Ning went to the station the next morning, arriving later than most days as he had gone on patrol around the city for a while before coming.

The station was quieter than usual, although the silence was broken every few seconds by phones ringing, officers calling to one another, and the sound of someone dragging a heavy box of case files across the floor.

Ning walked into the homicide division and immediately noticed Mira standing beside her desk.

The young Wood-Elf looked far more energetic than she normally did this early in the morning, shifting from one foot to the other as she waited for someone to notice her, while the wide smile on her face made it clear that she had news she was struggling to keep to herself.

The moment she saw Ning, her eyes lit up.

"Sir Valen!"

Ning barely managed to raise a hand in greeting before Mira rushed over to him.

"I awakened my power."

Ning stopped.

"You did?"

Mira nodded quickly, her large beanie shifting slightly atop her head from how forcefully she moved.

"My new power is incredible. I can tell when someone is lying," she said. "I’m like a walking truth detector now."

Ning raised his eyebrows with genuine interest.

There were hundreds of thousands of powers in this world. For a person working in the police department to awaken such a power was truly quite rare. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t just her whose powers seemed to match what their situation needed.

Larissa had awakened the power to see back in time. Blake had awakened the power to split himself into multiple clones, and Jack had awakened the power to become a true dragon. It was as though there was a logic behind their powers.

"That is useful," Ning said. "Very useful."

"That’s not all," Mira said, lowering her voice even though the excitement in it remained impossible to hide. "If I’m touching someone, I can force them to tell the truth."

Ning stared at her for a moment.

"You can force them?"

Mira nodded again. "I haven’t actually tested this power though, so I’m not sure how well I can use it."

"How do you know you have that power then?" Ning asked curiously.

"I went to the DPA yesterday," she said. "They tested my powers and told me it was more than just finding out lies. I could force others to tell the truth. But I haven’t had the opportunity or reason to test that part of my power yet."

"We can find some way to test you," Ning said. "What Rank did you awaken it as?"

Mira tried to appear calm, but the corners of her mouth pulled upward again.

"Rank 7."

Ning gave a slow nod.

Rank 7 was the same potential Frostveil had received, placing Mira’s power among the strongest known abilities in the world, although its strength did not come from destruction, speed, or durability.

It came from how thoroughly it could destroy secrecy.

"Not bad," Ning said.

"Not bad?" Mira asked, looking offended despite the obvious happiness on her face. "There are only a handful of Rank 7s in the entire country."

"Sure, but you’re talking with the only Rank 9."

Mira blinked for a moment before holding an awkward smile.

While Ning didn’t appear as surprised, internally he was already imagining the consequences of the power she had unlocked. Just how sought after she would be should anyone find out about her powers.

More than that, just how much danger could she be in?

Her power to make people tell the truth was even more powerful than merely detecting lies.

A criminal could remain silent even if they were incapable of lying, relying on lawyers or refusing to answer questions, but if Mira could physically force the truth out of them, then most interrogations would be over the moment she made contact.

Of course, Ning could already imagine the legal difficulties that would surround such an ability.

There would be questions about whether forced testimony was admissible, whether using the power violated a suspect’s rights, and whether Mira could prove she had not influenced the answer beyond forcing the person to speak honestly.

Those were problems for the legal department to solve.

For the detectives themselves, the power was almost perfect.

"Congratulations," Ning said.

Mira returned to her desk a moment later, immediately turning toward the officers nearby as though she intended to test her power on every person who crossed her path.

Ning could already see trouble coming from that.

He left her to her excitement and looked around for Larissa, finding her inside her office with several papers laid across her desk.

She had tied back her dark hair, and the tired look around her amber eyes suggested she had not slept much better than Mira had, although for an entirely different reason.

Larissa noticed him standing outside and gestured for him to enter.

"You came early," she said.

"Do you realize what time it is?" Ning asked.

Larissa checked the clock, only to realize it was close to noon. "God, the day just passed by."

She looked down at the documents before her. "I have work today. There are a few reports I have to finish, and the chief wants me to look over a case from another division."

Ning nodded.

He had come there to plan another thing, but if she was busy, then he could push it to tomorrow.

"Meet me at my father’s old house tonight," she said suddenly.

Ning studied her expression.

"Are you certain?"

Larissa hesitated at first. "No, not really," she said. "I’m not really prepared to go through that event, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I’ve spent most of my life wanting to know what happened though, and now that I have the ability to find out, I have to use it. If nothing else, I have to do it for my father."

Ning could not disagree with that.

"What time?"

"After dark," she said. "I’ll send you the address."

Ning nodded and left her to her work.

He had no case to assist with that day, and the Star Hero Agency had not contacted him regarding anything important, so he left the station and took to the sky.