Chapter 1

Mismatched Eyes

On the flat ground laid a young man with raven black hair, holding a steady aim while staring down the scope of his rifle. His target hid behind nine others which he had already taken out with incredible accuracy.

He fired.

The piercing sound of the gunshot rang out, sharp and quick — it was another bullseye.

Had his target been a real person, they would have dropped dead.

The black board hanging above him changed from a score of ninety into a score of one-hundred – It was a perfect ten out of ten.

He had a small smirk on his face. It was clear that he was satisfied with himself. But as he looked over to the distance, he saw several trainees still fighting on the field. His smile faded as he looked around, the closest people near him was more than a few hundred meters across.

Though he had already finished the course after taking out the target a hundred meters away, the young man reloaded his rifle once more. He paid no mind to the discomfort he felt laying on the dirty ground under the scorching sun.

He was alone. So, he did what he wanted.

As he aimed once again; Rather than target the center, which he had already perfectly shot, the young man focused his attention on the target’s head instead.

His fingers brushed against the trigger, and a familiar sight flashed in his mind. A warmly lit window against a stormy blizzard. Like a candle light being devoured into a white void.

A sharp sting clawed against the back of his head, and he grit his teeth. He felt a sense of irritation, but this memory was one he was trying to call upon.

Hid behind his goggles emanated a mysterious light from his left eye, turning the opaque glass blue. He drew a deep breath through his teeth and focused on his target.

He drew a deep breath through his teeth and mumbled under his breath, “Come on… work.”

A drop of sweat slid down his face, and as soon as it dropped to the dry ground — he fired.

He felt the gun’s recoil push against him as crystal-like blue particles burst from its muzzle.

The bullet landed on the white space inches from the target’s head – his already perfect streak had been ruined. The glow behind goggles faded.

“Tsk. Bollocks.” He clicked his tongue. Though it did not affect the score on the board, he still felt irritated by his mistake.

The young man returned to the bench, and picked up a foam cup full of coffee that had been sitting since he first started. He lifted his goggles, and swiped his raven black hair to the side, revealing his mismatched eyes of dark copper and sapphire blue, which almost appeared as though it was dimly glowing.

Beneath his copper right eye was a small mole, it only other thing that stood out from his face.

The sun-bathed training field was full of sparring trainees smelled of sweat and metal, as it usually was. There was nothing out of the ordinary, it was the same old routine, the same old grunts and yells that blended into one another.

His back hunched as he took a sip from his coffee, which had cooled down as the hours passed.

Another slow day, huh?

His expression was dull and dry as he silently stared at the trainees sparring with each other.

All he could do was watch and take sips of soothing coffee in solitude as the slow day went by. Above him fluttered a red flag with an insignia of a golden lion printed on it.

A few clouds passed by before he got up from the bench and stretched his arms outwardly, “More coffee…”

“Sir Felix!” A voice called out for the young man, snapping him out of his lonesome thoughts.

Felix stood up from his bench as a man in a black suit called to him from the shade of the building. With a pen and a clipboard in hand, the man spoke with a gentle tone, “I’m sorry for calling out to you, but the heat was rather harsh, sir.”

“Yeah, yeah... Have the car prepared for me, Murphy.” Felix replied as he took the documents from the agent’s hands.

“A-actually, sir, the chief called for you directly.” The agent, Murphy, explained.

“Is that so?” His stomach turned a little. It was a gut feeling that told him that his quiet day would go down the slope. He handed back the clipboard to the agent before walking into the building.

“Hey, I’m a little bored so can I keep your pen?” He asked as he showed the pen still in his hand.

“S-sure.”

“Thanks.”

Felix fiddled with the pen with a look of disinterest as he made his way through the chrome and cold corridors.

What’s so important that the Chief has decided to talk to me directly?

Every agent in his path stepped silently to the side. Though he paid them no mind, as he got closer to the chief’s office, a familiar face walked from the opposite side that refused to step aside or be ignored.

“If it isn’t the Child of Stars, Felix Aster. It has been a while.” A raspy old voice declared.

A vein pulsated in Felix’s head as a stubby, middle-aged man in a lab coat walked towards him from the other side of the corridor. His arms lowered in dismay as his feeling of unease proved true.

Oh god, no.

“Professor Yusuke Tetsuya, what an unpleasant surprise.” Felix responded with an irritated grin.

“As rude as ever, I see. So, how are you doing?”

“Fine.”

“That good to h—”

“Considering I’m a peerless superhuman put on a pedestal.”

“Haha, I take it you’ve a grudge against me?” The old man asked with a tinge of remorse in his old voice.

“Grudge? You only turned me into… whatever I am, so I don’t exactly see why that would be the case.” He petulantly added.

After seeing Felix’s snarky expression, his tone quickly returned to a jolly old voice, “Good to know you’re doing quite well. As to what you are, you are the future of humanity.”

“Yeah, yeah, the next step in the evolutionary chain, to bring about everlasting peace.” Felix snidely replied the phrase that he’s heard a hundred times.

“There’s more to that than what you know… and there will be so much more when the time finally comes. You… and the rest of them.”

“Right, so… about my eye?” He asked not about his glowing blue iris on the right, but the plain dark one on the left.

The professor grumbled, “The other one will also turn blue in due time. Don’t worry about it. Why, does it bring back bad memories?”

“Hm? Not in particular…”

The old professor looked at Felix with a concerned expression, “So you still have no recollection of that day?” The memory of the crumbling building and the echoing cries of a young boy surfaced in the man’s thoughts.

“…It’s all still very blurry.”

“Perhaps that is for the best, though I do hope you’ll be able to remember when the time comes. Until then, let’s hope that you get along with the next generation of enhanced humans.”

“Next generation? I thought the Implementation ended and was shut down?”

“It’s more complicated than that, but I’ll explain later on. Why, does it bother you?”

Felix perked his head up, “… Not really. As long as I make it to the top of the leaderboard, it doesn’t concern me. It won’t be fun without a challenge.”

“There are many monsters out there from other projects. If you really intend to climb the ranks, then you’ll have your chance starting now. I’m sure you’ll surpass them all, even David.”

There was a sudden snap that echoed across the hall. The pen in Felix’s hand was broken in half. A sweat dripped down from the professor’s face, startled by the sound. Yet Felix just smiled, saying “Right, right… I have to meet with the chief now, so.”

“The previous batch had only one survivor. She’s a rather lively girl, so I hope that you both will get along.”

“I see. Hope I meet them soon.”

“Call me as soon as you need my assistance.” The professor smiled in amusement.

“I won’t.” He happily replied.

The two of them began to walk in opposite directions, and their steps echoed across the halls. The air was cold and thin as Felix stood in front of the chief’s deep black door.

I still don’t… have any recollection from that day, but…

He reached for the knob, but quickly retreats it as his blue eye suddenly strained with visions of fires and red flashes. His movement stutters as fragments of a broken memory invade his mind. He struggled and stumbled in the empty hall, wanting to claw out his eye.

With shaky fingers, he reached under his shirt and pulled out a pendant of an old four-leaf clover. He took a deep breath and clutched it tightly.

But it’s not like I forgot how it felt.

“Felix Aster, requesting permission to enter.”

He knocked, but he received an unexpected response.

“Come in~ We have milk an— ow, ow, that hurts, stop!” A soft feminine voice answered from inside the office, which was abruptly stopped.

His eyebrow raised with uncertainty, he scratches his eye and takes one more deep breath, opening the door. The chief he knew to be stoic was wearing an irritated scowl, pinching the crumb-covered cheeks of a young woman on the couch.

“I can see you’re... busy.” He said as he slowly pulled back the door to a close.

“Ah-hem.” With a deep cough, the chief stopped Felix in his tracks.

He sighed as he opened the door once again. He turns around and looks at the table, which actually had a platter of milk and cookies placed on top of it.

I’m gonna need some more coffee after this.

“... Is this another simulation?” Felix asked.

“Not quite. Allow me to introduce you to agent Venom Vanguard.” The chief pointed toward the young dressed in a black shirt with a pizza printed on it.

“Or… or just V.V. for short.” The girl interjected.

“Uh, nice to meet you… um… Venom… is she a new recruit?” Felix said as if she weren’t in the room.

“Indeed, yet this young lady possesses field experience, as opposed to your combat simulations.” The chief uttered in a mocking tone as she pushed back her dark gray hair to the side.

“Well, maybe if you’d let me out in the field instead of long-distance assassinations, I might just improve.”

The chief walked back to her desk by the wall of the room behind the window. “It was Professor Tetsuya’s call to make it so you wouldn’t be sent out to actual combat. He wanted to ‘test the waters’ long enough to see if you could handle it.”

“I’m the best agent here.”

“You can’t even do the things David can yet.” The chief shot back sharply as she pushed up her round, orange-tinted glasses.

Felix clenched his fist at her immediate reply, looking down, unable to retort. Maria tilted her head awkwardly as she silently watched.

“But I suppose that is why he wouldn’t allow you to be compromised until you were ready. They wouldn’t want their financial support wasted without ever achieving anything of value.”

“And when will I be ready?” Sarcastically, Felix grinned with a dull gaze.

“Now.”

“Wait, really?”

“But first, I wanted you both to get to know each other.”

Felix glanced down to see the young woman staring at him with wide and curious black eyes.

“Know each other… why?”

Chief said as she turned her head towards the black-haired girl, as if to give her permission to speak, “Maria.”

“Right!” The young woman gulped down the cookies stuffed in her cheeks and stood up before Felix.

“Hi there! My name is um… M-Maria Readman, codename Venom Vanguard, or V.V. But honestly, I’d just prefer that you call me Marie. Nice to meet you.” She introduced herself with an arm outstretched towards Felix with a carefree demeanor. She was much shorter than he was, and had ebony black hair.

“Uh, likewise.” He replied as he awkwardly shook her hand.

This girl, with the mouth stuffed with cookies, is an Elite Agent?

“Her records are rather shaky, but her hacking skills are top notch. She’s the real deal.” Chief remarked.

“Blue and black heterochromia?” Maria muttered curiously as she got a closer look at him.

“Yeah, I got it after the implementation.” He replied as he looked at the hand he shook with, which was now covered in cookie crumbs.

She tilted her head and asked, “Yeah, but shouldn’t both of them have changed?”

“I don’t… I’m still undergoing the process…”

“Strange… I-I’m sorry what was your name again? Sorry, I’m bad at names…”

“Felix Aster.”

“Felix… Aster? As in the Black Cat of Ruin?” Maria immediately turned to the chief as she pointed at Felix with a squeal of excitement in her voice.

“Indeed.” The chief answered.

“The Black Cat bit is… actually not official.” He mumbled out.

“Then why are you called that?”

“That’s… I don’t know. Probably has to do with my eyes.” Felix scratched his cheek as he clarified.

With both hands clasped behind her back, Maria leaned close in close and uttered; “Could you be fun I wonder?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Is something wrong with you?” Felix asked in a slightly bothered tone.

She giggled in a cold yet cheerful tune, “A great, many things.”

“Don’t mind her, she just has some childish tendencies. She’s enhanced, like you. She’s a first-stage.” The chief interjected.

The professor said I would meet them soon, but this is far too soon…

Maria stared idly as she continued to take cookies from the table, silently stuffing them in her mouth.

From the chief’s desk, a holographic projection popped out. “Felix, you’re to head to Beijing, to where the Dragon of the Little Sun is located.”

“Aren’t they a small-time mafia group?” He replied.

“We’d send operatives already stationed there, but it appears that they’ve either gone MIA, or the ravens have brought back their corpses to us.”

Felix’s eyes lowered upon hearing this.

The chief lifted her gaze with a cold stare. “Besides, if you’re serious about making it to the top of the leaderboard, then…”

“I wasn’t refusing.”

“Keep a low profile, infiltrate the facility and assist Maria to gather information.” The chief explained, handing the two agents the documents.

“Hmm, intel gath—Wait, did you say assist?”

“We can’t have you taking the wrong documents… again.”

“But—”

“Before you say anything, it’s not simply your incompetence to work with technology.”

“Then, this girl…” Felix grumbled, looking at the floor as the Chief continued.

“Is a professional cracker, and I’m assigning you to protect her during this mission.”

“I’ve never done anything like this before.” Felix whined as he shrugged his arms.

“Your main problem will be getting into the building; Maria can handle the rest once you get inside while you protect her.”

Felix glanced over behind him and saw the girl perch her head over her hands.

“No worries, this won’t be your usual escort mission level. I can handle myself.” She smiled.

“A what?” Felix asked.

“You have my permission to kill, but preferably keep the damages to a minimum. I reiterate. Keep. The Damages. Minimum. Both of you. We don’t want the tensions to rise any higher. Am I understood?” The chief emphasized with each breath.

“Crystal.”

“If you understand, then you are dismissed. Do your best, and leave nothing to chance.” The chief said as she sat down and pulled out a cigarette.

“Yessir.” Felix saluted, and Maria mirrored his motion with a peppy smile. Both agents replied before heading out of the office, but before Felix could leave, the chief spoke once more.

“Felix.” The chief said sternly, without a hint of annoyance or any other emotion.

“Uh, yeah?”

“There have been a number of agents have been going off the grid lately. Even the ones in the leaderboard. Several MIAs, as well as several corpses piling up.”

“I know.” He answered somberly.

“This is not a simulation. Nor is it a long-ranged assassination. She won’t be here to protect you. If you really want to make it to rank one, don’t die.” She told him to be careful in a roundabout manner.

“Right…” Felix gulped and nodded.

As they exited the room, Felix lowered his head and sighed. Maria lifted up the metal platter towards him, “So, um… cookie?”

“When did you get that?” Felix looked at her for a few seconds. The girl slowly felt uneasy at his harsh, silent stare.

“Sigh, thanks.” He replied in a dry tone as he took the cookie from her hand.

She’s actually really cute when I look at her closely.

As he takes a bite, his expression softened as he muttered, “Mhmm, this would go well with some coffee…”

“Right?” Her eyes quickly sparkled as she looked at him eating it “I have more, oh, and this is also really good!”

The conversation continued back and forth like this between the happy-go-lucky lady and the calm, silent young man as they went to prepare for the mission.