Preparation to Strike Back

"What do you mean?" asked Agatha confusedly. She didn't seem to understand what Graham's ulterior motive was behind his words.

"I'm just being cautious about this identity's security. Besides, this body cannot be used for fighting," explained Graham shortly.

Agatha once again looked at the man who was sitting in front of her. He indeed looked thin but not the kind that was malnourished. It was just the body of someone who never did any exercise or did manual labor, despite his face resembling a typical factory worker.

"So how can I help you with that?" she asked kindly.

Graham's lips curled in a smile while maintaining eye-contact with Agatha.

"I need to read your memory to get a new identity. Is that okay? I won't be reading everything; it's just something related to someone that I might find useful," said Graham again. His tone was like a door-to-door salesperson trying to sell his wares.

Agatha rested her right cheek on her right hand and appeared to be thinking. Although they had just known each other for less than two weeks, she trusted the detective to some extent. Her spirituality also hadn't warned her about any malicious intents coming from the man, so she wasn't alarmed.

"That is fine by me, but I will take you up on your offer. I want free divination and also your assistance in something else. That will also be the compensation for my assistance in helping you," she replied finally. Her tone was like a true businesswoman but there was still kindness in it.

Graham nodded in approval and then smiled.

"I need the identities of two people, so I will have to read your memory twice. I don't know how it would feel when I'm doing it, but you might feel slight discomfort, so bear with it," he explained with his high-pitched voice.

"Okay. I am sure it will not be a problem," she said. Her deep blue eyes that looked like the ocean didn't show any sign of worry nor fear.

"Or I can make you fall asleep and wake you up once it's done," offered Graham.

Agatha shook her head slowly with her cheek still on her right hand.

"It is okay. I would rather know how it feels in case something like that happens to me in the future," she said.

"Alright then," replied Graham shortly. His hands were pressed in front of him and he placed his chin on them.

Graham looked down and began focusing on his own memory. He then singled out the identity of Konrad Dykman. He needed to make space for a new identity, so he had to get rid of that one from his memory. He didn't want to remove Cornelis Haring because of the fact that he was a Police Sergeant. Once the space was ready, he looked at Agatha again.

He then focused on the woman in front of him and came up with the kind of information he needed. In his mind, he was thinking about the strongest person that the beautiful woman knew. When he was reading the stranger's memory, he was only thinking about the person closest to the stranger, but now he needed an identity whose body would be useful. Once his mind was focused, he started chanting.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, ask to read the memory of Agatha van Nostrand!"

Graham once again felt the familiar sensation of being underwater without being able to move a limb. All the sounds around him were muffled and he could only observe the scenes in front of him through the 'glass window'. There was Agatha in a martial arts class sparring with her instructor, an athletic man in his early forties. His hair was jet black and his skin showed proof that he was in the sun a lot. The man looked taller than Agatha, who was already tall herself even without her heels.

The scenes in front of Graham kept changing to reinforce the identity of the martial arts instructor. Graham paid attention well to his behavior and mannerisms, and information from Agatha's brain about the man was also transferred to his own. Once he had got enough, he severed the connection and returned to reality.

Graham directly observed Agatha's change of expression once he was out.

"How did it feel?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, so it is done? It just felt like my mind was a lake and someone was disturbing it, looking for something under the water. It was not painful in any way; it only felt inexplicably strange," she explained with a tone that was both serious and curious.

"Yes, it's done. I'll show you. Can you please cover me?" asked Graham.

Agatha nodded.

"No problem,"

She got up from her chair and stood up in the way so that other people couldn't see Graham. Meanwhile, the latter was chanting.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, hereby change my whole being to that of Hansen Müller!"

His skin began itching again like they were shedding, and then it grew much darker than his current pale skin. His muscles also grow and he became taller. His facial features became much more defined and there was a scar on his chin. Graham's hair also turned the color jet black, to match the appearance of the martial arts instructor based on Agatha's memory.

Agatha was watching the whole process while standing up and she was amazed at how the man had become someone else in mere seconds. What was more was that he had turned into the perfect copy of the martial arts instructor that she knew well. Even his smell was similar to that of the man.

"It is unbelievable!" she exclaimed, and then went back to her seat.

"That's my new ability," replied Graham. His voice was now much heavier and deeper. It felt like if he didn't control it, he would speak too loudly.

Graham then looked over his shoulder and muttered, "Val, no wonder she is so naturally strong. She can spar with this kind of person. Another interesting thing, Val, although I don't suddenly master the martial arts that this guy knows, I get some information about it. My body should be able to perform it naturally enough."

"You are exactly like my teacher now. If not for your clothes, I would think that you were him," she said.

Graham's shirt indeed felt too tight right now; it was clear that it was not the man's size. The buttons were holding it together only by sheer willpower.

"That's exactly the point. Now, I'll tell you about the plan. I don't know for sure how many people are watching my home because they have anti-divination, but I'm sure there will be more than one. And we can't fight there either unless I want the Police to investigate later. So we need to lure them somewhere and ambush them," he explained.

"That is the plan? That sounds rather simplistic," responded Agatha, "And how are you going to lure them? If they see you, I am sure they will kill you on sight."

Graham rubbed his chin and crossed his legs. However, since it didn't match the image of Hansen, he changed his mind.

"That's where I need another identity from you. We'll also need Luuk's support to finish off the enemy," he explained.

Agatha nodded and then prepared herself for the coming uncomfortable sensation. Graham concentrated on his memory first and erased the identity of Christian Barnhart from his 'slot'.

Once he had freed up a slot for a new identity, Graham focused on the woman in front of him again and thought about the next memory he wanted to read. He had already decided on the person, so it was easier for him to concentrate.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, ask to read the memory of Agatha van Nostrand!"

Graham became 'submerged' in water one more time. He was looking at the short interaction between Agatha and his neighbor, Luuk van der Meer. He knew Luuk better than Agatha, so without her knowledge, he would be able to act as him already. However, he still needed Agatha's memory to transform into the man, otherwise, his ability wouldn't work. Once he got all the information he needed, he cut the connection and returned to reality.

Agatha wore a frown on her face; the process must have been unpleasant for her.

"Val, so she thinks Luuk is a cool and brave person. At least that's what her memory told me," he muttered in amusement quietly, making sure the woman in front of him couldn't hear him.

"I am sorry, did you mention my name?" she asked.

Graham quickly shook his head.

"No, nothing," he said shortly.

She let it slide and then put her cheek on her hand again.

"So, what is the plan?"

"I'll tell you after this. Can you please cover me again?" he requested.

Agatha nodded and then stood up in the way again so that people couldn't see Graham's appearance changing. The man muttered an Order and then he quickly turned back to his original detective appearance, which Agatha was familiar with.

"This look fits your personality the best," she commented.

Graham didn't respond. He just chanted one more time.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, hereby change my whole being to that of Luuk van der Meer!"

With that, he became shorter and thinner. His hair became curly and brown. There were black circles around his brown eyes, just like when she first met him. His face could be said as handsome, but there was something mysterious about the whole person that made people think twice before approaching him. In less than thirty seconds, Graham had turned into his Thief neighbor, Luuk.

"It's always amazing to see you transform like that," said Agatha with a higher pitch than usual. She sounded like someone who had just seen a magic show.

She went back to her seat and sat down elegantly.

"Thanks. Now, the plan. I'm going to lure them using this appearance while you and the real Luuk wait in a nearby alley to ambush the enemy. Simple enough?" he explained.

"It does sound simple, but why not let Luuk lure them while we wait in ambush?" she asked curiously.

Graham shook his head slowly.

"If I go personally, I can also observe the enemies," he replied.

Agatha nodded in understanding.

"Now, I just need to locate that neighbor of mine," said Graham.

He took out his lighter and then lit a fire. He focused on the tiny flame and asked a question in his mind.

'What is Luuk van der Meer's current location?'

The flame in front of him burned brighter and slowly, an image appeared. It showed him a hotel room where a man was still sleeping on the bed with a thick blanket covering his body. It was Luuk. The image then zoomed out and showed the exterior of the hotel, which was called 'Slotenian' and the street where it was on. After that, instead of disappearing, the image shifted to that of a café and there was a man and a woman sitting in the corner. It was Graham and Agatha, the former wearing the target's appearance. Then, the image disappeared gradually.

Graham raised his eyebrows and looked over his shoulder.

"Val, what does that mean? Does it mean when I use someone's identity, divination directed at that person will also include me? That means divination directed at Graham Hymes will yield no result. That's a great find, Val!" he muttered excitedly.

Agatha, who had also seen the divination, also looked confused. However, since she didn't know how divination worked in detail, she just brushed it aside.

"Let's go fetch that guy. We have a lot to prepare," said Graham as he got up from the chair.

The two of them went to the cashier to pay and then headed towards Agatha's motor carriage. She got into the driver's seat while Graham sat next to her. He held on tight and she drove away right away at a terrifying speed. Although the road was busy, she didn't slow down. She just skillfully took over everyone else on the street.

They arrived at Bloemstraat, where the hotel Luuk was staying was located, and Agatha parked her motor carriage on the side of the street. The two of them got out quickly, especially Graham who was more than eager to leave the metal death cage. They entered the hotel with the name 'Slotenian' written in a neon box at the top.

They entered big the nine-story hotel and walked up to the receptionist who was smiling at them, but there was a slight confusion in her face. Graham got closer to the female receptionist and smiled awkwardly.

"Uhm, hello. I forgot which one my room is. Can you please remind me?" he asked with a confused tone.

"Mr. van der Meer, I didn't see you go out. Your room is on the fifth floor, number 24. Did you lose your key? Do you need a spare key?" asked the female receptionist in concern.

Graham shook his head.

"No need. Thank you," he said shortly.

Graham and Agatha took the elevator and reacher the fifth floor shortly after. They walked down the corridor that was adorned with a red carpet and stood in front of room 24. Since the real Luuk was still sleeping, Graham didn't bother to knock on the door.

"I order you to unlock yourself!"

Click!

The hotel room was now unlocked. Graham opened the door and let Agatha go in first. He then closed the door behind him slowly and walked straight to the bed where a man was snoring quietly. Graham looked at the sleeping Luuk shook him violently.

Being disturbed, Luuk abruptly opened his eyes and was shocked to see the sight in front of him.

"What the fuck!!" he exclaimed loudly.

He had been woken up by himself!

Agatha was standing near Graham with her hand covering her mouth; she was holding back her laughter.