"I'm glad you managed to get into some sort of training program, but forgive me if I'm a little skeptical here," uncle Ken said with a slight frown as he eyed me from the entrance to my bedroom.

  And he had every right to feel that way. The coverup story that they gave me was that I'd receive a training offer from Creed Industries. It was a legit MNE based in the United States, and I suppose that makes it harder to verify the validity of my employment? They do have a branch in this country though, but in another prefecture far from here.

  "You've read the details in their website already, it's a program meant to help high school drop outs with exceptional circumstances like me," I answered flatly while trying to style my hair. The entire cover story practically drilled into my head by now after Mika "gently" reminded me to memorize it at every waking hour before departure.

  "You were running away from home, hardly anything exceptional about that."

  "That's not what the police report I've submitted said. And who cares? What matters is that I got accepted."

  He let out a defeated sigh as he walked over to me and ruffled my hair. Undoing the neat ponytail that I was going for.

  "It's gonna get messy during travel anyway, and you already look fine like this." He let my hair fall to its usual appearance. Just a couple inches past my shoulders and framing around my face in its usual, somewhat messy wolf cut.

  "You really are her father," aunt Kana teased as she peeked her head from the corner of the doorframe. He then scowled in response before correcting her. Insisting to be called my guardian instead.

  And hey, I took no offense to that. I had already established to both of them that the feeling was mutual after all. But if saying otherwise could earn a few laughs from her, then I don't mind it either way.

  He probably hasn't realized it yet, but that gentle—almost melodious—laugh of hers had upturned his scowl. Simply seeing the positive effects she had on him let me know that he was in good hands, and I had nothing to worry about here.

  My phone suddenly buzzed and that pulled me away from the moment. Without even checking who the sender was, I knew that it was finally time to leave. So I stood up and straightened my suit, slung one bag around my torso and a duffel bag on my shoulder before heading downstairs.

  They both stopped me at the right at the doorway after I had slipped into my loafers and was about to head off.

  "Umm... What—"

  "When we call, make sure to pick up your phone. Or just leave a message, anything so that we'd know you're doing okay," he started rambling on about some strict rules, and I honestly couldn't focus on anything he said next.

  My absence must've left a pretty deep scar after all, and I understood that he simply didn't want to be left in the dark. Though with my current work, I don't know how plausible that was.

  "And when things get tough, don't hesitate to count on either of us. We may not be your parents, but we're still family."

  Aunt Kana gave him a gentle slap on the shoulder and he hesitantly extended his arms outwards for a hug. It was weird, but I didn't want to squash his attempt, so I reluctantly reciprocated the gesture.

  "You two... " she sighed exasperatedly. "Make sure you have this sorted out before the wedding. I don't want us to look weird for the cameras. And Karin, you won't miss it, will you?"

  "I... I'll be there, promise."

  And I won't be the girl who could only hide in your shadows then.

  My phone buzzed again, Mika was probably growing impatient. So I waved them goodbye one final time as I ran out.

  "So, what sort of adventures are you going to take us to now?" Caldwell asked as we got out of their earshot.

  "Even I have no idea," I honestly answered. "But we'd never find out if I chose to stay here."

  He smiled and took in a nonexistent breath for a lengthy speech, but Evelynn smacked him on the back and told him to not bother.

  "Just know that this is a good look for you, honey," she added.

  Again, that buzzing coming from my pocket. I get it already! No more distractions, just have to walk past a few houses, head down the riverbank and underneath the bridge where Mika was impatiently tapping his foot.

  "Geez, what took you so long? And what's with the suit?" the question slipped out as he scrutinized my attire top to bottom.

  "What? It's my first day on the job. It's basic formalities."

  I even spent a huge chunk of my hard earned money to buy it. So I certainly wasn't going to let him play this down.

  "Never told you we had a strict dress code to follow. And if it wasn't obvious, just take a look at me genius."

  Why? So I have an example of how not to dress? God do I want to say that out loud to his smug face, but I don't want to risk it.

  Without any further chit chat, Mika pulled out that familiar camera I briefly saw back then and aimed the lens away from us. A portal to that white space opened, but before I even head inside, it already looked more spacious than the room I previously entered into at first.

  "Ladies first," he stepped aside and gestured towards the portal.

  At first glance, what I could make out from the sparse furniture and decorations neatly arranged was that this was supposed to be an office reception. That somehow lacked even more soul. More akin to a display at a furniture store with how clean and pristine everything seemed.

  "When you're running a secret organization, you don't get that many guest. Go figure," he sarcastically remarked as he took back the lead. "The path from here is linear up to a certain point, so it's the best place to start our tour."

  It started off normal at first, with rooms that have a clear function to them and a locker room where I could drop off some of my luggage. But as the tour progressed, the room became more and more nonsensical that I couldn't help but wonder if they held some practical uses that I wasn't aware of, or it was simply there for the fun of it.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Because why would there be the need for a cinema, an arcade, and a bowling alley of all things? Where do they even get the space for all that?

  "Stop..." I requested before he moved any further. "Why did I need to see all of that? No, how did those rooms even exist in the first place?"

  "Because I asked for them, and the old man agreed to it."

  Of course that was how it went. If he was able to act so callously in front of his superiors, they must've really showered him with all the freedom in the world, haven't they?

  "I couldn't even begin to imagine how the others reacted..."

  "About that... Excluding me and you, there's only three other people working here."

  "Excuse me?" I smiled, trying not to show concern in my expression.

  "Two operatives, me and you. The two fossils, and our quartermaster slash head of research," he smiled as I couldn't contain my bewilderment any longer. "Oh come on, you were the one that confidently said you'd do this, no?"

  That's right, no time to worry about this now. And I have the support of 4 spirits, and I've survived Mistveil thanks to them. So I'll manage, somehow.

  The second to last room we visited was one that I knew of but never gotten acquainted with. The very first place I arrived in when I stepped through that portal a while back and kickstarted this whole ordeal.

  "This is the lounge, the room you'd be spending the most time on," Mika announced as he stretched his left arm outward and gestured to the many amenities present. Sure it was pristine white like every other part of this building, but it definitely felt more lived-in with all the bits and bobs adding more color to the otherwise dull room.

  "Since we have no access to the net here, our entertainment systems are mostly analog. So if you don't like our collection of movies and games, then bring your own. Also, don't forget to label your food, because anything unlabeled is up for grabs."

  The gentle whoosh of the automatic sliding door sliced through the brief pause and caught my attention. A familiar face entered the scene. Long pointy ears protruding from the sides of her blonde locks tied into a messy bun, and the man in the brooch.

  "Ah, you arrived earlier than expected. And uh... I like the effort?" Erin, much like Mika, scrutinized my choice of outfit. Albeit with a bit more tact. "Anyways, has Mika given you the tour of the HQ yet?"

  "Yes, it was... a lot."

  "Really? If you need us to build you a room to make you feel more at home—"

  "No! I mean... Not to sound ungrateful, but I'm fine. I don't want you to waste the space and material to build something like that."

  "Eh, those are two things we have an abundance of," Mika casually shrugged it off. "We have access to countless worlds, rich in resources. Take a little from each one and no one would ever bat an eye. And as for space, well... where do you think we are right now?"

  Guess I never really questioned that. I assumed with the lack of windows and wi-fi signal—or any sort of signal in general—we might be deep underground. But that smirk on his face told me the answer was something I couldn't have expected.

  "It's in the space between worlds, or refer to by us as simply "The Cut". And you need to go through here first if you wanna use one of these," he paused his explanation to pull out a digital camera—another thing I was familiar with—which he then gave to me. "Your personal key to every world we've catalogued. Though as I mentioned, you can't freely jump from one world to the next before stopping by the HQ. Feel free to prove otherwise, it'd be fun to watch."

  I ran my fingers along the side buttons and accidentally pressed it on. The screen on the back immediately lit up and showed the Double logo. Depicting two simple silhouettes from the shoulder up, one light and the other its shadow of sorts, with their backs turned on one another. A border separated the two, and it overall looked like a smooshed up "W".

  And by continuing to fiddle with the buttons next to the screen, I gained access to the rest of its features. But before I could dig any deeper, Mika put his hand over the camera and pushed it and my hands down with it.

  "I know you're interested to play with your new toy, but save that for later and let's properly conclude the tour first."

  He stepped aside and let the two other individuals present to take his place.

  "As you could most likely tell from memory, I am a physician and the only one around. And even though our previous encounter was brief, I do think the need for introductions has passed. Though I do have to mentioned that I also cover a lot of other things as well. What it is exactly, that you'll find out in the field."

  Erin then looked down at her brooch expectantly, but I already came up a few guesses of my own even before a single syllable came out of that shining blue gem.

  "I'm certain you've overheard my conversation with Mika yesterday, so I'll keep it brief. I am the director of Double, and what that encapsulates is pretty much everything as long as I don't step over Erin's work." Erin smiled triumphantly at that. "And if you ever have any questions about your mission, then you could ask me directly or Mika."

  "Understand, boss."

  Shit! The word just slipped out of my mouth after a month of conditioning at the cafe. Not that there was anything wrong with it, just that it was slightly embarrassing. Though he himself paid no mind to it, even encouraging it if the word rolled off my tongue a little better than director.

  "And that should be everyone," Mika said as he took the reigns back. "Our quartermaster's off on his little errands, so you'd have to meet him another day. But he did leave a few things for you aside from the camera."

  He turned to Erin who then nodded. Pulling out a small case from the pocket of her lab coat and opened it to reveal a vial and syringe.

  "Let's go somewhere more private, shall we?" She turned to me with that same gentle smile. The uncanniness of the expression in comparison to the act sent a shiver down my spine.

  But I understood once we were finally alone in another room that there was no nefarious intentions behind it. She just needed me to take my top off a little to expose my upper arm for a clean injection, and knew that it would be better without some prying eyes. She even took off her brooch before this.

  "If you don't mind me asking, what is this anyway?"

  "A little project that the quartermaster and I have perfected over the years, a mix of artificial cells and nanotechnology. Capable of stopping severe bleeding, detoxification, destroying pathogens. And it helps us keep track of our operatives' health."

  "Sounds too good to be true, I won't lie."

  "Of course we didn't design it to be perfect, that's theoretically impossible factoring in the many limitations we've yet to break through. It's a stopgap measure. Keeps you alive long enough to win a fight, but make sure to see me afterwards if the wounds are severe or any discomforts persists."

  After that little detour, she didn't lead me back to the lounge, but my final stop of the tour and where I left this place the last time. That hangar-like room which they named the Launchpad.

  Another familiar sight, and not just the drones going through their monotonous acts, but Mika being pestered on and on about inputting the right coordinates.

  "...Yes, it's in the forest next to the capital. And no, I made sure not to set it on the edge of a cliff."

  With a few more presses, the portal then opened to reveal an unsettlingly familiar scenery. A forest of tall oak trees, large mushrooms growing on its roots with caps the size of baseballs in a myriad of comically bright colors, and that fresh unpolluted air.

  "It's just like Mistveil," Finn remarked. Intrigued by what he saw.

  "Minus the fog and cloudy skies," Evelynn added. "So just Mistveil on a really good day then. Are we sure we're not just going back there?"

  The spirits all turned to me expecting an answer, but how the hell am I supposed to know? And that confusion prompted me to alternate between looking at every present member of Double for an answer.

  "Don't just stand there gawking," Mika sneered, completely ignoring the silent question lingering in my expression. And he stepped through the portal, not looking back to check whether I followed him or not.

  I gave the two who stayed on this side a polite bow before joining Mika. Catching up behind and turning around to see the portal was already closed.

  We trekked through the forest in relative silence, with only the occasional sound of rustling leaves to accompany us.

  I didn't dare to start a conversation, and neither did any of the spirits as they were too engrossed in this foreign world that was much more similar to their own than Earth.

  Eventually though, we made it out to the edge of the forest and into a wide open stretch of green hills. A castle was visible in the distance, its highest tower reached up to pierce the blue sky.

  "To put it bluntly," Mika stepped into my line of sight and blocked the view. His coat billowed in the gentle breeze. "For this mission, we're gonna play matchmaker."