'This silence is killing me,' Kian thought as he sat on the wooden chair inside the cube.
'I don't know what I expected to be in here… but it definitely wasn't this.' The interior was just as dark and empty as the outside—void-like, sterile. The only things occupying the space were the two chairs they now sat in.
Across from him, the captain quietly sifted through paperwork. Every minute or so, he glanced up—not at Kian, but at his right hand. Always the right hand.
That same unease clawed at Kian's chest. The captain seemed nice enough, but every time their eyes met, it felt like the man was looking through him, not at him. Just like that winged abomination from earlier.
After what felt like an eternity, the captain finally closed the folder.
"Well," he said, voice calm and unreadable, "after reading your file, I've decided what I'm going to question you on."
Kian frowned. "Weren't you supposed to read my file before this? And why am I even being interrogated?!"
"I wouldn't call it an interrogation," the captain replied with a slight smile. "Think of it as an interview. We're assessing whether you'd be a good fit for the Chaos Agency's Combat Division."
His back cracked audibly as he stretched, tone still infuriatingly casual. "It seems you were already part of the Agency's Construction Division. Though, technically speaking, you worked there illegally. Minors aren't usually permitted in such high-risk zones."
Offhandedly, he added, "I'll have to speak to Jessica about that."
Kian looked down, eyes shadowed. "I didn't have a choice. My dad's debt—I had to pay it off. That job was the only one I could sneak into without papers. They were desperate."
The captain gave him a small, almost sympathetic smile. It didn't help.
Then, without warning, he reached into thin air. With a brief shimmer, a sleek phone appeared in his hand. He flipped it toward Kian, revealing the screen. "This is you, right?"
On it was footage—grainy, distant—of Kian's fight with that winged monstrosity. Aurelius. Or… whatever its name really was.
Kian blinked. His earlier tension seemed to melt for a moment. "Heh. I actually look pretty cool in that—wait, that's not the point! You've been spying on me this whole time?! How did you even know about me!?"
The captain shrugged with an almost childlike grin. "We had… informants. They were particularly interested in your healing factor."
"But I didn't think anyone knew about that besides… Joseph! That bastard was spying on me!"
The captain chuckled at the outburst, even wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "For someone who just gained access to magic, you're awfully cocky."
Kian flushed and quickly covered his mouth. "S-sorry! I—I don't know why I'm acting like this."
The captain waved it off. "No need to apologize." He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing. "But to answer your earlier question... I have reason to believe your magic came from a *monster contract*."
Kian froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Monster contract? 'What does that even mean?' Thoughts filled Kian's mind. Sure he wasn't well versed in magic prior to him awakening his abilities. But he was pretty sure he'd hear about something like this.
The captain studied his expression with clinical precision. "Judging by the look on your face, you had no idea."
He then began muttering under his breath, voice low and erratic. Kian leaned forward, trying to catch the words—but most of it was garbled. Just one name stood out:
Gulu.
It echoed in his mind. Familiar. Wrong... No it felt Right
"Um… excuse me?" Kian interrupted. "I don't remember making a contract with any monster. I don't even know how I got magic in the first place!"
The captain blinked, as if surfacing from deep thought. "Ah. Sorry about that." He cleared his throat. "To simplify: there are two main ways a human can gain magical ability. Through the Arcane Matrix—or through a monster contract."
Kian blinked. "O-okay…what's the Arcane matrix?"
The captain's eyes lit up. "The Arcane Matrix is the foundation of existence itself. To wield it is to touch creation."
A bead of sweat ran down Kian's neck. "That's… intense."
The captain caught himself, chuckling. "Apologies. I get excited when I talk about magic."
He leaned back again, expression neutral. "All living creatures are born with a shard of the Matrix inside them, but only a select few can use it consciously."
"Now, contractors—people with monster pacts—they don't use the Matrix directly. They channel the power of the creature they're bound to. In return, the monster usually takes something in exchange—and more often than not, it begins to inhabit the contractor's soul to avoid the risk of being killed by a chaos agent."
"Wait, there's something living inside me?" Kians face blanched as his stomach grumbled for some reason. The captain nodded, tapping the side of his head like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Mhmm. Not uncommon for contractors."
"Anyways as I was saying. These contractors are usually… unhinged killers. That's why I had someone like Albert bring you in."
Kian was silent. His thoughts scrambled.
He had met monsters before—on construction jobs. He'd seen things most people couldn't stomach. But in his entire 3 years working there he had never been within 30 feet of one...other than. His eyes widened. There was a monster that he had been in close proximity with.
That thing. The towering presence. The one that "Found him."
"You remember now, don't you?" the captain asked, his voice suddenly low and cold.
Kian nodded slowly. "Is it possible for a monster to… force someone into a contract?"
The room went dead quiet.
Finally, the captain answered. "Not normally. But… if someone else made a prearranged contract on your behalf—when you were too young to consent—it is possible."
A dull ringing filled Kian's ears. His vision blurred. "So you're telling me… someone sold me off when I was a baby?" His voice trembled with fury.
The captain gave a slow nod. "Even worse—we don't know what the terms of that contract are. So we have no idea what you lost."
Blood trickled from Kian's clenched fist. "How do we find out who made the deal?"
The captain didn't respond right away. His eyes gleamed in the dim light. Watching. Measuring.
Then, quietly, he said, "It's basically impossible. The only way you could find out is by directly speaking to the monster that's probably living in your body right now."
Kian was pissed, he had pretty much just found out that he was the reason all those people on the bus died that day. 'If I hadn't come then Old man Ross would be alive right now.'
It was at this moment that the captain decided to speak, "We also think that the monster that is currently in a contract with you was the same one that destroyed the city of Felgardis."
Kians mind shattered, not only was he responsible for the deaths of all the people on the bus but he was also responsible for the destruction of an entire city.
Kian's lips moved before he could think. "You're saying that the destruction of Felgardis was... because of me? Are you sure it was the same one?" The captain hesitated, then gave a slow, heavy nod.
The Captain looked at him sympathetically as he responded, "Yes, it was the same monster from the footage. I was trying not to tell you this because I knew you'd feel responsible but I want you to know that it isn't your fault."
"You had no choice in whether or not you'd be hunted by a monster especially that monster of all things."
Kian simply nodded his head, still feeling guilty. He wished that he had died instead of at least one of those people. But he couldn't go back in time to fix things, and even if he could, he was still so weak.
Although something the captain had said threw him off. "What do you mean by that monster." Kian asked, the confusion clear in his voice.
The captain just waved his hand at them dismissively. "You'll learn about it in history class and then I'll probably tell you."
'I swear all this guy those is give me more questions than answers.' Kian thought annoyed. "What do you mean by history class."
With a dramatic cough the captain would stand up from his chair as it disappeared in a blue light. "To absolutely no one's surprise you passed the interview and have now been accepted into the Chaos agencies training school, otherwise known as the Hellcell Division."
"Do I have a choice in this matter?" Kian asked while giving the captain an uninterested look. "I dropped out of school after I took the construction job. I don't know how well I'd fit in."
"I mean you don't really have a choice in the matter. The higher ups are already pushing for your execution, this is really the only way I'll be able to protect you." The captain responded, his voice becoming serious.
"So school or death. Great. Really narrowing my options here." Kian said sarcastically.
Simply chuckling, the captain would continue to speak. "Even though you've already been accepted, we'll need to put you through a test to see if you're capable of competing with your future peers."
Still feeling cocky from his earlier fight, Kian had a smirk plastered on his face. "I thought me beating that Aurelius or whatever it's name was."
The captains face was in a deadpan expression as silently shook his head. "That winged abomination, was the Aurelius you speak off right. If so it wasn't impressive at all, many of the students are from rich backgrounds and have already received extensive training.
Kian deflated in his seat, his pride being completely shattered. "Oh... Okay. Then what's this test going to be?"
Noticing Kian's sadness, the captain flashed a wide grin and striked a pose. "Prepare for TRIAL BY CHAOS. You and a supervisor will be sent to kill a Feral menace tier monster that has been circling around Amita for the past few days."
'I think I see where Alberts got his theatrics from. And I thought this guy was chill.' Kian thought as he cringed in his seat.
The captain scratched the back of his head as a sheepish smile crossed his face. "Anyways... You'll report to Room 8 on floor 3. There you'll meet your supervisor and... Caleb."
Kian's eyes brightened as he shot up from his seat already walking towards the exit of the cube. "Uhh your leaving already? No more questions?" The captain asked surprised.
"Oh I guess I have one more question. What's your name?" Kian ask as he turned his head around, his hand already on the doornob.
"My name is Lucian Vale. Captain of the chaos agencies combat division." Lucian responded with a hint of pride in his voice.
Kian simply nodded and opened the door leading to the void outside. "Well then my name is Kian. I have no last name, and I'm about ace this test!"
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'Here it is room 8, and here I thought that I'd never find it. This place was like a maze.' Kian thought as he pushed into the room.
Greeting him was Caleb lying down on a bed in the corner of the room and a literal white knight. He stood at an imposing 7 feet tall.
A shining sword in a sheath at his waist. His armor was the brightest thing apart from the sun that Kian had ever seen. He had to hold himself back from covering his eyes.
"Uhh are you the supervisor for the test?" Kian asked but no response came. Instead the man held up a white board. Scrawled on it in cursive read "Yes I am your advisor, and I won't be able to speak to you because I'm mute."
Kian stood there and nodded. Under his breath he'd whisper, "I guess I'll have to learn sign language now." With a sigh he'd shake his head and offer a hand shake to the knight. "My name is Kian and it's nice to meet you."
The knight would quickly write something down on his white board. Raising it up it read, "My name is Julius Voss, the second strongest member of the chaos agency and it's a pleasure to meet you as well." Shaking Kians hand immediately after.
'I can already tell that the next few days are going to be interesting.' Kian thought with a smirk on his face.
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We are so back.