The first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains as Sarah finished preparing for work. The house had become noticeably quieter over the past week. Ever since Kelvin had left to begin his training at the Crimson Tower, she found herself unconsciously glancing toward his empty room every morning before reminding herself that he was no longer home.
She picked up her handbag from the dining table and adjusted the sleeve of her jacket.Just as she reached for the front door, the interface around her wrist emitted a soft chime.A transparent screen unfolded before her eyes.
Emily Carter
Sarah smiled faintly before accepting the call.
"Good morning, Emily."
No reply came.Instead, she heard uneven breathing, followed by a voice that sounded exhausted.
"Sarah..."
Her smile slowly faded.
"Emily? Is everything alright?"
There was another pause before Emily finally spoke.
"I... I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Is Kelly still at your house?"
Sarah frowned in confusion.
"No."
"She left here a week ago."
"...A week ago?"
"Yes."
Sarah's brows knitted together.
"Didn't she make it home?"
Silence.The longer it stretched, the more uneasy Sarah became.Finally, Emily answered.
"No."
Sarah's expression stiffened.
"What do you mean, no?"
"She never came home."
For a moment, Sarah thought she had misheard.
"...What?"
Emily struggled to hold herself together.
"I thought she was staying with you. Kelly visits your house all the time, so I wasn't worried at first. I called her several times, but she never answered. I thought maybe she'd switched her interface off because she wanted some privacy."
A sob escaped her lips.
"I kept waiting..."
Sarah felt her stomach tighten.
"...How long have you been trying to reach her?"
"Since the morning after she left."
"You should've called me."
"I know."
Emily's voice was filled with guilt.
"I just... I kept convincing myself she'd come home."
Sarah slowly lowered herself onto the nearby chair.She replayed the events of that night in her mind.Kelly had left after dinner.She remembered standing by the doorway as the young girl cheerfully waved goodbye before walking down the street beneath the glow of the streetlights.
Sarah had watched until Kelly disappeared around the corner.That was the last time anyone she knew had seen her.
"Have you reported it?"
"I called 911 this morning."
Sarah immediately stood.
"Hold up let me track her interface"
"I'm coming over"
The cursor blinked rapidly on the screen, locking onto the coordinate grid. She hadn't even made it to the main avenue. The GPS signal placed her final track right on the sidewalk of east NW 24th Street, a quiet residential stretch where the wealthy lived.
She gave the location to Kelly mother and within minutes several authorities with a small investigation team had come to the location The street looked perfectly ordinary.People walked along the sidewalks.Cars moved through the intersection.Shops had already opened for business.
Nothing about the location suggested a violent crime had occurred there.The lead detective slowly surveyed the surroundings.
"This is where the signal ended?"
"Yes, sir."
He looked down at the holographic map.The final transmission came from this exact section of the sidewalk.The officers immediately secured the area.
Traffic was redirected while investigators searched every inch of the street.
Forensic specialists carefully examined the pavement.Others questioned nearby shop owners.Security footage from surrounding buildings was confiscated for review.
Nearly twenty minutes passed.Then an officer called out.
"Detective!"
Everyone hurried over.Partially hidden beneath a row of decorative bushes beside the sidewalk lay a damaged interface.Its outer frame was badly cracked.The display had been completely shattered.The internal mana battery had been smashed beyond repair.The detective crouched beside it.
"Don't touch it."
A forensic technician carefully lifted the device using protective gloves before scanning its identification code.A moment later, the result appeared.
"It belongs to Kelly."
A heavy silence fell over the scene.One of the investigators examined the damage.
"This wasn't accidental."
"No."
The detective nodded.
"Someone destroyed it intentionally."
Another officer searched the nearby road,no blood,no signs of a struggle,no discarded belongings.
"It looks like she simply..."
He hesitated.
"...vanished."
The detective looked around the crowded street.Ordinarily a missing person case reported after an entire week would have placed detectives at a severe disadvantage, fortunately modern technology had changed the way such investigation were conducted,every interface was registered to the national interface network and continuously logged encrypted location data while active.
The broken interface was carefully sealed inside an evidence container before the entire street was declared an active crime scene.
Kelly's mother arrived shortly afterward.
The moment she saw investigators carrying away the evidence container, her legs nearly gave out.Kelvin's mother caught her before she collapsed.
"Where is she?"
Kelly's mother cried.
"Please... where is my daughter?"
No one had an answer.
The quiet atmosphere inside the Sorcerer Authority Headquarters contrasted sharply with the growing unrest beyond its walls.Deep within the administrative wing, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.Clutched tightly beneath one arm was a thick stack of reports compiled over the last several weeks.
The woman carrying them was none other than the Vice Captain's assistant.
She had spent the better part of the morning reviewing intelligence gathered from every regional branch of the Sorcerer Authority. Individually, the reports seemed unrelated. Together, however, they painted a far more disturbing picture.
Ordinary civilians...Newly awakened sorcerers...Men and women from different cities...They shared no family ties, no occupations, no affiliations.Yet every one of them had disappeared without leaving behind a meaningful trace.
Stopping outside the Vice Captain's office, the assistant took a slow breath before knocking twice.
"Enter."
She stepped inside, saluted respectfully, and placed the thick stack of reports on the desk.
"Vice Captain,"
She said gravely.
"I believe we've uncovered something that requires your immediate attention."
The Vice Captain's eyes shifted from the assistant to the unusually thick stack of files resting on his desk.For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.The sheer number of reports was enough to tell him that whatever this was, it could not be dismissed as routine.
He picked up the report lying on top of the pile and began reading.The room fell into silence.Only the soft turning of paper could be heard.Several moments later, he set the first report aside and reached for the next.
Then another.Then another.
His calm expression gradually became more serious,different names,different ages,different occupations,different cities.There was no obvious connection between the victims.Yet every report reached the same conclusion.
Missing.
The Vice Captain slowly closed the last file he had opened before looking toward his assistant.
"Explain."
The assistant straightened her posture.
"Over the past several weeks, Intelligence Division has been receiving isolated disappearance reports from our regional branches."
"At first, we believed they were unrelated incidents. Some involved ordinary civilians, while others involved newly awakened sorcerers. Because they occurred in different jurisdictions, no one suspected they were connected."
She paused before continuing.
"However, after comparing every report submitted during the past month, a pattern emerged."
The assistant activated her interface.A three-dimensional holographic map materialized above the desk.Small red markers began appearing one after another.One,five,ten,twenty.
The number continued increasing until dozens of markers covered multiple regions.
"They're spread across the country," the Vice Captain observed.
"Yes, sir."
"There isn't a single concentration point."
"No."
The assistant manipulated the hologram again.Additional information appeared beside each
marker,victim,age,occupation,status:missing.The Vice Captain quietly studied the display.
"They have no relationship to one another?"
"We've investigated every possibility."
"What about mana?"
"Twenty-one of the victims are newly awakened sorcerers."
"The remaining thirty-two are ordinary civilians."
The Vice Captain remained silent.If only awakened sorcerers had disappeared, the explanation would have been straightforward.Likewise, if only civilians had vanished, the matter could have been left entirely to conventional law enforcement.
Instead...
Both groups were being targeted.
That alone suggested whoever was responsible wasn't choosing victims based solely on magical ability.The assistant opened another file.
"The latest confirmed victim is Kelly Carter."
She placed a photograph on the desk.A shattered interface.
"The police recovered her destroyed interface earlier today."
"Any witnesses?"
"None."
"Evidence?"
"The interface was deliberately destroyed."
The Vice Captain slowly leaned back in his chair.Whoever was behind these disappearances understood exactly how to erase their tracks.Even after weeks of investigation...Not a single suspect had been identified.Not a single body had been recovered.It was as though dozens of people had simply vanished from the face of the earth.
The room fell silent once more.Several minutes passed before the Vice Captain finally spoke.
"This is no coincidence."
"No, sir."
"It can't be."
The assistant nodded.
"That was our conclusion as well."
The Vice Captain stood from his chair and gathered the files into a neat stack.
"This matter has exceeded Intelligence Division."
He looked directly at his assistant.
"We're taking this to the Captain."
Without another word, the they both left the office.As they walked through the corridors of the Sorcerer Authority Headquarters, neither of them spoke.The weight of the reports they carried was far heavier than paper alone.Each file represented another person who had disappeared without explanation.
Each unanswered question brought with it the possibility of another victim.
Whatever was happening...
It had already gone on for far too long.
Together, they stopped before the large double doors leading into the Captain's office.The Vice Captain raised his hand and knocked.
"Enter."
He pushed the doors open.The Captain looked up from the documents on his desk.
"Vice Captain."
The Vice Captain stepped forward and placed the stack of reports before him.
"Captain..."
"I believe we've uncovered something you need to see."
The Captain's expression remained composed as he looked down at the stack of reports resting on his desk.Without another word, he reached for the file lying on top.
The office fell silent.
The Vice Captain and his assistant remained standing as the Captain carefully examined each report before him.
Minutes passed.
He read every page without interruption.Occasionally, he paused to compare dates, locations and witness statements before moving on to the next file.As the reports gradually dwindled, the seriousness in his eyes became increasingly apparent.
Finally, he reached the last report.Kelly Carter.His gaze lingered briefly on the photograph of the shattered interface before he closed the file.The Captain folded his hands together.
"Summarize your findings."
The Vice Captain nodded.
"Over the past month, fifty-three people have disappeared throughout Miami."
"Thirty-two are ordinary civilians."
"Twenty-one are newly awakened sorcerers."
"The victims share no identifiable relationship. Different occupations, different social circles and different places of residence."
He continued,
"Our Intelligence Division cross-referenced every available record. We found no evidence suggesting the victims knew one another."
The Captain remained silent.
"What about mana signatures?"
The assistant answered.
"Very few."
She activated her interface once more, projecting several reports into the air.In cases involving awakened sorcerers, any remaining mana signatures were either too faint to identify or had been deliberately erased."
"And the civilians?"
"Nothing."
The Captain slowly leaned back.
"No suspects?"
"No, Captain."
"Witnesses?"
"Very few, and none have provided information capable of advancing the investigation."
"Bodies?"
"None."
The room became quiet once again.
The Captain rose from his chair and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Miami.From this height, the city appeared peaceful.
Traffic flowed normally.
People moved through the streets, completely unaware that dozens had disappeared over the past month.Behind him, the Vice Captain waited patiently.
After several moments, the Captain finally spoke.
"If the victims consisted solely of ordinary civilians, this would remain a police matter."
Neither the vice captain or his assistant interrupted.
"If only newly awakened sorcerers were disappearing, the Authority could handle it internally."
He turned to face them.
"But this..."
His gaze swept across the reports.
"...crosses both worlds."
The Vice Captain nodded.
"That was our conclusion as well."
The captain walked back to his desk.
"Our investigators have reached a dead end."
"Yes, Captain."
"So have the police."
Another brief silence followed.The Captain looked once more at Kelly Carter's report before closing it.
"This is no longer an ordinary investigation."
The Vice Captain waited for the order he already suspected was coming.
"Forward the case to the Crimson Tower."
The assistant's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
"The Crimson Tower?"
The Captain nodded.
"If someone is orchestrating these disappearances, the Tower stands the greatest chance of uncovering them."
The Vice Captain inclined his head.
"I'll prepare the mission immediately."
"Classify it as a five point eight."
"Yes, Captain."
"And make it available to every qualified investigator within the Tower."
The Vice Captain made a note on his interface.
"What reward shall we attach to the mission?"
The Captain's gaze drifted back toward the reports.Fifty-three missing.Fifty-three families waiting for answers.Fifty-three lives that might still be saved if they acted quickly enough.
He made his decision.
"Five hundred thousand dollars."
The assistant couldn't hide her surprise.
Half a million dollars.Such rewards were reserved only for missions considered exceptionally dangerous or of critical importance.
The Captain noticed his reaction.
"If an organization has the resources to make dozens of people disappear without leaving behind a single meaningful clue, then this mission is worth far more than money."
He looked toward the Vice Captain.
"I want that mission posted before nightfall."
"It will be done."
The Vice Captain gathered the files from the desk while his assistant secured the remaining reports.Together, they saluted before turning toward the exit.As the office doors closed behind them, the Captain remained standing beside the window.
His eyes overlooked the sprawling city below.Somewhere within Miami...Someone had managed to remain hidden while taking dozens of people without consequence.
That ended today.
Soon, the Crimson Tower would receive the mission.And with it...The hunt would begin.