Chapter 9: Chapter 9- Cipher
The moment Malice heard the man speaking, he felt his heart almost drop to his stomach. His entire body froze in its place as he didn't move an inch. Holding his breath, he closed his eyes.
'How did he notice I was here? I made sure to stay as far away as possible. Did I make it too obvious?' A thousand questions popped into his head and yet he couldn't find a single answer.'
"I said show yourself. There is no point in hiding." The man repeated again.
'Damn it! What should I do? Should I just run away? Can I even run away if he tried to chase me? He wouldn't chase me, right? I'm just a huge fool with too much greed for his own good!' Clenching his teeth, Malice was about to turn around and start running for his life.
However, before he could make a move, he heard another voice in the alley.
"Haha! Look who we have here!"
Stopping in his tracks, Malice listened again. He heard the sound of a group of people appearing out of nowhere. Taking a peek slowly, he saw a gang of criminals appearing from different alleys as they surrounded the Marked Noble.
"Did you know that we were following you the entire time?" The one in the middle, who seemed to be the leader said with a mocking grin. He had one of his arms replaced with a rusty metal prosthetic and he had many scars across his body, mixed with distorted tattoos.
He looked as menacing as they came. Malice could recognize the leader's face since this gang was quite notorious in the slums. They were one of the main gangs that had their feet dipped in the Mindworm drug business and other criminal activities.
"You weren't trying to hide your presence, were you?" The man replied casually. He didn't seem perturbed by their numbers.
"Oi, boys, he's saying that we aren't good at our job. What a funny guy you are!"
The entire gang started laughing as they looked at him with mockery in their eyes. They didn't seem perturbed by his oddly calm demeanor.
Meanwhile, Malice had a completely different feeling. For some reason, his heart felt even colder than before as his senses started going off. 'I-I need to leave right now. This is getting out of control.'
Without turning around, he started running away as fast as he could. He didn't care what was going to happen there, it was none of his business. 'This is a sign for me to mind my own business!'
Quickly, the boy vanished in the massive crowds of people. He ran for minutes without stopping, he even kept looking behind him to make sure that there was no one following him. After crossing multiple blocks and entering a small alley, he finally sat down, heaving up and down tiredly.
"Hah… Hah… I think I'm far enough… Hah!! I'm so tired!" Resting his head against the wall, he stared at the exit of the alley with a frown. For some reason, even though he had ran as fast and as far as he could, the feeling of unease was still there.
'He didn't even realize that I was there. Why am I feeling worried?' He thought to himself as he tried to calm down. He had made a grave mistake by following this man. Usually, Marked Nobles were carefree, arrogant, and very easy to trick. So, even though they had faster reflexes and sharper senses, Malice could easily steal from them.
However, this man was completely different. Malice's senses were telling him exactly that. At first, he tried to ignore it and follow him but when he saw the gang surround him, that feeling sank in deeper.
A few moments passed just like that, and Malice's breathing grew fainter and fainter. Eventually, he was back to normal. As he was about to stand up again, suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as his eyes widened.
Looking up in a hurry, he couldn't see anything. Looking behind him, he still saw nothing. But, the cold sensation was still there. A feeling of imminent threat.
'What is happening?' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, he started crawling toward the exit of the alley. The more he got closer, the more fearful he became.
'Is he there? Did he find me? How did he find me? Goddamit! Just leave me alone! I really want nothing to do with this!' He cursed in his head as he took a peek at the main street. There, people were still moving as usual. He couldn't see any hooded figure.
"Did I.. Imagine that?"
For a second there, Malice felt as if someone was looking at him. Someone extremely dangerous. But, there was no trace of said person. A few grueling moments passed by with nothing happening.
'I… I guess he isn't here?' As he was about to turn around, he heard a voice behind him.
"How did you get that mark?"
Immediately, his heart skipped a beat as he jumped back. There, behind him, the same hooded man was standing casually.
'What?! Where did he come from? This is a closed alley, for god's sake!' He thought to himself as he tried to run.
But, the man suddenly vanished and appeared in front of him like a ghost.
"AAGH!" Malice fell to the ground, terrified to the core.
"You aren't going anywhere. Answer my question, how did you get that mark?" The man asked in a slightly annoyed voice.
"... I don't know…" Malice replied with a wavering voice.
'Dammit, he saw my mark already?! I can't tell him about the shard… He will feel even more suspicious…' He thought to himself secretly.
The man squinted his eyes under the hood as he suddenly crouched, making Malice move back.
"What an odd one you are. I have never met a slum brat bestowed with a Mark. When did you get it?" He asked with again as he extended his hand to grab Malice's arm. But, the latter didn't let him do that.
"I woke up yesterday and it was there… I don't know what it is or why it's there… S-Sir, do you have any idea?" He asked innocently.
'I can pretend that I'm clueless. Hopefully, that would help. Please be an idiot!'
"Yesterday? That explains why your core is still developing. When I first felt your presence, I really didn't think you were indeed Marked. But, what an interesting surprise it is."
"..."
"What's your name, little one?"
"... I'm, uh, I'm Malice…"
"Malice? Your name is really ominous."
'I'm sorry for having such a name! I didn't choose it!'
From what he heard, Malice's father named him during one of his Mindworm crapulences and so his name was this horrible word. It could've not gone any worse, as far as he was concerned. But, he grew familiar with this name not to care anymore.
"Well, it is what it is. Names are in the end just mere words. No point in judging." The man shrugged.
"... W-What about you, sir? Can I know your name?"
"Me? You can call me Cipher, the greatest researcher this world has ever seen." Cipher declared proudly.
"... The greatest researcher?"
'Is that some kind of nickname he has?' Malice raised an eyebrow confusedly.
"Do not bother with details now. It's a long story. Now, tell me… Do you want to change your life?"
"..." Malice blinked before tilting his head.
"Sigh, are you a moron? I said I can change your life, kid."
"No, I heard you the first time… I was just confused as to why you want to help me, sir."
Malice had never met in his life a Marked Noble who wanted to help a slum rat. It was almost a funny joke to even say it out loud. But, Cipher seemed quite serious about it.
"Why you ask? Well, let's say I'm in a really good mood today and you're a very curious case that I stumbled upon by coincidence. I dare say fate wants us to meet, Malice. So, what do you think? You're probably completely lost and don't know the fortune you came across. I can help you."
"For free?"
"Of course not, do I look like a charity to you? You're going to get my help and in return, I will get to look more into you. I have always been curious about the rare cases of people like you who have no bloodlines getting the blessing of the World Beyond. Something tells me I can learn a lot through you." He said.
'This man… He is dead serious, isn't he? But, should I really even trust him? I mean, he is extremely dangerous. But, then again, if he wanted, he could've killed me if he wished and I would've had no chance.'
Even more than that, Malice was indeed in need of help. Avatar didn't seem to have enough information to guide him in the real world, something that he needed urgently now that he has been Marked. Cipher was a Marked Noble and seemingly a very knowledgeable one.
He is the perfect individual to solve Malice's problem.
"I don't have the entire day to wait, kid. Do you want my help or should we go our separate ways?" He asked as he stood up.
'Ugh, dammit, I really shouldn't waste such an opportunity. Even if it turns out to be a horrible decision, I have minimal choices here.'
It was a little dilemma. Either gamble and get a huge reward and a true start to his journey or simply end up in a far worse situation. Either way, this was Malice's decision, and he could only trust his guts.
"Well, I guess you don't want it."
Looking up, Malice saw that Cipher was starting to walk away. So, he urgently yelled.
"I do need your help!"
That made Cipher stop as he turned around and stared at Malice. "Good. You should learn to take the hand that wants to help you, Malice. If I walked away, you would've probably remained in this hellhole for the rest of your life. I can sense that you fear me. But…"
Saying that Cipher approached Malice and extended his hand to help the boy stand up.
"As they say, Fear is the mother of all failures."
Looking up, Malice saw the hood on the man's head move a little, revealing a part of his face and a clear, red smear that covered his cheek. It was a blood stain.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone