Natalie saw Jace looking up, so she followed his gaze, only to see a cat sitting on the balcony looking intently at them.
The feline's eyes seemed unnaturally bright in the dark.
Then she saw Jace mouth the word "Hello" to the cat with a smile.
"It's a cat," she said in a low voice to Jace, her tone skeptical.
Jace turned to look at her and chuckled. "Hehe, it is, isn't it?"
Jace threw his amusement away and focused on the task at hand.
Both discussed how to conduct the fight and what to do—and what not to do.
The air around them grew heavy with the anticipation of the coming violence.
Then, after they were done talking, Jace finally pulled out a silver pendant on his wrist and performed divinations to find the location of the target.
The pendant swung around in clockwise rotation he finally confirmed that the man, Edward, was in the basement—his lab and butcher house.
Natalie, meanwhile, removed her coat and threw it in the corner near the wall.
She didn't want it to get damaged in the fight; she was a Pyromaniac, so burning people and everything around her was her way of fighting.
But Jace had told her to be a little reserved when using fire, so she would have to be a bit careful not to burn the house down.
She rolled up the sleeves of her white shirt, the fabric crisp against her skin.
She had a gun in her holster, but she figured bullets likely wouldn't work on a Sequence 7, so she removed the holster and kept it with her coat.
Then she looked at Jace, who had completed his own preparation. "Let's go," she said, leading the way to the bungalow gate.
Jace followed her, his footsteps light and cautious.
——
In a dimly lit basement, the air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and chemicals.
Edward sat at the desk in a chair; he was currently writing the results of his experiments, the scratching of his pen the only sound in the cramped space.
Clink.
There was a sound of chains clinking behind him, but he didn't turn to look, as he knew what it was.
Behind him, there was a chain that was attached to the ceiling of the basement, and there was a body hanging upside down from it.
The body was bare and had some missing pieces of flesh on its torso; there was even a hand missing from it, the wound jagged and dark.
Edward, meanwhile, kept writing.
Currently, he was studying how being a Beyonder affects the taste of a body.
But it was a difficult matter to research, as after killing the Beyonder, the characteristics would appear within some time, basically draining the body of its specialty.
So, after killing the Beyonder and eating the meat, there was no difference in taste than the meat of a mundane human.
Thus, the only way to find out was to eat the meat of a Beyonder that was still alive.
But Edward had been a Beyonder for enough years to know that eating the meat of a Beyonder that was alive would be equivalent to consuming a different potion—which, in turn, would result in losing control.
However, he came to the conclusion that it would be fine if he were to eat the meat of a Beyonder from his own pathway.
"Hm?" He stopped writing and looked up, his quill hovering over the parchment.
Something was wrong; there were slight noises coming from above, and his intuition was flaring up.
He immediately stood up and started rummaging through the drawers of the desk.
His 'experiment' was keeping watch for him, and 'it' should have alerted him at the first signs of trouble,
but there was no word from 'it'. That likely meant that 'it' was killed off or 'it' betrayed him—which was unlikely considering all the psychological cues he had placed on 'it', but then again, the cat was a Sequence 8 Telepathist.
From the drawers, he pulled out a gun, a blood-red bracelet, and a dark metal vambrace.
Keeping them on the table, he picked up the vambrace and put it on his left forearm, tightening the straps until they dug into his skin.
Then he picked up the gun.
He was skeptical about wearing the bracelet, as it had some severe side effects, but the bad feeling he had was also extreme.
So he put it on his right hand.
It was a bracelet that had some very useful effects, like regeneration and extreme speed—enough to leave afterimages—and one spell-like ability, 'Shackles,' to immobilize the enemy.
The metal vambrace was a sealed artifact he had bought long ago because, as far as he knew, his sequence pathway had no direct combat capabilities.
As a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist, he had enhanced physical capabilities, but it was nothing to be impressed with.
This particular artifact on his left forearm was formed from a Sequence 7 Weapon Master of the Warrior pathway, which gave the user complete physical boosts—durability, agility, strength, and even combat knowledge and weapon handling capabilities.
It had serious side effects, but that was a small price to pay compared to losing his life.
He picked up the gun in his right hand; it was a normal one, just in case there was no need for magical combat.
Thwak!
The iron door of the basement opened with a heavy thud as light spilled onto the dark staircase of the basement.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed against the stone walls.
Edward got into position and stood to the left of the staircase at an appropriate range, pulling up his gun.
By now, Edward confirmed that this was indeed a deliberate break-in attempt.
But he had nothing to worry about; as a Psychiatrist, he had extreme control over his emotions.
With the two sealed artifacts he had and his own abilities, he could currently rival a Sequence 6 in terms of prowess.
So, he steadied himself.
The person kept descending and finally walked out of the staircase.
It was a woman in a white shirt and black slacks, her hair tied back in a neat bun.
Natalie turned her head left and saw a middle-aged man holding a gun on her. It was as Jace had divined; the target was in the basement.
But before she could do anything, she froze! Her thoughts were in a disarray! She couldn't think!
It was Edward. As soon as the woman stepped out, he had used "Awe" on her.
While she was under the influence of "Awe," he immediately aimed at her heart and pulled the trigger.
Natalie's danger premonition flared up as her mind snapped back into place. She immediately moved to dodge the bullet, her instincts screaming.
But she was too late. The bullet grazed her shoulder, which was considerably better than getting shot in the heart.
Without wasting any time, her hands erupted in brilliant, roaring flames as she shot forward towards Edward.
Edward, still calm, used the red bracelet and summoned black shackles from the shadows.
They surged upward like vipers, binding Natalie in place.
But even while being bound, Natalie wasn't worried or helpless.
Two flame ravens manifested over her shoulders, their wings beating with intense heat, and shot towards Edward.