"Hng."

Ira inhaled sharply, the air around her heavily coated with the stench of cleaning supplies, as she lifted her head.  It felt like the world slipped out from beneath her feet, even though she had only done little more than just sit up. Despite being stronger than the average human, the consequences of not taking care of her body still took effect. Ira gripped the couch gently to help support her body weight as her mobility increased slowly. She leaned against it as her gaze swept over to Jordan and her wife, Lisa. 

"Brian wants everyone, and I mean everyone, on the case."

She sighed to herself and glanced down at her legs, waiting for them to respond. When Ira got no reaction, she massaged them to get the blood flowing.

"I'm guessing everyone means me as well?" Ira tiredly approached the two women while stretching her arms above her head. 

"Unfortunately." Lisa frowned, sympathetically. 

"I don't understand why-" Jordan began.

"Hey it's ok." Ira assured, gently cupping Jordan's shoulder to ground her. 

"You're going to get hurt out there." 

"I'll be fine, I promise." Ira wasn't so sure she even believed her own words. 

The ride was nothing but painful for her. The effects of sitting and doing paperwork for hours were eating away at Ira's physical state. Although, she was glad to have taken a carriage instead of a vehicle like the others. It definitely cost more, but Ira didn't mind having to spend what little money she had. She preferred the long drive by horse, anyways. It gave her time to relax and time to reflect, though not for long. 

"Wouldn't it be faster if you joined 'em' by vehicle? I'm afraid my horse isn't fast enough to keep up. She's powered by grass and hay, not magic." The driver questioned, and joked. 

"I would but they would never give me one of those." Ira responded with a roll of her eye, " I don't have my permit or license, cause of... well you know."

She gestured vaguely to her missing eye, sighing. The driver tilted his head in acknowledgement, watching Ira with squinted eyes. 

"Well, I'm not complaining. Business hasn't been great these days with those magically powered carriages around. It's nice to have someone keeping my pockets filled." The driver smiled. "I guess I'm just old. The world is changing so fast, and I can't keep up. Kind of like my poor girl right now." 

Ira pulled a face, knowing all too well what the driver meant by that. 

"I think I know where you're coming from. There was a time when they'd teach magic, defensive and offensive, in the academy, but by my last year, I could only read about it." 

The driver heard Ira's deep breath and looked up to see her melancholy frown. 

"You do any magic?" He inquired, shifting a bit where he sat so he could face his passenger. 

"Me? No... no. I can't, not the traditional kind anyways. I can make potions and draw sigils and glyphs, not that it's important anymore anyways. Not when people can do that with a flick of their hand. " 

"But it's important to you." 

Ira looked at her driver as if he'd grown another head. 

"Well... I guess. It doesn't matter anyways, my job is to help stop the spread of magic. At least, that's how I see it." Ira grumbled, ignoring the sting she felt internally. Her interest was misplaced. Nothing good ever came out of magic, especially for her. 

"I've seen people who can move mountains with their mind, but those kinds of people are getting rarer. Magic is dying, but your passion for it shouldn't. Keep at it, dear. It'll come in handy one day." 

One red eye looked at him, serious but also touched, as Ira genuinely grinned. 

"You should make a job out of giving people life advice. You seem pretty damn good about it."

"Ha! If only. I'm just an old man, trying to make an honest living." 

Suddenly, the carriage stopped and Ira paid her fee, along with a generous tip. A sharp pain made itself known with the movement of her leg before she stepped out of the carriage, gingerly. She'd definitely need a massage and a day off after this whole ordeal.  With a quick glance around the area, Ira noticed that there were already officers searching the area. 

The sky was still dark and no stars could be spotted. It wasn't the prettiest night out but there wasn't much to look at to begin with usually. Downtown was the worst place to be in for stargazing. No one could ever see anything in this part of the city. Ira turned her attention back to the ground, taking in the sight of apartment buildings that stretched down the road. Lamp posts were scattered throughout the pavement, illuminating only the small space that the light could reach. Alleyways diverged into maze-like tunnels that held an endless amount of possibilities in which crime could ensue. Lost in her hazy consciousness, the sound of approaching footsteps slipped her mind.

"Lagear." The voice startled her, causing her to wince. She turned to face the person who was talking to her and to her horror, found her commander staring right back at her.

"What do you think you're doing Lagear?" Commander Brian asked, voice stern.

"Standing, sir." She replied with a mischievous grin on her face. The other man grimaced in annoyance, too stressed to deal with any snarkiness that Ira was willing to throw at him. 

"You're late." He narrowed his eyes as she shrugged. 

"I was doing paperwork. It's my job." 

"Don't be smart with me." Brian snapped as he raised a fist. 

Ira flinched slightly and straightened her posture. 

"Go search for the assailant like everyone else." He ordered before dismissing her.

"Yes, sir."

Ira scowled. Biting back the urge to quit her job and return home, Ira turned  to go catch up with the others. It would have to wait for another time. It was a miracle that it lasted this long, but after being overworked and harassed, Ira could do without a job. Thinking back to the matter at hand, Ira realized she didn't know exactly what they were looking for. 

"Hey-", Ira loudly whispered to one of the officers patrolling the streets, "- what exactly are we doing here?"

The officer grimaced. 

"The assailant we're looking for is a serial killer who arrived in the district only a few months back. They call him the Night-Stalker.  The suspect had been confirmed as a male, with a distinct feature of yellow eyes and a high-level magical skill set." 

"Right... thanks for that." Ira sheepishly peeled away from the group to 'investigate' on her own. 

That information did little to nothing to help ease Ira's worries. How was she supposed to protect herself from someone like him? If she somehow managed to encounter him, she might as well just give up and accept her fate. 

Suddenly, as if she manifested it, explosions rang in the air above,  throwing Ira out of her trance. Shouting from several people alerted Ira that whoever they were looking for was nearby. Hastily, Ira began sprinting towards the direction of where the others were headed. When she was able to catch up, they were already turning the other way after wandering into an alley with no exit. Ira finally stopped to breathe, feeling her heart beat rapidly inside her chest as if it was going to burst at any moment. Beads of sweat started to collect on her forehead  as her hair clung to her face in strange places. Breathing unsteadily, Ira turned to go back, only to be caught off guard as one of the officers shove her out of the way. 

"Go somewhere else, Lagear. You'll only slow us down." One of the officers said, giving Ira a scornful glance in the process. 

She held her tongue as they left her behind in the alleyway. Whatever, she thought. Her eye searched her surroundings for something, anything, to help prove that she belonged here. If she could actually find a clue, then maybe the Bureau officers would finally stop treating her like shit. Ira's eyebrows slowly drew together in frustration as she inspected the wall at the end of the alley. Maybe there was a hidden door they hadn't taken the time to search for, or maybe it was an illusion meant to throw them off the trial. When nothing of the sort presented itself to Ira, she felt genuine frustration start to take over. 

Defeated, she glanced over her shoulder to gauge how far  the troop had gone without her. In their absence, she noticed a glittering trail of silvery particles floating in the air around her. There, at the end of the trail and at the entrance of the alley, was the outline of a person. Her first reaction was to escape to safety, but there was nothing except a solid wall in front of her. She'd have to face him.  Slowly, she turned and paled at the sight before her.

"Wow, what a surprise. You can see me. I didn't know humans could do that without magical aid. Not even your buddies can see me. I'm terrified!" The figure exclaimed with faux shock. 

Her hand clenched at her sides. 

 "Though..you know, you don't seem quite human as you look." He said, his gaze piercing into Ira's soul, literally. 

She remained completely still as she watched her chest glow with red and black energy. The black seemed to overtake the red for a moment which momentarily caused Ira to choke on what seemed to be nothing. It burned. Something scratched away at her lungs as she tried desperately to blink away the pain. 

"Eventually, you're going to kill me, so I'll just make it easier for both of us." Ira said, breaking the silence that grew between them.

"Well, I'm not one to turn down an invitation." The man in front of her sneered, looking directly into Ira's eye before disappearing into the air as smoke.

She never moved despite every muscle in her body screaming for her to run. Her vision slowly began to fade as the weight of a thousand suns pressed down on her body until there was nothing left to be felt. Eerily, the weight felt somewhat comforting to Ira. Which led her to  mourn the loss of when it was suddenly replaced by the sting of poisonous needles.