章 20: Difference?

~Omniscient Pov~

'Shit... Shitty, shit, and more shit...' Ezra mumbled in his head. He didn't think the differences from his little growth spurt would've been this big.

He put on his work shirt, which by the way, was comfortable before, but now? It was tightly hugging his body... And, he was running late already, so he decided to suck it up for now. It couldn't be that bad, right?

As he finished changing into his clothes, he headed outside the changing room, realizing it was one of the busier days; But, as soon as he did so, he felt more off than usual...

"Hey... Whoah... Since when did you get so-" He heard his friend Lisa from behind him mumble.

However he cut her off before she finished, "I can't explain, just ignore it." He quickly passed by to get the things needed ready. While he did that, she just kept staring...

'Kinda hard when you look that good...' She mumbled in her head, before snapping out of it and continuing her work.

Ezra on the other hand took a deep breath, trying to push the awkwardness aside. He moved quickly, preparing orders and serving customers, all while feeling the tightness of his shirt, and the strange new readiness of his altered body...

Even though the day was hectic, he found himself constantly on the move, barely having a moment to think properly.

Despite the busyness, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. His coworkers, regulars, and even new customers seemed like they were taking more notice of him. It was both flattering and a bit unnerving.

His senses, even more heightened than before, picked up on some of the whispered comments and lingering glances, making it a little difficult to focus.

"Ezra, can you handle table five?" Lisa called out, snapping him back to reality.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, grabbing a tray and heading over.

As he approached the table, he noticed the familiar blonde-haired woman sitting there, her eyes were already fixed on him. Then she smiled as he arrived, and he couldn't help but return the gesture, albeit slightly awkwardly.

"Hi, what can I get you today?" he asked, trying to keep his tone as professional as possible.

"Just a coffee, please," she replied, her eyes never leaving his. He could tell, she felt oddly bolder for some reason, but he slipped it at the back of his mind, for now at least...

"Of course, coming right up," Ezra said, jotting down the order and heading back to the counter.

He prepared her coffee with practiced ease, but his mind was elsewhere. The day's events and his recent changes were swirling in his thoughts, especially the man he had held captive since yesterday; Plus, he knew he also needed to find a way to sort of balance his little changes with his everyday life again, but for now, he had to get through the day without any complications...

Now finished preparing it, he handed the coffee to her and gave her a small smile. "Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thank you," she said, her gaze lingering on him a moment longer before she took a sip...

Ezra turned back to his tasks, trying to ignore the feeling of being under what he considered a literal microscope. For now, he just had to make it through the day, one step at a time. However, just as he was about to walk away, he felt a piece of paper in his hand...

'I wonder what she slipped me.' He thought, curious as to what it was, he opened it, and saw it read, "Call me, Amber: 111-232-348..." Ezra quickly went wide-eyed reading the damned thing.

'Did... Did I get hit on?' He asked himself, not really used to the approach... This was a first. He turned towards her, realizing she was looking towards his way as well, and he smiled awkwardly, 'So, her name's Amber... Not bad...' As he did so, he crushed the small note in front of his face and quickly threw it towards the nearest trash can.

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~Amber's Pov~

'He, threw it... He threw it away right in front of me...' I kept seeing the event play right out in my mind. Not believing it actually happened.

All those days were wasted... The connection I felt between us, I thought I felt... Was that in my mind the entire time? I don't, I don't know what to do...

'I-I can't stay here...' Words can't describe the sheer embarrassment I feel right now. How could he just, do it in front of me? Just like that! Was his good guy act a facade?

I just felt my body moving on its own, I just couldn't stay here, anymore... And, I left. I walked and walked, and continued walking till both my legs hurt. I just can't believe that really happened.

Vrrmmm~

My phone... It's ringing... It must be Dad... He's probably worried about me. I looked around a bit, ignoring the ache in my legs...

'It's the evening now... Just-Just how long did I walk?' the thought alone was fucking pathetic. The first time I confess is also the first time I've been rejected. It felt like absolute crap... I feel like absolute crap...

I can't just ignore my own father either. So I took it out of my pocket and answered. Ensuring my voice was fine before I spoke.

"Hey~ Dad. What's up?" I tried sounding as ok as I could...

"'Hey, Dad?' Do I have the wrong number?" The voice responded, but... It wasn't my father... I recognized it. It's Ezra... But, he threw away my number, so how is he calling me?

"E-Ezra?"

"Hey, Amber right? And, yeah, it's me. Wanted to call back." His voice sounded oddly casual as if he hadn't just thrown away her note earlier. "I wanted to apologize for what happened... Plus, it might have looked like I threw your number away..."

I felt my heart racing a mile a minute. I was torn between both confusion and hope... "You did throw my number away, right in front of me too... What's there to confuse?" I asked, I was still pretty upset about it... I sighed, "Why call now?"

There was a brief pause before he responded. "Well~" That's one long well, "That's because I threw it away from not needing it anymore... I haven't said this to anyone but, I've got both eidetic and photographic memory, remembering things is as easy as breathing for me."

So... He didn't reject me? He threw away my number because he remembered after seeing it once. God must have been playing some prank on me...

"Hahaha..." I laughed, what else could I do? This whole thing was a huge misunderstanding...

"I... I'm sorry for assuming the worst," I admitted, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. "I just thought..."

"I know, it must have looked bad," Ezra said, his tone softening. "But I didn't mean to offend you, or make you feel embarrassed; if that happened of course."

There was a moment of silence as I processed everything. "So, what now?" I asked, my heart still pounding.

"How about we start over?" He suggested, and it sounded like a great idea right about now. "Maybe... dinner? I could use a break from the café, and I owe you an explanation."

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through me. "That... That sounds nice. When?"

"I would say... Tomorrow evening? I'll pick you up at seven?" He said, but I could tell he was asking a question and an offer, one I wouldn't say no.

"Alright, it's a date," I said, feeling literal butterflies in my stomach... Gosh, I feel like a kid...

After we hung up, I couldn't stop smiling. What had started as a disaster had turned into something promising? Maybe things were finally looking up.

Amber took a deep breath, her emotions swirling. She wanted to believe him, to give him a chance to explain. "Fine. But this is your only chance, Ezra. Don't mess it up."

I heard him let out just a small chuckle over the phone... "Guess I'll have to thank you then," Ezra said. "How about we meet up tomorrow at 6 PM? The cafe where I work?"

"Okay," I agreed, who wouldn't? "I'll-I'll see you then."

After we hung up, I sat down for a moment, letting everything sink in... The day had been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster, but now, there was a bit of hope for me.

I must look like an idiot, I can feel my smile... And on that thought, I should call my parents...

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~Ezra's Pov~

The call ended, and I let out a sigh of relief... That had gone better than I expected. I couldn't help but smile really, thinking about how things had turned around for me. Tomorrow would be interesting, to say the least.

For now? I needed to focus on finishing my shift and getting through the rest of the day. But in the back of my mind, I was already planning what to say and do when I saw her again. Plus, this was my chance to start an actual relationship in both my lives, and I wasn't gonna waste it, especially not on her.

But, before that... I have some prior commitments...

I quickly cleaned up what I needed to, and left. Another person was waiting for me.

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~Omniscient Pov, Another hour later~

The creaks of a sliding door opened. Through it, a familiar figure appeared... The captured man looked upwards. Realizing who it was...

"E-Enigma... Wh-What do you want from me, I told ya' everything I knew!"

Enigma, now fully transformed, stepped into the dimly lit warehouse. His presence cast a longer shadow than it used against the cold, concrete walls... The captured man's eyes widened with fear as Enigma approached.

"Heh... You're still of use to me," Enigma replied, his voice cold and unyielding. "I have more questions, and you'll provide the answers."

The man's face paled. "I-I already told you everything! Please, I don't know anything else!"

However, Ezra's expression remained unknown... "Perhaps. But I believe you can recall more with the right... incentive." He cracked his knuckles, a menacing sound echoing through the room.

The man's breath quickened, panic setting in. "Please, no! I'll tell you anything, just don't hurt me!"

Enigma leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing... "Good. Start talking."

The interrogation continued, with Ezra extracting every bit of information he could. Time passed slowly, the tension in the room palpable. Finally, satisfied with the answers he received, Ezra stepped back...

"That will do for now..." he said, knowing the man had nothing else to hide. In a small motion, he raised his right hand, opening it slowly.

"Wh-What are you doing?" The man asked as he watched as his captor released large amounts of electricity. Crackling and zaps of lightning spread throughout the warehouse. However, slowly it all condensed back into his palms.

The electricity slowly took the shape of a spear, until finally it was finished forming. Revealing a weapon of pure energy in the form of a spear. Sparks of electricity sparked off of it. It was the length of six and a half feet as well...

"T-The hell? What are you doing!!" The man yelled.

"I can't just let you live and walk away, my little friend... Think of it as... retribution for those you killed." Ezra said behind his mask. He slowly pointed the spear towards the man.

"I was working on this little thing for a few weeks... It's still a prototype, but it does the job... I call it; the Hasta-Fulminis¹." Ezra added. In an instant, the weapon of pure energy made contact with the man, and in mere moments. The man turned into nothing but a pile of ashes.

Vaporizing him into nothingness... Ezra stared at the remains, his expression unreadable behind the mask. The room was silent except for the faint hum of dissipating energy...

'ECHO. How powerful was that attack in both Joules and Volts? For it to turn him into ashes instantly, it has to be quite potent...' He asked in his mind. He wasn't sure how powerful his attack was. He just knew that it was strong, but not specifically on how powerful it really was.

[Calculating... Calculating... Based on my current readings; taking the fact it is 1/3 of your maximum capacity. The amount of energy being emitted is approximately 636 Peta-Joules, or 63.6 Quadrillion Volts worth of energy. Which is enough energy to level an entire city...]

'Huh, I guess I can level an entire city in an instant If I wanted...? Good to know.'

While now finished with his work. He needed to head home and figure out what he needed to do next. For now, Ezra at least hoped he made somewhat of a difference... One less of these kinds of people means one more town is essentially alive and thriving.

So, he made peace with that fact.