All Chapters of Bureau of the Beyond: Error 404 Life Not Found: Chapter 1
- Chapter 6
6 chapters
Chapter 1
The stone gargoyles perched above the heavy oak doors of the Department of Ethereal Services didn’t just look at Orian; they scrutinized him. One of them actually shifted its weight, the sound of grinding granite echoing in the quiet morning air.Orian Kestrel wiped his sweaty palms on his cheap polyester slacks and checked the printed email in his hand for the tenth time. "Entry-level Administrative Clerk," it said. "Room 404. Ask for Mr. Ryn.""Uh, excuse me?" Orian whispered to the gargoyle on the left. "Is this the right place for the... filing job?"The gargoyle’s jaw cracked open, a puff of gray dust escaping its mouth. "Enter, Kestrel. You’re late. The veil is thinning and the coffee is cold.""Wait, how do you know my—"The doors swung open with a violent groan before he could finish. Orian stumbled back, nearly tripping over his own feet, as a blur of a man in a wrinkled pinstripe suit burst out. The man had three pens tucked behind his ears and a stack of shimmering, translu
Last Updated : 2026-09-02
Chapter 2
"Four minutes, Director," Vireya whispered, a cruel smirk playing on her lips. "Better start reading the fine print. Or, you know, just pray your insurance covers demonic possession."Orian’s fingers fumbled against the singed leather of the folder. It felt like holding a live coal that had a heartbeat. "I can't read this while you're hovering! And stop calling me Director, I haven't even seen a paycheck yet!""You won't see one at all if that thing anchors," Mikel squeaked, pacing a tight circle around the brass seal. "The Gluttony-class entities... they don't just eat people, Orian. They eat the concept of the space they occupy. If it takes that station, 42nd Street literally ceases to exist in the collective memory of the city. Do you want to explain to eight million people why they can't find the subway?""I can't even explain why I'm wearing this pin!" Orian shouted back. He finally forced the folder open. A cloud of black soot puffed into his face, making him cough. "Okay, okay.
Last Updated : 2026-09-02
Chapter 3
Jarek Pell’s heels clicked against the marble as he turned on his heel, his assistants trailing behind him like shadows. The heavy oak doors groaned shut, leaving Orian standing on the brass seal with a silver pin on his chest and a cold pit in his stomach."Does he always leave like a villain in a costume drama?" Orian asked, his voice echoing in the sudden silence of the hall.Mikel let out a breath that sounded like a tire deflating. He slumped against the Director’s desk, his pinstripe suit looking more wrinkled than ever. "Only when he’s being theatrical. Usually, he just sends a memo that makes people’s hair turn gray overnight. Orian, you’re in real trouble. A frozen budget means we can’t even buy holy water for the dispensers, let alone pay your salary.""I don't care about the salary yet," Orian said, pacing the circle of the seal. "He said my history has commas out of place. I worked at a bookstore, Mikel. My history is just a series of late fees and overpriced lattes. What
Last Updated : 2026-09-02
Chapter 4
"Not anymore," Vireya said, her voice unusually soft as she stepped up beside him. "You’re the man who fixed the unfixable. And in this place, Orian, that’s a death sentence."Orian wiped a smudge of soot from his glasses. "Can we maybe focus on the 'not dying' part for five minutes? I haven't even had lunch.""Lunch is for people who aren't on the Ministry's watch list," Vireya replied, grabbing him by the shoulder and steering him toward the elevator. "Come on. We're going for a walk.""A walk? It’s almost six! I have a cat to feed, Vireya. And a very depressing frozen lasagna waiting for me.""Your cat can wait. Your survival can't." She shoved him into the elevator and slammed the 'Lobby' button. "Mikel! Stay here. If Pell comes back, tell him the Director is 'conducting a field audit.' Use those exact words. It’ll buy us an hour before he realizes I’m actually taking you to a death trap.""A death trap?" Orian yelped as the doors closed. "Wait, why are we going to a death trap? I
Last Updated : 2026-09-02
Chapter 5
"I’m not a con artist, Vireya. And I’m not a librarian who got lucky. I think I’m a pre-filed asset."Orian’s voice was barely a breath, lost in the pressurized hum of the vault. He stared at the blue mist in the jar, his own name mocking him from the glass."Put it down, Orian," Vireya said, her hand tight on his arm. "Don't touch it. Don't even look at it. We’re leaving. Now.""It has my expiration date on it, Vireya! October 14, 2074. I’m supposed to live another fifty-two years, so why is my soul already in a jar in a building that doesn't exist?""I don't know, and if we stay here long enough for the Ministry to find us, neither of us will make it to breakfast, let alone 2074. Move!"She practically dragged him out of the vault, the heavy lead door hissing shut behind them. The ride back to the Department was a blur of neon lights and Orian’s own panicked breathing. By the time they burst through the oak doors of the main hall, Mikel was already pacing a trench into the marble."
Last Updated : 2026-09-02
Chapter 6
The shadows coiling around Havel Deyn didn’t just darken the room; they seemed to swallow the very concept of light. The Head of Temporal Logistics looked less like a man and more like a tear in the fabric of the world."Vireya, if you can hear me, I could really use a tactical intervention right about now!" Orian yelled into his lapel, his back pressed painfully against the mahogany desk."I’m three floors down and fighting a sentient elevator, Orian!" Vireya’s voice crackled through the pin, punctuated by the sound of clashing steel. "Use the desk! Every Director’s desk has a localized containment field! Hit the brass inlay on the left!"Orian scrambled, his fingers clawing at the wood until they found a cold, metallic strip. He slammed his palm down. A shimmering veil of violet energy erupted from the desk, slamming into Havel’s shadows with the sound of a shattering window."You think a temporary barrier will save you?" Havel hissed, his face contorting as the light from the relea
Last Updated : 2026-09-02