When Loki woke up, it was already past noon. The previous evening was too vivid in his memory, and he couldn't stop thinking about it for a while. He couldn't believe how easy it was killing. Should he feel bad? He wasn't sure. After lying in a bed for an hour, he decided to get up.
"Well, what should I do today?" He sighed heavily.
A few moments later, he walked to his wardrobe and pulled out some clothes: A black hoodie, skinny jeans, converse sneakers, a grey t-shirt and a jacket. He also threw some money on his table and put on his shoes.
*Knock* *Knock*
Loki heard someone knocking.
"Come in." He shouted.
"Good morning, Lokes." Came the familiar voice from the other side.
"Morning, Darv." Loki returned the greeting with a fake smile on his lips.
Darvin came into view and closed the door behind him. Loki noticed that his brother was holding a large cup.
"What's that? Is it coffee?" Loki asked.
"Even better," Darvin smirked and handed it to him. "Whiskey!"
Loki took the glass and downed one shot without hesitation. The liquid burned his throat and stomach and spread to his entire body, making his whole body warm. After that, he coughed out some coughs.
Darvin chuckled lightly. "You're welcome."
"Thanks," Loki mumbled and looked at him. "Darv, could I join your gang?"
"What? Why?" Darvin asked confusedly.
"Because I'm sick of doing nothing," Loki explained. "Look how everyone is treating me at school. I can't take it anymore. So let me join your gang."
"Why me?" Darvin asked curiously. "Your power seems top tier, and you can join any gang you want."
"Because you're my brother." Loki rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. "Besides, you are strong yourself. Your power of hellfire is amazing!"
Darvin smiled too. "Okay, okay, but I do not promise anything. If you screw up, I'm going to kick your ass."
"Deal." Loki grinned at him.
"And if they say or do anything funny-" Darvin raised his eyebrows challengingly. "Don't hesitate to beat them."
Loki nodded and finished what was left of his whiskey.
"But first..." Darvin said with a smirk, "Show me your powers!"
Loki smirked back as he activated the eye of chaos. Then he placed the empty glass on the table and concentrated on his mana manipulation. The miniature tornado began to form inside of the glass.
Loki felt Darvin tense up beside him.
"Woah...!" He muttered. He held his breath in anticipation.
Moments after the tornado was gone, the glass exploded.
"Woah!" Darvin gasped again. He didn't know what to say because Loki was fantastic. "Damn!"
"What?" Loki giggled. "right now, I can manipulate wind at will!"
"Cool! Do it again!" Darvin urged.
"No, let me show you something even better," Loki said. "You're going to love this. Hehe!"
"Sure!" Darvin responded eagerly.
"Punch me," Loki said. "In the face."
"WHAT?!" Darvin exclaimed, shocked.
"Punch me in the face. Aim for the nose."
"Are you out of your mind?" Darvin demanded. "I am not punching you."
Loki pouted, "Fine!"
Loki grabbed a knife and stabbed his own leg. Blood immediately started gushing out.
"Ow..." Loki gasped and dropped the knife.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Darvin shouted in panic. "You're bleeding!"
Loki looked down and saw a cut on his calf, knowing it was deep.
"That's your fault," Loki said weakly. "You should have punched me when I asked."
Loki touched the golden mana snowflake and began to heal himself. The wound visibly closed up without leaving a scar.
"Holy mother of--!" Darvin covered his mouth in shock.
"See?" Loki chuckled. "I'm fine."
"WHAT?!"
He exclaimed again.
"Jeez. Stop yelling." Loki told him impatiently.
"Two elements... Healing and wind powers." Darvin murmured. "This is crazy." He shook his head. "You have two powers."
Loki's grin faltered. "Maybe. Anyway, about your gang. Let's go and introduce me to them."
"Oh... Yeah..." Darvin scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Go change your pants. These are stained with blood now."
"Good point," Loki exclaimed and went to change his clothes. After that, Loki and Darvin left the house and went to the gang's meeting place at the edge of the city
***
An hour later, Loki and Darvin arrived at their destination. When they came, everyone else seemed surprised. All of them stopped what they were doing.
"Hiya, guys." Darvin waved happily and, with Loki, walked inside the abandoned building that was used as a hangout place for him and his friends.
"Where have you been? We have been waiting." Jake questioned.
"Sorry. You'll see." Darvin replied and led Loki towards a group of teens who were sitting around a table. Three beautiful girls and four guys.
"Hey, Darv." One guy greeted them and stood up when they came close. "Who is this dude?"
"This is Loki." Darvin introduced them. "My younger brother."
Everyone went silent as they eyed Loki suspiciously. They all looked like teenagers, except that they were older.
"Nice to meet you." A beautiful red-haired girl from their table said.
"Likewise," Loki answered.
He tried not to look away because she was looking at him intensely. It made him uncomfortable.
"My name is Jessica." She extended her hand, and Loki shook it awkwardly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, I am Rebecca! And this sleepyhead is Jasmine!" The green-haired girl introduced herself and her black-haired friend, who was taking a nap at the table.
"Nice to meet you," Loki murmured and sat beside Darvin.
"So..." Another boy named Josh approached them from another corner and sat next to his girlfriend, Rachel. "Is your brother a magic-user or has superpowers?" He asked Darvin curiously.
"Superpowers," Darvin stated confidently. "Healing and wind manipulation."
Loki gave an awkward smile and nodded.
"Wow! Can you heal others or just self-heal?" Josh continued to ask. "Can you heal injuries or even illnesses?."
"I can heal others as well" Loki shrugged casually. "I can heal both."
Loki never had a chance to heal illnesses yet, or other people. However, he knew from the novel that after stealing Loki's power, Jared was able to heal anything with golden mana snowflakes. Even return people from the dead, as long as the person died recently.
Josh gasped. "Really?"
"Darv. I will need your brother's help." Suddenly a black-haired girl who was taking a nap stood up. "Loki, could you heal someone for me?" She requested.
"Huh..." Loki hesitated for a moment. "Sure, sure, I guess. But what's in it for me?"
She took him by surprise by giving him a peck on the cheek. "Anything you want."
"Hey!" Darvin exclaimed in shock and glared at her furiously. "Don't even think of seducing my brother."
"Fine." She gritted her teeth. "Anyway, Loki. I will pay you with mana gems. Will five mana gems be enough?"
Loki thought of it for a minute and decided he would do it for free. He didn't want their first impression of Loki to be bad. He knew that one day he would be the leader of this group, so he needed their complete trust and respect to lead them to Loki's most tremendous success. He wants them to owe him, and he will make them repay with loyalty.
"I was just kidding." with a smirk on his face, he added. "First heal will be on the house."