It has been years. Such a long time has gone... And yet, the rising sun still shone in the very same way it did before all those years. The fact that it never changed was almost enchanting, well, wasn't it? To know there was something that wouldn't change. That would remain the same no matter how many steps forwards one would make.

The sun would always rise the very same way it did today. And that realization almost made Misao smile - if he would ever smile like that. Only the gaze of his eyes grew a little softer. Maybe his face eased up a little as he stood before the hotel, waiting for the taxi he has called for to arrive. Just maybe...

He grew cold and emotionless towards the world he had in his palm. It couldn't make him cry anymore, though it couldn't make him smile, either. He felt nothing for its people - after all, he had it all at his palm every second of the day. Like a chess-master, he made his way through, moving the pawns before him to clean his way first, and only then let himself, the crownless king, come. That was how he thought of himself, the king without the crown, but not without power. After all, all he required to get whatever he wanted till now was a thought... A thought that changed the course of his actions, and put him back onto the path towards success, power, and wealth.

The sound of brakes warned him of the taxi's coming, and when he let his gaze slide down onto the road, there was indeed the car that he ordered to pick him up. The door opened, and he slid in, carefully sweeping the edges of his blazer into the interior. The smooth fabric made a silent sound as he sat down, crossing his legs and placing his small bag next to himself.
"The airport." the silky sound of his voice answered a question that was never told, but hung in the air like the feeling of expectations. The driver nodded, and with a silent roar, the car moved forth once again, to get through a mesh of streets and roads. That was the first, and most likely the last time Misao gave the man a single gaze.

Traveling made him happy. It was one of the rare moments he felt fulfilled and comfortable, on the road and visiting a new place with every month, sometimes even week, of his life. He never settled, he never slowed down, just tread the face of Earth like a kite in the wind. His road was one without destination, he knew that for a long time, and he wouldn't want it any other way... Holding onto things of such sentimental value as home and attachment to the know was for the week. He was strong, and he was brave, he needed no such sentiment. It would only hold him down to hold onto the past like a fool, a fool that cannot see light in the future, and so he turns towards the faded past.

His past had no light. Whether he wanted it or not, there was nothing he could turn back to except for a couple of tombstones. And even those lost their importance in their memories. Just another thing he passed by. He was strong, and so he survived. Wasn't that the most important? What remained, and not what was lost...

It opened his eyes. Showed him that only the strong and the able survive. He never asked for the gift that made him such, but he wouldn't give it back, either. Without it, he'd surely still be in his father's shadow, ever striving to surpass him... The look of his steel-grey eyes hardened at the thought. It was disgusting. And besides, the taxi has already reached its destination. He reached into his bag to retrieve a few banknotes, hand them to the driver with a somewhat lax fling of his hand, and got out of the car, as quickly and smoothly as smoke. The moment the edges of his coat flicked against his legs, the door banged closed, and the sound of a starting engine informed him of the taxi's leave. It was time to go for him, too.

He did indeed go. Like a shadow, he weaved his way through the crowd, flawlessly slipping between all the people around himself, his shoes hardly making a sound on the floors of the entrance hall. He passed the crowds without a glance, but his eyes were still scanning his surroundings for a single thing. Them... He knew too well that 'they' wouldn't hide under the guise of tourists with their large bags and cameras hanging from their necks, families heartily welcoming each other, or busy men of business with their phones in their hands. He knew what he was looking for... And for now, he didn't see it. Fortunately. He simply hated causing a scene.

Then, something caught his sight. A tall man in a black suit, talking to a woman in a similar attire. They were neither elegant nor casual, and not suspicious in the slightest, and yet something about them unnerved him. He knew those faces. Even though he didn't stare at them - he was too discreet for that - the woman turned her head, and their gazes met. It was nothing, and yet...

The world around him faded for a moment. It was morning again, but instead of laying in bed and checking the news, he got out of the exquisite bedsheets immediately, wasting no time, and hurried to get ready.

Everything sped up in a moment, forcing him back into the present. But where he was was a completely different place... He was already out of the hall. The memories mingled together, past with the present, a whole new line of them forming instantaneously - a different taxi, a different driver, even a woman with a child that asked him for the direction to the luggage service in the airport's hall. It took them a moment to settle down in two lines, sprouting from the same branch, but separated and never joining together again. He took a deep breath, holding onto the rail beside him, to get used to this changed reality. He hated being misplaced when jumping...
"Sir, are you okay?" someone beside him inquired, noticing how he clutched the rail. Misao gave them a nod, straightening his back, and moved on. At least the two in black suits were no longer there. It was time for him to move.

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Exhausted pale blue eyes creaked open to a familiar ceiling. Ray's vision panned around, much to the entirety of the same familiar room. That's right, he was back here again for the umpteenth time. He was testing the extent of this ability he had; the one that allows him to jump to the past. Ray didn't want to live the rest of his life in solitude, and choosing to understand his own demons was the first step towards freedom. He looked at the clock, it was Monday seven in the morning just as he knew it would be. Then came a knock on his door. Just the same, he already knew it was the landlord going to remind him that his rent is due tomorrow. Any changes this day would be entirely up to him, otherwise he pretty much had the living half of this day in the bag.

It was the first work day of the week. After seeing through all the mundane rituals and early morning events that this Monday held for him, Ray prepped himself for work. After locking his apartment room, he made his way down to the lobby, greeted the old receptionist just as he always would, and stepped out once again into the world on this fine day.

As usual, the streets were packed with people. Each individual minding their own business, walking their own paths in life, forced upon them or chosen by their own free will. For someone who has the power to take his leisurely time and choose wisely, Ray couldn't help himself but feel pity for the more unfortunate ones, though he couldn't say that he himself was fortunate to have such power. Just looking at himself now, he was no better than the rest of those unfortunate souls; he was cursed.

Taking a turn towards where the bus stop was, a smirk inched its way to his lips. This is where it gets interesting. On this street: someone will get robbed in the open, an arguing couple would come out of the coffee shop to the left, a half-full paint can will accidentally fall from above, and a police car would be driving by in a few minutes. The first Monday he had been in this part of the streets was a total mess. The mugger got away, the couple got splashed in paint, and the police was just too late to be the victim's hero. This 'event' was also essentially the reason why Ray chose to face his demons, to see if he could at laeast do something good with what he has.

On his first try, Ray chose a direct approach, to go after the mugger. When he was about to catch up, the mugger pulled out a piece. The moment he realized it, Ray was already back in his apartment a little shaken. From there he had established that the mugger was armed and dangerous. On his second attempt, caution preceding his actions, he tried to warn the victim discreetly but he ended up accused of being an accomplice. That didn't end well for both parties. On his third endeavor however, he tried tripping the mugger while the guy was on the run. That one resulted in several casualties. The guy pulled out his gun and fired several shots randomly. A few frightened people jumped to the streets causing a mayhem of vehicular accidents. From there, Ray established the fact that a direct input from him produced negative results; it wasn't easy being a hero he thought.

He spent the next few Mondays quietly observing, pressing with great intent to figure out if the events would not change if he chose to do nothing. Much to his surprise, it turned out exactly as he predicted it would. The mugger would take the same route, avoid the same people, and ultimately make his quick escape. It was then that Ray thought, what if he had an indirect hand at influencing the events? Would it still had a negative effect? Of course, he had to try. All those same days spent observing was for this moment.

Back on the streets, Ray came in a few minutes early. He had his course of action plotted, the timer in his watch set, and his eyes roaming to catch a glimpse of the victim. His plan was simple, stand in front of the cafe's doorways and block it just enough so that the arguing couple would not get in the mugger's path. Judging from the speed that mugger will run, if the couple wasn't there to slow him down, he would be just in time to unintentionally catch the soon to fall paint can. A few more minutes later, there she was, the victim. Ray's heart pounded wildly in anticipation. Thirty seconds from now, the mugger will come from behind, snatch the bag and make a mad dash to the horizon with his prize, assuming his plan goes without a hitch that is.

Then it came, that cry for help that had become increasingly familiar, the startled people, the dash to escape; the event had begun. Ray felt the doors behind him slam onto his back but he was much too preoccupied to even care. His gaze was fixated on two things, flicking back and forth between his timer and the fleeing man. He counted down with bated breath until he heard quite a sickening sound followed by a the sound of a man falling to the ground. Ray's eyes widened, mouth lightly gaping and heartrate increasing exponentially at the realization. Having an indirect input on this event not only allowed him to influence it with change but also achieve a desirable outcome. It worked!

"Excuse me sir! You're kinda in the way there!"

The voice that came from behind pulled him back to the present in a timely yet less courteous manner. The scorn in the voice immediately telling Ray that the couple was still in the heat of their argument. Not wanting to be caught up in another event that might pique his interest, Ray politely excused himself and watched the rest of the previous event unfold. It didn't matter if he was late for work today, he had just helped someone in need using his demon and it felt damn good to have done so. After all that's been said and done, the culprit was taken into custody and the victim recovered her bag. It was a victory for him, the unsung hero of this fine Monday. Slipping both hands inside his pockets, Ray continued on, blending in with the crowd and playing the part much like the rest of the other people did, a normal citizen.

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Escaped... Yes, for sure. His light eyes narrowed upon sighting the couple in suits at his heels again. They were like hounds... They'd follow him everywhere, anywhere, even to hell itself and back. Even then, he pretended not to notice. With the elegance and silky smooth moves so typical for his self, he moved towards a small store, and while he picked up a magazine and pretended that his eyes followed the lines of the words, he carefully watched them. They weren't even pretending not to be looking for him, just quickly hurried towards him...

For a moment, everything went black. The page of the magazine slipped from his fingers...

He was sitting on the leather chair of the taxi once again, checking the progression of his stocks on his phone, only every now and then looking up. But before the car would drive to the airport, his hand, appearing near the steering wheel, stopped the driver.
"Please, go right. I have changed my mind... Could you drive towards the business center?" he inquired silently, receiving a curious gaze, followed by a nod. The car's direction changed. It didn't appear as that much of an irrational request - after all, just a moment ago, he was studying the state of his wealth.

Shortly after, his hand, sliding down to the handle of the door, opened his way out, leading towards a tall skyscraper. Its windows reflected the tangerine and amber clouds of the early morning, softly colored by the light of the sun. His steps lead him towards the building, but not into it - instead, he walked right past it, and a number of other ones just like it. Blending into the crowd of scurrying and hurrying businessmen was an easy feat for a man of manners and class like himself. No one would have noticed him. And yet, someone... The eyes behind the black glasses that have always been glued onto him were on his back again.

Was there really no way to get away from those eyes?

Without changing the direction of his steps, the world around went black.

He wavered, all of a sudden in a completely different environment.The buildings weren't as tall, and less cars passed by. Everything was completely different than the front of the business center. He must have gotten to the other side of the town...

Such a large displacement. His knees, for a moment unable to support his weight, failed him, and he hit the ground with the palms of his hands, drawing and releasing heavy breaths. His head was spinning...

The people in the black suits weren't there anymore, though. They were nowhere to be found in the current line of his memories - one in which Misao told the taxi driver to bare left, not right, and drive him somewhere else. There were two places he couldn't go to anymore - the industrial part, and the airport. At least not yet, while those two were watched. It was too dangerous. The border between the industrial and residential part should be somewhat safer. Even the 'shadows' weren't so reckless as to kidnap someone amid people. And while he would keep in the crowd, he should be quite safe, then.

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As the hours of Monday ticked by, Ray dove into work mode. The constant clacking of his keyboard, the beeping of his hard phone, the voice on the other end of his headset, all of those were his only company within the cubicle he would call his own still for the next four hours. Tech support, considered to be a boring job with a slightly decent pay. True enough, for someone not supporting a family, this line of work would get you by, albeit not comfortably but it does the job.

"Hey Ray, we're heading out for lunch. There's a Grubber's food truck out there, wanna come?"

The invitation broke his fluid concentration. The thought of having done something good earlier today fueled him mentally that he almost forgot to take his lunch. The voice and generous invite came from one of his teammates, Corby. He and his buddies were awaiting his response. Pressing the mute button on his hard phone, Ray turned around in his chair to face the man. He was just about to say 'yes' but stopped in his tracks abruptly, thoughts drifting in almost simultaneously with the notion. This wasn't right. These people had no idea what he was capable of doing and he didn't want them to be a part of it. Even though he knew that they were just trying to be the friendly office mate to him, with all good intentions at heart, he couldn't bare to get them caught up in his world.

"You go on ahead. I'm stuck with a grandma complaining about why Google changed its landing page." he smoothly lied. Corby's face dropped a little but returned a polite smile. "Alright man, suit yourself. Though let me tell you, employee of the month doesn't have that much perks in here." he warned him half jokingly.

After watching the rest of his team leave their bay, Ray slowly eased back on his chair and stared blankly at his computer screen. Truth is, he wanted to go. He wanted to socialize, he wanted to be normal again. However, the sad truth and reality is that he was far from normal. He couldn't risk making bonds with others without truly understanding his curse from the inside out, there's just no way he would do that. For all he knows, there could be people out there who knows of his power, like some secret company or cult wanting to take advantage of it. Ray stopped once more and chuckled. It was a ridiculous thought.

"I apologize for putting you on hold ma'am..." he continued on, trying to get back into the game.

Not a few minutes into it, one of the front line managers followed by company security came rushing towards him looking slightly distressed. They all stood a polite distance from Ray and waited for the man to finish his call before speaking.

"Young man, what have you done?" he asked, his tone icy cold and almost demeaning.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand, what is it that I have done?" he questioned back, looking more confused than he sounded.

"Why are 'suits' asking for you?"

Suits? It could mean a lot of things but from watching a little too much of the cop shows, and how his front line manager was acting, the definition of suits was probably the right one he had in mind. Now Ray was sharing the panic that gripped his manager. Had he done anything wrong to get the attention of these suits? Ray went back to his memories and tried to search for anything that would warrant their attention. Nada.

"If you would be so kind, please step away from the desk and let us escort you downstairs." said one of the company security guys.

"That won't be necessary. We'll take it from here."

The new voice startled the security guys and the manager. They turned around only to find a pair of these suits already on the ops floor. Ray who finds himself in a middle of an argument between suits and company policy couldn't think straight. All he knew was that he had done nothing wrong and this was all a mistake. He looked at one of the suits looking for him, the female one. She seemed to be keeping a very close eye on him while having one hand hidden in her pocket. It made Ray feel uneasy. She seemed to have sensed it and was about to react when Ray thought it was time to put his demon to good use.

The next thing he knew was that it was five in the morning and it was Monday all over again. It took a moment for his memories to sink in but he immediately thought back to that one specific moment that will happen later on today.

"The suits event..." he muttered to himself.

Then his thoughts came to a shocking conclusion. The ideas that he deemed ridiculous at first was starting to come true. The words he recalled in his head, spoken by that female suit rang clearly in his head, 'he's gonna jump'. How did they know? What happened to him? Why were they looking for him? But more importantly, is he safe? Ray rushed to his window pane and looked down the streets below. They were near empty and hardly any signs of life yet. Beads of sweat formed all over his face as he rested his back on the wall, sinking slowly down to the floor. There was just so much going on and learning about people who knows of his power was the last thing he needed. What was he supposed to do now? It was clear as day.

"I gotta run..."

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The feeling of his head spinning slowly disappeared. Once again on his feet, he was not eager to continue the way down the street once more - the 'suits' would appear again... He had a feeling that they would. And no matter how many times he jumped, they kept reappearing. This was some deep trouble he was in. Deep. Really deep. They must have been onto him for weeks if this was happening...

But before more thoughts would have appeared in his mind, he felt an uncannily familiar sensation at his back. As if he was...
Watched.

"Do not attempt to move."

The cold voice. The hand that held him by the shoulder. He remembered, he lived through that before. The near-empty street, the woman in a suit. He took a deep breath, faking his own motionlessness.
"Be careful. He looks like he's about to-" the voice of the man that accompanied the black-suited woman wasn't even given the chance to finish his sentence.

Misao twisted on his heel, with his elbow knocking the girl's small hand off his shoulder, and his foot came striking up at her head, the clean, expensive leather shoe knocking her to the side right away. It was too fast an attack, too abrupt and too unexpected to avoid. The man's eyes widened in an expression of surprise - before they were covered by Misao's jacket, flying at his head, followed by a fast punch. Blinded and stunned, he was left in the street.

And Misao bolted in the opposite direction as fast as he just could. He couldn't jump... He'd have to do with what he had on his hands right now. And that was, the 'suits' temporarily incapacitated, that is, knocked out on the side of the pavement.

He was out in the streets, without a jacket, with nothing but his wallet and a large deposit of money he couldn't access if he didn't want to track him down. The 'suits' would know that he's here... A different way must exist. He has to find that 'different way'.

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