Night had fallen, the darkness thick as ink.
Sharp, uninhibited sounds carried through the walls of Valentina's mansion—the kind that made sleep impossible.
Valentina clutched her bedsheets with both hands, her face flushing between white and red.
"Is this what you meant by making my evening pleasant? This is the ultimate humiliation!" She gritted her teeth and glared at the wall ahead. There was no one in front of her—just the wall itself.
The sounds were coming from behind it.
Jack wasn't in her room at all.
Valentina had assumed his earlier flirtation and coming home with her meant something would happen. She wouldn't have given in easily—not before she'd figured out who Jack really was—but the fact that he'd taken that woman straight to a guest room instead left her furious.
It was an insult to her appeal.
Lilah had proven herself the most excellent of Jack's bedtime companions so far. She could satisfy him before sleep and ensure he rested peacefully. Now she'd gained a wake-up function as well. Roused from sleep by her particular methods, Jack had felt genuinely trapped—unable to escape. After struggling for a full hour, he finally managed to get out of bed.
He found the bathroom, showered, dressed, and made his way to the living room.
The moment he arrived, he spotted a grim-faced Valentina and a bearded man who looked like a caveman.
"Vandal Savage." Jack greeted him without a hint of surprise, then turned to Valentina. "Darling, would you mind pouring me a glass of milk? I think I need to replenish myself."
Though clearly displeased, Valentina stood and left.
"Don't you want to say something?" Vandal Savage studied the seated Jack with a thin smile.
"Not particularly."
The day's plan started with morning exercise, and having just finished his, Jack really wasn't in the mood for conversation.
"I think you should say something." Savage's expression cooled, his voice carrying an edge of threat.
Jack looked at him as though considering a compromise, hesitated a few times, then offered tentatively: "Mo... Morning?"
Savage's eye twitched.
"It seems you must be a liar. If you were truly a time traveler, you'd know who I am. You'd know the consequences of playing tricks on me." Savage slowly shifted his coat, and like a magic trick, a dagger appeared in his hand. "I'll give you one more chance—"
"How long does it take you to resurrect?" Jack cut in.
Savage's movements stiffened.
"Is ten minutes enough? I might be interested in chatting after that. So why don't you die for ten minutes first?"
"I don't think you have that ability." Savage hurled the dagger at Jack.
The throw was fast—within a distance of barely a meter, Savage was confident it would beat a bullet.
The dagger struck—
And Savage's smug expression froze.
Jack had caught it.
"See you in ten minutes."
Jack spoke lazily, pointing a finger at Savage with almost no effort.
Boom!
A flash of electricity struck Savage instantly. The current wasn't large, but its power was immense. Savage's heart was pierced clean through, and the sofa behind him gained a hole that revealed the floor beneath.
Clatter!
The sound of shattering porcelain. Jack turned to see Valentina standing frozen nearby, a broken cup at her feet and milk pooling across the floor.
"What are you panicking about? You know he can resurrect." Jack frowned, then pointed at her feet. "Was that milk for me?"
"Y-Yes..." Though Valentina knew about Savage's immortality, she'd never witnessed it firsthand, and the suddenness had caught her off guard.
She knew Savage was powerful. She'd anticipated that if their conversation went poorly, a fight might break out. But she never expected this. Savage was dead? And what was that flash of electricity? Was that Jack's ability?
"Waste is shameful."
Jack sighed at the puddle on the floor. Then he looked at Valentina. "That cup was for you. Make sure you don't waste it."
"For me? It's all over the ground." The words came out before she could stop them.
"That's right. Which is why I'm telling you—don't waste it." Jack's smile widened, his tone deepening.
Valentina's expression turned ugly.
How was she supposed to drink it off the floor?
She didn't keep cats or dogs, but she knew how they drank.
"I can pour you another glass," she said, her face stiff.
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
Jack slowly raised his hand. Electric arcs wove between his fingertips.
"You don't have to do this!" Valentina's voice strained.
"Waste is shameful." The crackling light grew brighter, humming with barely contained power.
Watching him, Valentina slowly lowered herself to her knees.
"Master, what is she doing?"
Lilah emerged from her bath, dressed and freshened, and spotted Valentina in that position. She moved to Jack's side, asking softly.
"A small punishment. Just finding some amusement while I wait out the ten minutes." Jack chuckled. "Go check the kitchen and pour me a glass of milk."
"Okay." Lilah turned to find the kitchen.
"Is this enough now?" Valentina demanded a moment later, her voice sharp with indignation, her lips and chin glistening.
Jack smiled and was about to respond when a roar erupted from beside him. He turned to find Vandal Savage upright again, the wound on his chest already healed.
"That fast? It hasn't even been ten minutes, and I didn't get a clear look at how you resurrected." Jack tilted his head. "So... die a bit longer."
He raised his hand and sent another bolt of lightning into the immortal.
Savage collapsed again.
This time, Jack kept his eyes fixed on the corpse. The moment Savage had attacked him, Jack had already copied the ability. Now he genuinely wanted to understand the mechanics—in case his own recklessness ever got him killed, he needed to know exactly how the resurrection worked.
An immortal body. True resurrection.
Anyone else with such a power would probably be ecstatic. Jack remained completely indifferent.
Immortality held no real appeal for him. Not many beings could kill him anyway. As far as he was concerned, abilities were only divided into two categories:
Interesting... or boring.