*On that day, far from the school, in the office of the PNA (Psyker National Agency), a group of individuals in suits gathered in one of the many conference rooms. In fact, given the number of people, it seemed to be a closed-door meeting. In the middle of the room stood a man next to the projector. He wore only his white shirt, sleeves rolled up, and had a scar protruding from his collar.*
- Thank you all for coming; I appreciate the gesture.
*Achille (Achy) Donnelly: Former Rank 1 Psyker, now Director of Operations for the agency.*
- For once, I want to hear what you have to say. *Said an old man.*
*General Landler: Head of Task Force Nu, in charge of military interventions involving psykers.*
*Right next to him was a young lady with violet hair tied in the back and golden eyes. She wore ordinary pants and a clergy collar. She couldn't have been more than 20. Two men dressed like monks were at her side.*
- I'm just here as a formality. *She said solemnly.*
*Sister Isabella Keesley: Member of the Church of the Scarlet Faith. Department of Miracle Investigations.*
- Come on, young lady, this case should spark your enthusiasm, I think.
*Heraud Hitchcock: Former Master Psyker, now retired. Representative of the Gawain family.*
- And as for me, I'm here to be the referee. Just to ensure someone here has an impartial view.
*Cho Bratton: Former top-ranked hunter. Co-founder of Bratton and Cain Mining Industries.*
*He was dressed only in a short-sleeved shirt, disheveled hair, and beach shorts with flip-flops.*
- These are such uncouth manners. *Isabella thought.*
- I notice General Preacher is absent. *Achy remarked. Maxine, do the thing, please.*
*The young assistant turned on the projector, displaying a series of videos. One showed a fighter jet chasing a fireball.*
- I remember this. *The old general said.* The pilot claims to have pursued the object until losing its trace and stalling.
- Not being able to follow even at Mach 2 is an achievement in itself. *Achy stated.* Who is the fastest psyker in the sky again? *He asked his assistant.*
- Lady Suzuki. *She promptly replied.* Mach 3.3, but according to rumors, she might go faster.
- Nope, that's correct. If she could go faster, she'd already boast about it in the media. *Cho interjected, crushing a cigarette.*
- Next.
*The next image showed a silhouette surrounded by a halo of flame, decimating a horde of giant beetles while crossing a cornfield.*
- He wiped them out in less than ten seconds. *Achy said.*
- He didn't wipe them out. *Hitchcock corrected.*
- Excuse me? *Achy inquired.*
- He didn't wipe them out. He was passing by.
*Achy, surprised by the old man's analysis, replayed the video in slow motion. For a moment, the fire turned blue like plasma and then returned to its ordinary properties.*
- Giant beetles are supposed to be immune to flames, right? *Achy asked.*
- Correct. *Hitchcock replied.*
- I see. Next image.
*This time, it was the wing-shaped curtain of flames that protected the city of Belcraft. Along with the flaming harpoon that followed.*
- Well, after watching these, it becomes clear that something unknown suddenly appeared in our sky and took care of our job for us. What does the military say?
*All eyes turned to General Landler.*
- While I can't say anything about the abilities of my own men, I can affirm that if we had individuals of that caliber, I wouldn't have waited until February 14th to deploy him.
- Okay, it's not the military. *Achy said.* And I don't know any psyker from the agency capable of doing such a thing. Furthermore, this thing is probably what killed the blue demon.
- It's impossible. Not even the hero Allen could defeat it. *Isabella affirmed.*
- Indeed. But what if it's Gizon himself? *Hitchcock suggested, stroking his beard.*
- Be careful, old man. *She warned.*
- Ahaha.
- You old...
- Grandpa Hitchcock, please don't provoke the inquisition. *Achy said seriously.* That said, we don't know what this thing is, so I'm open to all speculations. Even the most lunatic ones.
*Everyone stared at Isabella as if they needed her approval to express themselves freely.*
- Stop staring at me like that. I investigate miracles. We're not an execution squad.
- But of course. And General Preacher here grows radioactive potatoes on his military complex. *Cho mocked.*
*Achy clapped his hands.*
- That's enough, everyone. Let's calm down. We're here to identify this thing. Any suggestions?
- I think it's a human. *The general said.*
- Oh really? What makes you so confident? *Hitchcock asked.*
*The general slid a USB drive onto the table, which the assistant picked up. Inside was just a realistic sketch of a young boy. A teenager with flame-red hair and fiery wings.*
- Master Psyker Bethsabée Kalinsky made a most troubling testimony. I'm sure you've heard it already, Director Donnelly.
*Achy stared at the old man, arms crossed.*
- That's true. But I take it as the delusions of a Church fanatic.
- Sergeant Kalinsky is an atheist. *The general retorted.*
- But she grew up in an orphanage subsidized by the Scarlet Faith.
- THAT'S ENOUGH.
*The young woman's cry echoed in the room. She stood up, visibly annoyed, and one of the monks brought her coat. The already tense atmosphere became even more charged.*
- I've understood that my presence here is not appreciated, so I'll take my leave.
- Sorry if our words offended you; that wasn't our intention.
- You can continue speculating; I'll investigate this demon-killing light myself. And if it's a saint sent by the heavens or a manifestation of the Scarlet Lord's will, I'll personally attest to it.
*She put on her coat, slightly revealing her phoenix-shaped pendant. Then she headed out, but before she could leave the room, Director Cho intervened.*
- In fact, the reason for your presence here is quite different. *He said, insisting.*
- Step aside, please. *She said respectfully.*
- Do you remember the incident at Tannesgate Prison a few weeks ago?
- I've heard about it in the media. Caius Gawain took care of it.
- I think you'd be interested to know what happened before his arrival. *He said with a sly smile.*
*His words managed to capture the young girl's interest. The meeting continued without major incidents, and each party went home, thinking about what lay ahead. Achy was the first to leave, as a force of nature whose existence surpassed understanding was wandering outside. The theory that it could be a psyker with enormous power seemed increasingly possible.*
-"Bloody ridiculous," he muttered aloud.
"If we eliminate all possibilities, even the impossible, only the facts remain," Maxine said.
"We're not in one of your damn detective novels. And Beth is the only one who claims to have seen it."
"Do you think she's just rambling?" Maxine asked.
"Beth is anything but a believer. And now she claims to have seen the Scarlet Lord himself."
"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" the assistant said with gleaming eyes. "He'll come and save us, liberate Naraka for us."
"Hahaha," he laughed, putting his hand on his face.
He then fixed the young girl with a sly look. "If I were the Scarlet Lord, I wouldn't want anything to do with a bunch of idiots who reopened the portal I spent my entire life trying to close."
Outside the building, the old general exchanged pleasantries with Hitchcock, then the two men parted ways. The general got into his car with his assistant.
"Have you identified the Scarlet individual?" he asked soberly.
"It's in progress," his assistant replied. "The intelligence division has all its men on the case."
"I see."
Meanwhile, on the faith side, Isabella was walking briskly towards the chapel.
"Lady Isabella, wait," one of the monks said.
"No, we need to inform the hierarchy."
"Shouldn't we first investigate the potential miracle?"
"Potential miracle," she corrected. "If what Director Cho said is true, this case takes precedence over any shimmering light in the sky. And besides, if it's really a psyker, I doubt they'd want to make themselves known."
At the same time, somewhere in the capital, a young teen named Ezio Cohen had just had a productive discussion about history with a girl from his class. After bidding farewell to his elder, he smiled as he watched her leave.
"You've got a crush on that girl," Gizon said.
"Huh. No, she's just... she's nice."
"Just nice, he says. Anyway, you stare at her intensely. And she's probably noticed."
"Oh, come on, old man i is just admiration."
"Of course of course"
Ezio was about to move when he felt a presence. His senses suddenly heightened.
"Kid..."
"Yes, I felt it too."
Without warning, his hair turned red as a halo covered him entirely. He dropped his school bag and soared into the air, deploying a pair of flame wings. What the young man had sensed was the aura of a harpy that had just appeared on the outskirts of the city. It was in a sparsely populated area and was about to devour a passerby. It was an easy prey; the nearest psyker was kilometers away, and a harpy is not within the reach of just anyone. However, Ezio didn't bother with such conventions. He crushed the harpy by landing on it, splattering its blood everywhere. The blood evaporated due to the heat. Ezio then turned to the young lady.
"Are you alright?"
His angelic smile and friendly demeanor quickly reassured her despite the shock.
"Uh... um... yes. Thank you."
"Good to hear."
He gave her an amused smile and then flew back into the sky as he came.
"I thought there was a barrier around the city," Gizon said.
"I thought so too. They must have reused the energy elsewhere."
Meanwhile, at the PNA headquarters, Achy had just finished his work and was leaving the building.
"Shall I bring your car, sir?"
"Nah, thanks. I prefer to walk," he said.
He lit a pack of cigarettes and walked down the street, imagining seeing the Scarlet Eminence in the sky at any moment.
"As if I'd bump into him around the corner," he muttered.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a crash, like something falling from the sky. He rushed around the corner and saw a young high schooler in a halo of scarlet commanding two sandwiches. Even the sandwich vendor, surprised by his appearance, struggled to comply. Once the sandwiches were in hand, the young man soared back into the sky, leaving the two men below astonished.
"Who... I think that was?" the sandwich vendor asked.
"But... But... Oh, fuck me," Achy muttered.
*End of the chapter.*