- 9th August 2138, Pizza Restaurant -
The mafia man gun in hand stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"What the hell are you supposed to be?" He asked, still chuckling. Looking at his brothers, who also chuckled away.
Annoying.
Perhaps it'd be fun to play around a little. All time wasted is time saved, waiting for the law enforcement.
"I am Erik! Behold my blade, The Mauve Allure!" I replied, holding the sword up with a flourish. My eyes lighting up with flames of dancing yellow.
================
[Name: Capiche Mafiose]
[Age: 38]
[Mood]: Bemused
[Attribution]: Conjury
-[Rank]: B
-[Affinity]: Blight
[E-Signature]: 306B
================
The man stopped laughing and looked at me with a bemused expression. Evident by his mood profile.
"You're seriously going to try to take us on with that?" He asked, gesturing to my sword with his revolver.
"Yeah, have you heard about bringing a blade to a gunfight?" Another one of them interjected, laughing.
Recognising my diminishing odds, I channeled the power of lightning. Summoning myriad blades around me to act a shield, keeping Eliora close. This was through continuous casting of {Storm's Arsenal: Schwert}.
Feeling something limp in my arms, I came to a candid realization. Eliora had fainted from the stress.
"Damn it!" I said to myself, as the Mafia men began shooting their EX-Foci at me.
Anxiety peaked in my brain. I was unsure of how long I could hold the array of stormblades around me. Crackling with every EX-Bullet that hit them.
A flesh of red filled my vision, as I felt a sharp pain in my thigh and cried out as I dropped to the ground. Looking down, I saw the red nectar that fills each human seeping from the hole in my leg where a bullet had supposedly hit me.
Reeling, I fell to the ground, my stormblades dissipating into harmless sparks around me.
Had I lost?
The Mafia men approached me, leering. With smug grins on their face.
"Well, well. Looks like we've got ourselves a little hero." The man with the gun said mockingly.
He pointed the gun at my head and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the bullet to end it all. I was unable to resist.
But it never came....
Instead, I heard a loud bang and the sound of something hitting the ground.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the man, his gun in my hand, a neat hole in his forehead. His clothes looked crumpled, as if he'd been crushed under some massive object.
The other Mafia men were staring in shock at their fallen comrade.
An odd magenta aura had enveloped my hand. Ebbing and flowing a natural resonance with the environment.
Before they could react, I casted another stormblade and threw it at the man closest to me. Resulting in a thunderflash of pure violet piercing him through.
He fell to the ground. A gaping hole where his heart had been. It'd been completely vaporised.
The remaining Mafia men turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Gasping an exasperated sigh of relief, I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath.
What on Neo-Terra was that? Probably gravity.
Suddenly, a door to the side of the room burst open. A group of men in SWAT gear ran in, EX-Foci drawn.
"Hands in the air, now!" One of them shouted.
The remaining Mafia members dropped their guns and raised their hands.
The SWAT team quickly moved to apprehend them, while another member approached me.
"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at Eliora.
I nodded before using the supposed gravity aura around my hand to lower her gently to the ground. It was rather easy to control...
"She just fainted from the stress." I said, before deactivating {Storm's Arsenal: Schwert}.
"Okay." The man uttered, before radioing for an ambulance.
A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and Eliora was taken away.
I was about to leave, when the SWAT team leader approached me.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind." He said.
I nodded, before following him to the police station. Hopefully, I wouldn't get into any trouble.
- 9th August 2138, Interrogation Room -
The interrogation room reminded me of the dingy, disciplinary room from the Academy, small and rather well lit. On the opposite side of a rather bland table sat an officer, looking rather bored.
"So, can you tell me what happened?" The SWAT team leader asked.
I related the events of the past few hours to him. Making sure to omit the part where I'd manipulated gravity on instinct.
"I see. And you're sure that's all that happened?" He asked.
"Yes."
I didn't want to arouse any suspicion. The fewer eyes on me, the better.
"Very well. We'll need to take your statement, but you're free to go for now. Self defense isn't a crime." He droned.
I nodded and stood up to leave, when he stopped me.
"Oh, one more thing. What's your name?" He asked.
"Erik. Erik Graham." I replied.
The SWAT team leader nodded, and I left the interrogation room. Elated that I hadn't been convicted of anything.
It was only then that I realised I still had the gun in my pocket. Upon closer inspection, it was akin to a classic revolver from the wild west age of old earth.
Though where bullets would usually lay, there were special EX-Energy amplifying devices. Despite its origins, I couldn't argue it didn't look badass. This could serve as a good weapon for closed spaces where I wouldn't be able to swing my sword freely.
I decided to keep it. As a memento of the day's events.
But one question still nagged at me.
How did I manifest my gravity powers so quickly? Was that just how Phenom casting worked? Or was it something more?
I would have to ask Eliora when she woke up.
- 9th August 2138, Hospital -
Eliora woke up a few hours later, and I was by her bedside in an instant.
"Erik! What happened?" She asked, looking around in confusion.
I yet again relayed the events of the past few hours to her, this time including the part about my Phenom abilities.
"I see. And they didn't suspect anything?" She asked.
Shaking my head, I declined her question.
"Good. It's best that people don't know such things about you. My hero!" She gasped. Blushing.
I nodded in agreement. She wasn't wrong in any sense.
"But Erik, how did you manifest your Phenom abilities so quickly? I've never seen anyone do that before." She said.
Honestly. I had no clue, so I simply shrugged.
"I don't know. It just sort of happened." I replied, without much care.
Eliora nodded, getting out of the bed to head home to her father with me.
"Thank you." She said, softly. Her lips grazing my cheek for but a moment.
- 9th August 2138, Eliora's Home -
Eliora's father was sitting in the same place I'd last met him, bawling his eyes out, thanking me.
"Thank you so much for defending my daughter. I am eternally indebted to you." He cried.
Oh wonderful! Rich family support.
"She's a good girl." I bluntly stated, causing Eliora to subtly blush.
A smirk then parted the old man's face. What was he up to?
"Why not take her hand in marriage?"
What?
Eliora's reaction was priceless. It was like she didn't want to say no, yet she had to. Her face was glowing a bright red as she slapped her father.
"NO!!! NOT YE- I MEAN NOOO!" She shouted, her composure completely broken.
Ok. I'm going to ignore this revelation.
Time to change the subject.
For a third time, I relayed the events of the past few hours to him, again including the part about my Phenom abilities.
"I see. And they didn't suspect anything?" He asked.
Shaking my head, I internally laughed. Despite belonging to a foster family, Eliora and her Father were so similar.
"Good. It's best that people don't know such things about you. My hero!" He exclaimed, getting up to shake my hand.
I nodded in agreement and took my leave, with a new gun in tow.
I would have to find somewhere to keep it safe. Away from the prying eyes of anyone who'd find it suspicious.
- 9th August 2138, Student Apartments -
Eventually I'd decided to keep the gun in my room, under the floorboards. It felt like a more secure location than anywhere else.
But first, I needed to test my Phenom abilities further.
I focused on a pen in my hand and willed it to float. It slowly rose from my palm and hovered in mid-air. With a familiar magenta aura, fluid in nature unveiling itself around my hand.
Moving it around with my free hand, I tested its weightlessness. After a few minutes, I was confident enough to try something else. But that would have to wait. I was getting very tired.
Placing the pen back on my desk, I laid down in bed, quickly falling asleep.