"What kind of man are you, Caspian?" he spat, each word slicing through the air. "The kind who trembles at the thought of killing his teammate… or the kind who takes initiative, so that it never happens?"
Hearing that statement made one thing painfully clear: the normal life I had desired so much was no longer an option.
I was not a threat, not only to myself but also to my new teammates and mentor.
Lying on that narrow bed, staring at the ceiling, the thought kept circling back to me, no matter how hard I pushed away.
Because of me, because of this power I couldn't control, I might lose everything I had just gained: a group of new teammates who were dangerous in their own ways, yet had already begun to matter to me, and a mentor who had changed me more than I would like to admit.
That realization ate at me. There was no ignoring that feeling, no pretending that I could choose a different path. Whatever this power was inside of me, it had already decided my past, present, and future.
In that little room, I found myself wondering if God even existed.
And if he did, why had my life been built this way?
In the depths of my heart, I sought an answer. Something to tell me that I wasn't the monster I thought I was. Nothing came.
Just silence.
A few days passed since that day in silence. My body had fully recovered, and I was finally prepared for my first mission. Iseph called me into his office. I assumed it was most likely about the upcoming mission, but it could also be something else.
I walked towards the door and looked up at the room number to make sure I was at the right place. Room 2711. I knocked on the door and then heard Iseph's voice.
"Come in."
My hand slowly opened the door, and I entered. Iseph was sitting at his desk with a stack of papers and a file on his desk. I walked towards the desk before stopping. Iseph's eyes finally looked up at me. "I hope you finally recovered, Caspian."
"I have. So is that file on your desk for my mission?" I asked, keeping eye contact with him. "It is." He grabbed the file and hesitated for a second. His eyes finally looked away for a moment before handing it to me.
I opened the file and looked at the first page.
Target: Adrian Reynolds
Description: Leader of the Elpis, a terrorist and rebel group standing against Teleios' higher-ups.
Location: Reinos District (Proceed with Caution)
Age: 24
Kill count: Classified
Karma Type: Classified
The first thing that caught my attention was the amount of classified information. If this guy were someone whose kill count they had to classify, why would they send a rookie on this mission? I questioned the higher-ups' intentions, yet I had a feeling Iseph wouldn't tell me even if I asked.
"So why are his karma type and kill count classified?" I asked, looking up from the file and at Iseph.
"He's dangerous. If I told you I felt you would try to run away, so I decided to hide it from you," Iseph said.
"What's stopping me from doing so now?"
The air in the room became colder and tense… Iseph's eyes then began to lock on me, waiting for any sudden movements."
I raised my hands and chuckled, "Just kidding, why would I try to run when I'm right in front of you?"
Iseph finally lifted his gaze and began to go back to his paperwork. I then looked back at the file and began reading it again.
"If they lead a rebellion, why don't they just send the NDC? Wouldn't that work better than sending us?" I asked.
"If they send the NDC, it'll become a headline. Think of this as a way to keep things on the low." Iseph said, before going back to the piles of paperwork on his desk. Nyra entered the room with a joyful expression. "Hey, Isi~" Isi was Nyra's little nickname for Iseph, although Iseph hated the name, he got used to it over time. Iseph raised his hand and waved with an annoyed expression before focusing back on me.
"Caspian, you are going to be teaming up with Nyra for this mission," He said before looking at me with a serious gaze, "Do not disappoint me."
"I won't, sir."
"By the way, if anything seems off… disengage"
Iseph looked up at me, eyes locking with mine.
"That's an order, not a request," Iseph added, "Bring back what you can…"
Iseph then smiled softly, "Good luck, you two." Before gesturing for us to get out. I followed Nyra out the door and to a car parked outside the HQ. Nyra began to skip to the car like a little girl and hummed a somewhat familiar melody. I got into the passenger seat and immediately took in the luxurious interior of the car. The sudden smell of sandalwood filled my nostrils, an almost calming scent.
"What was that rhyme you were humming?" I asked. "It was an old Teleiosian nursery rhyme my mother used to sing for me when I was a child," Nyra replied before starting the car. The car roared to life, and Nyra chuckled.
"I love this car, it always wakes me up with its engine!" She said with a smile that reminded me of a child getting a present. Before I could respond, Nyra slammed her foot onto the accelerator, and I was pulled into the seat by the sudden force of the car.
"Woo hoo!" Nyra yelled as she began to take sharp turns that almost made me throw up.
"Can't we slow down a bit?" I asked softly, my voice weak and eyes begging.
"Don't be such a wuss, Caspian!" She chuckled before accelerating even more. She then took another sharp turn, and my head hit the window.
BANG
My body slumped back into the seat, and I went unconscious. After what seemed like a few hours, Nyra finally woke me up.
"Wake up, sleepy-head~" Nyra said with a smile. "We are finally here!"
I was enthralled to know that I no longer had to sit in that car with a driver like her. For a moment, I raised my hands to the sky.
"Thank you, O' merciful God for sparing me!"
Nyra would look at me in a confused expression, oblivious to her own driving abilities. We began to walk on the street leading to the Reinos District until we reached a banner.
For the People of Teleios
The banner was half burnt, and the lights were all flickering, as if there were a disturbance here. Nyra's expression tightened, and she unsheathed her daggers as she began to walk forward slowly, checking every building for any hint of movement. I didn't understand at first why Nyra was so on guard, but I assumed it was best that I stay on guard as well. I, too, took out my gun and began looking around.
"Nyra, why are we so on guard? We haven't even entered the main district," I asked with a confused expression.
"Look around, doesn't it seem too quiet for a district?" Nyra said while still instinctively looking around. "By the way, when was the last time the file was updated?" She added.
"It said 3 days ago, I'm pretty sure." I looked at Nyra as she suddenly stopped and looked up towards a building.
"Someone's already been here, and they are up there."
I looked up and saw a singular figure, his legs dangling over the darkness. He was a young man, around his early twenties. He wore a brown coat, and his hair was as white as snow and was messy and tied at the back.
He's humming…
The same nursery rhyme Nyra was humming earlier.
Nyra then froze and looked up at the man in fear.
"T-that's not possible…"
The man then jumped down and crashed in the middle of the road before slowly getting up and dusting himself off. His gaze met mine, and he had a soft smile on his face.
Not nervous, not smug.
Just tired.
"You took the scenic route," The man said before walking closer.
"How did you-" The man cut me off before I could respond.
Nyra then jumped in front of me and held her weapons against the man in a defensive stance.
"Adrian Reynolds, you are coming with us," Nyra said. That expression of fear was completely dissolved.
Adrian chuckled slowly, almost unnaturally.
"If that were an option… I wouldn't be here."
Adrian looked directly at me, eyes lingering for a moment.
"So you are the Null, huh?" Adrian added, "You seem too young."
"I never said my-"
"You don't have to."
He taps his chest once before tapping once again.
"I can feel it…" Adrian paused. "I can feel the absence."
Nyra stepped forward once again, her aura flickering.
"Last warning, Adrian."
Adrian sighed, "That's what they always say before things turn out the opposite." Adrian raised his hand.
Not to attack, but to signal. The lights that were once flickering suddenly went out. We were now in total darkness, the perfect time for an ambush. I readied my gun and tried to get a sight of anything moving. Then—
CLICK
Every advertisement screen in the district ignited at once, and red symbols flooded the walls. The assassination, where we expected to be the ones with the advantage, is now the one with the disadvantage. The red symbols began to glow, and the advertisement screens began to turn a dark crimson as the floor began to shake.
"MOVE!" Nyra shouted, but it was already too late. The ground collapsed inward, forcing the two of us apart. I hit the ground with a loud THUD! And slowly got up, still dazed from the fall. The air around me began to get colder…
I began to grit my teeth and yelled, "NYRA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
No response. The shadows began to move, as if I were already surrounded. Soon I realized, those weren't people, rather they were puppets. Puppets were being used via karma.
Adrian's voice echoed.
"I told you this would happen, yet you didn't listen."
One of the puppets launched forward at me, and I dodged and shot it in the head as it began to disintegrate.
"Why don't you use your abilities, Null?" Adrian asked, "Are you scared that you can't control it? Scared that you'll kill your friend?" Adrian slowly walked around me as puppets rushed at me, one by one.
One after another, I shot. BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound of my gunshots echoed throughout the collapsed district until the only one standing before me was Adrian.
"You disappoint me."
ELSEWHERE—
Nyra was pinned against a wall by some sort of pressure. Nyra attempted to use karma to create a barrier and escape this pressure, yet to no avail; it didn't work. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching and looked towards the direction they were coming from. Surrounded by absolute darkness, with no one to help her, Nyra watched defensively.
It was Adrian Reynolds. He slowly stood before her and looked at her with a calm expression.
"You're bait, that's all you are," Nyra shouted, trying to break the pressure.
"No, that's where you are wrong," Adrian said before stepping closer and whispering, "I'm proof, proof that they wanted no witnesses." Adrian said before walking away once again.
"Why do you think they sent a rookie and a reclaimer?"Adrian asked, "I know it wasn't to kill me."
Adrian looked at her with no smile, yet Nyra still could sense his arrogance, "That's where you are wrong…" Nyra said before turning in a direction, hoping I was on the other side, "You underestimate Caspian; he will defeat you."
Adrian's hands began to shake uncontrollably, and the karma puppets under his control began to hesitate, confused by their commands. One thing was certain… Adrian was afraid. Afraid of the monster that Caspian could be, yet that sense of arrogance still plagued him. He walked away from Nyra and turned back to look at her.
"We'll see if your 'boy wonder' actually can," Adrian said. "But if he can't, then I'll bring him back here and kill him in front of you."
Nyra's face, which once showed hope, then turned into despair, believing that the challenge that was Adrian was too great for the current Caspian to overcome. Yet, she knew that she had to believe in the current Caspian. She began to think to herself, "Caspian… please win."