The black SUV slid through the city's pale fog. In the backseat, sat a boy no more than twenties. With dark wine hair that curled at the end. Bright velvet eyes with sharp slits.
A glistening velvet moon ornament dropping on his chest hung in a silver chain that wrapped around his neck.
He wore sorrow like a habit. It wasn't regret. An emotion that had a mild, creeping frustration dwelling behind the stature of sadness.
Wearing a black coat over black T-shirt and pants. With a bouquet of orchids resting on the seat beside him. He was in mourning.
Zeus stared at the ceiling of the car in trance. With his head leaned on the cushion, fingers fiddling with the headphones in his hands.
Its been three days since he got this life. But along with it, came a rush of memories. Memories that not only did he ever experience but oddly, it felt as if he had lived through them. He felt as if he wasn't reincarnated, but was Zeus, the character in the game itself.
He's been hospitalized for the past three days. But now, he was in front of the gates of graveyard.
He sat, trying to gather his thoughts. He still found it hard to accept the reality. But there was nothing he could do about it.
But what irked him the most wasn't his thoughts. But screams.
He could hear screams. Screams that were constant, terrifying.
This was the problem of original Zeus. Or rather, a curse that came along with the mark of his powers.
He could hear the screams of a soul. The more corrupted it was, the louder the screams were.
And most of all, Zeus Agnes, was a villain. He was cruel, isolated, his lover left him, his mother or rather, step mother detested him, his father, barely made time to even give him an audience.
And now his one and only friend, his personal assistant, his shadow, butler, the guy he was comfortable with was now dead. He sacrificed his life in order to save Zeus from assassination attempt.
An attempt that was made because it turned out Zeus had been marked with X grade potential in terms of powers.
It was Zeus' condition to be born as a noble. But now he regretted not specifying the conditions of that nobility.
Because Zeus, despite having a different purpose, was closely intertwined with the main cast in the past.
And the most disturbing part was the constant stream of screams.
"Young Lord Agnes, We've arrived." Pulling him out of his thoughts was the sound of his new butler.
Zeus looked out the window, and saw a guy his age. Short blonde hair, yellow eyes, masculine and athletic built covered with dark black suite with a yellow tulip placed in the heart pocket.
The first thing that came to Zeus' mind upon seeing him was his sanity. The screams that resonated from his soul were mild. They existed but they weren't utterly violent.
Howard Kiev. Appointed by the head butler of the family.
A commoner, but Zeus didn't put much thought in background.
He nodded as Howard pulled the handle, opening the door for him.
Hanging the headphones around his neck, Zeus picked up the bouquet of orchids and went ahead to pay respects to his friend. Because except him, there was no one for Grey in his life.
Grey devoted his life for Zeus, he lived following him, he lived supporting him, and he trusted him.
Zeus placed the bouquet of flowers on empty and dull grave. Followed by Howard that placed a few tulips as respect.
He stood there for a few minutes and Howard just stared the ground without uttering a word.
Then, he spoke, "Any news?"
"We're still trying to figure out the one responsible for this, young lord. To avoid the trace someone had deliberately put up a bounty on your head, masking it as a bidding assassination rather than it being intent driven." Howard replied.
Zeus nodded and turned around.
He knew he was weak. Having great potential didn't mean he had great powers.
Zeus was the heir to the house of thunder. And was bestowed the mark of Thunder of Judgement.
In the game 'The authority' there were two kinds of powers. First were the marks. Marks could be obtained by artefacts, and their value was signified by size. The greater the mark, the greater the potential it had.
Just as Zeus had his whole left hand covered in the mark of black veins. It didn't have a pattern like most of the marks. It wasn't even artistic.
The second kind are the Authorities. Authorities are passed on through bloodline. But they had not generational pattern. No one knew who in the family could be the next bearer.
And so, they were rare. So rare that the mere presence of an Authority was considered some sort of divinity.
But Zeus originally, did not have an Authority. It was after his reincarnation that he got one. Individuals with authority have a Symbol of their authority etched on their backs.
And Zeus had his whole back covered in gothic crescent velvet moon. Adorned with the art as if jewels leaked from its surface.
Only the main character, Blaze Hyde, the world's ranked top ten that rule the houses, or some rare powerful individuals held authority.
But Zeus knew little about both of his powers. Because the previous guy, hated his mark. And authority was just new to Zeus. Because unlike bloodline, his authority was bestowed by Orryn himself.
"When will we depart?" He asked getting inside the car as Howard took the driving seat.
"World's Awakener Academy? Your flight's scheduled for the night." Howard replied.
"But... are you sure you don't require any security?" Howard asked as he looked at the reflection of Zeus through the dashboard mirror.
Zeus put his headphones back on and replied. "No." he murmured.
His body might not be strong enough to bring out the power of authority. And it wasn't a power he would choose to use unless cornered. What he needed was a way to understand the power of his mark.
He breathed in and sighed. Focusing on the mark on his left hand.
To put it simply. Marks were not powers in themselves. They were a blueprint. Life force flows through the mark, and in return mark manifests it in reality with a certain pattern.
The more complex and big the mark is, the more precise its patterning of reality is. And it equally puts a lot of strain on the bearer.
The more controlled the movement of life force is throughout the mark, the more it refines and amplifies it.
If formalized, according to Zeus, it was Refinement Ratio = Control / Leakage. A beginner might have a ratio of 1.2x which is bare amplification. A master could even reach an 100x output.
So he sensed his life force, and controlled it to pass through the mark covering his left hand. Every time he did it, he felt his life force increasing. He felt more comfortable in controlling it, he felt it being purified.
And that's how he fell in a trance of his breathing.
However, what jolted him awake wasn't the voice his assistant.
*Boom*
A truck rammed his car from the side. For a moment, it felt as if the world itself had slowed down as he witnessed the shards of glass flying in while Howard tried to veil the vehicle with his powers masking it in golden hue.
The car screeched sideways and crashed in the tree besides road.
Fortunately, the body of the vehicle was armored, that's why the inner layer of the glass broke upon impact. It still maintained it's stature even after a dreadful crash. Any other would have rolled over.
"Are you alright, Young Lord?" Howard screamed staring at Zeus.
"..." But Zeus looked out the window and saw the truck revving up again.
"Well... fuck it." He murmured. "It's not even prologue of the game."