Chapter 36
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"I am a Seer."
What was a convenient way to sometimes act as if he had future foresight, but not give away his secret entirely?
To Micheal, the choice was clear….
Just pretend he had seen a vague vision of the future, like he told Shin. It was close enough to the truth that it didn't matter, and it would help avoid being constantly questioned about what might happen.
While he'd only told Shin the white lie to save time due to their imminent separation, he had no plans of revealing the full truth of his situation to anyone else. There was far too much risk to something like that.
Thus, he decided to establish a persona for himself, to make his sometimes otherworldly future knowledge more believable when he used it to his advantage.
"What do you know about my sister?! How do you know me?!" Sophia's voice echoed out loud, throbbing with tightly controlled anger.
"I already told you. I am a Seer. I had a vision of the future, and that vision ended up leading me here to you." His voice came off genuine. After all, he did technically, in a way, have a vision of the future, his memories of the original timeline. It wasn't really a lie.
"That said, would you care to bring Fairy Eyes back in? I'm not here to fight." He casually waved his hand, as if he wasn't the slightest bit bothered.
Gradually the world around him returned to normal, the cool air vanishing. He opened his eyes, blinking slightly.
Sophia was currently staring at him, her hand clenched onto a handgun of some sort. Her body language was tense, her eyes wide.
Micheal's eyes flicked to the left for a brief moment, glancing at a skyscraper that was three bridges over, with a slight frown. The building was on the opposite side of where he had arrived. He then looked back at Sophia with a warm smile.
"Would you mind if we went inside? We're terribly exposed out here." He nodded, waving around at the other skyscrapers. A well placed bullet could take out either of them. Well, it could take out Micheal, at least temporarily. Sophia had her forcefield Artifact to protect her.
Sophia seemed to consider his request for a moment before nodding, walking over to the door that descended into the skyscraper. She kept her eyes warily on him the whole time, never letting him out of her sight.
"Fine. But you WILL tell me everything you know about my little sister." Her eyes hardened.
"That's why I'm here, Miss Morgan."
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"She's agreed to meet with someone after all? Where did that man even come from?" Around 100 meters away, a man could be seen, lying prone atop a skyscraper. His body was practically invisible, magically blending in with the grey rooftop of the skyscraper. If one looked closely, one would see a blanket of some sort wrapped around him, one that camouflaged the man perfectly.
A pair of enhanced binoculars were just barely peeking over the edge, staring at the skyscraper that Micheal had just arrived upon. As the man watched Sophia disappear with Micheal, he sighed.
"I don't even know what team he is a part of… How did he convince her to talk?" Brano Wiles, a B Ranked human and mid-to-high-ranking member of the Tobagin Party sighed for a second time.
"The Tobagin Party would've taken you in, Sophia. Even if the Black Flag Pirates tried to attack you after your repeated refusals, I was here to jump to the rescue." He shook his head sadly, his long brown hair waving out from the almost magical Camouflage Blanket he was under.
"I'll keep watch a little longer… but if you go off with him, that is it for you." Newbies were heavily recruited in the initial days that they arrived, but after that, joining a large group was extremely difficult.
Betrayal was a fact of life in the First Layer, and groups like the Black Flag Pirates were more than willing to take in anyone that would betray the other forces. Once someone was with another group, unless that entire group could prove themselves worthy to ally with a major force… it was a rare occurrence for any individual to be able to join.
Trust was a scarce commodity in this world.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"With my future sight, I discovered something about the First Layer. A secret, something no one else seems to be aware of. However..." He spoke clearly, cutting right to the chase.
"You were also a part of that future. If I want to access the secret I've discovered, I will need your help."
He and Sophia were currently standing in a meeting room, two floors down from the roof. Micheal hadn't sensed anyone on this floor as Sophia led him to the room. He didn't see any traps or anything of the sort, but kept his guard up. The room had a long wooden table with several plush chairs located around it.
Sophia was standing on one side of the table while Micheal sat comfortably on the other.
She watched everything passively, making no comment either way. Her strength of will was admirable for someone that was only on Day 3 of her survival here.
"Okay. But what does that have to do with my little sister?" Sophia's voice was cool, but her eyes blazed with passion. Finding her vanished little sister was her entire goal and drive for being here, Micheal was well aware.
"It's simple. What do you need if you want to find anyone here?" He motioned with his left hand to the side, towards the window.
"Power." He clenched his fist hard.
"Who will bother listening to you if you can, at best, be someone's lieutenant, serving the whims of this or that organization?" His words held a certain logic within them, convincing in their own way.
"The secret I discovered can help you find the power you need to search for your little sister. After all, the person you can trust most is, ultimately, yourself." He finished talking, looking her straight in the eyes. His every fiber of being was screaming that he was being honest, and, indeed, he was. He really believed what he was saying.
Sophia's face gave away nothing as she replied,
"And what is the cost? Why would you want to help me? There is no free lunch in this world." Her voice was cutting.
Micheal nodded, as if he had expected that question. He tapped on his forehead,
"I'm a Seer, remember? I have my reasons for helping you. Besides, I'm not doing this for nothing. The method I have to get the power you desire will also enhance my own strength quite a bit." He shrugged.
Sophia seemed to think it over. Micheal's bearing and words had impressed her, as had his uncanny knowledge of things she had told no one yet. Sophia held no trust for the people around her. When she had arrived, she had firsthand witnessed a member of one of the smaller teams brutally murder a newbie.
Even if she was desperate to find her sister, she couldn't bring herself to tell others about it, fearing the worst. She knew her fear was somewhat irrational, but that didn't get rid of it.
"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know that you aren't just using me? Or that this isn't a trap?"
"How do you know you can trust me?" His eyes were deadly serious as he repeated her question,
"How about I prove it." He smiled.
"Prove what?" Sophia stared at him.
"My method for helping you gain great power." He replied.
"Right now?" She blinked, looking startled.
"Right now. We can get you more than 10,000 Points in less than an hour if we work together using the secret I found." His eyes flashed,
"If, after I prove my method, you feel that you can trust me, I'd like to propose a partnership between you and I. A way for us both to grow stronger. You get the strength you need to find your sister, while I get to grow strong enough to pursue my own goals." He nodded sharply, finishing,
"We both win."
Sophia bit her lip, her eyes wavering briefly as she wrestled with her thoughts. After a moment, she spoke again,
"…How?"
Micheal smiled, knowing he'd hooked her in.
"It's simple. All we need is your Fairy Eyes and for you to do what I say." He stood up,
"Follow me."
.
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"I am a Seer."
What was a convenient way to sometimes act as if he had future foresight, but not give away his secret entirely?
To Micheal, the choice was clear….
Just pretend he had seen a vague vision of the future, like he told Shin. It was close enough to the truth that it didn't matter, and it would help avoid being constantly questioned about what might happen.
While he'd only told Shin the white lie to save time due to their imminent separation, he had no plans of revealing the full truth of his situation to anyone else. There was far too much risk to something like that.
Thus, he decided to establish a persona for himself, to make his sometimes otherworldly future knowledge more believable when he used it to his advantage.
"What do you know about my sister?! How do you know me?!" Sophia's voice echoed out loud, throbbing with tightly controlled anger.
"I already told you. I am a Seer. I had a vision of the future, and that vision ended up leading me here to you." His voice came off genuine. After all, he did technically, in a way, have a vision of the future, his memories of the original timeline. It wasn't really a lie.
"That said, would you care to bring Fairy Eyes back in? I'm not here to fight." He casually waved his hand, as if he wasn't the slightest bit bothered.
Gradually the world around him returned to normal, the cool air vanishing. He opened his eyes, blinking slightly.
Sophia was currently staring at him, her hand clenched onto a handgun of some sort. Her body language was tense, her eyes wide.
Micheal's eyes flicked to the left for a brief moment, glancing at a skyscraper that was three bridges over, with a slight frown. The building was on the opposite side of where he had arrived. He then looked back at Sophia with a warm smile.
"Would you mind if we went inside? We're terribly exposed out here." He nodded, waving around at the other skyscrapers. A well placed bullet could take out either of them. Well, it could take out Micheal, at least temporarily. Sophia had her forcefield Artifact to protect her.
Sophia seemed to consider his request for a moment before nodding, walking over to the door that descended into the skyscraper. She kept her eyes warily on him the whole time, never letting him out of her sight.
"Fine. But you WILL tell me everything you know about my little sister." Her eyes hardened.
"That's why I'm here, Miss Morgan."
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"She's agreed to meet with someone after all? Where did that man even come from?" Around 100 meters away, a man could be seen, lying prone atop a skyscraper. His body was practically invisible, magically blending in with the grey rooftop of the skyscraper. If one looked closely, one would see a blanket of some sort wrapped around him, one that camouflaged the man perfectly.
A pair of enhanced binoculars were just barely peeking over the edge, staring at the skyscraper that Micheal had just arrived upon. As the man watched Sophia disappear with Micheal, he sighed.
"I don't even know what team he is a part of… How did he convince her to talk?" Brano Wiles, a B Ranked human and mid-to-high-ranking member of the Tobagin Party sighed for a second time.
"The Tobagin Party would've taken you in, Sophia. Even if the Black Flag Pirates tried to attack you after your repeated refusals, I was here to jump to the rescue." He shook his head sadly, his long brown hair waving out from the almost magical Camouflage Blanket he was under.
"I'll keep watch a little longer… but if you go off with him, that is it for you." Newbies were heavily recruited in the initial days that they arrived, but after that, joining a large group was extremely difficult.
Betrayal was a fact of life in the First Layer, and groups like the Black Flag Pirates were more than willing to take in anyone that would betray the other forces. Once someone was with another group, unless that entire group could prove themselves worthy to ally with a major force… it was a rare occurrence for any individual to be able to join.
Trust was a scarce commodity in this world.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"With my future sight, I discovered something about the First Layer. A secret, something no one else seems to be aware of. However..." He spoke clearly, cutting right to the chase.
"You were also a part of that future. If I want to access the secret I've discovered, I will need your help."
He and Sophia were currently standing in a meeting room, two floors down from the roof. Micheal hadn't sensed anyone on this floor as Sophia led him to the room. He didn't see any traps or anything of the sort, but kept his guard up. The room had a long wooden table with several plush chairs located around it.
Sophia was standing on one side of the table while Micheal sat comfortably on the other.
She watched everything passively, making no comment either way. Her strength of will was admirable for someone that was only on Day 3 of her survival here.
"Okay. But what does that have to do with my little sister?" Sophia's voice was cool, but her eyes blazed with passion. Finding her vanished little sister was her entire goal and drive for being here, Micheal was well aware.
"It's simple. What do you need if you want to find anyone here?" He motioned with his left hand to the side, towards the window.
"Power." He clenched his fist hard.
"Who will bother listening to you if you can, at best, be someone's lieutenant, serving the whims of this or that organization?" His words held a certain logic within them, convincing in their own way.
"The secret I discovered can help you find the power you need to search for your little sister. After all, the person you can trust most is, ultimately, yourself." He finished talking, looking her straight in the eyes. His every fiber of being was screaming that he was being honest, and, indeed, he was. He really believed what he was saying.
Sophia's face gave away nothing as she replied,
"And what is the cost? Why would you want to help me? There is no free lunch in this world." Her voice was cutting.
Micheal nodded, as if he had expected that question. He tapped on his forehead,
"I'm a Seer, remember? I have my reasons for helping you. Besides, I'm not doing this for nothing. The method I have to get the power you desire will also enhance my own strength quite a bit." He shrugged.
Sophia seemed to think it over. Micheal's bearing and words had impressed her, as had his uncanny knowledge of things she had told no one yet. Sophia held no trust for the people around her. When she had arrived, she had firsthand witnessed a member of one of the smaller teams brutally murder a newbie.
Even if she was desperate to find her sister, she couldn't bring herself to tell others about it, fearing the worst. She knew her fear was somewhat irrational, but that didn't get rid of it.
"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know that you aren't just using me? Or that this isn't a trap?"
"How do you know you can trust me?" His eyes were deadly serious as he repeated her question,
"How about I prove it." He smiled.
"Prove what?" Sophia stared at him.
"My method for helping you gain great power." He replied.
"Right now?" She blinked, looking startled.
"Right now. We can get you more than 10,000 Points in less than an hour if we work together using the secret I found." His eyes flashed,
"If, after I prove my method, you feel that you can trust me, I'd like to propose a partnership between you and I. A way for us both to grow stronger. You get the strength you need to find your sister, while I get to grow strong enough to pursue my own goals." He nodded sharply, finishing,
"We both win."
Sophia bit her lip, her eyes wavering briefly as she wrestled with her thoughts. After a moment, she spoke again,
"…How?"
Micheal smiled, knowing he'd hooked her in.
"It's simple. All we need is your Fairy Eyes and for you to do what I say." He stood up,
"Follow me."
.
"I am a Seer."What was a convenient way to sometimes act as if he had future foresight, but not give away his secret entirely?To Micheal, the choice was clear.Just pretend he had seen a vague vision of the future, like he told Shin. It was close enough to the truth that it didn't matter, and it would help avoid being constantly questioned about what might happen.While he'd only told Shin the white lie to save time due to their imminent separation, he had no plans of revealing the full truth of his situation to anyone else. There was far too much risk to something like that.Thus, he decided to establish a persona for himself, to make his sometimes otherworldly future knowledge more believable when he used it to his advantage."What do you know about my sister?! How do you know me?!" Sophia's voice echoed out loud, throbbing with tightly controlled anger."I already told you. I am a Seer. I had a vision of the future, and that vision ended up leading me here to you." His voice came off genuine. After all, he did technically, in a way, have a vision of the future, his memories of the original timeline. It wasn't really a lie."That said, would you care to bring Fairy Eyes back in? I'm not here to fight." He casually waved his hand, as if he wasn't the slightest bit bothered.Gradually the world around him returned to normal, the cool air vanishing. He opened his eyes, blinking slightly.Sophia was currently staring at him, her hand clenched onto a handgun of some sort. Her body language was tense, her eyes wide.Micheal's eyes flicked to the left for a brief moment, glancing at a skyscraper that was three bridges over, with a slight frown. The building was on the opposite side of where he had arrived. He then looked back at Sophia with a warm smile."Would you mind if we went inside? We're terribly exposed out here." He nodded, waving around at the other skyscrapers. A well placed bullet could take out either of them. Well, it could take out Micheal, at least temporarily. Sophia had her forcefield Artifact to protect her.Sophia seemed to consider his request for a moment before nodding, walking over to the door that descended into the skyscraper. She kept her eyes warily on him the whole time, never letting him out of her sight."Fine. But you WILL tell me everything you know about my little sister." Her eyes hardened."That's why I'm here, Miss Morgan.".. .. .. .. .. .."She's agreed to meet with someone after all? Where did that man even come from?" Around 100 meters away, a man could be seen, lying prone atop a skyscraper. His body was practically invisible, magically blending in with the grey rooftop of the skyscraper. If one looked closely, one would see a blanket of some sort wrapped around him, one that camouflaged the man perfectly.A pair of enhanced binoculars were just barely peeking over the edge, staring at the skyscraper that Micheal had just arrived upon. As the man watched Sophia disappear with Micheal, he sighed."I don't even know what team he is a part of How did he convince her to talk?" Brano Wiles, a B Ranked human and mid-to-high-ranking member of the Tobagin Party sighed for a second time."The Tobagin Party would've taken you in, Sophia. Even if the Black Flag Pirates tried to attack you after your repeated refusals, I was here to jump to the rescue." He shook his head sadly, his long brown hair waving out from the almost magical Camouflage Blanket he was under."I'll keep watch a little longer but if you go off with him, that is it for you." Newbies were heavily recruited in the initial days that they arrived, but after that, joining a large group was extremely difficult.Betrayal was a fact of life in the First Layer, and groups like the Black Flag Pirates were more than willing to take in anyone that would betray the other forces. Once someone was with another group, unless that entire group could prove themselves worthy to ally with a major force it was a rare occurrence for any individual to be able to join.Trust was a scarce commodity in this world... .. .. .. .. .."With my future sight, I discovered something about the First Layer. A secret, something no one else seems to be aware of. However..." He spoke clearly, cutting right to the chase."You were also a part of that future. If I want to access the secret I've discovered, I will need your help."He and Sophia were currently standing in a meeting room, two floors down from the roof. Micheal hadn't sensed anyone on this floor as Sophia led him to the room. He didn't see any traps or anything of the sort, but kept his guard up. The room had a long wooden table with several plush chairs located around it.Sophia was standing on one side of the table while Micheal sat comfortably on the other.She watched everything passively, making no comment either way. Her strength of will was admirable for someone that was only on Day 3 of her survival here."Okay. But what does that have to do with my little sister?" Sophia's voice was cool, but her eyes blazed with passion. Finding her vanished little sister was her entire goal and drive for being here, Micheal was well aware."It's simple. What do you need if you want to find anyone here?" He motioned with his left hand to the side, towards the window."Power." He clenched his fist hard."Who will bother listening to you if you can, at best, be someone's lieutenant, serving the whims of this or that organization?" His words held a certain logic within them, convincing in their own way."The secret I discovered can help you find the power you need to search for your little sister. After all, the person you can trust most is, ultimately, yourself." He finished talking, looking her straight in the eyes. His every fiber of being was screaming that he was being honest, and, indeed, he was. He really believed what he was saying.Sophia's face gave away nothing as she replied,"And what is the cost? Why would you want to help me? There is no free lunch in this world." Her voice was cutting.Micheal nodded, as if he had expected that question. He tapped on his forehead,"I'm a Seer, remember? I have my reasons for helping you. Besides, I'm not doing this for nothing. The method I have to get the power you desire will also enhance my own strength quite a bit." He shrugged.Sophia seemed to think it over. Micheal's bearing and words had impressed her, as had his uncanny knowledge of things she had told no one yet. Sophia held no trust for the people around her. When she had arrived, she had firsthand witnessed a member of one of the smaller teams brutally murder a newbie.Even if she was desperate to find her sister, she couldn't bring herself to tell others about it, fearing the worst. She knew her fear was somewhat irrational, but that didn't get rid of it."How do I know I can trust you? How do I know that you aren't just using me? Or that this isn't a trap?""How do you know you can trust me?" His eyes were deadly serious as he repeated her question,"How about I prove it." He smiled."Prove what?" Sophia stared at him."My method for helping you gain great power." He replied."Right now?" She blinked, looking startled."Right now. We can get you more than 10,000 Points in less than an hour if we work together using the secret I found." His eyes flashed,"If, after I prove my method, you feel that you can trust me, I'd like to propose a partnership between you and I. A way for us both to grow stronger. You get the strength you need to find your sister, while I get to grow strong enough to pursue my own goals." He nodded sharply, finishing,"We both win."Sophia bit her lip, her eyes wavering briefly as she wrestled with her thoughts. After a moment, she spoke again,"How?"Micheal smiled, knowing he'd hooked her in."It's simple. All we need is your Fairy Eyes and for you to do what I say." He stood up,"Follow me.".
