What happens to a king once he loses his throne?
Gabriel Esthath was arranging his desk as he prepared to leave his office for a meeting with the board members of the HFA. The meeting was set to start in a few minutes. While tidying his desk, Haruto and Koichi knocked and entered the room.
Koichi: Mr Esthath. You're.....
Haruto: We're late old man. What are you still doing here?! HUH?!
Koichi: Lower your tone, Haruto.
Gabriel: (sighs) Still as loud as I remember you, Haruto. I'm ready now. Let's go.
Moments later, Gabriel, Haruto, and Koichi arrived at the meeting room, where the seven board members were already seated around a round table. Haruto and Koichi stood at the entrance and watched as the meeting began. One of the men stood up, signaling the start of the session.
Man 1: Gentlemen of the board, we've called this meeting to address the current crisis: the decline in our forces.
Man 2: In the last ten months, we've lost a significant number of Hunters due to the shadow monsters and the Kaimi Daja.
Man 3: Losing a Level 1+ Hunter was a severe blow. We now appear weak not only to our enemies but also to the very people we are sworn to protect.
Man 1: This is unacceptable, Gabriel. All of this happened under your watch.
Man 6: Have you nothing to say!?
Gabriel: (bows his head) I apologize for my incompetence as a leader. I promise to do better and ensure this never happens again.
Haruto: (whispers to Koichi) Never thought I'd see the old man like this
Koichi: This is why I hate being in these kind of meetings
Man 2: Well, that will not be the case anymore.
Gabriel: (raises his head) What do you mean?
Man 4: The President of Haiwa was about to cut the HFA's funding until some of us personally assured him that changes would be made.
Man 5: And how did you assure him?
Man 6: We promised to improve by starting with a change in leadership.
Haruto: Wait...
Koichi: You can't mean....
Man 1: Gabriel Esthath, we thank you for your decade of service to this organization, but your tenure as head of the HFA ends today.
Man 2: (gestures to the seventh person) Vincent, this is your cue.
At the far end of the table, a stern-looking man stood up. This was Vincent Harade.
Man 1: From today onward, Vincent Harade will assume your duties as the head of the HFA. You, Gabriel Esthath, will be reassigned as the principal of the Hunter Academy. You will no longer have any involvement with the Hunter Association, and all Hunters will now report to Vincent Harade.
Man 2: That concludes the meeting. Adjourned.
Gabriel sat silently, his face etched with disappointment and sadness. As the other members congratulated Vincent, Haruto and Koichi approached Gabriel.
Haruto: This is some bullshit! Why are they putting the blame on you, old man? All of them are sitting there acting like they can do a better job.
Koichi: Lower your voice. They'll hear you.
Haruto: And what are they gonna do? Fire me? They can't do that because they said it themselves, the Hunter force is declining so they can't do anything to scare me.
Gabriel: That's enough Haruto. They were right. Everything is happening because of my incompetence. I should be lucky that I wasn't fired and that I still have an opportunity to continue working.
Haruto: But you've been here for over ten years. They should at least...
Gabriel: Enough, Haruto. (stands up) I'd better go clear out my office.
Haruto and Koichi watched as Gabriel left the room. From the other end, Vincent Harade observed them quietly.
Marlo had heard the news about Gabriel and rushed to his office, where he found him packing his belongings into a brown box. The sight of it filled Marlo with dread.
Gabriel: (looking up) Oh, it's you. You can help me pack those things over there.
Marlo: Mr. Gabriel! I heard what happened. I'm so—
Gabriel: (interrupting) It's okay, Marlo. To be honest, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. All I've done is send you youngsters to your deaths and achieved nothing in return.
Marlo: No, you didn't, sir! We all look up to you. You've helped the HFA for the past 10 years and saved countless lives. If it weren't for you... I'd still be sitting under that streetlamp. They can't just drop you like this after a decade of service!
Gabriel: (sighs, dropping the box and placing a hand on Marlo's shoulder) I know you're hurting because I'm like a father to you. I know you think I deserve better. But what's done is done. There's no need to dwell on it anymore. We can't get the board to change their minds, and I've made my peace with it.
Marlo: But it's not your fault what happened to Sanito and Joshua…
Gabriel: I know, but there's nothing I can do anymore. (pauses, sighing deeply) Now, will you help me pack?
Marlo: (reluctantly) Yes, sir.
The news of Gabriel Esthath's removal from his seat in the HFA spread quickly. He was replaced by Vincent Harade, a decision that brought renewed hope to the citizens of Haiwa. The change began to restore their faith in the HFA, which had waned over the years.
Later that evening, Vincent Harade sat in his new office, typing on his laptop. Suddenly, the sound of a chair being pulled interrupted his focus. He looked up to see another person sitting across from him.
Vincent: Don't you think you should've knocked?
The visitor leaned forward, revealing his face. It was none other than Zero.
Zero: Even if I had, you wouldn't have heard it. You're too locked in on that system of yours.
Vincent: (smirks) Fair point.
Zero: So, everything worked out, huh?
Vincent: (gesturing to the office) I think this answers your question.
Zero: Guess everything I did wasn't a waste.
Vincent: How did you think this would play out?
Zero: Well, the plan was to get members of the Kaimi Daja to infiltrate the prison cells. But I needed someone to keep an eye on them. That's where you came in. You were already on the board and a peripheral member of the Kaimi Daja. Call it fate, if you will.
Vincent: (sighing) When I joined the board, I thought it would be my first step toward changing the world for the better. But it all led nowhere.
Zero: Which is why you came to me. We could help each other. That's why I brought you into the Kaimi Daja.
Vincent: Now that I'm head of the HFA, what do you want from me?
Zero: Kenny, Karla—well, Annie now—and Veto are in the cells beneath HQ. For now, I need you to watch over them. I've put them there for a reason: they need to talk to someone.
Vincent: By someone, you mean… HIM?
Zero: (nodding) Yeah. Eldon Snyder. The man responsible for the 2003 Incident. He's essential to a bigger plan I'm working on. (pauses, looking distant) And one of the reasons I started down this path.
Six floors beneath the HFA headquarters, the prison buzzed with activity. Guards patrolled the corridors, their eyes scanning the inmates. Each prisoner wore a collar around their neck to suppress their abilities. For Lighters, it nullified their powers; for humans, it sapped their strength, making escape impossible.
Cell 184 housed Kenny, who had been imprisoned since the incident with Kato in July.
Cell 214 held Veto, struggling to remove his collar with his one remaining arm.
Cell 240 contained Annie—formerly Karla—who was fast asleep.
And in Cell 999 sat a bearded man with a massive, reinforced collar unlike any other. He leaned back against the wall, his eyes dark and unyielding. This was Eldon Snyder, the man whose actions had ignited chaos over two decades ago.