A.R.I.S.A

Kael woke up in a stuffy room bathed in the soft light of the sun. While he didn't have a nice view from his small apartment, he got a decent amount of light.

"Ugh… My head hurts like hell."

A soft groan escaped Kael's lips as he sat up on his mattress. With a hand on his head and a quick flashback, he recalled the events that led to this moment.

"Hah… whatever."

Getting up, he slowly made his way to his bathroom, where he came to stand before the half-broken mirror with both hands clasping the wash basin. There was barely any space in the bathroom, but it served its purpose.

Kael looked at the image of himself staring back at him. With dead eyes and a groggy expression, Kael looked just as he felt — miserable and lifeless.

'What am I even doing with my life? This is not living at all… I'm just existing at this point.'

There were a lot of things to consider. For now, however, he just wanted to clean up.

***

After half an hour in the bathroom, Kael stepped out, walking towards the small cabinet on the side of his bed, where he kept his clothes.

Naturally, there wasn't much to talk about. Just a couple of dull-coloured shirts and folded long coats. The coats only came in three colours — brown, black and blue-black.

It was a getup from his days as a private investigator. He particularly liked the trench coats because they made him appear mysterious and domineering — a perfect combination for intimidating most people.

As he changed into the new set of clothes, his eyes naturally drifted to the card lying on his bed. Words that the young detective spoke came back to mind at that moment.

He picked up the card and moved towards the small, round table, where he placed his coat over one of the chairs and sat on another, taking a critical look at the card.

"ARISA, huh?" Kael muttered, recalling what this organization was and what they did.

The A.R.I.S.A., an acronym for Awakened Response, Investigation, and Special Affairs, was a government agency unlike anything that had ever existed. Though this was not the full name, it embodied what the agency stood for.

"The kid must be really good if he's working in a place like that." Kael thought out loud, his gaze shifting to the window by the table. "How did someone like that end up in a vicinity like this?"

Now that he thought about it, Dave's appearance was nothing short of miraculous, if not outright crazy. Kael could not think of anything that would draw a person like that here.

'Then again, we all have our private affairs.' He looked at the card once more, his mind digging out all he knew about ARISA.

This was a covert yet officially sanctioned international agency under the umbrella of the World Government. It operated with autonomous jurisdiction, unrestricted access, and top-level clearance in all cases involving awakened individuals.

The resources they had were nothing to scoff at.

This was the extent of Kael's knowledge about ARISA. However, looking at the card again, he realised that Dave, whose full name was David West, was what they called a Field Commander — someone who went on the field to carry out his mission.

'Impressive individual…' Kael had to admit, the boy was in a good place. 'Though, what would someone with such resources want with someone like me?'

Kael wasn't buying the 'looked up to' bullshit. 'I have nothing he'd want… Well, except for my buggages.'

The whole invitation did not make sense to him. The deaths of the future chosen heroes could be easily solved with the resources at their disposal, so there was no reason to invite him over. It wasn't as if Dave was the only brilliant mind there. 

Unfortunately for Kael, no matter how he looked at it, Dave had no reason to invite him, much less allow him to use the resources they had at their disposal.

Resources like that would definitely help him find the backstabbing bastards. This got him thinking about the boy's words.

'An agency that isn't afraid to step into the grey areas would surely overlook some things to get the job done.' Although he thought this way, he couldn't recall any bad reputation surrounding the agency.

Aside from the usual worries of some individuals who were afraid their dirty laundry would be exposed, there was nothing substantial. People like that (ARISA) definitely knew how to tidy up after themselves.

'Do I really want to do this…?' Ultimately, the decision was in his hands. 

Kael placed the card on the table and got to his feet, moving towards the window to gaze down the alleyway. There was nothing to see besides the building across the alley and the commercial waste bins below.

As his gaze lingered, he recalled the life he once lived, the apartment he owned, and the sacrifices he made for his teammates. Just thinking back to that night made him grit his teeth in burning rage.

However, that burning rage always led him to the liquor store or a bar. It was the only thing that helped him forget, as he was powerless to do a thing.

But now…

'I can use the ARISA to find the bastards…' Kael clenched his fists, the familiar fire returning full force. 'And I have nothing to worry about. I have nothing to my name, no parents, no siblings, no significant other.'

Of course, he wasn't going to trust the people around him blindly. He might not have anything to his name, but he had his life. No one was going to use him as a scapegoat — no one.

Kael had made his decision to use ARISA for his goals while helping them solve the mystery behind the death of the chosen kids. Regardless of everything, he was still an investigator in his blood.

More than just revenge, he was also burning with the desire to know. No one said he couldn't kill two birds with one stone. There was only one thing left to do.

He glanced at the card and then grabbed it. Turning around to look at his mattress, he expected to see his phone lying there. Unfortunately for him…

"Shit… I lost it to those fuckers."