"Today's breakfast is two slices of white bread with a glass of milk, and you have a portion of stir-fried vegetables," Luther announced, setting the table with the morning meal.
Hailey immediately frowned, eyeing the vegetables with disdain.
Luther raised an eyebrow, his tone firm. "No frowning. And don't even think about feeding them to the Touch of Plague. You 'will' eat it yourself, or else no meat for you at dinner tonight. Understand?"
Hailey grumbled but sat down reluctantly, picking up the spoon with a look of distaste. She scooped up a bite of the vegetables and shoved it into her mouth with exaggerated reluctance.
Luther watched her, and then, as if on cue, softened his voice. "Come on, it's for your own good. You need to eat more vegetables to keep your skin healthy. The more you eat, the better your complexion will be."
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the memory. His grandmother had used the same trick on him when he was a child, especially when he refused to eat his long beans. "Eat them and you'll grow taller," she'd told him, just to get him to stop whining. It had worked. At the time, he'd been so eager to impress the girl he had a crush on that he'd forced down every last bean, convinced it would give him an edge. Only later did he realize the truth—long beans had nothing to do with his height.
But now, he was using the same approach on Hailey, and it seemed to be working.
When Hailey heard the "skin" excuse, she hesitated less and began to eat more of the vegetables, albeit still with a scrunched-up face. Luther nodded in approval.
"Good girl," he muttered, his satisfaction evident. "Now, clean up after yourself. Stay here, don't go running around." He stood up and stretched, then headed to his room to change.
Soon, Luther emerged from the bedroom in a freshly bought suit. He checked himself in the mirror, adjusting his tie. It was nothing too fancy, just a simple black suit, but it looked good enough for the day ahead.
As he stepped out the door, the fresh morning air of Fleming Street greeted him. He smiled and waved at the neighbors as he passed by. Over the past few days, he'd grown familiar with them. A few polite conversations here, a few friendly exchanges there. It was strange, in a way, how quickly he had settled into this place. It was almost as though the life he had left behind wasn't so far away after all.
He had only arrived in Grant Province two days ago, but already things were in motion. Emma, who seemed to have lost all desire for anything but quiet after the upheaval of their past, had volunteered to help Elizabeth find more information on the secret medicines that could elevate a person to supernatural status. Meanwhile, Luther had come up with a plan of his own.
Miss Susan, always persistent and helpful, had come back to ask him about his ID again, only for Luther to talk her into finding him a temporary job. She'd been a bit reluctant at first, but in the end, she'd found him a spot as a cleaner in one of the investigation areas. Luther, with his natural gift for organization, had excelled at the task. While the elderly men and women around him were slow and clumsy, Luther cleaned with the precision of a professional, earning him a special assignment to clean a specific area that had been neglected.
The work didn't pay much, but it was enough to cover his newspaper subscription for the month. That was all he needed. The newspapers, after all, were his window into the world of the extraordinary, the very world he intended to infiltrate.
The more he interacted with people in Grant Province, the more he realized something important. The ordinary folk here were unusually open about the supernatural. They were curious, eager to discuss it, and willing to share what little they knew. For Luther, it was a refreshing contrast. They spoke freely of secret medicines, of strange beings, and of the rare few who could step into the realm of the extraordinary.
But despite all their chatter, Luther couldn't shake the feeling that the truth was more complicated. Being extraordinary wasn't a simple matter of knowing the right people or passing a few tests. No, it seemed there was a lot more to it than that. Most people would never make the leap, and even those who did; those few who had the talent or the will to use secret medicines, would experience the journey in their own way.
According to Susan, there were different "paths" to becoming extraordinary. Some people used their natural talents; others relied on hidden potions or rituals. Regardless of the method, the process was difficult, dangerous, and often unpredictable.
That sounded impressive, but to Luther, it sounded familiar. The idea of using a medium to connect to some ancient power, of offering something to gain strength, that was exactly what Emma had told him. The stone sculpture she had given him, the one he kept hidden away, was likely one of those "special media" they spoke of.
In fact, it was almost certain that it was the key. Emma had trusted him with it, and from everything he had learned so far, he knew that this strange artifact could open doors he had no idea existed. He just needed to figure out how to unlock its power.
Luther smiled to himself as he walked down the street. 'Soon enough', he thought. 'Soon enough, I'll see how deep this rabbit hole goes.'
Luther stood silently in the yard, staring at the freshly dug hole beneath the towering cypress tree. That thing; the stone sculpture Emma had entrusted him with, now lay buried there, concealed from prying eyes. He couldn't help but feel uneasy about it. The buried artifact had a strange, almost unsettling presence. It wasn't that he doubted Emma's intentions, but there was something about the situation that didn't sit right with him.
He had buried it out of necessity, but perhaps this wasn't the best solution. After all, the thing was linked to something far older, something that could very well be beyond his understanding.
"Not a good sign," Luther muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Advancement to the extraordinary level in Grant Province wasn't as simple as just wanting it. There were layers of scrutiny, strict examinations of every physical and mental indicator to ensure that an individual was truly capable of surviving such a transformation. It wasn't just about power; advancement could easily go awry. One failure, one misstep, and the person would end up completely alienated, their body twisted into something… not quite human.
Luther knew this firsthand. It wasn't just theory. He had seen it, seen the consequences of failed advancements and the horrors that came with it.
Some still attempted to advance through secret medicines, an ancient and dangerous path, though fewer and fewer these days. He, of course, was still in the Investigation Committee because of it. Despite the laws that had been passed by Speaker Enrique, which actively discouraged the use of secret medicines, the method still held an undeniable allure.
According to Susan, the secret medicine advancements had their roots in humanity's ancient history. When the Old Ones; mysterious and terrifying entities from beyond; first appeared, humanity was thrown into a desperate battle for survival. In their struggle, humans began to consume alien species, absorbing their essence to gain strength and power. Over time, this led to the creation of secret medicines that allowed for the controlled ingestion of alien factors, giving people power without directly confronting the Old Ones themselves.
Luther found that fascinating. There was something strangely primal about it, the idea of humans fighting to survive by consuming their enemies. It felt like an ancient truth, something that resonated deeply with the way the world worked.
But there was a catch.
Once Enrique became Speaker, all that changed. Laws were passed to strictly regulate, if not outright ban, the use of secret medicines. The risk was simply too great. Unlike the more controlled method of talent advancement; developed by Enrique himself, based on harnessing the innate potential within a person, the secret medicines came with a heavy cost. Even though the potential for power was immediate, the rate of loss of control was far higher.
Without a strong will, the user could be driven mad. Frequent hallucinations, voices whispering in their minds, and eventual alienation, becoming something else entirely; were all risks that came with secret medicine. Talent advancement, on the other hand, was far safer, especially with the advances in technology. There were almost no side effects, and the chances of failure were drastically reduced.
Still, Luther couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to the story.
He wasn't naive. As much as Enrique's reforms seemed like a step forward for humanity, Luther couldn't ignore the possibility that there was something more insidious at play. After all, how could a system that relied so heavily on the "Old Ones" beings that seemed to exist just outside the realm of human understanding, be so "safe"? The whole idea of talent advancement felt… wrong, like a game played with fire, the human mind unknowingly tampering with things better left alone.
Luther was a man who thought deeply. His mind constantly searched for patterns, connections, and hidden truths. Was the talent-based system truly as benign as it appeared? Or was it, like everything else, a means of control? The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that something wasn't adding up.
As he mulled over these questions, the door to the locker room swung open abruptly, breaking his reverie.
"Hey! Luther! Guess what! Meow!" Susan's voice rang out with her usual mischievous cheer.
Luther turned, half-expecting her antics. As he did, Susan's eyes darted down at his bare upper body, her expression momentarily turning playful.
Seeing her sudden shift in demeanor, Luther couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you've seen it before. Don't pretend like you're surprised."
Susan covered her face in mock embarrassment but peeked through her fingers, clearly unable to resist a second glance at his physique. Then, with a sly grin, she stepped further into the locker room, closing the door behind her.
"Anyway," she said, her voice softening, "I've got some good news for you." She pulled something from her pocket and waved it in front of him with a dramatic flourish. "Your application? Approved."
Luther raised an eyebrow. "What's this now?"
"You're officially a trainee member of the Grendel Provincial Investigation Committee!" Susan practically beamed, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Congrats! You've officially been assigned to my group. I'll be your guide. Your protector. You're stuck with me now!"
Luther blinked, then gave her a wry smile. "Well, I suppose that means I'm in good hands then." He stood up, adjusting his work pants and glancing at her. "What's the next step?"
Susan shrugged with a grin. "Next step? Well, it's time to get to work, of course. You've got your first assignment. But for now, just know you've got me watching your back. No more hiding in the shadows, Luther. It's time to move forward."
As Susan handed him the official paperwork, Luther felt a mix of excitement and unease. Being part of the Investigation Committee was a step closer to understanding the mysteries of this city, and more importantly, the forces at work behind the scenes. But as always, Luther remained cautious. 'What's really going on here?' he wondered. 'What is it that Enrique's really hiding?'
The answers, he knew, were somewhere in the depths of Grant Province.