"Good God, they are worse than I thought," Arin said as he stared at the screen displaying Washington, D.C., above their village. The footage showed the horrors that these people had been capable of committing, and even knowing what humanity could do to itself did not make the images any easier to watch. The square outside the Capitol building had become a temporary recovery site, where forensic specialists and other personnel worked to recover the remains of the countless victims hidden beneath the building. Arin could only imagine what it must have been like to discover such a place in the heart of a country that had once considered itself a symbol of freedom.
It was now the second day of the recovery operation, and the full extent of the atrocity was finally becoming clear. The official death toll had already reached ten thousand people, although the number was still expected to rise as the investigators continued their work. The pit itself was eight meters deep, and the recovery teams had finally reached its bottom after hours of removing bones and other remains. Even then, the sight offered little relief, because the sheer quantity of human remains made it difficult to comprehend how many lives had been destroyed in that single location.
The work had taken a terrible toll on the forensic doctors assigned to the operation. The initial group of ten had been forced to leave within two hours, with several suffering severe psychological distress after confronting the remains and attempting to identify what they could. Some had become so overwhelmed that they could no longer continue working safely, while others needed immediate assistance to recover from what they had witnessed. After that first disastrous attempt, the authorities established rotating shifts, eventually sending groups of thirty people into the pit at a time so that the burden would not fall entirely on a few individuals.
Even the experienced doctors struggled to endure the work. Their professional training allowed them to examine the remains and reconstruct certain details about the victims, but their knowledge also made the discoveries more painful because they could recognize what others might have overlooked. As they worked, they began to understand something that made the entire operation even more horrifying. There were simply too many children among the dead, and quite a few of the victims had been babies who had barely begun their lives before being caught in the nightmare beneath the Capitol.
The footage was spreading across the world, and the reaction was immediate. The United States was in an uproar, but the rest of humanity was hardly unaffected by the revelations, because the discovery challenged the belief that such atrocities belonged to a distant and less civilized age. People everywhere watched the recovery teams remove the remains and struggled to understand how something of this scale could have remained hidden for so long. However, the anger within the United States was particularly intense, because the people lying in that pit were their fellow citizens, people who had disappeared while the country continued to function as though nothing was wrong.
For many families, the discovery brought no certainty that they would ever recover their loved ones. The remains had been mixed together, damaged, and left in conditions that made identification extremely difficult, meaning that even the most determined investigators might never be able to establish who some of the victims had been. DNA analysis was also uncertain in the new world, because mana had altered the very essence of human beings, leaving researchers unsure whether their previous methods would remain reliable under these circumstances. Until the specialists could establish what was still possible, thousands of families had to live with the terrible possibility that they might never know what had happened to the people they had lost.
The uncertainty only added to the growing public fury. Citizens gathered in protest, demanding answers and searching for someone who could be held responsible for the horrors uncovered beneath their capital. Their anger was not directed solely at the people who had carried out the atrocities, but also at the institutions that had failed to discover them and the officials who had remained silent after the truth came to light. With every new report from the recovery operation, the public became more convinced that the corruption ran deeper than a handful of criminals operating in secret.
The president's absence made the situation even worse. He had not appeared before the nation to address the discovery, nor had he visited the square to pay his respects to the victims whose remains were being recovered there. His refusal to show his face was becoming impossible to overlook, particularly when the director of the CIA had been the only prominent government official to make a substantial public statement. While Summer Woods was visibly coordinating the response and promising that the dead would receive proper burials, the other politicians remained conspicuously silent.
The truth was that the president was desperately searching for the quickest way out of the country. He understood that the public would hold him responsible regardless of whether he had personally participated in the crimes, because the atrocities had taken place beneath the seat of the government he led. He had little interest in facing the consequences, and the possibility of being killed by an enraged public or by people connected to the organization being exposed frightened him more than the suffering of the victims. Rather than stepping forward to demonstrate leadership, he was looking for a way to save himself before the situation deteriorated further.
The military had at least issued an official statement, although its contents had done little to satisfy the public. It expressed sorrow for the loss of life, condemned the people responsible for orchestrating the atrocities, and promised that the military would do everything within its power to identify those involved. However, the statement also explained that the armed forces could not attend the memorial or provide substantial support to the recovery operation at that time. They were already struggling to bring the situation surrounding the secret realms under control, which presented a threat capable of causing even greater destruction throughout the country.
The military further stated that it was investigating individuals suspected of contributing to the current crisis, but it had no spare capacity to commit to additional operations until the problems surrounding the secret realms were resolved. It concluded by thanking the public for its attention and signing off in the name of the United States military. The response was not well received by most citizens, who felt that their government was once again offering explanations instead of meaningful action. Nevertheless, many were at least willing to accept that the military faced genuine threats elsewhere, especially since it had actually acknowledged the situation and explained its position.
The same could not be said for the politicians who had remained silent. Their refusal to address the nation, offer condolences, or even appear at the square left many Americans convinced that their leaders cared more about protecting themselves than helping the victims. The anger spread quickly, fueled by the constant stream of footage showing the recovery teams bringing more remains into the open. It was safe to say that the American public had reached a breaking point, and the bureaucrats who had spent years hiding behind their offices were rapidly becoming the focus of a nationwide backlash.
What made the situation even more volatile was the world in which these events had unfolded. Humanity had enjoyed relative peace for at least fifty years, during which the number of deaths caused by wars could practically be counted on one hand. Generations had grown accustomed to a world where large-scale conflict seemed increasingly unlikely, even as political disputes and smaller problems continued to exist. Now, people were confronted with evidence that a horror on an unimaginable scale had been taking place beneath their feet, hidden behind the respectable appearance of their own government.
For the moment, the public had no clear enemy to direct all its anger toward. The people responsible for the atrocities were being investigated, but the organization behind them remained hidden, and the full extent of its influence was still unknown. However, that situation was about to change, much to the dismay of quite a number of people who had believed themselves safe from consequences. While the world watched the recovery operation, another group was preparing to deal with the individuals who had helped create the nightmare.
"Well, it has been good seeing you all, but our services are needed somewhere else," Valentina said, breaking the silence that had settled over the gathering. Her voice lacked the happiness that usually accompanied her words, and even the excitement she normally felt when given an opportunity to practice her craft had disappeared. There was no playful anticipation in her expression, only a firm resolve to complete the task waiting for her. Whatever enthusiasm she might once have felt about testing her abilities had been overshadowed by the reality of what the group had learned about the people they were about to confront.
"Good luck," Arin replied, giving her a respectful nod.
The others followed his lead, offering their farewells as the people gathered around them grew quiet. For a brief moment, the group found itself at the center of everyone's attention, because the other people who were still awake had come to say goodbye. The leaders of every family were also present, having gathered because they suspected that their visitors would soon be summoned away after witnessing the reality of what had happened in the United States. Nobody could say exactly when they would meet again, but the circumstances surrounding their departure made it clear that the situation was becoming increasingly serious.
"Thank you, and until next time," Valentina said before she was teleported away to their first target.
The sudden departure left the remaining members of the group standing together, each considering what would happen next. Ingmar Roth's expression grew ugly as he thought about the people they were going to pursue, because he had already heard enough stories about their actions to understand what kind of individuals they were dealing with. He could only imagine how terrifying it would be to find oneself on the receiving end of the methods these people had used against their victims. Even so, the thought that the targets might escape justice was considerably worse than the discomfort of imagining what awaited them.
"Those people should be happy that there are too many names on our list for them to take their time with each one," Ingmar remarked grimly. "Otherwise, I doubt they would enjoy what we they planned for them." His words carried no humor, only the cold anger of someone who had finally learned the full extent of the crimes committed by the people they were hunting. The others understood his meaning, and several nodded in agreement, because none of them felt much sympathy for those responsible.
"Ha! They would laugh if they heard what you're talking about right now," Jordan replied with a smile that seemed strangely pleasant under the circumstances.
Ingmar turned toward him with a confused expression, while the rest of the group looked no less uncertain about what he meant. Jordan's smile remained in place as he considered the situation from the perspective of the people whose names had been placed on their list. They might believe that being hunted was the worst part of their predicament, but they had yet to understand what it meant to live with the knowledge that someone was coming for them and that there was nowhere they could reliably hide.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Ingmar asked, his confusion becoming more obvious.
Jordan gave a small shrug before explaining his reasoning. "Think about it. What will those people feel when they know they are going to die, but have absolutely no idea when it will happen or how it will happen? They will have to live every day wondering whether this is the day someone finally comes for them, and every unexpected sound or unfamiliar face could make them believe that their time has arrived."
He continued, his smile widening as the others began to understand what he was getting at. "That kind of uncertainty is torture in itself, especially for people who are terrified of death. These people did not become corrupted because they had no fear of dying; quite the opposite, they were so afraid of death that they were willing to commit terrible acts to avoid it. Now they will have to live with the knowledge that they could be killed at any moment, without knowing when the threat will become reality."
The group fell quiet for a moment as they considered the idea. It was not simply the threat of death that would torment their targets, but the inability to prepare for it or convince themselves that they were safe. Every passing hour would remind them that their pursuers were still out there, and every attempt to relax would be undermined by the possibility that someone might finally have found them. For people who had spent their lives seeking power and security at the expense of others, the loss of both would be a punishment they could scarcely comprehend.
Jordan's smile was infectious, and before long, several members of the group were smiling alongside him. There was something deeply satisfying about the thought that those who had inflicted such suffering on others would finally have to experience genuine fear themselves. They would no longer be the ones controlling the lives of helpless victims, protected by secrecy and the belief that nobody could reach them. Instead, they would become the ones waiting in the dark, wondering when the consequences of their actions would finally catch up with them.