Chapter 6: Flowers All Look the Same

Aster sat in the SPCB's cafeteria with his hood over his head, eating a bland pizza with some ice cream and milk. He regularly bought two cups of ice cream, always eating dessert first. It was an acceptable dinner by his standards. Since there weren't many lunch options, Aster once tried to get creative by mixing pizza with ice cream, but the combination was utterly atrocious. That was a few months ago, and by now, Aster had learned that putting two good foods together doesn't necessarily make something better. It all depended on the synergy between the tastes. The warm saltiness and grease of a pizza hindered the cool sweetness that ice cream offered, while the ice cream only made the pizza soggy and nullified the taste of the cheese and sauce.

Even though Aster was quite fond of ice cream, he normally preferred cake, but the cafeteria did not serve it, so he had to settle for the former to satisfy his sugar cravings.

So far, nothing particularly interesting has happened today. He appreciated days like these when he did not have to worry about killing more shrouds.

At the table, Aster sat by himself. The other shroud hunters ate within their numerous cliques. Even as people walked by, they made a not-so-subtle effort of keeping a distance from him.

So, Aster found it peculiar when someone actually did approach him.

She was a young, female shroud hunter with delicate features. The girl had light red hair and brown eyes, and she had a name tag on her uniform, which read "Kara." If Aster recalled correctly, Lorred had some sort of relationship with her, but it didn't seem like they were dating. Aster figured it was a case of unrequited love, but he never cared for other peoples' personal lives, so he never asked Lorred about it.

"Um, excuse me," Kara asked

"What do you want?"

"Could you…meet me on the roof? I want to speak in private."

After saying that, she rushed out of the cafeteria, her head tilted down in embarrassment.

For a moment, Aster's heart skipped a beat.

[Is she…]

Aster shook his head and calmed his heart rate.

[No. Of course not. Don't get any weird ideas.]

Even still, as a boy, Aster couldn't help his nervousness.

Aster rushed the rest of his food and finished in less than a minute. Next, he picked up his tray and threw away the trash. Aster then left the cafeteria and went to the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the top.

Right as Aster opened the door, a freezing, sticky liquid was poured on his head, dousing his entire body. He wiped his face to clear his vision. In front of him, Kara stood with a vindictive scowl. There were four other shroud hunters there, likely her accomplices. These people were about seventeen or eighteen years old, meaning they were still training in the Shroud Hunter Academy. They hollered and laughed, taking pictures of the humiliated Aster.

"I should've seen this coming," Aster murmured to himself.

[Stupid trainees. Why don't they just leave me alone?]

Aster clenched his fist and took a step forward, but he faltered when he saw Kara's face.

She was crying.

"This is what you get, you monster! You let Lorred die! You're just a stupid shroud!"

Kara threw a bucket at Aster, who knocked it aside with his hand.

Aster left the roof and slammed the door shut behind him. He was breathing heavily, and his horns radiated a dull aching sensation. He punched the wall, leaving a small crater, and took deep breaths to calm himself down. His knuckles were bleeding.

[That idiot, Lorred.]

Aster adjusted his hood, despite it being soaked, and went down the stairs.

As he walked down the hallways he left a trail of blue puddles. The people who passed by him gave him curious but frightened looks.

Eventually, Aster arrived at his room. By now, his knuckles had fully healed. He took off his clothes, tossed them in a basket, and turned on the shower to the maximum temperature. While he showered, he turned on classical music. Just as he finished, the music stopped, replaced by a generic ringtone. It was a call from Yuna. Aster got out of the shower and answered the phone.

"What is it?"

"New partners have been assigned to you. Meet me at my office."

"Fine."

Aster put on a hoodie and jeans. He had the exact same set of clothes for every day of the week, plus a few spares (one could say that he had a comprehensive wardrobe). Aster then left his room and headed to the first floor to find Yuna waiting for him outside her office.

"You took a long time. Your lack of punctuality offends me."

Aster rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Where's my new partner?"

Yuna led Aster down the hall. She said, "As of now, you have two new partners."

"Two? That's a first."

"These two are in charge of a dangerous investigation. Unfortunately, the other shroud hunters who are qualified to assist the investigation are busy with their own missions. That leaves you as the only candidate left."

Yuna was probably talking about Lance and Grey, the SPCB's Angels of Death. They were almost always busy, taking out problematic shrouds all across the country.

Soon enough, Aster and Yuna stopped in front of another office. Yuna knocked on the door, and opened it without waiting for an answer. Inside, there was a man and a woman. The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties with green eyes and black hair. He had a nameplate on his uniform's breast, which read "Stell." The woman was Rina, the same person Aster spoke with on the roof during the award ceremony.

"I'll leave Aster to you two," Yuna said to Stell and Rina as she left.

Stell shook hands with Aster. "Do you still remember me? My name's Stell. Long time no see."

Stell had an inviting smile on his face and spoke with an amicable tone.

"Sorry. I don't recognize you."

Rina shook hands with Aster as well.

"Nice to see you again," she said.

"Mhm."

Aster took a seat on one of the side chairs. There were two computer desks in the office, both of which were occupied by Rina and Stell.

Suddenly, Stell hunched over and grasped his stomach in pain. His paled face slightly glimmered with sweat.

"Are you okay?" Rina asked, rushing to his side.

"Yeah. It's just a stomach ache."

"That's one of the early symptoms of a female shroud having laid an egg inside you," Aster said. "You should get it checked."

"Don't worry about me. I was sick a while back, so I'm still recovering. Besides, I have to work on this investigation before Cecile becomes a massive problem."

"Suit yourself."

Stell took a deep breath and leaned back on his chair. It appeared that the pain had subsided, but his face was still scrunched in a subtle grimace.

"Anyway, Aster, I'm glad you've been assigned to help us."

Stell handed Aster a small document. "This is our contact information, in case you need to speak to either Rina or I."

Aster folded up the document and placed it in his pocket.

Stell then gave Aster a folder full of papers. On the front, there was a picture of a young girl, barely fifteen years old. She had blue eyes and long white hair with bangs that stopped just below her eyebrows. Her facial features were that of a pretty young girl with a small nose, small lips, and prominent cheekbones. She also wore a butterfly hairpin that glowed a radiant turquoise, giving off a stylish and slightly childish impression.

After receiving his first impressions of the girl, Aster flipped through the folder's insides.

"This is all the information on the current mission," Stell said. "Our job is to capture Cecile, the current leader of Clarent."

"You expect me to read all of this?"

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. I can give a brief summary if you'd like."

"Please do so."

"Alright, then. Cecile used to be a shroud hunter. Three months ago, she went on a scouting expedition to the Black Citadel, the shroud queen's home. During the expedition, she killed all of the hunters she was sent with and placed their bodies in an abandoned warehouse in the southern district. She sent a message through her communicator, saying she plans to kill all of the Arbiters. Ever since then, there has been a dramatic spike in shroud attacks."

"Thanks for the little expositional segment. So, is this Cecile the same one who's leading Clarent right now?"

"You are correct."

"Hmph. A shroud hunter turned traitor. Interesting."

"What do you think could've caused her to turncoat?" Rina asked Aster.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"What do you mean? I thought you were one of the most successful shroud hunters. I would think that you'd have some sort of insight into this."

"Nope."

"Are you kidding me?" Rina exclaimed.

"Calm down," Stell said. "We've all got our own preferences in how we investigate."

Rina crossed her arms and groaned. Aster then got up.

"Where are you going?" Rina asked.

"I'm going out on a hunt. Isn't that what shroud hunters do?"

"We were just about to finish up work for tonight," Stell said. "And besides, we need authorization from the chief to go on investigations due to how dangerous Cecile is. Many of the other people who were tasked with investigating her were hunted down."

"That sounds like too much work. I'd rather not waste any time. You guys can go do whatever you want."

"Alright, then. I guess I can't stop you."

"Really, Stell? You're just gonna let him leave like that?"

"It's his own choice."

"We're all partners, though."

"Partners are allowed to act independently if need be."

Rina sighed. "Fine." She then turned to Aster and said, "Don't do anything reckless."

At that, Aster waved goodbye and left the office.