The next day, Kairo got ready in his room. His wounds were fully healed by now. He was like his father and hated being inactive for too long. Staying at home was real torture for him. Furthermore, his father had talked about a new mission coming up. Kairo put on his cap, eager to find out what it was.
While Kairo was setting up his card launcher on his wrist, he noticed one additional card on the table. Now he had exactly five cards: Eye of Truth, Sand Paladin, Tactical Brilliance, Animate, and this additional card—on which was a figure basking in some sort of divine light. On it was written: Promised Result!
Kairo took a deep breath, taking the card in his fingers.
'I can't resolve to hand this card to the Card Mage Police. I fear they might use it again,' Kairo thought.
He didn't know why, but he couldn't separate himself from it, as if it was calling him. Maybe it was what he had seen or experienced, but Kairo wanted to keep Promised Result.
Because Promised Result was originally the surgeon's card, no one could infuse their aura into it other than him. Meaning, even if handed to the Card Mage Police, it would be useless.
'This is what I would have thought if I didn't see the bazaar in the Card Mage Police. If they kept the cards of dead officers, it's not just for memories. They probably have a way to counter this limitation,' Kairo thought.
This was the only explanation he could think of. Although technically it was impossible, Kairo had doubts. Everything he knew about card magic had been shaken by the surgeon and Promised Result. Like cards requiring fuel as their activating condition, or cards having inner hidden mechanics—this wasn't what he expected when he embarked on the path of card magic. There was probably much more to this than he currently knew.
Kairo placed his three cards in his launcher. Although he couldn't use Promised Result, he would keep it with him for now. Kairo settled it in his belt pocket securely with Animate. Picking up his jacket, Kairo left the villa afterward.
…
When Kairo entered the Card Mage building, he was greeted by a number of curious stares. Unlike the first time when he came and no one noticed him, this time around quite a few people knew him—and it wasn't just because he was Magnus's son. He had defeated a Grade Three criminal, succeeded at his newcomer mission, and saved a number of lives.
It wasn't happening overnight, but more and more people were talking about Kairo and his partner Nyx. Some would sometimes say they would be cute if they were a couple, others felt Nyx was just hanging on her golden spoon. Although the opinions were varied these days, Kairo had become a mini star in the office.
'Slowly getting out of Father's shadow. Feels so good,' Kairo thought as he greeted his colleagues.
"Good morning, Kairo. Nice job with the surgeon. I heard he couldn't even talk when he was transported to prison," one said while laughing.
"To think those little fists hit so hard is astounding. You're probably going to get a new star after such a feat. To think I still have to work for an entire year to just dream of one."
"I was lucky. I had a good partner," Kairo said.
"Lucky, huh? Jed on his part wasn't that lucky, him," a sharp voice joined the conversation.
Kairo's face darkened slightly. He didn't know who these three-star officers were, but they sure did know him.
'This was all my fault. I will find a solution to this.' Kairo had not forgotten the transformed human.
Actually, it was the reason he came here first. He needed to know what their fate would be after the cathedral incident.
"Whatever you say. The moment Daddy's son got into this place, I knew things would be off. First the boss disappears to who knows where, and then you almost kill a little girl, break an entire cathedral, and even funnier—your best friend almost killed millions of people. Such a score is hard to beat around newcomers," another one added.
Kairo's hand turned into a fist, cracking so hard his fingers were bending under the pressure. Despite feeling the urge to break the other party's face, Kairo walked away. No matter how he thought of it, they weren't entirely wrong. The moment he entered here, things had only gone for the worse. Jed and the others... were now different…
Kairo straightened his resolve to reach his destination. This building was a little isolated from all the others, part of the Card Mage Police headquarters. After some discussion, Kairo was finally allowed into the building.
Within was a single massive crystal screen that separated the place into two. On one side was a group of officers monitoring all sorts of systems, and on the other were a group of people.
Some were twice the size of normal humans, others had even completely lost their humanity—turned into massive beasts that forced Kairo to keep his head looking upward. All of them had some sort of energetic ring, like vulgar animals, around their necks while they roamed on the other side of the screen.
"Kairo, you can't get too close to the screen. They get agitated when you do that," the officer in charge warned. "We haven't found any solution for them right now. The doctors say there is at last no way for them to return."
Kairo's heart sank at those words. 'I won't be able to hold my promise.' Kairo felt like being stabbed from within. On the other side of the screen was the little girl from last time. Her body seemed to have morphed even more, turning her into an almost moving pulp.
"They are not all dangerous. We can't keep them all here," he said, unable to stay quiet.
"That's not my decision, Kairo. I just follow orders like you. Furthermore, where do you want them to go? To the rehabilitation center? The inquisitors would be glad to get rid of them all."
Kairo's mind wandered to Celia and her words. The last time, she had not hesitated a single second and was ready to decapitate Jed without remorse. If he had not caught that sword, this wolf would be a memory by now. Kairo could only observe from the other side of the screen, powerless.
'If this is all related to the inner self, maybe there is a way to reverse this effect. My father said it is like our emotions—it is volatile and can change.' Kairo spoke out loud.
If he was right, with some help, maybe it was not too late. These people were like this because their inner self was tortured and frightened when Promised Result was used on them. That might have been the cause.
"Even if it is, what's the point now? After what Jed did in his wolf form... and with the criminals... What do you think will happen to him if he was to regain his human form?" The voice of Jeder echoed from behind them.
"I'm sorry for your brother, Jeder. I haven't given up. If my theory is right, I just need to figure out how the inner self really works and maybe change this," Kairo said. He could only imagine how Jeder felt after what had happened. He was right to be angry and even hate him.
"He is not my brother," Jeder sighed. "At least, not my biological brother. Jed and I are both orphans. I found him one day trying to steal from Father at the restaurant. A little boy, barely knowing how to talk, able to get close to the Chancellor without even me noticing anything. At that time, Jed had absolutely no card magic, but the Chancellor immediately recognized his potential as a spy. That's how I got a new brother. The Chancellor might have been harsh with his ultimatum, but he is not a bad person."
Kairo's expression changed after listening to the story. Although with Jed they had not been best friends, there was no real enmity between them—until Kairo found a reason to look for trouble.
"Sorry for you, Jeder. I didn't know. It's not over. It never will be until I find a solution," Kairo promised.
"Good luck then." Jeder said. After watching over his brother for a few more seconds, he walked away.
"And one last thing. Fabian wasn't you at the training gymnasium early tomorrow? Get ready for some good beating." Before Kairo could ask more, Jeder was gone.
"Training session? How long has it been since I last took part in one," Kairo thought. No matter what, he didn't have anything special to do. The new mission was still a mystery, and his father wouldn't answer him until he was ready.