Chapter 12 — It Is Only Ashes
"Jessica, promise me that from now on, you won't recklessly approach strangers like that again."
Putting on his big brother air, Ivan warned her seriously.
It wasn't that he thought the two men in black were bad people—but Jessica's habit of casually striking up conversations with strangers made him uneasy.
Even if she didn't run into obvious villains, meeting the wrong kind of people could still lead to trouble—or worse, being manipulated or led astray.
Jessica felt Ivan gripping her arm and stopped.
"Van, I know there are bad people around here. I was just… really curious."
"Think about it," Ivan said. "If you went over and asked them, they probably wouldn't bother explaining anything to a little girl. They might even make things up just to brush you off."
"Mm… okay. You're right."
---
The Gym.
It was average in size and poorly equipped, but it was the only gym nearby. Despite being in a rather remote area, business had gradually picked up thanks to the owner, Carl Lucas, aggressively promoting the place.
Because gangs often operated nearby, many of the gym-goers were thugs. Fortunately, Lucas himself was a gang member with some reputation, so hardly anyone dared cause trouble in his territory.
Seeing Ivan arrive, Lucas set down his dumbbells and nodded at him. Ivan came here often, and the two were already familiar with each other.
What had once been a casual recommendation turned into genuine surprise—Lucas had never expected this kid to be so persistent. Ivan rarely missed a day of training.
"I'm going to use the treadmill, Van," Jessica said as she headed toward the machines on the north side.
Ivan nodded—but as he did, he noticed someone in her direction.
Dark skin.
Pink buzz-cut hair.
A familiar face.
It was Baker—the hot-tempered thug from the abandoned warehouse, the one who had argued against letting Cullen go.
At that moment, Baker was staring at Ivan with his mouth slightly open. Their eyes met.
Thud. Thud.
Baker involuntarily took two steps back. Then he took a deep breath, forced an awkward smile, and greeted him.
"H-Hello."
Ivan glanced at Jessica, who was already jogging on the treadmill, then walked toward Baker.
"You didn't go looking for Cullen afterward, did you?" Ivan asked once he got close. He remembered Baker had been against letting him off easily.
Baker froze for a moment, then said, "Actually… I wanted to apologize. I won't cause you trouble again."
"Cause me trouble?"
"Can you tell me where you hid my three friends? I can pay to ransom them."
Even though he was speaking to a high schooler, Baker kept his tone careful and subdued.
All he knew was that he'd sent three men to teach the superpowered kid a lesson—and none of them ever came back.
Baker was one of the few who had seen Ivan's face that day. Seeing him now, he was convinced this was the superpowered kid. Combined with Ivan's steady gaze, Baker completely lost his nerve.
At Baker's words, Ivan immediately understood.
So those three weren't actually after Angel—they were sent for him. And Baker was the one who ordered it.
Seeing Ivan remain silent, Baker asked cautiously, "Are… are they okay?"
"No," Ivan replied flatly.
"Then… where are they?" Baker pressed.
His heart pounded with fear, but this was something he had to deal with. His boss had given him an ultimatum the day before—clean up your own mess. He was ordered to retrieve the people from the superpowered kid.
He'd been terrified and stalled until now.
But reality had finally caught up.
When Ivan still didn't speak, Baker pulled out fifty dollars from his pocket and offered it with a smile.
"Here—just take this, as—"
He didn't finish.
The fifty-dollar bill crumbled into fine gray ash in his hand, scattering into the air with a sudden breeze.
His arm remained frozen mid-gesture, as if still offering money—but his palm was empty.
"The money you offered is filthy," Ivan said calmly.
Baker's heart raced.
So this is what a superpower user is like…
His face flushed—not just from fear, but humiliation.
He forced a smile. "Don't be like that. I—I know I was wrong, I—"
"Hey! Van!"
Jessica jogged over, holding two cans of cola. She handed one to Ivan, wiped her sweat, and asked, "Your friend?"
Seeing Ivan talking to the pink-haired man, she assumed they knew each other.
"Mm," Ivan replied casually as he took the can.
"Here, this one's for you. I'll grab another from the vending machine."
Jessica handed her own cola to Baker.
"Thank you, young lady!" Baker said with a smile, trying his best to look gentle.
He could tell she was close to Ivan.
"I'll keep going!"
Jessica waved and walked toward the lat pulldown machine. She'd once told Ivan she mainly trained her back at the gym—it helped make her figure look better.
"You two seem close. She even brought you a drink," Baker said, trying to make conversation.
As he spoke, he popped open the can.
PSSSSSS—!
The soda sprayed violently into his face—and kept spraying.
After wiping his face, Baker realized the can was completely empty. Not a single drop remained.
He looked up, realizing Ivan was messing with him.
Anger surged through his chest. He glared at Ivan—
For two seconds.
Then he met Ivan's eyes.
And immediately deflated.
A damn high schooler… this guy's impossible, he cursed internally.
"What's wrong?" Ivan asked.
"If you think the money wasn't enough, I still have more—" Baker said angrily as he reached into his pocket.
What he pulled out was a handful of ash.
He froze.
All the money in his pocket—gone.
His fingers went numb with rage, as if he were losing all sensation. He staggered backward, nearly falling over.
Barely steadying himself, he swallowed his fury. His anger burned hot—but he didn't dare speak it aloud.
Baker forced himself to calm down, nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily. Even when trying to appear composed, his eyes betrayed his rage completely.
"What do you want…? What do you want before you'll release them?" Baker demanded, gripping a nearby workout machine, his arm trembling uncontrollably.
"Strip naked and run laps at Thompson Harris High's rear field," Ivan said.
"Three laps. While shouting 'I'm a pervert!' as you run."
"That's impossible!"
Baker roared without thinking, drawing nearby gazes.
"Quiet. This isn't your house."
Carl happened to pass by and pointed at Baker in warning.
Baker froze.
Once Carl walked away, Ivan spoke softly.
"There aren't many people at school right now. You're going to run sooner or later anyway. Doing it now won't be that embarrassing. Just do it—and I'll release them."
"Why… why are you messing with me like this?" Baker gritted his teeth.
"Because you like messing with other people," Ivan replied calmly.
"Paying a price for it—isn't that only fair?"