When the partners returned to their headquarters covered in mud and dirt, they were met with a pair of other agents who were walking out of the premises.

“Oh, hello Mister Felix…” A young man with dark hair greeted, carrying an orange-haired young woman on his back.

“Blue Phantom!” The orange-haired woman called out.

“Oh, um… it’s… Kaitlin and um…” Felix awkwardly responded to the two.

“Rico.” The young man said.

“Rico, right. My bad.”

Maria leaned on her partner’s arm and asked, “Who are they?”

“New enhanced humans… like us.”

“I see… I should look them up.” She muttered to herself.

“So, what happened to you two?” Felix asked.

“We successfully finished our first mission, so Kaitlin decided we should celebrate.” Rico let out an exhausted smile.

“With ice cream!” Kaitlin raised her fist ecstatically, even though she was clearly tired, “Would you come with us?”

Felix sighed and turned his head to his partner, “I’m not sure, Marie?”

“As much as I love ice cream… I’d rather just wash up and call it a night…” She answered.

“Yeah. Sorry, we kinda just wanna get some rest.”

“Ah, no. Please don’t apologize. We also want to get some rest, not to mention the chief ordered us to report directly to her after our first mission. But Kait insisted, so we’re putting that off for now.” Rico gestured goodbye to the two.

“See ya, Mister Blue Felix sir! Please have a good night’s rest.” Kaitlin waved happily.

“Uh, thanks, you too.” Felix replied.

“Enjoy your ice cream.” Maria waved as Rico piggybacked his partner away. “They seemed nice… better than that bitch we met earlier.” She remarked.

“Don’t remind me…”

The two partners then went inside the building, and were met chief’s assistant, carrying a briefcase, “Good evening, sir Felix.”

“Murphy?” Felix awkwardly greeted.

The assistant gave a short bow and placed the briefcase in his arms, “Please come with me.”

“But… we just got back. Is it another mission?”

“Not exactly, it was a request from the chief.” Murphy stated.

Felix grabbed the briefcase and muttered, “Something’s telling me I’m not gonna get a good night’s rest.”

“Well, if it’s a request for you, I’m just gonna…” Maria yawned and stretched out her arms while walking away, not even bothering to finish her sentence.

Murphy drove the agent to a small, pale flat building, and as the two exited the car, Felix scratched his eyes and asked, “Where is this?” He asked, dressed in a simple white shirt as a replacement for his mud-stained coat.

“One of the Obsidian Industries research institutes.” Murphy replied as he flashed a lion-engraved badge to the door, causing it to open automatically.

There was a hall at the entrance, and Murphy pulled out a phone and dialed someone in.

“Murphy. Are you there?” Chief Vivian’s voice could be heard from the phone.

“Yes sir.”

Felix looked to the window in the hall. From the one-way mirror, he saw a familiar face of a man with blond hair and tanned skin sitting in the dark room.

“See someone you know?” Chief asked.

“What’s this about?”

“From one bodyguard to another, I thought you two might want to talk.”

“It’s not like I know anything about him.”

“It took a while to transfer him in secret. Now take this and go inside.” Chief said while Murphy handed Felix a pistol.

Felix gulped as he took the gun with him.

As he opened the door, the man inside looked at him with squinted eyes as the light from the outside room hurt his eyes. His hands bound to the chains on the metal table.

“Asahi.” Felix greeted.

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“Haruki…no, your real name is Felix, right?” Asahi asked with a weary tone, his cheeks were red and scratched, and he had a black eye.

“Put the phone on the table.” Chief ordered the blue-eyed agent.

As Felix placed the device on the table, a virtual projection appeared out. The chief’s figure popped out right in front of them.

“How’s Ayame doing?” The battered man asked.

“She’s fine.” The chief answered.

“That’s good. So, you were one of those “Elite Agents” too, huh? I’m not surprised.” Asahi smiled slightly, his gaze still cast towards the floor.

“You know about that?” Felix responded curiously.

“Of course, I do… after all, I wasn’t able to pass the program. Three years ago, I survived the Fallen Sun Calamity in China, so I thought I had what it takes to be an Elite Agent, but… This is what it takes to be one. I’m jealous of how strong you are, bro.”

Felix took notice of him mentioning the calamity, but as he glanced at the Chief’s hologram, he chose to remain silent.

The Chief on the other hand appeared shocked.

“I don’t see why they had to go through all the trouble to bring me here… or you, for that matter. My answers are going to be the same.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll just tell you what I’ve already told them. I didn’t actually get to meet the Jackal… I only met one of his henchmen.”

Felix’s eyes furrowed, “A Fang?”

“I don’t know… she was a woman with white hair.”

“White hair…? Did she… have glowing red eyes?” Felix hesitantly added the second question, the image of Isabelle flashed in his head.

“No… she was wearing a hood, but she clearly had black eyes and pale skin. She sounded Russian, and was about five foot two, I think. All she did was hand me a pre-recorded message.”

“What did she say, and where’s that message now?”

“All she said was to listen to this. It was set to self-destruct as it played.”

“And what did the message say?”

“I don’t remember the exact words… but he said, “I am the Jackal. Kill the heiress on the night of the concert, or Ayame dies.” It was very direct. He was using a voice modulator, so it’s not something I can describe.”

“I see… Do you have any clue where Jackal is, or what he’s planning?”

“I don’t. I don’t have a clue. I’m sorry bro, but I was just doing what he ordered me to.” He answered meekly.

“I see…”

“But… I do remember someone with glowing eyes… they were amber if I remember correctly.”

Felix’s heart then skipped, “Did… she have a red spear?”

“Yeah… Sounds like you know her. I didn’t even get the chance to talk to her. She saved our lives, protected us from the calamity and told us to run… I tried to dig deeper, and that’s actually how I found out about the Elite Agents, I wanted to be like her.”

The operative looked at the pistol in his hands, which suddenly became several times heavier. “Is… that…”

“I’m sorry I’m not much of a help… but there is something I’ve been mulling over for a while… Why the heiress? Why the concert? Wouldn’t one of the heads of the Twelve Agencies, y’know, be more appropriate? I came to the conclusion that… Maybe it was to make a statement, they were trying to say that… they could kill anyone, any time they wanted to. Even out in the public.”

“Nothing we don’t already know.” The chief remarked.

Asahi was taken aback by the chief’s quick response, and lowered his gaze down to the metal table, “Ah, mhm… yeah, of course. I shouldn’t be surprised that you do, but I guess I just wanted to say it out loud. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, though… it was that he wasn’t driven by ulterior motives, but by rage.”

“Rage…” The blue-eyed man echoed blankly as he stared at the gun. His hands trembled trying to hold it.

“I’m sorry if I’m useless to you, but I’m not lying, I swear.”

“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing left to talk about. Felix. Kill him.” The chief ordered.

“What?” The agent responded with a disturbed expression, “Chief, that’s…”

“You heard me, didn’t you?”

“But, but Chief… Luna…” There was a shiver in his voice.

“Are you hesitating, agent?”

“N-no, please. Don’t… I’m not lying, I swear!” He looked at Felix with tears in his eyes, “Please!”

“Chief, I can’t! Luna saved him—!” Felix yelled.

“That is of no concern. He said he was following orders, now you will follow mine, Blue Phantom.” She responded in a callous manner.

The drum beat in the Felix’s chest grew deafening as he looked at the captive.

Asahi forcibly got up, his chair slammed on the floor as he banged his bounded hands against the metal table, “Please don’t kill me! Ayame! Let me see Ayame first! Please, sir! Felix! Chief! Please!” His wrists turned red as he pulled away from the table, but he could not break out of the cuffs. “LET ME SEE YU MING!”

The Blue Phantom took a deep inhale and pulled out the gun, placing it against Asahi’s forehead. His cold blue eye radiated against his shadowy, silhouetted face.

“B-bro?” The tanned man cried weakly.

There was a loud bang in the small, dark room. A sound that was no longer than a second. Followed by the sound of a head slamming on a metal table. The scent of gunpowder quickly filled the room. Blood began to pour down on the table.

Felix gently put the gun on the table and wiped a bead of sweat sliding across his cheek.

His mouth opened slightly to take in a sharp inhale. His throat suddenly tight and parched, and it became difficult to breathe.

“Have Murphy send a raven to clean up this mess.” The chief instructed.

The agent walked out of the room, his white shirt now stained with red droplets, “What was the point of bringing me here? You could have sent anyone to kill him.” Felix asked, feeling nauseated.

“I thought you might want to give your old friend a proper send off.” The chief answered in an insulting tone.

There was a weight in his chest as he opened his mouth, but he then closed them as he tried to come up with response that was not driven by emotion.

“I barely knew him.” Were the best choice of words he could reply with.

“Yet you had trouble doing what I ordered you to.”

“He was…”

“He was affiliated with the Jackal. Regardless of how reluctant he was, he already knew too much. He would’ve been nothing more than a liability if we kept him alive.”

“Chief…”

“Did your hatred fade away? Don’t you remember what happened to Luna?”

He clutched his necklace as his breathing became unsteady, “But… but… Luna saved his life… I don’t… it wasn’t necessary.” He gulped.

“Ayame of Starry Sweethearts is dead.” She immediately replied.

There was a short pause, a few seconds pass before he opened his mismatched eyes, “Huh?”

“She was found drugged and dead behind an alleyway, along with two others… Ayame, or rather, Yu Ming, and that man, Asahi, are both survivors from the Fallen Sun incident. They only had each other. If he found out what happened to her, it would’ve shattered him. Who knows how he would’ve retaliated. Do you think he would have joined the Jackal’s Fangs?”

“I…see.” Were the only words he thought to respond with.

“Felix. You understand, don’t you?”

“I… Yessir.”

“Good, now head back to the headquarters.”

As he put the phone down. He staggered over and cast his gaze to the ground, feeling disoriented.

He broke out a deep exhale and a familiar memory flashed in his head, the voice of a woman with white hair and a four-leaf clover necklace echoed in his mind, “You’re a kind, good person, aren’t you?”

“This was… nec—” Before he could even finish his words, he fell to his knees. The bitter tide of vomit rushed out his throat, staining his white shirt even further and soiling the floor in front of him.

~