Want and Need
Kaden looked at the car with pure hatred. Not only had the car foiled his plan to capture the two girls, but it had also injured him and his subordinates.
"Dammit!" Kaden jumped to his feet and brought the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his lips.
VROOM~
Kaden was horrified. He didn't even get time to lower his hand as the car slammed into him again.
CRACK!
A clear, crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.
Behind them, Jessica and Loren looked at the scenario with disbelief.
"The driver is intentionally giving them time to stand... only to slam again!" Loren muttered.
"The driver is toying with them!" Jessica agreed.
"Argh!"
Kaden suppressed the burning pain and pounced on the car like a cheetah.
"Die!" His blade-scales hand slashed at the windshield. He was pretty sure the windshield would break, and he would get his hand on the neck of the driver.
"What?!" Much to his horror, the windshield didn't break.
Much less break, there was not a single scratch!
Kaden was in mid-air, above the hood, looking at the windshield in disbelief. Before he could think anything further, he sensed something from below.
"No way!" The hood opened up with great force. The speed of the hood was far too great, and Kaden could do nothing as the hood smashed into his back.
Kaden felt his spine breaking. If that wasn't enough, the force of the collision sent him flying toward the windshield.
He was struck on the windshield, in an unflattering pose.
"Boss!" The subordinates were crestfallen.
"That driver is shameless!" One of the subordinates cursed, "He should fight one on one instead of using a car!"
SCREECH~
Just then, the car rushed at him. The wipers held Kaden down on the windshield, and the bumper smashed into the legs of his subordinate.
CRACK!
"AHHH!" The sound of bones snapping followed by a shriek.
"........" The remaining subordinates didn't say anything. They had learned their lesson of not cursing the driver.
"Poor guys," Loren muttered, "Nothing could be more tragic than being toyed with by a car."
"They deserved it!" Jessica said.
"Ah yes..." Loren nodded.
Swoosh~
Jessica and Loren were startled. They turned around and saw the domain of fire fading.
"Is he alright?" Loren asked.
"He should be," Jessica said in a voice full of awe, "Otherwise, he wouldn't challenge five of them."
"Hmm?" Loren raised her head toward the sky.
"What is that!?" Jessica saw five bodies of fire in the sky. They were like small meteorites, rapidly approaching the ground.
Whether it was by design or coincidence, they fell toward the vehicles brought by the 'eleven idiots and four fools'.
CRASH!
"AAHHHHHH!" Five terrifying shrieks erupted as bodies of fire slammed onto the vehicles. The glasses of the vehicles shattered while the gang members suffered grave injuries.
Jessica and Loren felt a shiver down their spines. The shrieks were even worse than a pig being slaughtered.
"Let's go!" Zed's voice came from behind, "We are getting late!"
"!" Jessica and Loren noticed Zed was without any injuries. Except for signs of exhaustion, he was completely fine.
"Felicity wouldn't like it if we are late," Zed reminded once again.
"Ah!" Jessica and Loren nodded.
"What about them?" Loren pointed toward the four crippled fools.
She didn't like their actions, but she was acquainted with them.
"Don't worry about them," Zed said as he took out his cell phone. He dialed a number on the screen, and a moment later, the phone connected.
"Hello~ Emergency helpline?
"Yes, there has been an accident on Delta Highway No. 4. The exact coordinates are...
"No, there have been no deaths but there might be if no help is provided. A total of 15 people need emergency treatment.
"Me? I'm just a passerby...
"No, don't thank me for doing my duty as a citizen.
"Happy to help."
Zed placed the cell phone back in his pocket.
Jessica, Loren, Kaden, the four fools, and others: "......"
CRACK~
The awkward silence was broken by the sound of Kaden's bones shattering once again as he collapsed.
Zed ignored Kaden and sat back in the car. Jessica and Loren followed him, and they left the scene.
Five minutes later~
The car dashed at a speed of 190 km/hr, trying to make up for the delay.
"The car was being driven by an AI?!" Jessica and Loren asked again.
"Her name is Claudia, and I'm sure Jessica is acquainted with her," Zed answered, his eyes on the road ahead.
"Well yes but..." Jessica stopped.
How was she supposed to know an AI would take fun in toying with humans? That behavior was so unlike an advanced intelligence!
"Zed, are you not worried?" Loren asked after some time.
"Worried about what?" Zed looked at her from the rear-view mirror.
"Obviously about the incident earlier!" Loren was sure there would be consequences once the police investigated.
"Why should I worry?" Zed questioned in a matter-of-fact tone, "Did I attack anyone first? Or ask anyone to attack those four on my behalf?"
Loren's eyes turned wide with realization.
Indeed!
He has never asked the gang to torture or cripple!
Nor was it him who first attacked the gang members.
"I understand, but their parents wouldn't let it go," Loren said after thinking for a bit. She was sure the parents would come with false evidence to frame him.
"Actually, they would let it go," Zed replied with a smile, "I'm sure of that."
He wanted to avoid trouble given the presence of investigators. But if trouble came knocking on his door, he wasn't the type to back off.
----------
The Weisz House was a large villa outside the Central District. Located far away from the chaos of the city, it was surrounded by greenery.
The main entrance of the villa opened as Zed's car arrived. He drove some distance ahead, after which he and his female companions left the car.
"You are here," Felicity arrived outside to welcome them in.
A minute later, they stepped into the dining room.
At the host chair, a white-haired, middle-aged man was seated. On the opposite chair to him, a black-haired woman was seated.
Next to the host, a black-haired man in his mid-twenties was seated. He had a tattoo of Ouroboros on his right wrist.
"Sir Patrick and Lady Kyla, thank you for having us here," Zed greeted them politely.
Patrick nodded his head in acknowledgment. Kyla, on the other hand, left the chair and arrived in front of him.
"You look so weak," Kyla put the back of her hand on his forehead and said, "You must take care of yourself."
"I am fine," Zed was slightly embarrassed by her affections.
"Your face is pale," Kyla reminded, "Have you checked with a doctor?"
"Half an hour ago, I used my power so I'm slightly exhausted," Zed explained.
"Oh?" Patrick and the man in his mid-twenties were intrigued.
"What happened?" The man in his mid-twenties asked.
"Nothing much, Cleo," Zed took a seat next to Felicity, while Jessica and Loren sat nearby.
Cleo was Felicity's elder brother. From what Zed knew, he was trying to fight for the mayoral election next year. He had aspirations to become a senator just like his father.
"Surely there must be something serious for you to use your powers to limit," Felicity said with a frown.
"Ah well," Zed was helpless so he explained the story in short.
"Those bastards!" Felicity cursed loudly.
"Young girl! Remember your manners!" Patrick said in a deep voice.
"Dad! They bullied Zed so they obviously deserve more than just cursing!" Felicity protested.
"Sis, it doesn't sound like he was bullied!" Cleo remarked with a smile.
"Zed, you should have used my name," Patrick looked at him and said, "You should never be hesitant in asking us for help."
As a senator of the World Senate, his influence in the city was second to none.
"Thank you, sir," Zed politely expressed his gratitude.
"Don't be so formal," Kyla said with a smile, "You are a part of our family."
Zed returned her smile, but he didn't really think much of her words. As far as he was concerned, her words were spoken out of politeness due to the relationship between him and Felicity.
He then remembered something from the past...
=====
*
A little over three years ago~
Royal Heart Academy.
Zed sat on a bench opposite the playground. He let out a sigh while looking at the papers in his hand.
The papers were the letters of confirmation regarding his admission to the academy.
"My fourth dream has been fulfilled..." Zed clenched the papers tightly, "But I don't feel the same joy I felt when I fulfilled my other dreams."
Zed glanced at the playground and other facilities in the academy.
Every place was filled with students. Most students were playing while the rest sat in groups, chatting with each other.
"Maybe it is because I never really wanted this."
Zed closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Veronica was right... A dream is not a dream if it was dreamt to satisfy anger and frustration on others."
Zed opened his eyes and looked at the papers again.
"Even after all these years, the hatred I have for those two still runs strong in me."
Zed tore the papers.
"I have fooled myself into believing I'm doing this for myself... but the truth is that I am only trying to vent my frustration."
Zed threw the papers into the air and left the bench. He decided to quit the academy today. It was his first day of joining, and it would be his last.
"Hey!" A voice came from behind.
He turned back and noticed a black-haired girl on the terrace of a storeroom. She had a fair skin tone with beautiful facial features, and from what he could tell, she was probably about eighteen years old.
"Me?" Zed asked.
"Yeah, you!" The girl waved her hand and from the ground, multiple vines emerged. The vines extended to the terrace in the form of a ladder.
"?"
"You are the new student who joined in suspicious conditions, right?" The girl asked as she stepped down on the ladder of vines.
"Yes?" Zed looked at her in confusion.
Was she here to bully him? Or to tell him that he doesn't deserve this academy?
"I plan to leave the academy anyway," Zed bitterly thought.
He was in no mood to fight back today, so he would just leave instead of getting in an unnecessary argument.
"Are you free now?" The girl reached the ground, and the vines disappeared into thin air.
"I guess so?" Zed was having a hard time understanding her unrelated questions.
"Do you have the guts to follow me?" The girl asked another question.
"............." Zed was speechless at the question.
How was he supposed to answer such a strange question?!
"Are you deaf?" The girl inquired after seeing no response.
"...No," Zed felt his lips twitch.
This girl was definitely strange!
"Then why haven't you answered my question?" The girl questioned.
"...I don't fear anything!" Zed declared with utmost confidence.
"That's the spirit!" The girl's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Thirty minutes later at Thrill Park.
Hell Coaster~
"AAHHHHHHH!" Zed screamed.
"Isn't this enjoyable?" The girl asked.
The coaster rotated them in the sky five times before taking them underwater.
Zed was soaked wet as the coaster spun in the ice water to give them the best experience to hell.
"You are crazy!" Zed shouted after they left the water.
"Did you say something?" The girl turned towards him and asked.
"...Nothing," Zed refused to accept defeat.
He was sure the ride couldn't become worse, so there was no way he would accept defeat.
As the coaster brought them back into the sky, the safety belts opened up. Both of them were in free fall from a height of 1500 meters above the ground.
"This is fun, right?" The girl was unfazed by the falling.
"Fun?" Zed looked at her like she was a psycho.
This is your definition of fun?!
He decided to use his cosmic powers, but then the girl waved her hand and a sea of flowers bloomed on the ground.
"Ah!" They softly landed on the flowers without breaking any bones.
"We should do it again!" The girl stretched her hands and said, "You are a chicken, but you have some hope if I help you!"
"........" Zed was dumbstruck by her attitude.
"Let us come tomorrow after the classes end!" the girl suggested without waiting for his response.
"......"
"See ya ~" The girl turned around to leave.
"What is your name?" Zed rushed to her and asked.
"Felicity."
*
====
In the present, Zed remembered their first meeting with a bit of nostalgia. That meeting was the foundation, as slowly their relationship developed from acquaintances to friends to siblings.
"Sister," Zed thought with a sincere smile.
True familial relationships weren't formed by empty words or blood ties. They were formed by the test of time when one was there for another even when there was no advantage.
-----
In the second underground floor of Dream Rise House.
Claudia analyzed data from two virtual screens. On one screen was the live feed from the dinner at Felicity's home while the other screen showed Agatha's apartment.
[[What one wants is not what one needs.]]
[[Master's dreams are what he wants.]]
[[Lady Felicity, Lady Agatha, and Hope are what he needs now.]]
[[Someday he would need more.]]
[[Love and romance.]]
[[And knowing his personality, he would get it from multiple women...]]