[17]
[Fear Reader]
[1]
[The user can discern and instantly understand the greatest fears of other beings. They are able to truly observe the most hidden of fears within an opponent and use those fears to their advantage]
Lydia: Kas? Are you ok? I heard something-
In her vision of who Kastor was, Lydia saw Kastor as someone who didn't like to express his emotions much. He even thought Kastor wasn't an emotive person in general. Even the emotions he does display besides apathy and contentedness were very toned down.
So she knew something was wrong when Kastor's emotions were in full view. He wasn't a person you could easily read but she recognised that expression. When she looked back, back to when she had her first awakening, she had that expression. A similar one. The same one she wore for years after trying to accept her mother's suicide.
Lydia grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Kastor. She got on the couch he was sitting on and hugged him tightly. She always wished someone was there to comfort her when she was a child, but at least she could be that person for someone she cared about.
Kastor and Lydia sat there, just embracing as Kastor took it all in. He activated Clear Mind and steadied himself before calming down.
Hah. This ability is absolutely broken. Even after the sixteen layers of hell I went through, I can somehow keep myself from falling apart with Clear Mind.
Kastor: I'm fine now. Thank you.
Lydia hugged me tighter and placed her head against my chest. Was she Kastor's girlfriend? She has to be right? Please god, don't make this complicated. I've had my fill on AO3 and Wattpad, just make these relationships straight forward.
Lydia: What happened?
I stretched my arms and pulled her closer. This is what couples do right? I don't know, I wasn't really into romance nor did I have a chance to indulge in my previous lives so I mostly got my knowledge from books or visual media.
Kastor: Nightmares.
Lydia: You told me you stopped having any sort of dreams or nightmares a few years ago.
Kastor: It was….. different. I've figured out my ability now.
Lydia listened patiently and intently.
Kastor: Every day, a random number is chosen. This number will be the amount of abilities lined up for me to gain. I must manually get each ability by experiencing different triggers big or small. I gained the first ability for free. If I don't get every ability by the end of the day, I experience vivid nightmares that act as triggers for each ability I didn't get.
Lydia: How bad were they?
Kastor:...
Lydia: Kas?
Kastor: Oh, sorry. Just thinking about which one I could tell you about.
Lydia: Could? How about the last nightmare you had.
Kastor: Well, I went through a hundred years of sleep paralysis each night and each night lasted a decade. When I did sleep or get some rest, which was usually after the sleep paralysis, I always had nightmares which lasted around a year each time. I could actually die some gruesome and painful deaths from those nightmares and sleep paralysis-
Lydia: God-
Kastor: And every time I died, I would loop back to the beginning of the century and would have to repeat it all again.
Lydia: ...How many times did you die?
Kastor: Enough times... you're gonna break me if you keep tightening this hug.
Lydia: Ah, sorry.
Kastor: No, let's- Let's just stay like this for a bit….
Lydia: Alright.
17 triggers. And I was given the first one for free so I'd have to look for the rest. I'll need to get this done quickly, I don't want to go through those nightmares ever again.
I'm not even sure if I could even call those nightmares. Everything felt so real in the moment. I lived out multiple lifetimes. Nearly as many people are alive in this continent.
To get my mind away from….. this. Let me tell you a fun fact. We're not on earth anymore. It's still a planet and very earth-like planet but the geography is a lot different. So are the nations.
Kingdoms and feudalism was still predominant despite the fact we have very modern technology. We still use horses to get around mostly because aside from cities like this, everywhere else is still relatively untouched. Not many roads are designed for cars.
There's the railroad, ports, primitive airports and some transportation relying on powers like a portal and flying service. There's a lot of empty space with the occasional village, mine, forest, plains and city and kingdom every now and then.
We have guns and nukes but when you throw superpowers in the mix, some people are basically nukes of themselves. Everyone has an ability, because everyone has the potential to go through a trigger due to how random and varied they appear to be.
You can't escape a trigger as much as someone can never experience suffering. It is a nature of life, everyone will someday experience a trigger, and whether they awaken is based on luck pretty much. You could awaken at birth or even awaken right before you die.
Those weapons I mentioned are still in use, plus others, but they are a lot more secondary. A majority of our technology is less focused on making weapons and more on architecture, construction, agriculture and resource gathering.
Wars are won and lost with superpowers. Our society doesn't really revolve around them though. Superpowers are seen more like talents. If you're talented in that field then certain jobs, positions and offers are available to you and if not, tough luck. It's the same in other fields based on talent like music, art, writing etc.
Now I had to think. What's the best way to experience some triggers without putting myself into intensely traumatic situations?
That's right, vigilantism.
Licensed heroes do exist but that requires sharing a whole lot of info with the government and no. Just no. So I'll do my own thing.
So I'm still a student in my new life. Again. For the third time. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually be popular this time. I found a timetable on my phone so I'm glad they do online schedules.
I have a class for drama and then theology…? Who does drama AND theology? That's the most random combination I could think of. And why do I keep reincarnating into religious students!?
My class doesn't start until later in the day so I have time to do some scouting. I didn't just pick vigilantism on a whim.
[Crime Detection]
[12]
[The user has the ability to sense the presence of crime. They could detect crimes against the state and may even be able to detect crimes against nature, the cosmos and even god. Essentially, this is the perfect power for vigilantes and superheroes]
The range of this is insane. I can detect crimes from across the city. Cities in this world are massive. 80 million people live in this one alone. I have to limit the range since if I didn't, it would be like looking at a map with every inch covered with a dot. Crimes are happening everywhere all the time, so to actually see anything, I'll need to lower the range.
I didn't really prepare much since I planned on getting ready and making my debut during the night. I didn't think I would have time for some crime fighting.
You see, not much happens during the day because things are a lot more visible and heroes as well as police regularly patrol the city. Crimes still happen but not as rampant as the night.
Most heroes take the day shift because it's easier. To oversimplify it, less crimes at day means more heroes take day shift meaning less crimes at day as it's riskier due to there being a lot more heroes meaning more heroes take the day shift and repeat.
It's also the day. Where most people are out and about. The night just offers a lot more opportunity for criminals than the day. I'm gonna move on now because I feel like I didn't need to explain this but I did anyway so people don't ask "why didn't you bring equipment?" And I did! Just not as much as I could've.
Yes, I used my inventory but it's harder getting changed into your alternate identity and also avoid being chased after by the police during the day. I'm not licensed after all.
There's people and cameras everywhere. More chances to get cornered and spotted. It's not that better at night but it's still better. Which is why this is such a big help.
[Awareness Detection]
[11]
[The user can detect/be aware they're being sensed through extrasensory, conceptual, etc, means. They may be aware of how they are being sensed, where their sensor is, and possibly who their sensor is. Unlike Observation Detection in which the user can only detect when they are being seen, with Detection Awareness the user can sense when they are being detected by such powers as Detection and its variations]
I made my way to a nearby crime, which entails just walking there and then pretending to be your everyday model citizen when I noticed the awareness counter tick to one.
I know what is sensing me, why and how but not who. I do have limited ability in finding where but only the general direction. If someone through the camera is watching me, all I could tell is where the camera is, not the person.
I found them.
15 of them. I know who they are. Well, the group they're a part of. They call themselves The Faceless. They wear these full white masks with no features at all. Just a smooth all white.
Not much is known about them. Some sites and communities claim they're a small ragtag group of gangsters, others claim they're one of the top five gangs in Versol, the name of this city. Sometimes their members have single-handedly taken down teams of heroes and other times they're no different from the common street rat.
[Bullet Time]
[15]
[The user can slow time down to various degrees while being able to move normally, either slowing time for a certain target or affecting everything but the user. They can slow down opponents to avoid attacks and dampen movements]
I slow down time to a crawl. At least slow enough so that they wouldn't notice me walk in front of them or even see a blur. I need to act quick though. Bullet Time is very draining. I run behind one, steal their rifle and use it to choke the man. It's taking too long so I deactivate Bullet Time and just snap his neck.
[+1 Life]
[Lives: 894,045]
Faceless 2: In front of me! F1 is down!
Faceless 3: Light him up!
Activating toxin generation, a versatile ability that mutated into its current form after I triggered and got mutated clone physiology, I create a dense sedative smoke and disappear in it.
[Breaker Touch]
[7]
[The user can destroy every type of object that can be considered as equipment (armour , clothes, weapons, jewels, etc.) by touch. The destruction can be partial, complete or just enough to make the item unusable]
None of them had a chance to fire though as time slowed and I ran at them, activating breaker touch before they fired and attracted the attention of the police with the noise.
Faceless 4: F2! I don't see him!
Faceless 9: Our guns fell apart!
Faceless 13: Behind you F9!
Stealing his knife right from his pockets, I slit his throat and start spamming bullet time as well as utilising cutting and my speed to do business.
[+1 Life]
[+6 Lives]
[+3 Lives]
I notice one of them charging up some attack and I throw the knife, aiming right for the head.
[+1 Life]
Bullseye! Still got it babyyyyy. I should be reincarnated as a Buddhist in my next life. It'll be an interesting challenge for me if I can't directly kill, myself. Remember kids, commas are important.
If I counted right, there should be three left. They start to activate their abilities and I decide to end the fight here and now.
[Gorgon Gaze]
[10]
[The user can transform matter and objects, including living beings, into stone by looking at them]
An instant. It wasn't a continuous effect where they slowly turned into stone or it crawled from below and up to their bodies, it was just a single look and now they're stone. I left their masks intact though.
The reason I didn't instantly use it is because I wanted to try and trigger an ability first but after seeing how easily I managed to dispatch most of them, I abandoned that notion.
I also heard that The Faceless had masks that would burn their faces when they die or when anyone else but those from their organisation tried to take it off, to preserve their identity and secrets.
The masks however, did not account for petrification. I take the masks from their faces and using one of their knives, scratch a face in the blank smooth mask. The masks were pretty durable so I had to use a bit of my strength to dig it in.
There we go! It looks fucking terrifying. I love it. I put the other masks in my inventory and then had an idea as I put on my new mask. I went up to the bodies and tried to see if I could store them into my inventory.
Would you look at that, it worked!
I had this idea beforehand yesterday but didn't have any dead bodies to test it with. I managed to get rid of much of the evidence but as I was looking around, I still noticed a crime happening quite close to me. I suspected it was just detecting the crime of vigilantism that I was doing but I had disabled that and specified it not to target such things.
I followed where it was pointing at me too and took off a grey cover, revealing a car and inside, a woman tied up and gagged. She looked at me, surprised, but I could tell by her body language it wasn't my appearance that surprised her the most but that certainly helped.
It was the fact that she heard a commotion happening outside, it went dead silent and now I'm here. She naturally went to the assumption that I had taken down all 15 by myself but she found that quite ridiculous….. unless I was a hero or vigilante.
I was surprised I managed to gleam so much into her thoughts just with body language analysis. It wasn't too far off telepathy with how powerful it was. I ripped the door of the car, because it was locked and then untied her.
I very much considered walking away since I noticed she was wearing a police officer uniform and I hate authority. Then I thought about how I could use this to my advantage. It's going to be so much easier manipulating people now that I have this ability, if only I had it in my previous lives, I may have avoided dying in the first place.
???: Stay still.
I remove the gag and start to untie her,
Policewoman: Pah- who are you?
???: Your saviour.
Policewoman: What happened to The Faceless?
???: Dealt with.
I made the bags of money and other suspicious duffel bags filled with illegal substances, it was crack cocainus ok I'll stop speaking pretentiously. God, Sunny really fucked up my speech patterns and even affected my thoughts.
???: Here.
I hand her the evidence and start to walk away albeit slowly to give her a chance to shout "wait!" Dramatically.
Policewoman: Hold on!
Great, now I look stupid. Let me have my JoJo moment lady! I slowly look behind my shoulder. Displaying a bit of caution and killing intent. I've done this thing thousands of times before, and I mastered how to do it as Sunny.
Policewoman: Normally, this would be counted as vigilantism and I would have to arrest you.
Here we are. I mastered alternate identities as Sunny and secret societies as Dominic. I wonder what I should try to refine in this life?
???: Normally?
She stepped closer until she was standing behind me. I turned around to face her. I could see her shudder slightly as she gazed at my mask.
Policewoman: You saved me, and that is an act that cannot go unnoticed…. But, you did commit a crime.
???: Decide which it is. I saved your life and I can certainly take it from you.
Policewoman: For both our sakes, I'll ignore that comment. By the looks of it, you aren't a vigilante.
???: You came to such conclusions based on….?
Policewoman: Your mask is taken from a Faceless, you're wearing casual clothes and a vigilante would leave immediately in the presence of a police officer.
???: You didn't consider that I just don't view you as a threat?
Policewoman: That is clear to me.
???: Get to your point, I'm an impatient man.
Policewoman: This can be overlooked with a simple adjustment. It wouldn't be vigilantism if you worked under us.
???: If your suggestion is for me to become a hero, we're done here.
I pretend to hastily leave and turn around but she appears right in front of me. Teleportation? Or super speed?
Policewoman: Hear me out, please.
???: Talk.
Policewoman: I'm not asking you to be a hero or a police officer. To not waste your time, I'll simplify it.
???: Now you get it.
Policewoman: You'll be given the authority to stop crimes and the police will look the other way. We'll even pay you to stop crimes and solve cases.
???: What's the catch?
Policewoman: No catch. Just solve a case, fulfil a quota or help us when we call on you. You won't be tied down to us and can call quits any time.
???: Why?
Policewoman: You might not see it that way but we have to abide by the law too. Heroes and vigilantes operate with a certain degree of freedom that allows them to be judge, jury and even executioner. We're tied down by the law. We need to be able to prove a crime is happening or catch it right in front of us before we can do anything.
???: You want me to handle the dirty work.
Policewoman: In a way, yes. It'd be very convenient to have someone who could…. Take action, so to speak. The benefit is that we ourselves don't have to be the one involved.
???: Isn't this technically still illegal?
Policewoman: With use of a loophole regarding awakened institutions, technically no. We can argue ourselves to be similar to superhero agencies or even government mandated groups such as the Virtue Academy.
???: What if I get caught?
Policewoman: We can cover for you, say you're one of ours. Most just need that verification to leave you alone.
???: If they don't?
Policewoman: We can deal with it, you won't have to worry about it. We don't need your real identity either and if you want, I can be the only person you can communicate with for your cases.
???: Am I the only person doing this sort of work for your department?
Policewoman: The first, but I assure you, certainly not the last.
I noticed a sense of determination light in her eyes before she looked back at me and cleared her throat.
Policewoman: Please consider the offer.
???: Will you arrest me if I refuse?
Policewoman: For what? I didn't see anything happen. The Faceless could have just left.
???: Heh, I like you. It's a good offer, I admit, mutually beneficial for both of us. What happens though if you can't deal with it?
Policewoman: You disappear. Since you're not an "official" member of our organisation, we won't keep any records of you or your activities as well as the fact that it could be used against us if we did. We would be the ones who would get in real trouble but not you. We just pretend you never existed and you go back to your normal life for a while until we can deal with it.
???: Then I have one final question…. What're you willing to risk for this?
Policewoman: Everything.
I know that light. That determination. I killed every person who had it in my past lives but maybe instead of having those people work against me, I can have them work with me.
???: Very well then. I accept. I'll find you tomorrow, I'll be wearing the same mask so you'll know it's me.
Alright, now I actually need to get going because I'm gonna be late for class.
Policewoman: May I have a name at the very least?
???: You first.
Eve: Eve.
Mithras: Call me Mithras. Give me a different name next time we meet, don't want to reveal your association with me now wouldn't you?
She is silent for a few moments as I leave through an alleyway before I hear her call out.
Bellona: How about Bellona!
Mithras: Absolutely perfect.
Chapter 3: What remains of Kastor Von Everi.
[17]
[Fear Reader]
[1]
[The user can discern and instantly understand the greatest fears of other beings. They are able to truly observe the most hidden of fears within an opponent and use those fears to their advantage]
Lydia: Kas? Are you ok? I heard something-
In her vision of who Kastor was, Lydia saw Kastor as someone who didn't like to express his emotions much. He even thought Kastor wasn't an emotive person in general. Even the emotions he does display besides apathy and contentedness were very toned down.
So she knew something was wrong when Kastor's emotions were in full view. He wasn't a person you could easily read but she recognised that expression. When she looked back, back to when she had her first awakening, she had that expression. A similar one. The same one she wore for years after trying to accept her mother's suicide.
Lydia grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Kastor. She got on the couch he was sitting on and hugged him tightly. She always wished someone was there to comfort her when she was a child, but at least she could be that person for someone she cared about.
Kastor and Lydia sat there, just embracing as Kastor took it all in. He activated Clear Mind and steadied himself before calming down.
Hah. This ability is absolutely broken. Even after the sixteen layers of hell I went through, I can somehow keep myself from falling apart with Clear Mind.
Kastor: I'm fine now. Thank you.
Lydia hugged me tighter and placed her head against my chest. Was she Kastor's girlfriend? She has to be right? Please god, don't make this complicated. I've had my fill on AO3 and Wattpad, just make these relationships straight forward.
Lydia: What happened?
I stretched my arms and pulled her closer. This is what couples do right? I don't know, I wasn't really into romance nor did I have a chance to indulge in my previous lives so I mostly got my knowledge from books or visual media.
Kastor: Nightmares.
Lydia: You told me you stopped having any sort of dreams or nightmares a few years ago.
Kastor: It was….. different. I've figured out my ability now.
Lydia listened patiently and intently.
Kastor: Every day, a random number is chosen. This number will be the amount of abilities lined up for me to gain. I must manually get each ability by experiencing different triggers big or small. I gained the first ability for free. If I don't get every ability by the end of the day, I experience vivid nightmares that act as triggers for each ability I didn't get.
Lydia: How bad were they?
Kastor:...
Lydia: Kas?
Kastor: Oh, sorry. Just thinking about which one I could tell you about.
Lydia: Could? How about the last nightmare you had.
Kastor: Well, I went through a hundred years of sleep paralysis each night and each night lasted a decade. When I did sleep or get some rest, which was usually after the sleep paralysis, I always had nightmares which lasted around a year each time. I could actually die some gruesome and painful deaths from those nightmares and sleep paralysis-
Lydia: God-
Kastor: And every time I died, I would loop back to the beginning of the century and would have to repeat it all again.
Lydia: ...How many times did you die?
Kastor: Enough times... you're gonna break me if you keep tightening this hug.
Lydia: Ah, sorry.
Kastor: No, let's- Let's just stay like this for a bit….
Lydia: Alright.
17 triggers. And I was given the first one for free so I'd have to look for the rest. I'll need to get this done quickly, I don't want to go through those nightmares ever again.
I'm not even sure if I could even call those nightmares. Everything felt so real in the moment. I lived out multiple lifetimes. Nearly as many people are alive in this continent.
To get my mind away from….. this. Let me tell you a fun fact. We're not on earth anymore. It's still a planet and very earth-like planet but the geography is a lot different. So are the nations.
Kingdoms and feudalism was still predominant despite the fact we have very modern technology. We still use horses to get around mostly because aside from cities like this, everywhere else is still relatively untouched. Not many roads are designed for cars.
There's the railroad, ports, primitive airports and some transportation relying on powers like a portal and flying service. There's a lot of empty space with the occasional village, mine, forest, plains and city and kingdom every now and then.
We have guns and nukes but when you throw superpowers in the mix, some people are basically nukes of themselves. Everyone has an ability, because everyone has the potential to go through a trigger due to how random and varied they appear to be.
You can't escape a trigger as much as someone can never experience suffering. It is a nature of life, everyone will someday experience a trigger, and whether they awaken is based on luck pretty much. You could awaken at birth or even awaken right before you die.
Those weapons I mentioned are still in use, plus others, but they are a lot more secondary. A majority of our technology is less focused on making weapons and more on architecture, construction, agriculture and resource gathering.
Wars are won and lost with superpowers. Our society doesn't really revolve around them though. Superpowers are seen more like talents. If you're talented in that field then certain jobs, positions and offers are available to you and if not, tough luck. It's the same in other fields based on talent like music, art, writing etc.
Now I had to think. What's the best way to experience some triggers without putting myself into intensely traumatic situations?
That's right, vigilantism.
Licensed heroes do exist but that requires sharing a whole lot of info with the government and no. Just no. So I'll do my own thing.
So I'm still a student in my new life. Again. For the third time. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually be popular this time. I found a timetable on my phone so I'm glad they do online schedules.
I have a class for drama and then theology…? Who does drama AND theology? That's the most random combination I could think of. And why do I keep reincarnating into religious students!?
My class doesn't start until later in the day so I have time to do some scouting. I didn't just pick vigilantism on a whim.
[Crime Detection]
[12]
[The user has the ability to sense the presence of crime. They could detect crimes against the state and may even be able to detect crimes against nature, the cosmos and even god. Essentially, this is the perfect power for vigilantes and superheroes]
The range of this is insane. I can detect crimes from across the city. Cities in this world are massive. 80 million people live in this one alone. I have to limit the range since if I didn't, it would be like looking at a map with every inch covered with a dot. Crimes are happening everywhere all the time, so to actually see anything, I'll need to lower the range.
I didn't really prepare much since I planned on getting ready and making my debut during the night. I didn't think I would have time for some crime fighting.
You see, not much happens during the day because things are a lot more visible and heroes as well as police regularly patrol the city. Crimes still happen but not as rampant as the night.
Most heroes take the day shift because it's easier. To oversimplify it, less crimes at day means more heroes take day shift meaning less crimes at day as it's riskier due to there being a lot more heroes meaning more heroes take the day shift and repeat.
It's also the day. Where most people are out and about. The night just offers a lot more opportunity for criminals than the day. I'm gonna move on now because I feel like I didn't need to explain this but I did anyway so people don't ask "why didn't you bring equipment?" And I did! Just not as much as I could've.
Yes, I used my inventory but it's harder getting changed into your alternate identity and also avoid being chased after by the police during the day. I'm not licensed after all.
There's people and cameras everywhere. More chances to get cornered and spotted. It's not that better at night but it's still better. Which is why this is such a big help.
[Awareness Detection]
[11]
[The user can detect/be aware they're being sensed through extrasensory, conceptual, etc, means. They may be aware of how they are being sensed, where their sensor is, and possibly who their sensor is. Unlike Observation Detection in which the user can only detect when they are being seen, with Detection Awareness the user can sense when they are being detected by such powers as Detection and its variations]
I made my way to a nearby crime, which entails just walking there and then pretending to be your everyday model citizen when I noticed the awareness counter tick to one.
I know what is sensing me, why and how but not who. I do have limited ability in finding where but only the general direction. If someone through the camera is watching me, all I could tell is where the camera is, not the person.
I found them.
15 of them. I know who they are. Well, the group they're a part of. They call themselves The Faceless. They wear these full white masks with no features at all. Just a smooth all white.
Not much is known about them. Some sites and communities claim they're a small ragtag group of gangsters, others claim they're one of the top five gangs in Versol, the name of this city. Sometimes their members have single-handedly taken down teams of heroes and other times they're no different from the common street rat.
[Bullet Time]
[15]
[The user can slow time down to various degrees while being able to move normally, either slowing time for a certain target or affecting everything but the user. They can slow down opponents to avoid attacks and dampen movements]
I slow down time to a crawl. At least slow enough so that they wouldn't notice me walk in front of them or even see a blur. I need to act quick though. Bullet Time is very draining. I run behind one, steal their rifle and use it to choke the man. It's taking too long so I deactivate Bullet Time and just snap his neck.
[+1 Life]
[Lives: 894,045]
Faceless 2: In front of me! F1 is down!
Faceless 3: Light him up!
Activating toxin generation, a versatile ability that mutated into its current form after I triggered and got mutated clone physiology, I create a dense sedative smoke and disappear in it.
[Breaker Touch]
[7]
[The user can destroy every type of object that can be considered as equipment (armour , clothes, weapons, jewels, etc.) by touch. The destruction can be partial, complete or just enough to make the item unusable]
None of them had a chance to fire though as time slowed and I ran at them, activating breaker touch before they fired and attracted the attention of the police with the noise.
Faceless 4: F2! I don't see him!
Faceless 9: Our guns fell apart!
Faceless 13: Behind you F9!
Stealing his knife right from his pockets, I slit his throat and start spamming bullet time as well as utilising cutting and my speed to do business.
[+1 Life]
[+6 Lives]
[+3 Lives]
I notice one of them charging up some attack and I throw the knife, aiming right for the head.
[+1 Life]
Bullseye! Still got it babyyyyy. I should be reincarnated as a Buddhist in my next life. It'll be an interesting challenge for me if I can't directly kill, myself. Remember kids, commas are important.
If I counted right, there should be three left. They start to activate their abilities and I decide to end the fight here and now.
[Gorgon Gaze]
[10]
[The user can transform matter and objects, including living beings, into stone by looking at them]
An instant. It wasn't a continuous effect where they slowly turned into stone or it crawled from below and up to their bodies, it was just a single look and now they're stone. I left their masks intact though.
The reason I didn't instantly use it is because I wanted to try and trigger an ability first but after seeing how easily I managed to dispatch most of them, I abandoned that notion.
I also heard that The Faceless had masks that would burn their faces when they die or when anyone else but those from their organisation tried to take it off, to preserve their identity and secrets.
The masks however, did not account for petrification. I take the masks from their faces and using one of their knives, scratch a face in the blank smooth mask. The masks were pretty durable so I had to use a bit of my strength to dig it in.
There we go! It looks fucking terrifying. I love it. I put the other masks in my inventory and then had an idea as I put on my new mask. I went up to the bodies and tried to see if I could store them into my inventory.
Would you look at that, it worked!
I had this idea beforehand yesterday but didn't have any dead bodies to test it with. I managed to get rid of much of the evidence but as I was looking around, I still noticed a crime happening quite close to me. I suspected it was just detecting the crime of vigilantism that I was doing but I had disabled that and specified it not to target such things.
I followed where it was pointing at me too and took off a grey cover, revealing a car and inside, a woman tied up and gagged. She looked at me, surprised, but I could tell by her body language it wasn't my appearance that surprised her the most but that certainly helped.
It was the fact that she heard a commotion happening outside, it went dead silent and now I'm here. She naturally went to the assumption that I had taken down all 15 by myself but she found that quite ridiculous….. unless I was a hero or vigilante.
I was surprised I managed to gleam so much into her thoughts just with body language analysis. It wasn't too far off telepathy with how powerful it was. I ripped the door of the car, because it was locked and then untied her.
I very much considered walking away since I noticed she was wearing a police officer uniform and I hate authority. Then I thought about how I could use this to my advantage. It's going to be so much easier manipulating people now that I have this ability, if only I had it in my previous lives, I may have avoided dying in the first place.
???: Stay still.
I remove the gag and start to untie her,
Policewoman: Pah- who are you?
???: Your saviour.
Policewoman: What happened to The Faceless?
???: Dealt with.
I made the bags of money and other suspicious duffel bags filled with illegal substances, it was crack cocainus ok I'll stop speaking pretentiously. God, Sunny really fucked up my speech patterns and even affected my thoughts.
???: Here.
I hand her the evidence and start to walk away albeit slowly to give her a chance to shout "wait!" Dramatically.
Policewoman: Hold on!
Great, now I look stupid. Let me have my JoJo moment lady! I slowly look behind my shoulder. Displaying a bit of caution and killing intent. I've done this thing thousands of times before, and I mastered how to do it as Sunny.
Policewoman: Normally, this would be counted as vigilantism and I would have to arrest you.
Here we are. I mastered alternate identities as Sunny and secret societies as Dominic. I wonder what I should try to refine in this life?
???: Normally?
She stepped closer until she was standing behind me. I turned around to face her. I could see her shudder slightly as she gazed at my mask.
Policewoman: You saved me, and that is an act that cannot go unnoticed…. But, you did commit a crime.
???: Decide which it is. I saved your life and I can certainly take it from you.
Policewoman: For both our sakes, I'll ignore that comment. By the looks of it, you aren't a vigilante.
???: You came to such conclusions based on….?
Policewoman: Your mask is taken from a Faceless, you're wearing casual clothes and a vigilante would leave immediately in the presence of a police officer.
???: You didn't consider that I just don't view you as a threat?
Policewoman: That is clear to me.
???: Get to your point, I'm an impatient man.
Policewoman: This can be overlooked with a simple adjustment. It wouldn't be vigilantism if you worked under us.
???: If your suggestion is for me to become a hero, we're done here.
I pretend to hastily leave and turn around but she appears right in front of me. Teleportation? Or super speed?
Policewoman: Hear me out, please.
???: Talk.
Policewoman: I'm not asking you to be a hero or a police officer. To not waste your time, I'll simplify it.
???: Now you get it.
Policewoman: You'll be given the authority to stop crimes and the police will look the other way. We'll even pay you to stop crimes and solve cases.
???: What's the catch?
Policewoman: No catch. Just solve a case, fulfil a quota or help us when we call on you. You won't be tied down to us and can call quits any time.
???: Why?
Policewoman: You might not see it that way but we have to abide by the law too. Heroes and vigilantes operate with a certain degree of freedom that allows them to be judge, jury and even executioner. We're tied down by the law. We need to be able to prove a crime is happening or catch it right in front of us before we can do anything.
???: You want me to handle the dirty work.
Policewoman: In a way, yes. It'd be very convenient to have someone who could…. Take action, so to speak. The benefit is that we ourselves don't have to be the one involved.
???: Isn't this technically still illegal?
Policewoman: With use of a loophole regarding awakened institutions, technically no. We can argue ourselves to be similar to superhero agencies or even government mandated groups such as the Virtue Academy.
???: What if I get caught?
Policewoman: We can cover for you, say you're one of ours. Most just need that verification to leave you alone.
???: If they don't?
Policewoman: We can deal with it, you won't have to worry about it. We don't need your real identity either and if you want, I can be the only person you can communicate with for your cases.
???: Am I the only person doing this sort of work for your department?
Policewoman: The first, but I assure you, certainly not the last.
I noticed a sense of determination light in her eyes before she looked back at me and cleared her throat.
Policewoman: Please consider the offer.
???: Will you arrest me if I refuse?
Policewoman: For what? I didn't see anything happen. The Faceless could have just left.
???: Heh, I like you. It's a good offer, I admit, mutually beneficial for both of us. What happens though if you can't deal with it?
Policewoman: You disappear. Since you're not an "official" member of our organisation, we won't keep any records of you or your activities as well as the fact that it could be used against us if we did. We would be the ones who would get in real trouble but not you. We just pretend you never existed and you go back to your normal life for a while until we can deal with it.
???: Then I have one final question…. What're you willing to risk for this?
Policewoman: Everything.
I know that light. That determination. I killed every person who had it in my past lives but maybe instead of having those people work against me, I can have them work with me.
???: Very well then. I accept. I'll find you tomorrow, I'll be wearing the same mask so you'll know it's me.
Alright, now I actually need to get going because I'm gonna be late for class.
Policewoman: May I have a name at the very least?
???: You first.
Eve: Eve.
Mithras: Call me Mithras. Give me a different name next time we meet, don't want to reveal your association with me now wouldn't you?
She is silent for a few moments as I leave through an alleyway before I hear her call out.
Bellona: How about Bellona!
Mithras: Absolutely perfect.