INTERLUDE - AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN

He stretched with a yawn then scanned the room in an instant.

Every molecule of water within fifty yards froze in place, just for a fraction of a second, and in doing so, he created a map of his luxurious suite, of the sculptures he'd brought with him from Fortress NW and the multiple aquariums strewn across the room.

They'd thought him fond of fish, for some reason. It was stupid, but he supposed that it was better than having the room decorated in a blood-theme of some sort.

"Mmm?" the woman next to him asked. She shifted, looking up to him with bedroom eyes, the silken sheets sliding back to reveal an expanse of smooth skin. "Are you waking up already?" she asked. "We could continue where we left off."

"Get out," he said.

She blinked. "What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Out," he said.

When she didn't move right away, he picked her up and stood her on her feet. Not touching her with his body, but moving the blood in her extremities so that she was repositioned. It wasn't a spell... not quite. More like a dozen lesser ones, all ingrained and carved in his soul to the point where they were second nature to him.

She hissed, but she could take it. They'd sent a C-ranker to warm his bed, not some shrinking normie off the street. She'd survive the rough handling.

"Fine," she snapped, a bit of fire lighting in her eyes, but he didn't care. She started to pick up her clothes, but his glare had her pausing before she ran out, clutching a few of her things to her ample chest.

He stared at her ass as she ran off, then groaned and sat up. His body was thin and light and lithe. He'd chosen this, to be someone unnaturally skinny, pale to the point that one might wonder if he was bloodless. Handsome, though. At least according to anyone he'd overheard so far.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Standing up, unafraid of his nakedness, he ambled over to one of the windows overlooking Fortress ENE. There was a garden out here, filled with violets in bloom. They typically grew in spring, not this late in the summer. Or was it fall by now?

No matter. Some lowly D-ranker would come around to keep them fresh and healthy. They were part of the image, weren't they?

The Bloody Violet. He liked it when they added the 'The' at the start. Made him feel more like a superhero or something.

But who actually knew him? He was looking down at a city of a million or more, and did they care? There were maybe a few dozen A-rankers like himself here. He was a rare breed, one of the elite among the elite. The offers had started coming in the moment he stepped foot here, and he was grateful for them.

If there was one thing he'd never admit to anyone, it was that the fear that fed him came from knowing that one day his name would be erased from history.

But that didn't have to happen, did it?

He stretched his back until it popped, then turned and started looking for something to wear that was appropriate.

All the while, his mind churned.

How would he leave his mark? Not a bad one. No, he didn't want them to think he was some sort of freak, a terrorist, a monster. Those didn't get the praise he wanted.

So. A hero.

Well... heroes needed to save people, didn't they? They needed to be seen doing it too.

Hmm.. yeah, he could try a few things, work on his image a little more. Maybe look into some PR firm or something.

Fortress ENE was a good place to be, being the shithole that it was. So few A-rankers meant a lot more opportunity, and a much greater chance that things would go wrong.

He'd make his mark. One way or another. And it didn't have to be today. He could exercise a little patience.

***