Chapter 2

It's been a couple of weeks since Dante's test, and things have been quiet for him. He was sitting in his room currently engrossed in a book, squeezing a stress ball he kept on his computer desk, for moments like this. Though his eyes scanned the words, his mind was elsewhere. 

He had locked himself inside his room for the remainder of his Christmas break, and tried not to interact with anyone in case he erased their memories. He had been paranoid ever since gaining his powers. During his own lockdown, he felt his body react to his stress, his physical strength would go out of control and he would end up destroying things like his shower head or even his coffee table. His head would feel clouded and fuzzy, and he found himself losing track of what he was doing, only to remember minutes or even hours later. His powers were even dangerous to himself, but after a while, these issues seemed to stop and his body returned to normal, able to control his new strength and his short/long memory loss. But, these weren't the only issues he had to deal with during his isolation.

His friends and family would contact him at different periods, asking if he was alright and if he had awakened his powers. He wasn't sure if telling them was a good idea. He had to remember, as far as he knew, he was the first person with powers like these, he had no one to console, no one to go to. People would be weird to trust someone with powers like his, hell even he didn't trust himself! But, not telling them felt irresponsible. He didn't know why. So he ended up letting his friends know that he did awaken powers, but one thing he decided to do was not tell them what they were, not yet anyway. When they asked what powers he had, he put it off until Christmas break was over. He'd rather they know in person and when he has better control than right now over the phone with damn near zero control over his memory powers. It put them first, which Dante wanted in the first place. But when it came to his family, he felt like it was better for them not to know. He wouldn't want to worry them, he was worrying himself enough. So he simply told them that he didn't awaken them this year. They sent him their regards and wished him luck next year. With those added headaches out of the way, he was set on trying to contain the powers he was given.

Though, at the time, he had no idea where to start. How do you gain control over memory-altering powers?? His sensory abilities weren't much of a headache, but he had a way to make sure it wasn't a headache for the future. During his time, he would set up his phone camera to have him in the frame while recording. At first, he did random things in front of it, such as push-ups, drinking water, or reading. And at random moments, he would completely disappear from view. He tried moving around and he still wouldn't show. He would stop his recording and rewatch the footage, and it was like he was never there, even the objects he held didn't show up. He began to do this exercise every day until he was able to control it at will. He was able to make himself appear and disappear from the video, but of course, doing it like that, the records still wouldn't have him show up. But, at least he was able to control it willingly. 

But, his memory abilities were a completely different story altogether. How was he supposed to train abilities that only worked on someone else? Sure, it affected him at first, but after a while, it never worked on him again. His only lead was now gone and he had no way to try and train his abilities. But, he knew if he were to trust himself with his new powers, he had to figure something out. So, he decided to get creative. 

He grabbed many objects around his dorm room, books, cups, chairs, anything. He lined them up in a row and sat down in front of them. He wasn't even sure if this would work, but at this point, he had to do something. He closed his eyes, and darkness clouded his vision at first. But then, there was a flicker of images in his mind. What he saw, was himself, reaching down and grabbing something. This version of him went to lay on his bed, opening whatever the object was. Dante watched and began to remember this moment, it was New Year's, the mystery novel he was reading on that day. So it worked… He was able to see the memories of these everyday objects. He raised his hand, and was able to shift the memory into something different, but, it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to change the memory that he sat on his couch instead of his bed. But, the memory changed so that he was reading it upside down on his bed? He sighed, and he knew he still had learning to do. He didn't know why he expected to be a pro on his first try.

Anyway, he went and did that every day along with his sensory ability training, and was soon able to shift and manipulate the memories of the objects. Of course, objects were much different than actual people, but it was a start. He felt a bit more confident when it was time to head back to classes, but still not enough to completely stomp out that lingering doubt in the back of his mind. He hoped his friends still trusted him after explaining his powers and development.

He was scribbling down in his notepad as the teacher explained the lesson. He was too distracted to be paying attention. Things could change after today, but, no matter what, he felt like he was ready for any outcome. And besides, even if they decided to not be his friend anymore, he could just erase the memory of him telling them about his powers, right? But then, he felt like that would be wrong, even though they were his powers, he felt like he had no right to mess with people's memories. So that was out of the question. No matter what, he would respect their decision. He closed his eyes and sucked in his breath, as the bell rang. The teacher stopped his ramblings and released his students for what classes they had next or free time. Dante grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and left the room. He had no class until two hours from now, and this is usually the time he would go to lunch, since he and his friends had the downtime. 

He arrived at the table they usually sat at and took his spot. He let out a breath and waited. It was time, no more putting it off, it was now or never. 

"Yo!" A voice shouted, as his eyes traced up at the two figures heading in his direction. 

On the left was a boy, the one who shouted at him. He had platinum blonde hair that framed his face, his ocean-blue eyes showed a hint of concern. This was Victor, a friend he made during his last year in high school, as they had been partners for a speech and they had just been inseparable. His powers were simple, he was able to turn his skin into metal. A very useful power when it came to combat.

And on the right was a girl, she had short bubblegum pink hair with multi-colored eyes, which was a result of her awakened powers. This was Legna. She was someone he had known since middle school, but they weren't that close until high school. They spoke a few times until she came to him for advice, which spiraled into multiple sessions and soon they just hung out casually. Her powers were a bit more complicated, she had the ability Elemental Affinity. She has the ability to control any element that is near her, such as bodies of water or nearby fire from a lighter. A very situational power, but useful nonetheless.

They sat down, both sitting their trays of food on the table. "Dude, what happened? We haven't seen you all week!" Victor said as Dante took a sip of water before turning his gaze towards something else. "And your powers! What are they? They must be super cool if you wanted to show us in person!"

Dante let out a sigh, and leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, I'll tell you now." He closed his eyes and looked serious, "I have powers that, haven't been seen before. I…have memory manipulation and I'm able to erase my presence from digital media…" He said, not wanting to sugarcoat anything about his powers, he just said it straight up. The two looked a bit shocked at the information and then glanced at each other. Their silence made Dante's heart increase slightly, and his hands twitched slightly. 

"That's cool and all, but…you can control them right…?"

He hesitated, "I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure right now…I did a bit of practice, but, don't hold me to it."

"Those abilities, they aren't like anything the tests could have been prepared for, how did they awaken them?" Legna asked as Dante glanced over at her, "They performed different things, ones I didn't recognize from my first visit. Don't sweat it though, it's not important." They both gave a slight nod, "And so, that's why we haven't seen you…" 

He nodded, glad that they were getting the idea he was having when doing it. 

"I wonder how useful that would be for hero work though," he shrugged, "But I guess it doesn't really matter since you aren't interested in doing that." 

Dante was always glad that his friends respected his decision to not pursue being a hero, at least not working for the Heroic League anyway. Victor turned back to the group, "Speaking of the Heroic League, internships come next week! I really hope I'm given a chance!" Victor exclaimed, the excitement evident in his eyes.

Internships for the Heroic League worked like jobs, though you actually get paid. Investors, big and small go around and scout young talent that could potentially become strong superheroes. They bring them in and have them do hero work even required for them, they work when they're told to. And that never sat right with Dante, why work for someone who decides when you should be out doing hero work? He should be able to go out and handle any issue himself without having someone basically run his life for him, telling him when he should stop crimes and when he shouldn't. He wasn't like most people, they seemingly became superheroes because it makes them a lot of money, since the rich dictate what they do and so they get paid to listen to them. Not him though, if he were to become a hero, he would want to help people unconditionally, though getting paid wouldn't be bad.

He didn't really care if he got an internship, but, he did wish them the best when it came to getting an internship of their own. He knew how much the two wanted to become heroes, and so he wished them luck. 

As they both began to talk about the possible internships they could get, Dante was in his own little world. It was a question he asked himself at least once a year, what was his purpose in this world? He figured everyone had one, he just wondered what his was. The obvious one out was becoming a hero working for the Heroic League, he didn't like how they did things. And doing bad was never in his character, so that was out as well. It could be years until it was revealed to him, but, he asked this same question every year. Hopefully one day, his purpose will be revealed…

A dark room was illuminated by a dim light. Dried blood painted the checkered walls and white tiled floors. Cages hugged the walls, soft growls escaped the bars. In center stage, was a man, strapped down to a table, clearly unconscious. His clothes were ripped and punctured, his hair was dirty and caked with dirt, and his face was beaten and bruised. In the dark corners of the room, a figure emerged, holding a small syringe in his hand, a sinister smile on his face. He approached the beaten man and aimed the syringe at his neck. With a push he stuck the needle inside the man's neck, and began to extract a liquid from the inside, not like your usual blood, but a greenish-brown color. He slowly pulled the needle out and stared at the product. A small bit of the liquid dripped from the tip, and he licked his lips.

"A new dosage…"