The ringing phone shattered the silence in the house once again, only to be abruptly cut off and replaced by a man''s rather raspy voice.


    "Hello, Guardian''s HQ. What can I do for ya?"


    "M-Martin? It''s me, Mei."


    "Oh! Hey there, Mei. How''s it goin''? Ya done with the tape I gave ya?"


    "Well... yeah, I guess you could say that," she answered reluctantly.


    "Wait, what d''you mean, ''I guess you could say that?''" Martin asked, his raised eyebrow practically audible through the line.


    "Well... (sigh) Okay, look, Martin, I know what you''re thinking. This whole shape-shifter thing could make us more money than ever before, and we''d finally get out of poverty."


    "Yeah, exactly! What''s wrong with that? (Gasp) Wait... do you not like money??"


    "What?! No! And yes, many things are wrong with that, li—"


    "Like what?? It''s literally the best opportunity ever. We find the monster, we exorcise it, and boom! Day saved," Martin declared, leaving no room for argument.


    "...I think you''re forgetting something. This thing can literally shapeshift."


    "Now that ain''t no issue. We''ve got Cassie for that."


    "Sure, but what if we get in trouble with the government? I don''t wanna ruin our relationship with them more than it already is."


    "Who cares?? We''ve always hated them anyway. Plus, they didn''t help us back then. I''m pretty sure they won''t help anyone now. We''re the only ones who can—and are willing—to do that," Martin said, a faint, subtle vexation painting his words.


    "This thing''s in Demontagnac, and even if it is our hometown, it''s literally on the other side of the globe."


    "I already have that handled, though... Y''might wanna prepare yourself."


    "...What do you—oh god, please don''t tell me."


    "Yup, we''re goin'' through an S.H.T."


    "...You have got to be kidding me," Mei groaned, slapping her forehead in frustration.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Look, pal, I know how y''feel about the S.H.T., and I get it. I honestly hate it too, but we''re really startin'' to run out of options."


    "Wait, what do you mean by that?"


    "Y''know exactly what I mean, Mei. The jobs ain''t payin'' us enough to keep this place runnin''. We''re barely able to pay our members, and it''s gettin'' to the point where some of ''em want to quit. At this point, we only have three options."


    As Martin continued, Mei''s eyes widened. She finally realized that this wasn''t just a reckless mission—it was the Guardians'' last stand.


    Martin sighed. "We can either make a contract—and you and I both know we wouldn''t do that even on the verge of death—or we close this company once and for all. If so... then I guess it''s been a good run. Or we do this and see what happens. So, what d''ya say?"


    "..." Hesitation gripped her, fear, frustration, and unease wrapping around her like chains.


    "Mei, admit it. These excuses you''ve been givin'' me? They''re just that—excuses. Y''just don''t wanna go back there, do ya?"


    "...How is it so easy for you? To just go back there, after everything we''ve done?"


    "I... guess I just came to understand that no matter what you do, runnin'' in circles will always get ya back to point zero."


    Mei was lost in her thoughts, considering every possible alternative—anything that would let her avoid this mission. But alas, nothing seemed to work.


    "...Fine then," she finally relented, surrendering to her fate.


    "Great! I knew I could count on ya. See you tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning at Rainbow Park."


    With that, Martin ended the call, leaving Mei to stare out her window.


    She watched as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, making way for the moon, welcomed by a myriad of shining stars. The view could only be described in one word: mesmerizing. It was enough to help her calm down.


    "We really hit rock bottom, huh?"


    She sighed.


    "Honestly... I wish you could see us right now. Though... you''d probably be laughing at us, wouldn''t you, Daniel?"


    As Mei enjoyed the beauty of the sunset, life continued elsewhere:


    In Demontagnac''s East Block, a man in his early twenties exited La Maison d''Histoire library, clutching a blue book with neither title nor author.


    He returned to his apartment in the North Block, located on Michelle Rose Street. The apartment was well-arranged, consisting of only two rooms:


    A bedroom, with a balcony, an average-sized bed, and a desk with a fairly old computer. On the desk sat a photo of him, a young woman, and a man who resembled him, smiling while holding an infant.


    A living room, with a comfortable-looking couch, a small TV flanked by DVDs on one side and books on the other, with a table in between.


    Once home, he changed his clothes, ate dinner, and sat at his desk. He took out the blue book and closed his eyes.


    "Please... just please tell me this is the right one," he thought as he opened it.


    Inside, instead of words, he found a DVD disc with the letter Z written in black.


    The moment he saw it, his eyes lit up.


    "YES! FINALLY!"


    Without hesitation, he took the DVD and inserted it into his PC''s tray. After gently pushing the tray back in, he powered on the computer and sifted through his files.


    He searched thoroughly, his wrinkled hands shaking. After several agonizing seconds, he found a file labeled Retribution.


    Opening it, he was greeted with an input form.


    "After five long years... I finally found it," he murmured, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.


    "At last... just hang in there, Daniel. I will drag you out of there, even if it costs me my soul."