Chapter 5: Red

A woman speaks to you, "Mikael. Whatever you do, you must stay alive. If you die, then all will be for naught. Listen, Your dad and I don't have much time, so you should listen carefully. That orphanage… they will be your new family. They will not look at your background and judge you.

As you become closer, you will learn to cherish your new family more and more. So much so that you would do things that you wish others wouldn't see if necessary.

There will be a time when you'll realize why we did all this to you and you might hate us, but know that we did all this for your sake. We sacrificed everything in order to get you out of the life you had to the life you deserve.

Listen, mom and dad will always love you no matter what you choose. Even if you hate us… even if you cast your past behind… even if you commit one of the cardinal sins… your parents will always love you."

Mom kisses you on the forehead and says "Even in death."

Luke wakes up in a daze. He thinks "What was that just now? Did my head make up a story about Mike? This isn't the first time I have seen a dream like this and I don't think it'll be the last. And just like always, I have to ignore it like everything else. Since I can barely rely on any of my senses, why would relying on dreams be any better?"

Luke gets out of bed and then says out loud "I guess I should go for a short walk."

Luke is walking on the sidewalk for a while. Eventually he hears a familiar woman say "Hey Luke" as she runs past him. It was Mia and she seemed to be on her morning run. Luke thought "It is important for the sword saint to be in good condition."

Luke walks a bit more and he starts to walk past the crosswalk as the light turns green. He hears people shout something at him, but he can't understand what they are saying.

Then out of the blue, Luke gets hit by a truck and loses consciousness. He stays in a dark space for a while until he hears a voice say "Mortal"

Suddenly he is in a golden room in some sort of temple or palace. The voice then says to him "How long are you going to stand there without greeting me?" Luke turns around to see where the voice comes from, and then he sees a figure sitting on a throne.

The figure has a red robe that has some golden decorations on it. The face of the figure is covered by an unnatural shadow and he has the hood of the robe on him. From the shadow, the figure has two red glowing orbs that resemble eyes and horns coming from what Luke assumes is its forehead. The figure is at least 2,5 meters tall.

The figure then says in a commanding tone "You, a mere mortal, dare to stand before me without giving me a proper greeting. I should just get rid of you like the rest that have come here."

Luke feels an immense killing intent, so he then decides in order to survive to say as he bows "My name is Luke Lahti. I don't know how I got here, but I do apologize if I caused trouble." The figure's killing intent lessens as it responds "Good. At least this one knows how to prostrate themselves. You may raise your head mortal."

Luke does so and says "Thank you, but may I know who you are?" The figure's killing intent rises back up as it says "Just because I gave you a compliment, you dare to ask me a foolish question?"

Luke responds "I'm unaware where I am or how I got here. I apologize for my ignorance."

The figure calms down a little and says "If that is true, then there is no helping it. Have been called many things. Red hooded monarch of the land of eternal dawn and dusk, Sun everstill, The arbiter of truth, Hex and many more, but you may address me as Red as you mortals seem to like to call me."

Luke then says "Thank you, your grace. May I ask you where this place is and if you know how I got here?"

Red says to Luke "You are in my palace where I observe the goings on of the worlds. I pass judgments here for those deserving. As for how you got here, I called you here when your consciousness faded for a moment."

Luke then asks "If I may be so bold to ask, why did I need to introduce myself if you knew who I was?" To which Red says "I didn't ask you to introduce yourself. I merely asked you to greet me." Luke then thinks for a moment and says "I suppose you did do that."

Red then says "For that man to not inform about my existence to the one that I granted my personal power is insulting. The next time I see that man, I'll make sure to reprimand him."

Luke asks "Who are you talking about?" To which Red says "If you can't figure out who I'm talking about, then you have no reason to know."

Luke asks "So why am I here?" To which Red says "I called you here to see for myself what kind of specimen that man selected me this time. Last ones weren't able to handle my gift, but you seem to be able to handle it. Although you have become rather dull in my opinion. Unlike a proper tool that gets the job done neatly, you are a battered tool that can barely do the task it was made to do."

Luke says "A gift? What are you talking about?" To which Red says "I was the one that granted you the power of the unobservable." Luke was stunned but he didn't know how he should feel about that revelation. Should he be angry, sad or happy?

Then Red says "You seem to have gotten used to the warped reality that everyone who uses my personal gifts struggle with. Well… used to is too kind of a word, so I rather say you learned to deal with it in your own way. No matter, what matters is that you are one of the few that have succeeded."

Luke asks "Is there a way to not have that sort of effect?" To which Red says "There is, but mortals shouldn't complain about what they don't have and cherish what they already have."

Luke is confused and asks "What does that have to do with anything?" Red says "Look, there is a certain balance that needs to be met in order for things to work out as they do. While I could rid you of the drawback of your power, there are certain tribulations that mortals have to face. Your tribulation is your trust on your senses or the lack thereof. Those mortals who push through the tribulations set by me will be met by a reward in the end."

Luke asks "What kind of reward?" To which Red answers "Anything you wish." Luke then thinks for a moment and comes to a conclusion that this entity must be very powerful to be able to grant any request. After thinking, Luke asks "Even if what I ask is to be your equal?" Red pauses for a moment to ponder, and then he says "Interesting. Though it is given that mortals have and always will seek overwhelming power, the daring of this mortal took me off guard."

Luke asks "So is that a no?" Red says "Of course not. Should you pass the tribulations that have been set for you, you may ask that you gain my powers. I must give you a word of warning, sometimes power has a price. What that price is is something that will be revealed to you when that time comes." Then Red thinks for itself "For there is a price to pay in any hubris of a mortal. Take that man for an example."

Luke knows that Red is thinking something, so he asks "What are your thoughts?" To which Red answers "Foolish mortal. Do you think that you can pry into the mind of being such as myself?" Luke says "It was only a question, but sorry anyways."

Red then says "I think that we have talked long enough. I'll send you back in time before you were hit by that truck." Luke realizes that this is a rare opportunity, so he asks "Wait! Can I ask a few more questions?"

Red sighs and says "If your questions bore me, I'll make your tribulation worse." Luke then asks "Do you control who gets unique rank powers? If you do, then what does the power "Dreamer" do?"

Red says without hesitation "I'm not in charge of what powers you mortals gain through your system. I however can add my own touches if I so desire. Your "Unobservable" being one of said touches. Your "Dreamer" power, though I first thought that it came from the thing that you people call a system, it would appear that there is a third party being involved. I already know the answer to who is responsible and why they did it, but due to their insignificance, I'll let their little scheme slide as it bears no threat. As for what that power does, I'll humor the ones responsible and not tell you the details. What I will tell you however is that it works as sort of a guide to you. It has its drawbacks for sure, but it should work in your favor in the end."

Luke then asks "Is the third party in question the man you speak of?" To which Red says "I'll leave it up to your interpretation. After all, mortals are most interesting when they work with incomplete information."

Luke then decides to ask "One last question… are you a god?" Red responds in an indifferent voice "Some have called me that, but I'll grant you my thoughts. What is a god?"

Red snaps its fingers, everything goes black for a moment and then Luke wakes up on the same bed that he was before he went on a walk. Luke is left to wonder "Was that all my imagination?"

File #1701291

Subject name: Mikael Polemos

Birthdate: 18.5.2022

Country of origin: Cyprus

Current residence: USA

Height: 172 cm

Appearance: Brown hair, Green eyes

Superpowers: Self Revive (Legendary), Revive (Ultra rare), Soul bending (Demonic), Soul dominate (Demonic), Life steal (Demonic)

Self Revive: Ability to revive the user once the user enters a state [dead]. Once revived, the user will get their HP back to max with some permanent HP being lost due to it being the cost of Self Revive. Cost of Self Revive is 100 max HP.

Self Revive can be activated as long as the user has more than 100 points of HP. If the user is unable to pay the appropriate sum of max HP, the user will be unable to use Self Revive and stays in the status [dead].

The user can extend the duration of status [dead] for one minute until the system will automatically activate Self Revive. During this time, the user can be revived by other players who own [Revive].

Note that the user can't fully die until Self Revive is unable to activate. This means that the user can technically live forever, but the user will be affected by the aging process. This means that the user inevitably will have to suffer many deaths before they can fully die. This fate can be circumvented by a person who owns [Nullify] [Transfer superpower] [Delete superpower] or any of which have similar effects.

The users of this power have the tendency to be used by organ harvesters.

Revive: Allows the user to revive another living being with mana. Using this power to a living thing that doesn't have mana requires an to unlock a certain skill in the skill tree.

The body of a living being that has a status [dead] on it can be revived no matter what state the body is. This means that as long as there are some remains of a person, the user can revive the person. The requirement is that the revived individual has mana inside it if the skill [Revive manaless] hasn't been unlocked.

Note that there is the possibility to revive historical figures whose remains still exist in a form that the system can recognise. This has brought many heated arguments between a variety of people. As of yet, it is illegal to use this power on civilians without the approval of three level 5 or higher employees of the organization.

This power is sought after by people who practice organ harvesting. Legally this is allowed with the targeted person's consent and in some places even advised.

Soul bending: A power which allows the user to control the soul of a person. Its application can differ, but it is mostly used to soothe a damaged soul. The limitation of this ability is that the targeted being must be accepting of this user in some capacity. If the targeted thing is wary of the user, the power's effectiveness is greatly diminished.

Soul dominate: Similar to soul bending, this power grants the ability to control the target's soul to varying degrees. The main difference between the two abilities is that this power can be applied without the target's consent.

Most applied use of this power is that the user can control the targeted person's actions to varying decrees. If applied correctly, the user will be able to control even the target's emotions.

The targeted people describe the use of this power as invasive and unpleasant. With good enough proficiency, the discomfort of this power can be negated to some degree.

Can be applied to dead things such as ghosts or spirits. Proven to be ineffective against mechanical constructs should there not be a soul in the machine.

Life steal: Ability to take away a target's HP and transfer it to the user. The range and potency of this power depends on the user's proficiency on the skill.

The feeling of being targeted by this power has been proven to feel discomforting. The target feels abnormally weaker after their HP has been drained.

After unlocking a certain skill, the user can steal HP more than the user's max HP allows. This skill can further be improved by unlocking another skill that makes the extra HP into the user's max HP.

About: Born in Cyprus, but moved to the USA early on in life due to family circumstances. Ended up orphaned during a certain monster attack in Detroit. After that, he entered an orphanage that housed many children with similar circumstances at the age of 7.

Mikael became friends with the children in the orphanage and came to see a lot of them as family. His most treasured people are Mia Odrit, Serah Zakon and Luke Lahti, but most of the children of that orphanage are important to him.

It is unknown how Mikael received Demonic rank powers as he refuses to talk about it. It is suspected that he suffers from immense trauma from the event that caused him to gain Demonic rank powers, but this is only speculative given his kind attitude towards life in general. There have been claims that he could be faking it to hide his crimes, but this bears less friction than the previous theory. Whatever the case, Mikael seems to dislike using any of the powers that have Demonic rank on them.

Like Serah Zakon, Mikeal tries to find a way to cure Luke Lahti from his torment or at least alleviate his suffering as much as possible. It is speculated that Mikeal feels sympathy towards Luke from his own experience, but again, this is merely speculative and doesn't have any hard evidence.

As of now, Mikael seems to harbor feelings for Mia, but due to being afraid he'll ruin what they already have, he refuses to take steps to make the fact known. Luke seems to be aware of this fact, but given his circumstances, he is unable to give Mikael any advice or guidance. As a man, I feel for Mikael.

Mikael seems to have dealings with a criminal organization known as Hounds, but the extent of these dealings and the nature of them are unknown. This is pending further investigation.

File #1120121

Subject name: Mia Odrit

Birthdate: 9.3.2020

Country of origin: Hungary

Current residence: USA

Height: 163 cm

Appearance: Dark hair, Amber eyes

Superpowers: Sword saint (Ultra rare), Masterchef (Super rare), Sadomasochism (Rare), Regeneration (Rare)

Sword saint: This power is one of the branches of sword based powers. These powers grant the user the ability to use any type of weapon that is classified as a sword by the system.

Sword saint is the second highest sword based skill. The only one higher is Sword god skill that is the first recorded god rank power.

The user of sword based powers have the innate ability to be able to wield a sword. They naturally develop skills that allow the user to develop swordsmanship. In simpler terms, the ones who own this power have easier time mastering the art of swordsmanship.

Masterchef: Ability to cook the tastiest foods. This power makes the user natural at making food taste good. Users have been said to have a harder time making disgusting food than good food, as the power itself makes the food taste extra tasty no matter what the ingredients were.

It is said that users who have this power can make the most disgusting things into a tasty meal.

Sadomasochism: A combination of powers Sadism and Masochism.

Sadism grants the user a buff if someone else is suffering in a way that the system recognises. The system can be affected by the viewpoint of the user. For the buff to apply, the user isn't required to feel the pleasure that sadists do. The buff that Sadism brings increases the user's attack power and speed.

Masochism grants the user a buff if the user receives pain or suffering. The suffering doesn't need to be physical, which means that HP doesn't necessarily need to be lowered in order for the buff to apply. However, the buff appears more often when receiving damage to HP. The buff that Masochism brings increases the recovery rate of the user.

Regeneration: Users are able to recover from wounds much faster than ordinary people.

About: Mia's family fled to the USA when the cataclysm happened. According to the reports, the birth seemed to have happened during one of the monster attacks that took many lives. The birth of Mia was considered to be a miracle given the circumstances and it gave people hope in those trying times.

During their stay in the USA, Mia's family decided to hand her over to an orphanage for unknown reasons when she was 6. Mia was one of the first people to enter that orphanage.

She was said to enjoy helping others with their chores and the other children in the orphanage considered her as a big sister.

When Mia's powers were discovered by the organization, Mia had already trained her body to a proper form and she was even trained by one of the orphanage workers. It is unknown how early she started to practice, but the organization considers her a genius.

Currently, Mia is working as a high rank adventurer to provide for her family. It is said that she has an interest in Mikael Polemos, but this is merely conjecture.

It is unknown if Mia herself is a sadomasochist, or if the power is merely a tool for her. However, it has been observed that she likes to hide her mouth with her hand when she sees others troubled or if she falls over in public.

(Temporary access granted to the user)

(Accessing file)

File #0

Names: Red hooded monarch of the land of eternal dawn and dusk, Sun everstill, The arbiter of truth, Eternal lord, Hex, The lord of singularity, The almighty, The man in red, The one who sits in the event horizon, Calamity, The everlasting golden lord, Eater of worlds, The nemesis from the abyss, Void prince, The one true god

Abbreviation: Red

About: An unknown entity who seems to have immense power over the known worlds. The nature of this entity is unknown. The director has prohibited any and all research regarding this entity.

All the names are provided by the brief interactions that the director has had with the entity. Most of the names are translations of what people from other worlds call this entity. There is expected to be more names than listed above, but those are the currently known names.

Should you meet this entity, be sure to treat it with the utmost respect. If you think of any way that you can be rude, be sure to avoid that action at all costs. Only those who this entity is interested in can dare to ask questions. "Never speak unless spoken to" is a general rule most should go by.

This entity hasn't been confirmed to be either male or female. According to the director, even though there are some indicators that describe the entity as masculine, it is advised to never use pronouns that address the entity as male or female.

This file was purely made to make a record of this entity.