In the end, I did end up getting that charger and watching that movie. I couldn't focus much, as I kept thinking back to my encounter with Alan.

He was one of the characters whom I did not feel strongly about one way or the other. I had liked his girlfriend, Jane Michaels, a fair bit, up until she betrayed the group. Before that, she had a been a strong character (both skills and personality wise).

The main character of the original novel had been my favourite for a long time, because, despite all his megalomania and selfishness, he was a pretty well-rounded and realistic character. But as the spin-offs started coming out, giving the side-cast a chance to shine, he started to be put more and more on the side-lines, to the point where he wasn’t even the focal point of the stories anymore, but just a plot device.

It was while reminiscing about the story, and trying to come up with at least one sensible reason for why Alan would be in Paris, that I made my way home.

The sun had set, and the streets had gotten more and more deserted as I headed back towards the 9th district, where I lived. After about an hour of walking, and having crossed the Seine twice (I had taken the scenic route, and walked passed the magnificent cathedral of Notre Damme) I would go on for minutes without seeing anyone. It wasn’t strange, as most people were either home, or partying out at this hour.

Although there was no official curfew in place, people tended to stay inside after dark. The streets weren’t completely deserted, however, since there were those who preferred to party in public spaces, despite the risk of a monster attack, and those who went to and from the Sait-Lazzare train station which I had just passed.

As I was only a few streets from home, I felt that tingly sensation in my eye again.

“Not again…” I muttered, as a red ribbon of ethereal light appeared before me, and suggested I switch sidewalks.

I had spent three months in this world without this skill activating a single time, and now it had activated thrice in a day, as if trying to make up for the lost time.

But I wasn’t stupid enough to disregard it, and I did as I was told, crossing the sidewalk, and turning on my phone to pretend to be talking to someone.

“Hi, Etienne.” I said to my home screen, “Yeah, I’m almost there. Do you have dinner ready? Great, I hope you didn’t put any sweet corn in it, you know I am allergic.” I continued saying random stuff.

I then shut up for a second, as the red ribbon vanished, to check if I could hear anything. Sure enough, I heard a brief exchange of whispered words, which stopped seconds immediately after I’ve stopped ‘talking on the phone’.

I glanced back and hasted my pace. As I did so, I pretended to talk on the phone once again. But when I glanced back for the second time, I could just about make out two figures following me.

“Right.” I whispered.

Under normal circumstances I would have already made a run for the nearest well-lit and well-travelled street. But a thought crossed my mind. I was in a wuxia world after all, so I could try playing by its rules (now that I knew I had some semi-useful skills). Thankfully, using skills was very instinctive, kind of like winking.

Blackout

Radius 5 meters

Duration 2 minutes

MP - 5

All the lamp posts and a handful of windows around me went black. Even starlight couldn’t slip through this dome that seemed to have formed around me. But it had no effect on me with my darkvision skill negating it. I dashed away, towards a main street.

“Hey, get back here!” A male voice called from behind me.

“Yeah, this is illegal!” A female voice joined in.

I didn’t know if that was true or not, nor did I care. If they wanted to call the police and have them fine me, then be it. My safety, or at least the illusion thereof came first.

I turned a corner, then another, running by an older couple walking their dog. They gave me a weird look, but did not say anything. In their eyes, I probably looked like some drunk student doing whatever it was students did at this hour.

I crossed a large street, and glanced back once again. No one seemed to be following me.

With a hand on my chest, I let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps I had overreacted, with all the emotions of this long day shambling around in my head, but I didn’t regret it. Well, I didn’t regret running away from what I considered to be a dangerous situation. But I did start to regret using a skill like that.

I checked my ISW and was not surprised to see that my MP had dropped to a staggering 8.

“Hmm,” I thought back to the ‘0 MP’ written next to my ‘short voyage’ skill. I already knew it didn’t mean that the skill didn’t require any MP, so maybe dropping to 0 MP was the condition to activate it.

I would have to try that out later, but definitely not now, I thought as I continued my walk home.

Suddenly, I felt that tingly sensation in my eye again.

“For fuck’s sake.” I swore, as a red ribbon appeared, and told me to enter the nearest building.

I wasn’t planning on doing that. I had had enough of it. Maybe that skill was broken or something, maybe it was some sort of curse, I thought as I decisively continued my way forward.

The sensation in my eye got stronger, and I saw the ribbon wrap itself around a point less than a meter before me, as it telling me to turn back. I stopped in my tracks, hesitating.

Suddenly, a giant icicle fell from the sky right in the spot where the ribbon told me to turn back. I jumped backwards, and yelped, startled. The red ribbon vanished amongst the tiny fragments of ice.

“Don’t make that face, it wouldn’t have killed you.” A man spoke, as he emerged from a side alley.

It was with an eerily nervous feeling that I realised that this was the same voice as earlier.

I clenched my handbag to my chest, and tried to discreetly rummage through it to get my phone. I just needed to dial 003, the national hotline for ‘magic related crime’.

“Yeah, and even if it had, you deserve it after that little trick you pulled earlier.”

I nervously glanced in the direction of the voice. A lean woman had just jumped off the roof of the building above me. Although she was dressed like a Victoria’s Secret model, she carried two daggers of impressive length. She looked much more intimidating than her male counterpart, who was currently idly standing about a good distance from me.

“That wasn’t me.” I said with as much confidence as the situation would allow.

The pair exchanged a look.

“Really René?” The woman asked, suddenly annoyed. “You had one job, to track that bitch. One fucking job.”

“Hey, I ain’t the one with crazy good eyesight! You said that it was her!” The man retorted.

While they were arguing, I had managed to locate my phone. But dialling even those three numbers required me to look down and away from the duo, so I didn’t dare do it just yet. Instead, I slowly moved along the wall, in the direction of the unarmed male robber, in hopes of making a run for it.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” The woman massaged the bridge of her nose. “You! Give me your bag.”

I must have given her some sort of look, because before I knew it, her knife was pressed against my throat.

“I said-”

I kicked her with my knee between her legs. Still clenching onto my bag, I dashed away. But something cold hit me in the side, and with a gasp, I fell on the ground.

Luck - 2

Another small icicle hit me in the face.

Luck - 4

“Help!” I yelled.

“Vivi, you used your skill, right?” The man asked.

“Sure did.” The woman answered, having finally regained her composure. “No one can hear you, so give us the damn bag.”

I took in a deep breath. My whole body was shaking with fear. This was different from the attack in the store, in so many ways. I breathed out and decided to act.

Blackout

Radius 5 meters

Duration 2 minutes

MP - 5

“What-” The man spoke, annoyed. But I didn’t let him finish.

I swept my leg under him, making him loose balance. I jumped up, and pushed him in the direction of his partner, who thankfully did not seem to have dark vision as a passive skill.

Thinking that it was me who tried to attack her again, she slashed at her partner with two ethereal blades that formed around her actual knives. He in turn froze her feet to the ground, and yelled something. I did not stick around long enough to listen.

With a shaking hand, I turned the key of my apartment, and slammed the door behind me. This earned me a loud thump from the neighbour above. But I didn’t care.

I threw my bag on the kitchen table, and dialled 003.

“MCH, magic crime hotline, do you have an emergency?” A polite male voice with a thick rural accent asked.

“Good evening, I think two people have just tried to rob me.” I said.

Thankfully I wasn’t out of breath and could speak clearly.

“You think?” The man asked.

“One of them demanded my bag. She had two daggers. The other attacked me with ice shards.” I clarified.

“Are you no longer in danger?”

“No, I am home now. I don’t think they’ve followed me.”

“Alright. Do you have any more details on their skills?” The man asked.

I could hear the sound of keyboard typing in the background.

“No.” I replied.

“So, we don’t seem to have anyone matching this profile in our database. You are located in the city of Paris, correct?”

“Yes.” I answered.

“I will transfer you to the local police then, so you can file a report. What is your name, current location, and class?” He asked.

I paused.

Was it really wise to file a police report? No harm was technically done, and I didn’t want to sit through another session of pointless questions. Plus, I wasn’t too keen on talking about my class, since that would lead to questions about my rank, and … well let’s just say ‘the only high ranker to almost get mugged in Paris by some random thugs’ sounded like a headline no journal would skip on.

“Sorry, I have to go.” I said. “It wasn’t actually me who called you.” I added, hoping that ‘black trail’ worked over phone.