-"Hmm, contrary to what we initially thought, the boy has no memory issues whatsoever. He remembers perfectly who he is and the life he's lived. Everything has been compiled here."
Director Hwang held the file up in the air, and the papers floated of their own accord to the other end of the room.
The man who caught the papers was standing facing the glass and the panoramic view of Los Angeles, and began to read.
-"Let's see, let's see. His name is Levi Sonja, 16 years old, blah blah blah, lived with his grandfather, blah blah blah... this is much less interesting than I expected. He seems like a perfectly ordinary young boy. Is he one of those who mysteriously disappeared in that mansion ?"
-"According to our investigation and his statements, he did live in that mansion with the other missing people. It's just that he said he's from Tibet, but we didn't find any record of him in our database. We have to ask them if they can check on their side."
-"Also he seems to have become the host of an unidentified creature and is at the center of something suspicious, is that it?"
-"Exactly. Everything surrounding that mansion is shady. We have no data about the real owner either, the one he calls Grandfather. We have actual records of various purchases and shipments including the relic but everything else was erased. Someone seems to have covered all tracks regarding the grandfather and hos grandson."
-"Well, in any case, given the situation, we'll have to take care of Levi for a while. Manju, you're in charge of this."
-"Huuuuhh?!?" Director Hwang protested. "We're talking about a kid harboring an unknown Extinction Level creature. You're the only one who can handle this, President."
-"Pffuhahaha, in the end, he's still just a kid. Might as well send him to the Academy. Just observe him and report any strange events to me. You'll also handle the other recruits we were planning to send." added the president joyfully.
Hwang Manju despaired at the situation that had just been imposed on him. He clenched his teeth and fists, then after a moment, finally calmed down.
-"Very well, President, I'll handle it, but I'll do things my way."
-"As you wish, Manju. You have free rein," the President replied.
When Hwang Manju left the office, the President murmured to himself:
-"A new seed... Interesting."
Hwang Manju took the elevator and walked through the corridors without paying attention to his path. All the employees who saw him coming pressed themselves against the walls and greeted him with slight bows of their heads. The company's fox eyed and green haired black beast , HWANG Manju. Due to the sometimes extreme measures he employed, everyone saw him as a sort of inquisitor.
"Good morning, Mr. Hwang." "Good morning, Director Hwang."
He continued walking without acknowledging the numerous greetings and without stopping. His face and gait seemed imperturbable but still suggested that his mind was working at full capacity.
-"Ah! Director Hwang, you're finally here! We were waiting for you. We've gathered the kids in the waiting room next door—the last one just arrived," someone called out.
Manju turned his head toward the door that was indicated and headed toward it.
Tap, tap, tap, click
Three gazes fell on him simultaneously as soon as he took his first step into the room. A small blonde with blue eyes, straight posture, and a mocking smile who seemed to come from a distinguished family; a boy of the same age with black pupils and hair who was smiling as if he were on his first school trip; and a girl also with black hair but scarlet eyes whose aura strangely reminded one of a hostile black cat.
-"Follow me," Manju announced to the three children, without introduction or any preparation.
Then he left as quickly as he had arrived.
-"Hey! Wait! I can't believe this," cried the blonde while running toward the door, followed by the other two. "Can you at least explain where we're going or who you are? Aren't we supposed to get a little tour of the place first, or at least have the organization presented to us? And him there, what is he? What was that monster from earlier??" the little blonde continued while pointing at the black-haired boy. The boy in question responded by pointing at himself as well.
However, Manju wasn't paying attention to what the teens were doing since he was analyzing the report he had in front of him while walking.
Name: Noah Riviera (M)
Origins: Sicily (Italy), Riviera Family
Characteristics: Curly blonde hair, blue eyes, 1.67m
Age: 16 (August 25)
Observations: Curious, talkative, insolent. Likes to show off his knowledge and be the center of attention. Hides a knife in his right shoe. Seems perceptive, agile, and possesses decent reflexes. Appears carefree on the surface but in reality never lowers his guard.
Potential: Average, seems to have learned martial arts and techniques from his family
Name: Levi Sonja (M)
Origins: Tibet - Investigation ongoing
Characteristics: Short black hair, black eyes, Tibetan Mala necklace around his neck, 1.64m
Age: 16 years
Observations: Lacks common sense, easily impressed, naive, often has his head in the clouds, adapts quickly to his environment, seems to have extraordinary intuition
Potential: Extremely dangerous, possesses an unidentified Level 7 Threat creature
Name: Mai Kurohana (F)
Origins: Shinjuku (Japan), Kurohana Clan
Characteristics: Bob cut, black hair, red eyes, 1.58m
Age: 16 (October 21)
Observations: Disinterested, violent, unapproachable, suspicious, tendency to isolate herself
Potential: Qualified (on recommendation from the Japanese branch)
Manju let out a huge sigh before stopping abruptly, surprising the children.
-"I am HWANG Manju, and I'll be responsible for you today. Call me Mr. Hwang," he finally said with the fakest of smiles.
-"Yes, Mr. Hwang!" Levi shouted as if he were a new army recruit.
-"Ahem, as you may have noticed at the entrance, this building is the headquarters of SS Electronics company, a leader in the production and sale of electronic products and devices. At least on the surface only; we are actually—"
-"Mandala!" Noah suddenly exclaimed, cutting off Manju mid-sentence.
-"We're at Mandala, a secret international organization whose sole purpose is to fight crime and preserve world peace," Noah continued while running his hand through his hair as if to show he had known everything from the beginning. "And we're the new recruits you're going to train to continue this mission, right Mr. Hwang?" he finished with a wink.
(Should I crush this little shit here and now?) Manju wondered, still displaying the same smile except for three veins that were violently bulging on his temple.
-"More or less," Manju finally replied. "Since you already know so much, let's proceed with questions and answers instead. Do you know what Karma is?"
-"Obviously!?" Noah answered while Mai, who was listening to the discussion with only half an ear, nodded her head.
Levi's expression made it clear that he had absolutely no idea what Manju was talking about, and Noah didn't fail to notice.
-"Hey, do you really come from another planet? Or have you never felt karma around you?" Noah continued.
-"Around me?" Levi repeated, turning his head in all directions. Noah facepalmed before explaining.
-"There's good karma and bad karma. Good karma that's born from good actions and brings the world's blessings, then bad karma that's born from bad actions and attracts misfortune, calamities, and divine retribution. Once you've accumulated a certain threshold of karma in a lifetime, you naturally become capable of sensing karma within yourself and using it. But this is a reality that ordinary people still don't know about."
-"Half correct," Manju interrupted.
He continued: "At your level, you don't need to look far or dive into long psychological thoughts. So remember well what I'm about to tell you.
Karma is the result of your actions, good or bad. These actions shape your world. It may only be a drop of water at first, but like raindrops gathering to form a lake, our actions can become tidal waves engulfing everything in their path.
In other words... Karma is an indicator of our ability to change the world."
Noah was amazed by these words. "Wow, that was a very cool presentation Mr. Hwang! I had never seen things that way."
Manju continued without paying attention. "Karma, like physics, has its own laws.
One: Good karma and bad karma cancel each other out.
Two: Good karma receives blessings and longevity while bad karma receives curses and atrocities.
There are other laws, but the first two are the only foundations you need for now."
Manju turned and began walking slowly. The children simply followed.
He continued his explanation: "Long ago, when karma had just been discovered, researchers questioned the causes and effects of karma. Why are people who have accumulated too much bad karma struck by lightning?
The results of their research demonstrated that an entity was responsible for managing karma in our world. We call this entity 'The Will of the World.'"
-"Isn't that simply God?" Noah asked.
-"No, the Will of the World is a phenomenon incarnated as an entity. It follows rules and logic and is therefore limited. No one has ever seen it, but it's sometimes possible to hear its voice. So the researchers asked the Will of the World the meaning of the second law.
It then answered that it was to maintain the balance of karma."
Manju stopped.
-"The reason the second law exists is because the amount of bad karma in our world exceeds that of good karma. According to our divinations, there is currently three times more bad karma than good karma in our world.
And our divinations show that once bad karma exceeds a certain threshold... it will trigger what we call the End of the World, or the Apocalypse."
Manju showed a huge smile to the children.
-"Mandala's mission is no different from that of the Will of the World. Purge the bad karma, restore balance, and prevent the end of the world."
The kids were speechless; they didn't know what to say or how to react. Time remained suspended for a few seconds.
Clap
Manju snapped his fingers and a strange green light invaded the entire corridor, then... a cloud of butterflies engulfed the three children.
Frrrrrrr
-"Here's a little taste of what Karma can do," Manju announced in a playful tone.
— End of Chapter —