Prologue 0-2: Ellicia Otto

Ellicia had no parents. Of course, that’s not to say she sprouted out of the ground. Someone had given birth to her, sure, but there was no one she could truly call a parent.

Fortunately (or not, she wasn’t sure), she only found herself alone after she was old enough to think for herself and manage subsistence on her own. If she’d been abandoned before that, she likely wouldn’t have survived.

Living alone wasn’t easy, but fortunately (or not, she wasn’t sure about that, either) she had a special talent. The best way to describe it would be “wall walking.” She could walk through the walls of houses, buildings, or even bank safes like they simply weren’t there. She was what people would call a psychic.

But that wasn’t the only interesting thing on her résumé. She was also a thief. At least for a time. Ellicia got out of the thievery business at the age of 13.

Back then, she’d worked for the mafia. Her ability to sneak in anywhere to get information or steal things made her extremely valuable to them. She was treated well and didn’t have to suck up to the boss to survive. She was special. But it was exactly because she was so special that they were prepared to kill her at the first sign she might run away.

Now, that wasn’t particularly an issue for Ellicia. She had nothing else to do, and she had no real plans for her life. If they were willing to keep her fed, she was planning on staying with them forever. That is, until someone came along one day and wiped them all out except for her.

“We’ve come here for you.”

“...?”

Ellicia stared suspiciously at the man who offered her his hand. He was wearing a suit that was black, almost too black. The sharp look in his eyes, the scar on his cheek, the blood on his suit, and his apparently taciturn nature set off all kinds of red flags for her.

“I’ve gotten offers from other families before, but none of them were this enthusiastic,” she eventually said.

“I’m glad you understand our interest.”

The man didn’t move so much as an eyebrow. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking.

“Well, I never swore loyalty to this family. So if you’re willing to feed me, I’ll go with you... But I would like to know who my new owner is.”

This man’s small group had wiped out an entire mafia family. Ellicia stayed on her guard as she observed him.

If I’m willing to go just on appearances... Is he Japanese? Chinese?

Each country’s underworld had its own traditions. If she unknowingly did something to offend him, there was a chance she might get hurt. And at this point, Ellicia was far more interested in keeping herself safe than running.

When she’d said she’d go anywhere as long as they fed her, she was serious. Yet even so, she still wanted to know who she was dealing with.

“Let me start by saying, Ellicia, that there is no need to categorize us as a ‘race’ like humans do. The bonds between us are bonds of the soul, not of blood.”

“Huh? What are you talking about...?”

It was only then that Ellicia realized how strange what she was hearing was.

Huh? How does he know my name? And... it’s like he somehow knows what I’m thinking.

“That’s right.”

“Wh-What?”

“I can read people’s minds. I’m a psychic. Like you.”

“Like... me?”

Ellicia’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“How did you know I’m a psychic?” she said, but then laughed at herself. It was a silly question to ask someone who could read minds.

“Hmm. I said I read minds, but that’s not quite it. What I should have said is that I read people. Reading minds is only part of my power. More specifically, I can see the waves that humans unconsciously put out.”

“Waves?”

“Something like a signal from your soul. The waves normal humans and psychics emit differ in a very subtle way. I happened to see you in town, and your waves indicated you were a psychic. That’s how I knew.”

There was no way for Ellicia to tell if he was lying or not, but she decided to believe him. Regardless of how he knew, he did know she was a psychic. That much was clear, but there was still something she couldn’t make sense out of.

“Okay. Then I understand how you knew who I was, but what’s this about coming to get me? And why did you wipe out an entire mafia family to do it?”

“To save you from them, of course.”

“...Huh?”

They’d come to save her? Ellicia hadn’t really had any problem with the way she was being treated. There was no need for anyone to save her. And now the only people she had were gone again. It was going to be the same no matter where she went. She was always going to end up alone.

“Yang, I’m about done here.”

“I see. Good work, Lucy.”

As Ellicia stood there in silence, the man’s associates gathered around him. The woman called Lucy looked at Ellicia and smiled a little. Then she suddenly disappeared.

“Hi there.”

Ellicia gasped as someone grabbed her from behind. She thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She turned around and saw Lucy standing there with the same smile still on her face.

“As you can see, I’m another kind of psychic. A teleporter. I can’t jump that far, though. We’re all psychics, too, so relax.”

“Relax...?”

“Yes. We share a special bond. Around us, there’s no need to feel guilty about having a power that other people don’t. So, like I said... relax. From now on, we’re your family.”

Ellicia gasped. The reason her parents had abandoned her was exactly because she had a power other people didn’t. It made her different. Creepy. Weird. And Lucy spoke like she knew... No, she’d probably gone through the same thing. Maybe all of them had.

That would explain things. They had something that bound them together more than blood or words. It was a bond of the soul. A resonance, perhaps, that only those on the same wavelength could experience.

“I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Yang Danshey,” the man said. “I’m the leader of this organization. Ellicia, I want you to come with us and join us.”

The only part of what they’d said to Ellicia that bothered her was the part about saving her. While she wasn’t allowed to leave, she’d joined the mafia of her own free will. She was resigned to her life there and never asked for anyone’s help escaping. But apart from that, what these strange people said really struck a chord with her.

Ellicia had wanted a home. She’d always hated herself for being abandoned by her parents. For not being normal. She’d thought she’d die of old age before anyone understood her. And yet now someone had appeared out of nowhere to tell her that she was wanted. That made her happy. That much, she was sure of.

“All right, Yang. I’ll join you.”

And so, a new line was added to her résumé. But Yang’s organization had no name. It was just “the organization.”

“We don’t need a name to differentiate us from everyone else. Anyone can tell that we’re comrades” was what she’d been told.

Everyone in the organization was a psychic, and they were all without a doubt her comrades. After Ellicia joined, they recruited a few more people, and their organization gradually, little by little, grew bigger.

Yang, their leader, would risk his life for his comrades but was incredibly suspicious towards normal people. His distrust had saved them many times, but often it seemed to go too far. Ellicia tried to ask Lucy about it, but all she did was laugh nervously. She never got a real answer out of her.

Of course, Ellicia didn’t have any real problem with the organization or Yang’s policies. They worked hard to protect psychics. Sometimes Yang would discover them himself, but more often, they would keep their ears to the ground about anyone with special powers and then go seek them out.

As time went on, more and more of the psychics they brought in were younger than Ellicia. Many of them had been mistreated or abandoned by their parents, and she took care of them like they were little brothers and sisters. Her goal was for the organization to be a haven for all psychics, and that became her reason for helping Yang and Lucy.

Of course, the organization was like a home to her, too. Yang, Lucy, and her little brothers and sisters were her family. She wanted to protect them no matter what. That’s why she never thought the day would come when she betrayed the organization.

“Hahh... Hahh...”

Ellicia gasped for breath as she ducked into an alley to escape the organization’s pursuers. She was in a town far away from the city centers of Japan.

The organization often used ships to move about. While she was on one crossing the Pacific to get back to the organization’s base in China, she’d learned of Yang’s plan. She jumped ship on a lifeboat and made her way back to Japan.

I never thought this would happen...

Ellicia was almost in tears, but she kept a watchful eye on her surroundings. She had Lucy the teleporter and Ail the clairvoyant to worry about. Both of their powers were strong enough that they had lots of restrictions, but they could easily work together to find and catch her. Ellicia, on the other hand, only had the power to move through walls. It gave her an advantage in a chase, but that was about it. She was clearly at a disadvantage compared to the others. Yet even so, she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t let Yang get away with his terrifying plan.

But... where do I go?

She’d finally found a place to call home. Now that she’d given it up, where would she go? Ellicia asked herself, but no answer was coming.