CHAPTER 12: THE UNREGISTERED ROOKIE
"NARRATOR POV"
The air inside the stationary train was thick with the scent of ozone and the heavy, lingering presence of Curse energy. Captain Selene the woman with the sharp eyes and the iron-pressed uniform traced a finger along a jagged crack in the carriage wall. The metal hadn't just been bent; it had been pulverized.
"However," Luke Blight continued, his voice echoing in the hollow car, "there was a far more significant threat among the syndicate than we initially predicted. There was a high-level Curse User present on the scene. Not a mere amateur, but someone capable of full Body Transformation."
The Captain's hand froze. She turned to Luke, her eyebrows arched in genuine surprise. "A Curse User? And you're telling me a handful of teenage cadets took him down? How is that even possible? Are they even alive?"
"They are alive, though barely," Luke replied, holding out a digital tablet. "We've already stabilized the most injured and moved them to the Headquarters' medical wing for further treatment and debriefing. Here are the files of the students who were on board at the time of the incident."
Captain Selene took the tablet, her eyes scanning the glowing blue documents.
CADET PROFILES
NAME: Dario Cale
AGE: 17
GENDER: Male
HOMETOWN: Neuntöte District
IDENTIFICATION NO: 00037
STATUS: Cadet (Active) – Top 5% Graduate of the Sorcerer Training Academy.
NOTES: High physical aptitude; specializes in close-quarters Jinx Manipulation.
NAME: Alina Glade
AGE: 17
GENDER: Female
HOMETOWN: Neuntöte District
IDENTIFICATION NO: 00038
STATUS: Cadet (Active) – Honors Graduate of the Sorcerer Training Academy.
NOTES: Exceptional strategic mind; high-precision Jinx output.
Selene nodded as she read. "Cale and Glade. I've heard of them. Neuntöte produces hard-headed but capable fighters. It makes sense they could survive a skirmish. But neither of them has the output to neutralize a transformed Curse User."
She swiped to the final file.
NAME: Dawn Elorin
AGE: 17
GENDER: Male
HOMETOWN: Neuntöte - Lügenberg Mountain Range
IDENTIFICATION NO: 00067
STATUS: Unregistered – NO ACADEMIC RECORD.
NOTES: Did not attend Sorcerer Training School. Presence at the scene was coincidental.
"And this last one," Luke said, his voice dropping an octave, "was the one found at the center of the blast zone. Captain... this is the rumored rookie we've been hearing whispers about for the last six months."
A slow, dangerous smirk spread across Selene's face. "Oh? So that's him, is it? The ghost of the outskirts."
"He's a ghost indeed," Luke said, shaking his head. "He never stepped foot into a Sorcerer Training School not even for a day. We sent him three separate letters of recommendation and a full-ride admission to the Elite Academy, and he ignored every single one of them. To think someone with that level of raw talent still exists outside our system in this day and age... it's unheard of."
"Maybe he just doesn't like rules, Luke," Selene mused, handing the tablet back. "But talent like that is either an asset or a disaster waiting to happen. Leaving that aside for now has the Curse User spilled any information? I want to know who hired a professional killer to guard a trafficking train."
Luke's expression soured. "No. He's been keeping his mouth shut tight. He's been conscious for ten minutes, but he refuses to say a word that would help us. He's a fanatic."
"Is that so? Where is he now?" Selene asked, her eyes flashing with a cold light. "I'd like to see this 'monster' for myself."
"We moved him to the specialized containment cell a few minutes ago. It's inside the armored transport vehicle at the front of the perimeter," Luke said, gesturing toward the heavy black trucks idling on the gravel outside.
"Good. I'll go see him."
"Be careful, Captain," Luke warned, stepping forward. "He's in chains, and the suppressors are active, but he's still a Curse User. We don't know what kind of hidden techniques he might have up his sleeve, or if he's waiting for a moment to trigger a self-destruction jinx."
Selene gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she stepped off the train and onto the frost-covered ground. "Ok, ok. Thanks for the head's up, Luke. I'll be careful. Don't worry your pretty little head over it."
Inside the specialized transport vehicle, the air was heavy and stagnant. The interior was lined with lead and silver, designed to dampen any energy leakage. In the center of the room, bolted to a steel chair, was the man who had terrorized the train.
He was bound in heavy, glowing chains infused with high-frequency Jinx energy. The restraints hummed with a low, blue light, siphoning away his power the moment it tried to manifest. His spikes were gone, leaving behind a scarred, bloodied man who looked more like a corpse than a killer.
The heavy door hissed open, allowing a beam of pale sunlight to cut through the gloom.
"Oh? I hope you're still alive in there," Selene said, her boots clicking sharply on the metal floor as she entered.
The man's head lolled forward, his matted hair obscuring his eyes. He let out a raspy, wet cough before slowly looking up. His one remaining eye was bloodshot and filled with venom.
"Oh... look at this," the Curse User hissed, his voice a broken growl. "Another one of those damn Sorcerers. You people are just like bugs, aren't you? Swarming everywhere, buzzing in everyone's business... what the fuck do you want this time? Come to gloat? Or are you here to finish what that brat started?"
Selene didn't flinch. She stood just out of reach, her hands behind her back. "I'm not interested in gloating. I'm interested in the boy who put you in that chair. Tell me... what did it feel like to face him?"
The Curse User's grin was terrifying. "It felt like looking into a grave, lady. You think you have him under control? You think he's one of yours?" He started to laugh, a sound that chilled the air in the small room. "You have no idea what you've just invited into your house."