"This guy gave us nothing to work with." I said, walking out of the bar with Kaido beside me.


    Just then, the bracelet on Kaido''s wrist began to glow green. "Hello? Can you two hear me?" It was Jade on the other side.


    "Yeah, we can hear you." Kaido said, looking at me. Honestly, we were both surprised. We thought it was a tracker.


    "Good to know you''ve met Locke." She said.


    Alright, it is a tracker.


    "I''ll put him on the other line." She said, the green glow now turning blue.


    "Ello? You little cunts can hear me right?" Locke said on the other line.


    Before we could answer, he talked again. "Ah, I already know you guys can hear me."


    Alright then, asshole.


    "Listen, Vance is a man residing in the Upper City." Jade said, the orb flashing back to green.


    "It may now be common knowledge, but every semi-rich fella knows about his dealings with ''living'' auctions." Locke spoke through the device.


    Locke-"Only those in his inner circle know about his little drug deals going on, especially with Gahmiya."


    Gahmiya? What the hell is that?


    [Scanning...]


    [Gahmiya are a species of mushrooms on this planet, mainly found in the southern regions of this country. They produce psychedelic effects when ingested.]


    "What does he need that for?" I asked, the bracelet flashing a little.


    We made our way back to the cable cars, entering one.


    "You seriously asked that question?" Locke sounded annoyed. "You must be a real dumbass of a hitman, but if you must know."


    I remained silent; both of us did.


    "You''re serious? They''re fucking drugs, man! Not as potent as some, but they get the addicts rolling out of their alleys!" He said, Me and Kaido reaching the Upper City.


    "How big is the Upper City exactly?" Kaido asked, the orb flashing green.


    Jade-"Pretty big. Big enough to house a few underground bases despite the entire Upper City being on a floating island."


    "What? That''s why there''s a massive hole in the middle?" I asked, standing in the street with Kaido.


    Vance-"There was a war about 75 years ago. This place was affected heavily by it. A renowned knight by the name of Galmed fought an Aspect, specifically that of Gravity."


    An Aspect? What are these terms I am hearing?


    [Researching...]


    [The universe functions off three different systems of power, each affecting everything in their own way.]


    [The first, and most common, being Magic. The arcane arts can be studied, as it allows mortals to achieve what they can''t do physically.]


    [The second are known as Routes. These are special and slightly rarer traits that an individual attains at some point in their life, or not at all.]


    [They are, however, the most notorious and enigmatic, as Routes are still mysterious in nature, and Route Takers are often hunted.]


    [On that note, caution is advised when using World Breaker.]


    [The final, and rarest, system of power in this universe, and perhaps beyond, is Aspects. These beings are born, and it is something that cannot be attained.]The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "This is a lot." I mumbled, rubbing my head as my brain somehow managed to process all of this.


    It might''ve been because I was a vampire. This umbrella might be my best friend; it''s keeping me safe.


    [Aspects are beings that take on a core aspect of the universe. Ranging from tangible things like water and fire. However, they are not limited to abstract concepts such as violence or decay.]


    "Those are the three main ones, huh?" I asked, crossing my arms.


    "Why are you talking to yourself?" Kaido asked, causing me to jump a little.


    "Oh! Sorry... What''s going on?" I asked, Kaido sighing.


    "They basically said a massive fight broke out here, and the Aspect of Gravity managed to instill a core that made part of the ground float." He said, putting his hands in his pockets.


    "We''re supposed to head to the southeastern part of the city, which is the main industrial district." He said, starting to walk to the right.


    I followed behind him quickly.


    System, are you able to tell me the rarity of these?


    [Scanning...]


    [About 5% of this world possesses mana, and about 3% of them possess magic.]


    [1.5% of people have Routes, with the aforementioned 0.5% for those with dual Routes.]


    [Aspects, however, account for >1% of this world''s population, as they are one of the few beings who can transcend to a higher state.]


    "Interesting." I mumbled, Kaido looking back at me.


    "Dude, are you okay?" He asked, tilting his head.


    "Yeah, I''m alright. You know I have a system?" I said, his eyes widening.


    "Really?! Lucky! All I have is this one guy who appears in a different body each time and speaks to me in riddles or something." Kaido sighed, looking defeated.


    “That sounds off.” We eventually reached a certain factory titled Vance Glassmaking Industries.


    Locke-"Alright, both of you at least look somewhat rich, so you can just waltz in there. Be careful of anyone with canes, though; real nasty fellas.”


    We thought Locke was joking, but he sounded a bit serious.


    We entered the place, looking around. The smell of sweat, iron, and heat filled this place. We saw people hard at work, though they didn’t seem happy.


    Jade then spoke. “Alright, here’s what’s going to happen. Start up something. Enough to have the guards provoked, but not enough to kill you.”


    I and Kaido looked at each other, a grin appearing on my face.


    ”Hey boys!” I yelled out, some of the workers pausing what they were doing.


    ”A little birdie told me you guys can have the day off!” I said, the workers looking at each other in disbelief.


    ”OI!” A guard yelled while jogging over to us with another guard beside him.


    “No one is supposed to be here during working hours unless you work here; now bugger off.” The guard to the left said as Kaido walked up to him.


    “What’re you going to do about it?” Kaido asked, looking down at the guard. Now that I look at it, when did Kaido get so fit?


    “Well, then we’ll just have—" As the guard spoke, Kaido punched him in his face, knocking him to the ground.


    “HEY!” The second guard yelled, pointing a small revolver at us. Immediately, we put our hands in the air.


    ”Whoa! Calm down now..." Kaido said, the guard he punched standing up and pulling out a metal baton, whacking him over the head with it. He fell to the ground with an audible thud, a bit of blood trickling down his head.


    “Kaido-“ Everything flashes white before going black immediately.


    “Ugh…” I groaned, the pain in my head throbbing.


    This hurts so bad…


    [Due to extensive healing, your blood amount is low. You must feed, or consume, others to replenish.] The system''s same crimson interface appeared before my eyes. Its white words blinding me slightly.


    Interestingly enough, it adapted to that. The words went from a snowy white to a deathly black. Not only was it easier to see, it was easier on my eyes.


    I looked around, trying to move my hands, only to find that they were bound together.


    I sat in a damp room; the floor had a cold, stainless steel feeling to it. The walls were of rusted iron, the smell being overwhelming. I saw small stains of blood on said walls; it seems like some sort of conflict went down.


    Kaido sat next to me, slightly bruised, but seemed to be kept in good condition.


    As my hearing came on, I heard the sound of cheering and an announcer, though I couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying.


    Just as Kaido woke up, a bright light engulfed this dim room. I squinted my eyes, feeling a man grab me, and watched as another grabbed Kaido, throwing us onto a dirt ground.


    ”Place your bets now, folks!” An announcer said, standing in the center of this circular arena.