[CONTRACT C-890: REJECTED]
[REASON:]
ECHO SQUAD NOT AUTHORIZED FOR DIMENSIONAL OPERATIONS IN SECTOR 14 AT THIS TIME.
PLEASE SELECT AN ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT.
He sighed and scrolled through the available contracts. The third rejection this week. Two days ago, it had been Sector 9. Last Thursday, Sector 21. Now Sector 14 joined the list of areas where Echo Squad specifically Magi was no longer welcome.
The cafeteria buzzed with the usual mid-morning activity of Raiders between assignments. Magi sat alone at a corner table, picking at a breakfast sandwich while scanning contract options that grew increasingly limited.
"There you are," Marc said, sliding into the seat across from him. "I've been looking for you. Did you get my messages?"
"Sorry. Was focused on finding us work." Magi turned the screen toward Marc. "They rejected the Sector 14 job too."
Marc frowned. "That's the third one this week. Did they give a reason?"
"Same as before. Not authorized for dimensional operations in that sector." Magi took a bite of his sandwich. "There's a sewer maintenance job in Sector 6 still available."
"Great. From almost closing an A-rank rift to unclogging toilets." Marc rubbed his temples. "I've been asking around. Nobody else is getting these restrictions."
Magi nodded, unsurprised. "Just us."
"Just you," Marc corrected. "They don't want you near certain rifts."
The cafeteria door opened, and Layla entered with Jax and Eli. They spotted Marc and Magi and made their way over.
"Please tell me we have something good," Layla said, dropping into a chair. "If I have to spend another day inventory checking at the warehouse, I'm going to lose it."
"Sector 14 rejected," Marc replied.
"Seriously?" Jax leaned against the table. "That's our third rejection. What's going on?"
"Fifth, actually," Magi corrected quietly. "They denied two applications I submitted yesterday while you were at training."
Eli raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't think to mention this?"
"Didn't seem important at the time."
A chime from Magi's screen interrupted them. A new notification appeared:
[ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE: ECHO SQUAD]
[YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED IN CONFERENCE ROOM 12B AT 11:00 HOURS]
[THIS IS MANDATORY]
[ADMINISTRATOR WHITEHALL]
"Perfect timing," Marc muttered, checking his watch. "We've got thirty minutes."
The walk to Conference Room 12B felt longer than usual. Other Raiders stopped their conversations as Echo Squad passed, their gazes lingering on Magi before turning to whispers once they thought he was out of earshot.
"...heard his last three rifts just closed themselves..."
"...Science Division has a whole team studying his cases..."
"...they say dimensions actually heal around him..."
Magi kept his eyes forward, his expression neutral. The attention was exactly what he'd spent months trying to avoid.
Administrator Whitehall was waiting for them in the conference room, along with a woman Magi recognized from the Science Division, Analyst Vega.
The conference table displayed a holographic map of the city, with several sectors highlighted in red.
"Please, sit," Whitehall said, gesturing to the chairs. "Thank you for coming promptly."
"Didn't seem like we had a choice," Jax remarked.
Whitehall ignored the comment. "I'm sure you've noticed some of your contract applications have been denied recently."
"Five in the last week," Marc confirmed. "All in different sectors."
"Yes." Whitehall nodded to Analyst Vega, who expanded the holographic display. "These red zones represent areas where Echo Squad is currently restricted from accepting dimensional contracts."
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Magi studied the map. The red zones formed a pattern, a rough circle around the city center, with corridors extending outward in three directions.
"That's nearly half the city," Eli observed.
"Why are we being restricted?" Marc asked directly.
Analyst Vega stepped forward. "These areas contain rifts that are part of an ongoing scientific study. We're tracking dimensional stability patterns across multiple sectors."
"And what does that have to do with us?" Layla crossed her arms.
Vega's gaze shifted to Magi. "Recent data suggests that certain Raiders may influence dimensional stability through their presence alone."
The room fell silent as everyone turned to Magi. He continued studying the map, noting that each red zone contained at least one rift site where they'd experienced anomalous closures.
"Are you saying Magi is causing rifts to close on their own?" Marc asked carefully.
"We're not making definitive claims," Whitehall interjected. "The Science Division is investigating correlations between Echo Squad's presence and unusual dimensional behavior."
Magi looked up. "How many rifts have closed abnormally in those sectors?"
Vega hesitated before answering. "Seventeen in the past two weeks."
"And how many of those did we actually visit?" Magi continued.
"Three," she admitted. "The others closed before any Raider team could respond."
Jax leaned forward. "So rifts are closing on their own all over the city, and you're blaming Magi?"
"Not blaming," Vega corrected. "Studying. There's a distinct pattern of dimensional stabilization radiating outward from locations where Echo Squad specifically Magi has been present."
Magi processed this information silently. Rifts closing on their own. Dimensions healing. Balance spreading outward from points where he'd been. It made a certain kind of sense.
"So you're restricting us from half the city based on a theory?" Marc asked.
"Based on data," Whitehall countered. "And it's temporary. The Science Division needs to establish control zones to study this phenomenon properly."
"Meanwhile, we get stuck with sewer jobs and warehouse duty," Layla muttered.
"Your team will be compensated at your usual contract rate during this study period," Whitehall assured them. "Consider it paid research assistance."
"For how long?" Marc asked.
"Two weeks," Vega replied. "Possibly longer if the pattern continues."
After the meeting ended, Echo Squad gathered in the hallway outside. The tension was palpable.
"This is ridiculous," Layla fumed. "They're essentially benching us because rifts are closing too efficiently around Magi."
"It's not just that," Eli said quietly. "Did you notice how they avoided mentioning what happened in Kylan City? That rift expansion that made the news?"
Magi nodded. "Hammer Team. A-rank behemoths. City-wide evacuation."
"You think there's a connection?" Marc asked.
"Has to be," Jax replied. "They're comparing extreme approaches. Hammer Team's maximum force versus whatever Magi does."
Magi shrugged. "I just do the basics."
"Well, your 'basics' are apparently rewriting dimensional theory." Marc sighed. "Let's get lunch. We can figure out our next move after we eat."
As they walked toward the cafeteria, Magi's Guild communicator buzzed with a private message. The sender was simply labeled "Office of Dimensional Management."
[CURRENT PATTERN UNSUSTAINABLE.]
[EXPANDING TOO QUICKLY.]
[LIMITATION PROTOCOLS ENGAGED.]
Magi deleted the message without responding.
The following days settled into a strange routine. Echo Squad took whatever jobs they could get. Mostly maintenance, inventory, and low-level monster clearance in unrestricted sectors. The work was simple but tedious.
Meanwhile, the pattern continued. Rifts throughout the city began closing on their own, often before Raider teams could even respond.
The Science Division expanded Echo Squad's restricted zones twice more, until they were limited to just five sectors on the city's periphery.
On the seventh day of restrictions, Magi arrived at the Guild Hall early to find Administrator Whitehall waiting for him.
"Mr. Necros," she said. "A moment of your time?"
She led him to a small monitoring room where several screens displayed rift activity across the city. Most screens showed flat lines or downward trends.
"Dimensional intrusion levels have dropped 63% citywide in the past week," she stated. "The Science Division cannot explain it."
Magi studied the screens. "You mentioned a pattern spreading outward from my locations."
"Yes. Initially. But now..." Whitehall pointed to a graph showing decreasing rift activity across all sectors. "The effect has spread beyond our models' predictions. It's as if the entire local dimensional plane is stabilizing."
"Isn't that good?" Magi asked.
"In theory, yes. Fewer rifts means fewer monsters, fewer casualties, less property damage." She turned to face him directly. "But it also means fewer contracts, fewer opportunities for Raiders to level up, and a significant reduction in materials harvested from rifts."
Magi understood the unspoken concern. "The Guild's revenue."
"The entire economy that has formed around the Awakening," she corrected. "Millions of credits in infrastructure, training programs, containment systems… all predicated on a certain level of dimensional instability."
"And now the world is getting too stable," Magi said softly.
Whitehall's expression was unreadable. "The Science Division has recommended further restrictions on your movements while they study this phenomenon."
"Further than five sectors?"
"They want to temporarily relocate you to a research facility outside the city."
Magi felt a familiar sensation, the same emptiness he'd felt in his office job before the Awakening. The walls closing in. Options disappearing.
"And if I refuse?"
"It would be a Guild directive," Whitehall replied. "Refusal would mean suspension of your Raider license."
Later that day, Magi sat alone in his apartment, staring at his Guild communicator. Another contract application had been rejected, this one in one of the five sectors where they were supposedly still allowed to work.
[CONTRACT C-902: REJECTED]
[REASON: NO DIMENSIONAL ANOMALY DETECTED AT TARGET LOCATION. CONTRACT CANCELED.]
The rift had closed itself before they could even reach it.
His communicator chimed with a message from Marc:
Just heard from Whitehall. All remaining sectors now restricted. Team meeting tomorrow at 9. Sorry, Magi.
He set the communicator down and walked to the window. The city stretched out before him, calmer than it had been in months. Fewer emergency vehicles racing through the streets. Fewer evacuations. Fewer casualties.
The world was healing itself around him, and for this, he was being punished.
His communicator chimed again. This time from an unknown sender:
The Syndicate offers alternatives when the Guild restricts. Contact when ready. - Diana Chen
Magi deleted this message too.
He returned to his desk and opened his financial spreadsheet. With Echo Squad's contracts drying up, his plans for a new apartment would have to wait.
At least the Guild was still paying them during the "study period," though he doubted that would continue much longer.
His screen displayed another rejected job request from earlier that morning. He stared at it, the red text blurring slightly.
"I just wanted to work," he said to the empty room.