn the loss of Earnest today. I can only imagine the hardship she must be going through. Give her another round of applause folks!" The crowd enthusiastically clapped once again.
'So, the monster of a mayor that ruined Roger's life is this good at public speaking.' Ed chuckled to himself, 'Well, it's always the monsters that wear the best masks. I'll be wearing one quite frequently here soon.'
"Our next guest is the esper that inspired Earnest to make his great sacrifice. Please welcome-" The mayor hesitated a moment before laughing, "Haha, I never actually caught his name. Come on up here and introduce yourself boy!"
Ed smiled. Before walking forward, he glanced at OP Baldy. He whispered, "You've heard of the mana-collars from Europe, right?"
Mr. Sai's eyes widened in surprise, but he did not turn towards Ed. He simply stood there quietly, as if he hadn't been spoken to.
Ed continued "I've taken the liberty of implanting the core of such a device inside the skull of Yuki."
This time it got his attention. He glared at Ed with anger clearly visible in his eyes. He ground his teeth before responding, "What do you want?"
"Simple." He responded. "I'm a reasonable man. You're not to interfere with my speech in any way or I'll activate it and she'll die. Also, I've made a few minor modifications. If you kill me, she'll die. If she's over 100 meters away from me, she'll die. Lastly, if I flip the switch, she'll die."
"Hmm." Mr. Sai crossed his arms. "So, you're saying I'm free to do whatever I want with you after you finish your speech?"
"That is correct." He nodded in response. "I'll deactivate the device once my speech is done."
"What will stop you from threatening me with her safety again after I'm finished?" Mr. Sai questioned.
"Nothing." He grinned. "You'll just have to take my word that I won't use it after my speech is finished. I don't think you'll be able to hold back your anger and actions anyways. You're not exactly the most caring parent in the world after all! Haha." He laughed while walking towards the front of the stage.
Yuki watched him with wide eyes. She had heard the entire conversation. He didn't even try to hide it from her. She looked back and forth between her father and Ed as she trembled. A mix of anger and sorrow appearing in her eyes.
The mayor laughed, "Finally finished your conversation back there? The crowd is waiting!"
Ed stepped up to the platform while smiling. He clenched his metal fists in nervousness. He couldn't feel it at the moment since he hadn't added flesh to his new arms yet, but it comforted him nonetheless. 'Remember Dupe's advice. In public speaking, the words don't matter as much as the feelings and the charisma of the speaker do. Some of the greatest speakers in history weren't good with words nor did they have great causes. But their energy was infectious to the crowd and led to them becoming giants amongst men. That's not to say I shouldn't attempt making a good speech, but I'll need to ramp up the energy as I go.'
He took a deep breath before speaking. "I would like to tell a story to all that came here today. The story of a boy that awakened his powers in America."
The crowd quieted down as they listened attentively.
"This boy almost died as a result of a Flame Nightmare attack. Even after awakening his powers, he was helpless. Then a great hero showed up. A man much like Earnest, whom we've all come to pay respects to today. That man was my father. Despite being a completely ordinary man, he saved my life and took me out of that hell."
'Time to turn on the waterworks.' He forced himself to start tearing up as he continued. "What awaited the boy now that he awoke amazing powers? An easy life of luxury and respect no doubt? Wrong! He was blackmailed into joining the hunters! They threatened him with the freedom and life of his father who had ran away during the attack to save him!"
A few gasps rang from the audience while some others just nodded. Small pockets of chatter erupted throughout the sea of people. The mayor looked hesitant, debating whether he should interrupt. OP Baldy clenched his fists and teeth in anger.
"That was not the end!" He yelled. "The boy agreed to their demands. A teenager joining the government as a hunter, which is effectively the strongest branch of the military if we recognize it for what it really is. What does he get in return? The government failed to protect his father as promised! Sinners infiltrated the hunters and told the boy they could easily take his father from the military. Who was the boy to believe? The blackmailing government or the sinners that infiltrated their secure compound?! Obviously, the latter was more believable. So, the boy chose to follow the sinners in hope of restoring his freedom and seeing his father once more."
He paused for a moment to make sure the crowd was listening. The few pockets of chatter quieted down. "What came next? It only got worse. The sinners caused the death of the boy's father in front of his very own eyes. In sorrow, he chose to disguise himself as an ordinary man. He joined the organization known as Sinless so that he could help ordinary people like his father. He hoped to be able to create something that could help destroy the nightmares someday! Something that would honor his father's legacy!"
"The result? He was disappointed once again. The Sinless had amazing technology but were nowhere near capable of defeating a nightmare! Even worse, they enslave espers in both Europe and America! Still, the boy looked past these horrors in hope of helping mankind. He traveled to Atlanta to help with the Lightning Nightmare attack and almost lost his life there. He was exposed to be an esper and now has no place to return to. How could Sinless possibly take him back now that they know the truth?"
He looked over the crowd that had grown completely silent. They seemed to be unsure of what to do. They were not prepared for such a story on the day of Earnest's memorial.
Ed smiled. "You've probably noticed I've been speaking in the 3rd person for the story. Why would I, when the boy in the story is obviously me? That's because the boy known as Ed is now dead to the world. The corrupt government, the evil sinners, and the immoral Sinless are the cause!"
He grabbed the mask from his waist and put it on. The black mask with the green tree he had created had a slightly eerie look. "Today is the dawn of my new organization. It shall be called Harmony!"
He began waving his hands dramatically each time he emphasized a sentence. "Harmony will unite humans and espers together as equals! Harmony will stomp out the corruption of the government by force! Harmony will destroy the evil that is known as sinners! Harmony will free the slaves from the monsters of Europe! Our members will be known as harmonizers. I will forge the path for us to move forward! Therefore, from this day forward, the boy known as Ed is no longer amongst the living. Only I, the man who shall be known as Forge shall remain."
He lifted both his arms up towards the sky. The light from the sun highlighted the dark green tree on his mask as he tilted his head backwards. "God has blessed me with great power. I can give strength and even powers to ordinary men!" Flames fired from his arms into the air. "These limbs are completely artificial. They are fully functional without my powers! This is just one of the many powers I can grant you! Join me and we will take back the world from the corrupt and the wicked! Join me and gain power! Join me and we will defeat the nightmares! Join me and we will bring about Harmony!"
The crowd broke out in a series of whispers. Their voices steadily grew louder before a man yelled, "Can you really give ordinary people powers?!"
"I CAN AND I WILL!" He yelled in affirmation. "I won't lie. There are certain risks for those that wish for greater amounts of power. However, powers such as my limbs are easily done with very little sacrifice. Let me note that my limbs allow me to fly and sweep up ordinary mutants like ants!"
"I want to join!" A voice broke out from the crowd.
"ME TOO!" Another yelled even louder. A few screams rang out as the crowd began to move and shake. Power was an irresistible temptation. Also, many had suffered from the government, sinners, and even Sinless. How could ordinary people not want to fight back? Most Americans believed in equality before the law. That all men were born equal. Yet, they hadn't felt that they themselves were treated equally in decades.
Ed held up a hand towards the crowd. "All official recruitment will begin in Reef city starting in two weeks. You'll need to travel there to join."
The crowd began to calm down again. OP Baldy was fuming with rage by now but held himself back. He himself was a member of the government. Sure, he was the famous hunter that helped save the most ordinary people. But at the end of the day, he was too distant from the people he saved. He had never really sacrificed anything for them nor did he have the overwhelming charisma of somebody like Earnest.
"Now then." Ed spoke again. "It's time for the very first mission that Harmony will take. I made a dear friend here in Macon. Roger Swoll. An ordinary man who became a Sinless member. Why did he join such an organization? Because a corrupt government official raped and killed his daughter! Most government officials in this country are espers and they protect their own ilk. They easily covered up that crime, but it recently came to light when my dear friend committed suicide."
The mayor's eyes widened in shock. The crowd was all staring at him quietly. They had seen the fliers that circulated the city the past couple of days.
"KILL HIM!" Somebody screamed.
"Bring Harmony to the world like you promised!"
"I shall commit this act of violence in honor of my late and aggrieved friend, Roger! This is just the 1st step in the path we will forge together!" Ed yelled. He turned towards the mayor and aimed an arm at him.
The mayor was an esper as well, and he quickly activated his powers. Wind swirled around his body as he prepared to charge forward.
Flames blasted from Ed's arm. The wind the mayor released only served as a furnace that fed the flames further. They quickly grew into a flame tornado and left nothing but ash and a mana-core behind.
"YOU BASTARD!" OP Baldy yelled in rage. He charged forward despite the risk to his only daughter. Yuki's eyes widened in fear as it happened. He grabbed hold of Ed's arm while seething with anger.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ed whispered. "You're quite the dangerous esper. I'd hate to have anything happen to the good people here today."
"Hmph." OP Baldy snorted. "You think I'd make a rookie mistake and accidently hurt someone? You think I don't know about the hidden trigger in your arm?" He yanked off Ed's arm and tossed it towards Yuki's feet. Still, he held back and chose not to kill Ed in fear of there being a backup plan he was unaware of.
'Ah, he found the decoy already. Still, it served its purpose. He's afraid to kill me and is holding back. Otherwise, I'd be dead before I knew what hit me. We're almost at the final phase.' He backed up in fear and purposefully tripped off the stage. He pointed with his other arm and yelled, "SEE?! The corrupt government is already trying to destroy us! He protects the people that protected the rapists! The hunter OP Baldy is nothing more than the corrupt enforcer of the government!"
Ed knew that not everything he said made perfect sense. However, it didn't have to. The crowd was already riled up. They were mostly on his side. 'Heh, just like Dupe said. The feelings are more important. I worked so hard telling a good story too. Time to rake in the profits of my actions.'
He prepared to backup further and hide within the sea of people. But to his surprise, the crowd began to grab ahold of him and pull him back. They had done the job for him. He had just murdered the mayor in front of everyone, but they even actively supported him. A slight grin formed on his face. 'Everything's going perfectly. Now, only the final step remains. Will Mr. Sai take the bait? If he doesn't then I've won this battle between us. If he does then I've won the war between us!'