After the Agency had decided that her physical training was deemed more than satisfactory, she was put to a new educational schedule. Unlike her physical training, she had a say as to what she would like to learn. And she had chosen what several Agents considered to be the toughest combination of all.

The new academic skills she had chosen to acquire and master were profiling, literature and coding.

"Don't ever let it be said that Alara Berrera was never up for a challenge," Alara had joked to her friends when she had received her finalised schedule. She had chosen them as she knew that she had a knack for them and that they would serve her well in the present and future.

She could see it in her mind, the things she could achieve after she mastered them. With coding, she could help Gabriel in whatever he needed to encrypt and hack; with literature, her literacy would increase, enabling her to read between the lines and analyse even the most cryptic of messages well. With profiling... that, she had her own plans in mind for.

Profiling unlocked another world for her, a world necessary for her search for Ren. Criminology was the world that was unlocked, for for her to fully comprehend and master profiling, her keen eye was not enough. She had to analyse and understand the criminal mind, and who knows, with such a rare skill, she may be able to find her brother because of it.

After all, Amorals were most certainly criminals.

That was why she had celebrated and threw a lavish party to celebrate her finalised schedule, for it meant that after she had honed her skills to perfection, she could bring down the Amorals with it.

In the past, she had been so blinded by rage that she had failed to see the big picture; that there was more than one way to bring justice to her family.

Until now. Now she could see it. And there was no way that Alara was going to let the opportunity slip past her fingertips.

Had Vequam been a subservient slave, he wouldn't have gone to such extreme lengths. But recently, Vequam had been increasingly rebellious and disobedient than ever; he always attempted to either free himself from the chains or starve himself to death.

Due to Vequam's foolish attempts, the room was a wreck. Since he was chained to a metal table in the middle of the room, his long legs could easily kick over nearby equipment or machinery, thus often leading to them falling on top of things and spilling acids or poisons. Depending on what he kicked over, sometimes even machinery could be destroyed.

This time, the damage had been minimal. Yet he was still very irate as he had to clean up after Vequam's mess. Luckily, only hydrochloric acid was spilled instead of a more toxic substance.

How ironic all this was. He had adopted Vequam to torment him, and yet, it seemed as if the frail boy was tormenting him. And that cannot be.

As a way to punish him, he had planned- and would soon execute- a series of deaths. He would jocularly tell Vequam of the news and savour seeing the sheer devastation; the pain in his brown eyes.

It was time for him to gloat.

"I would never have imagined that you, of all people, ended up risking your family's lives. All that ordeals you suffered was for naught." He scorned at him. "Such a pitiful girl... what a terrible way to perish!"

Vequam struggled violently against his chains and moaned.

I'll hear what he has to say for himself! He better be apologising and begging me for mercy!

As soon as he forcibly removed the tape off Vequam's mouth, he whispered, "What did I ever do to you? What did you do to my family?"

He had envisioned hopelessness in his eyes yet on the contrary, they were full of resolution. In them, optimism and protectiveness shone brightly. This only fuelled his anger and as usual, Vequam became the recipient of his fury.

"You should be begging me to grant your family mercy! Yet here you are talking back to me. But then again, you have no memory of them, so why be protective of them, eh?"

"You're all talk and no action! I don't believe you. Who cares if I can't fully remember them? I still have some memories of them! My family is stronger than you think! Even if you provide me with any bloody evidence of their 'deaths', I won't believe you." Vequam taunted, his hoarse voice full of malice.

"I'm not a gullible fool- did you think I'd forget how tech-savvy you are?" His brown eyes darkened, the gold flecks shining dangerously. "The memory of your teachings to me are etched in my memory. ."

He had always been an authoritarian figure who had a mean poker-face - but not this time. This time round, the boy who he was sure he had mostly broken somehow still sustained his iron will.

Has Vequam been manipulating me all this while? Incensed, he grabbed his dagger and sliced a part of his jaw, yearning to hear the satisfying sound of his screams. Yet Vequam determinedly shut his mouth, even biting his lip so much that blood started to dribbling out.

It seems that he wants more pain. I'll give it to him then.

As he stabbed Vequam again, he snarled, "The attack is a real one. Your family is dead, and I won't and can't be bothered to tell you who passed away. Remember that you are mine; that you are worthless and useless to everybody. That I am the only exception. That with me, you are a boy of worth. Only me."

His fury still not sated, he decided to plunge the dagger deeper into Vequam's skinny knee.

As the boy screamed, his voice full of terror and agony, he relished the stunning sight, drinking it in like honey. There was nothing more pleasant than the sound of his victims yelling and crying in pain when they realised that they should never have crossed him and that instead, they ought to fear him and be compliant to his demands.

Ignore the pain. He had stated only 'I won't and can't be bothered to tell you who had passed away'. The golden-brown haired girl always told me to 'focus on the diction'. I can't recall her name, but I recall her teachings. So if somebody died; who was it?

Valesque,

It is I- your loyal supporter and spy. I regret to inform you of the most troubling news, but you must know of this.

I got wind of a possible terror attack in the rural parts of Excidium, such as my current residence, from one of my most trustworthy and reliable sources.

Not only that, but whenever I frequent the tavern, I tend to see many men clothed in plainclothes loitering around at the back alley. As you are more than aware of the fact that I've lived in the poorest town Excidium, believe me when I say that I had never seen these men before in my entire life.

Their posture seemed uncertain and they were visibly perturbed. Even a blind man could tell that they wanted no part in this. I heard 'I've planted the bombs, but I feel disturbed by this. But I can't risk my daughter's life!', so they definitely aren't the mastermind and may have no loyalty to their boss. From this I guess that the mastermind gains their 'loyalty' via fear and threats.

Furthermore, the fact that bombs were mentioned implies that there may be multiple attacks planned and may result in a large-scale attack.

Please heed my words and take caution. I fear that they will target one of the agents in the Ascendancy Agency and all I know is that it will occur on the 20th of February.

Please take care and I hope that you remain in good health.

- J

Valesque sighed heavily as he returned the letter back into its envelope. It had been quite a while where he did not need to take care of unpleasant matters, only needing to manage the Agency efficiently and prioritise his agents' well-being.

It was obvious that his days of leisure were over, and now he had to put on a mask again. He had no doubt that J did not lie to him as he had no reason to; moreover, someone very precious to J was here, working under Valesque and completely unaware that J had ties to the Agency.

There will be no way that J is lying to me. Oh, how I wish he was! I can never understand how such barbaric actions can be taken to purposefully harm humanity.

Valesque grabbed his golden telephone and summoned his most reliable and efficient Agents in to deal with this issue. "Yes, I would like to see them now. Yes, ."

The moment he hung up, he leaned against his chair while drinking his red wine. It tastes more bitter today, he thought, closing his eyes.

"Is this the boy?"

"Yes sir. His name is-" Valesque shushed his assistant and winked at the young child.

He had never seen such magnificent eyes that could seem both cold and warm at the same time. Immediately, he knew that deep down in his bones, this boy could serve as an elite Agent rather quickly as long as he was brought under the right person's wing.

"Will you harm me?" The boy asked, seeming downcast.

"Never. I will loathe to put you in any form of danger and will care for you as if you are of my own blood." Valesque swore impulsively.

"Really?" The boy's eyes widened and wonderment shone in his eyes.

"Yes, my boy." The child must have heard the sincerity in his voice, for he joyously leapt up and ran into his arms.

It was the first time since he first embraced someone. And now, in his arms, was a child who wholeheartedly trusted in him unconditionally.

A piece of Valesque's heart of ice started to melt away and soften when he saw the sweet, innocent smile on the child's handsome face.

And he thought instinctively, Protect.

His face was white as a sheet, and his wine glass was half-filled. His right foot is constantly tapping while his left one is in a stiff and uncomfortable position. His shoulders are tense and he does not seem like the typically relaxed, nonchalant head of the Ascendancy Agency that I am used to.

He always oozes confidence, but today he exudes an air of anxiety and frustration. Something must be wrong, and it is likely that he summoned us here to deliver terrible news to us.

She realised that she had been unconsciously profiling Valesque when she felt a pinch from someone beside her. Looking up, she scowled when she realised it was Maren's doing. "Anything the matter?" Maren mouthed innocently, and she straightened her shoulders and ignored him.

"Sir, why are we summoned here?" Surprisingly, it was Keyla who spoke up first and shook Valesque out of his thoughts.

"Oh I- Ke- your name is Keyla, am I right?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm beyond pleased that you've finally come out of your shell. It must be thanks to Alara." observed Valesque.

"No, sir. I can't take any credit. Keyla has always been naturally friendly and all she needed was time to adjust. She has succeeded in that and is more sociable and proactive now." reported Alara, beaming proudly at her friend.

"Good, good. Teamwork is important. Don't forget that," Valesque reminded them wisely.

Though he acts as if he is wise as Solomon, but I can tell that he is just donning a mask and is distracted. I must confront him on his peculiar behaviour.

"Sir, please share with us any news you have to inform us about. We can handle anything." promised Alara.

"Fine. I've assembled you, Maren, Rielle, Gabriel and Tania so that we can tackle a grave problem. There is to be a terror attack, and you five are key leaders of this operation. Gabriel, I want you to work with Keyla and figure out the identities of the terrorists. I will provide you with more details as to their whereabouts. Tania, work on poisonous weapons that we can supply our agents with. Maren and Alara, you two will be our main fighters and Alara, Maren can assist you in profiling."

"Sir, why do you need me?" questioned Rielle.

"I'm guessing you're going to make our armour," there was a hint of pride in Gabriel's voice.

"Yes, he's right. Please make them your best works," requested Valesque.

"No pressure then," Rielle stated, and was about to take her leave, ready to get to work when the next words out of Valesque's mouth caused everyone- and perhaps even time itself- to stand still.

"One more thing please," started Valesque as he looked squarely into Alara's eyes. "Our informant is Jonek, and he will be helping us in our mission."