"An anomaly…?"
Schwarian asked, confusion edging into his voice.
Roselyn turned toward him.
"Yes," she said. "And we know nothing about him. Who he is. Where he is. Or what he even is."
A faint strain slipped beneath her calm.
Zeph spoke next. "Did anything else unusual happen?"
Roselyn pressed her fingers against her chin, shifting her weight as she searched her memory.
"…Yesterday."
Schwarian's brows furrowed.
"Yesterday?" Zeph asked evenly. "What happened?"
Roselyn exhaled.
"Yesterday, a brutal massacre was reported," she said. "An entire family."
She paused.
"Every member had their internal organs removed—cleanly," she continued. "As if they'd been dissected."
Another beat.
"For fun."
Schwarian flinched. His eyes trembled at her words.
"Family… massacre…" he repeated, distress creeping into his voice.
Roselyn noticed immediately. "Schwarian," she said, watching him closely, "are you alright?"
Zeph's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.
"Do you know something?"
"Something that's making you uncomfortable?"
Schwarian replied, his voice cracking slightly. "S-sorry, sir. I—I'm just not used to… things like that."
Zeph didn't look convinced.
Roselyn intervened. "Schwarian, if you can't handle things like this, then perhaps you should reconsider your training and pursue something else. In the DSA, fear is not an option."
***
"In the DSA, fear is not an option."
The words echoed in Schwarian's mind as he returned home.
Erich greeted him at the door.
"Hey, Schwarian. How was your day?"
Schwarian greeted Erich, his voice strained. "Hey, Mr. Vollner. My day went… well."
Erich caught it immediately.
"That doesn't sound like it," he said. "Come on. Sit down. Let's talk—get it off your chest, kid."
Schwarian didn't say a word. He only nodded quietly and followed Erich into the living area.
They both took a seat.
Erich spoke calmly. "So? What happened?"
Schwarian hesitated, then said, "Today at the DSA, Handler Azur briefed us about… an anomaly."
Erich's expression hardened. "An anomaly?"
"Yes. An anomaly," Schwarian repeated. "Recently, CCTV footage captured a man using a skill—but no frequency was detected."
Erich frowned slightly.
"According to Handler Azur," Schwarian continued, "every Skill Coin emits a frequency when it's used. Just like when a Riss is about to appear."
"And this man…?" Erich prompted.
"He didn't emit anything," Schwarian said. "No frequency at all. That's why he's been classified as an anomaly. We don't know whether he's a threat or not."
He paused.
"And now," Schwarian added quietly, "a family was murdered. The DSA suspects he might be responsible."
Erich's brows lifted. "A family… murdered?"
He paused. "Wait. Are you talking about that recent case?"
Schwarian looked at him. "You know about it?"
"Of course," Erich said. "I'm the one handling the case."
"I see…"
Erich studied him for a moment. "Is that why you're so tense, Schwarian? The family's murder?"
Schwarian exhaled slowly. "Yeah," he said. "It brings back… painful memories."
He scratched the back of his head and continued, "And I panicked in front of my subordinates. The handler said if I can't control my fear, then I should reconsider my training… maybe pursue something else."
Erich nodded as he listened. "So that's why you're stressed."
He leaned back slightly. "Listen, Schwarian. We can't change the past—but don't let it ruin your present. Those old fears are surfacing, and they're weakening you. I've noticed how you keep apologizing for everything…"
He paused.
"Nothing was your fault, Schwarian."
Schwarian's eyes turned glassy. His voice cracked as he spoke.
"I don't know… I honestly don't know anything anymore. I'm just breathing. That's all."
He swallowed hard. "My will… my will to live died with them. With her."
Schwarian lowered his head.
"I miss them," he continued quietly. "Every day. Every moment."
His voice trembled. "And when I heard about that family being killed… it reminded me of how helpless I was. How everything changed in just a few days. My whole life changed."
He clenched his hands.
"I tried everything," he said. "But I never found a single clue. Never learned who did it to them."
A hollow breath escaped him.
"I'm just… a weight. With no purpose."
Fury flashed in Erich's eyes—but his voice remained steady.
"Schwarian… you call yourself a weight. Without purpose."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Then let me give you one."
Erich held his gaze.
"I will find who did this to you," he said quietly. "And when I do, what happens next will be up to you."
A pause.
"How you hunt them," he continued. "How you end it."
His voice dropped, cold and unwavering.
"Until then, set your heart ablaze."
"In the flames of vengeance."
Schwarian snapped his head up, staring at Erich with clear surprise—and concern.
"Mr. Vollner, that's dangerous," he said. "What if something happens to you? And you can't do everything at once—handling a murder case and chasing people from my past."
Erich smirked.
"Oh, boy," he said. "Do you really take me for a fool?"
He leaned back slightly. "You think I'd offer to help you without knowing anything?"
His expression sharpened.
"There's something I suspect. And I'm damn sure it's connected to your past."
He paused. "As for the anomaly—trust me. He isn't behind that family's murder."
Schwarian froze. "What do you mean?"
"The bodies were dissected," Erich said calmly. "Organs removed. Limbs missing. And the cuts were precise."
He tapped a finger against the armrest.
"If the anomaly truly has a skill," he continued, "he could've killed them instantly. There'd be no reason to go through all that effort."
Erich's gaze hardened.
"This was done by normal humans."
He corrected himself. "Humans. Plural."
Schwarian absorbed that in silence.
"You think it's the same group from my past," he said slowly.
Erich nodded. "Pulling something like that off in a single night—and disappearing without a trace—isn't something amateurs manage."
Schwarian hesitated.
Then he spoke. "Mr. Vollner… I trust you. And I want to help with this case."
Erich raised an eyebrow. "What about your task at the DSA? Finding the anomaly?"
"I'll back off," Schwarian said.
"No, you won't."
Schwarian looked up.
"You're going to find the anomaly," Erich said. "And you're going to solve this mystery."
"But I'm just a trainee."
"That's exactly why they questioned you," Erich replied. "Because they saw fear in your eyes."
He leaned forward.
"Now answer them with your work," he said. "This time—with courage."
A pause.
"Show them what a trainee can do"
***
Meanwhile, across the city…
A man wearing a long black coat and a fedora stepped into the house.
As he moved inside, about to enter the dark dining room, his phone rang.
He answered without stopping.
"What is it, Elyndra?"
"Ark Umbracio," a woman replied coolly, "I don't recall giving you permission to enter the house. We were supposed to wait for Mr. Vollner."
"You're fussing over this? Seriously?" Ark said. "It's my job as a cop."
He stepped deeper into the darkness.
"Really, Ark?" Elyndra snapped. "The whole department knows you're a walking evidence disaster. What if you contaminate evidence? What if you ruin clues we could've used?"
Ark opened his mouth to respond—
then stopped.
Something wet shifted beneath his boots.
"…Ark?" Elyndra said. "Hello? Say something."
He didn't answer.
Ark reached for the switch and turned on the light.
The dining room exploded into view.
An entire family lay butchered across the room—limbs torn away, organs scattered with deliberate precision. Blood covered the floor, pooling thick and dark, dripping steadily from the dissected bodies.
The liquid beneath Ark's feet wasn't water.
It was blood.
"That's… quite a mess they made," Ark muttered, his eyes wide with shock.