BANG! BANG! BANG!
The pounding at the door shook the entire apartment.
Midnight hissed, fur standing straight up, positioning himself in front of Charles like a tiny panther ready to kill.
Charles's heart hammered in his chest.
The fragment… the demon… the purification… something must have leaked.
And now Creed is here. Of course he is.
He forced a deep breath and opened the door.
Inspector Varron Creed stood there—towering, cold, unreadable.
Two Bureau drones hovered behind him, their red lenses staring.
Creed's eyes scanned Charles instantly like a hawk dissecting prey.
"Charles Reyes," he said quietly, "we detected a spike of rift energy in this building."
Charles froze.
Creed's gaze sharpened.
"Step aside."
Not a request.
An order.
Charles swallowed hard and stepped back.
Creed entered the apartment, boots echoing softly on the floor. The interior was clean—too clean—thanks to Charles's panicked tidying moments earlier.
Midnight followed them, glaring at Creed.
The inspector glanced at the cat.
"…Hostile feline."
Midnight growled.
Charles quickly scooped the cat up.
"H-He's friendly. Very friendly."
Midnight hissed again.
Creed raised one eyebrow.
---
The Scan Begins
Creed lifted his wrist scanner.
A soft blue wave spread across the room.
[Warning: High-tier Bureau scanning device detected]
[Concealment Protocol: Overclock Mode]
[Suppressing Aura, Purification Residue, Divine Particles]
Charles kept his breathing steady.
The scanner hummed—high pitched, deeper, almost struggling.
Creed frowned.
"Strange…"
He turned the scanner toward Charles.
BEEP—BEEP—ERROR—BEEP
Charles felt his stomach twist.
Again, Creed scanned.
BEEP—BEEP—ERROR
His eyes narrowed.
"…Your readings are inconsistent."
Charles forced a nervous laugh.
"I'm an F-rank, sir. Maybe the scanner is allergic to disappointment?"
Even Midnight blinked at him in disbelief.
Creed was not amused.
He stepped closer.
Very close.
Charles felt the man's pressure—intense, suffocating.
An A-rank awakened aura.
But Charles's SSS passive kicked in automatically.
[Lightbearer's Apostle — Passive Effect: Aura Neutralization]
[Apostle Status: Hidden]
[Threat Signature: Masked]
Creed's aura hit Charles like a wall—
—and dissolved harmlessly.
Creed paused.
He seemed… confused.
"This is unusual. Most F-ranks collapse under my pressure."
Charles scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Ah… I guess I'm sturdier than I look?"
Midnight sneezed loudly, drawing attention away.
---
Investigating the Source
Creed walked to the dining table where the rift fragment once sat.
He knelt down, scanning the surface.
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
"…Residual distortion traces."
Charles's heart stopped.
He found the leftover energy from the fragment!
"Sir, I-I don't know anything," Charles said quickly. "I was just studying—"
Creed held up a hand to silence him.
"Quiet."
He scanned again.
The screen flashed.
RIFT RESIDUE DETECTED
CORRUPTION LEVEL: 0%
HOLY PURIFICATION: PRESENT
SOURCE: UNKNOWN
Creed blinked.
"…Purified? Entirely?"
Charles tensed.
Creed stood and stared at him intensely.
"No F-rank Bishop can purify rift energy this completely."
Charles swallowed hard.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe our building has holy water leaks?"
Midnight slammed a paw on Charles's arm.
Even the cat knew that was stupid.
Creed stepped closer again—face inches away.
"Charles Reyes. Look at me."
Charles forced himself to meet his eyes.
Creed spoke slowly:
"Did you witness anything unusual? Anyone suspicious? Any awakened individual using holy-type abilities near this apartment?"
Charles shook his head. "No, sir. Just me, my parents, and my little brothers."
Creed's gaze flicked toward Midnight.
"And the cat," he added suspiciously.
Midnight puffed his chest, meowing aggressively.
Creed narrowed his eyes.
"…Your pet is unusually protective."
Charles quickly covered Midnight's face.
"He's… shy!"
Midnight bit his hand.
Creed raised a brow.
---
Creed's Final Scan
Creed ran one last scan directly over Charles.
The device flickered.
Then displayed:
Rift Exposure: None
Corruption: None
Holy Output: Minimal
Threat Level: Low
Class: Bishop (F-rank)
Growth Type: Skill-Based Support
Stability: Clear
Creed frowned deeper.
"…Everything reads normal. Too normal."
Charles forced a smile.
"I guess you can go now?"
Creed didn't answer.
He took one more slow look around the apartment.
Then:
"If another rift-related spike appears in this building… I will return."
Charles nodded quickly.
"Yes, sir."
Creed stepped out the door.
But before leaving completely, he looked back.
"Charles Reyes…"
Charles froze.
Creed studied him with eyes sharp enough to cut steel.
"…be careful."
He turned and left, door closing behind him.
---
Aftermath
Charles collapsed onto the couch.
Christian, Charlie, and Christopher jumped onto him, relieved he was okay.
Midnight climbed onto his chest, licking his chin before biting his ear in scolding.
"Ow—! Okay, okay, sorry!"
The system appeared.
[Threat Level: Cleared]
[Passive Concealment Successful]
[Lightbearer's Apostle: Fully Operational]
Charles leaned back, exhausted.
"…Great. I survived an A-rank investigator."
But relief was short lived.
Because the system flashed a new message:
[New Quest Unlocked]
"The First Shard Will Soon Awaken."
Charles stared.
"…What does that even mean?"
Midnight stared at the same notification, tail twitching.
He knew exactly what it meant:
More trouble.
---