Humans gained powers after the monsters invaded Earth.
Some people had strong powers while some had weak ones.
Research couldn't find any relation between the power one received and anything else, so it was assumed to be completely random.
One thing known was that one person could only have one power.
---
Colt sat on his bed and started focusing on his soul.
He had completely sealed his demonic soul and magic, meaning he was a powerless human now, just like he was in the past timeline.
But now, there was one difference. In the past timeline, when he awakened his power, it was already too late.
The powers given to humans on Earth would develop better the closer one was to the age of eighteen, and he was around the age of 100 when he awakened his.
Since his power would awaken earlier this time, he could become the strongest now.
And there was one more thing, but it could wait for another three months.
Colt focused on the deeper parts of his soul. Since the mark was left when he was a baby, it couldn't be found easily under normal conditions.
Even though his soul remained the way it was before he regressed, the mark had come back for some reason.
Is it related to time? He wondered. But it didn't matter much. He could remove the mark any time he wanted.
The deeper parts of his soul were like a white and empty room that stretched forever.
When he was a demon, his soul was like a black space, unlike this time. But there was a different reason for that.
After searching for the mark in the endless white for fifteen minutes, he saw it. The darkness deep inside his soul.
The last time, it took him three days to remove it. This time, he could do it by morning.
With a move of his hand, his soul was bent. A piece of the black sıbstance that was sticking to his soul was scattered and vanished like smoke.
It was a small piece, and Colt needed to repeat the process many more times. Still, it was much faster than the last time.
In the meantime, his family was outside his room, listening to his groan every time he bent his soul.
"Is he punching a pillow?" his father asked.
"Probably..." his mother answered with sadness visible on her face.
***
"This should be the last one."
The morning light was entering Colt's room, warming his body.
But Colt hadn't left the white space, the depths of his soul, the whole night, so he didn't know the warmth coming from the sunlight.
He was used to the small pain coming from bending his soul, so he wasn't groaning anymore. But the last part was different.
When he bent his soul one last time, the remaining part of the mark was dispersed, and light shone from where the darkness of the mark had stood before.
At the same time, he started screaming. This was the pain of his soul being freed, while the light was his power spreading all around his soul.
Unfortunately, the powers given on Earth weren't soul powers like those demons had. It would leave his soul and take its place on Colt's body.
Just when he was about to leave the depths of his soul, he saw something else.
More light hues?
No, they were more like the black mark, but they were in different colors.
Colt tried to approach them, but no matter how much he moved, he didn't get any closer.
In the end, he had to give up since he was already exhausted.
I will check them later...
***
Colt opened his eyes. His breathing was hard, but his mouth was curved up.
He had power now. And it was a strong one.
When he left his room, his parents were awake. Since it was Saturday, they were having breakfast.
They had probably thought Colt wouldn't leave his room for a while, and they didn't wake him up.
But seeing the smile on Colt's face shocked both of them.
"Son, are you okay?" his father asked.
"Yeah, I am. Why?"
"Uhm... because... you know what happened yesterday."
"Ah, it was a mistake. I have powers now," Colt announced.
Both of his parents looked at him and then at each other, asking if their son had gone mad after not having power.
Of course, they were also thinking that was weird. There had been no case where someone didn't have any powers.
They would even contact the authorities on Monday. At least that was what they did in the past timeline.
"I know it sounds weird, but don't worry. I am okay," he said and went back into his room.
He needed to prepare to go out.
---
Summer was closing in, and the weather was perfect for walking.
Colt left his house after convincing his parents he was okay. But no matter how much they requested, he didn't show them his power.
He didn't want to showcase his powers and become famous this time. There were two reasons for that.
The first one was that he would leave Earth in ten years. And the second, he wanted to hide himself.
If the demon somehow learned he had his power, it could get dangerous.
But, in the meantime, he would join the heroes of Earth. He wanted to relive these ten years again since they weren't bad.
Also, he was a human right now, and saving Earth was his job.
He took out a mask from his backpack. It was similar to the one he wore three years ago. But he made sure that it looked different.
It was a black mask with white lines on it. He had created it before sealing his magic.
Wearing it also felt a bit embarrassing, like he was copying the "demon king," but he still entered an empty alley, wore it, and got out.
His destination was the Power Association.
It was the only place where humans could get their powers assessed.
Of course, Colt knew the results already. That was why he was already wearing the mask.
After he was done here, he was going to be seen as a third-rate helper. But it was okay. He could help the world from the shadows until his time came.
With that, three months passed.
And the day the demon would visit had come.