Chapter 11: itch...

"Knight ling?!" she now shouted.

"its useless.." echoed a voice.

The girl's golden eyes turned sharp, taking out her hidden blade from her wrist. Striking right behind, where the voice bellowed. she was fast, swift, nothing like a normal teenage girl should possess. But her small knife and her instant attack felt lost to the person she was facing, a blue shield between her and a man whose eyes were long gone, covered with cybernetic scopes, covering half of his face.

"oh….you almost got me." Said the man, gazing at the small knife which had already passed through his shield, the only reason it was an inch away from his red glowing cybernetic eyes was because of its small length, as her hands couldn't pass through the shield.

"…..nice metal there, it must be of titanium." commented the man, as he took out his energy gun from his back, the shotgun-like gear, which manifested blue light, beaming a booming blast at the red-haired girl.

Bang!

It was a powerful blow, banging the girl right on her upper body, she should have lost her body altogether but the shield surrounding her covered it so, only pushing her little body to the wall.

"….such weapon and shield, well the stately don't disappoint." Said the man, showing his smile. "right…. your highness?" he asked, walking a step closer.

she could only glare at him, the contempt only growing more and more. "you know me….You know my status, but you still dare." She growled, standing up from the floor.

But her focus shifted, to the side, to the other corner, she had some hope, she could blaze out of this situation. But the hope turned to despair right then and there. '….eight, nine, ten. There are a total of ten of them. Fucking Basterds,' she complained.

All of them were the same, every person, racking the same amount of five-piece cybernetic eyes. glowing red, scoping in and out like an insect.

"you came prepared." She said, now gazing at a person in the arm, holding an elite EMP.

Spark!

With that spark, the lights, the many gears nearby, everything but the tools of the eye freaks, shut down. Forcing the whole of the hotel and the many vehicles to hover down the ground. For the crimson girl, she saw nothing, but her knife played the role in the dark, as her hand pierced a man nearby.

She should have frightened, panicked, fall down in despair, but no, like a lioness, she attack the moment she got the chance.

"you idiots!" shouted the man with the Emp. " your shields are also down you cunts."

The girl moved her blade but within the darkness, what could she do more, with ten people surrounding her? eventually feeling a hard strike on her neck, letting the darkness truly consume her, land losing consciousness as she fell down.

'fuck, so much for the great Maximu…'

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11:57

11:58

11:59

00:00

Beep! Beep! Beep!...

"…..night stroll time,"

Wearing his kneaded gloves, Aaron taped his wrists for a tight grip, stretching his fingers for what was to come. And what was to come was his pumping swings, from his tampered fists to his aggressive legs. Ready to pound away the remaining dirt left in his city.

He looked at his mirror, the darkness covering it all, except the moonlight peaking at his silver hair. but that too was hidden with his hoody, basking what was left of him in the shadow. they say the shadow that follows you everywhere is dark and silent, but not for Aaron, his's was cloaked, dark as he was, the red light on its eye could beg to differ.

"Are you Ready Rudy?"

"always…" he replied.

"….then let's turn and burn…."

The god screen, situated in such a place that the whole city was in view, the location where the usual survey of their city started, both of them taking half of the city, running about, jumping from one building to another. Such feats were impossible for normal men but not for those, who were blessed with ember. Their body strength enhanced to such a degree that any cybernetic implant could hope to compare.

That is what set them apart, from normal citizens to named warriors. They were fast, they were swift, reaching every ally in a nick of a second, only taking an hour to comprehend what the city was going through.

"hmmm…..the city looks clean tonight," Aaron Judged, jumping up from a dark ally.

The news proclaimed Maximus city was the symbol of a peaceful city, the city where the crime rate was non-existence. It was true to a level, but in a grand city like this, where wealth is all around the corner, there was bound to be a darker side, ready to take any form of advantage, as they say, the good is never truly good, the clean is never truly clean.

But he changed it all two years ago, pulping down every secretive gang, and agent looming around his city. even though he didn't have that much reach, stalled upon the nights of Maximus. This habit was already churned to his soul, as in the life of the past, he who was the face of magic, had the responsibility to see it through its proper conduct, surveying the whole of the magic empire and its entirety and in comparison to that, this single city was nothing.

"If I have my magic back, handling this city would be done in seconds. But I can't help but have a bit of fun, seeing it through with my own fists….hahahaha….haaaaa….." he sighed. "but I do miss it…" he said, gazing upon his palm.

As he stood in remanence, his eyes gazed around, trying to sense if anybody was around, mostly his butler, who was sneakiest the most.

"he's not here…."

He felt an itch, an itch he was longing to scratch upon, but being continuously surrounded, from his early bed to his sleepy nights, and even in the middle of the dark. Being littered upon by his oh-so-lovely butler. Who never left his tail like a shadow of his own.

"but he's not here now…." He said, his glowing red eyes, giving him the answer.

He could scratch it now, it was the perfect chance, no, for Aaron, it was the only chance. Finally tasting Ember. A mysterious power, which could transform a normal human being into a man of steel, giving them powers beyond their imaginations. Handling numerous abilities. From psychic holdings to body strengthening. It was all possible. But for Aaron, these feats of the so-called magic warrior, psykers, and casters were like watching cavemen finally discover fire, and use it for menial tasks, such as cooking their meals and lightening their nights.

Fire, dangerous as may it be, if properly handled, the possibilities were infinite, and the practices were infinite. But for it to finally come in use, as his vision demanded. He needed more than just simple wood or coal, he needed something, something more.

A clear filter, a screen that distills the required pure ember from the rest. As this world, which did contain masses and masses of ember, It was never suitably used, thereby being in a state where it never got to change, correlate, or react. Being in such a passive manner, it was nearly impossible to use it as Aaron demanded.

Aaron, whose urge to use magic, the true magic, dwindled his nights, replacing it with countless experiments, trying to use the ember of the world to his name, finding the ways to induct this passive energy, but one failure after another, many sleepless nights after another, something happened, with the help of lady luck passing him by pure chance, he had finally found a way, a path, where he could start upon.

He took out his pocket knife, gifted by other nobles. From the looks of it, the knife held great craftsmanship, from the design of its sharp blade to its white and golden handle, designed in a way, for it to use not as a weapon, but as a handpiece Which was the norm in the houses of high status.

But that wasn't his concern, his reason for taking out this costly item was nothing but the blue crystal, shining at the end of its handle. Like a star, it glowed even bright, the white moonlight shining upon its edges, turning Aaron's itch to a level he couldn't control.

Until now, he had only tasted true magic, two times. Yes, only two times. And with this dagger in hand, he was going to turn it to three. He didn't know when he would get another chance as this one blue crystal was rare and scarce to a degree that he had only found it two times throughout his known pursuit. Why wouldn't it be scarce, as its value was zero to non, an item which sparkles less than a ruby or a diamond, and even breaks oh so easily than simple glass, evaporating into nothingness right after?

This crystal was named worthless by the many business merchants and nobles, but what could an eye of a caveman see, when given a packed flamethrower? Haha… Nothing but hunky metal. He was shocked at first how the nobles of this world, who held the physic of a magic caster, to not recognize such a gem, and he had found the answer right away, as he gazed upon this world of technology.

"this world doesn't need magic, it has already found its own magic, its own knowledge." he proclaimed. "but sorry, I'm old school."

Crack…..!

Picking out the gentle gem, he crushed it without mercy. The condensed ember starting to be released, but before its merger with the surrounding, Aaron took it, Aaron took it all. Like a thirsty vulture, incasing him with boost of energy, he felt it, coursing through his veins. Reaching every corner of his known body.

"haaaaa…..feels good." He said, breathing out a puff of blue sparkles. "it's been soo long."