Unknown
The brown-haired woman can be seen shakily walking in the alleyway, her arm tied with her coat to stop its bleeding, and she winces in pain with every step, her back broken during the previous encounter. This is a very rare case for her, as despite whenever things go wrong, she could easily slip into the crowd and hide amongst them, leaving the chaos unscathed.
That person, the one who took her arm off, is an anomaly.
She didn't know who that person was, and she had expected the demolition plan to fail, given how sloppy Vision Corporation was. But what she didn't expect was a person hunting her down and even leading the Public Security in an attempt to ambush her.
Sure, the attempt failed, but it was due to her experience in escaping a tough situation, and the mystery man lacked experience in ambush. If it were someone else from the Exaltist, they would be captured and have their information extracted.
"Speak of the devil..." The woman mutters as her phone rings. She takes a deep breath before picking up the call. "Hello?"
"Sarah, report," An unknown voice speaks through the phone, demanding the woman who called Sarah.
"As expected, Perlman got himself arrested and exposed, albeit much sooner than predicted," Sarah says with heavy breaths, enduring the pain she felt. "Oh, and also, we got an anomaly."
"...are you alright?" The unknown voice speaks through the phone, revealing a hint of concern in their tone.
"Is that concern I hear?" Sarah chuckles before pausing a bit. "...that anomaly, he attempted to ambush me and even drag some Public Security Officers to his side. Whoever he is, he had a connection, and his strength, it's...unnatural."
"...we're going to need more detail, send me your locations. Our agents will bring you back," The voice speaks. "Also, did you manage to get the Sacrifice?"
"...unfortunately, we can't approach the Sacrifice this time. The PubSec had increased their security after the incident, and I hadn't heard any news from Bringer." Sarah hisses.
"I suppose that's better than nothing," The voice says in a disappointed tone. "Now, send your coordinates so our agents can get you."
"You could just track down my phone, you know," Sarah chuckles before letting out a wince, and the call ends. As she sent her coordinates, a seed of fear had unknowingly latched onto her heart.
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With Caelus
"...."
"...."
Caelus can be seen sitting at the cafeteria table while facing Meilian, who stares at him with a disapproving stare. Phil can be seen sitting on the other side, eating his food while watching the scene, and Slyboo happily consumes his high-quality electrolytes.
"So, I heard from Qingyi what happened earlier," Meilian says as Caelus lowers his head. "...I am not mad, but I am concerned for what happened."
"S-Sorry," Caelus says while wincing.
"Qingyi had called earlier, saying how you enter the Hollow with a group of Hollow Raiders to save a group of civilians," Phil chokes on his food upon hearing that and stares at Caelus in disbelief. "And from the report, you got yourself injured badly and only recovered due to unknown reasons."
"Uh...." Caelus had no answer to that. He didn't even know what exactly gives Caelus a regeneration ability, the Stellaron or the body vessel used to contain it. But it seems powerful enough to even gain points for Path of Abundance.
"I...have no idea what's in your mind, but please, don't try to risk your life like that ever again," Meilian says with a pleading look.
"...I can promise to try," Caelus says with a weak smile. "Sorry for worrying you, Miss Meilian."
"Doing the right thing is good, but not at the risk of your own life," Meilian says as she pats Caelus's shoulder. "You're a good man, Caelus. The world really needs one, so please treasure your life."
"...I will," Caelus nods before Meilian sighs and walks back. After she left, Caelus let out a relieved sigh before collapsing into the chair. As he calms himself down, Phil appears next to him like a cartoon character, staring at him judgmentally. "...not a word, Phil."
"Hypocrite," Phil says bluntly.
"For your information, I went to Hollow with a good reason," Caelus retorts.
"That is not why I call you that," Phil says in annoyance. "You call me out for risking my life, and yet you also did it, albeit for a different reason."
"I wasn't intending to do so," Caelus mutters. "My body simply moves on its own."
"What are you? An anime protagonist?" Phil deadpans, earning a flick on his forehead. "Oww!"
"How's your study, anyways?" Caelus asks as he adjusts his position.
"What are you, my mom?" Phil mutters, before Caelus keeps staring at him. "...I got the highest score on my test."
"You didn't sound excited. Is it because of those idiots again?" Caelus asks, only to receive silence from Phil. "...I guess bullies these days have more patience than the ones I used to deal with."
"Why do you act like you're old?" Phil asks in a dry tone.
"Tomorrow morning, 4.00 A.M.," Caelus suggests, earning a blink from Phil. "It's time to teach you some self-defense."
"H-huh?!" Phil asks in disbelief.
"Also, given there won't be any lectures tomorrow, you're coming with me to H.I.A., I heard their virtual combat simulator is super effective and even recommended by Yanagi of Section 6," Caelus says.
"Did I have any say in this?!?!" Phil exclaims.
"Yeah," Phil blinks at Caelus's answer. "It's a choice, but honestly, I 100% believe you'll accept this. You're already tired of everything involving your bullies and how you wish you could retaliate. I can see it in your eyes."
"....what are you, my dad?" Phil grumbles, not willing to admit Caelus had guessed his current feelings correctly. "Fine, but only because you offered it. A free workout lesson is not something I can decline."
"You have chosen, wisely," Phil widens his eyes as he witnesses the scariest and ugliest grin that even his bullies are unable to pull off. He had wondered what kind of devil he had made a deal with?
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The Next Day
Apparently, it's a very bad one.
Phil can be seen collapsing on Caelus's body, all of his fur is drenched in his own sweat, and he could feel his muscles tear off multiple times. If it weren't for Thiren's enhanced recovery compared to humans, he would be crying in pain for several hours straight.
'What kind of human is he!?!' Phil thought in horror as he shivered in fear, experiencing the painful flashback of the torture disguised as training he had to endure. Phil bets that any bullies who joined this training would be crying like babies.
"Y-you...you're a monster..." Phil mutters, too tired to move, as Caelus gives him a piggyback ride.
"I take that as a compliment," Caelus says cheerfully, causing Phil to shiver again. The cheerful tone he used also triggered another flashback as he constantly used it during his training. Caelus had walked back to their apartment as Caelus opened the door, and Slyboo greeted him before noticing Phil's state.
"...Nah? (...What did I miss?)" Slyboo asks in confusion. He didn't join Caelus during their training as his partner had let him sleep in.
"I....am so jealous of you," Phil says to Slyboo, who tilts its head in confusion as Phil shakily opens the door and enters his room before closing it with a greater force.
"...let's let him rest before going to H.I.A.," Caelus says while scratching his cheek sheepishly.
"...Eh-nah na!? (...What did you do to him!?)" Slyboo asks in disbelief as Caelus goes to shower. As he lets the water hit his face, he pauses a bit before opening the System to check if there's anything new.
[Oh, so you have now decided to check on me, user?]
"....sorry," Caelus says apologetically as he glances at the system. His inbox has several unread messages. He opens it up and sees what he got.
[For completing the secret mission - Exposing Vision, you have gained [Amber Shard X1 (Material item)], and 400 Exp for Preservation Path]
[Preservation (LVL 4) - 2/500] (+40 PE)
"No Eidolons, huh...." Caelus mutters. "Honestly, the rewards are a bit...underwhelming. But, given how much Dennies I earned from the incident, I think this is fair."
After cleaning himself up and changing his clothes (wearing a plain blue shirt and black trousers), he hears a knock on his door. Confused, Caelus opens it and sees Phil standing in front of him with a new set of clothes, waiting for him.
"...you know you could get some rest before going to H.I.A., right?" Caelus suggests, earning an exasperated groan from Phil before he enters Caelus's room and rests on his bed. Caelus blinks before snorting in laughter.
After getting some rest, they both went to the cafeteria. Caelus helps out Meilian again (And he still had hard times keeping up with her insane speeds) while Phil lazily gets himself some food along with Slyboo.
After breakfast, they both went to the H.I.A. building, and much to Caelus's surprise, he was greeted with the sight of Wise and Belle.
"Oh, hey!" Belle notices them entering the building and greets them. "I wasn't expecting to see you guys here."
"Hey, Belle, Wise." Caelus greets him as he glances at Wise, who nervously looks away as he remembers the threat Caelus had given him. Caelus winces at his reaction while Phil looks confused.
"So..." Belle says as she leans closer to Caelus with a smirk. "I heard from Nicole that you treated them to celebrate your successes. And yet, you guys didn't invite us?"
"To be fair, Officer Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were there. So, if I brought you guys with me, they will first be confused at why I brought a pair of strangers, and it won't take long for them to figure out your identities." Caelus explains as Belle pouts.
"So, you choose the officers over us?" Belle asks.
"Belle, I knew them longer than I knew you two, and I owe them multiple times, for getting me citizenship after getting to New Eridu, not arresting me despite the legal troubles I caused them, and even giving me rewards for everything," Caelus retorts.
"Okay, okay, I was just joking," Belle pouts even more.
"...I can treat you guys to noodles," Caelus sighs, and Belle pumps her fists in excitement. 'Gosh, I'm so glad I sold those fragments for more money.'
"Um, thanks," Wise says with a strained smile.
"...I'm sorry about yesterday," Caelus starts, causing Wise to blink owlishly. "I...was overreacting to what you did yesterday. I'm sorry."
"No, no, don't be," Wise says while waving his hands. "I...kinda understand your feeling. I would react the same if something happens to Eous. It...was the only thing left that reminds me of someone important to us."
"...I see," Caelus mutters as an awkward silence takes over.
"Boys, please don't make things romantically awkward," Belle says before Wise lightly pinches her cheek. "Ow, ow, ow!!!"
"So, you guys registering as members of H.I.A.?" Caelus asks, deciding to change the topic.
"Yup, the benefits of being a member are just too good to pass up," Belle says as she rubs her pinched cheek. "How about you guys?"
"I want to avoid another legal trouble if I decide to enter Hollow again," Caelus replies, ignoring Phil clearing his throat. "I would rather not bring troubles for Zhu Yuan and Qingyi."
"...let's just hope you don't," Belle mutters. "A lot of ex-members got kicked out due to legal issues they caused."
"I hope you don't as well," Caelus retorts before some H.I.A. members guide them to the waiting room. They all sit next to each other, waiting for their turns.
To be Continued