IT All STARTED WITH THAT CLIENT

As a man navigated the crowded market square, his eyes scanned the dusty street with caution and habit. His dark cloak blended seamlessly into the shadows, allowing him to move undetected. Upon turning a corner, his gaze fell upon a large wanted poster plastered on a building. The crude illustration depicted his face, with emerald eyes and dark hair, while bold letters proclaimed his name and crimes to the Holy Lands of Seichi.

Kensu Hashimaru "Woolmask": Wanted for Murder, Theft, and Disturbing the Peace. Bounty: $1,000,000 Snells, Alive.

Kensu's jaw clenched in frustration as he gazed at the poster. His life had turned upside down, transforming him from an insignificant pawn to one of the most wanted men in the state. The reason for this drastic change was the one man called "Noir."

A mix of emotions swirled within Kensu: anger, frustration, and fear. The latter fueled his knowledge that his captors wanted him alive. Kensu inwardly cursed the circumstances and the one who gave him the ridiculous alias "Woolmask."

With a snarl, Kensu tore the poster from the wall, crumpling it in his fist. Although he knew it would make little difference, the small act of defiance brought him a fleeting sense of satisfaction.

Kensu's next priority was to collect the drunkard, the reason for his current excursion. He strode out of the alley, scanning the crowded streets for the familiar figure. Her antics had landed him in trouble numerous times, and Kensu was determined not to endure that today. With a $1,000,000 Snells bounty on his head, Kensu had more pressing concerns than babysitting a drunkard.

Few months ago...

The sun had set hours ago, casting a warm orange glow over the small branch of Orion Corporation in Lotus City. The halls were relatively quiet, with only the occasional rustling of papers, muted conversations among coworkers, and the soft whooshing of doors opening and closing as hunters carried their quarry and brought in their quota for their assignments.

Inside the building, Joseph Alphonse and Aeolian Pervial Navaida, the two highest-ranking executives, had gathered in the conference room for a meeting with a client. They sat at a large rectangular marble table on opposite ends, engaged in a discussion.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes watched from above. Kensu Hashimaru, a seventeen-year-old hunter, had discovered a secret compartment in the ceiling of the conference room a few months prior. He liked to sneak up there in his free time and eavesdrop on the higher-ups accepting and declining job offers from esteemed clients.

Kensu had carefully made his way up to the compartment, his heart racing with excitement. He pushed aside the dusty ventilation grate and hoisted himself up into the compartment. From his perch, Kensu could see the entire conference room and overhear almost anything discussed.

The vice executive director, Mr. Navaida, was present, dressed in a black business suit instead of his usual summer attire. His usual carefree expression was replaced with a look of professionalism, but a hint of disdain was visible in his eyes. Kensu was shocked, having never seen Navaida like this before.

As Kensu watched, Navaida's eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded the mysterious client. "I must say, I am surprised you would deign to visit our branch, given our... complicated history," Navaida said, his voice measured and cautious.

The client's expression remained impassive, his piercing gaze seeming to bore into Navaida's very soul. "I have come here to see if this branch is competent to accomplish a task I need done, Navaida. I see no need for unnecessary formalities."

Navaida's eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance. "I beg to differ, sir. As the Vice Director of this institution, I expect a certain level of respect and courtesy from my guests. And that includes, at the very least, the courtesy of introducing oneself. You have not seen fit to share your name with us, and I find this... disturbingly rude."

As the cigarette stick reached its last embers, Navaida exhaled the remainder of smoke from his lungs. The smoke escaped his lips, and for a moment, a majestic, serpent-like creature with five claws and flamboyant scales seemed to emerge, lunging for the client but before reach him it stopped short of the man as if hitting an invisible wall thus dispersing in the air

Joseph Alphonse's face turned ashen as he witnessed this scene unfold. The client was made a priority by the board of directors at the main branch of Orion Corporation, and his importance could not be overstated.

The client and Navaida remained quiet, locked in a tense stare. A faint chuckle could be heard from Navaida's side, and a hand was placed on his shoulder. ",Percival, if the client doesn't want to reveal his name, it cannot be helped." Navaida's eyes never left the client's face.

The client unexpectedly replied, "Alright, if it makes this easy for you, I can give you an alias for pleasantries. For the duration of this meeting, call me 'Noir'." Navaida nodded, seemingly satisfied, and did not press for more information. "To conclude this meeting, let me bring out what I came here for – your institution's services."

Now this was what Kensu was waiting for his mind raced as he thought of all the possible beasts, artifacts, information e.t.c this person wanted hunted down their his anticipation was thickening every second until he pulled out mysterious looking scroll with a unique design with its outlines glowing faintly purple

The envoy of Orion Corporation faces contorted as the saw it judging by their expressions Kensu knew that the scroll was special but he couldn't help but wonder what made it so special

"An A..At..Atheriean scroll where did you get that."said Joseph with a terror stricken voice meanwhile Navaida expression became serious, this time he was not going take this client lightly anymore

He replied, "If I told you,it might cause your death." Joseph dared not to ask how it would as he felt the underlying meaning from his statement

Noir started unraveling the scroll until it was fully opened as Kensu gazed at it content for mere moment he felt an unimaginable amount of pain

...as if his mind was being torn apart. Kensu's vision blurred, as he let out a blood curling scream lucky the space was also soundproof. The room around him dissolved, replaced by eerie, swirling patterns that seemed to sear themselves into his brain. A cacophony of whispers assaulted his ears, each one a razor-sharp needle piercing his sanity. Kensu's grip on reality faltered. he instinctively looked away saving his life.

He was sprawled on the floor of the cramped room as the whispers assaulted his mind but nothing they said was comprehensible but as he gave up trying to comprehend them he heard one almost barely audible but he as if in a trance muttered it out,

O..Otoko's Burden

That was the last thing he said before a dreadful pressure encompassed his body and the ground beneath him crumbled making him fall through the ceiling, landing right in the middle of table

Making Joseph Alphonse stoic face turn red with rage as he looked at Navaida expecting an explanation while Navaida frowned as he his gaze fell on his junior

While the cause of the pressure was the masked man who sensed the familiar name being uttered after so long and now was staring out the sprawled boy like an interesting specimen.