Sir Xavier Jones floated in the air, his head just an inch or two below the concrete roof, frowning at this unexpected development.
He had assumed this robbery would be a simple task, one he could complete with his eyes closed. So when the Epsilon old man had attacked, he had been excited at the prospect of having some fun. But he would never have believed it would end up becoming so troublesome.
He spared a glance at the old man in question, who continued to remain eerily calm with those black rings around his eyes...
This old man was extremely strange. At first, Xavier had assumed he had achieved his immense speed by using up all of his Epsilon level Faetality and enhancing the single attribute of Agility. Since focusing on one attribute was a common strategy used by the majority of Faehumans, this wasn't that unusual.
But this Epsilon old man also had a Strength attribute that was on par, perhaps even higher than his Agility! That was impossible!
Xavier had no idea how the old man had achieved that.
Did it have something to do with the two black eyes? Perhaps it was some Fae Ability? Was the old man really even an Epsilon?
Then there was the strange boy who had knocked out Luther, and his incredible ability of regeneration. Pushing bullets out of his flesh and healing instantly, with no visible use of Fae energy. Possibly capable of healing any wound indefinitely.
In the end, Xavier could only conclude that the current situation was rather troublesome.
He could've been fine with all of this, as running away was always an option, and very few could stop him from leaving if he wished to.
Unfortunately, that was no longer a choice. He had been forced to use his flying ability, putting his true identity at risk.
He wasn't hiding his face and identity under the fictional name of Master Jonn for no reason. If he were to ever get caught, if it ever came out that a military general was frolicking in the night as a looter and a thief…
Xavier couldn't help but frown.
The old man didn't seem to care about his flight, but the boy with that shocked expression, he definitely knew.
Realizing that this was not a battle he could simply run away from, Xavier inhaled a single breath, and calmly let it out.
As the air left his mouth, his aura, his entire presence seemed to change.
His eyes flashed a deep blue, as crackling streaks of energy akin to lightning began to manifest around him. He raised his right hand, the lightning accumulating into a single ball of blue within his palm.
Sir Xavier Jones, General of the City, Knight of the Sky, didn't have any rare ability or powerful equipment. Unlike most of his fellow Generals and other powerhouses at his level, all he possessed was the rather common-place Fae ability of Telekinesis.
Telekinesis was an ability that could manipulate inanimate objects through the power of the mind, as long as the objects in question were observable to the naked eye.
Of course, there were some slight limits and variations. For instance, the larger the object was, the higher the strain on his mind. The further the object, the more difficult it was to exert control.
And this was only considering basic and simple movement. To perform more complex manipulations such as forming spikes out of concrete, he would have to make a sizable physical movement that emphasized his intent, like that stomp.
In general, when Faehumans trained their telekinesis, they simply improved these limits. They increased the size and the number of objects, the distance across which they could exert control, and the complexity of the manipulations. This was the norm.
But Xavier couldn't have become a General, or a Knight, by being ordinary.
What he had done was create a completely new path.
Instead of extending the limits of his ability, he had focused on breaking the limits, the rules that limited its functionality.
As a result of focused training and much work, he became the first Telekinetic capable of manipulating his own body, the only known Epsilon in the world with the ability of Flight. It was in awe of his achievement that he was dubbed 'the Knight of the Sky' and made a General.
However, Telekinesis was not an ability that could be used to manipulate animate objects, that is, living, breathing organisms. This was an inherent limit of the ability. Everyone said so, everyone believed it. Even controlling oneself and flying, as he had done, was considered pushing the limit. The very apex the ability could reach.
This was the general consensus.
But he, he was always the exception. He had ignored the masses. He had trained, practiced, and researched. He had invested years of his time, finding inspiration in the Fae and their power, and finally found a way to break the rule.
Xavier gazed at the crackling ball of plasma blue lightning in his hand.
If this energy struck a person, it would create a core of his telekinetic energy within them, allowing him to exert his control through it. His most unique ability, Marionette Core, a core of condensed telekinetic energy that made those struck, into literal puppets.
WHOOSH!
Without any further contemplation, he turned towards the emotionless old man below and hurled the core, shooting it forward with telekinetically enhanced speed.
It was extremely fast, perhaps even at the level of Zhan Shen's own speed.
But despite the suddenness of the attack, the old butler didn't seem surprised at all. He didn't even blink.
With his face pale white, and the circles around his eyes deep black, he took a short step to the side...
And the energy ball missed him by a single, short inch.
The attacker flying in the air had missed. Sir Xavier, the Knight of the Sky had failed.
In his current state, Zhan Shen could barely discern that this wasn't an attack capable of physical damage, but one that would delve into the spirit and exert control. It was dangerous and powerful, possibly at the very limit of what an Epsilon could do.
Conversely, it was an attack that couldn't be easily repeated.
Now that it had missed, there would be no second chance.
Xavier grinned, a grin of satisfaction.
But then why? Why would a man who had failed, smile?
Zhan Shen's eyes widened, emotion reappearing on his face. Color returned to his skin, and the black circling his eyes vanished.
Hands shivering, he couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. And the old butler turned, just in time to see it.
The blue mass of lightning collided with Miles, helpless in the face of such intense speed.
Zhan Shen felt overwhelming regret.
Why had he lowered his guard? Why had he let the animal hinder his emotions? How could he have made the same mistake, when this same event had happened mere moments ago?
Pushing aside his thoughts, he dashed forward to try and help, this time truly horrified.
Sir Xavier had known the old man would dodge his attack with ease, and that was the exact reason he had targeted the boy.
That worried glance when his bullet had struck the first time, had revealed the nature of the relationship between the two. It had been extremely subtle, but Xavier could recognize that look. It was the same way he would look at his younger sister, were she ever to be at risk of being harmed.
Of course, there was also the fact that the boy may have figured out his real identity.
Ultimately, whatever reason it may have been, Xavier had won. The boy would soon be in his control and the old man wouldn't dare attack.
He'd pretend to not do anything rash, to keep the old man under control, and when they least expected it, he would have them killed.
As usual, it would be his victory. He would be the last one standing, and everything would work out perfectly.
Or so he thought.
***
For all his cleverness, Miles had not been prepared for the attack from Sir Xavier. Even if their opponent was a Knight of the City, he had felt a tad bit overconfident after his successful regeneration. Combined with the fact that Zhan Shen was nearby, Miles had allowed himself to relax.
To make matters worse, unlike before, this attack was a mass of energy. It didn't seem to influence the air, or if it did, it was extremely subtle. This meant there were no moving air currents to be sensed, to warn him in advance.
Well, even if he had sensed it, considering this attack was enhanced to the very limit of Xavier's telekinesis, Miles who couldn't even properly dodge the first bullet, didn't stand a chance.
Ultimately, he could only watch as the energy struck him, painlessly phasing into his body.
At first, he had been confused, as it didn't seem to harm him at all. But it quickly turned into horror, as he felt his movement start to slow down. He couldn't move his body properly, as if something was interfering with his control.
Fortunately for him, a familiar Ding! rang out, forming a new message before his eyes.
[Foreign Ability Detected.
Fae-ability: Telekinesis (Originating from Common Sprites)
Trained and evolved in line with the nature of the World Beyond the Veil it has formed a Secondary Ability: Marionette Core.
No Spirit/Soul Detected.
Insufficient Spirit Points (SP). Insufficient Gnosis Points (GP).
The Current user cannot interfere with such an ability.]
To Miles's shock, it appeared that even the system couldn't help. All his hope was crushed by a single message.
He was just about to give up on the system, and look for alternative solutions when another Ding! rang out.
[Warning!
The Foreign Energy has affected the title Cursed: Beast Within(Sealed?).
The System holds no responsibility for any of the coming repercussions.]
Miles instinctively felt worried by the nature of this message. But he definitely preferred this, to nothing at all.
'So what if there were repercussions? So what?!'
The moment Miles thought this, he sensed something, someone within him.
This 'someone' was completely different from the foreign ability trying to steal his body. He was confident they were a natural part of him, an ally in his struggle to gain back control.
He felt this ally gently nudge his fingers inwards, almost as if mimicking claws. He felt his upper jaw jut out a bit forwards as if preparing for the growth of fangs.
No part of his body actually transformed, but his body had shifted for some reason as if it was a more natural state, an instinct...
At the same instant, he felt some sort of knowledge, comprehension, that was hidden within his mind, come to light. Dragged outside of his mind by someone, so he could see and understand it clearly.
[(Discipline: Haemomancy) broadened. Skill: Sanguine Aspectus unlocked.]
Instantly, Miles's vision shifted, and he could no longer see properly. As if his eyes were tinted with blood, all he could see was a world of absolute crimson red.
Almost everything was unclear and blurred by the color red, but he could clearly observe three distinctive human silhouettes.
Red veins spread over their bodies forming a comprehensive network, and at the very center were diamond-like objects glowing with supernatural light.
He instinctively knew those diamonds were beating hearts, expanding and compressing as blood flowed.
Miles could even hear the sound, a rhythmic sound like the soft beating of a drum.
One of these hearts was right next to him, its beat slow. Further away, were two more, beating quickly and with power. One on the ground, the other in the air.
To Miles's horror, he realized this sight was working up his appetite. He was just beginning to feel a desire, a thirst...
When he realized something was wrong. Try as he could, he couldn't move.
His thirst became far less important, as he remembered what he had forgotten momentarily.
THE CORE! THE MARIONETTE CORE! It was inside his body, trying to interfere, trying to control him… HIM!
A spark of rage kindled within him, as Miles felt his eyes close of their own volition.
Moments later, they reopened.
His eyes were now completely pitch black, from the sclera to the pupil.
These were the eyes of something inhuman… something evil.
These were the eyes of a Devil, the eyes of a Beast.