am-books Chapter 11 Black Sparrow Guild
Chapter 11 Black Sparrow Guild
— In the Headquarters of the C-Rank Guild 'Black Sparrow' in Downtown Hoshito —"A Sudden Gate!? At Hoshito General Hospital!?"
"Yes, sir! It was just reported! We have approximately twenty minutes before the first wave breaks out!"
Two men in black suits, one a superior and the other a subordinate, exchanged frantic words. The superior, seated behind a cluttered desk, ran a hand through his graying hair, visibly agitated.
"Of all times…" he muttered, glaring at the piles of paperwork threatening to topple over. "A Sudden Gate appears when most of our manpower is out dealing with the B-Rank Gates in Kyoto…"
His voice rose sharply. "Get the newbies on the line and anyone else within range! I want them at Hoshito General Hospital NOW! They are to fend off the first few waves. Under no circumstances should they enter the Gate! Hold the line until reinforcements arrive!"
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate bolted from the office, shouting orders as he sprinted through the multi-floored building. Phones began ringing off the hook, and the hum of the Guild HQ turned into a cacophony of voices and hurried footsteps.
Left alone, the superior slumped into his chair, pressing his fingers against his temples. "This is going to be a migraine," he muttered, glancing at the blinking alert on his desktop monitor. A Sudden Gate was a nightmare on its own, but having it appear in a crowded area with minimal defenses? Catastrophic.
— Meanwhile, in the Steele Household —
Aya Steele paced anxiously in her room, her footsteps echoing faintly against the hardwood floor. Her phone screen glowed in the dim light, displaying the emergency alert about the Sudden Gate at Hoshito General Hospital.
"That's where Cassius is…" she whispered, biting her lip.
She crouched, burying her face in her hands. Memories of her stepbrother flashed through her mind—his rare smiles, the determined gleam in his eyes as he started to change for the better. And then, her thoughts turned to the brown-haired girl who was always at his side in the hospital.
"Why am I thinking about her right now?" Aya muttered, shaking her head. The frustration bubbling inside her made no sense. Yet it wouldn't leave her alone.
"Will he be alright…?" she whispered to herself. "They'll stop the Gate before it can affect him, right?"
But her worry only grew, and she clenched her fists as a mix of fear and determination swirled within her. Cassius had helped her when she needed it most, standing up for her when no one else would. He had called her family.
"I can't just sit here," Aya decided, rising abruptly. "I have to help him. Even if I haven't been trained as a Hunter yet, I have my stats. I can at least get him out of there!"
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*
Aya darted down the stairs, her speed drawing the attention of her parents.
"Where are you going at this late hour?" Sasha, her mother, called out, narrowing her sharp blue eyes. "Did you not hear the emergency alert?"
Aya hesitated, slipping on her sneakers. "Yeah, Mom, I got it. But I left something important at school. I'll be back soon—promise!"
Sasha crossed her arms, her skepticism evident. "Aya, don't lie to me. You're not going to the hospital, are you? Monsters aren't something you can handle just because you're strong for your age. Even if you can take on ten men, monsters are a completely different story."
Aya's shoulders stiffened, but she didn't stop. "I know, Mom! I'll stay away from the hospital! I'll be back soon!"
Before Sasha could press further, Aya bolted out the door. Her father, Adam, who had been sitting quietly in the living room, watched her leave with a contemplative look.
"Teenagers," Sasha sighed, shaking her head. "They're impossible to control."
Adam remained silent, his thoughts distant. After a moment, Sasha turned to him. "You've noticed it too, haven't you? The changes in Cassius?"
Her voice softened as she spoke, but her expression was sharp. "He's not the same as before. It's more than just a growth spurt or mindset shift, Adam. Something's happened to him."
Adam hesitated, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "He's been working hard. That's all it is. Determination can lead to remarkable changes."
"Don't lie to me," Sasha said, her tone firm. "I know what I see. His transformation isn't natural. Could it be a latent awakening?"
Adam's jaw tightened. He wanted to dismiss her theory outright, but the evidence was undeniable. He had considered the possibility himself—briefly.
"Even if it were a latent awakening," Sasha continued, "those are one-in-a-million cases. What are the odds it would happen to him, and now of all times?"
Adam's mind raced. 'If Cassius has truly awakened… then our mission might finally bear fruit.'
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. For two years, their