Chapter two

Soon, the door creaked open, with Sebastian standing in the doorway. He waved his hand, motioning me to follow him. After blinking a few times, my brain finally started working and I ran to follow him.

"First, we will see what kind of talents you have, then I will assign you a position according to that." He said as we walked. I honestly thought he would just make me an underling and call it a day... But I guess this makes more sense.

"Will there be a written exam?" I hoped not. In response to my seemingly absurd question, he just laughed and instructed me to follow him with a wave of his hand. Despite how small it made me feel, I quietly listened to his tacit order.

After a small walk, we arrived at the headquarters and I couldn't help but admire the beautiful buildings. The way the black-tinted windows reflected sunlight was simply mesmerising… "This way," Sebastian called out to me, breaking me away from my dazed look and taking me inside, towards a darker corner.

Not long after, I was standing in front of a door that seemed to lead into a basement. I recognised the place immediately. It was where Kieran was held when he got captured in one of the chapters. He was a member of the mafia since childhood, but he left and joined the detectives later on in the series. This place was where they questioned people.

Oh shit, he isn't going to make me interrogate someone is he? Or worse, am I about to be tortured?

My latter thought proved to be false when we entered inside and saw Kieran talking with someone inside the basement-like room. Although "talking" may not be the best way to describe what I was seeing. The man had half his teeth pulled out, blood flowing out of his mouth like a river, probably slowly choking him.

His fingers were also bloody and seemed to face different directions, all broken forcefully. His face and arms had various injuries, and he was shaking in pain.

I found the sight before me fascinating in a twisted way, how was he still alive and conscious after all that torture? I could only wonder. If it were me, I would've already begged to be killed the moment someone broke my finger. But he had a glint in his eyes, a glint that screamed a desire to live, to survive, and it fascinated me.

I could only describe his breathing as sickly, because I wasn't even sure he was breathing at first. He only had one or two deep breaths after holding his breath for a while. His eyes, barely open, focused on me after noticing us walking in. Despite the sweat forming on his forehead and his sickly breathing, his eyes looked at me with the look of someone determined to survive.

Kieran also noticed us, turning back with a nonchalant expression in his deep crimson eyes, hands bloody and dirtied. His cheek also had specks of blood on it.

His messy dark-brown hair seemed even darker than normal in the dim lights of the room. He too was just like how the novel described; hollow red eyes, tanned skin and a bandage on his hand, which was always there for some reason.

"Boss?" He asked, probably awaiting an explanation as to why I was here and who I was.

"Kieran! Are you done with this fellow?" Sebastian responded cheerfully, which creeped me out a bit, but I managed to keep my uninterested facade up.

For some reason, the sight before me didn't affect me much. Despite the man's painful moans and loud breathing, I felt nothing but wonder. I wondered why he was being tortured, had he wronged the mafia in some way? Was he a member of an enemy organisation of the mafia?

I couldn't feel compassion for this man, let alone disgust. I was thoroughly surprised to learn that, perhaps, being put in a story did change me. It seemed to have taken away my ability to feel certain emotions, such as sympathy.

I felt as if I were supposed to be disgusted, terrified, and should've ran the moment the heavy odour of blood reached my nose. But I did none of those, I stood and observed the situation, which confused me greatly. Why was I unable to feel such normal things?

Only when Kieran approached me did I notice that while I was lost in my thoughts, Sebastian had already explained my situation to him.

"You've been looking at him for a while now, you wanna give it a try and see if you can get him to talk?" Kieran asked, or rather demanded me to answer his underlying question, 'Can you handle this?'

"Sure." I said confidently, internally shocking myself. "What are you trying to find out?" I inquired.

"Where their leader is hiding."

"Okay." I began walking towards the poor tortured man as he leaned away in fear. That was not the look of someone seeing a young girl coming towards them, but the look of someone who knows they are prey in front of a predator.

Speaking was never one of my strongest suits, so I didn't ask him anything. I simply stood in front of him with a sweet smile and touched one of his already broken fingers. As he flinched in pain, I realized how little this man mattered to me. He was just some nameless extra in my favourite novel, an extra character that had never been mentioned.

'He might have a family somewhere, waiting for him.' I felt my conscience tugging at me to remove my hand from his finger. At that moment, I felt a familiar sensation. My eyelids felt heavy, Darkness was all that I could see, all that I could feel.

Then…

'I will never tell them! I won't! I owe him my life, I will never betray him!'

A voice rang, it echoed in my mind.

'There is no way they can find him in Luminara, he will be safe, I'll make sure of it!'

Luminara?

'Let them waste their time torturing me, perhaps this will give boss time to flee–!'

Ah, I see.

"That was rather easy." I said as I let go of his finger and opened my eyes. The entire room seemed to hold its breath, drowning in a deadly silence. "Luminara," I said and added, "His boss is hiding in Luminara. He is planning to escape, so you better be quick."

That was definitely an ethera. I have an ethera? I can't believe I just used an ethera. I'm definitely doomed. This automatically makes me the most terrifying man's— Damian's— enemy!

"Luminara?" Kieran asked curiously. I answered him with a simple yes, and he quickly ordered someone to go searching in Luminara. Meanwhile, Sebastian stood next to him with his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face.

"So," Kieran began, "you are an ethera user?" I didn't know what to say, the only thing I could call a power about me was writing, and yet I wasn't even that good at it. I had only managed to write one book and only around two hundred people read my book, The Outsider, so I suppose the plot wasn't that interesting. With a sigh, I accepted my fate as an ethera user and smiled. "Yes, I am." —I suppose. Of course, I didn't let any hesitation show in my voice.

"Interesting," Sebastian said, his voice laced with curiosity. "Why didn't you mention that before?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Why didn't I mention it before? Because I didn't know! Stupid old man and his stupid questions.

"You didn't ask." I shrugged, keeping my tone casual. This should be an acceptable reason, right? At least it was for one of them, because Kieran looked at me with suspicion flickering in his eyes unlike Sebastian who seemed satisfied with my answer.

"So what is it? What can you do with your ethera?" Kieran asked the question which was probably also on Sebastian's mind. I hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to answer. But after a few seconds, I decided to answer honestly.

"I'm not sure, I don't use my ethera that much, I've never been curious about it." Okay, nevermind, that wasn't honest. I'm very much interested in my power.

"What is it called?" Sebastian asked with a subtle hint of suspicion.

"The Outsider." I answered without hesitation, deciding that it was a fitting name.

I'm absolutely doomed, I thought, the weight of the realisation sinking in. If I had known I could read minds, I would've ditched this place without a second thought— become a private investigator, or maybe a quack medium, making a fortune off of people's secrets! I felt like a fool, deceived by myself.

"Such an ominous name~" Said Kieran— the one with an ethera called The Tainted. Hah. Sarcastic bastard.

"You two seem to get along pretty well!" Sebastian suggested, which creeped me out. What is this old man thinking of doing now? "Ol- Sebastian, or, uh, boss," I began talking, almost calling him old man. "I thought you wanted to test me?"

"Yes, indeed, and you were splendid." I was? All I did was use my apparently-existing ethera and learn where his boss was hiding. That was considered splendid? I would say above average by mafia standards but eh, being on my soon-to-be boss's good side is always a good thing.

I saw Keiran sigh with annoyance, which annoyed me as well. Just because he was my favourite character doesn't mean he gets to disrespect me. Or maybe it does, because I also found his reaction rather cute.

"Well then, Kieran, don't you need an assistant to help with reports since the last one… quit?" or died, because the way he said "quit" was suspicious as fuck. Also, why is he suddenly mentioning his need for an assistant? Is he- wait–

"NO-"

"No."

Kieran and I stared at each other in annoyance. His calm "No." was overshadowed by my loud protest, which was why he was annoyed at me. And I was annoyed at him for, well… existing. And for needing help, clearly, but refusing it just because that help happened to be me.

'Annoying mind-reader' I swear I could hear him say that. It was written all over his face. That annoying suicide-lover!

'That was hypocritical-' Although my death wasn't a suicide, I was planning to commit suicide… Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realise that Sebastian had already walked all the way to the door, holding it open and waiting for me.

"Ah– sorry." I muttered and ran towards him with one last glance at Kieran.

My favourite character. The one I cried so much for, the one I laughed so much with. He was right there, but it wasn't really him. He wasn't a character anymore. He was a human, a very cruel one. A murderer, a criminal, a crying child.

Yet I felt no longing, no excitement, no fear. Not even a sense of familiarity. He was just a stranger to me. Nothing more, nothing less. A mafioso, my soon-to-be superior. Seeing him covered in blood didn't disgust me, nor did it scare me. Imagining him torturing that man didn't make me feel anything either. But…

When I finally looked at his eyes, I felt a sense of ease. The ease of knowing I'm not the only one with those empty eyes.

That was, somehow, comforting.

I could tell he thought the same, because those cold eyes seemed to soften even if it was a little bit. With that final look, I left the room and followed Sebastian.

***

"So, any questions?" I have LOTS of questions. Sebastian took me to a room near his and introduced me to the things I wasn't accustomed to, such as secret safes and how to write reports after giving me a shirt and pants to change into.

"Uh… What exactly am I supposed to do here?" Hopefully he isn't going to make me babysit Kieran, because if so, I'm fucked. "You'll be responsible for organising each mission assigned to Kieran, keeping detailed records, and providing any support he may require."

Great. So, just as I thought, basically babysitting. But nonetheless, it sounds… easy. But I know better. Working with Kieran is never easy. He would probably dump all his work on me while he played video games or looked for ways to die, that rascal.

I could already picture him: lounging around, finding new ways to flirt with death, all while I drowned in his paperwork. His younger self was even worse than his twenty two years old self!

Now that I think about it… If he is already an executive in the Stygian, he must be at least sixteen, right? Maybe older. Between sixteen and eighteen. Maybe we are the same age?

"Boss, how old is he?" I asked, low-key hoping to be older than him so I can use it against him.

"You mean Kieran? He is seventeen." Ah, so we are the same age indeed… wait–

That means his mafia days end in a year!

And also Samael dies in a year– then Kieran leaves the mafia, fuck, what if they suspect me of helping him since I will become his assistant? Would they kill me for that? Or is my ethera too useful to give up? I mean, I'm a mind-reader for god's sake! What else do you need to make the mafia more powerful??

But then again, I have no way of protecting myself—

"Lucienne."

Oh, right. Old man is still here.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought."

"Are you interested in him?" he asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity. I nearly choked on my own breath. AM I WHAT?

My brain went into overdrive. Sure, Kieran was… interesting, but in a character study way! Not in a heart-eyes, kissy-face kind of way! Definitely not. I mean, who wouldn't be curious about someone like him? But as a love interest? Absolutely not. I'd need a very specific kind of therapy if I went down that road.

Oddly enough, despite my embarrassment and panic, my facial expression didn't change at all. I just blankly stared at him for a whole minute before he broke the silence with a cough. "Sorry, I must have been mistaken." Damn right you were. I have no such interest in men. Wait that made me sound like a lesbian— Meh.

Jane is real here, so I might as well be one.

Jane was a character that appeared later on in the series, the agency's healer. She was a beautiful brunette woman with blue eyes. She had mysterious connections to the mafia in the past, which reminds me how much I actually hate this man in front of me. Despite being a good leader for the mafia, he is probably worse than Damian, the main antagonist of the novel. No, scratch that, that man has been terrorising the world for years, trying to overthrow the current government and erase etheras from existence, meanwhile Sebastian is just… Sebastian.

Now that I think about it… Damn, I will never get to see how the novel ended…

But then again, living it would be better than reading it, right?

…I wonder, will I even survive for that long?

Speaking of survival, what should I do about Samael's death? He was a sweet character who had three kids, who were killed by someone called Raphael, an enemy of the shadow syndicate. He tried to kill Raphael all by himself and ended up dying with him. So, can I change it? Should I even change it?

Samael's death was the reason Kieran left the shadow syndicate for good. Kieran is essential to deal with Damian, as he is basically the only one who can kill him considering their etheras, with Damian's being immortality and Kieran's being nullification.

But Sam… No, this has nothing to do with me. I can't save him. It was his decision to go straight to death's door in the first place. Samael has to die for Kieran to leave the mafia, which is one of the main plot points of the novel.

Nonetheless, I should only focus on my own survival.

A sigh escaped from Sebastian's lips as he clapped his hands in front of my face, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Lucienne!" he called out to me.

"Yes, boss?"

"…" the silence was loud. It seems I had ignored him once again.

***

After getting someone to introduce me to some other staff, Sebastian left me all alone with a bunch of strangers. I mean, obviously, he has work to do. But still, I know my worth, you old man! I'm a mind reader, someone who can access secrets that wouldn't be possible by torture. Also, who knows what else I am capable of? My ability is worth more respect. Despite sounding like a narcissist, I knew that I was right.

My beloved book, "The Outsider," was a psychological book focused on society's outcasts. It had an intelligent main character, accompanied by many supporting characters. One of the striking features of The Outsider was how the main character was nameless.

She was never called by a name, and even I, the writer, never limited her character by using a name, not even during the planning phase. She was a representation of everyone, everyone who felt like a stranger to this world despite being born in it. She was me, she was her, she was him, she was everyone. She was the perfect phenomenon. But she wasn't qualified to be called a human.

That was precisely why I was so interested in Kieran, a character who struggled with feeling humane things, when I was reading The Children Of Miseria. After reading his backstory, which consisted of his days in the streets and the mafia, I became even more fond of him.

Of course, there was also Theodore, his rival and partner in the mafia, who was struggling with his humanity as well. But his situation was different, he didn't know whether he was truly human or not despite acting and feeling perfectly human while Kieran felt like he wasn't a human despite knowing he was born one.

Perhaps this was why I wasn't so bothered about being a part of the mafia. Because right now, being in the Stygian meant being close to two of my favourite characters. The twilight duo, Kieran and Theodore. They were called the twilight duo because they swiftly destroyed everyone who stood in their way, all in one night. The twilight duo shone brightest when darkness seemed absolute.

Thinking about it now, the main plot starts in around five years… There is no way I'll remember anything by then. I should take notes while I can still remember. Leaving the room full of strangers without making a sound, I left to go back to "my" office since I remembered there were some extra notebooks there. Surely Kieran wouldn't mind one or two empty notebooks being missing, right?

There is always the chance of the notebook being discovered by someone, so I decided to write it in a different language…

As a multilingual person– knowing Russian, Turkish and English– in order to make it harder to decipher, I decided to use a modified version of the Russian alphabet and the English grammar to write in Turkish. I also sprinkled some French words that I knew between the sentences. I knew being multilingual would be useful, but never thought I would use it to write down the future in a secret code…

After around half an hour later, I was finally done. I took my time trying to remember the main events and wrote as many details as I could recall. Just as I had finished writing, the door slammed open with force. Fearing that it may be an enemy, I quickly hid the notebook under the table and stood up in panic.

"Hey you idiot! How did you even get information out of that guy?!" A man's voice echoed inside the room. "I swear he was just impossible— oh." He finally realised the "idiot" he was expecting wasn't here. Instead, there was an innocent looking girl.

"Who are you?" Before me was a handsome man, although quite short in height. He had shoulder-length dirty-blond hair, one side neatly tucked behind his ear. Looking at me with his dark brown eyes, this was none other than one of my favourite characters. Hello, Theodore.