In a World of Mythology as the Best

"Oh…my god." 

Spencer muttered, the feeling of claustrophobia failing to pose him a problem as his eyes stayed glued on the black pillar in his face as he lay in a small area between the ground and the pillar.

Though he could feel his consciousness slipping and the pain was becoming so unbearable he could no longer ignore it, he still took a second to bask in the sight before him.

Not too far away from him, a boy lay in a fixed position, on one knee as he stared at the pillar that had formed before him.

He couldn't see the end, only that Monroe was now…gone.

However, he couldn't think for long as he started to witness the pillar slowly shifting downward.

It was falling.

'Crap!'

With something this size falling onto the earth…well, Illian didn't want to think about the consequences of that.

"Shrink!" 

-VWIP

In the next second, the staff, now its regular size, landed on the ground, rolling toward Illian as he stared at it.

"Ruyi…"

Illian mumbled, mesmerised.

But suspiciously, a crescent moon necklace-like object was now wrapped around the staff, soon falling beside it.

'It's the same necklace Monroe was wearing.'

Before he could ask anything else, a screen appeared before him.

[You have been Cursed with Certain Death]

"Huh…"

[Due to the low level of the Curse and its hurried activation, the effects won't be instant]

[Calculating…]

'Certain Death? Is that what this is?' 

Illian thought, staring at his deathly hands, the pain returning as the adrenaline left his body.

With the barrier gone and Ruyi shrunken, the rain continued, the very raindrops causing his hands to flinch when coming into contact.

'But wait a minute…this screen…am I a…'

[You will die in 1 month and 22 days]

Illian read this, his expression deflating.

'Death, huh?'

"Kid…" 

Illian headshot to the side, as if he'd just realised something, staring at the downed man.

Despite his hands being hurt, his legs worked perfectly fine as he trod toward Spencer.

"How are you still alive?" Illian asked, standing over the man, reaching out his hand but flinched in resistance, the very air causing them to shiver.

Though Illian asked this question, he could tell that Spencer was at death's door.

For a reason he didn't know, his eyes now picked up on small and minor details in the area, as if he were looking through a telescope.

He could see Spencer's chest weakly moving up and down, as well as the point of impact from the attack earlier, leaving his chest caved in.

"I might as well be. Everything hurts." Spencer spoke in a hoarse tone.

'He's barely breathing. She hit him in the chest. His insides are probably a mess.' 

Illian knew that by no means were they "alliances". They simply had a common enemy at a desperate time.

If it was up to him, he'd let the man live.

But he knew he was no doctor and came to terms with the fact he could do nothing for him.

"Kid, I gotta say, you've surprised me," Spencer spoke, causing Illian to smile.

"Yeah, I surprised myself." He responded, looking at his staff.

"No, it's not that. I'm talking about you. That wimp you kidnapped is alive and well, right? And the only two guards in the bank tonight were out watching your performance." 

Spencer pointed out.

"You're a scumbag crook, Kid. But you're a decent scumbag crook." 

Illian didn't know whether to laugh or hit the man. Instead, he simply sighed.

"I only have one request."

Spencer used the small strength he had to let out a few more words as he handed something to Illian.

The boy, first surprised, soon nodded as he quickly put the item in his pocket, he watched Spencer seemingly…let go.

"I have to say, I'm disappointed I won't get to see what you'll make of this power in the future." 

Spencer commented, his eyes fading soon after as his breathing stopped.

"I think you know, Spencer. I've been saying it all this time." 

Illian straightened his posture as he grinned with bright Golden eyes.

Now that he'd awakened, he really believed it. 

It was as if his previous dreams…no, his ambition had been increased by tenfold.

Nothing would stop him.

"I'll stand at the top. The whole world will know my name one day and they'll all have no choice but to acknowledge me as the best." 

-ZMMM

However as Illian spoke, a chill ran down his spine as he shot his head to his surroundings.

'What the hell?'

All around him, atop the broken buildings, perched on the window sills, coming out from every exit of the alleyway, Illian was surrounded by individuals wearing black suits who seemingly appeared from thin air, each of them staring at him with the same cold eyes.

Though Illian was confused, he noticed the symbol on their suits.

It was a phoenix rising. The symbol of the I.A.

"Hey, this man needs your help!" Illian, putting the pieces together, pointed the best he could at Spencer.

"Unknown criminal, you're under arrest for a handful of crimes, including Terrorism, Arson…" 

The man who spoke, seeming as though he was leading them all, fashioned a buzz cut with unnaturally wide and intimidating eyes, matching his bushy and fire-like eyebrows.

He was backed by a silver-haired man with a ponytail, glaring at Illian in the same manner.

Illian contorted his face in a mix of annoyance and confusion.

"What's wrong with you?! Use your Inheritor powers and save…" 

"And the murder of John Spencer." 

Illian froze as he stared at the man speaking who was wearing sunglasses and fashioned a ponytail.

"What…"

'The murder…of John Spencer?'

Illian looked at the I.A. one by one as he soon turned to the lifeless Spencer.

Everything had been so hectic that he'd only now realised how this may have looked to an outsider.

There was no sign of Monroe and it was a widely known fact that Spencer went to pursue the terrorist after the bank exploded.

"This isn't how it looks," Illian muttered, staring at Spencer.

"This is the last time I'll tell you. Surrender." The man spoke in a stern voice, unmoving like a statue as he stared.

Illian simply stood, his head lowered.

It wasn't until the next second that he flicked his arm, pointing it toward his staff as his shaky hands tossed the two items he'd obtained in his mouth, gulping.

'Come to me!' 

-TING

Ruyi flicked into the air, shooting toward Illian.

However…

"I warned you." 

"KRHM!"

Illian let out a strained groan as he lay on his knees, each limp being subdued by the agents.

With two suited figures on each arm and one with his arm wrapped around Illian's neck, his mind started to race.

'When did they…I didn't even see them.'

Illian thought, watching his staff drop back onto the ground with a suspiciously loud THUD.

Illian watched the wide-eyed man walk toward him, showing no emotion as if he were simply stepping on an ant.

Raising his finger, he pressed it against Illian's forehead.

'Shit!' 

With his chances at escape dwindling by the second, Illian finally turned his head to his staff.

'Shrink!'

"Go to sleep."

***

"1st of January. A day that never disappoints at being magical. However, this year, the 1st of January was anything but Magical." 

A male news anchor sat behind a desk as he spoke, a video of a casket being carried by a few officers appearing before him.

"The death of a good man and the birth of someone, something that this world does not deserve. Something that the media has nicknamed 'The Mask'." 

A video was once again played by a shaky camera, showing a figure standing atop a building, wearing a white mask.

"Remember this day, people, and stay tuned, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet!" 

The figure yelled, following this up with cackles as he dashed away.

"On other news, not long after this, a giant pillar appeared in the sky, being sighted all across the world…"

"Tsk, how dramatic." 

The TV turned black as a female standing before it clicked her teeth.

Standing in a large office, the wall furthest from the door was made of see-through glass.

From the marble floor to the leather sofas in the corner, all the way to the desk and chair before the glass wall, all seemed simple in design yet meticulous in material.

However, this all paled in comparison to the woman who took a seat before her desk.

With jet-black hair and icy blue eyes, the female wore a stylish and somewhat revealing attire.

The black dress that matched her long shoulder-length hair fashioned a slit on its side, revealing her bare leg.

Additionally, the dress did a poor job of fully covering the female's chest, though one could only assume this was done on purpose.

"Ms Vanheart…"

A voice came from an unknown direction but didn't seem to bother the female as she replied nonchalantly.

"Is he here?" She asked, her tone matching her demeanour. Low and soft, yet dominant, the voice you'd expect from a succubus.

"Yes. We're heading in now." 

Just as the voice said this, a CLICK resounded in the empty rock as the door swung open.

The female stared with a straight face, her eyes glued on the boy with Golden Eyes currently surrounded by four I.A. agents, two of them being the wide-eyed man and silver-haired agent.

With his hands tied around his back and a gag in his mouth, his hair seemed dishevelled as well as his clothes being ragged, as if he'd been sleeping against a wall.

Seeing this sight, the female's lips curled upwards as she rose to her feet.

'Glass window. Easy to break.'

"The Child Trickster." The female mused, the agents stopping before her as the boy did too.

'Marble floor. It doesn't have the best footing.'

"You've caused quite a ruckus. Even more so when you awakened." The agents made way for the female as she stood before the boy, their eyes meeting.

'High ceiling and large space.' 

For a second, silence prevailed as the female, considerably taller than the boy, peered at him.

"Don't even think about it." She muttered, seeing the look in the boy's eyes, causing the latter to pause.

"Don't you know where you are?" Saying this, she turned her head, staring at the view from her window.

'Now that I think about it…' 

"Welcome to Ashton City…" 

Illian widened his eyes as he looked at the city down below.

'Ashton City, home to Inheritors.'

"More specifically, you're in I.A. HQ, standing before a member of the Pentagon." 

The female spoke in a tone that made her seem as though she was amused, however, upon looking back, her smile faltered as she stared at the boy looking down onto the city with a large grin.

'I.A. HQ? It's almost like they're begging me to embarrass them with the greatest escape in history.'