The room was old and dim, with only a window letting in some of the early summer sunlight. The rest of the light came from a candle on a table, carved with odd symbols that looked ancient and mysterious.
In this dimly lit chamber, a solitary figure occupied the only chair. His eyes were fixed on the ancient relic he clutched in his fingers—a tarnished silver mirror that reflected nothing but shadows.
At that moment, the reflection surface of the mirror gradually changed, ripples appeared in the scene, and bustling scenes of coal mining and transportation were displayed in a gray frame.
The mirror surface displays images that look like pages from a children's picture book, flipping over one by one. Images kept showing up until the young man uttered a few words in an affirmative tone: "Calico".
.....
Midday in the Phlegoneos capital.
Two ladies are talking to each other at the reception desk of the O.S.P.I.S. branch located on Lombard Street, one of the busiest streets in the capital.
"Looks like Sir Henson and Miss Beth went out today to take on a few other expulsions." Said by a lady standing behind the front desk.
"The two of them are working together again. Yes, it seems there are more dangerous evil spirits appearing lately than before; I saw Sir Henson come back covered in blood and his face pale like death."
"I heard a rumor ".
The two ladies' conversation was interrupted by a sound from the front door. A small jingle sounded from the doorbell, signaling someone was entering.
"Did you see?" The receptionist, who looked at the front door, then looked back down to ask her lazily sitting friend.
"What?". Her friend asked again.
"The new guy. He is walking in. I thought I wouldn't be able to see him again."
"Oh my, who is that guy?"
"I don't know much; I've seen him walk into the captain's office a few times, earlier at the moment."
"Too bad; I wish I could have seen him sooner. So do you know anything else?"
"I asked, didn't get much, I just knew he was from Isandros Academy from the badge he brought out last time. I asked Miss Leta, too."
She exclaimed, "Oh Gosh! You know how much she likes to talk. I stood with her for half an hour, and all I knew was that he seemed to have a connection to the captain. Or maybe his mentor is friends with the captain."
"He is coming." The girl, who was sitting, suddenly stood up.
Both of them smiled kindly and greeted the noble-looking guy who entered. In front of the two girls' gazes, a young man entered. He smoothed his vest, took off his hat, and nodded slightly to the two ladies across from him.
"Good day, ladies! I came to see the captain." The young man spoke.
"Oh, he's in the office. You can go see him now." The female receptionist's friend quickly responded. She put her hand over her mouth and smiled brightly at him.
The young man smiled, nodded once more to the ladies, and walked away.
"Oh Haya! Do you see his gray eyes? Very mysterious. Too bad you just saw him for the first time. I've greeted him several times already. He is an elegant and charming guy. Oh, I bet when he's sitting, there won't be any wrinkles on his shirt."
The young man didn't mind the whispers of the two girls; he quickly climbed up to the second floor and entered the largest room up here. He knocked on the door and waited.
A few seconds later, a low, hoarse voice came from the door. "Come in".
In the room, a middle-aged man was sitting, slightly leaning against the desk. He leaned slightly to look at the young man who had just entered. His eyes looked confused.
"Is that you, Althur? It doesn't seem like your usual self."
The young man named Althur put his hat on the hat rack, and he sat down on the couch in the room in a familiar way.
"I am still me, Captain."
"I thought you wouldn't show up today. It seemed like you were bored when you came to this office. If you don't want to work here, I can recommend some other places. There's a need for some strong people in the military right now; after all, a recent graduate like you is welcome everywhere."
"You know I don't fit in places like that, and besides, they might have blacklisted me."
The middle-aged man sighed and said in a warm voice, "Most places don't deny talent these days, son."
"So, what brought you here today?"
"Things seem to have gotten a bit more boring lately, so I just wanted to wander around and see how it goes. Searching for the meaning of life," Althur said.
"We need to get over it. He will also be happy if you do. After all, he goes too fast. None of us were prepared for that. It must be difficult for you." The captain spoke with warmth and sincerity. "But he was gone, but not forgotten."
"Is that so?"
"I think I made it through. As a result, I don't think I need to find a way to revive him anymore. I think I really need to do something new. Maybe go somewhere away from the capital."
Both of them fell into hesitation. But the man had spoken. "I see. Well, we do have some things for you to consider now."
"Everything seems to be going crazy right now. Last time, Henson was injured because he encountered the devil, Lust.
Many consecutive incidents caused the headquarters' force to be continuously thinned. That was also the reason why those Hypocrite no longer stared at us like before. They treat us like cattle. The loss is more than that. "
The captain declared, "They're aware of us; they always are. But they deliberately overlook us because they know we're beyond their control."
"They continue to cooperate with us and implicitly ignore some of our situations. We cannot avoid tracking. After all, each of us is a seed of disaster."
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the clatter of gears. Steadily, the machine stopped as if trying to vomit something.
The middle-aged man stood up and walked towards the machine. He picked up the paper and began to read its contents. His brow furrowed slightly, then he walked over to Althur and sat down.
Althur looked at the paper and noticed the first headline and the first lines that caught his eye: "Sent from Calico". The corners of his mouth curled up over his gloomy face.