Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 14: Opportunity

"Can you wait here for a while?"

"...Okay."

Without allowing him to rest, the people from the HIU, Hole Investigations Unit, brought and escorted Rhys to the city's local precinct; making him wait in front of a door that no one truly ever wanted to see in their lives.

They did not even allow him to wear his hoodie, making him feel slightly vulnerable from all the surveillance cameras littered around the building.

The local police didn't seem to heed him any mind, however, as they were also busy dealing with the aftermath of the Hole inside their city—something that never should have happened in the first place.

Throughout the thousand years since humans have battled the monsters from the Underworld, they have learned to prevent and block them from coming up to the Surface by using a special resource from the Underworld itself, and some human engineering.

This resource is limited, however. And the places that have been covered with this material in the past, in time, became the cities that the people can peacefully live in now.

Cities are supposed to be safe, and yet, right now, the city of Old York was awake in fear of monsters.

"Rhys Wilder, you can come in now."

"Oka—"

And as Rhys was finally called to enter the interrogation room after an hour of waiting, he saw a familiar face step out of the door.

"R... Rhys, you... you're alive?" It was Rob, one of Lex's friends. One of his friends that was there when he was brought to the roof unconscious...

...one of his friends that was there when he tried to kill himself, pushing Lex along with him. Is it possible... he said something to the detectives? Is that why Rhys was called here in the first place?

"You... you're gonna pay for what you've done! You fucking bitch!"

And almost as if to confirm Rhys's fears, Rob suddenly lunged toward him; his fist, already only inches away from hitting Rhys's face.

"..." Rhys has felt the very same fist in front of him right now thousands of times, and yet this was the very first time that he was actually able to see it. No, he wasn't just seeing it.

All the strands of hair on Rhys's body stood up as it almost automatically moved to the side to avoid Rob's fist. Rhys even had the time to look at each of the individual folds on Rob's hand as it leaped past him.

Rhys could probably push Rob right now while he was in the air—there's a possibility he could break his neck if he landed the wrong way... and Rhys can make that possibility possible right now.

Just one tiny push and one of the people that made his life miserable could possibly disappear. And perhaps because of Rhys's thoughts being incredibly heavy, his hand started to move on his own.

And perhaps lucky for the both of them, Rob was already out of Rhys's reach before he made his decision.

"Gods damn it! Restrain the boy!"

"Calm your ancestor's tits, boy! We have enough problems as it is! Someone, take this fucker home!"

"..." Rhyts could really only watch as Rob was immediately bombarded and pinned down by several people as soon as he landed back on his feet.

"What are you still standing there for?" The man from the HIU snapped his fingers right in front of Rhys's face, before gesturing to him to step inside the interrogation room,

"Let's get this over with so we can all sleep."

***

"Do you know Lex Tatum?"

"Yes, he was my classmate."

Rhys was right. As the woman from the HIU slid a picture of Lex across the table and showed it to him, he knew that he was in deep trouble—whatever Rob, and Lex's other friends said, he was sure they lied through their teeth.

"The young man who tried to attack you outside is also your classmate, correct?" The woman removed the photo from the table. Due to the oversized sunglasses she was wearing, Rhys could barely even see her expression, or what she even looked like.

'I just want to sleep.'

"..." Her thoughts, however, could not be any louder.

"Why did you push Lex Tatum!?" And all of a sudden, the woman's partner that was quietly standing in the corner rushed toward the table and slammed both his palms on it.

"I didn't push anyone," Rhys did not let himself get intimidated as he answered without any pause, "We fell."

"3 people," the man leaned closer to Rhys as he rested his elbows on the table, slightly pushing his partner to the side, "3 people were there as a witness and they all told us that you pushed Lex Tatum. We should just lock you up right now!"

And even as the man's raging saliva showered across Rhys's messy hair, Rhys remained completely stoic and calm. He was used to being screamed at and intimidated—that was his everyday life as a Lowborn.

"Lex knocked me out while I was on my way back to my dormitory room. I woke up on the roof surrounded by Lex and his friends," Rhys's lethargically soothing voice whispered in the air. His silver eyes that were hidden by his hair, looking at the woman instead of his yelling partner,

"Lex then lifted me up and threatened to throw me from the roof, he slipped and took me with him."

"What? You expect us to believe that!?" The man once again slammed his fist on the table; Rhys, on the other hand, just repeated his statement.

"You Lowborns really should learn how to know your place. I am going to make sure you'll be locked—"

"That's enough, John."

And before the man could turn everyone in the interrogation room deaf, his partner stood up and pushed him to the side.

"We've taken your statement, Mr. Wilder," the female detective gestured to Rhys to stand up, "You can go, but please don't leave the city in the meantime so we can find you if we need to."

"What!? We're just going to let him go!?" Detective John once again raised his voice as he saw Rhys just casually leaving the interrogation room. He seemed to want to pull him back, but his partner stopped him.

"We know where to find you, boy! Don't think this is over! You should have been the one that died!" Detective John continued to shout, but as soon as Rhys was completely out of the room... Detective John's face instantly calmed down.

"So..." John then calmly turned to look at his partner, "...What are we thinking here, Maria?"

"I think you overdid it," Maria's sighs almost filled the entire room as she sat back down, "We were here to find out how a Lowborn survived a Hole that a Commoner with Herakles' blood could not."

"Want me to follow him around, boss?"

"No," Maria shook her head,

"...I'll do it."

***

Rhys was unable to read the desires of men; perhaps if he wanted to find a silver lining with almost being arrested, it was that he was able to confirm that thanks to detective John.

His only problem now was going back to the dorm. Since most of the officers were busy running around the station and all over the place, there was sadly no one left to escort him back home—and with the time, all of the public transportation was already closed.

And so, with a very long and deep sigh, Rhys just started walking. This is good, he thought—it would at least give him the time to think of everything that had happened today... or so he thought.

"Rhys!"

Without even minutes of leaving the police station, Rhys found himself surrounded by Rob and two other people.

"..." Rhys just wanted to think...

...but it would seem the opportunity to try his new abilities presented themselves to him.