Chapter 10 — The First Catch (Part 1)
The morning light spilled into Hiroshi's grandfather's old house, cutting through the dust speckled air like a soft blade, the scent of breakfast still lingered faintly from the kitchen, though none of them seemed interested in eating much there was a different kind of hunger now.
For the first time, Hiroshi's new team gathered in the living room at the same time, all of them awake and ready, the atmosphere was charged, not with excitement exactly, but with the tense awareness of what they were about to do.
Hiroshi stood near the old wooden table, laying three strange devices in front of them, each one was small, metallic, and looked a little like a compass, except the needle shimmered faintly with a pale blue light that pulsed like a heartbeat, which was clearly given to him by the Seer,
"These...", Hiroshi said, tapping one of them, "are Aura compasses",
The team leaned in, looking curious, except for Tall Boy, who already knows,
"They can detect traces of the Orbiculum shards, wherever a shard is, it leaves behind… let's call it a disturbance in the world, strange events, impossible things happening, unnatural changes in people, the compass will react to those disturbances",
He picked one up and turned it so they could all see the shifting needle,
"It will lead you toward the source, but it won't be a straight path, these things pick up energy and directions, not clear answers, so you'll still need to use your eyes and instincts",
A few nods followed,
"Which brings us to today's plan", Hiroshi looked around at them carefully, "We'll split into duos, that way we can cover more ground without drawing too much attention",
That's when his gaze shifted to two particular people, Tall Boy and Time Shifter who were still giving each other the occasional Death glares across the table,
"And you two", Hiroshi said, pointing between them, "...are going together",
"What? No I don't like him!", Time Shifter's voice rose in disbelief,
"Heck, no way!", Tall Boy snapped immediately after,
"The feeling's mutual, dummy!", Tall Boy muttered with his arms crossed,
"You think I want to walk around with you?" Time Shifter shot back, scoffing,
"That's enough", Hiroshi's tone cut through their bickering like a sharp blade, "We're a team now, whether you like it or not, if you can't even tolerate each other for one day, then we might as well give up now because without every single shard, no one here is getting their desires… granted",
That last part hit them both harder than they wanted to admit, their eyes flickered with something unspoken—frustration, but also reluctant understanding,
"Fine!", Tall Boy grumbled, "But I'm holding the compass", He snatched one off the table like it might bite him,
"What a handful…", Time Shifter sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Whatever, let's just get this over with",
Hiroshi turned to the next pairing. "Mae, you're with Skepter",
Mae's smile was polite at first… until she glanced at Skepter, he was already raising his eyebrows in a ridiculous up and down motion, grinning like a fox,
"Lucky me", Skepter said smoothly,
Mae's jaw tightened, but she didn't take the bait at least, not yet,
"And I'll be going with Chimera", Hiroshi continued,
"Oh, great!!" Chimera said in a tone dripping with sarcasm, "I get glasses boy, how lucky of me",
But, Hiroshi didn't even blink.
Once the partners were set, Hiroshi's expression turned serious again,
"The mission is simple, find the shards, once you have one, bring it straight back here, we'll put them together like a puzzle, each piece is unique, since it was shattered it should be in different in shape and size, so there's no mistaking them for anything else",
"But there's something else you need to remember, aside from skill, trust is the second most important thing we have, trust each other, trust your instincts, and..." his eyes moved between them slowly, "do whatever it takes to get the shard, whatever it takes",
The weight of his words sank into the room,
One by one, they nodded, some with determination, some with doubt, but all of them understood that this was no longer just a search, it was like kind of a race.
Moments later, the front door creaked open, letting in the sharp morning air, the six of them stepped outside, partners in place, compasses in hand,
The search for the Orbiculum shards… had finally begun.
***
The bus rattled softly as it rolled down the streets, its tinted windows reflecting the sunlight like shifting glass, Hiroshi sat calmly by the window, one leg crossed over the other, his gaze distant but alert, Chimera, on the other hand, slouched in her seat, tapping her fingers against the metal rail impatiently,
They had no confirmed destination, The Aura Compass would decide that.
When the bus stopped at the bustling center of town, Hiroshi stood without a word, Chimera followed, her snickers clicking against the pavement as she caught up, the town center was alive with chatter, the scent of roasted chestnuts drifting from a nearby vendor, the constant sound of hurried footsteps echoing between tall buildings,
Chimera frowned, "Where are we going exactly, glasses boy?",
"I don't know yet", Hiroshi replied calmly, pulling the small, gleaming compass from his pocket, "The compass will lead us, not me",
Before he could hold it steady, Chimera snatched it right out of his hand,
"This town is huge...so is Japan, how on earth are we supposed to find anything weird? It's not like I'll wave this thing around and....", She stopped mid-sentence, still waving the compass experimentally,
Then the needle twitched,
Her eyes widened, "No way…", She slowed her movements, letting the compass guide her hand like a divining rod, the needle locked in one direction pointing directly at a middle-aged businessman in a sharp grey suit, currently pacing on his phone,
They followed quietly, keeping just close enough to hear and not to be seen,
"Yes Sir, don't worry", the man was saying, his voice low but urgent, "We work them, and we get all the profits, this thing we found… it's like a miracle for our bank accounts", His voice faltered, "Ah.....sorry, sorry Sir, I shouldn't say that out loud, yes walls have ears… I'll be there soon",
He ended the call, slipping the phone into his pocket before heading toward a sleek black sedan, Hiroshi and Chimera exchanged a quick glance no words needed, something was definitely wrong,
They trailed the man across several blocks until he pulled into the parking lot of a towering glass building, the headquarters of a massive business corporation,
"How do we get in, should I use my illusion powers?", Chimera muttered, sizing up the security guards at the entrance,
Hiroshi's eyes glinted behind his glasses, "Not yet...I've got this...",
Then he took off his glasses, within minutes, he had discreetly hypnotized two employees passing by, obtaining their name badges and work jackets, they pair ducked into an empty storage room, swapping clothes and stepping out looking like they belonged, Chimera was impressed with his powers but she didn't let herself show it,
Inside, the corporation's atmosphere was… unsettling.
Rows upon rows of desks stretched across the enormous office floor, every worker sat rigidly upright, typing without pause, eyes locked on their screens, not a single blink or stretch in sight, the silence was suffocating, broken only by the rapid, mechanical tapping of keys, it was as if they were puppets, strings pulled tight,
"Creepy!", Chimera muttered under her breath, "They look like they'd work themselves to death if you told them to",
It got stranger when a cheerful employee walked in, holding a stack of envelopes, "It's payday, everyone, it's the biggest salaries yet!",
The room erupted into robotic applause, Hiroshi and Chimera accepted envelopes as well, opening them, only to find blank, white paper inside,
"They're empty", Chimera whispered,
Yet the workers beamed as if they were holding checks worth millions,
Hiroshi's expression darkened, "It must be a shard influence, no doubt, I'm sure of it",
Piece by piece, the clues fit together, the cryptic phone call, the blank paychecks, the zombie-like employees, somewhere in this building was a shard twisting reality, making these people believe in wealth that didn't exist and the businessman they had followed was definitely involved,
Chimera clenched her fists, "Let's strike now and get the shard to end all of this",
"No...bot yet", Hiroshi said firmly, his eyes still scanning the office, "We wait until that man is alone, if he's working for the shard's owner…we'll need to confront him directly",
Chimera didn't want to wait, but it obviously seemed like the best choice to confront the owner to why he uses the shard to do such mindless evil.
Meanwhile, Time Shifter and Tall Boy walked side by side and both of them wearing the kind of expression that said,
'I'd rather be anywhere else but here but with you', it was obvious,
They soon reached a fork in the path, without hesitation, both pointed in opposite directions,
"This way", Time Shifter said firmly, his voice carrying that tone of someone who thought they were always right,
"No, this way!" Tall Boy countered, jabbing his finger toward the other path with a cocky smirk,
The two glared at each other, silent tension stretching between them like a drawn bowstring, it was clear neither was willing to back down,
Then Tall Boy remembered something, the Aura Compass, He pulled it from his pocket and gave it a light shake, the needle didn't point toward either path, instead, it swung steadily forward, indicating the direction dead ahead,
"Looks like neither of us was right", Tall Boy muttered, grinning faintly as he started walking,
"Tch!", Time Shifter clicked his tongue but followed anyway,
As they walked, Time Shifter's eyes drifted toward Tall Boy's left arm, the Beast Hand, the monstrous brown-furred claw twitched slightly as if sensing his gaze,
Tall Boy noticed and without a word, shoved it deep into his coat pocket, "Eyes forward, time boy", he said in a low voice,
It was awkward after that, but they kept moving until the compass led them somewhere unexpected, an old, abandoned amusement park, the paint on the gates was peeling, the rides were rusted and weeds pushed through the cracks in the concrete, a broken sign swayed in the wind, creaking like a ghost's moan,
Time Shifter frowned, "This doesn't look like right... it's more like a graveyard for fun",
"The compass won't lie to us", Tall Boy replied, "It has to be here",
Before they could enter and investigate, two guys approached from the distance, they wore casual clothes, but something about them screamed 'thug', their movements were deliberate and too cautious, the kind of people who didn't want attention,
Tall Boy and Time Shifter quickly ducked behind a shrubby old bush that fit both of them to watch.
The two guys stood at the side gate, one carrying a duffel bag, they scanned around to see if anyone else was around but, no one which it wasn't unusual to them so they unzipped the bag and revealed bundles of cash, both of them grinned wide, counting and whispering about how their "scheme" was working perfectly,
Then a third guy appeared, leading two families, parents with kids, toward the park entrance, the parents hesitated the moment they saw the broken rides,
"This place looks like it's been dead for years", one of the fathers said suspiciously,
"Yeah, there's no way we are letting my kids inside here", one of the mothers added, crossing her arms,
But the children, curious and full of naive excitement, begged their parents to let them go in,
The three men exchanged glances, then slipped on dark sunglasses, in that instant, the air seemed to shimmer,
The parents' eyes began to glow faintly same with theit children, their expressions shifting from disgust to awe, before their eyes, the rusted park transformed into a dazzling, colorful wonderland, roller coasters gleamed under bright lights, popcorn machines puffed buttery steam, and cheerful music floated in the air,
"It's… beautiful", one of the mothers whispered, her earlier anger gone,
The parents quickly apologized to the three men for doubting them, they handed over money for tickets without a second thought,
Tall Boy narrowed his eyes, "Unbelievable!!! They're making people believe something that isn't there",
Time Shifter clenched his fists, "Which means—",
"—a shard", Tall Boy finished for him,
The three guys continued watching as more families arrived, each one falling under the same shimmering effect, the guys collected money hand over fist, hiding their smirks behind friendly greetings,
Tall Boy's jaw tightened, "These guys are bleeding people dry with fake facinations..."
"And worse...if I'm right...", Time Shifter said darkly, "a shard in the wrong hands can do more than just steal money",
They exchanged a quick nod, no more waiting, they finally agreed on something for the first time together, they were definately going to clash this carnival of lies, and take the shard too.
The streets were alive with chatter, flashing billboards, and the smell of fresh street food, Mae strolled ahead, her hand gripping the shard compass, She swung it lazily from left to right, eyes narrowing in frustration,
"Ugh… nothing again", she muttered,
Beside her, was Skepter, who looked like he was on a casual date rather than a mission, hands in his pockets, whistling softly,
He leaned closer, a sly grin tugging at his lips, "You know...you look even cuter when you're frustrated",
Mae's brows twitched, "Are you flirting with me...oh jeez...please don't",
"Why? You blushing already?" he teased,
Her glare could've cut through steel,
'If this compass doesn't point somewhere soon, I'm going to lose it', she thought to herself,
As if answering her plea, the compass twitched, its needle spinning briefly before locking onto a direction,
"There! Finally...let's go", Mae pointed,
They followed its pull until it led them to a small, worn-down house but oddly, a large crowd had gathered outside, looking confused, Mae tapped the shoulder of a passing woman,
"Excuse me, what's this place?", Mae asked politely with a gentle smile,
The woman blinked at her as if she had two heads,
"Have you been living under a rock? This is where the Great Shaman lives! She can show you your fate...with your own eyes!",
Mae raised a brow, "Is...that even real?",
"Oh, it's very real" the woman said with nervous conviction, "She showed me mine too, and I saw I'd...die soon but it could be reversed if I bring her enough money to make a protective charm", The woman's face paled as she whispered the last part, before hurrying off and muttering to herself,
Mae exchanged a glance with Skepter. "That's… creepy",
"Creepy and suspicious", he replied with his hand on his chin, "Let's check it out", he added,
They waited in line, the minutes dragging until finally, it was their turn.
Inside, incense hung heavy in the air, an elderly woman with sharp eyes and an unnerving smile sat behind a low table,
"Welcome", she purred, "You two make such a wonderful couple, I know already",
Mae immediately frowned, "We're not—",
"Yes, we are", Skepter interrupted, slinging an arm over her shoulder with a fake romantic smile,
Mae shot him a death glare but stayed silent,
The "Shaman" gestured, "Place your hands here....and close your eyes",
The moment they did, a vivid image burst into their minds: the two of them, screaming inside a car as it spun out of control, glass shattering then darkness, it lasted barely five seconds before they were back in the dimly lit room,
"That… is your fate", the old woman said gravely, "But… it can be changed, for only one million yen, I can make you both charms that will protect you from this deadly fate",
Mae's fists clenched, "What kind of scam—",
Skepter grabbed her hand and stood, "Thank you, we'll think about it",
Once outside, Mae yanked her hand away, "What was that about? We should've called her out!"
"I know", he said calmly, but I noticed something",
He leaned in, his voice low, "That necklace she wore, it glowed faintly, the same faint light Hypno Boy showed us, I saw the shard for the first time, it seems like she's using it to create fake visions in people's heads and scamming them for money, think about it...me and you in a car accident? We're not even a couple...yet....we don't even own a car",
Mae's eyes widened and she gasp, "So she's using the shard to fake people's fates",
"Exactly and if we don't stop her, she'll keep milking people's fear for profit",
Mae's lips curved into a smirk, "Then we'll go take it back",
They wanted everyone to leave so they can take the shard to stop this fake madness....