Chapter 43: Chapter 41

“Glendraig Primary. This is the one.”

Checking the sign once more to confirm, Conrad nodded to himself. Community-centric buildings such as schools were few and far between these days, as many had been abandoned since the Cataclysm shrank the world’s population so significantly. The fact that it was a primary school didn’t rest easy on him, but he shook away the thought and turned back to the students awaiting their orders.

“We’re unsure of what type of demon may be inhabiting this place, but the current reports are mainly citing visual and auditory hallucinations, with no sign of aggressive behaviour as of yet.”

The MOD had clearly ignored this job as it was a low priority for them, and resolving an issue surrounding an abandoned building would be more trouble than it was worth. Sadly, that meant that the undesirable task had fallen into Phoenix’s hands, and once again there wasn’t much information to go off.

“This time we can stay connected easily, and it is the locals themselves that are pushing for this to be resolved. We will split into two teams - one for immediate investigation, and another for research and support.”

Rushing into the building was not a wise move, but they didn’t have much of a choice. Following their last mission they would be under close surveillance from the ministry, so the quicker they could achieve their goal without any public risk the better. They would simply need to work fast, and work smart.

“Let’s see. Ji-Hye, Akil, there’s a city library not far from here, you two are to post up there for information relay and report gathering. Mitra, Hema, Claire and Leona are to do the footwork on collecting more detailed accounts of the nearby residents.”

The students silently confirmed their roles, while Leona stifled a sigh and Mitra fought back a groan at the thought of his upcoming mundane task.

“I will be joining you four, and Aoi will take temporary command in the library in my absence.”

Conrad stared daggers at the two problem children whose quiet protests did not go unnoticed.

“The rest of you are to begin the investigation of the building immediately. Sid, Ji-Hye, you may use your spirits freely, and I will take full responsibility should any issues arise regarding them.”

Usually, manifested spirits would only be permitted in a pinch, as for many such as Sidheag their spirits were also their weapons. They were far more useful than just that, so Conrad had given the go-ahead, but it showed just how serious he was about giving this case their all.

“...Faolán.”
“Pajeon, let’s work hard~!”

The grey wolf materialised before them, but instead of his usual lively nature, he observed the building with a solemn expression. His master had been more restrained than normal too, and Elis watched them with some concern.

Ji-Hye had brought out her phone, and her fluffy companion rushed up to his seat on her shoulders without a second thought. For the most part he would be acting digitally anyway, but perhaps it was his own sign of showing readiness as they prepared to carry out their duty.

“How is our communication looking?”
“Stable, I will keep monitoring it as we set up operations.”

Pajeon gave a cute dook as he ran back into his digital hideout, and in just a moment there was a *Ping* on everyone’s phones to confirm connection. As she was back in her element, Ji-Hye looked far more confident than she had been in the days prior, and despite her heavy eyes she seemed to be all fired up.

“Good. There is room on the back of the coach to ready your battle gear, just make sure you grab everything you need as it’ll be moved to a more secure location when you leave. If there aren’t any questions, then let’s begin.”

******

“Wow… Hibiki, you look so pretty!”
“Mnn. It suits you.”
“...”

Yuuji was lost for words as the girl stepped out before them. The blazing red hakama, the snow white kosode - it was exactly how he remembered, except this time, she had done away with the veil and her beautiful face was open to see. As she caught his gaze, she gave a bashful smile which stole his breath, and thoughts of the two of them together over the months flashed before his eyes.

“It’s beautifully made, and very elegant.”

Valeriya gave her approval, and alongside her, Wang Bao gave a hearty thumbs up.

“It really is… something special.”

Yuuji finally found his words, though he muttered them quietly to himself. He was still unsure what Conrad and Aoi were thinking asking her to join the field team, but they certainly weren’t half-hearted in their preparations, and the girl herself showed no hesitation when faced with the potential danger.

The coach beside them revved up its engine and began to leave, finally snapping Yuuji out of his stupor. He shook his head, chastising himself for being so distracted right before starting a mission.

“I take it we’re all ready, then? Let’s head inside.”

The six of them slowly peeled open the large doors to the building. Once, they may have swung open easily to welcome scores of children for the day, but the years had not been kind, and they creaked forebodingly as the group stepped into the darkness within.

Faolán took the lead, sniffing the ground cautiously as he entered. The late morning sun outside only reached so far, and after clicking the nearby light switch to no avail, they turned on their torches to help peer into the darkness.

In abandoned buildings such as these, it wasn’t too uncommon to see some levels of human activity, and this place was no exception. Graffiti lined the once clean walls, and there were signs that people may have tried sleeping rough within the entrance hall at a time, but they soon found something that suggested anyone unfortunate enough to wind up in here likely didn’t stay long.

“L E A V “

Whoever tried to spray the warning on the back wall only made it to the fourth letter before the paint trailed off, and the spray can was still laying on the ground below. There wasn’t any sign of a struggle, and from what they’d been told there were no missing person cases in the area, but it was still a worrying sight.

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*BZZT*
“-Eep!”
“Uwa!”

Cutting through the tension of their entry crawl, a loud static buzz came from their phones which caused Elis and Hibiki to jump in unison. Yuuji exhaled heavily, as the two girls jolted him more than the noise did.

“Sorry…”
“*BZZT* Field team? Please confirm.”
“This is Yuuji. You’re coming through clear.”
“We have *BZZT* completed operational setup. Ready to assist. *BZZT*”

The voice on the other end soothed his nerves. These days he spent far more time with Ji-Hye than he had in the past, but he rarely got a chance to speak with her when she was seriously working, so hearing her this way was a trip down memory lane. One thing that seemed strange to him however was the static crackling, as he could hear it from everyone else’s device as well, and not just his own.

“Is the connection reliable? We’re hearing static.”
“Static? *BZZT* No issues here. Link appears *BZZT* steady and strong.”
“It may be interference from the building. Stand by, we’ll keep testing as we proceed.”

They stuck as a group as they began to roam the school halls. As it was for young children, the structure itself was not too large, and they would be able to check the entire place within an hour or two provided there were no major issues.

*Creeeeaaak*

“...”
“Huu…”
“...Ji-Hye, do you read me?”

As they passed the first classroom, the door slowly crept open and the creak echoed down the halls. Shining their lights through the now open doorway, the wallpaper filled with happy smiling faces seemed to stare back at them hauntingly, and Elis was growing pale.

“*BZZT* Copy. *BZZT* Any issues? *BZZT*”
“A door just opened on its own. We may have brought a breeze in, but we’re checking it out regardless. Static issue is getting worse, can you resolve?”
“*BZZT* No sign *BZZT* problems *BZZT* *BZZT* -end. *BZZT* I’m sending *BZZT* *BZZT*”
“Ji-Hye?”
“...”

His phone was silent, but glancing at the screen it showed their line was still active. The screen flickered briefly, and as he squinted to look closer, a furry brown rocket launched out from within and coiled around his shoulder.

“-!?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin at first but breathed a sigh of relief as Pajeon’s beady eyes appeared beside him. He thought about berating Ji-Hye for her lack of warning, but it seemed her message in advance was likely cut off as she sent her companion to assist.

Pajeon sniffed the air cautiously as he shuffled back down towards Yuuji’s phone. He locked eyes with Faolán briefly, and in a moment of understanding between the two spirits, the former leapt back into the digital world while the latter began a steady approach towards the suspicious room.

Though Pajeon seemed to enjoy his time outside in his physical form, he could only flex his abilities within a connected digital network. From Yuuji’s phone, he would be able to access the feed back to Ji-Hye, as well as the other devices that the group nearby was carrying.

Yuuji left the ferret to work his magic while they followed Faolán into the room. Scanning high and low with their lights, they watched for anything out of place, but they found nothing unexpected. The grey wolf sniffed the air once more, and his ears pricked up when he faced towards the door from where they had entered.

*Ka-chunk*

It slammed shut behind them, and the doorknob rattled violently. Rushing over, Yuuji grabbed the handle and twisted it, but it wouldn’t budge. There shouldn’t have been a lock on the door, but it felt as though someone was holding it closed on the other side.

They had been on high alert since they entered, so there shouldn’t have been any chance of the demon they sought sneaking out under their noses, but if whatever it was had wanted to lure them into the room then there was one thing for certain - they were damn sure not going to stay there.

“Baozi.”

Yuuji stepped back, with the giant taking his place. He silently gestured towards the doorway with his prayer beads in hand, and thrusting forward there was a whoosh of air as a giant golden palm slammed the door with tremendous force.

*BOOOM*

The door was launched tens of meters back across the entrance hall as the building shook. He had thankfully held back enough force so as not to tear down the wall as well, but the sheer power was still a little frightening, and Wang Bao meekly glanced at the others as the dust settled.

Faolán was the first back out into the hallway, but they quickly found it as empty as it was only moments ago. The chance that Wang Bao had pulverised whatever demon had inhabited the building wasn’t exactly zero, but the group didn’t fancy themselves so lucky.

“Ji-Hye, are you there?”

Sensing the immediate danger had passed, Yuuji glanced at his phone once more, but Pajeon’s miniature avatar on the screen returned a helpless look. The static sound had stopped from his efforts, but despite the line still displaying as active, there was no response from the other end.

*Creeeeaaak*

A familiar sound echoed out once again.

From across the darkness of the hall, another door opened to beckon them inside. Yuuji grit his teeth as his companions shared similar looks.

They were being toyed with.

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