17 Coo-coo

"Powers…" Mr. Black corrected right before he went into another coughing fit which Ray ignored as he lightly chuckled looking up at the ceiling as he lay paralyzed on his bed.

"That funny…you intend to give me more than one,"

"Three," Ray heard Mr. Black say and at this point, he no longer found the game they played to be funny since he felt like he was being mocked.

"The most anyone has ever had is two," Ray thought before opening his mouth to speak.

"Look...it's pointless to try and scam me. I have nothing," Ray sighed as he continued staring at the white and blank ceiling about him which was the only thing he was familiar with, more so than his own body.

"Then agree then. Sign a binding contract with me and if I fail to deliver my part of the deal then I'll slit my throat and that of my son," Mr. Black said, glad to have Ray's attention as his eyes became fixed on him.

"If you fail to do as promised, you'll also have to die right after killing someone you truly care about," Mr. Black finished not surprised to see an intrigued expression on Ray's face since they were both aware that he was talking of a blood contract and not a written one which meant that it was forever binding and lying while making it was also equal to death.

"Let's say I agree...I know why I want the death of one of them, why do you want the death of the rest?" Ray asked, unable to understand why the man in front of him would go to such lengths to kill the pillars of five cities that made up the continent.

As he spoke, his mind went to Madam Glow and somewhere in his heart, he was shocked by how much he wanted to kill her, and couldn't bare to see her dead both at the same time.

"My wife was sent to the Red prison(RP)"

"Yes, I also know someone there too. He can't control his powers, ``was Ray's reply as he remembered Kin, who he hadn't thought of in a while, wondering what the center had to do with anything.

"What if I told you that only S-rated ability holders are sent there?" 

"Of course. They are the most powerful and the most likely set of people to lose control of their powers. The Red Prison helps them to better control it before they are released," Ray said, recalling the yearly number of people that were shown on and those of people that were let out after gaining control which wasn't even up to 1% of those that entered.

"Only the weakest are allowed to leave after being brainwashed…," Mr. Black replied as he began walking forward with his silver walking stick as an anchor until he came to stand right beside Ray's bed.

Ray simply stared at him with a baffled expression on his face watching him dig his hands into his pockets, bringing out a couple of folded pieces of paper which he gently unrolled and straightened out before holding them out in front of Ray for him to see.

"That's impossible. Why would they do this?." Ray asked, watching the papers in front of him change like a mini slideshow, unable to believe the images he saw on them.

"They're torturing them," He said in a shocked tone.

"Nope. They're experimenting on them. More powerful people are being born and they'll do anything to stay in power.

"So tell me. Do you want the power I'm offering?" Mr. Black asked with a smile on his face, confident that the disabled boy in front of him would never even think of rejecting his offer.

Prepared to move forward and begin signing the contract he just offered, but before he could take a single step he heard Ray's reply.

"NO"

"Wh…WHAT?" He asked with an expression of shock, stuttering as he spoke. He had been beyond confident that he wouldn't be rejected. 

"I refuse. I'm done signing contracts that bind me to people," Ray replied with a small smile, knowing that if the man in front of him had shown up before that death system screen began to pop up he would have agreed.

"What I'm offering is THREE powers. The most anyone could ever have…kurgh…KURGH" said the man trying to make Ray see the benefits of what he had, right before coughing hard enough for Ray to feel that there was something wrong with his lungs.

"The first- Teleport, it speaks for itself. The second is convince- you can influence people's minds and even objects around you, and the third is called the Sun-You can harness the power of the fu…Kur…Kurgh..kuRF…KURF," The old man in an agitated voice right before erupting into another coughing fit, using a heavily bloody handkerchief to cover his mouth.

"I…I don't have much time…"

"I'm not going to change my mind. Like I said I hate the idea of being bound. When or if I decide to kill a leader it would be my own decision and not because someone showed a disabled boy a couple of pictures of Prison I know nothing about," Ray said speaking slowly and calmly in a way that the man in front of him would know that he had made up his mind and even the power of the sun wasn't going to change that.

"You'll regret this. Whatever power or ability you're banking on or think you'll later have can never be likened to the power of…"

"The sun. I know and you're right but I guess I'll rather live like a free dog than one without a lease," Ray replied.

"You should leave. It's bad enough that one of us is on a hospital bed. If you faint or die here, they won't find your body until tomorrow," Ray honestly said, seeing how the face of Mr. Black was completely flushed red in anger as he stared at Ray with hateful eyes, his body shaking from all the anger he held inside.

"You'll regret yo…your-kurrrgh, actions today,"

"And if I don't?" 

"I'll make sure you do," Mr . Black said, even as a little blood dripped out from the corner of his mouth right before he disappeared with nothing but air, in the place where he had been standing.

Still processing all that had happened, Ray stared at the ceiling of his room, and opened the death system again in front of him.

{Death finding system(Basic Lv1)

Stats

Strength-0.  

Agility-0

Speed-0

Luck-0

Soul power-0

Kill stat- 0

Minions-1

Minion Ability-0

Stat creation Ability-0

Mission- Incapable of receiving any at this time.

"Summon Minion,"

"Minion come"

"Death Minion Appear" he began murmuring one after the other to himself trying to figure out a way to summon the one minion he saw he had on the screen, hoping to see how powerful it was. Already regretting not taking the power of the sun offered to him.

"I COMMAND YOU, MINION…APPEAR!" he had just uttered in a louder voice, mostly out of the frustration he felt, lying there staring at the ceiling when he noticed the open door of his room and the nurse that was now staring intently at him with a concerned expression on her face.

She was mostly new and the moment she fully entered the room she paid no attention to Ray who now had a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

"I'm sure she heard," he thought to himself even as he saw the blank and professional expression she had on her face.

"Sooooo that's why they all told me to stay far away from him. Well, I'm glad he can't move," were the thoughts going through her head, as she made sure not to say a word or even a simple greeting almost like he wasn't really there.

The numerous warnings she had been given concerning the patient were enough to reinforce her thoughts.