“…ters and a demon contractor appeared at the Nexoria City Museum.”
The girl opened her eyes, emerging from a troubled sleep. Her body felt exhausted, her muscles sore as if she had been through some ordeal. She felt as though she had been trapped in a nightmare, a disturbing dream that left her breathless.
The sensation of suffocation lingered in her mind. She remembered the hands that had covered her mouth, the sense of dread that had gripped her. And then, there was that metallic scent, a smell that had made her stomach churn with nausea.
Gradually, the sound of a television and a calm woman’s voice reached her ears, pulling her back to reality.
“According to revealed information from the Government, twenty people lost their lives in the attack, and it is reported that the number of wounded people passed the mark of 500.”
Confusion settled over the girl as she struggled to comprehend the situation. She found herself in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by white walls unlike the pink and girly decor of her own room.
“Mommy?”
The girl’s voice trembled as she called out, seeking the comfort of a familiar presence.
“Jane?”
Her mother’s soothing voice responded, an anchor in the midst of her confusion and fear.
“Mommy.”
Jane’s voice wavered as she clung to her mother, finding solace in her embrace.
“Are you okay, dear? You are not feeling uncomfortable, right?”
The mother’s voice shook, revealing her own concern for her daughter’s well-being.
“I-I am okay now, Mother. I am fine.”
Jane tried to sound strong, to reassure her mother, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her true emotions.
But, of course, as a mother, how could she not know how her daughter was feeling? Kaya, seeing her daughter hugging her tightly, noticed that she was trying to put up a strong front.
‘This…She is my daughter for sure.’
And she remembered what she herself would always do when she was young.
“It is fine, dear. You can cry now.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I am with you.”
As she said that, Kaya could feel a slight wetness in her bosom.
TAP TAP
She touched her daughter’s body in a soothing manner, tapping her from her back. She knew her daughter was just a little girl that must have never been subjected to such an event.
TOK TOK
Just at that moment, a sound of knocking came from the door.
“Miss Kaya. Can I enter?” It was the voice of a serious woman who seemed to be in her early twenties. “The footage you have requested is ready.”
Kaya’s eyes wandered around her daughter, who was crying silently in her arms, as she heard the woman’s words.
“Please wait for a while.”
She answered, deciding to stay with her daughter for a while.
“Understood. I will be waiting.”
Just like that, she just soothed her daughter like a mother would do, making her cry as much as she wanted.
********
CREAK
The door swung open with a soft creak, and a woman of serious demeanor stepped into the room. The shift from her composed exterior displayed outside to her current one was striking.
“Miss Kaya,” the woman greeted, her tone carrying a respectful undertone as she entered. In her hands, she held a compact tablet, its screen glowing faintly.
Kaya rose from her seat, her expression expectant. There was a reason she had specifically requested this footage.
“You mentioned that the footage is ready, correct?” Kaya inquired, her gaze unwaveringly fixed on her secretary.
“Yes,” the secretary confirmed. “As you requested, we managed to retrieve the available footage.”
“Then, please, proceed to show me.”
The secretary hesitated momentarily before speaking. “However, there is a complication. The camera that was operational at the time didn’t capture much of value.”
Kaya’s brows furrowed in a mild display of frustration. She had held hopes that the footage would shed some much-needed light on the events that had transpired. It appeared that her expectations might not be met after all.
“What do you mean by ‘not much of value’?” Kaya’s tone carried a mixture of curiosity and a hint of exasperation. She disliked when things were handled with less than utmost diligence.
“Well,” the secretary began, her voice measured, “the camera’s view is obstructed for the majority of the recording. Shadows dominate the screen, and there’s only a limited view of a figure moving within those shadows. We can’t glean much from it.”
Kaya’s curiosity piqued. She was determined to understand the details despite the challenges.
“Can you clarify what you mean by ‘shadows’?” Kaya probed further.
“Allow me to show you,” the secretary responded, tapping the tablet’s screen to initiate the playback. The footage started, and the quality was far from ideal. At first, the camera seemed to capture nothing more than a cluster of low-level crystals.
But then, the skirmish began. The tremors of combat could be sensed through the footage, yet the camera’s angle provided little clarity.
In the midst of the action, however, the camera’s already suboptimal view worsened. Shadows enshrouded the screen, blurring the vision. Amidst this obscurity, a figure moved within the shadows – a silhouette, small and seemingly of short stature.
Nothing about the figure could be discerned. No details of attire, hair, or even gender were discernible – just an enigmatic outline.
“Are there no other camera angles available?” Kaya inquired, her dissatisfaction palpable in her tone.
“No,” the secretary responded. “The shockwave released during the attack destroyed all the other cameras except for this one.”
Kaya’s expression remained focused, her mind already working to make the most of the limited information available.
“We need to analyze that silhouette,” Kaya stated firmly. “I want every available detail extracted from that footage. Enhance the shadows, isolate any distinguishing features, anything that could lead us to identify this figure.”
The secretary nodded in understanding. “Of course, Miss Kaya. We’ll do our best to enhance and extract any possible details.”
Kaya’s determination didn’t waver. “I want a comprehensive analysis. Create a profile of this silhouette – estimate its height, leg length, build, anything that can give us an idea of who or what we’re dealing with.”
The secretary jotted down the instructions, her fingers tapping on the tablet. “Understood. We’ll work on compiling as much information as we can from this footage.”
Kaya’s mind was set on uncovering the truth behind this mysterious figure. “Additionally, cross-reference this profile with any available records or databases. We may not have much to work with, but any lead could prove valuable.”
As the secretary scribbled down the additional instructions, Kaya’s gaze never wavered from the tablet’s screen. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the desk, a testament to her unyielding determination.
“Once we have the profile ready, distribute it to the relevant departments. We need to get ahead of this, find out who was responsible for the attack and why.”
The secretary’s voice carried a note of reassurance. “We’re on it, Miss Kaya. We’ll use every resource available to us.”
“Good. Then, you may leave.”
As the woman left, Kaya was left alone with her own thoughts.
‘That silhouette. For some reason, I have an intuition that he is young.’
The Demon Contractor and his voices were already recorded by her watch, which she had activated while fighting.
But this unknown assailant who shot the gun was the one brimming in the corner of her mind. For some reason, she couldn’t take it out of her head.
‘What was his goal? What if next time he will aim for Jane’s life?’
There was no concrete proof that that person would aim for her daughter’s life, but what if he did?
This question lingered in the corner of her head as she returned to her daughter’s room.
********
After the chaos that ensued during the attack and the subsequent release of monsters, the originally planned orientation was abruptly cut short. We all returned to the Academy, the sense of unease lingering in the air like an unshakable shadow.
“I’m truly sorry that our first trip had to end in such a way,” the club president’s words carried a somber tone. His initial enthusiasm for the club had been dampened by the events of the day, leaving him visibly unsettled.
“Regardless, I’ll keep you all informed about our next trip. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday,” he added, his wave a mixture of farewell and dismissal. As the meeting dispersed, club members scattered in various directions. Amid the dispersing crowd, I found my way back to my room.
As I settled in, I couldn’t help but contemplate my recent actions. The materials I had managed to pilfer from the Museum were securely tucked away in my bracelet.
<Moonstone.> <Luminarus.> <Celestial Blossom.> <Azure Scales.>
All valuable items were stolen directly from the Museum’s collection. I had taken them while removing the moonstone, intentionally diverting attention from my true focus.
The rationale was simple: I didn’t want to give the impression that the moonstone had been my sole objective. It was a calculated move to ensure that my motives remained obscure, even though I doubted anyone would pay it much mind.
In any case, with all those materials at my disposal, I entered my room and started reviewing what had happened in today’s trip.
‘To think that the fight between two high-ranking individuals was this different. As expected, the game can not hold a candle when it comes to making things look realistic.’ 𝐕𝐥xt.𝑐𝞸𝔪
Observing the high-ranking individuals’ confrontation, I couldn’t help but muse on the disparity between their abilities. The experience was eye-opening, despite the fact that the visual quality was far from perfect.
‘The game can’t hold a candle to the realism of these battles,’ I realized. Witnessing such high-level combat for the first time highlighted the limitations of the game’s portrayal of reality.
‘It’s no wonder the Academy’s internship program is so highly sought after.’ The realization hit me. Facing such powerful individuals and seeing the gap between their strengths and mine, I understood that I was far from where I needed to be.
“I’m still too weak,” the truth weighed heavily on my mind. While I had never been under the illusion that I was exceptionally strong, my lower ranking in the game had cultivated a certain pride within me. I had believed that rigorous training could bridge the gap.
‘It is not enough. With this amount of training, how can I face her? How can I face those that I want to kill? What if the man happened to be there was a stronger person?’
However, it was not. Just like what happened in the museum, the story of the game couldn’t cover every event that happened in this universe.
What would happen when I faced an enemy whose strength exceeded the game’s predefined level? A sobering thought dawned on me. Arrogantly assuming invincibility just because I knew the game’s future events was foolish.
“How naive of me,” I chastised myself silently. My knowledge of the game’s progression blinded me to the reality of my limitations. It was a stark reminder that I couldn’t rely solely on my foreknowledge to overcome every obstacle.
“I need to work harder. The events of the story are also coming up. I don’t have much time to waste.”
The fight I had just witnessed constantly haunted me. I put myself in the position of Kaya Hartley and thought about what would happen if she was not there.
‘I would be dead. All my ambitions, all the reason for my living.’
‘It would be for naught.’
Standing up from where I was standing, I took the Moonstone from my bracelet and looked into it.
The strange connection remained, but I didn’t know what I needed to do with this material.
‘Should I use it for a weapon?’
The amount I had at my disposal was not that big, which meant I couldn’t use it for a weapon right now.
‘If it is so, then I should find more of this material.’
Remembering that villain in the game who used the mana of the moon, I raised my head.
‘But, the weapon is the secondary thing.’
Releasing my mana from my hand, I tried to form a small thread on my hand. It was hard at first, but I am slowly getting better at my mana control.
‘I need to improve my mana control and my magical power first. Without the power to use it, the weapon’s strength won’t matter.’
With that thought, I grabbed my training materials and headed to the training grounds.
It was time to grind.