The state of “World” wasn’t divided into cities. Instead, it was made of sectors. Each sector had its own purpose: some focused on factories and construction, others on technology, industry, education, and so on.

  The thirteenth sector was industrial. It was full of factories, gray pipes, and old buildings that had long lost their appearance. Only its central part could be called modern, this was where the richest and most influential people lived. The rest of the territory belonged to workers and the poor. The level of poverty here was the highest compared to the other twelve sectors.

  In one of the dangerous areas of Sector 13, there was an old apartment block. People lived there side by side with beings from other worlds.

  On the top floor, by an open window, sat a man. Broad-shouldered, with shoulder-length hair and a body covered in scars on his arms, chest, and back. He sat still, and only his eyes showed that he was waiting for something.

  The silence was broken by a quiet chirp. At first it sounded distant, but it quickly came closer and soon a small bird landed on his windowsill. The man turned his head and looked at it. The bird chirped again, flapped its wings, and hopped closer. He slowly reached out his hand and it sat on his fingers without fear.

  He gently ran his finger over its head a light, almost soft motion. No emotion appeared on his face, only a thoughtful look in his eyes.

  A plastic bag lay open on the floor. The man slid it closer with his foot and pulled a knife from his pocket. It had a dark handle and a short, slightly jagged blade. The bird looked at him with its black, bead-like eyes.

  With one sharp, practiced motion, he cut its throat over the bag. The body twitched, the wings fluttered, but the man didn’t even flinch. He leaned closer and, cutting precisely, pulled a tiny microchip from its eye socket: a dark shard with metal contacts.

  He examined it under the lamp’s light and threw the bloody body into the bag, leaned back in his chair, and squeezed the microchip in his hand.

  “Finally… this is where the fun begins,” he said in a low voice.

  He inserted the microchip into a small device. The screen lit up, and lines of system data formed into a dossier before his eyes.

  >>>

  Target: Dana Annastar

  Age: 23

  Daughter of Deklan Annastar.

  Below that, coordinates flashed by a set of symbols and numbers that basically formed an address: 213 124 H9280 ?231. Under it were extra notes: a list of habits, security details, possible weak points, her movement schedule, and other small things that could be useful.

  He stared at the screen for a long time, running different options through his mind.

  “So it’s just taking out the boss’s daughter… That’s a bit too easy for your last job, old man.”

  The device cracked and let out one last set of strange, grinding sounds before its casing twisted. The man didn’t pay any attention. The device jerked again in his hand, and beside him a dark liquid-like tear in space opened up: a round portal dripping with thick darkness. Without hesitation, he threw the device right into it.

  Within seconds, a dull explosion sounded somewhere behind the building, a faint tremor passing through the walls. He only glanced toward the window, then calmly opened a heavy wardrobe. Inside was his usual arsenal. He picked a sword with a worn handle, checked the pistol’s magazine, and added a few more things to his gear.

  Closing the wardrobe, he walked toward the door. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, the door next to his swung open with a bang. A large, chubby man with glasses and a friendly face appeared in the doorway.

  “Oh, hey there, neighbor! Where you headed?” the man asked, squinting from the light coming out of the hallway.

  “Got things to do,” the man replied shortly, closing his door.

  “Ah, your ‘things’ again,” the neighbor dragged out, leaning on the doorframe. “Be careful out there, alright? It’s not safe… seems like some terrorists showed up. I just heard an explosion, like right behind the building.”

  Not really listening, the man noticed a letter by his door. A thin white envelope just lying on the floor. He picked it up, tore the edge, and unfolded the paper.

  “They call you Phobos.

  But do you know what my only phobia is?

  It’s the thought of a world where not even your shadow exists.

  Come back into my shadow.

  Soon…”

  He let out a quiet, crooked smile.

  “Silly woman… what if someone picked this up before I did?” he muttered under his breath.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “What was that? Didn’t hear you,” the neighbor asked.

  “Hm?” Phobos turned his head. “Nothing. I’ll keep the terrorists in mind.”

  “Alright then, take care!” the neighbor waved and disappeared behind his door.

  Phobos didn’t answer

  Meanwhile, Namkhai returned to the couple waiting outside.

  “All done, I kicked everyone out. Now you can live in your own house again. Congrats on the new place or whatever.”

  The husband and wife widened their eyes.

  “Seriously?.. You did it?” the husband asked, barely believing it.

  “Thank you!” the wife added, her voice slightly shaking.

  Namkhai nodded proudly and rubbed his hands together.

  “Well then, let’s talk about the payment,” he said with a sly smile. “I think it’s fair to adjust it a bit. Turns out there weren’t just one, but several cursed spirits. The job was way harder than what we agreed on.”

  “Y-yes, of course, here…”

  The husband quickly pulled an envelope from his inner pocket and handed it over.

  Namkhai grabbed the envelope, ripped it open impatiently, looked inside and raised a brow.

  “Uh… That’s it?!”

  The husband swallowed awkwardly.

  “Y-yes… We even added a small tip on top of the original amount…”

  “And that’s everything?” Namkhai’s voice dropped lower.

  “Unfortunately, yes. If we had more, we wouldn’t bother you and would’ve hired real specialists…”

  Namkhai frowned and shoved the envelope into his robe.

  “Eh, fine.” He lifted a hand in a lazy goodbye. “Farewell. I still need to find a place to sleep tonight.”

  “Please don’t be upset!” the husband tried to cheer him up. “We’ll recommend you to everyone we know!”

  “Yeah… thanks,” Namkhai waved him off, clearly not impressed by that promise.

  He walked away without looking back, step by step blending into the street. Behind him, the couple kept waving for a long time, shouting:

  “Thank you for getting rid of them!”

  The couple’s voices faded into the noise of the street, when suddenly a large black car slowed down near their house. The back window lowered, and a voice came from inside:

  “Do you know a specialist who deals with ghosts?”

  The husband nodded right away:

  “Yes, that bald guy helped us.”

  “I see. Thank you…” the voice said, and the car started moving again. “Alright, follow that bald man.”

  Meanwhile, Namkhai was walking down the sidewalk, muttering under his breath:

  “Damn it… What can you even buy with this money now? How am I supposed to survive this week? Guess I’ll have to work at a construction site or something…”

  He had no idea that a black car was quietly rolling behind him.

  “Hey, you!” someone called from the car.

  Namkhai turned around. The black car pulled up next to him, the windows went down, and a man in a formal uniform looked out.

  “You deal with ghosts, right?”

  “Huh?” Namkhai blinked, then instinctively glanced toward the couple. The husband was beaming, giving him a big thumbs-up.

  “So fast?!” flashed through his mind.

  “I repeat, can you do it or not?”

  “Of course! I’m the best specialist in the city,” Namkhai answered with his usual cocky tone.

  “And you handle curses too?”

  “Y-yeah… sure, I can remove those too!” he lied without hesitation.

  “Good.” The man nodded and leaned back. “Come with us.

  The car door opened by itself, inviting him inside.

  Namkhai sat in the back seat. Two men in uniforms were beside him. Their faces were stone-cold and only the occasional look through the mirror showed they were watching his every move.

  “So… what do I need to do?” he asked carefully.

  “You’ll be told when we arrive,” one of the men said shortly.

  “Got it…” Namkhai muttered and stared out the window.

  The car rushed through the busy streets. People were hurrying about their day, not paying attention to the plain car with tinted windows. After about twenty minutes, the road brought them to a massive building. A tall tower of glass and metal rose above the nearby structures.

  The car turned into a restricted driveway. The gates opened and armed guards greeted them.

  Namkhai stepped out of the car. His heart was beating a little faster than usual, but he straightened his back and tried to look confident.

  “Looks like a serious place… Maybe I can earn some good money here, and show what I can do. As long as I look good,” he thought, walking toward the entrance.

  The car rushed through the busy streets. People were hurrying about their day, not paying attention to the plain car with tinted windows. After about twenty minutes, the road brought them to a massive building. A tall tower of glass and metal rose above the nearby structures.

  The car turned into a restricted driveway. The gates opened and armed guards greeted them.

  Namkhai stepped out of the car. His heart was beating a little faster than usual, but he straightened his back and tried to look confident.

  “Looks like a serious place… Maybe I can earn some good money here, and show what I can do. As long as I look good,” he thought, walking toward the entrance.

  Concurrently with this, just as Namkhai stepped inside the building, outside in the shadow of a nearby block Phobos was already standing still. His eyes were fixed on the facade.

  The elevator moved smoothly upward. The metal doors reflected the bored faces of the guards. Namkhai stood among them.

  "God, the smell of perfume is so strong in here."

  “Twentieth,” someone said dryly, and the doors opened with a soft chime.

  They stepped out, and one of the guards: bald like Namkhai, but with a scar on his cheek and dark glasses nodded to him, gesturing.

  “This way.”

  They stopped at a door. Nearby stood a leather couch clearly meant for waiting.

  “Sit here. They’ll call you,” the guard said and disappeared behind the door.

  Namkhai dropped onto the couch. The room was quiet, except for the clock ticking on the wall.

  “This is strange,” he thought, frowning. “Maybe it’s some kind of scam? They might try to dump debts on me, better be careful.”

  Minutes passed. His stomach growled loudly.

  “Are they even going to feed me? I’m hungry… Maybe I should ask someone? What if they forgot about me?”

  At that moment, a woman in a formal suit walked by. Her white shirt made her look even more businesslike, and her confident steps echoed through the corridor. Namkhai immediately raised his hand.

  “Woman, excuse me!”

  She stopped. A brief shadow crossed her eyes - “Woman?” echoed in her mind.

  “They told me to sit and wait, but I’ve been here a long time. Do you know where I should go?”

  She looked him over carefully. Tall, broad-shouldered, bald, in a monk’s robe but with the expression of someone who really needs a meal. “Probably a mercenary. They must have hired him to protect Ms.Dana,” she decided.

  “Of course. But may I ask… how did you get in here?”

  “With the guards. Five or six guys walked with me,” he said casually, waving his hand.

  She nodded. No doubts left. “Definitely a mercenary. They probably forgot about him.”

  “I see. Come with me. The meeting has already started.”

  “M-meeting?” Namkhai repeated, raising a brow. “O-okay.”

  He got up and followed her, feeling a new wave of nervousness inside.

  Namkhai stopped at the door she pointed to.

  “Th-thanks…” he muttered.

  “Thank you for agreeing to protect our lady,” she replied with a small bow.

  “No problem… Wait, what did you say?” he asked quickly, but the woman was already walking away down the hall, leaving him confused.

  “Protect the lady? What have I gotten myself into?” Namkhai thought, staring at the door, feeling both excitement and the start of a new adventure.

  He pushed the door open and walked in....