‎A tall, dark-skinned man nonchalantly strode into the room with a faint smile on his face.

‎A strong metallic smell of iron lingered, permeating the air.

‎The man grimaced, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

‎Stepping around the body, he covered his nose with a handkerchief.

‎" It reeks in here."

‎The most striking feature about the man's appearance was the white mop of hair on his head.

‎Despite his shockingly white hair, the man appeared to be in his mid-30s with not a wrinkle on his face.

‎The man was casually dressed in a black leather jacket and fitting long, black pants, his white hair neatly combed back.

‎His eyes were a piercing brown colour, and his ears were pierced through with matching silver cross earrings.

‎He casually glanced at the still bleeding body on the floor, nonchalantly squatting down to check the man's pulse.

‎A slight frown formed on his face, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

‎Edmund stared at him in disbelief, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.

‎" Is he for real? He's ignoring us. Who is this guy?"

‎Warren and Xander watched the man with curiosity without moving.

‎After a while, the man grunted, then sighed.

‎" Damn! He's dead. He went and got himself killed. And by a couple of kids at that. Pathetic! Truly disappointing."

‎With an unusually calm smile, he looked up at the three boys.

‎" You know, I did tell him to wait for me. But he never listened to that one. What a waste."

‎Slowly rising to his feet, he shook his head.

‎" But he just wouldn't listen, and now he's dead."

‎A moment later, a colourless barrier shimmered to life around him, blocking a blade that was aimed at his throat.

‎The dark blade strained against the barrier, small sparks of electricity crackling through the air, but the barrier held.

‎The man grinned, his lips curling up in amusement.

‎" Now, now that's no way to greet someone when you meet them for the first time."

‎He shrugged, throwing his hands up into the air.

‎" First impressions are very important after all. And so far, I'm not impressed."

‎Xander's eyes narrowed at the appearance of the sphere.

‎"What the hell? This is an Umbranite blade. It should be able to cut through any Talented ability."

‎The man grinned wickedly, his teeth gleaming in the room's light.

‎"What's the matter? You don't look too pleased... and from the look of things, you are no ordinary kid."

‎The man's eyes narrowed, then widened in realization.

‎"Just now, your eyes did not light up. That means you did not use an ability. So you are just that fast."

‎The man grinned.

‎"Impressive."

‎Xander shot a furtive glance at the man's eyes, then his own widened in realization.

‎" His eyes aren't glowing, that would mean. This isn't his ability. He is quite astute."

‎" Correct," the man said, his eyes flaring to life. You are absolutely right."

‎"In fact, what I'm using now is an artifact, an incredibly expensive one at that. But worth every cent. And yes, telepathy is one of my abilities among other things."

‎A heartbeat later, the barrier shimmered, and the man's figure blurred through the space in front of Xander, his arm whipping through the air with uncanny speed.

‎Xander's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sudden movement, but he was already moving, dodging out of the way.

‎In an instant, a wall of water, ice, and lightning moved forward, barring the man's path.

‎Xander glanced at Edmund and Warren out of the corner of his eyes.

‎The two boys stood side by side with their eyes aglow.

‎The temperature in the room plummeted.

‎Water turned into ice, and bolts of electricity coursed through the water, effectively forming an electric ice cage around the mysterious man.

‎Within moments, the man was frozen solid, within the cage, currents of electricity surging through his body.

‎Xander grinned, lightly punching the youth's shoulders.

‎" Nice teamwork work you two. I didn't know you had it in you."

‎Edmund smirked slightly, turning to Warren.

‎" We make a pretty good team, huh..."

‎A cold chill spread throughout the room, frost creeping up the walls and escaping

‎Warren stared at him for a few moments, then silently turned away.

‎" Well, I tried..."

‎In the next moment, the ice cracked, the sound echoing loudly through the air.

‎Within the ice, the man's eyes glowed ominously, the eerie light piercing through the layers of ice.

‎Despite the chill, a searing heat pulsed through the room, momentarily dispelling the cold within the room.

‎Steam rose off the icy cage, then a few moments later, the ice began to melt.

‎"You boys really have no manners, huh. Did I mention that the barrier also protects me from surprise attacks like the one you just tried? In essence, even talented abilities have no effect on it." Casually straightening his black leather jacket, the man brushed off a few bits of ice from the lovely coat.

‎" I believe I haven't introduced myself yet."

‎With a warm smile, the man spoke.

‎The three youths stared at him in silence, all the while staring at the man in curiosity

‎" My name is Jamil Al Quassim. But you can call me Jamil, my friends, on the other hand, call me Jamie. "

‎He offered them a curt now, his eyes shining mesmerizingly.

‎" It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

‎Xander returned his smile, his lips curling into a roguish smile.

‎" Why are you here? I mean, surely a man like you has better things to do than hunt down a couple of kids."

‎Jamil shrugged, scratching his chin seemingly in thought.

‎" It's quite simple, really. I heard you were looking for me. So here I am."

‎Edmund stared at the man in disbelief, the frown on his face darkening.

‎" What the hell?"

‎Looking at the bewildered look on Edmund's face, Jamil burst into laughter.

‎"You should see the look on your face."

‎Glancing at the other two boys, he smirked.

‎" Aren't you two tough nuts to crack?"

‎Xander stared at Jamil intently, shifting his weight slightly on his feet.

‎" He's dangerous. But if we work together, we can take him down."

‎Jamil rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

‎" You know, I can tell what you're thinking right. If the three of you work together, you can defeat me, that's what you're thinking, right? By no,w you should know that it's not that simple.

‎" Besides, I haven't even gotten serious yet, not that I have to. Of course, I can humor you if you want."

‎Jamil shook his head letting out a sigh.

‎" But do we really have to fight? Do you even know why we're fighting?"

‎Xander raised an eyebrow at the question.

‎" From what I know, your small group of Talented started this whole fiasco, hunting down and killing other Talented."

‎Edmund nodded, the light in his eyes hardening.

‎" You murdered people in cold blood."

‎Jamil gasped, staring at them in what resembled genuine shock.

‎"Just like what you just did right?"

‎Xander smirked.

‎"Self-defense. He attacked us first, and he tried to kill us. We did what any reasonable human being would. Protected ourselves."

‎Jamil sniggered, rolling his eyes.

‎"The pot is calling the kettle black. I could claim the same thing. You could have simply subdued him or knocked him out. But no..."

Jamil grinned wickedly.

" You went ahead and killed him. Just like me...on several occasions. So I can say it was self-defense too. Those people... They tried to kill me once I told them about my cause. Once I tried to persuade them to join me."

‎" Except you can't."

‎Edmund and Xander turned to Warren with mirrored looks of surprise on their faces.

‎Ignoring them, Warren continued speaking.

‎" Once, maybe, but it's not just twice or thrice. You're a murderer, a killer."

‎Warren smiled, his expression becoming eerily disturbing.

‎" And I can see it in your eyes...you enjoy it. Don't you? You're a lunatic. And sometimes..."

‎Warren's smile widened, becoming crueler and sharper.

‎" You're afraid. Of what you're becoming. But you use the Crows to justify all your atrocities...like the coward you are..."

‎Jamil spoke, his voice turning serious.

‎"And how do you know all that?"

‎Warren shrugged, nonchalantly walking across the room until he was right in front of Jamil, both of their eyes shining with strange light.

‎One pair dark and the other with an insidious brown light.

‎Warren's smile grew wider.

‎" Did I mention, I can read thoughts as well. You're not exactly special."

‎Jamil's smile grew strained ,then vanished entirely.

‎Edmund grinned.

‎" So he can actually read thoughts!"

"Careful, little boy, my patience is running thin."

Xander grinned.

"So are we doing this or what? Surely you didn't come all this way just to give a grand speech about your innocence, right?"

Jamil chuckled, then laughed.

" Of course not, l..."

A split second later, Xander was right in frontof him, swiping up at him with his blade.

Jamil snarled, his eyes flaring to life.

" For Pete's sake, stop interrupting me!"

A split second later, Xander flew back, flipping midair and planting his feet on the sofa.

Jamil roared, a stream of fire erupting from his mouth.

Edmund and Warren ducked out of the way, staring at him in shock.

Jamil grinned.

" Did I mention I can use flames as well? Touché..."

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