The Trader shook his head, his tone even. "No. Not suppression. Suppression only chains you further. What I offer is mastery. A passive skill — one called Control."
The words landed heavy. Rogue blinked at him like he'd just spoken nonsense. "A skill? Did you just say a skill?" Her smirk came back, but it was brittle, laced with sharp disbelief. "What is this, some kind of game to you? You think you can just hand out powers like items on a shelf?"
Blink frowned, clutching the crystalline key tighter. "Yeah… how does that even work? A skill isn't something you give. You either train it, or you're born with it. People don't just… receive it."
The Trader's silence stretched for a moment before he slowly spread his hands. His cloak shifted as he gestured faintly around them, toward the sky and the seamless white walls that boxed them in. "You've already seen the proof. This world exists because of me. Because of my ability. If I can create a pocket dimension with a single wish, do you really doubt I can hand over a skill?"
Blink's lips parted as her gaze flicked from the horizon back to him, caught between awe and fear. Rogue, though, only narrowed her eyes further.
"So what does this… Control actually do?" she asked, her tone low, like she was ready to tear apart any flaw in his answer.
"It is passive," the Trader said simply, his voice carrying no hesitation. "Once accepted, it requires nothing from you. It will increase your mastery over your ability by five hundred percent. Every reaction, every trigger, every slip that has cursed your life — all of it will bow to your will. Your mutation will no longer decide for you. You will decide for it."
Blink's eyes went wide, almost glowing in the dim light. "Five hundred percent? That's not training, that's… rewriting the laws of what someone can do."
Rogue's throat tightened. She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "And you expect me to believe that? That after all these years of livin' like poison, you've got a magic fix sittin' in your pocket? Just like that?"
The Trader's reply was steady, firm. "Not magic. Truth. If you choose, your touch will never take more than you allow. No more accidents. No more chains. Five hundred percent control — absolute precision, bound only to your choice."
Blink turned to Rogue, her voice trembling with urgency. "Rogue… if he's not lying, this is everything you've ever wanted. Think about it. No more gloves. No more walls. You could finally live without fear."
Rogue's lips pressed into a hard line. Her chest rose and fell sharply, betraying the storm inside. For a second, her hand twitched against her thigh as if she wanted to rip the glove off and test it right then and there. But instinct pulled her back. She shook her head slowly.
"That sounds real pretty," she said, her voice low and tight. "But I've been livin' with this too long to trust pretty words. If you're really tellin' the truth, then prove it. Show me this Control of yours actually works."
The Trader inclined his head slowly. "Very well. I can show you Control. But understand this — I don't hand out free experience cards. If I give you this skill and it satisfies you, then you must agree to the deal. In return for keeping Control, I gain a copy of your mutant ability."
Rogue stiffened, her eyes narrowing. "And if it doesn't satisfy me?"
"Then the trade ends," the Trader said calmly. "You lose nothing, and I lose nothing. The skill is withdrawn, and we part ways as we began. But if it delivers what I promise… then your word will bind you to me. No tricks, no delays."
Blink's mouth fell open, her voice shaky. "You'd really give her the skill first? Just like that?"
"Yes," the Trader replied, his tone absolute. "Because I do not deal in illusions. If I claim it grants you five hundred percent control, then you will feel it with your own hands. And once you do, there will be no reason left to doubt me."
Rogue's jaw clenched, her chest rising and falling faster. The thought of it burned like fire in her veins — the idea that for once she could touch, could choose, without fear of hurting anyone. Yet the weight of what he asked pressed just as heavy.
"So if I accept this test," she said slowly, her voice tight, "and this skill does what you say… I'll have no choice but to let you copy my power."
The Trader inclined his head again, the faintest hint of a smile touching his voice. "Exactly. That is the contract."
Seeing Rouge nod to express her agreement, The Trader smiled and lifted his hand. With a flick of his fingers, an invisible screen bloomed into being before his eyes.
Rogue and Blink watched in confusion as his hands began moving quickly, typing on air. His fingers struck against nothing they could see, yet his movements were sharp, deliberate, precise.
Blink tilted her head, whispering, "What the hell is he doin'? There's nothin' there."
Rogue frowned, her suspicion deepening. "Looks like he's tappin' at ghosts."
Neither of them could see the System interface that hovered only for him, lines of golden script flowing as he set the contract. But a moment later, a pulse of light filled the pocket realm.
Before Rogue, a new hologram burst into view — purple and gold, its surface shimmering like molten metal caught in midair. She gasped and instinctively stepped back, the crystalline letters glowing so bright they seemed carved into the air itself.
At the very top, in bold words, the notification burned:
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[SYSTEM TRADE CONTRACT]
CUSTOMER: ANNA MARIE (ROGUE)
DESIGNATION: MUTANT — POWER ABSORPTION
TRADER: ??? (THE TRADER)
DESIGNATION: MULTIVERSAL CONTRACTOR
---
OFFER:→
PASSIVE SKILL: CONTROL
EFFECT: PERMANENTLY ENHANCES THE USER'S COMMAND OVER THEIR POWERS AND SELF BY 500%.
TYPE: PASSIVE, IRREVOCABLE, UNCONDITIONAL ONCE BOUND.
---
TERMS OF TRADE
1. UPON ACCEPTANCE, THE CUSTOMER SHALL IMMEDIATELY RECEIVE CONTROL.
2. IF THE CUSTOMER ACKNOWLEDGES SATISFACTION WITH THE GRANTED SKILL, THE TRADER SHALL GAIN A COPY OF THE CUSTOMER'S MUTANT ABILITY—(POWER ABSORPTION).
3. IF THE CUSTOMER DECLARES DISSATISFACTION, CONTROL WILL BE WITHDRAWN AND NO EXCHANGE SHALL OCCUR.
4. THE CUSTOMER'S ORIGINAL ABILITY REMAINS HER OWN AND WILL NOT BE DIMINISHED, ALTERED, OR LOST IN THE PROCESS OF COPYING.
5. THE CONTRACT IS ABSOLUTE. ONCE ACCEPTED, NEITHER PARTY MAY ALTER OR WITHDRAW ITS TERMS.
---
FAIRNESS CLAUSE
→ SINCE THE CUSTOMER'S MUTANT ABILITY (POWER ABSORPTION) POSSESSES GREATER POTENTIAL AND LONG-TERM VALUE THAN THE TRADER'S OFFERED SKILL (CONTROL), THE TRADER IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION TO EQUALIZE THE TRADE.
---
SYSTEM ENFORCEMENT CLAUSE
→ ANY VIOLATION OF THIS AGREEMENT SHALL INVOKE AUTOMATIC ENFORCEMENT BY THE SYSTEM. FAILURE TO UPHOLD ONE'S END IS IMPOSSIBLE.
---
[ACCEPT] — [DECLINE]
---
Rogue squinted at the glowing screen, the light reflecting in her eyes. "Well ain't this fancy…" she muttered, circling it slowly. "Looks like some kinda legal document dressed up in neon." She leaned closer, reading line by line, her brows pulling together. "Customer: Anna Marie… designation… Power Absorption… Trader: Multiversal Contractor…"
Her jaw tightened as she moved down the lines. "Offer… Passive Skill, Control. Effect… permanently enhances mastery by five hundred percent. Terms of Trade… Accept to gain, satisfy to seal, withdraw if not."
Blink edged closer, her eyes darting over the crystalline letters. "It's… actually very fair," she said, almost in awe. "Everything's written right here. No hidden fine print, no tricks. The terms and conditions are clear as daylight."
Rogue's gaze sharpened as she reached the bottom. Her lips moved as she read the glowing words. "Fairness Clause…" She straightened, her voice turning sharp. "Since the customer's mutant ability has greater potential than the Trader's skill, the Trader is required to provide additional compensation…" She shot a glare at him. "You have a restriction? Who the hell put that on you?"
The Trader only smiled faintly, unbothered. "That," he said smoothly, "is a trade secret."
Blink's head tilted, her voice rising with disbelief. "So you really can't make an unfair deal? You're bound to keep it equal?"
"Exactly," the Trader replied, his tone calm but absolute. "Every contract I create must balance. If my offer falls short, then I must add more until both sides stand equal. That is the law I operate under."
Rogue looked back at the blazing words, the purple-golden light painting sharp lines across her face. "So this clause ain't somethin' you wrote in for my sake," she muttered. "It's built into every deal you make."
The Trader inclined his head slightly. "Correct."
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CHAPTER:- [108- THE TRADER ON HIS THRONE] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON