01.11.2023
It has almost been a week since Michael began training his proficiency with the Spells Ward and Taunt. He found it harder to train the Taunt Spell mainly because it required sentient targets. Unsure how conventional it would be to discuss Spell training with Agents he's not close to, Michael resorted to bothering Doctor Dupont, who suggested two options.
"The easier and safer, though expensive, option is to exploit your Rank 1 clearance to access the private rooms in the Training Ground. Some of these private rooms are equipped with Magickal Circles for Mental Magick. The downside is that it will cost you a Merit Point a day to use. In my opinion, unless you're in a hurry, take your chance with the other option I can offer and use the private rooms only to solidify your gains and verify your proficiency level."
"The other option is meditation. Enter your Mentality or Psyche and inflict the Spell on yourself. However, there is a risk with this method. Strain yourself too much, and depending on the Spell, you could damage your mind in various ways. The upside is that it won't cost you Merit Points. If you're strong-willed and have a decent Mentality, you'll achieve fast results. Most importantly, practicing with the Spell will temper you against similar Spells."
After listening to Doctor Dupont, Michael opted for the second option, primarily due to his high Psyche. The trouble was that he had to frequently take breaks to hide the fact that his Psyche was as high and equal to his Physique. Consequently, he ended up training Taunt mostly in his room, where, if others asked, his answer was, "I just need a rest." At the Training Ground, he focused on Ward.
...
Now.
Michael opened his eyes, tranquility reflected in his blue pupils. He looked at the time. '21:30… I slept for forty-five minutes.'
He got up from his bed, feeling lightheaded but otherwise better than forty-five minutes ago when he took an actual rest from his training. 'Is it Grace?' He picked up the tablet and noticed the closed envelope icon below the clock display, with the number "1" on it.
"Department Manager Jully…" He read the sender's name and perked up, wondering if it was finally about the mid Rank 1 mission. "What?!" he blurted out. Reading the message, his eyes nearly popped from their sockets. 'What the heck happened?!'
He dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower. 'How is it possible? Is it because I was experimenting with the Grace Period? Can't be! David would've warned me if anything like this could happen!'
He dried himself and hurriedly got dressed in his uniform.
'I must be missing something. Yes. If Department Manager Jully thought it was urgent, she would have called rather than messaged and waited for a response!' Michael left his room, slamming the door behind him, going over the short few lines of the message in his head.
"Agent Mir, the Material Magick Bureau's Emergency Call Center was contacted by the number given to your family. The caller, Mrs. Mir, reported the odd behavior of Agent Mir's brother, Dan Mir. For the past two weeks, Mrs. Mir claimed, Dan Mir quit his job and began to privately engage in activities of a Magickal nature. Lastly, she reported him missing for the last 48 hours, with his phone disconnected and his car and personal belongings gone."
...
"First, calm down," Department Manager Jully ordered Michael.
"Did you find my brother?" he demanded, staring daggers at her. Beyond the Grace Period, the Bureau was supposed to be another protective layer for his family and friends.
"We don't know where he is, but we can guess who he is with. They call themselves the 'Homeland Office of Special Cases'. Essentially, they are a government-run office that researches Magick-related cases without the background, scope, resources, or manpower of the Bureau. They operate in North America with five counterparts around the world: two agencies in Asia (one controlled by the Chinese government and the other by the Russian government), another in South America financed by the Argentine, Uruguayan, and Brazilian governments, and a 'top secret' United Nations department that surveys all of Europe and Australia, except for Poland and Hungary, which run their own operations. The remaining continents, Africa and Antarctica, are first-come, first-served between these six agencies."
"So, it's the government that sought my brother?" Michael felt like a fugitive who had gotten his family in trouble.
"They were on our tail, as they often are, when we sent the Recruiter to your home. Since the Bureau doesn't directly communicate with the HOSC and barely acknowledges its significance, after you joined us and the relevant people close to you signed the obligatory forms, we left some breadcrumbs for the local government to build its cover story for the events that happened."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Then you left my family exposed to scrutiny!"
"No. We did our due diligence. The heads of state, and all others behind the Material Magick Bureau's copycats, are aware of us. They know when and where they can get involved and don’t ask questions. The only possibilities for them to initiate communication with your brother are either a nosy Agent decided to dig deep, which is no simple matter, or your brother, Dan, was mindful enough to find them on his own. It’s not difficult when you know for certain about the existence of the supernatural."
"What now, then?" Michael crossed his arms, trying to let go of his anger. "Dan is still missing, and his whereabouts with the HOSC are only an assumption."
"I can see that you already have an idea of what you want to do," Department Manager Jully sighed. "If you want to visit home, it won’t be a problem for the upcoming mission, as long as you drop everything when it starts. In return, I’ll provide you with information about the HOSC, and you’re free to use all the Bureau’s external services. I think, with what you’ve learned so far, you’re more than qualified to deal with a small familial matter and an office that isn’t aware of the distinction between Build and Mentality. What do you say?"
"I'll leave right now," Michael decided. "If Dan is really with the HOSC of his own accord and is fine, I'll postpone dealing with him and the HOSC if I'm informed that the mission starts."
"I'll have everything arranged before you reach the 1st Floor and the necessary information sent to your device," Department Manager Jully approved. "And Agent Mir, Michael..." She stopped him at the door, one foot out of her office. "Regarding the two Spells that became freely available to you and your Merit Points... Due to the complicated timeline of the mission, you didn't receive a recommended proficiency level for the Spells. Considering it's been a week and there are still no updates for the mission, try to reach level 5 proficiency for Ward and level 4 for Taunt. That's only my opinion, but as I see it, it should be the bare minimum requirement for your task in the mission.
"And about the Merit Points… when you're back home, spend your hard-earned cash however you like, but don't be tempted to spend the Merit Points at the Exchange Center for your family or friends. Keep this between us, but I can't promise you anything, so I won't elaborate: don't use your Merit Points until after the next mission."
"Is that all, Department Manager?" Michael asked.
"You may go," she sent him off with a wave of her arm and began to type on her tablet.
...
During the private plane flight, courtesy of Yastrebov Pogled, Michael read through the material regarding the Homeland Office of Special Cases.
'This is practically a government-run MythBusters,' he thought, amazed at how barebones the HOSC was despite dipping its hands in the world of Magick. 'According to this, they investigate every thread with the tiniest chance of leading to something supernatural. Most times, they hit a dead-end since the Bureau solves the real issues, but sometimes they do entangle themselves with an actual case of Magickal origin. As for their Agents… the majority haven't established a Pool of Magick Ions and therefore cannot handle Magick on their own. The few with potential are the foundation of the HOSC and, in the eyes of the Bureau, potential candidates for recruitment.'
The file Department Manager Jully sent him included every case the HOSC had ever been involved with that the Bureau bothered to keep tabs on. It even had the exact location of the HOSC, phone numbers, and names of the high chain of command. Michael put his phone in his pocket and was offered a light flight meal by the lovely flight attendant.
'At any rate, unless they managed to hide it from the Bureau, the HOSC doesn't have anyone who underwent a Metamorphosis. There's nothing for me to worry about if push comes to shove when I get them to leave those I care for alone!'
...
00:21
Post landing, Michael proceeded with a ride to his home, this time using the services of Nakizawasābisu.
"Thank you," Michael told Kenzei Kimiko, his chauffeur for the short trip back.
"It's my pleasure, Mir-sama. I'll continue being at your service at a moment's notice until your departure. Please don't hesitate to summon me."
"Don't worry about it. I can get around on my own and never really needed a ride beyond from the airport to my place of residence and back," Michael said as he saw her leave. 'Not for the short while I've been an Agent...' He turned around and looked up with complex emotions. 'No way to know how everyone will react without meeting them,' he thought, feeling the tension melt from his shoulders.
He entered the lobby of the apartment building and waited for the elevator. 'Considering the hour, Mom and Dad must be sleeping… fifty-fifty chance they won't be thrilled to wake up and find me at the door? Well, if it's the wrong "fifty", I can pretend to leave. Doubt they'll let me. Their successful third child is back!' His train of thought surprised him as the elevator arrived and he pressed "10". 'I've really changed…'
...
Mary and Peter Mir were indeed asleep when they woke up to the sound of a knock on the front door. Both instantly left their bed in a hurry to open the door. They had locked it with the deadbolt so Dan would have to wake them if he returned, and consequently face them, to get inside. They opened the door without even checking the peephole.
"I told you he would return. There was absolutely no need for you to call them," Peter told Mary as he opened the door. His attention was on her, while hers was on the widening entrance, missing the shock on her face in his sleepy rant.
"Pretty sure you're not talking about me, Dad," a voice that Peter recognized as his son's, but not the son he had pictured in his head, caused him to turn from his wife's tearful expression to the young man who appeared somehow different than he remembered.
"Is that… you, Michael?"
"The one and only, Dad, Mom. Heard my little brother is acting up. Took a couple of days off work to put some sense into him," Michael chuckled.
Mary and Peter exchanged glances, sharing the same thought...
'Is this… our son?!'