Footsteps echoed on a freshly cleaned rooftop, compared to the way blood and corpses of people adorned the surface during the pale afternoon. The full moon was at its brightest tonight, its silver light lay upon a young man, showing snippets of his pale face as his white bluish hair reflected that same illumination with a dim glow. His blue eyes scanned the area, an unsatisfied frown plastered on his face.
An unknown voice laughed, belonging to another man who sat on the railing with a disapproving shake of his head. It was hard to notice him under his dark clothing, however the white haired man recognized him by his fedora.
"You know, Van Hagen. If you want to kill him, you gotta do it yourself." The man with the fedora spoke with a chuckle.
"Shut up." The blue-eyed man, referred to as Van Hagen, hissed as he avoided the man's gaze.
The other man laughed again. "You complained that Sire's men are weak. Yet, you still used them."
"I cannot kill Squad E1 alone. Especially captain Henry. I thought making use of their assassination mission can get them since that bastard was alone... until his teammates came."
Van Hagen clicked his tongue in exasperation, clenching his fists.
"Maybe I was too slow," He added.
The man laughed and walked past Van Hagen, taking his fedora off and blew away little dusts particles that were stuck to his hat before placing it back neatly on his head. He smirked, and gave the white-haired man a side long glance. It seemed that Van Hagen's actions amused him, watching him struggling to kill someone who boasts a higher rank. As much as he wanted to join in, his job was to only watch, ensuring clean hands.
"Underestimating them much? Whatever. If you wanna use more of Sire's pawns, you gotta approach Sideris. She commands the stronger ones."
The blue eyed man raised a brow. "Stronger?"
"They have been the ones that have killed many of EIRENE's low rank assassins, not to mention civilian kidnapping from the past months. Though because of that nature... it can be pretty hard to get hold of them. But remember, don't focus too much on your need to kill. You have not finished sending some of our Power Evolve to a few lords."
Van Hagen scoffed, sliding his hands into his pockets before he eyed the moon with furrowed brows.
●●●
The morning sun shone with utmost radiance, shining onto a rooftop like a dramatic stage spotlight. The melodious tune of a violin radiated the atmosphere, driving away the silence with a melancholy tune. Slow and steady, matching Henry's slow speed as he moved along with the sounds, immersed in the tunes of his own piece. Sadness, pain, all portrayed into a piece that not many may understand, only him. A story, told with notes, conveying a hope that it may reach someone, and relate to his feelings. A story best understood without the need for words.
But the playing was abruptly stopped, with Henry straining his neck and turning around to the source, acknowledging a visitor who has just arrived.
"Cecilion." Henry greeted.
Cecilion smiled, then to rub the back of his neck nervously. Henry lowered his violin, properly facing the person and waited for his words.
"I didn't mean to disturb... Your playing was exemplary." Cecilion bowed slightly with respect and admiration.
Henry blushed slightly and smiled, nodding his head. "Thanks."
Henry looked down at his violin with a gentle look in his eyes. He stared at his reflection, with Cecilion appearing beside him that brought Henry to face the young man again. Henry could read his friend's face and knew he has a few inquiries, but was either hesitant or shy. He could tell the questions Cecilion wanted to ask, and took it upon himself to satiate Cecilion's curiosity.
"This violin was my dad's. Or so I was told." A sad smile was plastered on henry's lips, ignoring Cecilion who has his brow raised towards him. "My uncle handed it to me after dropping me at the Golden Butterfly orphanage... and told me that dad loves playing them. So I learnt to play it... in hopes I can reach my father."
Henry knew the dead will not answer back. But it is not the answer he wanted, but to get into his father's shoes. What does his father felt when he played the violin? He wanted to learn about his parents through the legacy they left behind. In hopes to know them better, and in turn, perhaps even himself.
Henry went to keep the violin in it's case, closing it gently with a click. Cecilion approached the railing and rested his arms on it, leaning forward as he looked past the shining skylines.
"Hannah told me, EIRENE's HQ's roof is your favourite place to hang out." Cecilion took a side glance towards Henry. "Actually... there is something serious I want to talk about."
"Shoot."
"You seem jumpy, lately. To the point even small disturbances can startle you. Hell, you even can tell someone's here when you were playing your violin."
Henry rubbed the back of his neck, looking at Cecilion. "Everything is becoming noisy, Cissy. Like a constant ringing to the ear."
Cecilion remained silent, looking at Henry fully. His curiosity soon turned to empathy, making him approach Henry a little closer to properly listen to him.
Henry continued, "My... senses felt even more sensitive. I can notice the tiniest change in winds, or even hear electrical currents in the walls. Hannah knows about this, you can ask her."
Henry turned away, avoiding Cecilion's eyes. He never felt this vulnerable towards someone else besides Hannah. Or this open, even.
"I want to know personally from you, Henry. That's why I am asking you instead."
Henry shook his head and took a deep breath, though it sounded shaken. Cecilion placed a hand on Henry's shoulder, patting it before tightening his grip. Cecilion knew Henry is uncomfortable at the thought, and Henry knew he can not just avoid the subject and sweep it under the rug. Henry stared at Cecilion solemnly, then shifted his gaze back to the skyline, feeling better that atleast he has someone other than Hannah that he can put his trust on. He knew Hannah cannot be the only one holding his emotional burden.
Cecilion added, "I thought I knew you. But the more I look at you, you seem... distant. Like I barely even know you."
Henry scoffed. "Everyone says that."
Before the two can continue, both Cecilion's and Henry's shadows began to shift and deform. It raised and formed a humanoid silhouette, before the blackish hue fades to a human under it, revealing to be Hannah.
Hannah smiled and waved towards the two men, with Henry waving back.
Hannah cleared her throat. "EIRENE knows about Henry's situation and thus has increased headquarter's security. And as another safety precaution, Squad E1 has to move to EIRENE's dorms immediately," said Hannah. "And another news, Blaise found similar cases from previous months."
Henry and Cecilion exchanged glances before facing Hannah with a raised brow, showing interest which prompted Hannah to continue.
"Yup. The spies were first seen by a few of the police's bounty hunter units a few months ago. But they are killed, reason being that they are either witnesses or unfortunately killed in battle. A few people went missing that day as well. I managed to locate a link that most missing people are Chimeras."
Chimeras. A term for people who are born with more than one power. A rare case, either seen as a gift or a curse. It is a phenomenon so rare, that there are not many studies of it, leaving such an enigma mainly unanswered.
And for someone to find that many Chimeras... They could have access to government records.
Henry's brows were creased. "But why am I targeted?"
"Maybe because you are one of the strongest." Blaise spoke, appearing from the shadows with a smirk before standing beside Hannah.
Henry showed signs of distraught, disapproving of the events that are happening around him.
"Can't fucking rest in peace." Henry hissed. "I wanna eat lunch. Can't think when hungry."
Henry brought himself to walk away from the group to ease his mind. Just as he was about to walk down the stairway, Henry accidentally bumped shoulders with someone, startling him that he fumbled and almost tripped down the stairs. Henry fortunately, caught his balance, regained his composure then turned to look to the person to apologise. The person whom he bumped to reacted negatively, however, grabbing Henry's collar and pushing him against the wall. Henry grunted, gritting his teeth.
The man has a long silver white hair tied to a low ponytail, his blue eyes piercing into Henry's soul. The man before him has a pale complexion, wearing a dark blue long coat with a similar high collar to henry's long coat. He has a few straps on himself that hides a few small weapons, with two swords hanging on his left hip and a shotgun holstered on the opposite side.
Henry's eyes widened slightly, as if knowing the person before him.
"You..." Henry muttered
"Villin... Got a problem or something?" The man questioned with aggression.
Henry did not fight back. "It was an accident."
The young man remained silent.
The young man grit his teeth, but before he can even do anything, a scarred hand, filled with visible burnt marks was placed on his shoulder. A shadow loomed over the two men, with Henry looking up, eyes shining when he recognised the person that stood behind the white haired man. The third man stopped the argument from occurring, right before Hannah, Blaise and Cecilion could see the commotion, smiling as his orange eyes stared with menace towards the young man. Henry immediately felt safe, loosening up from Kevin's grip.
The man's orange eyes glowed, a colour that matched his red hair. His outfit is similar to those who worked in a office, with a light orange blazer, white buttoned-up collared shirt tucked in to his brown trousers, red tie with a black clip, and lastly has formal office shoes. Such outfit made him seen as a normal office worker, making people lower their guard around him. Others wonder how he fights in such an outfit too.
"...Jae." Henry quietly greeted.
The man whom Henry referred to as Jae smiled back, until his gaze turned stern when he faced the man standing inbetween them.
"That's enough, Kevin. You do not want to be put for any disciplinary action." Jae firmly uttered.
Kevin clicked his tongue. He harshly let go of Henry, glaring daggers towards the tall man before stomping away towards the rooftop. Henry let out a sigh, brushing himself and adjusting his clothes before facing Jae.
Memories flood Henry, as if reminding the times he had with Jae.
Henry cleared his throat. "Thanks."
Jae pat Henry's shoulder, letting out a bigger smile this time, teeth exposed. He had a nostalgic look, as if finally seeing someone again after so long. He seemed proud and emotional, while Henry returned him a small smile, before immediately hugging Jae tightly, face buried on his shoulder despite him being taller than Jae.
Jae returned the hug, chuckling to himself.
"Glad to see you again, kid."