NEW MISSION
Sparrow Night, a stoic figure of eighteen years, lowered the thick Encyclopedia of Arcana Classes. Sunlight streamed through the window of their house, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
He glanced at his younger sister, Canary, who was already flipping through the book with an eagerness that always brought a faint smile to his lips, hidden beneath the tough exterior.
"Birdbro," Canary chirped, her voice as bright as the sunlight, "This book is incredible! Who will never guess that the arcana class for the sixth of diamonds will be a
Sparrow chuckled softly. "Stick to honing your Arcane Marksman skills, Tweety. Try not to shoot the wrong target first."
"Hey! I never.."
Before Canary could finish her retort, Sparrow's mistlink, kept inside his backpack, buzzed. He immediately took it. It was from their aunt, Autumn.
"Sparrow speaking. What's up, Li'l Aunt?"
"Row! Is Canary there? I got a little job for us. Interested?" Autumn's voice crackled through the speaker, laced with her usual breezy confidence.
Sparrow exchanged a look with Canary. A mission meant real-world experience, a chance to test their burgeoning abilities against the darkness that lurked beneath the surface of Mearth. Canary nodded full of enthusiasm.
"We're in," Sparrow replied, his voice firm.
"Great! Meet me at my place. Bring the big car, and full equipment. This one might get messy."
Sparrow hung up, a flicker of anticipation in his dark-green eye. He turned to Canary, the scar on his left cheek pulling slightly as he grinned. "Looks like our study session is postponed."
Canary squealed with delight, already dashing upstairs to grab her combat equipment. "Adventure time!"
An hour later, Sparrow's heavily modified off-road 4WD roared to life, carrying him, Canary, and Autumn towards the location of their mission, Gyoya Town. Autumn, clad in practical leather pants and jacket, briefed them on the situation.
"Vengeful Werecats," she said, her voice losing some of its usual cheerfulness. "That's how the HQ called our targets this time. They've been hitting the port and riverside, racking up a body count within these three days. MIST Union is calling them a high-priority threat."
Sparrow nodded, his expression grim. He knew that soul invasion was a constant threat on Mearth, and these creatures were a horrifying manifestation of that reality.
"Gyoya has their own MIST Union branch, doesn't it?" He asked curiously.
"Yes, but they're stretched thin," Autumn replied. "That's why they asked our help. You know your mother and I grew up in Gyoya, don't you? I still have some connections to the mystery agents here."
"Why are they stretched thin?" Canary inquired from the back seat.
"They lost many agents during last year's apocalyptic earthquake incident – an Apocalypse Black. Now, all their remaining combat agents are tied up suppressing a Voidcrack Purple within the Greygate Temple."
"Apocalypse Black? Voidcrack Purple?" Canary asked, bewildered.
"Come on, Tweety." Sparrow groaned. "Didn't you read the Mystery Manuals? The ones they gave us when we registered?"
"Er... I think I only got through the first book," Canary confessed, grinning awkwardly. "I mean... it was so boring, and full of words I didn't understand."
Autumn, unsurprised by her niece's admission, calmly explained. "You've known some of the surreal creatures codes: Vicious Red, Sentient Green, and Realmgate Yellow. Apocalypse Black and Voidcrack Purple are just different types."
"Apocalypse Black is the worst," Sparrow added. "The others happen when surreal entities possess living beings or objects. But with Apocalypse Black, the entity possesses a natural disaster – tornado, earthquake, volcanic eruption. Imagine an evil creature with the power of a disaster."
"Every time an Apocalypse Black appears, it takes tremendous effort and sacrifice to defeat," Autumn said grimly. "Your parents and grandparents lost their lives fighting one."
A heavy silence fell in the car as the memory of lost loved ones settled upon them.
Canary's question cut through the silence. "What about Voidcrack Purple?"
"It was not much worse than Apocalypse Black," Sparrow replied with a touch of pragmatism. "Just think of it as the overcharged Realmgate Yellow."
Autumn nodded, elaborating. "That's a good analogy... the much deadlier version of Realmgate Yellow. Voidcrack Purple involved surreal entities possessing objects, transforming them into voidcracks - tunnels connecting our world to others."
She paused, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes. "Unlike the one-way nature of Realmgate Yellow, where only the people from our world could go to different world... er, to projection of different world; in Voidcrack Purple, it is a two-way gate. Creatures from that world could enter our world."
"And death in Voidcrack Purple is permanent," Sparrow emphasized, driving the point home.
Canary grimaced. The implications were far more serious. With Realmgate Yellow, death was only a temporary setback, a jarring expulsion from the projection with nothing more than a splitting headache. Voidcrack Purple, however, offered no such reprieve.
...
The drive to Gyoya took three hours. As they approached the town, Sparrow noticed the change in scenery. Unlike the artistic yet modern blend of agriculture and crafts in Soragant, Gyoya possessed an ancient, melancholic charm. Temples and historical buildings lined the streets, whispering tales of forgotten eras.
"Alright," Autumn announced as they parked near the police station. She was already in professional mode. "We need information. Pixie, you and Cyclops keep a low profile. I'll charm my way into getting the police reports."
...
Autumn returned about an hour later, a thick file in her hands. "Okay. Let's see what we've got."
The police reports were grim. Seven victims in the last three days, all killed by savage claws and teeth. The attacks were seemingly random, occurring along the Gyostream River and around the port area.
"Let's go to the latest attack site," Sparrow suggested, his voice quiet but decisive. "Let's see if I can do the same as the one in Suicide Ghost case.."
He touched his left eye, hidden beneath the black eyepatch. The artificial purple eye, a retrocognitive implant, allowed him to see echoes of the past. A troublesome power, but invaluable in situations like this.
They arrived at the site, a deserted stretch of riverbank near the docks. Sparrow closed his eyes, focusing his mind. He reached out with his consciousness, filtering the present, and reaching for the reverberations of the past. He then removed his eyepatch, revealing his purple eye to the world.
A vision flooded his mind. He saw the victim, a lone fisherman cleaning his nets. Then, a ripple in the water. Three grotesque figures, barely the size of children but radiating malice, erupted from the Gyostream River.
Their bodies were feline, twisted into humanoid shapes, with razor-sharp claws and fangs. They moved with unnatural speed, tearing into the fisherman before he could even scream. The attack was brutal, swift, and utterly merciless.
Sparrow snapped back to reality, his breathing ragged. The image seared itself into his mind. He replaced the eyepatch, shielding himself from the constant influx of past events.
"They came from the river," he said, his voice hoarse. "Three of them. Small, but incredibly fast and vicious."
Autumn's face was grim. "That matches the descriptions. Let's check the other attack sites."
For the next few hours, they systematically investigated each location, Sparrow using his retrocognitive vision to piece together the puzzle. The pattern was consistent.
Three cat-like creatures emerging from the water, attacking anyone nearby. The attacks were confined to the Gyostream River and the immediately adjacent port area.
Canary, despite her usual cheerfulness, was visibly shaken, listening to Sparrow's report. "It's… it's so unfair. These people were just minding their own business."
Sparrow placed a hand on her head and mess her hair. "Life isn't fair, Pixie. That's why we fight."
As dusk began to settle, Autumn gathered them together. "Okay, team, we have a pattern. They're coming out of the water, at night, sticking to the river and port. This narrows down our hunting ground."
"It's still too wide area," Canary complained, her green eyes gleaming in the fading light. "We can't just patrol along the river and port and hope we encounter them, can we?"
Autumn sighed. "I can use my Fortune Witch abilities to try predicting their next move, but it's not really my specialty. My class is more capable in the mastery of formation, ritual, curse, and luck enhancement."
Canary quickly asked, "What about your other class, Li'l... Ms. Starwitch?"
"It was worse. Windstorm Hermit excels in wilderness survival, wind magic, and agility combat style."
Sparrow pondered for a moment, his mind racing. He was an
"Let's set a trap," Sparrow gave out an idea. "It was already announced in the local news that there was a serial murderer targeting people near the river bank and the port at night. So, there will not be many people there. Let me be the bait."
Autumn's eyes widened. "It's too dangerous."
"Not if we're prepared. Let's find a spot along the river where we have a clear field of fire for Pixie. I'll act as the decoy, drawing them out. Ms. Starwitch, you provide cover and support with your wind magic."
Canary, despite her worry, nodded resolutely. She knew how tough her brother was. "I'm with you, Bro Cyclops. Let's show these monsters what we're made of."
Autumn hesitated, her concern etched on her face. But she knew arguing was pointless. Sparrow had a plan, and they needed to trust him.
"Alright," she relented. "But we do this my way. I'll set up basic ward formations to give us an early warning. And Cyclops, no heroics. If things get too hot, we pull out."
Later that evening, they found a suitable location: a small, already empty pier jutting out into the Gyostream River. Canary positioned herself behind a stack of crates, providing her with cover and a clear line of sight.
Autumn began weaving intricate patterns in the air, her Fortune Witch and Windstorm Hermit abilities combining to create an alarm ward along the pier.
Sparrow stood at the edge of the pier, a solitary figure silhouetted against the darkening sky. He took a deep breath, focusing his mind. He stared into the murky water, waiting, baiting, daring the Vengeful Werecats to emerge.