"You are under arrest," Livian said with a shit-eating grin.
"Wha—"
"SHHH!" she hushed. "Kid, shut up and allow me to read your Miranda rights!"
Rue nodded, despite lacking knowledge of the odd phrase.
What were Miranda rights?
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?" she uttered, her voice rising an octave.
"Normally, this wouldn't be under my jurisdiction, buuuut you kinda assaulted two talents from the institute," she explained in a trenchant tone.
Rue released a reluctant sigh, slumping his shoulders like a scolded child.
"I guess."
Slipping her hand into a pocket along her thigh, Livia, after several seconds of probing through the vast storage of miscellaneous and unnecessary items, found what she was looking for.
Pulling her hand from her pocket, she held a small gray cube between her index and ring fingers.
Tossing the object toward the gray-haired kid, Livia began to explain its function after seeing that Rue had caught it.
"It's an identification marker," she explained. "Just channel some of your Will into the base of the cube, and the marker will create a fitting mark."
Following the instructions, Rue began to channel his Will into the marker.
As he inserted the marker with his Will, the cube gradually gained malleability before eventually taking a liquid state.
The liquid began to seep into his skin. Now under the skin, the substance entered his blood and latched onto his red blood cells. After several seconds, the entirety of Rue's blood was conjoined with the weird liquid.
Sensing the strange process taking place within his body, Rue internally furrowed with suspicion.
This was weird, sure, but what could he do?
He was already pushing his luck, so Rue didn't hinder the process.
After several seconds, the process finalized, and a familiar theatrical cartoon mask with a smile imprinted itself onto his wrist.
Examining the neat new tattoo, Rue jolted up, jumpscared, as a translucent orange panel manifested in front of him.
[Ding!]
[Successfully assimilated mark with user]
[1…2…3]
[Name: ]
Rue heard the monotone voice of a female ask.
Ignoring the panel before him, Rue instinctively began to dart his gaze and perception alike across the maximum of his vigilance.
Had someone just transmitted something to him?
But why couldn't he sense them?
Watching from the sidelines, Livia softly chuckled, her pastel pink hair bouncing in sync.
"No need to worry," she said, now standing by his side. "Just follow what the voice says," she clarified, gesturing toward the orange panel in front of him.
Not questioning her proximity, Rue nodded, telling the voice his name.
"Rue Revan."
[Name: Rue Revan….1….2…3]
[ERROR – 342!]
[ERROR – 342!]
[ERROR – 342!]
[Person with associated name and matching Will: does not exist]
Reaching toward the orange panel, Livia sighed, already knowing this would be the result.
She clicked a house-like icon at the top-right corner of the screen.
A black screen plastered over the orange.
[Channel Will]
Livia channeled a sliver of her Will into the medium.
[ID: Livia Regnier → (Adapted)]
After clicking a few random icons, Livia was able to successfully register Rue's unique Will into the system.
"'Kay," she glanced toward Rue, "all you need to do is enter your information so the system can properly create an identification card that matches your Will."
He nodded and diverted his attention back to the screen, which had returned to orange.
[Person: Rue Revan]
[Age: N/A]
[Occupation: N/A]
[Initial: N/A]
[Status: N/A]
[Would you like to edit any information: Y/N]
~~~
~~~
~~~
[Person: Rue Revan]
[Age: 92]
[Occupation: Weapon user]
[Job: N/A]
[Initial: Allocated within the Absolute Life spectrum]
[Status: Being detained]
Finishing his identification, Rue nodded, content.
Shifting his gaze left, he observed the pink-haired Adapted.
Livian didn't say anything; she merely gaped at the orange screen in disbelief.
She felt dumbfounded. "Did you input the wrong information?" the Adapted asked incredulously.
Rue shook his head.
"No, why?" he asked, unphased.
Collecting herself, Livian gave a soft smile before suddenly lunging toward him, resting her arms on his shoulders.
"SHOW ME!" she demanded, almost hysterically, now frantically shaking Rue.
Limping like a ragdoll, Rue's body flopped back and forth.
"WHAT do you want me to show you, damn it!" Rue said, nearly yelling.
Stopping her violent movement, she bore her crimson gaze into Rue's. "You condensed an Initial associated with the Absolute Life spectrum?! SHOW ME IT."
"I will, just let go of me."
"Fine." Livian nodded, immediately letting go of Rue and taking several steps back.
With a sigh, Rue cupped his wrist, tearing it off.
Snap!
Tossing the trash aside, Rue morphed the fleshy stub into a thin, lengthy tentacle with a long, nimble blade allocated on its end.
And for a final touch, he coated the body of the tentacle with countless razor-sharp extrusions that would expel outward in a shower of axillary once commanded.
"So? Is this enough proof?" Rue asked.
Livian didn't hear Rue.
"I can't believe it…" she muttered to herself, hardly hiding back the mirth in her voice. "What are the odds that I would just stumble upon such a talent?"
Breathing deeply to avoid hyperventilation, Livian, no longer able to resist the urge, lifted Rue off his feet, tossing him over her shoulder holding him tight like something precious.
"I've found my golden goose!" she laughed, twirling on the balls of her feet.
"What are you doing?! Let me go!!" Rue yelled, flustered.
"Huh?"
"Didn't I tell you earlier? You're still technically arrested." She winked. "I just made it so that you wouldn't be executed by the syndicate, hence the mark—it's precaution," she explained.
'I wouldn't want an opportunity like this to slip up because of something so narrow-minded as the mark.'
The chance of a person condensing an Initial in the Absolute Life Spectrum was so astronomically low that it would be more believable if someone condensed a Half Initial with Traits both in the Absolute Death and Destruction spectrum.
They were literally that rare!
However, practitioners with an Absolute Life Initial weren't known for their monstrously destructive capabilities but for their sheer adaptability in any given situation.
Monsters in the sense—both literally and metaphorically.
Take, for example, Rue. His Initial being within the Absolute Life Spectrum allows him to superficially alter his body but permanently allows him to destroy and construct his body according to his own design.
But no two Initials are the same—each Initial was unique to the practitioner, and Rue was no exception.
Knocking Rue out with a powerful blast to his head, Livia walked across the short distance between herself and the other two.
Hoisting her sister over her other shoulder, she effortlessly lifted Alex into the air with her Will.
Hopping into the air, Livia flew towards the city.