CRASH!! The BMW sport car crashed into the massive gravel pole with the sound of crumpling metal and shattering glass, denting the car's beautiful exterior almost instantly. The smooth, once-gleaming metallic blue paint exterior was now grotesque in appearance in the front where the collision had occurred. Rio, a FSG agent positioned in patrolling duties, marched out of his vehicle after getting to a few yards before Leo's BMW—the same car he had been chasing. He blew on the communication device hanging by his shirt. The small silver whistle-shaped object glowed purple at his breath, activating its transmission capabilities. "Target vehicle located and... neutralized," he spoke in a clipped, professional tone. "Proceeding with extraction protocol Alpha-Seven." Rio approached the driver's side window, his breath fogging the glass as he peered inside, expecting to find... possibly injured suspects. What he saw—or rather, didn't see—drained the color from his face. The car w

Leo took a moment of hesitation before he continued, his eyes darting between Brok and Ryder with an intensity that made the air around them feel thick with tension and tense. "Everyone in this village is in danger." Brok and Ryder both stared at Leo, confused. The trio stood at the village square, surrounded by civilians carrying out activities of their daily life—children playing and jumping everywhere, vendors selling their products, elderly villagers gossiping on wooden benches. There was no danger in sight. "And what makes you think they are in danger?" Ryder retorted, his confusion turning into rage with alarming speed. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth. "Go straight to the point. I am not in the mood for all this nonsense." "The gamma energy in the air is just too much," Leo spoke. Leo blinked several times, as if trying to clear his vision, before turning to Ryder. "Gamma energy is... well, it's the raw material of summoning. The energy that allo

"Heyyyy," Master Sung called out with a welcoming smile. "Violence isn't necessary. I am here to save you." Dwang Sung inched forward, closing the distance between him and the trio and said, "I have a proposal." Leo was startled as he heard what came out of Dwang Sung's mouth. Leo's silver-blue eyes widened slightly. Of all the things he had expected Dwang Sung to say, this wasn't one of them. "A proposal?" Leo repeated. "That's right." Dwang Sung spoke with a smile that faded soon after, replaced by a look of absolute seriousness. He glanced around at the gathering crowd of villagers, their faces filled with confusion. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more... private?" "Whatever you have to say, you can say it right here," Ryder spoke up, stepping forward to stand beside Leo. He cleaned the last bit of tear with his sleeves and locked gaze with Dwang Sung. "As you wish," Dwang Sung replied with a casual shrug then began. "The FSG collaborated with me to hunt y

All the familiars around suddenly burst into red clouds of mist, flowing through the air back to their summoners. The summoners stood motionless, their expressions were clear evidence of fear. They had made their choice to retreat their familiars—a choice that might cost them their careers, but they couldn't care less given that they preserved what mattered most: their familiars. Lucian shot a dead glance at them from behind, his piercing gaze so intense that they could all feel it without turning around, but they couldn't care. The weight of his disapproval was nothing compared to the reality of losing their familiars. They'd rather get kicked out from the FSG than lose their companions, their partners, their other halves. Most would rather die than live without a familiar in this world. As far as one is a red-marked summoner, there are still countless opportunities awaiting them if they resign from the FSG this instant. One of the agents caught Lucian's gaze and approached

Leo's silver eyes tracked the invisible currents in the air long before anyone else could sense them. Staring up at the sky, Leo muttered, "It's finally here, took it long enough." The others gathered around him—Ryder with his newly forged alliance with Dwang Sung, Brok with his long frown of concern, and Mara standing scarily near Ryder. "What's here?" Mara inquired. Leo extended a slender finger toward the seemingly empty sky. "The thick gamma energy I spoke about, spreading out from a distance. It's here." To Leo alone, the air rippled with waves of purple energy, silent in its approach—a flow of power invisible to regular eyes. The gamma energy expanded in waves that should have raced across the sky like wildfire, yet it moved with an unnatural sluggishness that made Leo's skin crawl. Brok stepped forward, squinting upward. "I don't see anything." "You will," Leo assured him. "Soon enough." Being the possessor of the silver gaze, one who could see beyond the ord