If someone had told me two days ago that I would walk to them of my own accord… I wouldn't have believed it.
Yet here I was, sitting in front of the same two people again.
Almost the same cup of coffee sat before me.
"So… Orchid was you?" Lina asked.
"Mm."
I nodded.
"And you're saying you saw the burning entity… and even heard it?"
"Mm."
I nodded again.
"There's no doubt about it," Suleiman said calmly. "The radar hasn't detected anything since morning. The specter has changed locations and chosen a host for itself."
"…?"
I raised my head at the unfamiliar terminology.
"This means what happened yesterday wasn't instability in the specter's state, where it shifted from Orange Rank to Red Rank," Lina explained, her tone turning serious as she tried to clarify something.
"But rather… it was moving away."
"This means it's still in the Orange Rank, and possibly even higher," Suleiman added with a darker tone. "It might be on the verge of entering the Yellow Rank. That's a dangerous development."
I still didn't understand.
"Help me."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"I can't live like this anymore… I feel powerless. I tremble every time a shadow passes by me."
Everything that had happened yesterday flashed through my mind.
I tried to stop my sweaty hands from shaking.
I tried to stay composed.
"So… will you join us?" Suleiman asked.
"…."
After weighing the pros and cons, I had initially wanted to avoid involving myself. I didn't want to pay a price I might not be able to afford.
But…
If I died, I wouldn't be able to pay anything at all.
I glanced at the two people sitting across from me.
At the very least, they seemed adapted to this world.
Unlike me.
They judged the situation calmly.
"Mm… if I join," I said slowly, "will you teach me how to survive something like what happened yesterday?"
"At least… promise me I won't have to stand there again watching myself get roasted alive."
"…"
"…"
The two of them fell silent as if someone had pressed a mute button.
"Miss!"
Lina suddenly slammed her palm onto the table and stood up.
The sudden movement startled me.
"Do you see this knife here?" she said, pointing at the blade. "I can split that roasted thing in half with it. Don't worry— even if you can't defend yourself, I'll protect you."
I wasn't sure whether those words were supposed to reassure me or terrify me even more.
She extended her hand.
"I'm Lina. It'll be a pleasure working with you."
She smiled warmly.
Her face, which must have once been beautiful if not for the ugly scar crossing it, lit up with that smile.
"I'll teach you everything step by step," she said. "Until you can walk without fear. But first… we need to get through this crisis."
"So when do I start?" I asked.
I felt slightly reassured.
Having someone who had suffered like me—yet was capable of teaching and protecting me—was priceless.
Of course, I knew everything came with a price.
But survival was worth more than anything.
"Now."
The word came out sharp and serious.
My face stiffened.
What did he just say?
Surely I had misheard.
"When did you say?" I asked again, just to be sure.
"Now."
So I had heard correctly.
I wanted to take it back.
"Shouldn't we… go through some formal procedures first?" I asked nervously. "You know… contracts, signatures, guarantees… things like that?"
I tried to cling to any trace of the normal world—one ruled by papers and stamps, not specters and missions.
"All that is just formality," Suleiman replied calmly. "And we truly need you for this mission."
"A mission? What mission?"
A cold chill crept down my spine.
No.
It couldn't be.
He didn't mean the burning entity… did he?
"I just agreed! I don't even have proper shoes for running!"
Lina burst into loud laughter, drawing the attention of the café staff.
"In our world, my dear," she said cheerfully, "admitting our weakness is our only contract… and survival written in our blood is our only seal."
She pulled out a green dagger surrounded by a faint eerie aura and raised it.
"With this knife, I'll split that charred bastard in half."
"But first, we need to lure it back… so it doesn't escape again."
Wait.
Lure it?
My face went pale.
"You want… me to be the bait?"
Suleiman's gray eyes turned toward me.
His next words froze the blood in my veins.
"I wouldn't call it bait. Think of it as field training."
"We don't even know what your ability is yet."
"This is the fastest way to find out."
"Maryam… you have five minutes to say goodbye to your normal life."
"We're leaving now."
The spoon slipped from my hand and struck the porcelain saucer with a sharp clink.
The sound echoed like the shattering of my illusion of an easy escape.
I hadn't signed any contracts or legal papers yet.
But I could already feel the rope tightening around my neck.
"Do we really have to push her like this?" Lina whispered quietly as they walked toward the car.
Suleiman avoided her gaze.
"I didn't want this either… but they won't wait any longer. Neither can we."
He pressed his fingers between his brows.
The memory of last night surfaced again.
"…No?" Suleiman asked in disbelief.
"No," the clerk replied firmly.
"The transfer request is denied."
He stamped the document with a bold red seal.
[REJECTED]
"All teams are currently assigned to Blue Category missions. Only Team Gamma and Team Sigma remain available."
"Then Team Sigma can go," Suleiman said calmly.
"Team Sigma has already filed a complaint about your team pushing missions onto them recently," the clerk replied.
"Management is currently reviewing the complaint and may issue a punishment for your team."
"You understand what the word punishment means in the Null, don't you?"
"So stop chasing cats and take on a real mission."
Suleiman opened his mouth to respond—
"And one more thing," the clerk added.
"Your team gained a new member."
"You're no longer just three people."
"This time… management wants to see a tangible result."
Suleiman stood in the familiar hallway, staring at the rejected document with clear dissatisfaction.
He crumpled the paper in his hand and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
"…."
There was nothing left to say.
And just like that—
Suleiman and his team, along with their new member, were forced to take on this mission.