As Damien's instincts screamed in dread and primordial terror, the air beside him cracked and fractured into pieces. Emerging from the spatial rapture was a gargantuan obsidian hand hurtling towards the interloper.
Without a tinge of hesitation or delay, a command seal was consumed as Eclipse was summoned into the world once again. It wasn't without reason.
After all, the mere presence of the one before him felt like a guillotine barely hanging over his neck. If he hadn't reacted, he might have been beheaded and died, accomplishing not one of his goals.
The gorgeous lady rested above the bulkhead of the rooftop and gazed upon him with a nonchalant expression. Her pearl-like eyes glinted in silver as the edges of her supple crimson lips rose.
She didn't budge an ounce of muscle as her silver hair fluttered with the dancing breeze of wind. Her uncaring behavior made Damien doubt the fear that punctured the depths of his bones.
But what occurred next confirmed his dread.
The slender and obsidian-like hand of Eclipse tore through the air, lunging with precision and destruction. However, as it was about to reach the gorgeous lady over the bulkhead, reality shattered.
His summoned monster was halted midway, frozen in place by an unseen force. A section of the world was fragmented like a broken mirror, though moments later, the severed shards revolved and mended themselves.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Before Damien called Eclipse to return by his side, he felt a soft hand pat his shoulder. Turning his head, a pale and slender finger stopped him.
"Tag."
The alluring white-haired lady stood beside him, a grin plastered on her stunning face. His obsidian-like eyes gazed upon her pearl-white irises, which seemed to shift hypnotically.
"You must be the Aberrant, huh? You look far more human than expected." She stepped back and rested on the concrete railing behind her. Her trench coat flapped with the breeze as she rested her chin on her finger.
"Hmm... I was given orders to contain you, but I don't feel like it." She pondered to herself, uncaring about the circumstance at hand. Eclipse now hovered from above, waiting for further commands from Damien.
"What about you. Would you like to be contained?" She looked at the seemingly normal young man in front of her, who was supposed to be the Aberrant.
On the other hand, Damien stood frozen in place as memories flooded his mind. The beautiful lady reminded him of a certain girl. Though the one before him seemed more mature and had silver hair.
Hearing her nonchalant question, he raised his eyebrows in utter confusion. It dragged him out of his daze as he immediately calmed his pounding heart.
To think he questioned himself about lacking his humanity.
Fear was still embedded within his heart and mind. That meant his humanity was without a doubt intact. He wasn't an emotionless or cold machine without self-preservation. He could feel fear just like the others.
"Hey, can you not speak? I just heard you talking to yourself, so don't pretend to be a dumbass." Her soft yet arrogant voice broke off his thoughts as he realized that he had been too lenient.
'I need to stop myself from overthinking. Otherwise, I could die without realizing it.' Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and responded."I'd rather avoid becoming a lab rat."
Her pearl-like eyes widened ever slightly as her grin became distinct. It was as though she had found a toy that interested her; the thought alone brought chills into Damien's spine.
"An Aberrant capable of language... It looks smart with an identity of its own." She nodded to herself and thought out loud as if analyzing an alien object.
"I don't know what you're talking about and what an Aberrant is, but I'm not some goddamn alien creature pretending to be a human." People treating him as something else was beginning to annoy him.
"I have a name, and that is Damien. I have 18 years' worth of memories, so don't bother me with that crap." He glared at the gorgeous white-haired lady, visibly displeased.
The two gazed upon one another for a moment before she gasped and barely stopped herself from chuckling. But seconds later, she stopped and looked at the young man. "Damien..."
"That uniform of yours... Reminds me of the past. Do you live here in Brooklyn?" She questioned, earning a nod from the young man. "I was an orphan, but I attended a University nearby."
"Alright, let's say you really are a human. How much do you remember?" Her pearl-white gaze was filled with scrutiny. The nonchalant manner was thrown into the back as someone of authority held the helm.
The pressure was overwhelming.
How could a mere look from her generate so much fear in his body? It didn't make sense and was completely illogical. This wasn't a fantasy world where aura could flatten buildings.
But it seemed pedantic when he could summon monsters while she could somehow fracture reality.
"The last thing I remembered was that giant monolith descending from the skies." He pointed towards the gargantuan black tower looming over the skyline. It was a reminder, a beacon of actuality.
"Giant monolith? I guess it does look like that." A hint of nostalgia escaped her eyes, but it soon faded and was replaced by her usual conceited gaze. "Anyway, so Damien... Are you a threat to humanity?"
It was a simple question that could be answered with a single word: Yes or No. However, Damien's circumstances were complicated as the Monster Gacha System required him to be a threat.
Otherwise, he would never grow and continue to be at the mercy of those around him. Although he could lie and pretend to not be a threat, the hypnotic gaze of the bewitching lady urged him to not utter falsehood.
Not because he was under the whims of her beauty, but from the instinctual feeling that lying would probably bring more harm than good.
'I don't know how her abilities work, so it's better to be careful than not.' With this in mind, Damien straightened his back and felt somewhat nervous. He must respond in a way that doesn't portray him as vicious.
"I don't want to be a threat, but I have to grow. That means becoming a danger in some way. Even without doing anything, I'm already considered a fugitive. So, the only path for me is up."
He didn't know if his answer satisfied her in some way, but he could only hope. 'I want to get out of here by utilizing Raptured Blink, but...' The beautiful white-haired lady was fast. Too quick.
Before he could even teleport out of the area, his body or head would probably be left behind on the rooftop. He'd rather not test his luck.
"Intriguing answer..." She nodded to herself as though arriving at a decision. "You don't particularly hate humanity, but to grow stronger. You must become a threat. Do you require blood, souls, or perhaps, fear?"
Damien didn't answer as his Monster Gacha System had to remain a secret no matter the cost. Even knowledge of its applications and requirements must be silenced.
She stepped closer to him, their faces a breath away. "Fear, huh? That makes it much more straightforward." Her scent was sweet and oriental.
He narrowed his gaze and felt like an open book after his requirements escaped her supple crimson lips. But he didn't need to outright confirm it, so he didn't utter a single word.
"Fear is simple and easy to control. Purely a mental state that is uncomplicated to cause. The Federal Government should have no problem with it."
"Unless you cause such fear through destruction, suffering, and death." A cold glint escaped her silver irises as she continued with an arrogant smile. "I believe you wouldn't do that."
"After all, you're smart."
"Sadly, though... SIGIL would contain you regardless. An Aberrant is too dangerous for them to not imprison." She shook her head, acting as though she was disappointed.
On the contrary, Damien understood that she was leading him to an answer. A way to not be contained without declaring war against the government and the so-called SIGIL. "Except if?"
Her grin widened as she gestured a peace sign with her slender fingers. "You become my subordinate. As long as you are under my wing, I should be able to protect you from anyone and anything."
"Excluding me, of course."
As she giggled, Damien pondered the proposition. Becoming her subordinate could pin him down with her, but it was his future anyway. The moment he encountered her, it became lodged in his destiny.
Besides, she didn't appear to be a bad person. Although arrogant, she could have beaten him to a pulp and started negotiations after he was bloodied. Meaning despite her proud deposition. She wasn't a bastard.
After pondering it for a moment, he sighed to himself and accepted the recruitment. "It's not like there's much I can do about it, to begin with. But how much is the starting salary for my job, boss?"
Expecting his question, she gestured five of her pale and slender fingers towards him. He raised his eyebrows and inquired. "Five thousand dollars?" It was lower than he imagined.
She shook her head and replied. "Your yearly income is five hundred thousand dollars." It was more than enough. If he were efficient with his money, it wouldn't take long for him to be a millionaire.
"Damn..." He muttered under his breath as he hardened his resolve and gazed forward. "When do we start?" The recruitment wasn't official yet. SIGIL, the organization that wanted to imprison him, must consent to it.
"Now, we are already heading to Staten Island." She winked at him as she snapped her pale fingers together. In that moment, the entirety of the world shifted. Reflections of the cityscape emerged from the heavens.
Those flickering stars weren't actual starlight, but the mirrored lights of an endless city replicated to infinity. The primordial fear that consumed him wasn't groundless. It was beyond concrete.
Reality fractured like glass, propagating in and out of each other. Silence consumed him as light bent into an abnormal proportion. Distance became distant, transposing between zero and eternity.
The notion of moving brought fear to his heart and mind. To think he even dared to reckon his escape. It made him grasp the ignorance that clouded his perception.
At any rate, what he saw brought nothing more than mental fatigue. He blacked out as he lost his consciousness, unable to comprehend the ever-changing world of reflections and glass.
---
Meanwhile... Inside a black limousine driving through the fortified bridge that connected Brooklyn and Staten Island, Damien slowly opened his eyelids and saw the bewitching white-haired lady across from him.
She crossed her legs together, her silky trousers shifting as her voluptuous thighs pressed against one another. The image ingrained itself within Damien's mind as his eyes widened, awakening from his exhausted daze.