Time flew by quickly, nearly 12 hours till the next day when all chaos would break loose.
The sneering tension creeping through the large room of Horas Council HQ was palpable, capable of choking those unable to bear its force.
8 Men and women of different ages ranging from at least their 20s - 80s sat on well-furnished seats around a polished table, their expressions grim, vaguely illuminated by the blue lights installed across the room.
This wasn't an ordinary event but rather the gathering of the eight most important people in Hagi, each representing a valuable position only experienced people could achieve.
At the left edge was a man with white hair, maybe in his 70s, though his tough and composed build held too much vigor to be so old. His name was Alfrid Gonzo, the commander of the Magic Control Bureau (MCB) responsible for the control of cultivators and magic beasts based in Hagi.
Beside him was the gorgeous Lise Akme, the 'Transmigator' as she was usually referred to, the Head of the Life Link separating Hagi from Tora. Thanks to her efforts, both worlds remain parted safely. Her blonde hair slick and smooth under the pressure, with her ensnared lipstick more tempting than worrying.
Across from where she sat was the daring and bold Loyd FOID, a young yet talented individual some might even consider a prodigy. Considerably the youngest executive to sit round the table, but nonetheless, his calm demeanor and chill expression during the soaring tension was nothing less than impressive, standing at the top of the Cultivation world as a...
The rest had their faces hidden within veils for security, sitting with well-dressed guards stationed behind them.
"So has there been any confirmation from the headquarters in Tora?" Alfrid asked with a scowl, his tone drenched in worry.
"They haven't replied us since yesterday," Loyd replied, his tone stern yet unbothered.
"Lise..." He turned his gaze towards her. "How the hell did the transmission gates get breached?"
".....You're asking me? Shouldn't it be your job, Mr. Alfrid? Last I checked, we discovered there was a rat in YOUR section of command, so.....I really have nothing to do with this," her expression nonchalant as she blew and popped the bubble gum she'd been chewing for over an hour.
Over the course of a decade, the activity of small illegal cultivators had been increasing at a terrific pace, too coordinated as though being orchestrated from behind. The MCB were responsible for the legalization of cultivation tools as well as giving people who dwell in the world of cultivating IDs. Hence the main reason for the selection festival - those who cultivate without undergoing this process were called unregistered.
During Alfrid's period as commander of the MCB, two unregistered cultivators crusaded amongst them, stealing confidential information which aided them to sneak into the other half of the world without being torn apart by the dense mana in between, though all this was mainly a hypothesis, all evidence strongly pointed towards that direction.
Leaving him much to carry on his aging head, his wrinkled face coiled up into a larger scowl.
To make matters worse, their problems had doubled the previous day with the incident that occurred in an isolated village between Hora and Belto, forcing them to divert their attention temporarily.
It may have been possible that the gruesome scene was the handiwork of the same 2 infiltrators, yet more than unlikely. No current evidence found supported that assumption, but it remained hanging at the back of their minds. However, finding the perpetrator was their first priority; everything else came second, though the incident was already kept under wraps as though it never happened.
A small attribute of being high up in the Cultivation world.
The higher-ups wielded terrific power beyond just the everyday human manipulation of mana, practically a whole new threat on their own.
"Now's not the time to pass the baton of blame," a male voice spoke beneath a veil, its direction coming from the head of the table.
"I agree, we've already covered up what happened in that lowly town, so there won't be any scandals," spoke another veiled member, but this time the voice was sweet, much too feminine.
The rest remained silent, pretty much uninvolved in the entire conversation. The best piece of info they had on the two fugitives was that they held a dangerous beast capable of destroying many countries - that was all the Tora headquarters was willing to tell them; everything else was confidential.
Including its description or what powers the beast may have.
"Let's put a bounty on their heads," Loyd suggested, his tone remaining eerily calm. "I'll use my manipulation skill 'The Yearning' to get as best a description of their faces as possible."
"Why do we have to make this public? Can't we just distribute it amongst our men?" Lise asked, her brows raised in confusion.
'She can't be this dumb,' flashed through both Loyd and Alfrid's thoughts.
"It would be wiser if our internal forces handle what happened at the border. After all, the bounty on the heads of 2 intruders might even keep some nosy people distracted, if you get what I mean," said another of the veiled members, his voice much too thick, clearly that of a man's.
"Oohhhh," Lise exclaimed.
His words bore weight as it sank into their minds - it'd only make sense to divert the attention of any and all possible problems, be it the general public or small adventurer guilds. Of course, a large sum of money had to be decided to entice them.
"Leave everything else to me," Loyd requested, calm yet persuasively. "I'll handle distracting the general public with the bounty, along with bringing those 2 men to justice."
His young face boasted with confidence, his smirk warmer than a cold night's tea.
In unison, all the members at the table nodded their heads, giving the green light, with Lise being the only exception, but then again, no one ever took her opinions seriously in the first place.
Meanwhile Phonzo continued to snuggle with the grey wolf because....well.... because he was training!
"Your so cute!" More or less.
The memories of Ammaina and her existence non existent in his mind as he played, his already worn out dirty clothes painted with dust and dirt as he rolled across the grassy ground with Laura.
All his troubles tucked at the back of his mind, for now he'd rather frolic under the day's sun, a wide grin and satisfied chuckles frequent his lips.
Unaware of the grueling fate life had set for him.
The Hagi Council wasn't the only people prepping for a spectacle with 11 hours remaining till the next day.
Within that time, after an hour, a new bounty had been released, each flier posted on every wall, pole and online site in Hora, slowly making its way to the other countries as well.
The features of two men were clearly depicted on the sheets of paper. The first one having light skin, a ponytail and a harsh face, while the other having spiky hair and fangs for teeth, his expression carefree.
Though the paper's format was in black and white, so only smart people could actually identify them without mismatching those with similar features. Beneath the depicted images, in bold, the fliers wrote:
Names: ????
Bounty Reward: [50 million GC]
Please contact #2346796346 For cultivation rewards.
Threat level: likely copper – Bronze Enhancement realm unregistered
————
Such a huge reward money was bound to pique the interest of many, though considering the stage of the majority of the cultivators and bounty hunters in Hagi, they were children compared to the two.
But even then, it had people's blood racing, some planning to use strategic methods instead of brute strength, others banding in groups to take them on, wasting no time heading for the chance.
The Race was on! The cultivators of Hora sped to their ends with cocky grins and boasting smiles.
Amidst the brewing chaos, the top-ranked were on a race of their own, sending their units to investigate with the utmost secrecy, their actions eluding the sharp eyes of the media.
"Why would the MCB put such a high bounty on 2 Bronze ranks?" Zack pondered, sitting on the bed within his snow-white room, the floors and ceilings glittered spotless. "Something isn't right," he concluded.
Everything was slowly forming into place, were the thoughts of the redhead as he laid on a comfy water bed with a front view of Belto city from his glass wall. His eyes shut in satisfaction, breathing the delightful cold breeze of the chilling AC.
He had two reasons for wiping out those people from the Hagi map. His first was to create a distraction to get the MCB off their trail. He wasn't as dumb as he looked, perfectly well aware their movements would be tracked down until they were caught, forcing his twisted brain to come up with the only solution to keep them off their trail, thus the first reason.
The second was the most twisted reason of all, "Because I wanted to see if they'd put up a fight...." his smile turned menacing, filling his eyes with pleasure that gleamed unusually. "Though they were weak as sticks, they made good pre-lunch entertainment."
"I really hope that wolf bonds with someone before tomorrow and they become strong... that'll be a hell lota fun," He snickered. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Before bursting out in maniacal laughter.
3 different events, all aiming for 3 different goals, all interlocked by 1 catalyst - the mysterious Beast capable of stirring chaos without being involved itself. The grey fox 'Laura' the true monster amongst them.