As Kai, Haydon, Ethan, Willow, and Ava walked out of the cinema, they quickly started sharing their thoughts on the movie they had just watched. Haydon, his voice loud with conviction, "Man, Shout 1 was so much better."
"For real, you just can't beat Jimmy Boogis and Ramen Macher. They carried that movie." Ethan replied, clearly agreeing with Haydon.
All of them decided to walk Willow home. As they arrived at her doorstep, Willow smiled and said, "We should meet again soon."
With that, she waved goodbye and headed inside.
As the remaining friends started walking away, Haydon turned to Kai with a serious expression. "There are some things you should know about," he said hushedly, catching Kai's attention.
"What you saw today was a corpse, but not a human one. It was a Demon. Demons are real, and they survive by killing. The Hunter's Haven Agency is dedicated to dispatching these accursed Demons. They recruit people with unique abilities to exterminate these Demons.
Kai looked stunned, processing the information. "So… the agency recruits people like you?"
"Exactly," Haydon replied. "We were planning to recruit you at school, but… there was a little incident."
The Incident-
Earlier that day, Haydon had convinced Ethan to approach a girl and try to get her number, promising to be his wingman. With Haydon's 'Support,' Ethan nervously walked up to the girl and said in confidence "Are you a problem? Because… I wanna solve you".
Haydon, true to his word, hit play on a romantic song in the background, adding to the already awkward atmosphere. The girl's face shifted from confusion to annoyance, and before Ethan could even register her expression, he found himself slapped across the face. Haydon winced and quickly apologized, "My bad, bro! I should've picked a different song."
As Ethan rubbed his cheek, trying to shake off the sting, he suddenly looked up, his expression going from irritated to horrified.
Back To The Present -
Kai, sensing that the conversation about demons and the agency was steering into distractions, interrupted.
"Hold on… Forget the flirting disasters for now. Tell me more about the agency."
Haydon and Ethan exchanged glances. "Actually, it'd be easier if we just showed you," Ethan said. "Come with us."
They led Kai to what looked like a ruined manor. Ava stepped up to the wall beside the door and touched it. Nothing visibly changed, but as they walked through the door, Kai's jaw dropped. The interior was massive, like the size of a small mall. The modern design was sleek, and hundreds of people bustled around, some in uniform, others carrying mysterious tools.
"Why is it so much bigger inside?" Kai asked, bewildered.
Ethan just shrugged. "Don't worry about it."
Still in awe, Kai began to wonder if this whole experience was some kind of dream. Before he could pinch himself, he was led into an elevator that started descending. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"To meet the boss," Haydon replied with a smirk.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and the group stepped out. As they walked down a long hallway, Kai felt the weight of the place…this was clearly not a joke.
"Who exactly is this 'boss'?" Kai asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and anxiety.
The others groaned in unison.
"Stop with the bloody questions and wait!" Ava said, rolling her eyes.
Finally, they arrived at a large door, and Haydon pushed it open dramatically. "I'M HERE!" he announced, stepping inside with his arms outstretched.
Kai followed and saw a tall, muscular figure standing at the far end of the room. The man looked up, his expression both calm and authoritative.
"Tatsuo! Where's the pizza?" Haydon and Ethan blurted out, clearly excited.
Tatsuo, unfazed, replied, "We already ate it."
Haydon and Ethan deflated, sighing dramatically. Tatsuo gave them a stern look. "Everyone except Kai, out."
"Fine, fine, we'll go find our own pizza," Ethan muttered as he left, dragging Haydon with him.
Once they were alone, Tatsuo turned to Kai and began explaining, "Every ability, hunter, demon, etc. has a rank, and it's important for handling Demon assignments. For example, Haydon's Cutting ability is a grade Unknown but Haydon is a grade 1. We assign missions based on both the Demon's rank and the Hunter's rank."
Tatsuo continued, detailing the rank system from weakest to strongest:
Grade 5
Grade 4
Grade 3
Grade 2
Grade 1
Grade Unknown
Kai asks "So what rank is everyone?"
Tatsuo - 1st Grade
Ethan - 3rd Grade
Haydon - 1st Grade
Ava - 4th Grade
Fritz - 2nd Grade
Toki - 2nd Grade
"There are many more but not to overwhelm you we will keep it at that" Tatsuo replied
After a lengthy conversation about the agency and ranks, Tatsuo leaned back and asked, "So, Kai, would you like to join us? Take your time deciding; we don't need an answer immediately."
Kai thought about it for a moment before replying, "I'll need a day or two to think it over."
As they walked back towards the entrance, Haydon caught up to him. "So… have you joined?"
"No, not yet," Kai answered.
"Well if you change your mind call us" Haydon gives Kai his phone number (The rizz master at his best.)
Ava and Ethan look at Haydon and then at each other.
"He always scares off the newbies." said in unison