Stealing Fire

Jack woke up in his cave, which he felt more and more drawn to since it had a far richer Sym energy density than any of the places he had visited recently. He tried to sleep for at least one hour every day even though he did not feel like he needed the rest. Sleeping made him more mellow and relaxed, which offset the energy and aggression he felt from the Sym energy in his body. It had started to impact his decision making processes in a way that worried him. He was less risk averse than he would normally be and would often choose confrontation over observation or negotiation when unforeseen situations arise.

He had been noticing this trend early on, but the more it enveloped him, the less he felt its impact. Those who are influenced are usually the last to find out about it. Gradual changes are the most insidious type since they are too small to be obvious, but too consistent to be inconsequential.

One of the things Jack had noticed was that his way of thinking had made conflict the most efficient way to solve problems. He can just take what he wants. Based on what he has gathered so far, there are very few things in this world that could be a threat to him. Yes, he was still human and can be poisoned, assassinated, caught by surprise, or killed in his sleep, but when he has his guard up, little can harm him. But that's where it becomes dangerous since he knows too little about this place to be so certain. It was the energy in his brain that made him certain, and falsely so.

He had been injured before. He had been caught off-guard on numerous occasions. He was not all-powerful. He was just incredibly lucky. If the humanoid who cut his head had some type of poison or viral attack, he would be dead. If the humanoid who appeared behind him decapitated him instead of talking, he would be dead. If the Ashton woman had a powerful weapon on her or had teleported him into space, he would be dead.

The world is dangerous. Being strong does not save one from every possible outcome. There are none who are always superior while others are always inferior. He might get sick. He might have a bad day.

Jack was very aware that he must be more careful. Being in the spotlight is a fast way to become a target. He has not even seen a fraction of this planet yet, and he might be far less powerful than he might think. There might be ability users, creatures, or weapons that could decimate him in an instant.

During his meditation session in the cave before he went to sleep, he made plans to change his current approach. He would never reveal his identity and power to the public. He would never use the same identity, such as his rabbit mask, over long time periods. He would engage people with his actual identity and through his trading company rather than as a mysterious powerhouse who is wearing a mask. It is better to engage with people on equal footing and with an unassuming background than to be a hero.

Jack looked at the rabbit mask he held in his hand and put it onto his shelf. For his relationship with the Ashton family, he decided to keep up the charade, but this would be the last time he will negotiate in such a way. From now on, he will wear a mask if he needs to step in, but he will not brute-force his way into a negotiation.

He should have just left when the Ashton woman caught him instead of playing with her. He should also not have given a command to Zage just to save himself the trouble of gathering the creatures. He had been so overconfident that he saw the attack like a game. The Sym crystals were his loot and the city was his playground. He did not really care about the citizens, but he just wanted to play a role.

The Sym energy's effect on his brain was scary to him. Would his parents still recognize him if he returned now? He needed to have a better space to gather his thoughts than this cave. Maybe he should also avoid the high-density area altogether since it makes him too erratic. But it was the assistant who suggested that jumping to his home planet would require an intense amount of energy, which makes it imperative that he accumulates sufficient energy inside his body. But maybe this was just a convenient excuse, Jack thought.

Jack had also decided to extend the cave further and to build a proper home inside of it. He would start to look for a house that can be easily assembled. A house that he would clean and keep well-decorated so as to keep his gentle and human side. And maybe he can also find plants that can grow in such an energy-dense area, but that he would have to search himself. But now was not the time for that since he had an appointment with a girl called Fey. Jack picked up another mask and went into his portal to return to the Ashton mansion. This time, he was a fox.

He had been learning the storage space ability all evening as per the instructions of the assistant and the comprehensive database of the Ashton family. It was one of the most common spatial abilities and also relatively easy to learn, albeit accidents were common as well due to its high risk. But it would prove invaluable for his understanding of dimensional travel.

Jack arrived in the office of Carl Ashton who was already waiting for him at his desk. He did not flinch when Jack appeared, likely due to his expertise of spatial abilities, which he must be seeing every day. "Hi Carl, hope the reconstruction is going well."

"Hello... yes, we have already begun and the damage should be repaired within the next three months. I believe you have not introduced yourself during our last meeting. How should we address you?" Carl said with a genuine tone.

"For the purpose of our relationship, it will be sufficient to call me Fox," Jack said. He looked across the room and saw the butler, Viva Ashton, and a young girl with blond hair, a blue dress, and red lipstick. It was a miserable combination of colors, but it was charming in its own way. "You must be Fey," he said with a friendly tone.

Carl stood up from his desk and walked towards the girl as he was speaking, "Yes, we have arranged everything so that we can satisfy the deal. Of course, we have also asked Fey for her opinion, and she said that she wanted to meet you in person before she decides. But I can assure you, we will honor the deal in any way."

Jack looked at the girl and smiled, "So, what is your opinion?"

Fey stood with her back against the wall and eyed Jack, who was standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pocket. He wore a black tracksuit and a fox mask that only revealed part of his nose and his mouth while the rest of his face remained hidden. The only things she noticed about him were his piercing eyes and charismatic smile. His clothes seemed ordinary but well-fitting and clean. After scanning him with her eyes, she looked back at his face and asked, "Why do you wear a mask?"

Jack looked at her with a soft smile and said, "Because people would bother me otherwise."

Fey thought about what he said and started to get an idea of what type of person this fox was. Then she lowered her head and asked, "Can you really help me make my ability useful?" Her voice sounded almost sad and the hands she was holding in front of her hips clenched as she waited for his response.

Jack changed his posture and looked at the girl for a moment. He understood that abilities are the most important trait in this family. No matter how athletic, successful, or talented you are, if your abilities are useless, you will be at the bottom of the hierarchy. Fey was once a promising new family member and was in talks as the potential heir to the family, but this all changed once it was clear that her ability was useless. Not only was it difficult to find a meaningful use for it outside of stealing, it did not even work the way it was intended. She had made no progress in years and had started to learn a trade to be at least of some use. As a useless family member, she had no say in her future marriage partner, had no freedom of movement, and she had no will of her own. Because of her useless ability, she had lost her voice.

Jack walked towards her and stopped just a hand away from her face. He looked her in the eyes and said, "I will learn from your ability on my own no matter what. If you want to learn something as well, then you have to stop relying on other people and pay attention. This can be the greatest opportunity of your life or nothing at all. You decide."

Fey looked up at Jack with a calm expression. Then she turned her head to look at her father. The two made eye contact and Fey gave him a confident nod. Then her father spoke, "Ok, it seems that all is settled. Mr. Fox, I ask you that you treat my daughter with great care. You have saved this city and its people, so I have no doubt that you are a kind man, but do not forget that she is very fragile." This was the best Carl could do in the eyes of the most powerful human he had ever encountered. Even if he was evil, there was nothing he could have done to stop him. In his eyes, Fey was not a core part of the Ashton family, but she was still one of his 13 children and to be treated with care.

"Of course. How much time do we have?" Jack asked as he looked at Carl who had returned behind his desk and was in the process of sitting back down. He answered, "She is free all day, so feel free to use the conference room in the inner part of the castle. We will be able to supply you with lunch and dinner in case it will take longer." Carl had been starting to pick up documents on his desk and seemed to already be entering his daily work routine rather than further engaging with the people in the room.

Jack placed his hands on Fey's shoulders and asked in a friendly tone, "Are you ready to start?" She smiled and said, "Yes." The butler opened the door and was about to ask his guests to follow him into the conference room when he heard the sound of wind followed by silence. He looked back to the center of the room and saw that it was empty. The two guests had disappeared and only Carl sat at his desk with all of his documents blown out of order.

Jack and Fey appeared through the portal in the middle of the desert where he had brought Viva previously. The girl's hair was all messed up, but her expression was that of excitement, "What type of ability was that? It wasn't teleportation and not a portal. How did you pull us in like that?"

"It's just a tweak on normal portals. It basically sucks everything in, which makes it really useful when you need to be quick or if you are really lazy," Jack said as he walked towards a flat rock that had two pillows placed on top of it. He had prepared them in advance so that the two of them could focus in silence without being disturbed by anyone. He did not want any surveillance devices to bother him, and with his detection ability, open spaces were much easier to observe than crowded or small places. The two sat down and were facing each other in a cross-legged position. Jack looked at her and said, "Ok, let's start. Don't do anything, I just want to scan where your ability is located." He placed his hands on both sides of her head and let the assistant scan her brain. This allowed him to target the specific brain area that she was accumulating Sym energy in and made it possible for him to replicate it. Since the areas of the brain are not spherical but often had random shapes, imitating a skill was a skill in and of itself. If the shape is wrong, it will not resonate properly with the Sym energy, and with no or a different ability will emerge.

The assistant scanned Fey's brain and informed Jack about the results, "I can sense the exact area of Sym energy accumulation and it is indeed an ability that I have no records on. I can help you imitate it, but I recommend first gathering more information from her on how she experiences the ability and why she failed in using it."

Jack put his hands back into his lap and said, "Tell me about your ability. What does it do and what's the issue?"

The girl looked down and, after a moment, explained her situation, "It feels like I can sense if there are other dimensions. Like, if someone has a storage ability, then I can feel it. But if I try to connect to it, it just won't work. I have tried to make it work by having them open the storage for me, but it always closes before I learn anything. It's just useless." The girl shook her head and was visibly discouraged.

The assistant interjected, "Jack, storage abilities are notoriously difficult to uphold even if one has mastered them perfectly. Most experts cannot keep a storage portal open for more than two minutes at a time since their Sym energy is unlimited. For you, this is not a problem because your energy is much higher than that of normal people."

Jack responded in his mind, "But can't they just supplement their lacking energy with Sym crystals or something?"

"In some situations, that is possible, but Sym energy is toxic to humans in large doses. Since the brain area is very small, exposing the entire brain with external Sym energy is dangerous and will likely cause irreparable damage. Bringing a human into a high-density area is likewise dangerous, which is why they avoid it without protective gear," the assistant explained.

Fey looked at Jack with a curious gaze as he was conversing with the assistant since she felt that something was off, "Is there a way to fix it?" she said with a hopeful tone.

"Maybe," Jack said as he opened a storage portal which he had near perfected during his last night's meditation practice. "Try to connect to this dimension and take your time. I will keep it open as long as it takes."

Fey looked unsure but had resolved to do whatever she can in order to change her fate. She nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate. Jack closed his eyes again and focused on the storage portal as well as his detection ability in order to sense the fluctuations caused by Fey, which allowed the assistant to create an accurate reading of the ability in action. The two sat in that position for over an hour without exchanging a word. The girl was continually trying to feel her way into the storage dimension while Jack was following her every movement through the flow of Sym energy around her. With his detection, he was able to perfectly see through anything she was attempting while she was trying to figure out the puzzle he had presented her with. It was, in a way, like a dance, but with the man being the passive observer and the girl being the one who tried to lead.

After nearly 90 minutes of trying to connect to his storage space, she finally succeeded in setting up a link. She was sweating all over, and the back of her blue dress was soaked while her red lipstick was smeared over her chin. She opened her eyes and looked at Jack with an exhausted smile. Jack, still wearing his fox mask, smiled back at the girl and said, "Good job. No wonder you never made progress with other storage users. Your ability is quite tricky." Jack looked at the exhausted girl and recognized that she needed a break. For him, this was no effort at all, but for her, it was exhausting. The Jack from yesterday would have just pushed her as far as he could in order to get it over with, but he decided to give her some space to recover. "Let's take a break," he said.

Jack opened a portal and transported the two to the fallen Jalk city, which was his occasional hideout when he wanted to take a shower or get some food and some quiet time. He had been looking through the city and had found many stores that had fresh frozen foods for him to use and cook in any of the homes. It was an empty city with only very few creatures remaining. When he had some free time, he was planning to clean up the remaining creatures in the city, but it was not a big priority since it would never be safe for human habitations again anyway. He did not want humans to return just to be attacked again. There were enough dead bodies piled up in certain areas who can attest to that.

When the two arrived, the girl looked around and asked, "Is this your home?" She walked through the rooms and stopped in the kitchen, which had multiple freezers stacked on top of each other.

"No, I just come here to eat sometimes. It's a ghost city now, but the food's nice," Jack said as he took vegetables and meat from the freezer and began to prepare it. He liked using his frying hand ability, but preferred using the normal kitchen equipment since he hated cleaning his hands after using his ability. "Let's eat something."

After Jack prepared some quick food consisting of starches, vegetables, and nicely fried meat that was similar to beef, the two sat down and talked over their meal. Fey was curious where he had brought her and how far he was able to jump. His abilities were curious to her since they seemed to defy the common sense that she had acquired in the Ashton family, a top authority in the area of spatial abilities. Jack answered vaguely since it was of no benefit to her if she knew that she was currently in enemy territory, although she might figure it out by herself eventually. She behaved comfortably around him and was joyful that she had been able to make progress for the first time since she started learning about her ability. But both of them realized that they would not be able to learn everything they needed to learn from each other in a single day, so they decided to set up another date. Jack was also not quite sure what the end goal was since he did not need that particular ability but rather was interested in its principle.

After their meal, Jack opened a portal and brought her back to the Ashton family castle's roof. He turned to her and asked, "Do you live in the castle?"

She shook her head and looked at him, "No, that is only for the top people in the family. Since my ability is useless, I am living in an apartment in the city with one of my sisters. It's there." She pointed into the distance toward a large apartment complex in a residential area. Jack opened a window portal and pointed it at one of the buildings so that it was displayed on the portal surface. He looked at her and asked, "This one?"

Fey looked at Jack with a shocked expression, "What is that? I've never seen something like this before!"

"It's a portal but it shoots you to the target location instead of connecting two portals to step through." He then turned a portal into a small ball and threw it through the window portal to save Fey the damage from being catapulted over multiple kilometers which might be harmful to her. Then he opened a normal portal, and both stepped through to the apartment complex she had pointed to. She pointed at the largest building and said, "That's where I live."

Jack looked at it and said, "Great, let's say 6 pm tomorrow. We can meet here. Send me a message through the communicator if you can't make it." Lucky for Jack, the communicator allowed entirely anonymous messaging, which made things simple for him.

Fey looked at him and added, "We can just meet in my apartment, it's more comfortable than the desert I think."

Jack smiled and said, "I don't mind either way." He followed her to the apartment in order to pinpoint the location for later. He did not want to leave a portal inside since it was quite small, and his portals were conspicuous. He tapped her shoulder as he said goodbye and then left through a portal to disappear without a trace. Fey stood alone inside her apartment and tried to let everything she had experienced sink in. This might have been the best day of her life, right on par with the moment she was touted as the next genius of the family when it was clear that she would bring a new spatial ability to the family, right before everyone realized that it was useless. Her life was about to change for the better, and this fox was the one who would help her accomplish it.