Basically jumping out of his seat, the large man squeezed Jani into a crushing hug, the old man's wide figure overtaking the younger man's.
"Oh, you've gotten so big! Last time I saw you, you were barely at my shoulder. Now look at you, lad! You're built like a mountain!"
Jani stood frozen in horror as the older man let go, enthusiastically comparing their heights.
"Ha, you're taller than me! You're not the little nerd I knew. What did you do with him? Haha!"
Jani realized the man was staring expectantly for him to say something.
The words were stuck in his throat. It was as if death itself was staring at him.
This wasn't the kind uncle Reggie he knew. His senses were sharp enough to know just what a monster hid under the perpetual mask.
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
Realizing he had zoned out, Jani concentrated on catching Reginald's words.
"...and those piercing, blue eyes. Spitting image of your dad!"
After a few awkward seconds, he managed to stutter out:
"I, well, uh... Hello, sir."
Every fiber of his being begged to escape, his throat dry and brittle.
The man stared at Jani for a few instants.
Then, he threw back his head, the room filling with roaring laughter.
"Guess I was wrong about you not being a 'meekling' anymore. And please, call me Uncle Reggie like you did as a wee lad. Miss those times almost as much as my ex-wife!"
He paused.
"Well, I guess I was with my ex-wife when those times were happening. Well, nevermind, I still miss them!"
The muscular man slapped Jani on the back roughly. He could only let out a pained groan as his bones creaked.
"So, kiddo, I hear you want to join your uncle as a team? On your pop's command?"
Jani finally managed to snap out of it, nodding.
"Yes, sir. And I cannot call you Uncle Reggie anymore, as my soon-to-be boss."
"Hold your horses, boy. I can't accept just anyone as a trainee. There will be tests first."
The man smiled, handing him some papers.
"Sign those. We will test to see if you're skilled enough. By the way, you're signing away the right to sue Megtex in case of bodily or mental harm."
Sitting down, he pondered for a second.
"Not like anyone can win a lawsuit against them, but mega corps and their safety nets, y'know?"
Now partially composed, Jani took a pen to sign. However, just before the pen touched the paper, dozens of alarms blared.
Red light engulfed the rooms, loud horns piercing their eardrums.
Raising his eyes to Reginald, who was already taking off his suit and tie, he asked:
"Sir? What does that mean?"
The man seemed unhappy, his mildly angry expression making every cell in Jani's body shiver.
"Means a concept vestige entered through the barrier. Come along, your test will be on the field."
Jani's eyebrows furrowed.
"What is a vestige? And how can anything go through the barrier?!"
Rushing through the corridors under alarm, Spectre explained:
"Oh right, you weren't old enough to know before your pops died. No matter, I'll explain."
After scanning dozens of credentials in such a short time frame that it made Jani dizzy, Reginald was pushed into a small magnet car.
Flying on the paid premium road without traffic, they rushed to the edge of the city where the vestige appeared.
"When a concept is disappointed with the world, it sends a vestige as sort of a punishment, y'know? Picture a mad mom sending in dad to spank the living piss out of you."
Jani took a few seconds to consider this info, chuckling at the joke. It didn't change anything fundamental about his life, but it still felt incorrect. As if those things weren't something that should exist.
His mind struggled to accommodate their existence, as if the idea itself was slippery.
"Then, is that why the barrier exists?"
Spectre scoffed.
"Yeah, outside Neoria there are hundreds of vestiges. That's why the barrier is there. Most can't go through, but some with weird abilities can bypass it. Oh, and don't speak of this, kiddo."
He paused, his voice transforming into a deeper octave, the man's gaze turning hard as steel, almost tangible. The vehicle immediately gained the presence of a graveyard.
"Or I'll have to come and silence you."
Jani had been getting adjusted to his presence, but this was a stark reminder that his prey was currently more dangerous than him.
"Of course, Sir Reginald. Wouldn't dare to speak of it."
Spectre regained his smile.
"Attaboy! Get out, lad, we're here."
They came out of the vehicle at the city-nation's edge, the green barrier engulfing the horizon.
A special operations agent was waiting for them.
Reginald was the first to speak.
"Status report: ability of the vestige?"
The man rigidly saluted.
"I am Rolas Rial, sir! Vestige is currently rampaging in sector D6, sir! Vestige of Ignorance, sir!"
Reginald nodded along, recognizing the recruit.
"Unless it believes the attack will be dangerous, it can't be damaged, sir! Flashy attacks are most effective, sir! Can ignore some physical phenomena, sir!"
"Heard some about you. Higher-ups wouldn't shut up about you. Your ability is what, again?"
Maintaining the salute, Rolas quickly yelled out:
"I am the avatar of space; I compress infinite distance into a finite barrier around me. I'm a wall, basically."
Checking his tone, he let out a late:
"Sir!"
Reginald snapped in recognition.
"Right, right, such talent. I expect great things from you."
The older man walked to the magnet road's edge, seeing the creature a kilometer away.
"Well then, lad, the first test is speed. See if you can keep up."
Before Jani could react, Spectre was a blur. His legs bulged with vascular musculature, the metal street bending beneath each step.
Forcing his body to the limit, Jani replicated the man's speed, exploding forward.
Every instant his body burned more and more as lactic acid filled his muscles, but he forced himself to endure.
His mouth burned as it struggled to exhale at such speeds, the air forcing itself back into his lungs.
'I have to hunt him! I have to get his trust by proving myself!'
As his breath turned into ragged pants, each of which was difficult to let out, he glanced at his superior, not seeing a bit of exhaustion.
'And I thought I was a physically strong avatar...damn it!'
Finally reaching the target, their gazes met the creature.
It was four meters tall, with skin as white as alabaster. It had a singular wing, made out of black arms, as if mimicking feathers.
The creature's actual arms were adorned with long, red talons. Soulless eyes stared blankly at Jani.
"Okay, Jani, show it what—"
Before Reginald finished his sentence, the creature reached out, ignoring the kilometer gap between itself and Rolas.
Its long, white arms extended, and it opened its invisible barrier of infinite space as if it were no more than a sliding door.
Space bent as the layer of infinity moved in a finite way, every law of reality ignored.
With one closing of its mighty jaws, the upper half of the man's face suddenly went missing within the creature's mouth.
Loud, wet noises combined with the crunching of his skull to drown out any other sound.
Reginald stayed silent for only a few instants.
His face didn't seem surprised or shocked. To the man, this was nothing out of the ordinary.
"As I was saying, go show it what you're made of!"