"Hello, sister!" The boy's voice echoed from above, where he stood perched on the shoulder of a colossal creature with a lion's head and twisted horns that seemed forged from obsidian. The young man was identical to her, except for his jet-black hair braided with a golden strand that gleamed like a trapped sunbeam. His eyes were two crimson pools, deep and dark as puddles of fresh blood. He wore an impeccably black suit, with a long coat reaching down to his knees, adorned by a white line that ran along the collar and descended to the row of buttons. A red handkerchief peeked out of the right pocket of his chest, adding a touch of color to his somber attire. Folded dark wings rested on his back, ready to unfurl at a moment's notice.
"What kind of 'hello' is that?" she retorted from below, crossing her arms as her gaze reflected a mix of relief and reproach. "Where have you been? You left me alone here in this disgusting gloom, worried that you'd lost control of your powers again. In fact, I found something inside there that I had to clean up myself!" Her tone was acidic, but there was a genuine undertone of concern in her words. "Thank goodness this kid—who claims to be an agent—showed up to help me," she added, pointing to the pink-haired boy who was observing the scene curiously.
"We'll talk later," Cain responded without even looking at her, completely ignoring her complaints. His attention was fixed on the giant robot in front of them. "I'm going to finish this once and for all."
The monster beneath his feet roared, a deep sound that vibrated in the air like the echo of a distant thunderclap. With a fluid motion, the lion-like muzzle of the beast opened, revealing rows of teeth as sharp as blades. Instead of biting, a glowing red sword emerged from within, shining with an almost supernatural light. With a swift thrust, the blade plunged into the robot's head, splitting it in two with a metallic crunch that reverberated through the empty space. Metal fragments rained down with a clatter, crumbling into a shower of sparks and acrid smoke.
"Hey! Could you not do that?" Abel shook her clothes with exaggerated gestures, trying to brush off the dust now covering her immaculate suit. "First, this kid gets me dirty, and now you. Can I come down now?" she said to little Benny, who was watching the scene with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Uh… Yes, sorry," Benny murmured timidly, lowering his gaze. It was clear he wasn't used to being the center of attention.
Meanwhile, Cain had already dismounted from the gigantic monster. With an elegant gesture, the creature dissolved into dark particles that faded into the air before vanishing entirely, as if stored away like an ordinary object in his pocket. "Done," he announced casually, as though he had just completed a routine task.
"You always do the same thing," Abel protested as she walked toward him with determined steps, her boots thudding against the ground as if emphasizing each word with a stomp. "You leave, abandon me, and I end up in horrible places. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a little girl anymore?"
"That's why I gave you your space," Cain replied with maddening calmness, shrugging as if what she said was irrelevant. However, the faint smirk tugging at his lips betrayed his implicit arrogance.
"But I'm not that old either," Abel retorted, locking her glowing eyes with his. "Remember, you're only a few minutes older than me, Cain. Don't use that as an excuse to treat me like I'm fragile."
A moment of silence followed her words, interrupted by Benny's sudden exclamation: "Wait! Cain? Like Cain and Abel?" The boy looked back and forth between them, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"Well, yes, that's what our tutors named us," Abel explained with a shrug. "Though I don't know what's so special about those names."
"And who is this?" Cain asked, gesturing toward Benny with a casual tilt of his head.
"Didn't you hear what I said when you arrived?" Abel frowned, clenching her fists in frustration. "I explained it while you were up there making your dramatic entrance."
"Sorry, but I was too high up. I could barely hear you," Cain replied, pretending to dig something out of his ear with exaggerated flair.
"Don't give me that," Abel growled. "You know perfectly well, we both have exceptional hearing. Don't tell me you didn't catch every word."
"Yes, I did," Cain admitted in a monotone voice as he observed little Benny, who was still babbling excitedly: "Cain and Abel! Like the sons of Adam and Eve…" The boy abruptly stopped when he noticed the piercing glare Abel shot him. "There's nothing wrong with my name," she said irritably, crossing her arms and fixing her luminous gaze on him.
"It's fine, it's okay to have those names," Benny interjected nervously, swallowing hard under Cain's intimidating presence. The latter raised an eyebrow and added mockingly: "Actually, our tutors thought it was funny to give us those names. You see, I'm a dark magic mage, while she's light—or white magic, if you prefer." He stared at Benny intensely and then added with a sardonic smile: "Go ahead, laugh, shorty."
"Yeah… Very funny," Benny murmured, forcing an awkward laugh, fearing what Cain might do if he didn't play along.
"Relax, brother," Abel intervened, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him. "He's also an agent like us. His name is Benny, and his power is stretching—though he insists on calling it 'elasticity,'" she explained, rolling her eyes. "Whatever," she added dismissively.
"Alright, Benny, now that we've met, let's seal this as friends," Cain said, extending his hand toward the boy. Benny hesitated for a moment but eventually stepped forward to shake it. However, before he could touch it, a tiny demon emerged from between Cain's fingers, brandishing a miniature trident that pricked Benny's palm. "Ouch!" the boy exclaimed, quickly pulling his hand back.
Cain burst into thunderous laughter. "Gotcha," he said with satisfaction as the demon returned to its place like an obedient shadow. Abel shook her head and looked at Benny with a mix of resignation and sympathy. "Don't mind him. He's always like that: serious at first, then a prankster. He's unbearable," she commented with a shrug.
"No problem," Benny replied, though in his mind he thought: What kind of people have I gotten myself into?
"Well, I think I'll rest for now," Cain announced, dropping onto a nearby rock. Then, glancing at Benny, he added indifferently: "By the way, you were the one who appeared unconscious in that cave, right? A robot attacked you, so I had one of my creations bring you there to protect you. I just forgot to send it back to its world afterward… I guess that's why it tried to attack you. Sorry about that. It wasn't like my sister thought—losing control of my powers again."
"Ah! So that's also why it tried to attack me," Abel interrupted with a mischievous smile. "But luckily, your things can't stand up to me," she said, laughing smugly.
"Yeah, sure, show-off," Cain retorted, frowning. At that moment, Benny thought to himself again: These two are going to drive me crazy.
"I've taken care of all the robots in this area," Cain declared wearily as he leaned back fully on the stone. Closing his eyes, he added: "Anyway, we need to keep moving. They need us in other places."
"You're not my boss, and you don't give me orders," Abel shot back with a huff. Before she could continue, Cain was already fast asleep, breathing peacefully.
"For real?" Benny said, stepping closer and trying to nudge him awake without success. Abel watched him with a resigned expression. "Don't even bother trying to wake him. My brother always does this: finishes fighting and falls asleep like a log. We'll just have to wait until he wakes up."
In the meantime, she pulled a list from her pocket and began writing several items with her magic wand. "Well, you could use this time to help me by fetching these things," she suggested with an innocent smile.
"I'm not your servant," Benny protested, but when she looked at him with those glowing eyes that seemed capable of piercing his soul, he swallowed hard and took a step back. "B-But, on the other hand, I'll only do it because I like helping," he stammered quickly before running off with the list in hand.
"Now I have to run errands… They just take advantage of me because I'm smaller than them," Benny muttered as he stared at the paper with a mix of frustration and resignation. "Who the heck asks for such weird stuff on an island? This is impossible to find," he complained under his breath while walking toward the nearby village.
"Has he left yet?" Cain asked from his relaxed position lying on the ground, arms behind his head.
"Yes," Abel replied with a sigh. Then, more seriously, she added: "And don't forget you shouldn't wander off from me. Bad things tend to happen when you do. Please, don't do it again."
"Alright, alright," Cain said without opening his eyes, waving her off dismissively. "Now let me relax while your little boyfriend comes back."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Abel protested, blushing furiously as she shot him a glare. However, Cain had already closed his eyes again, completely ignoring her. "Yeah, whatever… See you later," he murmured sleepily.
Elsewhere, in Yukon, Canada, the icy air cut like invisible blades. A young man trembled violently under the grayish sky, enveloped in a cloud of white vapor with every exhale. His teeth chattered, and his hands futilely tried to hug himself to preserve warmth.
"How cold it is here… I shouldn't have come to this place," Josh lamented, shivering as he laboriously trudged through the snow. "But since I was nearby… Damn it! I'm not someone who can handle the cold. I'm already freezing… I think I'm going to die here," he stammered between ragged breaths.
"It's just like you coming to a place like this in shorts and without a shirt, let alone a coat," a female voice teased sarcastically. It was Lania, watching him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Why don't you go back to your other self? That way, you'd be warmer," she suggested, raising an eyebrow.
"I can't. I need to recover my mana after defeating those controlled kids in Vancouver," Josh explained with difficulty, clenching his fists in an attempt to generate heat. "Besides, if I could make clothes, I would, but I'm not like that Unit A who uses magic."
"I know, but why don't you share some of my coat? It's big enough for both of us," Josh proposed hopefully with a smile.
"Oh no, no way. I'm not sticking close to you; they'll think we're a couple or something," Lania replied firmly, crossing her arms.
"Then why don't you light a fire? Didn't you bring a lighter to at least warm me up?"
"Fine," Lania finally conceded, rolling her eyes. With a fluid motion, she gathered a pile of dry branches and carefully arranged them on the ground. A magical spark emerged from her hands as she struck two rocks together, and soon a small fire began to crackle, releasing comforting warmth.
"Much better," she said, though Josh had already lunged toward the fire as if it were his personal salvation.
In the light of the flames, Josh revealed his athletic, bronzed figure. His long, wooly hair, dark brown like a wolf's fur, fell untidily over his face. He wore only a pair of denim shorts and brown boots, leaving his muscular, toned torso exposed.
"You're looking better, Josh," Lania commented with a half-smile as she also moved closer to the fire's warmth. She wore a yellow coat that reached her knees, fitted over black leggings. A beret covered part of her long, silky black-as-night hair, and her brown eyes gleamed with a mix of cunning and humor.
"You're such an exhibitionist," Lania teased playfully. "You always like showing off your abs. Good thing we found those pants and boots; otherwise, you'd be running around naked."
"I know, it's not like I want to show off my body," Josh replied, scratching the back of his neck with an embarrassed gesture. "Sorry. When we get back to base, I'll request a proper suit that doesn't disintegrate like the one that elastic kid from Unit B had."
"Yeah, sure… If you knew that, why didn't you do it earlier? You're such a pervert," Lania teased with a giggle.
"No, nothing like that! I'm just really forgetful sometimes," Josh defended himself, touching his head with feigned innocence. Then he remembered something and added: "By the way, I ran out because I saw you fighting those controlled kids and robots in this area all by yourself. Helping you almost drained me. The good thing is that the cold here would immobilize them," he thought to himself, feeling a wave of relief knowing that, at least for now, they were safe.
They were agents Josh Meldrok and Lania Rivers, both belonging to Unit E, with agent codes E-7 and E-11, respectively. Despite their youth—Josh was only 14 years old, and Lania 16—their skills and determination made them key players within their unit. While their ages might suggest some inexperience, their actions in the field proved otherwise: they were experts at emerging unscathed from situations that would leave even the most seasoned veterans perplexed.
However, the boy was mistaken when they saw a caribou slowly approaching through the snow-covered trees. Its imposing figure stood out against the white landscape, but something about its colossal size didn't seem entirely natural.
"Hey! Is it normal for an animal to be this big?" Lania asked, narrowing her eyes as she observed the caribou curiously.
"Well, these animals are usually large with massive antlers," Josh replied with a shrug, "but not as big as this one. It must be a different species… I could've made money if I'd been able to take pictures of it for discovery!" He paused for a moment, frustration creeping into his voice. "But unfortunately, I lost my phone during the battle."
The caribou continued advancing toward them with heavy steps that crunched over the compact snow. When it got close enough, it revealed its metallic antlers, sharp as blades, preparing to attack.
"I think it's upset because we're in its territory," Josh thought aloud, instinctively stepping back.
"I don't think so," Lania countered, frowning as she examined it more closely. "Where have you seen a metallic animal? Now that I look at it carefully… Damn it! It's another one of those crazy robots."
Josh let out a frustrated growl. "And I'm out of my powers. I need to recharge my mana." Before he could say anything else, the caribou charged directly at Lania, who remained frozen in surprise.
"Watch out!" Josh shouted, lunging toward her and pulling her just in time to avoid the metallic antlers piercing through her. Both fell onto the snow, rolling away from the robot's reach.
"I think we're in trouble," Josh muttered, quickly getting up and helping Lania to her feet.
"You think?" she retorted sarcastically, brushing the snow off her yellow coat. "For now, I'll have to protect us both until you regain your strength."
"There's no other option," he said, nodding resolutely as he watched the caribou turn again to attack them.
Quickly, Lania pulled a feather and a small ink bottle from one of her pockets. With fluid movements, she began drawing something in the palm of her hand.
"Hey! Are you seriously going to draw now in the middle of this fight?" Josh exclaimed incredulously, pointing at the robot that was menacingly approaching.
"Don't forget my power," Lania shot back with a confident smile as she finished the drawing. She raised her hand toward the robotic creature, whose eyes glowed with intermittent red lights.
"Get ready, robotic creature," Lania declared firmly, her voice resonating in the icy air. "You'll wish you'd never faced me, Lania Rivers."