《Of Crows and Butterflies [LitRPG]》


 Chapter 0: Prologue

    ¡ª somewhere in the united states, september 2006


    It was a quiet day. Running his errands slowly seemed like a good idea, considering he had nothing else to do. But that was just as good.


    He walked down the street in the light of the afternoon sun. Cars passed him as he was distracted by a vibration in his pocket. Fumbling for his phone, he checked to make sure the coast was clear before crossing the street in front of him. Nothing like being careful.


    "Hello?" he answered after accepting the call from an unknown number.


    He had almost entered his local bank when the voice on the other end of the line stopped him. "Is that you?" the voice asked, sounding somewhat calm, but also worried.


    Swallowing hard, his slightly trembling hand opened the door he had just tried to pass through. "I think you have the wrong number, sir."


    "Please don''t say that. I finally found you, I-" He hung up.


    He didn''t want this person to find him. But it seemed like he already had, so what use was running? Whatever he did now, it would gradually force him to make a decision.


    A heavy sigh was heard as he reached for his wallet to do what he had come to do. "Good morning, Mr. Sanders, how are you today?" the friendly booth operator asked as she took his card. "How can I help you?"


    "Not much, I just..."


    The young girl in front of him had started working at this branch about two years ago. By now, she had gotten used to everything and wasn''t one to be easily surprised.


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    So he couldn''t help but shut his mouth after seeing her eyes go wide in shock. He lowered his hands to the counter, noticing the atmosphere around him change slightly, then he heard that distinct kind of clicking sound behind his back.


    "Get on the ground if you don''t want me to shoot you!" A bellowing command, followed by a deafening bang as dust and pieces of plaster fell from the ceiling.


    Milton Sanders had grown up in this city; he was old and weary. He had been visiting this branch ever since it had moved there from another location - and, of course, he had visited the place where it was located before that. It was something unprecedented.


    The man tossed a duffel bag to the teller Milton had just been talking to. "Put the money in there. No tricks. And you!" The muzzle of his Beretta 92 was pointed directly at him. "I said, ''Get on the ground,'' you old fart. Can''t you hear me?"


    "I can hear you just fine," the senior citizen replied tiredly, "but it is as you say. I am old. I can''t do this so easily."


    But his calm demeanor seemed to agitate the would-be bank robber even more. He approached the desk, kicked the bag even closer to the young woman, and grabbed the old man by the shoulder to pull him down.


    It wasn''t that he really tried to defend himself. There was just something in him, after all these uneventful years, that made him strangely stubborn.


    It made him think, ''What have I done to deserve this kind of humiliation?''


    At the same time, the obviously nervous criminal next to him was trying to make him get down on the ground, as if his life depended on the surrender of this one elderly person. It''s the type of workout that can get you even more worked up.


    And that''s when it happened: There was another bang, and suddenly the room went silent.


    At first there was nothing, as if the noise had merely shaken everyone up. Then there was this sharp pain that made Milton reach for his chest. It happened within seconds, there was nothing one could have done to prevent it.


    All he could do was sink to the floor and feel the blood pooling beneath his body as his heart slowly stopped beating. He looked up at the hole in the white ceiling, imagining that it must look similar to the one in his own body.


    It hurt. But he was already starting to lose consciousness, so it wasn''t that bad. Still, it wasn''t the end of this quiet life he had imagined.


    ''But, oh well, it is an end indeed.'' Better luck next time.

 Chapter 1: Every New Start is Hard (1)

    ¡ª somewhere in the united states, september 2006


    It was a bleak ending. Looking up at a starless ceiling until the darkness took hold of him. It was not a cold or dreadful feeling, it was more like greeting an old friend and then this distinct tingling in his soul that told him this was not the end yet.


    He braced himself within that darkness, holding on to his thoughts with an iron grip. Then his whole world shook, making him feel sick. For a moment, his consciousness faded into nothingness, like a candle snuffed out by the wind.


    And when he opened his eyes, new sensations flooded his mind and body. Voices and sounds reached his sensitive eardrums, he felt shivering, cold, wet and generally uncomfortable.


    His eyes opened slowly, and he only just realized that some of those nerve-wracking sounds were coming from his own mouth.


    He was subconsciously crying, lamenting his current state and the fragility of his mental fortitude at the moment. Of course, it wasn''t something unexpected; it wasn''t something he hadn''t experienced before.


    All he could do was let his natural instincts subside and calm down as he was wrapped in a towel and passed from one person to the next.


    His understanding of the world around him was still incomplete. It took him days to reach a point where he could understand what others were saying.


    His mind had yet to adapt to this new body, this new environment and these new faces around him. Time was of the essence - he needed every second of it.


    "Isaac," he heard a female voice and the face of a beautiful brown-haired woman came into view. She looked happy and her green eyes almost sparkled as she looked down at him.


    How long has it been since he started to adjust to this new life? Was Isaac his name?


    He could hardly gather his thoughts with this barely developed brain. He felt like a second mind trapped in an uncontrollable body. The only time he could think clearly was when he withdrew and fell back into his deepest thoughts, close to a meditative state.


    As soon as he tried to reach out and connect with his physical reality, he felt shaken. As if he was in the middle of a car crash.


    All he could gather was that this woman was his mother. The man with the auburn hair, who also came into view at that moment, as if calling to him, seemed to be his father.


    They looked normal, even loving. Like a real family. A suitable Nest for him to live in. But that didn''t mean he had to have a deeper relationship with any of them.


    Nor could he confirm if he was their only child or if there were more crawling around. At least they seemed to live in the States, so his soul didn''t have to travel far to find a new body.


    With an inner sigh, he laughed in response to his mother, who happily poked his cheeks as if he were some kind of stress ball. He certainly wasn''t amused, but the sluggish drowsiness he seemed to be subjected to nonstop had him in its tight grip.


    ''Oh well, I can complain about all that later,'' he thought. If it weren''t for this sleepiness, he would have had to endure so much more boredom and annoyance.


    It took him a whole year to gather enough information to know his full name. Isaac Layer he was now called. A name he still had to get used to. His father''s name was Chris, though he did not know if that was his full name or just an abbreviation.


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    His mother, Ellen, would never call him anything else, and there wasn''t enough going on to tell what others might call him in a more serious context. He was far too lethargic at that point to retain much information.


    By the time his second and third birthdays came around, things had changed. He walked around the house, read books he could get his hands on, watched the news while the TV was on, and even started talking.


    This couple always engaged in some idiotic behavior, calling him cute or a genius, though he had made sure to keep a relatively low score so it was clear they were just bullshitting.


    Seriously, he didn''t even try to get up off the floor until he was two years old. Before that, he spent most of his time sleeping. He thought sleeping was a smart thing to do. He would have to work enough in this new life anyway.


    On the other hand, it wasn''t that exciting to just passively watch everything that went on. Don''t get him wrong, he didn''t like to do a lot of unnecessary work, and he also didn''t like having to deal with people as well.


    But lying there - letting the world happen to him - wasn''t exactly his cup of tea either. He could only sigh and bear with it. Soon he would be four years old.


    ¡ª seattle, washington, september 2010


    He had been expecting it, even though he didn''t want it to happen. His freedom was just around the corner and a new life would lie ahead of him. Everything was going as it should. It was a comforting fact.


    But this day, the day of his fourth birthday, made him realize one thing: Even when you are old, there will always come a time when you understand how vast the realm of possibilities can be.


    The possibility that, even though he was now four years old, he still might not have complete freedom in his own body, making him feel even more like a prisoner.


    Or the possibility that this time, too, he might not have the leisure to live a perfectly uneventful life.


    In front of him was their large dining table, covered with a white cloth and laden with food, plates and drinks. Guests - neighbors and colleagues of his parents - were gathered around it, looking at him in anticipation.


    One of the guests reached out and lit exactly four candles on one of the various delicacies piled on the table: A cake with a pale blue frosting and the words "Happy Birthday, Isaac" written on it in sugar, though they were unaware that he was already literate. It seemed so unnecessary.


    There were people with cameras, trying to catch the exact moment when he finally blew out the flames after making his wish. Some were grinning and tapping their feet in anticipation, like a bunch of rabbits.


    It was fascinating behavior in his eyes, but a bit too much. And as if that wasn''t enough noise to stress him out, there were suddenly several loud thuds in the background that could be heard from outside the window.


    It had been noisy for a while now, but they lived in the middle of a city, so there was nothing they could do about it.


    Perplexed, the audience''s attention was drawn to what sounded like bombs exploding nearby. Sure enough, only a beat later, the entire house shook in short tremors, causing most of the adults to lose their footing and stagger to a chair or directly to the floor. It might have been hidden under a fluffy carpet, but the fall was still painful and brought them back to reality after a brief stupor.


    No one cared anymore as Isaac blew out the potential fire hazard before walking over to the row of windows himself. The usually bright dining room, filled with lively debate and laughter, had never felt so cold. Pulling aside the curtains, which were used to make the candles and decorations shine more beautifully, revealed a darkness they had never seen before.


    It was as if something had ripped a hole in the air right above their city, in just those thirty minutes when they were not looking outside.


    A hole connected to absolutely nothing; darkness and void. The blackness didn''t shimmer, nor did it seem to have any texture. It was so dark that it swallowed the light and spat out an uncanny pressure in return.


    There were the military. It was safe to assume that they were the ones making all that noise before, which must have been some kind of explosive.


    Why was there no evacuation notice? Was it okay for them to just stay there? He was skeptical about what he saw. Some of the people around him even thought it must be a new movie being made. But could this be the truth?


    He felt something from that hole and it was not a pleasant feeling. It felt... eerily familiar. What did it mean? At the same time, he could see a small group of people approaching the black hole on a fire truck ladder.


    And as he watched them get close enough to touch it, they were swallowed whole.

 Chapter 2: Every New Start is Hard (2)

    ¡ª lincoln high school portland, oregon, september 2022


    ["Can you see what''s happening?"] White noise was mixed in with their words. ["Are they really shooting a movie?"]


    ["How does that make sense?"] Voices overlapped, each one more excited than the last.


    He wouldn''t have minded, but for some reason he couldn''t stop looking at the comparatively small smartphone screen that was being held in his direction. It was kind of annoying, but he tried to shake it off.


    Anyway, to be more precise: It was only held in his general direction, as he happened to be standing near a group of people who identified themselves as friends of the one with the phone.


    Still, she didn''t seem bothered by him participating in her viewing session. She was just that kind of social butterfly, he mused.


    Meanwhile, Isaac just looked at the black hole in the sky that hung over Seattle. It had an almost hypnotic effect on him, as it was the only Gate he had ever seen in person.


    There was something wrong with these things. He sensed it even then, though he had not known what he was looking at.


    That day sparked a change in how the world would run from that point on. A flame was lit and it swallowed the entire human race like there was no tomorrow. When he saw the old cell phone video, he felt transported back to that moment. Even though twelve years had passed, he had a good memory.


    He saw the masses in the video and knew it was the same crowd he had seen from his window on his fourth birthday, looking out and down the street.


    Soldiers from the U.S. military began to push back the crowd, leading only a small group of people to the center and helping them get up on a fire truck ladder. The lower third generously gave us their names.


    From left to right: Adrian Zane, Karina Hausner, In-Sung Choi, Hippolyte Vaillancourt, Samuel Dryer, Konstantin Pavlovitch Krasnoff, and Marisha Pavlovna Krasnoff.


    Following that fateful day, each of them turned into names that the world would never forget. Even at that very moment, all those years ago; even when no one knew who they were, the eyes of the world were on their backs as they walked up to that Gate.


    It was as if they already knew what kind of role they would play, even though they barely understood if what was happening in front of their eyes was even real.


    ["No, I heard about this before! It was taken down, but there was one of those things in Russia too!"]


    ["You''re bullshitting!"] At that moment, the police approached the guy who was filming.


    Isaac could remember that it must have been around this time that his mother was frantically running around their apartment, gathering up everything that was important. He could still feel her warm hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from the window with an uncomfortable look on her face as she pretended to smile.


    "Honey, come with us, we''re going on a little birthday trip," she said cheerfully, her voice trembling despite her efforts.


    Isaac''s father stood right behind her, nodding with his car keys at the ready, and next to him, the guests lined up to leave.


    In the hallway, they watched the tenants flee in droves, while Ellen Layer gripped his hand so tightly he wondered if he might break a bone. She had to hold on to him, though, because it got rowdier as they made their way out.


    His mother had glanced at her phone. "Evacuation," was all she could manage to utter amidst the chaos.


    "Everything''s going to be fine," Chris reassured her, trying to squeeze through next to his wife without losing sight of her.


    They had hoped to get out of the building as quickly as possible, but as soon as they had, they wanted to run back in. It was like all hell had broken loose.


    All the people fleeing their apartments, as well as every passerby, policeman, soldier, and journalist in the area, made them feel more like sardines in a tin can than actual people near a major intersection.


    A scream snapped the brown-haired boy out of his thoughts, back into the hallway of his local high school.


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    ["Oh my God, what is that?"]


    The young woman in the recording screamed, but at the same time seemed to hold her breath. She was in awe of what she saw.


    The teenagers couldn''t see it because the cameraman was so confused that he let his arm hang down before he collected himself and quickly filmed again. ["Can you see this ...?"]


    More white noise filled his ears as he saw something crawl out of the blackness above their heads. It was ugly and slimy looking, like a giant crocodile; a creature that should not exist in this dimension.


    It moved slowly, as if it had all the time in the world.


    ["I might die today. I want to say..."] Suddenly, someone seemed to have bumped into him, causing him to drop his phone into the crowd and the connection was cut.


    Then, as if nothing had happened, the video resumed from a different angle. "It''s basically a compilation. Since there was so little footage, someone took the best quality ones from what was left and put them together," the blonde girl explained simply, as if to apologize for what they were all seeing.


    Even though they knew all too well what it was like. A lot of people in the crowd had to hand over their phones to the military. Helicopters hadn''t been allowed in the air above Seattle either.


    Everyone was shooed away as quickly as possible. Online videos were taken down at the speed of light. All in a vain effort to hide what had happened.


    "Did they really think they could hide this?" asked a girl next to Isaac. "A Gate in the middle of a city like Seattle and they actually had the guts to try and cover it up anyway?"


    "Yeah, I can''t believe it either," Rue added with a sigh. It was the girl with the blonde curls who showed the video.


    "Not gonna lie though, they did manage to keep it from us until that happened. This was going down for at least a year before shit hit the fan, let''s face it."


    "And that''s just what they officially admitted, mind you. Who knows what''s really going on? They found all those Hunters near the hidden Gates and trained them. Is one year really enough to do that?"


    No one could refute that statement - and frankly, no one wanted to. It would have been like fighting a losing battle. The whole world was angry.


    It was the only time that the governmental bodies of several nations had come together and more or less pulled on one string - citing the American Zombie Apocalypse Clause as the basis for a united fight against the unknown.


    Unsurprisingly though, they largely stopped doing so shortly after the cat was out of the bag.


    As the public began to become aware of all the new resources that could be gained in these Dungeons, people everywhere wanted to hop on the bandwagon. And with that, industry and commerce began to shift drastically in one direction.


    New energy sources, tougher materials for clothing, security, warfare, new medical treatments, exotic fruits and meats - almost anything you could think of.


    On the screen one could still see what would soon be known as the Giant Crocodile King, which explained what it looked like. People were running around screaming, everything was shaking, and then the real pandemonium began.


    Gunshots echoed throughout the city and the chaotic visuals became even more erratic.


    For a split second, they could peek through the crowd and see the Beast breaking through the police barricade. The first person to face it was ripped in two. They didn''t see the whole thing, but they still imagined what it looked like without knowing.


    Well, at least most of them didn''t. A brown-haired boy scratched his head. He remembered.


    His mother had tried to lead them to her old Chevrolet, but they had been kept together by the military. They were supposed to be evacuated, but only in the eyes of the media.


    Back then, the government was really trying to keep it all under wraps, which didn''t work, as expected.


    Because of this, only after the Beast came out and true terror flooded the crowd like a tidal wave, did they actually have a chance to break the siege and escape to another city.


    Isaac had seen it all.


    The street that had slowly been dyed red, so dark it had seemed almost black; the pieces of flesh dangling from the reptile''s exposed teeth; humans torn in half with their guts lying around for people to walk all over them.


    He could smell the sweat of the other people; gunpowder, smoke, and the metallic stench of blood. Still, he didn''t feel the need to interfere. At least not yet. On the other hand, he had never been so close to doing so.


    If it hadn''t been for what came next.


    The video cut again. This time it was from an official news channel.


    They managed to sneak in after everyone else was busy trying to slow down the Giant Crocodile King.


    And then it happened. Two of the young people who had gone inside the Gate suddenly jumped out in a hurry. Even though the black hole had been more than twenty feet above the ground, they landed as if they had just hopped down from a particularly high curb.


    They were both very young, one male and one female. The girl was part of the Russian twin Hunters, Marisha Krasnoff, and the other was the South Korean shooting star, In-Sung Choi. They had followed the Beast out of the Dungeon and were now charging at it.


    The woman stood behind her ally, opened her arms, and activated some sort of force field. The next second, the Crocodile jumped into the crowd again, but this time it couldn''t get through. Instead, something invisible flattened its face like a frying pan.


    Accordingly, In-Sung Choi manifested something in his hand; it looked like a rather short black spear, with a double-edged blade about as long as Isaac''s forearm these days.


    He leapt into the air, gaining speed and power to land a single throw on the disoriented oversized lizard.


    His movements seemed perfectly choreographed, the strike well delivered, and with a sickeningly wet sound, the blade sliced through the Beast''s malfunctioning brain and lodged itself in the concrete beneath.


    It was a scene that could not be explained or comprehended, even by those who saw it with their own eyes.


    As the Beast screamed and twitched for one last time, the remaining humans around it stood still. Tears formed in their eyes, and some sank to the dirty ground. It really did look like hell.


    But their tears were of relief, disbelief, and hope. It was a sign that they had long since stopped believing in a new tomorrow, without even realizing it themselves.


    There was nothing left of an uneventful afternoon. It had become like this in a mere thirty minutes.

 Chapter 3: Hell on a Payroll (1)

    ¡ª <strong style="text-align: right">somewhere in the middle east, august 2022


    Crows cawed far up in the sky as the ground burned under the scorching rays of the sun. The sand moved with a gust of wind, dryly creating a dusty cloud within an ankle''s reach.


    The air seemed to tremble as the desert breathed out the heat trapped within. A piece of black cloth, torn, worn, and burnt, poked out of it.


    There was no sign of life for miles around. As a figure crouched down to dig up the origins of the cloth hidden in a dune, a low growl was heard.


    It pulled up something pale and red. So fragile that it snapped in the crouching man''s hands.


    Broken, half-black teeth sank into the pale flesh, slicing through muscle tissue, cracking bone, tearing tendons, the dried blood leaving a rusty smell in the air.


    The sound of noisy eating echoed through the void, only to be drowned out by a wailing sound. Keening, coming from a voice that crawled under the skin of all that lived, shrieked the hunched creature to drop the half-eaten arm back into the sand.


    Her appearance was like a mirage, white cloth flowing with long, blood-red hair, bleeding into the horizon behind her.


    On her cherry lips was a woeful song, mourning the deaths of the men who had fought a fierce battle under their feet.


    "You are as lovely as ever, young lady."


    Where her eyes had just been full of sadness, they turned angry at the sound of her growing audience. She looked at him, moving her head slowly and reluctantly.


    "What do you want, old man?"


    "Oh, I just dropped by to see how you were doing, young lady."


    The man in question had hair as red as her own, and eyes as red as hers. Though he was a man, his features were as beautiful as hers.


    But envy was not the reason for her scorn. A snort came from deep in her throat, unbefitting her outward appearance and cadence. "I know that''s not the truth, so why don''t you get to the point?"


    She held out a slender hand, luring her child in with a small gesture. He looked at her, fear in every detail of his posture, though there were no eyes, no skin on his rotting flesh, it was still clear as day.


    Slowly he crawled over to her, down on all fours, crept into her space and reached for his mother''s porcelain white hand. He made a gurgling sound as he was filled with terror, even though he loved her more than anything. She was the one who had raised him.


    She was his whole world, and for the few things his limited mind could comprehend, she was the center.


    As she slowly pulled him closer, he pressed against her, holding onto her dress at the waist, while she gently stroked his head.


    "Don''t. Call me. Young lady." Her words, sounding very patient but at the same time drenched in a dark undertone, made the undead at her side shudder and cower even more.


    But the only response she received was a deep chuckle. "Sorry, forgive this old man his bad habits, young lady."


    "You''re doing this on purpose, you old fart."


    Still, the man who looked so similar and yet so different from her couldn''t bring himself to take her seriously. That said, he would never underestimate her.


    "Do you know... where he is?"


    Goosebumps formed on her arms, up to her shoulders, covering the image of skeletal arms and hands strangling her neck from behind that was visible on her skin.


    She didn''t like to think about him. It made her stomach twist, something her body wasn''t supposed to do anymore.


    "I do not." It was a truthful answer she gave as she looked up at the sky.


    The clouds were gathering, the birds were still there, crows coming down to feed on the dead.


    "Right," said the young man, "I guess I should leave you to your business now."


    "You should have done that from the start."


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    Another chuckle, followed by a guttural growl as his face distorted to reveal fangs as long as an adult''s phalanx.


    "Your Nest is in America, isn''t it?"


    Frowning, she said nothing. She must have been snitched on by one of his Mudwalkers.


    "Aren''t you always saying you are some great detective?"


    "I said I''m like the greatest detective..." she started, cutting herself off, "No, forget what I said, you wouldn''t understand. What do you want?"


    "Someone is rallying people against my kin." He looked at her expectantly, leaving her speechless.


    A laugh came out of her. "I must have missed the part where that''s my problem."


    "It is, because they are close to you, and if it happens to lure him in, you won''t be safe either." For he knew what she had been trying to hide for so long.


    A pang of fear hit her for a moment, but vanished as suddenly as it came. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I won''t reveal myself to him, so our Brother won''t have to deal with me either."


    Smiling, he put a hand on his short top hat and lifted it for a second in greeting before the shadow at his feet came to life. It rose into the air like a living creature and swallowed the more than six-foot-tall man whole.


    When he was gone, the woman stood motionless, looking down at her familiar.


    Where there was war, there she had been. It had always been that way. He could have found her easily. He had no interest in her and it showed.


    There was no need to be nervous. None at all.


    ¡ª an abandoned building in portland, oregon, september 2022


    The clatter of chairs being adjusted was the only sound to be heard in the rundown old auditorium, full of graffiti and cracked windows. The brittle brick walls seemed only a few years away from collapsing in on themselves as a group of high school students, a few young adults, a few older attendees, and a strangely stern woman held their meeting inside.


    She had found most of them through an online forum focused on the occult; others had been brought in by attendees through word of mouth.


    She was proud of herself. The young woman, whose age was hard to guess, took it upon herself to educate these insects about their own survival.


    As she stood on the podium in front of them, that was all she could do to mitigate the effects of that damned monster.


    "Just so we are clear, what do you know about vampires?"


    Only empty and confused looks were thrown back at her. Suddenly, they were part of the conversation when they had been mere spectators, ignored by the main act.


    She sighed in frustration, but didn''t forget her mission for a second. "Garlic? That''s just a spice. And flowing water? I think they can swim through it."


    A confused bystander shrugged at her words, but shrank a foot when she caught him with her piercing gaze.


    "What about sunlight...?" a frightened mortal managed to say.


    "Good question. Nightwalkers can''t walk in the sun, they burn. You can easily recognize them by their eyes. They''re a muddy red - that''s why we call them Mudwalkers. But Daywalkers, fully developed vampires, can easily walk in the sun, so even that isn''t really safe."


    "So they are basically Blade?" A young man asked, laughing with his friends, while the woman talking to them stared at them sternly.


    "What blade?" the brown-haired woman asked.


    They had met there because some crazy fanatics had said they would meet a girl who would talk to them about vampires. Of course, all the goths in the school tried to get a place in their row, so the clowns had to come to make fun of them.


    What they had not expected, however, was the level of seriousness in this old building. When they had first stood in front of it, they had feared that someone might actually kidnap them and offer them to their dark lord. But now, they felt like they were attending a Bible study led by a tweet-wearing, virgin, pastor''s daughter with a broomstick propping up her spinal column.


    Meanwhile, she was still trying to figure out what they were saying, but it looked like a threat in their eyes, causing the jester to meekly clear his throat.


    "Blade is a person, not a thing," the slightly frightened teenager explained, "he''s a comic book hero who''s half vampire and fights vampires."


    "A half vampire?" Sonya replied with a question of her own, "Dhampires don''t exist, they''re a myth. Daywalkers aren''t halves, they''re full-grown vampires, and they''re many things, but they''re not heroes."


    "Then how can we protect ourselves?" asked another young man.


    "Domain." That one word seemed to carry a lot of weight; a weight they could not yet estimate. "Every vampire has one, it means a lot to them on a fundamental level. A wandering vampire is a lost vampire." She paused for a moment and sighed, seemingly reminiscing about things that had happened in the past, "It could be part of their design, or maybe it''s part of their soul. What you consider your home, or a place where you feel safe and comfortable, is also the place where you''re safe from them - even if that place turns out to be a hotel room. That is what a Domain is."


    "What if there''s a window open?"


    It was a younger participant who had asked, but one of the older citizens, a man probably in his forties, glared at her as if he dared her to answer that question.


    "It doesn''t matter as long as you don''t let them in. It''s like a spell," she said, "once you say it out loud, you make it real. So you have to let them into your Domain. Otherwise they cannot reach you." She took a breath and looked around once more. "An open window won''t let them in, but a vampire''s duress also works through windows. So make sure you hide, sleep in the sink if you have to."


    "Is that all we have to do?" asked a young girl in a short black skirt, metal-studded leather boots, and lots of fishnet, with a broad choker covering her entire neck. Her hair was blonde, a frizzy mop on her head as she pushed up her big pair of glasses.


    "Just don''t. Let. Them. In." And the moment she uttered those words, her audience fell silent.


    They had let her speak, half certain that she must be messing with them. But the way she had just spoken, it was obvious that she wasn''t just spouting nonsense.


    Of course, they had no doubt that it was nonsense, at least most of them didn''t, but they were sure that she wasn''t fooling them. She really believed every word and felt strongly about it as well.


    It took a few moments for her to realize that something wasn''t right. But the thought came at the same moment as a deafening sound broke her awkward silence.


    Glass flew across the room, a screeching noise cut into her eardrums, and then all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 4: Hell on a Payroll (2)

    ¡ª lincoln high school portland, oregon, september 2022


    It truly was hell. In the video and in his memory. But these people who had appeared out of nowhere came to save them. They kept the monster from killing them. That''s all they knew and all they cared about.


    Back then, Ellen had held Isaac in a suffocating embrace. It was as if she had decided that they were going to die, so she preferred to die holding on to each other regardless of how far away they had gotten from the scene already.


    He had only seen the Hunters in passing, as they had finally made it out in their car shortly after the two had jumped down from the Gate.


    The end of the video was marked by a superimposed message that read: "I hope you liked it, I tried my best to commemorate the first appearance of our Sunbae."


    From the looks of it, the video could have been made by the very person who showed it to them. "I haven''t seen this in a while."


    "Actually, I think I never saw the whole thing. Just a few parts." The comment was made by one of the girls around him.


    "Why did you pull that one out?" It was Isaac who asked, wondering if he was even allowed to, since he was watching something of his own volition that wasn''t exactly meant for him.


    The blonde girl tugged at one of the three piercings in her ear, seemingly confused by his question. "You know it''s been exactly twelve years, right?"


    He was aware of that, as today was his sixteenth birthday. "Sure."


    It was a busy day at school. Though not much busier than any other. Voices could be heard from every corner, whispers, laughter, and boisterous calls.


    Meanwhile, she just blinked at him with her green eyes. "Did you not hear? That Choi In-Sung is coming from South Korea, I mean."


    "All the way to Portland? No way!" another particularly excited freshman exclaimed in visible surprise.


    He mentally noted that it wasn''t just him that wasn''t in on it.


    She quickly searched for something on her phone. "Totally yes way!" Rue announced, proudly showing off her screen again, this time a social media site about how to meet the great In-Sung Choi.


    "On that note, did you read the post on the Lincoln High forum yesterday?" the one from before asked.


    "Does anyone ever read shit on that forum?" another freshman asked.


    Rue cocked her head. "Our school has a forum?"


    Laughter ensued, but they went on to talk about some random post claiming to be about an after-school study class. But none of the teachers approved it, so it was taken down.


    "Apparently it was a scam or something? Maybe a joke, I don''t know, but the poster talked about teaching protection from the vile of dark influences and stuff, like a real Chuunibyou wrote that."


    Since the conversation had clearly moved on, Isaac just nodded and walked past them with an indifferent look on his face as he looked at his watch. Well, this was one way to pass time.


    Only two more hours and he could go home. In reality, he couldn''t care less about one or two Hunters.


    The excited group didn''t seem to care about his lack of enthusiasm either. He had been an arbitrary addition to them anyway.


    A long yawn passed his lips as he stretched his arms a little before reaching for his locker to get his things for the next lesson.


    Suddenly, with a crash, the locker door he had just opened slammed shut in front of him, narrowly missing his hand that was still trying to take a book out of the compartment.


    He blinked slowly at the firmly closed door as an arm wrapped itself uncomfortably around his neck and shoulder.


    "Hey, Layer, how are you today?" he grunted into his ear.


    ''Your breath stinks,'' he thought. "As good as always."


    "I was thinking, since we''re such good friends, we could go up to the roof together. Share a smoke, drink some coke. How about it?" He made it sound like something fun.


    Isaac hated the smell of cigarette smoke. "Sorry, I got a history lesson to catch. Maybe you should go too."


    He didn''t seem to take kindly to Isaac''s answer, but pretended to be okay with it. "Sure, go learn about dinosaurs ''n crap, I''ll wait upstairs. I trust you won''t forget to come up later?"


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    The boy wanted to sigh in retaliation, but stopped himself. Instead, he nodded and finally retrieved the history book he had come to get in the first place.


    Meanwhile, the upperclassman was on his way back to where he came from. He disappeared with one last punch against the metal, which buckled slightly under the force of his fist.


    His name was Hayden Chace, an upperclassman asshole who was about to graduate from this ordinary high school, even though he wasn''t. He had been an Awakened since his freshmen year.


    Since then, he had acted like a king to the peasants, no matter where he went or who he talked to.


    Even the staff, be it teachers or janitors, couldn''t handle him. If it weren''t for the compulsory education law, he wouldn''t be there anymore.


    It was only about five years ago that the government decided it was a shame that every run-of-the-mill Awakened was deluding themselves to make millions in the Hunter business.


    That wasn''t always the case, though - in fact, it often resulted in an early death. Especially those with very low ratings wouldn''t get very far. It soon became common practice to check someone''s Rank before allowing them to participate in any kind of Raid.


    Just like in a video game, Ranks and Classes were assigned based on Mana output and Skill profession. You needed Mana to use the Skills you got from your supporting Authority. If you couldn''t gather enough in your body, there would be no chance that you could survive a serious fight.


    And even if you could, how strong could your opponent get before you were overpowered? They would tell you that according to your Rank - from Rank F all the way up to SSS.


    Isaac sat in his seat and watched as a frantic middle-aged man tried to sort through the different colors of chalk he had at his disposal. He seemed to be trying to draw something on the blackboard to visualize what he was saying, while Isaac was busy tugging at his plain green shirt.


    It was a little too baggy for him, but since his physique was so slender, he had to put up with it. Of course, he could just work out and make up for his lack of width with some muscle, but that would require him to... well, to work out.


    He wasn''t going to do that. Which led him back to tugging at the hem of his shirt to make it appear as if it fit.


    No wonder his mother, Ellen Layer, kept joking that next time she would send him to a tailor to get something cut to his size. He didn''t like that thought either; emphasizing his stature wouldn''t make it any better.


    Looking up, he saw the picture their teacher was trying to draw. It wasn''t so much a picture as it was some kind of diagram.


    Different colors were used to show the different ways in which power ran around the globe as it was. Who controlled whom? To what extent and for what purpose?


    "For twelve years now, our society has adapted to this system and what it can give us," he explained as he finished drawing an archbow across the board, connecting what he had drawn to represent UNHA and the open world market, "and it has become both a crutch and a safety net for us. But what about the consequences? What do you think would happen if we weren''t very careful with the peace it''s given us?"


    The classroom fell silent, replaced by murmurs, rustling, and the sound of chairs being constantly pushed and adjusted. The teacher scanned all the faces before settling on a girl in the second row.


    He pointed to her with the chalk between his fingers. "Shirley, what do you think? Any ideas?" Poor Shirley.


    She shrugged her petite shoulders after realizing she had to answer that one with something. Anything at all. "Uh, you know, I guess if there was a Dungeon Break..." Her voice got thinner and thinner.


    "If the American UNHA was betrayed by a branch from another country, what could we do about it?" Mr. Bremer was on fire that day, he actually felt a little confident whenever he was in the middle of a lesson.


    "Nothing?" mused Shirley.


    "That''s right. It would be almost impossible to do anything but declare all-out war. But that wouldn''t help any of us, would it? Us normal people," he pointed out, "and I understand there are a few Awakened even among our students, since it''s fairly normal to Awaken in childhood or adolescence. Still, most of us are ordinary people. What do we do when an organization like the Japanese National Hunters Association, for example, which is quite large, suddenly decides to go against the bylaws of the United Nations Hunters Association, causing a rift between these two large factions? Being privy to knowledge that no one even in the regular part of the government has, as well as all the power and material they have on their hands, they could start a war even without the approval of the country they are a part of."


    "But they couldn''t just do that. Hunters don''t betray their homeland like that - why would they fight for their country at all, if they would just turn around and take a dump on it?" The one who chimed in was a boy with black hair who sat all the way at the back of the classroom.


    "To be honest, there are a lot of Hunters who are just in it for the money. We all know that, Dean. What if you were someone who dreamed of a great fortune and even risked your life to get it, but didn''t end up getting it? Of course, there''s a lot of money to be made in Dungeons, but not every Hunter has the privilege of making it that far. In lower scoring Dungeons, what you get might support a mediocre lifestyle, but it won''t make you extremely rich. There''s no regular salary, you only get what you earn, and even that isn''t paid out in full, considering taxes, merchants, and management percentages that have to be deducted. Now, what if someone who was in that situation was offered the real fortune he was looking for? What..."


    Before he could get another word out, he was interrupted by a bell ringing loudly above their heads. It didn''t take a minute for the first student to run out and find their freedom.


    Mr. Bremer could only lament the fact that the bell had more authority over his students than he did, as he watched his audience thin out.


    Isaac, too, would be one of those leaving. He gathered his things and headed for the door, where someone suddenly appeared and blocked his path.


    "If it isn''t little Isaac," the upperclassman greeted him, giving him a once-over.


    "I didn''t know I was considered small," was all he said in response. He had grown beyond 5''8" after all.


    "Hayden wants you to go with me."


    "What if I say no?"


    "Well, I was just told to make sure you remembered your date."


    "I don''t remember ever agreeing to that." There was a unique irony in someone like him being threatened by someone like Hayden Chace, delivered by a boy who had barely been weaned. "Now, if you''ll excuse me..."


    Again, the student he did not even know was preventing him from leaving. "I don''t", he said, "you gotta come up with me. I won''t say it again."


    ''Somebody thinks himself wise'', Isaac thought. "All right. But I don''t have much time."


    The ill-bred boy, Anton, scoffed at his remark. "That''s not for you to worry about."


    Yes, true, it would have been his mother who would have worried. "Just make it quick."


    The entrance to the roof of this block of buildings was supposed to be locked. But that was almost never the case. That was why it was now crawling with students, all up to no good.

 Chapter 5: The Boy and the Bet (1)

    ¡ª lincoln high school portland, oregon, september 2022


    He looked around the roof with a condescending expression. There were those who smelled of cigarettes, those who smelled of alcohol, and some who obviously had both. He wondered if they had been hiding up here all day.


    Some of them seemed to be in his grade, they all looked a bit like him. Short, scrawny, timid, braces, glasses, freckles... Losers came in all shapes and sizes after all.


    "See those girls over there?" At the words of Hayden Chace himself, sitting like a king in the midst of them, everyone looked in the same place.


    A group of three girls, dressed in surprisingly light attire, stood off to the side, just observing. One of them, the one in the middle, shrugged her shoulders and put the cell phone she was holding in her pocket.


    What were the others supposed to say? They said nothing in response to his exclamation, merely waiting for him to make a point.


    "So these girls told me they would go out with us," he told them proudly, "but only if I showed them what I could do. They were curious, y''know? About the powers of an Awakened. You can understand that, right?"


    Again, no one said anything.


    "So," he continued, rising from his throne of stacked old pallets with a jacket on top, "I thought I could show them. There''s just one catch: I don''t get any training equipment or sparring partners because I can''t officially learn until after high school."


    "What does that have to do with us?" The boy who asked wore thick glasses, and despite the mild weather, sweat rolled down his forehead as he looked anxiously at the older students.


    "Y''know, I thought I could use y''all for the time being."


    "Awakeners aren''t allowed to use their powers on normal people," another said, "don''t think you can do that without getting into trouble."


    "Who would report me? Y''all will?"


    The question seemed idiotic. There were more than a handful of witnesses, and not all of them were friends of his. But when he said it, you could feel the fear around them, emanating from almost everyone who came here the same way Isaac did. Even from Hayden''s supposed friends.


    It was a sight to behold and Isaac could only laugh inwardly as he watched.


    Without further ado, Hayden walked towards the one he had spoken to first. He sped up on his way, charging right at him to land a kick to his side.


    All of this happened quickly. So fast, in fact, that Isaac could barely follow it with his human eyes. All he heard was the thud of feet on the concrete floor and a loud ''clank''.


    He must have redirected himself, using a pipe protruding from the wall to get a foothold when he turned. The pipe in question, sticking out of the wall next to the exit, was slightly dented.


    The next thing they saw was the boy with the thick glasses caving in on one side and basically flying straight across the roof. If it weren''t for the thin safety fence of wire stretched around the ledge, he might have simply fallen off the four-story building.


    This time no one said anything because they really couldn''t. It looked like he might have died from the impact, so one of Hayden''s cronies had to go check on him.


    "I didn''t actually kick him that hard. I mean, yeah, I pretty much sent him flying, but I mean, I usually kick him about ten times in one place. So this one kick made up for ten. He should be fine, right?"


    The girls seemed a little pale after watching that "show" that had been put on just for them. Only the one in front, who had reacted to Hayden earlier, suddenly cracked a crooked smile at him.


    "Well, I thought you were just fucking around when you said there were scouts looking for you," she said.


    Hearing that, the Awakened acted hurt. "What? You don''t believe me? But my sponsor is [The Love], so even the big Guilds want me. This ain''t no joke. I just have to wait a few more months until I graduate."


    Isaac, on the other hand, was still focused on the boy who was kicked. He slowly walked over to him until he was mere steps away. He was still squirming on the ground and seemed to be shaking a little.


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    Even though it appeared that he really got by, he didn''t want to go through the same thing himself.


    Shaking his head in defeat, he admitted to himself that he was done with this game and turned on his heels to head for the door that led back inside. Only a hand that appeared on his shoulder stopped him.


    Looking back at who held him back, he expected to see Hayden or the guy he had sent to get him earlier.


    What he did not expect was one of those three female students. One of the two who hadn''t really made themselves known yet grabbed him and led him back.


    "You want to leave already? That''s so sad," she said in a way that made the sophomore want to run even faster.


    "You''re right, I thought you were so cute. How about us?" the other one joked on cue.


    Narrowing his eyes until they were almost slits, Isaac looked at the two girls, a redhead and a black-haired one, as they came uncomfortably close for no reason.


    "You see, I also brought you here because I thought I could help you get a girlfriend. One girl is enough for me, but you''re such a loner. Don''t you care what others think of you?"


    ''As a matter of fact, no,'' Isaac thought to himself.


    Completely stunned by this moronic turn of events, he blinked blankly at the group and then closed his eyes for a second.


    "Do we seriously need to see this through?" Something inside him began to light up, though Hayden just continued to eye him.


    He didn''t know why, but some things were just inexcusable to him. Having to deal with this right now was one of them. It might have been the same flame lit that cost him his last life.


    In the end, he could lay low, but he would never be low. Finally, he let out a deep sigh.


    "I''m just not going to stay here. Take your girls and be done with it." His calm gray eyes locked with Hayden''s dark brown ones.


    The Awakened noticed that something had changed, but couldn''t quite put his finger on what it was.


    "What? Can''t get it up? Is that it?" the girl with the black hair said, trying to egg him on and play her part.


    With that, the redhead chimed in: "Even so, if you leave now, you will regret it."


    These obnoxious people were so upsetting to him that he genuinely wanted to do things he would regret later. It wouldn''t make sense for him to want to stay here after what he had seen. Their logic was flawed from the start.


    On that note, even if this one kick had been enough to impress them, Isaac couldn''t imagine that Hayden Chace had gathered at least five people and brought them here just to give himself a better choice of who to send flying.


    And he was right. "Well, I thought we could spar a little while we''re at it. Maybe you can impress one of the girls, too. How about it?" He was just bored.


    Isaac closed his eyes and shook his head. "I''m out of here. And I think you should get this guy an ambulance, by the way."


    "If you think we should help him, why don''t you help him yourself?"


    "Because it''s not my responsibility."


    "Wow, that''s pretty cold, you know?" Hayden smirked, he found his behavior quite amusing.


    Of course, he was sure that Isaac was acting calm to put up a front, but he thought it was cute to watch.


    By now, almost everyone on the roof was busy doing different things. The girls were busy trying to get on the good side of the Awakened, while some of the other students were either frozen in fear or trying to help their fallen classmate.


    But Hayden Chace focused solely on Isaac, as he was the only one trying to blatantly walk out on him. "Is this really how you''re going to behave? I''m the one who''s going to be saving your ass from monsters in the future, y''know? Don''t you want to show me some respect?"


    "You''re not the only Hunter around," the blond boy stated the obvious. This back and forth was getting tedious.


    "Watch your words, Loser." It was a threatening tone that didn''t sit well with the black-haired one.


    At a loss with this asinine conversational partner, Isaac whipped around to finally face him properly. "You know what? Let''s make a bet. If I win, you will leave us all alone forever."


    The surprise and concern on the faces of those who were included in that "us" was clear to see. Their eyes lit up at what those words would mean to them.


    At the same time, most of the onlookers were strangely taken aback by how calmly and easily the younger student spoke to the man who had been ordering them around all day.


    To them, the scene in front of them was nothing short of ridiculous, and if someone had told them about it an hour ago, they would have declared them insane.


    To this day, Isaac had never really been on the radar of these delinquents. They were dimly aware of his existence, but never really interacted with him.


    He might have been one of those they usually targeted, but it was that kind of unusual air about him that made them ignore him this long. He just didn''t seem like much fun to them.


    At that very moment, Hayden seriously wondered how he had ever come to that faulty conclusion.


    He arched an eyebrow, slightly irritated but also intrigued. "Okay, what bet? And what do I get if I win?"


    The young brute hadn''t seen this turn of events coming, but he didn''t particularly worry about it either.


    "I''m not very muscular, you know that. And you''re an Awakened, so anything physical would be unfair."


    "Sure. At least you know." Another grin crept across his dark-toned lips.


    "How about this: I can tell you where and when In-Sung Choi is going to land in Portland. You''d want to know, wouldn''t you? Being a future ''world famous'' Hunter and all."


    He seemed even more intrigued. "If you can get me to meet him, you win."


    "I never said that I could help you ''meet'' him. You have to do that part yourself." This was getting annoying. He wasn''t his babysitter, what could he do if Hayden screwed up on his own? "I can''t guarantee something that''s out of my control. What if it''s in a place you can''t get to?"


    "Well, that''s your problem. In that case, you lose." It was that simple in his eyes.


    Isaac gritted his teeth, already tired of this game his own hubris had gotten him into. "Fine. I''ll tell you tomorrow - after school, right here. I''ll arrange for you to meet him. After that, leave us alone."


    A mischievous grin crept across the other''s face.


    "Obviously. It''s a debt of honor, after all."

 Chapter 6: The Boy and the Bet (2)

    ¡ª a back alley somewhere in portland, oregon, september 2022


    ''Really,'' the hooded man thought as he hurriedly passed through a winding back alley, ''I should not have taken this job.''


    There were a handful of clubs around that area, all of them full of drunken people, dancing and frolicking around, how was he supposed to find his contact in this mess?


    He had understood why they approached him. He was supposed to be there anyway and nobody would have questioned him too much. It was safer this way, so he had said he would do it, even though he had no obligation towards the American National Hunters Association at all.


    Sighing, there was nothing he could do about it now, might as well take it seriously then. As he walked past a bunch of trash bags piling up at the back door of some establishment he didn''t want to think about too deeply, a lout clatter surprised him.


    Alarmed, he focused his sight, scanning his surroundings, until a soft mewing broke his tension. A small white cat pushed her head through some bins a few feet away from him, as he crouched down and helped her out of her confinement. Of course, a cat would always be able to help herself out of such a struggle, but helping couldn''t hurt either.


    He petted the small creature, carefully pushing away some trash that had fallen down and stuck to her fur. The small animal''s face contorted in the blink of an eye and an aggressive hissing sound was thrown in his direction.


    No, not in his direction, but in the direction of something closely behind him. He jumped up, grabbing the cat as gently as possible, landing about five feet away. Where he was standing just a fraction of a second ago, a blade had dug deeply into the unpaved ground.


    "Love what you''ve done with the place," he said, looking at the knife wielding maniac, standing there staring him down.


    "You think you''re funny?"


    "I''m told I am, though I like staying humble about it."


    The woman crooked and eyebrow, shaking her head and drawing a second knife out of her pocket. "What is a rat like you doing here?"


    "I''m not a rat," the man said, a short black strand peeking out from under the hood of his tracksuit jacket, "I''m here to perform a little audit."


    "An audit?"


    "Yes, I was generously employed to do just that."


    "And how does that not make you a rat?"


    "Well, I never pretended to be part of your little club," he stated truthfully, "I simply went to see if everything was as you have reported annually to the Hunters Association." Not like that was a secret.


    Sure, he wasn''t a regular auditor by any means, but they did bring him in for that reason. They thought it was better to leave things like that to people who had the means to take care of it. And an audit had long since been overdue on these folks.


    The girl with the short blond bob just stared him down. Her empty, rusty red eyes bore into him, trying to figure out if what he said was the truth.


    Her kin had a lot of trouble these days. Someone uninvited coming over to sniff around didn''t sit well with her.


    They both remained in their positions: The woman whose age was hard to estimate, standing there with a throwing knife in her hand, ready to tear into her opponent ¨C and the man, with a small cat in his arms, petting her surprisingly soft white fur.


    Only when a loud engine revving disturbed their mutual silence, did they break eye contact and turn into the noise''s direction simultaneously. At that very moment a motorcycle drifted through the narrow passage, with shocking ease at that, and on it was a person clad in a one pieced pitch black leather suit.


    The suit didn''t exactly leave the question open if the wearer was male or female, as one could easily make out the curves and details of a well rounded body beneath it.


    On her head, she wore a helmet, reflecting barely any of scarce light thrown in by the few lanterns lighting up this otherwise dark alley.


    ''Cat ears,'' he remarked in his head, noticing the two very distinct triangular protrusions formed at the top of her helmet, which was as pitch black as her suit.


    "You must be the auditor they sent us," she said, voice muffled by her gear, sounding young, maybe in her late teens or early twenties.


    "I am," the young man confirmed without hesitation, "so you must be my contact then."


    "I am," she copied his reply down to his tone and then looked at the bob-lady, which was only clear because the dark toned glass of her helmet was now directed at her. "Return to your post."


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    As if struck by lightning, the blond woman instantly jolted and nodded her head. "Understood, my lady."


    She pulled the knife out of the ground before turning around on her heels and vanishing into the darkness behind her, as fast as she had shown up. He watched her long after she was already gone, wondering what all of this was even about, until he heard someone clear their throat next to him.


    "Oh," he uttered, "sorry, I got distracted. You really do command your subordinates well, young lady."


    "Not me," was all she said about the topic, turning around and heading towards her bike, "follow me, auditor. Or should I call you ''Hunter''?"


    "Either is fine, thank you for your consideration." He truly meant it, he liked her polite personality. Even the kitten in his arms seemed to have calmed down with her attitude.


    "You are aware that this is not only about us and our conduct, right?"


    "I''m somewhat in the know, yes."


    "The Werewolves," the mysterious rider started, "they have been going out of bounds for a while now. They need to stop, or we will make them stop."


    With a bit of an insecure expression, he considered her words while slowly following her out onto the main street. "That would be bad." And that put it very mildly.


    Not that it was any of his business per se, but it might as well become his business if this "beef" was to branch out far enough. It was a dangerous game they played on the backs of innocent humans.


    Dungeon Gates were already troublesome enough, but they managed to find a way in which they could live a more or less secure life in this world again. If Werewolves and Vampires started to duke it out in the middle of humanity''s cities, it would be outright biblical in how much destruction awaited them. Especially since humans, under regular circumstances, were not made aware of the fact that they even existed.


    Only humans could enter through the protective membrane that was spread over a Dungeon''s Gate, and not just any human either, but only a human with an active connection to Solomon''s System. Any Awakened could pass through, but only a trained Hunter would actually stand a chance.


    A lot of them died prematurely, which was also a reason why he had to hold a speech one of these days. Part of his payment was the contractual agreement of the ANHA to back up his political stance.


    In short, their current political climate was already catching heat on all instances, so even if there weren''t Vampires and Werewolves threatening them with a war, there already was enough to worry about.


    ''Especially those Watchtower guys,'' he thought, ''there''s not a single quite minute with those around.''


    No, breaking the news of two races that weren''t very important in the fight against the Gates unless there was a Break, would tilt the public order beyond repair, he was sure of it. And he wasn''t the only one who thought this way.


    About a ten minute walk later, they had arrived in front of another run down looking night club, with his contact handing her bike to a dark-haired man standing by the door. As she inched closer to the entrance, her helmet turned around once more.


    There was no further movement, so it was him who slowly looked around first, being stared down without ever seeing the other''s eyes. Only after another minute had passed, did he realize what she was so intently concentrating on.


    "Do you want to pet it?" he asked, pointing at the cat still wary in his arms. "She has calmed down a lot."


    The helmet suddenly moved in a slow but jerky motion, as he realized she was shaking her head. "You have to put it down before we go in," she said monotonously, "and it wouldn''t like me touching it anyway."


    Her last words had been quiet, but he caught them. "It''s the nightwalkers they don''t like, so it will surely allow you," he said only half joking, as he was obviously in the presence of an upper ranked Vampire, "I''m sure you will regret it later."


    Despite his words, he could tell by the looks of the dark-haired man, who had returned from parking the motorcycle someplace else, and a taller man with light brown hair in front of him, that he should likely stop fooling around. He put down the kitten and held up his hands.


    "I come in peace," he said, letting them pat down his jacket and pants, "I am unarmed."


    "Is that so?" the dark-haired man said and his breath and three-piece-suit carried the smell of cigarettes, "What is that?"


    The man pulled something out of the long pocket at the side of his left thigh. "For emergencies," he said, pointing at a travel toothbrush and a tiny tube of paste, "don''t we all want such shiny teeth as you do so effortlessly?"


    The man, Kristoff, put the toothbrush back into the pocket, deciding there was nothing there to worry about.


    "Let him in," Kristoff said to his colleague, with the young lady already long gone, "the sooner he is in, the sooner he will be out."


    "It won''t take me longer than a week." In the first place, he wasn''t planning on staying in the country for longer than a week, so people would start asking questions if it took him any longer. "I will leave myself in your capable hands for as long as I stay."


    "Name?" the man with the light brown hair said, not even showing a polite smile.


    "In-Sung", he said then thought about it, "Choi In-Sung."


    The bouncer nodded, opening the heavy looking door behind him to let the world class Hunter enter, with Kristoff following closely behind.


    "Louis," the black haired man looked back over his shoulder to give one last command, "check the surroundings. It''s a busy night."


    With that, the both of them headed toward the innermost room of the club that is also known as Euphoria. On the inside, it didn''t look rundown anymore, but elegant instead. That was only true for the interior though, not for its clientele.


    Embarrassed, Choi In-Sung turned his highly red face away from the crowd of people in several if not all stages of compromising positions ¨C all compromising positions that he could think of. The irony smell of blood permeated the establishment, the deeper they went into it.


    This was also part of his job to look into, so he couldn''t ignore it entirely, but there didn''t seem anything out of the ordinary as he had papers regarding the things he was supposed to verify.


    "Those humans," he spoke softly, "they seem to be here voluntarily."


    "They are here voluntarily." Kristoff Peridot was no man of many words, yet he had to sigh and answer this simpleton anyway. "They are paid and mostly in it for the thrill."


    "Will they remember any of it later?"


    "They will remember some of it," he said, "but most of it will be blurry due to the Vampire''s unique saliva. The rest can be done by Duress. It''s not that hard to manipulate a weak human''s mind."


    "Sounds trustworthy." The gravity of where he was and what he was about to do had only now started to sink in. ''I really should not have taken this job.''


    They eventually arrived at a room in the basement, where a young girl with long, wavy, blossom pink hair was standing and waiting for them, black leather suit still in place. He had already gone through all the possible excuses in his head, yet came to no logically working end, as he officially shook her hand.


    ''Aish,'' Choi thought with some gravity to this sentiment, ''I guess there''s no turning back now, eh?''

 Chapter 7: The Eyes of a Crow (1)

    ¡ª somewhere in portland, oregon, september 2022


    "Alright, can you tell me what you see in the last column? We''re almost done, kiddo."


    "A-E-Y-Z-W-F."


    "That''s it. Perfect score. As always. There seems to be no change to the sight of your left eye whatsoever."


    "Sounds terrific," Isaac commented while getting up from the patient''s chair that he''s been using to face projections on a screen for quite some time now.


    "No, I mean it," the black haired woman reassured him, as she was busy looking at the chart in front of her, "You got the eye of a hawk there."


    He cracked a smile at that. "Why not the eye of a crow?"


    Surprised, she looked up at him, but shook her head and laughed instead of saying anything. She knew he didn''t want to hear how good his left eye was. He normally didn''t show it, but being born the way he was, it was such a shame and unfair, in her opinion. He must have been quite sad about it.


    At least, that was what she thought, but in reality, he had gotten used to it a very long time ago and didn''t care anymore. His right eye didn''t bother him much to begin with, anyway.


    "I need to get going now, my parents are waiting for me," he said as he turned away.


    The doctor, Diana Stevens, was still looking at him from behind, brows furrowed whilst repositioning her thickly rimmed glasses, as she called out to him one last time: "Happy Birthday, Isaac. See you next time."


    They both knew it would be his last appointment with her and she was worried he would take it badly, but as she had known Isaac for quite a while, she was sure he would adjust better than anyone else.


    ''He''s a fighter,'' she confirmed with herself.


    She had been his physician ever since the Layers had moved to Portland, even though after the Awakened had appeared, she had gone from being specialized in children and the adolescent, to specializing in Awakened. In fact, Isaac shouldn''t have been in her care for at least two years anymore, but he liked the routine and since he was always healthy as a horse, all she had to do was check his left eye for any changes.


    They needed doctors to check on their health as often and had a lot of things that one had to know. And she was finally approved of taking on this special challenge, officially changing the label on her profession. And with all of that said, she still felt terrible about leaving him hanging.


    Whereas she was still lost in thought, the boy nodded and shot her a glance over his left shoulder, before leaving the office and strolling out onto the streets of Portland, knowing nothing of his Doctor''s plight. A quick check on his phone told him it was close to 05:00 pm on a beautiful September 22nd, 2022. Exactly twelve years ago, in September 2010, the world became a mess, as the first public Gate had appeared in the air above Seattle ¨C introducing the beauty of Dungeon Breaks along with it.


    It was also Isaacs birthday back then ¨C he felt like it might have been an omen, but nothing big had ever happened again on that same date. Meanwhile, he let the fresh air fill his lungs, watching countless people swarm the streets around him like a bunch of ants.


    In between those ants, he could see some trees planted on little spots along the roadside. They had all turned into variations of orange, brown and reddish colors. It was almost October, after all. A smile crept up on his face, as a faint memory started to invade his thoughts.


    "Elijah, let''s watch the autumn leaves together this year, okay?" He felt as if he heard her voice in his head, calling him by a name he hadn''t used in such a long time.


    A voice that wasn''t real; that couldn''t be real. It was accompanied by a distant sense of pain, making him unconsciously cover his right eye with one hand.


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    Yes, there was nothing good about knowing what wasn''t wrong with his left eye, as long as there was so much grief in knowing what was wrong with the right one.


    Elijah, now Isaac Layer, shook his head and drove the thoughts away. It wouldn''t do him good to get distracted like this. It was like this every year around this time, so he should have already gotten used to it by now, he thought. How long had it been? He knew it on the dot, but wouldn''t acknowledge it.


    Instead, he changed sideways and headed back.


    In the first place, the day wasn''t supposed to be very eventful. Walking into his home, being greeted by an annoyed look, piercing him from the side, all he wanted was to go to bed and take a nap. Too bad he still had work to do. So he glanced over into the living room, watching his little brother play on his handheld console, while giving Isaac the stink eye.


    "Mom said you shouldn''t play so much, Riley," Isaac brought to attention, which was apparently uncalled for, as the fifteen-year-old gave a short snort in return.


    "What do you care?"


    Actually, he wasn''t really Isaac''s brother so much as he was his cousin. His maternal aunt, a woman with a shady background, died during the 28. Dungeon Break known to men, which was the third Gate opening to the public eye in the United States.


    At the beginning, Dungeons tended to break a lot ¨C an awful lot, in fact ¨C especially during the first three years after the initial catastrophe. That''s how long it took for the government to understand that bombing away at the Gates would make them break sooner rather than later.


    ''What amazing insight,'' Isaac thought to himself and shook his head.


    Another snort was heard, coming from his not-brother Riley who thought this gesture was meant for him. "Mom also said you should come home right after school."


    "I was out on an appointment."


    "You?" he asked, sarcastically, looking up from his game device in pretend-shock.


    "Yes, to check-up on my eyes."


    The black haired teen flinched at this, but didn''t say anything this time. No wonder his mother didn''t say anything after being annoyed at first, when Isaac didn''t arrive on time.


    The younger sibling might have his gripes with the older one, but he wasn''t going to stoop so low as to make a provocative comment on Isaac being born blind in one eye.


    ''It''s a good thing that he doesn''t seem to have a problem with his left eye as well,'' he thought.


    Otherwise, he might have had to feel bad for him or something.


    "Either way, if you have nothing else to add, I will go up to my room until Mom calls me down," the brown haired said, taking off his shoes, jacket and the thin scarf that he was wearing outside.


    "Do whatever." Lying back down on the couch to play, Riley decided to stop paying him any mind.


    Upstairs, in the room he called his own, the first thing Isaac did was locking the door behind him. Then he opened up the window next to his bed, sitting cross legged on top of his bedspread, staring off into the far distance.


    He calmed himself and concentrated. If you looked at him like that, you would have thought he was meditating with his eyes open, but that wasn''t it. Air seemed to fluctuate around his posture, swaying his light shirt and the soft strands of his hair ¨C though it wasn''t truly the air that moved it.


    It was something that manifested and moved around him, with no shape, nor color, yet with overwhelming presence; tangible, vivid, feeling a little heavy, even as it was as light and ticklish as a feather. It moved around him as if it was happy to be there, relieved to be called upon and eager to show its power only to him.


    But as soon as it was there, it vanished and the air that was shoved and whipped around, regained its original tranquility. Where did that energy go? It seemed to have dissipated, but that was also not true. Instead, it flowed right into the boy at its center, using his blood vessels as a path to circulate through his scrawny figure and invigorate this weak vessel. It was hard to do that and he only learned this method a couple of names ago.


    Originally, his body shouldn''t have been able to let the flow course through him at all and it wasn''t like he could make it his own, either. He could only tug lightly at this energy while being in this state, trying out a few of the things that he should normally be able to do easily.


    Sighing, he closed his eyes and led the foreign energy into his inner sight. Upon opening his lids again, he could already tell the difference. Seeing farther into the distance, feeling a greater sense of height and freedom, as if he was outside, flying through the sky.


    A feeling of weightlessness filled his very being, despite him sitting in place, without moving an inch. But there was also a sense of discomfort that came with it, slowly but surely turning into pain.


    As if someone was scratching at his eyeballs from within; a hand trying to dig through his eye sockets in order to break out of his skull. He couldn''t even blink though, otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to manage to retain this state.


    He could have done this the easy way, but he didn''t want to have to hide his arms for days, so that wasn''t an option. Or maybe that was just an excuse, because in the end, he didn''t want to give his location away by any chance.


    A feeling of nausea overcame his senses, stopping all thoughts he might have had, as he hurriedly switched the eyes he was using, following the flow of his will until he found what he was looking for.


    ''Choi In-Sung,'' he repeatedly asked inside his mind, ''Where is he right now? Show me.''


    There was no way that his kin couldn''t answer that simple question. His sight blackened and the perspective changed again as soon as the light came back to him.


    "Got you," he mouthed, stretching his lips into an innocent smile.

 Chapter 8: The Eyes of a Crow (2)

    ¡ª layer family home in portland, oregon, september 2022


    Only the seemingly faraway sound of knocking coming from behind him made him realize that he didn''t have all day to do this. Prematurely, he retracted his sight from his familiars, causing the whiplash to throw him back unexpectedly.


    With a loud crashing sound, the boy practically shot off the bed and hit the floor, blinking away tears and disorientation upon impact. After a few seconds of trying to come to terms with his situation, he slowly craned his neck to look at the still locked wooden bedroom door, as the world stood upside down.


    "Isaac?" He heard his mother''s faint voice from the other side of said door. "I heard a noise. Are you alright?"


    She sounded worried. "I''m fine. I just¡­ dropped something." There was annoyance audible in his tone - he was ticked off by his own clumsiness.


    "Dropped¡­? Sure, if you say so." She didn''t seem convinced, yet clearly didn''t feel like interrogating him about it. "Dinner is ready, so come down if you are fine."


    Granted, he hadn''t used this technique after initially realizing how it worked. He had simply assumed he would master it, since it wasn''t anything too special ¨C more annoying than hard to do. If anything, he used it once, but never to this extent.


    There wasn''t anything to it and he never thought strongly about it either. It was simply something that he knew he was able to do, so he would do it, as it was the better choice in this situation.


    Now he felt betrayed by his own naivety. He couldn''t have known it would end in him making a fool of himself, even if it was only in the company of his familiars. That was it ¨C he decided he would never use this method of utilizing his powers again. That would surely solve the problem.


    With that kind of resolve, he finally got up from the floor and fixed his clothes, so he could safely follow his mother into the kitchen. It wasn''t a long way down, yet long enough for him to notice things in the hallway.


    The pictures along the stairs have been rearranged in the short time he had been inside his room. She had changed some of the older pictures and put up some new ones in their place. It was Ellen''s way to commemorate another year passing by.


    She would always do that, whenever Isaac''s birthday finally arrived, which was the last birthday in the family within the year.


    As they passed the well illuminated living space, entering the kitchen with their dining table, he was already able to smell the candles that burned on top of a dark blue decorated cake. No matter how you looked at it, it looked a little off.


    Since a few years ago, Isaac''s mother, Ellen, had the habit of baking her sons'' birthday cakes herself, saying she wanted to put in the extra effort when celebrating their existence. It was a somewhat tedious habit, as Isaac thought, but seeing as it made her happy, even if he couldn''t get behind it, he didn''t try to stop her.


    Still, she kind of consistently managed not to get any better at the task itself after all those years. In a way, it was amazing. The way the frosting looked like she had put it on while full drunk and the uneven color, as well as the fact that there was no other decor on the cake, made the attraction look even sadder. Looking at it twice, it felt like even the candles were depressed, sitting on top of a black hole.


    These were things he never quite understood about the human race as a whole. There was this innate craving for sentimental gimmicks like these ¨C same with the pictures on the staircase wall. It was cute, in his opinion, but nothing more than that.


    A human''s life is fleeting, making the few years all the more special and noteworthy to them; they always tried to keep things and memorize them. Sometimes he felt like they forgot how to live at the same time, as they tried so hard not to forget even a minute. A curious, downright funny behavior.


    Ironically enough, it was the greatest reason for him remembering the olden times every year. His mother was so much like Veronica in this aspect, he felt it was uncanny. And it made him smile warmly just a bit.


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    He only faintly noticed the silence that fell around the table, as he looked up and saw his mother''s surprised face, which she quickly knew to wipe off and replace with a smile of her own.


    "It''s nice to see you enjoy the party, even if it''s just a tiny one," she said, and his father was beaming at him from beside her. Only Riley seemed out of sorts somehow.


    Despite everyone being aware of just how awful this creation was going to taste once they actually tried it, they sat around the table with happy expressions nonetheless, letting the baker push the tray softly in Isaac''s direction.


    "Don''t forget to make a wish," she added cheerfully.


    It wasn''t as if he hadn''t ever thought of leaving this place behind a few times until now, but there were things he still wanted to do and living a peaceful life wasn''t as easy as it used to be, either. This was a comfortable way of living.


    Well, his last life didn''t end as uneventful as he would have wished for, but at least he grew old and weary in peace, and that''s just what he was going for in this round as well.


    He diligently wished for just that and blew out the candles to fulfill what he had been asked to do, even if he didn''t truly understand how a bunch of molten wax was going to help him with it.


    Satisfied anyway, Ellen cut the cake and put a piece on each of their respective plates. Seeing Christian, his father, and Riley, his brother, they also showed slight hesitation before actually taking a bite of the sweet dessert in front of them.


    One would have wanted to congratulate them for not showing any further signs of suffering while eating, if only that wouldn''t have been suspicious in itself.


    He locked eyes with his father, while turning off his taste buds. The calm, middle-aged man could only wink at his son in a covert fashion, as his wife ate in blissful ignorance at what unbridled agony she caused.


    It was outright astonishing, how she managed to create delicious meals for them every day, but failed to see the problem whenever it came to her homemade sweets.


    "Come to think of it," the man threw in, smoothly distancing himself from his plate, "since tomorrow''s a Friday, why don''t we go somewhere over the weekend?"


    "A trip?" Riley didn''t feel too pleased at the prospect, but couldn''t outright say no either, if it was something that his uncle wanted.


    The anticipation didn''t last very long though, since the guest of honor had other plans. Isaac averted his eyes, not liking the fact that he had to put a kibosh on Chris'' optimism.


    "I can''t, I have a prior commitment."


    Chris, his father, blinked in confusion. It wasn''t the weird type of phrasing his son had chosen to word his complaint, as he sometimes did that in random intervals and they had all gradually gotten used to it by now. No, it was that the one who said it was not Riley, but in fact Isaac ¨C his son, whom he had now known for an entirety of sixteen years, no less!


    "You have something planned?" His mind wandered at the thought. ''Did he make a friend?''


    A smile almost crept up on his face, but he held it down and faked a cough instead. He couldn''t be too soon to judge. Those "commitments" could be anything after all.


    Yet he wasn''t he only one who jumped to conclusions. "That''s so nice to hear," Ellen chimed in with vigor, clasping her hands above the table and positively beaming at her son. "What''s your plan?"


    Isaac, slightly put off by their suspicious reaction, decided to pay their antics no mind and kept it short. He was already relieved, as they didn''t seem too disappointed.


    "I promised a child from school to go somewhere together."


    As if on cue, both of his parents shared a knowing look, after which his mother reached over the table to put her hand over her son''s. "We can go on a trip anytime. It''s more important for young people to mingle with their peers, right?"


    Even Riley couldn''t hide his shock. Be it because of the way his aunt said the word "mingle", or the fact that they acted as if Isaac had found the cure for cancer ¨C or maybe he was just as astonished at the fact that his cousin, the guy he had known for about ten years now, was actually going to spend his free time with a living person that wasn''t part of this family or the old lady next door. He couldn''t tell, because his mind was way too boggled by all of which unfolded in front of him.


    As for the boy in question: Their reactions also didn''t make any sense to him, but as always, he didn''t pay them any mind. However, he felt nervous all of a sudden, in case they asked him for more details.


    "I appreciate your understanding of the matter. I will make sure to be back on time."


    "Sure, sure," Chris Layer replied, "take as much time as you need. But don''t forget to introduce your friend to us at some point in the future. I mean, whenever you''re comfortable with it."


    Confused, Isaac furrowed his brows. He couldn''t fathom what his parents were thinking, calling that brat his friend. But he concluded that they wouldn''t know, so he simply shrugged and replied as vaguely as possible.


    "If the opportunity arises, I shall."


    As they both seemed satisfied enough with his shady answer, the topic seemed to be settled. Only Riley shook his head, watching the scene unfold in front of him.


    "Let''s just hope it''s actually a person and not some cardboard-cutout or a fucking goldfish."


    "Riley!" Ellen called out in a scolding manner, "No cussing at the table. And say stuff like that about your brother''s friends."


    But Isaac didn''t mind his comment at all. In fact, he would rather spend his time with the cardboard-cutout of a smiling turd, instead he had to go to such lengths to fulfill his side of a bet he had made on a whim. Things like that always came back to bite one in the ass, which he should have known as he had uttered those words earlier.


    He simply hoped he wouldn''t have to work all that hard.

 Chapter 9: Old School Hunting (1)

    ¡ª lincoln high school portland, oregon, september 2022


    Isaac Layer was someone who walked slowly ¨C almost leisurely. He had always done so and wouldn''t change it now, unless he had a reason to.


    Safe to say, meeting the infamous bully, Hayden Chase, was no such reason.


    He sighed, seeing that now slightly familiar head crowned by dreadlocks and knew he had only himself to blame for this. But if everything worked out the way it should, he would be free after just one day of labor.


    "You really came," Hayden said, making himself sound important in even that little sentence. Arrogance was visible on his face even from miles away.


    In fact, Isaac felt like he had felt the vanity emitted by the other student before he even stepped on the roof. He could barely keep himself from rolling his eyes.


    "Glad you could make it as well," the scrawny boy replied, "so do you wish to know where he resides?"


    Chase kept looking at him with a curious expression. "Why are you talking like that?"


    "Like what?"


    Shaking his head, Hayden Chase waved his hand and brushed the matter aside. "No, never mind. Just tell me."


    Isaac drew a deep breath, contemplating if it was the right thing to do, but came to the conclusion that it was far too late to ponder over the moral implications behind all of this now.


    "Sure. He''s at PDX."


    "What?"


    "He''s at the international Airport right now."


    "You mean he just arrived? He wasn''t supposed to be here before tomorrow though."


    "That''s what''s widely known, yes. He''s already here since the day before yesterday and is waiting at a hotel at PDX. It''s an embassy suit, to be exact."


    "Staying" was, of course, to put it simply. More complex would be to say that they were carefully hiding him and his tracks. Maybe he was on vacation for two days?


    Isaac didn''t know if it was for his protection from news reporters and crazy fans, or if there was more to their meticulousness, but that was how it was. He did pick up on an appointment this very evening though.


    "So how did you find out, if he never left the airport area?"


    "That is of no concern to you." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, let''s get this over with. How do you wanna do it?"


    Again, the change in his wording seemed unnatural to Hayden, but he decided to overlook the matter, as it wasn''t too important.


    "As soon as you can make it happen."


    Somehow, he knew that guy would say that. So he had already devised a plan that may or may not have a chance of working out or landing them in quite a bit of trouble.


    Humans often said "No risk, no fun", and it must have been one of those moments.  ''But I''m no risk taker?'' he thought in regards to this.


    Either way, he wasn''t going to risk anything at all. If it got troublesome, he would be out of there right away. After a quick glance at his watch, Isaac checked the view of the school''s front yard.


    "There''s barely anyone left. Let''s go."


    "Where to?" the troublemaking brat asked.


    "You''re going to see for yourself."


    That''s what he said, but it took them a while to see anything at all. Traveling through a city closely after school was out on a Friday didn''t make their life any easier.


    "We should probably be careful. Shouldn''t we wear black stuff to break into a building? Or pretend to be workers?"


    ''Who would believe we are workers at our age?'' Isaac thought, "You are watching too many movies."


    Hayden Chase wasn''t exactly naive either, he simply thought that crawling into a building in broad daylight was already extremely brazen. Shouldn''t they try to be less obvious?


    Nevertheless, Isaac didn''t even think twice about his suggestion. ''Wouldn''t that look far more suspicious? Why would we even want to break in, if we can go through the door?''


    Of course, Isaac had not divulged any of his plans, so there was no way for Hayden to understand what they were even attempting to do.


    "Seriously, where are we going? That''s not the way to the airport."


    "Hm? We aren''t heading for the airport."


    Perplexed, the dark skinned youth stopped in his tracks. "But you said he was at the airport."


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    "He is. But we won''t be catching him there ¨C too closely guarded," the brown-haired answered nonchalantly, "so we meet up with him when he sneaks out on his own."


    Hayden didn''t even know what to say. It started with the younger guy knowing exactly where a world renowned Hunter was, as top-class celebrity and hero, and now he even knew about secret outings?


    They arrived at a part of the city that was a bit run down, as they entered onto a parking lot, they saw many dilapidated buildings. Some were under construction as well, so it was easy to get through without being seen by anyone on the way to their target destination.


    Frankly, they didn''t have to be that secretive to begin with. But Isaac wasn''t too sure about this secret meeting he would be going to and he didn''t want to get involved with anything either.


    "Why are we so careful then?"


    "I don''t want to be caught here, since I don''t know what''s going to happen."


    Outside, if you were careful enough to avoid getting caught by CCTV, it wasn''t actually as secure. That''s how children constantly go missing in places like this.


    Of course it''s not that easy either, when there''s a construction site nearby, with cameras all over the place. He closed his eyes, letting the stinging sensation from before grab hold of him, churning his insides ever so slightly, as they slipped in between the buildings and ended up next to a brittle wall in a back alley. Hayden became impatient, but mentally older one didn''t let his countenance be affected by a nervously fidgeting kid.


    "There''s camera there."


    "I can see that," Isaac said between gritted teeth and finally held out his phone with a saved website open. "We are here for this, if you need to know that badly."


    Obviously they were going to meet his idol, so the fake-teenager really couldn''t understand what the problem was.


    Thankfully, the pain wasn''t as bad this time, since he didn''t have to use his powers as he did before. He only nudged one of his friends into the direction of the camera that would most definitely catch them, if they dared to move around the corner and toward the entrance of one of the buildings marked for reconstruction.


    Suddenly, a dull, metallic clash could be heard. Isaac reopened his eyes and put a finger on his lips, to signal silence to Hayden. They ran, as if on cue, seeing a disoriented black bird trying to shake off some dizziness on the ground under the camera, before getting back up to fly away.


    "Crazy. That crow broke the fixture. Lucky break or what?" For Hayden Chase, being lucky in and of itself wasn''t anything special.


    As a matter of fact: He considered himself a very lucky child. He could have almost everything he wanted and even awakened to a sponsor of significant value. It was nice being him, minus the fact that he couldn''t actually work as a Hunter, simply because he wasn''t old enough yet.


    The mere fact enraged him, as that meant they didn''t let him decide on what to do with his own body. He knew he was good enough, yet they deprived him of showing what he was capable of and it made him mad.


    Meanwhile, without knowing what was going on within the other boy''s mind, Isaac motioned for him to be quiet. He grabbed onto the hem of the other''s shirt, pulling him with him and the aforementioned entrance.


    "Hey, do you really believe he will show up at a¡­ ''Lecture in all types of dark arts''?"


    Hayden stressed behind him, gradually losing faith in this operation. No, he hadn''t actually believed the other could hold up his end of the bet in the first place.


    "Don''t question me, just move. You wanted this."


    "Who wanted this? It was your idea to bet on it."


    Hayden had a point. It was Isaac who blurted out he wanted to make a bet ¨C and he was also the one to determine the specifics of said bet.


    As he had already understood, he was indeed the one to blame for this. But his pride wouldn''t let him admit to this out loud, especially since he felt he had no real choice but to put a determined end to the behavior of a "certain someone".


    The lead stopped in his tracks for a moment, just to glance over his shoulder to look at the boy grumbling behind him. It was still light out, but not very bright and inside of this building, it got quite dark.


    His dark skin made him almost seem a little gray in this bad lighting. As far as he could tell, from the specks of light coming in through a window so dirty, it was good it had a few cracks in it, his face was a perfect picture of annoyance and plight ¨C it made Isaac sigh heavily.


    "Now you are sighing?"


    "As you hear."


    After all, they weren''t doing much and it was the brown haired boy who had to do something when he could be comfortably lounging on his bed at home or go on that trip that his father had suggested. Everything better than to walk through a dilapidated building, in a rundown area of Portland, in order to listen to a lecture about evil creatures.


    The sheer endless looking hallways of what was obviously a school, once upon a time, was full of dust and spider webbing. It took them a few more steps and a turn to the left to hear muffled voices carried through from the upper floor.


    Strained, it was now Hayden''s turn to sigh. "Look, I just want to know how you got the idea to slither in here. Why would someone like Choi come to a place this crappy?"


    "I," he started, yet stopped to contemplate his next words, "bribed someone that works there."


    "How would you have the money for that?"


    They turned another corner to walk up a flight of stairs. The website spoke of an old biology room.


    "Well, my birthday was just yesterday, you know?" Isaac was a little proud of himself, as the best lies always housed a bit of truth.


    "Seriously?" Even his tone showed signs of surprise.


    "Yes. Why would I lie?" He truly did get money for his birthday. Well, he received money every year, as he was a hard case when it came to presents.


    Though that money went straight into his bank account, as he rarely used it anyway and with his savings, he could ensure a safe and smooth transition into a life in a quiet home later on. After eating cake together, his parents had pulled him aside to give him some additional allowance in ''secret'', telling him not to tell on them to the other. They both said the same thing ¨C something about having a good time with his new friend. It was kind of hilarious to him.


    Isaac was acutely aware of why birthdays were so important to his parents. It wasn''t like he made them feel bad about it, he was simply a child with few needs.


    At the beginning, his parents did feel strange about the missing investment in his big day. It took years for them to fully get used to how he seemed like he didn''t care at all ¨C not about the attention, nor the prospect of gifts at least. That was because he genuinely didn''t care about any of it.


    "Elijah" always wondered what they would say if he told them he wasn''t actually their child; that the soul meant to be their child was returned to the waiting line for him to claim the name of Isaac Layer. Would they still want to celebrate his birth? He didn''t think it would be so.


    "Ah," he heard from behind and blinked.


    There it was: The anticipated small group of people, one of which wearing a painfully obvious disguise. Then again, this was the type of meeting not many would be proud of attending, so he was not the only one with a mask and sunglasses in the hallway.


    He had mindlessly followed the path they went into before while lost in thought, but it truly was the way he was supposed to go. This was the classroom next to the janitor''s storage. Suddenly, the door opened and a strict looking woman in a tweet jacket stood before them.


    "Everyone who isn''t here to learn can leave," she said while adjusting her already neatly tied up hair, though the tone of her voice gave her audience an eerie feeling, "make up your mind quick, lest you want to be outside when the sun is already down."

 Chapter 10: Old School Hunting (2)

    ¡ª an abandoned building in portland, oregon, september 2022


    "Are we seriously going to do this?" Hayden whispered behind Isaac''s back as they watched the other people filling up the shoddy old chairs within the crusty lecture room.


    The brown-haired boy just shrugged his delicate shoulders. "At least she cleaned up the room."


    With a sound of disapproval, the other still followed behind his underclassman to sit down. He could swear there were some familiar faces, but Hayden Chase wasn''t exactly known to attend regular classes and thus wouldn''t clearly remember any of the faces of his peers.


    Between the occasional people with their face hidden from the rest, there were your expected goths and school clowns, trying to one-up each other in poking fun at every word the lecturer said. But it soon became obvious that even making fun of her wasn''t going to win them anything, as she didn''t react at all ¨C instead, she was earnestly trying to instill the fear of god into them, saying there were dark beings around, trying to corrupt unsuspecting youths just like them.


    ''She''s likely not entirely wrong,'' Isaac thought, ''depending on how it is judged.''


    She was very directly talking about vampires. It felt as if she knew quite a lot about them, which would make the assumption possible that she had met one in the past and lived to talk about it.


    But if so, why weren''t the vampires stopping her from opening her mouth like this? They had hidden so well up to this day, so why would they not be heavily invested in keeping people from spilling all their secrets. It didn''t seem realistic to him, as he thought about it.


    And yet, the way she was going into realistic detail, talking about Domains and Daywalkers, it felt as if she knew what she was talking about and had been subjected to these topics close up and personal.


    The same things were going through the mind of one of those masked individuals in the room.


    ''So this is her?'' He barely found a lead on the enemies he had been sent to investigate in the name of the vampires'' elder.


    Or was it young elder? He couldn''t wrap his mind around the person he had met at their hideout.


    Simply remembering her face, he almost blushed at the thought. Out of the enemy''s den, he had to admit to her innocent beauty. Then again, she wasn''t the type of person one could calmly call "innocent", not even with an angelic face like hers on top.


    ''But she does remind me of a cat, even without her helmet on,'' In-Sung had to admit to himself.


    By now, he had his elbow rest on the cracked table next to his chair, propping his head up with his hand pressed against his jawline.


    This truly wasn''t how he had imagined his stay in the United States this time around. "An open window won''t let them in," he heard the woman at the podium say, as he saw her stand right next to an old skeleton with a few spinal cords missing and it looked hilarious, "but a Vampire''s duress also works through windows. So make sure you hide ¨C sleep in the sink if you have to."


    Well, she wasn''t wrong about that part indeed.


    "Is that all we have to do?" a young girl chimed in and he turned just slightly to see her eagerly awaiting an answer, pushing up a big pair of glasses sitting on her nose. She couldn''t have been older than fifteen years of age.


    ''Do her parents know that she''s in this part of town?''


    The same question was true for Isaac, as he realized he did know one of the participants from school. ''What was her name again? Rue?''


    Right, the girl with the phone in the hallway. Was it truly coincidence to meet her here? Her clothing did make her fit the bill, so he concluded he didn''t actually care.


    "Just don''t. Let. Them. In." The second she spoke those words, one at a time, with the intensity of a parent telling their child not to follow a stranger with a van, the room fell silent.


    Nobody knew what to say about any of the things she spouted. Even the youths who had come to mock her and the people listening in earnest were somewhat speechless.


    Around a handful of people in the room were feeling something everyone else wasn''t at that very moment. It wasn''t something obvious, but there was something in the air they couldn''t quite place.


    The Hunter among them stood up at the speed of light, as the woman in the tweet jacket jerked to the side, but they both weren''t fast enough to avoid the shards flying at them from the side.


    Glass was strewn across the room, as the group was trying to shake of the feeling of disorientation and the ringing in their ears, caused by a screeching noise cut that into their eardrums. Some yelled in panic, trying to hear anyone, even if it was their own voice.


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    Most people had already cleared the room, finding the door and running without stopping, while others were taking cover under old tables and other furniture which had fallen over and created some sort of shelter.


    ''A Break?'' he frantically thought, ''No, I would have felt the energy from the Gate, so that''s-''


    His thoughts were rudely cut off by something lunging for him, claws barely crazing his cheeks. Choi In-Sung, who had tried to cover for the normal people in the audience, had already taken the brunt of the first attack, together with the woman who had stood upfront.


    He turned his head, looking annoyed. "You know, you could introduce yourself first, if you''re going to engage in-"


    Again, he was cut off without any politeness, as someone was flung in his direction, forcing him to catch the person mid-flight. Surprisingly, this was a man he recognized.


    Black hair, pulled together in a loose low ponytail was right under his nose and a pair of deep red eyes met his as Kristoff turned to look at the Hunter. Only then did he realize that they were basically in the twilight-zone. With the sun still there at the horizon, ready to set at any moment, the vampires would be lurking to come out of their shadows.


    Yet the huge Werewolf, growling angrily at them while picking a big piece of glass out of his chest, was just as strengthened by the last rays of the autumn sun. His golden eyes gleamed and seemed to sparkle at them. He would have been inclined to marvel at it, if it hadn''t been for the danger this situation exuded.


    Invigorated by the two hundred percent power up he would get when charging ahead, he pushed back Kristoff and held off one of the paws directed at him. Surprised, but not for long, the Werewolf withdrew a bit, shaking off the pesky Korean Hunter in front of him.


    He had followed the man from the Club to this building without ever knowing who he was. Not that he could have known, as his face had been covered by a hood first, and a mask later. Shockingly, he was a celebrity!


    A deranged sounding laugh made its way through the deformed vocal cords of the wolf creature, as he shook himself and steeled his muscles, feeling the ticklish sensation of his skin trying to fully heal the deep cut across his torso he had earlier received.


    Before any of that could happen, the Hunter leaped forward and landed a kick in the same place where the glass shard had stuck before. A moment before all of that ruckus had transpired, a girl with frizzy blond hair and a pair of glasses on her nose was rallying people out of the room and the building.


    Only two of them were not among them, so she turned and realized a door next to the one she had left behind second ago. The janitor''s storage?


    And indeed, it was Isaac, tucked under the arm of his companion, as they sat hid in the small room, waiting for the fight to end.


    "Monsters? Seriously?"


    Isaac was still flabbergasted at what had just transpired, though he was unable to see or hear anything of substance from the confinement of this room. He hadn''t wanted to go in the first place, but as Hayden had determined that he wouldn''t be able to beat this being, which was in fact a Werewolf and not a Dungeon monster, the dark skinned kid had grabbed him and ran.


    ''At least, he might have the smallest of qualities in him to become a Hunter after all.'' He could have run on his own, after all.


    Hayden on his end was curious what was going on in the biology room ¨C at the same time, he would only get in the way if he was out there without any proper training, he knew that much. Once it was all over, they would surely know.


    On Isaacs side, he had long since taken on a concentrated stance, fully taking in the Mana that was in the air around them, connecting to his Authority lying in wait. He knew this wasn''t such a good idea, especially considering how it had ended last time, but he had to see what was going on, as this wasn''t a fight they would usually engage in with civilians around.


    Just what had happened since the last time he had shown himself in front of them? First this lecturer telling tales about vampires and ten minutes later, they were duking it out in broad daylight. The pain was a lot worse this time, creating a sensation as if hungry bugs were eating through the fiber under his skin, almost forcing his fingers to twitch at the stinging stimulation of his nerves.


    He could tell a door opened next to him, but he didn''t know what had happened; only that it was neither of the brawlers next door, as he had them perfectly in his vision, watching their fight from a front row seat.


    Of course, outside of Gates, Hunters weren''t nearly as powerful as they were inside, which was another downside when it came to Breaks, despite even the monsters being somewhat weaker in their world ¨C only in this case, the enemy of said Hunter wasn''t a monster from a Gate, but something entirely different; something that didn''t adhere to the rules of the Gates.


    He realized that truth, when his enemy grunted slightly as he caught his foot, pausing for a mere fraction of a second before turning and throwing In-Sung through the hole in the wall, where a window had been just a few minutes prior.


    As he flew out, he thanked his god for his Iron Skin Skill, crashing into the ground like an amateur. He was too easy to get, even in his own eyes. Jumping up, using the Unique Passive Skill "Ruler of the Battlefield", he stepped on air to easily slip back into the building. He hadn''t accounted for this, as he faced off against the beast, but the vampire was right behind it in order to throw two blades, cutting through the air, yet missing the target by a hair''s breadth.


    Choi In-Sung wasn''t going to let them continue, as there were still a bunch of innocent people in the vacinity. His Vanguard Strike had ceased the moment he was thrown out and the Daywalker took the initiative, he maneuvered between the two.


    A pale hand with sharp nails slit threw the light brown fur of the Werewolf, yet was caught right after; bones were cracking loudly, meat was mangled and a bit of dark blood trickled onto the dusty tiles. With In-Sung coming between them, separating them with a thrust slightly below the Werewolf''s chin, snapping its head back and causing it to tumble back in confusion; the vampire''s arm was ripped off with a wretched sound with the abrupt fall to the back.


    "Aish. That was accidental," he blurted out, looking at the exhausted expression of the undead man in front of him, holding onto his elbow, with bits of flesh dangling down.


    "What do you think this is?" Kristoff asked, drained off all his energy at the sight of what he determined to be a simpleton with too much strength for his own good.


    "That''s what I would like to know," a familiar voice interrupted, holding a hand out against the Werewolf lying on the floor, ready to get up and claw at them again, "what are you doing here?"


    And Isaac had a feeling he already knew who this lecturer truly was.

 Chapter 11: Ripple Effect (1)

    ¡ª an abandoned building in portland, oregon, september 2022


    "Why are you interrupting?" the creature growled behind the woman, as she barely looked back at him over her shoulder and considered her answer for a moment.


    "You know what the Alpha said."


    "There''s nothing even he can do, if I rip you apart right here."


    It seemed to be hard to speak in his current form, though he refused to turn back in this situation. It would mean he took a step back and surrendered his position in this fight.


    "Back down, Garth."


    There was no fight anymore. That much was clear, but he was too stubborn to accept it ¨C it was their trademark hotheadedness which had gotten him into this position in the first place, as he had seen another Vampire following him, getting all riled up.


    Just one or two ill-advised decisions had gotten them into this mess. But it wasn''t as if they had never dealt with a situation like this before and it would definitely not be the last time either. Nevertheless, the thought of truly going against the words of their Alpha was too much, even for a brute like Garth, so he turned and jumped out of the hole in the wall he had earlier created himself.


    To In-Sung, the way she was not at all concerned about the hairy monster, which had sat right behind her, made obvious that she had to be aware of at least the Werewolves. Not that In-Sung was truly surprised.


    "I thought you were pretty knowledgeable on Vampires, but you didn''t say a word about how to fend off Werewolves," he said, making it sound like an insinuation of some sort.


    Had he known that it was someone of the Werewolf clan who had followed him, he would have stopped him before he went to the meeting. Of course, he had felt someone lurking, but there was no reason for him to be worried, so he hadn''t paid it any mind at all until this very moment.


    But now? Someone tailed him all the way from the Euphoria to this far off place, which was the site of a Dungeon Break around five years ago.


    And it''s also a place he just happened to meet someone who was close enough with the Werewolf behind her to stop him in his rage and knowledgeable about vampires to the point of lecturing people on how to evade, and defend against them. Needless to say, she also seems to dislike the latter quite a bit.


    In-Sung pulled a phone out of his pocket, which had outlasted the numerous crash-landings it had been through by now, and thanked his guardian spirit for it to have survived yet another great ordeal. There was a number he sought out and sent his current location to in a quick manner.


    "I will have to alert the American Hunters Association. Who am I speaking to?"


    The woman who stood in front of him, with the rigid posture and strictly tied brown hair, seemed to contemplate giving him an answer, before waving away the comrade behind her and sighing deeply.


    "Quinn. Sawyer," she says with little energy to fight over it, "that is my legal name."


    "What is your illegal name, then?" In-Sung joked, but was greeted with an unexpectedly mischievous grin.


    "Hati," she said, "it''s my nickname, if you want to use it."


    "Sounds surprisingly fitting." He barely knew anything about Norse mythology, but that much he understood. ''Wait, was that the one chasing the sun or the one chasing the moon?''


    What he did remember reading was the fact that in old Norse language, Hati meant "the one who hates". Her demeanor, though polite, even a bit playful in nature, felt icy at the core ¨C rather fitting for her nickname.


    ''What did Sk?ll mean again?'' the man wondered as his mind wandered, before realizing he still had a duty to uphold.


    In any case, he thought it must have been the one chasing the sun, naturally, since the Werewolves, despite fairy tales claiming otherwise, were stronger during the day, when the sun was still shining. At least, that''s what he had been taught by the people in the know about these two races living among them.


    He wouldn''t have said that if was fitting, had he never met her before this very moment and only seen her the way she looked right now. But then again, the way she seemed unfazed by all the chaos which had just transpired, he might have to revise that statement too.


    The eyes of a crow sitting on an old electric pole close by were interested in following their conversation, as its master was biting down the pain as a price of the transmission.


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    ''So it really was you, Hati,'' he thought, though he did have the thought, he couldn''t have confirmed it, as this version of his eyes wasn''t strong enough to discern it.


    In a room not far away, a young man was sitting with his head against a shelf.


    "So, was all that part of your grand plan?" Hayden Chase asked the brown-haired who hadn''t said anything for a while now. ''Did he fucking fall asleep, or what?''


    On top of that, someone had intruded upon their hideout, and the guy who had brought him here suddenly started sweating and jerked up, as if he had had a bad dream.


    "Did you really fall asleep, man?" he asked in undisguised confusion.


    "Are you okay?" the girl through in at the same time, making Hayden look at her as she looked at Isaac.


    "Who are you anyway?"


    "Rue?" she simply answered, "For your information: we go to the same school."


    "Do I care?"


    "You asked?"


    He was lost for words, at the way she simply pretended to be right and it irked him, but right now he was not the most dangerous person in the vicinity and they had way bigger things to worry about, so he kept his mouth shut about it.


    "Whatever, man. Pull yourself together!" Isaac really didn''t look healthy.


    The scrawny teenager had to take a few breaths in order to soothe his heightened heart-rate and the constant sweat pooling at his temples. He couldn''t keep watching them outside, but he had seen how a few black cars had rolled in from the side. Likely the Association coming to interrogate Hati and whoever had been at the sight, ready to announce how they had a small Break nearby.


    The value of this area will further diminish, as it would officially be the second time it had been hit by Dungeon monsters. Not that it was worth much at all, but at least they felt like trying to rebuild the district and put the past behind them. Now the past had come back and rolled over them once again.


    "Did you ask me something?" Isaac said in a tired manner.


    "I asked if this was all part of your grand plan," the dark skinned boy repeated.


    "Well, not exactly," he admitted, "I didn''t expect an actual Werewolf and a Vampire would show up as lecturing props." And for all it was worth: His plan was basically fucked at this point.


    ''No amount of mulling over this is going to solve the problem of three bodyguard-looking men standing in front of us like a tidal wave ready to pounce,'' he thought and stopped to blink. "Uhm¡­"


    As he looked up, the other two did the same and three broad-shouldered men came into their collective view. All three had grim looks on their faces and wore suits that meant business.


    Resigning himself to his fate ¨C as nobody else said a word under the scrutiny of their gazes ¨C Isaac scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Does anyone know where the janitor went? We could use a duster." All they needed was a new plan, of course.


    "Damn," Hayden bemoaned, "I can''t believe the Men in Black came to neuralyze us."


    "Before that, can I meet Choi In-Sung?" Rue said with a hand raised, but put it down in an instant, "no, never mind, I wouldn''t want to forget about that."


    They had been brought over to the Association Headquarters, together with the woman identified as Quinn Sawyer. Choi In-Sung must have been somewhere around as well, the teenagers thought, since he had been a part of the fight.


    Only Isaac knew for sure that it had been the Hunter who had called upon the Association''s agents, not a Dungeon Break alarm. Hati was in another room, being interrogated by other agents, while two were with them in a room, but standing quite a few feet away, left and right of the quite robust looking steel door.


    "Why are they simply staring at us? Shouldn''t they act already?" Isaac quietly muttered behind a hand in front of his mouth.


    It was as if they had turned into stone statues after sending them in, hoping it would suffice to scare them off at bit. There was a radio in the room, playing old music to silently fill the background and he simply couldn''t tell what this was all about. If they wanted to speak to them, they could have already done so ¨C they clearly have more than one or two agents in their organization.


    "They''re getting instructed", Hayden whispered in Isaac''s manner, without even looking at him to confirm that he caught that info, adding "through their earpieces" for clarification.


    "How do you know?"


    "Skill, Bro", he said, coupled with a sly grin, sounding like the douche that Isaac knew he was.


    But it seemed as if he meant it differently from how it sounded. Or rather: He meant it literally.


    Just a moment ago, a tacky bright red pop-up window appeared in the air with a pinging sound of arrival. It was as invasive as if they had been browsing through a porn site ¨C but only Hayden could see it anyway.


    It was one of the Skills that Hayden Chase had awakened during a moment of anxiety when he was only 14 years of age. Sometimes, knowing what people were saying behind closed doors could mean everything to you. He had understood that well, back then.


    The boy had always been sensitive toward people''s expressions. He used to try and read those close to him to the best of his ability, that''s why it was as clear as day to him ¨C those two couldn''t give less of a shit about them. So he decided that he would like to listen in on them for a bit, just for comfort.


    ["...-ot away. What''s the deal today?"]


    A lot of static was heard in the message, there was no further command, and the two burly guys didn''t seem to know what to do with Isaac, Hayden and Rue either.


    ["What abo-¡­-n you caught? Do you copy?"] The female voice sounded impatient, which was caused by the fact that there was no answer whatsoever from these two.


    ''Guess they didn''t even try, but the connection is pretty shitty too.''


    Begrudgingly, the one on the right snorted and replied loudly. "She''s obviously regular."


    The left one, who looked like a model for some Crest commercial, took this moment to lift his hand and pressed a button to speak: "We are currently waiting for instructions on the third floor interrogation room. Three witnesses, presumably teenagers, two male, one female. Do you copy?"


    More white noise was to be heard. ["The intruders? Right, Room A is clear, Ron."]


    "Who ever said we were intruders, man?" Hayden asked in a snarky tone.


    ''Ron'' eyed them over and over and then put his hand on the earpiece again while smirking. "Alright, we will make haste." It was as if he was laughing at them through his way too shiny teeth.


    And somehow, that reaction alone felt like an insult.

 Chapter 12: Ripple Effect (2)

    ¡ª a.h.a. headquaters of the oregon state, portland, oregon, september 2022


    They had been detained on their way to the headquarters and now they are detained again ¨C of course, not crudely with handcuffs or rope. No, simply by them having to walk between the guards that didn''t let them have an opening to run, now that their third member from earlier had returned.


    Isaac didn''t need an opening either way. Not one such as this, for sure. But right now, he was Isaac ¨C just "Isaac". So this was enough to keep him locked down and it frustrated him.


    ''I expected this task to be done with fast, as it was mere child''s play, yet it seems as though I am now stuck at playing a child instead,'' he thought to himself and sighed in retaliation, ''poor me.''


    "Seriously, we''re no intruders," Hayden tried once again, but he had long since given up and was just joking around at this point.


    "Sure you''re not," Ron answered, "you must be a group of house elves, then."


    "We''re totally working there!" At least, they were actually found in the janitor''s storage.


    That elicited an actual laugh from the toothpaste model. "At your age?" he humored him with visible amusement, "And you''re not even wearing the uniform."


    At this, an angry look was shot in Isaac''s direction from the right. He even had to avert his eyes, just to make it sting less.


    "What?" Isaac asked, playing ignorant while feeling this reaction was unwarranted and unfair to him.


    "Are you not even going to try to defend us?" It was clear that the physically older boy had given up on pretending they had been there for a good reason. "If you''re gonna bribe someone, get some more information on the danger level, next time."


    ''Well, I never bribed anyone to begin with,'' the accused lamented in his head, but that was now water under the bridge, so he just let it go and softly spoke in response: "We can''t claim we know nothing, because we were there from the beginning. They caught Ha- her, after all. That lecturer, I mean."


    "Right," he answered just a quietly, even with the high possibility that they were heard by these Agents next to them anyway, considering the fact that they might as well be Hunters themselves, "that''s why we are being brought to ''Room A'' for interrogation, I gue-" He suddenly stopped, without any discernable reason.


    A sudden movement drew Isaac''s attention, and as he looked toward the other, whose ears slightly but visibly twitched, he felt it; something in Hayden''s demeanor had changed, he just didn''t know what it was.


    Of course, he wouldn''t know that the other was still using his Unique Skill. THE LISTENER gave people the ability to be exactly that. It would lock onto a target that was either in the distance or close by and relay everything that was said in regular volume, perfect for him to listen in on.


    To Hayden''s surprise, he still had a chance of turning the tables, because his Skill''s runtime wasn''t over for another two minutes.


    ''If I don''t point my ears at something specific, it will start listening in on whatever random bullshit it''s able to pick up on. This is the first time I heard something actually useful with that though.''


    They hadn''t left the hallway from when they exited the room, until they used an elevator that went up to the fifth floor.


    Once they stepped into the new open hallway, they walked on the same type of carpet as they had been walking on downstairs ¨C they wouldn''t have been able to tell the difference, had they not felt the elevator move up. The grey walls and depressing electrical light source without any windows in sight created the fitting atmosphere for them. Isaac already noted the position of the cameras around.


    ["What do you mean it broke? That was supposed to have been a lie!"] He could hear the terrified voice of a woman and a bit of rustling. ["What about Hunter Choi?"]


    He could swear it was the same voice from the earpiece before, but before, she was extremely calm, so it was hard to tell now.


    ["Don''t worry about Hunter Choi, worry about us! At least that guy can protect himself. We only have one who can.]


    It felt like he knew all too well what those two were bickering about and he didn''t love the implications of it. At the same time, he couldn''t deny that he got excited.


    This was the perfect opportunity for him. ''If I can shine now, they won''t have a chance but acknowledge me, no matter who it is.'' He could tell it wasn''t a good look that he had bailed earlier that day and he had to make up for it, even if it was just for himself to know about it.


    He had never felt this motivated by anything in his life, except for that day he heard that distinct pinging sound for the first time, which told him he was destined for something great.


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    Meanwhile, Isaac became gradually more suspicious of his travel companion. From one second to the other he had started to look restless and jumpy. It was as if he was aware of something that Isaac wasn''t and he didn''t like that prospect very much.


    After all, they couldn''t afford to get into actual trouble there. It was of paramount importance for him to be able to go back home and sleep!


    "What is going on, Hayden?" he asked in earnest.


    As if contemplating about something, he took a moment before he answered, while their babysitters started directing them into a smaller room with table and five chairs around it. Next to them was a wall with a big mirror, like the ones they had all seen in movies and TV shows before.


    "I think there''s a Gate around the building we were in."


    That bit of unceremoniously dropped information almost made Ron choke on his saliva, while the other two simply froze, like the sidekicks they were.


    "You have already seen the monsters before, haven''t you?" Pretending to joke around, he smiled a fake smile, but the teenage boys didn''t buy it.


    "Yes, but this is a different Gate, isn''t it?"


    His smile froze. "What gave you that adventurous idea, boy?"


    "I have my ways," Hayden replied smugly.


    By now, Isaac had realized that he truly must have meant it was a Skill that he had used. Since he had never truly engaged with a so called ''Awakened'' more than he naturally had to, courtesy of the annoying one in question, there was barely any knowledge regarding these Skills in his recollection.


    The closest he ever was to a Gate, forgetting that one time when he had turned four years old, was when he had tried to enter one by himself, which he couldn''t. He couldn''t as Elijah and he couldn''t as Isaac.


    Of course, normal people couldn''t enter Gates. That was a widely known fact, which was why humanity was so dependent on the newly awakened Hunters back in the day. Twelve years ago, there were only a bunch of teenagers in puberty that the world could rely on, making all the adults and military''s of the world feel ashamed of themselves.


    But aside from a lot of kids with eighth-grade-syndrome, this method had also brought upon legions of children mauled to death by monsters. The policy that mandated children to finish at least high school was a direct result of the populace gaining stability back after being rattled to the core.


    He had thought that his case might be different, since he was human right now, but as Elijah he wasn''t ¨C but that wasn''t true after all. Since he couldn''t do much, he took it as a part of natural progression in this world and left it as it was, never caring about it again until this very moment.


    "If there really is a Gate, why would nobody be aware of it?" Isaac asked without thinking about it.


    He hadn''t heard about it, not even from his kin before he had to break the connection.


    Then again, he couldn''t blame them, since they didn''t search the area back then, but only watched the trio brawl, so there was no helping it, in case it was hidden somewhere. They wouldn''t relay information to him if he wasn''t asking for it, after all.


    An icky feeling crept up his spine, while he sat down on one of the chairs that everyone seemed to have forgotten about already and vacantly stared at a potted plant. It stood in the corner, next to the only door in this room. The plant seemed to have been newly put there ¨C or maybe it was made of plastic.


    "Publicity," Hayden haphazardly threw in, "They don''t want people to give them the stink eye."


    The guards looked a little irked by his comment, yet they didn''t refute his claims. That was simply because they couldn''t actually explain it and he wasn''t completely wrong either.


    The area had already been devastated by a Gate a few years prior, so finding another one, albeit a small one, would have made people lose all faith in that district, after carefully trying to have it go back to normal. It''s an enormous space and a plot of land that continued to stain their dignity; a monument of failure, for everyone to see.


    Choi In-Sung''s audit and the ensuing investigation just happened to lead people right next to an undetected Gate. It was just one thing after another.


    Since it was a relatively weak Gate, they expected it to remain closed for at least another week before breaking. In this case, it might even have happened in their favor, since it aligned with a situation that involved the higher evolved races and people saw it.


    But there was something in the way that sweaty little teenage boy had spoken about it, that they had to take note of it. Like the taller one before, he said it as if he knew for sure that this Gate had nothing to do with the monsters attacking the old school building; they former even seemed confused about a Break in the first place. So what does he understand about the beings he must have witnessed in that lecture room?


    Hayden couldn''t know any of that, but he always took pride in how he was able to think quickly on his feet. He didn''t know about where the other monsters had emerged from, but he did understand that a Break happening right now would have to be a different one.


    This was based on information he shouldn''t have either and the Agents couldn''t conclude how he had gotten ahold of it from out of nowhere. Just having good ears would not let one listen in on his intercom, after all.


    Since Hayden had a good understanding of how such corporates worked, it hadn''t been that hard to put two and two together with the knowledge he was privy to.


    "So that''s why In-Sung Choi got here so early." He unceremoniously plopped down next to his junior. "He wasn''t due until tomorrow, right? But you called him here, so he would get rid of your mess in secret."


    "That''s one rude way to put it, kid." Surprised, the two boys looked in the direction of the door, where a ginger-haired woman in a black suit, similar to what the three guards were wearing, stepped into the room.


    As a matter of fact, he wasn''t correct. But at the same time, regarding the audit, he was also not incorrect, which was shameful to admit on her part ¨C yet even more shameful to lie about.


    It was the same voice as the one Hayden had heard twice before. "It''s the woman that gave instructions," he informed Isaac, who wouldn''t know.


    Well, he also hadn''t cared too much to know. "So what he said was true, I take it?"


    It shouldn''t be true, since they were hiding it, so it mustn''t be a big one. Why would they need to hire a foreign Hunter for this? Especially one that''s known as the strongest Hunter currently alive, if one ignored the debate about how Samuel Dryer would beat him up for sure if they went all out.


    "You''re welcome," the older teen sarcastically commented at being ignored in this manner.


    "We never said that," the smug woman replied while closing her eyes and the door behind her.


    "Yet you also failed to deny it," was all he had to say for her expression to turn cold.

 Chapter 13: Welcome to the System (1)

    ¡ª a.h.a. headquaters of the oregon state, portland, oregon, september 2022


    To him it was clear that Hayden seemed to have struck a nerve. But how did it all come together?


    "You really needed to ask a Hunter from another country? Don''t we have enough Hunters here?"


    Now it was Isaac''s time to explain. "Didn''t you say it yourself? Making it public would have made them look bad. People would start avoiding the district again."


    It was ultimately better to take care of everything fast and without anyone catching wind of it ¨C the business with the Vampires and Werewolves was what he obviously meant, but he knew that there was a reason why they had to keep that from the public, so he happily played along.


    Hunter Choi was going to visit the country on a political mission anyway, so they simply had to beg him to come earlier and take care of their problem covertly. But now they had an entirely different problem on their hands.


    The woman, whose name they did not know, was visibly on edge and it wasn''t because a bunch of children had acted wisely with her for a bit.


    "So I guess there was a Gate so dangerous you had to get Choi In-Sung to take care of it, so you don''t have to get Dryer from Canada all the way over here," he mused, "and I think that there''s a second Gate that broke as well. At least ''someone'' said it did." Hayden especially emphasized the "someone" as he looked at her.


    He didn''t quite believe it was that simple, though he figured Isaac really hated complicated things. It was odd to him, how he made his own life more complicated in order to evade complications.


    No comments were made, though the same could not be said about their facial expressions turning sour, telling them all they needed to know.


    At this point, the third high schooler in the room, who hadn''t yet made so much as a peep, was getting irritated.


    "What does he mean ''someone said it did''? So are there two Breaks happening out there right now, or what?" Again, the woman did not answer, but the look she gave them was enough to make them understand.


    The third guard ¨C who hadn''t said anything until now just like Rue hadn''t ¨C cleared his throat. "What should we do? Evacuate the adjacent areas?" He had a Spanish accent.


    "That would only cause a panic. Did anything escape?" Ron countered.


    The woman put a hand on her chin and started scratching away at it. "That seems not to be the case, we got it covered."


    "Wouldn''t that mean it''s over soon?" The guy they had only heard once in the storage room, made that decision without thinking twice.


    "It''s still a Gate, Lane. And even S-Class-Skills have a cooldown."


    They all thought back to how he had unexpectedly thought in a fight between two of the higher races, right before being sent into an actual Gate that was apparently at breaking point already. Now everyone directed their attention back at the three kids, which had initially been her in order to them to be told to keep quiet about the incident and discern what they had understood about what had transpired at the abandoned district.


    "I know nothing," was the scrawny boy''s instantaneous response, seeing how they were all looking at them expectantly.


    "Where am I?" Rue added, as nobody had answered her before and she didn''t feel like helping them either.


    "Who am I again?" Even Hayden played along.


    "Well, we will find out who they are sooner or later." Ron Kilmer was generally a patient man, but even he didn''t have the energy left to bother with them anymore.


    Not after the recent news had dropped on them like a bombshell. To him, they were nothing but distractions and in the worst case, something might have just happened while they were busy collecting them.


    Isaac could tell. His mind must have been a mess, just like everyone else''s. In fact, Hayden was too calm, he should have been like the Agents or rather worse. His composure was not a good sign, in fact, but a harbinger of trouble to him.


    Still, first things first, he hadn''t come empty handed after all. He clenched and unclenched his fists while sitting on the hard chair and repeatedly blinked.


    Despite the fact that he had originally resolved himself to not use this technique again, he had no choice but to do so anyway. It was mentally draining, but his mind wasn''t so weak as to cave in just from that, so he didn''t have a real reason to argue about it.


    He eased into the sensation that he had found to be more and more familiar to him, even sweat started to drench his shirt. He felt that, if he did this another two or three times, it might feel as though he was greeting an old friend.


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


    His breath hitched for a moment and suddenly, the scratching and mild burning he had felt so far started to melt into one. From then on, sadly, it only got worse.


    Finally, the pain came back like a tidal wave, hitting him as if he had momentarily caught on fire after being struck by lightning. A prickling, burning, stinging type of heat surged through him and energy shaped like invisible, scorching hot needles pierced his skin over and over again. He swallowed hard and focused on suppressing a tremor in his body, trying to keep the notable signs of his agony to a minimum.


    It wasn''t that he had never felt sharp pain such as this before. He simply hadn''t thought of having to endure it right at this moment and in this situation. When he had to draw a sharp breath, Hayden peeked at him from the side, noticing something strange right away, yet keeping his observation to himself, seeing as nobody else reacted.


    He wouldn''t be able to know what Isaac was thinking, but it seemed like he tried to keep his composure somehow. His skin shook ever so slightly and even he had barely caught it, despite sitting right next to him.


    ''Can''t hurt if he owes me a favor later,'' the kid with darker hair thought.


    Meanwhile, Isaac could swear his skin was melting off of his body. It wasn''t, obviously, because if it did, he would have probably heard someone scream at this point. Nonetheless, it was getting harder keeping himself together, even for him.


    As Elijah, Isaac had been someone who had, at one point, grown very accustomed to a variety of sensory pain. It wasn''t like him to bend the knee so easily, that''s why he had to persevere. His pride was something he rarely swallowed. In this case, he had a face to save, even for just himself as the audience.


    All he had tried to do was give his kin one last mission for this day. And that mission he conveyed as fast and as clear as he could. In that moment, a crash was to be heard, shattering accompanied by deafening cries.


    They might have heard it slightly muffled by the doors and walls separating them from the ruckus, but there was no way the now four guards hadn''t realized the extent of it anyway.


    ''Fly, cry, make it as loud as you can'', Isaac recalled whatever he was able to belch out through their mental connection. They did as told and it was pure chaos.


    All four of the supposed security ran out of the room, their guns drawn and ready to act. When even Hayden showed intent of getting up and running after them, Isaac could only put a reassuring hand on his knee for a second, to keep him in his seat. He also shot a glance at Rue, who suddenly went pale and rigid in her chair, not moving an inch, despite seemingly ready to bolt at the slightest opportunity.


    She hadn''t been this nervous running from a fight between two monsters earlier; she had even come into Hayden and Isaac''s hideout to wait for the creatures to duke it out at the abandoned district.


    He would have said something, if he had been able to. ''My entire body feels like it has been put through the wringer,'' he thought in regret, ''this wasn''t a good idea. I can hardly move.''


    "We wait a moment before we run. Understood?" Isaac''s voice sounded coarse and broke gradually throughout the few words he had spoken. Thankfully, it didn''t seem like a permanent condition, as the numb feeling in his fingertips already subsided. ''I might regain control of myself before the four musketeers return.''


    They didn''t get their identity yet and sure, they can try to find them later on, but it would require them to make a bigger case out of it. And the least of the things they will want to do now is to get more eyes on this matter. If they run now, they could get out of this, without their names ending up on some sort of file.


    ''Probably,'' he concluded in his mind, ''Well, it''s the best I can do now.''


    With that, Hayden did get up as told, as soon as their guards had run far enough down the corridor. His Skill had already deactivated by that point, leaving them to guess if they were now in the green or not.


    "Do you want to get up?"


    It was easier said than done. "I''m trying, give me a minute."


    "I thought I wouldn''t ask, but seriously, what is wrong with you?" Slightly wary, Rue asked instead of Hayden, who had resolved himself to keep quiet about the brown-haired''s condition.


    "Whatever could you mean by that?" Isaac couldn''t rebuke him, so he pretended to be oblivious.


    The scrawny boy finally managed to peel his behind from the metal chair he had started to adhere to, before standing wobbly on his two legs. His feet still felt as if they were asleep, yet he could at least numbly move and put pressure on them now.


    "You look like some geriatric motherfucker, about die of old age," Hayden commented after doing a double take on Isaac''s posture. "Seriously, it''s weird that all this ruckus started right and you don''t seem surprised at all. Remember that shitty bird flying into the camera fixture?"


    He looked at the high schooler next to him, contemplating how to answer. "I didn''t do much."


    "Are you an Awakened? But you''re not registered."


    "I''m not an Awakened," he firmly stated, ''Would he believe me if I told him I was a magician instead?''


    Rue listened to them, blinking. The expression on her face was somewhere between relief and suspicion ¨C directed at her scrawny classmate.


    But they didn''t have the time for this right now, since they could only move while their watchmen were away. So he stepped forward and left the room, cautiously, trying not to alert whoever might have been left behind.


    In a room on the other side of the corridor, the guards were busy checking every corner and trying to understand why a group of crows would dare crash into any window and camera they could find, but they couldn''t find an Awakened responsible for it. They didn''t even spare a thought about the three teenagers they had brought into the building before, because even if they likely had someone with Skills among them, this would be a ranged attack, far out of reach for an untrained kid to do.


    Rue, which still had her doubts, couldn''t stay behind alone and do nothing, so she followed the light brown head in front of her, slyly evading the few cameras inside of this floor, pressing the button of the elevator which hadn''t moved since they arrived, and got in to send it downstairs.


    Within the elevator, Isaac pointed upwards. "The other floors will likely not be as empty, we can''t just walk out. Help me up so I can open the hatch."


    "What?" He complained while complying with the order anyway.


    It was messy work at best, but after the strong and agile Awakened made it onto the elevator''s roof, the other two held onto his sleeved arm to pull themselves up as well, one after the other. After closing the maintenance hatch, they sighed in unison.


    "What are you sighing about?" the older asked, appalled, as they had done exactly as the younger one had wanted, so he was the last one to have a reason to lament this situation.


    "This wasn''t how it was supposed to go," Isaac bemoaned, shockingly realizing only now, in the darkness of an elevator shaft, that they had gone as wrong as they could have gone.


    After that, the shaft remained silent for a short while.