Gaia: Unregistered Territory. Most Classified. At the same time, the corridor of a magnificent palace.
Tap ~ tap..! Hah ~ hah…!
The sound of hurried footsteps and ragged breaths shattered the silence. Two men in formal attire ran along the long corridor of black marble and stopped right before the great doors of the Elder Hall.
Kreee!
The heavy doors slowly opened. Instantly, both men dropped to their knees, their foreheads touching the palace carpet.
"Report, My Lord." They said in unison. "We have lost contact with the Urqell assigned to the mission."
Before a massive window stood the silhouette of a man. His back was straight, facing the expanse of light beyond the palace.
"That means…?" the Elder asked, his voice flat almost too flat.
Sweat began to trickle down the temples of the two officers. "T-the Urqell we deployed has fallen, My Lord." They replied, holding their breath.
Silence descended heavy and suffocating.
"The report… the identity?" the Elder's voice sounded again, still calm.
"N-not yet, My Lord." They swallowed hard. "All investigative routes have reached a dead end. The energy traces have been erased… completely." Their bodies trembled.
The silhouette before the window slowly turned around. His cold gaze now fixed directly upon the two kneeling officers.
"Deploy…" he said quietly, "all one-horned Urqell."
The bodies of the two officers jolted. They exchanged glances, fear clearly carved across their faces.
"Y-yes, My Lord. Eight one-horned Urqell will be deployed immediately," they answered quickly.
With their bodies still lowered, they crawled backward out of the Elder Hall, leaving the chamber to sink once more into absolute silence.
***
December 3rd, 2008, morning. Katsushika District, residential complex.
A dark bedroom. The curtains were still tightly closed, and only the sound of snoring echoed back and forth.
Grok ~ gre ~ rokk..!
Kring… kring… kring…
Three silhouettes of bodies lay helplessly on the bed, unwilling to wake up in the morning. The alarm clock screamed, drowning out the snores.
BRUAK!
The bedroom door was half kicked open. Hugo stood at the doorway with a wide, suspicious smile.
"Hey… you three little brats! Move your asses to that bed before I pour boiling water on you!" he shouted, his tone firm. But, his smile was far too bright to trust.
Kaito tried to sit up with his eyes still closed. "U… uncle…" he murmured, before his body collapsed back onto the mattress.
"J… just five more minutes… please show some mercy…" Zulo replied from beneath the blanket.
"D-don't disturb me… I'm dreaming about a match…" Jōgan muttered, covering his face with a pillow. He fell silent. "…ball… EAAAHHHH!!" Jōgan jolted awake.
"Damn! I have a soccer match today!" He immediately jumped off the bed. "OUTTA MY WAY!" He kicked Kaito off the bed without looking, sending him tumbling to the floor, then ran toward the bathroom.
BRUKK!
"Ouch!" Kaito was pushed and fell onto the floor, grimacing while clutching his backside.
***
Trek… tring… Hap… krauk… nyam…
The clatter of spoons and plates echoed, mixing with the aggressive sounds of chewing. Across the dining table, Riko and Rika watched the same scene once again, an unspoken eating competition.
"B-brother," Riko asked hesitantly, looking at Jōgan. "Why is it that now… you're eating even more than before?" She couldn't stop staring at her brother.
"And… Kaito and Zulo, how long are they going to stay in our house?" Rika added in an questioning tone, watching her brother's two friends closely.
"Huh… Riko, Rika, just focus on your food." Hugo said casually while blowing cigarette smoke toward the ceiling, leaning against the wall that now looked perfectly smooth, without a trace of yesterday's incident.
Hugo's gaze drifted outside, toward the neighbor's house that now stood firm again. Without leaving any sign of battle, as if nothing had ever happened.
A few moments later.
"Bye, Dad. We're leaving," Riko and Rika said almost at the same time as they walked out through the gate, followed by Kaito and Zulo behind them, stepping awkwardly but visibly relieved.
Jōgan put on his school bag, then walked toward Hugo who stood at the main doorway. "Old man… why did this building suddenly return to normal?" he asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Huh… anything can be done," Hugo replied casually while exhaling cigarette smoke, "if you have magic, connections, and mm… money." He smiled with complete confidence.
"A… if that requires magic and power, can you teach it to me?" Jōgan said while putting on his shoes. He stood upright, looking at his father seriously. "So… I won't have to pay for repairs."
***
A few moments later. School field.
Prittt ~ Wohhh…!
The sound of a whistle and the roar of the spectators echoed together, shaking the school field.
"Yo, spectators!" the commentator's voice rang out from the corner of the field. "Let's see if Jōgan can dribble the ball toward the goal… oh! He's being blocked by three opposing players!"
"Kyaaa~! Jōgan!"
"Jōgan, look at me!"
"Jōgan… you can do it!"
"Jōgan! Why haven't you replied to my letter?!"
The cheers of the female supporters sounded even more emotional than the match itself.
"GOOOAL!! Jōgan scores again!" the commentator shouted enthusiastically, standing on top of the table and cheering even louder than the players.
Prittttt~!
A long whistle blew, marking the end of the match.
"YESSS…!" Kaito shouted from the spectator bench, jumping in excitement.
"Mm… almost a landslide score," Zulo murmured while glancing at the scoreboard. "09 - 02."
Jōgan and his teammates walked around the field, shaking hands with the opposing players and greeting the spectators. The atmosphere grew even louder as groups of girls crowded around him.
"J-Jōgan… my letter…" one girl said while offering an envelope.
"Ph-photo…!" another added, holding a small camera.
But without them realizing it death watched above their heads.
Above the school, the air felt heavy. At the edge of the rooftop, two tall and massive figures stood silently, observing the field below.
"Gerhhh… him…" A finger with a long, curved, razor-sharp nail pointed toward Jōgan, who stood directly beneath them.
Grokkkk ~ grehhh..!
The creature beside it grinned, revealing four sharp fangs. The wind on the rooftop blew fiercely, whipping their black cloaks.
Wusshhhh!
The hoods shifted, revealing two scaled faces.
Two Urqell!
Hunters stalking their prey from above, preparing to strike a target who remained completely unaware of their presence.