The first thing Theo noticed when he opened his eyes was the off-centered light in the white ceiling above. 

“How ugly,” he said aloud. Four bare, white, walls surrounded him, almost fooling him into thinking that he’d returned to his childhood days. 

But the walls were too clean and the room was too bright. Sunlight streamed in through the window. The room wasn’t very large, just enough for a hospital bed, a plant, and a bedside table with a lamp. There was a purple potted orchid in the corner. They would’ve never allowed another living thing in the room with him.

Sitting up in the hospital bed with a start, Theo clutched at his chest. His hands found the steel pendant still hanging around his neck, calming his racing heart. Looking around, he located his rucksack and cloak underneath the table.

Reaching for his bag, Theo’s head throbbed with pain while he confirmed his belongings. “For such rare artifacts, Imperators are appearing everywhere like cockroaches,” he sighed quietly to himself.

There was a knock on the room’s wooden door, and Lilac entered with a young woman around Hale’s age. She carried a wooden tray with a steaming bowl. 

“Oh good you’re awake,” she said, smiling warmly and placed the tray down on the bed before Theo. “You’re severely dehydrated, and you must be hungry. It’s chicken soup.”

Theo’s mouth began salivating as the enticing aroma of the soup wafted up. Chicken chunks with diced carrots and celery floated temptingly in the broth. However, years of training granted him the self-discipline to stare warily at the young woman and Lilac instead. 

“Sorry, where are my manners,” the young woman said. “I’m Bleu, Dr. Grey’s assistant. Lilac and Hale brought you here since you fainted.”

Theo silently looked at the purple haired woman who had caused him to faint.

“It’s not poisoned,” Lilac said, crossing her arms while standing at the foot of the bed. 

“Unless you’re allergic to chicken,” Bleu said before leaving the room. “But if we had planned on killing you, we certainly have other means instead of wasting perfectly good food.” 

Seeing Theo refuse to budge, Lilac decided to move on. “I’m impressed by your Imperium control despite your haggard state. You even survived my lightning.”

“What do you want?” Theo asked directly. 

“I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Lilac said simply. She gestured to his pendant. “Where did you get that?”

“From someone dear to me,” Theo said.

“And where are they now?”

“Dead.”

Lilac nodded thoughtfully. “My condolences.” She then held up a monochrome photograph of the Imperator gang member’s crushed body. “Did you know him?”

Theo shook his head.

“His body couldn’t handle the power of his Imperium, and he died shortly after we arrested everyone.” Lilac gave Theo a wry smile. “Although, you didn’t exactly help with his survival chances. But this incident is currently under investigation as we interrogate the other gang members. We must determine how he even obtained an incompatible Imperium.”

“Why tell me this?” Theo asked. “What if I’m affiliated with the perpetrator?”

“Of course we’ve considered the possibilities,” Lilac admitted, holding up some papers. “But we also searched your belongings and performed a background check while you were asleep.” She began reading aloud. “Theo Machia, born in Pargas, Galencia as the illegitimate son of Baron Tauren Machia and an Astilbean maid, Ana. Your mother died in childbirth, and you were raised out of the public eye. You left home and joined a group of mercenaries at eighteen, assisting the Galencian army during the Dagann Wars. You acquired your Imperium around this time, yes? After the war, you had little job prospects, so you’ve come to Lunaria to try your hand. You’re also—” Lilac reread the information. 

“You’re only twenty-seven?” She looked doubtfully at Theo’s disheveled appearance. “Well the description does match, and the Maliator mark confirms it.” 

Theo nodded slowly. “Yes, that all sounds correct.”

“The only thing we weren’t able to find much on was your Imperium. From what I saw yesterday, it’s  telekinesis?”

Theo nodded hesitantly. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t mean any harm by it,” Lilac laughed at his wariness. “I’m hoping to recruit you, actually. You need a job, and I need a strong fighter to help with this investigation. I was very impressed by how you followed us undetected.” Her violet eyes sparkled in excitement. “You’d make a great addition to my team.”

“Who are you?” Theo looked at her suspiciously. “And where are we?”

“Unfortunately, you’re not privy to that information until you accept this job,” Lilac said with her professional smile. 

Theo suspected that he wouldn’t even be allowed to leave alive unless he accepted her offer. “What about my Maliator mark?”

Lilac’s smile thinned as she looked at him sympathetically. “Everyone has their pasts.”

Theo sighed and nodded reluctantly. “Fine, I agree.”

“Wonderful!” Lilac said. “I’ll send someone over regarding the job contract. You should eat first. There’s also a bathroom to the right, outside this room. It has everything one could need to…freshen up. I strongly recommend it.” 

Her eyes flitted between the white hospital bed sheets now stained with dirt and Theo’s worn out clothes. 

“I’ll also have someone deliver new clothes immediately.”

After Lilac left the room, Theo looked at the chicken soup before him and took a sip. It had already gone cold.

True to her word, there was a complete outfit from shirt to shoes outside the room when Theo left to use the bathroom. After washing up, shaving his stubble, and trimming his hair with the provided disposable razor and scissors—the middle-aged beggar-of-a-man in the mirror transformed into a neat young man in his late twenties. Rolling up the sleeves of his new shirt, Theo admired how the clothes fit him perfectly. He didn’t know how Lilac knew his sizes, but given her extensive background report, he ignored the uneasy feeling that she had probably investigated that too. 

Exiting the bathroom, Theo found Hale waiting outside. 

“Took you long eno–,” Hale began to say before standing still with his mouth agape.

Troubled by Hale’s dumbfounded expression, Theo wondered if he hadn’t cleaned up properly. He felt self-conscious without his cloak. Perhaps Hale had recognized the mark on his face. However, Hale’s following ramblings quickly dissuaded his worries.

“I thought he was just some homeless old man,” Hale muttered to himself with a troubled look. “I can’t let him anywhere near Bleu with that face. Even that weird dragon tattoo only adds a rugged charm that I’m sure she’ll love.”

“Excuse me?” Theo said, interrupting Hale from his wandering thoughts. 

Hale cleared his throat, pretending like he hadn’t said anything about Theo’s new appearance. “I’m Hale. We met yesterday. Lilac told me that we’re hiring you to help with the current investigation. I’ll take you to the Boss so you can sign the job contract. Follow me.”

“Where is this place?” Theo asked, walking after Hale. Still-life and landscape oil paintings decorated the corridor walls as if they were in an art gallery.

“Our headquarters,” Hale said vaguely. “I guess I can give you a tour.”

While walking to meet the “Boss”, Hale served as an unhelpful tour guide. “The infirmary, where we came from, is on the first floor. Then, there’s the library, the kitchen and dining hall, a music room, and some other random rooms you can hang out in.” Hale gestured in vague directions towards different intersecting hallways as he talked. The interior design of the hallways held a cohesive Baroque theme with gilded furniture, painted ceilings, elaborately carved mirrors, bronze statues, and crystal chandeliers. 

“Is this a palace?” Theo asked, looking at the rich, bold colors.

“Yeah, you’re right, I can see that,” Hale said and began ascending a spiral staircase. “Our rooms are up here on the second floor—you’ll get one assigned to you soon. There’s also some other random rooms. Those are the bathrooms.” Hale paused and shuddered as he suddenly remembered something unpleasant. “Just…make sure you remember to lock behind you every time you go.” 

“There’s an attic up there for storage, but the Boss’s office is at the end of this corridor on the third floor,” Hale explained, taking Theo down another hallway. “The other department offices are here too.”

This hall was designed differently with floor-to-ceiling windows gilded in gold and marble columns. Theo walked up to one of the windows, looking out at the vast estate before him. He was in the center of the building with two wings flanking both sides. The exterior of the building was cream colored with reliefs of various deities etched into the sides of the walls. On the ground, there was a tiled courtyard with people walking around and a steampowered stagecoach leaving through the front golden gates. A sprawling, dense forest surrounded the estate, but Theo could vaguely make out the shape of a city in the distance. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Hale said, coming up beside Theo. “Wait ‘till you see the gardens and reflecting pool in the back. That’ll really take your breath away.”

Theo turned away. “I’ve seen better.”

Hale scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Sure you have.”

They stopped before two large oak doors with two door knockers designed as brass lion heads. Hale knocked on the door with a light rap.

“Come in,” a woman’s voice sounded from inside.

 “It’s the new guy, Boss,” Hale said, pushing the door open for Theo to enter before leaving. He had completed his task.

The office was quite spacious with overflowing wooden bookshelves on both sides of the room. In the center, there was an ornate sofa with green cushions and an ebony low table with a stack of books on top. A woman with greying hair sat behind a wooden desk in front of a set of windows opening out to a balcony. 

Theo stood before her.

She appraised Theo silently before her thin lips curved into a smile. Standing up, she extended her right hand.

“Welcome to AIKA, Theo,” she said, shaking his hand and handing Theo a piece of paper. It was a job contract. “Your term will end within a year or at the conclusion of the investigation, if that occurs first. We can discuss a contract renewal afterwards, depending on your preferences and performance. Naturally, everything that you’ve experienced during your time here must be strictly confidential. 

“AIKA?” Theo said. He had never heard of it before.

“We’re a Lunarian secret intelligence agency,” she explained, unsurprised by his confusion. “Sign the bottom of that once you’ve finished reading.” 

The job contract was fairly detailed, but there were no major issues. It included housing and dining with any business-related expenses compensated. Moreover, it paid 1,000 agens per month. With a guaranteed end date, Theo could quickly finish the investigation and return to his journey to Rhodir. The only concerning line was in the liabilities section: “a high risk of death with no physical body or information provided to family members in such a scenario”. But Theo was unconcerned by such a possibility. He had long ceased any communication with his family. 

Using the provided fountain pen and inkwell, Theo signed the contract and handed it over.

“Thank you for joining us, Theo,” she said. “I’m Alice White, head of AIKA. But you may call me ‘Boss’, ‘Madame White’, ‘Supreme Commander’, or ‘Great Benevolent Leader’.”

Theo didn't respond, unsure of if she was joking or not. Her face had remained serious the entire time.

“Lilac had told me a bit about your Imperium,” Alice continued to say. Her brown eyes flicked down at the pendant against his chest. “Your telekinesis ability will be a very valuable asset to our organization.”

“Now that I’ve signed the contract, could you tell me what AIKA’s role is, and where we are?” Theo asked.

“Queen Calandra and I founded AIKA during the Dagann Wars,” Alice explained. “While the Lunaria’s Royal Army maintains the general security and peace of the kingdom, we investigate the more complicated matters that disturbs said peace. The Royal Family has invested heavily into us.”

“Like this headquarters,” Theo said.

“Yes, this was once the royal family’s summer palace. Since it hadn’t been used for many years, Queen Calandra agreed to give it to us,” Alice said innocently, shrugging her shoulders. “Our greatest investments, however, are our members. We have developed many talented Imperators from the Imperiums mined in Lunaria. The Combat Divisions, which you now belong to, are nearly all Imperators.” She looked at Theo seriously. “I don’t care about the meaning behind that archaic tattoo. So long as you complete your work, you may find a place here.” Alice then sat back down at her desk, ending the conversation. “Division 3 Commander Lilac will inform you of next steps.”

Theo left her office.

With a few hours remaining before sunset, Theo decided to visit the gardens. Other AIKA members were  in the gardens as he strolled down the gravel paths. They’d give a short greeting of “Hello”, “Good afternoon”, and the odd “Salutations”. 

Theo had stopped on the path, staring at a cluster of Forget-Me-Nots when the hedges behind the small flowers began rustling. Soon, a slim figure emerged.

She walked out of the hedges as if it was a natural shortcut to take, green leaves caught in her dark hair which shone like auburn underneath the sunshine. Sidestepping the blue flowers, she returned to the path and looked at Theo, unembarrassed to be caught emerging from the hedges like a ghost. This was not the first time she had taken the atypical path. But what was most noticeable were her eyes. Her left eye was a deep blue, like the ocean, with constantly changing hues, while her right eye was a dark blood red. 

Those eyes which have haunted his dreams for so many years.