In a void of nothingness Shin found himself wandering aimlessly; he had no idea whether he was awake or not. All he knew is that his feet were moving and his body followed.

When he had walked for what seemed like hours, he finally found some sign of activity.

Suspended in air was some kind of gigantic boulder-shaped shadow that had been bound by chains. When Shin looked up at it, he could feel slight palpitations in the surrounding void.

Doo dub, doo dub, doo dub.

A rhythmic beating sound could be heard; Shin immediately felt drawn to this sound. It was like some forgotten melody that he had heard a long time ago. Getting closer and closer to the shadow, he could slowly make out a few details on its exterior.

It had an entirely pinkish-red surface resembling skin. Several tube-shaped orifices were on top, and the bottom seemed to curve into a smooth tip.

A heart? Shin had recognized what this shape was.

As soon as he had done so, he suddenly noticed a new, titanic shadow looming over him. It stood like a mountain, silently observing him before lowering itself towards Shin.

Then a growl resounded, causing an invisible wind to blast past him. When it finally stopped, the shadow slowly revealed its terrifying maw of razor-like canines.

A deep and ancient voice reverberated, causing stacks upon stacks of ravings to drum in Shin's mind.

"Feed me!"

…

Immediately shooting up, Shin suddenly felt himself in a world of pain. Every single part of his body was screaming in agony. But waking up, he had unexpectedly found himself in a large bed, covered in layers of blankets. Still wincing in pain, he heard the familiar masculine voice.

"You know, I was quite surprised when you killed that Twin Wraith."

Turning his head, Shin saw that Gin had been seated next to the bed. Seemingly keeping watch over him.

"So, how did you do it?" Gin asked, with a mischievous smile on his face.

Looking at his right hand, he noticed that the monstrous mouth on his palm was no longer there. Roughly recalling the events that transpired when he faced the tattered-clothed monster, he began to recount:

"I'm not too sure of it myself. But when I drained my spirituality, it felt like I had trudged through the deepest dunes, trying to quench a thirst that had no relief."

"That's when I tried to use the Essence Pearl that Valerie gave me. The moment I did, something inside me devoured every single drop of essence and formed a terrifying mouth on my hand."

Listening calmly at the side, Gin only nodded and carefully observed with his pupil-less gray eyes.

"After that, I found that I could suddenly use the powers of the 'Wanderer' charm. But every time I did, the hunger inside would get stronger." Shin concluded, his gaze still fixed on his right hand.

Gin didn't immediately reply; instead, he stood up and took his black trench coat that was hanging over the chair.

"From the details you've provided, I think the most reasonable conclusion would be that you already have a Pact."

A Pact? Isn't that something that only Warlocks have? But I don't remember ever making one.

"Once you've rested a bit, you can come down. There after we'll go over everything that happened."

When Gin gave his instructions, he headed towards the bedroom door; however, he stopped when he heard Shin call out to him.

"Captain, sir, I… I don't want to be weak anymore!"

Turning around and seeing the look of resoluteness in Shin's eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

"I thought about what you said. And I have finally set a goal for myself."

"I want to survive!"

"To have the strength to protect."

Acknowledging Shin's newfound conviction, Gin calmly said, "I know, Shin. I know."

…

Several hours had passed, and the midday sun had already risen, causing rays of warm light to shine into the bedroom that Shin was currently in. The total size of the room was far bigger than what he had used while in the Silver Palace; it was even bigger than his old bedroom.

The bed was extremely soft and placed in the center of the room. The room itself had many wooden furnishings, with a large holographic TV directly opposite the bed.

This must be some fancy hotel that the Order of Silver uses. I better hurry and meet up with the Captain.

Getting out of the bed with heavy moans, Shin then discovered that he was now wearing a set of pyjamas.

Who the hell dressed me?

…

Outside of the room there was actually a lounge area that was overlooked by a second story. Exiting the bedroom, Shin was standing on the second floor.

Currently downstairs sitting at a round table were Valerie and the red-haired Ren, whom he had met before. And sensing his presence, the both of them looked upwards.

"Hey look, the weakling's still alive." The loudmouthed Ren mocked the haggard appearance of Shin.

While still laughing at his own joke, he quickly dodged a floating cup aimed at his head.

"What the hell, Val?!" He barked, seeing her manipulate the cup in the air.

"You and your loud mouth, Ren. Stop trying to be a bully." Valerie quickly reprimanded him.

"Come on down, Shin, join us."

Slowly making his way downstairs, he took in the surroundings; this place had reminded him of the Silver Palace. A lot of the interior architecture seemed similar. Taking a seat at the round table, he then asked Valerie.

"Are we back at the Silver Palace?"

"Not exactly. This here is Outpost 0; it's an old mansion in the 36th District that has been repurposed as the HQ of our Squad 0. Think of it like a mini Silver Palace. Instead of everyone being at the HQ, all the squads are spread out across Sakura City."

Taking note of her explanation, Shin nodded. With an area of nearly 120 000 km², it would have been impossible for the Order of Silver to protect the entire Sakura City without using supernatural means such as teleportation. So spreading out and establishing different outposts focused around a central hub such as the Silver Palace made the most sense.

"I see my gift came in handy." Valerie added.

"The Essence Pearl? You knew I would need it?"

"When I left the car, I had a premonition that you might need it. Although I did not see exactly how you'd use it, I just knew that it would be crucial."

Recalling the glowing azure eyes that Valerie had when she exited the car, Shin remembered one of the abilities of a Psychic. That's right, Psychics can also use clairvoyance. So she actually saved me; without that Essence Pearl, I would have really been dead.

Shin immediately thanked her. And just as he did, the communicators of both agents buzzed.

Looking at the holographic screen of his communicator, Ren then announced, "Let's hurry, a squad meeting has been called."