What happens to a king once he loses his throne?
*******
Gabriel Esthath was arranging his desk as he prepared to leave his office for a meeting with the board members of the HFA. The meeting was set to start in a few minutes. While tidying his desk, Haruto and Koichi knocked and entered the room.
Koichi: Mr Esthath. You're…
Haruto: We're late, old man. What are you still doing here?! HUH?!
Koichi: Lower your tone, Haruto.
Gabriel: Still as loud as I remember you, Haruto. I'm ready now. Let's go.
Moments later, Gabriel, Haruto, and Koichi entered the meeting room, where the seven board members were already seated around a wide, circular table. The atmosphere was heavy with authority, the kind that pressed down on the air itself. Haruto and Koichi remained near the entrance, silent observers to whatever judgment or revelation was about to unfold.
The board members sat in stillness, their expressions unreadable, their presence commanding. After a brief moment of silence, one of the men slowly rose from his seat. The faint scrape of his chair against the polished floor echoed throughout the room, marking the true beginning of the session.
Man 1: Gentlemen of the board, we've called this meeting to address the current crisis: the decline in our forces. In the last ten months, we've lost a significant number of Hunters due to the shadow monsters and the Kaimi Daja.
Man 3: Losing a Level 1+ Hunter was a severe blow. We now appear weak not only to our enemies but also to the very people we are sworn to protect.
Man 1: This is unacceptable, Gabriel. All of this happened under your watch.
Man 6: Have you nothing to say!?
Gabriel bowed his head before he spoke.
Gabriel: I apologize for my incompetence as a leader. I promise to do better and ensure this never happens again.
Haruto: (whispers to Koichi) Never thought I'd see the old man like this.
Koichi: This is why I hate being in these kind of meetings
Man 2: Well, that will not be the case anymore.
Gabriel raised his head
Gabriel: What do you mean?
Man 4: The President of Haiwa was about to cut the HFA's funding until some of us personally assured him that changes would be made.
Man 5: And how did you assure him?
Man 6: We promised to improve by starting with a change in leadership.
Haruto: Wait…
Koichi: You can't mean…!!
Man 1: (clears his throat) Gabriel Esthath, we thank you for your decade of service to this organization, but your tenure as head of the HFA ends today.
Man 2: (gestures to the seventh person) Vincent, this is your cue.
At the far end of the round table, a stern-looking man rose slowly to his feet. His sharp features and rigid posture commanded immediate attention, silencing even the faintest movement in the room.
This was Vincent Harade.
Man 1: From today onward, Vincent Harade will assume your duties as the head of the HFA. You, Gabriel Esthath, will be reassigned as the principal of the Hunter Force Academy. You will no longer have any involvement with the Hunter Force Association, and all Hunters will now report to Vincent Harade.
Man 2: That concludes the meeting. Adjourned.
Gabriel sat silently, his face etched with disappointment and quiet sorrow. He did not join the applause as the other board members offered their congratulations to Vincent Harade.
Sensing the weight in the room and on Gabriel's shoulders, Haruto and Koichi stepped away from the entrance and approached him cautiously.
Haruto: This is some bullshit! Why are they putting the blame on you, old man? All of them are sitting there acting like they can do a better job.
Koichi: Lower your voice. They'll hear you.
Haruto: And what are they gonna do? Fire me? They can't do that because they said it themselves, the Hunter force is declining so they can't do anything to scare me.
Gabriel: That's enough Haruto. They were right. Everything is happening because of my incompetence. I should be lucky that I wasn't fired and that I still have an opportunity to continue working.
Haruto: But you've been here for over ten years. They should at least...
Gabriel: Enough, Haruto. (stands up) I'd better clear out my office.
Haruto and Koichi watched silently as Gabriel exited the meeting room, his steps heavy with unspoken emotion. From across the table, Vincent Harade observed them quietly.
Not long after, Marlo received word of Gabriel's departure and hurried to his office. When he arrived, he found Gabriel methodically packing his belongings into a brown cardboard box. The sight hit Marlo like a physical blow, a sense of dread coiling in his chest as he watched the leader of the HFA prepare to leave.
Gabriel: (looking up) Oh, it's you. You can help me pack those things over there.
Marlo: Mr. Gabriel! I heard what happened. I'm so—
Gabriel: It's okay, Marlo. To be honest, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. All I've done is send you youngsters to your deaths and achieved nothing in return.
Marlo: No, you didn't, sir! We all look up to you. You've helped the HFA for the past 10 years and saved countless lives. If it weren't for you... I'd still be sitting under that streetlamp. They can't just drop you like this after a decade of service!
Gabriel sighed. He then dropped the box, moved towards Marlo and placed a hand on Marlo's shoulder.
Gabriel: I know you're hurting because I'm like a father to you. I know you think I deserve better. But what's done is done. There's no need to dwell on it anymore. We can't get the board to change their minds, and I've made my peace with it.
Marlo: But it's not your fault what happened to Sanito and Joshua…
Gabriel: I know, but there's nothing I can do anymore. (sighs deeply) Now, will you help me pack?
Marlo: (reluctantly) Yes, sir.
*******
The news of Gabriel Esthath's removal from his position at the HFA spread like wildfire. He was replaced by Vincent Harade, a decision that rekindled hope among the citizens of Haiwa. Over the years, trust in the HFA had waned, but this change began to restore some of the faith the public had once placed in the organization.
Later that evening, Vincent Harade sat in his new office, the soft clatter of keys echoing as he typed on his laptop. A sudden scrape of a chair against the floor broke his focus. He looked up to see a figure seated across from him.
Vincent: Don't you think you should've knocked?
The visitor leaned forward, revealing a familiar, unsettling face.
It was Zero.
Zero: Even if I had, you wouldn't have heard it. You're too locked in on that system of yours.
Vincent: (smirks) Fair point.
Zero: So, everything worked out, huh?
Vincent: (gesturing to the office) I think this answers your question.
Zero: Guess everything I did wasn't a waste.
Vincent: How did you think this would play out?
Zero: Well, the plan was to get members of the Kaimi Daja to infiltrate the prison cells. But I needed someone to keep an eye on them. That's where you came in. You were already on the board and a peripheral member of the Kaimi Daja. Call it fate, if you will.
Vincent sighed, resting his hands on the desk.
Vincent: When I joined the board, I thought it would be my first step toward changing the world for the better. But it all led nowhere.
Zero: Which is why you came to me. We could help each other. That's why I brought you into the Kaimi Daja.
Vincent: Now that I'm head of the HFA, what do you want from me?
Zero: Kenny, Karla/Annie and Veto are in the cells beneath HQ. For now, I need you to watch over them. I've put them there for a reason: they need to talk to someone.
Vincent: By someone, you mean… HIM?
Zero: Yeah. Eldon Snyder. The man responsible for the 2003 Incident. He's essential to a bigger plan I'm working on. (pauses, looking distant) And one of the reasons I started down this path.
*****
Six floors beneath the HFA headquarters, the prison buzzed with controlled chaos. Guards patrolled the corridors, eyes sharp for any irregularity. Every prisoner wore a collar around their neck; a device designed to suppress abilities. Clarions felt their powers nullified; humans felt their strength sapped, making escape impossible.
Cell 184 held Kenny, confined since the July incident with Kato.
Cell 214 contained Veto, struggling to pry at his collar with the one arm that still functioned.
Cell 240 was reserved for Annie, who slept deeply, unaware of the tension around her.
And in Cell 999, a bearded man sat against the wall, a massive reinforced collar unlike any other locking him in place. His eyes were dark, unyielding.
This was Eldon Snyder, the man whose actions had ignited chaos over a decade ago.