Alfonso and the others observed the new group of youths stepping out from the other bus. The difference between both groups was very clear. The newcomers were obviously the people from District 2 that decided to become Slayers.
Alfonso would have ignored them if the people around him didn't start a commotion, pointing at a youth standing among the new group.
"Look! Isn't that Julian?" Shouted someone excited.
There was no one from their school who didn't know of Julian Fuchs and his meteoric rise. Julian was once in the same class as Alfonso and Nik but moved away 4 years ago after people found out that he awakened a kinetic ability.
"He has changed..." Said Nik after watching how Julian treated some of his past friends.
Alfonso shook his head, signaling Nik to ignore it. Julian had an ugly expression when some of his past friends tried to approach him. He directly stated that he didn't know filth from District 3 and that he would beat them if they didn't stop lying that they knew him. The chains attached to his arms began to threateningly move like snakes, forcing his past friends to step back with pale faces, filled with fear. This was the kinetic ability that Julian awakened when he was 12 years old, it was a variation of telekinesis that made him able to manipulate chains.
'What a hypocrite...' Thought Alfonso as he followed Slayer Tufan into the Abyss Slayer Union Branch which was a complex of tall buildings and training grounds.
The level of disgust that the youths from District 2 directed at them as they followed their respective Slayers began to get on his nerves. Their group was relieved when the group of District 2 were led deeper into the underground facility.
"Do they get the same body modification treatment as us?" Asked Alfonso Slayer Tufan at the front who glanced at him for a moment before shaking his head.
'Just like I thought. Well I knew that I would miss out on the best stuff when I decided to keep my ability secret...' Alfonso knew that he had sacrificed a better treatment for freedom.
'It will be worth it if it improves my Seismokinesis.' Thought Alfonso as they were ordered to wait until they were called out.
Everyone was silent, waiting for their turn.
He exchanged gazes with Nik when his name was called out.
Alfonso followed the new Slayer with long black hair through a new corridor.
'I hope that this gamble pays off...' He entered the room that only had a table in the middle.
He couldn't help but frown, there were 4 Slayers standing at the corners of the room, glaring at him. He froze on the spot, tensing up as the situation was too strange.
"No need to be afraid, they are here for your own safety. The body modification treatment is too painful for the normal people, they often try to harm themselves through the process." Explained the Slayer with long black hair behind him as he closed the door.
Alfonso didn't relax as he looked at the spacious room. It was different from what he expected, he thought that there would be a bunch of doctors ready for a surgery or something like that...
"You only need to consume what's inside the container on the table." Spoke the same Slayer again.
Alfonso glanced at him for a moment before walking to the table, looking down at the simple container.
'It's small...What kind of miracle drug is in there that can transform normal people into supersoldiers?'
He took a deep breath, opening the lid...
"What the fuck is this?!" Exclaimed Alfonso shocked.
A lump of grey colored meat was inside the container, it looked disgusting with thick veins wriggling on its surface...And it was beating...
"You will know after you successfully become a Slayer, now consume it to finish the body modification treatment!" Said a tower like Slayer standing at the left corner. His expression was cold and his words even colder.
Alfonso looked around, and knew that he had no other choice. He entered the train and it's too late to jump out.
'What is this thing, how is it still beating? Shit! I don't care, power always comes with a price...Let's just get over it quickly!' Thought Alfonso as he grabbed the lump of beating grey meat...
He got goosebumps after picking it up, he saw the hair on his arms stand up with a shiver run down his spine...Alfonso gritted his teeth, throwing the grey meat into his mouth.
He chewed a few times on it, his face muscles tightened up as a deep sense of disgust spread all over his brain. It was horrible, he had never eaten something so bad...It reminded him of the devil fruits from One Piece.
But he knew that he would gain power after eating it so he forced it all down...
He stood there in the middle of the room waiting for it to do it's magic on him, noticing that the Slayers tensed up while glaring at him like a pack of wolves...
Alfonso stood there for half a minute with nothing happening, making him frown...It was then that he noticed a heatwave suddenly erupting all over his body. With the heat came the pain, overwhelming him.
"UURGHH!!!" Alfonso let out a painful grunt as he fell on the floor. The pain came too sudden and too violently, immediately knocking the air out of his lungs. He was on all his four on the floor, gasping for air as sweat started to come out from every pore of his body...
The pain and heat were violently spreading through his whole body, veins popping out all over his body, wriggling like snakes. Alfonso focused on breathing while trying to supress the agony he was going through. His eyes bloodshot, teeth gritted and hands curled into fists that he occasionally slammed into the ground.
He could now understand why the Slayers were here to stop people from harming themselves. Alfonso really wanted to rip his skin open to stop the pain.
He didn't know how much time passed, it felt long for him until the heat and pain began to gradually settle down. He found himself sprawled on the floor, slowly regaining control over his body.
'So hot!!!' He couldn't help but take off his baggy hoodie and t-shirt and throw them on the floor, they were drenched in sweat...
Alfonso stood up with difficulty, using the table as help to stabilize himself. His chest was quickly moving up and down as he greedily sucked air in. It was then that he began to notice the changes he went through. He could clearly sense the heat circulating throughout his whole body but there were three places where the heat was especially concentrated, his hands and his chest.
Alfonso's eyes widened when he saw two vertical cuts on each of his palms and an even larger cut in the middle of his chest. Those cuts were closed by rows of fangs, making them look like primitive zippers...
"What the hell?" Muttered Alfonso hoarsely.
He observed those cuts closed by rows of fangs in shock, they then as if reacting to him opened at the same time, revealing pure darkness inside them...It was as if he was staring into an abyss of darkness...
A white bone began to come out from the opened cut on his chest, making him panic.
"Calm down Slayer Ramirez! That is the power you gained, it's part of you and you can control it! Try to focus on it!" Shouted the Slayer with long black hair as he gravely stared at him.
His words brought Alfonso back from his panicked state and he tried to focus on the bone that was sticking out from the darkness inside the vertical mouth in his chest. Alfonso was surprised how easy it was to call the white bone back. The bone quickly vanished back into the opened mouth in his chest...
He sighed in relief for a moment, only to see black pairs of eyes glaring at him. Two Slayers went through some kind of transformation, black bony spikes coming out from their shoulders and arms as they grew over 2 meters tall. Another Slayer was holding a demonic looking spear made of long black bones in his hands, pointing it at him...
The thing that all of them had in common was that their eyes were completely pitch black...
The Slayer with long black hair came to him, patting his back.
"You did well. Welcome to the Abyss Slayer Union, Slayer Ramirez!"