Ansem Rain.
A character in a popular novel I was reading. However he wasn't a hero. He was a villain.
A bad guy who used his good looks to seduce innocent girls and then throw them away after he had his fill. Involved with criminal organizations to import drugs.
Later in the novel he gets involved with the worst thing possible.
Demons.
In his desperation to get back at the heroes he made a soul binding contract with the demon Belial. He couldn't wait till his power was consolidated to pick a fight with the heroes.
He was quickly killed and they were showered with praise.
Now I was looking him in the face...
The problem was that I was staring at a reflection in a mirror.
"Possession."
I was almost afraid to say it aloud but there wasn't another possibility I could think of. I had clear memories of another life on Earth. Too real and vivid to be a delusion.
But I had more pressing matters right now.
I pulled my shirt apart and saw a glowing tattoo on my left chest. Above my heart. It was the mark of Belial. A hollow crown with a horizontal line going through it.
It glowed a soft purple. Pulsing at the same rhythm as my heart beat.
A sign that I was already contracted with the demon. It was too late to change that part of the story. I had to find a way to survive though.
I looked at the date carefully.
One week until the year officially starts and I would be dead.
Thankfully the mark was still in it's initial phase. That means I wasn't currently at risk of being losing myself entirely to Belial's control.
Still that didn't mean I was out of danger. I essentially had a tracking device in my chest that I couldn't get rid of. The demons could find me at any time, and if the mark was found I would be killed by humans.
*sigh*
"This is such a headache. I have to watch my back for both humans AND demons. All while having to learn how to make use of Ansem's powers."
Status.
A screen appeared in front of me after I willed it in my mind. Thankfully things were similar to a game to me which gave me an advantage and a hope for survival in this world.
[Ansem Rain]
[Title: Belial's Slave]
[Stats:
Strength : F-
Constitution : F-
Agility : F-
Dexterity : F-
Magic : F-
Spirit : F-
Will : F-
Charm : F-]
[Talents: Fear Monger (SSS-Rank)]
I closed the window with my mind but I didn't just brush past what I saw. There were two kinds of humans in this world.
Regular humans that were slightly healthier than in my previous world. The average lifespan of a person in this world was around 100 years old if someone died of old age. If you include unnatural causes of death the average life span drops dramatically to 28 years old.
Almost three quarters of a century difference.
The reason?
Monsters born from the existence of mana in this world. They were strong, resilient, and some had control over mana. They were capable of using magic to unleash widespread destruction.
This made regular humans helpless.
That was where Vanguards came in. Humans who awakened mana in their bodies, allowing them to harness mana to cast spells and enhance their physical strength.
I was barely different than a normal human physically, but with training my body would get stronger.
That is only when you don't factor in magic.
Ansem Rain had a special kind of magic that he refused to take advantage of because it was not as flashy as other types of magic.
His unique magic allowed him to control and summon ghosts. It had a lot of potential but it wasn't one where the caster would get a lot of fame. That was why he looked down on it.
I didn't share that same sentiment.
The ability to summon ethereal enemies that couldn't be seen was insanely over powered in my opinion.
But I had to learn how to use mana. I didn't inherit any memories from Ansem so I had no idea how my own magic worked or even how to use mana in general.
So for the next week I spent the entire time learning how to use my mana. Online forums, guides, instructional videos, and even going to a class for children.
All that work just to get to the bare minimum of being able to cast a single spell.
But I could make it work.
[Ghost Slash - Lvl. 1]
Once I managed to successfully cast the spell it unlocked a new system feature where I could see all my skills and they could even be leveled up with repeated use.
I was thankful that the previous Ansem had already completed the entrance exam and I didn't have to worry about it. Instead I was gifted time to grow my strength without people having expectations of me.
I looked over myself in the mirror.
"Ansem really was good looking. Sharp features, intense purple eyes and this mysterious white hair. I feel like a K-Pop idol almost with this level of looks."
But I knew that I wasn't even that good looking by this world's standard. Instead I was actually just above average. The presence of mana meant that people's looks reached an insane level because there were so many people who had blemish free skin.
Since my outfit was in order I quickly grabbed my cellphone and headed out of my apartment for the last time. I left the door unlocked since there would be a worker coming by later to move my stuff to my dorm.
I walked with a purpose as I boarded the train to my new school.
'Can't believe I am going back to school again... I thought once was bad enough.'
****
Riley was watching a group of men surrounding a woman on the train. She grit her teeth as they began to make crude comments and laugh loudly on the train.
"A chef? Haha I bet you're a great cook! I would love to come over and try some of your cooking sometime. How about... Tonight?"
The other men laughed as well. Chiming in.
"Dinner for four!"
"I'm more interested in dessert. Hehehehe..."
They hadn't crossed a line yet so Riley hadn't interfered yet. She didn't want to get into something that could potentially make her late for her morning classes at her new school, but she wouldn't just sit by if they did anything besides making crude jokes.
As she was letting out deep breaths a scream entered her ears.
"AH! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"
Riley shot to her feet and grabbed her sword. Before she could get there though a teenager was standing in the crowd holding the hand of one of the men tightly.
Riley's breath hitched for a moment as she took in the man's features. He had beautiful white hair that looked like snow. His eyes were beautifully piercing even though his expression was far from friendly right now.
"Touch her again. You lose your hand."
The sentence came out casually but the content of it was not.
For a moment the men seemed to be considering what they should do but one of them didn't wait to think about the situation. He grabbed the white haired boy by the collar only to stop suddenly.
A thin cut appeared on the man's throat.
At first even he didn't notice it but after a moment he slowly let go of the white haired boy. His hand slowly reached towards his neck and the action caught the attention of the rest of the group.
"Aye, you good Adam?"
Adam however slowly looked at his hand which had blood on it.
Riley sword she could hear his heart literally stop beating from where she was. She was in the same situation though.
'I-I didn't even see him pull out a weapon! Much less swing a sword that fast!'
The feat was a show of absolute strength.
"I didn't think I had to extend a threat to each person individually."
The teen never turned his eyes off the leader of the group though. Staring deeply into his eyes like he was staring into his soul.
"The next one won't end with a papercut."
The temperature of the air dropped. The air shook and an invisible pressure descended on the entire train car. The only person who could move casually was the white haired teen.
Riley had thoughts even while she was frozen in place.
'This pressure! It's on the same level as Master! But he looks like he's just my age?'
Before the situation could escalate any further the train pulled into the station and the doors opened with a chime.
"Oso Station."
The pressure was lifted as the teen let go of the wrist he was holding and turned towards the woman who was sitting nervously in the center of it all.
"Is this your stop ma'am?"
The woman flinched slightly at the sudden sound but quickly pulled herself together. She grabbed her bag and nodded. She hesitated slightly but took the hand of the teen that was extended to her before they both stepped off the train.
Riley was still taking in everything that just happened when a mechanical voice sounded.
"Leaving Oso Station."
"Oh shit!"
Riley grabbed her bag and shot through the gap between the doors just as they were closing. Her speed was hard to track for humans but she did it casually.
After all.
She was the Sword Saint's disciple.
****
[Ghost Slash activated!]
[Fear Monger deactivating.]
I was barely standing. My vision was blurry but somehow I stayed on my feet long enough to get the woman into a cab.
She thanked me but I brushed it off before hailing a taxi of my own. I hurried inside and felt the strength completely leave my body. The mask of indifference shedding instantly as sweat began to pour down my face.
"Uh... Hey kid are you okay?"
I was in the backseat breathing heavily. Gasping for air hungrily.
"I'm."
*gasp*
"Fine."
*gasp*
"Academy."
The driver raised his eyebrow in the rear view mirror before shaking his head and pulling away from the train station.
"If it's your first day shouldn't you at least wait to do drugs until after you get there? Kids these days..."
I heard what he had said but I was too exhausted to argue.
My thoughts went back to the events on the train. I wasn't interested in being a hero or a saint. When I first saw the group of men harassing that woman all I felt was that it was annoying to have to witness this on my way to school.
'Public transportation is always such a pain. I can't wait until I am at the academy and don't have to go anywhere.'
Was the thought that went through my head when everything started happening.
But my plan to stay out of things changed when I saw them openly grope her on the train.
Without thinking I stood up and grabbed the wrist of the one who felt so bold as to grope the woman without her permission.
Even as I used all my strength I could feel that the man wasn't much weaker than me.
Afraid he would try his luck at pulling his arm back I used the most even tone I could to intimidate the group.
Even as I said it I internally cringed. If they didn't fall for my bluff I would get beaten down right here on my first day of school. I had no confidence in being able to defend myself against four people.
So when one of the other men grabbed me I reacted on instinct because I thought a fight was going to break out.
I used Ghost Slash.
The result...
Was pathetic. I left a small paper thin cut on the man's neck when I truthfully was trying to mortally wound him.
Then my talent activated and I was given a lifeline.
[Fear Monger activated.]
[Aura of Fear activated.]
My 'useless' talent activated on its own.
I would release an invisible wave of pressure on everyone around me. This would be amplified depending on the amount of fear a target feels towards me and could grow the more their fear grew.
It was a useless ability because it didn't actually improve my combat power. Instead it could lead to momentary hesitation or other mind games, but that wasn't ranked very highly in my mind.
However I didn't think about the application it could have in other aspects of life. I knew it's true strength now.
'Weak against the strong. Strong against the weak.'
I had a single thought as I rode the taxi in silence now.
'Even my talent is made for a villain.'