The morning sun cast its warm rays through the windows, illuminating the room with a soft, golden light. The sky outside was a brilliant blue, with only a few wispy clouds scattered across the horizon. The air was crisp and cool, carrying the sweet scent of morning dew and the distant chirping of birds. It was 8 AM, and the world was waking up from its slumber.
Inside the room, Code lay motionless, his chest rising and falling with each slow, deep breath. Three days had passed since he'd last opened his eyes, three days of uninterrupted sleep. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards and the soft hum of the morning breeze outside.
Code rolled onto his side, wincing as a wave of pain washed over him. He slowly turned towards the window, and the sunlight pierced his eyes like a thousand needles. He opened his eyes to the light, squinting as he gazed out at the breathtaking Bucharest view. The city's skyline stretched out before him, a tapestry of ancient architecture and modern marvels.
With a groan, Code sat up, his body protesting the movement. His muscles ached, his joints creaked, and his mind reeled from the memories of Van's hellish training. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that clouded his thoughts. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet dangled in the air, and he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
Code stood up, his legs trembling beneath him. He took a tentative step forward, his eyes fixed on the door. As he reached out to grasp the handle, the door burst open, and Nara strode into the room. Code recoiled, narrowly avoiding being struck by the door.
"Uh!" Nara exclaimed, his eyes widening in astonishment at the sight of Code. Code's gaze dropped to his own body, wondering what had prompted Nara's reaction. Nara stared at him, his eyes still wide with surprise. Code returned the look, his mind racing with questions.
The silence stretched out between them, punctuated only by the sound of Code's ragged breathing. Finally, Nara spoke, his voice filled with awe. "I honestly thought you were dead," he said, his hand reaching out to grasp Code's.
"Dead?" Code repeated, his eyes snapping with shock. "Why would you think that?" he asked, his tone even.
"You slept for three days straight," Nara replied, his eyes still fixed on Code's face. Code's eyes widened in surprise, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Three days?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "I've never slept that long in my life."
Nara's grin faltered, and he clapped Code's back. "Yeah, Van's training has a way of pushing you to the limit," he said, his voice filled with a mix of amusement and concern. "Thank God you survived."
The news of Code's awakening sparked a lively celebration, with Hina cooking up her signature 'dragon breath' dish to mark the occasion. As they sat down to eat, Hina slurped her noodles, her eyes shining with excitement. "I'm really surprised, I mean, you slept for three days straight!" she exclaimed.
Code responded with a slight grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Yeah, I know Van's training is no joke," Hina continued, her voice filled with a mix of amusement and awe. She leaned in, a conspiratorial glint in her eye, and lowered her voice. "You know, Nara slept for five days straight," she whispered, her lips curling up into a sly grin.
Nara, who was busy slurping down his noodles, choked on his food, his face turning bright red. "Ahem...!" he spluttered, his eyes watering. "It was two days!" he exclaimed, his face burning with embarrassment.
Hina turned away from Nara, a dismissive snort escaping her lips. "Whatever," she said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.
Code watched the exchange, a slight grin playing on his lips. However, his amusement was short-lived, as he suddenly realized Van was nowhere to be found. His face furrowed in worry, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of their missing companion.
"Um, where's Van?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Hina's expression turned serious, her brow furrowing. "Oh, Van said he was going out for a walk two days ago, and he hasn't come back yet."
Code's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with questions. What was Van doing? Where had he gone?
Nara, sensing Code's worry, clapped him on the back, his face breaking into a reassuring grin. "You don't need to worry about him, that's just how he rolls...how do you think he found you?" he asked, returning to his meal.
Code's response was cut short as the front door burst open, and Van strode in, his masked face gleaming in the light. He wore a white nylon bag slung over his shoulder, and his eyes gleamed with an air of mystery. He turned to face the trio, his masked gaze sweeping over them.
Hina raised an eyebrow, a wry smile twisting her lips. "Hmph, speaking of the devil...".
Van walked up to them, his masked face gleaming in the firelight. A strange, unsettling aura emanated from him, like a whispered warning. "Good grief," he sighed, his tone laced with a hint of exhaustion, as he sat down on the sofa next to them.
The trio stared at him, a heavy, oppressive silence settling over the room like a shroud. The only sound was the flickering of the fire, casting eerie shadows on the walls that seemed to twist and writhe like living things. "What?" Van asked, his tone surprised.
Hina's eyes sparkled with a mix of amusement and unease. "Where did you walk to again? Morocco? Brazil?" she asked, her tone laced with a hint of mockery that seemed to falter.
Van let out a dry, mirthless chuckle. "Nah, I just needed some fresh air."
Hina's expression turned skeptical, her eyes narrowing. "Fresh air? So you spent two days accumulating fresh air?" she retorted, her tone inquisitive and slightly accusatory.
Van yawned, his masked face glinting in the firelight like a cold, calculating gaze. "Arrrgh, good griefs. It was just the first day."
Nara, who had been surprised by Van's entrance, jumped back into his meal, slurping his noodles with a haste that seemed almost desperate. However, he wasn't done yet - he dragged Code's uneaten meal to his side, grinning mischievously at Code with a glint in his eye that seemed to hold a hint of warning. "I'm gonna do justice to this," he said, as he dug into the food with a ferocity that seemed almost animalistic.
Code wanted to protest, but his words died on his lips as Nara slurped off half of the noodles in one swift, ravenous motion.
Hina turned back to Van, her expression serious and foreboding. "So, why are we in Bucharest? I mean, it's been three weeks now."
Van let out another sigh, his masked face gleaming in the firelight like a cold, calculating gaze. "Arrrgh... About that, I think I've located it."
His gaze shifted from Hina to Code, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost predatory. "Aidra..." he continued, his voice low and mysterious, like a whispered warning.
Nara's eyes snapped up from his meal, his expression surprised and uneasy. "Uhn? What do you mean Aidra? I thought he was inside Code."
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "Yeah, that's what I thought too, but I've confirmed it."
He paused, leaving a sense of suspense hanging in the air like a challenge, or a threat. "What?" Hina asked, her voice tight with anticipation and fear.
Van's words dropped like a bombshell, shaking the very foundations of their reality. "Aidra can possess many people at once."
The room fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the trio, like the quiet before a storm. Code's mind reeled, his thoughts spinning with the implications, like a maze of horrors. Hina shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief and terror. "What do you mean? Is that even possible?" she asked, her tone laced with horror and dread.
Van's masked face gleamed in the firelight, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost supernatural. "I thought it wasn't, but it is. I confirmed it yesterday."
He reached into the nylon bag slung over his shoulder, his hand rummaging through its contents with a slow, deliberate motion, like a conjurer preparing to reveal a dark and ancient secret. The bag rustled, and then Van's hand emerged, holding something that made the trio's eyes widen in horror.
"What's that?" Nara exclaimed, his tone trembling with fear.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "This is a strand of Aidra's hair."
The black strand of hair writhed and twisted in Van's hand, like a living snake, its movements seeming to defy the laws of nature. Code's eyes widened in dismay, his mind reeling with the implications, like a maze of horrors.
"How did you get it?" Hina asked, her tone tight with tension and fear.
Van's masked face gleamed in the firelight, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost supernatural. "I retrieved this from the demon that wiped out your team two weeks ago. Even after the demon was destroyed, this strand of hair still remained."
He turned to Code, his eyes glinting with an unblinking intensity. "It was still at the battle site."
Code gulped, his heart racing with fear, as Nara dropped his chopsticks with a loud clatter. "How did you know it was Aidra's?" Hina asked, her tone tense, her eyes fixed on the strand of hair as if it might suddenly come to life.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "As I got closer to this place, the vibration of the strand got more violent, like it was attracted to this house," he replied, his voice low and mysterious.
He slowly raised his hand, the strand of hair writhing and twisting in his grasp like a living serpent. The air seemed to thicken, the shadows cast by the fire dancing across the walls, like dark malevolent spirits.
As Van brought the strand of hair closer to Code, the atmosphere in the room seemed to electrify. The strand began to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, its movements becoming more frantic, more desperate. Code felt a creeping sense of dread as the strand seemed to reach out to him, as if it was being drawn to him by some dark, ancient power.
The room seemed to hold its breath, the only sound the heavy, labored breathing of the trio. Nara's eyes were wide with fear, Hina's face pale and drawn. Code felt his heart racing, his mind reeling with the implications of what he was seeing.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. He held the strand of hair mere inches from Code's face, the air between them seeming to crackle with energy.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped. Van pulled back the strand of hair, his movements swift and precise, and placed it back in the nylon bag. The room seemed to exhale, the tension dissipating like a bubble bursting.
"Code, the demon your team fought against was actually a mid-class, but the presence of Aidra's hair strand in it amplified its power level to a special class, without the tenzometers detecting," Van said, his voice grim, his words dripping with a sense of foreboding.
"Most likely, Aidra can possess multiple people, and even demons," Van declared, his voice heavy with the weight of his words.
Nara's eyes widened in fear, his voice trembling. "S-so what do we do?" he asked.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "Hmm..." he replied, as he grabbed his chin, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"That's where the problem is. It's possible Aidra is possessing people by making them ingest his body parts...We have to harvest all of Aidra's body parts, and align them together... However, there might be someone out there who has discovered this too, and is already in action," he said, his voice low and mysterious.
"We need to act fast", Van declared, his tone enthusiastic.
Fear gripped Code, his heart racing with terror, as Van completed his statement. The room fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the trio, like the quiet before a storm.
"Yeah, and also, WAS has detected demonic signals right here in Romania. They state it's a low-class demon, so I accepted the mission. You guys are heading out tomorrow. However, don't underestimate it. It might be a camouflage like the former," Van stated, his gaze sweeping across the trio, his expression serious.
Hina's eyes narrowed, her tone laced with skepticism. "What do you mean 'you guys'?"
Van's gaze never wavered, his expression unchanging. "Just what it sounds like - I'm not going with you."
Nara's face lit up with a grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, then that's better. I'll be able to beat the demon to my satisfaction," he declared, pumping his fist in the air.
Van's expression remained serious, but a hint of amusement danced in his eyes. "Yeah...that's the spirit!" He gave Nara a high-five, the sound echoing through the room.
Hina rolled her eyes, her tone laced with mockery. "Umph, it's not like we needed you in the first place."
Van's expression turned serious, his gaze locking onto Code. "Most importantly...Code, whatever you do, don't open the Aidra. He's uncontrollable."
Code gulped, his heart racing with fear. "Yes," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Nara clapped Code's back, his grin still plastered on his face. "Tomorrow is gonna be exhilarating," he said, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
Code forced a smile, but his mind was reeling with thousands of questions. What was the mystery of Aidra? And how was his first mission going to be like? The uncertainty hung over him like a dark cloud, threatening to unleash a storm of unknown terrors.
However, a sense of ease washed over him, as he remembered Van's training. "It couldn't be worse than that", he thought to himself, steeling himself for the battle to come.
***
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