"Permission to enter," Dragen said, entering the office without waiting for a response. Inside, Captain Lorenzo Martis, a human considered by many to be young for his rank, was reviewing some documents on the holographic screen of his cyber computer. As usual, his brown hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"Corporal Dragen? Private André?" he asked, surprised to see them. "What are you doing here?"

"Sir, we need to speak with Commander Froel and the Guardian of the Tower, Linalta, as soon as possible," the drauo replied. Unlike many other regiments based in the state's capital, Abalen, the headquarters of the Fierce Stewards regiment was in Catlon. "Anlova..." he continued but quickly stopped. He stuck his tongue out briefly and then pulled it back in, trying to contain his anger and focus on what he had come to do. "Anlova, or rather, all of Ibelir is in danger."

The black eyes of the captain of the Seventh Company of the Anlova State Exploration and Support Regiment fixed on Dragen.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning. "Where is Sergeant Raed?"

"Dead, sir," the corporal and private's faces turned into a mix of sadness and rage. "As is most of the platoon."

Captain Lorenzo stood up abruptly from his chair.

"What?" he asked, shocked. "What happened, Corporal?"

"Sir, I don't have time to explain," Dragen repeated the same gesture with his tongue, starting to get impatient. "If we don't hurry, everything the people of Ibelir have fought for over the past seven hundred years could collapse!"

The captain of the Seventh Company hesitated for a moment before responding.

"Alright, Corporal," Captain Lorenzo finally said. "But this had better be truly important. Or you and I will have a problem."

"It is, sir."

Lorenzo cast a final doubtful glance at them and sat back down. Then he ran his fingers along the edge of the screen, sliding them a few centimeters to the right. A new holographic screen appeared in the air, and the captain tapped it a couple of times to make a video call to his superior.

The sound of the phone echoed through the room.

***

"What did you say, Corporal?" Commander Froel asked from behind his marble desk. Much of his face was cybernetic, with several scars and wrinkles. Behind him, Guardian of the Tower Linalta leaned against the wall of the room.

"That a demon from the old world plans to awaken the demons lying beneath the bowels of Ibelir to destroy the entire nation!" Corporal Dragen replied, trying to keep his temper.

"Is this a fucking joke, Corporal?" the commander asked, slamming his palm on the table.

Captain Lorenzo, who stood beside Dragen and André, began to regret coming to speak with the commander and the Guardian of the Tower without first asking exactly what danger threatened the entire country.

"No, sir," Dragen replied, confident despite finding it absurd when Hunter Eliad first told him. "I saw with my own eyes how the demons attacked Sergeant and the rest of the soldiers. One of them even split an I-43 with its blade-arm."

"I saw it too, sir," Private André added, a bit unsure.

"For Ibelir's sake! Don't be foolish, soldiers! Demons don't exist, nor did they ever. Just like the gods. Our ancestors invented those stories to justify the damn wars that ended the old world. Or have you forgotten that?"

"The Commander is right," the Guardian of the Tower said. "They are just myths our ancestors used to hide their own desires and sins."

"Are you deaf, sir?" Dragen asked angrily. His minerals glowed intensely. "I told you, I saw those demons myself!" The corporal slammed the commander's desk. "We even have proof! Private André, show him!"

"What did you say, Corporal?"

Captain Lorenzo stepped forward and grabbed Dragen's arm.

"Calm down, Corporal! Or I'll lock you in the brig myself!"

The drauo shook off his superior's grip and fixed his gaze on the commander, sticking his tongue out and pulling it back in before biting his lips.

"You have no idea!" The corporal spun around nervously, fixing his gaze on each of his superiors. "It was the demons who ended the old world. Not the savages and the arruks, as our damn..."

"Dragen!" Captain Lorenzo shouted again.

"One more word of such fallacies against our nation, and not only will I order your expulsion from the army, but I'll also charge you with treason, and you'll end up in prison for the rest of your life."

The drauo looked away, exhaled sharply, and stepped back from the table.

"Do you believe this deranged corporal, Captain?" the commander asked Lorenzo.

"Sir, I..." The captain looked at the drauo for a few seconds. He knew him well enough to know he wasn't a spiritual person and certainly not a liar. "I know it sounds crazy, but I know Corporal Dragen well, and I can assure you he wouldn't say something like this unless he truly believed it."

"Alright," Linalta intervened, trying to ease the tension a bit. "Let's hear their story." The Guardian of the Tower looked at André. "Soldier, it's better if you tell us what happened."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Yes, ma'am," André said. "As you know, we went to the runic power plant to find out why it had stopped supplying electricity. On the way, we encountered a group of savages coming from the direction of the plant, so at first, we thought it might have been their doing. However, when we got there, we found the central building had turned into a huge source of corrupt magic, and the entire plant looked like the scene of a brutal battle between National Defense Corps soldiers, mutants, and savages. So the sergeant divided the platoon into several squads and ordered me, Corporal Dragen, Soldier Neisa, Soldier Bargu, and the combat mage to enter the central building to find the source of the corrupt magic and figure out what had happened at the plant." The soldier began to sweat, recalling the nightmare the building had become. "I've never seen anything like it, ma'am," he said, his voice trembling. "Everything was full of mutants that looked like they came from the worst horror movies, and even the building itself was wrapped in sinister roots that seemed to come from hell itself..."

"I understand, soldier," the commander said. "I've seen firsthand the atrocities that corrupt magic can cause." André thought his words were sincere.

"Did you find the source?" The Guardian of the Tower's gray eyes fixed on him. Despite his hatred for magic users, André thought it was true what they said about the beauty of the aehul.

"Yes, ma'am. Combat Mage Isen found it." André took out the cyber tablet and with a flick of his fingers, projected some photos into the air. "As you can see in the photos, the source of the corruption was a huge solidification of corrupt magic found in an ancient structure several meters underground."

"It's been a while since I've seen one this large," commented the Guardian of the Tower. She ran her fingers over one of the holographic photos and zoomed in on a broken area. She observed it briefly and then returned it to its original size.

"Continue," the commander said curtly.

"After finding the source of the corruption, we fought our way through the mutants to the control room. That's when we discovered that the plant had been invaded by mutants... and... " André paused, hesitating for a few seconds before continuing, "and demons..."

The commander was about to say something, but Guardian of the Tower Linalta spoke first.

"Corporal Dragen said you had proof of the existence of this ancient demon. Could you show us?"

"Are you really going to believe what they say, Guardian of the Tower?" the commander asked, agitated.

"Commander, I'm not saying I believe them." Linalta's eyes briefly met Froel's and then returned to the soldiers. "But the world is full of mysteries we don't understand." She looked at the commander again. "So I think it's worth looking at the evidence."

"Thank you, Guardian of the Tower," the drauo corporal said gratefully. "Many good men have died to give us the chance to show you this. Soldier André, the videos."

"Yes, sir." The soldier turned off the combat mage's 3D tablet, took out the other cyber tablet they had found, and placed it on the table. He tapped it a few times and with a motion, expanded the holographic screen displaying the recorded videos into the air.

"Here's the proof," Dragen said seriously before pressing the play button.

The captain and the Guardian of the Tower watched the videos one by one as they played on the holographic screen. Captain Lorenzo noticed that the magic user was watching them with more interest.

"What are you trying to tell me with this?" the commander asked. "All I see here is an operator turning into a mad mutant. Something that, as you know, is quite common."

"Do mutants usually speak coherently, sir?" Dragen could only think of this to justify that Michael wasn't one of them. The calm had softened the tone of his words.

"There are records of rare cases where mutants seemed to retain some intelligence, Corporal," the Guardian of the Tower intervened. "Although I must admit it's unsettling. Have you seen the subject in the video firsthand?"

Captain Lorenzo listened intently to the conversation.

"No, ma'am. But Eliad, the hunter who saved us, was sure it was one of them. And apparently a very powerful one." The corporal replayed the video and paused at the moment when Operator Michael began to writhe in pain. "According to him, this is the moment when the demon took over the operator's body."

"A hunter saved you?" the commander asked.

"Yes, sir," Dragen replied. "But he wasn't just any hunter, he was a demon hunter."

"What?" Commander Froel asked again, this time with a laugh. "Did you say a demon hunter? That's a good one."

"And where is this supposed hunter?" Linalta asked. Unlike the commander, she didn't take it as a joke.

"He went into the ancient tunnels to pursue the demon along with Combat Mage Isen and soldiers Neisa and Bargu."

Linalta sighed, disappointed.

"Then, soldier, I'm afraid all we have is a video that doesn't prove anything about these supposed demons."

"But..." the drauo began.

"That's enough, Corporal. You may leave," the commander said dismissively.

"And that's it?" Dragen asked. His blood began to boil again.

"Yes, Corporal. Leave before I lose my patience with this nonsense."

"That fucking demon plans to destroy Catlon, and you just say there's no conclusive evidence!?" Dragen demanded. The minerals on the scales that lined his face emitted a small flash.

"And what about Neisa, Bargu, and Combat Mage Isen? They risk their lives chasing the demon, and we're not going to do anything?" André added, unable to contain himself at the thought of losing Neisa. He didn't care about the mage or the drauo soldier, but they had entered the tunnels with his childhood friend, and he had to pretend to care about all of them.

"Silence!" the commander shouted, slamming the table with both hands. His patience had run out. "Who the hell do you think you are to come into my office and talk to me like I'm some third-rate soldier? Do you want me to throw you in the damn brig for your disrespect?"

"I... I'm sorry, sir!" André apologized.

Dragen bit his lip, letting his face show exactly what he thought of the situation.

"Sir, with all due respect... I think we should at least inform the National Defense Corps of Ibelir about the existence of this Michael and issue a search and capture order, as well as reinforce the entrances to Catlon," Captain Lorenzo interjected, surprising everyone. "Additionally, we should notify the Regiment of Underground Exploration and Support about his existence and our soldiers' pursuit along with the combat mage. If they have indeed entered that labyrinth of ancient tunnels, it could take them days to arrive, and it's likely that the Death Miners will encounter them before the National Defense Corps guards do."

"I agree with the captain, Commander Froel," the Guardian of the Tower said. "That thing may not be a demon, but it could be some new type of mutant, so it would be useful to study it. Moreover, if it's as dangerous as they say and we don't warn about the threat, the brigade general and the military and political presidents of Anlova won't be pleased."

"By Ibelir...!" The commander fell back into his chair and turned to look at the Guardian of the Tower. "You too, Guardian of the Tower Linalta?" He then partially turned his chair again. "And under what pretext do we notify them? And don't even think about saying 'Demon'."

"You could say he collaborated with the savages in the assault on the auxiliary runic plant and accuse him of high treason," Captain Lorenzo suggested. "Or say he might be a new type of mutant capable of speaking and controlling other mutants. Both theories would be 'proven' as soon as we send another group to the plant."

"Alright... But before making any decision, I want a detailed report on my desk with everything that happened at the plant, along with all the videos and information you've obtained."

"Yes, sir," the Fierce Majordomos responded.

"Oh, and one last thing, Captain Lorenzo," Commander Froel added. "I hope your men are right because if heads roll, it will be yours, not mine."

"Understood, sir."

"Good, now get out of my sight."