The doors to the Church HQ creaked open with an almost ceremonial weight as Lila, Hikari, and Amanda stepped inside. The polished obsidian floors mirrored their footsteps, but the moment Amanda crossed the threshold, the atmosphere shifted. Every exorcist in the vicinity—seasoned veterans, trainees, and everything in between—froze mid-motion. A chill swept through the hallways, like the building itself was holding its breath.
Amanda's supernatural pressure radiated outward like a tidal wave—dense, cold, ancient. It wasn't just spiritual weight; it was grief made tangible, sorrow forged into a presence that clung to the skin and drilled into the psyche. Some C-rank exorcists, the Adepts, staggered back instinctively. A few dropped to their knees, gasping for air. One collapsed entirely, eyes wide, whispering prayers they barely remembered.
A trembling silence followed, broken only by Hikari's dry remark:
"You certainly capture attention, huh?"
Amanda's voice was soft, but every syllable trembled with the echo of trauma.
"I… guess I've always been able to. Even… even Lirael said I had immense power…"
Her shoulders stiffened at the mention of that name. A shadow flickered across her expression, subtle but haunting—like something inside her recoiled. Even now, Lirael's presence lingered in her memory like a poison that never quite left the bloodstream.
Without a word, Lila knelt down, scooping Amanda into her arms and squeezing her tightly. Her embrace was firm, grounding. Protective.
"Don't worry. She can't hurt you anymore."
And Amanda, despite the latent storm roiling beneath her skin, let herself rest against Lila's warmth.
As they made their way deeper into the compound toward Sylvia Bloodwood's office, a lazy, almost mocking voice rang out ahead of them, halting their pace.
"Well, well, well… Look what we have here~"
Standing in the corridor like he owned it, arms casually tucked into his jacket pockets, was Sutaro Katsuki.
He always carried an aura of barely-contained chaos—equal parts menace and swagger. His lean frame was draped in a jacket stitched with streaks of deep violet and black, arcs of pulsating Yokai energy slithering across the fabric like serpents. His tousled brown hair, tinged with streaks of iridescent purple, glinted under the hallway lights. Those piercing brown eyes—too sharp, too knowing—locked onto the group with a grin that didn't quite reach his soul.
"Did you guys have fun on your mission? I'm surprised you wrapped it up in one day~"
Hikari didn't miss a beat. Her sigh was audible, her eyes already mid-roll.
"Great. What do you want, Katsuki?"
He placed a hand dramatically on his chest.
"What do you mean, what do I want? Can't I just come by and congratulate my amazing teammates on a job well done~?"
"I mean, I guess you can, but Lila and I need to report to Sylvia. Not everything's a show." Hikari's tone was flat, tired, not in the mood.
Katsuki didn't respond immediately. His gaze drifted—subtle, but sharp—until it landed on Amanda. The air around him grew still for a heartbeat. Then his grin widened.
He felt it.
Her pressure. Her existence. It was undeniable.
"Well, I'll be damned," he murmured. "You're half Horseman, aren't you?"
Amanda hesitated, her voice laced with quiet uncertainty.
"I… I don't know. I didn't even know my birth parents. I was adopted."
Katsuki gave a slow nod, as if filing away the information, his eyes still narrowed in curiosity.
"Right."
No mockery in his voice. No teasing. Just something more dangerous—interest.
The trio entered Sylvia's office, the door swinging shut behind them with an almost imperceptible click. Sylvia sat at her desk, her sharp amber eyes scanning the papers before her, though her focus was far more discerning than the mundane tasks the documents suggested. Even sitting, she exuded a commanding presence, an aura of quiet authority that could freeze the bravest of hearts. Her auburn hair, streaked with deep reddish hues, framed her face in an unruly, yet deliberate manner, as if to convey that there was nothing accidental about the calculated chaos of her appearance.
Her attire, a dark tailored exorcist's uniform, spoke of both practicality and ritualistic power. Arcane symbols adorned the fabric, glowing faintly in time with her heartbeat, while crimson talismans clinked softly as they swayed against her armor. She was a figure carved from shadow and precision, striking and unapproachable, much like the truths she kept buried within.
Lila's voice cut through the thick tension of the room, bright and carefree, a stark contrast to the heavy weight of the atmosphere. "Slyvy, we're back from our mission~!" she announced with a grin, her bubblegum-pink hair cascading in playful curls around her face. Her eyes sparkled mischievously, fixed on Sylvia, her playful energy palpable. Still cradling Amanda in her arms, Lila's gaze softened as she noticed the tension in the air.
Sylvia's amber eyes flickered briefly to Lila, before they locked onto Amanda, her expression unreadable. A sharp, calculating glance was all it took for Sylvia to recognize the weight of the girl's presence—the suffocating pressure of power too old and dark to belong to such a fragile body.
"So," Sylvia's voice was smooth, cutting through the room like a razor. "You're the one with the powerful necromantic aura." She stood, her movements fluid, a predator sizing up its prey. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, approaching Amanda with a deliberate, almost clinical detachment.
Kneeling down before her, Sylvia tilted her head ever so slightly, studying Amanda with an intensity that bordered on invasive. Her gaze delved deeper than the surface—this wasn't just the scrutiny of a seasoned exorcist, but that of someone who could peel back the very layers of the soul. She pressed her aura against Amanda's, reaching deeper into the dark recesses of her being.
And then, everything fell away.
Sylvia was no longer in the office. The world around her twisted into darkness—an abyss so profound it felt like it might swallow her whole. The air was thick, oppressive, as if the very fabric of reality had been eaten away by an unseen hunger. She could see nothing beyond a few feet in front of her, and the only sound was the steady beat of her heart, the echo of her breath.
But then—footsteps. Slow, deliberate, coming closer, closer still, until they were right behind her. Sylvia stiffened, her instincts screaming at her to react, but she couldn't see her foe, couldn't prepare. The air shifted, growing colder, colder still, until the presence behind her was overwhelming.
A figure emerged from the darkness—tall, impossibly pale, her skin a stark alabaster that seemed to glow faintly in the void. Her features were sharp and otherworldly, her eyes black voids that devoured light, hope, and even the will to resist. There was nothing left in them—no life, no soul, just the emptiness of a world consumed.
The woman spoke, and her voice was like the reverberation of an ancient bell tolling in the distance, each word carrying an unbearable weight.
"The Sect of Her Shadows is coming. They have arrived on the mainland. It won't be long until they reveal themselves," the woman intoned, her voice laced with a terrifying finality that seemed to shake the very core of the universe.
Her gaze flicked briefly to Sylvia, then down to Amanda. "Be aware of the Archbishop of Greed when he comes. When he arrives, there will be nothing left. Nothing but…" The woman raised her hand, her fingers delicate yet ominously commanding.
"Famine," she whispered, the word a chill that seeped into Sylvia's bones. The woman's hand pressed gently to Sylvia's forehead, and in that moment, her entire life—every regret, every choice, every moment of suffering and triumph—flashed before her eyes in an instant.
Then, just as suddenly, Sylvia was ripped back into the real world, gasping for air, disoriented, her heart pounding in her chest. The oppressive feeling of the void lingered, but the woman—who she now realized had been a mere projection, an echo of something far darker—was gone.
Sylvia blinked, her amber eyes focusing on Amanda again, a sharp sense of unease gnawing at her gut. There was something about the girl—a weight, a presence—an aura of inevitability. A terrifying kind of destiny. The vision had been unsettling, but it was not the first warning she'd received of something far more dangerous on the horizon.
Hikari: "You good, Sylvia?"
Sylvia inhaled sharply, holding her breath for a moment as her expression flickered. When she exhaled, her posture straightened, and she forced a composed smile. "I'm fine," she said, the edges of her voice tight with restraint. "Just… lost in thought for a moment."
Lila: "Really? That's not like you. You're usually pretty sharp. What happened?"
Sylvia: The words came out clipped, her gaze turning to the side before she forced herself to stand, her shoulders stiff with tension. "Enough questioning. I'm the senior here," she snapped, her voice laced with authority, but her eyes avoided their gaze. She briskly walked around her desk, every movement precise as she sank back into her chair, clearly regaining control. "Now, let's get back to the mission. I see Amanda's fine, but how exactly did you two manage to stop this mess?"
Hikari, still a little on edge from the earlier exchange, glanced at Lila before nodding slightly, silently conceding that Lila would handle this explanation. After all, Hikari had only been in the supernatural world for a week, so she was still catching up on its complexities.
Lila: "It wasn't Amanda who was the root of all the chaos in Long Island City. It was the Witch of Despair."
Sylvia: Her eyes narrowed, her tone laced with suspicion. "The Witch of Despair, huh? You're going to have to explain that one."
Lila: Lila's gaze darkened. "She was using Amanda's grief—her despair—to fuel her own powers. She's the one responsible for all the undead rising in Long Island City. Amanda was just caught in her web."
Sylvia: A grim understanding passed over her features, but her voice remained steady. "I see. So, that's dealt with. But I've got another mission for you two."
Hikari: "Wait, hold on. Don't you mean two missions?"
Sylvia: Sylvia's expression tightened, her eyes cold as she delivered her next words with finality. "No. You, Lila, Sutaro, Nami, and Lyra are now part of a team. And as for the new mission—"
Hikari: "Hold on, hold on, there's something you're missing here!" Hikari cut in, her voice rising, frustration edging her words. "There was huge collateral damage in Long Island City! The place is practically gone! Aren't you gonna ask about that?!"
For a moment, there was a heavy silence. Sylvia stared at her blankly, her eyes unfazed as she slowly leaned back in her chair. "Why should I?" she asked, her tone casual, as if discussing something trivial. "Lirael was defeated. A city gone? It's a drop in the ocean. If you ask me, you two got lucky."
Hikari: "Lucky?! Lucky?" The words burst from Hikari like an explosion, her hands clenched into fists as her face flushed with anger. "People lived there! Families, homes, lives—you say we got lucky? Are you seriously that callous?!"
Lila: "Hikari—" Lila began, her voice low, trying to intervene before things escalated.
But Sylvia cut her off, her voice suddenly ice-cold, each word like a slap. "Listen, kid," she said, her gaze locking onto Hikari with unnerving intensity. "You've been in this field for one week. In this world, even the weakest supernatural entities can level entire cities in a matter of minutes. That's the reality we live in. And as for the people who lived in Long Island City—" She paused, her eyes briefly flickering with something unreadable. "They were already dead by the time Lirael stepped foot in that city."
Hikari's breath caught, her heart thundering in her chest as a wave of rage and disbelief surged through her. Thousands of lives—lives—reduced to nothing, and Sylvia dismissed it so casually. It felt as if the weight of those lost souls pressed down on her, suffocating her. Her fists trembled with the urge to shout, to make Sylvia understand. But before she could say another word, she noticed Lila's subtle shake of her head, a silent plea for restraint. Hikari's jaw clenched, her rage boiling inside, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and swallow it down. She had to stand down.
For now.
Sylvia leaned back in her chair, her gaze cool and calculating as she surveyed the room. The air was thick with anticipation, the kind of oppressive silence that lingered before the hammer came down. She didn't waste a second. "As I was saying, the new mission I have for your team is simple." Her voice was sharp, each word deliberate. "There was a prison breach at Kazama Penitentiary. A prisoner awakened his aura while incarcerated, obliterated the entire facility, and escaped. Then, in the same day, he tore through Hiroshima, causing widespread destruction, and by the hour's end, he obliterated the entire military base in Kure."
Hikari could feel the weight of Sylvia's words sink into the pit of her stomach. Her gaze shifted to Lila, whose brow furrowed in disbelief. It wasn't the scale of destruction that unsettled Hikari; it was the sheer impossibility of it all—one man, so much chaos, all within a single day. The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife.
Lila's voice broke the silence, her tone almost disbelieving. "Wait… one person did all of that in under 24 hours?"
Sylvia didn't flinch, her eyes hardening as she met Lila's gaze. "Indeed. And if that weren't enough, there've been rising reports of rogue espers—individuals who are going off the rails, causing chaos wherever they go. Your mission is twofold: neutralize the escaped prisoner by any means necessary, and investigate the rogue esper sightings."
The words echoed in the room, leaving an uncomfortable silence in their wake. Hikari's mind was racing, trying to process everything. The prison breach, the destruction, the rogue espers—this was the next step. And, deep down, Hikari felt the unmistakable weight of something darker on the horizon. The supernatural world wasn't just a puzzle anymore. It was a labyrinth with no clear way out.
She glanced at Lila, who was already thinking ahead, her face set in a grim expression. The mission was clear, but Hikari couldn't shake the nagging feeling that they were walking into something bigger than they realized. Something far more dangerous than any curse.
Sylvia gave them both a moment to process the information before continuing, her voice laced with a cold certainty. "You'll head out immediately. I expect results. If that prisoner's out there, he's a ticking time bomb. And those rogue espers? We can't afford to let that situation escalate."
Hikari nodded, her mind already on the move. There was no hesitation in her response, not yet. She had her doubts, but this was their mission, and she had a role to play. But as she stood there, a deep unease gnawed at her insides. This felt wrong, somehow—too clean, too controlled. The mission was simple, but there was something in Sylvia's eyes that spoke of far greater stakes than what was on the table.
As the briefing ended, Hikari and Lila left the room, the weight of their orders settling on their shoulders like a shroud. The city outside felt heavier than before, the air thick with the promise of something far darker approaching. Hikari's thoughts lingered on the prisoner. Gyo, Sylvia had called him.
And Gyo wasn't just any criminal. He was a force—a force that tore through the world like a hurricane, leaving nothing but ruin in his wake. But as Hikari thought about him, she couldn't help but wonder: What kind of power would make a man like that?
The supernatural world had always been filled with creatures of impossible strength and unfathomable power. But now, with rogue espers and human convicts causing destruction, Hikari began to question the very nature of the forces they were facing. Were they fighting against curses and monsters? Or were they fighting against something far worse—human ambition?
In the coming days, Hikari's path would take her deep into the heart of moral ambiguity. The simple binary of good versus evil was no longer enough. What did it mean to be "good" in a world where every choice seemed to come with a price? She wasn't sure anymore. The lines between right and wrong blurred more with each passing day, and she felt herself being drawn deeper into a world where mercy and cruelty coexisted—sometimes, in the same person.
As Hikari walked away from the meeting, she caught a glimpse of Lila's eyes, their usual warmth replaced by something else—something darker. She knew that Lila, too, was questioning everything. The more they uncovered, the more it seemed like they were chasing shadows. And deep inside, Hikari knew that their fight was just beginning.
In the distance, beyond the city's looming skyline, the chains of certainty were already beginning to tighten. And somewhere, lurking in the shadows, was Gyo, waiting. His name echoed in her mind, like a whisper of a storm about to break.
This mission, this next chapter of their lives, would force Hikari to confront more than just a powerful convict. She would have to confront the very nature of justice itself. And in the end, she would be forced to ask herself: What price are you willing to pay for the truth?
But answers weren't always so clear in a world that had long abandoned simplicity.
END OF ARC 2.