Hearing the Talon greet her, Ice Phantom's surrounding chill paused slightly, and a hint of confusion flashed in her purple eyes.
What's up? It sounds like he knows her.
Judging by his death-like physical state before he was repaired, it's unlikely he was from the same era as her.
So, even after his DNA was repaired, he still retained memories from his time as a Talon?
Soon, Gwen realized she had been prejudiced.
In the original Ben10, the half-beasts who reverted to normal after being affected by the Omnitrix or a gene repair gun would not retain memories from that period.
But this wasn't the Ben10 World; it was the DC Universe, and the Court of Owls' Talons were fundamentally different from ordinary half-beasts.
Having confirmed this idea, Gwen stopped speaking and focused on examining the Talon's body.
Ice Phantom's cold, sharp claws gently extended, carefully touching the Talon's skin.
The moment her claw touched his skin, the Talon's body visibly trembled.
Seeing this, Gwen's voice, imbued with Ice Phantom's characteristic chill, inquired, "What are you afraid of?"
Could he still have some hidden motives?
At this question, the Talon looked at Ice Phantom's inhuman face, a hint of an awkward smile appearing on his own. He subtly recoiled, saying, "No, it's just a little itchy..."
The chill surrounding Ice Phantom seemed to freeze for a moment, and a trace of helplessness flickered in her purple eyes.
He was supposed to be a top assassin, battle-hardened and ruthless on the battlefield, yet he was ticklish?
But she quickly collected her thoughts and continued to focus on examining the Talon's physical condition.
Ice Phantom gently pressed the Talon's wrist, his blood vessels clearly visible.
Looking up at his face again, his complexion was still somewhat pale, but it was clearly due to the cold.
Hmm, he's starting to show signs of being a living person.
Then, Ice Phantom specifically checked the wounds previously caused by Diamond War God, but these areas were remarkably smooth. It seemed the small watch had also repaired the scars.
Ice Phantom narrowed her eyes, reached up to touch her chin, and suddenly said, "This might hurt a little."
The Talon already felt a bit strange being stared at by a creature that looked like a giant moth. Hearing this sudden remark, he was bewildered.
"Huh?"
Immediately after, the Talon felt a sharp pain in his arm. Looking up, he saw a cut on his restrained arm.
It must be said here that although Ice Phantom is often categorized as a mage, her claws are actually incredibly sharp, giving her some close-combat ability.
However, it would be too disadvantageous to actually transform into Ice Phantom and engage in close combat. There are other alien heroes responsible for close combat.
If you want to be happy, why not just transform into the red form (Four Arms) from the start?
So, Ice Phantom's claw lightly grazed the Talon's (how strange) body, and a half-finger-long cut instantly appeared, fresh red blood seeping out.
But after a short while, this already short wound began to rapidly grow and close up at a visible rate. In just a breath, only a faint red mark remained of the original wound, and then even the red mark disappeared.
Hmm... it seems the amber gold's regenerative ability within the Talon's body was repaired by the Omnitrix as an amplification rather than genetic contamination.
Ice Phantom nodded, then suddenly extended her claw and directly ripped off the mask on the Talon's head.
Although the mask's material was quite good and sturdy, it was easily torn to shreds with a gentle tug from Ice Phantom's hand.
Ice Phantom casually tossed the mask to the ground, then turned to look at the person who had been wearing it.
This was a young man, or rather, a man who appeared young.
He could be considered a classic American handsome man, with short blonde hair and the youthful vigor one would expect from a male university student.
If nothing else, his demeanor was entirely different from his previous aura as a Talon.
At this moment, having his mask suddenly removed caused the man to instinctively close his eyes, his eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them.
He tilted his head slightly, seemingly still adjusting to the feeling of being free from the mask's restraint.
After a while, having somewhat adjusted to the feeling of the mask not being on his face, the man opened his eyes.
Ice Phantom felt the man's gaze and asked in her chilling voice, "What is your name?"
The man's lips moved, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty, as if he was struggling to organize his words. Then, with a distinctly slurred accent, he spoke, "Benjamy... Benjamin Ward."
Clearly, his name was Benjamin, not Benjamy.
Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a very long time, he seemed to be struggling.
Although his speech was muddled, Gwen still clearly heard him introduce himself as Benjamin.
Ice Phantom extended her claw and lifted his chin, forcing the man to meet her gaze.
After confirming that his eyes were not green but the same blue as Brucey's, she sighed in relief and released her claw.
It seems this Benjamin is not Benjamin.
Benjamin felt Ice Phantom's inhuman gaze and couldn't help but swallow.
However, after a moment of hesitation, he still mustered the courage to speak: "Um... Miss Wayne, I didn't truly mean to harm you. Although you might not believe it, I was controlled, my body was not my own."
His voice was full of helplessness and guilt, and Gwen could sense his sincerity.
"I know." These three short words allowed Benjamin's previously tense body to relax somewhat.
He had full memory of his time as a Talon, which put a lot of pressure on Benjamin, who was inherently kind-hearted, or rather, not a native of Gotham, especially when standing with his assassination target.
"Then please tell me..." Ice Phantom's voice was eerie, but Benjamin felt no malice at this moment, "How exactly did you become a Talon of the Court of Owls?"
Benjamin took a deep breath, calming his mind.
By now, his lisp had greatly improved, and his speech was no longer slurred, but his tone revealed a bitter taste.
"I used to be a stunt performer in a circus, the aerialist kind."
"Although I wasn't a very famous stunt performer, everyone at the circus said I was very talented, and I quite liked my job at the circus."
He paused, a hint of bitterness flashing in his eyes, and slowly said, "One day, the circus manager approached me and said I had exceptional talent. He enrolled me in a stunt performer training class, full of excellent seniors in stunts. I could learn a lot, and my income would be several times more than at the circus."
"I... I agreed." As he said this, Benjamin's fingers involuntarily clenched, his knuckles turning white and trembling from the effort. "I went with the manager for a trial, and the person in charge there was very satisfied. He pulled me aside and said we needed to go to a nearby conference room to sign the contract. I agreed."
"I was overjoyed, thinking this might be a great opportunity to improve myself. But after opening the door to that conference room, I suddenly felt a needle prick the back of my neck, and then I lost consciousness."
"From then on, my body was like it was controlled by another person. I started doing things like assassinations, and when there were no missions, I would be frozen, just like unused meat in a restaurant..."