I slowly opened my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sand beneath me. The sound of waves crashing against the shore filled my ears as I sat up, trying to get my bearings. My head was pounding, and I struggled to remember the events that unfolded at the precinct.
"Jim? What... what happened?" I mumbled, rubbing my temples as I spotted him sitting nearby on a beach chair, sipping a cocktail with an umbrella in it.
"You blacked out after your little encounter with Mi Dong," Jim explained nonchalantly. "And since you seemed to be in need of some privacy, I brought you here. You've been out for a while."
My mind whirred as I tried to make sense of everything. "How did I steal Mi Dong's star power? Is that something all Chaos Triggers can do?"
Jim frowned, setting his drink down on the small table next to him. "The truth is, we don't know a whole lot about Chaos Triggers. You see, you're only the second one to ever exist, so there's a lot we have yet to learn about your capabilities."
"But if you're so famous Jim, why don't you know more about this?" I asked, still feeling disoriented.
Jim gave me a sympathetic smile. "My fame isn't tied to knowing everything about the universe, Halberd. My reputation mainly comes from my skills in combat and intelligence gathering. Even the most knowledgeable beings in existence have their limits."
Feeling disoriented, I looked around at the beautiful beach surrounding us. "How did we even get here? Is this Earth or some other world?"
"Well," Jim chuckled, "this is one of my private beaches on a peaceful little planet called Euphoria-9. I thought it'd be a nice place for you to rest and recover after your ordeal with Mi Dong."
"Speaking of which," I said, suddenly remembering Aquaria's terrified face, "where is she? Is she okay? And what happened to Mi Dong?"
"Don't worry about Aquaria; she's safe," Jim reassured me. "I had her escorted back to her office after you passed out. As for Mi Dong, well, that's a more complicated matter. You didn't just steal his star power; you also took away his influence over others. He's lost his status and abilities as a divine being."
I stared at him, shocked by the revelation. "What does that mean for him? Can he ever get his powers back? And, more importantly, was it my fault?"
Jim sighed and leaned back in his chair. "It's difficult to say. We've never encountered a situation quite like this before. There's a chance he could regain his powers over time, but the process might not be easy or guaranteed. As for whether it's your fault... Well, you didn't know that would happen, did you? Your intentions weren't malicious. It seems to be an inherent ability of yours as a Chaos Trigger."
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling uneasy about the whole situation. "I just hope I don't accidentally cause harm to others with these unknown powers..."
"It'll be a learning process," Jim said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. "But I'm confident you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Besides, now that we know what you're capable of, we can take some precautions to prevent similar incidents from happening again."
I nodded slowly, feeling a little better, knowing that I had support from someone who genuinely cared for my well-being.
"So, what happens now?" I asked, gazing out at the beautiful ocean view. "And what do you think of Aquaria? It is clear that she is trying to get me to help her with a job, but you said I should be weary. That made me start to think after Zeus explained things to me about how it works for the targets. They don't know about the debt, but then why aren't the divine beings guiding them and telling them this?"
Jim gazed at the horizon pensively before turning his attention back to me. "It's a complex situation, Halberd. On the one hand, divine beings are bound by certain rules and restrictions that prevent them from revealing everything about the debt system to their targets. It's possible that they're not even fully aware of how it all works, given how secretive this whole thing is. In my personal opinion, the system is in need of some changes, but my bosses, bosses, boss don't take kindly to suggestions."
"As for the Starless," he continued, "there are also those who might exploit the situation for their own gains, such as Aquaria. Now, I'm not saying she's inherently evil or anything like that, but you need to be cautious when dealing with her. She might have ulterior motives behind wanting your help."
I nodded in understanding, weighing Jim's words carefully. "So, what should my next move be?"
"First and foremost, focus on learning more about your abilities and gaining better control over them. We don't want any more unexpected incidents like the one with Mi Dong. As for Aquaria, keep an open mind and maintain a healthy level of skepticism. Find out more about her intentions and the specifics of the job she wants you to do. Just remember, always trust your instincts."
"Then am I allowed to take on whatever jobs that I want?" I asked, and Jim wiggled his hand as he took a drink.
"To a degree. I will have jobs that take president, but for the most part, I am just letting you be a freelance agent. As I said before, there is a lot we don't yet know about you," Jim said, setting his drink back down. "One thing, I will give a warning out to everyone to be careful around you. Not only do you seem to have the ability to drain Star Power, but you also aren't affected by it. That is going to start a stir."
"I guess this place is used to stepping on anyone below them," I said with a sigh, and Jim nodded.
"Pretty much the name of the game around here, but the three stars are the worst. Did you know? I was a Starless when I first came to this realm?"
"Really? Everyone talks about you like you are a god!" I laughed, and Jim sighed.