The courtyard fills the air with the sounds of recruits training in the courtyard, socializing in the distance. The summer heat quickly kicks in, blasting the temple with its cool winds.
"Secret Defense: Hollow Whisper," Seth commands, raising his arms forward. Nothing.
"Come on," he groans. "How did Alwin do this?"
"You're doing well, Seth," Adam compliments, hands in his pockets. "It was better than the last time."
Seth groans as he shoots his arms forward.
"Can't believe you guys got promoted to the secret division," Anby congratulates, amazed. "It's like the biggest honor around here."
"Really?" Kiara says, eyebrow arching. "It just feels like a regular promotion."
"Even though everyone around here despises the Surveillance Corp because they smell, they're icky, they don't shower," Adam exaggerates, playing around with his hands. "Being in the Surveillance Corp is the easiest ticket into the secret division."
"Okay," Kiara shrugs.
"You just don't get it," Adam says, shaking Kiara back and forth. "It's the kind of job where you don't exist until there is some secret mission that will likely leave you dead and stranded somewhere abroad, but the honor of doing something that can rewrite history and stuff."
"We'll be the ones to clean up the mess no one wants to do because they're all fighting cursed spirits," he continues, all excited.
"Adam, breathe air," Kiara suggests.
He takes a deep breath.
"Almost lost consciousness there," he comments, clutching his chest. "That's why it's pretty awesome. They saw our gifts, they saw how useful and strong we are, Mr. Harlow decided to recruit us."
He glances at Anby and Seth. "Sorry, guys, you're a bit too young to be recruited. Maybe next time."
"It's fine," Anby nods.
"Wait, I think I got it this time," Seth says, alerting the others. "Secret Defense: Hollow Whisper."
A spark of spiritual energy flares up before fizzling like a failed firework.
"I mean, you got something to happen," Adam says, trying to be supportive. "That is better than the other tries."
"It would be much better if Alwin left a scroll on how to do this spell when he was alive and not evil," Seth says, wiping the sweat off his brow.
Zhang crosses through the courtyard, glancing at his surroundings before stopping right in front of Kiara's group. "Are you two ready?"
"Yeah," Kiara answers, resting her head. "Ready as can be."
Adam nods in agreement.
Zhang tilts his head back, a little irritated by the attitude.
Up above on a balcony, Edward glances down on the courtyard below him, contemplating.
"Kiara will be fine, Edward," Quincy Harlow assures, wobbling over. "Those two have Zhang, and he's one of our best for a reason. The mission will go smoothly."
"If something bad happens on this mission, Quincy…" Edward glares. "It's not going to end well for you because that's when you should have realized to pick me instead."
"Sorry, old man, you'll break a hip before you even infiltrate that train."
"You're way too confident in yourself," Edward mutters. "That's a bad omen around here. I've seen what the confident types become— dead before they even get a plea."
A silence draws between them.
Quincy glances over. "Such a pessimist. Threatening the director himself."
"Realist," Edward corrects, taking a heavy sigh. "Because I'm ready to fix the mess that you're not able to do yourself."
"Always the threats," Quincy sighs, annoyed. "You hear yourself, 'Crazy' Edward.
"Loud and clear," Edward says, glancing back. "However, mind if you tell me everything you know about Aldehard Romano?"
The thought lingers in Quincy's mind with consideration.
Meanwhile, as Zhang brings Kiara and Adam through the warp hub system, they end up in the interior of the headquarters.
"Keys, Hanley," Zhang orders, extending his flat palm forward. The secretary at the front desk quickly digs through his cabinet, momentarily stalling the Warden's patience.
Hanley chucks the keys at Zhang as the trio ends up at a bulky black car in the parking lot.
"I'll take the driver's seat," Zhang says, holding the keys firmly.
"Then I'll take shotgun," Kiara pounces, planting herself on the front passenger seat.
"I got the back?" Adam groans.
On the road, the tires of the car merge in and out of the lanes, leaving only a faint hum. Kiara presses on each of the radio stations, trying to find a tune and not the boring conversations of the radio hosts for hours on end.
Static.
Country.
Pop.
Static.
Zhang's fingers curl around the wheel, eyes sharp on the road.
And then there's Adam.
"That cloud looks like a sword, doesn't it?" he points out outside, unknowingly kicking Zhang's seat. "That car looks like that one movie you told me about, Kiara, the one about hunting ghosts."
"Zhang, your posture is terrible, like an old man; you should fix it."
"Did you see that car? He definitely cut us off on purpose."
Zhang wraps his fingers around the volume knob, twisting it to higher.
He tries to draw out Adam's blabbering mouth, but all he hears is a mix of weird, distorted noise and the faint hint of what he's saying.
His fists tighten harder on the wheel, looking like a blood vessel burst.
"There's still a couple more hours until we reach the border of Nevada," Zhang states, ignoring Adam in the back. "We have to make sure we reach the border before the train does, so we can easily infiltrate inside."
"Why can't we use the warp hub system?" Kiara asks, pushing the seat back a bit. "You know, instant travel to Nevada instead?"
"It's only for major cities, Kiara," Zhang answers, "It's mostly just outposts scattered all across America."
A large black Cadillac glides onto the highway in the distance, blending in with the assortment of cars around.
"Oh, Adam," Zhang's eye glances through the internal mirror. "Have you picked your spiritual technique yet? The one that you will awaken?"
"Oh. Uuuhhh," Adam chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. "Not really."
"The rest of your peers have already decided on what technique they're going to awaken, I'm concerned about you," Zhang acknowledges, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Maybe I'll just be like Kiara," Adam says, leaning forward. "I don't need a mystic orb to tell me what power out of a list I should pick. I shall let fate decide, and it'll awaken for me."
"That only happened for Kiara because she was in a life-or-death situation against Alwin," Zhang corrects, lips tightening. "You can't rely on a moment like that for your power to awaken. Sometimes you just have to do it yourself."
"You know what powers you could awaken for weeks now," he continues. "It's been your decision for a while."
"I mean, you're acting like choosing a power is automatically going to awaken you," Adam insinuates. "I mean, you still have to train and get stronger. The choosing process is more about saying that you pre-locked your ability when the time is right."
"Adam," Zhang says, low and unamused. "You know what I mean."
The list of Adam's potential abilities pops up in his head: Orb: Select one– Mimicry, Bubble pulse, Spiritual manipulation, Telekinesis, Illusion, Emotion manipulation.
Zhang's fingers tighten harder. Those powers aren't normal for a light-hearted jokester like Adam, especially mimicry.
He stares at the road ahead, almost absent-minded, until Kiara's voice pierces through his buttery trance, jarring him slightly off course.
"Zhang, is this car bulletproof?" she asks, her fingers closing tightly around the handlebars. "Almost weird if the Surveillance Corp didn't give us one."
"Cars aren't bulletproof, Kiara," Zhang presses his foot on the accelerator. Kiara fiddles with the radio knob, already hating the song they just played. Suddenly, the black Cadillac rams itself like a full-fledged battering ram, sending everyone crashing forward inside the interior.
Metal screams.
Tires screech.
Another Cadillac cuts in front of a nearby car, with the driver pulling out a pistol.
The descending bullets smash against the windshield. Being utterly dizzy from the earlier shove, Kiara ducks mere moments before the glass pierces her.
Slamming on the pedal, Zhang felt the car hitch for barely a moment before putting his foot down harder and deftly avoiding the stream of bullets.
"IT'S NOT BULLETPROOF!" Adam yells, tucking low.
"I never said it was bulletproof!" Zhang snaps back, keeping his shoulders and his head close. He swerves the car, narrowly hitting a few passing vehicles.
"Watch it. You almost hit them," Kiara reprimands, holding her breath.
"Try driving while bullets are flying right at you," Zhang says as bullets crash through the back window. Opening the car door, Adam starts to climb out of the vehicle.
"Boy, what are you doing?" Zhang howls, gripping onto the wheel for dear life, as the car twists furiously from between his hands. The tires feel the asphalt scream harshly below it; its suspensions groan under the uneven ground.
"Keep her steady," Adam says, maintaining his balance on the car roof. His body remains rigid like a statue as bullets rain towards him. Many passengers peek their heads out of their windows, not sure what's happening. The enemy car weaves through traffic with precision, bullets firing out from the passenger side, hailing the ground.
The front of one of the enemy cars arms directly into the rear, while showering the back with a gift of another ram. The force sends Zhang crashing forward on the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve momentarily. Adam's footing slips through the chaos, chest slamming on the hood of the car.
Metal crunches.
A soft gasp escapes his lips.
Back at the Warden temple, the Emissary types on his laptop, staring down at the hit order he just placed. He presses his fingers on the earpiece as his free arm continues pressing keys like it were a piano.
"Kiara, Adam, and Zhang are currently ambushed at a highway sector at this moment," he relays, tone calm and efficient. "However, it's best I mention the Arbiter and what he's currently planning."
The end of the earpiece receiver grows into static as the Emissary looks over the hit order.
Back at the highway, Adam holds onto dear life as he maintains his footing on the car roof. He stabs the roof with his broadsword; thankfully, he only stabs the backseat area as he tightens his grip on the hilt.
Zhang takes notice of that split-second reaction. "Kiara, I need you to——"
He turns his head to see Kiara already crawling halfway through the side window, trying to get on top of the car roof. His face remains a mix of disappointment and clear annoyance.
"They're going to be the death of me, one day," he mutters, "One day, I promise."
She keeps her body tucked and low as Zhang swerves the car.
"You know what you're doing?" Kiara asks, already regretting her life decisions—she didn't realize how fast the car was moving.
"No, not really," Adam answers, squinting his eyes. "However, I see around five enemy cars in the distance."
"Let's get this over with," Kiara says, trying not to look at the ground blitzing underneath. She brings her fist over, waiting for Adam to bump her back. Adam glances at the gesture before bumping her knuckles. Kiara spreads her fingers wide apart, wiggling them like a Fourth of July firework.