Alex sighed, he looked at the man in front of him. He wondered how he was even alive after his fight with Hijiri, but he thought was the situation he was in better? Alex was restricted to a chair as a man with a black robe and pink hair stood over him, a surgical mask covering the bottom half of his face as he sighed. The man that stood over Alex even asked him a weird question, which was “What do you desire, fool?” It confused Alex; he had no idea what to say, in what context? The question was so bizarre that Alex had to ask what he meant.

“What do you mean what I desire? Did you kidnap me? Please don’t eat me, I'm not tasty!”

Alex said loudly in a humorous way.

The man sighed loudly, he turned away from Alex cartoonishly as he spoke.

“That’s not the answer I was looking for. Don’t worry I wouldn’t eat someone that I’m interested in, you fool. Now I’ll ask again, what do you desire?”

Alex thought about the question for a quick second, what did he desire? He thought hard about it, he thought about the question and question only. Then, he answered in a semi-pessimistic tone.

“I guess, I desire to be happier and stronger? I also desire to be a better person even though it’s all pointless, I guess.”

The man smiled under his mask, he then turned around making eye contact. He got close to Alex’s face, making Alex awkward and feeling weird. The formation of the man’s smile could still be seen even with the mask covering it. The man then replied to Alex’s answer.

“That’s a good answer, it’s better than most actually, good Alex. You’re still a fool.”

Alex spoke up, with a shocked tone.

“How do you know my name-”

The man continued to speak, cutting Alex’s question off midway, simultaneously he walked the other way.

“You see Alex, people these days are weak. Men have no direction and aren’t used to pain anymore, but they aren’t only at fault, so are the women, men do not lead so the women act out and are not in accordance.”

While the man spoke he walked around the room, but then he looked at Alex suddenly and kept speaking.

“People only desire two things these days, their lustful desires and their greedy desires. I think that desires are great, they fuel everything we do and say.”

Alex didn’t know why, but something about the way the man was talking was interesting to him. Alex tried to escape, he kicked around and tried to move but there were chains around his wrist and they were tied behind his back. There were also chains on his ankles so he couldn’t do much but squirm around and listen to the man.

The man continued to speak.

“Do you think desires are great Alex?”

Alex looked at the man with intense annoyance. He then yelled a snarky remark.

“Why are you asking me these questions and why did you kidnap me, are you going to kill me? Who are you? Where are we?”

The man sighed, he looked Alex in his eyes as he spoke calmly.

“Call me Kuro or Shadow King. You’re in my apartment.”

Kuro took a brief pause as he began to finish his sentence, suddenly a black shadow-like aura began to surround Kuro’s body. His presence then began to be felt throughout the area, it seemed that Kuro also had the same type of abilities that Alex and Toroma had. His eyes glowed black and had a shadow-like aesthetic around them. There was something different about Kuro’s aura, it was stronger and more experienced. It was most definitely noticeable that Kuro’s prowess was superior and completely overpassed Alex’s and Toroma’s in multiple ways. In the middle of Kuro activating his aura he spoke.

“Trust me, if I wanted to kill you I would have done it. I healed you for a reason.”

The aura around Kuro then quickly disappeared.

Alex was in shock, he now found another person with powers. He spoke toward Kuro with new interest and some newfound respect.

“Kuro’s your name, right? Do you have powers too?! Did you heal me?”

“Yes I do have powers and I healed you. Now if you listen to me I will tell you more about them. Let me get to my point first, you may interest me, but I will kill you if you continue to interrupt.”

Alex nodded profusely. He calmed down. He was still worried since Kuro was a stranger but what could he do? He looked to the left and saw Toroma and Daizen. Toroma was slowly starting to wake up but Daizen was still passed out. Toroma was half awake but for some reason, he wasn’t shocked. He was just slightly moving in his chair.

Alex was a bit mad, his fight with Hijiri had stopped the question he had for Toroma. He’d guess he’d try to do it after he is out of here. He also noticed that some of Toroma’s and Daizen's bruises were gone, he guessed that Kuro must have Kuro then continued to speak, with a serious look on his face.

“You see Alex and Toroma, desires are what make the world go round. People desire to eat and feed so they desire to get money to buy food and survive. Desires are all-powerful, they are the most supreme, but what’s wrong with people is they have no good desires. Only ones that are selfish, rude, and nonproductive people focus on the negativity more than the positivity. Think about it, why are the seven deadly sins more known than the seven heavenly virtues? So you see what I desire is for better desires.”

Alex listened, he somewhat agreed with Kuro, but he wasn’t aware of society’s flaws like Kuro was. He then spoke toward Kuro giving his opinion on things.

“I guess I can agree but, what does this have to do with everything else in society? And what about the powers that I unlocked? Do you know the reason behind that? What do desires have to do with any of that?”

Kuro sighed, then a smile formed on his face as he once again got close to Alex’s face and spoke.

“You see Alex, it has everything to do with your powers. Desires are the reason you even have an ability or have the ability to use Kagayaku.”

Alex spoke surprisingly. He was going to ask what Kagayaku was, but he decided to hear Kuro’s point first.

“W-what do you mean?”

Kuro chuckled in the middle of his sentence.

“Think about it, you fool. What were you thinking of when you first used your time stop ability?”

Alex took the time to take the man more seriously, he thought about his question. After around a minute, he figured it out. When he figured it out his eyes widened as he then realized that Kuro was right, he was in shock. There was shock all over his face, Kuro noticed this causing him to chuckle then speak.

“It seems you figured it out, well come on spit it out.”

Alex spoke, still in shock.

“I was in class, I was bored just like any other day but, that day I was more bored than usual. I began to think about my past and I wished for my class to just stop. I wanted everyone to stop talking, I wanted to be out of that classroom. That’s when my time ability first activated, you were right at that moment I did have the desire for class to stop.”

Kuro spoke up in a cocky tone.

“As I expected, you see desires are what fuel these powers that we have. These abilities we have aren’t normal. Our abilities to use an ability and Kagayaku aren’t normal. You see, the government hides these abilities from society. Just like how they hide extraterrestrials, demons, angels, exoplanets, and monsters. Humans don’t like to share power, it’s human nature and that includes the government.”

Alex hears the word government, instantly thinking about his father and his absence due to his government job. He then began rebutting against Kuro. He spoke up and denied his accusations against the government, he did this with anger in his voice.

“You are a liar, there’s no way the government knows about these special powers we have! My dad would have told me about them! You aren’t making any sense! What is this Kagayaku you speak of?! Explain yourself!”

Kuro chuckled at Alex’s response.

“I’ll address your government beliefs after I explain what Kagayku is. You see, this is Kagayaku.”

As Kuro spoke, once again a dark shadow-like aura began to surround his body. His presence could be felt throughout the room like before. His eyes also had a blackish glow surrounding them.

Alex looked at Kuro with confusion, he then corrected his naming scheme on the aura-like ability.

“Don’t you mean glow?”

Alex used this naming scheme because he remembered the demon voice calling it that.

Kuro chuckled once more.

“That’s what you call this aura? Well, to each their own but, we experts call this aura Kagayaku. Kagayaku means shining in Japanese. You see once you triggered your desire, your body went through a change whether you realized it or not. The change was probably painful but, then you gained the ability to use Kagayaku and you gained an ability. Kagayaku is energy within your body that comes out in a form of aura, the aura glows along with it. This aura will hover around your body, it covers your body and appears by the outline of all the body parts. It will also give you a physical boost when it is activated. This energy is how you use your ability, without it your ability cannot be used.”

Alex quickly asked a question.

“So my desire gave me the ability to use Kagayaku? If that’s the case then why doesn’t everyone else in the world have powers like me and Toroma do?”

Kuro eagerly answered his question.

“That’s the part me and the government haven’t figured out yet. You’re a special case. You gained an ability without having a special desire. Do you have any family members with the abilities you have?”

Alex shrugged, simultaneously speaking.

“None that I’m aware of.”

Kuro laughed loudly, it seemed he was getting excited.

“That’s weird you fool! That just makes you even more of a special case. I’m so happy I healed you. Anyways, you can do a bunch of advanced techniques with Kagayaku, by training it. You can do stuff like fly, protect your body, and make small energy blasts. Think of Kagayaku as electricity that allows your ability to function and move correctly.”

Alex spoke up once more, he asked another question.

“That sounds cool and all but, how did I get this ability to stop time? Like why this, in particular, is it random?”

Kuro responded by correcting Alex.

“No, you got it depending on your soul’s true desire, it’s based on your personality and nature. You see, an ability is a manifestation that comes from within the user’s spiritual and mental subconscious that can either enhance them physically, mentally or give some other bizarre new power. It is a manifestation of what the soul truly wants. These manifestations are mainly based on personalities and nature and also their desire thought allowed him to unlock it in the first place. For example, if a lazy person unlocked an ability their power would be based on some type of stoppage or laziness. The abilities are also in different categories, but eh I’ll tell you later.”

Alex nodded his head. In all honesty, he didn’t understand all of it, but he got the gist of it. It seemed like a typical shonen power system, something like Ki or Chakra or even Nen.

“I get it. Is that all?”

Kuro then showed Alex his finger, he put one of his fingers as he spoke.

“One more thing, I’m gonna warn you about your ability. I saw how you used it, just know that they’re there is good and bad to everything, especially with abilities. Everyone’s abilities have an advantage and disadvantages, this includes any techniques you may have in the future. Think about it like Yin and Yang. This is called the law of balance. Darkness cannot exist without light and vice versa, sins and virtues.”

Alex responded.

“So, that’s why I cough blood every time I use my time ability. I get it.”

Kuro then shook his head as he then realized he got a bit off track explaining the basics of their powers.

“Alright Alex Zuki, let’s get back on track. You think that the government doesn’t know about these abilities?”

Alex furiously nodded his head indicating a yes.

Kuro saw his head nod and continued speaking.

“You see you are wrong. That’s why you were attacked today because the government knows about you.”

Alex then spoke, in a shocked tone.

“W-what?!”

Kuro smirked with his mask on, as he smirked he continued to speak.

“Think about it, I saw the whole fight. I watched it all, not just that. I’ve been watching you for a few days. Ever since you unlocked that lucky ability of yours.”

Alex was weirded out.

“Why are you watching me?”

Kuro spoke, not answering his question.

“Because, when you first used your ability, you metaphorically froze time all around the world. Your Kagayaku could be felt throughout every Kagayaku user on this planet, including me. They couldn’t figure out where exactly the presence was coming from, but they could tell it came from the Asia Continent. Why do you think Hijiri attacked Daizen and even knew your name?”

Alex thought about it. He never realized those things before, he honestly just thought Hijiri started a fight with him because he was insane. He never realized these things until Kuro mentioned them.

“Holy shit, you are right! Why are people going after me?

Kuro nodded as he continued to speak.

“So, you see, the reason why people are trying to get you is that there is a bounty on your head. The government doesn’t make exceptions like you very lightly, they want you alive.”

Alex was still in shock, he had no idea he had been endangering himself this bad. He frantically and scaredly asked questions.

“Why do they want me alive? If there is a bounty on my head, why haven’t you taken me in yet?”

The formation of Kuro’s smile could be seen through his mask as he kept talking to Alex.

“They want you alive because your ability is unique. The ability to stop time could be very useful to the government’s endeavors. They’d experiment on you, they have done to others before. You’d be a pawn, the government only cares about one thing, keeping the people dumb and stupid. They have even killed special people who unlocked abilities out of nowhere. As time goes by more people are starting to unlock their abilities, the government doesn’t like that very much. The reason I haven’t killed you or taken you in is that I don’t really need the money, but at the same time I’m interested in you.”

Alex, still shocked by all this, replied.

“You don’t want to kill me? Wait, how much is the bounty?!”

Kuro paused for a moment, he reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He tapped a few things on the home screen of his phone. He then casually spoke to Alex in a careless tone.

“Ohh, not that much. Just 109,375,000.00 Japanese Yen.”

Alex began to hyperventilate as he was getting more and more scared. He thought he was done and his life was over. He spoke to Kuro in a scared tone.

“F-fuck, I’m gonna die aren’t I?”

Kuro then sighed, as he put a hand out in front of him. He then put his hand on the ground, and suddenly shadows began to cover the area where his hand was. He then spoke ever so casually.

“Shadow Chair.”

Suddenly, the shadows formed into a dark black chair. Kuro then sat on it, he then pulled up the chair and sat in front of Alex.

Alex was shocked, he didn’t understand how Kuro made the chair so he asked.

“How’d you do that?”

Kuro sighed as he spoke.

“I won’t get into the details but, I can manipulate shadows and darkness in a way. Let’s get back on topic, I’m gonna tell you something. You won’t die.”

Alex was confused, he spoke up angrily toward Kuro thinking he was mocking him.

“What do you mean I won’t die?! I have a fucking bounty on my he-”

Kuro interrupted him, speaking over him, causing him not to talk anymore.

“I’ll make a deal with you if you can promise me one thing.”

Alex spoke up.

“What do you want?”

Kuro suddenly got more serious, his facial expression was serious and stoic. He then spoke.

“I want you to promise me that you will protect your friends, that you won’t give up? That you’ll become stronger?”

Alex then spoke up asking a question loudly.

“What do you mean?!”

Kuro suddenly got slightly annoyed as he heard Alex's response. He then spoke with his dialogue.

“I mean will you protect your friends you fool! Think you already lost today! You let your friends get hurt, trust me if you think Hijiri was tough you're in for a rude awakening. I saw how you acted, self sulking to yourself. Feeling pity for yourself, I saw how you acted in school and how everyone thinks about you! When I first saw you in the streets using your ability I thought you were a loser! I thought about bringing you in, but when I saw you protect your friends Daizen and Toroma I saw a good trait in you!”

Kuro spoke with true passion, his voice echoed off the walls. He continued talking.

“I saw how you protected your friends and sacrificed your life for them, but I want you to promise me will you get stronger? Or will you let your friends get hurt again and even die?!”

Alex was quiet for a second, he looked down and his facial expressions expressed sadness and sorrow. He thought about all the bad things he did, throughout his life he had been nothing, but a self-loathing ungrateful hypocrite. He wanted to be stronger, not just physically but also mentally. Tears rolled down his face as he thought of the events that took place these past few days. He let the tears flow down his face, he then spoke up confidently, tears and snot still rolling down his face.

“I-I’ll become stronger. I want to! I don’t want my friends to be hurt because of me again. I want to become a better person. I wanna show everyone that I’m better than they think I am! I may not know how to become stronger but I'll do it!”

Kuro’s face was blank, as he thought about Alex’s answer. After a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face, the formation of his smile could be seen through his mask as he spoke loudly and excitedly.

“Good, we will start training tomorrow. After you and your friends go to the hospital. I’ll help you with anything you want as long as you keep me interested and keep your promise. Remember if you ever stop making me interested, I will kill you. I feel no pity for the weak. I kill the weak.”

Alex looked at Kuro with confusion.

“I won’t become weak I promise, but why do we have to go to the hospital? I thought you healed u-”

At that moment, Alex instantly felt a sharp and deep pain from within his body. His jaw was still in pain from when Hijiri punched him in it. Mostly from his abdomen. He made a painful facial expression, as he yelled out in pain slightly.

Kuro then laughed as he spoke nonchalantly towards Alex.

“My Shadow Palliate ability only heals minor injuries on the outside, usually I could heal you fully but since I had to heal all of you I had to split my Kagayaku significantly.”

Alex then spoke while in pain.

“Wait, how are we supposed to get to the hospital?”

Kuro spoke.

“I can teleport you all, just let me touch you an-”

Alex quickly cut him off as he remembered a detail about his fight.

“Wait one more question! When I was fighting Hijiri he called me a dirty human. Why was that? Is he something other than human?”

Kuro smirked and raised his eyebrow in surprise, he then spoke complimenting Alex.

“Nice observation Alex, you're right, he isn’t human. He’s an Elementalist, an inferno to be in fact.”

Alex looked confused, he didn’t know these terms so he asked Kuro what he meant.

“Elementalist? Inferno? What are those things?”

Kuro sighed as he suddenly put his hand on Alex’s head as he then replied.

“I’ll tell you once you prove yourself worthy to know, I’m not just gonna tell you everything. You have to earn it. Anyways, I’m gonna send you, Daizen, and Toroma back to the alleyway once you wake up you all should be in hospital ok? Also, don’t tell the people about Hijiri or the fight if they think you’re crazy.”

Alex frantically spoke.

“Wait for what? Why are you sending me back to the alley-”

Kuro then cut Alex off and then used his ability to make him pass out, a black aura surrounded his hand as he spoke two words.

“Shadow Ensnarement.”

Alex then felt his mind go blank, he lost all consciousness he thought to himself.

“Damn it.”

Kuro sighed as he teleported them all away and then spoke. He spoke mysteriously and calmly. He was quiet and spoke in a dark and hopeless tone; he was somewhat pessimistic.

“He needs to become stoic, he will, in time. Maybe there’s hope, in this world after all. Well, hope except me.”