Chapter 1

“Don’t lose him! We still don’t know what his ability is.”

“Quick, he’s heading for it!”

Running through the alleyways, dressed in a plain beige T-shirt coupled with tattered denim jeans and a pair of construction boots, a man looked back to confirm that he has outrun his pursuers. Unaware to the fact that he has fallen right into their trap. The ground crumbles before his feet as roses burst forth, wrapping his legs and piercing his flesh with their thorns. Immobilized, he screamed in agony. 

“You’re fairly dense for an ability user. I’m beginning to think you’re just a low-life thug,” a young blonde woman said as she walked out from the corner behind her victim. “You didn’t really think you’d actually get away now did you? My prey does not have the privilege of escaping.”

 As she lifted her blade to the man’s exposed neck, a young black haired woman said “We are from the Magic Suppression Unit, I am agent Sierra and you are now in our custody.” 

The man smiled at his captors. They had underestimated him. As he laughed, his body dissolved into a puddle of blood. Confused, the girls wondered what their next move should be, but it was too late as the man rose up behind the blonde. Grabbing her by the neck, he snickered “You girls are too naïve. You think I couldn’t see through your traps? HAH, a real genius saves his trump card for last. Do you think you could kill me? Did you think you could CAPTURE me? Don’t make me laugh, I’ll just kill you two and pool away.”

“Claudia!”

“Hmph, clearly you’re underestimating us. You don’t know what you’ve just did. Take a look at those disgusting hands of yours. Your genius mistake was touching me.” Claudia said in a calm yet rude tone.

As the man loosened his grip, he saw that his hand had been covered in roses that grew up his arms. He laughed and said “You seriously don’t think this will work again now do you?” He ended with a smile as he turned back into a pool.

“Now!” Claudia shouted.

On that note, Sierra raised her blade above her head as one of its three gemstones began to glow and ice coated her blade. In an instant, the pool of blood froze. Sheathing her sword, Sierra smiled at her partner as she walked towards her. 

“For an ability user, he lacked brains. He’s probably one of the dumbest ones we’ve dealt with” Claudia said.

“Ya know, I don’t really care. How bout’ we drag this guy back to Fonsie and get this over with. I’m not such a big fan of these hunts,” Sierra replied.

“We have our reasons, but doesn’t it make you feel good knowing that this douche won’t be on the streets anymore. Thaw him so we can get him to come with us back to the university, it seems like it might be a bit difficult to transport this puddle of mud in his current state.”

Nodding, Sierra pulled out her sword just enough to reveal its blue gemstone. As ice began to form over the exposed blade, the pool of blood began to thaw. A man rose up from the puddle and stood in awe. He knew he stood no chance against these women and looked down in defeat. “I’ll tag along,” he said, “as long as you’re not going to kill me.”

“Kill you? Trash like you doesn’t deserve a death sentence. You should be locked up for life.” Claudia said with a disgusted look on her face.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Fonsie will find a way to deal with you,” Sierra said as she patted the defeated on the back.

The three walked out of the alleyways. Lead by Claudia and followed by Sierra, the man decided that they might as well talk while they walked. “My name’s Tepes. It’s not my real name, I don’t have one. Tepes is what I was called before, so I use it,” he said in the hopes of starting a conversation.

“I’m Claudia and she’s Sierra. You’d do me a favor if you’d not open your mouth you waste of air.”

“Don’t mind her, she still considers you her prey. I’m Sierra and we are from the Magic Suppression Unit. Basically we chase down ability users like you and we find a way to deal with them. Some are convinced to work for us, others are locked up in a special prison while some are never heard of again.” 

“So, people like me are nothing new. You seem like an ability user yourself, so you control ice? Your friend there seems like she’s an ice queen,” Tepes said as he turns back to look at Sierra. During their fight, he didn’t notice that they were somewhat young. Sierra wore black baggy pants; the left leg was cut at knee length, paired with a loose white T-shirt under a black unbuttoned shirt while sporting a pair of black and white sports sneakers. She wasn’t a very tall individual, he’d put her around 5 foot 4. She had shoulder length black hair and a pair of fiery crimson eyes. Her unfriendly partner looked radically different. 5 foot 8 with golden blonde hair and a white rose above her right ear, sporting a short deep blue skirt with a red ribbon tied at the waist. She wore a blue tank top underneath a white jacket embroidered with red hearts across the sleeves and light blue eyes that seemed to glow under the night sky. As he studied the two women, he asked “So, what else can you do with your ice?”

“Well, my ability isn’t ice control but gemstones control. It’s not the strongest ability out there, but it gets the job done. My sword has two other gemstones, one for fire and one for wind. How bout’ you? Can you do more than just pooling?”

“Hmm… well, I still don’t understand what this ability is but basically I can turn any part of me into a pool of blood. I still don’t have complete control, so I can only apply this to my whole body all at once. Although, thanks to this ability I’ve become anemic so it’s more of a curse.”

“Hey Sierra, why not give him your phone number while you’re at it. I’m sure he’d appreciate the company where he’s going. For god sakes, would you stop chatting with every moron we bring back. They’re all just wasteful trash, you’re contaminating yourself.” Clauda interrupted. 

Tepes, while looking down, sighed and nodded in agreement. He knew what Claudia meant; he knew all too well that he had not been a good person. He understood her reasoning and hated himself for it. He thought to himself; what makes you a better person? But he already knew the answer. Unlike him, these girls did not use their abilities to harm others or rob stores. The three spent the rest of their walk in silence.

Later

Upon finally arriving, Claudia broke the silence and said “This is the university. It’s here that our headquarters is hidden.”

A large campus stood before them. The main building, connected to two others, was like an oversized chapel. The front yard garden surrounded all three structures, with paths leading to each building, flowers growing left and right. The scenery was straight out of a painting. A beautiful scene that could only be appreciated by an artists. Beauty that Tepes appreciated in awe as he followed Claudia into the main building. 

Making their way to the easternmost building, only the sounds of their footsteps echoed through the empty corridors at this time of night. Flashing her card over a terminal, a metallic door slid open before Claudia. As the trio entered the room, Tepes studied his surroundings.  A dark room with shelves filled with books and artifacts. At the end of the room were five doors each leading to a separate room, one of which had a sign with ‘Sierra n’ Claudia’ written. At the farthest wall hung a large mirror, reflecting all those who entered and in the center sat three desks, each equipped with its own computer and a small lamp. Sitting at the centermost desk was a man whose smile was the only thing that could be seen. “So, you must be Tepes,” he said.

“Yup! And he’s not that bad of a guy,” Sierra replied cheerfully.

“We can’t be so sure of that just yet, so let’s start with the negotiations. Tepes, if you wouldn’t mind, have a seat in front of my desk so that we may start.”

Tepes, without any hesitation, walked forward and sat in the chair that had been prepared for him. He had already made up his mind to accept whatever fate awaited him.

“My name is Fonsie and I am the founder of the Magic Suppression Unit. You’ve already met the unit’s field agents Claudia and Sierra. Here we hunt down ability users and find ways to deal with them. Your sentence could be either beneficial or quite upsetting. Your full cooperation would be appreciated. Now, I’d like to start off with you introducing yourself,” the man, identifying himself as Fonsie, said. 

“Well, my name is Tepes and I am a 33 year old ability user. I can turn myself into a pool of blood. I don’t know much about this ability or how I got it, but I just know that I have it. I don’t know a lot about myself, I woke up in an alleyway a few months ago. All I remember is that I was called Tepes and that I have this ability. I have no job or home. I’ve robbed people to get by, but it looks like today isn’t such a good day for me.” Tepes replies as he thought to himself I won’t lie anymore. I’ll take my chances with the truth.

“Well Tepes, so you have no real memories and you ended up being a criminal to keep yourself alive. What if I were to say that I’ll provide you with a job and an apartment, would you still continue robbing people?”

With a blank expression, Tepes looked at Fonsie. A job and a place to live? Is this guy for real, he thought. Being given a job and a place to live for committing robberies, there had to be a catch. What was Fonsie planning? 

“It sounds absurd on my part, giving you a second chance. But it’s what we do here. We find people like you and find a way to accommodate them into society. Of course, you will have to provide us with your services upon request. That is the only requirement. I’m sure we can find a way to put your ability to use. How does the offer sound?”

“It sounds too good to be true, but I’ll take it. If you’re getting me off the streets, I’ll gladly bend over for you.”

“Great! Then let’s get right down to business,” Fonsie said as he pulled a folder out of his drawer, “In this folder you will find your new papers. These will contain a registered license which will act as your identification. There’s some information regarding your new job and a bank account with some cash that only has to last you till your next paycheck. Keys to your new apartment along with its address and finally an MSU card that grants you access to this room.”

“This is all unbelievable. How can-,” and before he could finish, Tepes was interrupted.

“Your MSU card has a tracking device that we will use to follow you for the next three months. Slip up once and I’ll personally come and kill you. Don’t get to comfortable you filth,” Claudia said from the back, showing her resentment for the current sentence. 

“Well, that’s that. Now, it’s very late and I’m sure we’re all tired. Tepes, feel free to leave and have a good night’s rest because tomorrow is your first day on your new job. You’ll be picked up by a co-worker who’ll help you out and get you started,” Fonsie said with his never fading smile. 

As Tepes walked out of the room, Claudia and Sierra gathered around Fonsie’s desk. Infuriated, Claudia said “Why are you giving that man another chance!”

“Come on Claudia, he’s not bad so give him a chance. Anyways, I’m all worn out so I’m gonna head of to bed. See ya guys.” Sierra replied cheerfully.

“As for me, I think he just had some unfortunate circumstances. With a few better conditions, I’m sure we’ll be able to put him into good use. You already know that the MSU needs more members, and we can’t simply involve any random bystander. Besides, his ability might come in handy sometime. Now excuse me while I go hit the sack,” Fonsie said, retaining his smile, as he got up and walked away.

 

Claudia, giving up on the matter, decided that she’ll end the day with a long rest. After everything that happened today, she just wanted to take a hot bath and sleep. She and Sierra had successfully removed another ability user from the streets of New Avalon. The city could now go back to being peaceful; the criminal who would disappear without a trace would become an urban legend over time as people shrug off those ridiculous stories of moving puddles and liquid-men.