The man from behind the desk presses a button behind his desk. Several additional inscriptions light up. [Ether] and [Enhancement] and [Sight] I notice most prominently, along with some variation of the [Snake] shape glyph I’ve used a few times in my [Glyphcasting]. Based on that last feeble display, it’s probably meant to enhance his ability to form illusions. Part of me is awed by his ingenuity. Using technology like this to amplify his techniques? Absolutely brilliant. A marvel of Ethertech engineering, and proof that, even without me personally leading the way, humanity is tenacious, scrappy, and resourceful, able to rise up and survive in the face of adversity.

On the other hand, directing mind-altering techniques at me? I sneer, leaving my barely-contained rage and disgust writ large on my face for the man to see.

He raises his hand and again tries to ensnare me within his [Disorienting Eye] Skill. But just as was the case the first time he tried this technique, his power slides right off my mind like water coming in contact with oil. Undeterred, he tries again. I shake my head with contempt.

“Please, sir. Have a seat. And stop trying to use that Skill on me. It’s a rude way to treat an invited guest.”

“You–”

“Won’t harm you, as long as we reach an understanding. As for this compound and your subordinates, I have a very angry girlfriend who has been dragged away from extremely fulfilling work helping out at the local hospitals to help deal with a hostage situation. Plus, she’s very protective of me, and knows that I’ve been kidnapped and locked away. She’s not one for killing unnecessarily, but I know she’s quite skilled when it comes to her knowledge of human anatomy. Who can say what she has planned with all the abilities and spells at her disposal?”

Of course, Chloe is innocent and compassionate enough that she won’t resort to anything too violent or excessive if at all possible, but he doesn’t need to know that. The sooner he spills the details and this situation is managed, the sooner Chloe and I can get out of this dump and leave today behind us. A win for him as well.

“You expect me to believe that?” the man asks.

He launches an eye beam at me, accompanied by the glow of inscriptions from behind him. I raise a single hand and catch the attack. A hundred and nine points of damage from an attack from someone who’s barely past his first ascension? And some first-degree burns to boot? Interesting. Perhaps he’s not as weak as I’d expected, using these inscriptions to bolster himself further.

Unfortunately for him, while he has levels and has managed to bolster his stats to an extent, he lacks the battle senses, the Skill ranks, and the willpower that come only from throwing oneself against the most dangerous challenges and overcoming them. His breathing is already rough and haggard, and sweat is beginning to bead down his back and coat his palms.

“I want to know where the hostages are,” I say.

“There– There are no hostages!” he says. “It was all an illusion! We– We’re not interested in hurting anyone else! We just don’t want anyone interfering in our operation!” His previously confident demeanor has turned to stammering pleading. It’s a little pathetic, to be honest.

I tilt my head slightly. His explanation was a possibility I had considered briefly. Rather than actually harm anyone, they would simply create the illusion of having done so. If Giuseppe was honest about wanting the best for humanity, and seeking a way to defend themselves without relying on my power, then that would be in line with the story they are trying to tell.

There’s certainly enough personal power and technology combined to pull off a convincing stunt, combining light and sound together in a seamless fashion. We fought a doppelganger in the Tower Gauntlet; an [Illusory Clone] or [Phantasm] Skill is well within the bounds of expected power for a once-ascended [Illusionist] class.

At the same time, I have no reason to trust this man. Even if I can see through his illusions, that doesn’t mean my [Indomitable Will] allows me to see through a more mundane deception.

I furrow my brows. “Prove that you’ve not harmed any children.”

“How– How can I hope to prove such a thing? I trust you know as well as anyone that it’s impossible to prove a negative.”

“Then I’ll simply have to confirm the matter for myself.” I turn around. “And don’t try anything funny. Your illusions and suppression formations won’t work on me.”

“And when you don’t find them?” the man asks tepidly.

“I’m not sure. I don’t like you. I don’t like the fact that you tried to imprison me. I don’t like the idea of a bunch of war profiteers selling arms in shady dealings. And I especially don’t like that you caused Chloe so much worry and grief. Whether to force me to help with your weapons factory or because you feared my power, you dragged me into your conflict.

“On the other hand, I don’t trust the police or state authority, either. I see no reason why I should hand your information over to the so-called authorities and allow them to monopolize it as they will.”

“You're a dangerous person, Seraphina. And a lot of your philosophies highlight the necessity of the work that we’re doing here.”

I sigh. “I suppose they do. But at the same time, you’re espousing those same philosophies. If you were averse to my ideology, you wouldn’t be working in some clandestine operation. You wouldn’t be working diligently to advance the science of Ethertech. And you certainly wouldn’t be going about it in a way that antagonizes lawful authority. Giuseppe might have been an obsequious flatterer, trying to lower my mental defenses, but I think there was a hint of sincerity regarding his praise of me.”

The man, who still hasn’t introduced himself, nods. “Then I’ll get to the heart of the matter. If you were in my position, how would you defend this world against you? And if you want to dance around the question by saying that you’d ‘never do something like that,’ I ask that you humor me by considering a hypothetical parallel world with a Dark Seraphina who exists in your stead.”

I pause. “Ultimately, such a thing will be difficult as long as the System remains in place. The System rewards us for violence, for pushing ourselves to the brink of death. For taking risks and overcoming them. It rewards us for ruthlessness, awarding us with Experience when we take lives, and granting us more power in turn.

“It is the defining trait of the System. The strong grow stronger. The weak either submit, or are trampled underfoot by the System. Which means, in order to defend the world we have, it is necessary to destroy the System itself.”

“Destroy… the System? Is such a thing possible?”

“I believe it is.” I don’t elaborate further, not wanting to discuss my past too wildly.

He shakes his head. “Leaving aside that interesting point, it’s not really an answer to my question.”

“I think there has to be a lot of people striving toward the same goal. If you truly fear that I will become a tyrant, then it’s contingent upon you to not just build technology back here in a cloistered warehouse, but build your strength out in the field as well. It might not be possible to stop people from gaining power, but if enough people do, the world will enter into some sort of state of balance. It won’t be like the world used to be, centered upon, well, warlords of a sort. Maybe guardians or protectors, if you want to be a bit more magnanimous about it. But it’s the best option I can currently think of. Unless you have a better one.”

“Or we can just lock up those who go mad with power, to prevent that destabilization from happening. I’m sure plenty of people would agree.”

“Do you want to go out and fight the next City Slayer?”

“I–”

“Because if you think I am unworthy of the strength I possess, then by all means, let someone else shoulder the responsibility. Just remember that not every city got off as easily as we did.”

“And we should just take you at your word that you won’t turn on all of us?”

“Of course you shouldn’t just take me at my word. But you should realize that I like plumbing, air conditioning, and good food far too much. I like the comforts of modern life and I’d like to continue to protect them, for my own self-interest if nothing else.”

The man laughs, loudly and boisterously. “Well, Seraphina. Such boldness and forthrightness. Very well, very well. Let us be on our way.”

“On our way?”

“What else can I do? I summoned you here with the intent to trap you and use your knowledge to advance our operation. But I failed so completely. I can’t beat you in a fair fight, I can’t trap you in an illusion, and the formations in this room that are supposed to be suppressing your Skills and power don’t seem to be working on you either. So my options are either to die by your hand or plead for your mercy.”

I look at him with narrowed eyes. I want to say that I’m not that terrifying and that the overt displays of over-the-top deference are a little discomforting. But I fear that doing so might only terrify him further and encourage more of the same.

“By the way, I don’t think you ever gave me your name.”

He pauses for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth. Is he trying to formulate an alias on the fly? Afraid I’d do more investigations on him? He is truly not helping my already lacking trust in him and his whole operation.

“And be honest,” I add. “Your stammering and shifting eyes don’t lend credence to your trustworthiness.”

He recollects himself in short order. “Lucien,” he says.

By the time we make it out of the room, I’m tackled by the most beautiful sight in the entire world. Chloe rushes into my embrace, and the two of us share a long and deep kiss, relishing one another’s touch and presence without the slightest regard for the environment or the onlookers.

“Seems you made it through here without much trouble,” I tell my girlfriend.

“Hardly! I figured it’d be a lot easier to infiltrate through the back door, so that’s what I did. Then there were some guard robots that I had to fight, but thankfully, they were as weak as the enemies on the second floor of the Tower Gauntlet.”

“What about all the illusions and power suppression?”

“I managed to resist all the illusions thanks to my [Saintess’s Blessing]. As for the power suppression, I didn’t experience any of that.”

“Maybe it was just that one cell that had those glyphs on it. I guess that would make sense; they would need a way to keep their own power available while suppressing those of their prisoners.”

Lucien looks at me, then at Chloe, then at me again. He sighs for half a second before shaking his head. “If it pleases the ladies, I would prefer to get this tour over and done with so I can return to my research.”

“Has he always been like this?” Chloe asks. “For someone who builds weapons and maybe kidnaps children, he seems… really, really overly polite and deferential.”

“I think I scared him to his soul after I gained my new Skill and became immune to all Skill- and [Ether]-suppressing effects. And then I casually caught his beam attack in my hand. Actually still a bit sore, if you wouldn’t mind. Now he thinks one or both of us is going to kill him.”

“Sera, I can understand why he would be terrified of you doing something, but why me? Am I that scary too?”

“I merely said that I had a displeased girlfriend on the way who was very worried about me. I allowed him to use his own imagination from there.”

Chloe gives me The Look. “Well, let’s just get this tour over and done with. Hostages or not, this place gives me the creeps.”