I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

She was screwed.

 

Almost every piece of information she got access to in the library confirmed what Zoe had given her, even the whole speech [The Stygian Bane] gave was the same ad verbatim. She found a few variations here and there, but most of those were attributed to interpretation from other languages when they wrote the [Idea] of the speech.

 

So in a nutshell? The bastard had infected the very [Core] of the planet, and in turn, almost all [Shadow Based] powered...And a few [Shadow Mages] got affected by that [Taint]. The reports she found on it told about how the subjects started to turn mad, their only link between each other was a [Shadow Themed Skill] or a [Shadow Affinity] according to the information she found.

 

Nonetheless, they all turned mad and started attacking left and right, the only saving grace was that they all turned mad in the same week...The one where most [Hero] and [Villain] associations were mourning the terrible losses made by [The Stygian Bane]. So while they caused some damage... They were shut down quite easily since most groups were together mourning the death of most the majority of the second iteration of [The Twelve] and those that lived in that city.

 

This however didn't stop in the first week, most thought that it was the result of [The Stygian Bane] infecting the shadow users with his [Skill] and probably wouldn't spread further. The current [Shadow Users] turned themselves in and used [Skill Restraining] collars to prevent their skill from manifesting...Most still turned crazy, but they were more easily subdued...

 

"But the new generation still got [Tainted]..." Murmured Elizabeth while turning in to the new page in her article.

 

A confirmed powered born after [The Event] turned psycho and tried to start a genocide was put down by her father, the skill of the madded powered was then examined by one of the new members of the third iteration of [The Twelve] and the effects of [The Stygian Bane] confirmed on him.

 

This was the turning point for most [Shadow] powereds, as Elizabeth continued reading her fist was holding the table with more strength, and she didn't notice how at some point some of her shadows started covering the desk and reinforcing it...Because if they didn't...That desk would crumble.

 

"And so...We became pariah..." Laughed Elizabeth while reading the outcome of that second generation.

 

They all started to run and tried to suppress their own skills, it didn't matter. Father and Mother were too good at their work; they caught most of the powereds and mages. Ironically, this event worked to make the powered and magical community work together. They even founded the first Prison capable of holding both types of metahumans!

 

Yay, progress!

 

"...You are so not getting a present this year papa..." Murmured Elizabeth reading on the progress they took.

 

This persecution carried on till a group of heroes that managed to reign their [Taint] went [Rogue] and proved they could control it and suppress it. But by that point, the public opinion was stacked against them...

 

Ironically, while this group could suppress it to some extent they weren't free from it, so their temper was more...Volatile. So they decided to not return to the [Hero] life and instead went full [Villain]. And while they didn't commit over-the-top crimes they still settled into the underworld by doing mercenary work and dealing with other [Villains].

 

They still robbed banks in the end. A fact that Elizabeth found hilarious, that note at the end about their first act as true honest to god [Villains] was a riot, since the black-haired woman with a wolf mask was helping civilians evacuate while her minions moved the money to black vans and others dealt with the injured [Heroes].

 

It was even more funny to read as they even gave their part to the police and made it to the papers!! They didn't know the group of [Villains] was the one to report the whole deal, help the wounded and after everything was done they just left with the money after getting thanked for their help!

 

These articles were dated over 50 years ago, so that woman might still be around if she was above B-Tier...

 

"Time to verify if the info is the same..." Said Elizabeth while standing and looking into her shadow. "Nyx, check if someone is around or if anyone is monitoring here." Said Elizabeth to her shadow.

 

She saw a part of her shadow dart away and give a quick search around her, while that was happening "Nyx, send one of the fast Dragons to the other library, the one we visited before this one in the main street." And then another of her Shadow Dragons left her shadow.

 

This as the one before was quite fast and darted across the room into the wall and exited by one of the windows.

 

While she waited for the answer she started focusing on her [Skills], but she still felt kinda...Stifled, she still had control over her shadows but it felt like someone had put a lid on her maximum output.

 

"[Mistress, the first scout reports that no one is monitoring your current area...The scout found a camera system, but it is no longer functional.]" Came the voice of the little girl in her shadows.

 

She didn't yelp at her voice nor jumped away from her own shadow...No matter what anyone says about it. Instead, she stoically frowned and said "What about the second....scout." She had scouts?

 

She really needed to infuse her [Identify] with idea and give her skills a one-over.

 

"[He is reporting that he will be soon at the location, do you require a certain spot to be monitored?]" Asked the little girl in her shadow.

 

Elizabeth for her part just thought that for a second. "Tell it to find an isolated spot near the main street, away from any mana wave detection system is preferable but not necessary. And tell me when he is in position I will [Travel] there in a second." Finished saying the girl.

 

She felt her [Soulscape] searching for the correct [Node] and prodded her skill, turning it off and returning to her other form.

 

"...My other form huh..." Said the blonde girl when the skill effect washed away, she felt her clothes once more tight over her body. Remembering how her previous form had a different figure...One more...Modest.

 

She quickly enough did away with those measures she had taken, allowing herself to once again breathe easily...Now that the shirt wasn't stuck to her chest nor her pants were tied with a shadow belt she felt the stifling feeling somewhat more tame, as if the shadows were somehow farther away from her.

 

"[The scout is in position mistress, shall we call back the scout here?]" Asked the voice from the maid in her shadows.

 

She turned to see at the desktop she was using, she decided to leave her new phone and the red bracelet on the table "No, leave it here, it must inform me if someone is coming here post haste...I will not be away for long...[Shadow Travel]" And feeling the shadow shroud her whole body Elizabeth felt herself sinking into the shadows.

 

It was a comfortable feeling, almost as if her whole body was in her [Soulscape]. The feeling didn't last though, as she felt the shadows leave her body and soon enough she was standing in a deserted alleyway.

 

She didn't want to take too much time, so expanding her shadows she found the library and walked straight to it, she didn't want to risk it. While she didn't feel the shadows as close as before in this form. She still knew her temper could rise if she was angered enough.

 

So she walked straight and ignored most of those that called to her, a stark contrast to how they looked at her while she had walked a few hours ago in these streets under her [Alice] visage.

 

No one turned away from her, no one pretended she wasn't there, no one glared nor made rude gestures...She was getting angry again... So instead of thinking of that she donned herself in one of the personas she had crafted while in high school. The image of the top student.

 

She smiled and waved while her eyes glazed over the faces all across the place, she ignored what they said and just returned greetings with meaningless comments.

 

And in that manner, she walked two blocks till she arrived at the Library once again. The receptionist looked still annoyed from afar, but as soon as she saw the bracelet on her right arm she radiated an aura of happiness once again.

 

That was of course the obsidian bracelet that her father had given her. "I will use one of the computers...I do not wish to be disturbed." And on that note, she kept walking towards the booth.

 

The guard at the end of the room just opened the door for her and walked after her, she thought they would try to banish her, but instead, he just guided her to the same both as before. She could see some people were around.

 

'Monitor the area.' She mentally ordered to her shadow. And then made the exact same searches on the engine.

 

To her surprise half of the searches gave no returns, on this library database, she found a note about the same assault on the bank the shadow villain did. But she didn't find information about how they had helped at the end, just a mention that a group of [Heroes] helped to repel the [Villains].

 

She didn't find mentions about how her father and mother had made the first prison against [Tainted], but a mention that they had collaborated to make the world a safer place and how they were working to create a metahuman grade prison.

 

The information was limited...She couldn't help but smirk at that revelation.

 

"[Mistress, the guardsmen made every customer in your immediate zone leave, they are however checking what information you are searching and the receptionist is berating the other workers to find the relevant books you need. But it seems they don't hold enough [Information Allotation] with the [Saintsworth's] to even see the books needed.]" Came the voice of the maid from her shadows.

 

That was just perfect, it made her day even better to know the people that dared to [Turn her away] were suffering their [Just desert]... Wait what?

 

"We are leaving, order the scouts in range to return." Said the blonde girl to her shadows while starting to walk away.

 

"[At once Mistress ... It seems the receptionist is on course to ambush you, should we delay her?]" Came from her shadow the question.

 

She sent a [No] into her shadow with her intent and kept walking. Sure enough, the receptionist was already waiting for her at the entry, on the outside was a group of people wanting to get inside while the guardsmen were keeping them away.

 

"So sorry to bother someone of your esteemed position." Said the receptionist still smiling, but she could see her eyes darting all over the place. "Could we ask your esteemed self to grant us a scan of your bracelet? If you give us some [Allotation] we can get you the information needed Miss..." Continued saying the receptionist.

 

"The last time we forgot to ask one, the passive scanner wasn't working so we didn't get the [Reward] for giving you what you needed after all..." Said the receptionist while bringing forward a scanner, it looked awfully familiar, almost like the one used to charge bills to her in the restaurant.

 

"No." Said the blonde girl while smiling, making the receptionist stop in her tracks.

 

"I-I can assure you that if we get this scan we can get all the information needed!" Started saying to the receptionist, looking at the security guards. "This is the most prestigious library in the city and the one with more information available! We need the patronage!"

 

For her part, Elizabeth just kept a smile on her face "You know...A friend told me of how you treated her this morning...And I don't like my friends being treated that way." She took out her phone, the one still bound by all the information locks her father had put, even if half of them were coming off. She was planning on only using this one while on this form.

 

"And she even found me a nice Library with the information, but I still wanted to make sure we weren't missing anything here." And after finding the post she had liked before she turned her phone to show the image.

 

The receptionist blanched at seeing the image of her [Alice] form.

 

"She said you weren't nice to her even after I suggested her this one...So no...You may not have my [Scan] nor my [Patronage]...Whatever you wanted to get...Go and find it from someone else..." She started walking towards the doors, she was feeling the anger starting to rise.

 

It was a miracle her shadows hadn't acted yet, so she needed to run away fast and get the stupid red bracelet on again.

 

So when she saw that the guards weren't moving she glared at them and said "[Move]", she felt some of her mana leaking into her voice and was even surprised at the unintended use of [Idea]. But she didn't mind the effects.

 

Since the guards looked quite funny when they rushed to open the door for her, making her way to the outside. It seemed her use was limited since the ones at the outside didn't mind it that much or moved away.

 

"I will however not come back so long as you stay here...Whoever your name was." And after saying such she walked to the outside, she ignored most of those that looked at her and instead rushed towards the alleyways.

She ignored the calls from the receptionist, and most of those outside rushed inside as soon as the guards stopped keeping them out. A few did try to follow her from afar, but as soon as she turned a corner she used her skill and returned to the other library.

 

"Did anyone see me using my skill?" She asked while donning her red bracelet and storing the obsidian one.

 

"[No one was close mistress. Should we mark the receptionist for monitoring?]" Asked the maid from her shadow.

 

Elizabeth frowned but in the end, said "No...Leave her. I would rather mark someone more important like Selen...Or the asshole at the customs...Don't mark either, just notify me if they come closer...But for now, we need to deal with more important problems..." Answered Elizabeth.

 

She was feeling the effect of the bracelet calming her emotions and returning her to a more normal state. She sat down and stared at her new phone, it seemed she had a few extra likes and a DM from an account with a picture of the receptionist outside one of the Saintsworth's buildings.

 

She quickly refused the DM and blocked said account, she got a few extra DMs from what looked to be employees thanking her for speaking to 'Her blonde friend'. Yeah...That was going to be a problem later... wouldn't it?

 

Uughh...Would she need to learn a way to cast the [Shift] spell in another person and then custom make the form so they could turn into her normal form...No that was way too convoluted...

 

"[Mistress, the receptionist of this place is coming.]" Came from her shadows the warning of the maid.

 

"Why would that matter?" Asked the blonde while playing with the new phone and blocking DM's...She soon enough reported the accounts that only wanted to speak with her 'Blonde Friend' for harassing and left on read those saying thanks.

 

"[The receptionist will look for your True form...But will find this Blonde form.]" Answered the maid from her shadows.

 

That made her frown...Wasn't this her original form? No wait...True form?

 

The little maid thought her [Alice] form was the true form? Why?

 

"[Shadow Shift - Alice]" Said the blonde while focusing on the shift that would only change her body and not her clothing or anything else. And then made the right changes to make the clothes more comfortable again.

 

"Did you find what you needed?" Asked the nice receptionist. She even brought some snacks!

 

The other woman could learn a thing or two from her!

 

"Yes, thank you. I will just finish my stuff here and carry on." Answered Elizabeth while grabbing her phone and saving a few articles on it for checking on later.

 

"That is good, we still have a strong link to the main house thanks to Lady Eleanor..." Murmured the receptionist while looking at her bracelet, the red one. "Please do take care of her if you can, as someone that shares the same [Shadow]." And on that note, she left.

 

So whoever that woman was it must be someone in [The Hydra's Fang]. And probably someone important... And that woman shared the same [Shadow] as her?

 

What the hell was that supposed to mean?!? She would check to see if someone in that [Group] had a power similar to hers and see on Monday. She doubted anyone else had this kind of power though.

 

Hers felt too free form, after all, no way whoever was recruited with her had a skill as convenient as hers....right?