Chapter 3 | First Catch

Chapter 3: Chapter 3 | First Catch

The television on Dex’s desk was on when Zane woke up.

He hadn’t even noticed Dex had a television. It was small, propped up between a figurine of a silver haired girl with big boobs and a stack of instant noodle cups, angled toward the bed like it had always been there and always would be.

Dex was already up, sitting at his desk in a loose shirt and shorts, eating breakfast directly from a pot and watching the morning news with the volume low enough to be considerate and high enough to still be annoying.

Zane lay on his back and stared at the ceiling lost in thoughts .

Gerald wheezed.

["....and in what many are calling a long overdue development," the news anchor said, her voice carrying the particular brightness of someone delivering good news they personally approved of, "the NSA has officially announced the appointment of a new Number Three ranked hero following the vacancy left by the late Garrett Calloway."]

Zane went still.

["The newly appointed hero, operating under the codename Sovereign’s Successor, made her public debut yesterday with the successful arrest of two armed suspects at the Vance City Momentum Bank. Speaking at a press conference last evening, she pledged full commitment to the city and stated her intention to carry not only the legacy of her predecessor but his pride as well."]

The Newscaster smiled.

["Vance City’s Number Three seat has been empty for nearly eight months. Many consider this appointment long overdue."]

The screen cut to footage. A woman in a white and gold hero suit, tall, composed, standing in front of the Momentum Bank with two suspects on the ground behind her. Cameras everywhere. She looked comfortable in front of them — the kind of comfort that took years to build.

Dex glanced over his shoulder.

Zane hadn’t moved.

"You good?" Dex said." It’s news about your dad. I could change it..".

"Nah it’s okay," Zane said. Somehow this body still felt some sort of emotions from the previous owner.

’Pity?’ he thought. ’Not even close. Garrett Calloway wasn’t his father. Not really. Just a name he’d inherited along with a body and a reputation he hadn’t earned.

Whatever grief belonged to that man belonged to the original and the original was gone.’

’The only thing worth feeling anything about was the fact that Garrett had left behind a legacy so suffocating that the boy born into it couldn’t survive it.’

’That part he could acknowledge.’

’Everything else was just politics.’

Dex looked at him for a second longer than necessary then turned back to his pot.

The news anchor moved on to traffic.

Zane sat up slowly. He reached over and turned the news off without asking. Dex didn’t say anything.

’Eight months,’ Zane thought. ’They waited eight months and then replaced him the week his son walked through their academy gates.’

『 System Note: Coincidences in hero politics are rarely coincidences. 』

’I know,’ he thought.

He swung his legs off the bed and sat on the edge for a moment. The room was quiet except for Gerald doing his usual thing.

Zane was still staring at the television when the notification appeared.

Ding!

『 NEW QUEST ISSUED 』

『 Objective: Absorb your first Sigil 』

『 Time Limit: 5:00 』

『 Reward: Parasite Aura Range +0.1 meters 』

『 Penalty: Dick size reduced by 50% 』

Zane stared at that last line for a long moment.

’What,’ he thought.

『 You read it correctly. 』

’What does my dick have to do with any of this.’

『 Motivation comes in many forms. The clock is running. 』

Zane looked at the timer ticking down in the corner of his vision.

[4:47].

[4:46].

’This system is insane,’ he thought and the reward is a measly 0.1 metres.

『 Four minutes forty four seconds. 』

Then Dex stood up to stretch and cracked his knuckles.

Boom!

It was a short sharp impact that sent a visible dent into the side of his wooden desk. A clean circular indent, like something had hit it from the inside out.

A small cloud of dust lifted from the corner where the wood had compressed.

Dex looked at the dent.

"Third one this month," he said, unbothered.

『 SIGIL ACTIVITY DETECTED 』

『 Bearer: DEX [UNKNOWN SURNAME] 』

『 Sigil: IMPACT BREAKER — C-RANK 』

『 Acquisition window: OPEN 』

『 Awaiting host approval. 』

Zane looked at the notification.

Then at the dent in the desk.

Then at the timer.

3:21.

Then at Dex, who had already moved on and was pulling a fresh shirt over his head like nothing had happened.

’Approve,’ Zane thought. ’It’s like the system is persistent about me absorbing his Sigil .’

『 Acquisition attempt initiating. 』

The warmth came fast this time. Not behind his eyes like before. In his hands. Both of them, palms first, a low pulse that moved up through his wrists and forearms and settled somewhere in his chest before going quiet.

『 QUEST COMPLETE 』

『 Reward: Parasite Aura Range +0.1 meters 』

『 New Range: 3.3 meters 』

『 ACQUISITION SUCCESSFUL 』

『 Sigil Absorbed: IMPACT BREAKER — C-RANK 』

『 Current Output: 40% of base 』

『 Slot: 1 / 2 FILLED 』

『 Degradation Timer: 7 days — use regularly to maintain. 』

『 System Note: Output scales with familiarity. The better you know the original bearer the higher your usable percentage of their Sigil. Strangers cap at 40%. Acquaintances reach 60%. Those you are genuinely close to unlock up to 90%. Certain system upgrades can increase these base limits further. 』

Zane looked at his hands.

They looked exactly the same.

’So I need to actually get to know people to use their power properly,’ he thought.

『 Correct. Theft without understanding has limits. 』

’And the fifty percent penalty.’

『 Was never going to happen. Probably. 』

’Probably.’

『 The clock expired with two minutes to spare. Focus on what matters. 』

Zane looked at Dex pulling his shirt down and picking up his bag.

"Morning classes start in twenty minutes." Dex glanced at him. "You coming or are you going to sit there looking at your hands."

Zane stood up.

"Coming," he said.

He flexed his right hand once on the way to the door.

Nothing happened. No discharge. No pulse. Nothing.

’How do I activate it?’ he thought.

『 Figure it out. That is part of the process. 』

’You are genuinely the worst,’ he thought.

『 You absorbed your first Sigil on day two. 』

『 You’re welcome. 』

Dex held the door open.

Zane walked through the door.

Behind them Gerald wheezed once, long and slow, like a sendoff.