Talos returned the smile to the man behind the desk. He was a bearded man in his forties, with very short black hair. Galileo was one of the strongest Purifiers and a respected leader; for this reason, Talos and all the others always showed him respect.
Talos sat down next to the woman with golden hair.
"Good morning, Galileo. How have you been these days?"
"Good morning, Talos. My life is going great, and you have no idea how grateful I am that you're helping me with, well, you know… all the mess after Mida's death."
Galileo paused slightly, his gaze showing regret. After all, he had lost someone very close to him.
"I must say, though, that I was pleased to hear that the silent Talos wanted to accept the new recruit." A hearty laugh escaped his mouth. "Let me introduce you to Ciane. From today, she will be under your supervision."
The young demoness finally spoke. "Nice to meet you."
Adult angels and demons are all over 400 years old, but Ciane, like Talos, had smooth skin and a body that seemed to have only recently matured—not too young, but in the prime of youth. She wore a black dress similar to the other young angel, but her face seemed to be made of light, with her shimmering golden eyes and hair as bright as gold. Even her two horns shared the same dominant color.
She was the successor of Mida, the new Demon of Greed—or at least the best candidate provided by Hell.
The two new colleagues shook hands. Talos, however, did not feel the warm touch of skin but the cold sensation of metal.
"I am Talos, Angel of Humanity. Welcome to the 19."
Her entirely golden hand, devoid of flesh, detached from his grip, and both returned their attention to Galileo.
***
Ciane's face was impassive, maintaining a professional demeanor both here and in Hell. She might have appeared emotionless, but at that moment, a storm of thoughts rushed through her mind, devouring her with panic and fear.
"No welcoming ceremony, no real preparation to replace deceased Purifiers… And now I'm here, with Mida's inherited [skills], among the most renowned offspring of the underworld."
Even though it was her own voice in her head, it sounded exasperated. Ciane slightly raised her gleaming mechanical arm, staring at it with doubtful eyes.
"Am I truly worthy of this role...?"
Lifting her head and taking a deep breath, Ciane fixed her gaze on the portal that would take her and Talos to a point in Miracolo. The black-eyed angel also took a breath and gestured for the girl to follow him.
"It's time to go. This will be your first purification. Follow me." And he vanished into the portal.
***
11th DISTRICT / OUTER CIRCLE / SECTION C
This was one of the many districts of Miracolo, the area where Ciane and Talos had arrived, and the location of the [disaster] they needed to purify—or, in crude terms, to kill.
"Disasters are the reason why we Purifiers exist. They are deformed creatures born from what we call destiny. I assume you know about them, right?"
"The existence of disasters is known, yes, but there is much I don't understand."
"That's normal. Even for God, they are anomalies, as destiny is something beyond His control. The reason why destiny has begun to take form has been under investigation for a long time. In the meantime, we keep them at bay."
The two wandered through the district, searching for the anomaly's presence.
"How often do they appear in the city?"
Talos's expression darkened.
"Far too often. They're weak and easy to defeat, but I spend entire days traveling through portals to kill them. Fortunately, they don't attack humans directly and are invisible to them, but leaving even one alive for too long would slowly destroy Miracolo with earthquakes and tsunamis."
"Just by existing, they can cause real natural disasters. And of course, as long as humans are allowed to live, we must preserve their existence."
A slight trace of concern appeared on Ciane's face but faded as soon as Talos stopped.
"In that building over there is our target. I can sense it. It will be your job to purify it."
To activate his [skill], Talos opened the palm of his hand before closing it again.
"[MIRACLE: execution space]."
The people walking around suddenly stopped in place, as did the clouds in the sky. Execution Space did not freeze time but was a [skill] that temporarily transported whoever the user wished into another timeline. It had no real combat utility since interactions with the environment were very limited, but it was used to purify disasters without exposure.
The two entered the building and proceeded to an apartment. On the living room table, a man and a young boy were playing cards. Near their frozen figures stood a tall humanoid creature with shriveled purple skin, an enormous fixed grin stretching across its face, devoid of eyes or a nose.
Ciane was tense but ready. She knew she could do this, and Talos thought the same. But the one who was truly afraid was not her—it was the angel.
Surely, it wasn't the disaster in front of them that frightened him, but something he sensed in another room. Something even he couldn't understand.