I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

Chapter 81: The Hyped chapter

Nyctophagia POV

The announcer looked at the spectators for today's show. It was a rag-tag group of kids trying to get their [Skills] under control, some had the [Hunger] in their eyes. They craved recognition... They craved [Vengance] against a world that despised them.

Some on the other spectrum craved [Hope], the idea that they could strive for something better than the hand they had been given, they had ideas of how coming here could get them [Fixed]. Of course that was a misrecognition that he would crush right now.

"[First let's get something out of the way.]" He said while one of the tendrils of shadows in his back pulled a screen from the ceiling. "[We will not take away anyone's Skill. If you came to get another try at triggering. Leave.]" A few of the spectators deflated at that.

Among the ones that didn't seem to mind that was a girl who looked way too similar to [Echidna], a girl that was called [Alice] according to Nyctoxis. He was half convinced that the girl was the hidden daughter of [Echidna], if nothing else she stood out among the crowd as most kept their distance from her.

He could almost taste the sweet aroma from her [Shadows], maybe [Echidna] wouldn't mind if he took a bite out of her?

*Grrr*

Ups, it seemed that was a no.

The stingy [Warden] hidden in his shadow grumbled and reminded him to continue. "[Now most organizations say here something along the lines of: The [Hero] association knows what we do, if you come to try and bring us down...blablablabla.]" He loved this part. "[We aren't like most, and no Hero wannabe would come here unless they had to.]" His audience grumbled at this.

They knew it too, no one came to [Echidna] unless they needed to. They were the [Tainted], no one wanted to interact with them. Why they even despised the idea of living near them unless someone in their family was [Tainted]...Or they needed to hide from the powers to be.

"[Now if you want to work as a Hero or Magical Girl after getting your skill or contract fixed...That is your prerogative, we will not hold it against you. The service to clean the taint is expensive if you aren't one of ours...But the first five years are free so you can focus on that.]" Some seemed surprised at this, they always did.

He wasn't sure why [Echidna] bothered to get them five years free...No one lasted one year as a [Justice Wannabe] while [Tainted], their need to come get the [Taint] clean with [Echidna] made sure no one would take them seriously. And if they even had the power to get to high tiers?

Well the [Saintsworths] had their own way to deal with the [Taint], not that it was as effective...And while they claimed that they would have been able to deal with [The Stygian Bane] if they had been around... [Echidna] claimed otherwise. And he would listen to his boss over the [Corpos].

"[So with that out of the way...We welcome you to your Induction into our ranks if. You are free to leave at any point during this...But if I was you...I would stay.]" He said while walking out of the stage, he would love to sit in the spectator's area, but the [Warden] in his shadow would grumble, so he settled to see the spectacle from the [VIP] area with the other lieutenants.

Elizabeth POV

The black-masked man finally left the stage, he gave her the creeps and she didn't want to see him more than needed, she could almost swear that he was salivating every time she felt the mask turn to the area she was seated at.

Something about his [Shadow] seemed...[Wrong].

So when he left and joined the other four people in one of the balconies that would usually be used by [VIP] she let out a sigh of relief, she couldn't feel many different [Shadows] around besides those four and a fifth behind the stage. Most of those around her were... Muted.