Asylum

Face-to-Face

"What the hell is this?" I muttered, poking at it and covering my other eye to make sure it was real and working.

"We've granted you a new ability," the lead Seeker claimed, eyeing me with soulless eyes of black. "This is your marking. With a new eye, you have a new power. Damage it, and you won't be able to completely control it."

From there, I worked day and night to become as powerful as possible. The ability I used as I fell down the abyss was something the Seekers called "vapor transportation;" the skill to dissolve my body into mist and appear anywhere I can see or have seen. Eventually, I honed this power to make me appear more like a mirage. Messing with my molecular substance is what allows Ren to sometimes move through me like I really am a ghost. Because I have the power to change the state of my molecules, I can also manipulate the ones nearest to me, making it impossible for people to see me unless I want to be seen by them. At the most, they'll see my shadow if I'm trying to remain conspicuous, but they'd have to be looking for me. And nobody looks for a dead man.

My given power took a bit more training to master, as it wasn't natural to me. The Seekers deemed it "fabrication," which allows me to change my appearance.

I learned about how strings worked and how they connected people to things and others. I studied Ren's strings, and Ren's life in general. I would lurk around the dojo, hearing him sob like a baby to the Sages, voicing all his fears and apologies that meant nothing to me. Sometimes, he'd catch sight of me in the corner of my eye. Every time, his breath would hitch and his eyes would widen. When he summoned the attention of a Sage, I would disappear to keep my existence a secret. That was how haunting him like a ghost began. Ren was convinced he had psychosis. He genuinely thought he had a psychological disorder because of me. I can't remember a prouder moment.

Despite my "death" being two years old, I disguised myself as an old man to tip of Asylum about Ren's crimes, as Japan would never sell out their beloved Dragon. I only learned about Asylum because I knew I wasn't the only one in the world who had to know about people like him, and I knew I couldn't be the only one who despised them. It took immense amounts of research and time until I pinpointed how to contact them.

I followed Ren to Asylum, but not into it. I refused to take chances of being locked up. I waited until he escaped. I knew he would. Ren could never stay still for long or he'd feel smothered like the demolitive flames he wielded. When he emerged, I was surprised at the pose he's rounded up. None of them made sense, and I knew Ren liked keeping his distance from people after I stumbled into a chasm.

Soon enough, I got to know all about them, and what Ren thought of them. I can tell there are moments when Ren thinks I'm really in his mind, and those are when he presumes I can read his thoughts. But really, when you spend two years of your life focused solely on one person, they become so easy to read and so easy to predict.

I almost enjoyed the break from studying Ren as I realized I had to learn all about five new people, too.

Elektra: silent, calloused, self-interested, and strong. She's would be a strong leader if she put others before herself, but she's just as bad as Ren. I see that look in her eyes; the look of a murderer.

Sarah: she seems sweet on the outside, but the scars marring her body are no joke. What psychopath would destroy themselves just to see others writhe in pain? She might even be worse than my demonic brother.

Leo: useless, unfocused, and deadweight. He serves no purpose in the group, and it's a wonder they even brought him along for anything besides comic relief. The moment he achieves anything big is the moment I actually die.