9

Elijah

R.E.T.U Headquarters

North Shore, Savicia Island

Yorkside region 

Capital of the Kingdom of Ashtarium

October 13th 6414

1:15 Am

 I was stuck in the office, grinding through the enormous amount of documents that had been left for me due to the state that the Kingdom was in. My eyes were squinting, my meter of annoyance increasing the more I read each of the documents. My office was a large, white-colored room, a mahogany desk held my Uni-monitor, with portraits of the past Director hung on the wall by my left side. The light within the room was dimmed, and the window behind me showed the entire city of Savicia Island. R.E.T.U's headquarters was the tallest building in Yorkside, that even from here I could see the Narrow Bridge which connected Savicia Island with the providence of Crooksville. Steph was gone for the night while I had to deal with this. Ridiculous. The past few days had been incredibly busy, the situation in Perium had gotten worse, and a shutdown had been put into place in response to the growing violence. I was reviewing the request for aid from the Peacekeeping unit down there. I picked up my glass of synthblood and sipped it. Not only did I have to deal with these, but there was also my uncle's operation that I had to approve and get going. Father was itching to settle with the Mircalla house and open back the Zellux border. But that wasn't my highest priority right now. Since I had taken over the Director's position, I had come into contact with a powerful ally. Someone I believed could help me get what I wanted. Now that I had finally gotten the name behind my family's misfortune... I had finally gotten the gall to request to meet in person. I sighed as I was going through a couple of Intel that had recently come to me. Intel about a certain someone. Someone who had managed to sneak into the Kingdom through the Zellux region. Someone who had a lot of balls to come here. Eduardo Gomez. Thinking of his name made me see pure red. I remember the last time I had seen the cold-hearted prince of Xibalba, two years ago, during the betrothal ceremony between him and Ella. He had been engaged to my cousin, making him fifth in line to the throne at the time. But now Ella was gone, dead, so their engagement was null. So why was the bastard here? Why was he sneaking in, taking an enormous risk with the situation between our two kingdoms? He might be a citizen of Ashtarium from his mother's side but even the Mircalla was on thin ice with us right now. Being both a Gomez and a Mircalla was dangerous. And why now of all time? I got up from my seat and slammed my arms on the window. Luckily, the glass was made of sturdy quality. I saw my reflection in the glass, my silver hair was unkempt, my indigo eyes looked bloodshot, and my fair skin looked paler than normal. Synthblood was not doing it for me right now. I sighed, turning off my Uni-monitor and grabbing my suit. I had to get out of here and have a little bit of fun. The door slid open, and outside was Steph. I paused, surprised to see her still here.

"Steph, I thought you were gone for the night," I said. She gave me a smile, which was unusual for the woman. She was dressed in a powerhouse suit and long skirt, and her ginger hair was loose from the ponytail she wore throughout the day.

"I don't leave until you leave," she said. Huh, it's that right? Well, this was my first time staying in so late, so it wasn't like I always knew when she was done for the day. I had just assumed that she was gone, not caring to check her office or pay even slight attention to her. I barely even knew her except for the fact that she was a human and that she was very professional.

"So where are you off to, Director," Steph said as I got out of my office.

"There's a bar around the corner," I said as we got to the elevator that would take us down.

"Bar..."

"It's open and I could do with some drinks," I said. "Want to come," She squared her eyes at me, and I could see the speed at which she was making her decision.

"Ok," she said. "Just one drink,"

A moment later, one drink led to more than four, and then to six, and then to the both of us laughing and talking with each other more than we had before. At least Steph was doing the talking. It didn't take much for me to barter her up to tell me more about herself. I didn't even need to use charm on her, which of course I would never use. She told me she was from a small family on the west coast in the Nexia Region, one of the most dangerous regions in the Kingdom. I was surprised that she, a human was from that region.

"Why," she said. "You don't think I can survive the Nexia regions,"

"Isn't that place always going through a gang war or something," I said. "Within the Etherborns faction,"

"Oh fuck, you did not just go there," She said. "No, that's Pelestia region, the one with the periodic gang wars. Nexia's been peaceful for years now,"

"Has it," I said. "I must have them confused..."

"Yes, you do," She let out a giggle. I smiled, seeing her relax for the first time we had been together. We were seated across a table in the corner of the bar from our office, the table was small and we were close to each other.

"So why did you leave Nexia and move to the Capital," I said.

"I...I didn't want to go into the family business," She said. "So when I turned eighteen, I applied to the Military,"

"Wait...you were in the Military," I said.

"Did you not read my file," She said. Huh...the truth was that I didn't read her file. To be honest, I hadn't taken my job seriously when Father gave me the position, and I had just selected from the rooster of candidates anyone for my assistant. I didn't even know she was human when I had chosen her. So you could have seen how surprised I was when she turned out to be a meticulous woman and a human at that. She had taken no bullshit from me and didn't even indulge in my debauchery most of the time.

"You didn't did you," She said. "I wondered sometimes, why you chose me, especially when you don't make my job too easy for me,"

"I'm so sorry," I said. "You turned out to be better than I expected,"

"Did I now," She said.

"I mean, you got me to stay out late, reading those blasted documents," I said. She gave me a rare smile for a second and then it was gone. "So the Military...how was it.."

"For a human," She said with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged, curious to know. Though the military was open to all races, not many humans signed up for it. Not when they were the weakest race in the kingdom. Even those who cultivate would rather use their power to become a Dungeon raider than serve their country. Hmm, I wonder if Steph was a Cultivator. I didn't sense any special energy within her.

"It was..hard, don't get me wrong," She said. "Not many of my kind sign up for it, and those who do barely make it as a soldier."

"But you did," I said.

"Yeah, I did." She said.

"So I take it you can mop the floor with me," I said.

"I might have some tricks on me," Steph said sneakily. Hmm...if she was that confident, then she must have some kind of an advantage when fighting. From what I knew of the military, human soldiers who had no Awakened power were given alchemical potions that enhanced their physical capabilities when on the field. And the same was true for human members of R.E.T.U. So as my assistant, she would have been given stashes of the potion that she could use but only when on the field or in action.

"So why did you leave," I said. I felt her pause, even with the alcohol in her system, she was still hesitant to talk about it. But then she smiled and went on.

"My last tour had me in the Songo River," she said.

"The Songos," I said. The Songo was an area in the Alkebulan continent past the Salt Sea and Mountain.

"Yeah, my troop was on the hunt for one of the slave ports that had set up around the area," She said. The Slave trade was one of the most ludicrous businesses in that part of the world, and it was run by the S.T.F-Slave Trade Federation- a collection of slave traders that was headed by the Lagidae house, another Vampire Noble house. The former king had made it his primary job to fight against slavery, banning it across the entire Kingdom, and even making sure it didn't exist in Xibalba. After slavery was gone from the New Continent, he moved to the Old Lands, where the fight to get rid of it had not been as successful as in the New Continent.

"So you were a freedom fighter," I said.

"Not really. I...I was undercover, as a slave. The mission was for me to lead my team to their base." She said. The air was tense, the seriousness of what she was telling me made me focus more on her. I could see her trying to control her breathing and maintain a neutral tone, but I could hear the tiny fluctuation within her voice. She was recanting a terrible memory to me.

"What happened," I said.

"The..huh...operation didn't go as planned. I got too close...couldn't handle the..."She stopped. I heard the muscle within her hand make a squeezing sound. "Anyway...I lost people in the mission, losses that I could have prevented. So I resigned from the military and transferred to the R.E.T.U department." I knew there was more to the story, more that she couldn't...or didn't want to tell me.

"I hope the Slavers at least pay for hurting you," I said, moving a strand of hair from her face behind her ear. She cleared her throat and moved her face away from me.

"Yeah...they did.." She cleared her throat as her expression turned back to its nonexpressive state. I was impressed with the way she controlled her emotions. I checked my Uni-band and was struck by the time.

"Would you look at that, time just flew by," I said. "3:45 am. Can I walk you home," She gave me a slight nod. I was glad that there was an improvement in our relationship. Maybe who knows, she would stop waking me up by pouring water on my face. As a member of the government, Steph lived in Pandaemonium City, in the civil servant district, which looked beautiful. We stepped out of an E-gate that took us from Savicia Island and to the nearest gate close to the Civil Servant District.

"I can walk the rest," She said.

"Nonsense," I said. "I'll walk you to your building,"

"Alright," Steph said. She led me to a row of apartment buildings, the streets were spectacularly clean, and the smell was better than even the air in Savicia Island. We entered the fifth building, taking the elevator to the twentieth floor.

"Well, this is my stop," Steph said. She placed her uni-band on the lock screen and the door opened. "Do you...do you want to come in," I paused, a part of me wanted to accept her invitation, but I decided against it.

"I don't think it would be a good idea," I said. I could hear her heart beating, her nervousness was palpitating, my hunger attracting me to her. I saw the veins within her neck, the flow of blood flowing within it. I had drunk a lot but my hunger was still there. Synthblood would not satisfy the hunger I was feeling, only a live human...

"Sorry, but I should get going," I said. She nodded, hesitating before she hugged me, and then she was gone, closing the door before me. Her aroma was still with me as I stepped out of the building, drinking it in to help curb my hunger.

"Didn't know the Director of R.E.T.U paid housecall to his subordinate," a voice said. I twisted around to see someone step out of the shadow in the corner of the building by the bushes. It was a girl, dressed in a black cloak, her face was hidden from view by the hood. My first instinct was to attack, to grab her by the throat and rip it out. But I restrained myself because even with the powerful magic that I could feel from her, I sensed no killing intent within her.

"Who are you," I asked. Witches of this caliber had died out from the war ages ago, so a witch this powerful would mean that she must be old. The younger ones barely had enough Magic power to wield powerful magic.

"A friend," she said.

"Are you now," I said. "What's a Witch doing all the way here in the capital,"

"I've come with a message," she said. "A message from a mutual acquaintance," A mutual acquaintance...Did she mean... Was it time to...My hand went up to the intel in my pocket, the intel that had told me about Eduardo Gomez's arrival in Ashtarium. It wasn't common knowledge to everyone in the kingdom that the assassination of my uncle and his family had to do with the tyrant king from Xibalba. It wasn't something father had decided to divulge to the public, instead keeping it only within his advisors and as a top military secret. That was why I had joined R.E.T.U. Being its Director, I would have access to the information. Juarez Gomez had wanted to take the throne of Ashtarium for himself and what better way to do it than to get rid of the king and his four heirs and leave Ariella alive? After all, she was engaged to Eduardo, so that would make the bastard king. Unfortunately for them, Ariella had died from the incident. My sweet, beautiful cousin had been taken from me. If Eduardo was in the kingdom, then I had to get to him. Which led me to search for the one person who could help me. Someone who had the means to since father was not interested in avenging his brother's death.

"What is the message," I said.

"He wants to know how much you're willing to risk," she said. "For your revenge," How much I'm willing to risk? I hadn't thought much about revenge, about getting payback for what was done to my family. Father had taken control of the kingdom within the chaos, then he had established order, and then there had been the funeral, and then life moved on. My awakening had occurred right around that corner, so my grief had been heightened to the point that it nearly consumed me. If it hadn't been for a certain someone, a certain human, I would have shed the emotion and become as cold-blooded as most vampires. But I retained most of my humanity, the parts that I liked, and had begun my new life as a vampire, different from when I was mortal. But there was a part of me that ached to get closure for my lost family. And that was where my new acquaintance came in. I had never considered my desire as revenge but more as justice for what I had lost. But then again, what was the difference between justice and revenge?

"I'll risk anything to get what I want," I said.

"Good," she said. "Come with me," She made some hand gestures, tutting her fingers into weird shapes and angles that resembled a sign for a gate, and then I felt her magic stir. She had cast a spell, a spell that created a blackish vertical line in space. It looked like she had torn a hole within the air space.

"A transportation spell," I said admiring the fact that she didn't need an E-gate to teleport herself anywhere. As a Sorcerer, even I couldn't use such a high-level spell. Who was this Witch? What was her cultivation rank.? She had to be in the Psuedo Immortal stage to be able to use upper-tier spells like dimensional magic.

"Where does that lead to? You just don't expect me to follow you through that portal, do you," I said. 

"If you want what it is you want," She said and she stepped through. I hissed, looking left and right unsure if this was a trap or not. Fuck it. I moved hurriedly into the portal before it closed. It was just like going through an E-gate, the sensation of falling through a black hole, my inside threatening to hurl itself out from my body was there and then it was gone as I fell out of the hole and into a seat. My disorientation lasted for a split-two seconds before I became aware of my surroundings. I was in a diner, in what seemed to be an empty one, not many customers. A waitress came by, pouring a jar of coffee into a cup right next to me. After she left, it was then that I noticed who was in front of me. I should say that even though I knew I was about to meet him, I was still surprised to see him sitting in front of me.

"You," I exclaimed. He smiled, his white teeth revealing the devilish glint within his eyes, indigo eyes that resembled mine. His hair was sandy grey, with brown skin that showed no wrinkles nor any sign that indicated how old the man sitting across from me was. I had heard stories about him, stories about his exploits in the war from Uncle and Father, and I had seen pictures of him. Pictures of him from the Family's private collection. No one knew who he was, or if he was still alive. But the few who did, the few who still remembered him, well they feared and admired him. Edward Jackson Blackbeard. The only Vampire that could help me.

"Hello Elijah, Nice to officially meet you," He said. He picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. He was dressed in a black expensive suit, his dress adding more elegance to the air around him. For days, we had been communicating, and not once did I think that we would meet so soon.

"Blackbeard," I said.

"You may call me Jack," he said. "You can go now, Greta," I turned my head to see the witch standing outside the table. "You know what to do," She nodded and walked away leaving us alone in the booth."

So you have your witch," I said. "I guess it's impressive for someone of your caliber,"

"Greta's not my witch," He said. "She's family."

"And what am I to you," I said. "I'm aware of the blood connection between my House and the former Blackbeard house,"

"To be honest, you're nothing to me," Jack said. "I've seen countless distant cousins come and go, it begins to get repetitive,"

"Then why are we meeting," I said.

"I see we're getting right to it," He said. He bought out a mechanical chronographer, and after a minute, he looked up at me.

"If I remember correctly, you contacted me,"

"Yes, I did," I said. "Though I must have been crazy to have done it." If Father found out that I had met with Jack Blackbeard, I couldn't help but imagine how angry he would be. Or what my punishment would look like.

"You know who I am, don't you Elijah," Jack said.

"Yes, Every vampire's heard of your exploit," I said. "Of the famous hero, Jack the Monster Slayer, how you became the champion of humanity during the Long War, protecting the humans who couldn't protect themselves," I never dreamt that I would meet someone of his stature right here, and right now.

"Which makes me the black sheep of the Ashtarium House," Jack said. I had heard stories of his exploits not only from Father, who had lots of bad things to say about him but from Uncle Rafael. And his story had been different from my father's. From the stories Uncle Rafael had told me about him, I had guessed that his love for humanity, the reason why he had fought so hard to make humans legitimate citizens in his kingdom, came from him. So where was he during the attack? When the King and his family had been killed. Why hadn't he been there to protect them?

"Unfortunately, I was indisposed," Jack said. I blinked, surprised that he had heard my thoughts.

"Did you just..did you just read my mind," I said.

"Yes, Elijah, I did," He said. "How...How did you-"

"It's a simple trick for vampires to access someone's mind," He said simply.

"No, it's not," I said. "We need to drink blood to access memories and thoughts. Blood is the medium..,"

"Well, I guess for someone as old as I am, it's a simple trick for me," Jack replied. I eyed him, not believing him. Uncle Rafael and Father were Old ones from before the war, but neither of them had that kind of telepathic skill. Even Lilith Kain, an abnormal human, from what I knew required physical contact to read one's mind. Shit! I shouldn't be that surprised. Jack Blackbeard was no ordinary being. He was someone who had reached the very pinnacle of power itself. A Vampire who had transcended his very nature as a physical being to become a Divine being. A Paragon.

"So should we get to business or not," Jack said. Yes. The reason I was here. Eduardo Gomez.

"Before we start, I want to clear some of your beliefs, first," Jack said. "You might not want to hear this, but I believe you should know this. I'm not here to help you with your vendetta against the Gomez family."

"What!" I said.

"Elijah, do you know why I made contact with you," Jack said. He was done with his coffee but he was still playing with the cup in his hand, dismissing the waitress when she was about to head over here.

"Why," I said. It was a question burning inside me for a while now. Why would a being of such caliber decide to stoop so low to deal with mortal business.

"Because I saw how Ariella's supposed death nearly drove you mad," Jack said. I raised my eyes at his implication. "You genuinely loved her didn't you,"

"Yes I did," I said. "What do you mean by supposed death?"

"What if I told you that what you thought you knew was wrong," Jack said, crossing his eyes.

"What was wrong," I said.

"That the death of the former king and his family didn't come from outside but from within," Jack said. I was careful not to say anything for I knew that what we were discussing, was treading on dangerous grounds. I had always had my suspicions about the death of the King. A suspicion that I had never focused on in my mind because the answer that I had been given was more beneficial. So to think about it now was something I didn't want to do. But my mind went there nonetheless. How did assassins from the land in the south get within the Kingdom, pass the Border guards, and the Royal guards of the Palace? Why had Mother taken me and my younger sister out of the palace that day without our cousins? The answer came simply to my mind. That was because she had known-

"So you figured it out just now," Jack said. "Although I'm sure it's been somewhere in that mind of yours. It might have taken you a decade or a century to have the balls to go there, but I figured I would accelerate the process for you." Bastard. He had been in my mind, following my train of thought. I focused on getting my mind closed, keeping him out of it. I didn't care that he was a god-like being.

"My father would not-"

"Kill his brother and take the throne for himself," Jack said.

"No, he wouldn't-" But I stopped. I wasn't fond of Father, he hadn't been there for me growing up. He never really understood me, his focus was always on his job and protecting the Kingdom. He loved this kingdom more than everything, maybe even more than his children. But would that be enough to make him go that far?

"Nehemiah Ashtarmel wouldn't be the first of the Cadet branch of a Noble House to upstage the main branch," Jack said.

"My family isn't a Cadet branch," I said growling. I hated the term cadet like my blood connection to my cousins was lesser. But the truth was that my father hadn't been born an Ashtarmel. He had been reborn as a vampire by Grandfather Alexander turning him through the rebirth process. Uncle Rafael was the natural second son of King Alexander and as such though he had been younger than my father, Uncle Rafael had become the king after grandfather had been put into the Eternal sleep.

"But he was a New-blood. He wasn't born as an Ashtarmel like Rafael," Jack said. "That means he never had any chance to the throne. If the throne was his desire, then he would have to get rid of Rafael and his family," Jack was right. Old blood vampires were always above New blood vampires when it came to family inheritance. That was the way. Another reason why the Mircalla was refusing father's rule. They would prefer Isaiah or me to be King, rather than father. I had even heard rumors about campaigns for me to be considered next in line, but my first day as Director of the R.E.T.U had been to squash those rumors. I didn't want to be King, and I didn't want my father's anger set on me.

"Maybe you're right," I said. "Maybe Father has always desired the throne, but the attack two years ago, that was no ordinary incident," I had seen the after effect of it with most of Yorkside nearly burnt to the ground. "Father couldn't have done it, he couldn't have stood any chance against Uncle Rafael. The Royal enforcers stand with the King, and even Father wouldn't be able to get through them, so I don't see how he-"

"Not if he had help," Jack said. "Not if he requested help from a powerful ally, powerful enough to assassinate the entire main branch,"

"The only ones I see powerful enough to do that are the Paragons, so are you saying they're involved," I said with a snarl. My hands had been raised, and within it, reddish light streamed through my fingers.

"Hmm, how brave of you" He said with a mocking yawn. "You should put it away before you burn this poor diner to dust," I dithered, unsure if I should or not. Was I fucking crazy? Did I want to get into a fistfight with fucking Jack Blackbeard? He was the oldest Vampire in the world, and yet here I am raising my hands to him.

"The Paragons took an Oath of non-interference when it comes to the internal affairs and dealings of countries," Jack said. "It was the price they paid for interfering in the Long war, and as such, they couldn't have any part to play in the coup de tat or else-"

"They'll be killed by the oath," I said.

"Yes."

"But there are ways around such a powerful Magic," I said. "Ways to circumvent the Oath. Like having the Ranger force act on your behalf." The Ranger force was the most powerful organization in the planet. They had thousands of Cultivators of all race in their rank. And the ones who commanded them were the Paragons. If anyone could find a way around an Oath-

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but we played no part in what happened," Jack said.

"Then who helped Father," I said. Jack stared at me for a while before he began using a claw from his forefinger to scratch something on the table. After he was done, I stared at the symbol he had carved. It looked like a serpent or a dragon entwining itself into the symbol of Infinity and eating its tail. It looked familiar, though I wasn't sure why.

"Have you ever seen these symbols before," Jack said.

"No," I said. "What is it?"

"Are you sure of it," Jack said. "Think deeper,"

"No, I'm pretty sure I've never seen that symbol before," I said. But have I though? It was really familiar, like something I had seen not long ago. Fuck. There were thousands of runes in the damn world. How was I suppose to remember every blasted one.

"Those of us who have studied the Arcane art are familiar with glyphs and runic symbols such as this," Jack said. Those of us who have studied the arcane art... Was he referring to those who practice magic, like a certain Enchantress...And then I remembered where I had seen it. Back in the Royal meeting, I had seen a quick flash of it while she had been speaking to Father. I had written it off as one of the many runes tattooed all over her body, but it seems like it wasn't.

"Are you telling me that Father's ally was the Enchantress," I said.

 "More like her employer's," Jack said.

"And who are they," I said.

"You sure you wanna know," Jack said.

"What!" I said. "Of course, I want to know,"

"I'm not sure if you're ready to know yet," He said.

"You came to me, you sent that witch to bring me to you and you accuse my father of fratricide," I said. "The least you can do is-"

"I revealed myself to you for one simple reason alone, Elijah," Jack said. 'Can you guess why?" I didn't understand what he was getting at. I thought I had been the one who initiated contact but I was beginning to think that my efforts were something I had been led into. 

"Because like me you want justice for what happened to King Rafael," I said narrowing my eyes.

"Justice. Not really. Justice is such a broad term. Who am I to say what your Father did was wrong," Jack said. "I have known Nehemiah for a long time. His love for Ashtarium transcends all things. To him, protecting the nation is more important than anything. I have no right to question the way he went about it."

"I...I don't get it." I said. "What was the point in telling me about my father's action. What is the point of this meeting."

"I set this meeting up because I wanted to met you, Elijah." Jack said.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Because I want you to become my Ta'valur," Jack said. Ta'valur was an ancient language for "replacement" or "second pair" from what I know of the Ranger force. It was the term Paragons use to refer to their assistant or their second in command. I looked up at the outside of the café where the Witch was probably standing guard. 

"Greta is not my Ta'valur," Jack said having read my mind. "She's my daughter nothing more." I didn't say anything about how a witch could be his daughter due to the fact that I could sense that the girl was being fed Jack's blood. In a sense, her blood had essentially become similar to his which meant that she was as much his daughter as my Father was the son of the Former King Alexander.

"Why me?" I hissed. "I'm nothing, a nobody. Surely you have more candidates in the force that can act as your assistant."

"No one as special as you, Delilah," Jack said. I froze upon him mentioning my old name. I hadn't expected to hear it though I shouldn't be surprised that he knew about it. He's been keeping tabs on all the member of the Ashtarmel family, so surely he should know about it.

"My name is Elijah. I'm Elijah." I said.

"Yes, you are. And that is exactly why I want you." Jack said. "You have the potential to reach the top...the pinnacle where I stand. If there is anyone that qualifies to be a Paragon....It is you."

"Me.." I hesitated. To be honest, I didn't care much for cultivation. I was not one of those crazies that toll hard to achieve true Immortality. My version of Immortality was alright to me. I plan on avoiding any situation that could lead to my death. And if left alone, I could live forever as long as I fed. So for Jack to say that I had potential, I didn't know what to say.

"You're mistaken. My talent for Cultivation is not as good as my brother," I muttered. It's been a year since I awakened to my Vampirism alongside my Magical power. It had come as a bit of shock when my Grimoire had manifested due to the fact that since I was ten, I had been training my body and soul to cultivate battle power. Normally, no one should be able to cultivate both magical power or Battle aura as it slows down the growth rate and dilutes their potential. But there were special cases of people who could handle both type of cultivation. Those people were known as Geniuses. If I remember properly, there was one all the way in the Kettlia region. He had made a name for himself even though he was so young. Ariella's cousin from her mother's side. I couldn't put myself on his level. After all I was having trouble ascending from my current rank as an Intermediate. 

"You think so low of yourself that you can't imagine being special," Jack said. "Look at yourself. Your appearance. You were able to make your desire become reality. Such an achievement is a sign of your potential."

"It happened just once." I mumbled. "It's not something I can just use..."

"Be my Ta'valur and I promise to help you get what you want," Jack said. I blinked not knowing how to handle his request.

"I thought you didn't care for Justice," I said.

"I don't really care for it. But if it is to help those under my care," He shrugged. "I can move heaven and earth to make their wishes come true." As a legendary being, I was sure he was not kidding when he said that. Jack was a transcendental being that had surpassed all the limits this planet had placed on them. 

"Fine." I muttered. "There goes my free time," I thought about how I would have no more time for partying and debauchery now that I was giving myself more work.

"Good," Jack said. He threw a small container at me which I caught, raising an eyebrow at him. "Drink this every night before you cultivate. It should help with your soul strengthening. I'll contact you in a few days time. Good bye." He snapped his fingers and I felt the space around me shift, the darkness covering me as I was transported from the café back to my hotel room in Pandemonium city.