Saik fixed his gaze on the man who had suddenly appeared.
"Who are you?" he asked firmly.
The man smirked, his smile dripping with arrogance and disdain.
"Why don't you introduce yourselves first? After all, you're the guests here."
"I think the host should introduce himself first," Saik retorted.
The man chuckled lightly before tilting his head dramatically, as if he were doing them a huge favor.
"Very well, very well... I'm Alaric. A pleasure to meet you," he said, the sarcasm clear in his voice.
"Do I even need to ask if you're one of the Conclave's bearers?" Saik questioned.
"No need, it's obvious enough."
Koji leaned slightly towards Saik and whispered, "Is the energy wave part of his technique? Because if it is, we're at a disadvantage."
Still keeping his eyes on Alaric, Saik whispered back, "I'm not sure. But we knew the danger of the wave coming in. The thing is, before, I only felt the wave's energy and no other bearers. Now, I only feel this guy's energy, not the wave's anymore."
"Hmm. So, he's probably the one controlling the wave?"
"Not probably—definitely. We just can't tell exactly what his technique is, but at least we know it's an environmental type."
"Environmental technique?" Koji asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, techniques that directly affect and alter the surroundings. Could be a small area or a huge one."
"You guys really gonna keep chatting?" Alaric interrupted, taking slow, deliberate steps toward them. "I'm right here, you know. Not a fan of being ignored."
Despite the caution, Saik took a step forward as if preparing to confront Alaric, though still keeping a safe distance.
"What do you want? What does the Conclave want?" Saik asked seriously.
Alaric feigned thought for a moment, looking up at the sky, fists clenched theatrically.
"What do we want? The Conclave is part of something much bigger than you can imagine. But I'm certain it's something that'll change the world—change everyone. This is just the beginning. An experiment, if you will."
"Experiment?" Koji muttered, processing what he was hearing.
"Where are the other Conclave bearers? Are they all here?" Saik's tone remained assertive and serious, despite his occasional light-hearted quips.
Alaric's demeanor shifted, losing the enthusiasm he'd had when talking about the Conclave's global plans. He looked at them with a bored expression.
"You're from the Tower, aren't you? Ah, how did I not see it sooner? It's obvious from the self-righteous vibe you two give off."
"Where are the other bearers?" Saik repeated firmly.
"For fuck's sake! Why do you two need to know everything?"
Alaric then launched into a mocking rant about the Tower and its so-called "puppets."
"The Tower... Oh, the mighty Tower. Always wanting to know everything, always sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. Do you really think you're here of your own free will? That you have any kind of freedom? Don't kid yourselves. You're just pawns in the Tower's game. They pull the strings, and you dance to their tune. It's pathetic, really."
As Alaric ranted, Saik whispered to Koji, "Listen, we won't be able to figure out if his technique is directly tied to the energy wave from here. Aside from Alaric, the Conclave might have other bearers responsible for the wave."
"You're saying we should engage him?" Koji asked.
Saik nodded in affirmation.
Koji glanced at Alaric, who was still ranting, dramatically waving his arms toward the sky as if receiving some divine revelation.
"Ah, you don't understand, do you? The grand power I possess as a bearer of the Conclave, seeking to change the world, is too magnificent for you to comprehend. We are the Enlightened, the Elevated, the Just."
"The more I walk around, the more crazy bearers I meet," Koji thought to himself, feeling mentally exhausted to the point of a headache.
During Alaric's over-the-top monologue, Saik began releasing his internal energy, focusing it intensely in his feet.
Koji noticed the movement and glanced curiously at Saik, who quickly explained, "This is gonna surprise you."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Koji and especially Saik began to sink slightly. The vivid energy concentrated so intensely in Saik's feet that it compressed the ground beneath them.
In a swift and unexpected move, Saik launched himself toward Alaric, flying like an arrow, though a bit clumsily.
"What the...? He's flying?" Koji looked on in disbelief.
Alaric was caught off guard, barely having time to react before Saik's fist connected with his face.
"Huh?"
Pow!
The impact sent Alaric spinning through the air several times before crashing into some trash bags near the edge of the plaza.
"Ah!" Alaric yelled, rising in anger. "What the hell did you do to move so fast?"
As Saik approached, he responded in an almost instructional tone.
"I don't know how experienced you are as a bearer, what class of power you're in, but it seems like you don't know that the greater the concentration of internal energy, the greater the action potential."
"My case is unique because I have vivid energy, which is a branch of my technique. When I channeled that vivid energy into my feet and let it contact the ground, the rapid buildup of tangible energy created friction between my energy and the earth. The ground and my energy collided because they're opposites."
"This resulted in a burst of speed and propulsion due to the friction and collision caused by the intense concentration of energy in my feet."
Alaric slowly got up, wiping the blood from his mouth, a crazed smile forming on his face.
"Interesting... But are you ready for the next level?"
"Next level?" Koji thought, standing a bit away from Saik and Alaric. "What exactly does that mean?"
"I don't know what you're planning, but I'm ready!" Saik shouted.
Alaric's voice grew louder and more intense as he spoke.
"SEE THIS ENERGY WAVE ALL AROUND US? IT'S ALL MINE!"
Koji and Saik exchanged glances, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Sin: Conversion!" Alaric activated his technique.
The energy wave surrounding them began to distort, warping the air as if reality itself was being torn apart.
"Koji!" Saik shouted.
"What?"
"Stay alert! There could be other Conclave bearers nearby!"
"Got it!"
Alaric then eyed a cup of juice that had been left by a tree and, grinning, walked over to pick it up.
"Conversion?... If his technique is what I think it is..." Saik thought, analyzing the situation seriously.
With a malicious smile, Alaric looked directly at Saik and asked, "Tell me, what harm could this simple juice cause?"