As her hood fell, I caught sight of her face. She looked young, maybe around my age.
"I warned those reckless birds to be careful around humans, but they didn't listen. They still took men without any moderation," the lady said, her voice sharp and annoyed.
"Tell your coven that I'm not done with them yet. They have something to pay for," Captain Edmund said, slamming his scythe forward and pointing it at the witch.
We surged toward her, but she twisted her cloak and vanished, bursting into a swarm of moths that scattered in every direction
"Temporal Shift!"
I shouted, waving my hand at the moths, but Captain grabbed me mid-motion. "She's gone," he said, lowering my hand.
"We should head back," he added, his gaze sweeping the empty street.
I nodded, and he spun his scythe before it vanished into his grip.
We walked back toward the entrance, where the rescued victims were gathered. There were about seven of them, all men, looking tired but relieved.
"Ezekiel!" Theai waved at us, a small smile on her face as we approached.
"We're glad you're all okay," I said, brushing past a few of the men.
"Well, that grotesque monster was nothing to us," Theai replied, shrugging slightly.
"Where did you find the victims?" I asked, stepping closer.
"We found them in a hidden basement," Damian reported, shaking his head slightly.
"It was full of large eggs, too," Theai said, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
"Have you smashed the eggs?" I asked.
"Our fellow non-system agents will handle it," Margaret said, adjusting her jacket. "They might send them abroad or to the Main Headquarters for study and examination."
We were disturbed by sudden voices.
"Thank you very much for saving us," one of the men said, bowing slightly.
"If it wasn't for you, something bad might have happened," another added, his voice trembling.
"Yeah… thanks," a third murmured, relief in his eyes.
"Our lives are saved. Thank you all," the others said, bowing in gratitude.
As the men began to leave, Captain Edmund raised his voice and waved his hand. "Don't forget to rate us! We are the Grim Stalkers squad!"
I rolled my eyes, letting out a tired sigh.
"Okay, let's go home," he said, giving a small shrug as he started walking toward the car we had driven earlier.
We walked toward our car, opening the doors and getting inside, the city night quiet around us.
Captain drove the car down the quiet road.
"So, whose place should we drop off first?" he asked, glancing at us through the rearview mirror.
My companions started arguing loudly in the car among themselves about where to go.
I leaned back in my seat, rubbing my eyes. I should rest at Isaiah's place.
The car moved along the street, stopping at each of our locations one by one. When it was my turn, Captain pulled up in front of Isaiah's apartment building and asked for my contact number. I stayed there for a while to rest.
---
"Ezekiel! Wake up!" A hand shook me roughly, pulling me from sleep.
"Tell me about your first day!" Isaiah's voice rang in my ears, full of excitement.
"I'm still sleepy… let me sleep a little more!" I mumbled, squinting at him and burying my face in the pillow.
But Isaiah didn't let up, grabbing my shoulder and giving me another shake. "Come on! I want all the details!"
I sat up properly, rubbing my messy hair, still half-asleep. "Okay! Just wait…" I yawned, stretching my arms above my head.
"So… which squad did you join?" Isaiah asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes wide and curious.
"The Grim Stalkers," I said, my voice flat and nonchalant, trying to hide my irritation at being woken up so early.
"What? You mean the lowest-rated one?" Isaiah's jaw dropped, and he leaned back in disbelief. "What a bum! You didn't choose your squad wisely!"
"Well… they recruited me. Am I supposed to reject them?" I replied, shrugging and glancing at him lazily.
"You should have joined the strongest squads, like Golden Lamp or Supreme Wardens!" Isaiah shook his head so hard his hair messed up. "Those squads are beasts!"
"If I had a choice, I would have picked Golden Lamp, duh," I said, smirking at him.
"So… what system did you get?" Isaiah asked, tilting his head.
"I got a Sorcerer System, mwahahaha! And I love it," I said, grinning widely.
"Yeah, right… how about the Captain?" he asked.
"He's… weird. I couldn't stand him, not gonna lie," I admitted, letting out a long sigh. "But the Vice Captain and the rest were okay. I've seen them fight. They're really good."
"Give me an autograph from Captain Malachi, please!" he begged, leaning closer like a little kid begging for candy.
"I wish we could interact with each other, but that's impossible. We're the lowest-rated squad," I said, lying back on the sofa, letting out a tired sigh. "I just wish we could climb high instantly, like that Clara Bouldelair."
My eyes suddenly widened, and I leaned forward.
"Can you search her up?" I asked, pointing at Isaiah's phone.
He grabbed it immediately and started typing quickly. "You mean the new Captain?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"She's a new Captain?" I repeated, surprised.
"Yeah," Isaiah said, scrolling and reading aloud. "According to this source, she was appointed Captain five months ago, unlike the others who have held the position for years. Oh… and her older sister was a former Captain of her squad. However... sadly, her sister died, and that's when she got the position."
"Oh… that's sad," I said.
Isaiah looked up at me, eyes wide. "But seriously… she's rated so high, even though she's new? That's… unbelievable."
"I know," I said, shaking my head. "It makes no sense. Five months? And already… she's in the top three."
"Anyway, look up something about my squad, how they got so low-rated among all the squads," I muttered to Isaiah.
Isaiah wasted no time and typed quickly.
"So… your squad got such a low rating because two of its members died, also about five months ago," he said, scrolling quickly, eyes scanning the information.
"Was it connected to Clara's sister?" I asked, leaning closer, curiosity sharpening my voice.
"Yeah… I think they died on a big mission, something about sealing a demon," Isaiah replied, shrugging slightly as he read.
"Demon?" I said, frowning. "Those leeches… they're the ones who dragged the world into a bad situation."
My phone buzzed on the table. I reached for it and answered.
"Hello? Ezekiel, you up?" It was Captain calling.
"Yeah… what's up?" I said, sitting up straighter.
"Can you come to the office? They'll need to check you for a gear to wear."
"A gear, really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Alright… I'm on my way."
"Yes, I'll get my gear," I added, standing up from the sofa and stretching briefly before heading toward the kitchen.
"Leaving so soon?" Isaiah asked, glancing at me with a teasing grin.
"Just like my magic. No time to waste!" I yelled from the kitchen.