Kyoji watched the two agents as they exited the room, and the moment the door shut behind them, his cold expression shifted. His eyes widened slightly, and his brows furrowed in thought.
What was that earlier?
That sudden burst of energy and strength—what was it?
Even now, he could still feel a tingling sensation in his hand, the same hand where the energy had flowed through. But it wasn't just that. He felt… different.
Something inside him had changed. Greatly.
He didn't know exactly what it was, but he could sense it deep within him—a strange feeling.
It wasn't anything he could name. Just… different.
Strange. Unfamiliar. Yet somehow, interesting.
And most importantly, he could tell—he was now strong.
He could feel it clearly, the raw strength flowing through him. It was far greater than anything he remembered from before he passed out.
There was no doubt about it.
So, without wasting more time, he decided to check his status.
A familiar blue screen materialized before his eyes, making his thoughts pause for a moment as he read what was displayed.
---
< Name: Kyoji Renn >
< Talent: [???] Time Manipulation | [???] Blood Manipulation >
< Energy Signature: Faith 50% | Chaos 50% | Equilibrium State | Reading... Glitch... Anomaly >
< Strength: 2.5 — Anomaly Detected >
< Agility: 1.9 — Anomaly Detected >
< Endurance: 3.2 — Anomaly Detected >
< Intelligence: 2.3 — Anomaly Detected >
< Attribute Points: 0 — --//-- >
Skills: Time Dome | Crimson Arsenal | Vital Control
Equipment: —
---
Kyoji stared at the information displayed on the screen.
Had he been someone else, he might have panicked or freaked out.
But for better or worse, he didn't feel emotions. So, he stayed calm. His cold eyes quietly scanned the screen, taking in every bit of information.
Chaos Energy?
And Faith Energy?
How was that even possible?
How could both of those energies exist within his body at the same time—especially in an equilibrium state?
His brows furrowed deeper as his mind worked rapidly, trying to make sense of it all.
Everyone knew that chaos and faith energy were opposite forces. Completely incompatible.
It wasn't like oil and water—those could still be forced to mix under the right conditions. But chaos and faith energy? There was no such thing as an emulsifier for them.
They simply didn't mix.
The moment they touched, they reacted violently, always trying to push the other out. Like a force of nature.
And yet… now they were both inside him.
And nothing was exploding.
Kyoji wanted to believe the screen was glitching, that there was some kind of error.
But he knew it wasn't.
That energy from earlier—the one that had surged through his body and flipped the hospital bed—there was no way that was just faith energy.
No chance.
He had spent years in his previous life studying mutants and their blood. He had researched their strange energy patterns in great detail.
That energy from earlier had all the signs of chaos energy. It was wild, untamed, powerful.
He paused for a moment, pushing down the storm of thoughts racing through his mind.
Once his thoughts settled, he focused inward.
He needed to understand exactly what was happening inside him.
The moment he reached deep, he sensed it—faith energy.
It wasn't calm, but it was pure. Brimming with divine power.
Then he sensed the second energy. It flowed through his blood, filling his body with power and life.
It was chaos energy. No doubt about it.
But the two weren't coexisting peacefully. They never had and still weren't.
They wanted to fight each other.
He could feel it—like a storm ready to break out.
But something was holding them back.
Some kind of force was stopping them from clashing.
Kyoji's cold eyes remained focused as he pushed deeper, trying to find the cause.
And then… he sensed something.
Faint, but it was there.
A strange energy—different from both chaos and faith.
It wasn't moving. It just existed, like a silent mountain in the middle of a storm.
Kyoji's brows furrowed slightly as he tried to stir it, to make it react.
But it didn't respond. Not even a flicker.
It was still. Immovable.
Like it didn't even recognize him.
"What is this?" Kyoji muttered, his cold eyes narrowing as he studied the unfamiliar energy with calm, calculated curiosity.
But just before Kyoji could investigate further, the sound of the door opening drew his attention away. He turned toward the direction of the noise.
Standing in the doorway was an old man with a heavily wrinkled face. His white hair was well groomed and shone like snow. He was dressed in a black butler suit.
This was Butler James—Kyoji's butler.
After Kyoji's mother left him upon their arrival at Coliseum City, Butler James had been the one taking care of him. He was also the one who informed Kyoji about the inheritance his mother had left behind. He was probably hired by her, not that Kyoji cared much anyway.
"Hey there, kiddo. Nod dead yet, I see," Butler James said with a strange smile that looked more creepy than warm on his wrinkled face. He reached up and removed the sunglasses covering his eyes, revealing an even creepier sight.
Completely white eyes. Nothing but whiteness, like a blind man. Yet, despite that, his eyes seemed to lock onto Kyoji, and Kyoji could feel the intense sensation of being watched. It was unnerving.
But Kyoji was already used to his creepy butler. Not like he could feel much, anyway. Still, the question about the true background of this mysterious old man lingered in his mind.
It had been a long time since he last saw him—or at least, from his previous life's memory. Technically, his current body had seen Butler James recently, on the day of his Blessing. But Kyoji couldn't tell exactly how long ago that was. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious. Judging from the fact that he was still being monitored for signs of corruption, it likely hadn't been more than a week.
Pushing aside the swirl of thoughts in his mind, Kyoji turned his attention back to Butler James, who still wore that creepy smile.
"Did you wish I was?" Kyoji asked, his voice cold and emotionless. But Butler James was already used to his lack of emotion and wasn't fazed by it. Instead, he chuckled like he found it amusing.
"Kinda. You're a pain in the ass, anyway," he said mid-chuckle, walking inside from the doorway and approaching Kyoji's bed with a grin. "Welcome back, kiddo," he added, stroking Kyoji's hair.
"Seriously?" Kyoji said with a questioning gaze, trying to pull his head away from Butler James's hand. But the old man was persistent.
After a while, Butler James finally had his fill of teasing.
Kyoji then shifted his gaze past him, looking toward the door where the two agents stood like awkward strangers, their heads lowered in fear as they waited for permission to enter.
It seemed like they had already encountered Butler James. Kyoji quickly came to that conclusion.
The old man wasn't just creepy. He had a presence—a strange aura—that made others feel uneasy, even people with power. Even the Chosen.
What was strange, though, was that Butler James didn't seem to be a Chosen himself. Kyoji couldn't sense anything from him. Nothing at all. It was as if he was just a regular human. And yet, this seemingly mundane man had managed to strike fear into two powerful agents of the Human Alliance.
That was the mystery of Butler James—one Kyoji still hadn't unraveled.
Who was this old man? And what exactly was his relationship with Kyoji's mother?
Questions with no answers.
Before Kyoji could think more about it, Butler James followed his line of sight and turned to face the two agents still standing at the door. His creepy white eyes narrowed slightly.
The two agents shivered as if they could feel his stare. They didn't dare lift their heads and kept their eyes glued to the floor.
"Hope these two didn't give you any trouble while I was away?" Butler James finally asked, turning back to Kyoji.
"Of course n—" Agent Rhys began, but stopped mid-sentence. Butler James had turned his gaze toward him, cold and sharp. The words got stuck in the agent's throat as he swallowed hard.
Kyoji watched the scene and sighed. He was never going to understand how Butler James managed to pull that off.
He shook his head slightly, silently letting the old man know the agents hadn't caused any issues.
"Good," Butler James replied as the creepy smile returned to his face. But to the agents, that smile looked more like a threat.
"Now, let's get this over with," he said, motioning for the two agents to come in.
Without hesitation, they stepped inside and closed the door behind them.
It was finally time for the interrogation.