Chapter 2: Rachel's Secret

I turned to Jason. “Let’s use your ability as an example. Yours is, hmm… ‘A deep affection that can kill anything in a second.’ What a bizarre ability—definitely has that over-the-top comic book vibe.” I smirked. "Seriously, you sound like a bad Tinder profile."

Jason gave an awkward smile. “I awakened a useless power—sorry to make you laugh. That’s why, even though I’m an ability user, I can only work as a clerk in the Seventh Bureau. My coworkers all joke that I’d be better off on The Bachelor.” He gave a nervous chuckle, eyes flicking to Eric as if looking for backup. “My grandma says I should just focus on finding a nice girl.”

I laughed. “No need to sell yourself short. Your director, Mr. Anderson, always said: ‘There’s no such thing as a useless ability. If you know how to develop it, you’ll always find your moment to shine.’ For example, let’s take Mr. Eric Lane. His ability is: Summon the Domain of Fire to Burn Everything. That’s a strong one—at least A-rank, right?”

Eric nodded. “You really are the strongest ability user in history. You figured out my ability just by looking at me.” He sounded awed, maybe a little afraid, like a rookie pitcher meeting Babe Ruth in the flesh.

I continued, “Now, I’ll activate my ability… There, it’s done. Mr. Lane, please use your power.” I folded my hands on the table, watching with anticipation.

At that, Jason quickly scooted aside—he knew Eric’s ability was an indiscriminate area attack, and for a support-type like him with zero defense, being nearby was dangerous. He nearly tripped over his own chair, muttering, “Don’t roast me, man.”

Eric nodded. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his pupils glowed crimson. A surge of psychic energy radiated from him, and in the next instant, scarlet flames erupted—engulfing the tie on his chest. The tie flashed like a Fourth of July firework, heat shimmering in the air. Even Jason flinched back, covering his face with his hands.

The crimson flames radiated intense heat. The burning was so fierce that Eric yelped, “Hot!”

He frantically slapped at his tie, trying to put out the flames, but powers don’t extinguish so easily. If he didn’t have innate fire resistance as a fire-user, he’d probably be toast by now. The smell of scorched polyester and something almost sweet—like burning marshmallows—filled the room.

“Uh, maybe try withdrawing your power first?” I suggested. I tried not to laugh as Eric’s face turned as red as his tie.

Eric hurriedly retracted his ability. Instantly, the flames vanished from his tie, though his jacket was already scorched and tattered. He brushed ash off his lapels, looking both embarrassed and relieved. Jason snorted with laughter, but quickly stifled it when Eric shot him a glare. The two rookies exchanged a look, silently questioning if they were in over their heads.

Seeing Eric’s sorry state, I snapped my fingers apologetically. In the next moment, his clothes were restored to their original state. His jacket looked like it’d just come off the rack at Macy’s, price tag and all.

I explained, “That’s my ability. Just now, I changed the word ‘domain’ in your power’s description to ‘tie,’ so your ability became: Summon the Tie of Fire to Burn Everything.” I grinned. “Imagine what would happen if you wore a clip-on.”

Eric’s mind seemed to short-circuit, but Jason, peeking from the side, exclaimed, “That’s incredible!” Jason’s eyes sparkled, half with awe, half with the unspoken hope that maybe his own power could be rewritten into something cool.

“Let’s get back to my story. The moment I awakened my ability, I saw Rachel’s power: Every time she kills someone who truly falls in love with her, her own strength doubles.” My skin crawled as I spelled it out: Every time she killed someone who truly loved her, her own strength doubled. Like some twisted video game power-up. I leaned back, voice dropping to a confessional hush, as if the walls themselves needed to hear the truth.

“In that instant, I understood why Rachel treated me so well at college. I used to think I’d lucked out, finding someone I could trust with my life. I never imagined her real goal was to make me fall for her, then kill me, so she could become stronger. With normal adult fitness, after five or six doublings, there’s probably nothing ordinary in this world that could kill her.” I rubbed at a spot on my wrist—ghost pain from a memory that never quite faded.

“But by the time I realized, it was already too late. That day was the very day Rachel planned to kill me. She laced the meal she’d cooked for me with knockout drugs, and by the time I noticed, it had already taken effect.” I remembered the taste of her homemade lasagna—cheesy, warm, and spiked with just enough oregano to hide the bitterness underneath. The way she smiled as I took the first bite. I thought I was the luckiest guy alive. Turns out, I was just next in line.

“So how did you get out of that one?” Jason, no longer as terrified as before, asked eagerly. His voice was breathless, full of the same morbid curiosity that makes people slow down at highway accidents. The tension in the room broke just a little, as if we were all swapping ghost stories around a campfire.

I smiled, slow and dangerous. “Let’s just say, Rachel wasn’t the only one keeping secrets that night.” Let the silence stretch, just long enough for their imaginations to run wild.