3 (III) Emotions

"What the..?" Samael muttered, reaching toward the window as his hand passed through it. Suddenly, the window vanished into wisps of smoke, and another appeared in its place. 

╔══In order to assist you with your goals, I shall impart a fraction of my power. Consider it a token of my favor.══╝

The second window vanished in another puff of smoke, and a dazzling light appeared before Samael, blinding him as he covered his eyes with his hand. 

"Who..." He muttered, wincing at the light, "...Are you..?" 

However, no windows appeared; only silence remained in the room as the light receded, and his eyes widened in shock. 

Floating before the young man was a spinning card made of sparkling diamonds. His eyes widened in shock as goosebumps climbed up his body, causing his hair to stand on end. 

He reached forward, grabbing the card as it unleashed another blinding light before disappearing and showering him in thousands of sparkling lights. 

[Skill Card Acquired!]

[Unique Ability: Soul Thief received.]

[Rank: EX]

[The User can copy a target's Ability. Limit one per target. Restrictions: The User must be within physical distance of the target. If no open Ability Slots are available, they can replace it with one of their known abilities.]

Samael's jaw dropped as he read the Ability. A grin spread across his face as he grew giddy, exclaiming to himself, "What a busted skill!" 

He couldn't contain himself, smiling as he ran to his closet, getting dressed, and running downstairs to the smell of bacon and eggs frying in the kitchen. 

A stack of pancakes were already on the table as he sat down, picking up a glass of juice and taking a sip, "Good morning, momma!" 

The older woman, wearing a thick robe, her greying hair tied in a messy bun, she turned around carrying the sizzling skilling, serving most of the eggs and bacon to her son. 

"My, how that frown quickly turned upside down!" She exclaimed and laughed as she put the remaining food on her own plate before sitting down, and the two chatted as they ate their breakfast. 

Samael was a bag of mixed emotions as he ate with his mother. Despite none of the events happening with the three rankers yet, the pain and emotions were still vivid in his mind. 

He struggled to bottle his resentment and anger as happiness and joy fought for supremacy whenever he glanced at his mother. She didn't survive the first wave during the collapse, having been atop their building celebrating the new year when the portals arrived. 

He had been at a park on the city's outskirts with his friends when the monsters arrived. Luckily, it had been far enough away for him to evacuate to an underground shelter. 

"Ma?" Samael called out, recalling the anguish he felt when he returned to the site of their destroyed highrise apartment. 

"Yes, sweetie?" She asked, smiling at him and ruffling his dirty blonde hair as she grabbed his empty plate and took it to the sink. 

"Do you think you can take me to the Gateway Park tonight for the fireworks?" He asked, fixing his hair. 

"Oh? I thought you had plans with your friends?" She inquired, washing the dishes. 

"Yeah, they're gonna be there, but I just want to spend time with you is all.." He answered. 

"Why don't we stay in and go up to the rooftop?" She asked, "That way we will be able to see all of the shows at the same time..."

"No!" Sam exclaimed, turning around and staring at his mother, fear flashing across his eyes. 

"Okay, okay!" She conceded, "No need to raise your voice, dear..." 

"Sorry..." He muttered, looking down and closing his eyes, fighting back the tears as the emotions from his previous life welled up once more. 

"It's fine, sweetie!" She replied, approaching him and ruffling his hair again, "We can go to the park tonight." 

"Mom!!!" He exclaimed, grabbing her hand and fixing his hair once more, glancing up at her warm smile. 

"Ooh!" She grinned, clasping her hands together, "I have a great idea! I'll need to run to the store, so I'll be back later." 

"What for?" Samael asked, raising his brow. 

"Hehe!" She giggled, "That's a surprise! You'll just have to wait and see!" 

Sam rolled his eyes, smirking; after his father passed away as a young child, he naturally drew very close to his mother. After she had left, he glanced over at the clock. 

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue, seeing as he had a little over fourteen hours left. He ran into his room, grabbed an old military green duffel bag, a keepsake from his father, and filled it. 

He moved from room to room, methodically packing everything that would fit. After packing everything he could and stuffing all the bags in his room, he sat at his desk, grabbing the tablet he used for university. 

Sam tapped on the device, turning it on, and quickly erased all the data. He started creating dozens of notes before he swiped his hand over the screen, prompting a virtual keyboard to appear floating above it. 

He began filling each of the notes with information that was still fresh on his mind. As a Porter for the number one guild on the continent, he was privy to nearly everything that transpired. 

He documented the best Hunters' names, ranks, abilities, and where he could locate them in one note. In another, he listed all of the dungeons he could, along with the monsters inhabiting them, and ordered them based on usefulness and proximity to one another. 

He wouldn't be left behind this time, forced to slave away for the betterment of others. He wanted to make them all pay. 

"My kind baby boy!" His mother's words rang inside his head, causing pangs of guilt to eat away at him. He quickly shook his head and dismissed his old nature. 

'I'm not that young and naive boy anymore...' He thought, 'They used and abused me; they're just getting what they deserve!' 

He quickly filled over a dozen notes with all the information he could recall as it was fresh on his mind. After he finished, he created a new lock for the tablet before turning it off and wrapping it in aluminum foil, a bed sheet followed by a towel, and lastly, a thick blanket. 

After the dungeons had appeared, all electronic devices were rendered useless and no longer worked; however, he recalled this one Hunter who was able to protect his cell phone by utilizing the aforementioned steps. 

Even if he couldn't use the tablet for anything besides being able to read the notes he had written, it would now be his most prized possession. If his memory of his past life's events faded, he could always refer to his documents. 

His mother returned a few hours later, and he stayed with her, enjoying her company that he had missed for over a decade. As the night started to set, she pulled out a picnic basket, surprising him with a smile. 

He wanted to explain everything but didn't want to scare her. Instead, as she was getting ready for their date, he quickly loaded the dozen bags into her car, and soon, they were flying through the sky toward the park at the edge of the city.