{James sat on the hard, wooden pew, his head tilted back. Winged angels smiled down at him from the high ceilings, illuminated by the soft glow of gas lamps and the moonlight filtering through stained glass windows. His expression remained inscrutable.
“James,” a soft voice whispered from the front, “Why make it more difficult for the both of us?”
Opening his eyes, James directed his intense stare at the graceful lady standing at the church altar. The golden glow emanating from her failed to evoke any positive emotions, as it should have. He had long abandoned his faith, and she, of all people, should be well aware of that.
“Why ask when you already know the answer?” James rose from his spot and turned to leave, resenting the gaze of pity burning into his back. “You have your reservations, and I have mine. Save your hypocritical concerns for some other fool who has not been burned.”
“I understand your anger; however, I do not regret my decisions. I’m sorry you are unable to see it from my perspective.”
The sound of a door slamming closed echoed through the silent building.}
-
James
“The Saint has requested a meeting upon your return.” The messenger boy handed over a card stamped with a familiar golden wings insignia before hurrying away, intimidated by the gloom emanating from the looming figure.
“Commander, will you…’
“Not until we have more information about the matter.” James strode towards his office as if today had been any regular day and as if nothing bizarre happened yesterday evening.
Sam would have believed the act if he hadn’t witnessed the mind-bending scene himself. “Yes, sir. However, although we arrived at the scene before the others, it will be difficult to completely conceal the…event from other organizations if they dug a little deeper.”
“Let the fools dig their graves if they wish to do so. We will remain cautious until we know more.” He tapped his finger against the desk in thought. “He…seemed very familiar with the artifact.”
Sam nodded. “There was no sense of confusion or apprehension. It’s very likely to belong to him originally or was in his possession for a period of time before it was lost.”
“And who do you suppose stole the item from his possession? Or do you believe someone of that level would misplace an artifact?”
Sam raised his head and met his gaze. “Are you saying it was on purpose? But there is no logical reason…”
“Sam, those who have logic-defying power naturally do not need to logically justify their actions.”
“...indeed.” Sam lowered his eyes. He bowed before turning to leave. “Should I tell Professor of the event of last night?”
James sighed as he returned to his work. “If he doesn’t know already. I swear that old man always knows everything.”
The door clicked closed. James placed his pen aside and lifted the card. The golden wings sparkled in the light. A pensive expression crossed his eyes, and he furrowed his brows. What terrible plan is she cooking up this time? At least he didn’t have to worry about her intentionally doing something that would endanger the city. Although he lacked any favorable feelings towards her, he could not deny her dedication to the well-being of the city.
That person. His thoughts drifted back to the event yesterday bringing back the residue shock that lingered in his body. He had seen what the artifact could do, yet the man had treated it so casually as if it was a beloved tool that was lost and found.
But there was no energy signature from the person. Why would he actively hide his powers on one hand, and so openly display his prowess on the other? James rubbed his temples as he tried to make sense of that person’s actions. I’ve warned Sam about applying logic to those with imperceivable amounts of power, and yet here I am doing the same. James chuckled self-deprecatingly at his actions.
Those eyes and that hair. James couldn’t shake the feeling he’d met him before, but he couldn’t remember where. He’d always been terrible with names and faces. However, black hair and eyes are an uncommon combination, so he is certain he would be able to identify the person if he ever saw him again.
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Perhaps he lives in the city? He didn’t seem to care about their knowledge of his presence after all. It is possible he wouldn’t actively conceal his whereabouts. The thought that a hidden power was probably randomly filed as a citizen of the city made his eye twitch.
He formed a plan in his mind and decided to get the inevitable out of the way first and go from there. The first stop…the church.
-
Sam
Sam stood silently to the side as he waited for Professor Isaac to finish his current trial. He despised being interrupted in the middle of his experiments.
“Trial #32. Failure.” Isaac removed the bloody gloves and tossed them to the side. His assistants scrambled into action, cleaning up the lab and prepping the station for a future trial. Fresh faces, Sam noted.
“Sam, my best student! What brings you back to my humble lab?” Isaac grinned as he removed his blood-soaked body coverings and stepped into the sterile area where Sam stood. “Have you finally come to your senses and chosen not to waste your superior talents after all?”
Sam slightly grimaced and brushed the tip of his nose. An overwhelming scent of blood lingered on the old man’s body despite them being in a separate area from the main experimentation floor. “I’ve come to inform you of the events that transpired the night prior.”
Professor Issac scribbled something onto the board an assistant handed over. “Oh my, did something terrible happen? I must be getting old because I slept through it all.”
Sam did not reply.
Issac sighed. “It’s just a joke. Why must you be so serious, my dear student? You’ll age faster than the Commander if you remain this way.”
“You don’t seem worried at all.”
“Will worry solve the problem? Have you finally lost your obsession with logic and stiff-as-a-board morals?” The professor clapped his hands together with an exaggerated look of surprise.
“It is logical to feel worried about a situation that is beyond one’s control.”
Issac waved his hand dismissively. “There’s nothing to worry about. It’s not the first time an old monster in hiding decided to grace the world with its presence and it won’t be the last. Only those country bumpkins would be shocked silly, but I expected you to know better.”
“It’s not the same as before. There is something different about this one.”
“Oh? If you say so, I do believe your intuition.” The head researcher tilted his head to the side with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Interesting. I didn’t expect to run into anything fun during my time here.”
Sam frowned at his teacher’s words. “What are you planning?”
“Oh, don’t worry, little Samuel. I know my limits.”
-
David
He had followed them. Of course, he did. Why wouldn’t he, especially when they were planning a big event? He didn’t join the agency to just sort files day in and day out.
Veilwalker's Veil
* Description: Traverse the veil between realities, glimpsing unseen dimensions.
Shroud of Secrets
* Description: Cloak yourself in Ethrion's protective embrace, rendering you invisible to mortal and supernatural scrutiny.
It was remarkably simple to follow the traces of disturbance in the other realm—almost too easy. He stood at the top of a building, eyes closed. It was clearer to view the scene through his new senses than his human eyes which were more susceptible to deception.
He discerned the stand-in clone as effortlessly as he sensed a disturbance in the border between item 005 and reality when the person escaped. A red shimmer clung to the clone, which, upon removal, instantly roused Uncle James and Sam from their daze.
A look of understanding crossed their faces almost simultaneously. David took a second look at Sam, surprised at his speed. Not even Team B members had recovered as fast as him from the dream-like state.
Uncle James decisively forced his way through the barrier, and Sam followed. Team B and the rest bore the brunt of the backlash, providing the duo with a better chance to catch up to the escaped cultist informant.
Though he couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the cultist, who must have used a high-level concealment item, he could sense the traces left behind by the artifact. His actions indirectly intensified the traces enough for the duo to notice, but they were much slower to arrive at the scene compared to him.
He was ill-prepared for the unexpected effect of the artifact. The ringing had shocked him, quite literally. The waves vibrated through the other realm and pounded against his mind. Blood squirted out of his nose as his vision blurred.
He awoke to a pounding headache, groaning as he grabbed his aching head. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was in his bed back home. It must be the work of 07.
[What happened? I sensed a massive burst of energy.]
David had forgotten that 07 was unable to sense the real world through him. Rubbing his crusty eyes, he forced himself to get up and send a message to the agency, informing them of his reason for absence.
I was following the agency on their mission to intercept a cultist member and the stolen artifact.
[Are you not a cultist yourself?]
Yes, I am.
[Fascinating. Is this an aspect of humanity?]
Humans are complex creatures, 07. There are many reasons behind every action, and they are not always logical or rational.
[Indeed. I look forward to learning more.]
By the way, what are you, 07?
[I am the servant of my Lord, the Great Ethrion.]
No—I mean… Never mind.
[The veil between the realms has almost reached its thinnest point. Are you prepared?]
Do I have a choice?
Silence. David smiled as he settled in for his daily meditation. It had become an integral part of his daily routine because the abilities required an intense amount of focus. It was harder today than usual to clear his mind.
I wonder what happened after I passed out last night…