OmniX System: Return of the Scorned Son-in-law

#5

The smell of ozone and wet ash hung thick in the alley as the heavy thrum of a high-speed transport approached.

Evan remained on his knees, his head bowed, soaking in the cold filth of the mud just as Seraphina had suggested. Every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring, itching to unleash the dark energy vibrating in his core.

"Stay still," Seraphina whispered, her voice barely a breath against the sound of the rain. "The moment they see you, give them nothing but despair. Let them believe you are already a ghost."

A burst of red light illuminated the brick walls as three men in dark, tactical gear stepped from the transport. At the center was a man with a jagged scar running across his nose, his hands wreathed in flickering, orange flames. This was Commander Vane, the Wensleys' favorite cleaner for "unfortunate" messes.

Vane stopped a few feet away, his eyes sweeping over the withered husks of Augustine and his thugs. He let out a low whistle, the heat from his palms causing the raindrops to hiss into steam. "Augustine was a brutal dog, but it looks like he ran into something he couldn't bite."

He turned his gaze to the slumped figure of Evan, a cruel smirk twisting his scarred face. "And here I thought we’d find you in pieces, kid. But it doesn't matter. A job is a job, and the Wensleys paid for a cremation."

Vane raised his hand, the flames turning a deep, violent crimson as he prepared to incinerate the "trash" on the ground. Evan felt the heat licking at his skin, his mind screaming at him to strike, but he felt Seraphina’s hand tighten on his shoulder.

"That's enough, Commander," Seraphina said, her voice cutting through the heat like a blade of ice. She stepped forward, her silver hair catching the red glow of Vane’s fire. "The boy is under my protection now."

Vane froze, his eyes widening as he finally recognized the woman standing in the blood-stained alley. "Seraphina Valerius? What is a high-born like you doing in a place that smells of rot and trash? This doesn't concern the Valerius estate."

Seraphina let out a cold, mocking laugh that made Vane’s flames flicker and dim. "Everything in this city concerns me if I decide it does. I found this boy dying in the gutter and I’ve decided I need a new gardener. The soil at my estate is quite demanding."

"A gardener?" Vane spat, his eyes darting between Seraphina and the trembling Evan. "He’s a thief and a Mana-less peasant. The Wensleys want him erased, Seraphina. Don't tell me you're starting a collection of strays."

"I don't care what the Wensleys want," Seraphina replied, her eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous starlight. "Unless you want to explain to the High Council why an execution squad is operating in a neutral district, you will turn around and leave. Now."

Vane’s jaw tightened, his fingers twitching with suppressed rage. He knew he couldn't win a direct fight with the heir of the Valerius clan, not without bringing the wrath of the city’s laws down on his head. "Fine," he hissed, the flames in his hands dying out. "Take your trash."

He turned on his heel, signaling his men to retreat toward the transport. "But remember this, Seraphina. Protecting a dead man only makes the smell follow you home. The Wensleys don't forgive, and they certainly don't forget."

Seraphina didn't answer. She turned her back to the Commander, nodding to Evan to stand up. "Come, Evan. There is work to be done." She began to lead him away, her silver cloak fluttering in the wind.

But Vane wasn't finished. As his men boarded the transport, he stopped at the door, a look of pure, cowardly malice crossing his face. He didn't want to leave without leaving a mark. With a sudden, violent movement, he threw his hand back toward Evan’s unprotected spine.

"Die, you hollow piece of filth!" Vane roared as a "Crimson Flare"—a concentrated bolt of high-density fire—shot through the air. It was a sneak attack meant to kill Evan instantly while Seraphina’s back was turned.

Inside Evan’s mind, a sharp, digital chime rang out like a thunderclap.

[WARNING: SNEAK ATTACK DETECTED.]

[INSTANT COUNTER-STRIKE INITIALIZED.]

[REWARD ACTIVATED: VOID-ARMOR (50% DAMAGE ABSORPTION).]

Evan didn't turn around. As the searing heat of the flare touched his neck, he reached into the Void, channeling a tiny speck of his [God-Level Gravity Suppression] just behind his shoulder.

The gravity at that single point became so dense that light itself began to bend. Instead of exploding, the massive fire bolt was sucked inward, crushed into a harmless spark that vanished with a pathetic pop.

To the onlookers, it looked as though Seraphina’s mere presence had swallowed the attack. But Evan wasn’t finished; he expanded the field by a fraction of an inch, aiming the invisible recoil directly at the ground beneath Vane’s feet.

A shockwave of crushing weight slammed the Commander into the pavement before he could even blink. The street shattered like glass, hammering Vane into the crater with the force of a falling mountain. His ribs cracked, and his breath was forced out in a sharp, bloody spray.

Vane lay in the ruins of the road, his eyes wide with a terror that went beyond anything he had ever felt. He looked at Seraphina’s back, convinced that the silver-haired woman was a hidden monster who could crush mages without even looking at them.

"You... you both will regret this!" Vane choked out, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. "The Wensleys... they will hear of this! You're dead! You're both dead!"

He scrambled into the transport, his men pulling him in as the vehicle sped away, leaving a trail of smoke and fear behind. Seraphina stopped walking, her head tilting slightly to the side as she looked back at the crater where Vane had been standing.

"That was a bit much, don't you think?" Seraphina asked, a knowing smile playing on her lips. She wasn't surprised; she looked impressed. "But I suppose it’s good to show them that even 'trash' has a very sharp edge."

"Too much?" Evan stood up straight, the fake trembling gone from his limbs. "Not even close. They left my mother to die and tried to erase me like I was nothing. This was just a warning."

His eyes glowed with a cold, violet light as he watched the retreating transport. He didn't feel like a gardener, and he certainly didn't feel like trash.

"They haven't seen anything yet," Evan said, his voice deep and resonant. "By the time I'm done, the Wensleys won't just regret this. They’ll wish they had stayed in the mud where they belong."

Seraphina looked at him, the rain washing the mud from his face to reveal the sovereign underneath. "Then let's get to the hospital, Evan. Your mother is waiting, and the city is starting to wake up.”