Universal Power System

The text message from Haruto was definitely unexpected as he didn't usually contact him during these hours. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The group had formed a great system with Haruto as he continued to provide the group with information regarding Natasha's whereabouts and even allowed them to occasionally visit and train in the special class training room under his authorization.

Natasha; however, was very careful even around Haruto as she would never tell him where she was going or what she was doing. She was intentionally keeping him in the dark and would only come to use him for a task without giving any additional details.

Not that Natasha had any idea about Haruto's change of heart and that he was now actively conspiring with Mako and leaking information, but still she remained very cautious with her every move.

Mako opened Haruto's text which stated that Natasha had unexpectedly disappeared during the evening, right after they had received the special announcement about the upcoming special exam.

This was indeed odd as Mako had been keeping track of all the timings that Haruto would provide him with regarding Natasha's disappearances and the tasks that she would make him do; however, Mako didn't think it to be such a big deal, that was until he read the remaining

text.

*****************

Haruto would often share details about himself with the group as they encouraged him to train and become stronger, something he was terrified to do as Natasha had forbidden him to train at all.

He couldn't explain it but ever since Mako had knocked him out and interrogated him, he felt an unfamiliar feeling, a feeling of being free and being able to do anything he wanted that he had forgotten a long time ago.

This was all thanks to Mako's blessing of love which had affected him as well without Mako's knowledge as he had only just fully awakened and realized the blessing at that time, not knowing all of what it was capable of doing.

Before that, he felt as if his soul was bound to Natasha and that he couldn't leave or disobey her even if he wanted but that was no longer the case after Mako had accepted him into his group.

During their conversations, one time Mako asked Haruto about his backstory and how he ended up in this situation with Natasha using and treating him like a slave to which Haruto turned blank as he had no recollection of any of his memories before joining El Diablo's gang. He told Mako that Natasha told him that she had done him a big favor and had suppressed his memories as they were filled with agony and pain prior to joining the gang and that he owed his life to her for doing such a noble deed.

He remembered how in the very beginning, he was a bit reluctant and didn't want to serve Natasha to which she threatened that she would release all of those horrible memories in his head again which she did every time he made a mistake or didn't obey her commands.

Those nightmarish visions of his suppressed memories were so brutal that Haruto willingly surrendered her will to Natasha just so she could keep his memories suppressed.

The fear of those visions had been solidified in his heart by Natasha's tortures and had only now slowly begun to crack and fade after Mako had talked some sense into him.

Mako assured him that he would find a way to undo all the damage Natasha had done and wouldn't let him suffer much longer by her hands which Haruto was very grateful for.

Haruto was still cautious and scared of Natasha and wouldn't dare to disobey any of her direct commands; however, as he started to regain a bit of confidence he would use the time that Natasha would disappear to train his body and abilities.

Only recently, Haruto had shared the good news with everyone about his recent breakthrough as he had finally been able to learn a very crucial and difficult skill that comes with the shapeshifting ability and that was to use the aura on another person and change their appearance.

It was a very resourceful and critical skill that could come in handy in loads of different situations and everyone was proud of Haruto for achieving such a great accomplishment; however, this accomplishment didn't go unnoticed by Natasha and that was where the problem arose.

************

As Mako read Haruto's remaining text, he came to know that before leaving, Natasha had asked Haruto to transform her face into someone else.

Haruto's new skill was still very under-leveled and at this point, he couldn't alter the body size or other features of the person he used this skill on, only the hair and the facial features.

Haruto gave the description of Natasha's altered look as she went for light brown hair with a bob cut and sharp eyes with Asian characteristics.

She didn't tell Haruto where she was going or why she wanted to alter her identity, but knowing her it wouldn't take a genius to determine that she was up to no good.

Another limit to Haruto's new skill was that it wasn't permanent and the effects of the shapeshift would revert back to the original in two hours.

This meant that she was going to do something in which she wanted to conceal her identity and whatever she wanted to do, she had to complete it within the two-hour time limit or else she would risk exposing herself.

This was very important information as this meant that Natasha was finally on the move and that they had to find out as soon as possible what she had done and if it is somehow related to their ongoing mission.

Mako thanked Haruto and messaged him back, asking him to keep him updated and that he would try to find out her agenda as soon as possible.

He also asked him about his planet assignment for the special task as he wanted to help him

out too.

Haruto was a bit ashamed to reply but he knew Mako's intentions were pure and so he revealed that he had been assigned the low-tier planet.

Receiving the low-tier planet was a huge insult for someone who was already in the special class. This meant that he was viewed as someone who didn't belong there at all and the only way for him to possibly maintain his class status would be to completely outperform every other cadet there to prove to the military that they had made a mistake.

However, Mako had a whole other train of thought as he was actually glad that Haruto got assigned the low-tier planet as this meant that he would most likely get demoted to advanced

class.

Haruto was confused at first because how could this be a great thing for him, but Mako quickly explained how this outcome would benefit him greatly.

Since Natasha was assigned the medium-tier planet, she would have no influence on him during his exam so he could purposefully throw the exam and achieve an average result, just good enough to stop him from being demoted into the basic class, but low enough to get kicked out of the special class.

If Haruto is able to leave the special class, it would mean that he would no longer have to interact with Natasha and would be able to freely roam, learn, and train to his heart's content with no one being able to boss him around.

Haruto's eyes widened as he read Mako's message, his initial reaction was one of sheer disbelief followed by a surge of happiness. The notion of being demoted to the advanced class, which had initially seemed like an insult, suddenly felt like a golden opportunity to escape Natasha's relentless presence.

The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. The advanced class, while lower in status, would offer a new environment where Natasha's reach couldn't extend. He could learn more about fighting and his abilities and maybe even gain new ones to become stronger than ever before.

He quickly began to imagine the possibilities. Without Natasha's shadow looming over him, he could focus entirely on his own development. The only reason why he was assigned the low-tier planet in the first place was because of his weak abilities and zero training which were there because of Natasha's rules as she didn't want him to progress.

Haruto quickly composed a response to Mako, his enthusiasm evident in every word. He thanked Mako profusely for his insight and for revealing a silver lining to what initially seemed like a setback.

Mako was glad that Haruto understood his way of thinking. There were still many steps before that dream could be finalized but Mako promised Haruto that he would stand with him and help in any way possible.

In the end, Mako made plans with Haruto to meet in person during the military display as it would be open for all 3 classes meaning that every single cadet from the entire military base

would be able to attend it.

Until then, he asked Haruto to keep him posted with any new developments and ended his conversation there, slowly bringing his attention back to the group in front of him. "Right, about Infernis..." Mako said to get everyone's attention once again as he reactivated the display and this time the holographic image of the two-faced planet appeared for

everyone to see.