[???, ???, ???, 2:54 PM, May 7th, Tuesday, 2025]
The Boss: "Now that everyone's calmed down I'd like to begin by saying congratulations young Jack Daniels, you are standing in a place only a small number of people have ever come across through the entire history of mankind. You should be glad."
Jack Daniels: "Nah. Seems pretty crappy to me, Boss!"
The title 'Boss' rolled out Jack's tongue sarcastically enough for everyone else in the room to notice.
In an instant a few members stood up from their chairs.
???: "Was… Was that sarcasm?! You've got a death wish speaking like that about The Boss!" A blonde teenager wearing a brown jacket and beige camo pants pointed at him.
The ground underneath Jack's feet began vibrating.
Yoshio Ariston: "Imbecile." Cathy's brother—standing on The Boss's left— stood up, grabbing a coin from his pocket and placing it on his finger, aiming it towards Jack, seemingly ready to flick it.
???: "Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean that… Everyone, please calm down!" A girl with flowing silver hair dressed in a gray High School student uniform stood up, holding up her hands in a placating gesture.
???: "Rotten hell! You do have balls! Fight me, let's see who's stronger!" The orange haired boy from earlier got up from his chair so fast it fell backwards.
???: "Aki, don't intervene, it's not up to us to make judgements… Obviously." An older man with short spiky red hair, wearing a fur collar jacket and black army pants and boots—an outfit fit for cold weather—reached over, grabbing the tipping chair and pushing it back on its feet.
???: "Oh that was so cool! Big bro! You just made yourself a target! Are you stoooopid?~" A girl with silver hair with red streaks and shimmering silver skin wearing a gray fur collar coat, similar to the man on her right with red hair, and brown trouser shorts, bounced on her feet. Her red glowing eyes pierced Jack, she wasn't human. Not fully.
???: "This is meaningless! You shouldn't hurt him, he's the new guy, he just messed up, that's all!" The man in the priestly robe from earlier got up from his chair, running over to Jack and standing in front of him with his hands up, as if protecting him.
From all of them.
The Boss: "Everyone, stop!"
They all turned to face The Boss, he slowly got up, placing both hands firmly on the table as he looked at all of them.
The Boss: "Comments, as you should know by now, don't matter unless they contribute. Sit back down, nothing happened."
They all murmured between themselves and sat back down in their respective seats.
Jack should've felt scared, but didn't.
He felt a strange feeling of pressure, of confinement and it urged him on.
He wanted to poke them further—
???: "Don't do it."
His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the sound of the voice.
A middle-aged woman with black hair tied up in a braided ponytail, wearing a black dress with matching shoes. The Syndicate insignia on the left side of her chest stood out, like a brooch, the golden 'S' symbol with the red eye at the center.
Jack didn't recognize her, but she felt familiar, familiar to the point where it made him uneasy and a little scared.
Jack shook his head to dispel the thoughts, looking at The Boss from across the table.
Jack Daniels: "I'm sorry about what I said, I'm not really… feeling good."
The Boss: "That's entirely fine, please take a seat in the chair in front of you. You are designated now as the 55th ranked member of The Syndicate, The White Rose."
The Boss sat back down in his chair, a few of the members around the table clapped.
Jack sighed and moved closer, noting the number #55 on the golden plate strapped to the back of the chair and the symbol of a white rose.
"Keito Nakamura's seat… That's fitting." He thought to himself, scoffing and sitting down in it.
???: "No! Why does he get my husband's seat out of all of them?!" A woman with long chestnut brown hair and emerald eyes, wearing a blue dress with black roses on it spoke up.
The Boss looked over at her and held his right hand up.
The Boss: "You know how the system works. Every space must be filled. There are to be no missing members, and it's embarrassing that there are three—No, one of them missing at the moment. He is the new White Rose. Black Rose, this has nothing to do with The Oakland Incident or Keito Nakamura. Jack Daniels is simply the new White Rose, is that clear?"
The woman groaned loudly and put her head against the table, covering it with her hands.
The Boss: "Now, since we're all settled and because this is a special occasion, I'd like every single one of you to introduce yourselves briefly and your rank… No complaints are necessary. We'll start from my right and move in accordance with each rank. Obie?"
Obadiah cleared his throat, taking his hat off and looking at Jack.
Obadiah Ariston: "I am Obadiah 'The House' Ariston, I am… Let's see, I think… 45 years old this month? I'm The Boss's right hand man, so number one In The Syndicate, I suppose. Representing the law of Land. I weigh around 110 kilos, yeah, I know, I know… I've gotta train more. And uh… It's nice to have you with us, kid."
He put his hat back on, the teen on The Boss's left side, Yoshio, still had the coin pointed at Jack.
Yoshio Ariston: "The name's Yoshio, I'm the second ranked member of The Syndicate, representing the law of Fortune. We've met already, haven't we, Jack?" His eyes narrowed as he prepared to flick the coin across the table to him.
Before he could, a man on Obadiah's right stood up.
Unsheathing a greatsword from his back, placing it on the table in front of him like some sort of offering.
It drew Yoshio's attention, providing enough distraction for The Boss to snatch the coin from his hand.
The Boss: "No attacking each other during meetings."
Yoshio Ariston: "Tch, you got it Boss. ♪ Oh, we can own the night, don't worry bout' a thing… Don't worry bout' a thing, don't worry bout' a thing… ♪" He grinned and leaned back in his chair, with his hands behind his head, singing a low cheerful tune.
???: "Shut up! I'm trying to introduce myself!" The man who stood up yelled across the table at Yoshio. He had short brown spiky hair, red eyes, dressed in a tight black t-shirt with blue jeans.
The blade was glowing crimson, red particles emanating from it, the blade itself seemed to be a maroon red, covered in red string.
Piers Psyko Pierson: "My name is Piers Pierson, my given title is "Psyko", you'll find out why when we train. I'm a trained powerhouse and specialist! I'm around 25 years old. I'm third ranked in The Syndicate, representing the law of Power. Don't get in my way, brat."
He then sat down, crossing his arms as he stared at Jack.
The man across from him, on Yoshio's left side, nodded towards Jack.
This man was extremely strange, his body seemed to be made entirely out of galaxies and stars, swirling lights and nebulae.
His eyes a cosmic milky blue stared right at Jack, a smile forming in his ethereal mouth.
He wasn't even sitting on the swivel chair, he was floating.
V: "You can call me V for now, I'm the fourth ranked Syndicate member. The seventh in The Laws, from the bottom, representing the law of Spirit. I like the color blue, spending time teaching others and… thinking. It's nice to meet you, young Jack."
He gave him a slight bow, then gestured to a man across from him.
The man snapped his fingers, grinning at Jack. He had brown spiky hair that went upwards, like a pineapple cut. He was very muscular, wearing a tight-fitted brown tank top with some matching chino pants.
Tentetsu Tanard: "Yo, brother! I'm Tentetsu Tanard, 5th ranked member of The Syndicate! Representing the law of Freedom! It's nice to meet ya, brother!"
A girl across from him kicked her feet up on the table, crossing her arms over her chest and yawning. She had long black hair tied in twin ponytails that seemed to draw Jack's attention, she wore a black sweater and amber shorts, a strange ring dangling around her neck on a silver chain.
An eerie aura emanated from her, Jack noticed her eyes, pure black, no pupils, no irises, just darkness.
Kagemura Yuka: "Kagemura Yuka, 6th ranked member of The Syndicate, the law of Darkness… You look scared, is there something on my face?~"
Her lips curled into a smile as she straightened up, leaning closer to the table.
Across from her was another strange sight, a single floating eyeball covered in a rainbow aura, the edge of it covered in a white glow.
Jack could tell at first glance that the eyeball was covered in Flow, but a different kind.
Its pupil seemed special, it looked like a small rainbow cross with four stars in each corner of the eye around it.
Merlin: "Hey there… I'm Merlin, I'm the seventh ranked member of The Syndicate. Don't worry about the look, it's temporary! Heh… Anyway, I represent the law of Wisdom… Alright, that's enough, next!"
The eye vibrated and bowed towards someone on the other side of the table.
Across from him was a humanoid looking creature with brown-skin, two circular orifices for ears and a bald head.
Its most curious feature seemed to be four eyes on its face, each of them however were differently colored, all of them seeming to have different kinds of symbols or markings in them.
Yerli Uretim: "Greetings, puny human. I am the Centurion High-General Yerli Uretim! Coming from—"
The air suddenly felt cold, a crimson mist seemed to fill up the room.
Everyone's gaze snapped to The Boss.
The Boss: "Careful, reveal only what is necessary for a basic introduction, as Merlin did. Do not reveal too much. We will not mess this up."
"What the heck? These guys are so weird… Ugh, this stuff smells like rotten cherries and blood." Jack thought to himself, pinching his nose.
Yerli Uretim: "Yes Boss, sorry Boss…"
The Boss snapped his fingers, the mist immediately disappeared, like it never existed.
The Boss: "Proceed."
Yerli Uretim: "R-right, I'm the eight ranked member of The Syndicate, representing the law of Self… I think I'm done, who else wants to g-go?"
Across the table an older man with curly gray hair, glasses, wearing what seemed to be a lab-coat with a blue shirt underneath and gray pants raised his hand.
Kaiden Nakamura: "I am Kaiden Nakamura, the ninth ranked member of The Syndicate, representing the law of Advancement… It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jack Daniels."
He gestured with his hand to the next person.
Hana ???: "I… My name is Hana, I'm the tenth ranked member of The Syndicate, representing the last law… The law of Memory."
It was the same woman from before that caught Jack's attention, who seemed to look right at him and say "Don't do it." as if she knew what he was thinking.
She cleared her throat and seemed to shoot someone across from her with a knowing look.
The man across the table stood up, slamming both of his hands on it.
Midas Aurel Kingsley: "I am Midas Aurel Kingsley! I am a splendid 4725 years old! Hah, I am the eleventh ranked member of The Syndicate, the last member of The Celestial Bodies, representing the most glorious thing in the sky! THE SHINING GOLDEN SUN!"
The man breathed heavily, a grin on his face, his voice had risen in volume with every word.
The Boss shot him a glance.
Midas Aurel Kingsley: "Excuse me, I… I got too excited. I love talking about myself~"
The Boss: "Because of your continued excitement, you will all go by group rank and only state your name, title and rank. We have other things to talk about and you can all spend time together after the meeting, so… Let's continue. Thank you Midas for that… speech."
Midas sat back down, chuckling and rubbing his chin.
Midas Aurel Kingsley: "You're utterly welcome!"
A man across from him with silver-orangeish hair wearing a black coat and beige pants with an orange cap on, spoke up.
Mokusei Hakomaru: "The name is Mokusei Hakomaru! I'm the twelfth ranked Syndicate member, representing the Celestial Body Jupiter. I try to spend as much time as possible being the best version I can be!"
Another strange man with a bowl cut of beige hair, wearing a white blouse and brown shorts. He was holding a scepter in his hand that was made out of what looked like a shimmering amber material, similar to the use of Titan in the Ten Steps, he practically shouted across the table.
Dosei Enma: "I'm entitled as Dosei Enma! The thirteenth ranked member of The Syndicate… I am representing the Celestial Body of Saturn! Do not bear false witness… I see you…"
A girl with cyan hair tied up in three buns, two on either side of the head and one on the back. A white t-shirt with some denim overalls and underneath some dark jeans, lifted her hand.
Tenosei Haruka: "M'nah, nevermind him—Heeey! I'm Tenosei Haruka, you can call me Ten Ten! I'm fourteenth ranked here, ya hear? I'm representing Uranus, ya hear?"
Across the room there was a humanoid being made entirely of water that looked like a man.
Marko Polo: "I'm Marko Polo, fifteenth ranked member of The Syndicate, you look super cool dude! Nah, seriously though, I'm basically Neptune! Don't worry, I won't drink you or anything…"
A girl with green hair tied up in a single ponytail looked across from him, pointing a rifle right at Marko. She was wearing an oversized gray hoodie with some black shorts underneath.
Ayame Rakka: "I'm Ayame Rakka, and I'm the sixteenth ranked member in this shitcan! And I'm supposed to be Venus! Hah!"
She then charged up the rifle and shot at Marko, from it came a blast of ionized plasma that went right through him creating a large cloud of steam.
The Boss: "That's enough, you're excused!"
The Boss stood up from his chair, extending his right hand out.
The Boss: "Matte Kudasai…"
Red cracks formed around Marko, sucking in all of the steam.
Marko Polo: "You never learn, do you, Aya?"
Ayame Rakka: "Oh bite me!"
The Boss then snapped his fingers, both of them disappearing through red cracks in the air.
He sighed and stood back down.
The Boss: "Please continue, you are safe here Jack, that I will personally see to."
A red-skinned man with long flowing brown hair, without a shirt on, with some kind of fur-skin tied around his waist despite him having brown cargo shorts on stood up. He slammed the red spear in his hand on the floor.
Kasei Takemaru: "I am the warrior bearing the name of Mars, I am a true Martian! I am the absolute strongest warrior! I am seventeenth in this strange prison—It does not matter. We will do battle one day and bathe in each other's red glory! You will see me burn brightly across the sky and—"
A man with curly light turquoise hair reached over, stealing the spear from his hand with incredible speed and throwing it across the room to Raijin Hogo, who caught it with his left hand, smirking back at him.
???: "Don't let him have it again, who knows what he'll do with it?"
Raijin Hogo: "Ay, I'll keep it in my room for now."
The Boss: "Timeout."
The Boss didn't even stand up this time, nor did he mutter Matte Kudasai, he snapped his fingers and both Kasei Takemaru and Raijin Hogo disappeared into red cracks.
The Boss: "You've already met Raijin Hogo previously, no need for this nonsense. Some of you don't need to be here for the second part of the meeting anyway, continue."
The man with curly turquoise hair spoke up again.
Souta Suisei: "I'm Souta Suisei, the eighteenth member of The Syndicate, I am, simply put, Mercury! How poetic, huh?"
A woman with silver hair, a gray student uniform, drinking a cup of tea that wasn't there before slowly rose from her chair, bowing politely.
Reno Kusagawa: "My name is Reno Kusagawa, I am the nineteenth ranked member of The Syndicate, I am representing Pluto as the last of the nine Celestial Bodies rank."
"Reno? That sounds familiar…" The thought passed Jack by as someone across from her cleared their throat, drawing his attention.
It was the man from earlier in the priestly looking robes that stood up to protect him.
Arata Touma: "I am Arata Touma, the twentieth ranked member of The Syndicate, the head of the rank of Saints, I am the Saint of Life. I look forward to working with you, Jack Daniels!"
He gave Jack a gentle smile and nod.
A woman across from him with lavender hair clasped her hands together, wearing a frilly dress with flower patterns all over.
Tsubaki Akuma: "My name is Tsubaki Akuma, I am… Um… I am the twenty first ranked m-member of The Syndicate, I am the Saint of Death… It's lovely to see you…"
A woman across from her with brightly colored yellow hair, wearing a black cardigan and amber shorts, pointed a finger gun at Jack, pretending to shoot and blowing on it as if she was blowing away smoke.
Hibana Rei: "Hibana Rei at your service, I can tell you're gonna be fun… I'm the twenty second ranked member in the organization, I'm the Saint of Spirit, tis' a mere pleasure, partner~"
She winked at him, before bursting into laughter.
Across the table, a man's impatient knocking was heard.
He had short tan hair, wearing a yellow long-sleeve top with red horizontal striped lines and some baggy trousers.
The most striking feature however was a blue oni mask on his face and what looked like three gun holsters on his back.
Ranmaru Mitsurugi: "I am Ranmaru Mitsurugi, the great Light Saint! I am… uh…"
Hibana Rei: "Twenty third."
Ranmaru Mitsurugi: "I am the twenty third member of The Syndicate! Wahahaha! I will crush all of my foes…"
The sound of a camera taking a picture suddenly filled the room, drawing Jack's attention to the next strange member.
A man with two camera lenses for eyes, wearing a simple navy blue polo t-shirt and black trousers.
Jackson Orwell: "I'm the Prophet Saint, welcome to The Syndicate, I guess. I'm also the twenty fourth member, so that's something… Good luck and all."
He said as his two camera lenses took a picture of Jack.
A man across from him waved to Jack, drawing his attention. The man had short black hair and eyes, wearing a standard white button-shirt and some black trousers.
Stanley Zakoji: "Mhm…"
Jackson Orwell: "That's Stanley Zakoji… He doesn't talk. He can't. He's the Silent Saint, the twenty fifth member… Remember well."
A melodic chuckle could be heard as a man stood up, having brown chestnut curly hair, blue eyes, a beige coat, some black trousers and a white shirt underneath the coat. A book firmly grasped in his right hand.
Henry Carter: "The name's Henry Carter, love. I'm the Discerning Saint, and the twenty sixth member of this fine establishment… It'll be nice to see you later if you have the time~"
He winked at Jack and sat back down, instantly going back to reading his book.
And another strange figure looked over, clearing his throat. His skin appeared to be completely made of rust and sounded metallic as he shifted in his chair. He had short spiky hair, also seemingly made of rust. A black shirt and dark jeans, a coat on top of them and an eyepatch on his left eye. His right eye seemed to be made of rust with a single red pupil in the center.
Rentaro Rusty Kusagawa: "My full name is Rentaro Rusty Kusagawa, but I prefer Rusty. I'm the Protection Saint, the last of them, and the twenty seventh member of The Syndicate. Nobody enters The Syndicate without—"
The Boss cleared his throat loudly from across the table, shooting Rusty a look that said "Drop it".
Rentaro Rusty Kusagawa: "Let's just say not a lot of people have seen us Saints in action. Next!"
A woman with a beautiful white veil across her head, wearing a light blue dress with her hands clasped together spoke up.
Giyu Amatsuka: "My name is… Giyu Amatsuka, I am the head of The Romances. I am… oh dear, it's a bit embarrassing but I'm The Romance With The Divine! Heh, um… I'm also the twenty eight ranked member of The Syndicate. It's very lovely to meet you! I hope we can be good friends…"
A woman with fiery red hair coming up to her neck, wearing a crimson dress twirled around a stick made of what appeared to be pure gold, pointing it at Jack.
Gurenka Saionji: "Gurenka Saionji graces you with her presence, dear. I am The Romance With The Dark, the twenty ninth member and the most captivating as you'll come to find… Hahah…"
She chuckled darkly, continuing to flip her golden stick until it landed on the table, pointing at someone else.
A girl with white hair in a wolf-cut, with blue streaks wearing a pink tanktop and some jean shorts waved to her.
Gene Mizushima: "Heya! I'm Gene, Gene Mizushima… You look like you're the broody moodie patootie type. I like it! Hah… Oh yeah, I'm The Romance With Baptism, and the thirtieth member of The Syndicate, spotlight's yours, Ginrei!"
A sleeping girl with magenta and yellow colored hair woke up, rubbing her eyes and groaning. She was wearing magenta pajamas covered in cute pandas.
Ginrei Takamine: "What…? Oh, yes… I'm Ginrei Takamine, The Romance With Resonance, that's too symbolic for my tastes but It's not up to me… Hngh… I'm so sleepy, what else? I'm the thirty first member of The Syndicate, behave yourself or somethin'..."
She mumbled and fell back asleep on the table, snoring loudly this time.
A girl across from her with wild, messy purple and red hair wearing a white robe dotted with black and blue dots, connected with red lines forming constellations and a matching wizard hat with the same patterns on her head barked out a laugh.
Gunrei Hoshizora: "Bwahaha! That's so stupid! I love how she's so sleepy all the time… I'm Gunrei Hoshizora! Me and her are practically besties, so it's fine If I laugh at her, right?! Right! I'm The Romance With Stars, and the thirty second member of The Syndicate… We're only halfway there, right? Hah!"
Then a woman across from her with cyan and lime hair, wearing a simple white dress with black dots snapped her fingers, murmuring something. She held in her hand a compass that seemed to be consistently spinning.
Ginko Asahina: "Ginko Asahina is my name, I'm The Romance With Destiny and I'm the thirty third member of The Syndicate, a perfect spot for me as I can measure everyone. Thanks for signing up, Jack."
Then the woman from earlier, who cried over Jack inheriting Keito Nakamura's seat, cried out.
Giselle Suiko: "Ah, I get it, geez! This is so cruel, you shouldn't… Whatever. I'm Giselle Suiko, I'm The Romance With Self, though it isn't very fitting for what I can do—I'm the thirty fourth member of The Syndicate, three plus four is seven so therefore I'm in a pretty good spot… Just don't ruin things further, okay?!"
The Boss: "Yes, yes, you've made your discomfort quite clear… To avoid any further disruptions, I'm sending all previously introduced members to their rooms. The meeting is now going to take a more personal route."
The Boss then snapped his fingers, red cracks appearing across the table, teleporting a lot of people all at once.
The Boss: "There are only four groups left of members. Proceed accordingly."
The air in the room felt a lot lighter, Jack looked at all of the empty seats, feeling relieved.
A girl with dual-tone hair, dark on top and light on the bottom leaned forwards onto the table, pressing her chest firmly against it as she looked intensely at Jack. She seemed to have some kind of bow on her back made of what looked like flowers or vines.
Yumi Hanazo: "I bad mouthed you before, yeah sorry about that dude… Ehehe, anyway! I'm Yumi Hanazo! I'm totally friendly if you get to know me, and stuff… I'm the head of The Six Gates, more specifically, The Flower Gate… But it's not really what you think, so don't underestimate me! Ehehe… Oh and I'm also the thirty fifth member! So that's cool, right?"
She giggled softly, rubbing her head in her arms and looking across the table at someone else.
A woman with sky blue flowing hair, a sky blue mini dress fitted across her form highlighting the strange dove like symbols on her eyes. Across every finger on both of her hands she seemed to have some kind of glass ring.
Wanata Suiko: "Greetings, Jack Daniels, I present myself as Wanata Suiko. You may have pieced a few things together, but a few of us are connected. Good for you. As for me? I am The Mirror Gate, the thirty sixth member of The Syndicate. You'll do well, I can see that."
She then pointed to someone else across the table.
To a tall boy with long blonde light blonde hair lounging backwards on the swivel chair. Wearing a dark bomber jacket and trousers.
Lex Polo: "I'm Marko's younger brother, It's nice to meet you. We have similar styles, so we'll be friends for suuuure. Ah, I'm The Gate Of Exploration, so, that's something wild, eh? I'm the thirty seventh member. Fergus, you're up."
An older man with a stubble and mismatched eyes, one green and one blue, saluted Lex. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and dark camo pants.
Fergus Reel: "Fergus Reel, reporting for duty! I'm The Gate Of Unraveling, the thirty eight member, glad to be working with you! Sir!"
He put his hand down and gestured to someone else.
A woman with light green hair with white streaks, wearing a purple romper with green thigh-high socks underneath scoffed, flipping off Fergus.
Tsunako Kusagawa: "You're so noisy, it's annoying… I'm Tsunako Kusagawa, I'm The Gate Of Binding, thirty ninth member of The Syndicate and honestly? I didn't want to be here! So hurry up!"
A young girl with dual tone hair, black roots and the rest white, wearing a simple white t-shirt with what looked like a Coco-Cola logo and some casual black trousers grinned up at Jack.
Niko Yuriko: "I'm Niko! Niko Yuriko! I've been very good this week… I'm The Gate Of Purity! And the fortieth member of The Syndicate! Come play with me some time!"
The Boss then stood up, walking around the table, catching the attention of everyone.
He looked between them before sitting down in an empty chair, next to Lex Polo.
Then he snapped his fingers, teleporting all of the gates away with Matte Kudasai.
The Boss: "Please don't mind me, this is just more efficient. Proceed."
A girl with braided violet hair with black streaks in a silk black dress with violet indents leaned over her chair, giving Jack a once-over.
Hyori Hathor: "I'm Hyori Hathor, The head of The Keys, I'm The Key Of Serenity. The forty first member of The Syndicate. I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about…"
Then a girl with straight flowing brown hair and eyes, with a white lotus clip in her hair, wearing a simple white sundress leaned forwards.
Estelle Richter: "I'm Estelle Richter, Ricky's my younger brother, he won't give you trouble though… Ah, yes, I'm The Key Of Joy, and the forty second member of this fine organization. I pray you get comfortable here."
A woman with black skin, short rose colored hair and violet eyes, wearing a black tank-top and jean shorts stabbed a dagger into the table, drawing Jack's attention.
Ghana Kusagawa: "I'm Ghana Kusagawa, I'm The Key Of Strength! I'm the forty third member of The Syndicate and I can't wait to see what you're made of!"
Suddenly a vibrating pulse shot out from someone else across the table, causing it to shake.
The boy with golden blonde hair and amber eyes from earlier, wearing a brown jacket and beige camo pants pointed at him, again.
Ricky Richter: "I'm Ricky Richter, and I'm The Key Of Movement, and the forty fourth member, yeah, the names are scuffed, but they fit the bill. Oh and sorry about earlier, it's hard to control the vibrations… Not used to em' yet."
Jack looked over as Ricky pointed to someone else.
"No way… It can't be…"
His eyes widened in shock, he recognized her instantly.
Sakura Azuki: "Heya Jackie~ I bet you missed me— The name's Sakura Azuki, like duh, and I'm The Key Of Peace! The forty fifth member! Sweet, huh? I've learned a lot from being with these guys for likeeee, what, a day? Wow, I'm honestly impressed. Anyway, you look like a hobo, you should take a shower, sad face."
She pouted, looking up at him with puppy eyes, before reaching into the pocket of her blazer and pulling out her phone, taking a picture of him. She still had on the same student council member uniform he remembers from school, the only difference now was instead of a pink handbag with her was a large katana in a large sheathe strapped to her back.
Jack Daniels: "What?! How is this even—We thought you died! You couldn't have called or… or…"
Before he could retort further, The Boss snapped his fingers, teleporting The Keys away.
The Boss: "Raijin Hogo, one of the two Twin Kings, has already been sent to his room. Normand's spot is vacant. You've filled up Keito Nakamura's spot as The White Rose. Now all that's left is The Dragons and The Magi. Please proceed."
A tall man with a white fur collar winter jacket, wearing a black t-shirt underneath with dogtags around his neck and a strange white mask on his face that looks like a white dragon with two holes for his real eyes, piercing blue, alongside some matching white military camo pants and black boots, laughed, clapping to get Jack's attention.
Ryuusei Kajima: "Don't cry now! The party's just beginning, listen—I'm the leader of The Dragons, Ryuusei Kajima, I'm The King Dragon of The North. The forty sixth member of The Syndicate. I'm really interested to see you develop, kid. You've got the right DNA. I can tell. Oi, bro, you're next."
The orange haired boy with matching eyes and an orange t-shirt and matching shorts from before, also wearing dog tags around his neck piped up again.
Akihiro Kajima: "Yeah, right! Oi, you must be a real wimp… Shit, I don't know! I'm jumping to conclusions again, sorry. Ah, whatever! I'm Aki, Akihiro Kajima! I'm The Copy Dragon of The South, the forty seventh member! Ryu's my big bro, and you're definitely going to need training Jack!.
Then a man wearing a fully white business suit with a black tie, similar to The Boss, with black gloves and a terrifying ghost-like mask on his face with jagged sharp teeth and thin dark gray eyes spoke up.
Norio Takeshi: "I'm Norio Takeshi, The Ghost Dragon of The East and the forty eight member of The Syndicate, it's an interesting occasion to meet someone as high status as you, Jack Daniels. You have no idea what you're in for—it's all over your soul, I can see it plainly… You're all sorts of messed up."
Then the final stranger of The Dragons, another familiar face, clicked his tongue, looking at Jack.
"Wait… This guy was in the butcher shop in Hamloins—He's a Dragon?! No wonder…"
The man with black hair in a wolf-cut with yellow streaks, with headphone earcups on his ears and a dark-leather jacket with a yellow t-shirt underneath with a large dragon on it. On his neck was a dragon tattoo, clearly visible, but Jack had not seen it the first time. There were tattoos on his arms too, of what looked like music notes and flames. He also had a silver watch on his right arm and wore some black trousers.
Yuto Tatsuo: "We've already met, haven't we? I'm Yuto Tatsuo, The Sound Dragon of The West… It's awesome that you've made it all the way here. I'm also the forty ninth member of The Syndicate! So there you go… Alright, I wanna go to bed now."
As if on cue, The Boss snapped his fingers, sending them all somewhere through the same red cracks in the air.
Leaving behind three people other than The Boss and Jack in the large council room.
The first of them, a dark-skinned man with strange tattoos all over his body and white talismans made out of a strange paper with a black eye symbol on them. There was a large one prominently covering his forehead. He had short black hair, wavy at the back, messy in the front. Wearing a white tank-top that showed off his muscular arms and tattoos, and also some black jeans to match. A large open pouch filled with what looked like chains made out of talismans sat on his belt.
Shujin Hakomaru: "I'm Shujin Hakomaru, The Ever Sealed Magi… Their leader, I suppose. I'm the fiftieth member of The Syndicate, and it's nice to officially meet you, we've been watching your group for a little while now… But ah, that's not important! You're one of us now—You're safe here."
The second one, the robotic girl with silver skin and hair, with a winter fur-collar coat, brown trouser shorts and boots to match.
Ikazuchi: "Hi! It's so nice to meet face to face! Hehe… I'm Ikazuchi, buuuut since you're so cool, I'll let you call me Zuzu! Zuzu! Hehe… I'm The Storm Magi, but I'm also the fifty first member of The Syndicate! Oh and some people call me The Android, which is so stooopid! I'm obviously one… But yeah, you can call me Zuzu! So, let's be friends, okay?!"
She giggled and winked at him, she spoke in a child-like manner with a robotic, whirring mechanical yet melodic voice.
The last member of The Magi, an older man with short spiky red hair, wearing a fur collar jacket and black army pants and boots—an outfit fit for cold weather, calmly stated.
Blaze Dermot: "I'm Blaze Dermot, The Wise Magi… The fifty second member of The Syndicate, and the last in this room… We will meet again, until then, stay safe."
He said nothing further, just gave Jack a simple nod.
The Boss then snapped his fingers, teleporting all of them away.
Leaving just The Boss and Jack in the large room.
Jack shook his head, trying to make sense of the past twenty minutes.
Jack Daniels: "What, you're not going to introduce yourself?"
The Boss raised his eyebrow, before nodding.
He took off his crimson fedora, revealing his short messy black hair.
The Boss: "I am The Boss of this organization known as The Syndicate, I control and organize all of the special ranks and any and all operations within The Syndicate. Including minor agents or sub-agents. Our primary goal is to gather all Divinities, Holies and Relics together to form something truly extraordinary… To finally fulfill our goal."
There was a long silence after that.
Jack looked around the room, standing up from his swivel chair, going behind it and resting his arms on it as he looked at The Boss.
Jack Daniels: "That's so outrageous it just might work…"
The Boss: "So, what did you think of us?"
Jack Daniels: "I… I think you're all batshit crazy. And I think I've made up my mind!"
The feeling of emptiness had not faded from Jack Daniels.
It only deepened, alongside dread, loneliness and fear.
Jack Daniels: "Despite being one of you now, I'll go against you. I'm putting you all on a Hit List, and I'll take you all out!"
The Boss picked up his crimson fedora, putting it back on and stood up, walking calmly towards Jack and putting a hand on his right shoulder.
The Boss: "I'd love to see you try."
The Boss then brushed past him, walking ahead towards the same double doors Jack entered from earlier.
The Boss: "You're dismissed."
Jack stood alone in the council room, his eyes glided to one of the torches on a pillar on the right-side of the room.
He buried his face in his hands as he leaned over the chair, groaning.
Jack Daniels: "What have I done…?"