I didn't mean for them to get hurt. Hell, I didn't know that it was me; waking up in a pool of blood makes you doubt yourself, though. I was standing over bodies, most breathing lightly, meeting death for the first time. Nowhere was anybody to tell me what was going on, yet there were still several lights in the area suggesting people were around. One building, a short coffee shop called Andrea's blocked one bright, red light.
Normally when walking, I would feel sluggish from my lack of physical prowess. Whatever happened, though, left me feeling different. I walked quickly - harshly, almost - and felt like I could run a marathon. I sprinted, practically leaping several feet without breaking a sweat. The sky had a second sun, glowing red instead. The sun felt unusual yet homey, similar to sitting next to a campfire. The thought of a campfire seared my mind, burning away any thoughts of peace. My screams did not help my need for seeing another human.
I jumped up on my feet shortly afterwards on the sidewalk, feeling as if I could do anything. Acting without thinking, I leaped - several hundred feet, might I add - on top of the same coffee shop and destroyed it, causing a temporary plume of hazy smoke. Just from landing on it. That's when the screams started.
"Help us!"
"Who are you!"
"Holy shit!"
The previous coffee shop had a few people crawling out of it. One of them, a lady who seemed to have eyes made of solidified hatred, peered quickly at me, locking eyes, then turned away. She was the first that I consciously killed, because of her audacity. An ignorant lady try and look at me with eyes of hatred? That would not pass anymore. I slowly started taking them away from the rubble.
"Bow before me or perish" my voice spoke, without any of the virtuosity I once had. My plan was simple, have Mirage serve under me. She was what people referred to as an Epic, or someone with superpowers, like me. Everyone's powers were different, for the most part. Kneeling gently, she looked me in the eyes and jumped at me.
"Anything for you, my liege," my own voice replied, facetiously. Yet it wasn't my voice that spoke, rather Mirage's. She could transform herself into any person she touches the moment she touches them. When transformed, she could do anything that person could do, from being a master chef to using their goddamn-damn superpowers. Why did I let her copy me again? She smirked, knowing I realized my mistake. Seeing my own face had never felt worse.
Leaping towards me, we traded punches, each one shaking the vicinity with the power of a small bomb. I jumped around the inside of the room - off the ceilings, walls, and some furniture - to gain an advantage around anything I could normally do. Mirage's eyes were filled with fear as she saw I was slowly winning the duel of gods. "The difference between us," I sneered at her, "is that I have an ounce of skill". Grabbing an oncoming punch instead of punching it back, I threw her towards the wall, and walked up towards her. Kneeling, I whispered like a coyote thanking his meal for dinner, "Good think I didn't let a peon like you server me". Gently putting my hand over her head - or was it my head - and gripped tighter and tighter ever moment, leaving her free to feel the pain. Progressively, my hand was coated with the scarlet red that was Mirage.
Strolling to the balcony of my makeshift palace, I looked over the horizon. My city, which I renamed Toricht, had been saved once more. Bellowing to its inhabitants, I told them of my success, and Mirage's downfall.