—Target neutralized! —exclaimed one of the agents, lowering his runic weapon—. I've never taken down one that big. Do you think they come from Loryenna?
—Are you really asking that? Look at these perverts… —his partner snorted, pointing at the unconscious cyclops—. It's clear that in their land, shame doesn't exist. Most of them are naked.
Around them, the addicts who still possessed a shred of consciousness could only scream and plead for mercy. Their eyes, still dilated by the ecstasy of the Fairy Dust, glowed with an artificial light as they blurted out nonsensical phrases.
—We just wanted to keep… dreaming! —shrieked the Haydran, scratching his arms in desperation—. Let us dream in peace!
—Shut your mouths! —an agent shouted at him, pushing him off the sidewalk—. Where are so many of you coming from at this hour? That dust isn't cheap or easy to get.
—It's free! They give it all away! —the Haydran replied, collapsing to the ground and trying to lick the remains of silver powder from the cracks in the pavement—. It's a gift from the gods! It has to be!
The other agent, ignoring the addict's delusions, pulled out his runic communicator to report to central. His voice was monotonic, the voice of someone who does this job ten times a day.
—All clear here. We're leaving the Cyclops on the ground for a while until the pick-up truck arrives; hope it doesn't bother you —he shouted toward the civilians who were beginning to peek through their windows, drawn by the scandal.
Seiyi, meanwhile, turned completely pale. A cold sweat ran down the back of his neck as helplessness hit his chest with the force of a dragon. The image of himself, trembling on the ground while his sister was lifted like a doll, repeated in his mind.
«I… I am useless…», he thought, clenching his fists until his nails dug into his palms.
—T-thank you! —Miyu's voice suddenly broke, shattering into violent sobs—. Really… I just… wanted to helppp— Miyu's voice cracked until it dissolved into weeping. Tears flowed in cascades, soaking the pavement.
Seiyi, with a petrified expression and trembling lips, wrapped his arms around his sister. He held her with desperate clumsiness, fearing that if she fell apart, he would too.
—I… I'm sorry… —Seiyi managed to stammer.
—Sniff… you're sorry? —Miyu pulled back slightly, looking at him with swollen eyes—. What are you talking about, stupid? I was the one who took the shortcut… It's my fault! I won't do it again… I swear.
The F.O.W. agents exchanged a look of discomfort. One of them scratched the back of his neck, clearly overwhelmed by the childish drama.
—Hey… what do we do with them?
—Too much drama for my taste —the other replied, but then his eyes stopped on the shield embroidered on Seiyi's shirt—. Wait. Look at his uniform—it's from Veridion.
The agent's tone changed subtly. Veridion wasn't just any school; it was the place where the elite was formed.
—Ah, I see what you mean —his partner nodded, putting away the communicator—. Hey, kids. I see you study at Veridion. How about we drop you off at the nearest stop?
—That's it. It's not safe to be around here at these hours. Types like those are everywhere lately. Next time, stick to the path designated by the F.O.W., understood?
Seiyi took a deep breath. The air burned in his lungs, but he managed to reply in a low, still-muted voice:
—S… sure… thanks for everything.
—We have to take him to a hospital! —Miyu interrupted, wiping her tears with dirty hands—. He was gravely injured! That guy was horrible!
One of the agents, who was stowing his weapon with great calm, looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
—We could just leave you lying there if that's what you prefer, kid —the agent replied with a voice devoid of emotion.
—It wasn't that big of a deal… —Seiyi managed to say, gritting his teeth while rubbing his stomach. The sting was deep, but he didn't want to look weak in front of his heroes—. Maybe with the house ointment it'll go away.
Instinctively, Seiyi bowed deeply, bending his body with a respect that seemed out of place.
—And what does that mean? —asked the other agent, stopping with his hand on the patrol car door—. You're not from around here, are you?
—Oh… s-sorry —Seiyi straightened up quickly, feeling the heat rise to his face—. It's a habit.
—Well, less manners and more hurry. Get in the car. Another patrol will handle the rest of these junkies. Let's go!
—Sniff… sniff… thank you! Thank you so much! —Miyu stammered as she followed the agents.
The siblings got into the vehicle. With every passing minute, Seiyi thought more and more about what could have happened if it hadn't been for them.
—Sniff… I was so scared! —Miyu repeated, clinging to the seat.
The agent in the passenger seat let out a weary sigh and began searching his pocket.
—Take this, kid. Stop crying, you're making my head explode —he said, reaching his hand back.
Miyu took the treat with still-trembling hands.
—Ch… chocolate? —she murmured, taking a bite that stained her cheeks—. Th-thanks.
Noticing his brother's silence, Miyu looked at him firmly, though he remained with his gaze lost on the street passing at high speed. Trying to ease the tension, she turned to the agents.
—So… what will happen to those guys?
—The vagrants? —the driver replied without taking his eyes off the road.
—Yes! I saw you didn't hurt them… where are you taking them?
The agent let out a dry, almost contemptuous chuckle.
—Well, mostly we try to "relocate" them to less busy areas. There are too many of them to process everyone, so we just drop them in remote spots where they don't bother the average citizen.
—Oh… —Miyu frowned—. And when will they wake up? I guess those are tranquilizer darts.
—Something like that. The weapons project "Instant Sleep" runes. They drop like rags on the first impact. The effect lasts about twelve hours if you hit them in the neck; in other parts of the body, the system takes longer to absorb it.
Miyu stayed quiet for a moment, processing the coldness of the answer.
—But… if that's the case, will that Cyclops stay on the ground for twelve hours? Just like that?
—That's how it works. The runes come from the Advanced Book of Sleep, but it's not always exact because...
—Shut your trap! —the other agent interrupted, noticing the expression of horror starting to form on Miyu's face—. Don't bore the kids with logistics.
—But… what if it gets really cold? —Miyu insisted, her voice small—. They could... die?
—Let's see what's on the radio! —the agent turned up the volume abruptly, flooding the patrol car with loud music that cut off any attempt at moral debate.
Miyu sank into her seat, feeling that the chocolate didn't taste so sweet anymore. She turned to her brother, who was still a shadow in the corner.
—Sei… did you hear? Is that what the people who work there do? —she asked, frightened.
—I don't know if I'll manage to be like that… —Seiyi stammered. His words were barely a whisper.
—Like that? I wouldn't want you to be that mean to people…
—No! I don't know if I'll even manage to get into the F.O.W…
—Eh? But… we'll be the best! Right?
Seiyi clenched his fists.
—I couldn't do anything, Miyu. If they hadn't intervened, I don't know what would have happened. I want to be better… but I don't know how.
—Don't despair! —Miyu tried to cheer him up, forcing a smile—. We're young. In the future, we'll go to university, they'll train us, and we'll be just like them. It just takes time.
—Maybe it's easy for you —Seiyi replied bitterly—. But me… I couldn't even jump over a damn bridge under construction with this cheap ring. If that's the level required, I'm not up to it. I never will be.
Miyu fell silent. Seeing Seiyi's hopelessness hurt her more than the scare in the alley.
—Then we'll ask the orcs on the bus more! —she exclaimed with a new spark—. They must know something.
—Heh… the orcs who never tell us anything?
—Besides! —Miyu gave his shoulder a little nudge—. You're getting too far ahead of yourself. If you don't get stronger by then, I'll train you! We'll do everything together, remember?
Seiyi let out a sad laugh.
—If I had a chance to be better, I'd truly take it. I want to be like them…
Miyu looked at the agents through the rearview mirror. She heard their laughter, their total lack of empathy for the beings they had just abandoned to their fate on the street. She couldn't help but think that even though they were "heroes," there was something deeply broken in them.
«Do I… really want to be like that?», she wondered, though she didn't dare say it out loud.
Suddenly, Seiyi's body took its toll. The adrenaline, that shield that had kept him upright, evaporated instantly. First was a slight tremor in his hands. Then, a burning in his abdomen. His skin began to ache with every touch. Exhaustion fell over him like a block of cement.
«AGH… everything hurts… it's hard to breathe…», he thought, gritting his teeth to keep from groaning.
—Hey, everything okay, Mr. "F.O.W."? —Miyu said, somewhere between amusement and worry at seeing him like that.
—Gh… I think… the adrenaline is gone. Everything hurts, Miyu —he groaned, clutching his side—. I need to… lie down for a bit.
Seiyi rested his head against the cold window. That sensation was the only thing keeping him conscious while he listened, like a distant dream, to the conversation of the agents at the wheel.
—Pff… do you have any idea why all of this is happening? —asked the driver.
—The Fairy Dust? No idea. But cases have multiplied tenfold this month. It's a plague.
—I just do what I'm told, friend —the other replied with indifference—. If they tell me to kill, I kill. If they tell me to move junkies, I move them. If I keep delivering, I rise in rank. And that means…
—More money! —the driver exclaimed.
—More money! —they repeated in unison, high-fiving with a smile as the patrol car drove away from the cleanup.
Seiyi blinked, his head still full of what had occurred. As hard as he tried, he couldn't concentrate on what they were saying, as the music made his mind fill with static.
—Ha… still, to be sent on a mission just for this… and right here in California. I'm sure something big is going to happen here. My instinct never fails.
—Stop talking nonsense, just be the janitor —the driver snorted—. The most we can hope for is a promotion. And for that, we need these kids to speak well of us, right, little ones?
Seiyi, somewhat dazed, took a second to realize they were addressing him.
—M-me?
—You, who else is it going to be? —Miyu replied, giving him a playful elbow.
—I suppose… I won't mind speaking well of our heroes —Seiyi replied, regaining his fanboy glow.
—That's enough for us. And speaking of which… we've arrived.