Surveillance footage hovered in the air, two distorted feeds frozen mid-frame. White flesh. Too many limbs. Parasites tumbling off the Iron Wall.
Commander Marza from her screen stood with her hands clasped behind her back.
Chief Arell faced the Screen. "Commander, we have bad news."
Outside the military base, soldiers stood in clusters. Confused. Quiet. Helmets tucked under arms.
Marza "What is the issue?"
Arell
"Several soldiers are missing. Including Odon, we've also recieved several reports from civilains about family and others in their communities missing."
Marza froze.
"...What?"
Mari "So the parasites have taen one of our strongest warriors. "
Marza's eyes snapped to her. She says to herself.
Apparently this has been the issue even before my arrival, people coming up missing without any evidence of their dissappearance.
Arell rushed forward.
"Commander. Total count, five hundred and fifteen soldiers missing. Including Odon and about 1200 civilains missing."
Marza exhaled sharply.
"One quarter of our forces, and a massive loss of civilians" she said quietly.
Marza turned back to Aral.
"What now?"
Arell "Perhaps we should to put surveilliance inside the home every Dragon Hive home."
Marza "Out of the question!"
Arell "But commander, we just lost Odon, a man who could kill hundreds of parasites with a single flick of his sword!"
Marza "I feel your pain and I know you're assuming the Empress can just use her Philo to make people comply with the surveilliance request, but that isn't how her power works. She can only impose her philosophy under the right conditions, people must already want the thing she is imposing. Nobody wants to be surveillanced."
Marza scanned the base, too quiet now.
she muttered. "Just when things felt normal."
She stepped into a hovering limo.
Dragon Hive Academy
Whispers crawled through the halls.
Inside a classroom, panic simmered.
"Mikami won't answer her phone," a student cried. "Her parents can't find her anywhere!"
Another stood.
"Tyler wasn't home. I went inside, his room was untouched."
Jusuke "Didn't this happen several months ago, honestly it might just be evil spirits, in any case, I have a spirit deflector ring."
He flashed the shiny orange ring.
Another student spoke "I doubt it's spirits, its probabaly the government."
Kratos stood slowly.
"There's only one explanation," he said calmly. "Parasites."
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The room gasped.
"You really think so, why would they kidnap people?" Jusuke asked.
"I don't knwo yet" Kratos replied. "But two parasites breached the wall. Now soldiers and students are missing."
Eurika added, "International Dragon News says families of soldiers are reporting disappearances too."
"Could one still be alive?" Jusuke asked. "Did it reach Shibuya?"
"Nobody knows," Kratos said. "But as leader of the Investigative Art Club, we will uncover the truth."
A voice cut through.
"You ain't investigating shit, nerd."
Roxer leaned against the doorframe, grinning.
"Nobody should fear parasites in Shibuya. I can kill all of them."
The class relaxed.
Kratos smirked.
A sudent spoke
"I heard a student killed a parasite last night."
The room buzzed.
"A student?" Kratos asked.
"Yeah," Plum said. "They found parasite remains all over the streets, not by hammer but maybe thunder."
Plum tried to sniff but her even her ablity to smell things was gone.
Einstera stared at Plums face, sadness in her eyes. She offered her some of her catfish but plu nodded.
Roxer "Doubt it."
Excitement rippled. Then plums stomach growled, she held squinched from teh pain. Einstera patted her head "You can have my lunch."
Plum "No, that wont help, nothing on this isalnd is satifying.
Roxer scowled.
"Look, its no secret im strong and so is Jaja? Obviously that was me."
"Really?" Plum asked flatly.
"One swing of my hammer," Roxer boasted, unbuttoning his shirt. "Tell me, ladies, are you hot and heavy?"
"No." Einstera said.
The class erupted.
"Roxer! Roxer! Roxer!"
Roxer leaned toward Kratos.
"Hear that, steroid head? That's real hope."
Then...
snrrrk.
Silence.
Everyone turned.
Burajiru slept. Snoring.
Shibuya: After Dark
A strip of parasite flesh slithered behind a trash bin.
Two students stepped into an alley, lighting up.
"You sure this works?" one asked.
"Yeah," the other laughed. "Pink smoke. Gets you super high."
A shadow moved.
A puppy stepped forward.
"...What the hell?"
"I think it's a dog?"
The shape split.
Tentacles snapped.
Screams ended.
The creature separated again, becoming two, limbing the building.
Toward the school.
The bell rang.
"All students," the announcement droned, "please return home immediately. After-school activity is discouraged."
Kratos and Eurika walked together.
Suddenly a voice shouted "Wait up!"
They both turned around to Jusuke "I'm ready."
"Ready...for what?" Eurika asked.
Jusuke "Eurika said we were investiating the parasites spotted in Shibuya."
"Advisory says yes," Kratos replied. "You know. We shouldn't do that."
Eurika "And are we just going to listen?"
Kratos frowned. "What are you saying?"
"If we're investigators," Eurika said, grabbing his hand, "we do what nobody else will, investigate."
Jusuke "Wow, Eurika you're so cool."
She blushed "Ohh please, I'm just a girl." She pointed to the school
"We find out which student, honor actually killed that parasite."
"Roxer said he did."
Jusuke "Make sense, he's an honor student their like really strong."
Eurika "He was clearly lying, I think it was a regular student, one working for the evil Empress and her government goons."
Jusuke "Woah that's a cool conspiracy, I can't wait to get photos of our discoveries."
Kratos "I guess."
They turned back.
Yusuke passed them.
"Hey, have you seen Burajiru?"
They all stared at him with strange looks because the name was not familiar."
Yusuke "A guy who sleeps in class a lot?"
"Oooh Sleeperboy, Nope!" Eurika shouted, dragging Kratos and Jusuke away.
Yusuke watched them go.
"...Why are they going back to the school?"
Above the school, four parasites crawled.
Their forms shifted constantly. Evolving.
They slipped inside.
The hunt continued.