Mark looked around the auditorium.

They had just finished the assignment to wipe out a bunch of low-level spirits when they all got a message from HQ. All trainees on non-urgent missions were to report back. Not long after, they were called into the auditorium.

Mark was expecting a large crowd. But while there were significantly more people in the building now, it wasn’t like what Mark had expected. Trainees were scattered around in various clusters, but the amount of empty seats outnumbered the amount of occupied ones. Counting themselves, Mark counted that only 15 trainees showed up.

The rest either didn’t exist, or were on urgent missions.

The four first-year trainees sat next to the fourth-year trainee Cadence. They were in the upper left corner of the auditorium.

“Everyone, please quickly find your seats and settle down, we have some important updates to disseminate.” A lady in a pastel red suit was standing behind the stand on the stage, speaking into the microphone.

The lady spoke in a calm soothing voice. She was likely another professional exorcist. She had short brown hair and light makeup on.

“That’s Rumi-sensei, she’s in charge of us fourth-years.” Cadence spoke as if she knew what Mark was thinking.

“Hmmm… how many exorcists do we have here? I was expecting more…” Mark engaged Cadence in conversation, hoping to find out more about the SAIB.

“Well, the massacre took out a lot of our numbers. I’d say we have around 25 trainees including you guys. As for professional exorcists, most of them are away on missions but the one’s you will see are all here. Shen, Khan, Daiyu, Rohan and Rumi-sensei. These are all that’s left of the training division.” Cadence replied.

“Training division? So there are more in other places?” Mai chimed in, she was curious as well.

“Yes, there are other exorcists that are classified as SAIB agents working in other divisions. But you’ll rarely see them as they often work out in the field. You don’t have to worry about that now!” Cadence started to crane her head, as if looking for someone.

“Hmmm… I guess none of them came back…” Cadence slumped back in her seat despondently.

“Looking for someone?” Hannah asked.

“Yeah, my batchmates… it seems they’re all busy.” Cadence replied.

“Being a final year must be tough… say, I don’t mean to imply anything… but why aren’t you busy like the rest of your batchmates?” Vince asked.

“That’s because I’m the only one shadowing someone that’s not part of a big exorcist firm. Those get really busy. The person I’m shadowing is called Constance Connors, she runs this private exorcism business with her brother.” Cadence took out a small business card and handed it to Vince.

“ ‘Tragedy & Co.’ that sounds like a bad name for a company…” Vince read the business card out loud.

“Well, it’s because they deal directly with tragedy victims. Sometimes in this line of work, you don’t really see who you’re helping. Exorcists die without knowing why. But with this firm, I can at least know for sure that I’m helping people.” Cadence spoke with confidence and a sparkle in her eye.

“Okay, please settle down, we will begin the urgent announcements shortly.” Rumi- sensei spoke into the mic.

The room quietened and the doors to the auditorium opened. Daiyu and Shen walked through the doors. Daiyu promptly walked onto the stage and took her place behind the mic.

“Okay, it’s been a busy day for everyone so we’ll keep this as succinct as possible.” Daiyu spoke, exhaustion clearly evident in her voice.

“Today, the bodies of one of our own was found. Ryu Hirugami from batch 3021 was murdered, cursed by an evil spirit. On the same day, we encountered an Epsilon level threat, currently being dealt with by Khan and contained by Rohan. Furthermore, we encountered an unusual spike in the amount of spiritual anomalies this morning to afternoon.” Daiyu paused to survey the crowd.

“We have come to the realisation that these incidents were all connected. And it has something to do with the Nan Ching District Massacre a year ago.” Daiyu paused once more as an audible gasp was heard throughout the auditorium.

“The orchestrators of that event have once again orchestrated this chain of events. Their immediate target was to free the Fiend, Qiong Qi. They succeeded. Their ultimate end goal is to unleash a curse upon the Earth. They intend to unleash something they call ‘Hell On Earth’. What it entails exactly is unknown but we do know that if it is successful, it would be a hundred times more devastating than the Nan Ching Massacre.” Once again, the room erupted into more chattering.

Once they had settled down, Daiyu continued.

“Moving forward, we urge all exorcists and trainees to be on guard. This was a direct attack on the SAIB and exorcists everywhere. For now, we will continue investigating. In the meantime, we will establish new rules. To protect each other, trainee exorcists can no longer go out for missions alone. I understand that given the manpower shortage, this would mean greater inefficiency but please understand, we do not intend to lose more of you. That will be all. Any questions?”

…

The mood after the announcements was rather solemn and depressing. Upon hearing of the death of one of their own and the existence of powerful beings that threatened the SAIB made everyone slightly worried.

The four first-year trainees were especially worried.

“Hey, this was probably a really lousy first day for you guys but keep your chins up okay? Stuff like this happens. Whatever you do, as an exorcist, you can only keep pushing forward.” Cadence tried her best to lift the moods of her juniors.

“Well, I have to go now… it might be a bit late and probably horrible timing… but… I guess, welcome to the SAIB.” Cadence smiled and shook each of her junior’s hands before leaving the SAIB building.

The four of them simply stood there in silence, trying to digest everything that was revealed to them in the announcement.

“Damn…” Vince broke the silence.

“You can say that again…” Mai spoke.

The four of them walked to the cafeteria for dinner where they bumped into Shen.

“Sensei!” Vince called out.

Shen was sitting down alone at a table, a burger in his mouth.

Shen gestured for them to take a seat, still munching on his dinner.

The four of them got their food and sat down with Shen.

“I’m sorry all of this had to happen on your first official day as trainees.” Shen spoke, finishing his meal.

“It was a lot to take in…” Mai agreed, nodding her head.

“It was wayyy more tiring than I expected that’s for sure.” Vince seconded.

“So… what can we expect from here on out?” Mark asked.

“Well, besides the new rule, everything goes on like usual. Your classes, training, everything. Don’t think you get to slack off.” Shen replied with a smirk.

“Please don’t tell me this is a normal day of an exorcist… because I might want to leave…” Vince was only half-joking.

“Well, it’s not always like this… but we kind of expect it… it’s all part of the job. Which is why it’s unfortunate…” Shen replied. His eyes started to drift off, something was weighing on his shoulders.

“Unfortunate?” Hannah raised her brow.

“It’s unfortunate that kids like you guys have to be involved.” Shen continued.

“Perhaps today’s events can be your first lesson. Being an exorcist means dealing with stuff like this. It means kids like you might have to die. Spirits, they don’t care who you are. That’s the truth. The world of exorcism is a harsh world. So I want you to question your resolve. Why do you even want to be an exorcist? While the SAIB would definitely do better with more people, I personally don’t want any of you to die without really knowing why you ended up in this profession. I know some of you didn’t have a choice. You were forced to be a part of this world through some spiritual anomaly. But even then, find something. Find something to hold onto. Find a purpose.” Shen spoke in a solemn reflective manner.

“Wow… thank you for the speech sensei… it was really inspirational.” Vince mockingly clapped as he munched on his dinner.

“Sometimes you piss me off Vince, I think I might need to go harder on your training.” Shen nudged Vince in the sides.

“Ackk! Okay, okay, I apologise. But you already know my purpose sensei… being an exorcist… I know I can never leave this path…” Vince’s tone turned serious as he looked at Shen right in the eye.

Shen simply nodded.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to eat. Class starts at 9 tomorrow, I‘ll see you guys then. Be punctual.” Shen knocked on the table and left.

“So… what’s your purpose?” Mai’s eyes lit up, she was curious as to what Vince was referring to so seriously.

Mark was curious as well, it was the first time he saw Vince speaking so seriously.

“Well, maybe I’ll tell you guys next time…” Vince left it at that.

“Awww, that’s no fun… how about you Hannah? You said you wanted to prove something.” Mai remembered their conversation earlier that day.

“Yeah… Well, I wanted to prove my family wrong. They believed that exorcism should purely remain a business. They exploit the fears and feelings of people to earn a living. To me, that makes them no better than the evil spirits living off human emotions. I wanted to be different. I actually wanted to use my powers to help people. Genuinely help them. Being a public exorcist will help me see this side of the exorcism world more clearly. A world where exorcists aren’t exactly compensated for their work and yet do it anyway.” Hannah spoke, her voice filled with passion.

“You guys… are going to say I’m naive aren’t you…” Hannah spoke, glaring at Vince.

“Hey don’t look at me… I’m not going to make fun of you!” Vince defended, looking slightly offended.

Mai simply hugged Hannah and smiled.

“I think you’re super amazing for wanting to do that… I respect you more now!” Mai reassured Hannah.

“What about you Mai?” Mark asked.

Mai paused and gave him a blank stare.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t really know. All I know is that I think having this power, being a ‘vessel’, it gives me a responsibility. It sort of feels like no one else can do what I do… but maybe that’s just me trying to feel important hahaha!” Mai gave a sheepish smile.

“No, I think you’re right…” Mark said, thinking to himself.

“My purpose huh…” Mark muttered. He knew his immediate goal was to free Ruby. To let her pass on properly. But what would happen after? And how exactly would he get to that point?

These thoughts would continue to swirl around in Mark’s mind throughout the night.

…

Mai and Hannah waved to the boys as they parted ways, each group heading towards their respective dormitories.

“Mai…” Hannah spoke as they walked to their dorms.

Mai turned to Hannah, her silver white hair glowed even in the night.

“Well, I was wondering, what did you think about the announcement? I mean they did mention that we have a new threat… and it’s a Fiend…” Hannah’s eyes looked directly into Mai’s, full of concern.

Mai paused and stared back at Hannah.

It was a blank stare.

“I… haven’t really thought about that…” Mai shrugged as she confessed.

Hannah shook her head.

But then she began to chuckle.

“Hahaa… I can’t believe it…” Hannah spoke as she chuckled.

Mai was getting concerned.

“Hey, I mean… cut me some slack! It’s literally our first day!” Mai tried to defend herself.

Hannah chuckled some more before breathing in deep.

“I feel like I should learn from you…” Hannah spoke as she gazed out of the window they walked by. The moon was fully visible that night, its light shone through and helped illuminate the lonely empty corridors.

“Things are happening so fast you know… a few weeks ago, I was just an ordinary girl with sleeping problems…fast forward to today… So much has happened. If I had to think and stress over everything… I might go crazy!” Mai spoke as she walked.

Hannah kept quiet and listened. This was a side of Mai she hadn’t seen yet.

“But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t stay in my mind. I’ve got a power… a power that could hurt others. I haven’t mentioned this but that moment back in that white room… Sometimes I think back to it and wonder what would happen if I didn’t regain control…” Mai’s face was serious.

“I think about that moment a lot. I wonder why you guys haven’t spoken to me about it or even talked about it. And I realise that maybe that’s because you guys have been a part of this world longer than I have. And I respect it a lot. You guys understand the risks.”

“But sometimes, it overwhelms me. I know I’ve got a responsibility. That I have to treat this seriously. That I should probably be more concerned about a lot of things. But… stressing too much about all these things doesn’t change anything for me. So sometimes, I just don’t think too much about it.” Mai smiled a cheeky smile.

Hannha grinned.

“You’re right… and hell… It is our first day!” Hannah giggled.

Mai slung her arms around Hannah and drew her in.

“Yeah! Let’s just chill for tonight!” Mai exclaimed, tightly snuggling up to Hannah.

As they approach the door that would transport them to their dormitories, they notice that someone was waiting for them outside the door.

It was Daiyu.

“Good to see you girls so friendly on your first day.” Daiyu smiled as they approached.

“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to pull Mai aside for now. Mai, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” Daiyu looked at Mai, even though she was smiling, her eyes held an expression conveying that she had something urgent to discuss.

Mai already knew what it was about. Despite saying that she wanted to take things easy, there was no hiding from the truth. The world of exorcism moves forward regardless.

This fact was becoming more apparent to Mai as the day continued to progress.

[FINAL REPORT FOR CASE: GAMMA-158]

Spirit Classification: Deity

Exorcist In Charge: Rohan Yang

Transcribed Audio Report No. 4

[LOG START]:

“Date and time now is 27 February 1:57 AM. This is the final report and conclusion to the Epsilon Level Threat detected on 25 February at 11:28 AM in the Nan Ching District. One day later on 26 February 11:44 PM, the Dispossession ended. Exorcist Khan Tenjin appeared in the barrier along with Ozai Sasaki and Barrier Agent Lara Gunther. Both Ozai and Lara were unconscious. Barrier Agent Mando Lee and Barrier Agent Soo Jin-Ho did not make it out alive. Their remains were discovered once I put down my barrier.

“There were no signs of the Deity Level spirit that caused this. According to Khan, the spirit goes by the name Eugene and has the ability to manifest in and manipulate darkness. It is worth noting that it is often unusual for Deities to have human names unless they were once human as well. This is a special case where a Deity wants to be identified with a human name. Something worth noting.

“These were the actions taken after the Dispossession ended:

“Exorcist Khan proceeded to report his version of events to me and the other members of the SAIB. We likewise briefed him on the recent discoveries.

“Lara Gunther will be placed under immediate medical attention and is scheduled for soul decorruption therapy.

“Ozai Sasaki was sent to the Purifying Lake for healing and will be resting in the medical ward until further notice.

“We have made arrangements to compensate the families of the deceased Barrier Agents. Funerals would be prepared for them shortly.

“As for the Deity still at large, we have sent information and warnings to major exorcist firms and other trusted private exorcists in the region to keep a lookout for both the Deity named Eugene and the Fiend Qiong Qi. We will be observing the situation closely.”

[LOG END]

In an abandoned warehouse…

Eugene limped into the dark and mouldy building. He was heaving and panting. Half his body had been eviscerated. He had been reduced to a pathetic mash of limbs and spiritual fragments.

“Look who we have here…” The man in the trench coat remarked as Eugene limped towards them.

“Nooooo one told me… Noooo one! He could use Convergenceee!!!” Eugene hissed at the three figures that tood before him.

“And so? You managed to hold on. Though he did give you quite a beating… But it wasn’t all for nothing…” The frail man in the centre gestured to Qiong Qi.

“It’s nice to meet you…Eugene…So, this is the Deity you guys managed to conjure up after a year? Doesn’t seem so impressive…” Qiong Qi was unimpressed, his eyes gazed at Eugene with a slight hint of condescension.

“Fuuuuckk you!” Eugene slurred as he limped towards the back of the warehouse.

“Now, now, let’s keep things civil. Only humans do infighting.” The man in the trench coat spoke with dignity and followed Eugene to the back of the warehouse.

“Yes, we still have a ways to go with our plan…For now, we need to regroup…” The frail man followed suit.

As they arrived at the back of the warehouse, the frail man stomped his feet on the ground and a wave of spiritual energy radiated from his foot.

The floor below them started to shift and sink downwards.

The ground shook and descended like an elevator, bringing the four of them to an area below the warehouse.

The space below was illuminated by lanterns decorating the walls. Qiong Qi squinted his eyes as he examined the new environment. There was a short corridor before them, lanterns decorated the walls and led them to a pair of doors on the other end. The doors were styled with gold-laced inscriptions that resembled ancient Chinese characters. They were grand and exuded an aura of royalty and prestige, contrasted with the dim and dark warehouse above and the dull corridor that led them there.

The frail man pushed the doors open with his hands. The room ahead was a similar dimly lit room. Except, the room was multiple times bigger and there was a bright red carpet leading them to the front of the room where four throne-like seats were situated. But that wasn’t even the most jarring feature of the room.

Along the sides of the carpet, there were people. Rows upon rows of them. Ordinary humans prostrated themselves as the four of them walked the carpet. Each of the humans started to chant in a low monotone voice.

The four figures sat on the thrones, gazing down at the humans prostrating below them, a resonant hum filling the room. Each person was directing their spiritual energy to the four figures in front of them.

Eugene breathed in fully. He needed this after the fight. The spiritual energy was already starting to make him feel better.

“Feed, my friends… we have a long road ahead.” The frail man smiled as he spoke.

Qiong Qi smirked. He could get used to this.