Shutting the faucet off, and letting the last loose strands of warm water drip onto his face, he tiredly closed his eyes savoring the lingering heat of the steam that still filled the shower.
"Haah…"
A drawn-out exhale escaped from Andrew's lips, carrying with it much of the week's accumulated fatigue.
Last week has not been too kind to him. With the increase of both frontiers and other seemingly impossible phenomena appearing around the world, as well as that man–White, who has given Andrew the most to go on, in exchange for an insufferable headache.
Andrew shut his eyes, resting his forehead against the shower wall, gathering his thoughts.
Lawrence White, after figuratively making me shit myself and opening up old wounds, offered a deal.
Further investments into my company's archeological operations—now fully supported and endorsed by the UN—have led to a significant increase in both the number of dig sites and artifacts recovered globally. Thanks to the support of the UN, the process at this point is almost entirely autonomous, allowing me to focus on other things.
Of course, that's also likely another of the primary reasons why Lawrence approached me as he did, he saw a potential gold mine from the items recovered. Fortunately for him, in exchange for a gold mine, he offered me a diamond mine.
Information. That's the one thing the world desperately needs–anything related to arcanum is worth its weight ten times over.
That was why I practically instantaneously agreed when Lawrence proposed this trade agreement.
The first item that Lawrence requested was the seemingly fabled battle armor that belonged to the first human, Adam. Truthfully, it isn't worth that much to me, well, not right now that is.
We barely understand arcanum enough to do any significant research on it, and any substantial information we have gathered from it was from other items we've recovered. The insights we've gleaned from the actual armor itself were incredibly…lackluster bordering useless.
Thus, in exchange, Lawrence would provide us information that our "inferior foul-blood brains can comprehend." Moving past the… Racism? Ableism? Aracnism? Some sort of ism, whatever information he'd provide for us, no matter how elementary it'd be, would be entirely lucrative for humanity.
…
Humanity, huh? Andrew thought to himself, a wave of amusement washing over his features. When the hell did I get so altruistic?
Andrew opened his eyes and stepped out of the shower. He took a moment to examine the vacant eyes staring at him from the mirror.
Gone. All gone.
"Eyes are the window to the soul…" he whispered to himself. A reminder.
He blinked, his spirited red eyes now glinting with the vigor everyone was familiar with.
After wiping his body down with a towel and sorting out the rest of his toiletries and usual grooming activities for the morning, Andrew changed into the simple loungewear he had brought to the shower.
Checking his personal phone, and as expected, nothing out of the usual–just Sarah sending him a long list of memes and other silly posts. Buried under all of that, is a message that she'll be busy for the majority of the day and to not worry about her.
Andrew smiled softly. Glad that at least one of them was living stress-free.
Stepping into the kitchen, he placed a mug under the small espresso machine perched on the countertop and flicked its largest button. The machine whirred to life, filling the apartment with the rich aroma of coffee–a scent he had come to both appreciate and become accustomed to in recent times.
As the creamy brown liquid filled the mug, Andrew took a moment to quickly glance over at his other phone for work. Luckily, no missed calls–just a flood of emails, too many to count. Skipping past those for now, he noticed a short message from Ambassador Brown.
"Greenlight on the majority of things you've requested-"
Ding!
The espresso machine draws Andrew's attention back, as the mug underneath is now full of that bean soup stimulant.
Bean soup… a nasty fact he has been cursed to learn from one of the many 'interesting' things that Sarah sends him.
Grabbing the mug to take his first sip, savoring the rich fragrant warmth, he moved the mug atop a small black modern coffee table, just next to a stack of documents and dossiers that he'd have yet to properly peruse.
Such documents are going to be the primary focus of my attention for the next few days, after all, these mysterious documents appeared within one of the most secure and hidden company vaults, found directly after an unexplainable and mysterious security breach just the other day.
There were no good reasons why the security breach happened as it did. A coincidental power outage just long enough for things to go missing under the guise of darkness.
Or why the armor belonging to Adam has suddenly disappeared–replaced by a stack of various unknown documents.
Grabbing the set of documents, at the top, it's titled with a rather vague name: 'Arcanum Compendium.'
A compendium, hmm? Whether this is truly elaborate in detail or not, I've yet to see. Either way, I'm eager for anything, even the simplest amount of information could prove to be a boon.
Andrew flicked through the pages, roughly a few dozen or so all crudely stapled together, it's clear that whatever this 'compendium' is, was hurriedly put together. Looking through the other documents, there's a common bestiary, a few pages about flora.
The majority of the images are animals that bear a very striking resemblance to a lot of 'normal' animals Andrew has seen on Earth: A large wolf with several tails, a multi-headed snake… The next entry made Andrew do a double take.
…
"Is that a fucking T-Rex?"
…
Andrew hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. If that is what I think it is… does that imply that all dinosaurs were arcane beasts? Then the meteorite… did that even happen? Or did someone maybe make it happen…
Perishing the thought by flipping the page, he allowed his brain to focus on something that didn't exude potentially terrifying implications. Andrew sipped his coffee, meeting the following with subtle indifference.
Flowers, trees, bushes–a very broad catalog of varying types of flora. Things that should've been bright were dull, and things that should've been dull were bright. A green wood tree with brown leaves? Giant flowers the size of buildings?
Eccentric. Andrew summarised. This was something that should be approached with a very open mind. I mean how the hell does a tree grow the same kind of trees, off-shoot from its own branches? Literally an infinite wood glitch.
Flicking through some more, a collection of documents caught Andrew's eye, in particular, a collection of unknown symbols and letters that he vaguely remembered seeing before. The cogwheels in Andrew's head began to turn until…
Andrew's eyes widened in realization, as he involuntarily sat up in excitement.
Andrew recognized that these are a collection of letters and symbols he'd seen at some of the dig sites…
It's an alphabet! Andrew pieced together. Or at least something very similar in that regard.
Andrew's frown deepened and deepened as he grew closer to the end.
The only issue however is that it's entirely foreign, without seemingly a hint of any language I know. Figures, of course, he wouldn't just give me everything, huh?
Knowing that he'd be entirely inept in translating a foreign language. Andrew pulled those pages aside. He plans to copy these and send them to someone better suited to the task.
Andrew quickly scanned the rest of the documents. There are likely some hidden treasures within this pile, something that his untrained and inexperienced eye would easily miss, yet he could only sigh in frustration. Nothing else stuck out to him.
Slouching back in his seat, Andrew sat in thought for a moment.
He didn't necessarily wish to hand these over to the UN just yet, at least not until they have been fully deciphered.
Hmm…
I should probably send a copy of all these files to some of the research and development guys back at the company, they'd do a steady job of deciphering them. If I could get these ready by the time those guys are ready…
Taking another sip of coffee, letting the bitter stimulant settle on his tongue for a moment before he swallowed, Andrew shuffled the papers around until he had them in their initial stack.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, noting that it was 10:00 am on the dot, Andrew trailed his scrutiny back to the stack of papers laid on the desk in front of himself. He had time.
"Well, might as well be thorough. Might pick up something interesting."
With a yawn, a stretch, and a crack of his neck, Andrew settled in for a slow, much more methodical read…
Shutting the door of the black sedan he had just parked and squinting against the afternoon sun, which glared directly into his crimson eyes, Andrew paused for a moment, letting his sight adjust to the city ahead of him. With the time being just past 3:00 pm, the sidewalks were predominantly littered with teenagers heading home from the schools around the area.
New York's streets were always busy all throughout the entire day, now, wasn't any exception.
Merging in with the moving crowd, Andrew felt his pocket buzz, then twice, then thrice. The familiar vibration of his personal phone, likely Sarah messaging him. As he glanced down at the screen, the phone continued to buzz in his hand a few more times before falling silent. As he tapped the screen bringing it aglow, Andrew was correct with his assumption, as a string of texts from his sister, made him raise an eyebrow.
[Disappointment]
oi
oi
oi
baaaaaaka
i got something liek super important to show you once i see you
*like
Andrew tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose, already feeling the creeping ache of a headache.
[level 1 mage]
Alright first of all, don't ever message me like that again
Second of all, if this is another stray cat you stole from the streets, you are NOT keeping it
nononononono
this is super important ong ong
like wizard level important
*Arcanum
fuck off its the same thing
just come see me after ur date
Die.
i love you too 🥰🥰🥰
Pocketing his phone and allowing himself to drift along with the crowd for a little longer, Andrew found himself nearing his location. Lifting his crimson orbs up, he sees it: Frank's Cafe Diner.
Andrew's eyes narrowed at the small yet deceptively busy cafe across the street from himself. His gaze bounced from patron to patron, momentarily scrutinizing each individual. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary–until he glanced over a specific man for the second time.
Wearing a casual graphic t-shirt, his red hair cropped short in a military style, he sat alone. The man's attention, his light-yellow eyes, on the phone and coffee on the table in front of him.
Of course, the mundane things the man was doing were not what garnered Andrew's notice. But the familiar, subtle pressure radiating from him.
Arcanum.
The man was an "awakened."
Andrew couldn't help but sigh with relief. After all, all of his previous experiences to do with awakened have been far from pleasant.
Instead of being thrashed around by an oppressive and sickening wave of arcanum, this in comparison was like a candle-lit flame. In fact, Andrew felt it to be slightly refreshing to be able to sense arcanum without it entirely overwhelming his senses.
To him, it felt like stretching a muscle that hadn't been used in a while.
Either way, it's about time he introduced himself to the man. Andrew was keeping him waiting after all.
The bell above the diner door chimed as Andrew entered, and Frank, being behind the counter, gave him an enthusiastic wave. Andrew returned the greeting with a nod, before making his way to the man seated at the table.
The man stood, offering a quick yet firm handshake, which Andrew returned just as quickly before gesturing for him to sit back down. Sliding into the seat across from him, Andrew offered a civil smile.
"I hope your stay in New York has been relaxing so far, I understand it's your first time here in the States, so I'm hoping everything so far has been up to your standards," Andrew began, talking to the man in his native tongue–German.
The man nodded, his brow arching slightly in amusement. "Yes sir. You speak German well, I was under the impression you only spoke English," he replied in the same language.
Andrew shrugged lightly, "With the amount of traveling I do, it'd be a bit annoying if I didn't at least understand a few other languages. Truthfully, however, my writing is pretty…subpar, unfortunately."
Noah chuckled. "Understandable, I hate writing too." The man offered a polite smile, "I thought I should properly introduce myself," the man swapped to English. "My name is Noah Engel. German Army Private. Formerly, I suppose. Participated in the battle of Mainz, after a frontier opened there about a couple weeks ago,"
Noah's lips faintly downturned, his expression darkening, recalling the events that had happened there.
"Thank you for your service. I understand it must've been hard." Andrew's tone softened with empathy.
Noah scratched the back of his head. "I must admit, if I knew about this arcanum nonsense that I would be getting into, I'd have definitely gone into a different career field. I thought that if I ever were to be in combat, it'd be fighting against other humans! Not… magic!"
Andrew snorted, "I wouldn't blame ya, in fact, I'd entirely understand. Even now, that opportunity is available for you now, if you so desire," Andrew added, his hand reaching out for a mug to pour himself some coffee.
Noah shook his head, a faint smile returning. "I'm rather happy for the opportunity that I have now, fortunately. Truthfully, I joined the army in the first place as I didn't know what to do with myself, but I at least wanted to do something. Especially now that I am… what do you call it–?"
"Awakened?" Andrew answers, sipping his coffee.
"Is that what they call it?"
Andrew nodded, "According to a piece of paper I've been studying, yes."
Noah hummed in acknowledgment, taking a moment to scrutinize Andrew, his eyes narrowing in concentration, "You've awakened too?"
Andrew slightly tilted his head to the side, "Is that a question or a statement?"
"...Both? I'm pretty sure I can feel something from you, although I could be imagining it." The German spoke uncertainly.
Andrew regarded him with an amused expression, before closing his eyes and falling silent. He took a moment to visualize his body, envisioning the arcanum within himself. Andrew flexed his arcanum as if it were any other muscle in his body. The effect is nearly immediate, as his arcanum quickly rippled throughout his body like a wave washing up on a shore.
Andrew opened his eyes to see Noah giving him an impressed look, "So you are an awakened. I have no idea how to control my arcanum like that, however."
"It's a little weird, getting used to it. It's like trying to teach your body how to use a limb that has always been there, that shouldn't be there." Andrew swirled the coffee within his mug, before resting it on the table. "Compared to what I've seen and learned, my control over arcanum is still incredibly amateurish. I hope your adjustment to your new body has gone well?"
Noah tilted his head from side to side, deliberating on an answer. "When it happened when I was out in the field, I didn't actually initially notice when I had awakened. It took some weird wolf-like creature that was bigger than me to pounce on me. That thing was about the size of a horse!"
"What happened next?"
"I thought I was gonna die, get shredded by that thing, like some of the others I saw... I was scared, afraid, it was like… like a fight or flight response. Then I suddenly felt great, as if my body were coursing with adrenaline potent enough to get an elephant high."
Andrew hummed and sat straighter, as he attentively lapped every detail.
"The wolf-thing, when it was on me initially, weighed like a sack of bricks. I could only push its snout away from my neck as it tried again and again to tear out my throat. Then it became… easy? My mind was… clear like I just understood a maths equation and everything became coherent."
Noah briefly wore a sardonic, borderline sinister smile before his features turned impassive. "After that clarity, I threw the beast off me, pinned the bastard to the ground, and forced my rifle down its throat. It's uh, hide was tough, the 5.56mm green tip we had struggled against it so I figured the insides were weaker and well…"
"Well?"
"I was right. I held down the trigger and it stopped struggling after that." Noah finished, his gaze grew absentminded as he stared at nothing in particular.
This guy… is he… "Are you alright?" Andrew voiced his thoughts aloud.
Noah returned his eyes to Andrew. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just wished that I gained that strength earlier."
Andrew hummed in acknowledgment before he crossed his arms. Andrew leaned forward a little bit as if he were about to speak of something taboo. His demeanor grew serious.
"So, I take it that since you're already here, you've accepted my offer?"
The German nodded slowly, "More or less, I've only really had a few questions if you'd indulge me."
The American leaned back in his seat, gesturing forward with a hand. "By all means."
"Let's see… I'm technically now, still contracted with the Bundeswehr–the army, will that be an issue?"
Andrew nonchalantly shrugged, "That's something I can easily deal with, I can get you honorably discharged by the next day."
Noah's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Is that just a thing you can do?"
"I'm in somewhat of a unique position in the UN right now, as of right now I have jurisdiction over almost all arcane affairs. Since you're an awakened, that puts you under my purview." Andrew answered.
Noah hummed thoughtfully. "What would I be doing for my work?"
Andrew took a moment to consider his next words before he answered. "Officially, you'll be designated as a private military contractor, you'd be mainly taking work from the UN as they'd be our primary sponsor. Our focus, as I'm sure you'll be able to guess, will be on arcanum. Other than taking jobs you'd be expected to also individually pursue your own arcanum development as a means to further improve both ours and your own understanding of the topic. Of course, we'll be assisting you as best we can involve your development, helping in however we can." Andrew paused momentarily, before continuing. "You'll be working alongside mainly other awakened individuals as well as other specialized personnel. In terms of compensation and benefits, you'll be both handsomely rewarded and highly looked after."
Andrew finished, letting Noah mull over his words. The two let the silence between them as they both took quiet sips from their coffees. A moment later, Noah finally broke the silence.
"The name of this group?" Noah enquired.
Andrew smiled before fetching a business card from his breast pocket and presenting it on the table: "Arcanum Rapid Recovery Operations Warfare. Or ARROW." Andrew slid the card closer to Noah with his index finger for a closer look.
Noah picked up the card, flipping it between his fingers.
The name ARROW stood out in a bold print heading the card, atop the name was the logo. A white sleek elongated chevron that pointed upwards and with a smaller purple arrowhead nestled within it.
Noah fiddled with the card in his hand, staring deeply into the logo. "The purpose of this group?"
"ARROW is being carefully designed to be a specialized task force capable of international containment of arcane threats, as well as research and development of all arcane phenomena. Arcanum will grow as time goes on–changing the world as it does, and we will grow alongside it. They're my–the world's response to arcanum."
Noah nodded slowly, still rolling the card between his fingers. His gaze idled between the card and the man. "Arrow," he repeated, testing the word with his tongue. Then he stood resolute, Andrew, rising with him.
Noah extended his hand, and Andrew grasped it firmly. "So…" Noah smirked. "When do I start?"
Andrew matched his smirk with his own.
Andrew left the diner in a pleasant mood. Despite certain events coming as a surprise, they've all recently proven quite beneficial. Now his latest biggest project, something he admittedly wished he had brought to life earlier–Arrow–was now beginning to develop well.
Andrew knew that it wouldn't be too long from now, that the rest of the world would soon start to comprehend awakenings and identify the latent potential that they could bring. He wanted to have a headstart before anyone and monopolize this specific resource before anyone else could.
His main objective for Arrow is currently to gather other arcanum-awakened individuals. Now with Noah, he'd have a dozen awakened under Arrow's name, the others being predominantly from the various sectors in the Ashfords' archaeological sectors.
Headhunting had proven lucrative. Nodding to himself, Andrew thought it would be best to keep his schedule more… versatile. He'd likely be traveling around a lot more than ever before if he wished to maintain his numerical advantage over awakened humans.
Noah in particular had been quite a fine addition.
Andrew was in need of fighters. Warriors. What would fill that role better, other than former military? Discipline is valuable. Combat experience is priceless. But, combat experience directly dealing with arcanum? As Andrew evaluates it.
Oh shit yes.
Unrelated, Andrew had similar thoughts about another thing in his hands right now.
"Oh, shit yes." Andrew drooled as he chomped down another bite of one of the Fantastic Frankies he bought to go, licking his lips as some sauce was smeared across them.
No seriously, how the hell does that guy make a hotdog of all things slap? It's a fucking hotdog; they're basically on the tier of instant noodles. I mean, they're both normally cooked by adding hot water… Arcanum maybe?
Hmm… if that old man is, or ever becomes an awakened, he's mine.
Andrews' eyes glanced down at his two hands. Hotdog on the right, brown bag on the left. In front of him, the door to his apartment.
"A conundrum, indeed." her voice traveled from underneath the door, sarcastic amusement clearly laced in her goad. "What will you do? Gobble the glizzy enthusiastically perhaps? Awkwardly shuffle the container somewhere wedged into your joints freeing up your hands maybe? What will be your next move, dearest brother?"
The eldest sighed. "I knew that today was going too well. Did I piss off some god in a previous life?" Andrew muttered just loud enough to be audible.
"Hehehe! Woe is me! Now do something and entertain me!"
"Open the door, please."
"Hmm… no!"
Andrew shook the grease-stained brown bag, something hefty shaking within.
"Mm, yes, this deal is acceptable." The door clicks before swinging wide open, revealing a smugly grinning Sarah, her hand open expectantly.
Walking past her, Andrew first slaps the bag in her face, eliciting a squeak from his sister, before dropping it in her hand.
Andrew stops and turns, taking a moment to see Sarah fumbling within the bag to pull out her prize: a hotdog. Her grin widened as she saw the extra chili beans, which she specifically savored the most out of all the additional toppings.
"Oh, shit yes," she mutters under her breath, taking a quick bite.
So, we are related. Andrew thought amused.
"Say," Andrew calls out to Sarah, grabbing her attention, "don't you have something to… show… me…" The older trails off, clearly distracted as his eyes narrow at his increasingly growing confused sister.
"I do," Sarah answered, chewing another part of her food, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Andrew hummed in response; his thought still clearly distracted.
After a pregnant pause, nearly broadening on awkwardness, his gaze softens. He was finally looking at her.
Andrew, his lips curling upwards, reaches and plants a hand on the top of Sarah's head, before beginning to shake her around–much to Sarah's displeasure.
"Andrew! My hotdog!" Sarah called worriedly, but it fell on deaf ears. Her brother was too busy now laughing to listen to her pleas. Fortunately, he ceased just before he ruffled her hair once more.
"I see! I see! So now that's thirteen!"
"No, I'm seventeen," she interjected, finishing her hotdog with a final bite.
"Shush." Andrew turns around and heads into the living room, flopping down onto the couch and allowing himself to sink and meld within the cushions. "So, when the hell did that happen? You've awakened!"
"Oh my god! So like!" Sarah eagerly jumped and dived into the coach opposite Andrew, settling herself and making sure that she was comfortable before she continued, "You know how I like sent that text to you right?"
"Yur." he curtly replied.
"So like, juuuuuust before that, I was just out and about looking at some shops at the mall, seeing what was interesting and stuff, when some small dick fuckin' piece of shit mouth breathing bitch weirdo came up behind me and grabbed my ass."
Andrew cringed inwardly and frowned, sitting up and listening more attentively to her. Andrew may sass and bully his sister on a whim, but he is still her older brother. Hearing that she was publicly groped isn't something he'd be thrilled to hear about.
If he'd ever seen something like that happen in front of him personally, castration via firearm would be the absolute minimum of what he'd do.
"Go on."
"Right, right, right, so like the creepazoid is behind me right? And like not too long ago I saw a clip of a dude throwing another dude over his shoulder and figured, 'that shit looks easy!' So I did exactly that! I threw him over my shoulder!"
A menacing smile spread across her visage as an evil glint shone in her red eyes, "When I threw him, I mean I THREW him. The fat discord mod sailed through the air like a baby bird thrown out of the nest! Cept' he was fat, stupid, and ugly."
"What's this got to do with arcanum?" Andrew thought he should clarify, although listening to her story, he was quite entertained and oddly enough proud.
"Ah, right, so like, when I said I threw him, I threw him about…" She began to count on her fingers. "One, two, three… About like thirty meters… ish? I'm not too sure, but sign me up for the Olympics!" Sarah nodded rapidly, proud of her own achievements, and her smile turned to her usual smug.
"Ah, also." Sarah began to tap her cheek in thought as she remembered another part of the story. "I kinda threw Chubster Mcgee into a store, shattering the majority of the windows and whatever else was on display up at the storefront, causing what I could assume to be expensive damage. And I uh…"
Oh no.
"...ran away, teehee~! ★" Sarah finished, her expression akin to that of a mischievous cat, as she hid a giggle behind her hand. "I tell you what as well! I could run like a trackstar bro! Straight up Usain Bolting that bitch!"
Andrew threw his head back against the coach's backrest in exasperation, running a hand through his hair, he asked. "Why would you run, problem child?"
Like a cat, she rolled onto her back, her fringe falling back into the rest of her hair, as her crimson eyes filled with amusement bore into her brothers' direction. "We have slaves, they can deal with the problem."
Andrew shot a reprimanding look at Sarah, "You can't call the people who work for us slaves! And I'm sure you could've quite easily dealt with the situation yourself, without running away!" Andrew leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling again. "Ugh, whatever, I'll send someone to clean your mess regardless."
"So you are using the slaves!" Sarah quipped back.
…
Andrew didn't respond to that, instead, he closed his eyes. "Sarah."
"Hello, yes that's me," she replied cheekily, her leg crossing over the other.
"I would like your help. Your arcanum, you'd be extremely helpful." Andrew spoke in a tone completely foreign to Sarah, as if it was doubt and concern?
Sarah's eyes widened in shock, Andrew was asking her for help–something that had never happened before, not like something about this anyway. Sarah hesitated, she didn't know how to respond. She played with the idea of sarcastically replying but swallowed that thought.
She smiled, as earnestly as he requested.
"Of course, Andrew."