Set Your Soul Ablaze!

A city spanned almost endlessly before the window, the biggest metropolis in the world. New City. Skyscrapers clawed at the overcast sky, covering 5,000 square kilometers of land. At the very center of the city, standing taller than the surrounding buildings, were the original statues of the two Guardians, the same ones whose replicas stood at the Guardian Dome's entrance. Directly opposite them was a skyscraper with "NCPD" etched into its facade.

Inside a high-floor office, Tiamoth stood, looking out the window at the statues. Behind him, seated at a desk buried in paperwork, was a man named Detective Lewrin.

"How long are you going to stare at the Sovereign Knight's statue, Tiamoth?" Lewrin asked, not looking up from his case files.

"There is nothing wrong with looking at the statue of my childhood hero." Tiamoth turned, moved across the room, and sat in the chair opposite Lewrin's desk.

"You are clearly thinking about something. That is why you are in my office," Lewrin said, his eyes still on his work.

"Yeah, you are as observant as ever, Detective. There is a case I need transferred to me," Tiamoth said, picking up a coffee mug from the desk.

"A case?" Lewrin finally looked up, raising his eyebrows.

"Victor Sanchez transferred a case here about seven years back," Tiamoth said. "His adopted kid, Niata, asked me for a favor. It is about his dead parents."

"Seven years ago?" Lewrin asked, leaning back in his chair. "Hmm, a cold case going that long… I will check for you."

Tiamoth stood to leave. "Well, talk later," he said.

"Wait!" Lewrin said. "We have to talk, man. You are the Overseer of the Guardian Program; you have to have a lot more to talk about... like sending them on that dangerous mission."

"A lot?" Tiamoth sat back down. "You know what? Yes."

"Let's talk about you sending low-level two students to fight a third-stage Derivative, Tiamoth. What was up with that?" Lewrin asked, setting his pen down.

"That... yeah. I foresaw the kids would win. Giving them challenging missions over facing the same threat over and over again will accelerate their development sooner," Tiamoth said calmly.

"That does not excuse it, Tiamoth. What if one of them had died?" Lewrin countered.

"They would not have. The mission went according to my predictions. Also... I need to find more missions for them," Tiamoth said as he walked back to stare out the window.

"You know you are not just responsible for their progress and missions. You need to take their well-being into account," Lewrin said, his voice laced with concern.

"Yes, I am doing that. These kids have vast potential, and I do not want to waste it. That is why I want them to capture the Anti-Guardian," Tiamoth said, still staring out the window at Liku's statue, his hands in his pockets.

"You cannot be serious, Tiamoth! That monster is anywhere between low-level three and high-level three. You said so yourself!" Lewrin yelled.

"I am hoping that she is a low-level three, but it is not a mission I am thinking about for now. Maybe later in the coming months," Tiamoth replied.

"I do not know a lot about Essencers, but I know damn well the difference between sub-ranks is thousands upon thousands in power," Lewrin said.

"They beat a Derivative equal to that. Just four of them," Tiamoth smirked.

"Derivatives are unstable. They cannot use their Umbrage effectively. You know this," Lewrin shot back.

"You are smart, Tiamoth, smarter than I am by a lot, but this is reckless. She killed a family of five, ripped them to pieces in their home. I cannot imagine what she will do to those kids," Lewrin said, his voice dropping.

"A greater number against her will work. You are underestimating these kids," Tiamoth said.

"Hmm. I shall put my trust in you, you great second-greatest detective," Lewrin said with a sigh.

"I believe she is the one who performed all those Awakening Rituals across the city in the past seven months," Tiamoth said, turning back to sit down.

"Could have been anyone," Lewrin said.

"Failed Awakening rituals result in the remains of both the sacrifice and the person performing it being scattered all over the place. Their blood, bits and pieces... while it is possible to survive a failed ritual, it is rare," Tiamoth explained, twisting a pen between his fingers.

"However, it is so rare that we know this: performing a ritual while already being an Essencer just explodes the sacrifice and does not affect the user. Out of the thirty-three failed Awakening Ritual sites in the past seven months, nine of them were missing the second body."

"Hmm. How does this connect to the Anti-Guardian?" Lewrin asked.

"I believe she was responsible for most of them, purposely performing the rituals while she was an Essencer for the sake of it," Tiamoth said. "Looking at how perfect the symbols and ritual settings are, I believe she is a Vayra worshipper." He punctuated his point by tapping the desk with his pen.

"You are ruining my table," Lewrin grumbled. "You might be right, you might be wrong. It could be by chance, or just a different individual."

"Yeah, you are right. I do not have enough evidence as of yet, but we will get there. She is smart, but unlike BulbHead, she does not have a clear strategy," Tiamoth said.

"The sooner this case is solved, the better. Same with the BulbHead case," Lewrin said, returning to his paperwork. "So, are the parents not bothering you?"

"My phone is always buzzing. Texts, calls, visits... It is tiring. Plus, I have to report back their progress, look for more missions, my work here..." Tiamoth pressed a hand to his forehead, eyes shut tight, and slowly shook his head.

"Never thought I'd see you like this," Lewrin chuckled out loud.

"Help me out here," Tiamoth pleaded, scratching his head.

"Hang in there. You are smart," Lewrin chuckled softly.

"Why don't you use your eye projection to keep up with their progress without going there? That would save you time," Lewrin suggested, breaking the brief silence.

"Violation of privacy, Detective?" Tiamoth countered, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"You could tell them you are doing it. Having built-in surveillance, Tiamoth, if…"

"No," Tiamoth said, raising a hand and cutting Lewrin off mid-sentence.

"Hmm… It is you, after all. A man who has such useful abilities and never uses them. Drives a hundred-year-old electric car in a world powered by Crysticity… I will never understand that part of you, Tiamoth," Lewrin said, shaking his head.

"I am just a loner," Tiamoth said with a shrug. "In the meantime, I have to send them to take out more Derivatives. I just hope we get something from the missing people cases." He stood, about to leave.