There was a loud banging on the other side of Alexander's door. On a Saturday morning, no less.

He opened the door to see Anastasia Velda.

They stared at each other in silence.

"So basically," she began. "...my grandparents told me it's rude to show up inside someone's house. So here I am. Outside. Knocking. Like a respectful person."

"Okay, but... But why?"

"We have a mission."

"Didn't Archibald say the demon wouldn't manifest or whatever until like two months from now?"

"Different mission. We gotta go."

Alexander spat out a heavy sigh.

Monday through Wednesday, he had gotten into fights and been beaten up. All Alexander hoped for was a few days of not having to fight nor exert himself. But it seems he brought himself into a situation where even that would be unlikely.

Either way, he wasn't planning on doing much. And so... "Alright then," he said, letting out another sigh. "Let's just go."

Anastasia stared at him.

"You're gonna go like that?" she asked.

Alexander paused. "Is there a problem with the way I'm dressed or something?"

"You're wearing cargo shorts."

"What's wrong with cargo shorts?"

Again, she stared at him in silence.

With a snap of her fingers, the scene changed.

They appeared in Archibald's office.

His eyes widened and the air was knocked from within that same second. His knees nearly buckled as he realized what just happened.

"Jesus Christ, that was weird," he said, grabbing onto the wall at his side, slowly catching his breath.

"Yeah, that was teleportation. I'm trying to get used to it, rather than just always using Connections, y'know?" she said, laughing as she patted Alexander's back.

Alexander nodded and gave her a thumbs-up as he raised his head, trying to drown out the feeling to throw up.

Sitting across the room were the rest of the Virtues.

"Alright," Archibald said, clapping his hands. "Now that you're all here..." he said, setting down a piece of paper on the table. "I have a mission for you all."

"There's no need for unnecessary explanations. Basically... There's a curse I want you guys to take care of."

"Cool," Leonard said.

Gabriel picked up the sheet of paper. "Wait, this says Earth. Not Midgard."

"We're going to Earth?" Giovanna asked, a smile growing on her face.

Giovanna was probably the youngest of the Virtues. Her voice was lighter, her face was softer, as well as being the shortest of the group.

She had pale brown skin, and darker hair that cascaded down her back. Even so, her eyes were the color of emeralds.

Giovanna slightly reminded Alexander of his sister. He smiled to himself as that thought ran across his mind.

Archibald nodded at her question.

Gabriel stood up and faced Anastasia, who was standing at the opposite end of the room.

"Can you get us there?"

Anastasia stared at Gabriel in silence. "You really think I'm capable of inter-realm travel?"

"...Aren't you?"

She continued to stare at him with her stale eyes. "That's not how it works."

"Well, it should work that way."

Again, the sound of Archibald clapping his hands echoed in the room. He stared at his watch. "Alright, you guys should go," Archibald said.

Anastasia sighed. She walked out of the room. "Let's hurry this up."

As the others followed her and left the room, Archibald remained seated. "Gabriel," he said. "A word."

Gabriel once again sat down as Archibald spoke.

"That kid, Alexander," Archibald began.

"The Demon-Born?"

Archibald nodded. "He's crazy up here," he said, tapping the side of his head. "The good kind of crazy. Perfect for a magician. Perfect for a fighter. From what I've seen, he doesn't hesitate in battles."

"And keep in mind, we're talking about someone that was a regular kid until this week. He's not familiar with magic and spirits from a young age like you. I suggest you watch him closely."

Gabriel clenched his jaw. "Are you implying I can learn from him or something? A kid who doesn't even know magic?"

"That's not what I said. Today's mission is pretty much just a field test. There are magicians with great potential. But if they don't get past their fears, they can't reach the levels of greatness they're supposed to. You've seen it before, right? Fear is the mind-killer."

"Take Anastasia, for example. She's strong, especially considering her generally low level of magic energy." Archibald pushed up his glasses. "She has a lot more potential, too. But if she has fears she can't overcome, she'll end up nothing more than an average magician."

"But she's experienced. Isn't that enough for now?"

"Monsters like demons and curses are built from people's hearts. So if you compare curses from a random town on Midgard to curses in one of Earth's largest cities... New York's curses are on a whole other level."

"That's the whole point of this mission," Archibald said, before coughing into his closed hand. "Today... I wanna see how crazy the rest of them can get. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Gabriel sighed. "Yes, Uncle Charles."

"Good. I told Lumiel the same thing."

"Oh, and also..." he continued. "You'll need this." Archibald snapped his fingers.

Within a burst of air and light, a sheathed sword appeared, before quickly falling onto Gabriel's lap.

The sword's scabbard was a deep azure, lined with gold. It had a golden crossguard and a blue handle. And on that handle, on its pommel was a centered blue gem.

Gabriel stared at the sword and then at Archibald. "I thought I wouldn't need it."

"Well... you never know." Archibald finally stood up, grabbing the cane right beside his chair. "Well... I'll leave them to you. Good luck to you all," he said, patting Gabriel's back as he began to exit the room.

"Where are you going?" Gabriel asked.

"A meeting," Archibald said, his voice tinged with disappointment. "I have way too many meetings nowadays."

"Well..." he continued. "Good luck to you all." He tapped the cane against the carpeted floor twice, before disappearing with a distortion of light.

Gabriel stood up with a sigh and exited the room. "You guys ready?" he asked, still tightening his belt with the harness that held his sheathed blade.

Alexander shook his head. "This is my first time going to Earth, so, y'know..." he said, silently shuddering.

"Don't care," Gabriel said.

"Come on," he continued, walking off to the elevator. "Let's get to the World Tree."

Earth was a reflection of Midgard. Or rather, Midgard was a reflection of Earth.

It was built from dust and energy by thousands, even millions of magicians across the world almost two millennia ago. From there, close to no magicians were left on Earth.

And since then, the secrets and powers of magic energy have been kept to Midgard, and human life continued on Earth, without magic, and barely a feather ruffled.

Even in Midgard, over the course of two thousand years, magic grew more and more scarce.

Within the Grand Cosmos, Midgard exists connected to Earth, still acting as one realm of the Nine.

And now... the Virtues arrived.

Archibald made his way to his meeting. He's had too many meetings recently, and he knew he still had many more. The simple thought of this made him shudder to himself as he entered an elevator.

A man was already inside upon Archibald's arrival.

"Oh. Hey, Smith."

Smith sighed as he continued typing on his phone. "Looks like you're late to a meeting that you scheduled yourself. That's pretty sad."

"Nice to see you, too," Archibald said as the elevator doors began to shut.

He raised his head and smiled in return. "We both know it's not," Smith said, fixating his eyes on his phone screen once again.

He was a young man, no more than his late twenties, with pale skin.

John Smith was dressed in a black suit. His suit was ironed and pressed, as well as completely clean. His appearance was almost impeccable. Except for messy, unkempt black hair, of course.

"You really gotta comb your hair, man," Archibald told him.

"Yeah, I really don't care," he responded, looking up again. "Today's the day you're sending the kids to Earth, right? Their first mission?"

Archibald nodded. "The Virtues' first mission."

"Are you sure it was reasonable to send them over there?"

"Yeah, it's fine. What, you don't think they're capable enough?"

Smith laughed. "Dude, they're children. Cursed spirits on Earth are-"

"This one shouldn't be too hostile. Just the right amount of danger for them to think, act, and grow. Not enough danger for them to fear for their lives. Necessary experience, in my opinion."

"That may backfire, though."

Archibald sat up. "Nope. I've thought this through. Really. When they encounter the real world, real combat, real hardships, it'll change them, causing rapid growth and development. Just trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, but didn't you almost die the first time you went on a mission on Earth?"

"..."

They stared at each other in silence.

The elevator dinged as the doors separated.

"Alright," he said, clapping his hands. "Let's do this!"

"You're just going to a meeting."

"Yeah, I know, but it's boring. Might as well hype myself up." He cleared his throat. "Let's go!" he shouted, walking down the hallway.

Smith sighed and smiled from afar. "The guy's a child."

He followed Archibald into his meeting.

Smith had arrived into the room only seconds after Archibald, and yet he was already seated.

He sat before a desk. And behind that desk was a uniformed man, his clothing adorned with medal ribbons of dozens of colors and patterns.

That man was General Anderson. He was an old man, with wrinkles spread throughout his face, everywhere, except the sides of his eyes.

And yet, he was noticeably younger than Charles Archibald.

"Alright, let's cut right to the chase," Archibald said, pushing the buttons on the sides of his watch. "Gonna time myself so I can speedrun this."

"Good morning to you, Paladin. You're late."

"So I've been told. But, y'know... I don't care."

"Y'know, technically," he said, crossing his legs as he sat. "Since I'm a Paladin, I report to you. The head of the military. Not a sound system, if I'm being honest. It's bullshit, but that's just the way it goes. Paladins fit more into the Exorcist Order, don't you think? Seeing as we handle monsters, curses, et cetera. Personally, I think Paladins should be a completely separate branch of the Association, unaffiliated with all of you buffoons. But... there's not much to do about it, right?"

"..." The general stared at Archibald with a stale, blank expression.

Archibald's face lit up with a slight smirk. "Come on, don't look at me like that. Yeah, I meant that as an insult, but I didn't think you'd actually get offended. Jeez."

The same blank expression remained on Anderson's face.

He slightly dropped his head, letting out a deep sigh.

Anderson raised his head, his eyes meeting Smith's. The general stared at him.

Smith stared in return.

"Who even are you?"

"John Smith," he introduced himself. "I'm Archibald's assistant, so technically I have to be here."

"Assistant? Like a secretary or something?"

Smith paused. "Yeah, I don't really know. I don't do much."

"Anyway," Archibald said, audibly clearing his throat. "The Virtue Initiative has started."

The general glared at Archibald. "You do realize you needed authorization for that, right? Authorization you never got?"

Archibald's smile widened. "Yeah, as I said... I really don't care. Bureaucracy is boring and inefficient. So I chose to take matters into my own hands."

"You're putting humanity's future in the hands of children. You're basing all of this on some... some prophecy that may not hold any ground for generations! It's foolish to-"

"We live in a cruel world," Archibald interrupted. "In terms of magic... Humans have been peaceful. Magic wars have been outlawed for hundreds of years. And yeah, there are war crimes here and there, but... Magicians rarely fight other magicians. They don't go into battles or wars... They don't suffer the right amount. Whether it's physical, mental, emotional, or anything else... Pain is the path."

"Now more than ever."

"A... A friend of mine... He's encountered some of the Golden Dawn. Their main attack force, the 'New Genesis Vanguard'. I think that's their name. They're strong."

"So what?" General Anderson asked. "The Norteon Union's military-"

"Oh yeah. The Norteon Union," Archibald said, a smile growing onto his face.

"Largest international union in the world. Spanning over four continents and almost four dozen countries. Most of North America, pretty much all of Europe, a whole lot of other places. Biggest military and everything. But so what?

"You may not realize it... but the future lies in magic. Not technology. Now... I know what you're thinking. 'Magic is obsolete. It's a thing of the past.' Right? Especially now that we're developing weapons capable of killing curses and monsters. That type of stuff."

"But it's not enough."

These words shook Anderson to his core.

"You see-" The grin on Archibald's face widened. "-curses are getting stronger. There are more Gateways. More people registering as Grade 2 and above. And, if you choose to believe it, the Age of Tribulation has begun. So I'm taking matters into my own hands."

Archibald continued, "Magicians across the world and throughout the nine Realms are classified based on power. You have the low Grade 5, average Grade 4 and 3, useful Grade 2s, and at the top, the superb Grade 1. And then you have the anomalies. 'High-Grade.' As of now, there are only eleven people in the world with that classification, myself included. Four of them are Paladins. And the rest... Most Paladins are in the middle or upper regions of Grade 1. And I'm sure you yourself are nothing more than Grade 2," he joked.

"So you see... Very few people in the world or in the universe itself are classified as 'High-Grade'. And I'm sure that there's more that we don't even know about. Some of those in the Golden Dawn, for example."

"Again with this 'Golden Dawn'. You've been rambling for too long. What's your point, Archibald?"

Archibald smiled. "My point is... There's a wave of power coming straight at us. Everything that's happening... is a prank of fate."

"People like you, the higher-ups, even the Association itself, you've all chosen to ignore it. And now, it's gotten huge. And now, it's approaching us. 'High-Grades' are anomalies. People like us, we've already more or less reached the limits of our strength. Even so... We'll be witnessing some crazy stuff in our time. And that's because... High-Grade won't be the limit of this generation."

He raised his head as he pushed up his round glasses. His eyes met the general's. "If you haven't realized that yet... then you're in for quite some surprises."

The general glared at Archibald. "You... You're so annoying," he said.

"Yeah, I know," Archibald said with a smile. He stood up. "Alright, then. I've said what I needed to say, so I'm out of here." He grabbed his cane from the side and began to walk away.

"Ooh, and look at that. Six minutes, and thirty-nine seconds. Record time," he said, tapping his finger against his watch.

"Let's go, Smith."

He nodded and followed Archibald.

As he approached the door, he stopped and smiled. "Oh, by the way... I purposely gave Eldritch the wrong schedule, so he'll be here in three hours or so."

It was at the same time that the Virtues had arrived at that building.

The building was simple with rows and columns of small windows.

It was an old building with the words 'Hotel' strewn across the entrance. It seemed abandoned, with dirtied brick walls and grimy windows.

Gabriel sighed as they stared upward at the building. "Somewhere inside," he said. "There's a spirit. And not just any spirit. A cursed one."

"So a cursed spirit," Alexander interrupted.

"What?"

"You could've just said it's a cursed spirit. Y'know, instead of having that whole three-sentence monologue."

"He's got a point," Liam said.

"Just shut up."

"This looks nothing like New York," Giovanna said. "Is Earth really this disgusting?"

"No, Earth is pretty great from what I've seen," Leonard said, staring at the building. "Looks like we're just in a bad spot."

Anastasia already began walking inside.

'Well, she's pretty impatient,' Alexander thought to himself, before starting to follow her.

"Twenty floors," she said, staring at the directory. "How are we supposed to find a single curse in a building of this size."

"Nothing up the first ten floors or so," Leonard said.

"How can you tell?" Alexander asked.

"Sensing energy. I'm pretty good at that."

Lumiel nodded. "He really is," she said, walking around, her eyes scanning over doors. "Found it. Staircase."

"Alright, guys," Lumiel said. "Into the staircase. Hopefully, none of you have asthma, it's pretty dusty in here."

Giovanna stared into the staircase. "We gotta go up ten floors in here?"

"Not ten. More," he said with a smile.

"Just let us know when you find the curse," Gabriel told him as he entered.

It wasn't long until they had already gone up ten stories. And they didn't stop there. They kept climbing and moving up the stairs in silence. Until... Leonard's eyes widened.

"Found it," he said, racing up the next flight of stairs. "Thirteenth floor. Somewhere in there."

Liam kicked the door open.

"Well, that was an epic kick," Leonard said.

"Just let us know when we're close to the curse."

Again, the group fell silent.

Leonard cleared his throat as he ruffled his brown hair. "So, uh..."

No one responded.

"What are your affinities?" he asked them.

"Why?" Gabriel asked.

"I don't know," he responded. "Just thought it would be good to know what we can do."

"Earth and Plant," Giovanna said.

"Oh, nice. This is good. Team building. You know?"

"I don't see why we have to do this," Gabriel interjected. "All we have to do is kill demons together. We don't have to be friends."

"Space and lightning," Anastasia said.

Gabriel stared at her with scorn. Anastasia smiled in return. She was only answering questions to annoy Gabriel.

"Perfect," Leonard said. "What about you, Liam?"

All six of them turned to Liam.

He was noticeably the oldest of the group, as well as the tallest of the Virtues, even standing a few inches above Gabriel.

Liam had dark skin, with short yet curly hair that was almost the same color as his dark brown eyes.

Liam cleared his throat. "Beast," he said.

Again, all six of them stared at Liam. "What?" Lumiel asked.

He stared back in confusion. "Beast magic."

They still stared at him.

"That's my affinity."

Their stares continued.

"It's... complicated."

At this rate, they had accepted that Liam wasn't one to give proper answers.

"Well, whatever," Lumeil interjected. "I have Light," she said pridefully.

Alexander swallowed his saliva. "I, uh... I don't have an affinity."

All except Anastasia and Gabriel stared at Alexander.

"Wait, wait, wait," Leonard said, approaching him. "You don't-"

"Nope," Alexander said. "I don't even know how to use magic. I mean, I guess, I can use enhancement magic here and there, but other than that..."

"Wait, so why'd Archibald choose you?" Giovanna asked.

Alexander shrugged. "No idea. Maybe my... determination or something? Tenacity? Probably something like that."

"I don't think you can kill demons with determination alone."

"Yeah, probably not."

One of the doors at their side began to shake.

All of their heads turned to one of the doors in front of them. The wooden door being thumped and knocked against before the doorknob rattled.

"There it is," Leonard whispered, his eyes fixating on the still quivering door handle.

The door burst open, slamming to the side as a creature appeared on the floor.

It was small, round, with its only appendages being hand-like protrusions at its bottom, acting like its feet. It had two eyes and mouth- In fact, it had perfectly human facial features.

They stared at the spirit.

"Ew," Giovanna said.

It began to take steps towards them, waddling around with hands for feet.

Leonard stepped forward, a smirk forming on his face. "Easy."

His hand ignited.

With a snap of his fingers, the curse burst into flames. Within ten seconds, its only remains were ash and dust. Thin plumes of smoke rose from the ashy carpet and filled the hallway with a horrid stench of burning feces.

Alexander swallowed his saliva. The death, the smell, and the sight. All of them were similar to the demon he killed a few days ago.

"So to continue the conversation," Leonard said. "I have flame magic. Nothing special. Just simple fire," he said, sighing as he stared at the spirit's ashes.

"Nothing special," he repeated.

"Wait, is that it?" Alexander asked. "Are we done here?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Too weak. Leonard wouldn't be able to handle the real one on his own. Offense intended."

Leonard stared at Gabriel before letting out a deep sigh. "Either way..." he said, staring up at the ceiling. "There's definitely something stronger in one of the upper floors. We have to keep moving."

"I'm not sensing anything on the next floor. Probably not on the one after that. Not a trace of energy. But there's something above. Something dangerous. I know that much."

"Let's go," he said, turning around, walking back to the staircase.

Liam tapped the back of Alexander's back. "So you cant use magic?" he asked as they walked.

Alexander spat out a sigh and shook his head.

"Then use this," he said, handing him a sheathed blade.

"You have a knife?"

"Just take it. You'll need it."

Alexander took the blade from Liam in confusion. He scanned over the leather sheath and leather hilt of the dagger. From there, he unsheathed it, unveiling a thin, bronze blade.

"Click the button on the bottom."

Alexander pushed into the pommel. The dagger suddenly popped up, shifting into a sword. The blade was wider and longer, just as the hilt grew to be held by two hands.

"How did you get a shifter weapon?" he asked Liam.

"It's not a shifter weapon. Shifters change shape through magic. That's just technology. A mechanism. Still useful, though. Press the button and it'll change back."

Liam patted Alexander's back as he passed him on the staircase. "You can use it for now," he said.

Leonard continued talking as they went up the stairs. "Y'know how they say, the thirteenth floor is always cursed?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that was a weak curse. Just imagine how much stronger the next curse will be."

"Don't fucking jinx us, dammit," Giovanna told him.

Lumiel walked close beside Gabriel as the others went on ahead. "So what do you think about them?" she asked him. "Do they seem useful?"

Gabriel sighed. "What Leonard lacks for ability, he makes up for in drive. Giovanna's the opposite, timid but pretty talented. Liam's experienced. Anastasia's efficient, but weak."

"As for the Demon-Born... Hm... There're too many unknowns. Too many factors to consider. Too soon to say."

"Why'd you call him Demon-Born?"

"Because he is one. ...And I forgot his name."

They continued their trek up the stairs until Alexander froze in his tracks.

Alexander turned to the wall. He furrowed his eyebrows. He pointed at the sign that stated: 15th Floor.

"Hey, weren't we just on the 15th floor?"

"Were we?"

"We were?"

"You sure you didn't just get confused?"

"I- I'm pretty sure we were," he mumbled.

Alexander sighed. "I'll just check," he said, walking past the others and down the stairs. As he walked, he thought to himself, 'Maybe someone just messed up the sign by accident. There's no reason-'

He froze as his eyes widened. "...What the hell?" he asked as he stared down at the others.

The Virtues looked up to see Alexander standing on the staircase above them.

Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows. "Alexander, didn't you just go down the stairs?"

"Oh, God," Giovanna mumbled as she let out a soft gasp.

There the bickering started. Complaints and remarks of confusion echoed in the staircase.

"Everyone shut the hell up!" Lumiel shouted.

They instantly fell quiet.

She took in a deep breath before she shouted out at the other Virtues. "Okay. Nobody move!"

Everyone froze on her command. Lumiel dashed up the stairs, running past Alexander onto the next floor.

"Oh, damn," she said, grabbing onto the stair's railing as she stared at the Virtues from the lower staircase.

She had gone up the stairs, but she had moved down.

"Oh, this is some Inception type of shit!" Leonard shouted in a panic, grabbing the sides of his head.

"Relax, everyone," Liam told them. "There's still the door."

"If you open that door and there's just another staircase, I swear to God, I'm burning this building down."

Liam opened the door. Not much had changed, but at least they were on a different floor.

The crimson carpet had a flowy, ornate golden design on it. The wallpaper was newer and refreshed. The lights weren't the same dull yellow, but bright and pale.

"Leonard, try to sense if there's anything on the floor. Let us know if you can find anything."

Leonard nodded.

"Why are we relying on Leonard to sense stuff?" Gabriel asked. "I can-"

"Because you suck at sensing energy. Everyone knows that, Gabriel," Leonard said, his voice tinged with annoyance.

Anastasia stared at the polished wooden doors at their sides. The same doors covered both walls at their sides, spreading onto the end of the corridor.

She stared at Alexander. "Check that room, I'll check this one," Anastasia told him.

Alexander nodded and entered the room.

Just like a regular hotel room, at his sides stood chairs, a desk, and a bed. And what stood at the room's end was what surprised him.

A window.

He pushed apart the curtain with a bit of hopefulness.

And yet, what he saw was another room.

He softly groaned to himself as he opened the window and climbed through. "Why's there gotta be a room behind the window?" he grumbled.

Alexander walked through the room, still murmuring to himself as he moved.

He gripped the door handle. 'Please don't another room,' he thought to himself. 'Please.'

Alexander pulled open the door.

And from there, his eyes met Anastasia's.

"Ah," they said simultaneously.

They immediately understood. The opposite ends of the building had been connected.

"Well, that's not good."

"Definitely not," she responded. "Let me guess. Door, window, door, huh?"

Alexander nodded.

Anastasia sighed and entered the room Alexander was standing in. "Let's just go," she said. She walked off and went through the window.

"This is horrible," Alexander muttered to himself, shutting the door and going after Anastasia.

"Rooms are connected," Anastasia said, emerging from the room.

Gabriel stared at her in confusion. "What?"

Alexander shut the door as he exited. "Rooms are connected," Alexander repeated.

Gabriel stared at them for a solid ten seconds, before letting out a sigh.

It was then, from the corner of his eye, that he noticed the glowing green sign at the hallway's end, labeled: Exit.

'Finally.'

"No one move!" he commanded, dashing across the hallway in a full sprint. He pleaded to any god or deity he could for this to work. And from there, he tore the door open with ferocity.

And what he saw only made things worse.

All he could see was Leonard and Giovanna, standing with their backs turned to him. They stood at the other end of the staircase.

"This just keeps getting worse, huh?"

They turned to Gabriel, their eyes wide in confusion, their faces gripped by growing stress and fear.

Gabriel shut the door, letting out an exasperated sigh. " This barrier..." he said, turning around to the hallway. "It's not looping space. It overlaps space as we move."

Anastasia exited from a room. "Or maybe it's just ridiculously huge," she interjected.

"Possibly. Probably not, though."

"But possible."

Gabriel dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face as he let out another exasperated sigh. "You guys give me a headache," he mumbled.

"I don't get this," Leonard interjected. "Can't Anastasia just do some spatial magic stuff and get us out of here?"

"That's not how it works," Anastasia told him.

He sighed. "That's just never how it works, huh?"

"Nope."

Liam sat down, his back pressed against the wall.

"So this confirms it," he said, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a sigh. "We're stuck on the fifteenth floor."