Back at Nightfall—
Charlie Stone stood near the gate, looking worried.
"…They should have returned by now."
Time passed.
Silence filled the air.
Then—
He saw them.
Daniel, David, and Noah.
"They're back…" he whispered.
Relief appeared on his face.
But as they came closer—
His expression changed.
Daniel was injured.
"Daniel!" Stone rushed forward.
"You need to go to the hospital immediately."
Daniel shook his head lightly.
"I'm fine… just a little treatment is enough."
Stone looked serious.
"…Alright."
Then he turned to David and Noah.
"You both go with him. Get yourselves checked too."
They nodded.
"Yes, sir."
After some time—
They returned.
Stone asked,
"How was the mission?"
David smiled.
"It went well."
Noah nodded.
"We completed it."
Stone gave a small nod.
"Good."
"Now go and rest."
They went back to their rooms—
And slept.
The next day—
Mary, Zoya, and Lily arrived.
At that time, David and Noah were outside practicing.
They saw them.
"You're back!" David said happily.
They ran toward them.
"How was your mission?" Noah asked.
Then they noticed—
All three were slightly injured.
David frowned.
"You should go for a checkup first."
Stone's words came to mind.
"Sir told us yesterday to do that."
Mary nodded.
"Alright."
After treatment—
They met Daniel.
Mary looked at him.
"You're injured too… what happened?"
Daniel felt strangely happy hearing that.
"It's nothing… just a small fight," he said casually.
Mary gave him a look.
"Still, be careful."
Daniel smiled slightly.
Later—
All six gathered.
They talked about their missions.
Shared experiences.
Laughed.
But then—
A thought hit them.
"…Where are Felix and Lucy?"
Silence.
They weren't back yet.
The atmosphere changed.
"…Why are they late?" Noah asked.
No one had an answer.
They could only wait.
The next day—
They finally arrived.
But—
Felix was badly injured.
Lucy was supporting him.
As soon as the others saw them—
They rushed forward.
"Felix!" David shouted.
They laid him down carefully.
Doctors checked him.
"…He needs rest for at least 2–3 days."
Everyone felt relieved—
It wasn't life-threatening.
Later—
They asked Lucy,
"What happened in your mission?"
Lucy explained everything—
The haunted school.
The invisible ghost.
The strange illusion.
The fight.
Everyone listened silently.
After a few days—
Felix recovered a bit.
That night—
Daniel, David, Noah, and Felix sat together.
They started sharing stories.
David said,
"Our mission was about kidnapped children."
Daniel added,
"We even saw one getting kidnapped in front of us."
Felix's eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
"And Thorn… reacted on its own," Daniel said quietly.
Felix looked shocked.
"…That's insane."
Then they asked him,
"What about you?"
Felix explained everything—
The school.
The dead child.
The illusion.
"The ghost created a barrier… that's how I got injured."
They nodded.
Now everything made sense.
At the same time—
In their room, the girls were sitting together.
The atmosphere was calm.
Lucy looked at them.
"So… how was your mission?"
Mary smiled slightly.
"It wasn't easy."
Zoya crossed her arms.
"There was something strange in our town."
Lily added,
"People were just… freezing in one place."
Lucy frowned.
"Freezing?"
Mary nodded.
"They would stop moving completely… and after two days, they would die."
Lucy's expression turned serious.
"That's… scary."
Zoya continued,
"We found a strong dark presence there."
"And at one point…" Lily looked at Zoya,
"even she got caught in it."
Lucy was shocked.
"Wait—what?!"
Mary explained,
"She suddenly stopped moving, just like the others."
"We had to combine our powers to bring her back."
Lucy looked at Zoya.
"…Are you okay now?"
Zoya gave a small nod.
"I'm fine."
"It felt like… something passed right through me."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then Lucy spoke,
"Our mission was also strange."
All three looked at her.
Lucy continued,
"In our school… there were voices."
"People felt someone sitting beside them… talking to them…"
Lily leaned forward.
"Like an invisible ghost?"
Lucy nodded.
"Yes."
Mary asked,
"What about the fight?"
Lucy replied,
"The ghost created an illusion… a separate space."
Zoya looked surprised.
"That's powerful."
Lucy glanced down.
"Felix got badly injured there…"
Mary said softly,
"But you still completed the mission."
Lucy nodded.
"…Yeah."
Suddenly—
Lily smirked.
"Ohooo Lucy 👀"
"Alone mission… with Felix?"
Zoya joined in,
"Sounds interesting~"
Lucy made an annoyed face.
"Stop it."
Mary chuckled softly.
The room filled with light laughter.
That night—
They didn't just share stories.
They understood each other better.
Their bond grew stronger.
The next morning—
Stone called everyone.
"Congratulations."
"Your first missions were successful."
Everyone stood proudly.
"But…" he continued,
"Be more careful next time."
"Daniel, Felix… and all of you."
"You were lucky your injuries were not serious."
His expression turned thoughtful.
"One thing is strange…"
"Why are ghosts behaving like this?"
"It feels like… someone is controlling them."
Silence fell.
"But leave it for now," he said.
"Higher ranks will investigate."
Then Stone looked at Daniel.
"Daniel… go. Bill is waiting for you."
David whispered,
"Who is Bill?"
Daniel replied,
"My uncle. My father's younger brother."
"Come, I'll introduce you."
They reached—
And saw him.
Everyone was shocked.
"…He looks so young," David whispered.
Bill smiled.
"So you're Daniel's friends?"
"Nice to meet you."
He looked at Daniel.
"First mission, huh? Good job."
Then he noticed his bandages.
"…You got hurt."
Daniel smiled lightly.
"It's nothing."
Bill clapped his hands.
"Alright! Enough serious talk."
"Let's celebrate."
He took all of them—
To a restaurant.
Laughter filled the air.
For the first time—
They felt relaxed.
Their first missions were over.
They had grown stronger.
Closer.
But somewhere—
A bigger danger was rising.
Watching them.