21:00
Five kilometers from Elysium Heights, a group of twenty-three gathered in a fenced warehouse.
Michael and Grace met the Strike Team, composed of twenty-one members from the Australian Branch Risk Management Department, led by Francesca Jones – the most experienced Field Agent of the Department. To Michael, she seemed like a strong contender for possessing the most Magickal Ions below the First Metamorphosis. This was significant because, when Symbiosis is ON, his Magick Ions would exceed the maximum capacity below the First Metamorphosis by 4 Magick Ions.
The group stood in two rows, facing each other, with Agent Jones in the middle, holding a small holographic projector that displayed several images.
"The AB's experts in Magickal Circles consulted their counterparts in the other Branches and HQ about the function of Agent Mir's Magickal Circle drawings and his description of the Magick he sensed from them. Their most probable estimation is that the Magickal Circles are meant for the following…"
As she spoke, Agent Jones used a small touchpad to highlight each Magickal Circle, one by one.
"The original names are irrelevant, so no further research was done to discover them once a resolution was reached about the function of the Magickal Circles.
No. 1.1: First room on the right – all the rooms are on the same underground floor – Mind Transfer Magickal Circle. No. 1.2: Second room on the right – Large-Scale Mind Manipulation Magickal Circle. No. 1.3: Third room on the right – Taboo Rejuvenation Magickal Circle. No. 1.4: Fourth room on the right – Sacrificial Magickal Circle. No. 2.2 to 2.4: Second to fourth room on the left – Agent Mir couldn't gather information about the first room, but it is presumed that the Magickal Circle in it shares the same role as 2.2 to 2.4. Still, I order you all to be cautious – Summoning Magickal Circles.
There is a ninth room at the end of the underground floor. It's assumed that this room contains the source driving the eight Magickal Circles. I alone am allowed to enter this room. If anything goes wrong, Agent Mir will come after me."
Agent Jones looked at Michael, implying with her gaze that she would brief him privately later, while her thumb moved on the touchpad.
The projection focused on five profiles, each including a picture and written background.
"These are the prime candidates for the Mind Transfer."
They were Guy Elianov, Jorge Ortega, Antonio Ortega, Daiki Ito, and Hanna King.
"These young scions and prodigal leaders of industries have political power and come from powerful families with presumed minor connections to the Magickal World. They are to be captured for interrogation. If there's the slightest chance the Mind Transfer has already happened or will occur during our invasion, and if they're giving off corrupted Magick, they are to be purged on the spot.
"The Cult members invited many young locals to their gathering on the 23rd. Agent Mir drew their attention, which got him and Agent Vasquez inside the estate, thanks to his vigorous young physique. It's likely that these locals are meant to be used in both the Mind Transfer and Taboo Rejuvenation Magickal Circles. If you don't recognize a face when we go in, assume it's a test run and a Cult member in a new body. Any questions before I state our list of priorities?"
Nobody said anything.
"Good. We will be divided into four teams. Everyone has the layout of the estate. Team A," she gestured to the group already in position, "you are to purge the top brass of the Cult. Team B will secure the perimeter, eliminate security, and capture anyone fleeing the estate. Team C, your role is to destroy Magickal Circles No. 1.1 to 1.4. Team D will do the same with Circles No. 2.1 to 2.4. Agent Vasquez, you are to find and secure the five prime candidates for the Mind Transfer. Agent Mir, you're with me. Does everyone understand their role?"
"Yes." "Yes, ma'am." "Kill on sight, got it!"
Various affirmative responses followed. While all agents were professionals who had completed the Bureau's rigorous training program, they had waived the strictness of military discipline in favor of operational efficiency.
"Good. Currently, Risk Assessment is at Level 3. Here are the prerequisites for escalating the Risk Assessment in the field:
Level 4: Activation of one or two Summoning Magickal Circles, which means the manifestation of Corrupt Beings. Level 5: Activation of three or all four Summoning Magickal Circles, or the activation of the Large-Scale Mind Manipulation Magickal Circle. If the latter occurs, Agents with less than 200 Magick Ions or those with less than 100 Magick Ions who are Build-oriented must immediately report their position and surrender to their Team Leaders. Am I clear?"
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This time, no one dared to be creative with their affirmations.
"It's 21:07," Agent Jones checked her watch. "At 21:20, all teams are to get in their positions outside the estate. At 21:21, Teams A, C, D, Agent Vasquez, Agent Mir, and I will breach Elysium Heights."
…
"Your Magick is high, second only to mine, and you've witnessed what lies beyond the ninth door. Yet, you're still mentally stable. That's why I picked you as my backup," Agent Jones explained to Michael as they positioned themselves outside the Kinta-Lath-Macbur Cult's rented estate.
"I am still recovering," Michael said, reiterating what he had already admitted when he and Grace first met Agent Jones before she introduced them to the rest of the Strike Team. "But don't worry about what I think. If my Partner thought I was unfit for the mission, you can bet she wouldn't have let me come."
"While I respect Agent Vasquez's opinion, if I had doubts about you, you'd have been taken to the Australian Branch for evaluation," Agent Jones replied plainly, watching the seconds tick by on her watch. "Thirty-five seconds."
"Can you tell me about the Entity the Kinta-Lath-Macbur Cult worships?" Michael asked, pushing himself to inquire.
"You want to know what you saw? Alright. It's not really worth keeping secret," she said, raising her head from the watch. "I don't know exactly. It's something bad or evil, or whatever you want to call It, that is well above the Second Metamorphosis and therefore incapable of invading our Material Dimension directly. It can only influence our world by bargaining with beings at the Second Metamorphosis level and below. But even in the worst-case scenario, if It somehow manages to enter the Material Dimension, the Divine Dimension and perhaps other powers won't remain passive."
Michael listened quietly without commenting even after Agent Jones finished speaking. One thought lingered in his mind regarding her words, or more precisely, the manner in which she referred to "It".
'I think you're underestimating It.'
The way String, a treasure of a Premier Demonic Title, an Apex Demonic Entity of the Demonic Dimension, reacted to It…
'It might be at the Sixth or Seventh Metamorphosis!'
"It's time. Keep up with me!" Agent Jones cut his train of thought and leaped toward the wall surrounding Elysium Heights.
'Not just fast, it's as if she became one with the wind,' Michael thought as his eyes shone, following Agent Jones. 'Mm?' He noticed the surveillance cameras on the wall lowering their protective housing as they were being disabled. Simultaneously, the patrolling guards were struck by small projectiles that incapacitated them without spilling blood.
…
Within the estate, in a bedroom scarcely larger than a closet, Harold Nelson lay on his back with his fingers crossed. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open as his sound sleep was interrupted by a voice reverberating in his head.
He sat up abruptly, his head turning to the right. A purple ember appeared, visible through the walls of the estate and rapidly approaching, confirming the warning that grew louder and louder until his ears and nose began to bleed.
"He is returning."
…
The Cult Leader was one of fifteen Cult members abruptly awakened from their sleep. As they all simultaneously witnessed the purple ember, they proceeded to respond accordingly.
…
Michael and Agent Jones were at the forefront of the invasion. They broke through a window on the second floor, entering one of the many lounges of the estate. Their route had been planned in advance to avoid bedrooms and offices, leading them closest to the stairway to the ground floor.
Agent Jones reached for the handle of the lounge's double doors, and her hand froze just before she turned it. She gazed at the door, then relaxed and straightened her stance. Looking back at Michael, she said, "It's too late to say this, but if you haven't taken a life before, you should be ready."
He sighed and shrugged. "I've been trying to kill a specific someone for over a month and failed, not for lack of effort. I won't hesitate because most of them don't have Magick."
The Bureau provided little information about the Cult's activities, since Rank 0 Agents are supposed to do their jobs without questions, though they have the freedom to decline missions. Michael had learned about the kind of people in the Cult from what little Grace knew and shared, and from the impression of the rancid Magick they used.
"We don't deviate from our task, but if someone stands in your way, feel free to pass through them," she said, opening the door and doing just that to the guard holding and aiming an Uzi at the lounge's double doors.
For a brief moment, Michael saw the rest of the guards around the entrance to the lounge – seven in total, including the decapitated one – and the Cult members emerging from different rooms and halls by the dozens. Their faces morphed into those of his mother, father, sister, brothers, friends, acquaintances, even customers from his previous job. As this hallucination took place, Agent Jones vanished from his sight down the stairway.
Michael stepped out of the lounge in a flash, his thoughts racing.
'Main characters tend to make a drama show out of their first kill. Grace and Matteo had different personal opinions. But the thing that matters most is the belief of the person who does the killing. I believe… that those with Its Magick should be killed!'
He pushed past the guards, easily dodging the rapid fire from their Uzis, and pursued Agent Jones. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a middle-aged woman in a nightgown, carrying a whiff of Its Magick.
She wasn't in Michael's path. Nevertheless, without hesitation, he swung. Her face briefly resembled his mother's, then Matteo's – approving. Her head exploded, and Michael, calm and collected, continued down the stairway.
…
A commotion broke out in Elysium Heights – screaming, yelling, gunshots, slammed doors, hurried footsteps.
Michael heard everything, yet nothing made him waver. He caught up with Agent Jones as she halted at the bottom of the stairway leading to the underground floor. Team C stood alongside her, and Team D wasn't far behind.
He was about to question why they weren't moving when the answer became apparent.
The doors to all eight side rooms were open, and the Magick emanating from the four on the left was particularly unnerving.
"They initiated the summoning," murmured a member of Team C.
Agent Jones glared at him, then at the Team Leader. "Complete your team's mission!" she commanded sharply. "Agent Mir, stop 2.1!"
With that, Agent Jones explosively dashed towards the ninth room. Michael and Team C sprang into action right behind her.