CH: 013 - The Hunter Unleashed
{Chapter: 013 - The Hunter Unleashed}
Cassie sat curled up in the alleyway, her arms hugging her knees, eyes wide with shock. Her breathing was shallow, irregular—like the world had suddenly collapsed around her. And in a way, it had.
The visions were gone.
The future… no longer whispered to her.
She could no longer see the ripple effects of decisions, no longer dodge disasters before they struck, no longer reach ahead into time's fabric to pull forth answers.
The Watcher had been blinded.
And Aiden stood before her—silent, calm, unreadable.
"You feel it, don't you?" he asked softly, crouching in front of her. "The emptiness. The loss of something you never truly understood until now."
Cassie's voice trembled. "W-Why…? Why did you take it? I need it. I have to rescue…"
Her words caught in her throat.
Aiden tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Your mother. Locked up in one of the Division's underground facilities. That's what you were going to use the experimental drug for, wasn't it?"
Her eyes widened.
"How—how do you know that?"
"I saw it," Aiden replied, tapping the side of his head. "Your memories, your thoughts, your fear. It's all connected to your ability… or was. And now, it belongs to me."
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "You're a monster."
"No," he said, rising to his feet and dusting off his coat. "I'm just not from this world."
He looked up at the overcast sky, the clouds moving swiftly as though the heavens themselves were unsettled.
"I'll make you a promise," he added. "If I ever return to this place… and if your mother is still alive, I'll save her for you. I even remember her now—tall, proud, still very beautiful despite the suffering."
He turned his back on the girl.
"Well then… goodbye for now. My hunt begins."
---
Aiden stepped onto the cracked sidewalk as the city throbbed quietly with energy beneath his boots. The Division's two Shadows—agents. Their job was to make sure no other psychics like Cassie, the Watcher, or Division's own Sniffs could detect Kira.
He could have followed them directly.
But instead, he wanted to test his new toy.
The Watcher's power.
It wasn't perfect. Not yet. What he received were fragments—brief glimpses of what could be. Not full visions. Just puzzle pieces without borders.
He stood still and activated the power. Immediately, his mind was flooded with disjointed scenes—flashing lights, a clock tower at 7:23 PM, a coffee cup falling to the ground, the reflection of the moon in a puddle.
"Damn," he muttered. "It's like pulling teeth from a storm."
He must become familiar with this ability. It can be said that this ability to predict the future is indeed very strong. Although it is only a fragment of the future, as long as he can identify the position in the fragment, he wouldn't lose them. Unfortunately, it is just a fragment and not the complete future, so the success rate to identify the surroundings would become very low in an unfamiliar environment.
At least Aiden tried a few times but didn't get any fruitful results. In particular, these parts are a little random, as they provide just a certain time, a certain place, or a fragment of something. After playing a bit with the ability, Aiden was ready to hunt for real. This ability, if it can evolve and improve, may become a very strong tool, but right now…it feels like a random lucky draw..
But there—a flicker. The shadows of the two Sniffers, one with a scar along his jaw, the other wearing mirrored sunglasses even at night.
"Found you."
He zeroed in on the location and began walking. No rush. No need to run. Fate had already brought them into his grasp.
When he rounded the corner, he saw them—leaning against a van, smoking in silence, unaware of his presence. The city lights cast long shadows across their bodies.
Aiden stepped up behind them and reached out—placing a hand on each of their shoulders.
The reaction was instant.
Both men spun, their hands darting for concealed weapons, but Aiden spoke calmly.
"I know the girl you're hiding."
Upon hearing this, the two people paused for a moment, and at this time, Aiden's devouring ability was activated.
At the same time, he wanted to devour the abilities of two people!
The two individuals immediately sensed that something was being extracted from them and attempted to resist. Despite their considerable strength and combat training, they were unable to escape Aiden's hold. Even when they attacked Aiden with all their power, it seemed as if there was no effect or reaction from him.
They tried to cloak himself and vanish into the shadows. But neither power affected Aiden. It was like throwing pebbles into a hurricane.
Even Aiden's expression did not change. No, there was a change, but it was because Aiden was showing them a mocking expression, as if laughing at their vain efforts.
He looked into their eyes.
And smiled.
"Absorbing two abilities at once… a bit troublesome," he muttered. "If not for the reward granted by the Evil Path, I probably couldn't pull this off."
Moments later, the glow faded. The energy drain was complete.
Without a shred of hesitation, Aiden squeezed from bhinend.
Crack.
Two necks. Two bodies. Two lives extinguished in silence.
He let them fall to the pavement like discarded dolls, not even sparing them a second glance.
He took a deep breath.
His eyes shimmered with new power.
"Three now," he said to himself. "I currently have three."
Bleeder (Sound Manipulation) – The power to use focused sound waves as offensive attacks. Can shatter bones, rupture organs, or disrupt concentration.
Watcher (Future Fragments) – Glimpses of the future. Incomplete and chaotic, but invaluable when interpreted correctly.
Shadow (Cloaking Field) – The ability to conceal people, objects, or entire areas from detection by other psychics. Especially useful against Sniffers, Watchers, and Movers.
He rolled his shoulder, adjusting to the feeling of three different abilities pulsing within his body. The Shadow ability felt stronger than expected—probably because he absorbed two users at once.
"Seems like overlapping sources enhance the ability," he noted.
Then his eyes gleamed.
"Still need Mover… telekinesis. Pusher, the telepath. Sniff(Tracking people through things). There was also the ability to delete memories called Wiper.
That last one intrigued him.
Memory deletion.
Imagine the possibilities—slipping in and out of events, wiping witnesses clean, removing inconvenient truths. But he had to be careful. The flaw in the Wiper ability was well known: certain stimuli could restore the lost memories. Smells, emotions, songs, trauma—it was never guaranteed.
Still… the potential.
He checked his system timer. It had been nearly four hours since he entered this world. The majority of the time was dedicated to acquiring the experimental predictive ability watcher, but the remaining time should suffice.
And yet…
"I'm just getting started."
---
It was surprisingly easy for Aiden to locate a Wiper—someone who possessed the rare and dangerous ability to delete memories. The moment their eyes met, the Wiper tried to flee, but Aiden was already in motion, a blur of power and precision.
The devouring was swift. The Wiper's psychic resistance was strong, but nothing compared to the devouring force of the Path of Evil that coursed through Aiden's very soul.
Ironically, just to test his new power, Aiden erased the Wiper's memory… all of it.
Unfortunately, his control was still rough. Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar force, Aiden pushed too far—and the Wiper collapsed to the ground, hollow-eyed, drooling slightly, his mind now blank and childlike. A baby in an adult's body.
Aiden stood silently for a moment, gazing down at the ruined man. There was no remorse—only curiosity. A strange chill brushed across his thoughts like wind through dead leaves.
"Memory wipe… dangerous, unstable, but useful," he muttered. "Needs refinement."
With four powers now coursing through him—Bleeder, Watcher, Shadow, and Wiper—Aiden felt more than powerful. He felt… hungry.
Aiden felt that he was now very powerful and was more eager to continue to devour other abilities and this impulse was getting stronger and stronger.
The desire to devour again was rising, urgent and intoxicating.
He moved quickly, heading to the house of the male protagonist, Nick. According to the original timeline, this was where Cassie would have intercepted him… but Aiden had already consumed Cassie's ability, effectively rewriting the plot.
He went directly to Nick the male protagonist's home because the little girl Cassie did not find him yet his story has not yet begun.
It was only after arriving home and finding it empty that Aiden remembered it. It seems that after the two Shadows came to his home, the male protagonist Nick seemed to have escaped, but the little girl, Cassie, had suddenly appeared to disrupt his plan. But now that he had absorbed Cassie's ability, Nick…he should've fled by now?
Aiden frowned. Although he could use the ability of Watcher to find a male protagonist, Nick, who knows where he is going and is very experienced in escaping, even if he can find him, it would delay a lot of his time. But he doesn't have that much time!
And he can totally feel that craving to devour growing stronger and stronger.
"Should I even bother chasing him?" Aiden muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed. "I could try using the Watcher's visions, but Nick's a master at disappearing. I'd lose precious time."
And time was not on his side.
Worse, the devouring urge was growing, clawing at his self-control. Each successful absorption deepened the addiction.
Just then—
Bang!
The front door burst open.
Two figures entered. One was a muscular man with tribal tattoos—another Bleeder, part of the Chinese Triad. The other was a girl with rainbow-colored hair, oversized sunglasses, and a bright pink lollipop in her mouth—the Pop Girl Watcher. Her power was sharp, erratic, and explosive in potential.
They both froze when they saw Aiden standing in the center of the room like a specter of death.
"Holy shit—"
"Run!" Pop Girl gasped and turned instinctively.
But the door slammed shut behind them with a gust of wind and a burst of flame. Aiden had conjured a wall of fire using his lighter and his own twisted control of fire, locking them in.
The Bleeder snarled and opened his mouth, preparing to unleash a wave of destructive sound—but Aiden was faster.
He stepped in and punched him in the throat mid-charge, silencing him with a sickening crunch.
Aiden slammed the man to the ground, then placed a hand on his chest and devoured his ability. The man's body spasmed violently before falling limp.
"It's your turn now, watcher!" Aiden approached Pop girl step by step.
Pop Girl's face twisted in horror as she backed into a corner. But Aiden's eyes were already fixed on her—not just her power.
His gaze lingered.
She had on a pair of tight shorts that clung to her every curve, paired with a shimmering black sequin dress that caught the light with every movement. Over it, a metallic grey bomber jacket added a bold, street-smart edge to her look. Her breathing was fast and shallow, lollipop-smeared lips slightly parted as her chest rose and fell in a hypnotic rhythm.
Her long, sleek dark brown hair—rich with subtle auburn undertones—framed her face perfectly, her full blunt bangs shadowing her sharp eyes. A thin black choker hugged her neck, tying together the rebellious, fashionable vibe. Her youthful curves and confident stance sparked something raw and magnetic inside him.
[Image Here........... ]
An unwelcome fire.
He stepped toward her slowly. She trembled.
"Stay away from me!" She yelled and pulled out a small gun from her pocket and shot directly at him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She fired.
But the bullets barely grazed his coat. Aiden was already enhanced. His reflexes, augmented by Extremis and honed by power, let him dodge and sway like a phantom.
He avoided the bullets.
At such a close distance, he actually escaped; this made the watcher feel somewhat incredulous.
Her mag emptied. She gasped.
Aiden surged forward. In a blink, he stood before her, grabbed her neck gently but firmly, and lifted her off the ground with one hand.
Her legs kicked.
Her glasses fell. Her big eyes now stared into his—terrified, pleading, vulnerable.
His other hand brushed against her thigh—accidental, yet not.
His gaze drifted downward again. Her vest had come slightly undone in the struggle. He could see the outline of her chest, rising and falling frantically. Her body swayed helplessly in his grip, her soft form trembling in fear.
His line of sight was now exactly aligned with the Pop girl's heavenly mountains, and the struggling watcher kept trying to swing her body in order to escape.
Jiggle, Jiggle…
Aiden's mind clouded with a dark urge.
His breathing quickened. A dangerous heat curled in his gut. His eyes darkened.
Aiden's eyes became fixed to the heavenly sight and an evil idea came into his mind and a fire started to burn in his lower body.
He then… fiercely pushed the Pop girl down….
Maybe the thought wasn't his. It came from somewhere inside, or perhaps from the evil path itself. Something foreign. Something ancient and corrupt, whispering.
He stared at her. She looked like she wanted to scream.