Sindy was almost unable to avert her eyes. She keenly watched as Nathan changed into his new AA uniform for the mission. Over the past month of intense training, Nathan had been working hard and the results began to show on his body. He had abs developing on his stomach, his chest was much firmer, and his arms were just the perfect size. It was almost a miracle how much he had transformed over such a short period.
"What's wrong, princess? You seem lost all over Nate's body," teased Andrew to Sindy.
"Shut up Andrew..! I just spaced out a little..."
"I bet you're spacing out in more than one way in that head of yours... Hehe..."
Sindy then picked up her bag and began to walk out of the room. She didn't know why, but recently she started becoming extremely frustrated whenever Andrew teased her about Nathan.
"Just mind your own business..."
Sindy knew Andrew was just trying to look out for her in his own silly way but she did not need it. Instead, she insisted on focusing on the upcoming mission.
A few minutes later, the three rendezvoused at the Transport Bay. The Transport Bay was an area in the organization where assassins would find private military-like jets to take them to the desired location for missions.
The three had arrived dressed in special black AA uniforms. The uniforms had special gear equipped for holding items and weapons. They were also designed to help absorb damage from almost any attack.
Sindy's uniform had two small black sheaths at the sides where she kept her black steel-plated combat knives. Over the past month of training, Sindy had taken a liking to knives. They suited her better than any other weapon.
On the other hand, Andrew had chosen two silver curved-bladed swords. While training, Andrew had fallen in love with dual-wielding swords, and surprisingly, he had quite the talent for using them.
Nathan's weapon was also a sword. However, it was a red and black katana that was sheathed across his back neatly. Nathan mainly focused on speed while he trained. Due to this, he had chosen a weapon that would allow him to move swiftly in battle.
Instructor Brady was also present dressed in his AA uniform with his usual cigar and sunglasses. He didn't seem to have any weapons on him but it was evident to the three friends that he was hiding them.
"Alright buttercups, this is it! Your very first mission for AA! Let me read the details provided by Alondo!" Began the Instructor.
He then took out a small device and began to read from it, "Firstly, the mission entails a small village known as Cayman. There have been reports of increased attacks on villagers by Demon Beasts. It has been concluded that someone is attracting the Beasts to the village to attack villagers. Our mission is to eradicate all Demon Beasts in the area and locate the person responsible for releasing them. This is a low-ranked mission and shouldn't be very difficult. In other words, failure is not an option!"
"Man, this is lame... I thought we would get one of those mainstream missions that everyone's been talking about..!" Complained Andrew.
"You mean the missions that the high-classed assassins have been assigned regarding the Cliques organization?" Asked Nathan curiously.
"Yeah, dude! I heard they're this huge threat that's planning to revolutionize the entire Mind World! How sick is that?!"
Instructor Brady then suddenly placed his hands on top of Nathan's and Andrew's heads before squeezing them.
"Did I say I was finished talking?!"
"We're sorry Senpai! It won't happen again!" They apologized in unison.
"Instructor, does this mission come with a promotion?" Queried Sindy.
"Of course, Mindy! All missions come with a promotion award. It just depends on how well you performed on that specific mission. If you want to raise your rank then you must perform like a top-class assassin!"
Sindy pondered on the Instructor's words. Over their time training, the three had learned of the ranking system in AA. Each assassin was assigned a rank from D-Class through to S-Class with D-Class being the lowest and S-Class being the highest. The ranks respectively were:
D-Class
C-Class
B-Class
A-Class
S-Class
These classes were then subdivided into five subclasses. For example, D-Class was subdivided respectively into:
DD-Class
DC-Class
DB-Class
DA-Class
DS-Class
Once an assassin has been promoted through all five subclasses of a specific class, they would then go onto the next major class, starting from the lowest subclass within that class. Currently, Nathan, Sindy, and Andrew were all DD-Class.
"So, any more questions, kids?" Asked the Instructor.
"Nah, we'll breeze through this mission and get back here in no time! We'll show those damned good-for-nothing assassins that even the people from the Real World can achieve great things!" Boasted Andrew.
"If you think it's that easy then sure..."
Following this, the Instructor signaled the three to get into a neat military black jet. They would be flying to Cayman Village.
However, as they were about to enter the jet, the Instructor called out to Nathan.
"Nathan, wait, I need to speak with you."
Slowly, Nathan then turned to face the Instructor. A slightly serious look was present in his eyes.
Before speaking, the Instructor leaned his body against the cold metal armor of the jet and took one last puff of his cigar.
"I'm sure you're well aware of what people think about the Mind Hero by now."
Nathan slowly nodded, "I'm not so sure why people dislike the Mind Hero... I've heard a few rumors but it's all random information."
"They died..." continued the instructor, "All the Mind Heroes that came before you have died before they could even do anything for this world."
Nathan froze. Had he heard the Instructor correctly? There was no way that all the previous Mind Heroes could have died, right?
"What do you mean they died..?"
"They're six feet under, Nathan. All of them died in battle. None of them were strong or brave enough to do anything for this world. Due to this, people have little to no faith in the Mind Hero. It's more of a shameful title to bear than anything else. In other words, the title of The Mind Hero is meaningless."
"B-but I don't understand..! If the Mind Hero has always failed to save anyone, then why continue to call people from the Real World here in the first place..!?"
"That's not up to us. The Gods are the ones that summon the Mind Hero. Not that I know why they even bother to."
Nathan pondered on what the Instructor had said. If what he said was true, then no one was expecting anything from him. He was seen as nothing more than another human summoned from the Real World to die.
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"Knowing this, what will you do Nathan?" Asked the Instructor.
Despite the horrific news that Nathan had just heard, he refused to allow his spirit to bend. Instead, he stood straight and locked his gaze with the Instructor's, "I don't know what happened to the previous Mind Heroes nor do I think I even want to know. But when I first came here, I had made a decision... A decision that I'd protect my friends and everyone else around me. It doesn't matter if I'm the Mind Hero or not. Even if I was just a regular nobody, my answer would still be the same. Though, I'm not the type to talk so I'll just say WATCH ME!"
Nathan then turned and marched inside the jet to meet up with his friends. The Instructor was quite impressed by Nathan's answer. He could see the determination in his eyes.
"You definitely got spunk kid... I wanna see how far you'll go..."
Ten minutes later, they were flying over Cayman Village. The village was a decent size and the quality of the houses made it seem more like a modern housing district than a mere village. The only unnatural sight was that some of the houses seemed to have received significant damage. There was also smoke coming from certain sections of the village which proved just how bad the situation was.
"Okay, listen up, kids! This village is crawling with Demon Beasts. The main priority is keeping the villagers safe. Naturally, we'll have to split up to cover the entire village. You are permitted to engage the Demon Beasts in combat but if you stumble upon the main target responsible for attracting the Demon Beasts, refrain from engaging him. Call for backup and keep your distance. Are we clear?" Strictly explained the Instructor.
"Sounds like you're doubting our abilities, Instructor!" Exclaimed Sindy confidently as she played around with her knives.
"Trust me, Mindy, I don't think any of you are weak after all the training you received. However, if you were to encounter an enemy around my level or higher, you would all be crushed with ease. Overconfidence is the perfect way to lose your life."
"Noted, but my question is; who would release the Demon Beasts on innocent people? And for what reason?" Asked Nathan curiously.
"That's what we're here to find out. Based on bits of evidence, I would say our target has some kind of Art that allows them to control Demon Beasts."
The team then went silent as they gave the situation some needed thought. This would be their very first mission as a team from AA.
"One more thing," added the instructor, "Some Demon Beasts are more powerful than others. Demon Beasts are graded from levels 1 to 10. You can normally tell their level based on their size. Just be cautious if you run into a high-leveled Demon Beast."
"Yes, senpai!"
"Permission to start the mission is now granted!" Boomed the Instructor as he jumped from the jet.
"Let's get started then!" Shouted Andrew excitedly as he followed.
Sindy and Nathan then exchanged one last look signaling each other to be careful. They then quickly disappeared into the wind.
*****
As Nathan descended, he saw numerous Demon Beasts on top of houses while others roamed through the streets. They were all anything but pleasant to the eyes. Some were small and looked exceptionally weak while others were the size of an ordinary human being or bigger.
While he was still in mid-air, Nathan grasped the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it. He then aimed for an average-sized Demon Beast located atop a roof. He then began activating one of his Arts softly— given that it was the perfect chance to test his strength.
"Lightning Art: Thunderclap Strike!"
Electricity sparked around Nathan and the sound of mini-thunder boomed.
The Demon Beast did not even get a chance to react. Electricity flowed through its body like a river as its head was cleanly severed with one cut. The Beast then quickly disintegrated into dust as Nathan sheathed his sword across his back.
Nathan then moved swiftly across the rooves of houses using the sound of his Lighting Art to attract nearby Demon Beasts to himself. One by one, he cut them down. A trail of dust followed his onslaught as if his job was child's play. He was much stronger than when he had first arrived in the Mind World.
After a few minutes, Nathan decided to change his focus to the interior of houses to help trapped civilians. Some of the houses had little to no damage with civilians hiding inside. Others were severely damaged but it seemed the families had escaped.
Carefully, Nathan entered a very damaged and desolate house that had caught his attention. The air was tainted with blood and the floors were covered in red. There were signs that a massive struggle had ensued. Bits of broken glass were spread across the floor, tables were flipped over, and the doors were completely broken.
Desperation began to set in. Nathan did not want to think that he was too late to save someone. He hastily searched every room of the house unable to find any signs of life. This continued until he stumbled upon the only room he hadn't checked.
The door and wall were completely smashed in as if a large creature had forced itself inside. The scent of blood became much more prominent and a slight crunching sound came into play. Slowly, Nathan stepped into the room to see what had happened. However, what he saw next almost made him vomit.
The stench of blood was so bad that Nathan had to check to see if his nose was bleeding. There was a bed situated at the other end of the room that was covered in a river of blood. The blood dripped from the bed, forming a huge puddle that stretched to the doorway. The culprit was a wolf-like creature similar to the one that had attacked them back in the Dark Forest.
The Demon was feasting away aggressively on something present on the bed. It was the bodies of a man and a woman. Nathan stared blankly in disbelief. His body quivered and his eyes filled with horror.
Upon coming to the Mind World, Nathan had never experienced death to such an extent. He had only heard stories or seen people who had died from illnesses. Never had his eyes ever met upon a person with bullet holes or a severely damaged body.
Seeing the body of two innocent people before him in such a horrid condition was something straight out of a nightmare for him. This then provoked a dangerous thought within Nathan's mind; Would he and his friends have ended up the same way if Amanda and Leo had never found them in the first place?
"Why did this happen..?" He muttered in despair.
Hearing his voice, the beast then slowly turned its head acknowledging his presence. It growled and snarled fiercely, ready to pounce at him at any moment.
Quickly, the beast leaped towards Nathan baring its teeth. However, in the next instant, it was laying flat on the floor disintegrating into dust. Nathan had taken its life with a single slash of his sword.
Nathan then slowly walked over to the dead bodies and fell to his knees. He needed some time to allow the reality of what had happened to seep in. Little did he know that the worst part had only just begun.
Slowly, exiting a closet was a five-year-old girl. Her clothes had bloodstains all over them. This caused Nathan to freeze like a block of ice.
The little girl then smiled dimly and began to speak in a feeble voice; "Mom..? Dad..? Are you done playing with the doggy..? You said we were playing hide and seek until you got the doggy out of the house... You said I shouldn't come out until you told me to, but I had to..!"
The little girl's face was now made up as if she was about to cry. The pain on her face had split Nathan's heart in two.
"But I don't understand... How should I know when to come out if all you do is sleep on the bed the entire time?! What should I do now??! Tell me, Mom! Tell me, Dad! You said you would be right back for me, so why aren't you!! You're liars!!"
Nathan felt like a knife had pierced his heart. The closet the little girl was hiding in had peeping holes that had made it evident that she had seen the entire event transpire.
Not knowing what else to do, Nathan quickly grabbed onto her and placed her head against his chest. The little girl bawled loudly as if she was being murdered as Nathan held her in his arms.
"I'm sorry..! I am so sorry! I'm so sorry I was late... I'm sorry you had to see that!" Comforted Nathan.
The moment of grief was however cut short by a sudden call on Nathan's phone. It was Andrew.
"Nate! I don't know how close you are, but you've got to get over here quickly! We need your help! We found the guy responsible for all of this! Sindy and I are barely holding him off! He's super strong!"
Nathan cleared his voice trying to hide his despair;
"What..? Where's Instructor Brady?!"
"That's the next issue. It seems this guy was actually hired by the Cliques for some reason. You know that big organization that the high-class assassins are struggling with—" Andrew paused as an explosion echoed in the background. It seemed he was having a very tough time.
"Ugh! Damn this lizard-faced creep!" Cursed Andrew, "Nathan, they seemed to also have sent an actual assassin that kills people! Instructor Brady is off somewhere fighting him. He left this guy to us but I don't think we can beat him by ourselves..! Ughhhh!!"
The phone then went silent with one final explosion. The tragedy of the little girl's situation plus the pain of knowing his friends were in trouble fueled Nathan's rage. There was someone responsible for all the pain this little girl was enduring. That person was also hurting his best friends and wreaking havoc on other innocent people. He had to be stopped.
Nathan then clenched the little girl in his arms as he slowly picked her up. Calmly, he then said;
"Let's go... I'll take you with me where it's safe then I'll make the bastard responsible for all of this pay..!"