Continuing on with their journey, Father and daughter, whose names were changed into Eiko and Yuri Tokiyama respectively, walked for miles on foot while asking anyone they came across for help.

For a job offer to buisinessmen they encountered, for a few yen or a loaf of bread to the general public Eiko begged desperately.

They had made it to the outskirts of that town, yet no matter how hard he tried, Eiko couldn't find either a job or something for his daughter to eat.

Every person he had talked to gave them a disturbing look and a small giggle to humiliate them. In such a grand city, the unemployed were looked down upon, let alone those who would beg for something to eat.

Just as they were about to collapse from the exhaustion and hunger, however, they found an english man who was eager to help. He had the vibes of an evil buisinessman who was done with life but that didn't matter at this critical point.

"(In Japanese) Good afternoon, sir! Would you be so kind as to give us something to eat? We've got no place to return to and we're dying to eat anything all day. Even if you have a loaf of bread for my daughter, please. I beg of you!

"(In Japanese) Well, well. What'd we have here? Hm, you're not from this land, that I can clearly tell... (In English) But worry not you two. I ain't gonna leave you like this. Follow me."

Eiko and Yuri exchanged excited glances when they noticed that the man knew English and then followed him. It was not too far from where they met. The destination was a small, really old apartment made of primarily wood and old marble. You wouldn't call it fancy, but it served its purpose.

"You can take residence in this apartment. It's been unoccupied for so long that I've lost count of them years."

"Thank you so much!" said Eiko lively.

"My name's Eiko by the way. Eiko Tokiyama."

"Nice to meet ya Eiko. The name's Kinako. 'Tis glad meeting ya."

"Oh, and this is my daughter, Yuri."

"It's a pleasure meeting you, mr. Kinako!" said Yuri after coughing slightly to express respect towards the man.

"Tsk, cut the formalities kid. You'll be living here for a long ass time and we'll meet each other countless times. You wouldn't wanna put on a show every damn time, am I right?"

Kinano had a mysterious yet terrifying aura surrounding him. Yuri couldn't talk back and all she did was laugh off his rude statement.

"Ha ha! Certai— Yah!"

"That's better. Anyway, off to your rooms, then"

"Um, about that Kinako.." said Eiko after stopping him.

"We're dying to eat anything all day, so please give us something to eat first!"

"Oh, yah. I forgot about that. Follow me to the kitchen then. I'mma get you two a bowl of noodles each. That's all this place has to offer, but tis alright methinks."

"Thank you!" said James and Yuri in unison.

Afterwards, they dug in and finished the noodles quickly. Kinako didn't expect them to be this hungry and was looking at them with his mouth wide open.

"it's so delicious!" "I can't stop eating!" both of them exclaimed with utter joy.

When they finished Kinako said "You were really dying to eat, weren't you?"

Eiko swallowed the last bite and firmly nodded. Yuri did the same, as well.

"Thank you for the food and for letting us stay, Kinako. I can't thank you enough!" said James while feeling indebted.

"Nah, you can actually thank me. You'll get to work real soon."

The mood stiffened with Kinako's unexpected response. By way of speech, it seemed unnatural for such a literal and harsh response, thus leaving Eiko unable to answer. But Eiko could neither show his bafflement nor him being offended.

"O—Of course, sir..."

"The name's Kinako. And.. Do me a favor and don't bring up the formalities again. I hate formal guys and such."

"Sure thing, —— I mean 'kay, Kinako." said James after alternating to his casual voice.

"Now, you two'll get to work. If you wanna stay here you've gotta earn it somehow. Let's start with the lil' girl."

Kinako approached Yuri so much that all she could see was his intimidating face.

"Hey kid, I need to get this through to your head. If you think that I'll hire a maid to clean this dirty old house, then you must be hallucinating. You'll clean it yourself. By the time we're finished with Eiko you'll have cleaned both of your rooms and the kitchen."

"I—I'll try sir but I'm not s—sure how to—"

"See it through. I don't care what you know and not know of. Tis but a thing I care about. To see this room crystal clear after we get back. Nod if you understand!"

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Yuri stressfully nodded and then had a long face for the next couple of minutes.

"Now, Eiko. You've got a whole lot of work to do. And to be frank, it'll be kinda rough in the beginning cuz 'tis not a plaything but real work. Eavesdropping, data theft and even killing are but a few of them tasks."

"WHAT?! I'm not a murderer, Kinako!"

"Then you'll hafto become one. I'll show you the ropes."

Kinako exited the kitchen and headed towards the main door. On the contrary, Eiko stood by the kitchen table with no idea what to do.

"Don't waste time, my guy. Time's money they say."

Yuri then said with a desperate tone of voice "Dad?" after seeing her father troubled.

Looking back on what was at stake, Eiko couldn't let go of this opportunity. A safe place for them to live in and an adequate amount of food to eat... He couldn't let that go to waste after experiencing how devastating their absence was. He had to protect it all. For him. And more importantly, for his daughter, Yuri...

"I'll be back soon enough, Yuri. Do your best at cleaning the house and I'll be back before you realize it. It's going to be alright!"

Such a blatant lie was told by Eiko. But who could blame him? He needed to reassure her one way or another.

He rushed to the main door and the sound it made after being shut sent a chill down Yuri's spine.

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Eiko and Kinako took the train to go to "work". On the way, Eiko asked Kinako about the reason why they had to do all this. Eavesdropping, stealing and even killing... It was unreasonable to ask in exchange for accomodation and some food. So, Eiko demanded at least an explanation. And much to his surprise, Kinako decided to fully explain his motives and the reason why murder was also involved.

"Since you're gonna learn it all sooner or later, I won't keep any secrets. I'll tell ya everything right away...

Back in the day, a lot of people knew about the notorious surname of my family tree and kept their distance from my ancestors. The spark to have ignited this infamy goes back to around 280 years ago. A certain story has been passed through the generations about a possessed wizard. My great great grandfather was said to be this wizard. He supposedly made a contract with the devil to unearth malicious powers to this world in exchange for his ability to speak.

It's said that he would write down his discoveries about these hellish "powers" as he couldn't spread the word. So malicious were his intentions that all of his books needed to be burned in flames for whatever was written inside. And they didn't stop for only the damn books. My old o' man was burned away in these flames together with his books. To what end? To cure the world from impure wizards like himself. Yah, he was deemed a wizard, not even acknowledged for his humanity...

But my great great grandfather didn't allow for this be his fate. Before he was burned to death he managed to pass down 2 of the most important books he had written to his son in secret.

And in these two books lays the truth. Very few people managed to get their hands on the books, but they were enough to confirm his innocence.

He was neither a wizard nor a possessed follower of the devil. He was in fact more human than those who had burned him to death.

He just couldn't tell anyone about his finds either because they wouldn't believe him or cause he'd get into trouble. But his son knew that very well. Even though they didn't spend much time together, he could definately tell that the "wizard" was able to speak clearly.

These false rumors were spread by the same people who would later obliterated him. By these fuckers working for the Faith Organization"...

"But why would any organization go that far and burn someone alive? What on earth could he have done to deserve this?" asked the confused Eiko.

"The motives of the Faith Organization cannot be explained with the knowledge we have. But from that second book he wrote, the only book that has been preserved till today, we can peek into his life and somewhat explain the reason for his death.

He was a scientist who firmly believed in the paranormal. He tried using science to prove the existence of ghosts, demons, otherworldly powers, etc, but was unsuccessful and looked down upon.

But here's the catch. One day, while he was reading a book at home, he witnessed a paranormal event appear before his eyes. A mysterious black portal with many unrecognizable symbols around it in a circle and an otherworldly substance came into view.

He couldn't believe his eyes. The sight was spectacular but ephemeral. He had to write it down no matter what. or else he would miss it. And so he did. Even though it was destroyed mere seconds later, his photographic memory enabled him to replicate the symbols and the circle. The symbols and other details regarding this peculiar encounter were drawn on his first book, which we all wish we had at hand.

After he had written down everything about his paranormal experiences, he tried for many years to replicate the same event (portal) but had numerous failed attempts. It's said that almost all of the people who helped for this cause lost their lives in the process. And the first book that contains details about those attempts is still considered lost, too.

How do I know about all this stuff if the book is nowhere to be found? Thankfully in the second book that he wrote, my great great grandfather described his paranormal experiences in the form of a diary and thus we have got a pretty good understanding of what was going through his mind. But what these symbols were or whatever that portal looked like is still a mystery to everyone.

The only ones who might know about stuff written described in the first book are those from the Faith Organization who messed with his story in the first place..."

After Kinako had finished with his monologue, Eiko wasn't sure whether to believe it all or remain doubtful. Portals and wizards... It all sounded way too surreal to him...

Nevertheless, the emotion that was put into these words touched him to some extent. The way Kinako had talked to him was really different. He was more emotional, explanatory and the story surely meant a lot to him. As a result, despite his distrust, Eiko was absorbed in the story in the end. Not only that, but he had a couple more questions which he wanted to have answered.

"Why did they want to defame him though? Why didn't they want his experiments to succeed? What is that organization hiding?" asked Eiko.

"That's where we come into place. It is our mission. We need to understand what this organization working for the Church actually wants. Not until recently did we learn that last piece of information. They seem to be tightly connected to the church. But there are so many blanks we need to fill. For example the location of the first book. And for that reason we need to gather top secret information."

"But still, why kill people?"

"For exactly the reason I told you. These people aren't messing around. Should anyone try to gather info about them or even worse infiltrate their hidden bases, they are never coming back alive without a fight. Ah and one more thing. We people who know these facts about them are called "Alpha Heretics" and we have a kill-at-first-sight kind of bounty!"

"What?! Does that mean that I have one as well now? Oh, god..."

Kinako changed his manner of speech back to his gangster one.

"Ahem* Tis means you're paying attention lad. Ha hahaha!"

Eiko awkwardly laughed in response. A few seconds later, the train stopped and the door next to them opened. Kinako hit Eiko in his flank with his elbow and said "C'mon pal! We gotta get movin'!"

With a wry smile on his face, Eiko said "Aha.. Yeah, (...) Pal..."

Having to go with the flow was tough, but he did just fine. He did more than fine, actually. He adapted quickly and smoothly, took on inhumane jobs and did everything he could for the sake of his daughter.

This perseverance...It reminds me of— What was her name again?

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