The Art of Magic

I am Mr.Nobody

When Nex entered the warehouse however, what greeted her was a thick smell of iron that wafted through the air. A familiar scent, the scent of Blood.

Not a soul in sight, the warehouse felt empty. She looked above and saw an office. She thought to herself, "Perhaps that's where the party is." She raised her vigilance to the max and slowly made her way towards the stairs. Slowly treading it, not making any sound.

She pressed her ear on the wall, but she couldn't hear anything. As if there wasn't anyone there. If so, then why were there guards in front? She immediately assumed that this might be a trap from Alessandra. She primed her two hand cannons as she rested her back on the wall. She was readying herself to kick open the door and just shoot whomever.

Her trigger finger restless, she heaved a deep breath and kicked open the door. But what greeted her wasn't a trap or anything, but the most maddening sight anyone could ever see in their lifetime. In a Dark room, A tall Man in a black suit, his face covered by the shadows, sat in the leather chair as he rested his feet on the tall mountain of corpses. Limbs and Blood littered the entire office, along with the thick stench of death itself. Behind him was a Glowing Red Circle filled with undecipherable inscriptions that wriggle as if it's alive. In the middle of it all was an Inverted Ankh Painted with blood.

Perhaps this is just a sick joke, but Nex was disgusted by the sight. Even someone from her line of work, this was a first. The sight itself was sickening. She was glaring at the man in front of her. Thinking that he was from Magitech or something.

Although her Senses told her to run and never look back. Alarm bells were ringing in her head, a clear cut warning that this man is someone beyond her skill set and pay grade.

Yet she still aimed her pistols towards the man. He gave her an eerie smile, his yellow eyes  shone and spoke in the smoothest and most alluring of voices as if it could incite you to do his most darkest of biddings, "Hoh... interesting, most would have ran away, but instead you're coming straight at me. Like a moth drawn into the allure of flame." The mysterious man said as he observed the lady in front of him.

She frowned, "I can't beat your ass if I don't get close." She said as she aimed her guns at his temple, she undid the safety. The man laughed heartily, "Hahahahaha! Interesting, well then get to it young lady."

She unloaded her entire magazine on the man, she fired straight towards his temple scattering his head everywhere. A moment of just her Breathing heavily was heard, as she stared at the corpse. She never let her guard down, because it could only be a distraction from the real threat.

But then after a few seconds, the scattered pieces of his head slowly returned in place, it felt surreal. As if nothing happened, the Man then spoke to Nex as it picked up its hat that fell from the ground.

"Are you satisfied? Young Nex?" He said with the same grin plastered on his face.

Her eyes wide, still couldn't accept the reality of the situation. Her hands shivering, She narrowed her eyes and asked with a shaky voice, "What the fuck are you!?"

She scanned her memories for a different humanoid species that could regenerate like that but nothing comes to mind. As if the man knew what she was thinking spoke once more, "I assure you I'm not what you're thinking."

She frowned, "Then Who or What are you?" She said calmly.

"The one thing I can tell you is, I'm not the enemy and our interests align. Who am I? Let's just say I'm Mr.Nobody. A wandering vagrant perhaps, who knows. All you need to know is I have your best interest in mind." He said and pointed towards the tall mountain of corpses in his feet, "This is nothing more than a show of faith, so you could have it in you to trust me even a little bit."

"There's not much to trust if a monster that could wipe out a gang by his lonesome, sitting on top their corpses all relaxed." She said as she tried too peer into the shadow to know who that man was.

Then he vanished from the chair and a voice resounded behind her. She looked behind and the man was leaning on the door.

"Monster? haha... How harsh. I'm not the monster here. Besides I'm not here to kill you, like I said you are quite needed. Are you interested in a deal that could change your life perchance?" He said as his yellow eyes glowed.

"A deal? Are you the devil?" She asked.

He laughed heartily, "No, I'm not young Nex, sadly he's Missing right now. I have no idea where he went nor do I care. What's important is I have something you want, and you would have something I want."

She frowned, "Not giving me much of a choice here anyways."

"Hardly! You're free to leave anytime you want to and I wouldn't be able to stop you. But I have information. Important information that could change you and how you see the universe, and more importantly something you really want. A better information than what that Alessandra girl could give you." He said as he spread his arms wide.

"For a nobody you sure know far too much." She eyed him suspiciously.

"I have eyes everywhere. In both high and low places..."

She sighed and holstered her weapons, seeing that it's futile to fight back. "Fine, I'm willing to listen to your proposition."

The man smiled jovially, "Splendid! Trust me you won't regret your decision. But before we get there, there are things I need to clarify for you. A primer of some sort.

As you may have seen, reality isn't what it appears to be. Unexplainable things lurk behind the shadows and the truth hidden behind a thin veil. Keeping the ignorant masses at Bay, to maintain the status quo, or in another extreme... to control them.

The U.C.P. hides a secret far more sinister than their past transgressions. For over 4 millenniums they have hidden the truth, only select individuals know of this."

Nex raised her eyebrows and interrupted him, "Get to the point already..."

He laughed and lifted up his hand, "This Young Nex..." His hand glowed and a red magic circle with a black inverted ankh in the middle appeared.

"The existence of magic has been embedded deep into mankind's history. It's origins intertwine with the advancement of humans. The gift it brought also caused many a great empires to fall.

Many still practice it till this date, but the humans who do, not so much. It is as old as the first sentient mortal to ever walk the planet where humans came from, your current destination...  earth." The man showed the solar system where the planet Earth belonged.

"I'm supposed to believe you just like that? What of all this is just a hologram. Tricking me into letting my guard down so you could have  the upper hand? What makes you think that I would readily accept this crap? Are you coke'd out of your mind?" Nex said calmly as she tried to expose the man's agenda.

The man just laughed, "Well I'm not stopping you. You could treat it as the crazy ramblings of an old man and just walk away, Or Listen carefully and I could give you the opportunity to wield unimaginable power in the known universe. Harness it, bend it to your will, break the established rules of reality itself..."

He raised his arm and grasped at the air. Suddenly the room crumbled into pieces, what replaced the area was the vast expanse of the void, a sea of stars coupled with the terrifying loneliness as it's companion.

Nex looked beneath her feet, and was surprised it looked like they were standing on the void itself. She looked at the man in front of her with vigilance as she stepped back.

"This is all real, Were outside of your planet right now. Outside of your system. This is the heart of your Galaxy.

This is what magic can accomplish, this is not it's limit however, do not misunderstand."

He sighed as he stared off into space, "One of Mankind's greatest dreams were to explore the stars. To search the Galaxy if there was sentient life unlike their own. The final frontier they said, but it was far from the truth. For what lurks beyond is something even Gods fear.

The unrelenting cruelty of the void..."

Nex fell silent, listening intently to the man. fearing his power and ability. Suddenly the scenery changed once again. It looked similar to Scylla 8-b but the atmosphere felt different. It felt lighter and pleasant unlike the latter's polluted air. Nobody snapped his fingers and a cigarette suddenly appeared in his right hand. He pointed his fingers upwards and Black flames came out of it, lighting the stick for himself. He looked towards the planet in front of them and said,

"4 thousand years ago, man had achieved a way to orbit their planet. They walked on the Moon. Sent Exploration Rovers to Mars, to see if they truly were not alone. By doing so they have forgotten their most prized power. Was the ability to wield magic. It remained hidden in the shadows, only the worn down Noble houses know of it's existence. Forever outshined by the allure of progress and science.

When they finally had the ability to terra form Mars, and explore it. They found ruins of an ancient race, with technology that far surpassed their current ones.

Once more humanity has further advanced their civilization by a thousand years early, bringing upon a new age. The age of technology. The upgrades that should have taken them centuries merely took them months.

Soon enough they gained the ability to explore the Galaxy itself. As their colonies grew, their desire grew along with them.

Although, It's the simplest form of desire, It is one that many hope to find. The need for company, the desire for connection."

Nobody took a step towards earth and the scene before them changed once more. Now they were watching a battle. A large scale war spanning the cosmos. Nex looked down and finally saw land, a vast and empty desert that seemed to stretch as far as the eyes could see.

A desolate battleground filled with corpses and despair. Nobody spread his arms wide.

"It is however stumped by their innate flaw. Look around you Nex! What lies before you is humanity's legacy! You'd think those advancements would bring the world forward, into a brighter future.

Hahahaha... Old habits die hard I guess. The oldest and most enduring of human practices. War... it's always war."

The scene played out like anyone expected, The entire world was plunged into chaos, they ran the rivers red. Marched across the empty desert to escape an inescapable fate. Screams... Lots of screams. The beating of maddening drums as it signalled life's journey come to an end.

Nex frowned, she looked straight towards Nobody. She crossed her arms and said, "I came here for a job not a goddamn philosophy lesson." Nobody tilted his head to the side, "Perhaps a tale for another time... when you've seen the secrets the U.C.P so desperately hides."

Nobody shrugged as he saw Nex sit down on a nearby rock seemingly impatient towards the information he's holding back. He smiled towards her and said, "Shall I get to the point then?" Nex wordlessly nodded her head as she stared straight into his glowing yellow eyes.

"Fine, Soon you'll beg me to tell you what hides behind the long lost history of humanity." He snapped his fingers once more and they're back in the office, but the main difference was it was rid of the corpses and the stench. It's as if nothing ever happened there.

He sat down and so did Nex, "This, young Nex is what I want you to take." He snapped his fingers and He created an image of an archaic book. It's Black steel cover with Diamonds on it's edges seemed as if each corner pulsates with pure power. Two Overlapping Red Magic circles endlessly rotate, signifying it's infinite potential, and A Purple Crystal in the middle, That reflects the void's horrors and beauty, glow a red hue.

"This is the Thing I want you to find. It's what Magitech is trying to uproot on Earth. Not giving a damn about it's current inhabitants. It's also the reason why they're amassing a huge force. Because they're coveting the infinite power of this weapon.

Ignorant of it's potential, they think it's just a simple Grimoire filled with magic spells. Thinking that this could further their plans. Far from the truth...

This is one of the most powerful weapons that could shred the universe asunder. A Grimoire that isn't bound by rules."

Nex pondered for awhile, "Then why don't you get it yourself? Aren't you all powerful? I'm pretty sure you're also immortal. Why choose me? How can I be so sure that you won't cross me?"

Nobody smiled like a madman, it's as if he has  finally decided to show his cards. He looked across the window. "I can't, I'm not allowed to. I'm chained by Something far beyond. That's the potential of humanity he said, they alone could use all of the strongest Six weapons in every reality.

Because the one who made them was a blind idiot, stupid enough to believe in the capabilities of mankind. Overlooking their flaws. It's maddening." His voice had a trace of both fury and glee.

He shifted his eyes back to her, then stared straight at her. "As for why I chose you, I feel you know the answer yourself, don't you Miss Stretta?"

Nex furrowed her brows, she stood up and clutched nobody's collars. Baring her teeth at him she growled, "Don't call me that!"

Nobody shrugged his shoulders, "You've thrown that name long ago is that it? You're not fooling anybody. We both know why you withstood all that pain, that suffering."

"We're not talking about me right now, this doesn't make it any clearer why I'm the one you chose to wield this highly impossible bullshit." She said as she let go of his collars.

"Hahahahahahaha!!! That's precisely why I chose you. You and I are right here now, not because of a higher power or a cosmic coincidence, but because of a single reason. Revenge. You might fool yourself telling others that you're doing this to honor his memory, or to find him...

But I see a quest for vengeance when I see one, and Revenge... I respect." He was smirking at her, waiting for her response, but she wasn't talking.

So he continued, "Why else would you be still here? Even though all the shit that I have said was extremely improbable... You're still here...

You want to know why? Because you want more power, more strength. To become Strong enough to break all those who hurt you. That you'd grasp even at straws so long as you could increase your strength even a little.

You won't care what it is... be it money, augmentation, experimental weapons or anything.

And that is exactly why I'm presenting you, Unimaginable power. You could raze their entire household with just a wave of your fingers. A rebellion of the grandest scale! Unbound by anything but your own morality. That's why I ask you...

How far can you go in pursuit of power?"

Satisfied by his speech he patiently waited for her response. A moment of silence passed as if it were hours. Nex finally spoke, "If I do this what's in it for you?"

He laughed madly, "Hahahahahahahaha!!!! I like that you're finally taking the initiative, but No... not yet. Take the Grimoire first then get even stronger. Then we'll talk."

Nex eyed him suspiciously but slumped her tense shoulders in submission. "Fine, Where are they."

Nobody smiled mysteriously, "Very well, I've held on to this information long enough. Ganymede is where you want to start. As for the people you seek. They will be getting in your way in taking the weapon. Especially the boy. As for the other one, you are fated to meet him sooner or later. He is another wielder after all."

Nex frowned, "That's it? That's the big info? That's more cryptic than Alessandra's picture!"

Nobody shrugged, "Even I am bound by the rules, I cannot mess with fate itself. I can only slightly nudge it. Into a favorable result, for me of course... and perhaps as an extension... for you as well. If you doubt the clarity of this information trust me it can't get any clearer than that."

"How do I know where to find it?" She asked as she stared at the projection. "You'll know it when you see it." He said as a Black puddle like shadow appeared beneath his feet.

Nex turned around to leave but was stopped dead in her tracks by Nobody's reminder. "Don't forget about this." He tossed her a small box. As soon as she caught it a blue holographic screen popped out of it. Heavily guarded by a military encryption.

"Almost forgot about this one..."

Nobody tapped his head, "Oh and this... A little gift from this humble merchant."

His hands shone and blue flames came out of it. Then Thread like tendrils from the flames shot towards Nex's eyes. Fast enough to even bypass Nex's instincts.

As if a cool breeze passed by her eyes, was soon followed by unimaginable pain. She screamed voicelessly. Her entire being shook as she knelt on the ground.

"What... is this!? What did you do to me!?" She screamed towards him.

"I gave you what all Magic users want most in the world. The eyes capable of seeing through any being or object imbued with magic. Even how faint it is. you'll see a trace of blue flames on it's exact location."

Nex slowly stood up, glared at Nobody for not warning her earlier. "Whatever, Your words sound more and more like it's from a demon or something."

Nobody cackled, "I guess we're quite similar in that aspect, But the difference is I'm not that weak." His figure started to get hazy as black tendrils from the shadows wrapped around his body. Countless of mouths and eyes open and close litter the tendrils. He was slowly sinking below the ground as if he was being dragged down by the void itself.

"Until we meet again young Nex, Happy Hunting. Hahahahahahahaha" His laughter echoed throughout the entire building until it was replaced by the deafening silence of dread.

Nex clutched her eye, "See you never asshole." She turned around and and started to leave the warehouse. Planning on Driving straight to the U-port, To officially finalize the details on her mission and take the one thing she needs the most.

Power...