Rebirth! I Shall Dominate The World!

Later that evening, I gathered Todd and Janet in our usual meeting spot—a small, secluded corner of the cafe where we first met and no one ever ventured. The tension was thick in the air as we settled in. Todd fidgeted nervously, adjusting his glasses, while Janet leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, her sharp gaze fixed on me.

"Alright," I began, glancing at the clock. "Before we get into the issue, there's someone I need to introduce."

At that moment, Leon strolled in, looking less than thrilled to be there. He dropped into the seat next to me, slouching with his signature smirk.

Janet's eyes narrowed, and Todd blinked in confusion. "What's he doing here?" Janet demanded, her voice cold.

"He's working with us," I said, cutting straight to the point.

Todd nearly choked. "Leon? The guy who's always hanging out with the jocks? Are you serious?"

"Completely serious," I replied, keeping my tone calm. "Leon's our double agent. He's been monitoring the clients and reporting back to me."

Janet's expression turned incredulous. "And you didn't think to tell us this before?"

"I didn't want to overwhelm you," I said smoothly. "But now that things are heating up, it's time to be upfront. Leon's been doing a good job keeping tabs on everyone. And more importantly, I trust him."

Leon's loyalty meter +5%

Leon snorted. "That makes one of us."

"Why him?" Janet pressed, glaring at Leon. "Out of all people?"

I leaned forward, meeting her gaze. "Because I know he can keep a promise. In my previous life—uh, let's just say I know for a fact that Leon is a man of his word. He won't betray us."

Todd still looked skeptical, but Janet's frown softened ever so slightly. "Alright, fine. So why is he here now? What's going on?"

I glanced at Leon, silently signaling him to explain.

Leon shrugged and spoke up. "Travis, that idiot, has been bragging about your little operation in the locker room. Dropped your name, made it sound like a free-for-all. If anyone connects the dots, you're all done for."

Janet let out a low whistle, and Todd turned pale. "This is bad," Todd muttered. "Really bad."

"Relax," I said firmly. "We're going to handle it."

"And how exactly do you plan to 'handle' it?" Janet asked, arching an eyebrow.

"First, I've already talked to Travis," I said. "Made it clear that if he breathes a word about this again, he's out. Second, I wanted to reassure both of you—no one knows about your involvement. As far as anyone else is concerned, I'm the sole operator of this business. You're safe."

Todd and Janet exchanged glances, relief flickering across their faces.

"You're sure?" Todd asked hesitantly. "No one can trace anything back to us?"

I nodded. "Positive. You're the ones who supply me with the answers, but I'm the one distributing them. No one knows you exist."

Janet tapped her fingers on the table, her expression thoughtful. "That's good and all, but we can't just rely on threats to keep this quiet. What's our long-term plan?"

I leaned back, considering her question. "We need to tighten our client list. Only take on people we know can keep their mouths shut. And Leon's going to help us with that."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "I am?"

"Yes," I said. "You know these guys better than anyone. You'll vet new clients and keep tabs on the existing ones. If anyone looks like they might be a problem, you let me know immediately."

Leon shrugged. "Fine. But if this blows up, I'm not taking the fall."

"You won't have to," I assured him.

Janet nodded slowly. "That could work. And if we need to, we can always cut off the jocks entirely. They're too loud and too stupid to handle this discreetly."

Todd looked at me, his voice quiet but firm. "This has to work, William. If it doesn't..."

"It will," I said confidently. "We've come too far to let it fall apart now."

For a moment, the room was silent as the weight of the situation settled over us. Then Janet smirked, breaking the tension. "Well, at least this is more exciting than my AP Physics homework."

Despite everything, I found myself laughing. "Glad I could keep things interesting."

But as the laughter died down, I knew this was just the beginning. If we wanted to survive, we'd have to stay one step ahead of everyone—and trust each other completely.

The days after the meeting with Todd, Janet, and Leon passed in a blur of careful planning and damage control. The football team was still blissfully unaware of the storm they'd unknowingly stirred, but I couldn't afford to be complacent. I was already working on a new plan: the Blacklist. It would be a collection of names—clients who leaked information about my services to the public or acted too recklessly. The goal was simple: make sure they paid a price for their mistake, and cut them off from the service permanently. No second chances.

I sat alone in the dimly lit room in the back of the library, creating the list in a secure document on my laptop. As I typed Travis's name into the "Blacklist," I paused. The consequences of this move were serious. If anyone found out about the Blacklist, it could lead to even bigger problems. But I couldn't afford to take chances. The fact that Travis had opened his mouth had put all of us at risk. He needed to be punished, and fast.

A sudden voice broke my thoughts.

"You really think that's going to be enough?"

I jumped in surprise, my fingers instinctively going to the knife I kept hidden in the desk drawer. But then I relaxed.

Hathor. The sarcastic, mocking voice of the Dominance System. She had a habit of popping up at the most inconvenient times.

"You didn't even consider the full scope of the problem, did you?" Hathor's voice continued, tinged with amusement. "You've been so busy worrying about Travis, you missed the bigger picture."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you poor fool," she scoffed, her digital voice dripping with condescension. "You're putting a Blacklist together to cover up your mess, but you've overlooked one very important detail. You didn't account for how others will react. You think you can just cut off a few reckless clients and everything will be fine?"

I clenched my fists, feeling the burn of anger at her words. But I knew better than to lash out at her; Hathor thrived on that. Instead, I calmly asked, "So what do you suggest, then?"

"Don't get angry at me, darling. I'm just stating the obvious," she said, her voice smug. "You're in deeper than you think. One reckless client like Travis can draw attention to others. And if anyone from the football team or the basketball team starts poking around... well, good luck keeping it under wraps. You need something more effective than a simple Blacklist."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to suppress the headache forming at the back of my mind. "Fine. So what do you recommend?"

"Hmph," she said, clearly delighted by my admission of defeat. "What you need is something permanent. Something that'll make them too afraid to talk to anyone. Perhaps a little... lesson in consequences?"

Her tone darkened as she spoke, and I could feel her malicious smile through the words.

"Not sure I'm following," I said carefully.

"Oh, you will," she replied with an eerie laugh. "You need to check the system's store for a few... items that might interest you. You've been so focused on keeping everything under control, you've forgotten that you have access to far more than just your little double agent."

I stared at the screen, then turned my focus back to the Dominance System's interface. "The system's store, huh?"

"Yes," Hathor replied, her tone almost sing-song. "Look around, and you might find just what you need to make sure your precious little secrets stay safe. But, of course, that's entirely up to you."

I didn't need any more encouragement. I quickly navigated to the store, scanning the list of items available.

There were hundreds of options, some tempting, some downright dangerous. But one caught my eye immediately—a Memory Wipe Device. It seemed exactly what I needed. The description was short and to the point: Permanently erase all memories of a specific person or event. A clean slate, with no trace left behind.

I swallowed hard. This could solve everything. If Travis forgot about the entire incident, we could continue the operation without worry.

Before I could buy the device, Hathor's voice interrupted.

"Are you sure?" she asked, a taunting edge in her words. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think? Erasing someone's memory just for being careless? You're starting to sound like a maniac."

I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to argue. "It's the only way to ensure no one talks. You can't just wipe a person's mouth without getting your hands dirty."

"Fair enough," Hathor mused. "But remember, you'll have to make that decision carefully. Once you erase Travis's memories, he won't even know he was part of your operation. You'll need to decide if you're okay with that."

I looked at the item again, then glanced back at Leon's loyalty meter, which I had kept an eye on since the last meeting. The last time I checked, Leon's loyalty was at 70%. It wasn't a bad number—he was still on our side—but I needed to know if I could trust him further. I navigated to his status screen and checked.

The meter had gone up to 75%.

It wasn't a huge leap, but it was progress. Leon seemed committed to the team, but I had to keep an eye on him.

I turned back to Hathor. "I'll make the purchase. But first, I need to know—how much would it cost to erase someone's memory completely? And what are the risks?"

"It's not cheap," Hathor replied. "The Memory Wipe Device will cost you a significant amount of money. But the real risk is in what you'll leave behind—empty space. Gaps in their memory. If you're not careful, you might raise suspicion with those close to them. But then again, you've already got a double agent keeping an eye on things."

I nodded, glancing at Leon. "I'll take the risk. I'll pay for it."

The system processed my purchase of $8000, and I watched as the device was added to my inventory. I felt a sense of finality wash over me. This was the solution to my problem. It was the only way to ensure Travis kept his mouth shut and we could move forward without worrying about the exposure of our business. There goes $8000 of my $12,000...

"Thank you, Hathor," I said, my tone cold.

"Mmhmm," she replied, her voice sweet. "Just be careful, William. Power can be a double-edged sword. It can protect you—or destroy you."

As I prepared to make my next move, I realized just how much was riding on the success of this operation. If I didn't handle Travis—and everything else—perfectly, it could all come crashing down. But for now, at least, I had control.

And that's all I needed

The air felt heavy as I approached Travis's usual hangout spot—his go-to place after practice, hidden away in the quiet part of the school grounds. It was dusk, and the sun had just dipped behind the horizon, casting long shadows over the grass. Travis was there, sitting by the bleachers, texting someone on his phone. His relaxed posture gave no indication that he was unaware of the storm brewing just above his head.

I walked up quietly, making sure my footsteps were as silent as possible. He didn't notice me at first, too absorbed in his screen, but when I finally spoke, he jumped.

"Travis," I said flatly. "We need to talk."

He looked up at me with that smug grin, clearly thinking he was untouchable. "What's up, man? You finally decided to give me my money's worth?"

I didn't respond right away. Instead, I reached into my jacket and pulled out the Memory Wipe Device. The small, sleek tool glinted in the fading light. I watched Travis's face as the reality of the situation sank in.

"What's that?" he asked, his grin faltering.

"You're the one who's been talking, right?" I said, keeping my voice calm. "Bragging about our little arrangement to everyone. Now, it's time to make sure that doesn't happen again."

I wasn't in the mood for a lecture. The only way to keep this under control was to erase him, make sure he didn't remember a thing about the service I provided. No one could know about the business, and I wasn't about to let someone like Travis jeopardize it.

"I told you not to say anything, Travis," I continued, my eyes narrowing. "But now you've made your mistake."

He stood up abruptly, backing away, clearly starting to realize the gravity of the situation. "Wait, wait—what are you gonna do with that thing?"

"Don't worry," I said, my voice cool. "This will only hurt for a moment."

Travis's expression twisted with fear. "You can't—"

I moved swiftly, activating the device. A soft hum filled the air as I held it against his temple, the cool metal of the device pressing against his skin. His eyes widened in alarm as the device did its work.

The process was quick. Too quick. But the change in Travis's face was immediate. The cocky, self-assured jock who thought he could get away with anything suddenly looked... confused. Disoriented. His eyes glazed over, and he staggered back, rubbing his head as if something were missing.

"Who are you?" he muttered, looking at me with uncertainty in his eyes.

I stayed silent, watching closely. The Memory Wipe was effective—it always was. But what I hadn't accounted for was the side effect. When you erase someone's memories, you're not just erasing the event. You're erasing parts of who they are. And sometimes, in that erasure, people changed.

Travis blinked a few times, as if waking up from a dream, but his usual bravado was gone. The swagger, the arrogance—it was all replaced by a kind of empty confusion.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice softer now.

I could see the difference in him. The device hadn't just wiped his memory—it had altered something deeper. His usual self-confidence was gone, replaced by a more fragile, uncertain version of himself. He wasn't the Travis I knew anymore.

"You don't remember, do you?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head slowly, his hands shaking slightly. "No... I don't."

"Good," I said, my voice hardening. "You won't remember anything about this. Not about me, not about the business, not about anything. From now on, just forget."

Travis nodded, his eyes still clouded, as if trying to grasp what was happening to him. But the damage was done. His memory had been wiped, and he was no longer a threat to us. However, this change in him—his newfound vulnerability, his lack of confidence—it made me wonder what else I had taken away when I erased his memories.

What kind of person would he become now?

I didn't have the time to dwell on that. I turned and began walking away, my mind already focusing on the next steps. The operation needed to continue, and the other clients needed to be kept in check. But there was one thing I had to remember: the side effects of memory manipulation weren't always predictable.

What if this happened again? What if someone else's memory was wiped and they didn't come back the same way Travis had? Would they become more compliant, more unpredictable, or worse—more dangerous?

The questions swirled in my mind, but there was no time to answer them now.

As I left the area, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick message to Leon. Monitor Travis for the next few days. Let me know if anything changes with him.

I didn't expect much from the new version of Travis. His memory had been erased, and now he was a blank slate. But I knew that was a risky gamble.

If anyone else started to act differently after their memories were wiped, we'd have a much bigger problem on our hands.