Ezra entered with Nia and Kyle trailing slightly behind him. Dylan leaned back lazily in his chair, boots crossed on the desk, as if the entire world was one long nap he hadn't been able to finish.
Aaron was already there, standing near the window with arms folded.
The door clicked shut behind them.
"Good, you're all here." Dylan said, tone casual but lined with something harder. "We've got a problem out on the Elmore Road."
"A school bus disappeared two nights ago. Forty-eight kids, four teachers and the driver. All gone without a trace."
Kyle's eyes widened. "Gone? Like disappeared?"
"Something like that..." Aaron confirmed. His eyes didn't move from the map. "The bus entered Elmore Road at 9:43 p.m. after a school trip. Cameras caught it but it never came out the other side."
Kyle's throat dried. "And nobody saw… anything?"
Ezra leaned against the wall, one hand tucked in his pocket, his tone smooth but laced with mockery. "Sounds like police work to me, Captain. Missing kids, missing bus. You sure this isn't their mess to clean up?"
"No, Ezra... it's not." Dylan shot back instantly, his grin gone. He leaned forward, elbows on his desk, eyes sharp. "Three separate cars vanished on that very same road in the last week. All at night and every time, the pattern's the same... recorded entry but the exit never happens."
"If it were a human crime, there'd be evidence but there's nothing." Aaron added.
Dylan gave a single nod. "Exactly, which is why this is our jurisdiction."
"So what's the mission?" Ezra asked, tilting his head like a bored cat.
"You're going in." Dylan replied bluntly. He reached for a file, tossed it onto the desk. Photographs spilled out: the missing bus, the parents holding up posters. "And you will investigate... find the source, secure any survivors if there are any and put an end to whatever's lurking out there."
"Another thing..." Aaron said, firmly. "I'm staying behind, you two will lead this."
"Wait.. let me get this straight, we're dragging this along?" Ezra said, pointing at Kyle. "Nothing about this says 'mission success' with deadweight tagging with us."
Kyle stiffened but before he could respond, Nia cut in with a voice that was calm but edged. "He'll only be observing. And I'll make sure he comes back unharmed."
Ezra rolled his eyes but didn't argue further. "Fine then."
Dylan leaned back, balancing his chair on two legs. "Alright, then it's settled. Knockout time's tonight, you'll leave at twenty-hundred sharp."
Kyle frowned. "So we're just… walking into it?"
"Oh yeah, one other thing..." Dylan turning his gaze to Nia,"...take the Kyle down to Drew before you leave. Can't have him tagging along empty-handed."."
Kyle blinked. "Drew?"
"Our weaponsmith..." Nia supplied, her tone lighter now. "You'll need something in your hands, even if it's just for defense."
Ezra slipped out first, muttering something under his breath that Kyle couldn't catch.
Nia touched Kyle's shoulder gently. "Come on."
The forge was tucked deep in the West Division compound, behind reinforced doors and a set of winding halls that smelled faintly of smoke and metal. Even before they entered, the ringing of a hammer on steel echoed down the corridor, steady and rhythmic like a heartbeat.
Nia pushed the door open and heat hit Kyle instantly. Inside, sparks rained as a man worked over an anvil. He looked up as they entered, flashing a grin that was equal parts sharp and easygoing.
"Yo, Nia!" His voice was smooth, playful, threaded with slang. "Who's the new blood?"
"This is Kyle..." Nia introduced, her voice carrying an unusual note of respect. "We need a weapon for him."
Drew set down his hammer and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands. He walked over, size and presence filling the room almost as much as his voice.
"Aight, newbie." Drew said, looking Kyle over like he was inspecting a car. "Listen good, 'cause this ain't just pickin' steel off a rack. These pieces..." He gestured toward the walls where the weapons hung. "...are rare alloys, demonic science fused right into the bones of 'em."
Kyle's eyes flicked over the racks, awe prickling at him.
Drew stepped closer, lowering his voice. "So here's wassup. You don't choose these babies, your rightful will chooses you. It's gonna reach out to your soul."
Kyle swallowed, glancing back at Nia who gave a small nod of encouragement.
He turned back to the racks, stepping forward cautiously. His hand hovered near a short sword... nothing. He tried a spear... nothing again. An axe... still nothing. Every weapon he touched felt distant.
Frustration crept in. "What if nothing chooses me?"
Then his eyes caught on something leaning against the far wall. A scythe, its blackened shaft curved elegantly, the blade long and gleaming, edges whispering with a faint shimmer of light like a dying star. Without thinking, he reached out.
Drew let out a low whistle. "...A scythe, huh? Damn, newbie... bold soul you got there."
Kyle glanced at Nia, almost apologetic. "I… don't even know how to use one."
Nia tilted her head. Then she smiled faintly. "Sometimes it's not about what you know. It's about what you're meant to learn."
Kyle blinked, gripping the weapon tighter.
Drew chuckled, slapping his shoulder. "Aight, kid. That thing chose you, don't matter if you never swung one in your life. Respect it, train with it... it'll respect you back or kill you."
Kyle paled. "Kill me?"
"Relax, he's playing." Nia stepped in then, placing a hand gently on Kyle's arm. "Let's go get some rest, now. We leave in three hours."
Kyle nodded, still staring down at the weapon in his hands. As they left the forge, Drew's voice followed them out, echoing with a crooked laugh.
"I was playin' newbie, that baby gonna mess you up one day."
Kyle didn't answer. His grip only tightened on the weapon as he followed Nia into the dim corridors of the Division