In Flueca, inside a large, secluded building near a vast stretch of trees, the search team from the Order 'Intersection Society' remained gathered in the same room, facing the same problem as before. After surviving the reckless actions of a "Receivers" who performed an Ascension ritual in a major city like Kuranda, their movements were restricted.
They felt a deep sense of respect for the sacrifice made by their two comrades, who had met a tragic end that night.
Their supreme leader remained unaware; clearly, the founder of an organization of such magnitude was beyond the reach of low-ranking members like them. However, the envoy leading the search team expressed his condolences over the deaths of the two members on that bloody night after the search team reported the incident to him.
The envoy also said that an "expert" from the organization had been deployed to search for a Receivers of the Puppeteer who had performed an Ascension ritual on Monday night, March 31. The exact level was unknown, but based on the details they had provided, the envoy assessed and confirmed that the person was at Level 2.
The news relieved the search team. Despite the loss of a trusted comrade, which had placed a heavy burden on the group, they hoped the man would be captured soon.
The envoy also instructed them that if they encountered the man again, they were free to do whatever they pleased. The search team saluted before agreeing to the instruction, hoping that moment would come in the future.
Inside an abandoned building where silence filled the spacious hall, the same five members of the Order 'Intersection Society's search team gathered together, facing one another.
"I never imagined how quickly time would pass," said a black-haired, gray-eyed woman with a long sigh.
"Yes, exactly." The blonde woman, who usually took charge, replied in a weary tone, as though something was troubling and weighing heavily on her mind.
The black-haired man responded to his comrade's words, "Are we thinking about the same thing?"
Eight pairs of eyes turned sharply toward him. The man fell silent for a moment before calmly continuing, "Finding that man. Personally, I'm curious to see how that 'fairy tale' ability works when it hits you."
The black-haired man beside him, Zowi, was momentarily stunned before the corners of his lips curled into a smile. "I should have known. You're really a 'Spreader' type ability maniac."
Supernatural abilities under the 'Spreader' type had their own unique characteristics compared to the other three types.
Under the 'Spreader' type, there was one ability that stood out above all others, namely 'Puppeteer'.
"What can I say? Mr. Farann Koundral really is obsessed with abilities under the 'Spreader' type," Nitta said sarcastically.
Ferann blinked.
"Lucky," he said with a broad smile.
"Huh?"
Zowi's mouth fell open as he straightened his body, his gaze fixed on the man sitting on a single worn-out sofa.
'Is he angry because we teased him? No way, he's not that kind of person! Does he really want to meet that man?'
After thinking for quite some time, Zowi raised his head and cautiously glanced toward Nitta and Celina, who were sitting on a worn-out sofa to the front left.
'He can face that man alone! It certainly won't be easy, I know that. As an ordinary human...'
That last thought was nothing but a lie. He shifted his gaze back toward Ferann before continuing his thoughts.
'I'm not interested in that sort of thing at all, considering how weak I am, nowhere near as strong as the others. I don't want to die, at least not before I have a girlfriend or a partner. After that, I'll accept my fate.'
He nodded imperceptibly. Although he had previously been curious about the man who had nearly killed him that night, that curiosity had now vanished from his mind as though it had never existed.
Zowi rose from his chair with a sigh, his gaze briefly settling on the woman.
"I'm going to call the others," he said in a heavy voice. "Do you need anything? They're at that place, the usual place to get that sort of thing..."
Ferann, who understood exactly what he meant, signaled with a blink for Zowi not to speak too openly.
'Does this guy want the blonde woman to know about their habits?'
It was common knowledge among the members of the search team that the blonde woman was actually respected for her iron will and courage in the face of death. The others had a habit of teasing women at a restaurant in an alley near Flueca's main road, keeping it a secret, although the woman actually knew about the behavior of all five of them.
The two men had nothing in common with the other five men, as they were not interested in such things at all.
Zowi watched him for several seconds before smiling and asking, "Do you want to come along?"
Without giving him a chance to answer, he quickly added;
"Being alone with three women isn't good for a man like you, you know."
The three women did not react in the slightest, knowing there was no point in responding to a man with such a strange and mysterious sense of humor.
The muscles in Ferann's face tensed for a moment before relaxing as he thought to himself:
'He's really messing with me! Do you want to get beaten up by all five of them?'
Zowi sighed before carefully stepping forward, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"Alright then, see you later," he said as his figure was slowly swallowed by the darkness.
Their eyes followed the shadow consuming Zowi's body before they finally looked at one another.
"So," the blonde woman said, "can we talk about that matter?"
Nitta glanced at Celina for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright. The point is, another Order appeared on the night when the two of us fought that man."
....
In Layana, not far from the historic city center, inside a simple three-story rented house with black smoke billowing from its chimney, a man was busy doing something while his housemate wandered around aimlessly like a child.
In the kitchen, the man was trying to cook, simply because there was nothing else to do.
He had no friends besides them. At times like this, he felt restless after being alone in the house for nearly eight hours.
"Cooking is a trivial matter. Besides, I've been living on my own for almost sixteen years. I wonder what she's doing right now."
As he stirred a mixture of bread pieces, eggs, various spices, sauce, butter, and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions, and chilies, perfected with a little soy sauce and seasoning, the blonde-haired man remembered the difficult times he had gone through with his older sister.
It was not that those memories were beautiful, but rather because he had spent those moments with her for so long that they had changed the way he viewed how the world worked.
He could not understand why, after living apart for so long without giving his family any news about his condition, he had recently begun thinking about his older sister constantly.
The man clicked his tongue as he wiped the sweat from his forehead caused by the hot steam striking his face.
"Two more minutes and it'll be ready. I can't wait to taste it. It might be a simple dish, but don't underestimate the flavor."
As he muttered those words, he briefly felt like a professional chef, imagining customers eagerly waiting to taste his cooking.
Several minutes passed, and the broth began to boil steadily. Aaron immediately lifted the pot and moved it to a cooler place.
His thoughts raced toward the flame of the stove before he carefully turned it off.
After placing the dish on the table, Aaron hesitated as a spoonful of broth hovered in front of his mouth for quite some time.
'Why did I suddenly remember that man?'
After thinking for a moment, Aaron inhaled deeply before exhaling and eating his own cooking. He did not forget about them either, setting some of the dish aside on the shelf in a large bowl so they could taste how delicious his cooking was.
It was not that he wanted to boast or anything, but Aaron truly wanted them to eat the food because it was the first dish whose recipe he had learned from a man who held the same status as him.
Before joining the underground group under the leadership of Aldera Smith, Aaron had allied himself with a man named Naseka Yashiki. Calling him an "ally" was not quite accurate because the man was an old companion of Aaron Kwok, a man who had given him a life that felt like a simulation of hell, yet strangely, Aaron accepted it without complaining even once.
Although he never complained, the loneliness was very real, turning his heart into something as oppressive as endless darkness. Yet the darkness in his heart slowly faded when he found somewhere to rest from the exhaustion of life, together once again with someone who held the same status as him.
Pretending to live was not as beautiful as he had imagined!
Having lunch while tears fell from his eyes turned out to make the food taste bland.
Aaron suddenly felt his tongue go numb, while his ears could hear nothing except his own breathing.
'Naseka Yashiki, the recipe you taught me back then really was unique. Aldera Smith, I never expected that you and he would have the same idea of creating a group where fugitives no longer had to worry about pursuers who would cut off their heads! I know that living on the run is extremely difficult, truly difficult. At least for someone who can change his face with an ability, it already makes him like a rat or a fly that cannot be caught or tracked down. Out there, evil factions, secret societies, powerful organizations, and sects that have strayed from religious teachings carry out their actions by casting aside the norms and morals that govern society. In this world, I am like a needle fallen into a vast desert, weak, fragile, and forgotten.'
Without realizing it, Aaron had finished his meal and had taken six minutes to eat it!
He rose from his chair, pushed it back, and headed toward the sink to wash the dishes. He had received plenty of warnings to wash the dishes after eating.
'That woman acts just like my mother. Huh, I never considered myself to have a mother. What kind of mother leaves her young child behind, struggling to survive, having to work himself to the bone just to fill his stomach and sleep peacefully without feeling anxious.'
He was not angry. Instead, he hoped that his heart would accept it with an open mind.
Afterward, the plate was returned to its place, and Aaron left the kitchen to relax on the long sofa, waiting for them to return.