Only after Reid closed the door and his footsteps faded down the hallway did Evan let out a big sigh of relief and collapse back onto his bed. "Crazy... I think I almost pissed myself."
To think Reid had shown up so suddenly and immediately assumed he was a demon. Evan had been certain he wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise.
As far as Reid was concerned, Evan had looked like a demon. He had possessed the other Evan's body, after all, which sounded like exactly the sort of thing a demon would do. But that wasn't his fault, okay? The System had shoved him into this mess. That was why he had no idea what Reid might do if he ever learned the truth. Evan had a feeling it would involve Reid beating him half to death, healing him with Sacred Light, then doing it all over until the "demon" finally gave up.
It sounded ridiculous, but there was precedent. Reuel had done exactly that in Chronicles of a Demon Hunter. The ordeal had lasted several chapters, with the author painstakingly describing every gruesome detail. Most Demon Hunters couldn't have pulled it off, but Reuel possessed such an absurd amount of Sacred Light that he could restore his victims to perfect health and subject them to the same punishment over and over until they wished they were dead.
Evan pictured himself in that demon's place. "I swear I don't know what happened to your brother's soul! The System shoved me into this body!" he would scream, only for Reid to dismiss it as another lie, restore him to full health, and start the punishment all over again. Evan would endure the same cycle until he was reduced to begging for it to end, yet even then, Reid would ignore his pleas, convinced the "demon" would eventually abandon the body. Evan shuddered. No way. He'd rather jump in front of a truck and hope he'd get transmigrated into a kinder world.
The demonic energy that had clung to him was no doubt the result of being pumped full of it during the sacrificial ritual. He had burned off most of it while fighting the wyvern, but traces still remained inside him. If he'd had more time, he would have tried to figure out a way to cleanse himself, but Reid had arrived unexpectedly and ruined that plan. An idea suddenly came to him. Evan summoned his status window and stared at the new line at the bottom.
[Name: Evan Whitfield]
[Age: 17 years old]
[Status: Awakened]
[Title: Transmigrator]
[Status Effect: The Curse of ■■■■■■]
[Skills:]
[-Main Character Who?]
[-You’re Not Supposed to See This]
[-Cry Later]
[-That’s Not How This Works]
[Demonic Energy Essence: 50]
Was that thing also responsible for Reid claiming he was soaked in demonic energy?
"System! I don’t need this! Delete it!" Evan hissed, jabbing a finger at the offending addition.
As usual, the System didn't respond, treating his complaints like nothing more than the wind.
"I know you're listening! This is going to get me killed! Why did you even give me this ridiculous, useless skill? Don't you know Reid's a Demon Hunter? There's no way he'll be okay with me walking around covered in demonic energy!"
Silence.
"Aaaargh!" Evan grabbed at his hair in frustration. Great. It seemed he couldn't just ignore this new ability after all. At this rate, he really might end up becoming a practitioner of the Demonic Arts. Evan's mind raced as he desperately searched for a way out of this mess.
About twenty minutes later, Reid returned with a freshly baked pizza. Evan had been staring blankly into space, his eyes as lifeless as a dead fish, but the moment the smell reached him, he sprang to life.
"Took you long enough!" Evan said, holding out both hands expectantly.
Reid handed the pizza box to Evan, who eagerly flipped it open and grabbed a slice. Gooey strands of melted mozzarella stretched from the slice as he pulled it free, while the pepperoni sat atop bubbling cheese.
Evan took a huge bite. The rich tomato sauce and smoky pepperoni filled his mouth. It had been a long time since he had eaten a good pizza. Back in his previous life, he could only afford the cheap convenience store slices, which were usually cold and stale. He finished off two slices before shooting Reid a question. "You haven't told me why you were here, by the way. Did... Hye-jin tell you I got kidnapped?"
"She did, but I was already on my way here when I got the call," Reid said. "I have several days off because a public holiday coincided with the weekend. I figured I'd come and give you a nice surprise."
Evan cringed. And instead I surprised you by getting kidnapped.
"Sorry," he said. "It wasn't intentional."
"I certainly hope you didn't intentionally let yourself get kidnapped," Reid said with an exasperated sigh. "But I suppose I should've expected you'd have your reckless teenage phase eventually. Still, chasing after that criminal by yourself? What were you thinking?"
Evan protested internally that it hadn't been his decision at all. It was all the System's fault. Outwardly, however, he could only lower his head and accept Reid's scolding.
"But it's not all bad, really!" Evan said.
Reid raised an eyebrow.
"I awakened!" Evan forced the biggest grin he could manage and tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible.
"You did?" Reid asked.
"Yeah. I only realized it after you left to buy the pizza. I guess that life-or-death situation triggered my awakening." Evan summoned his status window and gestured toward it. Judging by Reid's unfocused gaze, it didn't seem like he could see another person's System window the way Evan could. "I think I even unlocked several abilities!"
"Really? That's quite rare."
"They're, uh..." He glanced at the horribly named skills that didn't sound cool in the slightest. "Shadow Veil! Yeah, that one seems like a stealth ability, though I haven't tried it yet. I also have Indomitable Will. That sounds pretty cool, right?"
Reid gave him an encouraging smile. "Looks like you're going to become very strong."
Evan scratched the back of his head sheepishly and pointedly ignored the System's comment about him renaming his powers.
[(≖‿≖)]
"That's... not all, though," Evan said. "I also have another one. It's called... Fiend Form."
Reid frowned. "What does it do?"
"It says here..." Evan swallowed. "...that I can transform into a more powerful form. But it also says I need to gather Demonic Energy Essence to activate it."
He didn't dare look at Reid, but the drop in temperature was a clear enough warning about his brother's mood. This was a gamble, but Evan figured it was better to tell Reid about the skill now. Reid had already sensed the lingering demonic energy inside him and even mistaken him for a demon. It was better to prevent another misunderstanding later. Given Evan's terrible luck and the curse hanging over him, there was no chance he would avoid a situation where he had to use this skill eventually. If Reid discovered it then, today's disaster would only happen all over again. Better to defuse the bomb while he still could.
Reid remained silent for nearly a minute. "Evan..." He grabbed Evan by the shoulder. "No matter what happens, never use that skill, okay? Promise me."
Evan could only nod.
"That skill is dangerous, and you should stay as far away from anything related to the Demonic Arts as possible," Reid said, his dark eyes briefly flickering gold. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"Yeah, I promise."
"Since you've awakened, I'll schedule a visit to the Assessment Center. Hopefully they have an opening before I have to return to District 1."
The two finished off the pizza, and Evan finally got the long-needed nap he'd been craving. After the emotional roller coaster he'd endured since waking from his life-and-death ordeal, his body was utterly drained.
When he opened his eyes again, morning had arrived. Rubbing the sleep from his crusty eyes, he spotted Reid speaking with a doctor near the door. From the conversation, it seemed Reid was arranging Evan's discharge from the hospital. That probably wasn't difficult when Reid was an A-rank Healer.
Once the discharge was approved, Reid brought Evan home. The first thing Evan did was take a long, hot shower, letting the steaming water wash away the lingering hospital smell and the last remnants of fatigue. After drying off, he changed into a white T-shirt beneath a soft black hoodie, pulled on a pair of loose gray sweatpants, and slipped into comfortable white sneakers.
Not long after, the aroma of breakfast wafted from the kitchen. Reid had prepared thick slices of French toast dusted with powdered sugar, along with fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a bowl of mixed berries.
Evan's assessment was scheduled for the evening, leaving him with several hours to spare. He used the time to catch up on his schoolwork. His teachers had already heard about his kidnapping and certainly wouldn't fault him for falling behind, but he figured he should at least show some sincerity and finish his assignments. He also contacted Yuyan and Marcus to ask for notes from the lessons he'd missed.
When it was nearly time for the assessment, Reid took Evan to the Assessment Center on his motorcycle. They were greeted once again by the balding Assessment Specialist, who gave them a bored glance before asking Evan a handful of simple questions. After the interview, he directed Evan to the mana assessment chair, where an assistant attached sensors across his body.
Evan sat quietly, wondering what rank he would receive. Judging by the Assessment Specialist's unimpressed expression, the man didn't seem to expect anything impressive. Once the measurements were complete, the specialist led Evan into the testing room.
"Please use your skill," the Assessment Specialist said, not even looking up from his tablet.
Evan's eye twitched at the man's dismissive attitude. Sure, he wasn't a Healer, one of the rarest and most sought-after Awakener types, but did the guy really have to look like he'd rather be anywhere else? Irritated, Evan activated his stealth ability and vanished from sight.
Reid, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow.
Grinning to himself, Evan walked over to the Assessment Specialist, who was still typing on his tablet, and snatched it from his hands.
"Hey!" the Assessment Specialist shouted. His eyes widened as the tablet hovered in midair. He adjusted his glasses and squinted at it.
Evan stuck out his tongue, knowing the man couldn't see it.
"Interesting," the Assessment Specialist said, holding out a hand. "Would you return that? If you break it, you'll have to pay 6,450 Credits."
Evan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. That much?! That's like... over three hundred pizzas!
He placed the tablet back into the Assessment Specialist's hand and deactivated his ability. With the skill test complete, the three returned to the desk, where the specialist reviewed the preliminary results.
"Before we get to your rank," he said, "let me say that your Stealth skill looks quite promising. I can see it being useful in a number of situations."
Evan frowned at the man's roundabout approach. "What's my provisional rank?"
The Assessment Specialist scoffed. "I was getting to that. Based on the preliminary data, you've been assigned Rank F. Congratulations."
A vein throbbed at Evan's temple as he caught the mocking smile on the Assessment Specialist's face.