I found myself in a white hospital room. The window to the right of me was open, it's curtains fluttering about from the calm spring breeze. My eyes were assaulted by the beams of light gleaming through the window, though they quickly adjusted.
Around me sat countless men and women in office suits, their expressions fixed and rather mundane.
"So you've woken up." The intimidating man said. "In that case, we need you to come with us."
Huh? What was he talking about?
I felt a strange sensation on my wrists and lifted the comforter from my body. My hands were bound by handcuffs.
"What? What's going on! I didn't do anything!"
The intimidating man furled his brows and rubbed them with a hint of irritation. "Relax kid, we aren't going to arrest or hurt you. This is merely a procedure." He flashed his badge, displaying his name and title.
[Jhin Anderson - 1st Class Fixer]
[Captain of the Monster Investigations Unit]
"As long as you answer some questions and run some tests with us, then this won't take any longer than a day."
"Where is Asiah? I won't go with you until I know she's okay."
"The kid is a few room down. 214. Her condition is stable and she'll wake up within the next few days. There's no need to be alarmed."
Given my current predicament, I couldn't confirm if Mr. Anderson's words were true or not, but I had no choice but the take his word. The very confirmation of her safety was enough to put me at ease for the moment.
"Alright...I'll cooperate."
Mr. Anderson's face let out a slight grin. "Good. I'm glad you're willing to work with us. Though I was a bit worried at first. Young people are always so rowdy in these types of situations."
We left the room and arrived at a certain facility within the hospital - The Special Exemptions Testing Site. It was a special room where newly awakened Mang users are put through various testing in order to ascertain their threat level, Mang reserves, volatility, and other extraneous factors of development. I laid on the flat metal platform as various metallic rings analyzed my body, zipping up and down the metal platform. My body was also hooked onto several machines, measuring both physical and spiritual variables.
[How are you feeling?]
[What happened during the accident?]
[Does your body feel any different?]
[What do you see here?]
They asked me an endless series of mundane questions and answered them all with half-truths. I told them about the sudden attack on the train, as well as my awakening, but I chose to leave about certain aspects of the story, such as my temporary death, the meeting in The Divine Throne, the contract, and my subsequent revival. Not only would they likely not understand or believe my story, but it may be disadvantageous in the future to give up such rare information like that. I'll keep my mouth shut for now.
After the testing was finished, I was once again approached by Mr. Anderson. He removed my handcuffs and said, "Thanks for the cooperation kid. We've confirmed that you have awakened your Mang, and given the fact that you're eighteen years old, you official qualify for the fixer position. This is an opportunity that not many receive in the city kid, so feel free to celebrate."
Honestly, the most I could do now was simply heave a sigh of relief. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely am happy about the fact that I could become a Fixer, but ████'s words were still fresh in my mind.
[You'll become the worst Devil this world has ever seen.]
Was this really all one massive coincidence? Is it inevitable that I become a Devil? These questions were far too draining for me to ponder one at a time like this, and I hardly had any information to begin with. The most I could do right now was simply cooperate as of now and rest.
"Unfortunately, you are still in Highschool, so you can't join any official Fixer organization. However, there are many trainee positions available in District 7, so check those out on the website when you have time. Certain offices even grant GED-equivalent documentation upon enlistment. I can see on your record that you've already had some experiences with the application process, so this won't be too difficult."
"Thank you, Mr. Anderson" I said with a polite bow. This man was a 3rd Class Fixer, one of the highest classes for a Fixer to achieve. He was strong, firm, stoic, and exuded an aura of maturity. "What office are you apart of?"
"Eh? My office? It's a rather obscure office since we mostly do independent contract work, but it's the Venizuma Job Center. We deal in Monster hunting."
"Monster...hunting?"
"Well, I suppose the word hunting would be rather deceiving. Hunting is a part of our job, but it would be more accurate to say that we solve mysteries. There are countless unidentified phenomena lurking within the city, and people are willing to pay a pretty penny to have them solved. Your case is one such occurrence."
"My case?"
"It's not everyday that an ordinary person awakens to Mang, and to defeat a Monster after such an event is even rarer. Honestly, all sorts of offices have been itching to recruit you."
Was I some sort of celebrity? I didn't have the opportunity to check the news, nor did I particularly care for it. Letting media coverage get to my head was the last thing I wanted to happen.
"If that's the case, then can I join your office?"
The very thought of Monster Hunting had set my eyes directly on the Venizuma Job Office. My encounter with the Monster in the railway was something that elicited a slew of emotions. Awe, fear, regret, exhilaration, resolve - they were emotions that I never knew. My monotonous school life had dulled my expressions, carving away at the color of the world until everything became grey.
It was painful, terrifying, and exhausting, but the feeling of an honest fight was something that wouldn't leave my mind no matter how much tried. I can't turn back; not after the promise I made.
Mr. Anderson paused for a moment, his face filled with a bit of warmth and confusion. "Are you sure about that kid? I don't have the right to outright deny your application, but are you serious about joining a Monster Hunting association? We aren't exactly the tamest type of industry..."
"Yes, I want to join the Venizuma Job Center."
"Hm. Looks like there ain't no convincing you. You're already dead set on such things. Kids really are so energetic these days." He pulled out a small notepad and wrote something down before passing the note to me.
[District 12: Bryers Street, 3rd Avenue, 22013]
"Go see the office in person. We don't do online applications. You can take the Trans-District railway straight there."
Mr. Anderson got up from his chair and pulled out a cigarette, only to realize that he couldn't smoke inside of the hospital. He instead left it firmly between his teeth and sighed. "The check-up is done, so we'll be taking our leave. In the mean time, you should get used to that power, Derrick Foster. The city won't wait for you to figure it out."
___
Now that my testing was over, I was free to return to my room and rest for a bit. It would likely only be a few more days until I was released from here. However, there was something that I needed to do first.
Room 214
The room where Asiah was recovering.
I never got to see her due to the testing, but now that they're gone, I should be able to visit her with little restrictions. The sun had already set by now, so I wasn't sure if she was even up, but seeing her would be enough to put me at ease.
I slid the room door open.
She sat upright at the far end of the room, her vermillion hair lightly dancing in the air as a subtle gust of wind entered the room. Her face was calm and sublime, like a living statue. Her normally boisterous and tomboyish attitude had been replaced with something far softer.
"Asiah, you're still reading that?" I said, pointing to her fresh copy of Don Quixote. It definitely wasn't her old copy from the train station. Perhaps she requested a new copy from the staff.
"I didn't have a chance to finish it back then, so why not use this spare time productively eh? Aren't you a bit late anyways? I was growing lonely here ya know."
"Ah, sorry about that. I had to deal with something."
"The Mang examination, right?"
"Ah…so you know about that." I said in a slightly surprised, yet slightly embarrassed tone.
"Of course I do! I'm an eye witness after all."
"You were conscious?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it consciousness. It was more like a state in-between. I could barely hear or see anything, but I could at least make out an outline of you."
"Well it's a relief to know that you're alright." I leaned forward slightly and said with a curious inclination, "how much does everyone else know though?"
"Nothing at all. The media reported the incident as a railway accident, completely leaving out the part about a Monster attack. You're a highschooler, and one of only two surviving kids at the accident. They probably can't legally reveal your identity."
"Media attention would be a problem…that's probably why we're in a private hospital."
Any normal hospital wouldn't be able to hold a Mang examination, and the hospital itself had next to no patients. It could only be a private establishment.
"But on that note, I think I've made a decision."
"And what would that be?"
"Im going to become a fixer for a Monster hunting association."
In an instant , Asiah's face lit up like a firework. She grabbed my hands and waved them up and down, screaming "yay!" and "congrats!" like a child who won a reward at an amusement park.
"Haha! I get it, I get it! Let me rest for a bit!" To tell the truth, my body was still aching from the blowback of my awakening, but if it were Asiah, I didn't mind.
"Of course I won't! You'll finally be living large! When you're on the District 7 Times, be sure to shout me out as your greatest inspiration, okay?"
"Of course I will. You'll be my assistant." No idea how that would happen though. Competing against fixers like Spinner - the strongest in District 7 - was certainly a high demand; way higher than anything I could do anytime soon.
"I technically require a high school level education to fully register though, but I'll see if I can get a GED-equivalent through a particular office."
"That's good…" Asiah's eyes darted around the room. "I just hope we can have the same fun we always had." Despite her typical attitude and know-it-all personality, she became especially embarrassed at times like this. It reminded me that Asiah was just an ordinary girl like anyone else, despite her eccentricities.
"You know, you can just be honest and say you'll miss my company."
Pow!
A fluffy pillow crashed directly into my face with the force of a lion.
"Look who's talking, asshole."
We talked for hours on end about a plethora of things, ranging from her thoughts on Don Quixote to the shitty hospital meals she was served. It was now around 10:00PM. Asiah, in her usual manner, threw herself back onto her bed and let out a cat-like sigh. "Ahh~ all of this good news is making me sleepy."
"Now that you mention it, it's pretty late. I should probably get back to my room."
"Goodnight, Venerable Fixer."
"Goodnight, Asiah."
I got up from my chair slowly, exited the room, and made my way down the hallway. My room was just around the other corner, so I didn't have to expend myself too much.
"…!"
Suddenly, a wave of malicious aura shot out from the other end of the hallway, and my forehead was aching once again. Goosebumps rose in response to the supposed threat. This wasn't exactly the same the railway incident - I didn't feel overwhelming fear. Rather, it was a hostility that threatened to swallow me whole if I didn't act.
"That didn't take long."
I didn't think a monster could infiltrate a private hospital like this, but it seemed I really couldn't catch a break.
Steadying my breath and solidifying my stance, I prepared myself for a dangerous encounter.