5 Odd Cases, Nero’s Change

The area soon became a rowdy one, as tractors moved the previously turned over truck towards a different location. The fire had already been quelled by a fire truck, and a large group of police cars with flickering sirens were parked at the chaotic scene. Looking around, one would see a few uniformed policemen who stood within sections blocked off by barricade tapes along with those dressed in more plain attire.

One of the plain dressed individuals was a middle-aged man with a messy beard, droopy eyes with a hook-shaped nose, broad forehead, and thick eyebrows. He wore a simple jacket over his black T-Shirt and dark pants, as his messy black hair had loose strands while he held a lit cigarette between his two fingers raised at his mouth while he inspected the human-shaped marking on the ground.

The man's eyes narrowed, as while the marking implied that someone had been in that location, there were no signs or traces of a corpse, no blood, or even a shoe, as if everything that occurred here was but an illusion.

If anything, the skid marks left by the truck, which trailed towards the ruined shop, was the only source, but even it was odder as no traces of a driver were found in the truck.

"And another of these darn cases appears... godammit..." The man cursed while rubbing his temples with his fingers. The smoke from the cigar brushed across his face towards his side.

Following this smoke, one would see a fine lady garbed in formal wear; her hair dark brown hair neatly fell to her sides as her straight face and stern-looking deep-set eyes gave one a capable feeling.

"Inspector Osbon, what do you think of this case?" The woman asked with puzzled eyes as she stared at the middle-aged man.

Osbon glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and teased, "Here you go again, Sara. How many times must I tell you to call me Ossy? Stop being so formal all the time."

Sara still carried her straightforward look as she spoke, "Sir, you are the senior inspector, and I am but only a rookie, I cannot show disrespect."

Osbon shook his head and spoke, "Fine-fine, do as you wish. As for this case, it's another dead end; you know what always happens when we try to push it. Everything just gets called off in the end. With no clue, there is no way to find a victim, much less a culprit. Let's just pack up and go... I'm getting tired of this shit."

After Osbon said this, he turned around and cracked his back while walking away with his arms behind his head at a casual pace.

Sara frowned at this; she shifted her eyes back onto the crime scene's location, looking around carefully. Right as she was about to turn away, her eyes caught traces of something flashing, as if it were glass.

Sara's eyes flashed as she promptly walked over and stooped down, using a tweezer to pick it up, when she carefully inspected it she couldn't help but ponder, 'That's odd, there's no way for a glass of the store or the truck to reach this far. While there is a slight possibility that the truck's windshield was cracked before the crash, resulting in a shard falling here, I'll take it with me just in case; maybe I can find something from it.'

While Sara made up her mind, Osbon's loud and impatient voice sounded from a parked car, "Sara quit stooping down like a child in a playfield and come on, let's get moving!"

"I-I'm on my way!" Sara said a bit flustered as she didn't like to be rushed or distracted, for it can easily break her stern police character.

The scene here continuing like the norm, as everyone tried their best to make sense of the mess before them. The story here soon made its way to the media, but no one overthought it as there were many similar cases.

***

Far away from that scene, within the Gutter Zone, Nero had already made his way home. When he passed the guards, no one even questioned why he had bloody clothes and a shabby appearance as they full well knew what usually occurs to those termed as Gutter Trash.

After carefully closing the door and ensuring that his mother didn't wake up, Nero hurried to the washroom to clean himself.

Nero looked at his skin, which seemed no different from a baby's new flesh, it looked tender, but as he rubbed his hand over it, he felt an uncommon sturdiness. He knitted his brows and once more inspected his body, noticing that he had firmly defined abs. Even Nero Jr had undergone an 'average' man's dream, achieving a metamorphosis.

'No, shit! I awake from death, and I can suddenly defy the laws of biology, what the hell?' Nero thought to himself.

Not wanting to waste time, he quickly finished up and got out of his shower before he looked at the mirror before him. There, he saw his features more clearly, his body slightly taller by about a few inches, as his once skinny frame seemed more muscular. His bright silver hair grew longer while his previously childish red eyes narrowed by a small section, even his face looked even more chiseled as if carved by a god showing his defining facial structure.

Nero looked at his new fond body in awe; he wasn't a timid youth by nature and felt that this appearance was suited to him by all aspects.

Still, despite his current surprise, Nero also knew that this wasn't the time to gawk at himself. He promptly put on his clothes after drying and went into the living room. Quickly, he turned on the TV and set it at a low volume.

Nero soon saw that a broadcast was showing the accident that took place and was a bit worried, but when he heard the report saying it was one among a string of similar cases that had occurred over the years with no clue, he began to calm down.

He turned off the TV and sat in silence while thinking, 'They say that there's no clue, but it's also possible that they're lying. Even that accident didn't seem normal, how can a truck like that appear out of nowhere? What of that strange feeling I had of someone chasing me? I won't take their word for it and prepare myself for any circumstance. Other than that, I have to understand my current changes and that nonsense about a Universe Ring, and the fellow in my mind.'

As Nero thought here, a chuckle was heard in his mind as a voice spoke, "I'd almost forgotten how I was back then..."

When Nero heard this, his eyes narrowed, he didn't show any surprise for he knew that the strange voice was still there, he only didn't understand it.

Nero interrogated in his mind, 'Who are you? How did you get in my head? Explain to me what's going on?'

The voice chuckled as it spoke, "So fiery, but that's good, keep that flaming spirit you'll need it. As I said before, you can think of me as yourself, for we are no different from one entity. You'll naturally come to understand things, but I think other than myself, you should be focusing on more important things..."

Nero knitted his brows at those words; he questioned inwardly, 'More important things... you mean that strange voice that spoke about some Universe Ring and Inheritance? What is it? What does this all mean?'

The voice spoke again, "It means what it means, if you summon the will at the core of your mind, it shall guide you to your destiny."

Nero was puzzled; he was a bit suspicious, but for some unknown reason, he felt that his head's voice was unusually familiar to himself as if he could trust his words.

He questioned with his mind, 'How do I summon this will?'

The voice remained silent as if it was no longer there, Nero seeing that there was no reply didn't bother to continue asking, he naturally knew that it meant he should figure it out for himself. Though it's a bit troublesome, he didn't like asking others for help either.

'The conscious will at the core of the mind... I've learned that in ancient cultures, such as the Chinese and others, can achieve a state of harmony with themselves and their surroundings through meditation. Maybe I can give it a try and see if I can figure things out...'

When Nero thought to here, he took up an older generation tablet, which ran an old Android OS and connected to the Earth Network, or for short the E-Net. Soon, he found a few videos, articles, and documents that gave a detailed analysis and explanation of meditation.

He sat himself down on a cushion in a crossed-legged posture and closed eyes as he thought to himself, 'Breath as one with nature, focus on achieving serenity...'

Following his words, the windows blow a soft nightly wind across his body, rustling his hair and his clothing. At first, it was distracting, but after who knows how long he sat in meditation, all feelings vanished, and he found himself in a unique state as if he merged with the wind.

Suddenly, a voice sounded at the depths of his mind, as a stream of text appeared before him.

[Awakening of Consciousness: cleared!]

[As you've awakened your consciousness at a much faster rate than the initial expectations, you shall be awarded a special privilege!]

[Opening the door to the World of Promise: commencing digitization...]

"This..." Nero was surprised, but before he could do anything, a strange scene had occurred. His body began to glow in multi-colored lights, which looked no different from digits before he broke apart into colorful cubes that faded from existence. In moments, the scene in Nero's living room return to the norm, as only silence prevailed.

______

Author's Note:

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