Vonessia and Assad strolled side by side down the long, dimly lit hallway of the Sweepers Agency.

  Their footsteps softly echoed against the floor, the only sound piercing the heavy silence that enveloped them like a thick fog.

  Assad kept his gaze straight ahead, uncertain whether he should break the quiet with words or even breathe too loudly. Next to him, Vonessia glided along with an effortless grace, quiet, controlled, almost as if she were floating. Her presence seemed to fill the corridor far more than the sound of her footsteps.

  After a full minute of walking, with only the distant hum of the building surrounding them, the silence began to feel oddly unnatural, it was just too quiet. Vonessia suddenly let out a soft hum, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

  "Isn't it a bit too quiet in here?" she asked, her voice steady but with an unexpected edge to it.

  "Absolutely, ma'am," Assad responded without missing a beat.

  "Don't get that scared Assad we are simply talking like how normal people interact, so don't jump like that okay yes it was silent for a moment but calm yourself okay." Vonessia said.

  Assad nodded and they continued walking until they reached the elevator, this already made Assad a little bit scared because the last time he was on the elevator he could not hold himself and he went down to fight Kiichi which was not good at all.

  "Oh is that so I did not think about it that way, even if I was told that the spar was not even a spar but that's how Kiichi is and there is nothing you can do about it." said Vonessia.

  Assad froze for a second. He did understand what she meant about what she said. How could she know about the spar, well she did say that she was told but he never even thought about it in his head. His thoughts were fully quiet this time and the reason was already there in front of him.

  They enter the elevator and Vonessia clicks the up button, the doors close and Vonessia looks at Assad and smiles with that calm elegant face of hers that still cannot be read even if you wanted to. The elevator starts going up and Assad waits for the worst believing that he will start wobbling like last time but nothing happens, which does shock even him.

  The elevator hummed softly as it made its way up, a gentle vibration coursing through the floor, but it was just enough to keep Assad steady. He blinked, surprised that he didn't feel any sudden shifts in weight, no dizzy spells, and no swaying like he had before.

  "Oh? No wobbling?she asked gently, tilting her head.

  "I… I suppose so, ma'am," he replied quietly.

  But in reality Assad totally did not remember that he was wobbling the first time he entered the elevator. It was when Shuren took him to the graves, but he forgot about it. Maybe something happened that he could not recall.

  Vonessia clasped her hands behind her back, standing tall and poised.

  "You should be proud.Most new recruits can't even stand straight on their second try. Kiichi's little 'welcome greeting' tends to rattle the less resilient."she continued, her voice smooth and reassuring.

  "Yea I'll keep that in mind." Assad replied.

  Vonessia smiles after Assad's response and then they arrive at the floor they were going to

  Ding.

  The doors slid open then outside the elevator is another hall but it's short. Vonessia starts walking out, Assad still confused about the fact there is another floor especially up top is surprising but then the fact that it was a down floor with a big arena type of place made him remove the thought anyway.

  Then he follows after, as they go through the hall there are only three doors and another door looking at them, seeing that Vonessia is not going inside the other three doors that are on the sides means that the one in the middle is the one that has to be her office.

  Vonessia reaches the door and opens it with a slow elegant turn and inside the office is much more beautiful then Shuren's office itself, almost looks like a palace of an emperor but too much it's simple and amazing at the same time.

  "Fascinating isn't it?" Vonessia asked.

  "Yea it's more insane then Shuren's office

  She glided past her desk, not touching a thing, moving with that same quiet elegance she always had.

  "I wouldn't say they're exactly the same when it comes to the design," Vonessia chimed in.

  Assad trailed behind her, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny.

  There were no stacks of papers, no weapons, no odd machinery. Just shelves lined with old books wrapped in dark leather, a few framed artifacts, a ceremonial-looking tea set, and a single glowing crystal nestled in the center of the desk.

  Vonessia motioned toward the chairs in front of her desk.

  "Please, have a seat," she said gently. "Now we can start our little chat."

  Assad settled into the chair, his heart racing once more. The air in the room felt thick, as if every secret of the empire was hanging around them. Vonessia didn't sit right away. Instead, she walked over to the window, gazing out in silence for a moment.

  Then, without turning to face him, she spoke.

  "Assad," she said. "Do you know why I brought you here?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "As expected, it's fine even the mightiest eagles that have high intelligence sometimes still have to listen to orders some days."

  Assad tilted his head in confusion. He did not understand what that even meant.

  "It's alright, Assad. No one in this agency really gets what's going on in my head. Even when I try to simplify my words, make them clear and straightforward… they still don't seem to understand."

  Her voice was steady, almost like she was stating a fact rather than venting. She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other with a graceful ease.

  "Anyway, since you're our new recruit though not officially yet, since you haven't gotten my go-ahead you did take on that rescue mission to, as you put it, 'prove yourself,' right?"

  Assad tensed up.

  "Yes, ma'am. I… I wanted to show that I wasn't useless."

  Vonessia raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching just a bit not quite a smile, more like a hint of amusement.

  "Hmm. Brave. Reckless." She paused for a moment. "And completely foolish."

  Assad winced.

  Vonessia tapped her finger lightly on the armrest, a slow rhythm that somehow made Assad's heart race even louder.

  "Tell me, Assad, why did you feel the need to prove yourself to us… before you even proved yourself to me?"

  She leaned in just a bit, her bright eyes piercing into his as if she were reading his very soul.

  "Answer honestly," she whispered. "Think carefully before you respond."

  The room was completely still, with not a single word exchanged between them. The question Vonessia had posed to Assad left him momentarily paralyzed, unable to respond. It wasn't fear or deceit that held him back; it was simply that he had nothing to say.

  For a brief moment, his mouth opened as if an explanation might just come to him, but nothing materialized.

  His mind felt like a blank slate, as if someone had come along and scooped out every word he had, leaving him unable to string together even a simple sentence.

  How could he possibly prove himself to Vonessia when she wasn't even there to witness it?

  On his very first day at the agency, Shuren had introduced him to Vonessia, but she hadn't been around. So how could he even give her an answer at this very moment. Assad's posture was still but his mind was all over the place.

  Vonessia sees the shaking Assad, she starts to chuckle a little bit and then smiles.

  "How about you forget my question because it seems that you're struggling to give me an answer." Vonessia said.

  Assad looked at Vonessia, with a slight bit of disappointment as he could not even answer her question. But then he took a deep breath and looked straight at Vonessia's eyes.

  "I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't give you a proper answer to your question." Assad said with a bow.

  "It's nothing at all, you almost did your best."

  Assad nodded at Vonessia's statement which made her smile again.

  "Oh I believe you were asking Shuren some questions right?"

  "Yea I was." Assad replied.

  Assad felt the tension in his shoulders as a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. Vonessia let out a breath that was neither a sigh nor a laugh, just something in between.

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  "Well," she said, casually folding her arms, "if you still have questions, I can help you out. I have a hunch that Shuren put you on the three-question limit… am I right?"

  Assad glanced down for a moment, a hint of embarrassment creeping in as he chuckled softly.

  "Yeah," he admitted, a bit sheepishly. "She did."

  Vonessia raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

  "And?"

  Assad rubbed the back of his neck, his voice lowering a notch.

  "She didn't even give me a complete answer to my first question."

  Vonessia's face remained neutral, but there was a spark of amusement in her eyes.

  "But of course she did, classic Shuren." Vonessia said with a knowing smile.

  She strolled back around her desk, tapping a finger lightly on its surface.

  "She really dislikes answering questions, and when she finally does decide to respond," Vonessia continued, settling into her chair with grace.

  Vonessia then clasped her hands together, fingers intertwined, and resting just below her chin or on the desk looking straight at Assad's eyes and with a smile she says, "But I believe I have some answers to your questions so you can ask me if you please."

  Assad did not move for a second thinking about the possibilities of asking Vonessia, the boss of the Sweepers, any question that he had in his head but could not decide on which one to ask. That's when he took a deep breath and looked at Vonessia.

  "I have a question ma'am." Assad said.

  "Oh and what may the question be?" Vonessia asked.

  "What is the energy that we use here in the Sweepers?"

  "Let me see how I should start. Ah I have it, you're ready.

  "Yes ma'am."

  Vonessia smiled and chuckled then began her explanation.

  "First, the powers have a name in which it is Kensei and as you might already know probably from Shuren it is called sacred water as it's the actual source of it. Now the reason I'm not that very certain but I do know of its history" Vonessia said.

  "Oh that's a bummer." Assad added.

  "Funny boy. Now then about the sacred water it was believed to be a gift from the gods but people did not believe in gods five hundred years ago as the people at that time saw themselves as gods because of their surge of power. For the person who discovered it, his name was Chi Do Hyeon."

  Assad stands shocked as he heard that exact name not so long ago from Shuren. He was the person that discovered sacred water.

  "Judging by your expression Shuren already told you about him. He was the person who found the sacred water and it made him so powerful because he drained the pool when he found it. Making him the strongest human five hundred years ago and also the worst human being to ever exist at that, as he was nicknamed the Heavenly Demon. But that's another story for another time."

  Assad nodded, his second question had a lot of information that could help him find his way back home possibly.

  Vonessia kept a close eye on Assad, her smile growing just a bit as she noticed that subtle change in his expression the moment when confusion gave way to understanding. He wasn't entirely composed, but he was definitely grasping things better than before.

  She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other with an effortless elegance.

  "Well then, that was your second question, if I'm not mistaken," she said softly, her voice carrying a soothing melody.

  Assad swallowed hard; just her tone made the atmosphere feel thicker. Vonessia tilted her head slightly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  "Now… you still have one more question, don't you?"

  Assad froze for a bit, looking at Vonessia. But she was right there is still one more question in his mind that has been flowing rent free ever since he heard and saw it.

  "I do have a question ma'am." Assad said.

  Vonessia looked at Assad waiting for the next question. Assad cleared his throat and was ready to speak.

  "May I ask, what is a true failure?I heard Shuren talk about it when Mya suddenly went on an outburst and she said that."

  "A true failure, huh? I'm sorry but that's a question that can't be answered." Vonessia said.

  "May I ask the reason why?"

  Vonessia looked down for a second and took a deep sigh.

  "There is no reason, the existence of a true failure cannot be explained and also should not be explained. If the one who is curious about a true failure must explore and find the truth about it themselves, not with the assistance of others." Vonessia said.

  "Is there a reason why?" Assad asked.

  Vonessia just shook her head and then her finger. That should already signal that there is something that will happen if you ask for the assistance of others. Assad looked at Vonessia with a slight disappointment as he really wanted to know about the concept of true failures. What are they? What is the meaning for them and everything else? But that's for another day.

  "Well I don't have any other questions ma'am." Assad said.

  "That's okay. You were curious about true failures, but I simply cannot answer that."" Vonessia said.

  Assad bows and then says," If that was all I will get going now."

  "Wait for a second."

  Assad froze then looked back at Vonessia wondering what she wants now? Vonessia stands up from her chair and moves closer to a set of drawers next to her tall bookshelf. Reaching inside, she pulled out a jacket. It was a sleek black-and-red piece, boasting a sharp, modern design with crisp stitching and a bold silhouette.

  Embroidered across the back in jagged, metallic thread was a single word:

  SWEEPERS

  On the right sleeve, the agency's emblem, a stylized broom slicing through smoke, seemed to soar forward with incredible speed. Vonessia held the jacket up with both hands, allowing the soft office lights to dance across its surface.

  She turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Assad.

  "Come here, this is yours," she said softly.

  Assad couldn't take his eyes off the jacket Vonessia was holding, his disbelief evident as he took in the bold yet elegant design sleek black with striking blood-red streaks. It had that unmistakable Chinatown street-style vibe, the kind of jacket that screamed confidence, worn by someone who strides forward without a second thought.

  He swallowed hard, still in shock.

  "Why… why are you giving me this?" he finally managed to ask.

  Vonessia's smile was soft, radiating both warmth and authority.

  "Isn't it obvious? You're part of the agency now. Or… are you not?" Her eyes sparkled with playful mischief.

  Assad froze for a heartbeat, unsure of how to respond; his throat felt tight, and his thoughts were a jumbled mess. But then he found his voice and nodded.

  "Yeah. I am."

  "Well then, it's settled. Try it on." Vonessia stepped closer, lifting the jacket slightly.

  Assad nodded again, this time with more confidence. He slipped his arms into the sleeves, adjusted the collar, and smoothed out the front. The fabric felt sturdy yet surprisingly comfortable, as if it had been tailored just for him he blinked and caught a glimpse of himself in the polished surface of a nearby shelf.

  "Whoa…" he breathed.

  The jacket looked fantastic on him; he couldn't deny it. Vonessia chuckled softly.

  "It looks amazing on you. Just make sure you wear it with pride. The others in the agency rarely wear theirs; they say it looks 'cringe' and stick to their casual clothes," she said, nodding in approval.

  With a hand on her hip, she smiled.

  "But you… I want you to wear it all the time."

  Assad beamed, a genuine, bright smile spreading across his face. "Of course. I will."

  It was a perfect moment until something suddenly stung the back of his neck.

  "OW!" Assad slapped his neck, the sharp pain catching him off guard.

  Vonessia's eyes widened slightly. "What's wrong?"

  "I… something bit me." Assad rubbed his neck, wincing. "Must've been the tag or something."

  He tugged at the inside collar.

  "Can I take it out?"

  Vonessia nodded casually. "Go ahead."

  Assad reached behind his neck to pull at the tag, and it came out,his neck getting the deep freedom it needed from being scratched every time.But it still leaves a smile on his face on how the boss of the agency gave him a jacket that well could be taken as the uniform, making him truly part of the agency now.

  "With that now you may take your leave and go find out your next job." Vonessia said.

  Assad nodded and went out the door.