A young man sat crossed legged on the floor of a dimly lit chamber, completely alone, save for the incense burning next to him and the dagger set in front of him. The young man's mind concentrated on the dagger and solely on the dagger as he slowly and steadily channels his mana into the blade. Slowly, bit by bit, his mana etched into the steel, creating a wavy pattern onto its surface.

Time passed excruciatingly slow for him, but he endured, his mind remained focused with the aid of both the incense and his own discipline. Perhaps an hour passed, perhaps two, he did not take note, each time he almost wondered about the time passed, he willed himself back to the dagger. By now, the etchings had covered a little over half the blade, and in a little bit more he would be done, proving that he has the makings to be an apprentice enchanter. With that in mind, he pressed on.

Then, of all things, the door to the isolated chamber bursts open, and his mind immediately went into full alert, turning all of his attention towards the door, his eyes trained on the figure that stood at the doorway.

"You fool, what have you done!" he could hear someone shout angrily from beyond the door, and immediately he realized the error that was committed.

Swiftly, he stood up from the floor as the dagger set in front of him began to glow dangerously, and with all the strength he could summon from his unbalanced posture, he leaped backwards just as an explosion of pure force erupted from the dagger.

The young man slammed into the wall behind him with enough force to send his body bouncing off, but he had protected his head with his arms and his back was sturdy enough to endure the blow. He surmised, amidst the impact, that he had probably not suffered anything fatal, though the eventual bruising will need to be treated.

Slowly, enduring the numbing pain in his back and arms, he crawled up from the ground. He walked over to where the dagger was placed, and found that the steel was bent and twisted and now completely useless unless it was reforged.

"Gene! Are you alright!? Answer me!" someone shouted from the door.

"I'm fine, though I might have gotten a few bruises," he replied calmly, not wanting to worry anybody though on the inside he was seething that he had failed. This was supposed to be his apprenticeship exam for corporeal enchantments, and now he'll have to wait another three months for another attempt and pay another entrance fee.

From the doorway an older woman with long dark hair stepped in, her eyes went immediately to the young man she referred to as "Gene", then briefly to the dagger, then back to the Gene again. She was a master enchanter of the guild and Gene's examiner in this exam. She alone was responsible for him.

"So, what was that?" Gene asked as he exits the chamber, entering what seems to be a workshop.

With scrutiny, the master enchanter jutted her chin towards a youth knocked to the ground by the magical blast. "This fool over here said he needed you for something urgent and barged in. Told him that he can't disturb an enchanter at work, but the fool didn't listen. Are sure you're alright, Gene?"

"I'm fine. I've suffered worst," Gene said to the master enchanter before turning to the youth on the ground, now trying to get up. Gene recognized that he was wearing an emblem on his chest, one with a shield set before a star. "I've never seen you before, what is your name?"

The youth, hearing the question, hastily scrambled form the floor and stood upright. "I'm Daniel, sir! I'm a new recruit of the Administration!"

"Daniel," Gene said sternly, causing a shiver to run down Daniel's spine, "don't you know that it is dangerous to disturb an enchanter while he's performing an enchantment?"

"B-but sir, the captain, Captain Gerald said to bring you immediately. He said... he said the Sight Jacker had been spotted near the Eastern Plaza."

"The Witch of Mystic Eyes, is it?" Gene's expression turned grim, "We best get going then."

"Yes, sir!" said Daniel, ready to follow and glad that he's off the hook, for now.

"Not so fast, Gene!" The master enchanter grabbed his shoulder from behind. "At least let a doctor look at you first."

"I'm fine," Gene insisted, but he flinched when the master enchanter squeezed down on his shoulder. "Mostly fine," he corrected himself.

"I'm responsible for you, Gene. If you're injured, I'm to make sure you're taken care of, whether you like it or not."

"I'll be back, promise," Gene said while keeping his voice as genial as possible, holding himself back from becoming impatient with the master enchanter.

At length she glared at him, her grip firmly on his shoulder, though eventually she did let him go. "If I don't hear from you by tomorrow, then you can forget about being taught enchantment by me, understand?"

"Loud and clear," he said gratefully and allowed himself to breathe easy. "By the way, is my order done?"

"Yes, they are, I was about to hand them over to you."

The master enchanter went into a storeroom in the back and brought out three rods of steel, each roughly a meter long, and etched upon them are intricate wavelike patterns not unlike the one etched into the dagger Gene was working on.

"I'm no blacksmith but even I can tell from the balance that this is the work of a master, so I made sure to enchant it myself with the greatest care. Don't you go breaking this one like you did with the last, you hear me."

"Weapons are meant to break, but I'll put this one to good use, for as long as possible," Gene said as he tucked the steel rods into the straps on his back. "Now then, I'll be going."

"Yes, but make sure you go see a doctor afterwards."

"I have every intention of doing so," he replied, in truth preferring not to, doctors can be costly and Gene was a frugal man.

***

The one known as Sight Jacker was a serial killer, reportedly to have murdered at least ten individuals during the course of a year. This being a violent world, such a number was quite low, but the issue was that these individuals were known to have possessed a special ability called the mystic sight, and each and every one of their corpses were found with their eyes gouged out. Then, two weeks ago, the officer known as Gene first encountered someone whose appearance matched those of the Sight Jacker while escorting a VIP possessing a mystic sight. In his report, he noted that the suspect was capable of wielding the powers of various different mystic sights, and of the powers witnessed, a good few of them were similar to those wielded by the ten murdered mystic sight holders.

With the report, it was surmised that the Sight Jacker had the ability to steal the powers of mystic sight from others, something that had never been done before, as the power of the mystic sights are usually lost upon their owner's death.

Originally, the case of the Sight Jacker was handled by the City Guards, however, as their VIP had been attacked, the Strangers' Administration stepped in as well. The City Guards did not take kindly to the idea, as they and the Administration never got along, with one always getting in the other's way whenever they meet. So while on the surface, they are working with one another, in truth, they are in fact competing to reach the Sight Jacker first.

Gene had always found the competition between the two factions foolish and counterproductive, that is, unless the case involves Strangers. This is due to the fact that the City Guards are known to have no love for Strangers, and if they found or even suspects one of being guilty of a crime, it can never end well. That is why the Administration must always find the Stranger first. And so, when it was said that a boy in odd clothing, clothing the likes of Gene would describe as "modern", was suspected to be an accomplice of the Sight Jacker, the race to reach him was on.

The first place to look was the Adventurers' Guild. The guild is the place for one to find work, adventure related or no. Unless the Stranger had become an outlaw, chances are, they'll find their way there. The signboards as well, were written in both the kingdom's common tongue and the Stranger's tongue to aid them in finding the place. Not to mention, the concept for an Adventurers' Guild had first been introduced by none other than the Strangers many decades ago, though the incarnation seen in present day is far less fantastical and romantic than what the Strangers had first imagined. With the guild being a concept from the Stranger's culture, Strangers with a certain savvy would no doubt find the idea of an Adventurers' Guild familiar and be attracted towards it one way or another.

Having deep ties with the Adventurers' Guild, Gene was sent to inquire about any sightings of possible Strangers. Had it been anyone else, those working directly under the guild would hardly comply, as the respect of personal privacy had been one of their standards. However, with a trusted member, the case is different, and so in this the Administration had an advantage over the City Guards just for having Gene on their side.

From the guild, Gene quickly learned of the boy that had came over to the guild earlier that day to apply for an Adventurer's License, and that boy had filled up the second form, the one written in the Stranger's language, making it beyond doubt that this boy is indeed a Stranger. Pressing the receptionist further about the details on the boy, Gene confirmed that the descriptions of the boy is similar to the one sighted with the Sight Jacker, and after heading towards the inn that the receptionist had suggested to the boy and confirmed that he is indeed there, Gene contacted one of the captains of the Strangers' Administration and had him gather his man.

The operation would begin after nightfall.

***

The men gathered, the escape routes were sealed, and the target, Alex Miller, remained in his room, asleep. It was thought that this would be easy and quick. However, it was not so. With a frankly absurd swiftness, Alex realized that he was in danger and escaped his room right before the Administration began their raid.

Gene watched Alex escape from the window and attempted to disable him with a shot from a crossbow, aiming for one of the target's legs. That too was unfortunately shut down by Alex's uncanny senses and reflex.

Even so, in the end, try as he may to make his escape, Alex's path was eventually blocked by a magician specialized in earth based magic, who conjured large boulder and cut off Alex's path. With his route blocked, Alex was caught up to and cornered by Gene.

As per protocol, Gene spoke out with a commanding voice. "Alex Miller, you have committed the crimes of obstruction of justice and assault of four officers. As the officer of the Strangers' Administration, I hereby place you under arrest."

And now he waits for an answer. Will he come willingly, or must he be taken down first?

"U-um, I think you're mistaken. I am not Alex Miller. I'm... Allen Carter," Alex said, with the straightest face he had ever had to make.

"I've already check with the inn's front desk. Alex Miller is the name you checked in with," Gene said bluntly.

A cold sweat rolled down Alex's back. That deception was all he could think of in the heat of the moment. Should I just turn myself in, he asked himself, or should I try to get away? Alex tried to contain his rising terror of this nightmare he had suddenly woken up into. It was just as he thought things were going smoothly too. Rationally and as calmly as he could, he gauged his options, and he thought about the person in front of him. The man said he's from an organization called the Strangers' Administration. What does that mean? What do they do? He thought back to when he met with Fitta, how she was cornered by men wearing the same emblem as Gene is now, one with a shield set before a star. He remembered how scared she looked back then and simply could not imagine anything good would happen to him should he let them take him.

Recalling the sensation from before, Alex began gathering mana at the palm of his hand, the unfamiliar words floating in his sight guiding him, telling him exactly what he needs to do.

At the exact same instant, as if reading Alex's mind, Gene pulled out two of the rods tucked into the straps on his back. He lined up the ends of the two rods together and with a twist, the ends locked into one another and the two rods became connected as one. Then with practice swiftness, he pulled out the third rod and did the same thing he had with the other two and now all three rods are connected, forming a single staff of steel.

Alex thrusts his arms outwards. "[Gale]!" he called out. A bust of air exploded from his palm.

The violent magical wind tore at Gene, threatening to lift him off the ground, or at least it seemed to for a moment, but Gene's feet remained firmly planted.

Alex grimaced at how futile the wind was despite the fact the he was sure that it'd be strong enough to lift a fully grown man off the ground with ease, or at least, that was what the unfamiliar words told him.

As soon as the magical wind was exhausted, Alex readies another spell, but Gene was already on the move, acting just a second faster and closed the distance between Alex and himself before Alex's next spell was ready.

Alex saw the steel staff swinging heavily down at him, and though he was afraid, the unfamiliar words urged him to move strongly enough for him to react in time, relying on the fastest spell he has available.

A shield of pure force formed in the path of the staff as it swung down, deflecting the strike. Gene readies to strike again with the other end of his staff, but suddenly pulled back when he noticed the magical glow on Alex's other hand. Alex's next spell was ready.

Stones the size of fists flew towards Gene at high speed, and had he not pulled back in time, he may not have enough distance to react to them, and even with his current position, he has just barely enough time.

The wavy patterns etched upon his staff glowed in a gentle blue light, and at exactly where the stones would land, small [Shields] formed, they were just the right size to properly protect Gene from the stones and with just enough power behind them that they vanish upon being struck, though not before stopping the stones completely in their tracks. All of the stones were defended against and Gene had lost but a tiny amount of mana weaved into his enchanted staff while Alex had just wasted a good amount from his own body.

Again, Gene charged. Alex countered with fire out of panic. He had no intention of hurting anyone, but above all he feared getting hurt himself, and so he followed the instructions of the unfamiliar words to the letter no matter how distasteful he found them.

Yet, Gene was unfazed by the fire. His clothing was scorched but the man himself was untouched. Again, he swung down his staff, and again, Alex formed a [Shield] to protect himself just in time. However, this time, just before the staff struck the [Shield], the staff glowed as it did before and formed a [Shield] of its own, and though they should be the same spell, this one ended up slightly different from that of Alex's.

Gene's [Shield] was violent, as Alex could see with his sight, the unfamiliar words describing it to him in vivid details. His [Shield] was made up of a swarm of tiny and spherical [Shields], each the size of a grain of sand, and each one vibrating violently. Upon contact, Gene's [Shield] grinded through Alex's easily, and Gene's staff swung down unobstructed.

The staff smashed into Alex's hand, mercilessly breaking his bones. The dull pain ran up his arm and soon it became sharp and burning and too much to bear, causing Alex to fall onto his knees while grasping his wrist, trying desperately no numb the pain to no avail. Eventually, when he could take it no more, he screamed and wailed, tears flooding from his eyes and snot from his nose. When the officers came to restrain him, he could not resist, it took him everything to hold back the pain that felt like it would go on forever and does not have strength left to resist being taken away.

Gene patted the flames off his mantle as he watches the boy being dragged away while screaming. It was unpleasant, and though he had seen the same sight far too many times, he could never get used to it. He kept his staff at the ready, still feeling the sensation of cracking bones he had felt through his staff, and he remained on guard until the boy had been delivered to the Strangers' Administration's headquarters.

***