《Myths and Sigils》


 Chapter 001

    "Good morning, Nick," the nineteen-year-old clerk greets me as I enter the convenience store.


    "Good morning, Kathy," I greet her as I pick up a shopping basket.


    She''s one of last year''s graduates and is a year older than me. We never really talked until she started working here a couple of years ago, and even then, it''s mostly just exchanging pleasantries. I''m not a sociable person, which keeps people at a distance, which is my intention.


    Thankfully, Kathy isn''t the type of girl to persistently try to talk to someone who clearly wants to be left alone. Instead, she greets me when I come in, talks enough for my transaction, then wishes me a good day. Sometimes, she might try to sprinkle in a little bit of small talk as she rings me up if she senses my mood is good enough for it.


    Unlike the girl who works here in the evenings, who also tries to follow me around as she tries to force me into a conversation. That is annoying beyond belief. She''s one of the only people that persistent.


    Driving people away is part of why I wear darker clothes and try to show no interest in anything they have to say. Socializing with others is pretty bothersome, especially as it means people try to drag me into things I don''t want to be dragged into.


    Walking into one of the aisles, I begin looking at the goods they have today. I add to my basket a bottle of lighter fluid, some matches, marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers, mini marshmallows, two boxes of pancake mix, and-


    "Oh," I pick up a can of peaches. "This is rare."


    I add four of them to my basket, since that''s the listed limit per person. They must have gotten a decent supply in, though they''re still expensive. Most of the peach orchards were destroyed in the World Revolt, and a place like here? We don''t receive shipments of the rarer stuff that often. The canned stuff is more likely than the fresh, too.


    After filling my basket with enough stuff to fill my backpack, I head to the checkout, and just as I start unloading the goods onto the conveyor belt, the front doors open behind me.


    "Good morning!" Kathy greets them, then gives me a slight wink. "He''s attractive, Nick."


    I can''t help it, I give the customer a glance. He looks about eighteen, like me. With a lean build, pitch-black hair, and bright green eyes, he''s quite hot. Neither facial hair nor acne, nor any signs of past acne, adorn his face. Man is he my type. He''s dressed in black skinny jeans and a black button-up left undone over a dark green tee that hugs his lean frame nicely, showing that he''s probably got some light abs underneath.


    Thankfully, he doesn''t seem to have noticed that I''m staring, because he is hot. Instead, he just picks up a shopping basket and heads into an aisle, though I can still see the top of his head over the shelves.


    "Earth to Nick," Kathy says in amusement, and I look at her. "Made you look."


    "Well, you weren''t wrong," I tell her, then sigh. "With that inhuman beauty, he''s definitely a Sigil-Bearer."


    All Sigil-Bearers are pretty hot, it''s one of the ways they can be identified. That, plus the Sigil they bear somewhere on their body. Even though one wasn''t visible on him, I''m certain he has one.


    "You have inhuman beauty," she counters. "Does that make you one?"


    "You know I inherited good genes from my parents," I roll my eyes. "And I keep fit with plenty of training and exercise. If I were a Sigil-Bearer, I''d probably only be average."


    "I wish I had supermodel parents," Kathy finishes ringing up my purchases, and I insert my card into the reader. "Seriously. You got it good. I bet you could catch the attention of a Sigil-Bearer."


    Sigil-Bearers are really only attracted to other Sigil-Bearers, it''s something inherent about them. Yeah, there are a couple of known cases where one might have gotten with a normie, but it was never sexual and only ever short-term.


    As teen romances are wont to be.


    "You do realize that the more powerful they are, the better their senses are, right?" I ask Kathy, who freezes up. I pull my card out of the reader. "Just like with their strength, speed, and healing, their senses grow with the strength of their powers. So if you talk too loudly about your lust for him he''ll probably hear you."


    "It means he heard about you having the hots for him, too," she says with a low voice, then gives me a wink. "Though if he were into us normies¡­"


    "My receipt, please," I roll my eyes.


    I must be in a friendlier mood than I thought, that''s rare. Normally, I''d just grunt at her and try to get her to leave me alone, just so that I don''t have to engage very much.


    "Just saying," she grins as she hands me my receipt. "You have a good day, Nick. I''ll see you next time."


    "See you, Kathy," I grab my bags, then walk over to the doors.


    I place my receipt and debit card into my wallet, then return it to my pocket before pulling off my backpack. I arrange my purchases inside my backpack, pull it back on, then leave.


    That Sigil-Bearer¡­ I don''t recognize him, even though he''s my age. There''s only one known Sigil-Bearer in the area, a seven-year-old girl whose ability allows her to generate a small flame with her hands. There used to be another known Sigil-Bearer in the area, but she disappeared from the public eye two years ago.


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    Considering that I don''t recognize him and he''s not local, he''s not a famous one, either. Most of the famous ones are heroes, helping people in the wake of the World Revolt. Or at least, as much as they could, considering every single one of them was conceived after it, and the World Revolt itself only occurred nineteen years ago.


    Because of the location of this town and the fact that it takes more than two hours to reach us from the next town, my suspicions are raised about him. It wouldn''t be the first time a Sigil-Bearer came looking. I''ll need to check my supplies. If he''s powerful, I might need to use a rocket launcher again.


    Maybe I could have Ian drop off some more? I know that after my last encounter with Klen, I''m low on a few things. Thankfully, I took out the Sigil-Bearer they had with them before he could activate his ability.


    That would not have been good. Someone who could vibrate the air itself? I''m lucky he didn''t notice the rocket until right before it hit him. If he''d seen it coming sooner, he probably would have destroyed it.


    Once he was out of the picture, the rest were easy. I just lobbed a few grenades at them and shot the ones still alive after. It''s what I train for, and the Klen have no business here.


    They believe in the superiority of the Sigil-Bearers, even if most of them are people who were born before the World Revolt and are thus normies. They want to pave the way for a world of only Sigil-Bearers holding power and authority, knowing that even they will be nothing more than pests and slaves if their dreams are realized.


    Despicable.


    "Excuse me," someone steps in front of me. "Are you Casimir Wade?"


    The speaker is a man dressed in jeans and a dark red button-up, and he looks to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties. No visible earpiece, but he does have a clipboard tucked under one arm. Around his neck, he wears a silver chain, though it''s barely visible due to being worn under his shirt rather than over.


    A man like him plus the Sigil-Bearer showing up so close togetherpretty much confirms my suspicions. Klen is here.


    There are only three types of people who seek me out intentionally. The Klen, reporters from journals and news stations, and Federation employees. Of them, only the Federation calls me by my middle name, which is what I prefer to go by.


    While this man is trying to give off the feel of being a reporter, what with the clipboard and formal approach, it''s obvious he isn''t.


    His stance tells me he''s a fighter, and his tone isn''t that of any reporter I''ve met before from when they first approach me. It''s full of authority and determination, confidence. No sign of the curiosity every reporter before has had.


    After meeting enough reporters and Klen members, it''s easy to see through the guises the Klen members use. They make it so obvious.


    However, I do need to be sure. It''s possible he''s a former soldier, so I need to provoke him into revealing himself. There''s one way to guarantee he does. If he''s Klen, he''ll fall for it. If he''s just a reporter, he won''t.


    "I prefer Nick," I tell him. "Who are you?"


    "My name is Joshua Themps," he introduces himself. "I work with the Nightly Wentol, and we were wanting to expand our viewer area to some of the places more isolated after the World Revolt. Frendok is one of those towns, and we were hoping to interview some of the locals regarding major events that have happened here."


    A plausible story. Also one I''ve heard before. Does the Klen never learn?


    Then again, we usually kill the people who realize I know they''re lying. It''s not because they lied to me, but because they''re Klen. One would think they''d get the idea and stop sending people here. How many more of their Sigil-Bearers do I need to blow up, how many more of their agents do I need to kill, before they stop? There''s never more than ten, either.


    I mean, it''s good target practice, and my skills have improved a lot, but seriously? They''ve had to have lost at least two hundred people over the last two years from my attacks. I guess being a massive, global terrorist cult means they can continue to throw lives away in pursuit of their goal.


    "Sorry," I tell him. "But if you want to interview me about my parents, you''ll need to give me something in return."


    "I''m sorry about what happened to your parents," he tells me. "And know it must have been hard for you. I wouldn''t dream of trying to dredge up old wounds like that. Actually, I''m here about something else that happened. The case of Allison Smol, we heard you might know where she is? I was hoping for an interview with her."


    There''s the proof he''s from the Klen rather than an actual journalist. My habit of going into the ruins outside of this rebuilding town have caused rumors that I might know of her location. There is no actual evidence that she live sin the ruins, though, so it''s all speculation.


    A proper journalist would have had one of two responses to my statement.


    If they were actually here for her, they would have asked me for an interview directly, just to see if I did actually know something. They wouldn''t have told me they were hoping for an interview with her, but for those who might know her or what she''s been doing since she ran away. A proper journalist or reporter wouldn''t dare try to risk her actual location.


    As for the other response, every journalist I''ve spoken with already knew about my parents. And as soon as I mentioned my condition, they always reacted differently than this man. Either they asked me what my condition was, or showed surprise I was willing to talk about my parents.


    Not once have they told me they had no interest in reopening old wounds and then moved on without batting an eye. This man showed absolutely no interest or surprise.


    He''s Klen.


    A proper journalist would never be disinterested in what happened to the first deaths directly caused by a Sigil-Bearer. A three-year-old one who lost control of his power during a tantrum while they were babysitting him.


    They died in front of me, when I was four years old, and I alone survived the incident. Anyone who properly researched me would realize that I have a vivid memory of the incident, too, and any proper journalist would have researched me as soon as they found out about me and the rumors around me. In fact, they''d have known about me even before discovering I might know Ali''s whereabouts.


    Which is how I know for a fact that he''s Klen and not a journalist or news reporter.


    "Sorry," I tell him. "I never really knew her before the incident, and haven''t seen her since. Wherever she is, it''s not nearby, and I couldn''t help you arrange an interview even if you paid me a hundred million to try. Now, if you don''t mind, I want to go play paintball with the deer."


    "You want to do what?" He asks.


    "Target practice," I tell him. "As I said, I don''t know where she is. She disappeared two years ago, and I was already skipping school most days back then. Hell, I''m still skipping it. Today is a Monday, after all. School started over an hour ago. I mostly just hang around the ruins, which is why everyone seems to think I know where she is. I don''t. She''s not in them, and I don''t know where she went. I never even saw her after the incident."


    "Oh," he says. "Sorry to bother you, then."


    I start walking away, and as I pass him, he grabs my shoulder with the hand holding the clipboard.


    "If you do think of anything," he holds out a business card. "Could you give me a call?"


    "Sure," I tell him. "But like I said, I don''t know where she is and she ran away two years ago."


    I take the business card and pocket it, then keep walking. I really do want to get to paintball, but it looks like I''ll need to do some environmental cleanup first. Can''t have terrorists running around the ruins here, they''re bad for the ecosystem.

 Chapter 002

    "I only have three rockets, and there are five Sigil-Bearers."


    "It would be a couple of days before I could get you more," Ian tells me through my earpiece. "Moving that stuff to a place like Frendok isn''t easy with the Federation''s restrictions. Just wait to fight them until this weekend."


    In the wake of the World Revolt, most large-scale governments dissolved. I guess that''s what happens when five-point-two billion people die in a world with seven-point-six billion people. Things were apparently chaotic in a lot of places. Frendok has about fifteen thousand residents, and that''s what''s left of the roughly two hundred thousand residents in the area that used to be a fairly decent city center. Our area was hit harder than some.


    We weren''t hit as bad as some of the major cities, though, but many of them still retained higher populations after the month of disasters ended. Many countries may have been prepared for greater disasters, but no one expected quakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and other natural disasters to occur on the scale which took place during that month of hell.


    In the wake of the disasters, organizations such as the Federation rose up to help rebuild society, though they focused on larger towns and cities that were more intact first. Here, the survivors banded together and made Frendok, since it was the most intact place around and the best place for building up a new town.


    However, when it comes to certain matters, Frendok still defers to the Federation. Klen attacks, weaponry, external food supplies ¨C all of that stuff is regulated by the Federation in an effort to tone down the anarchy that rose up in some areas.


    It''s kept places like Frendok out of situations that they can''t handle, so the Federation does have its uses.


    "I could probably call in a missile strike," I mutter.


    "No!" Ian exclaims. "Seriously, Cas? A missile strike? Again? What happened the last time you asked the Federation to do that? It hit the news and the local media swarmed the area trying to figure out why they did that."


    "Conspiracy theorists," I state. "The Federation already cleaned up the mess and told everyone they were just testing some stuff, and forgot to warn the local authorities."


    "Alright, Cas," Ian sighs. "What''s the status? How many are there, what are the known Sigil-Bearers capable of, and how likely do you think the two of you could handle this?"


    "There appear to be around forty normies," I put the binoculars back to my eyes and look at the building the Klen agents are staying in, where forty-seven forms light up in the infrared.


    Right now, I''m on a taller building that didn''t collapse during the World Revolt, though it''s still unstable. When the nearby coal mines collapsed during the World Revolt, they weakened the supports for nearby structures, and that was before factoring damage from preceding and succeeding earthquakes.


    Which is part of why I hang out in the ruins, when I''m not playing video games back in my apartment. I''ve created a mental map of everything within five miles of Frendok, and often chase idiot locals who don''t know better out of the unsafe areas.


    Since I don''t tell them what''s wrong, just chase them out, it helps contribute to the perception of me I''ve created. Moody, irritable, and someone to avoid making contact with if they can''t help it. I don''t normally show my fun side to people I have no interest in being friends with, and the number of people I want to be friends with are few.


    Part of the reason I chase them off is because of things like this. One never knows when they''re going to run into the Klen, and outside of a town? If you run into the Klen and aren''t a Sigil-Bearer, it''s either convert or die.


    They want to cleanse the world, and it''s disgusting. Especially with how many of their cult truly believe in this and aren''t just brainwashed into it.


    "Forty-two normies," I tell Ian. "Five Sigil-Bearers. The guy from earlier is with them, looks like he returned after putting the tracker on me."


    Could he have been even more obvious? I mean, he probably could have, seeing as most people haven''t had to deal with people putting trackers on them before. He used the touch of my shoulder to distract me as his other hand slipped the tracker into the empty, open front pocket of my backpack. It''s more a slot than anything, as it doesn''t zip up and has a pocket on the front of it.


    An easy place to stick a tracker, and since it looked empty, he probably didn''t think I''d look there. The lady last month was way more intelligent about it. She slipped it into a side pocket and managed to zip it back up all without making a noise somehow. A normal person wouldn''t have noticed her action.


    Someone who''s dealt with this crap for two years? We''d notice.


    "As for the Sigil-Bearers," I flip off the infrared and just look at the people I can see, which aren''t many. "They''re all hiding inside. One is fifteen, male, with the power to imbue a form of tracking essence into items. It''s a marble he put a tracking power into that was put in my backpack, probably thinking I''d ignore it even if I saw it, maybe toss it aside once I was in location."


    "Interesting ability," Ian says. "Even if he''s strong, it shouldn''t be too difficult for you to take him out, his power''s not suited for combat."


    "I can use a rocket launcher for that," I say. "Though I might be able to take him with a few bullets. Alright, next. Sixteen, female, power is a sonic screech. Kind of nasty, but taking her on won''t be too difficult as long as my attacks aren''t in the range of her ability, which is more conical than anything, since she''s emitting it from her mouth."


    "How far can her screeches go?" Ian asks.


    "Around twenty to twenty-five feet," I answer, then shift my gaze to someone who''s visible through a window. "Next up, male, sixteen, aerokinesis. He channels it through his hands and isn''t all that powerful, though I guess against someone who isn''t trained in combat, he''d be effective. I''ve trained in combat pretty much all my life, so I''d be able to handle him."


    "Wind slashes are a thing."


    "No, his are more like blasts," I inform Ian. "Batter attacks rather than slice attacks. Next up. Seventeen, female, hypernkinetic memorization, the ability to put into muscle memory any movement she''s seen before. Makes for an excellent martial artist, though only the Sigil Gods can move faster than a bullet so she could probably be taken out with just a gun, if we hit her right."


    The Sigil Gods are the three most powerful Sigil-Bearers known in all the world, and they''re so powerful, they''re able to move and think faster than even bullets or lightning without using an ability. The more powerful a Sigil-Bearer is with their ability, the stronger and faster their bodies become, even without a difference to their appearance.


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    And there''s no one stronger than the Goddess of Darkness, the God of Death, and the Goddess of Chaos. There are rumors that there''s a God of Destruction, but there''s also no evidence of his existence. Groups like the Klen believe the Sigil Gods are proof that the world must yield to the Sigil-Bearers, and they also believe the God of Destruction caused the World Revolt due to the cataclysmic effects it had. They also believe he''s more powerful than any other Sigil-Bearer, even the other Sigil Gods.


    Idiots, all of them. No Sigil-Bearer was even conceived until after the World Revolt, which means it couldn''t have been a Sigil God. As for whether or not he''s more powerful than the rest? Why would destruction be more powerful than chaos? The three of them are on the same level, so even if a fourth did exist, which it doesn''t, they would be on the same level, too, not above.


    They should look for proof rather than believe in something without any. Otherwise, they''ll find themselves sorely hurting when they tell a Sigil God to their face that there''s one who stands above them as king. The Sigil Gods do not take that very well.


    I''m not talking from personal experience, but I do know for a fact that if a God of Destruction existed, he wouldn''t be more powerful than the Goddess of Chaos. Tied with her, but not more powerful.


    "Alright, focus," Ian says, probably realizing I''d started mentally ranting about these idiots again. "What''s the fifth one?"


    "The final one," I say. "Hm. Male, eighteen, power is ''sonic''."


    "Sonic?" Ian asks. "Wait, do you mean the normal usage of ''sonic''?"


    "Yeah."


    When he activates his power, he can ''see'' soundwaves, his entire body and mind accelerating to the speed of sound. Then, he can ride along a soundwave to get from one point to another with sonic speed. Though it might be close to saying he becomes a soundwave to do that. During that time, his body is able to handle the speed he manages, and he''s able to deliver a punch or kick at the end of it, too.


    Ever been hit by something moving at the speed of sound? It''s not fun.


    It''s a high-tier power, though it''s still possible for him to be weak overall. It depends on how powerful he was when he was born and how much training he''s put into the power.


    "Describe him," Ian says.


    "You know who he is?"


    "If I''m right, you''re reporting this to the Federation and staying the hell out," Ian tells me.


    "Pale as hell," I turn my gaze to the teen who just exited the abandoned church the Klen members are using as a base at the moment. "Ginger hair, green eyes, and scrawnt but lean. Wiry? Is that the term? I''d say he''s ugly, but you know me, I''m not into gingers."


    "Contact the Federation," Ian orders. "Do not get involved. He''s no Sigil God, but he is an Immortal Sigil."


    They aren''t literally immortal, it''s just part of the classification of Sigil-Bearers that some people are spreading around. If a normal Sigil-Bearer ranked at a two, and the public power levels of a Sigil God ranked at a ten, an Immortal Sigil would be probably a six or seven.


    "I could probably take him out with a rocket launcher," I set the binoculars down, then get to work setting up a special prize.


    "Cas, no," Ian says. "He''s not someone that a normie could take out. He-you''re setting up a trap, aren''t you?"


    "At least one, maybe two, of them will come here," I say. "They''ll bring the tracker for sure, since his marble''s up here. Since they''re thinking they''re going up against an unknown Sigil-Bearer, they''ll probably bring two of them. Also, most of the trap''s already set up, I set it up weeks ago. I''m just doing some last-touch things. If all goes well, I''ll take out two, possibly even three of them."


    "Then you''ll have Klen after you," Ian sighs. "Cas, seriously, let the Federation handle this. They''ll call Katie out, since she''s the closest."


    "How do I connect DRES-4314 to KREP-2121?"


    Ian sighs again.


    "Please don''t give my bombs such weird names."


    "What are you talking about?" I ask with my best innocent voice.


    "Dress and crap," he says. "Seriously, Cas?"


    "I didn''t realize they were so close in sound," I tell him. "So? How do I connect them?"


    "I take it they aren''t touching?" He asks. "Since I''ve walked you through how to connect them when they''re in close proximity?"


    "Yeah, the DRES bomb is actually under the church they''re using as their base," I tell him. "So unless our sonic guy escapes that, there''s no need to contact the Federation."


    "You put a big, loud beep on it, didn''t you?" Ian exclaims.


    "It wasn''t meant to be used as a trap," I tell him. "I was planning on blowing the building up today. I got it set up yesterday, the beep usually chases out deer that might be hiding inside. They just happened to move into there today. It''s actually one hell of a coincidence."


    Sometimes, the wheel of fate likes to play things for me.


    "Why were you planning on blowing up a church?"


    "A former church," I state. "It hasn''t been in use since everyone moved into Frendok."


    "That doesn''t answer my question."


    "You know I don''t believe in the old religions," I state. "You don''t, either, Ian."


    "So you''re blowing up their churches?"


    "Just the one," I answer.


    "You''re irreverent."


    "It''s not in use," I state. "And we wanted the space for something. It''s easier to just blow up the building and remove the rubble than it is to demolish it by banging it a bunch of times."


    "That sounds so wrong," he mutters as I glance over the edge of the roof again. "Alright, fine. It''s not like you''d be pissing off an actual god."


    "I know, I know," I say. "So? How do I do the connection? Especially since I can''t do it directly."


    Ian walks me through remotely connecting the two bombs, and once I finish, I pack my laptop back into my bag.


    "Thanks," I tell Ian, then glance over the edge of the roof once more. "Anyway, I''m going to let you go. I''m done setting this up and it looks like they''re on their way."


    I end the call, the put the binoculars back into my backpack and slip the marble out, dropping it onto the ground. Then, I pull my backpack on and sit on the couch up here, pulling out my phone and loading up a crossword to play.


    A few minutes later, the door to the roof is pushed open, and ten people come out, including the guy I met earlier and three of the Sigil-Bearers; the tracker, the sonic screech gal, and the aerokinetic guy.


    "Uh, hi," I look up from my phone. "Oh, hey, it''s you! Did you seriously follow me all the way here? I told you, I don''t know where she is."


    "I thought you said you were going paintballing?" He asks.


    "I''m waiting for my friend," I tell him. "We do it together. Who, uh, who are all these people?"


    "Coworkers," he answers as I stand and pocket my phone. "You meet your friend on the top of a seven-story building to go paintballing?"


    "Nah," I answer. "Normally, we meet on the ground. But I figured, if the Klen were going to follow me, I might as well meet them up here."


    The group of agents look at each other, and the sonic screech girl takes a step forward. They probably now think I''m a Sigil-Bearer because of my looks and ability to have seen through the lie so easily. Haven''t they wondered why their agents keep dying in the area? Perhaps there''s some secret organization that keeps killing them? Hm? Did they ever think about that?


    "So you knew he was lying," Lady Screech says.


    "Yes," I answer, then feel a light tug on my arm. "Seems like my friend here. Guess I''ll see you later."


    I give them a wave, then my body is suddenly yanked into the sky at high speed. The wind is temporarily evicted from my lungs as I''m pulled by the unseen force, and as the screech girl and aerokinetic attempt to attack, the girl unleashing a screech and the boy attempting to knock me down with blasts of wind, the building explodes.


    A shockwave ripples out as flames swirl through the air where the building was, and a second explosion is heard in the distance. The blast barely touches me, causing only a slight battering as I''m pulled further away, out of its range. Then my acceleration slows and I''m set down on the roof of another building, this one a fifteen-story one that used to be a bank.


    Having expected the landing, I touch down on my feet, standing. I smile as I look at the eighteen-year-old girl only a couple of months older than me.


    Dark brown hair, brown eyes, and flawless, caramel-colored skin. She''s wearing faded, ripped jeans and a faded black tank top, along with combat boots. Hanging from her studded belt is a pair of guns and several knives, along with a couple of grenades and spare magazines. Her outfit does nothing to conceal her lean, trained form, and her stance screams ''I''m a badass'' at anyone who would look at her.


    "Just in time, Ali!"

 Chapter 003

    "You knew I''d pull you out in time," Ali rolls her eyes. "You know I know the timers. What would you have done if I didn''t pull you out in time?"


    "Pull a miraculous survival, then come haunt you for letting me die."


    Ali laughs as I walk to the edge of the roof and shrug off my backpack, pulling out the binoculars and using them to look at the church using the infrared. It separates out human forms from the flames quite easily, and there''s only one human still alive.


    Or rather, one Sigil-Bearer. I switch to normal view and identify him as Mr. Sonic. I guess the massive beep let him know something was about to go down, but it does look like only he managed to escape.


    Probably with that ability of his. Did he ride the beep out? Did he even bother warning the others, or did he just leave without a word as soon as he heard the beep?


    I set the binoculars down, then glance at Ali, who''s looking through my backpack.


    "Peaches!" She exclaims. "Canned, but still!"


    "They''re saying the local peach orchards might produce fruit next year," I tell her. "They probably won''t be so expensive then."


    Before the World Revolt, there were orchards nearby. Peaches, apples, pears, and a ton of other fruits. However, they were destroyed during the World Revolt, first by a tornado, then by lightning and the fires that followed the lightning storms. Because the focus has been on reconstruction and building up homes, the schools, and a few businesses, it took a little longer to start remaking the orchards, which had to be done from scratch ¨C the World Revolt was thorough. No seeds remained in the area.


    They actually planted the apple trees about five years ago, but the peach trees were only planted two years ago. They''re hoping the apple trees bear fruit this summer, they''re expecting them to with the blooms we had.


    Some of the local farms survived or were fixed up, to help provide us with food. We can''t rely on the Federation alone for that.


    "I can''t wait to taste apples fresh from the orchard," Ali says. "Rather than the ones we import from a couple hundred miles away."


    "You''d have to go to the orchard for that," I tell her as I approach the other side of the roof and check for survivors from the first explosion. "Rocket launcher."


    She drops my backpack and hands me the rocket launcher. I make sure it''s ready, then aim at the aerokinetic. He probably managed to use his wind power to deflect the blast away from him and help him land better when he fell, though it looks like he broke his legs. From the blast or the fall, I don''t know, and I don''t really care.


    I pull the trigger. A second later, the rocket hits him square in the chest and he dies in an explosion of blood, flame, and shrapnel.


    "Your boyfriend''s toys are cool," Ali takes the launcher back. "Didn''t he says these are much simpler than the ones the military uses?"


    "He''s everyone''s favorite technokinetic," I say. "There isn''t one better, so it''s only natural he''d be able to make ones this good. We''re down to two, and it''s unlikely we''ll manage to kill Mr. Sonic. I''ll call Frank."


    "I can''t believe that''s his name," Ali snorts. "Hi, Frank. What are you doing, Frank? Piss on any fire hydrants lately, Frank? Why is it you can call your boyfriend from here, but not anyone else?"


    "I have not the slightest clue," I tell her. "The earpiece isn''t connected to either of my phones, which rely on cell towers, and there aren''t any here in the ruins, so we don''t have coverage. I''ve never asked Ian how the earpiece works, I just trust it."


    "Right," she says. "What are we going to do about Mr. Sonic?"


    "Nothing," I answer as I pull on my backpack. "I''ll call Frank and let him know about Kyle once I return to town. That is, if Ian hasn''t already contacted him. Based on what I know of his power, it''ll take a Sigil God to deal with this easily. Until then, you should stick to the disturbance zone."


    "Alright," she says, then the two of us and the grenades, rocket launcher, and two remaining rockets lift up into the air. "Let''s head back over now."


    Ali takes us in a roundabout way to reach the disturbance zone in order to avoid Mr. Sonic''s gaze. With how high up we are, he won''t catch our scent, either. Rather than landing as soon as we enter the disturbance zone, Ali takes us to the five-floor parking garage where she lives.


    Without the rest of his group, Mr. Sonic will have a difficult time finding her here. Part of the fourth floor collapsed, and the concrete chunks from that were used to build up a barrier around Ali''s living quarters, apart from a section which overlooks a small pond outside that formed when the ground beneath collapsed.


    The reason we call it the disturbance zone is because of the smell. A normal person would notice that it smells nice and fragrant. A Sigil-Bearer? They''d lose any trail they attempted to follow inside of it.


    I spent a couple of years planting stuff all over the place specifically to make it disorienting. That''s why no one''s managed to find Ali before we took them out. Every Sigil-Bearer the Klen''s brought here so far has ended up disoriented by the smell, allowing Ali time to either act or contact me.


    Now that we''re in her hideout, we unpack the supplies I bought for Ali and she puts them away.


    "It''s a bit dangerous, though," I tell Ali as we sit on the edge of the parking garage and stare out over the pond. "Mr. Sonic''s definitely more powerful than you. If he finds you before the Goddess of Chaos arrives on the scene, it won''t be good."


    This is a pretty nice view. With this place being abandoned for nearly two decades, nature has begun to reclaim it, both what''s left and what''s fallen. Vines and ivy growing on the ruins, grass, flowers, and trees growing the cracks of the concrete and asphalt, and even more thickly in the gardens and yards that once added some beauty to the town.


    I like the view of nature reclaiming the world. Sure, humanity is still tearing it apart, but right now, it''s not as severe as it was before. They''re breaking up the rubble of some buildings, retrieving what materials are usable and recycling, rebuilding. To save on time, money, and space, a lot of things are condensed, too.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    For example, I live in an apartment complex built about eight years ago, specifically for students, whether we have parents or not. We''re allowed to stay until we turn twenty, to give us time after graduation to find a job. Why build fifty homes when they can build a single complex with fifty apartments that take up significantly less space?


    It''s honestly for the better. It takes up less space and stretches up into the sky, and rather than having to deal with foster homes and all that, orphans and foster kids can just live there, mostly monitoring themselves. There is staff who watch over things, but they only step in if something gets bad.


    Eventually, society will reclaim more of the ruins, such as here, and rebuild. They''ll go back to their extravagant ways, wasting space and destroying the world. But it may take a long time in the aftermath of the World Revolt, and there''s the possibility that it may take even longer if people decide to help save the world in this new era.


    "You want me to come back into town," Ali states.


    "It''d be safer," I tell her.


    "No," she shakes her head. "It might endanger the normies, even if it''s only until tomorrow. If even one person sees me, everyone will know I''m back, and if they see me with you, they''ll become suspicious."


    "It was worth a try," I shrug. "You''re right, though. There''s another Sigil-Bearer in town, I saw him when I was at the store earlier. I''ll have to ask Ian to look into it, he might be Klen that''s staying in the town rather than risking coming out here and meeting the same fate as the rest."


    "Yeah," Ali says, then stretches for a moment before giving me an odd look. "How did you know their abilities? You always seem to."


    "Ian sends me a regular update of all known Klen Sigil-Bearers," I answer. "And their abilities. I recognized their faces."


    That''s not actually the truth, but it''ll satisfy her inquiry.


    "So you already knew how dangerous he was," she sighs. "Sometimes, I think you''re asking for the Klen to hunt you down and kill you."


    "They can try," I tell her. "But I''ll just make a miraculous survival."


    "That doesn''t make any sense," she says. "Besides, you aren''t a Sigil-Bearer, even if you have the looks of one."


    "Maybe," I say. "But that doesn''t mean I can''t pull acts of god out of my rear. It wouldn''t be the first time."


    Ali laughs.


    "I''m still trying to figure out how you managed that," she says. "A building fell on you, yet you reappeared an hour later, looking perfectly normal! Your clothes weren''t even dusty!"


    Maybe I''ve dragged that mystery on for too long. It''s been a year and a half since the incident, after all. It''s been fun watching her squirm over it, though.


    "I wasn''t in the building when it collapsed."


    Ali gives me a dumbfounded look.


    "The building wasn''t all that structurally sound," I explain. "I''d been in it a few times, and I''d noticed signs I''d picked up over the years from other buildings that it was going to collapse soon. When it actually started to fall, it did so on the side you were on first, and I was actually a little past it. As soon as I felt the vibrations, I ran out the back, since it was closer. You probably didn''t hear me over the crumbling and collapse."


    She groans, then slugs me in the arm, though she remembers to hold back. The punch of a Sigli-Bearer as powerful as her could seriously hurt someone. Unfortunately, her power isn''t enough to take on someone with the sonic ability.


    Her power is to make objects float, though she''s trained enough that she''s able to perform a type of telekinesis through it as well. It''s really just applying her float ability to objects in such a way that she''s actually using a flight power instead.


    Originally, her power was just floating things, usually a few inches, and only lighter stuff. She couldn''t move them, only make them float. But with training, she became able to lift heavier items and move them around, creating flight instead.


    What makes her truly dangerous, however, is the speed at which she can move items. Technically, she can only move items as quickly as she can think, which is faster than she can move her body. However, she''s also able to ''launch'' an object with her power, allowing her to turn a small pebble into a high-speed projectile without having to actually control the speed, allowing her to send it faster than she could move it manually.


    Nothing as fast as a bullet, but it''s still effective in some cases. We''ve used it to take out a few Sigil-Bearers from the Klen before. Mostly to lure them into a trap, but a weaker one could still be killed by the attacks.


    The main downside to the ''launch'' aspect is that unless Ali grabs the item with her power again, it''ll continue on in whatever direction it was launched until it either hits something or its momentum is lost, just like a thrown or fired projectile.


    Even as fast as she is, she can''t always catch items she''s launched if she sends them too fast. Thankfully, she''s not the type of typical girl seen in stories and shows that do something, then make the guy go retrieve it. If we''re practicing, she''ll retrieve what she''s responsible for, and I''ll retrieve what I''m responsible for. If we even retrieve them in the first place.


    "Want to practice some?" Ali asks.


    If she asks for a joint training thing first, she''s responsible for cleaning up the majority of the mess, should we clean things up.


    "Sure," I tell her.


    She moves a bucket of small stones to the edge as I grab a pair of paintball guns in the forms of pistols. After checking their clips and hooking a few backup ones onto my belt, I return to the edge as well. The magazines on my belt are easy-load, all I have to do is slide the handle over it and it loads it, then I can just pull the gun back out, the magazine loaded. No need for extra work or two hands to reload.


    I didn''t even know these were a thing, but Ian got them for me when I was twelve, when I told him I wanted to learn how to use a gun. With Ali''s help these last two years, I''ve improved my skill with them even further.


    As for the paintballs, they''re eco-friendly, so we aren''t too worried about poisoning anything. They''re biodegradable and we usually can''t find any trace of them after a few days. Sometimes, I think Ian makes them flavored and safe for deer to eat. And scented in such a way that deer will look for them.


    "Ready?" Ali asks.


    "Ready," I confirm.


    Ali begins launching the pebbles and small rocks and chunks of concrete or asphalt into the air, past the pond. I take aim and begin firing once they pass a certain tree, and Ali keeps track of how many I actually strike. The moment I run out of shots in a magazine, I eject it and replace it with one on my belt.


    Once I run out of shots, Ali stops launching the pebbles and chunks.


    "Every shot connected," she tells me. "That''s the sixth time in a row you''ve managed perfect aim. You''ve gotten a lot better from when we first started this."


    "Thanks," I tell her. "Going to retrieve them?"


    "Maybe tomorrow," she answers. "I''ve got a couple of more buckets, though, so maybe not until I''m looking for more for your target practice."


    "Thanks for the help," I tell her. "You''ve helped me a lot."


    "You''ve helped me a lot, too," she smiles, the magazines that fell over the edge floating back up. I grab them from the air. "With both my training and staying hidden."


    "It''s a mutually-beneficial relationship," I walk over to the table with our paintball stuff. "Plus, you''re actually a decent person. You aren''t one for all the gossip and everything, and own up to your mistakes."


    "Ugh," she sighs. "You watched something yesterday that pissed you off, didn''t you?"


    "Yeah," I put the magazines down. "I should probably head back home, so that I can call Frank and let him know we need a goddess, just in case Ian hasn''t already."


    "I''ll write up the list for the next time you visit," she tells me. "Thanks for the peaches. And stop watching that crap. All it does is anger you."


    "I stopped watching once it became clear it would be a regular thing in the show," I tell her. "Hey, I''ll help you grab some more practice rocks next time I''m out here."


    "Tomorrow?" She asks.


    "Maybe," I tell her. "I might play video games instead, I''ve been out here every day this last week."


    "Good luck!" She laughs. "Don''t take care of reloading those, I''ll do it after you leave."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yeah," she answers. "I want to get some practice in, too, so I''ll be messing with them, anyway. Let your boyfriend know we need more. And more paintballs, too ¨C we''re going to be pretty low on them by the end of the week"


    "Will do," I tell her. "See you next time, Ali."

 Chapter 004

    "Good morning, Frendok!" The host for the morning radio broadcast in town greets me right at seven o''clock, as he does most mornings. "It''s a sunny morning we have here, though clouds will be moving in all morning, and it''s looking like a strong chance of thunderstorms."


    I climb out of bed and walk into the kitchen. The student apartments are fairly simple. When we enter them, we''re in the kitchen, and past that is the bedroom, with a bathroom on the side of the kitchen, though entered from the bedroom. It''s small, but cozy. The bedroom is large enough to fit the bed and wardrobe on one wall, a TV on a small entertainment table on the other, and a small, square table in the middle.


    More space than that isn''t really needed. If we need to do laundry, there''s a laundry room on the first floor and a pretty hefty punishment for messing with someone else''s clothes without good cause. There''s also a cafeteria for students as well, though they encourage us to cook our own food after a certain age.


    All part of trying to make sure we''re ready to actually take care of ourselves once we age out of the student dorms.


    After fixing myself bacon and eggs and a glass of orange juice, I eat, then wash the dishes, dry off my hands, and check my student phone. It''s twenty after seven now, which means it''s time for the gossip and chatter to start.


    The phone is standard-issue, every student''s issued one to ensure we''re reachable or able to contact the school if something happens. From what I know, it''s another change from before the World Revolt. There were definitely some good things which came from it.


    Even though I skip nearly every day of school, I still check the group chat. Every class has one, monitored by the teachers and restricted in such a way that only students can get in without rules being broken and punishments dished out. However, the chat doesn''t show who''s online unless the user is a teacher, only displaying names with the messages sent to students.


    Because of that, my classmates have no idea I''m in the chat. I''ve never sent a message, so my name''s never appeared in the chat. The teachers can tell I''m there if they look, though, since it probably tells them I''m online.


    As expected, when I check my phone, the chatter''s begun. It''s the time for them to start guessing on if I''m going to show up or skip again today.


    [i thnk Nicks skiping 2day]


    [bets on him coming here]


    [as if, weve only a month left be4 graduation, hes skipping]


    [ya he''s skiping]


    [we prolly wont see him again]


    Right on time, they''re speculating about my possible attendance. They''re so predictable, and apparently have nothing better to do at 7:20 in the morning on a school day. I set my phone down and pick out my outfit for today. Black jeans, underwear, and socks, along with a black tee. Simple, but effective. Combined with the black combat boots and the black jacket, and people will leave me alone.


    Dressed for the day, I pick up my phone and check the comments. After reading a few messages, I go back up to find the start of that line of conversation.


    [did u here? we hav nu studint]


    [ya herd he waz Sigil-Bearer]


    Ian told me he looked into the Sigil-Bearer I saw and that there was no connection between him and the Klen. Did this Sigil-Bearer move into this town to attend our school, then? A month before we graduate? If so, that''s strange.


    Well, it wouldn''t be if he wanted the attention being a Sigil-Bearer creates. After all, a small town like this? There''s only one Sigil-Bearer living here and one that disappeared, plus the one who killed my parents and is no longer around.


    A Sigil-Bearer living here would create far more attention here than in a place like New York City. There, they''re worshiped and revered, but in a small town like here, that worship would soar to an entirely new level, provided the town isn''t one that hates Sigil-Bearers.


    There are a few which even kill children born with Sigil.


    With the way he acted at the convenience store yesterday, however, it doesn''t seem like he''s here for the attention and worship. He acted like a normal person. Ian also mentioned he''s been here for a week ¨C he moved here right after turning eighteen. Despite that, he hasn''t begun attending classes yet, though it seems he''s starting today.


    Scrolling through the messages in the chat, I see a few classmates speculate about him more, and one claims that she knows someone from New York City, where she claims he''s supposedly from. She says that he really is a Sigil-Bearer, with his Sigil on his right breast with the lower-left portion of it about half an inch from his nipple. Lower-left when facing him, I''m assuming.


    It''s possible she''s lying about knowing where he''s from, as whens he''s asked what his ability is, she claims her friend doesn''t know.


    According to Ian, the guy''s ability isn''t on any record, but it is recorded that he''s a Sigil-Bearer. Maybe I should I have asked for a more detailed report on him? I only really get updates on known Sigil-Bearers when they cause problems or are potential dangers, as those are the ones that Ian tracks. While he knew about this one, he didn''t know the guy had moved until he looked into him for me.


    Curiosity piqued, I turn off my radio as it advises everyone avoid the ruins today due to a training exercise by Federation Sigil-Bearers, then grab my school bag and sling it over my shoulder before setting off. The Federation wouldn''t bother telling me to stay out, though I know the real reason they''re telling everyone to avoid the ruins is because of the Goddess of Chaos.


    Ian texted me a little before I went to bed last night informing me she was on her way in to deal with Mr. Sonic.


    Ali will be fine on her own as well, so I''m going to check out the new kid. I mean, I already checked him out yesterday, while we were at the convenience store, but I''m still going to check him out today, just in a different way. Just by attending class, I might overhear the reason he''s moved to town. That is, if he''s here to attend school with us, as rumors claim.


    If so, then I might learn why he came here right after he turned eighteen rather than waiting another month to graduate high school first.


    It only takes five minutes to reach the school from the dorms, and that''s not by coincidence. Both were constructed after the World Revolt, as were the middle school and elementary schools. They were built with the idea of the population increasing over time, too, so they''re actually much larger than needed at the moment.


    The old nearby elementary and middle school was still usable after the disasters, and is currently in use as a community rec place until an actual one can be built. Before we switched to the three buildings, however, it housed all of the students, since our population was low enough for that. Barely, since it was intended for preschool through eighth grade before the World Revolt and the student population was much larger then. Adding an extra four grades, with all fourteen smaller, didn''t make too much of a difference.


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    What really amazes me is the construction effort. How many millions of dollars did it cost to construct the schools and the student dorms? They managed it all in a few years, and everyone''s still recovering. I don''t think the Federation paid for any of this, either, since we don''t have a standard income, which is normal in places the Federation''s helping to rebuild instead of just sending some supplies to regularly.


    Strangely, no one really questions where the money comes from, which is something I''ve always thought was strange. Why don''t people ask questions like that? Or is everyone ignoring the mystery because of how strange it is?


    Regardless of where the money came from, the school''s actually rather nice.


    The doors slide open as I approach, students around me giving me confused, curious, or annoyed looks. I ignore them as I make my way to my first-period class, then I walk to the back in the corner opposite the window and take my seat, dropping my bag on the ground.


    I didn''t actually pick this seat, it''s just where I was assigned during the last seating arrangement. The only reason I''m in the back is because of how rarely I''m here ¨C better to stick me in the back to free up a closer seat for a student who needs to pay attention.


    I''d prefer to sit by the window, the school has a decent garden on that side, and it''s nice to look at. However, I''m here rare enough that it doesn''t really matter. If I want to look at nature''s beauty, I''ll just skip and go to the ruins.


    But I''m here with a purpose other than sating my curiosity and not getting scolded by the staff. They''ll pass me anyway, just to move me on. Part of it does come out of pity for what happened when I was four, but most of it''s because they don''t see a point in holding me back, even though I don''t do the work unless I actually attend the class, and even then, I score mediocre.


    Which is probably part of why my classmates are annoyed by me. I can slack off all I want and get away with it. Little do they know that there''s a reason for that beyond just ''poor kid, he survived the first incident where a Sigil-Bearer killed someone, even if it was accidental, and his parents died during it, too''. Yeah, as if that would get me a pass when it happened when I was only four and I''m eighteen now.


    The truth? The staff just don''t want to deal with me anymore than I want to deal with them, and in the recovery from the World Revolt, there''s not that much emphasis on school. So while most youth still attend it, at least here, they grade me based on when I''m here, rather than on all of the assignments and work from when I''m not.


    Therefore, they pass me despite my constant absenteeism. Honestly, I could just drop out entirely, it''s not like I need to continue my ''education''. I already have my own job, even if the pay varies week to week. It''s still more than decent, and I''ll never hurt for money for the rest of the time I actually need it in this world.


    The rest of my classmates file in. Some of them will go to college, some of them will start internships, others will get jobs immediately, and a few will probably take a break. Some are already working part-time at a store or restaurant here in town, too.


    There are even a couple of students in the school, not necessarily in my class, who hope they can be a rare normie that catches the interest of a Sigil-Bearer. They''ll probably move into a big city and wander the areas known to be frequented by the Sigil-Bearers there.


    Or try to hit on the new kid, especially if he confirms he''s a Sigil-Bearer.


    Our teacher shows up right before the bell rings, and once it does, he performs roll-call. Before the World Revolt, they also did a Pledge of Allegiance first thing in the morning, but since the collapse of governments, that''s no longer performed. Just another of the many, but minor, changes in how things work now.


    "Alright, students," the teacher says after finishing roll-call. "As you''ve all heard, we have a new student today. I know there are some rumors going around, even if the spelling and grammar used to do so was terrifying, but as of now, there is no confirmation if they''re true or not. Please do not-"


    His speech is interrupted by the classroom door opening. The hot Sigil-Bearer from yesterday enters the classroom, dressed in black jeans and a black, short-sleeved button-up over a dark blue tee, a bright smile on his face, eyes full of light.


    Just as hot as when I saw him yesterday, and it''s obvious my classmates agree that he''s probably a Sigil-Bearer and incredibly sexy, even for one.


    "Hello!" He greets our teacher. "My name''s Tanner, I''m supposed to start in this class today."


    "Yes," the teacher says. "Welcome to our school, Tanner. I know the others are going to want to ask some questions, would you be willing to answer them at the end of class?"


    "Sure," Tanner answers. "I''m sure it''s not every day you get a new student here, so questions are natural."


    He''s acting as if he doesn''t know about the rumors, which he probably doesn''t, but there''s still a good chance he does and is just pretending that he doesn''t. Whether or not he''s arrogant, but just hides it, that''s another matter. Thankfully, he didn''t show any arrogance.


    I''d probably get rid of him first chance I got.


    "You can sit in the seat beside Nick," our teacher tells Tanner. "It''s the young man in the back corner."


    "Cool," Tanner says, then approaches and takes the seat next to me. "Nice to see you again, Nick."


    Figures he''d noticed me at the store, and unfortunately, that comment''s put eyes on me. Thankfully, the teacher draws attention away from it by starting the lesson. I doodle during it, and ten minutes until the end of class, the teacher tells us that he''s giving us time to talk among ourselves.


    "So," the girl immediately in front of Tanner turns around. "You''ve seen Nick before? When? Where? Did he ignore you as much as he''s ignoring you now?"


    "Is it really that big of a deal?" Tanner asks, and from the corner of my eye, I see him look over at my doodles, which I''m continuing.


    Though I''m listening, I''m pretending like I''m not.


    "Uh, yeah," the boy in front of me tells him. "This is the first time Nick''s even been in school in a few weeks. He''s moody, irritable, and-"


    "He mostly just looks bored, maybe a little amused," Tanner says.


    "Oh, really?" The guy asks. "Trust me, he''s-"


    "I mean, he just doodled a rabbit that''s eating ice cream while surfing, it''s hard to picture someone who does that as the moody and irritable guy you''re claiming he is."


    The classmates who started to gather around us all turn to look at my drawing. I start working on a second rabbit while pretending to have not noticed. No bunny shall surf alone.


    My classmates ask Tanner a few more questions after deciding to not discuss my choice of art. He declines answering why he moved here, but when someone asks if it''s true he''s a Sigil-Bearer, he confirms it.


    "Really?" Someone asks. "Where''s your Sigil?"


    "Right here," Tanner grabs the collar of his tee and pulls it down and to the right, showing his pale skin and exposing down almost to his nipple, revealing the Sigil.


    What a Sigil looks like isn''t agreed upon for one simple reason: it looks different from person to person. Sure some people do see the same thing ¨C I know of three others who see what I see ¨C but there''s no set thing that everyone sees. To me, it looks like four dragons flying around a sphere in two rings, entirely black in color. But as I said, I know of only three others who see that.


    Because of the unique nature of the Sigils, they''re impossible to fake. However, there''s something even more quirky about them than that.


    This property remains when viewed through photos and videos. If it''s drawn, it''s whatever''s drawn, but in a picture someone took? Everyone will still see what they see for a Sigil. If it''s shown on TV? Everyone will still see what they see for a Sigil.


    It''s a curious property, and there are entire institutions devoted to studying them and attempting to figure out their secrets.


    What catches my attention more than the Sigil, though, is how he showed it. If he were arrogant or stuck-up, he''d have definitely lifted up his shirt to show it, to show off his body a little more. Instead, he''s showing the minimal skin for this, not revealing his no-doubt extremely sexy torso at all.


    That''s at least a relief.


    "What can you do? What''s your power?"


    Right, of course everyone would want to know that.


    "I don''t advertise it," Tanner answers. "I''ve never told anyone."


    That sparks a series of questions from classmates who want to know, but Tanner remains firm, but polite, in telling them that he''s not going to tell them. It does answer why Ian couldn''t find out what Tanner''s ability is through looking into the records.


    It''s either something Tanner has hidden well, or it''s something that doesn''t have a physical or visual trait and is thus easily missed.


    My question still remains, though. He''s not Klen, so why did he decide to move here? I really want to know this, especially since I''ve learned that he''s not here for the attention, either.

 Chapter 005

    Finally. School has ended for the day, and Tanner is apparently in every single one of my classes. Every. Last. One. I suppose I could have just skipped after first-period, but I was mostly hoping to hear him mention why he decided to move here. He remained firm on not telling anyone, just as he remained firm in not telling anyone what his ability is.


    Since I''m leaving later than everyone else, I won''t have to deal with the crowd that''s surely around him on my way out. That''s not why I stayed late, though. One of the teachers wanted to talk to me about my attendance, though I mostly tuned them out. We both knew it was more out of an obligation for him to try to convince me to attend more, even with school about to finish.


    When I reach the front of the school, I notice Tanner waiting inside the doors, watching the rain. The storm started up around lunch, and it doesn''t look like it''s planning on lightening up anytime soon.


    "Hey," he greets me as I approach the doors. "I thought everyone left already. Had to stay behind to talk with them in the office."


    I reach the doors and look outside. Yeah, it''s probably not going to stop raining anytime soon. They''ve turned off the automatic doors to avoid the rain triggering them, so we just have the manual doors on the sides to use right now.


    "Are you staying at the dorms?" He asks. "You can walk back with me if you want, I''ve got an umbrella, and I''m staying there, too."


    He shows me the mentioned item held in his right hand, and I snort.


    "The rain''s practically sideways," I state. "An umbrella isn''t going to help you."


    Tanner looks outside, then down at his umbrella.


    "Oh," he stuffs it into his bag.


    "Yeah," I push open the door and step outside.


    Tanner follows me out, and we step out into the rain. I guess he decided to leave as well, after realizing how useless an umbrella is at the moment. We walk back to the dorm in no particular hurry because we can only get so wet, after all.


    Inside, I flash the security guard a peace sign, then head to the elevator. Tanner follows me. When I get off of the elevator, he also follows me. I''m highly doubting he''s actually staying here, because I haven''t heard anything about him being in the dorms.


    "My stuff was moved in while we were in school today, if you''re wondering why no one knew I was staying in the dorms," Tanner tells me when we reach my room. "Anyway, I actually wanted to talk with you, Nick."


    "No."


    "Please?"


    "No."


    "It''s about Alison Smol," he tells me, and I glance at him.


    Not once did I hear him bring her up at school today, so I''d assumed he''d not heard about her, or had and dismissed the rumors entirely. Yet now he''s bringing her up? What does he want with her?


    "Can we please talk in private?" He asks. "I don''t want what I have to say to be overheard by someone walking down the hall."


    "No."


    "I''ll tell you what my ability is," he tells me. "If you let me."


    "For someone who''s never told anyone, you sure are offering it up."


    "My ability and my reason for wanting to ask you about her are linked," he tells me. "But I''ll only tell you what it is if you''re able to arrange a meeting with her."


    His ability is linked to her? How? There''s an open sincerity on his face, but I don''t know how much I can trust that. He could be acting, after all. He passed Ian''s check, though, so he''s not part of the Klen, and he''s not part of any other organization after her. I could probe further, but I''m just going to assume that he''s being honest ¨C but I reserve the right to revoke that trust at any moment.


    Besides, I''m kind of curious about some stuff relating to him as well. Stuff that doesn''t come up in any official records. I could probably get some answers out of him if I at least hear him out, regardless of whether I reveal the truth about knowing Ali''s location or not.


    "Whatever," I mutter, opening the door to my room. "Come on in."


    Tanner follows me inside, and I close the door, then step out of my boots. They''re soaked inside and out, because the rain was merciless.


    "If you expect to be long," I tell him. "You can undress in the bathroom, let your clothes start to dry a little. There are some towels in there you can use."


    "Thanks," Tanner tells me, then heads into the bathroom.


    While he''s in there, I strip off my clothes, then open up my wardrobe and examine the clothes inside, not sure what to put on. Normally, I''d just stay naked now that I''m in my room, but there''s a hot guy here. I''m hard, and I don''t want him seeing that, because then he''ll probably spread stories around school.


    Well, he might. I don''t know.


    Before I grab anything, though, Tanner emerges, wearing a fluffy green towel around his waist while holding another in his hands. I look at him. He looks at me. He''s wearing just a towel, showing me that lean, firm build. So he doesn''t have a six-pack, though he''s still fit. Very fit, and very hot.


    That only makes me hornier. Maybe I shouldn''t have let him take off his wet clothes.


    "Oh, whoops," he looks surprised, cheeks slightly red as he keeps his gaze on mine rather than looking down. "I''d thought I heard you pull something on. Uh. My mistake. You''re pretty bare, is that from being a blond?"


    "Both of my parents were," I state. "And not all blonds are smooth, I just happen to be, just like every Sigil-Bearer in the world will be."


    "Heh," he chuckles. "It''s already spread how hairless we are? Even if I''m attracted to them smooth, it frustrates me a little. Why can''t I at least have a crotch patch?"


    "They''re overrated," I state. "And Sigil-Bearers are the next evolution of humankind. Body hair is pretty useless at this point, so it''s gone."


    "You genuinely believe that," he gives me a strange look. "Oh, um, do you want the towel? I figured you could dry off, too."


    "Even though I''d pulled something on?"


    "I''d assumed it was something to cover your crotch with," he states. "Like underwear."


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    I take the towel and dry off, not bothering to respond to that. Since he''s already seen me, and no doubt noticed I was hard despite having not said anything, I decide to just not put anything on.


    "Hot cocoa?" I ask.


    "Sure," he answers. "You really do seem a lot more personable than your classmates say. You do that on purpose?"


    "Maybe," I answer as I enter the kitchen and start working on the hot cocoa. "So. What is this about wanting a meeting with her?"


    "I want to lose my Sigil."


    I pause for a moment, then look at him. He''s holding the top of the towel around his waist, but otherwise, looks completely serious.


    Ali''s Sigil disappeared two years ago, which is why she lives in the ruins now. It drew a lot of attention because everyone assumed it meant she was no longer a Sigil-Bearer. After all, you can''t be one without a Sigil.


    However, everyone misunderstood something, which was intentional on Ali''s part. Only her Sigil is gone. Everything else that makes up a Sigil-Bearer? Smooth bodies, an ability, enhanced attributes that grow with the power of their ability? All of that remained.


    The attention was overwhelming for her, so she ran away. Part of it, however, was to avoid the Klen. To a cult which wrongly sees Sigil-Bearers as gods, someone who lost their Sigil is the highest form of heretic.


    It''s why so many reporters are after her, too. They want her story, and they end up finding out that no one can find her, but also that I happen to navigate the ruins safely and chase off most people who go into them. I''ve been doing it for years longer than Ali''s time in the ruins, though that only reinforces the idea that I know where she''s at.


    For whatever reason, everyone assumes she''s still in the ruins outside of town, rather than having run off to another town and undertaken a new identity.


    "You want to lose your Sigil?" I ask. "And all of the power that comes with it?"


    "Yes," he answers, and I can hear pain in his voice, see it in his eyes. "My power¡­ I want it gone."


    "Why?"


    "I''ll only tell you if I can get a meeting with her," he tells me.


    I resume making the hot chocolate, and after about a minute, Tanner gathers up my wet clothes and takes them into the bathroom, probably to set them to dry in there. He returns, and I serve him the cocoa, then sit on my bed. He sits on the floor, sipping the cocoa. It looks like Tanner emptied the contents of my pockets onto the table.


    "Assuming that she''s still in the ruins," I say. "I doubt she''d want to meet someone who wants to meet her just because they claim they want to lose their power. I already know you aren''t part of the Klen or connected to any known organization that wants her dead or wants to perform experiments on her, but that doesn''t mean you aren''t part of one that''s not known."


    Ian''s search is extensive, but there are some things he can''t find.


    "You researched me?" He asks. "I got the impression that you weren''t some sort of genius."


    "I''m not," I tell him. "I''m just well-connected. Now, let''s assume that she''s in the ruins nearby, and that I''m able to put people into contact with her since I go into the ruins all the time. Even if she would meet with them and they aren''t associated with an organization out for her, why would I believe a story about wanting to lose your Sigil, Tanner? That is the most ridiculous thing I''ve ever heard. In that scenario, I wouldn''t even consider asking her about meeting with you."


    Tanner thinks for a few moments, then sighs before taking another sip of his cocoa. I''ve already drained mine, so I set the mug on the table.


    "You can stop acting like it''s only a hypothetical situation," he tells me, then taps his head. "I''m an empath, and my smallest range is about five feet. I can expand it up to thirty feet, and I''ve kept you in it since I saw you at the doors. The extreme amount of suspicion you''re feeling tells me the truth: you know her and you know where she is. I want to lose my Sigil because I hate this power. I''ve kept it a secret because I don''t want people knowing that I''m able to sense emotions and minds. Most people would probably judge me under the assumption I''m judging them, while there are probably people who''d want my help. Darker organizations which might force my help. I''d make for a good interrogator, seeing as I''m able to sense when people are lying."


    "If someone convinces themselves of the truth," I state. "I''m sure even an empath would be fooled. There wouldn''t be even the slightest shift in emotion."


    "Trust me, I''ve met some pretty good liars," he tells me. "Ones who have supposedly fooled another empath. They didn''t fool me. I want this power gone, Nick. I don''t like sensing everyone''s emotions, and I don''t want to be used as a human interrogator, which is really the only career choice available for me if I want to use it in work."


    "A bodyguard would work as well," I tell him. "Train it up, expand the range. You''d be able to sense if someone holds hostility or a type of focus that isn''t normal for just a spectator. Advance warning for an attack."


    "I also don''t like putting my life in harm''s way as a job," he states. "I hadn''t thought of that, but you''re right, and it goes against what I''d like."


    "Hm," I say. "Well, I suppose you''re right. If you''re actually able to sense things and I''m actually as suspicious as you say, and I actually know where Alison is, then I''d theoretically be able to arrange a meetup. However, that''s a trick people try to use in order to trick someone into admitting something that''s not true."


    "Alright," Tanner takes a sip of his cocoa. "Yesterday, at the store, you had a strong feeling of lust the moment you saw me. Purely sexual attraction. You did again when you saw me today, and it went up when you turned around after I came out of your bathroom and you saw me in just a towel.


    "During PE," he continues. "You didn''t dress out, just climbed to the top of the bleachers and lay there, facing away from everyone. During PE, you held a strong feeling of contempt, though every time you heard my voice, there was that sexual attraction again. Now that I see you without clothes on, it''s evident that you''re pretty active, and in more than just going around the ruins. Nice bod."


    "I''ve done martial arts since I was eight," I state. "It''s good for self-defense and kicking Sigil-Bearer ass."


    "When I was answering questions in class," he continues. "You pretended to be disinterested, but paid strong attention when I was asked why I was here. However, you were bored when I was asked about being a Sigil-Bearer. You already knew I was one and now I know that you''d somehow done research on me. When I commented about your drawing, you actually felt a bit of pride.


    "The most curious thing, however," he takes a sip of his cocoa. "Was in sixth period, when Jessica brought up the Sigil Gods and asked me for my opinion on them and the rumors that one of them was part of the testing going on in the ruins today. You appeared to be napping, though it was clear you were actually daydreaming about something. At least, clear to me that you were. It was something sexual, based on what I was sensing.


    "However," he says. "As soon as she asked that, you went on full alert and paid attention, despite still looking like you were asleep. From the emotions you were feeling, it was clear you thought our classmates were amusing and idiots. It was also evident that you were interested in my answer. When I said I doubted it and provided my explanation for why it was unlikely a Sigil God was part of the training going on in the ruins, your emotions made it clear to me that you knew something about the training. It was also clear that there was a Sigil God involved. At least, according to your mental state.


    "And that," Tanner says. "Makes me extremely curious, Nick. Though I have to say, is this enough for you to believe me?"


    I drain the last of my hot cocoa, then set the mug on the table.


    "Klen members were in the ruins," I say. "Including a high-tier one with the sonic ability. Most likely, they were here to kill Ali. I blew up the rest of them, but he managed to escape. So I called a contact in the Federation, and he sent Alyssa out."


    "Alyssa?" Tanner asks. "The Goddess of Chaos?"


    "Yes," I answer. "I received a text a little before lunch confirming that Mr. Sonic was killed, and Alyssa left soon after."


    Tanner stares at me, and I can tell he''s probably trying to assess my mental state.


    "I''ll arrange the meeting," I tell him. "Just keep in mind that even though I''m not a Sigil-Bearer, a single call from me can summon a Sigil God."


    "Don''t worry," he smiles. "I''ve no ill intent toward Alison. I just want to find out how she lost her Sigil. Losing mine would mean the world to me. I don''t care that it''ll make me a normie, as long as I can get rid of this cursed power. I guess the only benefit so far is really that I know if someone I''m interested in is interested back."


    "Oh?" I ask.


    "Yeah," he smiles at me. "I''m bisexual, Nick. It''s been hard not to ogle you. For a normie, you''re pretty damn attractive."


    "My parents were supermodels," I state. "I inherited my looks from them. Blond hair from my dad, blue eyes from my mom. A killer smile from my dad, an athletic body from my mom."


    My dad was basically an eternal twink, while I''m more of a twunk.


    "And a nice, hairless body from one of them?" Tanner asks. "Or do you shave?"


    "Nah," I respond. "That''s all natural. Anyway, meet me out front of school on Friday, after classes end. I''ll let you know then what Ali''s decision is."


    "Thanks," he tells me, then finishes his cocoa and sets it down. "I suppose I should get going."


    "You know where your clothes are," I tell him.


    Sadly, he changes in the bathroom, though he did leave the door open. I probably could have snuck a peek and seen his equipment. Maybe Friday, I''ll ask him to let me ogle him in exchange for the meeting.

 Chapter 006

    "You''re actually here," Tanner approaches me as he exits the school, drawing a few looks from our classmates.


    He''s wearing almost the same outfit as he did on Monday, only with an orange t-shirt underneath instead of a blue one. Still just as hot as before, though I hate the color orange.


    "I said I would be," I state.


    "Yeah," he says. "But you weren''t here any day except Monday, not even today."


    "I normally skip school," I state. "Monday was out of curiosity as to your reason here, which you declined to answer."


    "Yeah," he looks past the overhang, where it''s pouring pretty hard, then at me, who is dry as can be. "The rain started an hour ago. Have you been waiting here the entire time?"


    "Yes."


    "You could have come in late."


    "Nah," I say. "Let''s go."


    Umbrellas won''t help today, either, so we just head out into the rain. We probably could have worn ponchos, but who cares?


    I lead Tanner into the ruins, and he stays pretty close to me. The rain is even heavier today than it was on Monday and visibility is almost nonexistent. What normally takes an hour to traverse takes us nearly two hours, and by the time we reach the parking garage, Tanner''s out of breath.


    A Sigil-Bearer might have increased stamina and endurance, but if they''re not used to rough terrain, they''ll still be worn down by it, especially in heavy rain like this.


    "You''re not even winded," he says as we both shake a little, throwing water off of us. "Jeez."


    "I''m used to this stuff," I state. "Come on, Ali''s higher up."


    I lead Tanner through the pseudo-maze of the parking garage and its remains until we reach Ali''s lair. She has a fire going in the fire ring in the center of it, three chairs seated around it in a triangle, with her sitting on one of them.


    There''s a cascading waterfall flowing down from the edge of the structure at the opening leading outside. The rain''s flowing from the roof down, hitting the slight ledge jutting out here before continuing down until it hits the pond below. Fortunately, the concrete here is actually angled slightly, so Ali doesn''t have to worry about the water flowing into her lair and ruining things.


    It does create some extra noise, especially with how heavy the rain is today. We''ll be able to hear each other just fine, though.


    "Welcome," Ali tells us, pouring us some cocoa that she''s prepared. "I figured you two would be here shortly and fixed this up for you."


    "Thanks," I take the mug and sit to her right, and Tanner accepts it and sits to her left, staring at her cheek. "This is him."


    The fire feels nice, and will probably dry us off a little before we leave. We''ll end up soaked on the way back, though, since the storm will probably go through the night without letting up at all.


    "Nice to meet you, Tanner," she says. "I''m Alison Smol, though I prefer to go by Ali, now."


    "Nice to meet you," Tanner tells her, then sips his cocoa.


    It''s evident by his expression he doesn''t like cocoa that''s just water and cocoa mix. I use heated milk for my cocoa, which makes it creamier and tastier.


    "I don''t have any milk," Ali tells him. "Sorry ''bout that, I forgot to request that Nick bring me some, and it seems he didn''t think about it, either. I''m sure you''ll be drinking some made with it after you leave here."


    "Request that Nick bring you some?" Tanner asks.


    "I do the shopping for her," I explain. "While she has a garden and hunts the game out here, I still bring her supplies at least once a week."


    "Oh," Tanner says, then he looks back to Ali. "So, um, I take it you''re going to tell me how you lost your Sigil? How I can get rid of mine?"


    "Nick didn''t tell me what your ability is," she says. "Just that you want to get rid of it, Tanner. Unfortunately, it''s not that simple."


    "What do you mean?" Tanner asks.


    Ali lifts her chair up into the air with her power, demonstrating her ability to make things float, even while she''s sitting on it. His eyes grow wide as he sees this, obviously shocked by the show.


    "I might not have my Sigil," she tells him. "But I still have my power. All of it. I might not have my Sigil anymore, but I''m still a Sigil-Bearer in all other ways."


    "It''s part of why the Klen hasn''t managed to find and kill her," I tell Tanner as Ali sets herself back down. "She helps me take them out while using her power, strength, speed, and all that."


    Tanner takes a few minutes to process things, then looks between us.


    "So," he says. "How long have you two worked together? I''d just assumed you were someone who knew where she was, but you buy her stuff? Everyone said you two had never interacted before she ran away. How close are you?"


    "We''re decent friends," Ali tells him as I finish off my hot cocoa. "And we actually first started hanging out when we were fourteen."


    "That''s a full two years before you lost your Sigil," Tanner says in confusion.


    "Yeah," Ali says. "We kept it a secret. With all the attention on me for being such a blessed being, I found it hard to have time to myself. So when we were fourteen, I secretly approached Nick on one of the rare days he attended school-"


    "You were already skipping that much back then?" Tanner asks.


    "Hush and listen to the story," I tell him, and Ali snorts.


    "I asked him," Ali tells Tanner. "If there was a way he could help me out. I wanted to hide in the ruins a little, so that I could relax and maybe train without others watching me, judging me. He agreed, as long as I agreed to help him out as well."


    "With what?" Tanner asks.


    "If you listened instead of interrupting, you''d find out faster," I tell him.


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    "Be nice, Nick," Ali chuckles. "Nick''s been training in martial arts and with a gun and knives for awhile. He started with the gun when he was twelve, I guess his boyfriend supplied it to him, I can''t think of how else he got it, since he hadn''t been dealing with Klen members yet. They started coming after my Sigil disappeared and rumors spread that I was here."


    "Boyfriend?" Tanner looks at me.


    "Interruptions?" I look at him.


    "Sorry," he responds, and we both return our attention to Ali.


    "There''s only so much he could do by himself," Ali tells Tanner. "He wanted my help with target practice. At the time, I could only make things float, but with his help, I managed to also start to learn to move things around. He helped me sneak out here once every three weeks, and we worked together. After I moved out her permanently, my training went up, and so did my power."


    "But it was all in secret," I tell him. "Ali always had to sneak out to meet me, and she could tell if someone was around by whether or not I was at the meeting point."


    "Oh," Tanner says, then looks at Ali. "So you''re still a Sigil-Bearer, just without a Sigil. How did your Sigil disappear?"


    "I was returning home from a training session out here a couple of years ago," Ali tells him. "And when I got home and took a shower, I saw in the mirror that it was gone. I''d longed for the disappearance of my powers, but knew even with it gone that I still had them. Then I started getting a lot of negative attention, so I came out here. Honestly? Nick''s the only person who didn''t treat me differently. I''m sure you''ve read or heard some of the things said about me after I lost my Sigil. It was pretty awful, and it''s part of why I decided to run away. Nick found me that evening and showed me this place, and I''ve been here ever since."


    "Yeah," Tanner says. "I''d seen some of the things said. I''m prepared to deal with it. Or, well, I was. I guess I won''t have to, since losing my Sigil won''t get rid of this power."


    "You''d also have to deal with the Klen attempting to kill you for being a heretic," I add. "Once they catch word that you lost your Sigil as well."


    "It would also probably," Ali says. "Start causing people to worry that Sigil-Bearers will all lose their power."


    "I can see that," Tanner says. "Even if it''s shown they still have them, there are those who''d doubt. So yours just disappeared? While you were walking home? You didn''t, like, pass out or anything? It just vanished without you being aware of it?"


    "No," Ali takes a deep breath, then lets it out. "It was removed."


    "Removed?" Tanner asks. "Wait, someone removed your Sigil?"


    He''s probably trying to figure out how she managed to fool his lie-detection ability, since she said that it was gone when she got home. The wording is what mattered. She said that she saw that it was gone. That was how she had the proof it was. She already knew it was gone, as well as how it disappeared.


    "Someone with the power to erase things," Ali confirms. "When I found out about this, I asked them if they could erase my Sigil. They warned me of the trouble it would cause me, and I asked them again. They gave me a week to think it over, then when I told them I still wanted it gone, they erased it. In that week, I''d come up with a plan."


    "What plan?" Tanner asks.


    "Only Nick knows," Ali tells him. "And I don''t intend on telling anyone else. However, I will say that that the one who erased my Sigil said he could restore the Sigil at any time, too. It''d still be like a normal Sigil, his power is to erase things and restore things he''s erased."


    "That sounds powerful," Tanner looks at me.


    "You''ve seen me naked," I hold up my hands. "I don''t have a Sigil."


    "Yeah, but if you could erase it-"


    "I still can''t believe you didn''t tell him to let you ogle him, since he was ogling you," Ali chuckles.


    "That''s his price for me arranging this meeting," I state. "When we return to the apartments, he''s coming in with me and letting me ogle him."


    "I didn''t agree to that," Tanner says. "But I am not opposed to it. What about your boyfriend?"


    "He doesn''t care," I say.


    "Right," Tanner frowns, and I can tell he knows I''m serious, which confuses him. "But you''re right, you don''t have a Sigil. But someone who can erase Sigils-"


    "I''m not a Sigil-Bearer," I tell him. "I was never born with a Sigil. That''s also a pretty high-level ability. If I''d had it as a child, I''d have been erasing things during tantrums, and everyone would know about that. And a child wouldn''t have been able to precisely remove a Sigil, either. The finesse required to do so without affecting anything else would be too great for them."


    It''s well-known that infants and small children who are Sigil-Bearers tend to use their abilities subconsciously during tantrums. In fact, that''s the main way of discovering a Sigil-Bearer''s ability.


    An ability like the power to erase things and restore them back to existence would have definitely hit the news. A child using it subconsciously during a tantrum would have drawn a lot of attention over the things they erased.


    Especially if they lived around other people.


    I''m not a Sigil-Bearer, and as I said, I was never born with a Sigil, so Tanner''s able to tell my honesty here. His expression of defeat confirms that to me.


    "Right," Tanner sighs. "That makes sense. Plus, it sounds like something from someone extremely powerful. I doubt anyone but a Sigil God could do it."


    His eyes widen, then he looks at Ali.


    "You''ve met the Sigil God of Destruction?"


    That was a quick leap in assumptions, though I can see why he''d think that. To erase something that''s so obviously magical without leaving any trace of its remain, and to possess the ability to restore it, is definitely something that would be beyond a normal Sigil-Bearer. Even if he doubted the Sigil God''s existence before, it''s natural one might start to believe in his existence after hearing of this power.


    Especially as only the Sigil Gods were high-tier Sigil-Bearers whose abilities didn''t reach the news. They always instinctively knew how to control their abilities, and they never threw any tantrums as children or babies, anyway.


    "I assumed the same thing!" Ali laughs. "But no, I didn''t."


    "But wouldn''t-"


    "It''s an ability that''s pretty high-level," I say. "But there is no Sigil God of Destruction."


    "I know there''s no sign of him, but-"


    "No," I say. "There isn''t one. He doesn''t exist, Tanner. The Sigil Gods can sense the other Sigil Gods. They''ve confirmed that there is no Sigil God of Destruction."


    "They can sense each other?" He asks.


    "Yeah," I answer. "They know the others'' directions and approximate distances from them at all times. They''ve been able to sense each other since even before they hit the news. If there was a Sigil God of Destruction, they''d have already sought them out."


    "Yet they''ve publicly announced there isn''t one," Ali says. "Which means that we should trust them."


    Tanner assesses us, and I know he''s reading our emotions. Ali knows this because I told her, and I know this because of my contacts.


    "Okay," Tanner looks at me. "How do you know this? Through this whole thing, you''ve come off as if you know more about everything than Ali."


    "His boyfriend''s everyone''s favorite technokinetic," Ali tells him. "He''s pretty high up in the Federation and is one of the handful of people who''ve managed to rebuild society''s technology. He''s also been in charge of monitoring the Klen for the last six years."


    "Your boyfriend what?" Tanner asks.


    "Is in charge of monitoring the Klen," I answer. "Though he''s not the person I contacted when Ali and I saw Mr. Sonic, my contact in the Federation is actually someone else."


    That said, Ian does have higher security clearance than my contact. He single-handedly built their entire security network in two months, and no technokinetic except himself has managed to break through it. That''s why Ali calls him everyone''s favorite technokinetic. So really, if I wanted something Frank couldn''t get done, I could just ask Ian. I''ve never taken advantage of that, though.


    In regards to official things. Getting me weapons and other things? I definitely go to Ian for that.


    "He also supplies us with the weaponry we use to hunt food and Klen," I tell Tanner. "Though that''s not necessarily legal. The paintball stuff is, though, even if it''s fairly advanced."


    "So," he hesitates for a moment. "Are you sure your boyfriend would let you be naked with another guy? I mean-"


    "It''s not a problem, and we can discuss it when we get back to the dorms," I say. "Look at Ali, she''s practically drooling at the thought."


    Which is part of why I haven''t told her that Ian and I have had sex. She''s going to want all of the details.


    "Anyway," Ali decides to change direction. "That''s why we know that there''s no God of Destruction. The other Sigil Gods would have known about him, since they can sense each other no matter how far apart they are, and Ian definitely would''ve told Nick about it if there was one. I''m going to keep the identity of the erasure Sigil-Bearer a secret, to protect him. You wouldn''t gain a benefit from knowing, anyway."


    "Yeah," Tanner sighs. "Thanks for the help, I guess. I just wish I could turn this off. I''ve tried, but it seems there''s a limit."


    "Maybe eventually," I smile. "Sorry we couldn''t have been of more help."

 Chapter 007

    "Come on in," I tell Tanner once we reach the door to my apartment.


    "Is it really okay?" He asks as he enters. "I mean, I can tell you feel like it is, but-"


    "It''s fine," I tell him as I close my door, then pull off my jacket and boots. Tanner does the same, but still looks hesitant. "Ian and I have an arrangement. Honestly? When I told him about Monday, he asked why I didn''t ask you to let me ogle you then."


    Tanner''s silent as we walk to my room, then he heads into my bathroom as I just start undressing.


    "The arrangement," I tell Tanner as I work off my wet clothes, which isn''t easy. Maybe we should have worn ponchos? "Is that we both know that our boyfriend is in love with us. We also know that we have sexual desire for other guys, and that we can''t just pop over to the other''s place and have sex to take care of it.


    "So," I say, finally managing to get my boxer-briefs off. They were almost as bad as my jeans. "After we lost our virginity on my birthday-"


    "You had birthday sex?"


    "Yes, and Ali doesn''t know," I respond. "Ian came to town just to celebrate it by taking my virginity and losing his. And if you''re wondering how old he is, he''s two months older than me."


    We did more than that, though the sex was definitely the highlight of my birthday.


    "Anyway," I say as I walk into the kitchen to start preparing hot cocoa for us. Proper hot cocoa, not the water-based stuff Ali made earlier. "After we lost our virginity on my birthday, I proposed a deal to Ian. He can sleep with any guy he wants, as long as I get a front and back nude of the guy and in the front, the dick must be visible and erect. Nothing hidden. If I sleep with a guy, I do the same. I haven''t slept with anyone other than Ian so far, you''re the first person here who''s really caught my attention, and it''s mostly just a sexual attraction because of your looks."


    "Really?" Tanner comes out of the bathroom with a towel in his hands, looking dry other than his hair, which looks like he just gave it a rubbing with a towel before fixing with his fingers. He''s got a towel around his waist, probably because he''s still not certain. "You guys have that sort of deal?"


    "Yeah," I answer. "Ian''s slept with something like twenty guys since my birthday, though he does keep getting with this one Australian twink at least once a week. He only sends pics for new guys, but lets me know who he''s sleeping with if he does sleep with someone again."


    Which is how I know he sleeps with the same Australian twink once a week. The guy has even offered to let Ian take pics and videos of them doing it for me to get off to.


    "You''re really okay with that?" Tanner asks. "I mean, what if he ends up-"


    "Falling for someone else?" I ask. "I trust Ian."


    "He''s slept with around twenty different guys in three months," Tanner says. "You said your birthday was three months ago, right?"


    "Well, it''ll be three months in a week and a half or so," I tell him. "Birthday''s Valentine''s Day."


    Tanner chokes on a laugh, and I continue fixing up the hot chocolate, since I''d only just gotten started actually heating the milk when he came out of the bathroom.


    "So in about two and a half months," he says. "About ten or eleven weeks, he''s slept with twenty guys? I don''t think I could date a guy like that."


    "He does it with my permission," I say. "And as I said, he does repeat some people."


    "What if he catches something?"


    "He only sleeps with normies," I say. "And even though Sigil-Bearers are an evolution of humanity, normie STDs don''t affect you."


    "They don''t?" Tanner asks.


    "Nope," I answer. "In fact, your body starts attacking them pretty much the moment you come into contact with them, and it doesn''t just kill them, it destroys them, leaving nothing there. This includes your skin. There are currently no STDs for Sigil-Bearers. Or any illness that can affect a Sigil-Bearer, for that matter."


    There''s an entire research center devoted to studying this. They were already studying Sigil-Bearers, and noticed that when an epidemic hit a school, not a single Sigil-Bearer was affected. So they started taking samples and performing tests, and came to this discovery.


    It would be useful for figuring out how to create a vaccine or cure for things, if only they could change it from ''destroy'' to ''kill''. They wanted to see what the effect would be on something bigger, which is why they tested it on STDs, only to find it treated them the same as it did the common cold. Other severe diseases and viruses were treated the same way.


    Sigil-Bearer immune systems are really something else.


    "Still," Tanner says. "I don''t¡­ I''m not trying to judge your relationship or anything, I just can''t imagine myself doing that. Getting hookups, yeah, but I''d rather them be regular. With the same person. I can''t imagine cheating on my boyfriend like that, either."


    "It''s not cheating," I say. "It''s with permission. Cheating is when you do it without permission. I''m the one who suggested it, and I knew what would happen when I did. Part of the reason is because he travels all over. He''s rarely in the same place for more than two or three days. Then there are his looks¡­ other than the Australian twink who lives in the same complex as him, which is where he''s at at least once a week, he''d rather not sleep with someone too many times because of his looks."


    "His looks?" Tanner asks.


    "Yeah, let me finish this, then I''ll show you," I tell him.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I finish making the cocoa, then we move to my room and I set my mug down and take the towel from Tanner, rubbing myself dry, making sure my crotch and ass are, since those are the important parts. My hair, I also make sure to dry a fair bit so that I don''t keep dripping water everywhere, and I do that before drying down low.


    Then, I grab my phone and scroll through the pictures until I find one of Ian and me. We''re snuggled up on my bed in it, shirtless with a blanket over our laps. The picture''s misleading, though ¨C we were only shirtless and barefoot. We both had shorts on.


    Ian''s a real twink, as he keeps his body slender rather than bulking up. Just like all Sigil-Bearers, he''s smooth and youthful. His hair is a much lighter blond than mine. I''m golden-blond, he''s sun-blond, platinum-blond. His eyes are a bright, vibrant green that''s full of life and energy, and he''s grinning in the picture. He''s also got an earring in his left ear, an emerald set into a silver stud.


    I took it last time Ian visited, so it''s the most recent picture I have of him that I took. With it picked out, I show it to Tanner.


    "He looks like Theodore!" Tanner exclaims.


    "His voice is much less deep than Theodore''s," I say. "He''s actually rather careful, too, so that no one tries claiming they slept with Theodore. He performs a full check into everyone he sleeps with to make sure they''re not that type of person, then warns them heavily against it. The Sigil God of Death probably wouldn''t take blackmail like that well."


    "I can imagine," Tanner says. "Though he''s got an earring and Theodore doesn''t. Then again, it''s rare for someone to actually see Theodore''s face, so a blackmailer might try to pull that."


    Though someone would have to be suicidal to try to blackmail a Sigil God, especially the Sigil God of Death.


    "But yeah," I take my phone back. "Ian looking like Theodore is why he''d rather not sleep with the same person too many times. If he does, they might try to get ideas."


    "He gets with one guy every week," Tanner says.


    "He trusts him," I say. "They''ve known each other since they were little."


    "How long have you known Ian?" He asks.


    "He approached me when we were ten," I sit on the floor so that we''re both sitting at the table, then I grab my laptop. "He had a proposal for me."


    "A proposal?" He asks as I boot up my laptop, then pull something else up.


    "Yeah," I turn the laptop around. "A way to make money."


    Tanner looks at what''s on the screen, then frowns.


    "That looks like an admin page for Myths and Sigils," he says.


    "The world''s most famous blog about the Sigils and those born with them," I say. "Which came into existence eight years ago, with four mysterious employees. The one who designed it and made it impossible to hack into, two photographers, and one writer."


    "Ian''s the programmer?" He asks, and I nod as I turn the laptop back around. "If you stay here, then you can''t be the photographers. Are you saying that when you were ten years old, you started writing articles for a brand-new website that quickly took off and became famous globally?"


    "Yep," I answer. "Ian''s a technogenius because of his power. He built the site and looked for three people to work with. Two who could travel around, and one who could do the articles. He''d noticed a rather lengthy notice I''d sent to the Federation and decided my skills were good enough, and since I was skipping school most days, anyway, he decided to ask me to do the position. My earlier articles were, admittedly, rather bad, but I''ve improved over the last eight years. Part of the reason we became so popular is because of how simple my early articles were to read. I''ve kept that, but improved on the style a bit."


    Kids have a tendency to break things down into much more simpler terms, and that''s what I did when I was ten. With some articles, I go a lot more complex, but it''s rarely on the ones that matter the most, and I always do a ''lite'' version that goes into the simpler mode. By doing this, I allow even children to read and understand what I''m talking about on the blog.


    "That''s impressive," Tanner leans back. "All I''ve got going for me is my status as a Sigil-Bearer. I worked part-time from when I was sixteen to when I quit to move here just to save up money, and after finding out about Alison, I mean Ali, I decided to use the money I''d saved up for the move."


    "Sorry we couldn''t help you," I tell him. "The Sigils are just a mark, nothing more."


    "Yeah," he sighs. "Unfortunately. I''d thought they were tied into what we were."


    "Nope, they just mark you as one," I say. "So. Back to the previous topic. Yes, I''m dating Ian. No, he won''t mind if you got naked with me. He''s even hoping he gets pics."


    Ian has texted me every night since I asked him about Tanner, asking if I''m going to try to sleep with him, though I''m not going to tell Tanner that.


    "The agreement also means we can''t share the pics with someone else unless we receive permission from the guy who they''re of, and that they''re allowed to see pics of the other," I tell Tanner as I close my laptop and return to sitting on the edge of my bed. "So are you going to pay me for the arrangement by letting me see you nude? Because I''d like to ogle you. And if you want to have sex, well, just let me know and I''ll get the pics. You don''t actually have to get nude, by the way, I just want to see it. I''m sure we can come up with something else as payment, like an article about an anonymous empath and their view of their power."


    Tanner seems to wrestle with himself over what to do, but in the end, he stands up and removes his towel. He''s uncut, though that''s to be expected. Ever since the World Revolt, very few people mutilate their newly born children.


    His dick is longer than mine and about as thick, though it''s still shorter and slimmer than Ian''s. It''s clear he''s nervous, probably still worried about my relationship.


    "Here," I say. "Want me to prove to you Ian won''t have an issue? Let me get a pic of you and send it to him, and I''ll prove it."


    Tanner thinks for a moment, then asks me how he should pose.


    "Just get on my bed and lie down," I grab my phone. "On your back."


    Tanner obeys as I move back onto the floor, then make sure to snap a pic that shows his whole body. I have him flip onto his side with his back to me so I can get a back pic, then I send both to Ian as Tanner sits back up, still looking a bit nervous. A moment later, Ian sends back a response.


    [Dude! Finally! It took you four days to ask him! I wasn''t actually expecting him to sleep with you, but that''s awesome! Also, damn he''s even sexier without his clothes on. Think he''d be up for a three-way if you two become a regular thing and are still doing it next time I come out?]


    I snort, then show Tanner the message, and he reads it, looking relieved after finishing.


    "A threesome?" He looks at me once he finishes. "Ian really suggested that?"


    "I think he wants to pound your ass," I tell him. "Though he''ll probably be curious about doubling up inside of me. As you can see from that text, though, he was hoping I''d ask you."


    "So you bottom?" He asks as I close the texts and set my phone back onto the table. "Also, that doesn''t look like the-wait, you have two phones?"


    He only now noticed that?


    "Yeah," I answer as I sit beside him. "The school-issued one, plus the one I use for other stuff, like contacting Ian, getting pics of the twinks he sleeps with, contacting Frank, and so on."


    "Frank?"


    "My contact in the Federation," I say. "Back to the other topic. Yes, I bottom. At the moment, I''ve no interest in topping, though that might change. Ian''s the opposite. He tops and has no interest in bottoming at the moment."


    "Okay."


    Tanner seems to think for a moment, then comes to a decision. It seems he supposes that if my boyfriend okays it, it''s okay. To me, that does make it okay, and even though I did tell him that Ian was fine with it, he needed something more to prove it to him, such as my boyfriend directly saying it''s allowed and even asking about a threesome in the same message.


    "So what''s allowed?" Tanner asks. "I take it kissing''s off the table?"

 Chapter 008

    "Nothing''s allowed on the table," I tell Tanner. "It probably wouldn''t handle the weight and movements. That said, kissing''s allowed overall, though sex is a lot more intimate with it, so I''ll leave that up to you. You can see the lube by my radio, make sure to use it somewhat liberally on yourself before inserting, else it won''t be as pleasurable for me."


    After a few more moments of thought, Tanner decides to start off by kissing me and rubbing my dick. I really should have expected that. He strokes me for a few moments as I push my tongue into his mouth, wrestling with his.


    Then, Tanner pushes me backwards, not breaking the kiss or his stroking as he uses his other hand to move me into the position he wants, rubbing his dick against mine, using his hand to jack both of us off. As he does that, I hold his head, feeling his soft hair with my fingers.


    For a few minutes, we remain like this, then I guess Tanner gets too close, because he suddenly stops and starts kissing down my neck, then my chest, until he reaches my right breast. He''s no longer stroking me, my dick rubbing against his stomach as he starts licking my nipple.


    One thing about me: my nipples are extremely sensitive with sexual stimulation. I''ve heard that guys with pierced nipples suffer from that, but mine aren''t pierced. I guess mine are just naturally rather sensitive.


    As a result of Tanner playing with my right nipple, I start to go into overdrive, even though all he''s doing is teasing it with his tongue. It''s been a couple of weeks since Ian and I did something, and I guess it''s affecting me.


    Tanner''s power seems to be useful here, as he stops before he goes too far, kissing down to my abs, licking their lines and contours, my dick rubbing against his chest. He starts rubbing my sides as I do my best not to start humping him.


    As he travels down, he moves his hands down, too, and when he reaches my bellybutton, he flicks his tongue in and out of it, his hands on my hips. Then he moves down more, my dick sliding onto his neck, then his chin, then his lips.


    He uses his right hand to grab my dick and gently pulls down, exposing the head, which he then starts licking. I keep my right hand on his head as I use my left to play with my right nipple, moaning softly at the pleasure he''s giving me.


    "I''m going to cum if you keep going," I tell him after a minute.


    "I want to taste it," he stops long enough to tell me, then takes the head of my dick into his mouth.


    Using his left hand, Tanner starts playing with my balls, using his right to jack me at the base of my dick as he takes me in as much as he can, only a few inches, going up and down on me.


    I quickly reach my climax from here, and warn Tanner when I''m about to cum. His lack of experience with this shows, as he chokes when I start, and a fair bit of m cum leaks out. Once my orgasm ends, Tanner starts licking up everything that came out, though a little bit remains on his lips. He moves forward and kisses me, and I lick the cum off as he grabs something from above me, probably the lube off the shelf with my radio.


    Sure enough, he stops kissing me and kneels between my legs, parting them as he lubes up his dick. There''s a moment of doubt on his face, but I lift up my legs and the doubt goes away. Tanner pushes into my ass, and I let out a soft moan, meeting his gaze as he slowly slides all the way in.


    The feeling of a nice dick stretching my ass a bit and filling me up is one I love, even if I only did it with Ian on the rare three occasions he was out here since my birthday. Tanner''s not as thick, so the feeling isn''t as intense, but it''s still there, still quite pleasurable.


    Tanner starts to move, pushing forward and pulling back, holding my legs as he focuses on his movements. With every thrust or pull, he rubs against my prostate, keeping me erect and leading me towards another orgasm, though I''m sure it won''t happen before he reaches his.


    "Kiss me," I tell Tanner after a minute of feeling him inside of me. "Bend down and kiss me."


    He obeys, pressing his lips to mine, and this time, he works his tongue into my mouth rather than the other way around. His thrusting slows because of the position shift, just as I expected. He''ll last a little longer, though I''m sure he''s already close. I''m surprised he didn''t explode the moment he pushed into me, Ian did our first time. Not that my boyfriend stopped then¡­


    As Tanner draws closer to his orgasm, he stops kissing me and straightens up, focusing on thrusting faster, but still gently.


    "Don''t have to pull out," I say when I realize he''s about to do just that. "You can cum in me, Tanner. It''s okay if you want to."


    He nods, then continues thrusting, pumping just a few more times before letting out a soft moan of his own, shooting his load into me. I clench my ass so that it clamps onto his dick as he fills me. Once he finishes, I unclench, then he pulls out. Hopefully, he''s up for a second round.


    "So," I say as he collapses beside me, breathing heavily. "I''m surprised you didn''t burst as soon as you entered me."


    "I probably would''ve," he admits as I turn on my side to face him. "If I hadn''t gotten off a couple of times before school."


    "Well," I say. "Want to go for round two? We can do it here or in the shower. If we do it here, round three can be in the shower."


    "Let''s do three in the shower," he tells me.


    "Okay," I smile as a thought comes to me.


    It seems that now that Tanner knows this has Ian''s blessing, he''s okay with it. That means it''s possible we''ll be doing it again, not stopping after just this time. That''s going to be fun, because using just my hand isn''t enough.


    "Hey, real quick," I say. "I just had a thought, but you know that this is purely sexual, right? There isn''t something romantic between us, and won''t ever be? I''m mostly just wanting to get off with a hot guy."


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Yeah," Tanner tells me with a smile. "I guess I''m the same way. I don''t think I could get into a relationship if I have this power on at all times, anyway. So as long as you don''t mind me using you for the same thing you''re wanting to use me for, and your boyfriend really doesn''t mind, then we''re good for however long we get together for."


    "Excellent," I smile. "Let''s go for round two."


    I kiss Tanner on the cheek, then grab the lube and make sure his dick is nice and slick again before I climb on top of him, lowering myself onto him as I feel his dick filling my ass again. I don''t stop riding him until we''ve both climaxed again, and damn does it feel good.


    Pulling off of him, I bend forward and kiss him again, feeling some of his cum leaking out of my ass as I do. We kiss for several minutes, then I break it off, our stomachs rumbling.


    "I''m going to cook dinner," I tell Tanner. "Any preference?"


    "You sure you want to feed a Sigil-Bearer?"


    Sigil-Bearers consume a lot of food. They can easily pack away three to four times as much food as a normie would in a single sitting, in what seems to be an illogical feat. Scientists have yet to figure out how they can do that yet not need to eat all times. It''s likely a process normies will take many more years to understand.


    "I eat a lot, anyway," I tell him. "It''s not that much extra in cost for me."


    "I''m sure I''ll eat more than you," he says as I climb off my bed. "Are you sure you can move around? Aren''t you sore, y''know, back there?"


    "I''m fine," I shoot him a grin. "Don''t worry about hurting me just from sex, Tanner. I''m not sure what you''ve read, but it doesn''t make me sore or anything."


    "Okay," he looks skeptical, but doesn''t say anything further.


    I enter my bathroom and grab a washcloth, wetting it and cleaning myself off a little, rinsing it out in the sink as needed. It only takes me a couple of minutes, and is just a quick job. We can take a shower later, I''m pretty hungry, myself.


    After the quick cleanup, I rinse out the rag and leave my bathroom, tossing the washcloth to Tanner as I enter the kitchen. I pull on my apron and begin preparing dinner. As I work, Tanner enters the kitchen, takes one look at me, and cracks up laughing.


    "An apron''s important," I tell him. "It helps protect you and your clothes from grease splatters, and even if you aren''t cooking something with grease, it can help-"


    "Not that," he tells me. "It''s¡­ the apron itself!"


    "What''s wrong with it?" I ask.


    "It''s bright yellow and covered in bunnies!"


    I look down at my apron, then look at Tanner.


    "Ian got it for me for my birthday," I tell him. "I have a couple of more aprons in the closet, this was just the one I grabbed. Is there something wrong with it?"


    Tanner looks at the apron again, then walks to the closet and opens it, looking at the aprons.


    "Pink with yellow bunnies," he says. "Blue with green bunnies. Green with blue bunnies. Black with white bunnies. White with black bunnies. I''m seeing a theme here. Why are there so many bunnies? Come to think of it, you were doodling bunnies surfing on Tuesday. Oh, this one is black with a red dragon on it."


    "Ian''s obsessed with bunnies."


    "Yet you were the one drawing them," Tanner closes the closet and looks at me. "So¡­ the obsession traveled to you?"


    "No," I answer. "I just do it from time to time. I prefer to draw wolves."


    "Wolves eat bunnies," he says. "And you''re dating a guy obsessed with-wait. Why aren''t there any wolf-themed things here? You have so many bunny-patterned aprons-"


    "I have wolf-themed things."


    "Where?" He asks.


    "Not here," I answer. "I let Ian pick out most of what comes here."


    Tanner gives me an odd look, but I suppose the emotion I''m feeling puts him off to pressing his questions. Instead, he returns to the bedroom and starts looking through my games, and I begin preparing dinner. Eventually, he settles on watching TV.


    "You know," Tanner says. "I''ve been here about two weeks, and I have to say, there are a lot of things similar about here to New York, and a lot of things that aren''t."


    "How are we similar and different to the big city?" I ask.


    "Well," he says. "One similarity is how most people are in awe of us Sigil-Bearers and worship us in some form. People throw discounts at me in both places just for being one who isn''t a villain of some sort."


    "Ah, right," I chuckle. "You guys in the city have the whole heroes-villain thing."


    Some Sigil-Bearers use their powers for crime, while others use theirs to save people or stop the villainous Sigil-Bearers. They get a fair bit of media attention, which might be part of why it happens, though part of it is probably just the nature of people.


    "Yeah," Tanner says, and I start mixing the ground beef I''ve been preparing. "They don''t bother doing the whole capes and masks and costumes thing that you see in comics and shows from before the Calamity, so it can sometimes be difficult to tell if you''re going to end up in the middle of an occurrence just by going to the store. Here, though, there''s only, well, two Sigil-Bearers in town, and one of them is a seven-year-old girl. It amazes me that we''re going to class like normal people, too."


    "You were segregated?" I ask.


    "Sort of," he answers. "For PE, we''re in a different class because of the difference in strength and speed between us and normies, then a lesson where we undergo a series of non-invasive tests to help them study Sigil-Bearers, while we also have an additional class where we''re supposed to be training our abilities."


    "I take it you didn''t?" I ask.


    "Couldn''t, really," he shrugs. "I don''t really know how to train my ability other than, well, adjusting its range."


    "Well," I say. "If you don''t mind me telling Ian what it is, I could ask him about training methods for empaths. Chances are, there are a few the Federation''s helped, so they might have some knowledge of how to train it. Ian wouldn''t tell anyone, either."


    Tanner''s silent after I ask that, and after a few minutes, I hear him shifting on my bed. Glancing over, I see him leaning forward to look at me, and realize that he heard the sizzling.


    "What are you making?" He asks.


    "Burgers," I answer. "Along with onion rings and fries. Do you want cheese on your burgers?"


    "Uh, yes, please."


    "Okay," I say. "I also have lettuce and tomato, plus some ketchup. No mustard or mayonnaise, can''t stand their taste."


    "Nor can I," he chuckles. "That''s actually a common trait among Sigil-Bearers. There''s something in them that comes off extremely strong to us."


    "I know," I chuckle back. "Figured that wouldn''t be a problem, though I''m not a Sigil-Bearer. Wasn''t born with a Sigil at all, just a sensitive tongue."


    "And killer looks," he climbs off my bed and walks over to me, wrapping his arms around me, his hands under my apron. Okay, I wasn''t hard before, but I am now, because he''s hard again and it''s rubbing against me. "Though you have your parents to thank for that. I saw a picture of them while trying to find you. They could definitely have been mistaken for Sigil-Bearers, if the Calamity happened a few decades earlier."


    "Yeah," I say. "So about Ian?"


    "Yeah," he releases me and pulls back. "You can tell him, if he won''t tell anyone and can find resources on what to do."


    "Alright," I tell him. "I''ll ask Ian in the morning."


    "Not before bed?" He asks.


    "Well," I say. "I''m thinking we''re going to eat, and then either go for more rounds, then have a shower and go to bed, or give in to our exhaustion from two rounds of sex and a couple of hours of walking in the rain on uneven terrain and go to bed after a shower."


    "Fair point!" He laughs. "Okay, I can accept that."

 Chapter 009

    "Thanks, love you, bye," I say, then end the call after Ian echoes my last three words.


    "Was that Ian?" Tanner mumbles as he sits up on my bed.


    "Yeah," I answer. "You told me I could tell him about your power to see what he knew about training empaths, figured I''d call him first thing after waking."


    "What''d he say?" He asks as I climb off my bed and enter the kitchen.


    "There are a few things," I answer. "Do you mind if Ali finds out about your ability? She''ll keep it a secret."


    "She only talks with you."


    "For when she stops being a hermit," I pull on an apron, the only thing I''m wearing now, since Tanner and I both slept in the nude. "Ali knows the value of a secret, and she can help you refine it along with me."


    Tanner thinks about it as I prepare us a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, with eggs and sausage links on the side. I bring the two plates of food into my room, then return to the kitchen and pour us both milk and orange juice, in separate glasses for each drink and person, of course. Once everything is set, we begin eating.


    "I''d rather not let Ali know for now," Tanner informs me after we finish eating breakfast. "I''ve already had two people find out in the last week when I''ve never told anyone before, and I''d only just met one of them and haven''t met the other. So I want to hold off."


    "That''s fine," I tell him as we take the dishes to my kitchen and start washing them. "Whether or not Ali knows just changes where we go to do some of the training stuff. I''ll tell you what we''re doing once we get there."


    "Okay," he says.


    We finish cleaning the dishes, then he dresses and leaves to change into clean clothes in his own apartment. I pull on a fresh outfit as well, pull on my backpack, then head downstairs and wait for Tanner by the security desk, entering into a staring contest with George, the security guard here on Saturday mornings.


    "Having fun?" Tanner approaches us.


    "Depends on your definition of ''fun''," I answer. "You blinked."


    "Dammit," George mutters, and I look at Tanner.


    He''s dressed in beige cargo shorts and a light green button-up over a darker green tee, along with a backpack that he''s probably put some food into for lunch, since we''ll likely be gone all day. I''m in cargo shorts, too, though they''re black. Most of my clothes are black or dark grey, with some dark blue or dark green as well.


    "I won again."


    "How often does that happen?"


    "He''s never beaten me," it''s possible that Ian''s the only person in the world who can beat me in a staring contest. In fact, I could probably defeat a snake in one. "Let''s go."


    Tanner follows me out of the dorm hall and out of town, into the ruins. I lead him away from where Ali sticks to. She doesn''t leave there without good reason, so as long as we avoid it, she won''t accidentally discover his ability. If she does, then there''s probably an emergency. However, if there''s an emergency, she''ll probably try to contact me using the radio first.


    We might not be able to use phones here in the ruins to communicate, but we can still use radios and walkie-talkies. Those don''t rely on towers and such.


    After about an hour and a half, we reach my target, a small pond fed by a creek, both of which formed during the World Revolt. The pond itself stretches around twenty feet on each side and is about four feet deep at the center, so I guess it''s not ''small'', but compared to the massive lake nearby, it is. The creek cascades into the pond from a ledge about two feet up, the entire space lower than the surrounding area.


    The creek itself runs through a section of road that sank down and is about three feet wide. There are also a few fish swimming in it, though I''m not sure how they got here. The water itself is pretty clear, allowing us to see the small rocks that make up the bottom. Where the pond itself rests used to be part of a grassy yard between a church and the road.


    "We''re here," I tell Tanner, who looks at the half-fallen church, the broken-up parking lot, and the damaged playground, all of which have begun to be reclaimed by nature. "There''s nothing but nature and ruins for the next five hundred miles in this direction, so no one''s really ever out this way unless they''re lost or trying to get away for a bit. That said, those are rare, so we don''t have to worry about them."


    Plus, there''s a spell on this area to protect it from being accidentally wandered into. I won''t go into the details of the spell or how such a thing could exist, but it''s rather effective.


    "Is that a wolf?" Tanner jumps


    "His name is Phantom, and you should ignore him," I pull off my boots before sitting on the edge of the ledge over the pond, letting my feet hang into it.


    Since I''m wearing shorts, I don''t have to worry about my pants getting wet. The water only goes up about halfway to my knees when I''m in this spot. It''s cool and relaxing, and if we weren''t here for training, I''d probably strip and go for a dip.


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    There are some better ponds for that, though.


    "Have a seat," I tell Tanner. "We''ll begin the training."


    Tanner pulls off his sneakers and socks before sitting next to me, letting his feet dangle into the pond as well.


    "So what now?" He asks.


    "According to Ian," I say. "There are only three known empaths who work with the Federation and I think two more outside of the Federation, excluding you. You''re also the eldest by about three years, and the youngest is six. Most of the training they''ve figured out for empaths comes from the older two with the Federation.


    "What they''ve figured out so far," I say. "Is first to stretch your ability to your maximum."


    "When trying to figure out how to turn it off?" He asks.


    "Neither of them have managed it," I tell him, and he groans. "You''re also older, and if you were honest about your starting range being around twenty feet when you were little, then you''re more powerful than the other three are. So it''s possible you might manage it sooner.


    "Back to the lesson," I say. "Stretch it out as far as you can. Once you''re there, try to focus on every mind you can sense."


    "Every mind?" He asks.


    "Not at once," I tell him. "Just go from mind to mind. Feel the difference between them, study them. There''s more than just people and fish here. You can do this in town, too, but since I''m explaining things¡­"


    "It''s better to do it out here to avoid the chances of someone overhearing us," he nods. "Okay. Give me a few minutes."


    As Tanner focuses on doing this, I watch him. Since the Sigils and the powers have only been around for eighteen and a half years, there''s a lot of studying that needs to be done in regards to how to train the abilities. While some abilities are easier to figure out due to higher numbers of Sigil-Bearers with them, some abilities are rarer, and that makes it more difficult. Less people trying different things.


    However, they did manage to figure out a couple of things regarding empath training. Tanner told me yesterday that he can really only sense emotions, and he''s able to tell what they are, even without training or studying. Ian said that the other empaths have that instinctual knowledge as well.


    This is one of those things they figured out. By studying the minds, an empath can expand what it is they''re sensing. With training, Tanner will be able to differentiate between male and female, young and old. He''ll be able to filter out weaker minds.


    Not just ignore them, like he''s been doing, but actually filter them out. So far, none of the other known empaths have managed to filter out non-human minds, but if Tanner can master at least this part of it, he''ll lighten his load. Being more powerful than the others, it''s even possible he''ll manage to filter out human minds with enough training.


    Another thing this training does is it allows him to more strongly sense weaker minds. Part of why they''re so easy to ignore is because their presence isn''t that strong. They might be akin to a box fan blowing air in a room in terms of distraction level, only overwhelming him if there are too many.


    So a room full of mosquitoes? He''ll probably just start smacking things without any effect on his mind from theirs. But a litter of hyper puppies? They''d probably overwhelm him.


    All of that can change with training, though, and that''s why we''re here.


    Movement catches my attention, and I look past Tanner to watch Phantom, who moved onto a section of road raised above the rest. He''s out of Tanner''s range and behind his visual sight, so the empath likely hasn''t noticed.


    Phantom is a pure white wolf, though his mate, Shadow, is a pure-black wolf. They have a litter of grey wolves, which is confusing as hell, considering it''s a different species of wolf entirely. All of them have golden eyes, like most wolves.


    For a few moments, Phantom watches us, then he turns and leaves, disappearing from sight within moments.


    "Your mind has a touch of aggravation," Tanner says.


    "Don''t worry about it," I tell him as I pull my feet out of the water and stand. "It''s a beautiful day."


    "Yeah," he turns his attention down to the pond. "What''s aggravating you? Did you see something?"


    "There are some people nearby," I tell him. "I''ll go handle them in a few minutes."


    "Okay."


    I let my feet dry off before I pull my boots back on, then I head off in the direction Phantom was in. There''s no trace of him anymore, though that doesn''t surprise me. I named him that for a reason. If someone takes their eyes off of him while he''s on the move, he has a tendency to vanish.


    Humans aren''t the only ones who obtained abilities, though most people haven''t realized this yet. Groups like the Federation are keeping it a secret as much as they can for now, too, since it doesn''t really pose much of a danger.


    It only takes me about five minutes to reach the building where they''re at. It''s just a group of kids from school, and it looks like they''re here to paintball. When I enter the building they''re in, they all look at me. Eight of them. My guess is they were going to buddy up during their game, just in case something happened.


    "First," I say. "It''s better to work in quartets. If someone gets hurt, one can stay behind with them while the other two go for help. Second, phones don''t work out here because there aren''t any cell towers nearby. Third, this area is haunted by wolves. Fourth-"


    I pull out my very real gun and shoot the ground near one corner of the room. Where the bullet strikes, the entire floor falls away, and part of the wall collapses as well. The group of students all freeze, staring at the damage.


    "Get out of the ruins," I say. "They aren''t safe, and you idiots don''t know how to tell where it''s safe and where it''s not. You idiots also don''t know if there are dangerous people here. The ''training exercise'' the Federation was doing on Tuesday? Involved the Goddess of Chaos killing an Immortal Sigil from the Klen. You''re all normies. If you came across the Klen, you''d be given two choices. The first is join them, and you''d all probably end up getting brainwashed if you did. The second is die. Seriously, get out."


    I turn and leave the building, then watch as the kids from school gather up their stuff and leave, clearly shaken up by both the gunshot and the reveal that they probably could have collapsed the building on themselves.


    For about ten minutes, I wait, then Phantom makes an appearance again, giving me confirmation that they''ve headed out. If they change their minds, he''ll show himself again.


    Now that that''s taken care of, I return to Tanner, who gives me a horrified look.


    "Did you shoot them?"


    "What?" I ask as I pull off my boots and sit on the ledge once more, letting my feet dangle in the cold water again.


    "I heard a gunshot!"


    "Oh, that," I say. "No. I shot the floor to cause it and part of a building to collapse. I''ve found that doing that tends to let idiots know to leave and not try to move somewhere else. They were going to paintball, and even if their stuff was normal, it could still cause a building to collapse. Or the ground could give way under them."


    "Now I''m starting to understand some of the rumors," he mutters, then shakes his head. "How did you know they were here?"


    "A man''s got to have his secrets."

 Chapter 010

    Not for the first time this morning, someone enters the classroom, looks at me, then rubs their eyes, as if they thought they were hallucinating. Or in a dream. Apparently, me being in class twice in a one-week period is something to disbelieve.


    It''s amusing as all get-out.


    Though it is a rare enough occurrence as it is, so it''s not entirely unbelievable. I think the last time I was in school twice in a one-week period was a few years ago.


    As the students arrive in ones and twos and threes, our teacher arrives as well. As he approaches his desk, he seems to take notice of me, and stares for a few minutes.


    "Hello, Mr. Wade," he says, shock clear on his face. "Didn''t expect to see you here today."


    "Tanner convinced me to come," I indicate Tanner, who did, in fact, convince me to come.


    We had a long discussion after a couple of hours of sex last night, and I decided to attend what''s left of school. For the most part. I might still skip a day or two just because I''m a guy who prefers to move around, and school¡­ doesn''t really let me do that a whole lot. Sitting in a classroom several days in a row will definitely grate on me.


    "What, a hot Sigil-Bearer moves to town, and you suddenly decide to start attending classes?" Someone asks. "What are you, gay?"


    "Being hot is part of being a Sigil-Bearer," I look at him. "So, uh, you were a bit redundant, there. If you say ''Sigil-Bearer'', it''s known they''re hot. Also, does a guy need to be gay to be convinced of something by a guy? Or is that just you hoping I am because of that desire you have to suck my dick and take me up the ass?"


    Tanner gives him a strange look at that, then gives me a strange look, probably wondering how I knew that. Hm. What''s the guy''s name? Now that I think about it, I never bothered learning the names of my classmates. I just remember his face because of how I know about his fantasy.


    "Excuse me?" The guy asks. "Why the hell would you think that I''m-"


    "I found your forum posts discussing what you wanted me to do to you," I state. "It''s honestly kind of disturbing how in-depth you got with it. I don''t mind it if you''re fantasizing about me, but please, keep those fantasies to yourself. In the first place, I''m not into what you apparently are."


    "What is he into?" Tanner asks.


    "I''ll show the post after school," I tell him. "Ian sent it to me when it went up last week, along with the face of the guy who posted it."


    "He posted it last week?" Tanner asks.


    "During lunch on Tuesday," I confirm. "Ian owns the forums, so he noticed it pretty fast."


    "Who the hell is Ian?" The now-outed classmate asks.


    "His boyfriend," Tanner answers. "A technokinetic Sigil-Bearer."


    Normally, I''d have been opposed to letting my classmates know I''m gay and would avoid coming here again after they found out. Most people don''t have an issue with gays, especially those of us born after the World Revolt.


    At the same time, though, the gossip mill would love to know that detail about me.


    Tanner suggested letting them know anyway when we were talking last night, and even though I''m going to be here a bit more, I agreed to let the gossip mill have some rumors. We also decided to let them know I''ve got a boyfriend, though that might not stop some of them from wondering about Tanner and me.


    "Wait," one of the girls asks. "You''re dating a Sigil-Bearer? But there isn''t another here, especially not-"


    "It''s mostly long-distance," I interrupt. "He visits about once a month, though. We''ve known each other since we were¡­ ten."


    Tanner gives me a strange look over my pause, probably aware that there''s something I didn''t tell him about when Ian approached me. Even though there is, I don''t intend on telling him. Ian and I did know each other before we were ten, but he hadn''t approached me yet and the stuff from before Myths and Sigils is complicated.


    "Once I graduate, it''ll be less long-distance," I say.


    "If you''re already dating him," someone else asks. "Why aren''t you with him? You already skip school all the time, anyway."


    "I have my reasons."


    Which will probably become clear after graduation, but they don''t need to know that.


    "Anyway," Tanner says. "It explains why he seemed so nonchalant about me. I''ve seen pics of his boyfriend, and damn is he hot. And powerful. Makes my ability seem lame in comparison."


    Tanner has a momentary look of depression on his face, but it''s gone quickly enough I doubt our classmates noticed it. If anyone did, they''ll probably think they miss-saw it.


    "Did you tell him your ability?" Someone asks.


    "Class started about a minute ago," I interrupt. "It''s probably better to pay attention if you have any intention on getting good grades. Even with only a week and a half left, you can still ruin your life."


    The teacher clears his throat, and the rest of the students turn their attention to him. I pull out some paper and start doodling instead of taking notes, though I do somewhat listen to the lesson. At the end of class, Tanner pokes me on the arm.


    "Why did you draw bunnies playing laser tag?"


    "Ian had a break last night and was playing laser tag with some of his coworkers."


    "Oh," Tanner says as we start packing our stuff up to move to the next class, some of our classmates looking at my drawing due to his comment. "Wait. When you''re doodling, are your doodles related to stuff Ian did the day before?"


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    "Yeah."


    "So he was surfing last Monday?"


    "Last Sunday," I correct.


    Our next class is some form of History, and it seems that today, they''re talking about the World Revolt. I guess since everyone''s getting ready to go off into the world, they see it important to remind us of the event and the changes that have occurred since.


    "Can anyone tell us what one of the most significant effects the Calamity had on the world?" The teacher asks. "In terms of living, especially for people who have just graduated high school."


    No one raises their hand, and a few classmates look at each other uneasily. Tanner might know the answer, though a glance at him shows that he''s displaying a mask, hiding whether or not he does.


    "Come on, we just discussed this a few weeks ago," our teacher says. "How has the Calamity affected the lives most people live after graduating high school now?"


    Still just silence. This is frustrating, especially since they do know the answer, they''ve just ''forgotten'' it because of how natural it seems to us. The main reason would be that they''ve probably forgotten their lessons on how things were before the Calamity, since we didn''t live through that era.


    "While many things are similar," I decide to break the silence. "Most of those things are also different in some way. Before, most people would go to college immediately or go straight to work, with some people already working and some taking a break. However, in any city that works with the Federation, you can have a standard income for a few years. Colleges are less expensive than before as well. These two things combined means that many people are either going to college and using part of the standard income to pay for it, or they go into an apprenticeship. Some people are also taking a gap year, using the standard income to live and relax, then going into work, an apprenticeship, or college.


    "Basically," I say. "It boils down to: towns and cities with Federation assistance have standard income for a few years after you become an adult, a higher labor force is needed to help with recovery, rebuilding, and such, and college is cheaper. Of course, the assumption is that most people who graduate high school are intelligent enough to be able to maintain a job, though there are the cases of people who aren''t able to.


    "However," I continue. "With the events which occurred after the World Revolt, the younger population isn''t as lazy as the generations before the World Revolt, a direct result of most needing to put in effort and a change in the way punishments are handled in schools, moving from keeping out of classes to labor or hard exercise. Many people already have jobs they work because of the increased pricing making many luxuries once easily afforded expensive. That''s part of why schools like ours built dorms for students ¨C to help provide some of the resources they can use, including a place to live with an easy trip to the school regardless of weather, food, and a clothes voucher each semester if they can prove they need it."


    The looks of my classmates tells me they didn''t expect me to have any insight at all.


    "I''ve studied a bit about the stuff from before," I add. "It fascinates me, the differences between then and now. This is probably the only topic I could have answered."


    Tanner tries not to laugh as some of my classmates give me a strange look.


    "And how do you expect to make a living after, if you aren''t educated?" Someone asks. "You said it yourself, and I doubt your parents had enough left after the Calamity for you to just coast by after you get evicted from the dorms in a couple of years."


    "First, I''ll be moving out before I turn twenty," I say. "On my own, not due to an eviction. I''d like to be with my boyfriend more than long-distance and the occasional in-person visit he can manage due to his work. Second, I already have a job and plenty of income, so my education isn''t even relevant in the first place. I''ve had this job for years now, and it pays rather well. Since I''m living in the dorms and we''re all given a food supply crate each month, I have plenty of savings, too. Third, don''t ever bring up my parents again unless it''s with the utmost respect."


    The dark tone I use for my warning causes him to stiffen up in terror, and a couple of my classmates visibly pale, too. Part of the reason I started skipping was because of comments about my parents, about how they were failures after the World Revolt because society no longer cared about models due to needing to focus on recovery.


    Not that it''s any of their business, but I still have most of what my parents left behind. No one could touch it but me, so it''s remained as it is for the last fourteen years. Since the school system was taking care of me anyway, the money wasn''t needed in the first place, and then we started Myths and Sigils, so I ended up with my own income.


    Though it''s even stupider that people actually thought that models weren''t needed anymore. Companies still needed to advertise things, my parents just decided to settle down here and give it up because my mom found out she was pregnant. They were both in ads and commercials for a few months after the World Revolt.


    Rather than allowing the discussion to continue, our teacher resumes the lesson, but I just grab my bag and leave. No point staying here any longer today, I''m in a bad mood.


    Exiting the school, I return to the dorms and drop my bag off inside the door, then take off my boots and socks and head into my room. Tanner will probably come track me down after school, so rather than heading into the ruins and blowing shit up or training or something, I put in a game and start playing, stopping only for lunch and to make a couple of bathroom breaks. I don''t even check the school-issued phone to see the crap that''s being said about my exit.


    Not even ten minutes after classes end for the day, there''s a knock on my door, so I pause my game and answer the door. It''s Tanner, so I let him in.


    "Hey," he says. "I would have left, too, but¡­"


    "It''s fine," I tell him. "Come on in."


    "You''re in a bad mood," he enters the apartment and removes his sneakers and socks as I close the door, then we head to my room. "I didn''t know your parents were a sore subject for you."


    "It''s¡­ complicated," I tell him. "Let me get to a place I can save, then we can head out to the ruins to do some training."


    "You probably want to punch some stuff," he smiles. "I''ll let you punch me, it won''t be that bad. I''m tough enough to take it."


    "Nah," I tell him. "I can punch the air just fine, though I have some punching bags set up to use if I really need to punch stuff."


    "Okay," he looks a little happy that he won''t be getting punched, even if he can take it. "So in addition to my ability training, I was wondering if you''d be willing to teach me how to fight, too? With guns and martial arts and stuff?"


    "Hm," I think about it for a few minutes. "Sure, though you can also go to the dojo I trained at for martial arts lessons. You''d probably not be able to spar with someone, but we can use Ali for that stuff."


    "You went to a dojo?" He seems surprised.


    "What, you thought I taught myself how to fight?" I ask. "Nah, I learned from a professional at first. I even helped out with some of the classes once I''d advanced enough. I used to go three times a week, but haven''t gone in¡­ a year? A year and a half? I didn''t care enough to keep track."


    Though if I actually tried, I could probably remember. But I don''t care to.


    "Oh, cool," he says. "I guess it makes sense you learned from someone else. I take it you trained Ali?"


    "Yeah," I answer. "Passed off some of my knowledge to her, we train together a fair bit. She''s a bit more used to moderating her strength than you are, though, so I trust her not to hurt me."


    "Okay," he frowns a little. "I thought I held back enough? You''ve never complained."


    "We were in the middle of sex, I wasn''t going to," I say. "And besides, you''re not all that powerful, and I''m pretty tough from my training. It didn''t bother me too much, and there aren''t any bruises."


    "Oi!" He playfully punches me, then frowns. "Erm, um, did that-"


    "No bruise," I smile at him. "It''s just during sex, not your playful punches. But it''s while you''re training that I''m a bit hesitant. Ali knows how to control her strength in a fight, she''s had four years of practice, and she knows when to and when not to. You''ve never trained in fighting, and so don''t have any experience with it. So you''re going up against Ali for the things that would be contact in martial arts."


    "Got it," he says as I finally reach a save point, then save and close the game. "So. Ruins?"


    "Nah," I stand. "Let''s head to the dojo. I''m sure Sensei won''t mind us stopping by unannounced. He might even give you a lesson for free."

 Chapter 011

    "Hey, Tanner," one of our classmates approaches him as we start to make our way out of the school. "They opened up that hangout place they were constructing, and a group of us were planning on going. We can have up to twenty in a room if we rent a bigger room, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come. It''ll be the perfect way to kick off the weekend before finals."


    She looks at me for a moment, then back to Tanner.


    "And Nick can come, too, if he wants," she tells him. "Though we''re trying to get a headcount so that we don''t go over the limit, so we kind of need to know now."


    You probably should have planned this more than at the end of the school day that it opened. It was announced a week ago they were opening today, and Tanner had already been attending classes for a few days by that point.


    "We already had plans," Tanner gives me a glance for a moment, probably wondering what the emotion other than contempt I''m feeling in regards to the hangout place is. "But-"


    "We can go," I state. "The plans were mostly just me keeping the wolves away from you while you were doing your thing."


    "Wolves?" The classmate asks.


    "I think he''s joking," Tanner hesitates for a moment. "Then again, I did see a wolf once."


    "We can go to the hangout place," I state. "She''s right, it''s a good way to relax before the hell that is finals week."


    "Alright," Tanner looks at her. "Then we''ll go, but we''ll stop by the dorms first, drop off our bags."


    "That''s fine," she says. "The official start time is three-thirty, but we''ve got it booked from quarter-after until five-thirty. The group is under the name Mindy Reynolds, I''ll make sure they put you two on the guests register."


    "Got it," Tanner says. "See you there."


    Tanner and I make our way back to my apartment, where we drop off our bags before beginning the walk to the hangout area, which isn''t too far from the apartments. It''s intended as a place for students and young adults to hang out at. There are rooms of two sizes, holding up to ten or twenty people. We can do karaoke, play trivia games, and a few other things in the rooms, as well as order drinks, snacks, and desserts.


    "So," Tanner says on our way to the center. "What''s got you so giddy about the hangout place?"


    "Some of their desserts," I answer. "They have a banana cheesecake on their menu, along with a couple of massive parfaits, sundaes, and other things I want to try."


    He laughs at my simple response, but it''s true. I''ve never had a banana cheesecake before and want to try it, and fruit parfaits and sundaes with lots of fruit toppings are delicious.


    "I guess I can understand that," Tanner tells me. "I''ve never had a banana cheesecake before. Wonder if it still has that strong cheesecake taste to it, or if they figured out how to make the banana actually override that."


    "I''m curious, too."


    "Excuse me," a woman approaches us, dressed in a white polo and black slacks, black and white earrings in her ears. She looks at me. "Sorry to interrupt, but are you Casimir Wade?"


    Great, another one of these cases. Reporter or Klen? She doesn''t have a clipboard on her, but she did come out of a car and approached in a slight hurry. Her tone is more friendly than most of the Klen members'' tones when they approach me, and her stance is much less militaristic. It could go either way.


    She seems nervous, though, her body trembling only slightly as she fidgets a little, her eyes continuously moving. Is she being threatened? Or something else?


    "I prefer Nick," I tell her.


    "Nick?" She asks. "For your middle name?"


    "Yeah," I answer. "Who are you?"


    "My name is Lizzie Brol," she introduces herself. "I work for the Weekly Signs. I''m sorry to take up some of your time, but I was recently hired, and my boss wants me to do a big article. I was looking into various topics, and-"


    "Sorry," I say. "But if you want to interview me about my parents, you''ll need to do something for me in return."


    "I''m sorry," a slight expression of surprise, a small pause in her fidgeting. "But we don''t provide compensation for interviews, so that our readers can be assured that the responses weren''t something that we bribed for."


    Is that what she''s actually here for? Most reporters know by now that I have what seems to be an impossible requirement, so they''ve given up, and others generally research enough to find out about it, which deters all but the most stubborn of reporters and journalists, and even then, I usually manage to deal with them inside of a week.


    The way she responded, I''m guessing she really is an amateur reporter here hoping for a big article. I do know of the Weekly Signs, they''re a major news site that does articles about Sigil-Bearers.


    "It''s nothing like money," I tell her. "I have a single condition for doing an interview regarding my parents. The first person to introduce me to the empathic healer will be the one and only person for whom I will do an interview."


    "The empathic healer?" She asks as Tanner gives me a bewildered look. "What do you mean?"


    "A Duality," I say. "A Sigil-Bearer with two powers. One of empathy, one of healing. Even the Federation doesn''t know who they are. They know of three empaths, and of them, not one possesses a second ability. Outside of the Federation, I''ve only been able to learn of two empaths, both of which are single-ability as well."


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    There are Sigil-Bearers who possess the ability to ''know'' someone''s ability, or to locate people with specific abilities, localized to an area. I know of three, and the Federation has had them attempt to locate the empathic healer.


    To no avail, because their abilities all have limitations to them that require things that they can''t have without already knowing the empathic healer.


    But those who know of this quest of the Federation''s know that they either exist or will exist.


    "You want me to locate something that doesn''t exist?" She looks just as bewildered as Tanner.


    It''s not that Dualities don''t exist ¨C they are known. It''s the claim that I''ve been looking for one with a specific combination and haven''t found one, and that implies they don''t exist.


    "Are you sure the empathic healer doesn''t exist?" I ask. "Perhaps they''ve hidden themselves well? That''s my requirement to an interview about my parents. If you''re able to locate them and introduce them to me before anyone else introduces them to me, then I''ll do an interview. Otherwise, your site''s not going to get an interview. That''s my condition, and I''ve given it to every reporter who''s come to ask in the last ten years."


    The reporter thinks about that for a few moments, then nods in acceptance.


    "Very well, then," she says. "I''ll¡­ pursue this hunt of yours while trying to keep my job. Is there a way I can get in touch with you?"


    I pull out my wallet, then pull out a business card from inside of it and hand it to her.


    "My email is on there," I tell her. "Contact me if you''ve found them. Know that I''ll require them to prove that they are the empathic healer before I do the interview."


    "Understood," she says. "Hopefully, I will be in touch."


    She leaves, entering her car again, and I resume walking, Tanner following me after a moment. Strange that she didn''t ask about Ali, but it''s possible that she did find out about her and how no one''s managed to get me to lead them to her. An intelligent person would assume that either I never would or that I truly don''t know where Ali went.


    It''s funny how what are considered the two biggest pieces of news regarding Sigil-Bearers have no articles with the full details. The first deaths caused by a Sigil-Bearer and the first and only Sigil-Bearer to ever lose their Sigil.


    And the same person stands in the way of both.


    "The empathic healer?" Tanner asks.


    "Hm?" I look at him.


    "You mentioned an empathic healer," he says. "It seems you''re looking for them? I guess that''s why you asked me if I had another ability? Since I''m empathic?"


    "Oh, yeah," I nod. "The Federation is looking for them, though it''s supposed to be kept secret. Someone leaked it to the Klen, though, which has caused some problems. It''s actually linked to why some people spread that there''s a Sigil God of Destruction."


    "A healer? Linked to the Sigil God of Destruction?" He gives me an even more confused look, this one full of worry. "So they actually do exist?"


    "No," I shake my head. "As I said, the Sigil Gods have verified that there''s no such being. Seriously, Tanner, don''t worry too much."


    "I''m confused," he says. "Why do people believe there''s a Sigil God of Destruction because of an empathic healer? Those abilities don''t compliment each other, and the way you said that and your emotions-"


    Dualities usually have powers which compliment each other well, such as order and chaos, life and death, or light and dark.


    "I''m sure you''ll find the amusement I''m feeling confusing," I tell him. "Basically, ten years ago, a six-year-old girl gave a prophecy that caused the Federation to panic. That''s her ability ¨C prophetic knowledge. The thing is, her ability wasn''t trained very well, and couldn''t give very accurate prophecies. There were always at least two key elements."


    "How does that work?" He asks. "She could see the future, but only wrongly?"


    "Sort of," I stop walking and turn to face Tanner, who stops as well. Better to say this while no one else is within earshot. "That''s actually akin to what happens. She receives a series of images in her mind, and then they''re translated into words. The problem is, the words of the prophecy aren''t always accurate to what she saw, and she has no control over that. Ten years ago, her power was so erratic that you could only count on the keywords. Now, she''s trained it a bit more and can give a little more accurate of prophecies."


    "Couldn''t she just describe what she saw after?" He asks.


    "The images fade from her memory as soon as she gives the prophecy," I shake my head. "She herself wasn''t sure certain why her prophecies were what they were until about a year ago, because of this. She consented to having a mentalist who could view someone else''s thoughts and senses be in her mind while she gave a prophecy, and that''s how they found out."


    "Oh," he says. "So what''s the prophecy? How does the mythical God of Destruction fit into it?"


    "''At the side of the empathic healer, the fourth god will destroy everything''."


    Tanner visibly pales at that news.


    "That''s also," I say. "Part of why some people believe the Sigil God of Destruction is the one who actually caused the world''s current state. Also, keep in mind that the prophecy''s inaccurate. The only things to be taken from it are the empathic healer and a god. Literally everything else should be ignored. The Federation and the Sigil-Bearer who gave the prophecy both acknowledge this, though the Federation still wants to find this empathic healer because they know that they''re somehow linked to the god."


    "Those are the keys?" He asks.


    "Yeah," I answer, then resume walking.


    "So there''s a fourth god?" He asks. "If not of destruction, what? But wait, didn''t you say-"


    "That''s part of why they know to ignore the part about the fourth god," I say. "The Sigil Gods confirmed there are only three Sigil Gods. The current theory is that one of the three of them falls in love with the empathic healer, then someone kills them, then the Sigil God goes on a rampage."


    "Can prophecies be averted?" He asks.


    "Sometimes," I shrug. "But the prophecy isn''t complete in the first place, so it doesn''t really matter. Without knowing the actual prophecy, no one can prepare for what might happen. It could literally be something as simple as one of the gods saving the empathic healer."


    "Oh," he responds. "Makes sense. So they mostly want to try to find out who the empathic healer is in an attempt to figure out what the prophecy might actually be?"


    "Yeah."


    We walk in silence for another minute, then Tanner seems to think of something.


    "Wait," he says. "If the Federation is keeping it a secret, and it was leaked to groups like the Klen, then how do you know? Did your boyfriend tell you? Do they know? Wouldn''t he have gotten into trouble? Or will he?"


    "The Sigil-Bearer herself told me," I inform him. "She''s Tabitha''s daughter, and she was visiting me ten years ago, when she gave the prophecy. I was there to hear it myself."


    Tabitha still hasn''t figured out why I cracked up laughing when I heard it, rather than being freaked out. I wonder if I''ll ever let her know.


    Another thing I wonder is if the Federation ever found out that the Sigil Gods know the correct prophecy. The Sigil Goddess of Chaos figured it out using her powers over order and chaos. It''s supposed to be the youngest god, not the fourth.


    "Oh, okay," Tanner says. "Wait, who''s Tabitha?"


    "My aunt," I answer. "Aunt Tabby, as I used to call her when I was little. She visits from time to time, to make sure I''m doing okay. She''ll probably be here for graduation."


    "Wouldn''t that make the Sigil-Bearer your cousin?" He asks.


    "I suppose?" I shrug. "Though a common belief is that Sigil-Bearers don''t have family that isn''t another Sigil-Bearer, so if you ask those people, she''s not."


    "Does she see it that way?"


    "Who knows?" I ask. "Anyway, we''re almost there. I hope they have enough food that they don''t run out and we can get our desserts."

 Chapter 012

    "Missed you two yesterday," Ali says as we approach her home, approaching us through flight from the side, landing beside me before walking alongside us. "Did you have fun doing karaoke?"


    "How did you know we did karaoke yesterday?" Tanner asks.


    "Nick told me," she answers and he looks at me, confused.


    "We have long-distance walkie-talkies," I tell him. "More radios than walkies, I guess. They make it easy to get in contact, though attending school is putting a damper on that."


    "Ah," he says.


    "Out having fun?" I ask.


    "Going for a stretch," she tells me. "I figured I''d wait for you two to arrive to do any training."


    "Cool," I say. "Let''s start off with Tanner''s martial arts. I want to go do something."


    "Will do," Ali says as Tanner gives me a curious look. "Come on, Tanner, let''s head into the garage, we''ll practice in the sparring area."


    "See you in a bit," I tell them, then break off and head in a different direction.


    They''ll probably train for two or three hours, so I''ve got plenty of time to go and relax, enjoying the ruins by myself. Attending school this past week, then working with Tanner on his training for his ability and his body, has taken up more time than I''d have liked. Maybe I should start ditching Tanner whenever he''s training with Ali on martial arts.


    While I enjoy the sex with him and have my own reasons for letting him stick with me and for helping him, it''s taking away from other stuff I enjoy doing. Like just enjoying the ruins. After checking my guns, I begin navigating a little more quickly, jumping and scaling rubble with years of practiced ease.


    After more than an hour and a half, I reach my destination, a place Ali doesn''t know about, and I prefer it that way. Not everyone needs to know everyone else''s secrets. That''s why she doesn''t know Tanner''s ability, after all.


    My new location is a zone with several buildings that fell over and formed a sort of pit. With steel frames, they held up rather well when they fell, rather than simply turning to rubble. That doesn''t mean the brick, plaster, glass, and whatever else made up their walls did, though, but with nature taking over the area, there still aren''t many gaps in the walls.


    If someone paid close enough attention, they''d probably notice this area seems to have a lot more brush, vines, and various other plants than other areas nearby. Most people aren''t that observant, however, and they''d just assume there''s some good, fertile soil here that helped everything to grow faster.


    That''s a little bit of what factored into this, as these buildings fell onto a grassy park they had bordered, but that''s not all there is to it.


    I step into a gap hidden by brush and vines and enter one of the buildings. They completely conceal the walls and even grow on the new ''roof'', which were walls before the buildings here collapsed. It''s perfect cover for hiding, and this area is set deep into another disturbance zone.


    Stepping around fallen desks, cabinets, printers, and other supplies overtaken with growth, I make my way through the building and out the far wall, into the central zone.


    Several large trees grow here, their canopy completely covering the area between the three buildings. Some sunlight manages to reach down here, but the gaps aren''t enough to allow people to see down here normally, which is part of why Ali doesn''t know there''s something special about here.


    The trees were already grown to this greater height before she began hiding out here, and I never took her here before. We always stuck to the zone she lives in. Because of that, she hasn''t noticed any real signs that this could be strange.


    After all, places with soil naturally already had plants overtaking it and she doesn''t know any different, especially since she knows I''ve created several disturbance zones. I started working on them even before she approached me that day four years ago.


    The secret zone I enter into upon exiting the building is about thirty-four yards along one wall, thirty-seven along another, and twenty on another. Not all of that comes from the three big buildings which fell over, though, but buildings still border every part of it.


    In addition to the grass and the massive trees here, there''s a garden as well, where various fruits and vegetables are grown. A smaller apple tree grows here as well, its branches full of fruit that is ripe and ready for the picking.


    Another section of the zone has a pen of chickens that are currently squabbling, though I ignore them in favor of walking towards the pond fed by a stream running through one of the buildings. The surface of the pond is about two feet lower than the stream, creating a short waterfall where it''s fed.


    Looking into the pond, I examine a couple of the fish swimming in it. Other than it''s natural life, the pond water is extremely clear, allowing me to see the smooth pebbles at the bottom. I put them there years ago, when I was probably ten or eleven. I found them in various places and put them there because I felt like the pond needed them rather than just a bottom of sediment.


    Though the pond formed during the World Revolt, it''s more a natural pond than many others. It formed in the ground rather than through concrete or asphalt, so the sides are made of dirt and rock instead than concrete, asphalt, and gravel at the top.


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    It''s big enough to go swimming in, though this isn''t the one I swim in when I do go swimming. There''s a miniature lake elsewhere I prefer.


    As there''s nothing but the pond''s natural residents swimming in the pond, I turn and walk towards the garden, looking at the fruits and vegetables growing in it. Out of season. If anyone saw this, they''d be very curious.


    Walking past it, I enter the side of the building the garden is nearby and approach a room formed from the old frame and plants. A heavy wooden dresser rests in one corner, a series of wolf statues and stuffed wolves atop it, along with a box with wolves carved into it. Resting on a wooden chest in another corner are more wolf stuffed animals, including a rather large one that''s surrounded by the others.


    There''s a hammock in here rather than a bed, since it was easier to bring out and set up.


    Sleeping on it is a boy of twelve, brown hair slightly shaggy, left arm draped over his stomach, a stuffed wolf between his arm and stomach and another beside his head. At the moment, he''s wearing a grey wolf kigurumi. Only his face and hands are visible, though they''re completely free of any blemishing or scars despite the fact that a normal boy who went through what he did would be covered in them from scalp to toe.


    Frendok''s secret Sigil-Bearer, rescued from abusive parents who tortured him regularly. If it weren''t for the fact that he was a Sigil-Bearer, he''d probably have scar tissue covering at least eighty percent of his body.


    Instead, he healed from it all, not a trace of the abuse left on him. I''m glad for that, I know that some people would end up extremely self-conscious about the scarring and the kid deserves to be happy.


    Stepping up to his side, I flick him on the nose, and for a moment, he just scrunches up his face, a sign that he really was asleep and not just pretending as he sometimes does. Then, his bright, vibrant green eyes open, and a smile breaks out on his face.


    "Nick!" He exclaims, sitting up, then climbing out of the hammock and giving me a hug. "You haven''t visited in, like, a week and a half!"


    "I know," I ruffle his hair. "Sorry about that, Jay, some stuff came up. You know that Sigil-Bearer I told you about last Wednesday?"


    "Yeah," he says.


    "We''ve been hanging out," I tell him. "I''ve been helping him train his power, and he wants to learn how to fight, too. I ended up attending school this week, too."


    He makes a face at that, aware of how much I don''t like going to school.


    "We only have a few days next week," I ruffle his hair again, and he steps back. "And I''ll be back to visiting every few days. Being around other people so much is exhausting me, so it won''t be hard for me to tell him that I need alone time."


    "Cool," he grins at me. "Oh! I figured out a new trick! Come on!"


    "You put on something more decent," I tell him. "Meet me back in the garden."


    "Right!" He grins. "I''ll change."


    I step out of the room and reenter the Garden, which is our term for his entire secret zone. After I rescued him five years ago, I brought him out here. No one knew about him anyway, and there were circumstances that made it easy to take care of him even with me not being here often.


    Sensing something nearby, I look to my left and see a grey wolf sitting near the chicken pen, watching me. The chickens aren''t squabbling anymore, though they aren''t showing signs of terror like ''normal'' chickens would at having a wolf so close to them.


    "Hello, Stratus," I walk over to the wolf and place a hand on its head. "Thanks for taking care of Jay for me."


    Jay named the wolves who take care of him. He loves the clouds and named all of the wolves after clouds and food. Like Phantom and his pack, Stratus and his pack are special wolves, somewhat evolved by the same forces that caused the Sigil-Bearers.


    When I first brought Jay out here, I asked them to take care of him, and they have ever since. They''ve become his family as much as I have. The true gods know that his real family deserved their deaths, and I have no regrets being the reaper.


    Jay is an Immortal Sigil, and was even when he was seven. If Mr. Sonic was a six, Jay is an eight.


    At only twelve years of age.


    Though he can reach a ten in power, he''ll never be a Sigil God. The scaling is intentionally skewed because of just how powerful the Sigil Gods truly are. They shouldn''t even be in the same category as Sigil-Bearers, they''re that powerful.


    If Jay does reach ten before the slowdown to power gain happens, he''ll probably be classified as a Demigod Sigil, despite being at the same ranking as a Sigil God. And then the Sigil Gods would be given a separate classification at last.


    There are a few others like Jay out there, the abnormally powerful even when young. But Jay is one of the special cases.


    He''s a single-ability Sigil-Bearer with more than one ability. Or more specifically, with an ability that ranges a wide variety of things. If Tanner turns out to possess the potential to not just sense emotions, but manipulate them in others, read thoughts, implant thoughts, control the minds of others, and so on due to the base of his power being "mind" itself, then Jay''s base ability makes his power look like an untalented amateur.


    Nature.


    That''s the name of Jay''s ability.


    Not something more complicated, but something that simple.


    Nature.


    Plants and animals, the weather, natural phenomena. All of those fall into the domain of Jay''s power. He can communicate with them, he can manipulate them, he can command them, he can grow them. Even the natural elements, the types normally seen in fantasy stories, are his to create and command.


    It was through his power that the trees were grown big enough to hide down here, through his power that the walls were fully overgrown with plants to hide the way in. It is his power that lets fruits and vegetables grow out of season, for him to have an apple tree bearing fruit within months of the seeds being planted.


    They''re delicious, and I have no regrets keeping it a secret from Ali that I''ve had fresh apples for years. Even in winter, because Jay doesn''t really care about seasonal restrictions on anything.


    With the natural block on infrared vision here, too, people won''t find him by searching with special equipment. This wasn''t something he made, but something that happened during the World Revolt. There are a few such zones.


    That protection is important. Jay is one of the most powerful mortals in the world, and he''s only twelve. The Klen would love to try to brainwash him into becoming a god for them, especially since they''d likely believe he could counter the Sigil Gods.


    With the way the mind of a Sigil-Bearer of Jay''s type works, he''s fine even without that. He''s a little carefree now that he''s mostly recovered from what his parents did to him, though he does display signs of greater mental and emotional maturity than most twelve-year-olds would, even ones who were Sigil-Bearers.


    Jay will be important, after the Revelation occurs. We don''t need people turning him into a sadistic, controlling freak. He should remain free and happy, as he is now that I''ve rescued him from those parents of his.


    Turning, I face Jay as he exits from the building he lives in, dressed in blue shorts and a matching tee with a grey wolf on its front, a silver wolf charm hanging from a silver chain around his neck.


    "So," I approach Jay, Stratus heading into one of the buildings. "What''s this trick you figured out?"

 Chapter 013

    "You''ve been gone all day," Tanner comments when I approach where he and Ali are training, Ali floating fist-sized pieces of rubble as Tanner tries to shoot them with a paintball gun. "Where were you?"


    Has she shot him with them yet? These ones are a form of simulated ammunition in terms of speed, impact, and use. They don''t really penetrate or kill, just burst on impact, but they pack a pretty hard punch even through decent padding. Even normal Sigil-Bearers would need decent protection against them.


    "I told you," Ali says. "Nick''s spent way too much time with you, me, and the school. He''s not really gone and done his own thing, so he probably just spent the day wandering about, playing with the wolves."


    "Playing with¡­ the wolves?" Tanner asks.


    "I think?" Ali responds uncertainly, before giving me an odd look for a moment. "I''m not actually sure what he does when he does his own thing, to be honest. But he has a way with the wolves in the area, so I assume he''s playing with them. Anytime he visits me after doing his thing, he smells like wolves."


    Tanner approaches me, then sniffs a few times.


    "Yup," he says. "Wolves."


    I hung out with wolves for a little bit after leaving Jay, partly to remove the smell of his zone from me, partly because they''re fun to hang out with. They don''t fetch or anything, at least, not the way a dog would. They''re undomesticated, highly intelligent wolves with a little power of their own.


    They know how to play and have fun.


    "You just walk up and smell him," Ali snorts. "Impressive, Tanner. Going after a taken guy?"


    "Working on multi-target shooting?" I ask.


    "Yeah," she answers. "Figured we can do both and you weren''t around."


    "Makes sense," I say. "So he''s using the green shots?"


    "Yeah," she answers.


    "I''ll go get blue," I say. "As a handicap, I''ll shoot with my left eye closed and from a further distance."


    "That''s not exactly fair," Tanner says. "I mean, you''ve been shooting for six years, you''ve got a lot more experience than me."


    "Actually," Ali says as I head towards the parking garage. "We give ourselves handicaps all the time, it''s not for comparing to you."


    "Oh," Tanner says.


    I make my way up to Ali''s area and equip myself with a paintball gun and blue shots, then head back down and out to where they''re training. Ali''s hovering around thirty chunks in a fifty-foot radius from her with their storage buckets at her feet, and Tanner''s standing about ten feet outside of the boundary. I move thirty feet away, then take aim and begin shooting, targeting the chunks in a random order.


    Well, at first. After I''ve managed to successfully shoot them all three times, I start shooting them in the order Tanner''s attempting. He''s not targeting one of them more than once every five shots, and he''s missing four out of every five shots.


    But it''s easy to figure out which ones he''s targeting, so I aim at them and shoot at them. There''s no way he hasn''t figured out what I''m doing even though I''m missing a few of them, too, but he''s not commenting on it, just focusing on being able to shoot the chunks.


    They''re smaller than what we had him practicing on this past week, and his aim wasn''t the best then, either. After all, he''s a complete amateur at this who has only a few hours of training. It''s unrealistic to expect him to be able to hit objects no bigger than his fist from that far away already.


    We do this until Tanner''s out of paintballs, then I shoot the last few of them at Ali, who doesn''t bother trying to dodge, just takes them in the chest and stomach. Once I finish, she gives me an unimpressed look.


    "Doesn''t that hurt?" Tanner exclaims, looking at me in horror. "You can''t just shoot people with those! Ali demonstrated, and-"


    "That''s the difference in power between us," Ali states. "I''m powerful enough that they''re more of an annoyance than an injury. Though if he hits me a few times in the same spot, I''ll bruise."


    At least I''ve confirmed that she shot him. I load up another magazine.


    "Nick, no," Ali rolls her eyes as Tanner gives me a worried look. "I''d mentioned they were different from regular paintballs, and he didn''t believe me, so I shot him once. With his permission. He''s already healed up, anyway."


    Even though Tanner''s not particularly powerful as a Sigil-Bearer, it probably wouldn''t have taken more than an hour for his bruise to heal completely.


    Ali begins pulling the chunks towards her one at a time, dropping them into the buckets at her feet once they reach her. Once she finishes, she picks both of the buckets up, then the three of us head up to her space and put the guns down. I start reloading the magazines and Tanner collapses onto the ground, his back against a wall.


    "Whew," he exhales. "Today was exhausting. Fun, but exhausting."


    "Are you sure your power isn''t something I can help you train?" Ali asks him.


    "No," Tanner tells her. "I''m not going to tell you what it is, Ali. It''s kind of private, could you please stop trying?"


    "I''ll cut you off," I state.


    "Fine," Ali groans. "It just bothers me, knowing there''s a Sigil-Bearer right in front of me, as a friend, and I don''t know his ability when he knows mine."


    "Yours was also public already," Tanner points out. "Everyone who''s heard of Alison Smol knows her ability let her make things float. Literally only Nick and his boyfriend know mine, and Ian only knows because it was necessary to try to find out¡­ stuff."


    "Can''t blame a person for trying," Ali says. "I don''t like mysteries."


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    "You''re friends with Nick."


    "If you knew of even half of the mysteries surrounding him, you''d find it even more confusing."


    They''re talking like I''m not even here. Oh, well, let them do that. It''s pretty harmless, and it''s not like they''d figure out anything I don''t want them to know.


    As I continue refilling the magazines, I think back to Jay''s ''new trick''. It''s much more interesting than the gossip going on a few feet away from me. He figured out how to turn dirt into crystal, and he created a small crystal wolf to demonstrate this technique, a figure which now rests in a pocket hidden on the inside of my jacket. Tanner won''t find it.


    Once I finish refilling the magazines, I look over to Tanner and Ali, who are in the middle of an argument.


    "Hey," I say. "Does it really matter?"


    "Yes!" They both answer at the same time.


    I let out a heavy sigh to let them both know the argument annoys me. Tanner can probably sense it, too, though I''m not sure if he''s got me in his range or not, he''s about seven feet away. Knowing how much he hates his ability, he probably shrunk it down to the minimum.


    "Forest green."


    "That is not what I was expecting," Tanner and Ali say in unison.


    "Yeah, I got that from the argument," I look at Tanner. "You thought it would be dark blue," I look at Ali. "While you thought it was grey. No. It''s forest green. My favorite color isn''t that relevant."


    "What if I wanted to buy a cake for graduation?" Tanner asks. "Your favorite color is extremely important."


    "I was going to skip graduation."


    "Seriously?" Tanner asks. "You''d skip that?"


    "Yeah."


    "No," Tanner says. "You''re attending."


    "Don''t wanna."


    "Why not?" He asks.


    "It''s school," I say. "Why would I want to go to some special ceremony that says I made it through school?"


    "Well-"


    "Leave it, Tanner," Ali snorts. "You won''t be able to convince him. Now, if you could contact Ian, there might be a chance of it, but it''s doubtful if even Ian could get Nick to attend graduation."


    "Yeah, no," I say. "Ian wouldn''t bother asking me. He knows my answer. Let''s head back home, Tanner. I''m sure you''re starving, and we both need showers."


    "Yeah," Tanner stands and looks at Ali. "Thanks for the help."


    "No problem," she says. "Shame I can''t help you with that power, though, but oh, well."


    "See you," I wave to Ali, then Tanner and I leave.


    Our walk is quiet at first, Tanner probably thinking about something, but when we aren''t too far from town, I notice something for the seventh time.


    "Did you guys come over here earlier?" I ask.


    "No, why?" He asks.


    "I''ve just been noticing tracks," I tell him. "Someone walked through this area today. This afternoon sometime."


    "No," he looks at the ground. "Tracks? I''m not seeing anything."


    "You''re seeing them," I say. "You just aren''t someone who''s tracked before. I''ve had years of experience. There are tracks there, there, and there."


    I point at the tracks.


    "They''re only slight disturbances," I say. "But they''re there. We''ve come across them a few times. Not anywhere near enough to pose a threat to Ali, it seems like a couple of people are wandering the area. A male and a female, based on the steps."


    "You can tell that?" He asks. "I thought that was something that was only in fiction."


    "Yeah, I can," I answer. "Might just be a couple of curious people, the wolves didn''t let me know that people were wandering around. They didn''t go too far in, and it''s the Saturday before high school graduation, a few people are probably already here to visit the soon-to-be graduates."


    Some people show up a week early, for whatever reason. I suppose because of the expense of the trip and two-hour drive from the city nearby? Whatever their reason, it baffles me. Some of them even stay in the hotel here rather than with their family, especially if said family is only a student living in the dorms. They stay at the one hotel we have at the moment, and it''s not that cheap because of the low use it sees.


    "So are you really not going to go to graduation?" Tanner asks.


    "No, I''m not," I answer. "I don''t see a point in attending it. I''ve skipped most of school. And the guy who''s regularly fucking me being there isn''t enough of a reason to attend, either, even as a spectator. We''re friends with benefits, not boyfriends."


    Tanner sighs in defeat, though I get the feeling he''s going to try again as we get closer to graduation. He doesn''t speak again until we''re in town and on our way to the dorms.


    "So," he says. "Do you know why no one''s been able to find out things about stuff like the family and homes of the Sigil Gods? I know the Federation is good, but how are they so good to completely hide that? I''d have imagined that someone would have leaked it by now. Or a really good investigator. I mean, yeah, we don''t know their last names, but still. I find it difficult to believe no one''s found their stuff, especially since they don''t even bother hiding their faces."


    "You''d think, right?" I snort. "Ian''s security network prevents it. Then there''s the fact that the Sigil Gods don''t go by their real names."


    "They don''t?" He looks at me in surprise. "I mean, that shouldn''t surprise me, but it does."


    "They go by their middle names, actually."


    "Sort of like you," he says.


    The tone of his voice tells me he''s back to thinking I''m a Sigil God again. There''s no Sigil God of Destruction, Tanner. I know this for a fact, so stop trying to suspect things that aren''t true.


    "Yeah," I nod. "And before you get any ideas, Tanner, I started going by Nick after my parents died. I''m not a Sigil God, and nor am I a Sigil-Bearer. I''ve told you before that I was never born with a Sigil. They go by their middle names as an alias, it was just easier than picking out something else to go by."


    He can tell I''m being honest here, so I hope it gets through his head that I''m not a Sigil-Bearer in any way, shape, or form. I''ve never had a Sigil, not even in the womb. I am simply Casimir Nicholas Wade, a badass who can pull off miraculous survival experiences and who is dating everybody''s favorite technokinetic.


    "You did?" He asks. "Start going by your middle name then, I mean."


    "Yeah."


    "Why?"


    "Because," I sigh. "I liked my mom, and she used my name a lot. She was always calling out to me. I hated being called it after realizing she''d never call it out again. So I insisted on going by my middle name. Now, only my coworkers for Myths and Sigils call me by my first name."


    "But didn''t you meet after that?" He asks. "Why would they call you it?"


    "It''s complicated."


    Extremely complicated, and I really don''t want to get into the details of it with him.


    "And don''t think you can," I tell him. "Call me Nick. That''s what I go by, and only the others at Myths and Sigils can get away with calling me Casimir."


    "Does Ian call you Cas?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s cute."


    "Do you want to eat my cooking tonight?"


    "Sorry," he looks away. "No need to get hostile, Nick."


    "You pushed a sensitive topic for me," I state. "Expect it."


    "Sorry," he mutters.


    Let''s change the topics. Maybe to something he seems to enjoy talking about?


    "Is anyone coming to town for your graduation?"


    "Yeah," Tanner answers. "My parents are."


    This is the first time he''s mentioned his parents, and his tone doesn''t suggest he''s on bad terms with them. How did they react to him wanting to come out here?


    "When will they be here?" I ask.


    "Friday night, I think," he answers. "My sister''s school doesn''t let out until next week, so they''ll probably wait until after she gets out on Friday to come out so that she doesn''t miss any."


    "How was their reaction to you coming out here?" I ask.


    "Not bad," he shrugs. "I didn''t tell them why, so they were a bit confused. Kind of hard to when I haven''t even told them my ability."


    "Well," I tell him. "Tell them you came out here for training opportunities. And why are you fussing about me going to graduation? You''ll be spending the day with your parents."


    "Part of it," he shrugs. "Not all of it. I''ll probably be back at your room Saturday night."


    "Sounds like it''ll be fun."


    We reach the dorm building and enter, and I flash a peace sign to the security guard. I''m starving. Should I cook something or place an order? Or I can cook us something smaller, to hold us over until food that we order arrives.


    That sounds like a plan.

 Chapter 014

    I''m totally failing this exam, but it doesn''t really matter. They''ll still graduate me anyway and it''s not like I need to pass this exam to survive. I do have a job already, after all. One that''s secure and has built me up a fair bit of money already.


    Even without that, I wouldn''t need to pass the job. I could just coast off of Ian''s income as a stay-at-home boyfriend or something, and none of it will matter after the Revelation anyway.


    Now that I''ve answered all of the questions that I can, I start doodling on the paper. Instead of guessing on the questions I don''t know the answer to, I''m drawing bunnies in camo having a water gun fight in the margins.


    Once the exam ends, I turn it in just like everyone else, then I stretch in my seat and wait for the bell to ring a couple of minutes later. Tanner and I leave together, finally done with school. All that''s left for him is graduation on Saturday.


    As we walk, I get the feeling someone is following us. I''ve noticed this a few times over the last couple of days, though it''s always disappeared after we entered the ruins. A journalist? Someone stalking Tanner out of an unhealthy crush on him? Something else?


    "Hey, Tanner," one of our classmates approaches us, using her arms to shift her breasts in such a way that screams that she''s hoping Tanner takes an interest in some normie whose name I don''t even remember. "Some of us were heading to the hangout place to celebrate having made it through exams, want to come? You can come if you want, Nick."


    "Erm," Tanner looks at me.


    Perfect chance to find out what''s going on with the stalker.


    "If you want to go, go," I tell him. "I''ve got better stuff to do than hang out with a bunch of robots. Don''t let me interfere with your fun."


    "Sure," Tanner tells her. "Let me just grab something from my apartment, and I''ll head over."


    "Cool," she says. "See you!"


    She skips off, and Tanner gives me a curious look.


    "Robots?"


    "Beep-boop-beep."


    He snorts, and we finish heading to the dorms. Outside mine, I tell him I''ll see him later, then head inside and he heads off. We were going to do something else here, but that''ll wait until later. Instead of heading out immediately, I wait a few minutes, long enough for Tanner to leave. Once I''m sure he''s gone, I head out, walking down the street.


    The feeling of being followed reappears. So I''m definitely a target. Is Tanner targeted as well? Or just me? I head near the hangout place and walk around, assessing everyone I pass by. Many unfamiliar faces, but no one suspicious, and it''s unlikely a stalker would have been allowed into the building.


    Unless they''re a Sigil-Bearer, in which case, they might just be let in ¨C they would be a student''s age. Even if the local Sigil-Bearers are known, with people coming in from out of town, outsiders could pass off as family of a student. Then there''s anyone the age of a student who might be following, they''d be allowed in without suspicions, too, even if they weren''t a Sigil-Bearer.


    Tanner would probably have noticed if someone was stalking him that close, though. Anyone who managed to get into the business while following him would have a mental state that would have alerted him, and I''m sure he''d have texted me.


    So it''s safe to assume it''s just me. Unless they weren''t within five feet of Tanner and he had his power minimized? That''s still a possibility as well, I guess.


    Seeing as I''m starving, I look for a restaurant. There are a few new ones, and a few that were around before the World Revolt, either managing to survive it completely or found themselves repaired in the aftermath.


    My destination is a new one. I''ve been there a few times and know the staff, who are somewhat friendly whenever I come in. Their food''s pretty good, too.


    "Welcome!" The waitress greets me. "Oh, Nick! It''s been a few weeks since you''ve been here."


    "Been busy," I tell her. "Usual seat open?"


    "Yep," she tells me. "Come on over."


    She leads me over to the corner booth I usually sit in, a spot that allows me a full view of the dining room. She sets a menu down along with a roll of silverware, then asks if I want my usual drink.


    "Yes," I answer, then she leaves.


    I pick up the menu and begin looking through it while watching the door and windows. By the time the waitress returns, I''ve decided on what I want, so I place my order.


    "Mozzarella sticks and onion rings," I tell her after she sets my drink down and pulls out her pad. "The eight-piece honey barbecue wings, the eight-piece buffalo wings, two cheddar brats, and two cheeseburgers, hold the tomato."


    "I''ll be back with your appetizers in just a few minutes," she takes the menu and leaves.


    I pull out my phone and begin playing a game on it while still watching the rest of the dining room. Only a minute later does a Sigil-Bearer enter. She''s either seventeen or eighteen, and she moves with a lethal grace. Someone trained her in combat, which suggests Klen.


    She''s wearing looser clothes, probably to hide the definition of her body, the fact that she''s muscular. An attempt to conceal her combat abilities, no doubt. This suspicion is reinforced by the fact that her clothes are easy to move around in and that she''s wearing combat boots.


    Her outfit does give me a hint into her fighting style if she is Klen, though. Most Sigil-Bearers who train in combat train in one of two things, either distance or close-range. She''s close-range if she''s trained her body like that.


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    How do I know all of this despite it being different from how the Klen usually send their agents?


    Because I do the same thing with my clothes. They''re just a little too big on me to hide my actual form. If I wore shirts and jackets my actual size, it''d be obvious I was toned, though the reason for that concealment is because I already attract unwanted attention due to my looks rather than to hide my combat abilities.


    That''s why I haven''t changed out for PE a single time. If they saw my abs, yeah, I''d probably get pestered a little more despite the moody aura I''ve always projected. Tanner''s pure evidence of that, though he also has the whole Sigil-Bearer thing going for him.


    But there''s no reason a Sigil-Bearer would come to town and hide her form. Well, maybe if she really was just trying to downplay her looks, but I''m doubting it. Not with everything else the Klen has done.


    How to confirm my suspicions, though? I could always do that, but I don''t want to. So I''ll do¡­ this instead.


    My food is served, appetizers first, and I begin eating. The Sigil-Bearer who might be from the Klen orders a fair bit of food as well, and I take my time eating, but not enough that she''d finish before me. Because it''s obvious she''s a Sigil-Bearer, she''s being given prompt service, but she''s ordered enough food that I''ll finish at least a few minutes before her.


    Once I finish eating, I pay and leave. For about five minutes, there''s no feeling of someone following me. Then it starts up again. That''s enough time for her to ''finish'' eating, pay, and then somehow track me down. By smell? Do I need to do something I hate doing?


    No. Let''s try something else before initiating that.


    I head into the ruins and make my way to a certain area. Another disturbance zone, though smaller than Ali''s or Jay''s. Several times, I lose the feeling of being followed, but then it resurfaces. I pick up the pace, moving through more ruined buildings or over rubble, between piles of cars that fell together or new forest growth in areas that once had none.


    Even after I''m well-inside of the disturbance zone, the feeling of being followed continues, though it does disappear a few times. She''s not tracking me through smell, and no one''s put a tracker on me.


    Just to be safe, though, I stop in the ruins of a former flower shop. Once inside, I walk into the back and check my stuff, taking everything off and feeling the cool, late-spring air on my bare skin as I go through my things. Nothing, no trackers, nothing that shouldn''t be there. I pull my clothes and bag back on and put my other stuff back into my pockets and reequip my weapons.


    Everything checked, I leave the building and continue on my journey, making my way through more ruins and growth until I arrive at a former bank that managed to hold up. Entering it, I go into the vault and move out of sight, waiting there.


    The feeling of being followed disappeared a few minutes ago, after I passed through an alley with a rusted-out van blocking the entrance.


    About a minute after I begin waiting, however, the feeling returns. They''ve found me, and we''re in a zone similar to Jake''s, where infrared doesn''t work. She''s using a power to track me. A locator.


    This is bothersome, but it''s telling. They''d have gone after Ali already if she could just locate anyone, which means that she probably has to have seen them before. That, or she needs to know something about them. But whatever it is, she doesn''t meet the requirements to use her power on Ali.


    The sound of boots lightly stepping on the marble floor of the former bank reaches my ears, and I listen as she moves closer, waiting until she''s at a certain point where the sound changes.


    "I''d stop there if I were you," I call out as I stand, drawing a gun and stepping into the entrance of the vault, aiming the gun at her.


    "You don''t scare me," she says. "You''re just a normie."


    "And you''re Klen."


    "I am," she smiles. "Nice to meet you, Casimir."


    "I go by Nick," I state. "And it''s not me you should be scared of. The gun is to finish you off after the mine hidden under the tile you''re on goes off. I''m sure you noticed the difference in sound when you stepped on it."


    She looks down, and I quickly adjust my aim, shooting out her knees. Immediately, she swears up a storm as she collapses to the ground.


    "Yeah, no, I just messed with the tile years ago in order to create that effect," I say. "There''s no mine under it, but the trick worked. I''m glad."


    "You knew I was following you," she says. "I''ve been keeping a good distance. How did you know?"


    "Consider me more akin to a wild beast than a person," I tell her. "One who''s alert at all times. I noticed you a few days ago. Now. Tell me how your ability works."


    "No," she growls at me. "And you don''t have anything powerful enough to kill me, you got lucky with the knees."


    "Yeah," I say. "Because the flesh and bone there is so much weaker than your skull."


    "You''d be surprised," she says.


    "Let me take a guess," I say. "Your power requires you to have laid eyes on the person you''re tracking? Because of that, you can''t locate Alison, so you and the Klen are hoping that I know where she is and would lead you to her. If that happened, then you''d go back to your bosses, assemble a larger fighting group than the one Kyle was in a few weeks ago, and you''d lead them straight to her. From there, you''d kill her, assuming a group that large would be able to take on someone who managed to take out four Sigil-Bearers.


    "Here''s a news-flash," I smile. "That was me. I blew them up. There wasn''t a mine under that tile, but the building they decided to use as a hideout? Just so happened to have a pretty potent bomb underneath it because I''d intended on demolishing it, removing the rubble from the area, and letting the hole be filled in by nature. It was kind of the only building on a few acres of grass and plants. And then I called the Federation and had them send the Sigil Goddess of Chaos out here to deal with Kyle.


    "My guess," I point the gun at her head. "Is that Kyle contacted the Klen and informed them that I blew everyone else up. Someone in the Klen finally got a brain and decided to use a little more strategy. You aren''t hiding in the ruins, which means the group''s come in through the town.


    "Well," I say. "I''m sure there are a few of you in the ruins, but I''ve been a bit busy the last few days, so I didn''t find them. I will. And I''ll kill them, too. Alison isn''t here, it''s just me. And I''m not a big fan of the Klen."


    "You''re nothing more than a heretic," she snarls. "We Sigil-Bearers are the gods of this world, and-"


    "Gods?" I laugh. "Oh, keep dreaming, you pathetic little idiot."


    "We are gods!" She snaps. "The Sigil Gods are just the start! Soon, we will all-"


    "The Sigil Gods?" I chuckle. "You have no idea about the real gods of this world, you pathetic piece of shit. Any Sigil-Bearer who thinks they''re a god, who thinks they stand above normies? You deserve to die."


    "Normies?" She suddenly looks confused. "Only Sigil-Bearers and the normies in the Klen call them that. Everyone else refers to them as-"


    "Normal people," I say. "Non-Bearers. Yes, I''m aware. No, I''m not a Sigil-Bearer. I''m Casimir Nicholas Wade. I''m someone who knows the truth of the Sigils. And after I kill you, I''m going to go and set up traps for the rest of the Klen who will end up following me due to your disappearance."


    "You aren''t our real target," she smiles.


    "I know," I say. "Alison is, but since she''s not here, that means they''ll follow me and follow me and follow me, until I put them all down so that I can have some peace."


    The Sigil-Bearer just snorts, and I pull the trigger, putting a bullet in her brain. She might be tough, but the shot at her knees told me she''s not tough enough to handle a normal gun. My shot kills her, no chance of return.


    I return the gun to my holster, then set off. That smirk worries me.


    If someone from the Klen is actually using their brain, then it''s possible that they sent her after me specifically as a diversion. It''s possible that they realized that I''m killing all of the Klen who go after me. If that''s the case, then they might have found Ali and used this Sigil-Bearer to keep me away from the people hunting her.


    I need to hurry.

 Chapter 015

    Ali''s not in her home, and I''m not seeing any traces of her walking away, which means she flew off somewhere. I shrug off my backpack and pull out the walkie, then put it up to my mouth and press the call button.


    "Alpha Wolf to Queen Bee, do you read me?" I ask. "Alpha Wolf to Queen Bee, do you read me?"


    I release the call button, then wait. There''s no response. Please, please, please don''t have found her. Thirty seconds later, I bring the walkie back up to my mouth and press the call button again.


    "Alpha Wolf to Queen Bee, do you read me?" I ask. "Alpha Wolf to Queen Bee, do you read me?"


    Her walkie is on her, and the spare ones are in the garage. Please don''t have been found and taken out by the Klen, Ali. I start moving, and every minute, I radio out again as I attempt to find where she might be. I scale the tallest building around and begin looking with my binoculars, but can''t find her. Even still, she doesn''t respond.


    After nearly an hour of searching, I find a walkie on the ground, busted. By the way it''s sitting on the ground, it fell from pretty high up. Was Ali attacked while she was flying? Looking in the direction of her home, I turn and face the opposite direction, then take off.


    There aren''t any signs of someone else on the ground here, so was the Klen member who attacked her up in the sky? Ali''s not really capable of combat mid-flight due to the way her power works, so she''d have done her best to just fly away. That means she probably continued in a straight line, but even if she didn''t, I''ll probably find some tracks leading to where she is.


    It takes me another hour to find her, pretty far off the straight path, and when I do, I want to shoot her.


    She''s swimming, her clothes and gear on the shore.


    "Ali!" I stomp over, and she looks at me. "You dropped your walkie, and I''ve been trying to find you for two hours!"


    "Why?" She asks. "What''s wrong?"


    "The Klen''s here," I tell her. "They were distracting me with another Sigil-Bearer, but I took her out. She told me the target wasn''t me, and the way she said it and smirked told me they were keeping me separated."


    "I haven''t noticed anyone," she tells me. "What about Tanner? Couldn''t they be after him? Since he wants to lose his status as a Sigil-Bearer?"


    "Only you and I know the real reason Tanner''s in town," I tell her. "They wouldn''t be after him."


    Not unless they knew he was an empath, but they don''t. They''d just want to see if he''s a healer even if they did know, but that''s not something they''d need to separate me from him to test. At least, not unless their intention was to have him see me wounded, but if they''re using their brains for once, then they''d have sent enough of a force to actually hurt me and would have done so when he was nearby, so that he''d be able to find me easily enough.


    "If they wouldn''t be after him," Ali says. "And they aren''t after me, then why were they distracting you? Think they''d be after the girl? What''s her name?"


    "The seven-year-old girl who can manifest a flame?" I ask. "They wouldn''t need to distract me for that."


    "Hm," Ali thinks. "Go back over what happened."


    I explain everything that happened, from me first noticing the tail a couple of days ago to the signs of people checking out the ruins that I''ve been seeing since Saturday to when I killed the Sigil-Bearer just a little bit ago.


    "You should have interrogated her further," she says.


    "I don''t have the luxury of being able to restrain her," I point out. "And considering the fact that she was out of range, she probably contacted the Klen and let them know she had me. I didn''t bother to check if she had a radio, but she probably did."


    "I don''t know," Ali says. "Do you think she knew you noticed her?"


    "She definitely didn''t," I say. "I should''ve just come off as wandering about randomly, enjoying nature."


    "Then it''s possible that you''re wrong and weren''t being distracted."


    "No," I say. "She definitely said I wasn''t the target, and that smirk, she-"


    I feel myself freeze. There''s another Sigil-Bearer, but I''m supposed to be the only one who knows about him. I haven''t even told Ian about him.


    "I need to go," I tell her. "I need to go check on something. You''ll want to follow me, don''t. It''s private. She never said the target was a person, I might know what it is."


    I rush out. Hopefully, Ali believes what I said. If the target''s not Jay, then it''s still for the better that Ali doesn''t know about him. But it might be him. Who else would they be after? The Sigil-Bearer wouldn''t have entered that bank if she didn''t intend on confronting me, which means that they had to have put things into motion when she approached me.


    If she were just following me, she wouldn''t have entered the bank. Only an idiot would have done that. She didn''t care about how long the delay was, either, or she''d have tried to escape even with her shot knees. She''d have tried to delay me longer if that mattered, probably would''ve made it obvious to me that she was following by making noises or something, so that I''d be on alert and keep moving around.


    She just wanted to get my attention long enough for them to do whatever it was.


    No wolves or birds have come alerted me to Jay being in danger, which means they haven''t gotten to him yet. I can run at my normal hurry for now.


    When I finally reach near Jay''s zone, I make sure no one''s following me, then make my way into the building through the greenery, slipping past the fallen office equipment on my way to the garden. When I reach it, I find Jay snapping the neck of a chicken.


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    "Why do you look so flustered?" He looks at me. "You look like you just ran a marathon."


    "Everything''s safe here?" I ask. "Have you noticed any signs of anyone lurking about? Or attacking?"


    "No," he sets the chicken on a table and begins removing its feathers. "Just me, you, the chickens, and stuff. I have the birds and wolves and foxes scouting out the area at all times. They''ve reported that everything is super clear!"


    "You''re sure?" I ask.


    "Yeah," he nods. "Why? What''s wrong?"


    "The Klen''s here," I tell him. "Again. And this time, they''re acting smartly. One of their Sigil-Bearers was stalking me the last few days, apart from when I went too far into the ruins. Then just a little bit ago, she followed me all the way in and even approached me. She was distracting me, and the only reason I could think of for that is if they were going after someone. Only I know about you, but Ali''s safe, so I thought maybe they''d found you."


    "Oh," he says. "No, I''m fine. Actually, it''s been pretty nice. I can send the birds further out if you want, just to be safe."


    "Would you?" I ask.


    "Sure," he says. "I''ll have them check everything within ten miles of town. It''s a bit further than you go, but maybe the Klen are also hiding further away, too."


    "Thanks," I say. "I''m glad to see you''re safe."


    "Ha!" He grins as he finishes removing the feathers and begins separating the chicken. "As if they''d be a danger to me. I''m no Sigil-God, but I''m not weak. I know I''m stronger than most, even if you don''t tell me so. They could probably bring an army and I''d be fine. Especially since I''d have advance notice."


    "Alright," I say. "I''m going to head back. Make sure to let me know if there''s an issue."


    "Yes, sir!" He says. "You won''t stay for dinner? I''m having chicken, gonna grill it over a nice fire. Gotta get it marinading, though. My own special blend!"


    "No, thanks," I tell him. "I''m expecting¡­"


    I completely forgot about something, even though I''ve known it for a few weeks. Tanner''s arrival in town and everything since then caused it to slip my mind, but it''s extremely important. Especially with the worry that something''s happened.


    Tabitha is supposed to show up tonight, and that means my cousin, too. The cousin who spoke the prophecy. The cousin who spoke the prophecy that the Klen found out about and is the whole reason rumors of a God of Destruction began to spread.


    Crap. If they showed up early in an attempt to surprise me, and the Klen went after her while I was in the ruins, then I''m too late.


    "I need to go," I tell Jay. "I''ll be back to check on you in the next few days, but make sure to let me know before what the birds say."


    I rush off, this time running to town. The limitations on this body are really annoying, I want to move even faster, get to town sooner. Unfortunately, the limitations on this body make it too slow.


    As soon as I reach the range of the cell signals, I slow down and check my phone. Sure enough, there are several calls from Tabitha. Upon seeing that, I clear the notifications and call her back, and she answers almost immediately.


    "Tabitha," I say. "You kept calling, did something happen?"


    "No," she answers. "You sound out of breath, is everything alright?"


    "Are you in Frendok?" I ask.


    "We arrived a few hours ago," she answers. "Though you didn''t answer your phone, so I assumed you were in the ruins, as usual. Why? Is something wrong? You sound panicked."


    "Erin''s with you, right?" I ask. "Like, you can put eyes on her?"


    "We''re at a nice little cafe," she says. "It wasn''t here a couple of years ago, but their sandwiches are delicious."


    "Almanar''s Cafe," I set off in that direction.


    "Yeah," she says. "What''s wrong? Why were you wondering about Erin? You two never got along."


    "Are there any Sigil-Bearers around?" I ask. "Or people who look like they might be military wearing plain clothes?"


    "Well, Erin''s here," she says.


    "Other than Erin," I say.


    "There''s a handsome young man," Tabitha tells me. "He''s sitting with some others, they''re about your age. I''m sure the guys and gals he''s with are students from the school you like to skip, though since the only Sigil-Bearer who''s a local is that little girl, I''m guessing he came in from out of town. Other than him, no."


    "Black hair, green eyes, a black shirt left unbuttoned over a dark pink tee, black skinny jeans and black sneakers?"


    "Yeah, how did you know?" She asks.


    "He transferred here a couple of weeks ago," I answer. "He''s not what I''m looking for. Are there any people who might be a Sigil-Bearer other than him or who look like they might be soldiers of some sort, but dressed more casually, not looking armed or anything?"


    "No, why?" She asks.


    "Stay there," I say. "Tanner, I know you can hear me. Don''t let them out of your sight until I get there, neither of them are fighters and your moderate level of training might have some use if something happens."


    "What''s going on, Nick?" Tabitha asks.


    "You know the Klen?" I ask.


    "Yeah," she answers.


    "They''re here, and they did something," I say. "They ensured I was in the ruins and then distracted me."


    Now that I think about it, she probably realized I noticed her following me, despite the way she acted when I confronted her after she entered the bank. Her whole ploy was to keep me in the ruins, and she probably approached me after she contacted them and let them know I was far enough away.


    But what were they doing? Why did they need to ensure I was away from town? They didn''t go after Ali and don''t seem to know about Jay, while not knowing that Tanner''s an empath or that he wants to lose his ability. The local Sigil-Bearer, the little girl, isn''t that important or powerful, and I doubt that any Sigil-Bearer who might have come to town already for graduation stuff would be targeted by the Klen.


    Not in a way that would make the Klen want to keep me out of the way. That means it''s someone I''m connected to. Yet even Erin was left alone.


    My phone alerts me to another call as Tabitha asks me what''s going on with the Klen, and I check it. It''s Ian. Of course it''s Ian. The timing can''t be a coincidence, he knows something. If I didn''t suspect that, I''d hurt myself and not answer him, calling him back later.


    "Hold on," I tell her. "I''m almost there, but I''ve got a call coming in that I need to take. Tanner, keep them in your sight."


    I hang up and answer the call from Ian.


    "Yeah?" I ask.


    "Don''t worry too much," Ian tells me. "The Klen did try something, but it ended up foiled."


    So he was eavesdropping on my call and realized I was panicking. I''ll need to have some words with him about listening in on my phone calls to people other than him, especially when they''re my family.


    "How?" I ask.


    "I''ll let you know when you return to your apartment," he tells me. "Don''t worry about it too much. Go enjoy dinner with your aunt and cousin, and don''t worry about what the Klen tried."


    "What did they try?" I ask.


    "Nothing that will yield a positive result for them," he tells me. "I''ll tell you when you''re back in your apartment, but seriously, don''t worry too much. They''re going to be pissed you killed her, but that''s what they get for sending someone who has a habit of jumping the schedule."


    "They were planning on killing me?"


    "They were going to send an Immortal Sigil after you," he tells me. "But she decided to go after you since you were there. Anyway, you''re almost to the cafe, so-"


    "Stop tracking my GPS, Ian."


    "See you later!"


    "Talk to you later, Ian," I say. "Love you, bye."


    "Love you!" He responds before I end the call and pocket my phone, reaching the cafe just as I do.


    Pulling open the door, I enter.

 Chapter 016

    Tanner briefly looks at me when I enter the cafe, and I frown a little. Since when does he have a group of ten friends? I''m kind of suspicious as to their motives for wanting to hang out with him. Leeches. Seven girls and three guys, probably all hoping for something lucky to happen as a result. Maybe even for him to take an interest in them, despite the rarity of Sigil-Bearers getting with normies.


    They probably think that him hanging out with me is a sign that it''s possible he''s into that, that maybe it''s a fetish of his. They''ll be sorely disappointed once he leaves here after deciding he''s done training here. I wouldn''t put it past him to only stay long enough for my help to no longer be really all that relevant.


    The sex might be amazing, but once he has control over his power, he''ll no doubt want to get with another Sigil-Bearer. For now, I''m of use to him, and that''s the reason he''s still here.


    It''s sad, seeing normies fall for him like that. Maybe separating them in school would be a better idea because of that. Sigil-Bearers just aren''t wired to have any form of romantic or sexual interest in normies, yet have an appearance that causes normies to have sexual interest in them.


    It''s ridiculous that the normies try despite knowing the chances are nil. They think that because it''s relatively new information due to the ages of the oldest Sigil-Bearers, there''s not enough sources to make a conclusive statement.


    Turning my attention away from the pathetic lot who think they can actually get a grip on Tanner''s heart, I walk over to Tabitha and Erin, the latter of whom is texting away on her phone while pretending not to watch Tanner. Tabitha''s looking somewhat worried, and opens her mouth as I sit down.


    "The call that I had to take," I say before she can speak. "Was regarding the situation. It appears the Klen did make their move, but it''s ended up being a dud. Thank goodness."


    I really hope Ian keeps to his promise and lets me know what happened once I head back to my apartment.


    "However," I say. "I''m going to make some arrangements. Erin isn''t a fighter, and she''s going to need protection. There''s a high Klen presence in the area at the moment, and that poses a danger to her."


    "I don''t need protection," Erin looks at me, a tone of annoyance in her voice.


    "Tell me," I say. "How willing are you to bet that there isn''t a single one in the Klen who doesn''t know what you can do? Especially knowing that the Klen knows about ten years ago?"


    Erin glares at me, but doesn''t respond.


    "Something''s going on," I say. "If their plans earlier yielded no results, they will make another move, and until I know the full details of what their plans are, you will have protection."


    "And you think you can protect me?" She asks. "When Frank already has a guard assigned to me?"


    "Not me," I say. "But I can inform Frank that Tina''s not enough."


    Her eyes widen a little as her lips turn down in a slight frown.


    "Yes, I know who your guard is," I say. "I''ve known since before you found out about her. I knew before she was even asked that she was going to be asked. Invisibility mixed with aerokinesis in the style of blade-like winds, two powers that work rather well with each other. I can point out exactly where she is right now, too. Now, if I can do that, imagine what a powerful Sigil-Bearer could do."


    "Look," Erin says. "I can handle myself, Nick. I foresee any danger to myself. Any threat to myself. My power''s developed enough for that. You see me what, once every few years? Don''t pretend-"


    "This is why I hate dealing with you," I stand. "Because you''re pretty arrogant, thinking your power and the single guard are enough to protect you. Your power might be decent, but it''s nowhere near the level of an Immortal Sigil."


    "You are the arrogant one," she snaps back, drawing attention from others in here. "What? You think because you run around the ruins all day, that automatically makes you a badass, Nick? Guess what? You aren''t, you-"


    "I am someone who killed a Sigil-Bearer just hours ago," I state. "They were a trained soldier of the Klen, no less. I am a badass. You just have an issue with me because I''m not a Sigil-Bearer and you have an arrogance born from confidence in your power, a power that isn''t even useful for combat. I will be contacting Frank and informing him that you need more protection due to the events of today. You have no choice in this matter. The fact that your guard hasn''t done a single thing to end this discussion is proof that she agrees that you need more protection, so shut the hell up."


    I look at Tabitha.


    "It was nice to see you again," I tell her. "Maybe we can get together while you''re here without the cousin around. Every time Erin and I meet, we argue, and it kind of ruins the mood."


    "I''ll call you," Tabitha tells me.


    "Thanks," I tell her. "Have a good day."


    I make my way out of the cafe, noticing Tanner starting to rise.


    "Stay, have fun with your friends."


    He sits back down.


    As soon as I''m outside of the cafe, I pull out my phone and call Frank.


    "Please tell me there''s not another Immortal Sigil from the Klen there," he groans.


    "My cousin, Erin, is," I state. "And the Klen''s increased their presence here. They did something earlier, though I don''t know what. Ian says their plan was foiled, but I want to make sure Erin is protected. If they kidnap her, they can force out prophecies using Wyatt''s power. If they do that, they can find their way to chaos, and we need to prevent that. I want at least four more Sigil-Bearers guarding her."


    "You don''t get to order me around," he states. "We can look into-"


    "Four more, by midnight," I state. "That''s an order, Frank. Erin is in very real danger, and if the Klen kidnap her, they could even dismantle the Federation. Erin isn''t a combatant in any way, and she feels that her power and Tina are enough to protect her from danger."


    Frank sighs into the phone.


    "For someone who dislikes his cousin, you sure want to protect her."


    "It''s not her I want to protect," I state. "It''s the world. The Klen will become an even bigger problem if they capture her. It doesn''t matter if she''s my cousin or not, what matters is that she refuses to learn how to fight and has only one guard. Four more. By midnight. No exceptions."


    I hang up. Frank will probably fail to deliver on this without prompting. There''s no evidence there''s a threat to her, so he won''t authorize a higher protection despite me saying that she needs it. I could have made something up, but I''m not going to.


    So I make another call. It''s answered on the third ring.


    "It''s not every day you call me, Nick," Dana, the Director of the Federation, answers calmly, a hint of curiosity in her voice.


    "Erin might be in danger," I state. "I have no proof of that, but there''s an increased number of Klen members and Sigil-Bearers in town. They''re actually in town, rather than in the ruins, and Erin arrived today. They''ve also begun making moves, though I don''t know for what."


    "You want a higher protection detail assigned to her," she states.


    "I do," I respond. "I''ve already informed Frank, but he tends to be useless with some things. I want four more Sigil-Bearers guarding her by midnight, or I''m asking Ashley to come to town."


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Please don''t," she sighs. "The last thing we need is the Goddess of Darkness acting like a bodyguard, and we need her doing other stuff for the sake of the safety of citizens everywhere. You''re right, Frank will probably not deliver on your request, not with what you said as the only indication of possible danger. I''ll make sure four more are assigned out to her. Do you want a sweep of the ruins? I''ll have them avoid the areas you''ve banned."


    "No," I tell her. "I''m already having a check of the ruins done. Off the books."


    "Alright," she says. "I''ll have Tina talk with Erin, Nick. Don''t worry, we''ll make sure she''s safe."


    "Thanks," I responds.


    "Have a good day," she tells me, then ends the call.


    The Director of the Federation''s a busy woman, yet she still answered for me. Mostly because she knows I wouldn''t call her unless it meant Erin might be in danger of having her power abused by darker forces or something of similar importance. After Erin''s big prophecy, Dana visited me and told me that if I ever feel like Erin''s in danger, to give her a call. She''s just as aware of the potential damages as I am should the Klen get their hands on Erin and start forcing out prophecies.


    There was already suffering because of them grabbing Isaac, and he was only in their possession for an hour before he was rescued. Now, he''s in a mental hospital, his mind broken and fragmented and probably years away from anything resembling sanity.


    Nearly three hundred Federation soldiers and nineteen Sigil-Bearers were killed and an entire town was leveled because of them forcing prophecies out of Isaac.


    That was four years ago, so it was several years after the big prophecy, but still. Dana already knew, even ten years ago, what kind of threat someone giving prophecies could be if they were given to the wrong people. Then we found out about Wyatt and his ability to ''take over'' a person and use their power through them.


    As a master of that ability.


    He''s managed to consistently avoid Ian''s detection, and by the time one of the Sigil Gods have arrived at where he''s been sighted, he''s always been long-gone with no trace of where he went. It''s suspected he''s a Duality with either the ability to avoid notice or the ability to erase his presence on top of regulation.


    After the incident with Isaac''s capture, Dana reached out to me again and reminded me to let her know if I ever have reason to believe Erin might be in danger of being captured. She knows how arrogant my cousin is and that ignoring her wishes is for the better.


    Why couldn''t my cousin be more like Ali? Someone who knows their limits, and while confident in their abilities, isn''t arrogant and stupid and actually knows when they need more than what they can do? Someone who also trains their body as a form of precaution?


    Of course, part of the problem is that it was me who said it. Erin''s never liked me just because I''m not a Sigil-Bearer. She hates me even more because I have the looks of one, yet aren''t one. My cousin falls into the category of Sigil-Bearers who believe that Sigil-Bearers are supreme and don''t have family that isn''t a Sigil-Bearer. The only reason she even still lives with Tabitha is because the other option is being kept in a Federation compound.


    Fortunately, she''s not stupid enough to believe in the Klen''s ideals, but that won''t matter if Wyatt uses his power on her. I really wish we could¡­


    I stop walking and make eye contact with someone who was walking down the side of the street.


    A fifteen-year-old boy who''s going through puberty gracefully, no sign of scrawny, awkward limbs or acne on his face and the looks of a Sigil-Bearer. He has brown hair at a medium-short length and styled fashionably. He''s dressed in black cargo shorts, a red tee with a black shirt over that, unbuttoned, and black combat boots.


    For a moment, his dark blue eyes fill with shock, then they turn to hate.


    Found him. The fact that he''s in plain view of cameras yet Ian hasn''t let me know he''s here pretty much confirms he''s got some way to avoid being detected by them.


    Wyatt beckons for me to follow him, and I turn and resume walking to the student dorms. No way am I going to go anywhere with him.


    I make it only a few steps before there''s a hand grabbing my wrist, pulling me and turning me to face him with enough force that a normal person''s arm would be yanked out of its socket. Wyatt opens his mouth to speak, only to suddenly look at me in confusion.


    "What the hell are you?" He asks.


    "What do you mean?" I ask.


    "You don''t feel like a normie," he states. "Yet you don''t feel like a Sigil-Bearer."


    Feel like? I guess he''s able to sense the abilities of a Sigil-Bearer, it would make sense for someone as powerful as him. He''s probably an eight if we put him on a power scale. That would come in handy for being able to effectively use someone''s ability through them, though it was assumed that he had to know what they could do in order to use his ability on them.


    "I''m a badass," I pull my hand free from his grip. "And if you know what''s best for you, you''ll turn your ass around and leave Frendok. For good. And so help me, if you''re here for my cousin-"


    "Your cousin?" He snorts. "As if I''d want a half-rate prophet like her, even if she did give the big prophecy. We have another prophet, one who actually aligns with us."


    My shock must be evident, because he just smirks in response.


    "Yeah, loser," he says. "So do whatever you want to protect that chick, because she ain''t important to us. Our guy''s been more than happy to let me use my power on him, and we found out some pretty useful stuff."


    "Doesn''t seem like a move''s been made," I state.


    "Of course not," he growls. "Not until we can stop this youngest god. So long as the empathic healer lives, the youngest god poses a threat to the Klen. Therefore, we''re looking for the empathic healer, and we''re going to kill him."


    "So you have the full prophecy, then," I state.


    "Our prophet''s power works a little bit differently," he sneers. "He''s even more accurate than Erin. According to him, the youngest god won''t cause a world of destruction under a single condition: the empathic healer is not his friend on a certain date. Now, considering that Theodore works alone, all that means is we need to prevent the empathic healer from becoming his friend. Therefore, we just need to kill the empathic healer before they meet."


    On a certain date?


    "What date?" I ask.


    "I''ll never tell you," he sneers. "You pathetic scum. I don''t know what you are, but-"


    "What do you mean ''what I am''?" I ask. "You said I don''t feel like a normie or a Sigil-Bearer. Are you going to tell me what you mean by that, punk? Or just be an ass?"


    "Oh, I can be the biggest ass you know," he sneers. "Sure, I''ll tell you. Part of regulation allows me to sense the abilities of others. Not just Sigil abilities, but normal abilities, such as physical capabilities. It also lets me get a sense for how dangerous they are. A normie usually feels light and fluffy, while an Immortal Sigil-Bearer trained for combat feels heavy and dense, dangerous. You dwarf that. You''re not a Sigil-Bearer, yet you feel dangerous enough that I don''t think I could kill you, despite being many times faster and stronger. Your combat abilities aren''t even enough to make my flinch, yet that feeling of danger I get from you¡­ it''s inhuman."


    "Perhaps that ''danger'' you''re feeling isn''t me," I smile. "But my boyfriend."


    "Who?" He asks.


    I lean forward so that my mouth is by his ear and whisper my boyfriend''s name and abilities. He stiffens up as he inhales sharply, probably contemplating for the first time his power''s ability to sense a danger that''s granted to someone through a connection. He''s probably realizing that if they killed me, then my boyfriend would eradicate the entire Klen.


    On his own.


    There''s always the chance he''ll think I''m lying about my boyfriend later, but right now, having felt that powerful danger, he''s believing it.


    "So what brings the Klen to town?" I pull back. "I heard that I''m supposed to die, and that the tracker who went after me moved ahead of schedule?"


    "You''re an annoyance," he states. "You''ve gotten in the way of us finding Alison Smol for too long. You''ve killed far too many of our agents. I''ve decided to personally oversee your death. Or at least, hinder you from finding us. As for why we''re in town¡­ well, our prophet says the empathic healer will be at some point in the next two weeks. We weren''t able to narrow it down closer than that, something is interfering with his ability, even when I use regulation on it."


    So that''s what Ian meant by their efforts will yield nothing. I''m not sure why they''d have needed to keep me out of town for whatever they did, but it was connected to them locating the empathic healer. But that interference prevented them from narrowing down when he''ll be here. Unfortunately, that means they''ll be here heavily over the next two weeks.


    Which means two weeks of dealing with them. But as long as Wyatt believes me in regards to who my boyfriend is, I''ll be safe from harm. They''ll want to keep me out of town, but not attack me.


    "Now, you cretinous scum," Wyatt sneers. "I''m off to go do things someone without any ability couldn''t ever do. Enjoy your miserable life with your freak of a boyfriend. What kind of taste does he have, dating someone who''s not a Sigil-Bearer?"


    "The best taste of them all," I smile. "He''s dating me!"


    Wyatt looks like he wants to punch me, but I ignore it and turn away, not looking back. He''s probably heading off to whatever he was doing, too.


    I hate him. Just one encounter with him, and I hate him. How many rockets do I have? How much will the Federation yell at me for using them in town? Will Ian send me some emergency restock on it if I asked him to?


    As I mull over the possibilities of how to either kill Wyatt or teach him a lesson, I reach my apartment. I''ll need to let Ian know that Wyatt''s in town, too. There''s a good chance that he''ll leave now that I know he''s here, but on the chance that he doesn''t¡­ it''s best to let Ian know.


    Entering my apartment, I think about the fact that they know that the empathic healer will be here at some point in the next two weeks. At least, according to the Klen''s prophet. The fact that they have their own means they don''t need Erin, but I wouldn''t put it past them to try to kidnap her in an attempt to force me to act in their wishes.


    Or Tabitha. They''d have a better chance at getting me to cooperate if they kidnapped my aunt. Or Tanner. Maybe I shouldn''t have left Tanner at the cafe, after all.


    As I take off my boots, I notice another pair of them sitting in the entryway. Boots that aren''t mine. Normally, I''d have noticed such a thing even before I opened the door, but a combination of my distraction over the situation and the specific person who''s here prevented me from doing so.


    I charge into my bedroom and tackle the guy sitting on my bed, who had been hidden by the wall at the end of the kitchen.


    "Ian!"

 Chapter 017

    As soon as I''ve tackled Ian, he wraps his arms around me and we''re kissing, Ian allowing himself to fall backwards from the impact so that he''s lying on my bed with me pressed against him. This is an awesome surprise, I wasn''t expecting to see him here today. It explains why he said he''d tell me once I returned to my apartment, too.


    First, though, we just kiss for a few minutes, Ian wrapping his legs around me as we hold each other. Then, Ian shifts suddenly, and the next thing I know, we''re in the air, flipping. We land with me on my back and Ian against me, his legs no longer holding mine. I bring my legs up and wrap them around him, our kiss not having broken in the slightest.


    Our kiss finally ends after another minute of kissing, Ian pulling back a little and just smiling at me. I stare into those bright green eyes of his, sensing the energy within them and the pure happiness he''s feeling that radiates out of him.


    "Missed you," he says.


    "I bet I missed you more," I respond. "You''ve never come out for a surprise visit before."


    "I know," he gives me a quick peck on the lips. "I thought I''d do it for once. Let''s get some business out of the way first, then we can enjoy ourselves all we want, Cas."


    "Ugh," I groan as he pulls off of me. "Can''t we wait, like, five minutes to do that?"


    "If we did," he tells me. "We''d end up having sex within the next two, and ''five minutes'' would probably turn into a few hours."


    I watch Ian as he grabs his laptop from beside mine and boots it up, then starts pulling something up. He''s dressed in green shorts and a matching sleeveless that fits him quite nicely, and it''s showing his toned form quite well. I want to go back to kissing him, it''s been too long since his last visit.


    But he''s right, if we don''t discuss this now, it''ll end up delayed, and the situation''s somewhat important. Even with just what I know, I know that something major is going to happen.


    "What was the Klen doing earlier?" I ask. "Wyatt said that-"


    "Wyatt?" Ian snaps his head to look at me, eyes full of surprise. "Wait. Hold on. Let me show you what I was going to show you. Look at this."


    He shows me what he''s pulled up, which turns out to be a video of me¡­ talking to the air. The video is from a camera fixed to the front of a shop we were outside, used to look at customers entering and exiting the shop, and from the timestamp and my clothes, that''s when I was talking to Wyatt.


    "Were you talking to Wyatt there?" He asks.


    "Yeah," I answer. "His power prevents even cameras from seeing him? It''s as if he wasn''t even there in the first place, but I definitely felt him. That power''s pretty strong, for a camera to look through him because of it."


    "Looks like it," Ian sighs. "The bastard''s in town. Great. Just great. What did you two talk about?"


    I explain the full conversation, including about Wyatt''s comments about how I feel and my response to it. That gets Ian laughing for a few moments, then he gives me another kiss as he calms down.


    "Actually, that might be problematic," he says with a serious expression.


    "What might be?" I ask.


    "Him being afraid of me," he answers. "I do have to wonder what he thinks now that he''s got confirmation that the person who''s caused the Klen so much trouble here isn''t a Sigil-Bearer. Anyway, for what they were doing earlier that they wanted to make sure you were gone for? Getting a sample of Tanner''s blood."


    "He didn''t tell me-"


    "They''ve got a girl," he says. "Fourteen, who can evade notice of those around her, but not from cameras and stuff, not like Wyatt. This evasion includes even as she''s hurting someone. Someone who''s observant enough would notice, so they probably won''t try to have her assassinate you, though they normally use her as an assassin. Part of the reason I came to town was actually to kill her."


    "Ah," I say. "Why''d she want a sample of his blood? Especially if her normal job is assassination?"


    Tanner wouldn''t have said anything because a prick from whatever she stuck him with probably wouldn''t have healed in seconds, a minute at the most. It''s unlikely that he would''ve felt anything than a sharp, pinpoint pain, as I doubt she used something bigger than a needle. Whether or not he saw it, if he felt it, he''d have just assumed he stuck himself and didn''t notice.


    "Tanner''s an unknown variable," Ian explains. "Their power sensor is someone who needs to touch someone''s blood to know their abilities, and once he does, he can always pick up their location from that moment on. I''m planning on taking him out."


    "They wanted a sample of his blood," I say. "To see if he''s the empathic healer."


    "They''ll learn he''s an empath," Ian tells me. "But that''s it. Since their sensor will find that he''s just an empath, Tanner''s in no danger from the Klen''s plans to kill the empathic healer."


    "That''s good," I say. "Are you the one interfering with their prophet''s ability to pinpoint when the empathic healer will be in town?"


    "Yeah," he confirms. "I put a little spell on him. Don''t worry about them finding the empathic healer, either, I''ve already run interference."


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Cool," I say. "Are you leaving once you finish what you''re here for?"


    "Yeah," he pauses the video and sets his laptop back on the table. "I''d love to stick around, but I''ve got other work to do. I''d love it if you came with me."


    "I''d love to go with you," I kiss him. "But you know why I can''t leave yet. I would''ve years ago if so."


    "Yeah," he kisses me. "It''s soon, though, right?"


    I pick up a pen and spin it around a few times as I think. After a few minutes, I flip it up into the air, then catch it. I meet my boyfriend''s gaze.


    "Based on my calculations," I tell him. "Using what information I do have, including what I''ve just learned today¡­ the Revelation will be sometime this summer. It''s been moved up from a few years from now to within the next month or two. When are you leaving again?"


    "Sometime in the early morning," he answers. "I''m going to go handle what I''m here for during the night. I might return here for a little bit, just to say goodbye, but the only reason I was authorized to leave for this was because no one wanted to challenge me."


    "Couldn''t you use that to get out for longer?"


    "No," he stands and stretches. "Unfortunately not. I might be terrifying, but I do have other duties right and I can''t shirk them. Not if we want everything to go to plan. Especially now that I know our timetable has been moved up. You know I''m not actually in charge of monitoring the Klen, despite what the official statement is."


    "Yeah," I say. "Going somewhere?"


    "To the kitchen," he smiles. "Went shopping before I came here, going to whip up something good for us. Your fuck-buddy''s eating with his friends, and you''re getting a bit too possessive."


    I sigh as I lie down on my bed and Ian heads into the kitchen. He''s right. I''m getting possessive of Tanner. It wasn''t intended, and no one but Ian or my coworkers would have been able to tell, anyway.


    "It''s not healthy for us to get possessive," Ian says from the kitchen. "Especially since it won''t matter after the Revelation."


    He snorts.


    "I can''t believe Tanner bought that story," he tells me. "About how the reason I don''t want to be with someone more than a few times for hookups is because of my looks. Seriously, Cas? I can''t believe you made a semi-believable story out of that."


    "It was better than the truth."


    "A truth you need to keep in mind," Ian warns me. "We easily get possessive, and you know that. I''m safe at three times with someone. How many times is it for you?


    "How many times is it for the Australian twink?"


    "I made sure to not get possessive," he says. "You got possessive with Tanner in under a week. Being with him so much and helping him develop his power isn''t going to help."


    "You''re telling me I should back off?" I ask. "There''s no one else in town I''d like to get with, Ian, and you know I''m a horny bastard. I-"


    "I''m not telling you to back off," Ian says. "You and Tanner have a thing going that benefits both of you sexually. I''m just warning you to keep in mind that you shouldn''t be possessive of him, especially since you know the sex-based relationship you have with him is ending once one of you leaves."


    "How do you deal with it?" I start undressing.


    "Why do you think you always get the notice at the same time every Saturday?" Ian asks. "I''ve set aside a three-hour period each week where the two of us get together. Because it''s the same time on the same day every week, it''s easier for me to associate the possessiveness with just that time block. Do I sometimes have moments of contempt for those who might have an interest in him outside of it? Yes. But because it''s just a three-hour time block where we''re together and not ''whenever'', it''s easier for me to push them down. And once it ends between us, it won''t take me long to push away the association with that time block and my possessiveness of him.


    "You, on the other hand," he says. "Started feeling contempt towards those hanging out with Tanner just seeing them. You know that we display possessiveness differently, Cas. Be careful with that. The normies won''t understand what''s going on, and Tanner wouldn''t, either."


    "Yeah, yeah," I''m done undressing, so I head into the kitchen, where Ian''s preparing dinner. "If you need to, just lock me up for however long it takes for me to get over the possessive feeling."


    "That''s not how it''s gonna work," he snorts as I start pulling his shirt off, Ian setting the knife down for a moment so I can pull his arms through his shirt before working it out through the apron strap around his neck. "Plus, it won''t be long after you leave him that the Revelation occurs unless something happens to move it up sooner, and after that, it would be extremely easy for you to lose that possessiveness."


    I push his shorts and blue boxer-briefs down, and he steps out of them. I toss his clothes into my bedroom, then wrap my arms around his waist, sliding them under the apron as I rest my chin on his shoulder, as he returns to work.


    He''s right, and I hate it. I didn''t realize I was getting possessive of Tanner until Ian brought it up, but it''s true. And it''s also true that we display possessiveness differently from other people, which is probably why no one around us has noticed my feelings of it for Tanner.


    There''s really nothing to do for it now, and none of it will matter once Tanner and I part ways, especially after the Revelation. Ian''s right about that. I''ll deal with the aftermath once it comes.


    For now, though, I won''t really change anything. Tanner would probably get suspicious and think I''m having an inferiority complex or something due to him being a Sigil-Bearer, and that might cause complications. Nothing really needs changing, either. Me being possessive of Tanner won''t result in a toxic atmosphere, especially now that I''m aware it''s occurred.


    Mostly, I''ll just be condescending to those who think they actually have a chance with him, especially if they''re normies. I''m special, and that''s why Tanner doesn''t have an issue doing stuff with me. Has he he stopped to wonder why he''s taken an interest in me? Probably. Does he think it''s just because it''s me and not others? Probably. I''m not a Sigil-Bearer, but he''s not going to think too hard on why he actually has an attraction for me.


    Ian definitely had the better idea. Never get with someone enough times to develop the possessiveness we''d get over them, except for one person, and make sure it''s associated with a set time and place, too. Oh, well. What''s done is done.


    As Ian cooks, I just hang about him, mostly hugging him from behind except when that''s in the way. It feels nice, being able to hold him like this. I should''ve give up living among the normies years ago, I really could have. But then stuff happened and I ended up needing to stay out here for a personal project.


    Ian doesn''t know all the details, but-


    "Yes, I do, Cas," Ian snorts. "Though I didn''t until earlier. I noticed a few birds acting unusually and tracked them, watched them return to the garden. Wasn''t hard to glean the information from there."


    "I suppose it was only a matter of time," I sigh, then lightly knock my head against his. "Get out of my head."


    "Sure, sure," he says, and I make sure to check to see that he''s actually left. He has. If I focus, I can always tell when someone is in my head. Anyone could, if the knew what to look for, but most don''t. "Come on, dinner''s ''bout done."


    I get us some drinks and help Ian serve the food, then he pulls off the apron and we sit at the table to eat, digging in. After we finish dinner, we wash the dishes, then move back to my bed. As soon as we''re on it, I push Ian down and start kissing him.

 Chapter 018

    As I kiss Ian, I grind our dicks together, keeping our bodies touching as much as possible without being uncomfortable.


    When I feel myself getting close, I start kissing down Ian, making sure to kiss each of his nipples, to gently tug on them with my teeth before licking around them. Like me, Ian is sensitive in his nipples, and he lets out soft moans as my teasing. I gently bite each one again, then return to kissing my way down him.


    Upon reaching his massive dick, I begin kissing it as well. Ian lets out more soft moans as I go from the base to the tip, then back down, then kiss his smooth balls. After kissing both of them, I begin licking them, making sure they''re nice and wet with my saliva before taking his right one into my mouth and gently tugging on it as I add suction.


    The sound of Ian''s moan increases, and I release his ball before giving the same treatment to the other. Once I finish with that, I kiss both balls again, then start kissing his dick, from base to tip and back down. Back at the bottom, I turn my head sideways and take the width of his dick into my mouth, making sure my teeth don''t scrape it.


    Immediately, Ian snaps a hand onto my head, pushing his fingers into my hair as his other hand plays with one of his nipples, the two of us meeting gazes. Ian really likes it when I add some suction like this, even if I don''t actually have his dick in my mouth properly.


    Licking the section of the underside of his dick in my mouth while in this position, I use one hand to pull back the foreskin and start rubbing the sensitive head. Ian''s moans intensify, as does the pressure he''s putting on my head.


    A few times, I adjust my oral grip on his dick, moving up and down a little, until Ian''s practically squirming. He''s leaking precum, which I''m rubbing over the head of his dick as well, and once I know he''s ready, I release his dick with both my mouth and my hand and kiss up to the head of it, taking it into my mouth and tasting his salty precum.


    With how thick his dick is, I have to be careful not to scrape him at all. I can''t take him all the way down, either, I don''t have nearly enough practice for that, considering his is the only dick I''ve tasted, but that doesn''t matter. The few inches of it I can manage is all that''s needed, especially with the foreplay I gave Ian.


    It takes only a few minutes for his breathing to become short and quick with a slight grunt-moan mixture accompanying each exhale, the pressure he''s putting on my head increasing yet again.


    "Mnnh!" Ian moans loudly as he hits his climax.


    Something hot, thick, and salty shoots out of his dick and onto my tongue and into my throat. His cum, his delicious, if a little salty, cum. I swallow everything I can and continue sucking him for another minute, though it''s not necessary to keep him hard. If he''s not done with sex, he''ll stay up. He''ll even keep making cum at an inhuman rate. Anyone he''s having sex with will, too, each orgasm like it''s their first.


    I pull off of Ian and slide up him, kissing his lips as he wraps his legs and arms around me. He makes a sudden jerking motion, and we''re suddenly in the air, flipping over. We land with me on my back and him on top of me, and he grinds his dick against me for a moment before grabbing the lube off the shelf with my alarm clock.


    Ian spreads my legs as he kneels between them, then he lubes himself up as I lift my legs, resting them against his sides. He guides himself into my ass, and I let out a soft moan of pleasure and appreciation at how much it fills and stretches me. He wastes absolutely no time pushing all the way in, not bothering to give me time to adjust.


    That''s fine, though, because I love the way he feels in me. I start playing with my nipples as Ian begins thrusting, sliding back and forth inside of me and against my prostate, but that doesn''t last long. Pushing my hands away, Ian begins teasing my nipples with his thumbs.


    Having already been pushed to my edge, I reach my climax, shooting my cum onto us, though mostly onto me, onto my face, my neck, my chest, my stomach. My ass clenches around Ian''s dick as I climax and he stops thrusting. Once I finish, Ian leans forward and kisses me, slowly fucking me while still teasing my nipples, now with more than just his thumbs.


    The slower fucking that comes with this position feels different. Just as pleasurable, but the pleasure given is different from when it''s faster. It''s more intimate, especially with him kissing me like this.


    As Ian builds up to his climax, I feel him start to thrust a little faster as he kisses me and plays with my nipples more aggressively. I make sure to rub his back a little roughly as he does, and soon after, he hits his climax, thrusting into me hard and moaning into my mouth as he fills my ass with cum.


    Ian doesn''t pull out at first, just resumes pushing himself back and forth inside of me. When I move my hands from his back to his chest, tweaking his nipples, he pulls away from me, smiling with lust still in his eyes, mixed in with his love. He pulls out of my ass and climbs off my bed, picking me up. I wrap my legs around him, feeling his dick under my ass as he carries me to the bathroom.


    We enter the shower and he sets me down, then turns on the water. There''s no sex here in the shower, just a lot of groping and washing each other off, with Ian making sure to clean my ass pretty thoroughly.


    Cleaned up, we return to my bed and climb onto it, snuggling against each other. We''re both still horny, but we''ll wait for the next round until later. For a few minutes, we just cuddle, then I get up and head into the kitchen to get us both some water.


    Maybe I should fill up a pitcher and bring it into the bedroom along with the glasses? I did make a mental note after the last time he visited to do that, even bought an extra pitcher just for that purpose, since my other one is usually in use with either lemonade or strawberry lemonade in it.


    As I''m pulling the pitcher out of the cabinet, there''s a knock on my door.


    "That''s probably Tanner," I tell Ian.


    "Let him in," Ian says, and I set the pitcher besides the cups I''ve already grabbed. "I don''t mind if he sees me naked, and it''s not like he hasn''t seen you naked. Besides, he''s cute enough for a threesome."


    Yeah, Ian definitely has an interest in that with Tanner. Probably because¡­ well, never mind.


    I open the door, keeping myself behind it, and Tanner enters, raising an eyebrow as he notices I''m naked already.


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    "Are you in a better mood?" He asks as I grab a third cup from the cabinet.


    He can probably tell I am because we''re too close for me to not be in his minimum range, he''s probably hoping I''ll explain.


    "Much," I answer as I fill the pitcher with water and he removes his shoes.


    "That''s good," he says. "You seemed kind of¡­ wait, those boots don''t look like yours."


    "Yo!" Ian calls from the bedroom.


    "Ian''s here," I tell a shocked-looking Tanner. "He decided to stop by for a surprise."


    "Ah," he says, then his face flushes. "Ah. That explains the, ah, content feeling you''re having."


    And the horny, but he probably doesn''t want to say that with Ian here.


    "Come on," I grab the cups and pitcher, then head into my room, Tanner following.


    I set everything on the table, then head back into the kitchen.


    "Gonna grab some snacks," I say. "Make yourself comfortable."


    "Want to do a threesome?" Ian asks as I open the fridge, and I focus on what''s in the fridge rather than sneaking looks at Tanner''s reaction. "Don''t look so shocked, Cas told me he showed you the text. I was serious. You''re pretty sexy."


    "Um," Tanner says hesitantly as I pull out the grapes, strawberries, and blueberries that were sorted into bowls. Those weren''t here before. "Well, I mean, I don''t know how that would work. Would-"


    "I''d bottom," I close the fridge and walk back into the bedroom, setting the snacks on the table. "Of course. We''d just do what we feel like. Don''t feel pressured to do it. Just have a seat and snack, you can decide if you want."


    "And get naked if you want," Ian adds as I sit beside him again. "But you don''t have to do anything you don''t feel comfortable with. Cas and I are mostly just wanting to try a threesome at least once. If you''re not comfortable being the third, that''s fine."


    "Okay," Tanner says. "Let me think about it for a minute."


    He does undress, however, allowing us see that he''s pretty hard, though it''s understandable in this situation. We snack and hydrate for a few minutes, then Tanner stands and tells us that he wants to give it a try.


    "How do we do this?" He asks.


    "Like this!" Ian shifts around, moving my pillows.


    Ian has Tanner lie on the bed on his back, with his head on my pillows to support him a little. Then, he lubes up Tanner pretty well before having me lie on Tanner, my back to his chest, so that we''re facing the same direction. Ian makes sure Tanner''s dick goes into my ass once I''m in position, and after feeling Ian in me, it''s not as good. At least, for now, probably because I''m still a little loose from Ian''s much thicker one.


    After that, Ian lubes himself up, then kneels between our legs and pushes himself into me.


    "Mnnh!" I moan at the feeling, clenching my jaw just a little bit.


    It doesn''t hurt, but it''s certainly a more filling feeling. Ian wastes no time getting to work on thrusting, sliding against my sweet spot, his motions a little slower than they were in our recent session, probably because it''s so much tighter than before, having a second dick in there. Tanner''s moaning under me and has wrapped his arms around me. Ian leans forward and starts playing with my nipples as he thrusts.


    I reach up and start playing with Ian''s nipples, the two of us staring into each other''s eyes. Tanner''s grip on me suddenly tightens, and I feel an extra wetness inside of me as Ian continues thrusting. Since Tanner hasn''t gotten off since this morning, it makes sense he''d hit his climax first.


    When I feel mine drawing close, I alert Ian with a special tweak of his nipples, so he knows to slow down and prepare for the clenching. Once it hits, he stops thrusting entirely and I shoot my cum onto him, my loads hitting his chest and stomach, a little bit dropping down onto me at the end. The moment I finish, Ian starts thrusting again, a little bit faster now that I''ve loosened up somewhat.


    Ian''s thrusting picks up speed more as his grunt-like moans pick up the pace, his breathing shortening, becoming quicker and harder as he nears his own climax. Once he finally hits it, he thrusts all the way in and lets out a longer, more sensual moan as I feel him releasing his load inside of me again.


    Finished, Ian pulls out and kisses me, helping me off of Tanner. I clench my ass once I''m standing in an attempt to not leak as much, and we look at the empath, who seems to be in a daze.


    "I think we broke him," I poke Tanner''s chest, and Ian wraps his arms around me from behind, his still-hard dick rubbing my ass. "Mnh. Maybe after he leaves, we can go again. Let me tighten back up."


    "Maybe we don''t have to wait," Ian kisses my neck. "There are ways to tighten you back up without waiting. Stop poking him."


    "Let''s take a shower," I say. "Tanner, come on, we''re all sweaty and gross now, and a shower will do you good."


    Tanner just moans softly. I guess having sex with Ian and me was a bit too much for someone like him? One of us is probably more than enough. He probably wouldn''t have this issue with two Sigil-Bearers, but I forgot the effect we can have, especially since he''s an empath. Tanner might be able to separate other peoples'' emotions from his own, but he had to deal with Ian and me, probably a bad combination.


    "Here," Ian releases me and grabs one of Tanner''s hands. "I''ll help you up."


    Ian pulls, and there''s a sudden crack at that moment. Tanner''s mouth opens, but before he can scream, I clamp my hand over his mouth to stifle the scream. These walls are soundproofed pretty well, which is why no one''s figured out Tanner and I have been doing it, but we also haven''t done an ear-piercing scream before.


    Ian accidentally gripped too hard and broke Tanner''s hand, probably in several places. It''s probably beyond the repair a doctor could manage, too. There''s no doubt he crushed some of the bones into dust.


    As Tanner whimpers, a glow forms under Ian''s hand as he loosens his grip, running his fingers over the empath''s palm, fingers, and the back of his hand, the glow following his fingers. At first, Tanner''s hand is deformed, the damage obvious. But as the glow travels, the hand rights itself, returning to normal.


    After finishing healing Tanner''s hand, Ian pulls his hand away and I release Tanner''s mouth.


    "Sorry," Ian tells him. "I wasn''t paying attention and forgot to control my strength."


    Tanner slowly sits up, the daze from having sex with both of us at once and feeling our no-doubt overwhelming lust and love for each other gone due to the pain. He stares at Ian with eyes wide in shock, probably because Ian''s supposed to be a technokinetic.


    "You''re a Triple?" Tanner asks. "I thought they were myths?"


    "I''m not a Triple," Ian says.


    "But-you just used a healing ability!" Tanner exclaims. "My hand was definitely broken! The only way you could do that is if you had healing powers! And with those looks, a healing ability means you don''t just look like the God of Death, you are him! You''re Theodore! Nick said the Sigil Gods go by their middle names. I don''t know why I didn''t put the two together. Probably because he said you''re a technokinetic. Unless that''s a lie? But I''ve never picked up on a lie from Nick, so-"


    I cover his mouth again and he stops. I look at Ian.


    "Mind wipe?" I suggest.


    "No," Ian snorts. "Let''s take a shower, Tanner, then I''ll explain after."


    I pull Tanner''s hand away, and though it''s clear that he wants to press for more, he agrees to wait until after we clean up. The three of us do fit into the shower, though it''s a bit of a squeeze. We waste no time washing each other, except for maybe when Ian and kiss and grope each other. After finishing the shower, we dry off and return to my room, Ian and I sitting on my bed as Tanner sits on the other side of the table, the three of us snacking and rehydrating.


    "Yes," Ian says. "I''m the Sigil God of Death. But I''m not a Triple. I have a single ability."


    "But if you''re Theodore," Tanner says. "Then that means you have two, life and death. And if you really have tehnokinesis, then you''re a Triple."


    "Life and death are two sides of a coin," I say. "A powerful enough healer can wield the powers of death as well."


    Tanner frowns, then his frown deepens even more.


    "But you also asked about a mind wipe," Tanner looks at me. "If he can do that-"


    "My power isn''t ''life'' or ''death'' or ''technokinesis''," Ian tells him. "It''s nothing so trivial."


    "Nothing so trivial?" Tanner asks. "What do you mean? How are powers over life and death trivial?"


    "My power," Ian says. "And the power of the other Sigil Gods, is ''wizardry''."

 Chapter 019

    For a moment, Tanner just stares, probably attempting to figure out if Ian is messing with him or not. He''s probably using that training he''s done the last couple of weeks to look at our mental states separately to try to determine if Ian''s being honest.


    "How does¡­ that power work?" Tanner slowly asks.


    "It''s a single ability," Ian explains. "That covers a wide variety of things. We''re able to ''learn'' how to use the different abilities, though it''s a little more complex than that. Before we became public, before the Federation discovered us, the three of us agreed to take on separate roles. One of the powers of darkness and light, one of the powers of death and life, and one of the powers of chaos and order. Also, only mine''s referred to as ''wizardry''. The ladies'' is referred to as ''witchcraft''. Technically, the power is actually just ''spellcasting''."


    "So you can use pretty much any ability?" Tanner asks.


    "As long as we''ve learned it," Ian nods. "We''re also able to sense the powers of everyone else. The more powerful they are, the greater this sense is. You''re wondering if there''s really no fourth Sigil God. There isn''t, it''s just the three of us. While you might be trustworthy, Tanner, I''m going to have to put a spell on you to prevent you from telling others, especially regarding who I am."


    "A spell?" Tanner suddenly looks nervous.


    "Just a mind spell," I tell him. "That binds you into keeping a secret. Nothing else. It''s standard protocol. Everyone he''s had sex with except for me has had it placed on him due to the nature of who they slept with. It''s the main reason no one''s able to try and blackmail him ¨C they''re literally incapable of it."


    While many people would probably see a moral issue with that, the Sigil-Gods aren''t exactly heroes. They run by their own morals, and just like me, they''ll do what it takes to protect themselves. No matter the lengths it requires.


    Ian clears his throat.


    "Spells are what we refer to the abilities of the three of us," Ian tells Tanner. "It''s not any different from an ability that does the same thing, we just call it something different because it''s not our actual ability, but something we learned because of our ability."


    "Oh," Tanner says.


    "It''s mostly to protect any secrets," Ian tells Tanner. "The secret-sealing spell. You''ll still know that I''m Theodore and how my power really works, but you won''t be able to tell anyone. That''s it. Nothing harmful."


    "Okay," Tanner nods. "I guess you''ll do it before you leave?"


    "I did it in the shower," Ian informs him. "To ensure that you wouldn''t try to resist, mentally. It''d be annoying if you did, since you''re an empath. Even a subconscious resistance can be problematic, and you aren''t that weak. I''m powerful enough to power through it, but that would be painful to you."


    "Oh," Tanner says. "By the way, did your ability have anything to do with the way I felt during the sex?"


    "No," Ian answers. "You were picking up on our lust pretty hard, and because you were horny, you basically let it overwhelm you. You need to gain better control over your power to prevent that from feelings that are too strong, especially when the sources are that close to you and there''s multiple of them."


    That''s the best way to explain the reason without revealing other information to Tanner, information neither of us wants public.


    "Okay," Tanner nods, then grabs a grape and pops it into his mouth, chewing for a few moments. After swallowing it, he seems to think of something. "Um. You can sense the powers of others? Doesn''t that mean you know who the empathic healer is?"


    "Yeah," Ian tells him. "The three of us Sigil Gods and Cas are the only ones who do, so the empathic healer doesn''t have to worry about it. I''ve cast a little spell to prevent the Klen from finding out their identity, too."


    "Wait," Tanner looks at me. "You know who they are? For how long? You''ve acted like-"


    Ian clears his throat to interrupt Tanner, who looks at him.


    "There''s a spell on Cas to prevent him from revealing it," Ian explains. "Which is why your empathic ability to detect lies wouldn''t have picked up on him knowing their identity. Mind spells are actually easy for someone who focuses on the powers of life and death, and I was able to do it rather easily even years ago."


    "Oh," Tanner says. "But Nick, you tell journalists that they have to be the first person to introduce you to the empathic healer in order to get to do the interview about the incident with your parents."


    "None of them will be the first," Ian smiles. "I teleported Cas to the empathic healer years ago. Introduced him myself."


    "When?" Tanner asks in clear confusion.


    "When we were ten," I answer. "Shortly after we began the site. It was a brief introduction, at a park. I''d honestly forgotten about it until now, actually. Chances are, he''s forgotten about it, too."


    Ian snorts, then lightly bops me on the head. It''s true, though. I''d seriously forgotten that Ian already introduced me to the empathic healer.


    "To be honest, I''d never intended on letting anyone do the interview in the first place," I tell Tanner. "I already have the article written up, along with a few other major ones, including the one about Ali."


    "You have an article about Ali?" Tanner asks. "Does she know?"


    "I''d be concerned if she didn''t, considering that I interviewed her for it."


    "Oh," Tanner stands and looks at Ian and me. "I need to¡­ go think about things."


    "That''s fine," I tell him as he starts dressing. "Ian has to leave tonight. Are you meeting up with me again in the morning for more training?"


    "Yeah," he answers. "I''m not upset or turned off to you or anything. I actually did enjoy the threesome, but I think I need a little time to process everything I''ve learned this afternoon."


    "Alright," I say. "See you."


    Tanner finishes dressing, then leaves, and I immediately turn and push Ian back, kissing him. We make out for a little bit, then he pushes me off of him and goes into the kitchen to cook some more food. I don''t blame him, we did sort of work up a little bit more of an appetite.


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    As Ian cooks, I lie back on my bed, closing my eyes and resting my left arm on my forehead, pulling my right foot up so that it''s by my left knee, my right knee bent upwards. This is a comfortable thinking position for me.


    Tanner isn''t the only one who needs to do some thinking. Ian might be powerful, but he can''t just go and locate Wyatt. There are limitations on him and his powers, ones that shouldn''t be ignored until after the Revelation.


    Wyatt''s powerful enough to evade the notice of a Sigil God, even through a camera. There''s a good chance no one other than me saw him there earlier. Will he stay in town? Or will he flee now that he''s been sighted by someone?


    What will the big attempt on my life be?


    Then there''s Erin. Sure, Wyatt said they don''t need her because of their own prophet, but I''m still certain they''ll want to use her against me.


    "Do you really have to leave so soon?" I ask.


    "Worried something will happen you can''t handle?" Ian asks.


    "Yeah."


    "Don''t worry," Ian says. "I checked with Katie, she''s confirmed nothing will happen that you can''t handle."


    Katie, the Sigil Goddess of Chaos. Ian specializes in magics dealing with life or death, including mind magics. She specializes in magics dealing with creating order or chaos, including prophetic powers, allowing her to make predictions, look at patterns, and glean information. When the Sigil Gods need to make sure of something, she''s the one who checks with her powers.


    There''s no one more reliable than Katie when it comes to that.


    "Alright," I say, then after a few moments, sigh. "I''m tired of lying."


    "Cas," Ian says. "You could always give up what you''re doing here."


    "Not until my promise to Ali is kept," I say. "And now, I want to help Tanner get a grip on his power."


    "Understandable," Ian says. "You''re viewing him more as property than a person, now. It''s in your nature to want to make sure he has full control over his abilities because of that."


    Property that doesn''t fully function isn''t good and needs fixing. It''s a bad mindset to have, but not one that''s going to go away anytime soon. Ian''s the same way, and if we could have shaken off these mindsets, we would have years ago.


    Fortunately, I''m able to moderate this viewpoint of Tanner just by helping him train his ability, and nothing more. Without pushing him or anything, just giving him advice because he''s asking for it, I''m able to do so in a way that''s not toxic, either.


    "Speaking of his abilities," I say. "He probably forgot about it because of, well, the surprise of you being here, the threesome, and then the things he learned, but he wanted me to ask you if there was more he could do. He''s getting decent at being able to focus on specific minds and tune out weaker ones, but he''s also a little impatient."


    I don''t blame him. If I had an ability and hated it, and it was always active, I''d be a little impatient in finding a way to turn it off, too. The more powerful he becomes with his ability, the easier it''ll become for him to tune things out. However, simply focusing and pushing his range to the maximum are slow ways of training it.


    Very slow. Passive abilities are always slower to train than active ones, and even though he can adjust his empathy and focus on certain things or tune things out, it''s still a passive power that he has.


    "There are," Ian answers. "If you go to the branched-out abilities he could wield, though I don''t know if he''s strong enough to use them."


    "You know he is."


    "I meant mentally," Ian corrects. "Not in his ability. Branched abilities do help grow the main ability, since they''re just another way of applying it. The two that would be within his reach are telepathy, which is reading someone''s thoughts instead of their emotions, and empathic control."


    The ability to manipulate emotions in others.


    Yeah, I can understand why Tanner might not be mentally strong enough to use those. He already hates feeling emotions because it feels like he''s prying into personal things, and thoughts are even more personal than that. As for controlling emotions, that would probably upset him as well considering it''s influencing different emotions in someone else. It can be considered a form of mind control.


    "Could always have him train it on animals," I say. "He''d probably be more willing to learn that."


    "Probably," Ian says.


    "What are you making?" I ask.


    "Dessert," he answers. "We''ll be having cheesecake. Thankfully, you didn''t grab all of the blueberries and strawberries I''d brought."


    "I figured the ones still in the packages were meant for something," I tell him. "So I let them be. What kind of cheesecake?"


    "Blueberry cheesecake," he answers. "With a white chocolate chip and shortbread crust, which will be served with slices of strawberry on top along with a strawberry cream cheese drizzle."


    "Sounds delicious," I say.


    "It is," he tells me. "Spent a couple of weeks experimenting to come up with the recipe."


    Ian continues working as I just continue thinking about things. Should I leave with Ian tonight? It might make things a lot easier for me, especially where Tanner''s concerned. I''ll only be a vague memory once I''m gone, so it''s not like anyone here would be hurt.


    But at the same time, I''d feel guilty. I made a promise to Ali and made a commitment to help Tanner.


    If I just up and left without following through on the commitments I''ve made, it''d make me a bad person.


    The next thing I know, Ian''s climbing onto my bed, kissing me.


    "Dessert''s in the oven," he kisses my neck. "I''ll use some aerokinesis and other tricks to cool it off without ruining it so we can enjoy it within minutes, once it''s done."


    I''m sure he''ll decide to skip those tricks and go straight to manipulating the time for the cheesecake, to accelerate its cooling even faster. Since it affects the actual time of the cheesecake, the cooling is as natural as if it had been let to cool in that spot overnight. Aerokinesis would probably just be used to imitate a fridge for the space that''s being manipulated.


    "Cool," I turn on my side and stare into those entrancing green eyes of his. "Am I doing the right thing?"


    "That''s for you to decide, Cas," Ian says. "In the grand scheme of things? It won''t matter what you decide to do. Stay or leave, the prophecy can come true, the Revelation will happen, and we''ll become vague memories to those who knew us."


    "What do you think the Elders think of things?" I ask, and he snorts.


    "Don''t worry about what the Elders think," he tells me as he slides one arm under me and drapes the other over me, pulling me against him in a warm hug. "They don''t matter here, Cas, you know that. They''re a bunch of old farts watching the world from afar. I can do whatever I want, love whoever I want. If they really had an issue with me messing with what I''ve been doing these last eighteen years, they''d have put a stop to it. They don''t really care, though. Plus, they''re a little lazy."


    "Careful," I kiss him on the cheek. "They may try to smite you for it."


    "Nah," he nuzzles me. "At most, they''d just punish me after the Revelation. Seriously, though, Cas. Do what you want to do, be who you want to be, act how you want to act. You''ve made a promise and a commitment, if you want to follow through with them, then do so. It really doesn''t matter. Have your own projects while we wait. I do."


    Closing my eyes, I just enjoy his smell. It''s of a forest, rich and earthy with hints of something sweet to it. It''s the only smell he''ll ever have, no foul body odor, no cologne, no smell from soap or shampoo or anything. Just the smell of a place full of life.


    If I did leave, how guilty would I feel over breaking my promise and abandoning my commitment? In the end, I decide that I''d probably feel most guilty about Jay.


    "Ah, yes, your little Blue Jay," Ian chuckles. "He''s more capable than you give him credit for, Cas."


    "I can''t help but think of him as the kid I rescued," I admit. "So weak and frail and scared. Now, he butchers chicken, fish, and rabbits regularly just to eat, with the occasional deer thrown in. Even knowing that, my mind still goes back to the broken and damaged body he had when I found him. But you''re right, he''s actually pretty capable. I probably don''t have anything to worry about, even if the Klen did find him."


    "They have," Ian snorts.


    "What?" I start to pull away.


    "He killed them and removed all traces of those who located him," Ian holds me tight. "Well, he found them, but it''s basically the same thing in terms of the end result. He doesn''t want you to worry about him, Cas, and the Klen believes you''re responsible for it."


    "Oh."


    "Yeah," he says. "You can safely leave here, Cas, but I know you want to hold to your promise to Ali. It''s only until sometime this summer, you said."


    "Yeah," I nuzzle him again. "Whether or not Tanner''s managed to control his power enough to be okay with it by the time my promise to Ali is done, I''m leaving. I never intended on getting that committed to helping him."


    "Cool," Ian kisses me, then reaches up onto the shelf. "We have at least forty minutes until dessert''s done, and it might be another month before we can get together again."


    "Forty minutes might not be enough time."


    "We''ll make it work."

 Chapter 020

    Turning over on my side, I stare at the empty spot beside me. Ian left during the night, first to go deal with some stuff with the Klen, then to head over to Brazil. Apparently, there''s a situation down there, and neither of the other Sigil Gods are free to handle it. One''s in Japan dealing with volcanoes someone''s trying to set off, and the other''s in Russia, dealing with a glacier that''s attempting to gain sentience.


    I suppose a hurricane was accidentally formed by a young Sigil-Bearer and which caused a lot of damage and casualties counts as an emergency, so it''s forgivable. That wasn''t what Ian had to go deal with before, it was apparently new.


    On the plus side, he did return here before leaving the second time. Part of the reason was to take a shower, but another was to let me know he had to go so that I didn''t just wake up and find him gone.


    It''s still a little depressing, though, and makes me contemplate abandoning my promise to Ali and commitment to Tanner. But a moment after thinking that, I push those thoughts aside. It''s only a couple of more months at the most, I can wait it out.


    Besides, I''m needed here in town. Ian probably dealt with the threat to me last night, but that doesn''t change the fact that the Klen is here. As long as they''re here, there''s a danger present. With what Ian told me about Jay, though, it might not be that bad.


    I''ll see how things go.


    Having decided that, I get out of bed and fix myself a hearty breakfast, making sure to include some of the fruits and berries Ian left. One benefit to dating Ian: I sometimes get things even Jay doesn''t grow. Maybe I''ll have Ian send me some berry bushes so that I can give them to Jay?


    Something to think about. Even if I''m leaving in the next couple of months, I''m sure Jay would love to have some more things to grow and eat.


    After breakfast, I wash my dishes and put them away, then dress for the day. Just as I''m preparing to head out, my phone rings. Checking it, I see that it''s Tabitha, so I answer it.


    "Good morning, Tabitha," I say.


    "Mind meeting me for breakfast?" She asks. "At the breakfast cafe down the street from the sandwich cafe?"


    "Sure," I answer. "I can be there in about thirty."


    "Thanks," she says. "I''ll see you then."


    She ends the call, so I hang up and pocket my phone, then pull on my backpack and head downstairs. Tanner''s waiting by the security guard desk, though I''m guessing he only just arrived.


    "Tabitha wants to meet up with me for breakfast," I tell him as we leave the building. "We can head into the ruins after. Ian had a new suggestion for how to train your ability."


    "Okay," Tanner says.


    We walk down to the cafe and head over to the table Tabitha''s sitting at with a cup of coffee in front of her. Erin''s not here, thank goodness, though I''m sure she''s already realized how easy it was for me to have additional guards assigned to her. Ian let me know before he left this morning that Dana assigned ten Sigil-Bearers to her and had them flown out in a supersonic transport plane-jet-thingy I''ve never really understood. They were dropped off at the airport in the nearest city, then driven out here.


    "Good morning, Tabitha," I say.


    "Good morning, Nick," she says, then inclines her head towards Tanner. "Hello, Tanner. Sorry about yesterday, my daughter isn''t the most pleasant of people."


    "Erin did something after I left?" I ask.


    "Nothing to worry about," Tanner tells me. "Hello, Tabitha."


    "How have you been?" Tabitha asks me. "From what I heard, you haven''t changed much."


    "I haven''t," I answer. "There''s been nothing new since we talked a couple of years ago."


    "Oh, really?" She looks at Tanner.


    "It''s a beneficial relationship," I state. "I help him avoid being followed when he goes to train his ability so that he can keep it a secret."


    "That sounds like it benefits him," she says. "Sounds like it''s only beneficial, not mutually-beneficial."


    "It''s mutually-beneficial," I state.


    "What do you get from it?" She asks. "Not saying I don''t trust him, Nick, but I still care for you, even if I''m not around."


    You won''t care about me that much after the Revelation, though, because I''ll only be a vague memory. You''ll know you had a nephew who lived here that you sometimes saw, but that''ll probably be all you can remember about me. Eventually, I''d probably even fade from your mind.


    But that''s not for here and now, and she does care about me, despite leaving me to my own devices and the school.


    "I know," I tell her. "Regarding what I get from it? Well, I get to hang out with someone who isn''t full of himself and doesn''t want to leech off of others. He might be a Sigil-Bearer, but he''s still rather good company who''s more humble in regards to his status as one. I can actually tolerate him."


    There are other things I get out of it, like the sex, but that''s not a ''payment''. It''s just part of us being friends with benefits. She probably won''t have an issue with it, though I''m not going to mention it to her.


    "Plus, I can beat him at most games he tries to play with me," I say. "Being a Sigil-Bearer doesn''t help him in poker or video games."


    "We''ve never played poker," Tanner says, then looks at Tabitha. "Nick''s just trying to come up with a reason for hanging out with me other than that he can tolerate me. He won''t admit it, but he actually does enjoy company from time to time."


    A waiter stops by to ask us what we we want, and we all order pancakes, with Tanner and me ordering sausage on the side, Tanner ordering some bacon on the side, and Tabitha ordering bacon and eggs on the side. Our tastes in pancakes are different. I get strawberry-banana, Tanner gets blueberry with strawberries, and Tabitha gets chocolate-chip. Tanner and I both order orange juice while Tabitha has her coffee and will probably just get refills.


    The pancakes Tanner and I ordered aren''t normally on the menu, so I''m guessing that the fruits and berries were ordered specially by a store in town because of all the guests we''ll be having over the next week. Graduation usually pulls in a crowd, and stores and restaurants will want to serve something good for them.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I make a mental note to check out the stores either after we leave here or sometime in the next day and buy what I can. Ian dropped off some stuff, but that doesn''t mean it''ll last very long, especially if I''m feeding both myself and Tanner. His were probably fresher than the ones from the store.


    "It''s hard to find good company," I tell Tabitha after the waiter leaves. "And Tanner understands that we''re basically done once either he leaves or I do. It prevented an unhealthy attachment from being formed."


    At least, as far as Tanner knows. From what I can tell, he''s still viewing us as friends with benefits that will end once he has control over his power and leaves. That, and because he knows I''m planning on moving in with Ian at some point this summer, so he knows that even if he stayed, he''d be separated from me.


    "You''re planning on leaving?" Tabitha asks.


    "Yeah," I answer. "I''m moving in with my boyfriend sometime this summer."


    "You''re gay?" She seems a little surprised. "Wait, you have a boyfriend? And they don''t live here?"


    We talk so infrequently that I guess I forgot to let her know I was moving. At the latest, it would be the next time she made plans to come out here and visit, she always calls me at least one to three months in advance, before actually booking the flight and hotel.


    "His name is Ian," I tell her. "We''ve known each other for years, but it''s long-distance. He does try to visit once a month, though. He works for the Federation, in cybersecurity. He was actually just out here, you missed him."


    Tanner very obviously tries not to snort, and Tabitha gives him a curious look for a moment before taking a sip of her coffee.


    "Well," she says. "I''m happy you''ve found someone, Nick. How long have you two been together? Do you think marriage is in the future?"


    "How long we''ve been together is complicated to figure out," I tell her. "As for marriage¡­ yes, we''ll be getting married."


    "Make sure to invite me," she says. "I''ll make sure to leave Erin at home."


    "I will," I lie.


    There''s no way Tabitha would be able to attend a wedding between Ian and me. It won''t happen until after the Revelation, and she wouldn''t even know who I am then.


    The way Tanner shifts next to me reveals that he picked up on the lie, but he doesn''t say anything. He probably will once we leave here, though, most likely to ask why I won''t be inviting her. I''m not looking forward to that discussion.


    "Do you know when it will be?" Tabitha asks.


    "Probably towards the end of summer," I answer as our waiter returns with our food.


    Our food is put down and the waiter leaves, then we begin eating.


    "How''s Jared?" I ask after a few minutes of silent eating, causing Tabitha to look at me in surprise.


    Jared''s her husband, who she married only a year ago. She never told me about him, probably because she felt that I interacted with her and Erin little enough that I probably wouldn''t care about someone I''d never met.


    "Ian works cybersecurity for the Federation," I say. "And Erin has Federation protection at all times. He let me know about the wedding once the marriage was reported."


    "Oh," Tabitha says. "He''s doing well, he''s with Erin right now, though she gets along with him about as well as she gets along with you. I don''t know where I went wrong with her."


    "Some people are just naturally that way," I say. "There''s nothing you can do about it except deal with it and try to minimize the problems that arise as a result. When someone has a form of power over others, there''s always the chance it''ll get to their head. Erin''s one of those cases. I happen to be on pretty good terms with several Sigil-Bearers, none of whom are the same as Erin."


    Ali, Tanner, and Jay are all examples of Sigil-Bearers who didn''t let it go to their head. Wyatt is an example of one who let it go way beyond just to his head. That one encounter with him tells me that he''s probably a thousand times worse than Erin.


    Remembering that Wyatt is probably still here in town, and that Ian couldn''t locate him with the powers available to him at the moment, sours my mood somewhat. I''m not looking forward to the things which will happen as a result of his presence here.


    Ian did everything he could without going to an absurd level or getting into too much trouble, but that means the Klen is still here. Them, and many of their Sigil-Bearers and soldiers. He did do his best to stop the danger to me and others, but there''s only so much he can do right now.


    Though after the Revelation, none of it will matter. The Klen won''t be gone, they just won''t matter to me anymore. I''m sure Tanner will be off on his own, happy with his control over his power, by then. He''s adjusting to it quickly now that he''s been training, and the next stages of his training will probably help him acquire the control he''s seeking.


    "Some of us don''t want our powers," Tanner mutters under his breath, quietly enough that Tabitha didn''t hear it.


    The three Sigil-Bearers guarding her from out of sight probably did, though, and it''s probably made them curious what he means by that. Dana put guards on my aunt as well, just in case the Klen goes after her to try to get to Erin.


    "What was that?" Tabitha asks.


    "These pancakes are better than I expected," Tanner holds up a forkful of pancake. "Though not as good as Nick''s, he''s a pretty good chef."


    "Yeah," Tabitha smiles. "I''ve had his cooking once. He says he taught himself how to cook because he can''t stand cafeteria food, but personally, I think he just likes cooking. My sister was the same way. Our dad could cook just fine, but once my sister gave it a try, she had a hand in almost every meal we all ate together. She said there was just something soothing about getting to have a hand in making what she ate."


    "Some people find serenity in it," Tanner tells her. "I''ve learned not to mess with Nick while he''s in the kitchen. While he''ll have a conversation, that''s about all he''ll do if he''s cooking. It calms him and makes him happy."


    It is calming, being able to cut things, crush things, put things to flame¡­ also known as ''cooking'' to most people. But I really did start teaching myself how to cook out of a desire for minimizing cafeteria food and feeding myself without being judged. I do eat a lot.


    Case in point, this is my second breakfast, and I''ve already gone through a full stack of pancakes and four thick sausages during this conversation, and signaled to the waiter for a second serving, all because I am hungry.


    "So you''re in his apartment at mealtimes, then?" Tabitha asks, and I get the feeling that she might be wondering about our relationship.


    "Nick''s not cheating on Ian," Tanner quickly tells her. He probably picked up the suspicions in her emotions. "It''s rather convenient to have a friend who knows how to cook and doesn''t mind feeding a Sigil-Bearer. I do pay him a little for the added groceries he needs, and his cooking is much better than what I''d end up eating if I ate by myself, but also cheaper than going to a restaurant all the time."


    "Okay," Tabitha relaxes a little as our waiter returns with my next serving. "When did you order more?"


    "Before I finished my first plate," I answer.


    "Do any of you need refills?" The waiter asks.


    "We could all use some," I tell him, and he heads off. "As for what Tanner and I do, Ian trusts me, but is still aware of everything. If he had an issue with anything Tanner and I did, Tanner would probably have disappeared."


    "That''s a strange way of joking about his job," Tabitha comments as I begin eating my second serving of my second breakfast.


    "Oh, no, he''s serious," Tanner hastily tells her. "Trust me. His boyfriend could definitely make me disappear. Rather easily, too. Your nephew''s a good person, he wouldn''t cheat on his boyfriend."


    Yeah, I''d never cheat on Ian. My doing stuff with Tanner is with Ian''s permission, after all, so it''s not cheating, and it''s not like Ian hasn''t shown interest in doing stuff with him. And done stuff with him, even if it was mostly just both of them doing me at the same time.


    Tanner clears his throat a little, and I realize he''s sensing me becoming aroused over thinking about last night, which probably caused him to become aroused as well. I know he enjoyed it a lot.


    "Anyway," I say. "After breakfast, I''m taking Tanner into the ruins so that he can train his ability in peace. Did you want to talk about anything in particular before we leave? Or just chat about¡­ something?"


    They''re only staying until this afternoon, so we won''t see each other again once we leave the cafe. This may be the last time we ever speak, and it''s not like she''d ever remember the conversation after the Revelation. However, it''s still good to see anyway, as it would still benefit her. After all, someone''s mood at any given moment can affect the rest of their day.


    "Sure," Tabitha says. "I''ve always wondered, but what do you do to earn money?"

 Chapter 021

    "I can''t believe you told your aunt you leech off of Ian," Tanner says once we''re well into the ruins.


    "Telling her that Ian sends me money regularly to ensure I''ve got enough satisfied her," I say. "And it''s much easier to get away with saying than trying to tell her my job without telling her my job."


    "Fair point," he says. "Are we going to go do training away from Ali so you can explain the new techniques?"


    "Yeah," I answer.


    The question is, how willing will he be in regards to actually attempting them?


    I lead him to the pond where I gave him his first lesson, and the two of us sit on the edge. We''re both wearing jeans, so unless we take off our pants, we aren''t putting our legs into the water this time. Our jeans are a little too tight to roll up.


    "What are the new training techniques?" Tanner asks now that we''re seated.


    "You''re probably not going to like them," I tell him. "The first one is focusing on an individual mind and attempting to read the thoughts, rather than just sense the emotions."


    "That''s far more personal than I want to do," he says.


    "The second is attempting to manipulate the emotions of something you''re sensing the emotions of," I say, and he groans. "These are ways to branch out your ability, and branching out with it is another way to gain power and control with it."


    "I know," he lies back, staring up at the sky. "But neither of those are things I want to do. One involves invading someone''s personal thoughts, the other involves manipulating their emotions. Both of those are-"


    "Things you can also do with animals," I say. "There are fish in the pond, Tanner. You don''t have to do it to a person."


    "There are rabbits beneath us, too," he informs me. "They''ve got a burrow that goes up to about five feet from the edge of the pond. Even to an animal, it feels wrong to try those things."


    "You can stick with the slower method," I tell him. "And continue to intrude on humans, or you can try building up power faster by using others on things like fish and rabbits."


    "I suppose," he sits up, then closes his eyes.


    I adjust my position so I can lay stretched out without my feet hanging over into the pond, using my hands as a pillow. Closing my eyes, I listen to the sound of Tanner''s breathing, the gentle breeze rustling leaves in the trees, the stream flowing to the edge before splashing into the pond in a small waterfall, and all the other sounds of nature around me.


    Well, Tanner''s breathing technically doesn''t count as one of the sounds of nature, but it''s there as well, slow and rhythmic as he focuses his powers. After several minutes, though, I can hear a little bit of aggravation in his breath, short huffs every now and then. He''s trying, but failing, and it''s annoying him.


    Meanwhile, I just enjoy the feel of the warm, late spring morning sun on me and the cool breeze that kisses my skin and ruffles my hair. I could probably strip and just sunbathe, but that would probably bother or distract Tanner. Besides, I''m relaxed like this, and moving at all would break this peaceful and serene feeling I have at the moment. So I''ll stay like this for now.


    Maybe an hour after Tanner began his attempts, I start to notice an increase in my own aggravation. An increase that''s unnatural, because I''m actually relaxed. Opening my eyes, I clear my throat, and Tanner gives me an apologetic look.


    "I figured out how to manipulate emotions," he says. "But it seems I can''t target anything specifically, it''s¡­ anything within a certain distance of me."


    "Why the aggravation?" I ask.


    "Well," he says. "At first, I was trying to just affect the rabbits under us, I figured they''d be easier than the fish, since their emotions show up more strongly in my mind. After awhile, though, I realized that I wasn''t making any progress, so I took a guess that I couldn''t just focus on one mind, so I tried to focus on the group of rabbits down there, then later, just pushing the emotion into my range. I forgot you were here, to be honest, or I''d have asked you to leave my range."


    "You forgot a mind as strong as mine was here?" I ask.


    "You felt extremely content," he tells me. "While somewhat neutral. That softened the presence of your mind because there was nothing intense in your emotions or mental state, and it somehow slipped into the background while I focused. That''s¡­ actually new to me, now that I think about it. I''ve never had a person''s mind slip into the background before. Even quiet, passive people tend to remain in the foreground."


    "Perhaps it''s a sign of you gaining more control," I say. "Which would be a good thing ¨C it means you might be able to suppress stronger minds eventually."


    "Maybe," he agrees. "Anyway, as I was doing that, I kept trying to just make everything here hyper. I figured, that would have the most obvious effect in addition to me feeling that in their minds. You know, they''d probably start moving around a lot."


    "But that didn''t work," I say.


    "No," he answers. "I kept getting more aggravated. Just a few minutes ago, though I thought about something. It is something new I''m trying, an aspect of my ability I''ve never attempted before. What if, at least starting out, I can only influence in others the emotions that I''m already feeling? So if I wanted to make something hyper, I need to be hyper, myself."


    "That makes sense," I tell him.


    "Yeah," he nods. "I was feeling aggravated more than anything, so I figured I''d try that. It took me a few minutes, but I finally felt the aggravation in everything rising. Then your mind came back into clarity, reminding me that you were here. The way it snapped back into focus, the curiosity and amusement you felt on top of the aggravation¡­ you knew that was me. That the aggravation increase was me using my power, I mean."


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    "It was kind of obvious," I tell him. "But I''m probably unique. Most people wouldn''t have thought of someone affecting their emotions and mental state."


    "How did you notice, then?" He asks.


    "I''m always aware of my emotions," I tell him. "And I''m not prone to fits of random aggravation while I''m just relaxing. Your huffs had faded by that point, your breathing returning to the steady rhythm it gets when you''re focusing on something, and I''d already let the huffs fade to the background, so they weren''t bothering me, anyway."


    "So someone who''s aware of their emotions would probably notice?" He asks.


    "Yeah," I tell him. "And being aware of your own emotions at all times isn''t that easy for normal people. We aren''t empaths like you, we don''t sense the minds of others and have to keep our own separate from them. So it''s unlikely you''d be noticed by very many people if you were manipulating their emotions."


    "I don''t want to manipulate peoples'' emotions," he tells me. "It''s essentially mind control."


    "Yeah, I know," I tell him. "Don''t mind me, Tanner. Just keep practicing."


    "I''m not going to practice now that I remember you''re here," he stands. "I''ll move so that you''re-"


    "No," I sit up. "Sit back down, Tanner. I''ll move out of your range. I''m guessing you did it with a limited distance?"


    "Five feet," he nods. "My minimum."


    "What''s your current maximum?" I ask. "I haven''t inquired about if it''s increased or not since you started training."


    "It''s increased by about three feet," he answers.


    "A ten percent increase in just a couple of weeks," I nod. "That sounds a little more than normal, but not by much. According to Ian, the others took about a month to do a ten percent increase, then it slowed drastically from there. So the theory that you''re a little better than them and learn a little faster holds merit."


    I can just imagine if he''d been training this from a young age. It''s not public information yet, but it''s been determined that at around seventeen years of age or so, a Sigil-Bearer starts to slow down heavily in how much they can increase their abilities. There''s always a sharp spike at the beginning of training, but starting around nine or ten, there''s also a small boost to the increases. It''s not much, and it does fade after several years, before the drop at around seventeen.


    However, everyone still has their own natural affinities for it. If Tanner''s able to do a ten percent increase in half the time when he''s eighteen, then if he''d begun training when he was little? When he was five?


    He would have probably had the ability to influence a city by now. It''s extremely possible he''d be on the level of an Immortal Sigil by now had he started when he was young.


    Tanner''s potential is immense. He''s definitely the strongest empath on Earth, excluding the Sigil Gods, who are empaths only when they want to be. It''s a good thing he''s not a villain, then. Well, it''s only a good thing because we''re friends. If we''d never met, then I wouldn''t care. One of the Sigil Gods would have dealt with him if he were a villain who''d been training his power since he was little.


    "I''ll let you get back to your training," I pick up my backpack and sling it onto one shoulder as I stand. "I''ll go over onto the truck."


    "The truck?" He asks.


    I point at a box truck on the road, rusted-out and abandoned. While it wasn''t damaged directly during the World Revolt, it was abandoned a few years later when two of the tires blew and the engine failed due to the owner''s stupidity. But it wasn''t exactly their fault ¨C they were trying to find a place to live after the disasters.


    Due to all of the problems that arose as a result of the World Revolt, they weren''t able to properly care for the box truck. Many people ended up without cars because things such as gas became too expensive and repairing them wasn''t something just anyone could do with the limited supplies. Even now, many people don''t have cars, but travel via carpool scenarios such as buses.


    I think only around ten percent of Frendok''s adults have cars. With the way they''re rebuilding the town, though, that''s not a problem. All of the new construction is planned so that it doesn''t take more than fifteen to twenty minutes to walk to the store. Assuming someone is walking at a reasonable pace and not a stupidly slow one, anyway.


    Before the World Revolt, nations such as the US, built in an era of vehicles, were designed around driving to work or the store. Now, it''s designed around being able to walk or bike there. Once the population booms again, that will most likely change, but for now, it''s like this.


    It''s for the better, to be honest. It''s healthier for the planet, even with all new cars made being electric. That doesn''t mean relics like this truck don''t still exist, especially as some people siphon out gas, but the oil industry has basically died.


    "Let me know when you''re ready for other training," I tell Tanner. "Or lunch. Whichever comes first."


    "Alright," he says.


    I head over to the truck and climb onto the hood of it, then onto the roof of the cab, before finally onto the roof of the truck. Pulling off my backpack, I open up the front pocket and pull out the mini broom I keep inside just for things like this.


    Pulling my bag back on, this time on both shoulders, I sweep off the dust, dirt, pollen, and leaves that have gathered up here. Once it''s cleaned to my satisfaction, I brush off the broom, then return it to my backpack, which I set down. Now that the roof''s cleaned, I strip off my clothes and fold up my pants, setting them down, then folding up my shirt and setting that down on top of my pants. My underwear, socks, belt, weapons, and everything else sit beside my bag, and I lie down on the truck, using my shirt and pants as a pillow, my hands beneath my head as well.


    The metal is warm from the sun, but not enough to be uncomfortable. The breeze is nice, too. Closing my eyes, I feel myself relaxing. However, I keep alert as well. Even when I''m relaxed, I''m able to remain alert and aware of my surroundings.


    I trained myself for this, and Jay helped me out a little, then Ali, later on. Being able to remain alert even while relaxed is vital to being able to notice when something''s off, to reacting the moment there''s danger.


    Thankfully, there''s no danger to us right now. As Tanner trains over by the pond, I''m able to relax without detecting any problems. Whatever Ian did, it probably bought plenty of time and hindered the Klen''s plans, delaying things.


    Even if he couldn''t fully stop them due to restrictions or deal with Wyatt because of the bastard''s powers.


    Surprising me, Tanner doesn''t call for me until almost noon, giving himself more than three hours of training this ability he hates so much of. It''s not unusual for him to train for an hour at a time, but more than three in one sitting?


    I guess he''s realized that he needs to try even harder if he wants to master it and hopefully find a way to shut it off. Perhaps realizing that my mind faded to the background, which has never happened before despite me often going into this calm, relaxed state around him while he trains, helped? It showed him that it''s possible for the mind of a person to not push at his.


    I dress and pull on my backpack, then jump off the truck and approach Tanner.


    "I''m hungry," he tells me. "I''ll still work on focusing on specific minds while around others, since that''s safe to do, but I''ll only do the new thing in a place like this."


    "Alright," I say. "Is your empathic influence on a different range than your empathy? Or the same? Can you adjust the range to be different?"


    Tanner''s expression at my last question tells me he hadn''t thought about that. I hadn''t until right before I asked it, either.


    "I''m going to try that out next time," he says. "Let''s eat, then head over to Ali''s. I want to do some more martial arts training. Please don''t make me use a gun, though."


    He''s picking up on martial arts much more easily than using a gun.


    "You''re comparing yourself to someone who''s trained with guns for two years and someone who''s trained with them for six," I clap him on the back. "You''re actually doing good for your experience level. Come on, let''s catch a few rabbits, there are plenty around that''ll make for a good lunch."

 Chapter 022

    "You''re not going to stick around to meet my family?" Tanner asks as we reach the bus station where most people coming from out of town arrive through.


    "No," I answer. "They''re your family, and while we''re friends, we aren''t lovers."


    "Yeah," he says. "I guess that makes sense. I thought you''d want to meet the people who raised me."


    "Nah," I say. "That would make it seem like we''re dating. Maybe I''ll see them while we''re out and about, but going out of the way to meet them? Yeah, no. Not for me."


    "Okay," he says.


    "See you," I start to walk away.


    "Wait," he says, and I stop and look at him. "Just wondering, but have you met Ian''s parents?"


    "Ian''s an orphan, like me," I tell him.


    "Oh," he says. "How did-"


    "Train accident, and he wasn''t around to save them."


    "Oh," he says. "That''s¡­ unfortunate. I''m glad you''ve both seemed to be able to move on after losing your families."


    "We were both really little," I tell him. "The memories aren''t all that clear."


    They are crystal-sharp, but Tanner doesn''t seem to have realized that yet. For now, I''m going to leave it that way, and I don''t know if I''ll ever tell him. There wouldn''t really be a purpose to it.


    "Anyway," I tell Tanner. "I''ll see you either tonight or tomorrow, I guess. Later."


    "Later," he responds.


    It''s evening, and I don''t feel like camping out in the ruins this weekend, though I might camp later this week, just because. Sometimes, I just like sleeping out in the ruins, under the starry sky. Or cloudy sky. Either one works. With just me and nature around, no one to bother me. Sometimes, I''ll sleep in Jay''s garden, usually in one of the massive trees. He has an issue with heights, so he stays down below.


    It''s been awhile since I last camped at Jay''s garden for a night, now that I think about it. Maybe I''ll camp out there? He likes it because I bring stuff for s''mores when I come camp there and he has a massive sweet tooth. Then there''s his love of scary stories, most of which aren''t all that scary and sends him into fits of laughter. On the rare occasions I manage to do a story which actually scares him, however, Jay loves it.


    Just as soon as he calms down.


    Yeah, maybe I''ll camp out at his place for a night next week.


    That''s not tonight, though, and since I''m not going to camp out in the ruins until next week, I can either go home and fix myself some more food, or I can stop somewhere and eat at a restaurant. Deciding on the latter just to be a little lazy after the workout Tanner, Ali, and I did today, I make my way to a semi-decent restaurant here in town.


    It only takes me ten minutes to reach the restaurant, where I''m greeted and seated immediately. I vaguely recognize the waitress, though I can''t place where from. That surprises me, because I don''t normally recognize people unless I interact with them regularly. There''s no point in remembering someone unless I need to, so I don''t usually bother letting them stick around in my memory.


    Even after she serves my drink and appetizers, I don''t remember her. I''m halfway through my meal when I do, though. It''s not that I recognize her, I was picking up on the family resemblance. This is Nadia Smol, Ali''s cousin.


    Man, Ali''s going to tease me for a long time if I tell her that it took me almost half an hour to realize my waitress was her cousin. It''s not like I kept track of Nadia, so it''s understandable I''d only vaguely recognize her due to a family resemblance.


    Now that I know why I recognize her, I resume eating while letting my mind wander. Only once I''m waiting for dessert does something happen to stop the wandering of my mind.


    Wyatt just walked in, looking mighty pissed about something. How I wish I could just take him out right now. One of the biggest problems involved with the Klen''s existence would be gone. Sadly, I can''t do anything to him with the way I currently am. It''s simply not possible.


    No matter how many times I shoot at him with a rocket launcher.


    The only person around right now who could possibly kill Wyatt is Jay, and I don''t want to put that on him. Though he might have killed people in the past, based on what Ian told me, that''s because he wanted to, not because I told him to.


    Dammit, why did Ian have to leave right away? I understand needing to save lives in an emergency, but why did the emergency have to happen before he was around here long enough to track down Wyatt and take him out?


    The Klen''s agent makes his way over to me at the same time as Nadia does, and she falters for a moment upon seeing him as he pulls out the chair opposite me and plops himself into it, crossing his arms.


    "Hello, Wyatt," I say as Nadia recovers and approaches, setting my dessert down in front of me.


    "Hello, Nick," Wyatt sneers. "Fancy seeing you here."


    "Considering you showed up and made a beeline towards me," I say. "You knew I was here. Nadia, would you mind getting him a menu and stuff? I''m sure a Sigil-Bearer as powerful as Wyatt is hungry, regardless of how long ago he ate."


    "Yes," she says, then hurries off.


    She''s not sure how to react to having a Sigil-Bearer she doesn''t know in here, especially one who so obviously dislikes me. I might even get barred just because he dislikes me.


    "I take it this is because of what my boyfriend did the other night?" I ask, and Wyatt glares hard. "I had nothing to do with that, he was apparently in town to do it. It took me completely by surprise, and he wishes he could have stuck around longer."


    "Yes," Wyatt grins. "How does he like my little present over in Brazil?"


    The girl in Brazil seems to continue to lose control over her power, and the Federation is talking about suppression measures. Which means killing her. Right now, it''s the only way they can put a stop to a high-level Sigil-Bearer who keeps letting loose, regardless of age.


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    The way Wyatt said that makes it seem like he did something, except that his power doesn''t let him continue to force a power out through someone after he loses contact with him. There are several other possibilities, though, such as a mentalist Sigil-Bearer doing something to her mind. However, Ian would have figured that out already if that were the case.


    "What did you do to her?" I ask.


    "Just a little present," he smiles. "We have enough things lined up to ensure that no Sigil God shows up during our stay here."


    Nadia returns with a menu and roll of silverware, then asks if he knows what he wants to drink.


    "Water," Wyatt answers. "Thank you and goodbye."


    Nadia looks a little bothered by that, but leaves.


    "Don''t be rude."


    "I don''t need to fraternize with normies," he nearly spits that word out. "Pathetic, weak little things. I don''t want to even eat something prepared by them."


    "I bet I can convince you eat a full meal here," I tell him just in time for Nadia to return. "He''d like the steak dinner, Nadia. Medium-rare. Full course, so include all the sides."


    "No, I don''t," Wyatt snarls. "I don''t want to eat a single thing made by normie hands, now buzz off."


    "Ignore him," I tell Nadia as I pull out my phone and open up the notes, then type up a quick message and slide it across the table. "Check that, Wyatt. Do those coordinates look familiar?"


    Glaring, Wyatt looks at the phone, then slightly pales as he registers the location. That confirms he knows the actual coordinates of the locations his people are at.


    "Think about what I can do knowing that location," I tell Wyatt. "What happens to other members of your organization that crosses me. Do you know about the incident from December?"


    He blanches.


    "You can touch the phone," I tell him. "Ian made it. Go ahead and slide it back."


    For a moment, it looks like he''s contemplating breaking the phone. The thought of what my boyfriend will do if I request a new phone wins against that desire, though, and he slides the phone back to me.


    "He''ll have the full steak dinner," I tell Nadia, who looks about as lost as a kid who wandered into the dentist''s office after thinking they were entering a toy store. "Without complaint. And he''ll eat every last bit of it, too."


    Nadia seems uncomfortable, but Wyatt mumbles that he''ll eat that, so she leaves.


    "You''d call in a missile strike," Wyatt growls. "Just to make me eat something?"


    "Yes," I smile. "I can''t kill you, but I can definitely make you suffer."


    The coordinates I gave are the Klen''s main supply center, something the Federation has been unable to locate. Not even Ian knows that location, and if he asks, I probably won''t tell him how I know. There''s no reason for me to annoy my boyfriend and the other Sigil Gods. But if I call in a missile strike to that location, the Klen will lose most of its weapons and resources.


    Which would turn into a major loss for them considering they work on a tight budget. It''s not tight enough they can''t afford to throw away lives and resources at a heretic, but is tight enough that they should really have separated their supplies into multiple locations. The only reason they haven''t done that is because it''s difficult to hide things from a force like the Federation, especially when all of the optimal locations to hide it is in areas the Federation assists.


    For me, the only downside would be annoying the Sigil-Gods.


    "I can make you suffer, too," Wyatt snaps back. "Don''t think that because you''re dating him that you''re untouchable, Nick. Not even close. Your aunt and cousin are pretty guarded right now, but there will eventually be an opening¡­ and then there''s Tanner. Your ''friend''. Just how much do you care about him?"


    "Heh," I chuckle. "I barely know my aunt and I dislike my cousin, Wyatt. Go ahead, touch them. You''d find me as indifferent to them as I would be to a stranger. There''s not a single person on all of Earth you could go after who wouldn''t kick your ass to hell and beyond who you could use as a weapon against me."


    I''m dating Ian, who''s a Sigil God, and his power''s even greater than publicly known. Then there''s Jay. Small, young, and powerful. He''s like a little brother to me, and I''d hate to see him hurt. However, he''d easily take out Wyatt if push came to shove.


    I''ve seen the way he slaughters chickens. I want to keep him out of fighting people and avoid having him kill people, but if someone went after him, then there would probably be nothing I could do to save them. At all.


    May the true gods have mercy on their souls.


    Even Wyatt''s ability to ''take over'' people won''t work on Jay ¨C the kid''s own power is a natural counter to it. In fact, it even contains a superior version of Wyatt''s ability.


    "Oh, really?" Wyatt sneers. "What about that unhealthy friendship you have with that monster? It''s bad enough you''ve somehow seduced him, but to have befriended another? And are treated as an equal? I''ve a feeling you''re infatuated with him, too. What will you do if I go after him? I doubt your boyfriend would come after us because we went after someone you like."


    "He wouldn''t," I set my fork down and stand, my meal finished. "You''re free to go after Tanner, Wyatt. The reason he''s befriended me? Because I''m able to navigate him safely through the ruins. That''s it. He goes into them to train."


    "And yet he hangs out with you outside of there," Wyatt scoffs. "I''m sure there''s more to your ''friendship'' than just that."


    "He hangs out with me," I begin to walk by the table, stopping beside him to place a hand on his shoulder. "Because it keeps normies from bothering him, Wyatt. One glance from me, and any local runs away."


    "Get your filthy-" he begins.


    "Or what?" I ask, and his eyes widen slightly. "Enjoy your meal, Wyatt. I''m sure I''ll see you around, as you seem intent on approaching me. Just remember, I haven''t let the Federation know about something yet."


    I release his shoulder and begin to walk away.


    "Thanks for being so kind as to cover my meal," I tell him as Nadia returns with his appetizer. "It really shows how generous you are."


    Wyatt shoots me a glare, but I just smile at him and leave.


    I make my way back to my dorm and as soon as I''m inside, I strip off my clothes and take a shower. I feel dirty just from touching the punk''s shoulder even if it was through his shirt. After I finish my shower, I dry off and put my clothes in the hamper, then check my phone and find a missed call from Ian from while I was in the shower. Without hesitation, I call him back.


    "Hey, Cas," he says upon answering. "You were out pretty late today, I was expecting you back already."


    "I was in the shower when you called," I tell him.


    "Ah," he says. "Yeah, you don''t bring the phone into the shower with you. I''ve told you before that it''s safe to."


    "I''m not going to."


    "That''s fine!" He says. "So how''d your day go?"


    "I ran into Wyatt," I tell him, then let him know that he''s threatened Tanner.


    "What are you planning on doing about that?" He asks. "You basically told him to go ahead and take Tanner."


    "He won''t," I say. "I don''t think Wyatt would do something without a purpose. I''m sure we''ll be seeing each other again soon, I''m one hundred percent certain that he didn''t get to talk about what he wanted to talk to me about."


    "You have a way with doing that," Ian snorts.


    "You''re still in Brazil, right?" I ask.


    "Yeah," he answers. "The situation doesn''t seem to be lightening up. We''re planning on calling in Katie, but-"


    "Check to see if there''s a Sigil-Bearer with overload or release," I tell him. "Wyatt mentioned the incident there is a present from him and that they have a full list of things lined up to keep the Sigil Gods busy these next few weeks."


    "Overload or release," Ian mutters. "I''m sure I''d have noticed that, but it''s possible that a talented enough one used it on her. I''ll do a scan on her to see for signs of either of those or something similar being used. If there is, then soothing it shouldn''t be an issue. We''ll need to be careful if they''re intentionally causing problems in order to prevent us from interfering in their quest to find the empathic healer."


    "You''ve ensured they won''t, right?"


    "Yeah," he answers. "Unless someone gets really lucky with a guess, they can''t. They''re bringing in another reader, but they''re much less effective than the previous, and I asked Ashley to hit him with a spell to ensure he doesn''t pick up on the empathic healer."


    "Alright," I say. "So how''s it down there? Warm? Working on your tan between hurricanes?"


    "Pretty warm," he chuckles. "And no, I''m not. Hell, you haven''t gotten a pic or text letting you know because I''ve been so busy dealing with this. The hurricanes aren''t the only problem, just the main one."


    "That really sucks," I say.


    "Yeah," he says. "Part of the reason I called was really just that I wanted to hear your voice again, before I get some rest before the next incident."


    "Well, rest is more important," I say. "But we can talk a little more if you want."

 Chapter 023

    Jeez, there are so many people there. The parking lot for school is actually full for once, many of the people from out-of-town who use cars in this day and age taking them rather than using their feet. It''s ridiculous. Walk the half-hour from the hotel rather than be lazy. Or take a bus. I''m pretty sure we had a couple running through town just for graduation.


    A fair portion of the town probably turned out for it, too. They''ll be hosting it in the gym, which makes me wonder how many guests will be standing. It can seat two thousand people in the bleachers, and the graduates will be sitting in chairs on the court.


    So it won''t be a huge portion of the town, just a decent portion, more than what would be proportional to the graduating students and their families.


    Having only walked this way just to see the turnout, I turn and make my way towards the ruins. There''s no purpose for me to attend graduation, so why go?


    The first thing I do after entering the ruins is lose my tail. The fact that it only takes me a few minutes to do so informs me that they''re not a Sigil-Bearer with the ability to track people, and that confirmation is reinforced when I don''t detect them following me again even after an hour has passed.


    Or were they given instructions not to follow me too far into the ruins? After one person jumped the gun, they probably want to be more cautious now. Whoever is now running things dealing with this area is using a brain, after all.


    Now that I''ve confirmed I''m not being tailed, I strip off everything and check it all for any potential trackers. There''s nothing, so I pull everything back on, then resume my trip. Thanks to a spell, I can''t be tracked directly and a tracker who creates a tracker by touching something can''t track my stuff, either. It takes someone putting a tracked item on me to track me.


    For the morning, I just travel through the ruins, enjoying the view of nature reclaiming the old society, of the smell of the soil and the plants. From time to time, an animal looks at me, then either remains or flees. Rabbits, deer, foxes, wolves, and more. Birds chirp and caw and chatter from their perches in trees and buildings and old signs.


    When lunch draws near, I stop by a creek and watch the fish swim by. Picking here for lunch, I pull off my backpack and over shirt and set them down, then remove my boots and socks as well before wading into the water. Dressed in shorts today, there''s no risk of getting my clothes wet, the creek stopping a few inches before my knees, even with me standing with my knees bent, ready to snap my hand out.


    Stilling with my hands ready, I wait for a fish of the right size to swim by close enough. The first one that does has blue and red scales, and I time my strike. In a flash, I''ve got the fish in my hand, and in the next moment, I''ve snapped its neck, killing it quickly and efficiently.


    I toss the fish onto the shore, then wait for the next fish to swim by. This never takes more than a few minutes, as the water tends to return to normal and they think it''s safe once more. It took me more than a year to manage to catch fish like this, and another year and a half to be able to break their necks this quickly and efficiently. Until then, I just resorted to the rock method.


    Once I have three fish caught, I leave the water and look up at the sky. It''s pretty cloudy, so there''s going to be rain. By my guess, I have hours before then, though, so rather than taking my catches to a building, I pull a pair of ice packs out of a bag in my backpack and place them on top of the fish, then place a thick cloth over them, using rocks to weigh down the corners. That should keep any wild animals from coming after them in this next stage.


    I walk around the area and gather up sticks and small branches that have fallen from trees, then take them back to my spot near the shore and build a fire. As it heats up, I scale and gut the fish, then start grilling them.


    After eating, I add a few more sticks and branches to the fire, then wander around a little more, collecting berries, herbs, and veggies that are growing in the area. On my way back to my fire, I spot a rabbit, just what I was looking for.


    I flick my knife at it, missing a little bit. Rather than embedding in the rabbit''s neck, the knife cut through the back of the neck. While the attack still killed the rabbit, I click my tongue in annoyance. My aim was off. I was having a good day with the fish catches, too.


    Whatever. I collect my knife and rabbit, then begin cooking the second part of my meal, using the herbs I gathered as a rub and grilling the vegetables along with the meat. After eating, I put out the fire and wash off my hands and feet, then dry them off and pull my socks and boots back on, before pulling on my over shirt and backpack once more.


    By my guess, I still have probably five or six hours before the storm begins, so I make my way to my usual training area for when I train solo. It''s the ruins of a building that used to be a senior center. The back half of it, the roof is gone along with part of the walls, and the front half just has some cracks in the walls and floor.


    There are a few wooden training dummies here, along with a salmon ladder, a rope with knots hanging from the ceiling, a rope without knots hanging from the ceiling, a balance beam, and various other things I use for training. In a room that''s still intact are my training weapons for this space, while the area that had the ceiling and walls collapse, then removed later for me to use the space, are my shooting targets, more wooden dummies. After stripping down to my shorts, I walk over to the salmon ladder and begin using it.


    After going up and down the ladder a few times, I switch to striking at the training dummies, before moving to the rope without knots and scaling it. Once I touch the ceiling, I drop down, landing in a light roll to ensure I don''t hurt myself, then I walk to the balance beam and run across it. After reaching the other end, I do flips on it, before practicing martial arts while attempting to maintain my balance.


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    Only on the last one do I fall, slipping off and landing on my ass. Keeping balance on a thin space isn''t easy, especially when moving around and performing strikes and kicks. I don''t do this often because it''s something I''ve only recently added to my routine, but I''m in the mood for it today. Training like this probably isn''t an actual thing, but it does help me focus on my balance and centering for martial arts.


    Twenty minutes and eight falls later, I grab a pair of guns and equip the magazine belt around my waist, before beginning to shoot at the targets, moving little as I aim at them. There are fifteen of them, set at various distances and heights. I make sure to not shoot any individual target twice within three shots.


    I''m almost done with the last magazine when I sense someone nearby and spin, aiming a gun at them and starting to pull the trigger. I stop the moment I recognize Ali, the only reason she doesn''t get a paintball that acts as simulated ammunition to the chest. Or boob. That would be painful, even for a Sigil-Bearer of her strength.


    "Jeez, Ali," I drop my arm back down to my side. "Haven''t I warned you not to sneak up on me while I''m training here?"


    "Nick," she says. "I literally just stepped into view of the door. You noticed me before I could warn you, unless you wanted me to sing as I approached."


    "Sorry," I take a few moments to catch my breath. "Just pumped with adrenaline at the moment due to the training. With the current situation putting me on edge, I''m a bit more jumpy."


    "You''re good," she tells me. "I can understand that."


    "It''s not often you track me down to here, Ali," I say. "Everything alright?"


    "Yeah," she says. "I was actually hoping to use your salmon ladder."


    "I thought you hated it?" I ask. "That''s why I didn''t build one for you."


    "I do hate it," she says. "That doesn''t mean I don''t come out here every couple of weeks and use yours."


    "Okay," I say. "Let''s spar after."


    I return to shooting, and Ali pulls off her shirt and boots, leaving herself in a sports bra and her shorts. After a quick warmup, she uses the ladder. Once I run out of paintballs, I put my guns away and check my targets. Perfect score. Targets like this aren''t a problem for me anymore, that''s why I much prefer shooting pieces of rubble Ali''s launched with her power. They''re much more difficult to hit and I don''t earn perfect scores every time.


    Ali finishes up, then we begin sparring. There''s a significant difference between us in strength and speed, and while Ali does reduce the force of her hits, they still hurt. My advantage is having several years of martial arts training on her, especially since she doesn''t train her own as much as me. To deal with a stronger and faster opponent, I focus on predicting her moves based on how her body''s moving, then using her momentum to escape her strikes and trip her up or flip her down.


    Unfortunately, she has trained against me enough to know that I use this when fighting a Sigil-Bearer who''s not fast enough this won''t matter, so she still puts me on my ass a few times. After ten matches, I have two wins and she has eight.


    "You''re getting better," I say as I grab her outstretched hand.


    "You''re getting better, too," she pulls me back to my feet. "You might be losing more, but it''s getting harder for me to win. I''d pit you against a weaker Sigil-Bearer any day."


    "Yeah, well, my normal plan is to avoid being in a melee fight against a Sigil-Bearer," I say as we start pulling the rest of our clothes back on. "That''s why I also train with guns. And in running."


    "I bet I could beat you in a race," she says.


    "You most definitely will," I say. "I''d have to cheat to win. You didn''t pull your punches as much, Ali. I''m sore."


    "Aw," she says. "Need me to kiss your boo-boos? That might make them feel better before Tanner sees them."


    "Why do you think Tanner would be seeing them?" I ask.


    "Oh, please," she rolls her eyes. "It''s obvious you two are banging, even though you''ve got a boyfriend, Nick. Considering you aren''t the kind of guy to cheat, I''m guessing it''s with Ian''s permission?"


    So she knows? And she hasn''t pestered us for details?


    "Yeah, he knows," I tell her, then decide to admit something, even though I know she''ll want the details. "He''s comfortable with it to the point that we had a threesome when he came out out here this last time."


    "Really?" She takes a step closer, eyes wide open. "Wait, that means you''ve slept with Ian before, too? When was your first time? How was the threesome? Do you bottom or top? Who took the other two in? How-"


    "Ali," I interrupt her as I pull on my backpack. "Not today. I want to get home before the storm starts, and I''m not going to discuss my sex life without the permission of the people involved."


    "But-"


    "I''ll bring you some gay erotica next time I come visit you."


    Ali laughs, but drops the subject, and we leave. I''ll have to remember to let Tanner know that Ali knows about us doing it and that she wants the details and will probably press him for them the next time she''s alone with him. At the very least, he can prepare a response instead of being caught off-guard by it.


    We part ways soon after leaving the training place, with Ali heading back to her place and me heading back to town. As I''m walking through town, I check my messages. Tanner''s let me know that graduation went well and that he''ll stop by my apartment around eight this evening. He also invited me to come to the small graduation party with his parents, but since I wasn''t in range of the towers, I didn''t see the message. Based on his next message, he figured that I was probably in the ruins.


    More than a little hungry from all my training and the journey back to town, I stop by a grocery store. I''m low on food and the shops have stuff they normally don''t due to ordering them in an effort to make things better for our guests and celebrations.


    I spend twenty minutes buying enough groceries to fill the rest of my backpack and both of the durable cloth shopping bags I keep in this backpack, then check out and being the walk home. I''m halfway there when the rain begins, but I don''t rush. I''ll be soaked either way, and so will my groceries.


    When I reach the apartment, the first thing I do is strip naked and quickly dry myself off, and the second is dry my groceries and put them away as I decide on what to do for dinner. I bought some stuff to make a cake for Tanner to celebrate graduation too, just because I''m feeling in the mood for that.


    Deciding on chicken, I pull out the package with two breasts and open it up. I can marinade them for half an hour, then cook them and serve with rice and a salad. The marinade time will give me time to dry myself off the rest of the way, put my stuff out to dry, and start the first phase of the cake.


    What flavor should I make the cake, though? I bought several different ones because I couldn''t decide.

 Chapter 024

    Now that I''ve had dinner and the cake has cooled, I begin mixing up frosting. I went with two layers of round chocolate cake and am going with a vanilla buttercream frosting that has actual flavor, to compliment the cake. After mixing up the frosting, I spread some onto the first layer of cake, then set the second layer on top, before coating the sides and top in a healthy, but not too thick, coating of buttercream that I smooth down.


    With the cake frosted, I decorate it with some chocolate frosting designs, then mix up some strawberry buttercream frosting, though not much, and put it into a piping bag and write "Happy Graduation" on it. I''d put "Tanner" on it as well, except the round cake isn''t big enough for that. Well, it probably was, but I didn''t go with smaller letters. I add some food coloring to more of the vanilla buttercream to make it dark blue, then pipe that onto the cake to make a few balloons, using up all of the colored buttercream to do so.


    There''s some chocolate and some vanilla buttercream left, though. I sample a little bit of each, even though I already know how it tastes. To be honest, I just want to eat the buttercream. That''s the reason there''s not any strawberry buttercream left ¨C I already ate what didn''t end up on the cake.


    I move the cake to the bedroom and put it on the table, then grab the ice cream from my freezer and move it there as well, putting two bowls, spoons, and an ice cream scoop down. I grab some napkins and the pitcher of strawberry lemonade and a pair of glasses, and everything is set.


    A few minutes before eight, there''s a knock at the door. I open it from behind, looking past it with just my head visible. Tanner''s standing on the other side, alone. He''s dressed in black jeans and a black shirt left unbuttoned over a dark grey one. He''s soaked through from the rain, causing his clothes to cling tightly to him. If I weren''t already hard, I''d have gotten up instantly upon seeing him.


    "Hey, Nick," he grins. "Figured you''d probably try to run away because of today."


    "Nah," I let him in and close the door. "I just didn''t want to attend graduation."


    Tanner strips off as I return to my room, and he puts his wet clothes in the bathroom before joining me, drying off a little as he does. He sets the towel to the side as he sits on the floor, eyeing the celebration stuff.


    "Just because I don''t celebrate it," I say. "Doesn''t mean you don''t. I figured you might have an appetite still."


    "I do!" He laughs. "Thanks. Is it chocolate cake?"


    "Yeah," I answer. "How''d graduation go?"


    "Not bad," he answers as I slice up the cake and serve it. "My parents are a little annoyed I decided to move out here so close to the end of the school year rather than just waiting the few extra weeks, but whatever. The school I went to doesn''t let out until next month, and I want this power gone."


    "Well, you''re an adult," I say. "You came out here as soon as you were eighteen, which was within your rights. Even if you can''t turn it off, you''re at least learning how to control it a little better."


    "Yeah," he snorts. "So how''d your day go? What did you do?"


    "Wandered around the ruins, enjoyed nature, fished, hunted, and trained, then returned here," I answer. "Not as exciting as your day."


    "These last couple of weeks," he says as we start eating cake and ice cream. "Have taught me how exciting being in the ruins can be, Nick. Just gun training today?"


    "What makes you think that?" I ask.


    "Well," he says. "You''re naked, and don''t have any bruises, so I know you didn''t train in martial arts."


    "Ali knows how to pull her punches so she doesn''t hurt me," I heal fast from bruises, too. We''ve been over that, Tanner. I may not be a Sigil-Bearer, but light bruising doesn''t stick around on me for more than a few hours. "We did some sparring while I was out there."


    "Ah, okay," he says. "I''m seeing my family off tomorrow afternoon and will spend the day up until then hanging out with them. I''ll be wanting to go back to the ruins on Monday, though."


    "Plan on staying until you have control over your power?"


    "Yeah," he answers. "I haven''t told my parents that, but it''s really for the better. In the big city, there''s always the risk of someone being right in my range. Here, I''m able to move around without too much worry, and it''s easier to sneak into the ruins and not have someone follow me. Well, as long as I''m with you."


    "Yeah," I nod. "There''s just one little catch, Tanner."


    "That you''re leaving sometime in the next couple of months?" He asks.


    "It might be sooner than I expected," I tell him.


    "Why?"


    I pick up a pen from the table and start spinning it around, and Tanner watches me. While he doesn''t know what I''m really doing when I do this, he knows it''s me focusing on something, doing some sort of calculation. Eventually, I flip the pen up into the air and catch it.


    "There are some plans that are in place," I tell him. "I was originally going to move in with Ian sometime this summer as we got things rolling for the plans. They were supposed to unfold over the next few years. A few things have come up, however, which have set things in motion.


    "Once things come to a head," I set the pen down. "I''ll be gone from here."


    "Moved in with Ian?"


    "Yeah."


    "I can tell there''s something more to it," Tanner says. "Not sure how to say it, or not allowed to say it?"


    "You''re not authorized to know," I correct. "And while we''re being optimistic and saying it''s just in the next few months, it may be in the next few weeks if things get accelerated even further."


    "What sort of things?"


    "It''s complicated," I tell him. "And I can''t really tell you more than that."


    While I could tell him some stuff, it could result in changes that influence things. With the Klen around, it''s best to keep things as in control as we can.


    "Alright," Tanner says. "So unless I decide to let Ali know my ability and let her help me train it, there would be no point in me staying here much longer after you leave."


    "Correct," I confirm. "Though at the rate you''re gaining control, you should be fine by the end of summer."


    "After you leave," Tanner says. "Can I still contact you for advice, if you''re able to get some about my power?"


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "No," I answer, and Tanner opens his mouth to ask why. "I won''t be available for contact after, and don''t ask for more information because I can''t give it to you without drawing the attention and annoyance of people I really don''t want to annoy."


    "Yet you''re fine with bothering the Klen?" He asks. "An organization that wants to kill you? You''ve given me enough information through off-hand comments that I know they want you dead, Nick. And for some reason, you also seem completely unbothered by it."


    "That would be because I am unbothered by it," I inform him. "They can try to kill me as much as they want, they''ll never succeed."


    "You''ve been lucky with the fights so far," Tanner says. "Ali told me about the guy with the sonic ability. Had he noticed you guys, you''d very likely be dead."


    "Everything has happened within acceptable parameters," I say. "And I always pull off miraculous, seemingly impossible survivals. They won''t succeed. They can''t succeed. It''s also probably best if we end this discussion, we''re supposed to be celebrating your graduation."


    "This is pretty good cake," he says.


    "It''s store-bought."


    "You did something to it, though," he says. "Different from just following the recipe. And I saw the stuff on the counter ¨C you made the frosting yourself."


    "I did make the frosting myself," I tell him. "And yeah, I tweaked the recipe a little when following the directions. It''s still just store-bought mix, though."


    "You and I have two different definitions of ''just store-bought'', Nick," Tanner tells me. "And if we''re celebrating, there''s something I want to do."


    "We are," I roll my eyes. "What is it?"


    "It involves frosting and your dick," he tells me. "Mind if I go get some?"


    "Of which?" I ask. "Because the dick''s in your reach already."


    Tanner snorts, then stands and heads into my kitchen. He returns after a moment with the bowl of vanilla frosting and tells me to lie down. I do so, and he gets between my legs, then uses his fingers to give my dick a nice, thick coating of the frosting.


    Once my dick is nice and coated, Tanner licks the frosting off his fingers and begins licking it up off of my dick as well. The feeling is pretty nice, and I play with my nipples a little as I watch him. Just watching Tanner doing this is making me more aroused, but the feeling of his tongue is great, too.


    Though it does feel like there''s some sort of slick residue on my dick, which is an interesting feeling. I reach down and play with Tanner''s hair with my left hand as he continues to lick my dick, only taking a little bit of the frosting off at a time. A few times, he switches to licking, kissing, and sucking my balls for a minute or two before returning to my dick.


    My dick eventually cleaned of frosting, Tanner takes it into his mouth and sinks down all the way, his nose pressed against my crotch.


    "Mnh!" I moan, pressing down a little on his head for a moment, and he adds some suction, making it feel even tighter. "Oooh!"


    I can feel Tanner''s tongue sliding a little when the suction fades, then Tanner lifts his head up so that just the head of my dick is in his mouth, and he pulls back my foreskin so that he can swirl his tongue around the head. Then, he goes all the way back down and begins to repeat the process.


    While I have only sucked Ian''s dick, and that''s only been a few times, Tanner''s pretty much always sucked my dick when we''ve done stuff. The short amount of time we''ve been doing this has been enough for him to adjust and take my entire dick in his mouth, despite it being a little bigger than average.


    Tanner switches to just bobbing up and down on the first few inches of my dick after awhile. When he senses that I''m close to my climax, he pulls off for a moment and pulls back my foreskin. He puts only the head of my dick into his mouth this time, swirling his tongue over and under the head.


    I moan a little at the feeling, especially with how close to the edge I am making me more sensitive to this. Tanner brings me to the peak here, and I start blasting cum into his mouth and throat. He sucks a little bit more while squeezing my dick at the base and pulling up a few times, to draw out the last bit of cum still in it.


    Satisfied that more isn''t coming out, Tanner releases my dick and grabs the lube. I lift up my legs as he slicks up his dick, then he slowly pushes his dick into my ass.


    "Mmnh," I moan a little as his dick stretches my ass.


    Tanner slowly pushes all the way into my ass, then pulls back, then begins to thrust. He grips my legs as he thrusts, this time moving faster and harder than he usually does. His green eyes are filled with a more primal desire right now, Tanner intent and focused on the act at hand right now. I play with my nipples and dick as I stare into his gaze, though I sometimes reach forward to rub his abs.


    "Unh! Unh! Unh!" Tanner starts grunting as he cums in me, thrusting hard with each shot he blasts inside my ass.


    After his climax fades, Tanner''s thrusts are more smooth, his dick sliding more gently inside of me. He holds my sides as he bends over, and I stroke his abs and chest, rub and lightly pinch his nipples, as we kiss. I slip my tongue into his mouth and wrestle with his.


    One of Tanner''s hands moves down to my dick, jacking me off a little. He begins to thrust a little more quickly as he jacks me off a bit more, then he releases my dick and straightens up some, holding onto my sides once more.


    My ass clenches around his dick as I hit my peak, shooting my cum onto Tanner and myself. Tanner stops thrusting while my ass is clenched, and resumes once I finish. It doesn''t take him much longer to finish, and once he does, he pulls out of my ass and snuggles up against me.


    "That was a really nice way to celebrate," Tanner tells me. "And if you''re up for it, we can do a few more rounds after we eat more cake."


    "Yeah," I chuckle. "Let''s get some cleanup down first, though."


    Tanner and I head into my bathroom and use a wet rag to wipe up the cum and lube, then return to my room. I grab some ice cream to eat with the cake, and I notice Tanner looking at me a few times. The power of empathy isn''t needed to know that he''s curious about something, but he''s not asking me, for whatever reason.


    "If you''re worried it''ll be offensive, don''t."


    "What?" Tanner gives me a look of absolute confusion.


    "You''ve been giving me curious looks ever since we resumed eating," I tell him. "But you won''t ask. Since you know you can ask me just about anything, the only reason I can come up with for why you haven''t is that you thought it might offend me."


    "Oh," he says. "N-no, it''s nothing like that."


    "Then¡­?"


    "It''s just," he hesitates here. "If you weren''t dating Ian, I''d probably be asking you out. Honestly. You''re a pretty great guy when you aren''t trying to make people dislike you so they leave you alone. You''re also pretty sexy, you''re talented and active, and just¡­ I dunno. You''re pretty likable."


    "You have a crush on me."


    "Yeah," he holds up his hands. "But I know you''re taken and are leaving to go live with your boyfriend soon. I''m gonna miss hanging out with you¡­ even the non-sexual parts."


    "I don''t view you that way," I tell him.


    "I know."


    "I only see you as a person who is nice to hang out with," I tell him. "And who is good at sex. I don''t have an issue having sex with you since Ian is cool with it, and I don''t have an issue hanging out with you or helping you learn self-defense or how to control your power. However, there is zero chance of anything more between us."


    "I know."


    "I''m sure you also know," I say. "That a certain float-user has developed a crush on a stud such as yourself."


    Tanner''s cheeks redden. He''s bisexual, and I know he''s also developing feelings for Ali.


    "If you think you need to have sex with me to get my training," I tell him. "Then you can stop that line of thinking. Ali and I are platonic, and I help her with her training."


    "I don''t think that," Tanner says. "I know you''re doing it just to help me out. You''ve a kind side that causes you to want to help people who need it. That''s why you show people how dangerous the ruins are, instead of just yelling or whatever. It makes them less likely to do something stupid in the future. The sex is just really nice, that''s all."


    "Glad we''re clear on that," I say.


    "As for Ali," he says, and his cheeks flush a little again. "Yeah, I know she likes me. Right now, I want to focus on dealing with my powers, not any romantic interests. Besides, we barely know each other. I know you more than her due to us hanging out more, and it''s not even been a month.


    "That''s another reason," Tanner adds. "That I wouldn''t ask you out right now, even if you were single. What we have is nice as it is, it''s just friends-with-benefits. It would be best to take it a step further and make it boyfriends before we know if the feelings are just a quick thing or not."


    "Indeed," I say.


    "Right now," Tanner says. "Let''s just focus on dealing what''s before us before adding in more complicated emotional stuff. I''d rather get my power taken care of first. Better to deal with that before getting into a relationship, you know?"


    "Yeah," I say. "But it''s best to sort out your feelings for her before you leave, okay? That way, you don''t have any regrets. I''m sure she''d even be willing to move out of here when you leave, if something does happen. Her odds of romance in this area are pretty slim, you know? Ali''s actually already planning on leaving the area this summer."


    "Oh," Tanner says. "I guess that makes sense. And yeah, I''ll try to figure things out.''


    "Cool," I say. "Now, more food, or more pleasure?"

 Chapter 025

    Today''s outfit for me consists of grey boxer-briefs, black cargo shorts, my black socks, black combat boots, a black belt, and a dark grey sleeveless shirt that''s got an almost metallic sheen to it. I was going to wear a t-shirt, but it''s actually a little hot today despite it still being May.


    In addition to that outfit is a bracelet on my left wrist, an unassuming braided black cord bracelet. It''s actually more than what it appears, but only Ian and I know that. He put it in a priority delivery for me after I let him know something after his recent visit.


    Things are definitely coming to a head. It''s best if I''m as prepared as possible for the coming events.


    A knock at my door alerts me to Tanner''s arrival, and I pull on my backpack before opening my door and greeting him. Tanner''s dressed in a pair of shorts made of the same material as my shirt, while his sleeveless is dark blue, and his sneakers are grey, silver, and blue.


    "Ready?" I ask.


    "Yup," he says. "Let''s go."


    Tanner and I leave, and we make our way into the ruins to meet up with Ali. With graduation several days ago, we have plenty of time to do our own thing. Or rather, Tanner has plenty of time to do stuff. We''ve really put him through the wringer these past few days in terms of self-defense, with Tanner devoting a few hours each day to working on his power.


    I drop my backpack at Ali''s place when we reach her, then the three of us grab a couple of duffel bags and travel to another part of the ruins. Also a disturbance zone, but one that''s better-suited to today''s exercise.


    "How come you don''t have any guns on you?" Ali asks me as we walk. "You normally have at least one or two, it''s why you typically wear a shirt over your tee. Unbuttoned, for easier access. Didn''t you even carry them at school?"


    "I was wondering the same thing," Tanner says. "I mean, you''ve not been any different than normal, as if you weren''t unarmed, but you don''t have any guns."


    "I have guns on me."


    "Really?" They both look at my belt, which is suspiciously devoid of guns.


    "My boyfriend is everyone''s favorite technokinetic," I say. "He''s created cloaking tech. They''re on me, just not noticeable."


    "When did he invent that?" Ali asks.


    "About six years ago," I answer. "He created it specifically so that my measures of self-defense wouldn''t be noticed if I actually chose to go to school."


    "Ridiculous," Ali says. "Absolutely ridiculous."


    "Yeah," Tanner snorts. "Your boyfriend is insane, man."


    "The Klen isn''t the only threat to people," I state. "The only organizations I''ve dealt with. The whole reason I started learning how to use guns was because I got shot by some assholes from another one. Ian popped in to wipe them out, then gave me guns and told me to learn how to use them."


    "Got shot?" Ali asks. "Wait, six years ago? Was that the time you were extra moody for a few weeks, and had that injury to your leg you refused to explain to anyone?"


    "Yeah."


    "With how much he''s moving around," Tanner says. "I can only imagine how much more active he was at twelve. Jeez, that must have been rough."


    "He played video games most of the day," Ali tells him. "It was back when they were still serious in their attempts to get him to attend classes. They gave up because he kept throwing stuff at them, and it was clear he wasn''t just being his usual moody self, but that the injury had put him into a foul mood."


    "It wasn''t that foul."


    "You threw a table."


    "Maybe they should have screwed off when I said?"


    Tanner snorts in response. There was another reason I was extra-grumpy during that, and it was the fact that I had to be injured for so long. Ian could have healed me when he stopped by, but then explaining my miraculous recovery would have been frustrating.


    Tanner asks Ali for any other stories of me that she knows of from before she ran away, and that fills our time until we arrive at the destination: another parking garage.


    "This doesn''t look too safe," Tanner says.


    To be fair, he''s basing that off the observation of how this one is even bigger than the one Ali lives in, and a significant amount of it has collapsed. Not all in one spot, but in various spots. There are holes in various floors, rubble on others, and the entire northwester eight has collapsed.


    "It''s more structurally-sound than it looks," I let him know. "Ali and I come out here all the time. Come on, this way."


    I lead Tanner and Ali into one part of the ruins, then we set down the duffel bags we were carrying. Unzipping them, I reveal paintball stuff. Now that we''re inside, it''s pretty evident to any observe that this place has been used for paintball, with the places where rain won''t wash stuff away having spots of dried paint impacts.


    "No protection, because that''s how we do things," I say as we start assembling guns that need it. "Tanner, you''re blue, Ali, you''re purple, and I''m green. We''ll each have five hundred rounds and a walkie-talkie. You can each use your powers to assist you if you want."


    "That seems kind of unfair," Tanner says. "To you, anyway. Ali and I might end up on even grounds for that."


    "Your power can even the playing field between us?" Ali asks.


    "Yeah," Tanner thinks about it. "I guess I trust you enough to tell you, Ali. You''re now only the third person to find out: I''m an empath. I can sense the minds of those around me. Where they are, how strong they are, and how far away they are. And I can''t turn it off. Ever."


    "That''s why you wanted to get rid of it," Ali says. "It''s a headache to be able to sense that at all times."


    "Yeah," Tanner nods. "I can''t read minds, but I can branch out to that if I want. Nick made me tell him my power to even consider arranging a meeting with you. He asked Ian if any ways to train this was known, in the hopes of finding a way to turn it off. There''s not a known empath who can turn it off, but he did tell me about training telepathy and emotional influence."


    "Emotional influence?"


    "He can influence emotions in the minds he''s sensing," I explain. "Right now, it''s just any minds around him, but he''s managed to be able to influence an emotion he isn''t feeling. Barely, and it takes a lot of focus. Keep track of your mind to know if he''s using that on you. Any sudden bursts of calmness or aggression, and he''s likely trying to get an edge in the fight."


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    "I''m not going to use that," Tanner says. "It doesn''t even work on you anyway."


    "You''re immune?" Ali asks.


    "No," I answer. "I just know my mind well enough to detect when it''s being influenced. You can do the same thing, you''ve meditated on your mind enough for that. Tanner doesn''t like the ability, though, because it''s a form of mind control. When he practices it, I leave his range so that he''s only influencing animals."


    "I know a fair bit about your abilities," Tanner tells Ali. "So it''s only fair that you know some about mine for this. As I said, I trust you not to share with people my power. It''ll only get more annoying for me if too many people know."


    "Because they''ll want to use it, for various reasons," Ali nods. "I can understand that. Such a power can be highly valued in many fields."


    "Yeah," Tanner says. "So to add on to what was said ¨C my range is a little less than forty feet. This is a fairly big place and there''s only three of us, but that''s enough for me to sense you from more than a floor away.


    "And even with us knowing each other''s abilities," Tanner looks at me. "That still doesn''t explain how you''ve got an even playing field. It''s bad enough that we''re already faster and stronger than you and have better senses. We''d whup your ass, anyway. Us using our powers means you have no chance of winning. Unless I''m misunderstanding and this isn''t a hunting match between us."


    "Oh, it is," I tell him. "This is your starting point. Ali will call over the walkie once she''s in position, and then I''ll call for us to start once I''m ready."


    "Nick, how are you going to have an even field with us?"


    "You lose the moment you give up in the match. "Either because you''ve been disabled somehow or because you''ve just given up. Grit through the pain if you need to, though since you''re both Sigil-Bearers, it will take you a bit more before you start bruising. Head shots are allowed, but try not to aim for the eyes. The battle ends once two have quit or all have run out of ammo."


    "Winner is the person who has the least amount of paint that''s not theirs on them after," Ali says. "Loser has to move some rubble that''s in the way of an area I want to shift into being another training zone for me."


    "You guys aren''t going to answer, are you?" Tanner asks.


    "Nope," we respond, and he sighs.


    Ali and I leave, heading to our respective starting points. When I reach mine, I open up the large, metal supply chest that''s sitting up here and switch out my weapons. Higher-power guns than what they have, giving them more oomph, as a trade-off for their weapons having a stronger hit for me than they do for them. The paintballs that Ian supplies us with can handle the initial force needed to shoot them, so they don''t gunk up these guns.


    This parking garage is almost half a mile in length, seven stories, and has plenty of areas where you can see for a fair distance. More powerful guns will let me shoot from a further distance, which is essential when fighting people who can detect you within a certain distance of themselves or who can make things float around them in another range.


    Another addition to my setup are the infrared glasses. Not the large, bulky goggles typically seen on TV, but a pair of sunglasses that Ian designed. They''re opaque with black frames, cushioned legs, and sit against my face in a style similar to sports sunglasses. The moment I slip them on, I''m seeing the infrared of the area within sight.


    Among the other things I grab, I also add on extra cartridges of paintballs, including a full strap across my body that has those and some paintball grenades.


    Once I finish equipping myself, I close the heavy lid to the supply chest and then twist the handle into the lock position, before tapping the handle in a few key places. The chest ripples for a moment, then disappears.


    Not truly ¨C it''s still there, but only those who know of its presence will notice it. At least, when observing with their eyes. The spell Ian placed on it also prevents people from walking into it, using a mind magic component to direct them around it.


    Ali knows about the chest, but she doesn''t know the combination to turn it back on. The only reason I''m even turning it invisible right now is because Tanner''s here and I want to see his confusion. I don''t normally leave it invisible, since no one comes out this way, but maybe I should start, considering the Klen is going through the area.


    No need for them to gain a magic item like this.


    About a minute after I finish equipping myself, Ali radios that she''s ready, and I call the start. She deliberately waited so that I could finish preparing myself.


    The moment the match begins, I set off in the direction I know Tanner''s in. Ali''s probably assumed I''m going to ambush him first and will come for me, but I''ll be prepared for that, too.


    I set up in a spot that lets me see down a few levels with the way the collapsed holes are staggered. After about a minute, Tanner starts to pass through, unaware of my presence because the angle and three-floor-difference puts me out of his range.


    Pwoop! My rifle puffs once.


    I don''t even wait for the shot to hit. Tanner reacts the moment he hears the puff, but the first shot hits him in the side of the head. He lets out a surprised yelp, only for another shot to hit his right arm. Three more shots hit him before I take off, Tanner let out some swears.


    Ali nearly manages to ambush me, but my glasses showed me her presence early enough and I''m able to evade her shots, striking her twice with a pistol before finding cover and disappearing on her.


    The three of us continue to battle, with Tanner steadily growing more and more coated in green and purple paint and Ali steadily growing more and more coated in blue and green paint. I nearly get hit a few times, but manage to avoid any hits throughout.


    Amusingly, it isn''t until an hour in, when I drop a paint grenade on him from six stories up, that Tanner realizes I have cheats. Not even me shooting him from nearly five hundred feet away made him realize that.


    He''s even seen the straps across my chest and the scope that I had hanging on my belt, too. Did he not notice that I didn''t have them before?


    After almost two hours, Tanner and Ali both announce they''re out of ammo.


    "I still have ammo," I radio back.


    "You have extra!" Tanner responds.


    "Actually, I haven''t used the initial five hundred yet," I say. "I''ve only used about three hundred so far. Oh, and all four paint bombs."


    "Considering we can''t hit you anymore," Ali says. "It''s only fair to consider the battle over. No matter how many more times you shoot us, you''re going to win."


    "Alright," I chuckle. "I''ll go put my extras away. Meet me at the bags.


    After returning my gear to the supply chest and turning it invisible again, I rejoin the team back at the place Tanner started off at. I return the stuff I''d originally grabbed, then grin at Tanner.


    "See?" I ask. "It was a fairly even playing field."


    "Not even close!" He exclaims.


    He''s covered in paint.


    "I haven''t seen those glasses before," Ali says. "And they disappeared. I take it they''re the reason I was unable to sneak up on you this time?"


    "So you can normally hit him?" Tanner asks.


    "Yup," she answers. "Usually, we can''t tell who''s going to win until one of us runs out of paintballs."


    "They''re infrared," I tell her. "New invention of Ian''s. He apparently put them in there when he came out last time."


    "Ah," she says. "Pretty nifty¡­ and I have more paint on me than Tanner does, so I guess I''m stuck doing the work."


    "Ugh," Tanner pulls the front of his clothes. "I wish I''d known we were doing this, I think these clothes are ruined. And combined with all the sweat because of how hot it is and how much we were moving, I really need a shower."


    "We can clean up back at Ali''s," I tell him. "And the paintballs we used today were designed with the heat in mind. They won''t set as easily, so you can still wash the clothes just fine."


    The three of us walk back to Ali''s place, and I show Tanner a place that the he can clean up at, while Ali washes up in another spot. To Tanner''s surprise, I had a change of his clothes ready. They wash their painted clothes and set them out to dry, then I start to cook lunch for us.


    Just as I get the fire going, there''s a thunderous sound as the ground begins to shake.


    "Nick?"


    "There''s no training exercise," I say. "Maybe a building fell over? Let''s up to the roof and see if we can see anything."


    Two more rumbles occur as we go up to the roof, and when we look, we can spot a couple of more buildings falling. Something appears to be creeping up buildings and breaking them over by¡­


    "Are those vines?" Tanner asks.


    "Fuck!" I exclaim. "Ali, you and Tanner get to the safety shelter now!"


    "What''s going on?" Ali asks.


    "Hope that I am wrong," I say. "But I think Wyatt has found and taken over a secret Immortal Sigil-Bear in the area. If you two go there, you will die."


    "And so will you," Ali grabs my arm. "You''re good, Nick, but you''re still just a human. You''re not a Sigil-Bearer, and you know you can''t take on an Immortal."


    "Ali," I say. "I''m getting Ian. I forgot my phone and earpiece for him at home. If Wyatt''s taken over Jay, then he''s going to have set up countermeasures for me. For me. You two won''t survive. Get to the safety shelter now."


    Ali stares into my gaze.


    "Ali," Tanner says. "He''s serious. I think it''s best if we listen."


    Ali lets go.


    "Stay alert," she says. "Make sure to avoid their traps."


    "I will."

 Chapter 026 (Final)

    Sorry, Ali, but I lied to you. Thankfully, Tanner convinced her to take them to a secret safety shelter that was set up. They should be safe there until things are taken care of, and will be even if it takes a month.


    Tanner must have sensed my emotions and realized it was best for me to go off on my own. No doubt he''s going to tell Ali, but I have absolute confidence in my ability to sort things out.


    And they both know me well enough to know that I''m aware of my limitations. If I believe I can handle an Immortal, then I can.


    I reach up to my left ear after I''m far enough away that Tanner and Ali won''t notice, and a sudden weight forms on it as my comm appears.


    "Ian, it''s happening now," I say while continuing to run.


    "What?" Ian asks.


    "I should have known it would be suspicious!" I swear. "I mean, giant trees like that? It''s happened in a few places, but that combined with the setup, the high amount of plants in the area, the animals that go in and out¡­ any observer would realize the disturbance zone was deliberate!"


    "They found Jay?"


    "Wyatt''s taken him over," I say. "He''s using Jay''s powers to collapse nearby buildings to get my attention, which suggests he doesn''t know my exact location. I told Ali to get Tanner to the safety shelter, so they should be fine."


    "So we''re doing the Revelation now, then?"


    "Get the other gods, and get your asses over here," I say. "The timetable''s been moved up to now."


    "Will do," he says. "What should we do about the prophecy?"


    "If I cared about actually stopping it, I''d have made sure they couldn''t do it," I say. "But what better way to start the Revelation than to let the Klen achieving their goal blow up in their faces?"


    "Got it," he says. "So you think they''ve found the empathic healer?"


    "I''m sure they know exactly where he is," I say. "The only thing I haven''t calculated yet is whether or not they actually manage to kill him before we get there and initiate the Revelation."


    "And the odds?"


    "Fifty-fifty at the moment," I say. "I''ll finish the math while dealing with Wyatt."


    "Got it," he says. "I''ve alerted the others. We''ll be there shortly. I''ve already set things up to broadcast across the globe."


    "Good," I say. "See you soon."


    "See you soon," he says.


    "Love you," I tell him, and he echoes it before we end the call.


    Almost time. We''re almost there. The event I''ve been waiting for these last eighteen years is about to happen, and it''s making me almost giddy with excitement. It''s also filling me with relief. The limitations of this body have been so annoying.


    I reach Jay''s area soon enough, and find that Wyatt''s begun to turn it into a forest. Vines are creeping up buildings, the road has broken up even more as plants grow through, and trees in various stages of growth are here and there.


    The moment I''m inside, vines shoot at me. I dodge them with ease, as with everything else that attempts to kill me. Wyatt''s only controlling Jay''s ability over plants at the moment, but that''s going to change as I get closer, I''m sure.


    I gesture with my left hand, and a sword appears in it. The bracelet that Ian sent me contains its own personal pocket dimension, which has a few different weapons in it, ready for me to call out at will.


    As vines, trees, and other plants attempt to kill me, I jump off of them and rubble, slice through what needs it, and dodge what else needs dodging. I soon find myself close to Jay''s lair, and the boy himself is standing in front of it, dressed in a pair of grey swim trunks. Wyatt must have taken him over while Jay was swimming, the kid likes to do that for hours on hot days like today.


    Through Jay, Wyatt throws lightning at me, but it misses with a well-timed step to the side from me. The next blast hits my sword, which sparks for a few moments after absorbing the lightning, and I flick my wrist to the side. Lightning blasts out of it and into a summoned tree.


    A few more failed blasts of lightning and dodged vines later, Wyatt realizes he needs a different tactic and tries to freeze me. He also tries to burn me, suffocate me, and drown me, but nothing works. The ground opening up in an attempt to swallow me is just a jump away.


    Actually sending Jay at me to try and kill me fails, too.


    "How?" Jay asks, though I know it''s really Wyatt. "How are you able to dodge everything? What is that sword? JUST WHO ARE YOU?"


    "Who am I?" I ask as the sword gets knocked out of my hands by a vine I wasn''t able to dodge. "Maybe you should have learned that before attempting to kill me."


    I punch Jay square in the head, and he drops to the ground. At the same time, there''s a loud cry of pain not far to my left. Wyatt was close, then. For the moment, I ignore his pained cries and focus on Jay, catching him and gently laying him down.


    Closing my eyes, I press two fingers to Jay''s forehead and focus. All limitations are off now. The time of the Revelation is here.


    Jay gasps, his eyes opening once more.


    "I didn''t want to!" He immediately launches himself into a hug. "I couldn''t control myself! I tried to take back control, but-"


    "I know," I wrap my arms around him. "You''re fine, Jay. He''s not in your head anymore."


    "But-but-but-"


    "You weren''t the one trying to kill me, bud," I murmur. "You''re okay, Jay. Here, I''ve got a present for you."


    I let go of him and hold out my right hand, which has a green-and-brown friendship bracelet in it.


    "¡­this is not the time to be giving presents, Nick," Jay gives me a stern warning. "He''s still here, you know. You can hear him, I''m sure."


    "He''ll be suffering for a few moments longer."


    "H-how did you get him out of my head?" Jay asks. "You just¡­ punched me. I shouldn''t have been affected at all!"


    "This bracelet has a special spell on it," I tell him. "It will shield your mind from further intrusions. I should have given it to you before, but I didn''t consider the possibility of you being found. So I''m sorry, Jay."


    "A spell?" He asks. "Like the one you had your boyfriend place to prevent infrared?"


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Yup," I say. "But this one''s to shield your mind instead."


    Jay examines the bracelet, then slips it onto his left ankle. I guess it''s an anklet now.


    "Why don''t you take care of this mess?" I ask Jay. "I''m going to go handle Wyatt."


    "Okay," he says, and we stand. "Sorry for attacking you. He made me do it."


    "I know," I ruffle his hair. "And be strong now, Jay. You''re going to need it for the coming days. And if you need help, just ask Ali and Tanner. They''ll help you handle things, okay?"


    Jay gives me a confused look, but agrees to do that. He has a walkie and can contact Ali, even if she doesn''t know it. With the Revelation happening, I can''t help them out anymore.


    Not the way I''ve been doing, at any rate.


    I walk over to where Wyatt was hiding near the rubble of a building he''d collapsed. The fifteen-year-old Immortal Sigil-Bearer has stopped rolling around in pain and is now curled up in the fetal position.


    Without mercy, I kick him in the stomach so that he''s on his back, then I press my foot onto his chest and point my gun at him. Immediately, Wyatt stops the whining and stares at the gun, though there''s still pain on his face and in the tension within his body.


    "That gun can''t hurt me," he says. "But you¡­ you''re not a human. You''re a Sigil-Bearer. A heathen who had his Sigil removed."


    "I was never born with a Sigil," I tell him. "I''m not a Sigil-Bearer. I''m more human than you could ever be, and this gun? It was designed with the purpose of taking down Immortals."


    "Sure," he smirks. "But it''s too late. Even if you kill me, we''ve already killed the empathic healer. We''ve been watching you all day, you and those monsters that see you as a friend. Though maybe you''re the monster? What are you?"


    "So you did know who the empathic healer was."


    "It took some time," he says. "But we figured it out. They were ordered to kill him as soon as you were out of range, so that thing is dead now. Wanting to get rid of his powers? Pah! A disgrace to all Sigil-Bearers. That heretical bitch is dead now, too. Even if you let your boyfriend know, there''s not a chance he got here in time. It''s too late, too, because he failed to meet that freak before we killed it. The prophecy won''t come to pass."


    "Actually," I hold up my phone to show him a picture of Tanner, Ian, and I sitting on my bed, the picture of the three of us from the shoulders-up, with Ian and me leaning our heads together and Tanner leaning against me. "Tanner already met the youngest god."


    Wyatt''s eyes widen, but then he sneers.


    "Too bad it won''t save the fucker''s life," he says. "No matter how powerful the Sigil God of Death is, he can''t bring them back to life."


    "You''ll find out just how good his powers over life and death are," I smile at him. "But in the afterlife."


    I pull the trigger, and Wyatt dies. Then, I tap my comm as my gun disappears back into the bracelet.


    "We have confirmation," Ian says. "They figured out it was Tanner. He and Ali were slain shortly after you left. There are forces still around, including three more Immortals in order to catch you. How''s the Blue Jay?"


    "Alive and confuse," I say. "Shed your masks. I''ve already shed mine, it''s time to show the world our true faces."


    "How do you want to do this?"


    "Are you recording?"


    "It''s already set up so we can broadcast live," Ian says. "We''re waiting for the signal to warp in."


    The true prophecy, which the Klen and Federation never learned, is "should the empathic healer die while friends with the youngest god, his slayers will know true destruction". Maybe if the Klen had realized this, they''d have known to not kill Tanner.


    I''m about to show them why that was a very bad idea. Not out of friendship with Tanner, but because it will help with the Revelation.


    "Alright," I say. "I''ll teleport in and wipe out the forces, making sure to avoid your drones. You three then wipe in, and bring back Tanner and Ali. We''ll do the Revelation now."


    "The broadcast has now begun."


    The comm cuts out, and I teleport over to the roof of the parking garage Ali lives in. There are over two hundred Klen soldiers here, including the three Immortals and more than fifty Sigil-Bearers. Hundreds more of their agents are on the ground, dozens of drones are flying around, and Tanner and Ali are both collapsed on the ground, bullet holes in their heads.


    Strong bullets, then. They were probably caught off-guard and killed.


    "What the-," one of the Immortals jumps, a boy about sixteen or seventeen. "You''re human! How did you teleport in? No! You had your Sigil removed!"


    "Actually," I say. "I never had a Sigil in the first place. I was supposed to, but then I decided not to while waiting for my birth and nixed the formation of it. It put a lot of limitations on this body, but I decided to remove those and be who I truly am now."


    That earns me a lot of confused looks.


    "But you can find out the truth in the afterlife," I say.


    As if an invisible wave washes out all around me, every last one of the Klen members here starts to vanish.


    That''s not really a good word for it, however, as it''s more like their bodies are destroyed by this invisible wave as it travels through them. It doesn''t destroy them instantly, instead, only eliminated what it touches. An invisible void which consumes all, one might see it as.


    Even their clothes, weapons, and other equipment are all eliminated.


    Once the wave ends and the Klen members are dead, Ian and the other two so-called "Sigil Gods" appear. I spare a glance to the cameras, then watch as my boyfriend resurrects Tanner and Ali.


    "What the-" Tanner jumps to his feet, then hastily backs up. "Sigil Gods? Wait! We were dead!"


    "You were," I confirm as I point at Ali, whose Sigil reappears on her cheek.


    "Wait," Tanner frowns. "The confusion grows more. You were being honest when you said you never had a Sigil! But then¡­ you''re a Sigil God, too? That''s the only thing I can think of, especially if you can trick my empathy!"


    "He''s not a Sigil God," Ian gives me an amused look. "My boyfriend here decided not to be one after we were told to be. He''s going to get into a lot of trouble for that, by the way."


    "The Elders can deal," I roll my eyes.


    "You put my Sigil back," Ali says. "I''m still confused about a lot of things, but why restore it?"


    "Because I''m about to leave," I say. "You see, there are no Sigil Gods."


    "Uh, there are three right-"


    "Nope," I say, and the other three reveal their Sigils, which fade away. "We are gods. Actual, true gods. The four gods of Earth, to be precise.


    "Almost nineteen years ago," I switch to addressing one of the drones which drew close. "The world performed a revolt against humanity, angry at the way it was treated. That is the event you know as the ''Calamity''."


    Tanner and Ali are now switching between looking at us and the drones, no doubt having realized that we''re broadcasting this.


    "When that happened," Ian says. "The Elders ¨C high gods of the universe ¨C awakened the four of us, who have been slumbering since our formation at the very first moment of Earth''s life. They initiated a sequence that resulted in the existence of Sigil-Bearers."


    "You are the next step in human evolution," I say. "And every year, the amount of humans born as Sigil-Bearers is fourteen percent higher than the previous year''s. All children born to Sigil-Bearers will be Sigil-Bearers, and they are not counted in the increases."


    "Once ninety percent of the world''s ''human'' population are Sigil-Bearers," Ian says. "The marks will fade from the new generation and appear on the old ¨C those who are inferior, instead of those who are superior."


    "We were told to live among you mortals," I say. "Until the day we choose to reveal the truth to this world. That time and day is now. We are gods, true, authentic gods. We have helped guide and shape humanity these last eighteen years, and we will be leaving now to watch the world. Use the information and resources we have given you, and flourish."


    "When the shift of who has the Sigils occurs," Ian says. "We will make an appearance once more. We will give the world our first Judgment. When that happens¡­ we will either allow it to continue, or we will erase all life and restart."


    "Act wisely," all four of us gods say at once, and the drone flies back.


    "You guys¡­ are gods?" Ali asks.


    "Yes," I nod. "And now that we''re leaving, we''ll become but faint memories to all who knew us or of us. You''ll still have pictures, but you won''t quite remember who we are or where we went."


    "We''ve spent the last few years," Ian says. "Making sure the world is ready to handle things without us acting directly. Even our site, Myths and Sigils, was created to act as a source of information for you mortals. To discuss what is and isn''t true about the Sigils and powers."


    "Ian''s set things up to continue to publish my articles," I say. "Until the last of them have been made public. There''s enough to last almost three years."


    "So we''re going to forget you guys?" Tanner asks. "I mean, I don''t know the ladies, but I do know you pretty decently, Nick."


    "Yeah," I say. "The world won''t remember us, the people, but they''ll remember the God of Light and Darkness, the God of Order and Chaos, the God of Life and Death, and the God of Creation and Destruction. They''ll remember that they''re being watched and judged. They''ll remember the important information we''ve given."


    "It''s why we don''t allow ourselves to get too attached to people," Ian elbows me in the side. "Because once we return to the divine realm that is our home, we''re limited in how much we can influence the world. Until such a time as the Elders authorize it, we are not able to return here directly, except for when we pass a Judgment."


    "Don''t worry," I tell Tanner. "You''ll remember the fun bits. Now, it''s time for us to leave, or we''ll annoy the Elders. Goodbye, you two. Make sure to have a lot of fun."


    I dip my head to them, then the four of us gods shimmer and vanish from Earth.