A grinding noise rumbles in the hallway as the double metal door glides open. Raia, Nathan, Raiden, Cyrus, and Sonnet walk in through the entryway.

"They're here!" someone exclaims in a shrill voice, presumably the petite girl standing before them, who appears to be expecting their arrival. With her long white-blond ponytail that accentuates her snowflake skin, she will be mistaken for a ghost. She's wearing an Aragon uniform, which consists of a black swing coat with purple linings and a belt.

After a few seconds of checking their appearance with her peacock-blue eyes, she brightens and sprints forward. Soon, her face is buried in Sonnet's chest, and her arms are wrapped tightly around the woman like a child who hasn't seen her mother in a long time.

"I miss you, Miss Sonnet!" squeals the girl, squeezing the woman tightly.

Sonnet giggles and pats her head. "How long have you been here, Sunshine?"

Sunshine pulls away from her. "I came with Inspector Antoine, and we've only been here an hour."

Sonnet, Cyrus, and even Raiden and Nathan appear stunned, as though she has just delivered bad news.

Raia's gaze sweeps over them, a frown forming on her brow. An air of discomfort is seeping through the atmosphere.

An Inspector? Sounds like a person with authority. Maybe even superior to Cyrus.

Cyrus and Sonnet exchange a firm look before making their way to the wooden round table.

Raia scrutinizes the small girl with narrowed eyes. Sunshine is too young to be a disciple and go out killing demons. She must be around twelve years old or younger based on her appearance. Raia can't believe there will be a kid in the organization, let alone an Aragon. Wouldn't the job be traumatic for her, given that she's fighting demons with human looks?

"I'm so worried about you guys after hearing what happened," Sunshine says, her voice filled with concern. Upon noticing Raia's presence, she does a double-take.

"Oh! Who is she? I've never seen her before. New disciple?" Despite her small stature, she has a high-pitched voice that can be heard throughout the place. She approaches Raia and extends her hand without waiting for a response.

"Hello! I'm Sunshine Montanari, and I'm from Raquelean Branch. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss?" Her lips widen into a big smile, and she flutters her eyelashes at Raia like a child seeking attention.

Nathan gives a long, noisy sigh. "The kid is here again."

Sunshine's beaming face contorts into a scowl as she stares at Nathan. "Shut up, you moron!"

Raia raises an eyebrow, taken aback by her sudden outburst.

Sunshine bows her head in apology. "I'm so sorry about that."

Nathan's laughter rumbles like mocking thunder. "I apologize on behalf of the kid, Raia."

A tall young man in a long black coat — an Aragon uniform — approaches them and wraps his arm around Nathan's shoulder.

"You're making fun of Sunshine again, eh?" The young man chuckles. He appears to be in his early twenties and has short brown curly hair. His golden tanned skin glows in the gentle light, complementing his sparkling jade eyes, which are fixed on Raia.

Nathan displays a wide grin on his face. "Yeah, but you need to be careful around her, Nihar."

Nihar gives him a puzzled look, but all he gets is a shrug from the grinning man.

Sunshine turns scarlet, but she says nothing. She lowers her flushed face and chews her lips in embarrassment. When she raises her head to look at Raia, her eyes look glossy, as if she is about to cry. "I . . . I'm not a kid. Don't listen to that moron. Regardless of my height, I'm already eighteen years old."

Raia's eyes widen as she stares at the girl who is a few inches shorter than her. She really thought she's a kid. Even her behavior fits her child-like features.

"I can't still believe she's the same age as me," Nathan says, shaking his head.

"She may look like a ten-year-old, but she's much older than us. One year older in particular," Raiden remarks as he appears beside Raia. He looks at her and his mouth curves into a sheepish smile.

"I -" he starts, but Sunshine's high-pitched voice cuts him off.

"So what's your name?" Sunshine's eyes twinkle as she looks at Raia.

Cyrus' voice cuts Raia off before she can respond. "Come on in, you guys."

Raia and the others march toward the round table, their footsteps echoing in the stillness. She frowns upon seeing a new face among Cyrus, Sonnet, and the other staff. He's a tall, muscular man with fringed brown hair who's dressed in a long purple trench coat. He appears to be in his mid-forties. The Nirvana Order emblem is pinned to his left chest.

The atmosphere becomes tense as Raia and others take their seats, embracing them with deafening silence. The man's dark brown eyes are fixed on Raiden, a hard expression on his face, then he looks at Raia. He raises an ombre eyebrow at her as he studies her features.

The man clears his throat, and everyone in the room straightens up, including Cyrus. His presence surely musters such authority. Raia believes he is the Inspector Sunshine mentioned earlier.

"I've come here after receiving word from Bishop Cyrus that the Blood Demons have returned," the Inspector says. His eyes flicker to Raiden. "According to your Bishop, you fought with one."

"We did, Inspector Antoine," Raiden responds, shooting a sidelong glance towards Raia.

The Inspector lifts an eyebrow at him.

"I see. It's great to hear you're still alive." Despite his statement, there is a firmness in his voice that sounds menacing. "A Laity reported to us yesterday. Lorcan Osorio, a Samaelean Branch Aragon, was discovered dead in front of a church. His body was severely mutilated, and his arms and legs seem to have blown to pieces. Chunks of flesh and bones were scattered around his corpse."

Gasps fill the place and terror crosses their features. Raia, on the other hand, wrinkles her brow as she mulls over what the man has just said.

One man abruptly rises from his seat, disbelief on his face. He has blond slicked-back hair and a crimson coat on. "But Lorcan is one of our most powerful warriors, and he's never had any trouble battling against Outcasts and Cimmerians."

"Esmun's right," Milan, who sits next to the aforementioned man, says. "Lorcan's strength is comparable to that of Apostles. And I'm sure he could form a successful contract with an angel if he tried."

A look of firmness passes across Cyrus's face. "It's a Blood Demon. Things are different now."

Esmun regards Cyrus with a frown. "How can you be so sure?"

"We don't need any proof to prove that," Antoine supplies. "His death is more than enough evidence of that."

Esmun lowers his head and sits back down.

"But here's the strange thing," Antoine continues. "His necklace wasn't with him."

"Are you implying that a Blood Demon took it?" Sonnets remarks. "But why? Since the owner is no longer alive, that artifact should no longer be functional. The power contained within that necklace should be . . ."

Cyrus nods, a frown on his face. "That's right. But why would a Blood Demon take it?" Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widen. "Can't they possibly . . ."

Antoine narrows his eyes and nods, confirming his suspicion. "That could be the reason. That is why you must always be on guard, especially you warriors of the Light." His eyes flicker to Raiden. The boy wears an unreadable expression.

Raiden meets his gaze with unblinking eyes and steels himself to a rigid posture, as one would normally do when confronted by an intimidating figure.

"Yes, sir," Raiden replies stiffly.

Antoine snorts and rises from his seat, his chair scraping the floor. "I've heard you were seriously injured. You'd still be in the hospital if it weren't for the healer."

A shadow of guilt darkens Raiden's features. He lowers his head. The air around them becomes tense all of a sudden.

"Would you please stand?" Antoine orders, and the befuddled Raiden obeys.

Antoine fills the silence with the heavy treads of his boots. To everyone's surprise, he slaps the boy across the face with his open palm.

Every pair of eyes grow wide in horror and total disbelief, yet they remain in their place and do nothing - except for Cyrus. He stands abruptly with a twisted expression on his face.

"Inspector!" Cyrus blurts out, but Antoine holds up his hand. He sits back down and grits his teeth in frustration, unable to do anything. Sonnet taps his shoulder to calm him down.

Nathan's eyes darken as he glares at the inspector, but he remains silent. His fists are clenched on the table.

The temperature around them suddenly plummets. Raia's gaze darts around until it lands on Raiden. The boy stands in a sagging posture, his head hung low. His left cheek is red with blood.

The Inspector wipes the blood from his silver cross ring with a white handkerchief and heaves a sigh of disappointment. The silver ring gleams in the light, emphasizing its purity once more, and he tosses the blood-stained cloth onto the table. His frown deepens into a scowl as he observes Raiden's appearance. The boy has the look of someone caving into emotions.

"Raiden Oliver Kara." The Inspector's deep and harsh voice bounces off the concrete walls. "A disciple from Mikaelean Branch under Bishop Galbraith's administration. I don't like what you're becoming. You are a destroyer of darkness; you must not allow emotions to control you. Keep in mind that you are here to destroy darkness. You exist to serve Azarios without getting lost in this world or yourself. Your life belongs to the Light."