23 New Sinner Group

Ed followed behind the cloaked esper into the school. He passed many familiar hallways. Despite it having only been around 2 months since he stopped coming here, he couldn't help but feel a hint of nostalgia. 'It feels like it's been years since I've been here… Well, it probably helps that the schools so banged up it looks like it's been years since anyone's been here.'

They traveled upstairs to the 2nd floor and entered the principal's office. An old man was sleeping in a leather chair. His skin was wrinkled, and his gray beard reached the middle of his chest. He was wearing blue pajamas with white stripes. He also wore copper glasses with thick lenses. The glasses had a copper chain that hung around his neck. It made for a comical look seeing the old man sleeping in a school office.

The old man woke up and saw the two standing before him. He yawned as he took off his glasses and rubbed them clean with a cloth. He put the glasses back on and smiled, "Hello there. You're the leader of the local Sinless group?"

He nodded. "I am. What do the espers want from us?"

"Straight to the point I see." The man leisurely began to pour a cup of tea. He seemed to be in no rush at all. He handed each of the two men a cup of tea and took a sip of his own. "You may call me Phantom. Let's get down to business. I want to start a sinner group in Reef City. However, the Sinless group will get in our way once your headquarters arrives. Therefore, I want to make a deal."

"Oh?" Ed smiled and took a nearby seat. He set the tea on the table and refused to drink it. Then he crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. "You don't seem very sincere about it. You killed the guards of our local branch and then killed over fifty of our citizens. Why should I cooperate, old man?"

"What's this about killing your people?!" Phantom turned towards the cloaked man with confusion in his eyes.

"I lied and said I killed their guards to get their attention. One of their people shot me in the head and many died as a result. I can hardly be held responsible for such results."

"Is that so?" Phantom turned towards Ed and smiled, "There you have it. We can't be held responsible for this incident."

Ed grinned. He obviously knew the esper wasn't responsible for what happened. He just wanted to muddy the waters before negotiations began. "It's not impossible to form an alliance… After all, a sinner group will pop up eventually anyways. They always do. I'd naturally prefer one I can monitor and control to a certain degree. However, what's in it for me?"

The old man frowned. "What's in it for you? If you refuse, then I can just wipe out your entire little base before your headquarters arrives. We won't be able to form our sinner group as easily, but you and your people will all be dead!"

"Is that so?" Ed picked up the cup of tea and glanced at it. He swirled the liquid around a bit before tossing the cup behind him where it shattered into pieces. He put his arms behind his head and tilted his head backwards to look at the cloaked man. "Hey, Mordy. Who do you think would win between me and the local sinner group?"

The cloaked man began to chuckle as he slowly pulled off his hood. He revealed his green eyes and green hair. "When did you figure it out?"

"I saw your face when your head reconstructed at my base. What happened? Quake told me you were dead. I even got intel that Tracker from Blood-Lust can't find you. Hell, even if you survived then you should have died when I had my 2nd awakening."

Mordy smiled. "I was quite lucky really. Let me explain…"

…

Several weeks prior. Luny's lab.

Mordy was lying down on a steel table as Luny hovered over him. His head was held in place by three metal pins attached to a steel apparatus. He couldn't move at all, but he was aware of everything that was happening. Luny rubbed his green hair and smiled, "Just relax. It will only hurt a little. It'll all be over soon."

She lifted a razor and shaved the top part of his head. Then she took a scalpel and made a long cut down the center. She folded the skin back and began to drill a small hole in his skull. Once she widened the hole to a satisfactory size, she took the scalpel and began to cut through the brain. Mordy couldn't feel what was happening within his brain, but he winced at the thought of the scalpel digging through his brain. He could hear each slight cut and push being made.

"Found it!" Luny smiled. In the center of the brain was a small mana-core that glowed in the seven colors of the seven elements. The black color took up the majority of the core. She began to carefully scrape off the extra colors. She would then take small amounts of black powder and place it near the mana-core. She placed a long lighter down near the mana-core and squeezed the trigger. A small flame appeared, and the black powder began to melt onto the surface of the mana-core.

Mordy's entire body began to shake as it was covered in sweat. He felt unbearable pain. His skull being drilled earlier felt like a neck massage compared to the pain he now felt. His sweat slowly turned green in color. It slid onto the steel table, causing it to start to melt. Soon, the sweat turned from green to black. The table rapidly melted as black smoke rose into the air.

Luny saw the smoke and stepped back in fear. "Did I succeed?!" She watched with excitement visible on her face, but then Mordy's body started melting as well! His body transformed into a black sludge. The entire steel table was melted into nothing and the floor started sinking. After a minute, the only thing that could be seen was an unfathomably deep hole with black smoke pouring out. Soon, the black smoke stopped as well.

"Another failure…" She sighed. She tossed a nearby tool into the hole and listened. A short while later, she heard a loud plop. "Must be the sewers. What a waste. Can't even recover the mana-core." She recorded the failure in her notebook and turned to leave.

"Huff! Huff!" Mordy awoke in panic as he felt water flooding into his lungs. He grasped for a nearby platform to escape the water. His eyes widened in shock as the concrete melted right in front of him. It turned into a black sludge that rapidly entered the sewer water alongside him. He looked at his hands and saw they were completely made of black sludge. Not even the bones or flesh remained underneath.

He continued to flow down the sewer as he tried to keep his head above water for air. The murky water around him was continuously being burnt away by his powerful black acid. After an hour, he finally managed to burn a hole into a nearby wall. He climbed inside and the water followed behind him. The hole started to sink deeper from his acid, but the water kept pouring in. His acid continuously burnt the new water into steam and black smoke. It made it hard to breathe but also prevented him from sinking further beneath the ground.

He slowly calmed down as he began to think. 'It looks like my 2nd awakening was a success? I don't feel the King's symbol anymore. Did it burn away? I need to go back and save Ed, but I can barely save myself right now…' He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. It took him nearly two weeks to control his new powers. He could now return to his original looks and refrain from destroying his surroundings.

'It might not be too late to save Ed yet.' His eyes sharpened with resolve. He dived into the nearby sewer water. He followed the currents until he found a ladder to climb out of the sewers. When he finally climbed out, he saw he was near a school. He was starving and dying of thirst. He had only survived so long due to being an esper. He headed for the school cafeteria in search of food and water.

…

"And that's where I met Phantom. He had already gathered a few powerful espers. Later, we tried to attack Jarrod's stronghold, but when we got there everyone was already gone. All that remained was some melted bones. The flesh looked like it had been chewed on by some mutants."

"I see." Ed nodded. So, Phantom and his group were already here before you. How did you avoid Tracker from finding you though?"

Mordy looked towards Phantom, indicating for him to answer.

Phantom looked back and forth between the two with confusion evident in his eyes. He soon calmed down and smiled, "We have an invention esper that can make devices that block mana-waves. Most tracking espers find us through the mana-waves our mana-cores radiate. We always release them whether we're aware of it or not. The clothes both Mordy and I wear block these waves from spreading. They're a must-have tool for espers. Now then… why don't you tell me who exactly you are Sinless leader?"

"Sure." He smiled. "But first… Mordy. Who do you think would win between me and your sinner group?"

"Hmm…" Mordy rubbed his chin. "If we assume neither Phantom nor I participate, I'm guessing you would win. It should be you who took out Jarrod's group during your 2nd awakening right? I imagine you've become quite strong."

"Right." He nodded. "And if you or Phantom participates?"

"If I participate then I don't know..." Mordy shook his head. "Maybe fifty-fifty? It's too hard to say with what little information I have. Either way, I wouldn't join a side in this conflict. If Phantom participates, your odds of winning are probably less than one percent."

"Is that so?" Ed raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He heightened his vigilance against the man sitting in front of him. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Edward Tesla. Like Mordy, I am also an esper of the 2nd awakening."

"I see." Phantom nodded while rubbing his beard. "You should be the friend Mordy urged us to save. How very rare, for three espers of the 2nd awakening to be gathered like this."

"You!" His eyes widened in shock. "You've undergone the 2nd awakening to? Was Luny behind it?!"

"No, no." The old man grinned. "I had my 2nd awakening nearly thirty years ago. I can't be compared to you young pups. Espers of the 2nd awakening are very frightening and extremely rare. The famous OP Baldy has also undergone the 2nd awakening. You could say we're the cream of the crop when it comes to growth potential."

Ed nodded, "So that's why Mr. Sai is so powerful? Tell me, Phantom. What does an old and powerful esper want with Reef city? Will you even live long enough to see what you want to obtain here?"

"Gahahaha!" Phantom began laughing. "You youngsters don't know anything yet. Do you know how old the oldest esper in the world is?"

The two boys glanced at each other confused before shaking their heads.

"He's 153 years old. He was one of the very first espers to awaken 50 years ago. He was already 103 years old at the time." The man smiled. "Do you know what this means? No one knows how long espers live for yet. Not a single one has died of old age so far. For all I know, I may live forever! How can I stop having ambitions then?"

"I see." Ed nodded. "Still, you're obviously a powerful esper. Why bother with this ruined city?"

"Simple!" Phantom smiled. "The espers that awakened here during the nightmare attack were of unusually high-quality. I want to research this phenomenon. Will the espers that awaken here in the future be the same? If they are, then I can build a very strong power here. It'll be too late for other sinner groups to move in if I stretch my branches far enough in the early stages. If I can secure the cooperation of the local Sinless branch and the local government, then no one will be able to shake my position."

"Mm… I can agree to this." He nodded. "However, I plan to make this the base of operations for a new Sinless HQ in the western hemisphere. Even if we hold a secret alliance, there will no doubt be clashes between the lower-level members of our two groups."

"That's fine with me." The old man stroked his beard. "We can use it as training for the newbies in both our groups. We both stand to gain. So, do we have an accord?"

"I have one more condition. I want several sets of clothes that can block mana-waves to hide my identity." He grabbed a nearby sheet of paper and pen. Then he began to draw a sketch on it. "I also want several masks that block mana-waves. Use this sketch as the basis. If you agree, then we'll rule Reef city together. You'll exist in the shadows while my group stands in the light. We'll unite against any outside forces."

Phantom picked up the paper and examined it. "I can agree to this. It isn't a large request. In exchange, tell me, why is an esper trying to gain control of Sinless?"

"Simple." Ed smiled. "I'll make a power that can stand on par with the federal government. No one will be able to threaten me any longer. I'll also obtain vast resources to contribute to my research and design in engineering."

"Is that so? Quite an ambitious youngster."

The two shook hands to conclude the deal.