Kairo was not the least bit interested in talking to her but her words caught his attention.
''You mean the circuitry is like some sort of living network?''
''Not exactly, it's more of a circuitry, you understand?'' Nyx said seriously.
Kairo's face fell, wondering if she was naturally this way or was just trying to piss him off. Shrugging off the question, he directed himself to the changing room. Now that he was here, he would have to get his uniform and his cards.
''Once you are done, Danzan wants us for the briefing. We might have an interesting case coming soon. We will have a lot of fun together, Kairo,'' she said before finally leaving him alone.
Kairo found his way to the changing room of the police department. A large spacious environment with several metallic drawers to the side. On a table was a set of uniform and a few other things with a little note for Kairo.
''Welcome back, son. I would be absent these few days, take care,'' said the note. Kairo smiled, holding the card in hand. He had wanted to see his father after this, but looks like things would have to wait.
''Usually it takes a month or so for him to come back when he leaves a message like this. Looks like I am on my own for now,'' Kairo said.
Growing up with his father, he had gotten used to this. As the head of the police department, his father was a very busy man. Still, Kairo took on his uniform—a long jet-black trouser with soft boots.
Then he clicked the utility belt around his waist, containing a series of gadgets of his and little pockets for transporting his items.
''Usually officers carry one or two boosters on them in case they run out of Aura. Got lucky I got three just for me,'' Kairo smirked, playing with the little blue bottle in hand.
Card magic could be gluttonous in energy, so much that it wasn't anything new for officers to run out of it in combat. In such cases, these little bottles were life-saving.
''Finally, the most interesting of this equipment.'' Kairo's smile grew as he put on the wrist-like watch on his left hand. This was the card launcher.
''This little treasure is what allows us to hold cards while we move around without getting exhausted. Though it can hold not more than three at a time?'' Kairo examined the little device. It had very complex circuitry that reminded him of that of the void. According to what he knew, the engineers got inspired from that to create this.
It wasn't new that keeping the cards in contact with the physical body would continuously deplete one's aura. No matter the type of contact—whether in the pocket, on the skin, or even on the hair—the clothes one wore changed absolutely nothing to that. Because the level of aura for each individual was not constant, they had to find a way to move around with their cards without running out of energy before combat. This was where these little machines came into play.
''The only hitch is they're limited to three cards at a time. Meaning I have to carefully select the deck I want to move around with. For now, I just have three, so the choice is not really hard,'' Kairo said to himself.
But he knew that as he grew and his cards increased, it would become increasingly challenging to select the right combination for the right opponent.
''Whatever, I will think of that when the time comes.'' Kairo loaded his three cards into the little machine. It flickered lightly, bubbling with a white aura reminiscent of his own energy before sealing the cards into them.
''I can't wait to test this thing...'' Kairo picked up his cap and finally his insignia. On the blazon was written: Kairo Veyne. One-star Card Mage Officer. His story was just starting.
''One star isn't that far from five stars,'' he murmured. His target was getting to the level of his father.
…
Kairo found his way to the briefing room of the building. Glancing at the little notebook in hand, Kairo nodded. This was probably where the meeting would be taking place.
But as Kairo approached, he met another group of people to be exact. Despite their mature outward appearance, they appeared to be playing like little kids in the corridors—shooting a little ball in between them while screaming and laughing like they were at home.
Kairo's eyes flashed in surprise. This was supposed to be the card mage police, not some football field, but yet these guys seemed completely unbothered. "They don't look that much older than me. Yet they don't appear to be newbies like me," Kairo was perplexed and somehow curious.
However, before he could ask more, Nyx popped from the door of the hall, waving at him to come her way. "Kairo, you're late. Why are you still fooling around? We have work to do. Hurry up," she urged. Kairo nodded and quickened his pace.
While the group of players kept their show the other way, the hall had several chairs lined up facing the front, with a huge white screen at the forefront. Seated just ahead was Danzan, dangling on one chair leg as he flipped a card on his lips. He looked like one of those clowns on TV that made magic tricks playing with cards.
Kairo wondered if he was really a four-star officer. At least in his perspective, he didn't look like one. "Might be I was influenced by Father," he thought. His father was like a sword—sharp and honest. Polished and refined. As the head of the police department, Kairo unconsciously thought everyone working with him would be the same. Little did he know he had yet to see all the madmen of the card mage police.
Kairo took his place, facing Danzan with Nyx by his side. An unusual air of seriousness installed itself among them.
"Why did you have to come now? I almost learned a new trick... you should have seen that…" Danzan sighed, letting the card fall. Then he leaned forward slightly, "The case you are about to get involved in is going to get your nerves hacking… I want you to find something no one—someone... you get the point, right?"
Kairo listened carefully but was unsure of what to think. Was there nothing he had to learn or know before diving right into this? Maybe something about the card mage police and its structure. Yet Kairo didn't interrupt him, letting Danzan dive directly into the subject.
"Great. Now we can move to the essential before we start. There are a few things you need to know about the card mage police... it is divided into four departments, with each having two hundred members. Each department has a five-star officer at its head."
"Was this meeting really prepared or is he improvising everything on the spot?" Kairo started doubting Danzan was taking things seriously. There was no apparent structure to what he was saying—exactly like his appearance.
Nyx by the side nudged him slightly, a subtle but clear signal to keep his thoughts for himself. Danzan continued talking.
"The first department is the Intel department. These are the geeks, like Nyx likes to call them. Their job is to monitor the circuitry of the void and inform us of abnormal activities. At their head is Mirelle Dorothy, five-star officer. They have eyes everywhere, Kairo," Danzan said—more like a warning than simple information to convey.
Kairo swallowed hard. Remembering how the incident with Selis spread, he was sure they were the first to find out about it. "Don't mess around with those guys, Kairo. They are the most susceptible to jokes. We should take a tour there sometime, it might be fun," Nyx murmured to the side.
Kairo shook his head. No way he was going to look for trouble in such a place. A five-star officer wasn't something to joke with. Furthermore, Dorothy was the only female five-star officer in the entire card mage police. Surely not the type to mess with.
"Next, we have the Espionage department, with at its head Fabian Fabregas. Locked Target you met the other day works there. Their job has to do with everything from infiltration to 'cleaning' of anomalies caused by card magic—tracking and hunting criminals."
"Uncle Fabian?" Kairo was stunned. Although he knew very little about Fabian, he didn't expect him to have such a position. Now Kairo was even more curious about what happened with his father. As he listened, he nodded. Locked Target had left an impression on him on their first meeting. According to what he knew, Locked Target was the best agent that existed in that department.