ROOT: Awakening

The Monday following their trip to the beach, the group of junior agents had finally returned to the familiarity of Station Nine.

Shortly after entering the building and meeting up with their respective superiors, Valerie came around to collect the members of their impromptu team. Once they were all together, the young agents then made their way down to one of the many training rooms in the building. In that training room, the group was greeted by the sight of their boss standing beside another individual. A young man with bright blonde hair and glasses who barely looked old enough to drive.

The two of them were standing in front of one of the training dummies. One that was slightly charred in various places. Behind the dummy, on the back wall, the group took note of the few spots on it that looked to have been hit by a stray mana burst or two.

'It's that kid.' Maria thought to herself. This boy was the same guy that she and Sebastian had brought back to the station after he accidentally used his powers on some bullies. 'What was his name again? Zack, right?'

"Good, you're all here!" Chief Chandler said as she greeted the new arrivals.

"What's going on in here?" Valerie then asked her aunt.

"I was helping Zack here learn how to use his magic." The brunette replied. "I may not be able to use my 'fire magic' anymore, but I do have enough experience to teach others how to use it properly."

"Make sense." Freddy nodded his head in agreement.

"Actually, this is perfect. Since you guys got here earlier than expected, you can help us out a bit." Chief Chandler then said before turning her attention back over to Zack. "Alright, young man, it's time for a pop quiz."

"A quiz?" The boy nervously repeated with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Yes." The Chief agent nodded. "What effect does prolonged use of mana have on the body?"

"Uh...fatigue and exhaustion, right?"

"Correct! And what threshold can the average sorcerer tolerate before they become lethargic and unable to properly regulate their mana?"

The teenager furrowed his brow as he tried to come up with an answer to the question. But after a few seconds of thinking, all the boy could do was shrug and shake his head.

Chief Chandler then turned her gaze toward the junior agents. "Alright, help him out."

"The threshold is roughly twenty percent, ma'am." Cyrus answered almost immediately. The 'tree magic' user remembered that little fact from all the hours he spent researching mana usage when he first awakened. Stuff like this was basic information that every agent needed to understand. Knowing how much of your mana you needed to conserve in a fight was crucial to avoid getting yourself killed by a cryptid.

"Correct." The brunette woman nodded before moving on to her next question. "What is more important when it comes to casting spells, magical amount or magical control?"

"Magical control." Zack replied.

"And why is that?"

"Um...because...if your control is good enough, you can get the same effect from a spell without having to use as much mana."

Chief Chandler seemed satisfied with that answer based on the slight smile she gave the boy. The woman then directed both Cyrus and Maria to create mana barriers using roughly five percent of their mana capacity. The group watched as the two agents did as they were told and quickly cast their spells.

For Maria, her silver-colored barrier took on the form of a circular shape that was large enough to cover the entire front of her body. As for Cyrus, his dark green hexagonal barrier was notably smaller than Maria's, but still large enough to cover about eighty percent of his form.

"Alright, Zack, tell me the difference between these two barriers."

The boy took a few seconds to visually inspect the two barriers in front of him. Upon initial glance, the two creations looked similar. However, the more the recently awakened sorcerer looked at them, the more their differences became apparent to him.

"The silver one is thicker but less sturdy than the green one."

'Wow...kid's got a good eye.' Freddy thought to himself, genuinely impressed with how quickly the newbie was able to point that out.

Valerie tilted her head in confusion. 'How the hell can he tell? Besides the shape, they both look the same to me.'

"That's exactly right." The Chief then said. "If we go purely on mana capacity, Maria is B-rank while Cyrus is C-rank. However, Cyrus has better mana control than Maria does. Because of this, he can make simple constructs that are structurally stronger than the ones that she can create. This is why sorcerer rankings take into account more than just the amount of mana you can hold within your mana core. When bringing mana control into the equation, Cyrus is bumped up to B-rank."

"Makes sense."

"This is why mana control is more important when it comes to casting spells. A sorcerer who's able to maximize the amount of mana that they can use efficiently will always have the advantage in a fight over someone who relies purely on their raw power."

"I get it." Zack nodded.

Valerie couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed at the topic of conversation. She knew that her aunt wasn't talking about her directly, but all this talk about mana control was starting to sour her mood.

The tall blonde knew that what Chief Chandler was saying was technically true, but she refused to accept the idea that her inability to control her mana put her at a disadvantage in a fight. Valerie may not have been able to regulate her own power very well, but she more than made up for it in other areas. Besides, any sorcerer that relied solely on their magical attribute was just asking to get their asses kicked.

"Remember this whenever you're practicing with your magic. Big flashy techniques are cool and all, but efficient use of what you have available will save your life more often than not."

"I understand."

"Good. Now then, continue practicing on that training dummy. I need to have a quick word with these four."

The boy nodded before focusing his attention back on the half-burnt training dummy.

With that out of the way, Chief Chandler was finally able to speak with her subordinates. The four of them were certainly curious about what the woman wanted to talk about. They knew that they weren't in any kind of trouble, but they couldn't help but feel a bit nervous at the same time.

"First things first, good job on your mission. The twins had nothing but good things to say about you four. And Commissioner MacNamara was very impressed with what he heard."

"Sweet!" Valerie smiled. This is exactly what she wanted to hear. Now that the Commissioner knew her name, she was one step closer to achieving her goal. It was only a matter of time before she would be able to move up in the ranks of the DPA.

"In fact, the Commissioner was so impressed that he wants you all to pull bodyguard duty for his kids during next month's fundraiser."

"Fundraiser?" Cyrus quirked an eyebrow.

Chief Chandler couldn't help but let out a sigh, despite her professional demeanor, even she couldn't help but let her irritation show at the thought of having to be at the event.

"Every year, some of the upper echelon of sorcerer society get together to hold a fundraiser. Although the purpose of the event is to raise money for the three sorcerer academies we have here in the U.S., it's really just a chance for a bunch of stuck-up rich people from big families to network and scheme together. There are even a few non-sorcerers who are invited, mainly just some businessmen and politicians."

'Great...more rich assholes to put up with.' Maria groaned internally. This fundraiser sounded like the last place she wanted to be. Having to deal with two rich kids was already enough for her. The idea of her being forced to be in a room full of their type was the kind of thing that would make the 'beast magic' user want to throw herself out of a window.

"Hold on..." Freddy then interjected. "Aren't we supposed to be there anyway? Doesn't the nearest DPA station usually handle the security for the event?"

"Yes, but the twins' parents want to be extra careful, especially since it's their first time going. Besides, it's not like we can deny the request anyway. Unless one of you wants to tell our boss that you're not up for it."

Needless to say, none of the junior agents were brave enough to attempt something like that. Although they had never met the man, the stories they heard about Eugene MacNamara were enough to scare even the bravest of individuals. You don't get to be the leader of a secret government agency without having the skills to justify your position. And from what they've heard, the man had the power to literally split the sky in half at the drop of a hat.

"Is there any chance of something going wrong during this fundraiser?" Cyrus then asked.

"No." The Chief simply replied. "No one's ever been dumb enough to try and make a move on the event as long as it's been a thing. But either way, we're going to be careful."

Valerie then raised her hand. "When is this whole thing supposed to happen?"

"In about three weeks."

"Gotcha."

"Anyway, that's pretty much it. Obviously, you guys will need to be on your best behavior during the fundraiser. There's going to be some pretty important people there, and I would like it if you all didn't make our station look bad."

"Come on, at least have a little faith in us!" Valerie waved off the woman's concerns. "We know how to carry ourselves in public, we're not kids. Uh...no offense, Zack."

"None taken...I guess." The boy shrugged before going back to his drills.

'I wonder if there's a way for me to get out of this.' Maria thought to herself. The 'beast magic' user was secretly hoping that she would get put on some sort of emergency assignment before the fundraiser took place. Something that would guarantee that she wouldn't be available for the event.

Freddy then raised his hand as another question popped into his head. "Quick question! Are we going to have to-"

*WHOOOSH*

Suddenly and without warning, an absolutely overwhelming wave of mana descended upon Station Nine. So much so that the air within the underground compound became hard to breathe in. Everyone in the room immediately dropped to their knees, and sweat began to drip from their pores.

'What the fuck?!' Cyrus wondered as he struggled to keep his body upright. The 'tree magic' user had never felt such an intense amount of magical pressure before. It was a force so strong that it felt as if all the bones in his body were about to shatter.

'W-what is this?' Maria thought at that exact same moment. Whatever the source of this mana was, it was causing all of her companions to act up. Even her most powerful one was ready to force itself out of her body in order to try and escape whatever it was that was approaching them. 'Shit, I think I'm gonna be sick.'

With each passing second, it felt as though the source of this mana wave was getting closer and closer. And the closer it got, the more intense the pressure became.

Although they tried their hardest to resist it, Freddy and Zack ended up fainting due to the strain that the mana wave was putting on their bodies. And not even five seconds after them, Cyrus too lost consciousness.

The next to fall was Maria. The 'beast magic' user attempted to stand up but was quickly brought back down to her knees before everything went dark. Out of the four junior agents, the only one who managed to hold on was Valerie. Even then, it took everything in the tall blonde's power not to keel over like the rest.

"W-what...the...fuck...is that?" Valerie said through labored breaths. The young woman had managed to get back on her feet, but judging from the way she was swaying back and forth, it was only a matter of time before she, too, would be out of commission.

"That damn idiot!" Chief Chandler cursed with an annoyed expression on her face. Despite feeling the same amount of pressure on her body as everyone else, the leader of Station Nine was able to resist it enough to move. And so, the woman rushed towards the door before leaving the training room and heading upstairs.

-(o)-

"Shit! Where the hell is it?!" Robin Stillwater grimaced while rummaging through the drawers of a nearby desk.

All of the APS agents that were currently present were slumped over in various corners of their office area, thanks to the sudden wave of mana that washed over the entire building. Sebastian was draped over a nearby desk, and from the looks of it, he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. Skylar was facedown next to the door with a stack of papers scattered all over her body. And the rest were just as bad, if not worse.

Fortunately, Robin knew exactly what the cause of this sudden mana wave was, as well as the solution.

The woman continued searching through the drawers of the desk before finding exactly what she was looking for. With a sense of urgency, the woman grabbed a small black metallic box and immediately rushed out of the nearby door. She needed to get upstairs as soon as possible. The longer everyone was exposed to this level of mana, the more it put them in danger.

"He better have a good explanation for what the hell is going on!"

-(o)-

Barely two minutes later, Robin and Chief Chandler were on the top floor of the building. Just as the two were about to turn the corner, they came face to face with the source of all their current troubles.

Standing before them was a man, one with deep brown eyes, a buzz cut, and a neatly trimmed goatee. His skin was the color of roasted chestnuts, and he stood at a convincing 6'3" tall. His sharp cheekbones and rugged face were certainly eye-catching to the average person, but the most distinctive feature the man had was the thick vertical scar that graced the right side of his face next to his eye.

The man was dressed in a grey tracksuit, along with a pair of simple running shoes. And the amount of mana that he was currently pushing out gave the man what could only be described as an otherworldly aura. Almost as if calling him a human being wouldn't be enough to properly describe one such as him.

Despite the ever-increasing feeling of nausea washing over her body, Robin did her best to power through the pain and walked up to the man. Each step she took felt as though she were walking deeper and deeper into a pit of quicksand, but the woman was strong enough to keep her feet.

The 'beast magic' user then handed the man the box, which he gladly accepted before opening the container and revealing its contents.

Inside the box was a thick, black metal bracelet with a series of white stones outlining the edges. Upon first glance, the device looked like a watch, albeit with a few more attachments than one would normally see. However, the more one looked at the more they could tell that it was something much different.

With a swift wave of the hand, the man wrapped the device around his wrist and secured it before pressing the large white button at the bottom of the face. The moment he did so, the intense wave of mana practically disappeared in an instant. With this, both Robin and Chief Chandler were finally able to take some much-needed breaths.

"Mubele, what the hell were you thinking?!" The Chief said with no small amount of anger in her tone.

"Why would you come here with your mana just pouring out like that? It's the middle of the day, someone could've gotten hurt!"

"Sorry about that." The man said in an apologetic tone while rubbing the back of his head. His voice was smooth but also deep. "I would've called ahead, but my phone got destroyed two days ago."

"Where were you anyway? You've been gone for months." Robin asked.

The man sighed as he replayed the last few months in his head. "All over the place. But mostly just out west. Obviously, I can't tell you guys everything, but I can tell you that I've been in the Grand Canyon for the last two weeks."

"Seriously?"

Chief Chandler then nodded her head in understanding. "I have heard that sorcerer-related criminal activity both out west and in the northeast has increased a lot lately. I'm guessing that your little adventure had something to do with that?"

"Mhmm." Theo hummed. "Most of it had to do with drug trafficking, though. A 'plant magic' user decided to use his powers to create a new strain of marijuana, and it's been spreading all over the place, especially in Boston and Portland. And the stuff is highly addictive for regular humans. We managed to capture some of his underlings, but the bastard managed to slip away from us."

Robin, genuinely surprised at hearing that, raised an eyebrow. "Really? They managed to evade you and the rest of Commissioner Eugene's little kill squad?"

"Yes. We were close, too. But we missed them by a day or two."

"Sucks."

"Anyways..." Chief Chandler interjected. "How long are you going to be back for? You do realize that you've got a ton of paperwork to catch up on, right?"

Theo kept his tone even and calm. "I'm only here for a week before I go on my vacation."

The Chief looked at the man as if he had grown a second head. "Vacation?"

"Yes..." The Deputy Chief tilted his head in confusion. "Did you forget? I sent in my request three weeks ago, and you approved it. It was actually that same night."

"I did?"

"....Yes...."

Zoe Chandler immediately replayed the last few weeks in her head. For the life of her, the woman couldn't remember approving time off for her second-in-command. It sounded like the exact opposite of what she would do.

The woman had been waiting for the man to return for months just so that she could finally relax a bit. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time that the Chief accidentally approved some time off for one of her subordinates. She did have a nasty habit of just approving anything that came across her desk right before it was time for her to head home.

"How long are you going to be gone for?"

"A month."

'FUCK!' The Chief screamed internally, lamenting all of the extra work she was going to have to deal with. There was no way that she would've given the man the green light for that much time off. A couple of weeks, sure, but not an entire month. 'I really need to start reading those damn forms.... You know what, screw this! I'm putting in my request for a vacation before I leave today. I am not about to deal with another month of running this place by myself!'

Just before either of the senior agents could say anything else, another man appeared. Agent Carl Winters, the agent in charge of operating the station's radar system, barely stumbled out of the elevator before walking up to the trio. The man with the short red hair wiped the thin film of sweat off his forehead before straightening himself up and speaking.

"Jesus, Mubele...a little warning would've been nice...." The man side-eyed the Deputy-Chief.

"Sorry, Winters." The dark-skinned man apologized again. "Hopefully, it won't happen again."

Now, it was the boss's turn to say something. "Speaking of warnings, why didn't you say something, Winters?"

"I tried." The man responded. "But Mubele was going so damn fast that by the time he popped up on my monitor, he was already less than three miles away."

Robin turned towards Theo. "How fast were you going?"

"Can't really say." The man shrugged. "I know I broke the sound barrier somewhere over Oklahoma a while ago. But after that, I wasn't really paying attention."

"Timeout!" Chief Chandler held her hands up in a "T" shape. "Are you saying that you flew all the way over here from Arizona...by yourself?"

As if it were the most normal thing in the world, Theo nodded his head. "Yes.... It didn't take me that long. Only a little over three and a half hours."

The Chief, Robin, and Agent Winters all looked at the man as if he had suddenly grown a second head. A normal flight from that kind of distance would take a passenger plane at least four hours without any stops. And here their colleague was saying that he covered that same distance in even less time than that.

Of course, all of them were well aware at this point that Jean-Jacques Mubele was not a normal sorcerer by any stretch of the imagination. However, the man never ceased to amaze them with the kind of feats he was casually capable of pulling off without a second thought. It was no wonder why people usually referred to him as a monster.

"Anyways..." Robin then said. "I think we should go check up on the others. I'd wager that at least half of the building is passed right now."

"Good call." The Chief agreed.

"Remind me to tell everyone that I apologize later. I didn't mean to cause a fuss."

"Sure, whatever...but if a cryptid shows up, you're the one that's going to deal with it."

"Fair enough."

With that, the four senior agents made their way back downstairs and immediately started helping out their fellow agents. Thankfully, a quarter of everyone in the building was able to retain consciousness through Theo's mana wave. The rest, mainly anyone who wasn't at least A-Rank, had to be moved to safer areas on the second level in order to rest and recover. But sure enough, most were eventually able to rejoin the world of the living within a few hours.

-(o)-

Character Profile: Theo

Name: Jean-Jacques Theodore Mubele Kawela

Alias: Theo, The Thunder God, The Chosen One, Wonderboy, The Reaper

Gender: Male

Age: 30

Birthday: July 8th

Birthplace: Kananga, Kasai-Central, DRC

Height: 73in

Weight: 227lbs

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Race: Black

Magic: Lightning

Occupation: DPA Agent

Stat Chart: S(+)

-Physical Strength - 5++

-Intelligence - 3.5

-Magic Amount - 5++

-Magical Control - 5++

-Magic Sensing - 5++

-Special - 5++

Fun Fact:

-National Rank: 1

-World Rank: 3

-Alma Mater: University of North Carolina at Charlotte

-Current Bounty: $3.75 million

-Favorite food is chicken Marengo

-Hates Iznana with a passion