The four of them walked down a narrow hallway toward a steep set of stairs that led up to a small office. The building felt older the higher they went. The air grew warmer, heavier, and faintly smelled of dust and paper that had not been touched in years. Lurain could hear his own heartbeat, steady but louder than usual, as if his chest were trying to remind him that this moment mattered. Aeolous walked beside him, quieter than usual, his hands slightly clenched at his sides.
At the top of the stairs, Nixxin stopped in front of a wooden door. The paint was chipped near the handle, as if countless people had knocked on it with hesitation before. Nixxin did not hesitate. He raised his hand and knocked twice.
A few seconds passed. Lurain felt the silence stretch, thin and uncomfortable.
The door opened.
A woman stood there, her expression neutral but observant, as if she had already measured all four of them in a single glance. Without a word, she stepped aside and let them enter.
Inside, the room was wider than expected, though cluttered. Papers were stacked in uneven piles across a large desk. A man sat behind it, leaning back in a chair that creaked with every slight movement. He was spinning slowly, like a child trying to entertain himself in a place that bored him.
"Hey, Nixxin," the man said, not stopping his rotation. "Who are these guys?"
"They're my friends," Nixxin replied, stepping forward with casual confidence. "Oniu, Aeolous, and Lurain."
The man, Welp, leaned forward slightly, letting the chair settle. His eyes moved across each of them, lingering just a little longer on Aeolous.
"Why are you guys here?"
There was a brief pause. Lurain felt it again, that tightening in his chest, the sense that this moment would define something important.
Nixxin answered, "Uncle, Lurain and Aeolous want to become heroes. Can you give them official IDs, a position, and an account?"
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Welp suddenly slammed his foot against the floor. The force snapped one of the chair's legs, sending it collapsing sideways with a sharp crack. The noise echoed in the room. Lurain flinched despite himself.
"Yeah, I can do that," Welp said casually, as if he had not just broken his own chair. "But you two have to tell me your abilities first."
Lurain swallowed and stood up. His legs felt steady, but his hands were warm, almost trembling. Still, his voice came out firm.
"I'm Lurain Pyrin. My specialty is fire magic. I can also fight hand to hand, a little."
Welp nodded slightly, not impressed, not unimpressed.
Aeolous stood next. "I'm..."
"You're Aeolous," Welp interrupted, his tone suddenly sharper. "You cannot control blood magic. Your father was a retired hero."
The words landed heavily.
Aeolous froze. His eyes widened, and for a moment he looked like he had forgotten how to breathe. He slowly sat back down, his foot beginning to shake against the floor in small, uncontrollable movements. Lurain noticed it immediately. There was fear there. Not just nervousness, but something deeper, something that had been carried for a long time.
Welp kicked aside the broken chair and reached for another one, dragging it closer before sitting down again.
"I can give you what you want," he continued. "But you need experience. Real experience."
He pulled out two red cards and handed them over.
"These don't have your ID, position, or account yet. They hold missions. Complete enough within a week, and I'll give you what you've earned."
Lurain took one of the cards. It felt light, almost too light for something that carried so much weight.
"If you need money, take harder missions," Welp added. "But for now, the highest you can take is tier seven."
He leaned back again, now stable in his new chair.
"And one more thing. Magic matters, but don't rely on it too much. You need to know how to fight without it. Blood is not always available when you need it."
Aeolous lowered his gaze at that. Lurain did not say anything, but he understood.
They left the room and made their way back down the stairs. This time, the air felt colder.
At the counter on the first floor, Lurain stepped forward.
"Madam, can we take tier seven missions?"
The woman behind the counter looked at them carefully before taking their cards. For a moment, her expression softened, almost like concern.
"You're young," she said. "But you have authorization."
She handed the cards back.
Lurain tilted his card slightly. A faint glow appeared, revealing the mission details.
"At the seaside," he read quietly. "A demon attack."
Before he could say anything else, the world shifted.
The next thing they knew, they were standing on sand.
The sound of waves crashed loudly against the shore. The air smelled of salt and something darker beneath it. Something wrong.
A demonic fish lunged toward Aeolous without warning, its jagged body cutting through the air. Aeolous barely reacted in time, stepping back as the creature missed him by inches. He countered immediately, his sword slicing cleanly through its body.
"Nixxin," Oniu whispered, glancing toward the fight. "Do they need help?"
Nixxin stretched out on the sand, completely at ease. "Let them handle it. They're the heroes here."
Lurain did not have time to respond. Another demon rushed him. He kicked it hard in the chest, feeling the impact travel up his leg.
"Aeolous," he called out, "take the smaller ones. I'll handle the big one."
Aeolous nodded, already moving, his blade cutting through another creature with growing confidence.
"I can't use magic without a contract," Aeolous muttered to himself. "So this will have to do."
Lurain focused on the largest demon. It looked like a massive shark, its body twisted with unnatural growths, horns protruding from its head.
It swung at him.
The force was overwhelming. Lurain raised his arms to block, and pain shot through them as he absorbed the impact. The creature's limb was as large as his entire body.
It attacked again, faster this time.
Lurain reacted. He moved in, his blade cutting along its arm toward its fins. Blood spilled into the air, but instead of falling, it hovered.
For a moment, everything slowed.
Lurain's breathing steadied. His focus sharpened.
The blood drifted toward the creature, seeping into its body.
Then it ignited.
The demon thrashed, its movements becoming weaker, slower. It tried to strike again, but its strength was fading. It was burning from the inside.
Lurain stood his ground, watching carefully, not letting his guard down until the creature finally collapsed.
Nearby, Aeolous finished cutting down the last of the smaller demons. He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, staring at what he had done.
"Do we grill these?" he asked, half joking, though his voice carried a strange edge.
Oniu, sitting comfortably with a drink in hand, shook his head. "That's a demon."
Before anyone could say more, the world shifted again.
They were back.
"That's it?" Aeolous said, swinging his sword lightly. A thin line of blood followed the motion before disappearing. "I thought it would be harder."
Lurain looked at his hands. They were steady now.
But inside, something had changed.
They climbed the stairs again and opened the door.
Welp looked at them briefly. "The cards are done."
That was all he said.
No congratulations. No ceremony.
The four of them stood there for a moment, unsure what they were supposed to feel.
"That's it?" Lurain asked quietly. "We're heroes now?"
No one answered.
They turned and walked out.
Outside, the air felt different. Wider. Real.
"Let's go home," Lurain said after a while. "We should tell them."
Oniu and Nixxin stayed behind.
"Come by the house if you want grilled chicken," Aeolous called out casually.
Aeolous let out a small breath, almost a laugh.