Chapter 15: Spirit Medium (éna)

  Having successfully passed the Trial of Rebirth and become Spirit Medium, Nicholas finally understood what it meant to transcend the boundaries of mortality.

  He felt an unprecedented surge of vitality, and his senses had been sharpened to an extraordinary degree. He realized that he could now survive for days without a single drop of water or food.

  Most importantly, he could now feel Spiritual Energy—not only within his body but also everything around him. This energy varied in density depending on the environment. For example, the church where he had been earlier was overflowing with spiritual energy, while the streets outside held only sparse, flickering remnants of it.

  While Nicholas was absorbed in his thoughts, the sound of a heavy wooden door creaking open broke the silence.

  Romero strode into the building before them while Nicholas paused, his gaze drifting to the sign mounted at the entrance.

  “District 4 Telecommunications Station,” he murmured. Thinking back a little, he came to realize something.

  It seemed the Order of Spirit Mediums used the telecommunications industry as their front business, evidenced by the fact that their headquarters was located beneath the main office of the telecom company.

  If they controlled every long-distance communication in the city, gathering intelligence or tracking supernatural incidents wouldn't be difficult at all.

  This realization made Nicholas wonder: if this was the case here, what kind of facade did the other secret organization —the one ruling the southern and western districts—use to hide its true nature?

  "Please get inside, Senior!"

  Haley’s voice piped up from behind him. She had switched from formal honorifics to calling him ‘Senior’ the moment he passed the trial. Her reasoning was simple: since he had successfully completed the ritual and was now a full-fledged Spirit Medium, while she remained a mere apprentice, he was now officially her superior.

  ...Though the new title felt a bit strange to him, Nicholas didn’t raise any objections.

  "What is this place?" Nicholas asked.

  "This is the Division 4 operations base," Haley answered. "Since you’ll be stationed here from now on, Captain Romero is likely bringing you to meet the rest of the team."

  'I see.' Nicholas thought, Haley’s explanation finally clearing his doubts.

  Strangely, ever since he passed the Trial of Rebirth, Romero had hurriedly brought him out of the church. Even during the long carriage ride here, the prosecutor had just sat in silence. The atmosphere around him was tense as if he were angry with someone.

  Although Nicholas understood that Romero was naturally quiet and stern, but for heaven's sake—the man could at least fulfill his duty as a captain by explaining a thing or two.

  Once inside, Nicholas spotted Romero engaged in conversation with an elderly man. In the far corner of the room sat another figure: a young woman dressed in a black corset and a matching cloak, her long skirt flowing to the floor. A white lace collar adorned her neck. She was silently reading a stack of documents at her desk until she sensed Nicholas's gaze and turned to look directly at him.

  Nicholas gave her a small nod to break the awkwardness before moving to join Romero’s group.

  "This is Piers Hopton, the Vice Captain of this unit. He’ll be responsible for teaching you the basics," Romero said, his tone clipped. "I have urgent matters to discuss at headquarters, so I must take my leave. Piers will walk you through the details and the next steps."

  Before Nicholas could open his mouth, Romero cut him off. He turned to the elderly man and added,

  “I’m leaving him in your hands”

  “Leave it to me, Captain,” Piers replied with a confident nod.

  Romero strode out to the waiting carriage with urgent haste, giving Nicholas no opportunity to utter a single question.

  "Whew! It must be something serious for him to be in such a rush," the elderly man whistled, turning Nicholas’s attention toward him.

  Piers appeared to be in his late forties to early fifties. His face was covered with a black and gray beard. He wore a knitted beanie to cover his balding head and was dressed in the telecommunications company's uniform.

  His demeanor was lively, carrying an air of playful nonchalance. However, upon closer inspection, Nicholas could sense it immediately—just like himself, this man was a Spirit Medium.

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  “Greetings, rookie. Allow me to introduce myself once more. The name’s Piers, Vice Captain of Division 4. I’ve been stationed here for nearly twenty years now,”

  he said, before gesturing toward the back of the room.

  "And that troublemaker over there is Evelyn Mills. She used to be stationed at Yollen but transferred here about half a year ago. Why don't you say hello to the new kid, gorgeous?”

  Piers shouted that last part loud enough for Evelyn to hear from the far corner. Her only response was flashing Piers the middle finger.

  ‘...What a delightful working environment,” Nicholas thought sarcastically.

  “And of course, you already know our unit’s lucky mascot,” Piers continued, ignoring the gesture. “Little Miss Haley, our apprentice.”

  Upon hearing her name, Haley offered Nicholas another playful curtsy.

  "Nicholas Parley. It’s a pleasure to meet you all," Nicholas replied, bowing his head politely to the group.

  "Actually, we have more people than this, but they're not on duty today. You’ll run into them eventually,"

  Having said that, Piers walked to lock the station door before sitting at a seat at a desk near the reception counter and gestured to the chair opposite him.

  "Have a seat, rookie. We have a lot to talk about."

  When Nicholas sat down, the elderly man picked up two documents he had prepared and placed them in front of him.

  "These are your employment contracts. Since you’re a lawyer, I’m sure you’re more than familiar with them, so I won't waste time explaining the basics. Go ahead and look through the details."

  The contract was surprisingly concise, outlining the terms of employment as an indefinite agreement, meaning either party could terminate the contract at any time. However, the clauses regarding termination were exceptionally severe for the employee.

  The sub-clauses also specified confidentiality, including memory erasure in case of resignation. Furthermore, any disputes arising from the contract were to be adjudicated solely by a committee of the Church and the Order, by passing the civil courts entirely.

  But then again, this was a contract between a secret organization and an Extraordinary. He couldn't expect it to be very equal.

  Looking on the bright side, at least he would receive a weekly wage of 80 silver coins. The night shifts were voluntary, paying an additional 8 coins per night. Moreover, his employment as a Spirit Medium wouldn't significantly affect his work as a lawyer, with the exception that he had to report for duty immediately whenever the Order summoned him.

  Nicholas nodded to Piers, accepting the terms. He noticed that the section for the employer’s representative had already been signed. It was Romero's name.

  Having made up his mind, Nicholas signed his own name in the space provided.

  “Excellent. Now, milady, if you would do us the honor?”

  Piers called out to Evelyn. By law, the contract required two witnesses to sign. That was why Piers called Evelyn to assist in the task. As for Haley, being a minor, was legally ineligible to serve as a witness in this matter.

  Evelyn's face showed slight irritation, but she rose from her desk and walked over to sign the documents. Nicholas smiled and bowed slightly as an apology, to which she nodded back as if telling him not to worry about it.

  "And… That's all settled."

  Once all parties had signed, the contract was complete.

  "Welcome to Division 4."

  Piers said, handing Nicholas an original copy of the agreement before the two shook hands to seal the deal.

  "Before I forget, may I ask a question?”

  Raising a hand, Nicholas began to ask.

  “Clause 7 of the contract states that I must report to the unit or headquarters immediately upon being summoned, regardless of the circumstances. From what I’ve seen, the penalties for failing to comply are exceptionally severe. While I understand that telephones are a convenience, what if I’m at work or away from home? In those cases, how would I even know I’m being called?”

  Given the gravity of the consequences, he knew all too well that missing a summons due to a mere technicality would be quite a big mistake.

  "Actually, we have several methods of long-distance communication. The telephone is merely one of them, there are two other ways that are just as effective—if not more so,” Piers explained before letting out a sharp, loud whistle.

  Suddenly, a pigeon swept in from the window and perched itself firmly on his left index finger.

  “One way is this fellow right here. Our intelligence unit trains carrier pigeons specifically for long-range dispatches. As Spirit Mediums, we possess the ability to 'implant' memories into these birds, allowing them to recognize and track down the specific individuals they need to find.” Piers gave a playful grin.

  “It knows you now. If I can’t reach you by phone, I’ll send this guy instead. Just try not to shoot him down, eh?”

  Piers chuckled at his own joke, giving his hand a light flick. The pigeon obediently flew toward the sky outside the window.

  “Now, for the final method. It’s the most effective of all, though it’s a bit difficult to explain...” Piers paused a bit before continuing.

  “I heard you’ve just freshly passed the Trial of Rebirth. In that case, let me give you a little lesson, I assume you’re already familiar with the different ranks of the Extraordinaries, right?"

  "Yes, If I remember correctly, I should currently be at the... éna?"

  "That's correct. éna is the starting point of Extraordinaries. In truth, each Spirit Medium will have their own unique special abilities and different expertise. But at the éna, most receive similar powers. For example, you should now be able to perceive spiritual energy with your eyes—an ability we call ‘Spirit Vision.’ You can also draw spiritual energy into your body to enhance your physical strength and stamina, far surpassing those of an ordinary human. Plus, you can communicate with spirits at a basic level..."

  Piers paused, giving Nicholas a moment to process the information before continuing.

  "Another characteristic of Spirit Mediums is that our body temperature drops and our metabolism slows, requiring less energy to sustain ourselves. Additionally, you will gain the ability to blend into the shadows, making it difficult for ordinary people—or even Extraordinaries of other paths—to detect you at night. This is precisely why most Spirit Mediums prefer to operate in darkness.”

  Nicholas was impressed by what Piers said. These unique traits would be incredibly useful, especially when it came to dealing with the Antonio matter.

  “Now, do you know what an Extraordinary must do if they want to ascend to a higher rank?” Piers asked leadingly.

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “They must fulfill certain 'conditions' before they can advance,” Piers said vaguely, then explained further.

  “I’ll give you a hint, for the sake of your future progress. Advancing from 'éna' to 'D?o' is the easiest. All you need to do is practice channeling your spiritual energy and allow your body to fully adapt to it. Once your body has fully absorbed spiritual energy, your connection to the Spirit World will deepen. At that point, you will gain the ability to perform a soul projection for a short time. Once you’ve achieved that, you will officially be considered a 'Dio'.”

  “Soul projection!?”

  Nicholas found it hard to believe. If such an incredible feat was possible at the mere D?o rank, he could only wonder: what kind of powers would those in the higher tiers possess?

  "Believe me, that ability is practically useless on its own—unless you reach much higher ranks, then you can make some use of it," Piers quickly said when seeing Nicholas's reaction.

  "Now let's talk about advancing from 'D?o' to 'Tr?a'. Once you reach this stage, the conditions for advancement become significantly more difficult. But today is your lucky day, rookie. I’m feeling generous enough to give you a special hint regarding those conditions.”

  The elderly man smiled mischievously before speaking while pointing his finger up at the ceiling.

  “Look up.”

  Nicholas looked up as instructed, but what he saw completely froze him.

  It had the face of an infant, its mouth gaping and closing rhythmically like a goldfish, dripping with a thick, viscous black fluid. Its body, however, resembled that of a massive insect, clinging to the ceiling with four long, spindly limbs like those of a grasshopper. Its eyes were locked onto him.

  The moment their gazes met, the hideous creature suddenly lunged at Nicholas before he could react!

  Nicholas hurriedly pushed himself off the chair in panic, falling over and rolling onto the floor below.

  As soon as he regained his composure, he was met with Piers’s face, laughing in amusement. Haley was covering her mouth struggling to hold back her giggles, while Evelyn shook her head in exasperation.

  "Ah, hahaha! Just as I told you girls, I’ve played this trick on newbies for twenty years, and it works every single time!"

  Piers said to the two young women while wiping tears from his cheeks.

  Amid their laughter, Nicholas could only force a wry smile inwardly.

  ‘…So this is what they call a “jumpscare,” huh.’

  Good grief… did he really just get pranked on his very first day at work?

  20.10.550

  Nicholas Parlay

  Spirit medium