Bourne Chronicles Pt. 3

"But just so you know, if you or anyone else keeps following me, things will end badly."

Hearing that line through the feed, on the other end was the Oracle. Leaning over a console packed with buttons, the lights inside the enormous glass pyramid that served as his head flickered.

He wasn't watching live anymore. It had been hours since his ninja spy had met with Zack Zero. Compulsively, the cult leader replayed the footage from the hidden camera in his spy's chest.

Right now, he looped that sentence over and over:
But just so you know, if you or anyone else keeps following me, things will end badly…
But just so you know, if you or anyone else keeps following me, things will end badly…
But just so you know, if you or anyone else keeps following me, things will end badly…

"Dr. Agnes, I believe we've found the author of that beautiful phenomenon we recorded on that fateful night."

At the touch of a button, the oracle changed the image on its screen to a huge radiant star in the sky. Several notes and percentages appeared on the screen, the camera with magical spectrum unable to define that phenomenon exactly.

Behind him, a stunning woman arrived, accompanied by a mysterious guest. Her black lips and hair contrasted with her pale skin. Wearing a lab coat surgically opened to show as much skin from her chest to her shoulders as possible, her steps toward him echoed with the click of high heels.

A true femme fatale.

"Chief, I thought you were the one behind the lights…" Agnes said, dripping with obvious irony.

"Claiming credit for that phenomenon was a smart tactic. Thank you very much, Doctor, for helping me recreate a miniature version to show at that party for the filthy rich. We gained many new members for our little club…"

"I'm always open to whatever needs you have, Chief. A-n-y-t-h-i-n-g." the Doctor said. "Aren't you overdoing this hunt? I still think it was just a weird natural phenomenon, rather than something created by an individual… And even if it was, I doubt anyone would believe him over you.”

The man rose; the great pyramid glowed white, his clear voice resonating through the vast dark stronghold.

"I'm not afraid of a mere dispute over credit, Dr. Agnes. Unfortunately, the people of this world lack the capacity to see magic as I do. To you, my power and the one that appeared in the heavens are on a level beyond imagination — to me, who can discern differences at that higher level…"

The leader clenched his fist.

“The difference is overwhelming. A colossal gap. His magical density is unfathomable. A level possible only for… a different kind of lifeform.”

Agnes snorted. "Ha. And you believe this superior lifeform is housed in that nobody. I watched the background footage. Yes, the magic circle he made is enormous, but with some combined magic enhancers, plus talent and training, a human can absolutely reach that level."

"Dr. Agnes, I appreciate your opinion, but that wasn’t the moment that convinced me. No… it was this one."

Clang!

The Oracle replayed the part where Zack Zero used a wooden skewer as a weapon to deflect the kunai.

"A stick? A stick made you think that boy is some kind of god?"

"It’s not about the stick, but his ability to use mana." The Oracle handed her a pencil. "It’s not the same as the skewer, but it’ll do. Go ahead, try to imbue this pencil with mana."

Dr. Agnes took the pencil, yellowish mana already spreading across it. Channeling her flow of mana into her palm, she tried to pass it into the pencil — only for it to explode, snapping in half.

"Huh… I’ve never tried that before."

"Yes. Unlike a wand, this wood has no preparation, no core to withstand the magical recoil."

Pulling another pencil from the pocket of her lab coat, Dr. Agnes tried again — another pencil shattered.

"To achieve such a feat, one has to individually charge every molecule of the pencil in perfect balance, keeping the flow steady to increase the wood’s resistance. Then he threw the pencil, pinning it to the wall. To do that, he had to load the object with a mana charge — an even greater balance required."

The Doctor, wide-eyed, watched Zack on the computer screen.

"I never considered that. Flow, Charge, and Elasticity — the three basic attributes of magic, perfectly balanced in a single, simple action… and it’s impressive."

"Exactly. That boy is the only one in the entire city who matches all the parameters we’ve set in our search — he is the entity."

Dr. Agnes glanced at the console. At least ten pencils lay broken. Watching the broken pencils, it was clear to her how his anger had grown with each attempt—the first snapped in two, the last nearly reduced to dust. Even for him, replicating that simple feat was impossible.

She stepped back. She had never seen her boss worried — or even afraid.

"W-what do you plan to do, Chief?"

"Dr. Agnes, I believe Zack Zero is interested in his cousin. We must return him home as soon as possible. Have you finished the… modifications?"

The woman grinned wickedly.

"Yes, he’s all set to return to society! Project Zero, one step ahead."

The mysterious guest was me — or at least what remained of me.

Appearing in perfect condition, wearing clean, fine clothes, I stepped forward to present myself to my new boss.

"The deadline you set was short, but still, this is my best work. He responded to all my experimental magical stimulants! I’ve never seen a subject react so well."

The Doctor traced a finger across my chest.

"I don’t understand how these nobles think. So much magical talent, and just because the poor boy is a bastard, they toss him into this backwater city. At least we’ll put him to better use!"

The cult leader, though without visible eyes, I could tell was analyzing me.

"Do you mind detailing his responses to your experiments?"

"Oh… of course. I amplified his physical and magical abilities, multiplied them together. His average combat level must have risen by at least twelve hundred percent. If we push him to his limit, it should increase even more!"

"And the side effects?"

"Well… there was a mild loss of about… forty percent of his neurological capacity and consciousness. Still, since we’ll be giving the orders, who needs to think, right?"

"Try to restore as much of his brain as possible. I need him to pass as normal for a while…"

The Doctor laughed, her hand returning to cover her mouth.

"You’re really thinking of giving back my masterpiece? I don’t know… I might have an artist’s tantrum and decide to betray you, Chief."

“You would never do that, Agnes. Your contract with me doesn't even allow you to think about that kind of thing.”

She calmed down, seeing the boss return to his usual composed self.

"Bourne, in a city of frustrated mages, must be the one with the second-highest raw magical power after me and our enemy. I initially thought to use him as a bodyguard, but now… I think I’ll surprise his cousin. A test to understand Zack Zero’s true power."

"Ahhhhh, now I get it! A trap, in the same house as our enemy, waiting only for the trigger to explode."

The Oracle sat back in his chair, and the Doctor perched on his lap.

"Bourne Zero, my soldier…" the Oracle said, turning in his chair to face me.

"Yes, sir!" I answered, standing at attention.

"Honoring your contract, once you leave here you will follow my orders to the letter. Under a specific trigger… you will attack Rush. I do not want you to kill her, and it must be done in Zack’s presence."

"Yes, sir!" I repeated, still at attention.

"Humm… an audacious plan," the Doctor said. "Don't tell me why… I want to find out in the moment!"

Clasping his hands, the Oracle posed like a grand mastermind:

"No matter how much power he possesses, the footage revealed another obvious factor. There isn't only an entity in that body — there's a humanity in there."

The Oracle put Zack’s face on the screen and watched.

"He's a good person… we can use that."