Author’s note- This was done at 5:30 on wednesday. I’m not sure when I can post, so… Well I guess it doesn’t matter since you’re reading it now, and I already have the next one underway. Enjoy~

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Aftermath

After a while, I drew back from the hug. But, I was still feeling concerned.

Me- “Chloe. I told you it was dangerous. Why did you come here?”

Chloe looked surprised I actually asked this and said indignantly,

Chloe- “But you got stabbed! You could of died!”

Me- “That’s my point! What if more of them came? What would we do then? They would of gotten both you and me! But without you here, I could probably escape!”

Chloe- “You couldn’t even see me until I was right in front of you! And you passed out as soon as you recognized I was even standing there! I thought you were dead…”

I didn’t have a good response to this, but I still murmured a moment later,

Me- “I’m fine now…”

Chloe looked upset and worried.

Chloe- “No you’re not! Look at all that blood on the side of your shirt!”

Realizing that I may still be bleeding, Chloe started to try and rip out a piece of her shirt to tie up my wound. But I stopped her, saying,

Me- “Chloe, my ability isn’t only limited to fire. I can heal as well; it just takes some time. Look, the bleeding has already stopped!”

I lifted up my shirt to show her, while simultaneously activating the hot feeling. But contrary to my expectations, Chloe’s face darkened considerably. She looked like she was about to throw up.

Chloe- “Oh my god! Nathaniel, how are you acting like everything’s fine!? It looks so painful!”

Me- “I don’t feel it. Plus, it will be gone in ten minutes tops. Bear with me, and continue looking at it for a second.”

While she stared at it, I instinctively had a feeling that this level of the hot feeling wasn’t my limit any longer. I could take it to another level.

Letting it go full power, I suddenly felt the whole world had changed. Chloe had slowed down by at least 4 times, and my eyesight had become so much better. For example, looking at a plant from afar now was like looking at it up close, with a magnifying glass. And my wound was starting to itch like crazy; I could feel my muscles knitting together! It wasn’t even on the same level as before, where if you didn’t look closely, you couldn’t see it healing.

Chloe jumped, clearly not expecting my wound to heal that fast.

Chloe- “What was that!? If you could heal that fast, then why were you in such a terrible state earlier?”

A grimace came on my face, as I remembered what the rabbit girl had said about the knife that stabbed into me. Poison.

Me- “They added poison to the knife I was stabbed with, delaying my healing until the poison was resolved. But I guess I was able to deal with it because my healing ability is so powerful. It was just a matter of time. That’s why I could’ve escaped if you hadn’t come, given a bit more time.”

I intentionally failed to mention how close I came to death this time. If Chloe became worried, then I don’t know what she would do when I was in danger again. I needed to first assure her that I could face things alone, and then we could move on from there. For her own good.

Chloe- “What exactly happened there?”

She pointed towards the back of the racetrac. And I noticed I had walked a much smaller distance than I thought I did. There was a trail of blood along with my footsteps, extending about 10 feet.

Me- “Mercenaries, they came after me with poison knives. I took down all of them, but one managed to get me with the knife. Resulting in this.”

Chloe got the same sickened expression that she had before when I told her I was being hunted for money. Grabbing my hands, Chloe looked into my eyes, telling me to answer honestly.

Chloe- “Who’s paying them? Why do they want to come after you?”

I froze. I never thought about that; my thinking was only to the point that people were being paid. Who was paying these people to kill me? And why? A rival organization, trying to pick the flower bud before it has bloomed? But then how could the organization seem to warn me right before every attack? Did anyone else have any similar problems?

A lingering suspicion formed in my mind, but I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly it was. I answered Chloe honestly,

Me- “I, don’t know. All I know for sure now is someone placed a bounty on me, and I’m being hunted.”

Chloe- “Nathaniel, we have to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible!”

Me- “No, I have to get to the bottom of this. They’re hunting me, not you. We already discussed this, but the fact is, you can’t fight! It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to see me get hurt, because you have no way to stop me from getting hurt on the battlefield! And I can’t protect you from a sniper in a brush, who knows where! If you get killed, I could only blame myself! The best way is for you to stay out of this mess altogether! And-”

Chloe- “Shut! Up! You forget that I’m not exactly a normal person either! How else could I find you here!? In a moment of crisis, I’m sure this thing can do something! I can feel it! Nathaniel, I’m not just some princess, waiting for the male lead to fight her battles for her! If you just give me the chance, I’m sure I could be of use!”

Me- “This isn’t all fun and games! People are dying like flies, and you almost turn green from a flesh wound! It’s too-”

The door to the Racetrac opened, and out came a squadron of soldiers in black. The organization…

A voice came out from the back of the squadron, a familiar voice.

Daydream- “Why is it that you’re always being hunted? How many was it this time?”

I stepped in front of Chloe, and answered out coldly,

Me- “4 mercenaries, 2 ability users.”

Daydream- “Description? I don’t see anything but ashes.”

Me- “One was a woman with eyes like an abyss, black with a red glint of light. Scars extended across her face with her eyes as the center, and she was accompanied by a girl, a bit younger than I am. She held a rabbit in her hands. The mercenaries were equipped with automatic rifles and poisonous knives.”

He scratched his chin; his expression was truly strange.

Daydream- “Widow and her daughter, the beast tamer? I’m surprised that you took them out! Unlike the last two, no-names that just grouped together for the hunt, these two were actually a professional team! They specialize in ambush, the tamer locates the target, while the widow uses her sniping skills to end the battle before it starts. How did you survive the first encounter?”

Me- “I went in the forest, and used fire as my cover. The rabbit girl, the tamer I guess, had her rabbit killed by me before they actually attacked.”

Daydream clicked his tongue.

Daydream- “Tch, I guess you got lucky. They sabotaged the teleportation portal, so we couldn’t show up on time. But, another girl? Why do they seem to show up when you’re getting hunted?”

He motioned behind me, but I didn’t respond. Chloe started to shiver, so I grabbed her hand to calm her down.

Daydream- “Well, I guess you know this one. Your girlfriend? You know the rules right? She can’t know anything.”

Me- “Well, she does now, thanks to our conversation.”

Daydream- “I can fix that.”

He walked up to her, extending his hand. But I stopped him.

Me- “Can we let her go for once? I don’t want to see her memories wiped.”

Daydream- “I’m sorry, but regulations have to be followed. Step aside!”

I aggressively took a step forward, a golden aura surrounding my body. And in response, Song took a step forward as well, her expression dark. I’d have to take out the mercenaries guns first, then blow up Song. Then I’d have to deal with daydream in close combat with my golden aura. But the problem was, the other two people who I didn’t know. Their abilities were unknowns, and they could potentially throw a wrench in my preparations. I was at a disadvantage.

As the mercenaries raised their guns, I prepared to detonate a flame point in each of their guns. But before any of us made a move, one of the people in the back spoke up.

???- “Stand down; she is a contractor of his. I can see his power on her wrist.”

They lowered their guns, and all of their facial expressions visibly relaxed. But my grimace grew stronger. A contractor?

Daydream- “Whew, you almost gave me a heart attack. I thought you were about to fight us over a normal girl. No wonder!”

Me- “A contractor?”

Daydream- “Your ability must be incredibly strong to imprint someone already. A class, or maybe even better!”

He used the word, imprint… When have I heard that used before? Ah yes! The fourth application from that book of basics!

‘But for manipulation related abilities, things can be a little different. Manipulators can attach their ability to a mundane object, such as a needle, and release it from this object. This is complicated to perform, but the best way is to touch what’s most important to the manipulator while having a singular desire. Your subconscious will control your ability for you and imprint your desire.’

Me- “Yes, but what is a contractor? Does it have anything to do with the 4th ability mentioned in the book of basics?”

Daydream- “I’d, rather not explain it to you now. You’ll learn it in due time from that class, and any other questions you may have.”

Chloe- “But I want to know!”

She stepped forward from behind me and interjected into our conversation. But Daydream didn’t seem too impressed.

Daydream- “I have no obligation to tell you. Now if you excuse me, I will be taking my leave.”

They walked back into the false door and disappeared. Grabbing Chloe’s hand, I started to take my leave as well.

**************

We ended up going back to my house, as I doubted my parents were back at this point in time. And honestly, I could also care less about the condition of my room. We had more important things to discuss.

Chloe and I were sitting together on my bed with the window providing a somewhat orangish light that lit up the room.

Chloe- “So Nathaniel, what was the class he was talking about?”

Me- “Every day, at ten o’clock. I have to be at their class. They said they would make arrangements legally, and if I didn’t attend, I could make it up by going to one at 7. But attendance everyday is not optional; any exceptions will make me have to pay a certain price. Like Natalie. She was tortured in an illusionary world, and in that world a make believe me was her torturer. I don’t want to end up like her.”

Chloe- “What about me? How do I fit into all of this?”

She looked more willing to listen to before, and I knew it was because she finally started to realize the true gravity of the situation.

Me- “Until we figure out what abilities you can use, nothing. You will be an ordinary person, as to not attract whoever is aiming for me to you. Although if we can figure it out, then…”

Chloe- “Then I’ll fight with you.”

Me- “Alright, I’ll agree to that. But only if you promise me you won’t interfere until you do figure it out.”

Chloe hesitated a bit, she seemed to be wrestling with something in her mind. Finally, she agreed by nodding her head.

I visibly relaxed; it was like a big weight had been taken off my chest. And then I smiled at her.

Me- “Alright, now that that’s over with, I feel much better!”

Checking the time, I realized it was almost 6:30. Turning to Chloe, I said,

Me- “My parents will be here soon, and I need to get rid of this shirt before then. What about you?”

Chloe- “My dad is out, but my mom is still home. I should get back soon.”

Me- “Yeah. Chloe, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Chloe- “It might be earlier than you think! But come over whenever you want, alright? Don’t get intimidated by my dad; he won’t do anything.”

Me- “Of course! You can always come over too; my parents are pretty friendly. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

With that, she walked out of the door. And activating the hot feeling, I heard the front door shut about 15 seconds later. I was now alone…

Taking off my clothes, I walked to the bathroom across from my room. I looked in the mirror on my way in, and I realized that it would take a lot more than a simple wash to get rid of the effects of the battle off me. But thankfully, when I looked at my wounded area, all I saw was smooth, lean skin. Good!

I burned up my clothing with a X5 flame, and turned on the air vent to get rid of the smoke. Then bringing my shoes into the bathtub with me, I turned on the shower water.

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