My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!

Asher sat back on the bench, his back relaxed against the desk, his affected arm stretched out across the table.

Sinnett stood beside Cinder, watching as she downed a bottle of vinegar while doing little jumps and warm-ups, trying to increase her manner and poison production, and the toxicity of it.

Nova, who had been a little uncomfortable with Cinder being so close to Asher, had gone to fetch what Sinnett had demanded:

Three syringes, rubber gloves, water and disinfectant, and Emma and Tay.

It had been five minutes since she left, and Asher was getting worse by the minute.

His breathing had grown shallow, his amber eyes had dimmed, and the veins in his eyes were becoming more pronounced. His sclera was darkening too, and not in the good way like during his transformation.

He was so terribly weak he couldn't even keep his eyes open anymore. He just sat there, exhausted, silent, and suffering.

Sinnett, who noticed his eyes fluttering, turned off his phone and extended one of his locs, wrapping it carefully around Asher's neck and applying slight pressure.

Just enough to restrict a little blood flow, but still allow him to breathe.

Then he leaned over, inspecting him closer.

"Hey, Ash, can you still see me?"

Asher nodded weakly, then chuckled softly. "I can't feel my hand, honestly," he said, gesturing vaguely at his shoulder before exhaling shakily. "When's this going to be over?"

"Nova will be here soon. I already sent someone to get Zero's body. How long can you hold on?"

Asher slowly closed his eyes. "As long as it takes. Can't afford to leave mom behind."

Cinder, who had been warming up and quietly listening, felt her heart ache. He was on the brink of death, and yet he was still willing to fight, for his family. It was admirable.

And she felt guilty because deep down she knew, he wasn't really a dragon.

He might have the scent... but he didn't seem like one.

Not yet, anyway. She barely knew anything about him, aside from the fact that he was human, and could raise the dead.

Sinnett patted Asher's shoulder and straightened, turning to walk away just as Emma landed with Nova.

Tay, for unexplainable reasons, peeked over the corner of the building before pulling himself up.

The moment both pairs of eyes landed on Asher, and the familiar pink ones at the corner, they immediately upped their guard, but Sinnett raised a hand to stop them.

"Calm down," he said. "She means no harm."

"Harm?" Tay questioned, slowly unsheathing a pocket knife.

"Someone responsible for mass killing isn't...."

His gaze shifted to Asher slumped on the table, his darkened skin.

His gaze hardened. "What exactly is going on?"

Nova swiftly snatched the knife from his hand with a fluid movement, snapped it in two, and tossed the pieces off the building.

"Relax. She's not responsible for it, she didn't actually attack him, someone used a weapon with her poison to attack him.."

Emma, who had been silent since her arrival, walked over to Asher and crouched beside him.

She tapped his thigh gently until he sluggishly turned his head toward her with a weak smile.

"How long?" she asked simply.

He shrugged lightly. "Since afternoon..."

"Alright," she said, standing up and turning to Sinnett. "Why did you need us?"

Sinnett chuckled as his locs twisted slowly behind him, like serpents waiting to strike.

"I need something with abilities similar to mine," he said, "and someone who can easily cut flesh."

Tay and Emma both nodded, catching on instantly.

Then Sinnett shifted his gaze to Nova. "I'll need you to control his mana, he'll probably try to use it to escape.

Cinder does the extraction, while Emma and I hold him down."

He smiled wider. "We might even have to cut off his arm... hehe."

"I really hope you're not serious," Tay muttered, walking past Sinnett to Asher's side.

He crouched, gave Asher a single glance, and muttered, "He's breathing, but his pulse is awfully slow."

He pulled out another set of knives, these ones different, designed for precision and silent killing, and added,

"Let's get this over with," before sliding a black mask over his face and pulling on a pair of black shades.

Emma remained poised where she was, but vines slowly slithered out from the rooftop, coiling around her, waiting for her command.

Nova moved back to her position on the table, crossing her legs and arms, closing her eyes to focus.

Once everyone was ready, Sinnett gave the go-ahead.

The vines Emma summoned carefully wrapped around Asher's mouth and then his eyes, five times, until she was sure it was enough to keep him silent and blind to what was coming.

Sinnett wasted no time either, his locs shot forward, pinning Asher down, especially around his wounded arm, cutting off the blood flow completely.

"Alright," Sinnett said, his voice cold and steady.

"Three... two... one...."

First up was Nova.

The energy around her, now fully visible, split and moved toward Asher, wrapping around him like a living chain. A connection.

Once the energy had completely surrounded him, Tay moved without hesitation.

He picked up an incredibly small knife from the table and quickly stabbed the spot where the poison had been injected into Asher.

Asher, weak and in pain, bit his lips hard to endure it, clenching his fists the moment he felt Tay slowly drag and dig the blade deeper into his arm.

The blood that began pumping out was already forming a pool under his elbow, but no one seemed to care.

Once that was done, Cinder's eyes gleamed faintly as she sensed the poison buildup within Asher.

It was small but very potent, moving unnaturally slow, which wasn't normal.

She knew in most cases, when a human made contact with her poison, they died almost instantly, yet Asher's vital organs remained untouched.

Strange, but it gave her a slim window.

Without wasting time, she placed her palm firmly on the bleeding spot, applying pressure until the blood soaked through her fingers.

"You guys should really hold him," she muttered, glancing at Sinnett as he handed her a syringe filled with his blood.

"I'm not sure he can withstand the pain."

No one replied.

They just watched as Asher, with what little strength he had, lifted his other hand and gave a thumbs-up. His way of saying, just get it over with.

Cinder nodded grimly.

And since no one was telling her to be cautious, which would be too slow, she did not hesitate.

She stabbed the syringe hard into the wound and pressed down, forcing every drop of Sinnett's blood into him.

"Sorry," she mumbled.