"Hahaha."
"Then the captain narrowed his eyes like this, and they all fell to their knees."
"Hahaha."
"The idiots were even crying."
"Hahaha."
"They got what they deserved. As they say, good things come at the right time."
"You're absolutely right; the captain awakened at the perfect moment."
The restaurant fell silent as the door swung open. For the past two hours, they had been the only patrons in the restaurant, and no one else had dared to enter. Not that the owner minded; he was making more money than he ever had on a regular day. Plus, no captain had ever graced his restaurant before, and now, suddenly, two had arrived, with one being the talk of the town. If this doesn't boost his sales, he's not sure what will.
"Big brother!" A sweet sounding voice rung out.
The newcomer rushed into Damien's embrace.
"Ugh, little girl, have you forgotten you're stronger than your big brother?" Damien said, laughing.
"I'm sorry, I was just so happy to see you," the girl said. "I heard you awakened."
The girl was Amelia, the last and youngest member of their team, and also Damien's adopted sister. She was fourteen this year, sporting long rainbow-colored hair. Outside of battle, her eyes were always hidden behind a piece of black fabric tied around her head, and she only wore clothes of three colors: black, white, and grey.
"Yes, big brother finally awakened," Damien replied.
"What kind of ability did you awaken?" Amelia asked.
"Oh, that! Captain awakened a ba-"
The guy clamped his mouth shut after receiving what seemed like a glare from Amelia.
Damien looked at this scene in amusement, even if he didn't show it on his face.
"I like to call my ability 'the controller,'" he started.
"Ooh," Amelia exclaimed with.... shining eyes? "Tell me more."
"Instead of telling you, why don't I show you?"
[CONTROLLER'S AURA]
An invisible wave spread out with Damien as its point of origin, filling the entire restaurant. Damien was cautious enough to restrict it to only the customers' part in order not to give the owner a scare.
"I feel... stronger," Amelia said.
"Yes, this ability allows me to strengthen those considered as my subordinates. And for other people... take a look at Adele."
Everyone turned to look at Adele, who was currently sweating bullets as she tried to resist an invisible pressure that suddenly came upon her.
"Luckily, even though the ability doesn't seem to care, it still gives allies far better treatment than other people who aren't considered as my subordinates," Damien said as he deactivated the ability.
"It's a valuable ability for a leader, but I still can't quite see how it fits the term 'controller,'" Amelia commented. She wore a mysterious smile as she spoke.
Her words elicited shock from everyone, even causing Adele to shiver. If one ability could affect her this way, what about the next one?
Why is life so unfair?
"Of course, there's more," Damien replied, closing his eyes.
Amelia froze in astonishment. "This sensation... don't tell me."
Skepticism!
Fear!
Joy!
Doubt!
These feelings were conveyed to her through her ability, and the ones responsible for transmitting these feelings? The colors around them were the culprits.
Time appeared to slow as Damien's hair gradually took on a rainbow hue. The onlookers held their breath as they witnessed the transformation. Once Damien's hair was entirely rainbow-colored, his eyes opened, and the world around lost its color, revealing his seven-colored pupils.
"This."
"Wow."
"They now resemble each other more."
"Is it just me, or does the captain look more handsome this way?" someone whispered.
"Silence wench! , don't spoil the moment."
"Tch, you're no fun."
"Big brother?" Amelia inquired.
"Oh, I nearly lost myself in that sensation," Damien said as he deactivated the ability. "My power also allows me to access one ability from my subordinate's arsenal, and I can potentially share abilities with them, but I haven't met the requirements yet.
A collective gasp filled the air as everyone processed those words. Having an infinite number of abilities, wasn't that what it implied? All he had to do was keep gathering subordinates.
Ah!
Wasn't the universe supposed to maintain balance?
While the group discussed Damien's newfound ability, Amelia wore a contemplative expression. Ever since she awakened, others had often praised her extraordinary ability. They described it as badass and cool. However, for her, it felt different. She considered this ability, which garnered so much attention, a curse. As she grew stronger, the curse intensified. Damien's display wasn't exactly the same as hers... well, it was, but it seemed like a significantly weaker version. The true extent of her ability was far worse. That's precisely why she concealed her eyes. It also explained why she frequently embarked on solo missions. However, what Damien demonstrated appeared less severe, and she didn't doubt his claim that it was her ability. This meant he might hold the solution to her problem. And she already had a clue about the most likely path to that solution.
" Big brother"
Hmm?
Damien turned to Amelia, who gazed at him expectantly.
"What's the condition to activate your other ability... Ouch," she winced, rubbing her forehead where Damien had just flicked.
"You don't need to know that, little girl," Damien replied.
"No, I need to know," Amelia asserted firmly. "I want to be part of missions with everyone. I don't like constantly wearing a blindfold. There are many reasons why I must know."
The voices in the restaurant fell silent as all eyes turned toward the pair.
"Sigh, I doubt my ability can assist you with that," Damien responded.
"You're not certain! You're just reluctant to test it on me," Amelia insisted. "Please, big brother, I'm confident I can handle it."
Sigh!
"The price to use my third ability on you is a piece of your soul."
Gasps of shock filled the room upon hearing this. A group of people couldn't hold back any more and attempted to send mental messages but encountered a captain-level restriction on the restaurant.
Damn!
This guy had come prepared.
Damien wasn't naive. Despite his team members resembling a family, he remained cautious. He trusted them but wasn't foolish enough to dismiss the possibility of spies. In fact, he intended to use this celebration to identify potential traitors, and now he had spotted a few suspicious individuals. Fortunately, the author had granted him the ability to detect subordinates who had attempted betrayal.
"I'll do it," Amelia declared.
"Little girl, I..."
"I said I'll do it."
Sigh!
[AVATAR CREATION]
Weeeeeeennnnngggg!
__________________
A few hours later....
"You guys know what to do right"
"Yes captain "
" Good, we don't need traitors in our team"
The eight figures disappeared instantly, leaving Damien engrossed in stroking the hair of a dark-haired girl with striking red eyes, oblivious to the envious glances of two other beauties.