It has been several days since Ken’s interrogation and the start of Agami’s training. He stands in a rather busy town center with Olya. Both wear clothes that aren’t too flashy, nor will they give away their identities. The giant statue of the city's founder, Yuki Phanasma, holding her hand in the air, with children celebrating around her. Someone had a big ego.

  “Be kind, Agami. She may have been a wonderful person, so maybe the town wanted to build a statue in honour of her,” Tenmei scolds the man telepathically.

  Fine, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt.

  “So, have you thought about what you will do?”

  Not yet. We need to hear what Ken says first.

  “I was referring to Olya.”

  What about her?

  “She is your age, is she not? You could use a close companion, especially given your situation.”

  Well, she does seem like a fun person to hang out with. He thinks, watching her wait patiently in line to buy crepes. It wouldn’t hurt to become buddies.

  “Exactly, and maybe even more.”

  Agami blushes. Tenmei, I already discussed this with you. Just because a single man and a single woman work together doesn’t mean they have to be romantic with one another.

  “True, but I have seen how you glance at her,” Tenmei says, a slight tone of whimsy in his voice.

  Ugh, old people. I wouldn’t have started looking at her that way if you didn’t say anything.

  “Well, I want to see my great-grandchild before I leave this world.”

  Yeah, well, I want to think about certain things without someone being able to see it.

  “Unfortunately, you have been failing at that. I heard some of your thoughts when we passed by that Lingerie store. I had to stop you from staring at one point.”

  Agami’s face becomes red with embarrassment. How is that my fault? They’re just brazenly showing it to the public, and I have never seen it before.

  As Agami argues internally with Tenmei, he feels a gentle nudge on his shoulder. Olya has returned, holding two strawberry crepes. “Sorry about taking so long, it seemed they were more popular than I expected. Here’s yours,” She says with a smile, passing the one in her left hand to Agami.

  “Uh, thanks.” He returns his focus to the bustling city center. “So he said we would meet him here?”

  “Mm,” She answers, taking a bite out of her dessert. Done chewing, she adds, “If Sora gave him the correct details and time, he should be here soon.

  The two quietly survey the crowd while eating, trying to spot Ken walking among them.

  “Pretty busy place, huh?” Agami says, trying to start a conversation.

  “It sure is,” She adds, eyes still on the crowd.

  Thinking about it, he hasn't spoken to Olya one-on-one before. Previously, Danzo would be there to smooth the conversation. Thinking for a bit, Agami decides to try again. “So what are you going to do once this is all over?” He asks her.

  Noticing his attempts, she gives a slight smile and replies, “Nothing,” And resumes the surveillance.

  “Ah, I see,” He weakly says, turning his head to the crowd. You have got to be kidding me! What else is there?

  After a brief pause, she giggles at his disappointment, “Just messing with you. I'm thinking of maybe returning to Boreal and studying for a bit. Or maybe become a Slayer, like my father,” Her tone becomes softer as she mentions him.

  “A Slayer? That sounds cool.”

  “Yep. They're the coolest of the cool. They are a group of people who are recognised as soldiers who are the elite of the elite. Very few people can stand up against them.” she stares off in the distance before turning to him, “Did you know your father was their previous leader?”

  “Really, that dude?” An image suddenly pops into Agami's head of Sora crying because Imino accidentally spoiled a movie he wanted to watch.

  “That one. He is said to be the apex of human strength,” She says as she chuckles, “Did you know he demolished a mountain with one punch in the Silent War?” As she went on, it was apparent she was a serious fan of the Slayers.

  “Apex of strength. If he was in charge of a group like that, why did he quit?” His curiosity is growing as he listens.

  “Mmmhf, He didn’t say. From what I can see, maybe he just wanted to spend more time with his family.” She finishes, covering her mouth while she chews. Finishing up, Olya looks at her watch; it’s almost time for them to meet. Suddenly, Olya's eyes narrow, and she goes silent.

  “Agami, be careful. It is faint, but I can sense signs of a Benefactor nearby,” Tenmei says as he appears from his arm. “Maintain your composure, they do not know who we are yet, nor do they know our location, but I can sense it faintly moving.”

  He couldn’t have betrayed us, could he?

  “I doubt it. Ken seemed like the type to hold his word,” Tenmei responds.

  The three continued surveying the crowd, watching for signs of Ken, but growing more anxious as time went on.

  “You know, Agami. I have always been interested in the super cosmic hero guy. Could you tell me more about him?” Olya surprisingly asks, made weirder by the air of tension a moment ago.

  “Uhhhhhh-...” Agami struggles, unsure how to respond to the sudden change of tone.

  “Oh, good thinking, Olya!” Tenmei says, surprised, “Agami, entertain the conversation, it will help us blend in.”

  “Oh, okay.” Agami replies, understanding the mission, “So first of all, it’s Cosmic Shine, and secondly, he is not a hero, he is a bringer of justice.”

  As he explains the story, he notices that while Olya is trying to make the conversation look natural, she can’t hide her worry.

  “You still watch that?” A familiar voice says behind him.

  Turning around, he finds Ken standing there with a rather stylish shoulder bag over his shoulder and a thick scarf around his neck. Olya looks behind Agami and breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh, cousin Bertu, you’re finally here. We thought you were lost.”

  “Cousin Be-” Agami is suddenly cut off.

  “Sorry about that. Ran into some unexpected friends,” He weakly chuckles, “Come, I found this lovely cafe I need to show you.”

  They begin walking, and as they follow Bertu, Agami is surprised that they have a cousin who looks nearly identical to Ken. As they walk, Bertu begins speaking, “Sorry about that. I can’t be too cautious. Baltro has been after me for the past couple of days. It's a miracle I was able to get here without a hassle." He pauses at a stop sign and looks around. "We'd better go this way.”

  “Wait a second, you’re Ken?” Agami says, surprised, only figuring it out now.

  They both stop and look at him before continuing, “Anyway, I had someone do some digging for me, and they found some leads on Baltro. According to some intel, he is avoiding the Cloudy River Hotel for obvious reasons.” As Ken speaks, Agami can’t help but keep looking back. When he turns around, all he sees is a crowd and some orderlies nearby watching the crowd for misconduct.

  “His followers are preparing for a mass gathering for the Ascension.”

  “The Ascension?” Olya adds, focused on the conversation. While they are talking, Agami starts falling back, intentionally putting distance between himself and them.

  “Yes. I’m unsure what it entails, but from what I gathered, he said something about his second phase and initiation.” Agami watches from the back and looks around them. he notices a patrolling officer walking toward them.

  “Second phase? Ask him more about it, Olya.” Tenmei communicates with the woman, both focused on the conversation.

  “Do you know anything more about it?” Olya inquires. They turn a corner, and the police officer is keeping a close eye on them, tipping his hat to a passing blue car.

  Something feels off.

  “There isn’t too much to go on. All I know is, if the cult achieves their so-called Ascension, it can’t be good.” They both enter a small cafe.

  Agami stops a couple of metres outside and sees a brightly clothed couple with weirdly wide smiles exit the parked blue car. The man opens his trunk and pulls out one of his golf clubs, and nonchalantly passes the woman next to him a pocket knife. Realising the danger, he sprints at them as they approach the door. He quickly takes the stance that Gearfried taught him and lands a powerful right hook on the man, causing him to crash into the decorations.

  The woman immediately pulls out a small knife and thrusts it towards him. He deflects it with his right hand and throws her off balance. Remembering what his uncle had taught him, he took advantage of her imbalance. Grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him, counteracting it with a shoulder slam to her chest. To his surprise, he pulled the move off successfully and caused her to fall over. Okay, make space, make space. As he fights, he recites some of the advice his uncle Gearfried gave him. Glad to see some results from training. His focus is interrupted as he quickly notices that there is barely any presence. He curses under his breath, realising that he also wasn’t fully paying attention to his surroundings. Did the cops redirect the flow without us knowing? Noticing the woman trying to stand up, he quickly knocks her out by punching her with his right hand. Looking toward the busy street, he notices that the crowd seems to have slowed down a bit, some of them standing still.

  Damn it. We need to get out of here.

  Opening the door to the Cafe, Agami is introduced to the aftermath of a messy fight. Quickly looking around, he sees that most of the tables and chairs are either destroyed or flipped over. Looking at the window, he is impressed that it wasn’t caught in the crossfire. Looking at the floor, it's covered with shattered glasses, destroyed desserts, and spilled drinks, weirdly giving off a sweet yet bitter smell. As for the patrons, they all lie limp on the floor or over the counter. It seems that the three of them were caught unaware. Of course, the relaxing jazz playing in the background is making it feel more surreal.

  “Damn it. They were still onto me!” Ken curses. Before he can leave through the door, Agami stops him.

  “Don’t. They’re waiting.”

  Stopping in his tracks, he immediately heads to the back, Agami and Olya following. They find the back door of the cafe, and fortunately, it’s unlocked. As they enter the vacant alley, the door closes behind them. Checking it himself, Agami finds that it has locked itself. They suddenly sprint, avoiding the main street they came from. As they sprint, Olya pulls out her phone and calls someone.

  Eventually leaving the alley, they find that the street is vacant, with roadblocks on both sides of the road, and a crowd of people surrounding them.

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  “HEAD BACK!” Ken shouts, but it's too late; some people were hiding on the rooftops, suddenly jumping down and blocking their way out.

  They are surrounded.

  “Blast, Baltro has gotten more underhanded over the years!” Tenmei says.

  The crowd closes in, one of them saying, “Do not be afraid, the Navigator only wishes to speak.” But they ignore the bargains, knowing it’s a trap.

  “I did not want it to come to this, but Agami, we may only have one choice, but it will kill you!”

  “Are you serious?” Agami says, surprised, “I have to die?!”

  “I see you won't come willingly. A shame as we will now have to take you there by force,” the leader continues, getting ready to attack with an emergency fire axe.

  “Yes, but you will come back!” Tenmei says hurriedly.

  The crowd creeps closer.

  “Agami, Olya! Do you have a plan?!” Ken adds, barely maintaining his composure.

  The crowd is closer, now there is little to no space to move, and Olya still speaking quickly on her phone.

  Seeing no other options, Agami accepts his fate, shouting, “FINE, JUST HELP US OUT OF THIS!”

  “Wait!” Olya interrupts, finishing her conversation on the phone, “Madam Yamamoto is on her way?”

  “What? She's not gonna make it in time,” Agami says in confusion.

  “Now, my brothers and sisters. Deliver unto the Navigator his wishes!” The leader shouts, the crowd cheering and about to attack.

  In a sudden flash, the crowd explodes into organs and blood. Not a single person except the three stood there. The air suddenly becomes still, and a lone figure stands atop the pile of blood and gore, sheathing their sword and pulling down their mask. Interestingly enough, the figure doesn’t have a drop of blood on its cloak or goggles. A loud booming noise is heard in the distance. The figure removes their goggles, revealing themself to be Imino.

  “Knew it was wishful thinking to have this go smoothly.” She sighs, “Come on, let's go. The clean up will handle this.”

  “You have gotten so much faster, Imino. Popura would be proud.” Tenmei commends as he flies out.

  “Even beyond the dead, you still dote on me too much,” Imino replies as she walks toward the alley they came from.

  Following her, Agami steps over the gore and corpses lying on the floor, avoiding the bits that weren’t fully eviscerated. Leaving the carnage behind, he quickly looks back, amazed at how quickly the tables have turned.

  “So where were you guys headed?” She asks Ken, popping a pill in her mouth after asking.

  “I was planning to have us wait in a cafe. It was a quiet and relaxing place, and I thought it would be safe.”

  Glancing at him, she replies, “Wishful thinking. You underestimate how deep Baltro has his claws in this city.”

  “He can’t ha-”

  “You haven’t met Baltro when he was alive,” She interrupts, “When he was around, he was a maniac and had crowds eating out of his hands within a few years. I fear to think how much he has after nearly 3 decades.”

  Ken goes silent, seemingly ashamed of his presumptions. Imino breaks the silence as they re-enter the crowd, “We are going to a restaurant where you guys can wait. As a thank you, you can foot the bill.”

  Walking toward the entrance, Sora is waiting by the door on his phone. Looking up, he breaks out a grin, “Yo, I thought you were going to bail on the date! You know how much convincing it took to get Gearfried to watch the twins." Looking behind her, he notices the three. “Ehhh, I was hoping it would only be us,” He groans, not hiding his disappointment.

  “It will. They are just going to wait here.” She responds.

  “For?” he asks, confused.

  Realising she didn’t ask him, they all look at Ken, waiting for him to answer.

  “There will be a meeting tonight between some of Baltros' chosen ones about the ceremony, for all his members and newcomers. With this, we can find out more about the Ascension.” He coolly answers. “I just need Agami and Olyas' assistance to infiltrate. I can’t go because they are on the lookout for me.”

  “Oh, sounds serious.” Sora answers, scratching his chin as he thinks. “Well, wish you luck then,” he says, shrugging his shoulders as he puts his arm around Imino, her showing surprise as he does so. Sora gives a quick salute, then walks into the restaurant with her.

  Entering the restaurant, they find an empty table and walk towards it. As they take their seats, Agami glances at Imino and Sora sitting by a table nearby. Their waiter hurriedly writing in their notepad as it seems that Imino is giving a rather large order, Sora only watching as he fidgets with his phone. Returning his focus to his table, he notices that Olya and Ken are busy discussing the infiltration plan. Oh shoot, I'm part of the infiltration.

  Listening intently, Ken explains the plan. First, Agami and Olya are to enter as new members of the cult. He already has outfits arranged and invites prepared for them. Next, once they're in, he will give them micro-recorders disguised as accessories. Once the meeting is over, they exit and disappear.

  Finishing, Ken calls over a waiter to take their orders. After placing their orders, the other waiter brings Imino and Sora their meals. However, it seems that Imino's portion is a bit larger than Sora's. Speaking for a couple of minutes, Agami looks over and notices the waiter continuously bringing more food to Sora and Imino's table. Seems she is hungry as the food is meant for her. As the day went on, the waiters didn't stop, her hunger seeming endless. Agami noticed that the more food she ate, the more grim Ken and Olya's faces became, knowing they would have to pay for it. As this went on, Sora just happily smiled and drank his milkshake, not bothered by his wife's appetite.

  “Guess the appetites to be expected,” Tenmei chuckles to himself.

  What do you mean?

  “Imino can travel at quite high speeds. The faster she goes, the more calories she burns. To make sure she doesn’t collapse and die from hunger, she needs to eat within 3 hours.”

  Really? How fast is she, then?

  “When I was still around, it took her three years to break the speed barrier. It has been quite a while since I died, and there is no telling how fast she has become,” Tenmei responds, a sense of pride evident in his voice.

  After several hours, Imino's rampage finally stops. Surprisingly, she didn't put on any weight after eating all those meals. The other customers looked over in surprise, but she paid no mind to them. The waiter approaches her with an absurdly long receipt, even dragging it across the floor. They speak to one another, and she points toward Ken and Olya. The waiter tells them to wait and approaches their table. Upon closer inspection of the name tag, it's not a waiter, it's the manager.

  “Good afternoon, I am the manager of this establishment. The lady over there has informed me that you will be covering their meals,” He says, pointing towards their table, where Sora waves back.

  “Yeah, we are willing to cover it,” Ken says as he awkwardly smiles.

  “Good.” The manager places the bill on the table, and Ken quickly looks at the bottom. Tenmei, out of curiosity, flies to see the bill and quickly flies back.

  “That is…yes,” Tenmei says. It seems even he is at a loss for words.

  Ken glances at Olya. She quickly looks away, avoiding eye contact, hoping it will disappear if she doesn’t acknowledge it. He quickly glances at Agami, but he only shrugs back, as he doesn’t have money. Letting out a deep sigh, he digs in his bag and pulls out his credit card. Fortunately, he had enough to cover the bill, but from the expression on his face, it looked like it cost him his sanity as well.

  After an hour, it was time. Ken suddenly receives a phone call and steps away to take it. Returning, he hands Olya and Agami a scrap of paper. Reading it, it has an address and a message that says ‘Another man's trash’.

  “A riddle?” Agami asks.

  “Don’t ask, my contact thinks that more ambiguity is better, although I think here he was rushed,” Ken responds defeatedly.

  Olya enters the address into her phone. It appears to be quite a distance. Ensuring they don't waste time, Agami and Olya leave in a hurry.

  Racing through the city, they arrive 20 minutes earlier than expected. As they traveled, they took care to choose quiet routes and ensure they weren’t followed. Fortunately, it seems the cult members were after Ken and did not recognize them. Upon arriving in an alley, they quickly glanced around and spotted trash piles and dumpsters.

  “He really couldn’t have chosen a better spot?” Agami complains, unable to differentiate one pile from another.

  Accepting his fate and readying himself to dig, Olya stops him and points to a poorly painted treasure chest on the wall.

  “Huh, who would’ve guessed?” He says to himself.

  “He couldn’t have just told us?” She replies, pushing some trash bags aside. While she dug, Agami kept a lookout for anything suspicious. After a few seconds, she pulls out two white trash bags with the letters ‘G.W.’ printed on the side. Inspecting the contents of one of them, Agami sees that it contains clothes and a small box in the center. Opening the box, it contains an invite, a watch, a hairpin, and a piece of paper. Passing the hairpin to her, he reads what's written on the paper:

  “Be at the Milton recreational club at 9 pm! Give an invitation to the guards.

  Outfits have a subtle Baltro sigil on the chest (For the man.) and on the left leg (For the woman).

  Your names are Kelly and Jonathan Blinks.

  Married 3 years, no kids, so you seek Baltros' blessing. Found through a video while browsing. Parents are dissenters; your brother supports you, but he will soon become one of you. Watch and hairpin are recorders. Hairclip for a girl, watch for a man.

  Burn after reading.”

  “Wait, is it my brother or your brother?” He confusedly asks Olya.

  She quickly takes the paper and looks closely at it, reading its words carefully. “Seems they were in a rush.” Thoroughly tearing it apart, she shrugs her shoulders, “We’ll make something up on the way. You’re good at lying, right?”

  “Guess we will find out soon,” Agami responds, taking the trash bag and going behind one of the dumpsters to change.

  Several minutes later, they have changed into a suit and a dress. Agami wore a neat and expensive-looking black suit with a clip-on bow tie, while Olya was wearing a sparkling black dress, meant to complement Agami’s attire. Noticing a lack of gloves, Agami takes the gloves he was wearing with his casual attire to cover his hands, while Olya has to make sure the socks cover her armament.

  She fixes her hairpin and turns to Agami, “Do I look fine?” Looking at her, his eyes widen. Maybe it was Olya’s casual way of dressing, but her beauty stunned him. He couldn’t help but stare, words unable to describe what he was seeing. “Hello?” She says, confused by Agami’s silence.

  “Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah. You’re good,” He awkwardly responds.

  “Okay? No problem with your disguise either?” She says to herself, quickly checking Agami. After walking around him, she announces, “Okay, we are good. Let’s go.”

  The two quickly make their way to the Milton recreational club, discussing their backstory and what to avoid saying or doing. From what they ironed out, talking about Ken or Agami’s family is prohibited. They met at a gala, where they hit it off instantly. They also have a dog, but Jonathan's brother is looking after it. Unfortunately, they don’t have pictures, because their old phones were stolen and they didn’t back up the pictures. If one makes a mistake, the other covers, and confusion will lead to more questions. His mind memorising the rules, Tenmei says, “Don’t worry, Agami. I will help fill in the blanks in case you forget.”

  “Oh, nearly forgot about you. No speaking, we are unsure if they can hear you, so no chances,” Olya adds.

  “Then I guess we will communicate like this,” Agami telepathically communicates to Agami.

  Wrapping up their story, they finally reach the recreational center. From the outside, a moderate line has developed where security checks everyone's invitation and surveils the crowd. Following suit, they stand in the back, waiting patiently for their turn. As they wait, the ramblings of the other attendees can be heard. Some are praying, some are arguing over Baltro's words and their interpretation. Some share their excitement while others rave about it. In the end, they are all obsessed with the man.

  As Agami watched, he communed with Tenmei quietly.

  It's strange how everyone is behaving around here. It's like everything is about him.

  “Seems he has been rather busy while I was gone,” Tenmei replies.

  How did he get this many people to follow him?

  “Baltro has many ways. He makes a point of first approaching those who need help, answers, or direction. For the first group, he is a saviour. Appearing as a saint with wealth to spare. When you are saved by someone, you subconsciously see them as a guiding light and are blinded by that same light. Only seeing their good qualities, while unable to consider the harmful ones.” While speaking, the line progresses closer to the entrance, Agami hears slight squeals of excitement from those near the front, while Olya makes light chatter with the people in front of her, trying to blend in.

  Tenmei continues, “For the second, he will be all knowing, someone they will trust to have the answers they cannot answer themselves. There is comfort in knowing, and there is power to take control of those who do not know. When he can answer those unanswerable questions, they will slowly but surely rely on him more over time, not even realising it, because we as humans, always wish to reach the answer in the shortest amount of time, regardless of validity. Then for the final group, he is, in essence, their light. Many people struggle with the idea of purpose. It is hard for many people to acknowledge that they don’t inherently serve a purpose, nor is there a grand meaning to it at all. When they enter that reality, life becomes meaningless, unable to comprehend that they are not special.” Their conversation is interrupted as Olya pulls Agami by his arm as the line moves. He was too engrossed in the ideas that Tenmei was sharing with him.

  The line becoming stationary again, Agami listens to Tenmei once more. Continue please.

  “Ah, where was I…Oh, right, purpose. When one doesn’t have a purpose, they drift through life, trying to take it all in and not having direction. But when they are given a purpose that is reinforced, they will do their best to protect it, as it is core to their identity, and in a sense, their happiness. Eventually, they will build a life thanks to this and owe it to that, then, wanting the best for their child, convince them from a young age and pass on their beliefs. At this point, your followers will only grow. Knowing Baltro, he began subtly, then nudged the line slightly until it reached extreme lengths,” Tenmei finishes as they reached the entrance.

  From the outside, the decorations were modest, but listening closely, music can be heard. The security takes the invitations from Agami and Olya, and the gatekeeper receives them and checks the systems for their name. As they waited, Agami could feel his pulse tighten, the chattering of the followers behind him becoming incomprehensible noise. Olya notices this and quickly pulls him towards her, quickly checking his suit and saying, “Oh, honey. We can’t afford to shame the navigator tonight! We need to look our best, be our best, and try our best!” finishing it off with a kiss on the cheek and a wide smile.

  Unsure how to respond due to the mixture of confusion and being flustered, he can only say, “Uh, ye-yeah, sure…sweetie.” After a few moments, the gatekeeper looks up and smiles. He marks and hands them back their invitations, saying “Have a wonderful evening, Mr and Mrs Blinks.”

  The security opens the door for them, revealing a dimly lit path. As they enter, the doors close behind them, and they quickly glance at each other. No turning back now.