14 Outliers

Twelve days ago...

Somewhere in a highly urbanized city of Maharlika.

A man in tuxedo entered a business office room. The office was in the twelfth floor of an eighteen-floor building. Compared to the towering buildings in this city, this building is considered a small one.

However, it had the widest land space among all the establishments in the city. It's entire area was surrounded by high concrete walls.

"Sir, we've recorded a high energy signature in the south. I think the kid has awaken already!"

The man who was inside the office turned and stared intently at the one who announced the news. He's fourty-nine years old yet he's known to be the second richest man in Maharlika. His name was Ulciscor Rumolo.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"There's little doubt, sir. The energy has crossed the threshold."

Ulciscor smiled at the news. His eyes beamed with excitement. It made him remember something.

"USELESS!" an ominous old man yelled angrily at Ulciscor. The old man was wearing a white robe and its hood was covering partially his leathery brown face.

Ulciscor was prostrated in the floor. The place looked like a gothic cathedral. The windows were decorated by stained glasses and there were large paintings hanged on the walls.

Ulciscor's face bent towards the ground. He didn't dare raised his head but the expression in his face was not that of respect nor reverence but disgust and hatred.

In front of him was a person called, Lord Luzarro. He's seated on a large gold-plated chair. Although, it looked luxurious it was quite weird since the legs of the chair were designed as human legs. Luzarro was the man who's behind Ulciscor's quick success. It was also from him that he inherited the power to control hellfire.

Suddenly, Ulciscor felt pressure all over his body. He tried to resist it but to no avail. Slowly, he's levitating against his will. He floated feet first. Lord Luzarro was imposing on him his overwhelming power!

Now, he felt his body straightening up. His feet and head were being pulled in the opposite directions. His arms were also spread out. He felt pain all over his body!

Lord Luzarro grinned. He caused Ulciscor levitate in upside down position with his head about six feet above the floor. Luzarro stood up and walked towards Ulciscor. His shaggy face became more visible. His face nearly touched that of Ulciscor while he murmured on his ear.

"You know we both hate this disgusting thing that I've been doing. I madly want to stop this more than you do. If you could just find the book already... then no more kids will die... like what happened to your... daughter."

Ulciscor closed his eyes out of anger after being reminded of what Luzarro did to his daughter. He remembered how his five-year old daughter, Lana, had a grim death at Luzarro's hands.

He was dying due to brain cancer that time when Luzarro came to him. Luzarro lived an obscure life. His identity was not open to the public. He was never listed among the great men in anything such as the richest or what. His name was never heard in politics nor in any position in any global institution or secret societies which have been occupied by prominent people.

Nothing much was known about him. But Ulciscor had heard rumors about him having supernatural powers and that he was more than five hundred years old and that he can even cure diseases.

Ulciscor's information about the existence of a person known as Lord Luzarro was underground. It was known only to the few elites in the world. As a matter of fact, all the top eight richest persons in the world come to him either to pay courtesy or ask his blessing or advice.

Luzarro offered to him to cure his cancer. Although, Ulciscor didn't fully believe in his power, he begged him to cure him and vowed that he'll do everything for him if he can give him another chance. Luzarro agreed and asked only one condition.

Ulciscor remembered well what Luzarro casually said: "Rise, you're ailment is no more." Then he left after telling him that he'll know about the condition soon. As soon as he was healed, he also received the knowledge to control hellfire.

But regret always happens late. The condition was the life of his five-year old daughter. Too late for him to know that the secret to Luzarro's longevity was by regularly drinking the blood of children! It was said he had lived since the fourteenth century through this sinister method.

Ulciscor had known more about Luzarro since then for he had become subservient to him since he got his powers. He knew that Luzarro was not immortal. His secret to his longevity was a combination of alchemy and hellfire.

It was not known to him, however, what exactly Luzarro's purpose was for his obsession with the book. All that he knew was that the book will help him end his dependence on children's blood to prolong his life.

-

After his recollections, Ulciscor left his office and went down the basement of the building through the elevator. He entered a guarded room. Inside a room was an alien prisoner.

He had much similarity with humans but there's no doubt that this being was alien. The alien was inside a glowing cylindrical cell. The cell was made from pure hellfire energy and was four feet in diameter and nine feet tall.

The alien was also being bound by the same hellfire energy on his hands and feet. And the hellfire chains are seamlessly connected to the cell.

As soon as Ulciscor opened the door of the room, the alien looked at him. The expression of anger was noticeable in its face.

"We've found the kid," said Ulciscor with a nasty smile.

The alien tried to move violently out of anger but the hellfire energy was too strong for him.

"Thanks to your technology, I can absorb the energy from him," Ulciscor's grin turned into chuckle.

I have always believed that the universe, rather than being SCI-FI — aliens, time travel, parallel dimensions, blah, blah —, is supernatural, governed by the forces of good and evil spirits. But everything changed after we've found you. The universe is indeed full of surprises that you've never imagined is true. But what is more surprising, what is more grandiose... is that in this vast universe of various species and aliens... the human race can emerge as the most powerful!

Other alien species may have the technology humans can only think of in fiction, but we have the brute power to rule over all and, thus, to harness all forms of technology according to our wishes! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ulciscor then left the basement. As he was in the elevator, he's occupied with a thought.

"Finally, revenge is mine! — My daughter, Lana... I'm so sorry. But soon I can avenge your death. This time, Luzarro will die!"

Ulciscor returned to his office. Waiting at the door outside was a woman and a man. The man was bald and wearing a leather robe, dark-blue jeans, and crocodile-skin shoes.

"We've located the area where the kid must be. Look, this is the town. The town's name is Quiet Lake. The surge of energy happened at exactly 12: 39 noon yesterday," said the woman as she showed Ulciscor a digital map on her tablet.

The bald man was blithely leaning at the wall of the room and was not paying attention to the two. He's listening to music through his headphone.

"Do you think it's really the kid that the alien is looking for?" the woman asked.

"Here's the reading. The threshold is five thousand while the power surge reached five thousand two hundred units. It's pretty high energy," Ulciscor showed the woman a device that reads energy levels.

The bald man also glanced at the device as it made him curious.

"It must be him. Except for hellfire, there's nothing on earth that can be as strong as that which occured in that town," he added.

Ulciscor gestured at the woman and she followed him inside the room. She closed the door leaving the bald guy outside.

"Sir, pardon me for saying this. But five thousand and two hundred is even lower than half of your power. Why do you bother?" asked the woman.

"You know nothing! Here, listen to him." Ulciscor turned on the led monitor in front of him and a man in lab uniform appeared.

"Yes. Allow me to explain. The kid's blue energy is different from hellfire. Our team of Engineers have confirmed that this blue energy has a multiplier effect on hellfire. We cannot explain yet why, but it's the indubitable result of our repeated studies on the alien. Specifically, out tests show that it can multiply hellfire ten times!"

The woman pressed her fingers on her lips.

"My conservative estimate is that I'm around thirty percent of Luzarro's power. If my power is raised ten times, I will overpower him!"

"Yes, correct," the man on the monitor eagerly seconded.

There was brief silent in the room.

"About the bald guy outside, do you think he can accomplish the task? What is he?" Ulciscor asked the woman.

"The name's Guntira. He's an outlier... from Japan."

"Ahh... an outlier! Hmm... so the rumors about them are true. Humans who spontaneously developed the capacity of controlling hellfire. Interesting!"

"Yes. Recently, there are some of them that surfaced out and made a public spectacle."

"But the hellfire they use are not pure! The Japanese and some other cultures call it chakra, chi, or haki. Outliers' power levels are way below the five thousand units threshold. He might not measure up."

"He's the best option that we have. We've tested him against the strongest outliers we can find, and he emerged as the decisive winner."

"Is that so... What is his type?"

"He's brute force. He employs hellfire to enhance his physical strength. He'll be the best match to the boy."

Not known to the two inside the room, one of Guntira's abilities was keen hearing. He heard what they were talking and he felt insulted.

He decided to show them a sample. He smiled and started to release his energy. Soon, the walls and floor shook! Ulciscor and the woman and all the people inside the eighteen-storey building felt the shaking.

Guntira was releasing his energy to display his full power. Now the walls and floors of the building have started to crack. The people have panicked and many fled the building.

The device was picking up the surge of energy.

The woman and Ulciscor were surprised. They realize it's not an earth quake but it's Guntira. Moments after, the shaking stopped but some concrete debris from the walls have fell and there were large cracks in the floors.

When the two looked again at the device, it registered five thousand and twelve units!

"IMPOSSIBLE!!" the woman exclaimed. "Outliers can't be this powerful!"