"Oh yeah, it's always like this, isn't it? HeraCrox, you're always like this..."

  Jonas Solberg found himself in his comfortable home, a home he hadn't visited in several months.

  At his feet, blood spurted from the body of a middle-aged man wearing glasses. Further inside the house, a woman lay with a hole in her head.

  "W-What are you talking about?"

  The voice came from Jonas's mouth, yet it seemed very far from him. "W-What have you done!? D-Don't blame it on me! You-"

  "No... It's ok. I'm used to it."

  Jonas had a small smile on his face as he stared at the ground with a strange calmness, even though his eyes revealed how troubled he truly was. "It's just your nature... I get it."

  "No... No, No, NO! I-I would never... How could you-"

  "Buehhhhh."

  The sound of a baby crying filled the room. Jonas's attention was drawn to a crib where a tiny girl was sleeping.

  "Ah, Eva... Of course, I couldn't forget about you."

  Jonas Solberg took a step toward his sister's crib, but his body froze.

  "STOP WITH THAT!!"

  He couldn't move, take a step forward or backward; all his muscles were completely immobile.

  "WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH YOUR OWN SISTER!?"

  "That does not concern you..." He tried to generate force, but it seemed impossible, as always. "C'mon, she's my little sister... It's my duty to take care of her."

  "D-Don't you dare!! I-I don't trust you near her! N-Not after what you did to-..."

  Jonas's eyes moved back to the two bodies.

  "No! I can't let you get close to her!! Stop!!"

  "HeraCrox..." Jonas pressed harder. "Stop it... I already told you, get out of here... GET OUT!"

  Jonas broke free.

  It was a world ruled by chaos and darkness. Even though the sun was at its peak, no one dared to take a step outside.

  That might have been confusing to a foreigner; everything seemed normal. Houses, markets, buildings with a small amount of dust accumulating at their peaks, streets with endless parked cars—nothing out of the ordinary.

  Still, something haunted the entire population. Except for one little man. He wasn't small in stature or age; he was an average-built 19-year-old, not little by build, average as well. But the way he walked, crouched over, trying to go as unnoticed as possible with slow, low steps, made him seem quite small.

  "I just need to get there... I-I can see it, the market, just around the corner."

  His clothes were distinctive, yet discreet and casual for the single-digit temperature: a closed white sports jacket, white sports trousers, and a beanie that covered almost all of his hair, except for a few white strands in front of his eyes.

  And most remarkable, a huge bag that he carried on his back, containing something inside that he tried to hide, but it was plainly impossible.

  "Ok, I did it. I made it. Just need to take a step and—WOAH!"

  He suddenly flew to the side, into a dark alley, landing in a garbage container. He instantly spat out blood; luckily none of his bones had broken, thanks to the bags of trash he landed on. Still, it hurt like hell.

  "D-Damn it, what was that—" When he had barely opened his eyes, he quickly searched for the brown bag that had disappeared from his back. He found it, but there was a foot on top of it. Not a normal one; perhaps it could be called skin, but it was more like metal: pointed, thin, and sharp, like a claw.

  The boy looked up; the face of the creature slowly revealed itself. Not human, for sure. It was gray-dark, with sharp green eyes, a disgusting mouth made of small tentacles that ejected foul fluids that were probably its saliva, two small black wings, no ears, but two antennae protruding from its forehead.

  W-What the hell is that? A... a beetle? A demon-beetle? I never heard of that species before...

  The boy thought as he slowly tried to get up. But he miserably failed, and simply leaned against the wall.

  "H-Hey, could you hm, j-just get out—"

  "Are you seriously trying to negotiate with a demon?" said the Beetle. His tone was one of surprise and, at the same time, mockery. His foot sank deeper into the full sack.

  "Hehehe, today's my lucky day. A lvl. 0? Great." It turned to the boy, a weird, grotesque grin stretching from ear to ear. "Could you tell me where your loved ones live? Then maybe we can negotiate, hehe."

  The boy swallowed hard and frantically searched for something that could help him in that pile of useless trash. Until, miraculously, something appeared.

  "I-I said get out!!" The boy tried to sound imposing, but it was a complete failure; a drop of sweat ran down his face. After all, he was holding a bottle of beer.

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  "T-This is your last warning!! I said—"

  The bottle was already shattered.

  "A-Ah?" The boy looked at his hands. He was just holding the lid. In front of him, he saw the thin tail of the Beetle swinging.

  "Oh man, it makes me so happy to see you like that... In my heart, something seems to grow, to shine. It's hard to describe, isn’t it? I guess it's what y'all call love."

  The Beetle kicked the bag far away. It slammed against the wall and fell down, joining the infinite trash.

  And finally, it took steps toward the boy. The boy, who now could only shiver.

  There was nowhere to go. A closed, small alley; he was alone, in a place where he shouldn't be. And standing in front of him: a demon.

  "Don't worry, I won’t kill you. Actually, you will be used for something way more useful. Hehe."

  It opened its arms. Like a true monster.

  "I need you—"

  His head was cut off.

  A cut as quick as sound severed his neck.

  But not Jonas Solberg's.

  The terrified boy couldn't even blink as blue blood entered his mouth, nose, and eyes.

  "Agh, damn it!" he shouted, rubbing his eyes.

  "What the hell are you doing here?"

  When he realized it, there was someone in front of him. Not a beetle, something way safer. A statuesque but young woman, wearing golden armor, long black hair, and a cold gaze. The typical expression of someone who did not want to have a talk. Behind her, the body of the Beetle slowly withered away.

  The boy quickly realized what had happened: she had saved him. Simple as that.

  "Oh, hm... Thank you very much."

  The boy tried to clean his white clothes, but surprisingly, there were a total of zero blue drops on them. Absolutely nothing. It had strictly only dripped into his mouth.

  He decided to ignore it, probably just a weird thing that happened from time to time.

  So, without anything to clean, he stood up.

  "I guess I was really going to die—"

  "I asked what are you doing outside now?" she interrupted, imposing.

  The boy knew he shouldn't have been there; his heart raced. After all, some streets across the country of Portugal were closed due to the high number of demons invading Earth. But he had disobeyed; he had to.

  "I was... heading to the Recruitment Center."

  The girl turned 180o, and instantly recognized that alley. "Ah, I see. It's right there." She turned back to him. "You should have hired an Exterminator. What were you thinking?"

  "W-Well, but I live very close, and I have no money—"

  "Not an excuse." The girl didn't yell, but she made him almost have a heart attack.

  "You could have been killed. You would have been, if I hadn't been here."

  The boy sighed, realizing he had lost the war. "You're right... I'm sorry."

  "Well, I have some business to deal with there, so I guess I can guide you," she started to walk toward the place the boy had come from. "Follow me."

  "Y-Yes Ma'am!"

  The boy rushed to her back, first not to follow her but to grab the bag he had left on the ground. After putting it on his back again, he went to the place behind her.

  But before exiting the alley, the boy had some questions to ask. "H-Hey hm... sorry but uh, you're a—"

  "What is your name?" she asked.

  "It's Jonas... Jonas Solberg?"

  "Eh? You're a foreigner? Your Portuguese is quite good."

  "My parents moved here shortly after I was born. But anyway," he took a huge breath, "May I ask what rank are you? A-And level?!"

  "B, 78. My name's Beatriz by the way."

  Jonas was quietly impressed. He had never talked to an Exterminator before, let alone a B rank. Something indeed very impressive.

  "Hey, what are you carrying in that bag?" she asked, taking a slight glance back.

  "Oh, it's... something very important."

  And without any more words, they reached their destination.

  Outside was a small square building of no more than two stories. An automatic glass door opened when they were present, revealing a not-so-big space. It was well illuminated, but it looked somewhat more like an airport. On the left, there were lots of counters with a few attendants behind curtains, and doors blocking the view. On the right, just a few sofas with some people on them. Definitely what you called a waiting room.

  The boy seemed kind of nervous, analyzing every corner. But Beatriz didn't wait, and quickly entered. A few seconds later, Jonas followed.

  "This is where we go apart," she looked him in the eyes one last time. "Good luck." And went to the left, quickly disappearing through a door.

  "T-Thank you!! I will never forget what you did for me!!" He shouted, but she was already gone.

  Anyway, the boy knew exactly where to go. Well, it was not really hard to guess.

  But after just a few short steps, a huge noise right in front of him blocked his path.

  "What are you doing here!? You traitor!!"

  There were two men. A middle-aged man, whose face burned with red fury, one step away from tearing the other’s face. That other, in a much more relaxed, mocking posture, didn't even wear armor; his clothes were way too big, the shirt even on backwards, and his hair was a total mess.

  He looked away. "Eh? I don't even remember your face, dude."

  "Goddamn you!!" The middle-aged man took out a golden dagger, an advanced-level weapon, and placed it millimeters from the man's neck. "You're getting back home! Otherwise, I swear I'll kill you! You traitor!"

  But nevertheless, the man was not intimidated. Nothing changed in him.

  A waitress came running in her formal clothes, trying to break up the confusion, but the disheveled man simply told her, "Hey, if I kill him, it's self-defense, right?"

  She froze. Surprised. She didn't know what to say.

  "Yes or no?" he asked again.

  "I... I guess—"

  The man instantly showed his palm. Air came out, but it was not normal air; the air coming out of his hand could be described as anything but normal. Jonas felt a gust of wind so strong that he had to swerve, and the middle-aged man was sent floating away, broke a window in half, and disappeared into the sunlight.

  Every single eye in that room locked onto that scene. The man didn't seem to be bothered, and he dropped a wad of banknotes on the floor.

  "My bad, this should be enough to repair."

  With that, Jonas couldn't ignore it. He frowned and ran after the man who was simply going to the reception area as if nothing had happened.

  "Wait a second!!" he shouted.

  The man turned back but didn't say a word.

  "W-Who are you? How did you do that!?" asked Jonas.

  "Me?" The man gave some small laughs. "The one who knocks."

  "The one who..." Jonas repeated to himself, but quickly got it. "Wait, is that a reference to—"

  "Meh, you can call me Teco."

  The man searched his pockets for a moment. Slowly, concern crept onto his face.

  "Wait a second... where is it?"

  He patted his pockets again and again, until he froze and put his hands to his forehead in despair.

  "Shit! I left the card at home!"

  He sighed deeply as a sweaty fear grew within him. Then, he leaned over the counter, trying to charm the receptionist as if nothing were amiss.

  "H-Hey, you know... Can you let me pass?"

  "You?" The receptionist's voice was cold.

  "C'mon... I'll buy you something."

  "Bribery is a crime." But before Teco could open his mouth to argue, the receptionist gave a slight, tired smile. "But you're lucky to be who you are."

  She pressed a green button beneath the desk, and the door automatically opened.

  Teco let out a sigh of immense relief. He gave a final smirk to Jonas. "See ya, kid." And disappeared through the door.

  Jonas spent a moment in silence. He had never seen someone do magic like that before. But he realized that everyone else in the waiting room had already ignored what happened, so he decided to do the same.

  He peeked at the receptionist through a glass wall and red curtains, and presented himself.

  "Well, hm... I'd like to do the Recruitment Exam."

  The receptionist shook her head, trying to clear her mind of everything that had just happened. "Y-Yes, sure... Hm, give me your Temporary Exterminator Card, please."

  "Sure. Here it is."

  From the left pocket of his coat, Jonas took out a small card and handed it to her through the small opening in the glass. "Here is my TEC."

  She grabbed it and immediately began to scan it. Then she glanced at his giant bag.

  "What do you carry in that bag?"

  "Just some equipment."

  "Hm, I see..." She looked back down at the card. Suddenly, she stopped. She blinked, looking from the card, up to Jonas, and back down to the card.

  "Mateo de Bragan?a... right?"

  "Yes. That's me."

  That is not me, of course. I stole that wind guy's card in the middle of the commotion, aparently his real name is Mateo. I don't have a card. That was my plan from the beginning.

  "Boy..."

  Her teeth chattered; her expression shifting from exhaustion to sheer disbelief. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I don't know the real Teco? The man who was standing exactly where you are five seconds ago?!"

  Jonas realized he had lost. He had stolen the card from the absolute worst person possible.

  "N-No, that is me-"

  "Look," she took a huge breath, cutting him off. "I am pressing this." She moved her hand toward a red button right beneath her. "I'm sorry, but I am not letting a suicidal person pass. And actually, I'm going to report you for theft."

  Jonas's eyes shook. He thought his plan was perfect, but it had backfired spectacularly.

  "B-But but but... N-No, you can't!-"

  "Hey."

  The voice that broke through wasn't either of theirs. It was clumsy, yet authoritative.

  "Let the boy in."

  The receptionist looked behind her to see a man standing on the other side of the glass doors.

  "B-But, Mr. Teco! He stole your card! I can't let him-"

  "C'mon." Teco grinned. "Anyone crazy enough to pickpocket me deserves a chance to die in there. Let him in."

  The receptionist sighed, rubbing her temples. Working here was frying her brain. "Very well... Good luck." She pressed the green button.

  And finally, Jonas crossed into the world of danger.

  "Wait!"

  Jonas ran, passing through the door as fast as he could to catch up to the man.

  But when he reached the other side, he was alone.