[2] Testing Out Powers, Clashing With The Tiger Mutant 

Chapter 2: Testing Out Powers, Clashing With The Tiger Mutant 

—

Enrique Nova's early life was far from glamorous, so when he found himself in a cheap, empty apartment, he didn't complain. He had lived in worse places before.

The apartment had little to offer besides a bed and a large mirror. At least it was neat and clean. There was some food, but without a fridge, it would spoil in a few days. Enrique decided he should address this living situation sooner rather than later. After enjoying a life of luxury for decades, living like this for too long would be a hassle. 

"The bathroom's trash," he realized he needed to switch places as soon as possible.

Aside from that, the mirror served to let him know about his current self. They say a good body is the canvas of a good mind, Enrique knew that to be true, so he always hit the gym to stay in shape. However, the current him would put his past self to shame in every category. His body had been buffed.

He stood in front of the full-length mirror and studied his reflection. His handsome face, wavy hair falling onto his forehead, and cold silver eyes remained unchanged. However, his physique was different. He had always maintained a decent level of fitness, but now he was massive, with muscles that looked sculpted to perfection. 

This wasn't the body of someone who could be overpowered by a teenager in a sneak attack. By his estimation, he stood at exactly 6'3". He should be able to slap that kid across the floor even without superpowers.

"Hmm…?" Enrique blinked. He wondered how he could be so sure about his exact height just now, that wasn't normal. "Heightened perception?"

He looked around the room, trying to get a gauge of the bed, and the size of the windows, and he could get what he assumed to be a near-accurate estimation. In height, the bed was 24 inches, and the window 36 inches respectively. 

So, he had discovered two powers already, with the first being the lightning that was crackling around his suit earlier. Lightning Generation.

Enrique noted the powers in his mind and decided to check something else. Was this buff body just a feature of his costume? For example, Moon Knight only had his powers while wearing his suit. Perhaps his body would return to its average muscular state once he dismissed the suit?

He decided to test it out.

"Haah," taking a deep breath, he willed his suit to vanish, and it did just that. It retracted into the lightning symbol on his chest. In a second, the entire suit was absorbed, and the symbol itself disappeared into his chest.

In an instant, his super suit was replaced with his previously torn and bloodied business suit. However, he was still muscular and buff. His body didn't shrink back.

Stripping off his shredded suit, he examined his bulging muscles in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. He not only looked in great shape, but he also appeared younger. That was a good sign. Although he had never looked old, being just 31, he now looked to be in his early twenties.

[Not bad?] 

A voice echoed in his mind, making him flinch. 

[Do not get flustered, my child. It is me, Mut. Now that you are my Avatar, I can communicate with you telepathically. Though I still can't read your thoughts, so you'd have to speak out loud if you want to communicate with me.]

"Oh, I see…" Enrique trailed off.

Interesting. For a moment he almost feared that she might be able to read his memories now that he was her Avatar. But no, she couldn't even read his thoughts. That was good. He would like her to keep thinking he was from a parallel universe, and not a higher realm where this world existed only in the pages of comic books and big screens. 

This void enhancement intrigued him. Enrique wasn't sure how good of a telepath Mut was, but this was a pleasant welcome gift for this world of mindrapists.

"Anyway, is this body permanent? Like eternal youth? Also, how strong am I? Peak human or more?"

[It's not permanent, no. If you don't train for a prolonged time, you'll start to lose your gains, and your muscles, just as a normal person or God. As for your other question, yes. Your body is at peak human condition, strength, agility, and stamina wise. It reaches higher once you summon the suit and enter your Avatar state.]

"That's good to know," he needed to know his limits.

[You also have other powers in your naked state, you'll figure them out soon. The suit comes with some supernatural powers of its own, with the most obvious one being incredible defense, breathing in underwater and outer space, among others.] The Goddess' gentle voice finished. [That is all, my child. I should give you some time now, I'll be watching.]

Enrique nodded, seeing her off. After a minute of pondering, he channeled his will to summon the suit again. This time, instead of the previous super suit, he tried to summon it in the form of a watch. 

A silver watch appeared on his right wrist. It even showed the time, and the clock hands were ticking. Since she said he could summon his suit differently, he was trying that. Since the wristwatch actually worked, he counted this by itself as a superpower,

"Huh." Enrique blinked. "But I feel… somewhat weaker. Weaker than the full get-up. I guess I don't get a hundred percent of the benefits the Super Suit gives if I don't summon it fully, makes sense." He noted. "Better than nothing. There would be times when I can't just wear the suit; this would help then."

He then channeled his willpower once again. This time the wristwatch expanded and spread across his body, transforming into a white business suit and pants, with a golden tie and leather belt. He'd have appreciated it if he could try some other colors.

This time, he felt the same amount of power as before.

"It seems to depend on how much of my body is covered, as expected," Enrique realized. 

This worked. He needed something normal to wear right now, he didn't want to fly out in his super-suit from within the apartment. His only other pair of clothes was a pair of tattered coats and pants from the torture, that wouldn't do, and this would do for now. 

Speaking of the hours of torture, it felt like a distant nightmare now that he was free and in a whole other world. It stung to lose all his wealth and net worth in a single night, but he wasn't going to complain about a second chance in life. Though he wished to get back at that son of a bitch someday if destiny allowed.

"Anyway," Enrique rolled his shoulders, suited up and ready. "I suppose I should roam around a bit while checking out what other powers I have."

****

On his way out of the apartment, he met a short old man, the owner of the two-story building where Enrique was a tenant, according to the Goddess.

"Quite a suit you have there." The old man chuckled. "It looks fresh. Reminds me of when I was your age, haha. Don't worry, I wouldn't waste your time with that story, you seem busy. Are you going to look for jobs starting today like you said before?"

"Hm?" Enrique was just going to ignore him, but the last line caught his interest. From those words, it appeared the Goddess had created a fake scenario in the old man's mind, where Enrique was in New York looking for a job. See, I knew this world was filled with mindrapists, my own Goddess is one.

"Yes, Mr. Jordan, I do need to earn money if I am to keep living here," Enrique replied in passing, the Goddess whispering the old man's name in his mind.

After receiving some casual warning about the dangers of New York City from the old man, Enrique took off. The old man's words weren't false, New York was dangerous in this world. Thankfully, was in Brooklyn, so he should be relatively fine, unless there was some big-shot villain he didn't know about residing in this part.

It was morning, and the streets of Brooklyn were busy as usual. People were hurrying to work or school, paying no attention to the man in the strikingly white suit. Enrique was used to the hustle and bustle, having lived in Paris all his life.

The mundaneness of the crowd ended there, however. Even in the early hours, Enrique noticed crimes happening in the alleys. New York was already infamous for its crime rate, and with the addition of fictional villains, it was worse.

Enrique didn't meddle with anything and roamed around the city for two hours. As much as he wanted to test his powers, he first had to make sure there wasn't already a superhero active in these parts, worse a supervillain.

At one point, while walking, he discovered something interesting about his power when he bumped into someone… but that needed a double confirmation, so he set it aside for later. 

After getting somewhat familiar with the area and realizing there was no hidden super nearby, he decided to test his powers in a real fight. He walked into an alley where two hobo-looking men were attacking an old woman, their knives raised.

Enrique's business suit changed into his Super Suit, and he pulled the hoodie over his head, the dark alley softly illuminated by the lightning mark on his chest.

"Huh?" One of the robber hobos grunted, turning to the source of the light. "What's up with this clown? Get yer ass outta here before I mess you up, bitch."

The other hobo, hobo no.2, ignored him and moved to strike the woman. Enrique ignored hobo no.1 and rushed ahead of him, kicking the knife away from no.2's hands.

"K-kya!" The old woman screamed and shrank back into a corner.

"Haah, this fuckface." The second robber grunted, standing up from the hit and pulling out another knife. "That's it, you're dead you clown punk." At the same time, the first hobo flanked Enrique from behind.

Enrique was confident he could handle them both. He knew a bit of boxing, nothing extraordinary, but he had taken down people with it before. Now, with peak human strength, he was sure he could inflict more damage.

When hobo no.2 lunged at him, Enrique ducked to avoid a sneak attack from no.1 behind him and struck his fist into no.2's solar plexus.

"Kugh!" With a grunt, 2 was sent flying, hitting a wall. The impact sent a loud thud across the alley, it was beyond human.

"You bastard!" The other hobo yelled, rushing and swinging his knife again. Enrique tried to dodge, but it was too late, the knife managed to slice his stomach. However, with a sharp clink, the knife shattered upon contact with the suit.

"Aha," Enrique was happy. "Heightened durability, confirmed."

He grabbed the hobo no.1 by the hair and slammed his face down onto his knee, hearing a crack before the fool fell to the ground, motionless.

"L-lukas, no! Fuck, this motherfucker!" The hobo no.2 who Enrique had knocked down earlier somehow rose back up and yelled from behind Enrique. It was a good thing he wasn't dead yet, Enrique wasn't sure about his strength, so he took it easy when he punched earlier.

By the time Enrique turned around, his eyes widened. The no.2 fucker tucked his hand under his shirt, taking out a gun. Why the fuck does even hobos have guns in this country?

– Bang!

Enrique stepped to the side, but it wasn't enough. The bullet hit Enrique's shoulder, only to flatter and fall to the ground. It hadn't penetrated his suit, just a little scratch. Enrique analyzed the situation. Is Heightened Durability actually Super Durability? 

He was still unsure about agility, however. He couldn't see the bullet coming.

Meanwhile, no.2's hands were shaking. "F-freak!" The bastard yelled, and Enrique rushed ahead. That gun could be dangerous even if it didn't hurt him now, he had to take it down from the fool's hand. With another yell, the hobo fired again, this time aiming at Enrique's face. 

Enrique tried to dodge, but they were too close for that. It slammed against his face. No, the bullet didn't touch Enrique's face; it hit an invisible barrier starting from the opening of his hoodie. 

As the flattened bullet fell to the ground, a faceless, smooth mask of twisting gold and white color materialized over his face. The mask had no holes for eyes or nose, but Enrique could see and breathe fine, though the hobo couldn't see his face at all.

"Invisible psychic mask, double confirmed," Double confirmed because he had already confirmed it once when he bumped into someone earlier. His head was protected by an invisible helmet of sorts. "Now, a test for active powers."

As the hobo emptied his barrel on Enrique's body, cursing as none of the bullets did any damage, Enrique raised his finger towards him and channeled his willpower. His fingertip let out a chime, and a bolt of lightning jumped forward.

"—Argh!" The hobo's body jolted as a thin wave of distorted lightning hit him in the chest. He screamed for a few seconds before losing consciousness. 

Enrique stopped his attack since there was no point in killing the guy, it wouldn't bring him any benefits; plus he was playing a hero now. Instead, he turned to the old woman, revealing his face again and smiling gently as he crouched beside her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, picking up her purse from the ground and handing it to her. "The hobos are both knocked out, there's nothing else to worry about."

"A-ah… I-I… What are you, boy?" The woman didn't accept her purse and instead clutched the cross hanging from her necklace. "Lord, save me…"

Looking at the cross, Enrique's smile grew even gentler. "Boy? I am not a boy, my child." He decided to put on an act, standing up and spreading his arms under the sunlight that leaked from the top. "I… am a prophet, a Pharaoh. The God you are praying to didn't help you. You were helped by me, sent by my mother, Goddess Mut."

"W-what?"

"Indeed, you should pray to her instead, as only she can bring you salvation."

He swore in his head that it didn't look as corny as it sounded, at least not to a devoted believer of religion like this woman. Enrique watched, his smile as gentle as a calm sea, as the woman's eyes widened in awe. "M-Mut? Who's that?"

Of course, she didn't know. She was an American, after all. It was time to spread some Egyptian propaganda in this country. Who knew he would find his first of 10 million victims right here?

"Goddess Mut, my divine mother," Enrique replied, causing some lightning to crackle behind him for special effects. "She is the Goddess of the sky above us, giving us rain, air, and even the light we see! She is what keeps us alive!" 

When he said those, even the clouds in the sky crackled, dark clouds forming a face that smiled gently, with white clouds acting like hair. That wasn't his doing, he almost broke out of his character in surprise.

[Not bad. I will take care of the cinematics.] Mut's voice whispered in his ears as the smiling face in the clouds looked down at them.

"O-oh my!" The old woman gasped at the sight before falling to her knees, clasping her hands. "I-it's the messiah! It's the return of Jesus!"

"...." Enrique stopped. A moment later, he helped her stand. "...That's not right. It's… Pharaoh. The prophet of Mut. Not Jesus, nor Messiah. This isn't Christianity."

"A-ah… yes, yes!" The old woman bowed at him, eyes flicking back to Mut's face in the clouds. Enrique wondered if it was all right to do that, what if other Gods saw it? "My Lord, forgive me for all my sins! Forgive me for praying to false gods all this time! Please, forgive this old lady and…" the old woman continued apologizing, her tears wetting the ground, as Enrique hid a smirk.

Whatever the case, it worked. He snagged the first believer.

He heard a soft giggle in his mind. [A believer on the first day you started operating? The Pantheon's future is indeed looking bright with you here, my child.] Mut said. [I can feel her faith. Makes sense, you saved her life. She's with us now. Tell her the things I am telling you, word for word.]

Then the Goddess began to relay instructions for worship, and Enrique repeated them to the old woman.

===

– As a new believer, the old woman was to butcher a camel, cow, two goats, or two lambs within the next thirty days.

– Additionally, she was to butcher such animals every year, as many times as her wealth allowed [under 5 times] without harming her financially.

– She was to buy a statue of Mut; size didn't matter, but bigger was better, and worship it every morning and night before sleep in a specific manner.

===

If she did that, she would go to Mut's heaven, Aaru, once she died, and her life in this mortal realm was supposed to improve. Supposedly.

"Hey," Enrique whispered quietly enough that the old woman couldn't hear. "I don't have to do that all, right?" To begin with, all those requirements were crazy. Who the fuck would do all that? No wonder this religion was on the decline.

He heard a giggle in response. [Why? Do you not want to worship me?] After a short silence, as Enrique shrugged she said again. [Heh. Worry not, you don't have to do all that. You are already serving me by being my Avatar.]

Meanwhile, the old woman looked up at him, her face conflicted at first, and Enrique understood his demands might be a bit hard to comply with for a poor old woman. Nevertheless, she bowed again.

"T-thank you, Pharaoh!" She said, "I have thought of something already. I will go immediately and sacrifice two lambs! May the Goddess forgive me!" The old lady got up and ran once Enrique handed over her purse.

"Well, that wasn't that hard." Enrique sighed after she left. In this world, fewer people believed in the existence of Gods because of the supernatural around the world that were already explained by science, so finding an old woman like her was lucky.

Now, with his first job concluded, Enrique decided to get some food. Dying earlier had made him very hungry. Thankfully, the two hobos had some bucks in the stolen money bags littering their bodies. What loot.

X-x-X

From morning to night, Enrique Nova stopped six more small-time crimes. 

Though he hadn't managed to convert any more of the victims he saved, his efforts were not in vain. Playing Hero seemed like a good strategy to earn Faith Points from people, according to Mut who said she received quite some faith from him spreading her name.

However, it was a slow process. Even if he gained 10 million followers, he might not be able to revive Ogdoad back to its prime. He would need to figure out a better solution in the upcoming days. Today, he had only earned a single believer. Still, both he and Mut were satisfied with this development; it was, after all, his first day on the job.

When the sun began to dip, Enrique decided to call it a day and changed back into his business suit. Interestingly, he realized he wasn't tired at all, despite running around all day. Not a drop of sweat marked his brow. Super Stamina was good.

With this newfound information, Enrique mentally noted all the powers he had discovered so far:

Peak Human Condition: This is applied to strength, agility, stamina, durability, and senses.✔️ Super-Durable Super-Suit: It also strengthened his above-mentioned stats, to an unknown degree. ✔️Lightning Manipulation ✔️Flight ✔️

That's right, Flight. He figured that one out earlier. He didn't count his magic mask as a separate power, although it was useful. Flight was the hardest to master; he could barely maneuver in the air, but he knew it would become invaluable once he got the hang of it.

Walking out of an alley and blending into the crowd, Enrique noticed his suit was dirt-resistant. It looked as pristine as before. Neat.

After walking for a few minutes, and making his way toward his apartment, he decided to change up the route. He realized something due to his heightened senses. He was being followed.

'Is it SHIELD? Already?' Deciding to lead the spy into a corner, he prepared for confrontation.

****

Anna Marie had run away from home that morning, after ensuring her ex-boyfriend had woken up from his coma.

The weird mutant power she had unlocked three weeks ago was horrifying. Anyone whose skin touched hers instantly went into a seizure. Planning to flee to Canada, away from her family who saw her as a freak, she had encountered someone… special.

This man, running around in a suit with a lightning symbol on his chest, was presumably a mutant too. She didn't know much about super-stuff, so she hoped he was.

She wasn't sure about the differences between mutants and other superhumans, but as someone fighting crime and saving people, he at least seemed trustworthy. He's a Hero, after all. Maybe he could offer her advice or even a way to deactivate her power. To find out, she decided to follow him.

She trailed behind him until his last alleyway, where he emerged wearing a normal white business suit.

This is…? Anna realized why his costume had changed. This must be his hidden "civilian identity". Some superheroes, such as the Fantastic Four, played the game with their identities publicly known, while others like Spider-Man kept their identities a secret. 

Was this person playing Spider-Man's game? Should she approach him in his civilian persona? He might get mad. Shaking her head, she decided to take the chance. Who knew if she would ever see him again?

Carefully, she followed him again, trailing him to the outskirts of the city. He stood outside a Walmart, in front of a vending machine, buying two cold coffees.

Huh, two? Is he addicted? Anna felt bad for him. Maybe he didn't get to sleep due to his double identities. As he walked out of sight, she followed, only to find nobody on the other side of the wall she peeked around.

"Huh-"

"Hey there," an arm went around her shoulder, a cold can, as well as thick fingers, pressing against her cheek. "Wanna grab a drink?"

Anna screamed, "Kya!" and pushed him away before jumping back. "D-don't touch me!"

The man's expression remained unchanged. He uncapped one of the drinks, his silver eyes locked on her. "Quite rude for a stalker, but I guess teenagers things."

Anna huffed, touching her cold cheek. His fingers… they had clearly brushed her cheek. And his arm had been around her shoulder. Yet he was fine.

He tossed her a drink—a can of coffee—while he uncapped his own, taking a sip. Wiping his lips, he locked eyes with her again. "Identify yourself. State your reason for following me before I decide to change suits."

Calming herself with a mouthful of soda, she replied, "I am… Rogue." She used her made-up name. "Can you touch me again?"

"...."

****

"Can you touch me again?"

What the fuck? Enrique shook his head. Were teenagers in this world so desperate? She didn't even look unattractive; why was she so desperate?

Also, didn't she just yell at him to not touch her? What was this bipolar tomfoolery? Did seeing his face up close turn her on or something?

"I-I didn't mean it that way!" the girl quickly protested, realizing the meaning behind her words. She waved her hands with a flustered face. "It's just… I saw you using your superpowers. I… I also have a superpower, but it's more like a curse. My power puts anyone whose skin touches mine into a seizure. Naturally, you should have fallen into a state of seizure, that's why I yelled. But here you are, standing upright."

"…Rogue?" Enrique muttered, suppressing his eyes from widening. "You said your name is Rogue?"Ah, that's right. He recognized her now. Her hair was entirely brown, with no white streaks, but those emerald eyes. He was sure of her identity.

Great.

It was a great find. Also dangerous. He had somehow avoided falling into a seizure, but this was a prime example of why he shouldn't touch any random person, even if they looked harmless.

[You know her?] Mut's voice boomed in his mind as he gave a soft nod. [Interesting. Go on, I will not waste your time with questions.]

"…Yes?" the teenage girl answered uncomfortably. "My real name is Anna though. I'm not telling you my last name; you might turn me into the police."

"That's fine, Anna." Enrique pointed at a bench. "Wanna take a seat?"

She nodded. A moment later, Rogue was sitting on the bench, while Enrique leaned against the light pole in front of the bench. 

"A runaway?" he said, pointing at her bag before shaking his head. "Teenager things again?"

"Hey, stop acting like you're so old yourself!" She protested, frowning. "I just… didn't want to see the fearful expression on my parents' faces. I had no choice but to run."

Rogue had already explained her story to him. Enrique took a sip of his drink as he contemplated. She was… pitiful. Unlocking an unknown power that harmed everyone, nearly killing her boyfriend with their first kiss. Pitiful indeed. 

If she hadn't met Enrique and the plot had gone as usual, Professor X would have taken care of her, helping her control her powers. However, it seemed fate had tied her destiny with his.

A power-stealing, all-powerful mutant slave? Ah, teammate I mean. He was down for that any day. Once he was done contemplating, watching her fidget in silence, he decided to play his cards.

"Sooo," he looked down at her. "What do you want from me? I'm sorry to hear your story, but I don't think I have an answer to your problem."

Anna looked down before meeting his gaze. "Can you… touch me? Just my cheek is fine. I might be misunderstanding, and you might get hurt. But… I think when your fingers brushed my cheek, my powers didn't activate."

Enrique usually wouldn't try this. Never. It was too dangerous. Even if his powers were magical, Rogue drew on life force, so touching her might endanger his life. But, knowing about his void-enhanced state, and having already survived this, he believed she might be onto something.

Pouring the rest of his drink down his throat, Enrique tossed the can aside and walked over to her. Watching her nervous yet expectant eyes, he reached out and placed his hand on her cheek.

Nothing happened.

Seconds turned into ten, then into a minute. But nothing changed; the touch was as normal as it could get.

"It's…" Anna trailed off, removing her gloves and hesitantly touching his cheek. Still, nothing happened. "My powers… they're not inactive; they just don't work on you. You feel… empty, like I'm touching a wall. Uh, are you a robot?"

So that's how it worked. The void that had merged with him gave him a sort of [Blank] state, making him immune to things like mind reading and Rogue's power. An interesting discovery.

Useful. Enrique made a mental note. Focusing on the situation, he chuckled. "A robot? Certainly not. Also, have you considered what if your power only activates when you kiss someone? Maybe we should try that out?"

He laughed at his own joke, drawing back his hand, but the girl took it seriously.

Just as planned.

"Let's… let's test it out then." She said, pulling his hand back to her cheek. "Let's see if it activates when we kiss."

"Um, it was a joke." Enrique deadpanned before sighing. "Oh my days, little kids…"

"I will be 18 in a few more months, sugah!" She protested. "Now, let's try k-kissing! It's not like I am ugly, am I? Just one time? Hey, sugah, please!" The girl persisted, watching him sigh and shake his head before he leaned over and abruptly stole her lips.

She seemed like a girl who would jolt back at sudden approaches, but because of the situation, she kissed back, trying out her power on him as the kiss deepened, their tongues wrestling with each other. By the time the kiss ended, Anna realized that her powers really didn't work on him.

Enrique pulled his mouth away, wiping his lips as he stood up. "See? Now you are just embarrassed for no actual reason." Not that he hated it. "You are lucky I am not some creepy old man, or I would have suggested we try out some more things."

Anna looked flustered and was about to say something back, however, she was interrupted by a bestial growl from the side.

"Grrrr…" 

Enrique frowned and snapped his head to the side, only to blink as he found a blonde-haired Liev Schreiber grinning at him.

"Was that a good kiss?" a gruff voice interrupted. "Hah, kids and their hormones."

Ah, yes. He remembered. Both the X-Men and the Brotherhood were after Rogue. This was going to get annoying.

"Look at this savage-looking bastard," Enrique rolled his shoulders as his suit changed to his Super Suit. The air around that guy was dangerous. "Fuck off, or I'll fry you."

"I'm just here for the girl. But sure, try me." The beastly man, Sabretooth, chuckled and leaped towards Enrique, swiping his claws. "I'll tear you apart first, and then take the girl."

"Kyaa!" Anna yelled, closing her eyes as Sabretooth's claws neared Enrique's neck.

– Snap!

Her eyes flew open at the sound of a thin crack, watching Sabretooth's claws shatter upon hitting the invisible helmet around Enrique's head. Unlike his archnemesis, this beast-like bastard didn't have adamantium claws.

The blonde man looked down at his claws in shock before letting out a painful grunt. Enrique took the opportunity to punch his chin, sending him airborne. He followed by jumping behind him. Grabbing the beast's huge body, Enrique slammed him down on his knee, shattering Sabretooth's spine. 

High-voltage electricity coursed through Enrique's hands, making the beast groan and slump unconscious. The battle was over just like that since Enrique didn't bother to hold back unlike with the hobos. Sabretooth was still alive since he was practically immortal, but it would take him a while to heal. 

Enrique doubted he would come running back for more anytime soon. He walked over to Anna and grabbed her arm. "Let's go." Yanking her into his embrace, ignoring her cry of surprise, he flew off.

The rush of adrenaline made his flight more stable. Minutes later, he landed in an alley close to his apartment, walking back to his place with a frightened Anna beside him.

**

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