Chapter 8: Preliminaries
David West, a twenty-eight-year-old, had been in law enforcement before he turned twenty. Born to business-minded individuals, he had everything he needed growing up.
At an early age, he was taught to build meaningful connections wherever he could. Naturally, this mainly involved people in high places, people who could help him push forward in life.
However, the young David at the time had his own plans. His curious nature since he was young got him into a whole lot of trouble. Fortunately for him, he was always pulled out when things got out of hand.
Dave was around sixteen when he heard about a rather challenging case that was solved by a private investigator who used nothing but his wits and questions to solve the mystery.
It was a defining moment for the young Dave, a turning point that paved the way for what he truly wanted to do. And as fate would have it, he was very good at his job.
Spending a couple of years in training was all it took for Dave to blossom into the investigator he had become.
A special recommendation from one of his superiors was all it took to get him into ARISA. There, he spent a few years building himself and amassing achievements. Through these achievements, he was able to become a Field Commander.
David was one of the youngest ever to become a Field Commander. His intelligence and wits enabled him to tackle angles that most did not even consider, granting him the authority he holds in ARISA today.
Despite his achievements, Dave had one weakness everyone pointed out: he preferred working alone, taking things slowly to see everything from every possible angle. It was neither a good nor a bad trait.
While not an executive, he certainly had some authority to make some decisions he deemed beneficial to the organisation. It was why he was able to invite Kael into the fold without needing to ask anyone for permission.
As one of the best Field Commanders ARISA had, Dave was the person to investigate and solve the mystery surrounding the deaths of the future chosen heroes, at least for those living in Westmere City.
That meant he would be investigating four out of the thirteen who died of mysterious causes.
***
Arriving at the headquarters of ARISA, based in the heart of Westmere City, Dave made his way to the Awakened Crime Division, where he had his office and subordinates.
The ARISA HQ was a sleek, high-rise building with minimal aesthetic features on the outside. The exterior of the building was covered in dark-tinted glass that reflected as little light as possible.
Meeting Kael was a stroke of luck for him. Naturally, he had his own reasons for being in that part of the city at that time of the night. Had he not heard the soft groans with his enhanced senses, he would have passed by being none the wiser.
"Dave, you're finally here!"
Dave had barely stepped out of the elevator when someone drew his attention. Rushing towards him as he made his way towards his office was one of his subordinates, a 1.57-meter-tall woman. The woman had long, dark, silky hair that flowed seamlessly behind her.
With amber-coloured eyes and a pretty face that looked no older than twenty-five, Jessica Whales had all the assets a woman could carry in their right proportions, of course. As an awakened being herself with combat training, she was no fragile girl one could take advantage of.
However, Jessica preferred to stay in HQ instead of going out into the field. That was a job for her boss and those interested. She had the training, but it didn't mean she should use it.
All around the floor, people were busy with their tasks, as the recent case on their hands was something that had captured the entire world's attention. They couldn't mess it up.
"What's up, Jessica?" Dave asked as the woman fell into step with him. A glance at the woman told Dave that she had most likely been up all night.
This was not a strange sight, as awakened individuals could go a whole day or two without sleep. However, when they kept busy, it became evident on their faces.
"I see you haven't rested," Dave added before the woman could even open her lips to say what she had rushed over for.
"We don't have the time for that," Jessica brushed it off, getting straight to the matter at hand. "The preliminaries on the new case are ready and on your desk. But I have to say this, Dave..."
The woman took a breather, drawing Dave's attention to her expression. "There is nothing in there."
Raising her head to look into Dave's eyes, Jessica restated her words. "Whatever happened to those kids is too unusual. Nothing makes sense, like at all."
"..."
Dave furrowed his brows at her words. While not entirely strange for their current world, they were dealing with individuals who were almost always in the spotlight.
At this point, the duo had arrived at the entrance to his office. Opening the door, Dave walked inside while Jessica remained by the door, holding the handle.
A fourth of Dave's office was a large window that granted him a view of the city below. The office had ample space for a desk, a sitting area and file shelves filled with case files.
It was a minimally decorated space, just like how Dave liked it. The young detective moved towards his desk and grabbed the grey folder lying on it. He quickly skimmed through and realised that Jessica was right.
'There's nothing in here,' Dave thought with a frown, lifting the first page of paper to look beneath. 'Is something like this even possible?'
He looked back at the woman, who looked at him and nodded, once again affirming what she had mentioned earlier. "What about forensics?"
"Nothing yet." Jessica shook her head, her gaze wandering. "I have to say this, Dave. This case may be the most unusual we've encountered to date. The circumstances surrounding this are mind-boggling."
"Thank you, Jessica. I'll see what I can do."
Dave said as he walked around his desk to his chair. He leaned into it, this time taking his time to read the entire thing. Getting to the bottom of this wasn't going to be easy, even with their resources.
'This can't be real...' The thought echoed once more. 'The magic we utilise isn't so complicated that it's mystifying. Something is definitely not right...'
"Oh, Dave. I forgot to mention, but the boss wants to see you when you arrive." Jessica added, pointing upwards.
"Mm."
Dave looked at the woman and nodded, watching as she did the same before closing the door. Looking back at the folder in his hand and then at the open view behind him, Dave's mind spun quickly.
'Having someone like Mr. Neren by my side would surely make things more interesting.'
Dave thought with a slight smile. However, it was quickly replaced with a serious look. He was reminded of Kael's state of mind and whether his mentor would take his words into consideration.
'Hah... Let's leave that for later. He can reach out when he's ready.' With a bit of upper body strength, he got up from his comfortable seat and made his way out of the office.