Chapter 21

Dio put on a black jacket, opened his bedroom window, and jumped down from the second floor onto the grass.

The window faces the left side of the house. There's not much here—just a short corridor and a white fence between Julia's house and the neighbor's.

Since it was night and the street was dark, Dio let the shadows wrap around him.

Dio used to feel uncomfortable in the dark alleys of Gotham, where he committed his robberies. But now that his powers have awakened, darkness seems to be on his side.

It hides him in every way possible when he's inside it.

That didn't happen by itself, and Diana's increased senses can't find him when he's just standing there in the dark.

The A.R.G.U.S. also did some tests, and they say it looks like he's bound to the darkness in some way.

Dio is not good at science, so if anyone asks why, he says it's because of his father.

This city isn't like Gotham, where there's a dark alley around every corner. So Dio had to emerge from the darkness.

He walked along the city's busy streets, where many people were strolling, meeting, or returning from work.

It's still strange to him, this calm city; he's used to the night Gotham, where he could encounter a criminal or a thief on every corner.

It didn't take long to reach his destination, the place where he saw his first ghost. There were others nearby, but he intentionally headed toward them.

The man was still there, lying on the ground between the two buildings. There were no shops open in those buildings anymore.

In addition, no one else was walking around, so it was a great time for a check.

If someone did see him, they would probably think he was just taking a break or something.

Dio stood facing the man and once again heard his weak voice.

"So cold, so cold."

The man looked around forty, but due to his long beard, it was hard to tell. He just stood there, repeating the same words.

He extended his hand and pointed his open palm at his head, about a few inches away. He used the same method as when he summoned the skeletons and relied on his intuition once again.

The new sensations rushed over him; it felt like a strange connection.

He saw the man's memories from a third-person perspective. His life story flashed before him at a very quick pace, like he had fast-forwarded it.

Dio caught only a few moments, such as when he was an office worker, until he lost his job for some reason, and things got even worse.

He lost his wife and then his home, forcing him to live on the streets.

At this point, the memories slowed down and stopped in the normal flow of time, just moments before his death.

He was in the same place he was now, with snow covering the streets. From the information he saw, the past winter had been one of the most powerful in the last ten years.

The man was trembling from the cold; he could feel his pain and loneliness.

Then he died.

The memories ended. He took a few steps back and pressed his back against the alley wall.

It wasn't as mentally exhausting as summoning skeletons.

Instead, he felt what he had felt before his death—not only his physical pain but also his emotions.

It wasn't a good experience, and he'll avoid such things unless necessary.

"What can I do for you?"

Dio asked aloud.

'I really want to help him, but I don't know how or if I can.'

"So cold, so cold,"

The man repeated.

Dio knew it might sound silly, but when he said it again, he instinctively took off his jacket and tried to cover him with it.

By all laws of physics, the jacket stayed on the old man's body.

Then he looked at Dio, and this time he saw clarity in his gaze.

"Thank you,"

The man said.

After these words, his body began to glow, and he disappeared with a flash of light, leaving his jacket on the ground.

"What the heck just happened?"

Dio involuntarily asked himself out loud.

Of course, Dio didn't find an answer, so he turned and walked back home.

After a while, he found himself by his window and jumped—not too high, but enough to grab onto it and get into his room.

Dio used his super hearing to check on the situation.

Julia was still in her room, but she was already asleep. Vanessa was also in her room, but she wasn't sleeping; she was typing on her computer.

It seemed that no one noticed him leaving.

Dio laid in bed and thought about what had happened in the alley again. He seemed to understand why the ghost was at peace on his way home.

Dio didn't remember anyone helping the man or trying to help him in any of his memories, not even the short ones. That's why all he needed to go to the next life was a simple helping hand.

He thought that, but it could be something completely different.

"There's no point in thinking about it,"

Dio said as he tried to sleep by closing his eyes. It's very hard, as he never gets tired, but his habits are strong, and he falls asleep quickly.

The next day was the same as the ones before it; he got up, brushed his teeth, took a shower, and did breakfast downstairs.

Vanessa looked at him a few times while he ate, but Julia stayed quiet and ate while reading the newspaper.

He probably didn't say anything to keep her from being embarrassed by the message he left for her.

Then Dio changed his clothes and went to school. One of the things A.R.G.U.S. gave him was a bracelet that could change his skin and hair color.

This device's purpose is to completely change agents' appearance, but it only changes his skin and hair color.

Dio's hair and skin were both white, which drew a great deal of attention, so he changed his skin tone to something more natural and his hair black to divert attention.

He didn't pay attention to the other students at school. Instead, he did his homework and waited for class to end.

After that, he went home, changed, and went straight to A.R.G.U.S.

When Dio got there, Diana was already waiting for him in the training room.

"What happened to your hand?"

Dio asked and looked at Diana's hand, which was bandaged just below her shoulder.

"My hand? I had some trouble with a sorcerer yesterday. Don't worry, it'll heal soon."

She said it with a smile on her face.

Diana's wounds healed quickly, and when he says "quickly," he means very, very quickly.

But magical wounds seemed to be an exception and took a little longer to heal.

"Today, we won't be training; instead, we're going on a journey."

She said that and changed the subject.

"Where to?"

"Didn't I tell you yesterday? My friend, who specializes in magic, was planning to return home after her tour in the next few weeks, but she came back early, so let's pay her a visit today."

It seems he will finally get some magical knowledge.

"Where are we going?"

Dio asked as they left the building.

Diana looked at him with a big smile as she stood next to him and said.

"To Gotham."

...

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