Seattle

[Cypher]

Ian sat lounging in a booth within a restaurant he'd recently found, not entirely familiar with this city but he was here for now so he'd found himself a place to relax and drink. Sipping at his glass filled with whiskey, his eyes glowing slightly from beneath his sunglasses as he leaned back and sighed. The place wasn't so busy right now, only a few other people sitting at the bar, the tables mostly empty across the small main dining area. He looked up at the television above the bar on the far wall, seeing something about a new strain of virus that was incredibly dangerous and shaking his head. "These damn humans and their genetic manipulation..." He spoke quietly to himself, sure no one heard him from his seat at the back of the restaurant. Draining the glass in a big gulp, he placed it and a hundred dollar bill on the table, walking out of the restaurant and looking up into the star-filled night sky. "At least it's nice out tonight..." He began walking down the sidewalk, though something pulled at the back of his mind, like someone could have been following him. Smiling, he stopped walking and with his mind halted the flow of time, the cars in the street beside him coming to a dead stop though they were just traveling at about forty miles per hour. He turned and looked back down the street, judging it must have just been his imagination and allowing time to flow normally again then turning and continuing his leisurely walk through the city.

 

[TMITM]

The Man in the Mirror had been watching Ian, though he never would've known - if the Man hadn't chosen that moment exactly.
"Y̵o̷u̴r̴ ̶t̵i̷m̸e̸ ̴m̵a̴n̷i̵p̸u̵l̸a̴t̸i̵o̴n̵ ̶a̶b̸i̶l̸i̴t̷i̴e̷s̵ ̷a̷s̷ ̵q̴u̴i̷t̴e̸ ̶i̴m̸p̵r̴e̸s̴s̶i̸v̷e̵,̵" he said, from behind Ian, smiling.
The Man was curious about Ian's powers, how they gave him an advantage over pretty much anyone except those with the same powers. Unfortunately for Ian, though, the Man experienced time differently than everyone else.

 

[Cypher]

Slowly stopping and turning around as the somehow unnatural voice spoke, Ian felt the air around him grow colder, then removed his sunglasses to better the see the dark figure in front of him. "Who..or should I say what are you?" As his blinding eyes stared into the dark man's, he used his mind to slow time to about one-hundredth of its normal speed, noticing as he did so that the man was unaffected. "And how long have you been following me... Are you hunting me?" He'd been hunted down by humans before, but never by a supernatural being such as the one standing in front of him now, and besides the humans that hunted him before were no problem at all.

 

[TMITM]

"W̵h̴a̶t̸ ̷I̴ ̸a̷m̵ ̸y̵o̸u̷ ̶c̷o̸u̸l̷d̴ ̸n̴o̶t̴ ̶p̴o̷s̵s̷i̷b̸l̸y̴ ̷u̷n̷d̵e̶r̶s̵t̵a̷n̴d̴.̸ ̸W̷h̸o̸,̸ ̴w̶h̸o̷ ̷I̵ ̶c̵a̶n̵ ̵a̴n̸s̴w̵e̵r̸.̸"
The Man spread his arms.
"I̷ ̸a̷m̶ ̸T̴h̷e̵ ̷M̸a̷n̵ ̷i̵n̷ ̷t̴h̷e̷ ̴M̴i̶r̴r̸o̴r̶.̴ ̸I̷ ̴a̵m̶ ̴n̶o̸t̵ ̷h̸e̸r̷e̷ ̷t̶o̷ ̴h̷u̷n̶t̵ ̴y̵o̴u̷,̶ ̸I̷ ̶w̷a̵s̶ ̸j̴u̵s̴t̷ ̵c̵u̴r̶i̶o̶u̶s̵ ̶a̷b̸o̴u̴t̷ ̸y̷o̶u̶r̸ ̴p̵o̸w̶e̷r̵s̸.̴ ̵I̸ ̴u̷n̸d̶e̵r̸s̸t̵a̷n̷d̸ ̶n̶o̶w̷.̷ ̵"
But there was something he was missing. He controlled the biggest part of the grand illusion, but he did not know he was in it. The Man thought it was, quite simply, pathetic.
But his powers were great, and the Man, if there was anything he respected, it was power.
The Man stared right into his eyes.
"A̵n̷d̷ ̴t̸h̴a̷t̴ ̴w̴i̷l̴l̴ ̴n̴e̶v̵e̶r̴ ̶w̴o̸r̶k̵.̶ ̶I̷ ̴s̶e̸e̶ ̴w̴i̴t̶h̴ ̴m̶o̶r̶e̸ ̴t̸h̵a̴n̴ ̴e̴y̷e̸s̷.̷"
The Man stared into him, long and deep, and then said, "O̵n̴ ̶s̸e̷c̷o̸n̷d̶ ̷t̴h̸o̷u̵g̶h̴t̷,̷ ̸m̸a̵y̸b̵e̶ ̵y̷o̵u̷ ̴c̸a̶n̵ ̴h̷e̸l̵p̷ ̵m̷e̵.̷"

 

[Cypher]

"Oh, is that so? I can help you, huh?" Ian pulled one of his throwing daggers from his wrist guard, letting his shades fall to the concrete as he flung it directly at the Man's head, teleporting almost simultaneously behind where the shadowy figure stood and catching his own blade. "Interesting trick, Mirror Man..." It appeared the Man was somehow inside of Ian's mind, not really physically there at all. "You must be pretty powerful...So what would you have me do? I'm listening."

 

[TMITM]

The Man just looked at him for a second, appearing bemused, and... interested. He stared, thinking for a minute, then started talking.
"I̷ ̸h̶a̵v̸e̶ ̵n̵e̴e̷d̴ ̵o̶f̵ ̸a̴ ̵p̴o̵w̴e̶r̸f̸u̴l̸ ̶a̵r̶t̸i̸f̷a̸c̵t̵,̶ ̵a̷n̸d̵,̸ ̶u̷n̷f̸o̷r̴t̶u̸n̸a̴t̵e̴l̷y̵,̴ ̴a̴ ̷r̴a̸t̷h̸e̵r̴ ̸c̷l̷e̷v̵e̵r̶ ̵e̸n̸c̵h̶a̸n̷t̵m̷e̸n̷t̶ ̶m̵e̸a̵n̵s̴ ̴t̷h̷a̷t̸ ̴n̶e̸i̶t̴h̴e̸r̵ ̶I̸ ̴n̶o̷r̵ ̸a̴n̵y̶b̸o̷d̸y̴ ̴c̶o̴n̵n̶e̵c̸t̷e̸d̵ ̷w̸i̶t̴h̶ ̷m̴e̸ ̵m̴a̶y̴ ̸o̷b̶t̷a̷i̴n̵ ̷i̴t̵.̴"
The Man sighed, and smiled.
"T̴h̵a̶t̷'̷s̶ ̶w̸h̴e̷r̷e̴ ̸y̸o̷u̸ ̴a̵n̴d̷ ̸y̶o̸u̷r̵.̵.̴.̶ ̸u̴n̶i̵q̶u̷e̸ ̶s̸k̷i̵l̴l̷s̷e̵t̶ ̷c̵o̴m̶e̶ ̸i̶n̷.̶"

 

[Cypher]

Nodding and sliding his throwing dagger back into his wrist guard, Ian teleported back to where he was standing before, picking his sunglasses up off of the concrete and putting them back on. "So where exactly is this artifact?" As he asked the question he allowed time to its normal speed, turning and continuing on his walk back to the hotel where he'd been staying while in town, figuring that the Man would have no problem keeping up if he was in his mind as he suspected.

 

[TMITM]

The Man shrugged. "H̸e̶r̷e̵,̶ ̸o̸n̶ ̵E̸a̸r̴t̵h̵.̴ ̵" The Man shook his head. "̶V̸e̸r̶r̶r̵r̸r̸r̸r̴y̷ ̶c̵l̴e̷v̸e̸r̷," he muttered. ".̴.̸.̶I̷n̴ ̶L̴o̸s̶ ̶A̷n̶g̶e̶l̶e̴s̷.̶ ̵T̷h̷e̵ ̸C̶i̷t̵y̷ ̴o̷f̵ ̷A̶n̷g̷e̸l̸s̴.̷"
The person who hid this Artifact was obviously very clever, and had the power to -
"O̷b̷v̵i̵o̴u̵s̷l̸y̴,̸ ̷t̵h̶e̵ ̴e̴n̶t̴i̵r̴e̶ ̷p̷e̷r̴i̶m̶e̶t̸e̶r̶ ̶i̷s̷ ̴e̸n̴c̷h̶a̸n̵t̶e̵d̴,̶ t̷h̴e̷ ̶w̵h̸o̵l̸e̴ ̵c̶i̷t̵y̸,̴ ̴a̵c̶t̶u̷a̵l̶l̶y̷.̷" The Man stated, "S̴o̷ ̸t̷h̵e̷ ̶o̴n̷l̷y̶ ̶w̵a̶y̵ ̷i̸s̴ ̷t̵o̸ ̶b̴e̷ ̴t̷r̵a̸n̸s̶p̶o̵r̸t̶e̴d̵ ̵d̵i̶r̴e̶c̸t̷l̶y̸ ̴i̵n̶.̶"

"...F̴o̷r̵t̷u̸n̸a̶t̵e̴l̵y̵,̷ ̶I̴ ̴c̶a̸n̸ ̷d̶o̶ ̷t̷h̵a̴t̸.̴"

 

[Cypher]

Nodding and stepping up to the entrance door of his hotel, he entered and walked toward the elevator. As the elevator doors slid closed Ian said, "Okay. Los Angeles. So what am I up against besides enchantments? And what is this artifact I'm going to be looking for anyway?" The elevator came to a stop a couple minutes later and he exited toward his room. Sliding the key card over the lock, it unlocked and he entered the room.

 

[TMITM]

"T̸r̴a̸p̴s̸ ̸t̶o̸ ̵s̶e̷e̷ ̷i̵f̸ ̷y̵o̴u̸'̷r̶e̵ ̶s̵t̵r̵o̴n̴g̸ ̶e̶n̴o̸u̷g̸h̸,̸ ̷" The Man said, walking along with him like he was his reflection, standing in the mirror that occupied an entire wall of the Hotel. "T̶e̸s̸t̸s̶ ̴t̵o̷ ̴s̸e̷e̶ ̷i̸f̴ ̷y̵o̶u̴'̵r̶e̸ ̶v̶i̷r̶t̷u̴o̸u̴s̶ ̴e̸n̶o̴u̶g̸h̴,̶" The Man said, chuckling slightly. "A̸n̸d̶,̵ ̷o̵f̸ ̵c̴o̵u̷r̴s̴e̴,̵ ̵t̷h̴e̵ ̴a̵r̶t̸i̶f̸a̵c̴t̷ ̵i̵t̶s̵e̷l̶f̷ ̷i̸s̵ ̶r̵a̴t̷h̸e̷r̸..." The Man paused for a second, apparently looking for a good word. ".̷.̸.̸ ̴t̵e̷m̵p̴e̴r̵a̶m̸e̴n̶t̵a̷l̵.̵"
The Man thought for a second about the second question. "T̴h̴e̴ ̴a̵r̵t̴i̸f̵a̴c̵t̴,̸ ̷t̸o̸ ̷y̶o̶u̸,̴ ̶w̷o̸u̵l̴d̸ ̸l̷o̶o̴k̸ ̶l̴i̷k̵e̶ ̴a̶ ̵g̸o̵l̴d̷e̵n̸ ̸h̶e̸a̵r̶t̷ ̸l̵o̷c̷k̴e̶t̸.̶ ̸I̷t̶'̶s̴ ̴u̸n̶o̷p̷e̵n̵a̵b̸l̴e̶,̵ ̷s̵o̵ ̸d̴o̴n̸'̶t̵ ̵t̶r̸y̷ ̵i̵t̷,̸ ̸b̶u̴t̴ ̷i̵t̶ ̷s̵t̶i̸l̵l̶ ̵c̸a̴n̵ ̸b̷e̴ ̴a̸ ̸b̸i̸t̵,̸ ̶a̶h̶,̴ ̴v̵o̷l̷a̷t̵i̶l̴e̷.̵"

 

[Cypher]

Ian shook his head as he poured himself some gin from a small bottle into a whiskey glass. "Sounds like a lot of B.S. for a little necklace. This thing must be pretty powerful." Sitting on his bed and looking into the mirror on the wall across the room from him at The Man, he continued. "So are there any special preparations I need to make? And when would this all be taking place?"

 

[TMITM]

".̷.̶.̷v̶e̶r̸y̸.̶ ̶I̸t̷'̴s̷ ̴o̴n̷e̴ ̷o̴f̵ ̴t̴h̸e̴ ̷m̷o̵s̴t̷ ̵p̶o̴w̷e̷r̸f̴u̵l̸ ̶o̵b̵j̴e̴c̵t̵s̶ ̸t̵h̷a̸t̶ ̸c̴u̸r̸r̷e̷n̵t̷l̴y̴ ̴e̵x̶i̸s̷t̶.̸" The Man said, tentatively. If he revealed the true power of this object, he might run off with it. He had to deal with this situation... delicately. "O̴n̶c̵e̷ ̵y̷o̵u̶ ̸g̴e̵t̴ ̴i̷t̸ ̸t̸o̶ ̴t̶h̸e̷ ̴p̷e̵r̴s̸o̴n̸ ̵w̵e̷ ̴n̴e̶e̵d̴ ̵t̸o̷ ̷g̵e̴t̷ ̶i̴t̵ ̵t̷o̸,̵ ̷I̴'̸m̷ ̸s̸u̵r̴e̴ ̶s̵h̷e̵'̴l̸l̵ ̴m̸a̶k̵e̶ ̵i̴t̵ ̶w̷o̵r̶t̷h̷ ̶y̴o̵u̸r̴ ̷w̸h̷i̸l̴e̵.̸" A little reward was sure to be in order, and he was sure she would agree.
"P̵r̸e̴p̷e̸r̶a̴t̶i̶o̶n̵.̵.̴.̵?̸ ̷W̶h̵a̴t̶e̵v̵e̸r̷ ̶y̶o̴u̴ ̶w̵a̴n̴t̵.̴ ̸I̶ ̸c̷a̷n̵ ̴g̵o̵ ̵a̸s̶ ̴s̶o̶o̶n̴ ̷a̸s̷ ̵y̶o̷u̴'̸r̶e̴ ̴r̶e̶a̵d̶y̴.̷"

 

[Cypher]

Smiling abruptly, Ian pulled one of his daggers from his wrist guard, flipping it in the air repeatedly and thinking, "This is going to be fun." His smile faded as he looked at the mirror again, taking off his sunglasses and staring into the darkness where eyes would be if this Man even had any. "I need my sword, then I'll be ready." Returning to the dresser where he'd laid it, he picked up his sheathed blade with both hands upturned and bowing his head to the blade before securing the sheath to his side. He grabbed the glass from before and took the last little swig left and set it down. "Alright, let's go." Clenching his dagger in one hand and his fist closed with the other, he stared out the window and waited.

 

[TMITM]

The Man shrugged. "f̴i̷n̶e̵," He said, and walked out of the mirror in which he was standing.
He approached Ian, chuckling. "T̵h̵e̷y̶ ̸l̴e̶t̵ ̴y̶o̷u̶ ̷b̷r̵i̴n̷g̴ ̷t̸h̶a̸t̵ ̴i̵n̷t̶o̷ ̵t̵h̷e̵ ̶h̷o̴t̶e̸l̷?̵" The Man asked, smiling. It wasn't usually hotel establishment policy to allow weapons into the area, unless he snuck it in somehow, which would be a pushover given his time manipulation abilities.
"H̷e̷r̸e̴ ̴w̷e̴ ̴g̶o̴.̴.̶.̵" The Man sighed, standing in front of Ian, grinning slightly.
Then - in an instant - both Ian was pulled apart, molecule by molecule, atom by atom, lifted, and then shot across the sky and then down into the city of Los Angeles - the City of Angels. They rematerialized inside of a casino, a small one, but bustling. It was obvious that it saw great success.
"T̴h̷e̷ ̷L̴o̵c̸k̵e̸t̷ ̶i̶n̸f̷l̷a̸m̸e̴s̶ ̵e̵m̶o̵t̶i̴o̶n̵s̸ ̵a̵n̵d̴ ̶f̵e̴e̸l̷i̴n̵g̴s," The Man said, his form materializing alongside Ian, phasing into existance. It was somewhat obvious he used a different method of travel. "S̵o̷,̵ ̷n̸a̵t̷u̷r̴a̷l̸l̸y̷,̴ ̷a̶ ̴c̶a̶s̶i̵n̸o̵ ̶w̵o̸u̷l̴d̷ ̴b̷e̸ ̶a̴ ̵s̶m̷a̴r̵t̸ ̸t̸h̷i̸n̷g̷ ̴t̵o̵ ̶p̵u̸t̷ ̶h̷e̵r̵e̶.̶" He chuckled. "I̵'̸l̴l̷ ̷g̶i̷v̶e̴ ̸y̶o̸u̵ ̷c̴r̵e̶d̸i̴t̷;̴ ̶y̴o̶u̶ ̵h̶u̵m̴a̸n̶s̷ ̸c̶a̷n̵ ̴b̶e̵ ̵c̴l̷e̷v̶e̵r̵ ̶s̷o̵m̸e̴t̷i̷m̴e̵s̴.̶"
The Man spared a glance at Ian. "M̴y̷ ̶a̸p̴o̸l̴o̵g̵i̸e̶s̴,̸ ̷r̷a̷p̷i̴d̶ ̵d̶e̶m̷a̴t̴e̸r̷i̵a̶l̴i̴z̵a̴t̷i̴o̸n̷ ̵i̸s̴ ̴t̴h̷e̷ ̶m̶o̴s̷t̸ ̴e̷f̸f̴i̸c̵i̶e̵n̶t̸ ̶w̸a̸y̸ ̷t̶o̶ ̷t̵r̶a̵n̶s̸p̴o̷r̷t̸ ̸y̶o̶u̶ ̸m̶o̷r̴t̵a̵l̷s̶,̴ ̸" He said, cocking his head. "I̵'̴v̷e̷ ̵h̸e̴a̵r̸d̴ ̶i̵t̷ ̶c̶a̸n̵ ̷b̶e̸ ̴q̵u̵i̷t̵e̴ ̵d̷i̸s̴o̵r̵i̸e̷n̷t̸a̸t̵i̷n̸g̴.̵"
The method the Man used was nothing but an extension of his godlike telekinesis, not a new power. What the Man used was far more intensive, involving warping reality precisely to get his body to this spot; but it wasn't like the Man was limited to just one body. He could just dematerialize one and build a new one somewhere else.

- Which was why TMITM wasn't doing so hot right now. His attention was more focused somewhere else.

 

[Cypher]

Ian chuckled a little at The Man's question about his sword, responding, "What they don't know...", then lifting his hands quizzically and shrugging. He nodded as The Man spoke again.

Ian looked down at his hands as he rematerialized inside some casino, sucking in a deep breath then turning to look at the dark form that materialized next to him, "Yeah, so clever..." He was in awe of what he'd just experienced, the tone of his voice still slightly sarcastic as he spoke.

Ian looked away as The Man apologized, nodding his head quietly then saying, "Yeah, this mortal needs something to drink." He walked dazedly toward the bar he saw upon examination of this place, leaning up against the bar and waiting for his eyes to focus as the bartender approached, "One bottle of water, please." The tender turned and grabbed a bottle from the clear-door fridge behind him, Ian smiling and nodding as he handed him five dollars then turned away. He drained the entire bottle quickly, shaking his head slowly as his vision came back into focus.

 

[TMITM]

The Man sighed. "Y̸o̴u̴ ̴m̶o̴r̶t̶a̷l̵s̴ ̵c̸a̷n̶ ̴o̶n̸l̵y̵ ̴h̸a̷n̷d̷l̸e̷ ̷s̴o̷ ̸m̸u̴c̶h̴.̴ ̸F̵r̴a̴n̴k̷l̷y̵,̶ ̵i̵t̴'̴s̴ ̵a̶ ̷m̴i̵r̵a̵c̸l̵e̴ ̴y̸o̸u̵'̸v̶e̷ ̶l̸a̴s̴t̶e̵d̵ ̸t̵h̶i̷s̴ ̵l̶o̴n̴g̵.̸"
The Man gazed at the people passing by, in the throes of gain or loss, the insufficient, all consuming power of greed and hunger consuming the place. He could see it - avarice and irresponsibility of the highest order.
The others who gazed his way, including the Bartender, just glazed over him, their eyes going straight through them and past him, never noticing what a powerful entity was here.
The Man chuckled, only slightly offended at the time-manipulator's sarcasm. "A̵n̵o̴t̸h̶e̸r̵ ̷j̴o̴k̴e̵ ̶l̸i̴k̴e̶ ̴t̷h̶a̵t̶.̸.̷.̷" The Man said, laughing. "I̷'̶l̸l̵ ̶h̸u̷r̵t̵ ̷y̸o̸u̴.̷ ̸A̶ ̶l̸o̴t̷.̷ ̴A̴n̵d̶ ̷s̸l̸o̵w̷l̶y̵.̶"
He didn't sound like he was kidding, but sometimes, it's hard to tell.
His eyes glazed over the people in the place that were in such throes of joy and despair, almost as if...
"N̴o̶t̴ ̸r̷e̷a̴l̷,̷" The Man said. "A̵n̸ ̵u̵n̴i̴m̶p̸r̸e̴s̴s̴i̴v̷e̸ ̷f̴a̶k̶e̶.̵"
The Man grunted as his form wavered for a second - like a bad tv connection.

 

[Cypher]

Ian nodded as The Man spoke, chuckling a bit at his comment about him having lasted this long. "Though I am mortal, I've been around for quite a while." He laughed aloud as he spoke of hurting him, "Don't count on it. I'm not afraid to die or of torture." He coughed a bit, "I've been tortured before, multiple times." Standing away from the bar now, Ian looked over at the man and continued, "Have we come to the wrong place?"

 

[TMITM]

"N̷o̴,̸ ̴n̸o̴,̶" The Man said, chuckling. "T̸h̷i̷s̴ ̷i̵s̷ ̸t̴h̸e̷ ̴f̸i̶r̷s̸t̴ ̶t̵e̶s̷t̸,̵ ̶a̵c̵t̷u̴a̴l̶l̸y."
The Man watched the people, the Casino, bustle around him, ignoring the foolish mortal's claim. There was no torture like the Man could produce, but he wasn't about to start that argument right now. It would be... counterproductive. Instead, he chose to smile at the thing that Ian hadn't noticed yet; the first test.
There was something wrong with this casino. If Ian was perceptive, he would notice now what the Man had noticed since coming in. Everything around them was a tad bit... unrealistic. A tad bit too good, a tad bit too convenient. The Man wondered if Ian would notice.

 

[Cypher]

Ian chuckled a little bit as the Man smiled, looking out over the people in the casino and the casino itself, trying to find something out of place. The more he payed attention to the people here and to the events taking placing among them, he realized something was off. He mumbled quietly, still looking over the place, "There's something wrong here. I just saw like five jackpots hit in a row on slot machines." His eyes widened a bit as he said this, looking toward the Man now and asking, "So what is this test, am I supposed to find a secret door or something? I don't understand..." His tone was dead serious, his voice slightly hushed.

 

[TMITM]

The Man scoffed. "I̷t̶'̵s̴ ̷n̴o̶t̵ ̴s̴o̵ ̷s̵i̵m̶p̶l̸e̵ ̵a̵s̵ ̵t̸h̴a̶t̴.̸" The Man pointed to a person, a balding, middle-aged man, who performed the same action twice, putting a card down in the exact same manner, and then walked away with a peculiarly defined path. The Man wondered if it was only him that these things were caught.
"I̸t̷'̷a̷ ̷a̸ ̴v̵e̴r̶y̸ ̴c̵l̷e̴v̸e̵r̶ ̴s̵p̶e̷l̵l̷,̵" the Man said, chuckling. "V̷e̵r̵y̸ ̴p̸o̸w̵e̴r̴f̵u̴l̷ ̶-̸ ̴b̴u̷t̷ ̴f̴l̸a̵w̸e̴d̶.̸"
The Man hoped that Ian would notice, the subtle specificity of the actions performed by the people here, the unrealism of them. It wasn't just the unrealistic odds of everything around them, it was the people, how they acted, how they payed no attention at all to them. As if it was all scripted. As if...
Ian just had to say it for the spell to disappear, to break entirely. Ian just had to say it.