"Wait, what?" Damien was flabbergasted, unable to believe what he had heard from the supple lips of Miss Alastair. Becoming the partner of a rookie was understandable. After all, he was also a new member of Block 7. But the identity of his crimson-haired girl was more troublesome than his.
Alastair continued chuckling, uncaring of the distraught she had caused to her subordinate. "Picking you as her partner wasn't without reason, Damien. You need experience in leadership, so consider this an opportunity."
"Besides, you understand the most what it means to be an outcast within SIGIL. Only you can recognize the problems and solve them with efficiency. After all, you are my Aberrant." Her words echoed, silencing his doubts.
Damien narrowed his sable-tinted gaze and took a deep breath. He didn't want such a heavy responsibility, but the trust she had given him could not be returned. Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed to himself.
He had a feeling that he would regret this. However, there was no going back. 'What's the worst that can happen?' He inwardly hardened his resolve.
"Alright, I'll be her partner, Miss Alastair." Hearing his response, Alastair continued grinning while a gentle smile formed on Francine's face. Her junior had grown. He had become a senior of his own, guiding his junior.
"H-hello, what about my opinion, Master?" Beside them, the crimson-haired Hecate smiled with a complicated expression while raising her pale hand. The three of them turned their gaze towards her, bringing forth a sense of oppression.
Without hesitation and shame, Hecate straightened her back and nodded in agreement like a willful child. "I will be learning under Damien as his partner. It truly is an honor. I will never forget this opportunity."
"I wasn't wrong about you, Hecate. You're as adaptable as before." Alastair patted her shoulder and stood up from her chair. Stretching her arms upward and unknowingly expressing her ample bosom, she continued. "We will be taking our leave."
"The two of you should explore Brooklyn and get along. Consider this a day off, Damien. I will be hearing from the two of you later." She walked away and yawned, as though tired from the boredom she had gone through.
Francine winked at her juniors and followed from behind with a gentle smile. Damien and Hecate stood beside one another, staring at their seniors with expressions that were brimming with complexities.
It didn't take long for the two powerhouses to disappear with the crowd, leaving an awkward silence that pervaded the black-suited young man and crimson-haired girl.
"Now that they're gone. How about we introduce ourselves again?" Since the two of them would be partners, Damien took the initiative and wanted to start with an actual introduction.
The crimson-haired girl turned her velvet gaze towards him, somewhat stunned yet also relieved. Her lips pursed into a smile as she nodded at him. "I am Hecate Sanguine, a vampire and a disciple of Miss Alastair."
"I like soup, chicken, pork, beef, and maybe some seafood. I love playing games and reading books. I am also experienced in close-quarters combat and a bit strong compared to normal nobles."
Damien didn't expect her to inform him about her in great detail, but it made him smile nonetheless. It reminded him of a particular someone. Exhaling, he introduced himself to the crimson-haired girl.
"You can call me Damien, the first disciple of Miss Alastair and Francine. I don't have many hobbies, but I'm interested in history. I consider myself a long-range fighter, so I will be relying upon you as my vanguard."
Although the whole disciple thing was made up, it wasn't wrong. He was the first person to be under the two powerhouses. However, as he looked at his junior, he noticed her expectant velvet eyes.
It was then that he realized what he had forgotten to introduce.
"I am also the first Aberrant to join the SIGIL under the wing of the seventh Paragon, Miss Alastair." He could be the last, but it didn't matter. His identity as an Aberrant was something that most were intrigued by.
After all, who would believe that these monstrous abominations created by Aether could actually work for someone? His appearances probably escalated the experimentation of Aberrants. Everyone wanted to control their own Aberrants.
In any case, her ruby-like eyes gleamed with fascination as she observed him with unconcealed interest. "I could feel that you're an Aberrant through and through. But you look and act too differently."
"It made me wonder if my perception was deceiving me. You're actually an Aberrant. So, Senior Damien... How did you join the SIGIL Block 7?" Hecate eagerly inquired, excited to hear about the experiences of her senior. On the other hand, Damien's smile was barely pleasant.
He wasn't that proud about how Miss Alastair managed to employ him under her wing. However, for the sake of his junior, perhaps he could inform her about it.
"Well, we met in amiable terms and fought for a short moment." It was straightforward and precise. During their first meeting, Damien and Alastair didn't consider themselves adversaries.
It was for this reason that he was willing to hear her out. Though it was partly because of her crushing strength. Resisting was practically a fool's errand, so it was more like there was nothing he could do but hear her out.
Wanting to change the subject, Damien glanced at her and asked. "How about you, Hecate? How did you meet Miss Alastair? You must have met during her deployment in the southern front, correct?"
Although he bombarded her with three questions, all of them were generally correlated to one another. Once she answered one of them. It would be easy to piece together an answer for the two remaining questions.
Hecate hesitated for a second, but promptly answered his question. "Master saved me from death. When I was alone on the battlefield in despair. She descended like a goddess and wiped away the demons of my heart."
When Damien heard her answer. He finally understood why there was a deep-rooted admiration that seemed to radiate from her towards the seventh Paragon. That gorgeous white-haired lady does look like a goddess.
If Alastair had been more graceful and elegant, rather than acting like a snobbish and arrogant young master, she would have conquered the hearts of everyone in SIGIL.
Meanwhile, in the distance, the seventh Paragon abruptly sneezes as if someone was mocking her from afar. Francine, walking beside her, raised an eyebrow and remarked. "Are you sick, Miss Alastair?"
"Sick, me? Of course not... Some bastard is probably cursing me." Alastair shook her head and glared at her second-in-command. She couldn't get sick. The last time she was afflicted with sickness was before Heaven's Fall.
Returning to the young proteges of Block 7, the two of them headed towards the shopping center of Brooklyn. Along the way, Damien explained the duties of SIGIL and Jaegers for humanity.
He also expounded the intricate structure of the SIGIL Divisions, starting with Block 7 and ending with the research division, the Crucible. Hecate absorbed the information like a sponge, as she was ignorant of the human world. The only thing she could do was speak and write.
She couldn't even apply mathematics, which made Damien reflect on whether Alastair was already aware of the crimson-haired vampire's lack of general knowledge. But he wasn't the one to give up.
As her partner, she needed to be adequate for commissions. Until then, he would probably be stuck in the headquarters, teaching her about everything that needed to be taught.
Regardless of what needed to be done later, Damien and Francine stood before a food stall. A crowd surrounded them, minding their own business and lives.
One was drinking a can of soda while the other was munching on a burger. It didn't take long for the black-suited young man to crush the soda and throw it into the trash can while the crimson-haired girl was busy savoring her snack.
"Now that I thought about it, Hecate. Even though you're a vampire, how come I don't see your fangs? Do high-ranking vampires have the ability to conceal it?" Staring at the chewing vampire, Damien couldn't help but ask.
While he wanted to ignore it for the sake of his junior, it was better to inquire now than later. He wanted to be ready for the possibility that nobles or true bloods could be roaming in the streets, pretending to be normal humans.
Hecate swallowed the burger first before replying to her senior. "Ehem, vampires don't have such abilities, Damien. Even if they do, arrogance would never make them stoop so low in the same level as the species they judged as livestock."
"My fangs are retractable. But they are the result of grueling experimentation." She furrowed her eyebrows and threw the wrapper into the trash can. The thought of her fangs brought unwanted memories back into her mind.
Noticing her tense demeanor, Damien sighed and gave an apology to the vampire. "Sorry about that, I might have been too insensitive. However, thanks for answering, no matter how hard it may be."
"I appreciate your willingness, Hecate. It doesn't matter if an ancient Progenitor is sealed inside you. As long as you are under the wings of Block 7, humans, vampires, and cryptids wouldn't be able to touch you."
"For this trust, I shall give you mine. But you must understand. I cannot lower my guard around you. It's not that I do not believe in you." Damien gazed upon the velvet irises of the crimson-haired girl and continued.
"I am wary of the seal."