"Another mission, eh? Who do I gotta cuff next?"
The woman leaned against a tree, arms folded and one foot braced against the bark. She sighed lazily and rolled her eyes. She had short, spiky pink hair, unique yellow eyes, and a lean yet slightly curvaceous physique. Her expression was tough and intimidating.
The man standing next to her, who had long black hair and stunning blue eyes, wore a slight smirk.
"Our next mission will be a long one, though. If I were you, I'd get as prepared as possible," the man said, idly messing with his bangs.
"How long, exactly?"
"Well… I'd say three months."
(Three months, he says… he can kiss my ass! Why do I always get stuck on long missions with this jerk? Ugh!)
Meet Oulohara: a low-paid, hot-tempered, and highly skilled Peacekeeper of the First Society. Life in the First Society isn't exactly a dream; actually, it sucks. Most children there starve to death, while others are sold or kidnapped. Luckily, she was able to grow up without the fear of losing her freedom.
The city's appearance is revolting—piles of trash, untrustworthy faces, and a dark, soulless atmosphere. Not even the highest-paid workers can afford the basic necessities due to the sheer lack of resources and unfair prices. Its only real benefit is being the most easily accessible land.
Oulohara stormed into her dorm, a cramped room with broken walls, a desk, and a rusted trash can. Her bed looked so uncomfortable it practically made her want to scream. She slammed the door shut, nearly breaking the handle, grabbed her pillow, and buried her face in it.
"Dammit! Three months for a single mission? Who the fuck are we even hunting?!"
Ironically, seconds later, there was a knock on her door—a knock that followed a rhythmic beat.
"Come in…"
The door slowly opened, and Oulohara's eyes twitched. Hikari was the one who entered. Hikari was her boss, the blue-eyed man from earlier. She considered him the most annoying person in all the Societies, but Hikari felt differently about his subordinate. He enjoyed her presence—or rather, he enjoyed how much he annoyed her.
"What do you want, Hikari? And drop me from this damn mission!" she yelled, hurlng her pillow at him.
"I just wanted to give you some extra details, since I kind of just dropped it on you out of the blue," he said, catching the pillow effortlessly and tucking it under his arm. "Also, no. This is actually more important than you think."
"And that is?"
"A heist. But not just any heist. This involves a highly political party that has been doing way more than just 'bad things.'"
She tilted her head in confusion. "Elaborate. You're still moving too fast. What are we stealing, anyway?"
He chuckled and tossed the pillow back to her. She caught it without looking. He moved toward the chair near her desk, slid it out, and sat down with one leg crossed over the other.
"We're stealing enslaved children and sending them back where they came from," he said plainly.
"H-huh???"
She leaned off the bed, her face a mask of confusion. Her mouth hung half-open as her eyes drifted away from Hikari, trying to process the news. He chuckled at her expression.
"The children I'm talking about are specifically the offspring of military soldiers from the Third Society."
"Y-you mean animal hybrids???" she asked, running a hand through her hair.
"Yeah."
There are multiple large continents called the Seven Societies, each located underground due to an incident centuries ago called the "Ouroboros Crisis." Several races, such as the animal people, split from a major society, and others followed until Seven Societies were formed. Due to that incident, the surface world is no longer habitable; it contains the essence of the creature that forced humanity underground: Ouroboros.
"It's quite rare, actually, since the animal people like to keep their affairs secret. When I received their request, I knew it was serious. They don't even trust our Society," Hikari said, rising from the chair.
"Who's kidnapping them? And what's the point?" Oulohara asked.
"Well, that's the thing. We don't have that information yet," he chuckled. "That's why the mission is so long. Investigation first, then planning, then action."
Hikari walked toward the door and placed his hand on the knob. "We'll be leaving for the Third Society next week, so start packing."
Before he left, he stuck his head back inside. "Also, one more thing."
"What?" she asked, pushing herself up from the bed.
A smirk grew on his face. "You might be able to learn a little more about that sword you've been researching, since the Third Society is close to the Fifth."
Her eyes widened and her fists clenched. A rare smile began to form on her face. Hikari knew he'd hooked her interest; she only smiled when she was getting close to her goal.
"R-really now?"
"Yeah. But that's just a reminder. I'm out of here," he said, turning and leaving. His footsteps echoed down the hallway.
After a few seconds, her smile broadened. "Shit… I didn't know that. I can get closer to obtaining it. Hell yeah! The kidnapped children are concerning, but at least I finally get to go to the Fifth Society!"
She bent over and reached underneath her bed, pulling out a small suitcase. She set it on the mattress and slowly opened it. A soft blue light illuminated her face and the dark room. Inside lay a thin blade that pulsed with blue light. The edge was slightly curved, ending in a sharp point that glowed a bright purple.
"Aww, yeah… I can sense the Celestial War is getting exciting. Just the hilt… that's all I need."