Morning had settled properly over the city by the time the three of them reached the Atlantis Organization headquarters.
The building stood tall and severe. Its wide stone steps polished from years of disciplined footsteps. Glass panels reflected the early sunlight.
Henry walked slightly ahead, hands tucked into his pockets. He didn't look around much. Just walked like he already knew where he needed to be.
Roland followed half a step behind him, shoulders slightly hunched, gaze lowered more often than raised.
Avery walked beside Roland, far more relaxed, scanning the surroundings with calm curiosity.
The main doors slid open, letting them into the large entrance hall. The place smelled of metal polish and paper.
Roland glanced around nervously.
"There are… too many people here." he muttered under his breath.
Henry didn't respond immediately.
"There always are." he said quietly after a second.
Avery smiled nudging Roland lightly with her elbow.
"You look like someone forced into a wedding ceremony. Relax. Nobody's staring at you."
"They are staring. At least… it feels like it."
Avery laughed softly, "That's because you walk like you are guilty of something."
Henry allowed the smallest trace of a smile to pass across his face but said nothing.
They continued forward through the hall, boots tapping softly against the polished floor.
Avery stretched her arms briefly as they walked.
"So, what do you think they will assign us today?"
Henry shrugged slightly. "Work." he answered. Roland sighed quietly.
They kept walking onwards.
Their footsteps echoed in soft rhythm against the polished floor.
Something slid into their path.
A sharp scraping sound cut across the floor, breaking the quiet rhythm of their steps.
All three slowed instinctively.
Lying right in front of them was… something that looked like a sandal—but not exactly one. It was blue, made of a material that looked hard yet strangely flexible like polished resin mixed with bone.
Its shape resembled footwear but at its front edge, a small curved horn-like protrusion stuck outward. Dull and smooth like carved ivory. Along its sides were tiny feather-like strands, pale and stiff attached in uneven rows as if grown rather than stitched.
It didn't look manufactured at all.
Avery narrowed her eyes slightly.
"What the…" she murmured.
Henry stopped walking entirely now, staring down at it without speaking.
Roland leaned forward a little in confusion,
"Is that… someone's shoe?" he asked hesitantly.
Before anyone could respond,
Without warning, the blue sandal-like object hopped upward, bending unnaturally at its base as if it had joints hidden inside.
THUD.
It launched forward and crashed directly into Roland's chest.
Roland stumbled half a step back, arms instinctively catching the object before it fell.
It wasn't struggling, exactly but it shifted slightly, flexing in his grip like it had muscles hidden beneath that hard surface.
The tiny feather-like strands along its sides trembled. He stared at it, completely baffled.
"What… is this supposed to be? Is it equipment? A weapon? Why does it feel warm?"
He tilted it slightly, examining the horn-like edge near its front.
"It looks like a shoe, but I have never seen a shoe that jumps at people."
Avery leaned closer in curiosity,
"I was about to ask the same thing. It looks like it escaped from somewhere."
Henry, who had been silent until now, narrowed his eyes for a moment longer.
"That's not equipment."
Roland looked up immediately.
"Then what is it?" he asked.
Henry exhaled once, almost tired.
"It's Ozymandis's pet. Name is Baddidass. Classification number PCS-333."
Roland scratched his head.
"Pet? That is a pet?"
Henry nodded slightly.
"PCS units are a synonym for Grandiors inside the Organizations. They assign numbers instead of names for cataloging. Makes tracking easier and less sentimental."
Roland stared back down at the creature in his arms with renewed unease.
"So… I'm holding a Grandior?"
Before anyone could say more, avoice rang from down the corridor.
"BADDI—!"
Out of nowhere, Ozymandis appeared from the turn of the hallway, coat swaying dramatically behind him as he scanned the area with exaggerated urgency.
"There you are! I have been looking everywhere!"
He rushed forward without hesitation.
Roland stiffened instinctively.
"This yours?" Roland asked awkwardly, extending the creature forward.
Ozymandis's face lit up immediately.
"Of course it is!" he replied, scooping Baddidass from Roland's hands with surprising gentleness. "My little catastrophe magnet."
He held the creature close, rubbing the top of its horn affectionately.
"Baddidass, you reckless genius. Running off again without permission… you'll give me wrinkles before I turn thirty."
Ozymandis smiled at it like a proud parent reunited with a troublesome child.
The strange creature twitched again in response. Its tiny feathered edges fluttered softly as if reacting to the attention.
"You know, this little menace here is my best friend."
Roland blinked twice, clearly unsure whether that was supposed to be a joke.
"Best friend? You mean… like an actual friend?"
Ozymandias finally looked up at him, raising a brow as if the answer should have been obvious.
"Of course. Friendship isn't limited to humans. Some humans aren't even worth calling friends."
Avery gave a faint amused smile at that.
Roland hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been sitting in his mind.
"Can you… understand it? Like, does it respond to you or something?"
Ozymandias tilted his head slightly, considering how to answer.
"Not perfectly I do. But enough to get by."
Ozymandis explained,
"There's actually a full document about PCS-333. This thing doesn't talk with sound like we do. It has no vocal cord and neither they talk communicate by creating sound."
Roland frowned slightly. "Then how does it communicate?"
Ozymandias's grin widened just a bit.
"Radio signals."
Roland looked even more confused.
"It sends out bursts of electromagnetic signals. At first, they looked random. Pure noise but I noticed patterns. Repeating structures, consistent intervals. Eventually, I realized something interesting."
He paused dramatically, raising a finger.
"The patterns match language structures. Not perfectly, but close enough. Frequency shifts similar to syllables."
Avery folded her arms, impressed despite herself.
"So you made your own translation system?" she asked.
Ozymandis nodded proudly.
"My own codes and notes. Months of observation. I can't understand everything it says but I can understand enough to guess intent, mood… sometimes even warnings."
Roland looked down at Baddidass again, now with a strange mix of curiosity and unease.
"That's… actually terrifying." he admitted quietly.
Ozymandis laughed lightly.
"Terrifying? No. Fascinating."
Then he glanced down at Baddidass again.
"Come on. Let's go get a burger. What do you think, Baddidass? Double patty today?"
The blue creature twitched once, feathers vibrated in short pulses. Ozymandis grinned.
"Thought so."
Without waiting further, he turned and began walking toward the canteen.
Behind him, Baddidass hopped along faithfully, bouncing across the floor in small rhythmic jumps as it followed him down the corridor.
For a few seconds, none of the three spoke. They simply stood there, letting the strange encounter settle into memory.
Roland exhaled first.
"I swear," he muttered, rubbing the side of his chest where the creature had crashed into him, "this place keeps getting stranger every single day."
Avery gave a soft chuckle,
"You just realized that now? You joined an organization that catalogs monsters, anomalies and living weapons. The thing called 'normal' stopped existing the moment you signed your name."
Roland sighed quietly.
"Still... a hopping… shoe creature that talks in radio signals wasn't on my list of expectations."
Henry leaned slightly against the wall, arms folded.
Avery tapped her finger lightly against her chin as if thinking through something.
"Actually, since we don't have any assignments right now… I could use some help."
Roland looked at her. "With what?"
Avery turned toward them both, her expression now turned more focused.
"I need to gather herbs. They usually bloom near shaded areas and river edges. In the Dailom Forest."
Roland stiffened slightly.
"Dailom Forest? Isn't that place known for… occasional Grandiors sightings?"
Avery shrugged lightly.
"Occasional and we won't go deep inside."
"You need them for treatment work?" Said Henry.
Avery nodded once. "Yeah. Some mixtures I have been testing require fresher extracts than what we get from storage."
Roland hesitated, glancing between the two.
"Well… it's not like we have anything else to do right now."
Henry pushed himself off the wall. "Then let's go." he said simply.