Mistveil City. 'The Crow's Nest' Bar.
The air is damp and dark. 'The Crow's Nest' bar is located on the dark edge of the city, with light coming only from a few dim oil lamps on the walls. The air is dominated by the smell of cheap beer and cigarettes. Small whispers and the faint sound of a dusty piano are heard everywhere.
In a shadowy corner of the bar counter, Viper sits alone. He has removed his dark mask, and the resentment and anger from his retreat just minutes ago are reflected on his face. He grips the scorched whiskey glass tightly in front of him. The coldness of the glass cannot extinguish the heat of his anger.
Viper quickly drinks his whiskey and slams the glass onto the bar counter with a loud "CLACK!"
At that moment...
A set of slow, decisive footsteps approaches Viper. The sound exists separately, distinct from the other noises in the bar. Viper does not turn, but his Variant senses alert him to the close threat.
A person stealthily approaches the empty stool beside Viper. It is a tall figure, with their entire body covered in black attire. A wide-brimmed black hat is pulled low over their head, making their face completely disappear into the hat's shadow. No part of the face is visible.
The figure pulls the stool beside Viper with no sound, and slowly lowers the wooden leg to the ground for about half a second.
Viper's heart rate accelerates. He only turns his eyes to the side, catching a glimpse of the figure.
The person sits in silent stillness, saying nothing, not even calling the bartender. One of their hands slowly moves onto the table.
Viper's eyes focus on the hand. It wears a black leather glove. As the palm opens, only a small amount of light touches the spot.
In the center of the palm, a secret metallic insignia glints faintly under the dim light. It has the shape of an owl flying stealthily at night, giving off a sense of suspicion that the image could vanish in the blink of an eye.
The Night Hunter Insignia.
Viper's eyes widen. His anger completely vanishes, replaced by cold interest. He cannot see the agent's face, yet he feels their gaze is fixed on his face.
Then, a deep, air-like voice emerges from beneath the hat.
Masked Agent: "Your hunt failed, Viper."
Viper: (Clearing his throat, with a steady voice) "What do you want? I work for The Stranger."
Masked Agent: "We also desire the Artifact now. But our objective is not the same as yours."
He puts the insignia back into his palm. Everything happens within seconds.
The person leans forward slightly. Though their voice is low, it feels as if it commands the entire atmosphere.
Masked Agent: "Viper... I already know your secret..."
Viper's face immediately turns pale, and he freezes, unable to utter a word. He never expected The Night Hunter to know his secret.
Masked Agent: "Viper... Come to The Night Hunter. We can help you escape Joker."
At Knox's House.
The Librarian girl with golden-blonde hair is enthusiastically greeting everyone in Makus's basement.
The first person she sees is Knox. She smiles sweetly and sincerely, pulling both of Knox's hands and greeting him warmly.
Anya: "Its a pleasure to meet you, Grandpa... My name is Anya Solara Fenia."
Anya's use of the word "Grandpa" makes Knox's eyes look lifeless.
Knox: "Grandpa???..." he whispered.
Makus mocks Knox.
Makus: "Haha... Old man Knox... Congratulations."
Next, she goes down into the basement and meets Edgar first. As soon as she sees him, she greets him just like she did Knox, pulling both of Edgar's hands with her small hands.
Anya: "Its a pleasure to meet you! My name is Anya Solara Fenia. I hope we can work well together!"
Her innocent face, charming and lovely smile, and the warmth of her small, soft hands make Edgar's face instantly flush red.
Afterward, she finds Clara and Jun in the room. As usual, she greets Clara by pulling both of her hands once, and then Jun by pulling both of his hands once.
Clara is immediately charmed and feels friendship toward her due to her enthusiasm and loveliness.
Then, Makus and Edgar enter.
Makus: "Everyone, greet her. This is The Librarian, a Trigger-8 rank from Watchers HQ."
Edgar and Clara are extremely astonished and simultaneously exclaim the same words loudly.
"Trigger 8! The Librarian?... Is this real!..."
Edgar immediately steps toward Anya, bowing at the waist in a military fashion and lowering his head. He then raises his voice slightly.
Edgar: "I am Scouter Number-14 Edgar Lockwood from Watchers HQ Delta-9 Division."
Clara also bows as Edgar did, raising her voice slightly.
Clara: "I am Scouter Number-15 Clara Silvana from Watchers HQ Delta-9 Division.
Jun watches them, unsure of what to do.
Anya smiles with delight and praises Edgar and Clara.
Anya: "Good, both of you... You should always treat your superiors with respect like this... Well done..."
Then, her eyes immediately land on Makus, who is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and she stares at him.
Anya: "Better than some old geezers, I suppose."
Anya's remark makes Makus blink twice in confusion. Then he asks:
Makus: "Great Anya... What idea brought you here? Our code only mentions up to Archon level. We didn't request The Librarian."
Anya puts her hands on her hips, giving Makus a side-eye as she replies.
Anya: "Are you being sarcastic, old coot? I came because I was bored..."
Then, her eyes instantly burn and shine with excitement as she continues.
Anya: "As soon as I heard a war was about to break out here... I transformed into my Phoenix form and flew here as fast as I could! Hee hee..."
Makus closes his eyes, covers his face with his hand, and shakes his head.
Makus: "Damn it... That's why she got here so fast... It confirms we have no other reinforcements."
Then, she sees Jun, who is pretending to sleep on the wooden bench because he is unsure of what to do.
Anya: "Hey, the one lying there... Who are you?" she asks in a loud voice.
Anya's voice corners Jun, who is feigning sleep, and he struggles to respond.
At that moment, Makus quickly grabs Anya's hand tightly.
Makus: "Come with me, Anya... I have to explain everything to you." As he speaks, he drags Anya out of the room.
Anya (Confused): "Ehh... W-Wait, Makus... Hey... Wait up..."
Anya is dragged out before she can finish her sentence.
Cornered, Jun sits up from his feigned sleep. Edgar, who is wiping his round spectacles with a thin cloth, asks:
Edgar: "Why did you pretend to sleep?"
Clara also looks at Jun, waiting for his answer.
Jun immediately scratches his head, feigning ignorance.
Jun: "I wonder why I did that, though..."
The truth is, Jun is uncomfortable saying his real name. Because he lacks a family name like the people of this world, he is trying to think of one. He only spoke his real name to Isaac due to the extreme circumstances.
Clara leaves the basement and walks toward Makus and Anya. Edgar stays in the room, blissfully replaying Anya's smile in his mind. Jun interrupts the blissful Edgar.
Jun: "Mr. Lockwood... Can I ask you something?" He scratches his chin as he speaks.
Edgar adjusts his crooked round spectacles at the sound of Jun's voice.
Edgar: "Ahem... Ask away, young man."
Jun: "In this world... Is there any power or object that can summon a person from another world? What do you think?"
Edgar: (Holding his spectacle frames, thinking seriously) "Someone from another world... really?" He seems to recall something, raising an eyebrow.
Edgar: "Before the Corrupted Era... in the Cataclysmic Era, there were rumors about summoning people from another world. But all that information was sealed away under a secret system."
Jun looks at Edgar with intense curiosity.
Jun: "Hmm... And what then?... How did those people summon them? And what happened to those people? Haven't you heard anything else about it?"
Edgar: "No... Only that rumor remains. All information related to it will likely only be with the highest sovereign authorities of the world."
At that moment....
Makus and Anya enter the room. Anya, having heard the full story from Makus, immediately walks toward Jun. Then, with her glowing eyes, mixed with gold and red, she stares at him.
Anya's powerful gaze makes Jun's body become stiff like a stone statue, not only externally but also in his soul. She is scrutinizing Jun's entire body.
Then, she taps her chin with a delicate finger and speaks after a moment.
Anya: "Makus is right... We can't just leave you unsupervised."
Makus immediately responds to Anya's statement.
Makus: "I've thought it through, Anya... Let the boy stay with our team... We will take responsibility for him and monitor him."
Edgar and Clara also immediately nod in agreement.
Makus looks at Jun.
Makus: "Young man... This is the only best choice you have left... How about it... Will you join us?"
Jun planned to join the Scouters from the start. Joining The Watchers organization is the best way to uncover the necessary information and the mysteries about himself that he can't solve alone.
Jun immediately accepts Makus's offer.
Jun: "I will join you, Mr. Volken."
Then Anya asks Jun for his name.
Anya: "What is your name... strange person?"
Jun is instantly cornered about saying his name. Then, he remembers his favorite vampire character, Alaric, from a vampire game he used to play in his original world.
As soon as he remembers, Jun answers Anya's question.
Jun: "My name is.... Alaric... ummm..."
After saying Alaric, he thinks of a family name for about two seconds. Then he immediately remembers Bander.
He continues his broken sentence.
"...umm.... Walcroft... Yes... Alaric Walcroft... That is my name."
As soon as Makus hears the name, he steps toward Jun, extending his hand for a handshake.
Makus: "Mr. Walcroft... You are now one of our allies."
Jun looks at Makus's outstretched hand, then immediately extends his own hand, and they shake hands.