Chapter 8: A Surprise Declaration

As the day was ending, and Harris had sorted out the paperwork for the day's events, he walked back to his house with Taro. He looked a bit tired, sweat seeming to be pouring off his head. Quason and Gabriel came over about an hour later, waiting for Harris to finish cleaning things up.

"Hey Harris, you ready? We're going out tonight remember? The boys going to have burgers? Hurry up man."

Quason hurried Harris into getting ready. Gabriel was still holding the flower he was given earlier by Orchid. Her face, still clear in his mind. As Harris came out dressed in a casual tank top and jeans, he looked confused as he saw Gabriel with a strange love struck look on his face, but disregarded it as it was none of his business and it was probably going to be explained later. Taro agreed to stay home, and the trio walked outside to meet Ben and Tasha waiting around for them at the restaurant.

"Hey, it's about time you made it. I was getting worried you fell in the toilet, again."

Tasha laughed, clearly hinting at something that happened before.

"That was a one time thing dammit!! Don't keep bringing that up. Besides, it's not like you weren't involved along with us so miss me with that bullshit."

Harris snapped back as he walked in the restaurant with everyone else. So far the night was going well. Gabriel explained how he met Orchid and how they were planning to meet tomorrow, and Quason said that he was visiting his grandmother in her new home. Harris didn't have much going on, so he was helping Tasha and Ben prepare for something special. It seemed like it was going to be a pretty average evening, until the lights suddenly started to flicker strangely, not like strobe lights or special effects. Then a hooded figure with horns and wings seemingly made of black flames appeared in the middle of the restaurant.

"You are all fools. Slaves to this false sense of perfection. Do you honestly think that this whole peachy world of glitter and candy floss is what's best for human kind? We used to be a nation under God, mankind ruling over the mindless beasts of nature, and we never needed some fancy magic powers. Only magic was the common pistol, or science. And yet here we are. Cowards."

The figure seemed to be looking at Gabriel specifically. But Gabriel was already pissed off.

"Hey you annoying hillbilly, this world has become better. We're a world United with God, and we're more equal than before. Guns were just tools to kill, and animals weren't mindless, they had instinct. Don't you dare disrespect what humanity has worked for or I'll end you right here and now."

The hooded figure didn't flinch at Gabriel's threat, but suddenly radiate a strange energy that blasted Gabriel through the ceiling at high speed. Tasha and Ben charged at him from the front, with Harris and Quason going at him from the left and right, yet it was ineffective as the hooded figure stopped them all in their tracks. Gabriel fell back down, and tried getting in close, but was stopped as well. It seemed to be a powerful psychokinesis wave.

"You will all pay for what you've done, and I will be your retribution. This world will become a glorious utopia. Long live the past."

And with that the hooded figure shoots a gun with a smoke bomb bullet and disappears, releasing the five from the psychic grip.

"Okay. Holy fuck he's precise, but hypocritical about superpowers. Can't deny we just got our asses handed to us. And I don't think he's gonna be the only one we'll have to deal with."

Quason looked around to see if they left a trail, but so far, there was nothing to find. All five went outside and looked around, and found nothing of the person. They all came back and paid for their meal, not realizing they've witnessed the beginning of a battle for everything.