My first mission is an assassination... I expected as much.
I glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 12 noon. I must have taken a long time...
"Where are our work clothes?" I asked, seemingly emotionless.
"They're at my house, near the Science District," Axel replied.
The Science District is the wealthiest area in the East Zone, almost as rich as the West Zone; you could say they're the richest among the poor.
"Do you live there?" Lux asked, looking Axel in the eye.
"I used to. Now I live here," Axel replied, adopting a mocking and confident tone.
Ha, ha, what a joke, Axel...
I should try activating my aura. "I'll activate it"...
A kind of black and purple mist emanated from my body. I could move it with my thoughts to different parts of my body, shape it, or divide it.
In short, do anything with it...
I jumped, and while I was in the air, I channeled my aura into my feet. I felt an illusory floor appear beneath me...
I jumped again, but due to a miscalculation, I crashed into the ceiling...
Lux and Kōri started laughing. Kōri's laugh was small, and Lux's was more fun.
"That was so stupid," Axel said, trying to hold back his laughter.
Damn, now they're going to see me as a circus freak for the rest of my life...
Axel calmed down a bit. "Well, you know how to use your double jump... but next time, do it in a more open space."
"Right, tell us your powers or abilities. Nero goes first, then Lux, and finally Kōri."
"Okay, tell us your powers or abilities. Nero goes first, then Lux, and finally Kōri."
""I can create small objects, have a double jump, and I can see other people's weaknesses and anticipate their movements."
"I can make anyone lower their guard for two minutes, and I can see in the dark," Lux, who had sat down on the sofa, settled in comfortably.
"My abilities are the power to create and mold ice with a freezing time of five seconds. I can also freeze water, and the ice I create is heat-resistant," Kōri relaxed for a moment but then became reserved again.
Axel became thoughtful, looked at us purposefully, and said, "Let's go find your clothes. We'll stop by a friend's house on the way."
I've already tried one of my abilities. I want to try creating an object, but what should I create?
One of my favorite games was poker...
I could create poker cards...
I imagined a seven of clubs poker card, its color, shape, and texture. I opened my hand and formed the shape of the card with Aura.
After a few seconds, ten to be exact, a card appeared in my hand.
"Deactivare" I said in a tired whisper.
My body felt exhausted from using so much aura. I gripped the card with one hand, while opening the other.
I want to see my aura... I thought.
A black and purple sphere, outlined in dark gray, appeared in my hand.
The sphere was half empty...
"What's that?" Kōri's voice startled me.
I turned to see her pointing at my letter...
"A letter," I tried to sound as indifferent as possible.
"A ch-...what?" Kōri looked bewildered, almost surprised. It was the first time I'd seen her like this.
Damn...
"Uh... i-it's an object I just invented," I tried to sound as coherent as possible.
Kōri looked at me suspiciously and shrugged...
Phew, I almost got caught. I should be more careful...
"Kōri, Nero, come out." We saw Axel and Lux outside the house. We didn't know when he'd left; he's so fast.
We went outside, and Axel closed the door...
Nero never went to the Science District, which is why I don't have a map of that place.
Lux sighed, stretched out his arms, and cracked his knuckles in the air. His characteristic optimistic smile appeared, and he said, "I feel so yellow."
We started walking. I approached Lux and asked, "Lux, do you force yourself to say colors as emotions? Or does it come naturally to you?"
"It comes naturally to me, although I don't know why, after all, I have amnesia," Lux seemed calm.
Axel and Kōri had gone ahead a little...
We were walking through the dirty and dangerous streets of East Zone. Axel was guiding us.
We were passing through an alley when we saw two people, a man and a woman.
The woman was against the wall, her clothes torn and her face covered in tears. The man had his pants down and seemed to be saying something to the woman.
He was raping her!
I don't know why, but a cold hatred settled in my bones... but Kōri beat me to it.
She opened her hand and created a piece of ice; she molded it until it had the shape, size, and edge of a knife.
With rage, she plunged it into the bastard's neck. His body fell to the ground, blood spurting from his neck.
Kōri crouched down and angrily drove the 'knife' into the man's forehead...
The girl slid down the wall until she could sit on the floor.
She couldn't have been more than 18 years old...
Lux and Axel watched the scene, Axel with clear inference and Lux with a touch of discomfort.
Kōri stood up and put her knife back in her clothes. Her face was still filled with hatred, but I could see sadness in her eyes.
I placed my hand on her shoulder, and the gesture calmed her down a little...
After a minute, we started walking again. The girl remained clutching her legs in a vegetative position right next to her attacker.
...
Each of us had a different expression on our faces...
Axel was impassive, Lux seemed more serious than before, Kōri was calm, but her hands had some bloodstains.
We continued walking for about 10 minutes...
An imposing gray brick wall, almost 6 meters high, appeared before us.
The entrance to the science district...
"Stop. If you're going to enter the science district, I'll need your permit."
A guard appeared, blocking the entrance to the district.
Axel looked at him and said with a smile, "Chitrine."
The guard paled instantly and quickly opened the door behind him.
The four of us entered through the fine iron gate...
A beautiful sight suddenly appeared. There were stone paths, large, well-maintained buildings, families walking and laughing, and fountains.
It was the first time in my life I had seen anything so beautiful...
"This way," Axel started walking toward a shop with a sign that read 'forge'.
We entered the shop, and a man of about 50 greeted us cheerfully, but when he saw Axel, his face turned to displeasure, almost anger.
"You!" the man roared angrily.
"Hey Nake, I'm here for my order," Axel said mockingly.
"Don't give me that crap!" Nake clenched his fists and was about to punch Axel.
"You owe me 25 Longs!"
"Fine, fine. I'll pay you, but please give me my order."
As I watched the two people argue in front of me, I couldn't help but wonder if Nake was a Sinner.
Nake calmed down and agreed to give Axel the order.
He went into a room and after a few minutes came out with 13 boxes.
He handed them to Axel, who kept one box and divided it into three, giving four boxes to each of us.
"Go in that way," Nake said, pointing to some changing rooms.
I went into one of them...
I took off my clothes and opened the four boxes...
There were four outfits inside. I took the ones I liked best and put them on.
Wait, the clothes weren't at Axel's house. He's obviously a liar.
I left the dressing room in my new clothes and saw Kōri and Lux's new outfits.
I was wearing black pants and a black shirt, a hat with gold embellishments, and a matching feather. I also had some gold ornaments on my pants and shirt.
Kōri was wearing a black dress with a knee-length skirt, semi-transparent black gloves, and a slightly tilted hat.
Lux was dressed in the clothes of a butler from this era, except he had a black hat and a jacket draped over his shoulders.
We heard footsteps and saw Axel in his new clothes.
He was wearing a brown shirt, a jacket of a similar blue color, and pants and a hat of the same shade of blue.
"These clothes are reinforced by aura, that's why they're so strong and durable. And it's all thanks to Nake and his rank 11 booster".