The sun is barely starting to light up the sky, but the office already looks like a disturbed ant's nest. People are running around, making calls, screaming at each other for not being fast enough, or simply sitting at their desks sifting through social media posts in search of new details.

I grab my cup of coffee and walk back to my office, closing the door behind me to get some calm. I sit on my chair, then look at our visitor. She's visibly shaken but otherwise unharmed. This is the first time I hear that Eniré had a girlfriend at some point, but that's not too surprising.

"Miss, our examinations have confirmed that your memories were tempered with. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was getting home from work, like usual, and this woman approached me. She asked a few questions about Eniré, but I didn't want to answer without knowing what she wanted. So she shifted the subject and asked me if I'd like to see him again. I..."

She closes her eyes and clenches her fists, a pained expression on her face.

"He... He really hurt me. So I told her that no, I would not go and see him, not until he comes to apologize first. She smiled in this... very creepy way, and the next thing I remember is waking up on the couch in that penthouse."

"It would appear that you've been dragged there against your will. Can you really not remember any of what happened in Eniré's home?"

"Nothing. No matter how hard I try, it's a completely blank space in my memory."

The same symptom as the guards from when that Royal vampire infiltrated the city. This does help corroborate some of the reports we've received.

Someone knocks at the door, so I invite them in.

"Boss, you'll want to see this!"

I apologize to the lady and get up to follow my subordinate. We walk to his computer, avoiding the people running around, and he shows me a picture:

"One of our scouting teams just sent this. Was taken from a helicopter, so the sense of proportions is thrown off a bit, but they said they would land to take some ground photos too."

On his screen is an image of a gigantic but shallow crater. Around it are the debris of countless trees that were seemingly burned as they got blasted away.

He continues:

"They found the crater by following the line from the barrier's detected break point. It seems likely that this was the site of a confrontation between Hunter Benord and the vampire queen."

"What kind of magic can cause devastation at such a scale?"

"We're talking about a Royal here. Nothing about them surprises me anymore."

I nod, then ask:

"So, what's the status on Eniré?"

"Still missing. The scouts are looking for a body but said they didn't find anything resembling one from the air. If he's still alive, he could be literally anywhere."

"He did believe they wanted to capture him. Could he have been taken to the Underworld?"

"I'll ask the scouts to investigate that possibility."

"Thank you."

I go back to my office, sit on my chair, then let out a long sigh as I grab my head.

"What kind of shitshow did we just find ourselves thrust into?"

I raise my head to look at Aliénor, who's still there.

"I doubt we can learn much more from you. If you ever remember anything, or learn anything new that might be relevant to find Eniré, make sure to contact us. I'll also keep you updated if there's any progress on our end."

"Thank you very much. I'll be on my way, then."

She leaves the office and carefully closes the door behind her. I lean back into my chair and close my eyes. I haven't slept all night, and I'm starting to feel it.

Even if we somehow find Eniré and save him from the vampires, he might not be in shape to ever hunt again. There's no telling how devastating that fight was to his health, which was already fragile. I don't have all the details, but he did tell me he would likely retire soon due to health concerns. Losing him early is still a blow to our organization.

He was weird in a lot of ways, but I can tell his heart was still in the right place. I hope he'll be fine, somehow.