4 Pressure

Caesar was quite shocked as he heard Alicia. A circle? Burns? It's definitely what he's thinking it is. This was not good at all. Caesar doesn't want a friend to get involved in this... whatever it was. It was dangerous, and he didn't know how well Alicia can cope with it. He approached her, nodding a little. "I'll explain," He announces. "This 'circle' on the back of your hand. From my understanding, it was given to you by someone to complete a certain quest. You were given powers to help with that. I don't know why you were chosen, and I certainly don't know what you can do with it." Caesar explained, trying to keep it as simple as possible.

Seth watched as the two conversed. He didn't want to interrupt, but just now, he was learning new information. Someone? A quest? Seth doesn't remember being told by anyone to accomplish anything. Maybe this guy was making things up. He stared at his hands. Trying to turn them into smoke on command, though it wasn't working. He sighed, waiting for the two to finish. It looks like he's stuck with them now.

Alicia stared at the back of her hand. "I..." She was going to question Caesar, but it didn't seem like he knew much either. "How do you know all of this?" She asked, still trying to digest what she was just told.

"I have one. It's on my back. I was told by a voice to defeat someone called 'The Emperor'" He was dead serious about this, it could easily be told by his expression and tone.

Seth blinked a few times. The Emperor? What kind of sane person calls themselves The Emperor? He couldn't help but chuckle a little, mockingly mumbling the name under his breath. He didn't believe Caesar, only partially though.

Alicia stared at the two. If this man can turn into smoke, what can Caesar do? More importantly, what can she do? She didn't react much to the name. He sounds like a villain in some sort of cartoon show. Alicia wondered if this Emperor works alone or has a group, let alone if he was real, or Caesar was secretly a schizo. "Are there... more of us?" She asked.

Caesar turned his head over to Seth who didn't seem to be taking this seriously. He sighed. He can't convince him of the voice that talked to him, so Seth would just have to trust him. Seth didn't have any other options besides for staying with them. Caesar shrugged as he heard Alicia's question. "So far, we're the only thr-" Caesar paused, feeling something strange coming from the residential area. It felt as if a weight was crushing him, yet there was nothing there. Looking at the others' expressions, he could note that they were feeling something similar.

Seth and Alicia were visibly confused. They were exchanging looks, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. There was no reasonable explanation.

Seth looked over to Caesar, questions were useless. He wouldn't be expecting an answer, as Caesar was just as confused as they were.

Alicia stumbled back as she felt the pressure. Who was it? Was this someone's ability? It didn't seem like anyone was doing this purposefully, though. Alicia managed to gather herself together before falling.

Caesar started approaching the door. "If we want to know what it is, we'll have to find out. We're going to the source of this." Caesar was curious by nature, it's not unexpectable for him to go out and explore.

Seth watched Caesar exiting the library. He looked over at Alicia. "So?"

Alicia blinked a few times. Go to the source of it? Why the hell would he think that's a good idea? Alicia turned her head to Seth. "We'd have to follow. If that person is an enemy and they kill Caesar, they will come for us. The best chance we have is if we stay together." Alicia suggested.

Seth slowly shook his head. "You think so? How would you be so certain that we have a chance if we stay together?" Seth asked. "The only power known to us is mine, which is transforming into smoke," Seth argued. "We don't even know how many there are, or how strong they are."

Alicia bit her lower lip. He was right. They can't just head into battle without knowing what their enemies are capable of, let alone what they're capable of. "You're right... But think about it, what if Caesar's ability is helpful? If we lose him, we'll only turn out to be weaker."

Seth sighed, starting to spin around in circles. This was frustrating. "ًThat's true, we don't want to risk losing Caesar. I suppose the only way to efficiently discover your powers is by being put under pressure."

Alicia furrowed her eyebrows. How long does it take to discover one's powers? How did Seth discover his powers? From what it seemed, it looks like it happened on accident, but there's no time for testing. Alicia nodded. "We have to go, then. If we want to discover our powers, then this will be the perfect opportunity."

Seth slightly shrugged in response. "Could also be the perfect opportunity to die." He mumbled. "Let's go then, just don't blame me if anyone dies." He said flatly, starting to approach the door.

"Whatever..." What a pessimistic person! Alicia started to follow. Eventually, the two were on the streets. Alicia looked around to see if Caesar was still in sight. He wasn't. Alicia wasn't surprised, they did waste a lot of time inside. "We should try to catch up... yeah?"

Seth nodded. "Probably."

The two walked through the streets, keeping their guards up as they approached the source of the pressure they're feeling. The streets were quiet, with one person passing by now and then. A line of trees was on the sidewalk as a sort of decoration.

They reached the town square, where the source of the energy thrived. There was a fountain placed in the middle of it. There were a few houses on the sides, but there was nobody in the Townsquare itself. Except for one person. Caesar was standing by the fountain, searching around for someone.

Alicia and Seth approached the blonde man. "Glad you're still here," Seth said.

Alicia just simply nodded in return. She didn't have much else to say.

Caesar ignored Seth's comment, going right to the point. "I'm not sure where the source is coming from. It's been moving arou-"

Caesar paused as an arrow had directly hit him in the middle of his back, where his mark was.

Who's there?