The man smile. As he regained consciousness.
The new look on the boy's, was one he'd seen many times around people who were hearing about his gift for the first time. All reeling from the same fear. "He now knows all their secrets."
Even his superiors fearing this same fact never gave him their real name. Not one of them had fully grasped how his gift works. Upon seeing a person's face it was possible to know the persons deed up to a week ago. However this was fully dependent on the countenance on the persons face- put it simply: if a person had been sad about a particular event all week, then a new event suddenly makes them happy this morning. He wouldn't be able to see the previous chain of sadness.
Secondly his gift wasn't always active. There are sometimes it instinctively kicks in- when he grows curious about something or someone. He struggled with this when his gift was discovered. But had since overcome it by carry a mental note to override his curiosity.
Yet he could understand, the boys dread like so many others.
Chike sat quietly cursing at himself, it was strange enough to grow a sudden likeness to two people he'd just me. More even he cursed them under the breath, they were the source of the unfortunate event that brought the Faith Militia to town. He remembered how he'd been relieved when he saw that headline. Thinking of how much it will draw suspicion from them. Looking back he'd wished he had simply gone and reported himself.
But it was too late for regret now.
Watching the old man carefully he saw hints of silver hair. Despite the old man's unnatural strength, he looked as if he was over 40 years. It dawned on the young boy the weight of knowledge that man would have carried over that lifetime.
Chike's curiosity pushed him at the back of his mind. Tugging against Ofor's grip on it - the being was trying to suppress it. In attempt to prevent him from further acquaintance with them.
Edward watched the growing curiosity on the boys face and leaned in. "There's a lot you don't know about this world."
He pushed Ofor to the back of his mind. He too was plagued with a similar disease - quest for knowledge.
The old man started his story.
"I too grew up a without a single doubt of the faith within my heart. I listened to each sermon earnestly, and could recite them even by heart daily. The Almighty scriptures and religious text it didn't take long for me to memories them. I was even touted a genius." he paused.
Chike felt an awfully familiar with the man's story. He looked at the man again, and could almost see himself.
"a fire had always burned within me. Every trivia was as important. And they came to me naturally, whenever I picked up a piece of new information. My parents were almost certain I had been possessed by evil. And took me to the watchful sanctum of the priest." another pause. Edward was surprised at the increasing curiosity on the boys face. It was cliche'.
"The priest taught me a certain right to say each time my hunger for knowledge grew. It worked for a while. However when I turned 18, after my second baptism, 'my spell' - as the priest had called it -came back. My parents fearing the worse took me immediately back to the sanctum. I was then sent to a high priest. And that's when I heard these words for the first time."
"You have been blessed by the Almighty with a gift. You will therefore join his sacred soldiers of the Faith Militia, discover the name of your gift and how to use it to served him."
He turned to my parents and told them to rejoice for their prayers had been answered and the highest reward in the realm had been granted to their son.
That's how I joined the Faith Militia over 40 years ago.
Chike stayed still as the old mans world permeate throughout his core. His heart raced in quest for more.
Suddenly he had a retrospect.
A tiny face flashed in his mind.
Emma.
He turned bland.
The old man got closer to him, Chike stepped back. But that wasn't his control over his legs.
Chike questioned weather to tell the men about how he plan to rescue his cousin. They both had abilities, that were efficacious in this regard. He also wanted to question the guest within him. Why his heavy distrust for his new companions?
But he was scared having that conversation might give the old man a hint of what was within him. If it came to worse that was to be his trump-card against them.
"I was a faithful soldier, despite my superiors fear of my ability, I tried desperately to prove I could be useful. My faith was unwavering indiscriminately. To even show my resolve I decided to used my gift solely for the Almighty's work. Only imagining what my superiors permitted." the old man continued.
"My promotion was delayed several times, due to the fear of having access to the leaders more often, and even members of the noble family."
"Yet I was impeccable."
Chike was still at his distance, the old man must enjoy being loquacious. Easily divulging such sensitive information with easy. Little did he know that the old man had seen himself in the boy - like looking in a mirror. With the little he'd known from the boys life. Wondered what his would have been like if he hadn't become a Faith Militia.
But he knew that answer already. Dead.
Witnessing more than a hundred killed, because their gift had seem too powerful. Or they could simply not be chained by the manipulations. Then he felt the same growing urge to finish telling the boy his story.
Peter drew closer to the old man, whispering something in his ear before turning to Chike.
"We have company. Time to move."
The boy froze, he was unable to decide weather joining this duo or soloing on his own. His mind quickly reminded him of how his classmates thought something between them was similar. And now here he was barely a week later and teaming up with then. He would become their accomplice if he did. In a crime he knew nothing about. Still it felt better than being alone.
The two men were already up, standing side by side, their gazed locked on to something inside a pit Peter had dug. Upon closer look, it wasn't a normal hole but a door.
Chike's legs stiffened as he traversed to their side. They had been watching.
A familiar face.
His nightmare was still on.
"It's Grey," he said, and his voice carried more tension than before.
Chike's knee trembled. Reliving the terrible experience of the night before.
"Do you know him?"
The old man gave a sly smile. "He was my subordinate. I trained him.
Down the slope, the underbrush rustled with movement—police officers, fully armed, spreading out in a search formation. Dogs barked faintly in the distance. Grey led them, cold and calm, a device blinking green in his hand.
Chike was still reeling from the surprise of Edwards being Grey's teacher. Now that he thought of it, the old man extraordinary strength had a familiar tone to it. He then remembered Grey displaying a similar brute force when he lifted Victor.
"The phone…" Chike muttered.
The cracked phone—he'd tossed it, but clearly not far enough. The blinking tracker had found its way back to him.
"Crap."
They weren't even a mile from the fire they'd set up. He could feel the heat of being hunted again, like a noose tightening.
Peter didn't wait. He flung his hand toward a nearby tree. The bark shimmered, peeled back like water, revealing a doorway of light and shadow.
"Go!"
One by one, they stepped through—Chike last, heart pounding. He was now a part of them.
The boy had made it a note to not be surprised anymore whenever he encountered a gift, or if it is used. So as to reduce his reaction time if its against him. His training had failed terribly. He had very little expectations of 'fugitives' so he wasn't expecting the palatial interior of their supposed hideouts. In it were doorways Peter place all over their little town from which he monitored events simultaneously. Chike thought about how draining it would be.
The room had a great deal of luxury, a lot of which the boy had ever seen, and even more were just within Peter's reach. For a moment Chike thought how pleasing it would be to just have such a gift.
"Using your gifts too much can kill you." the old man turned to him. Wearing a new look - a stern face.
The boy grew cold. There was no lie in the man words.
"Now let me tell you how we became fugitives."