Three days later, on the last Sunday of July 1030, a small boat gradually appeared near the shores of Newport.
The creak of the wooden oars echoed across the surface of the still morning waters as Jimmy pulled himself closer to the docks.
It had been more than ten days since he had set off from his hotown, relentlessly rowing along the northwestern shores of Albion.
It had been more than ten days since he had had any food to eat or even any water to drink.
It had been more than ten days since his parents had sacrificed themselves so he could escape the bloody horrors enveloping the town he once called ho.
The gray morning mist clung to the River Nimbus, swirling around him, making it difficult for him to see what was in front.
But he didn’t care. He continued to row mindlessly as his parents’ final words echoed inside his head over and over again.
Jimmy, you must survive! No matter the cost!
That was the only thing that kept him going. Survival. He did not wish to let his parents’ sacrifices be in vain.
As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, it began to burn away the mist on the surface of the waters, revealing the towering masts of docked ships beyond.
Seagulls flew overhead, their cries piercing through the sounds of the city of Newport which was slowly waking.
As the freckled, fifteen-year-old teenager with dirty blond hair and blue eyes continued to row, he suddenly heard the distant clang of tals and the shouts of dockworkers.
The sounds grew louder and louder, waking Jimmy from his daze.
The docks of Newport were already alive with activity. Workers hauled crates, ship captains scread orders, and rchants haggled over goods fresh from the ships that had crossed the North Sea or returned from far corners of the Empire.
Suddenly, Jimmy’s boat started to rock and a few monts later, a large cargo vessel passed. The youth, now fully awake, adjusted his grip and tried his best to steer towards the pier.
"Land... at last," he murmured weakly.
Perhaps it was because he finally found land and could see normal people once again, or perhaps it was because of the trendous fatigue that had built up within him over the several days at sea.
Or, perhaps both...
The mont’s Jimmy’s gaze landed on the buslting docks of Newport, his eyes rolled over and he lost consiousness.
He told himself that he was safe now.
That the worst had passed.
That the monsters were no more.
...
Abel recieved only one day off from work every week. Moreover, it had to coincide with the off days of with his other teammates.
Fortunately, he was able to get Sunday off. However, in case of ergencies, he would still need to imdiately get to work on his off days.
But ergency cases, which were almost always incidents related to the anomalous, were fere few and far between.
Till now, he had not yet once co across a supernatural incident. But one also had to take into account the fact that it had only been about a dozen days since he had officially beco an agent of the Ministry.
The youth had just returned from his morning jog. After washing himself and putting on a pair of trousers and a linen shirt, he stood before the wall-mounted mirror, gazing at it with conflicted emotions.
Should I go to that dark tunnel again? He thought.
But the next mont, he imdiately shook his head. "No, fuck it! I’m not the sa reckless man I used to be. Hmph!"
He then turned towards the glass windows in his room. When he gazed at the reflective surface of the sash windows, he slowly walked forward, and jumped straight into them!
His figure magically vanished inside the surface of the windows. Then, his voice echoed in the bedroom.
"Hmm, feels... suffocating."
The following mont, he jumped out of the window and firmly landed on the ground. He turned around to look at it with a pondering expression on his face.
Unlike mirrors, there isn’t any ’world’ behind this window. It feels like I’m subrged in water.
How strange... does that an that only mirrors have a world inside of them?
But back when I was inside the Crucible, on the mountain covered in black ice, I was able to swim through the mystical world beyond the ice.
Or perhaps, could it be that the First Trial only showed the possibilities of my Hallmark abilities?
He grabbed the pencil and diary placed on his small bedside table. Then, he sat on the bed and wrote down his findings.
By now he knew much more about his supernatural abilities that his Hallmarks granted him.
His first Hallmark currently had two abilities. First, it allowed him to mimic other’s actions and movents as if he were a mirror. Second, it allowed him to enter reflective surfaces such as windows and mirrors.
As for his second Hallmark, he hadn’t dared to use any of his abilities ever since stepping out of the Spirit Crucible. This was done out of sheer caution, of course.
If soone got to know that he possessed more than one Hallmark, who knew just what kind of horrifying experints he would be subjected to.
This was his most closely guarded secret, and he would share it with no one.
His second Hallmark also granted him two abilities. First, it allowed his spirit to co out of his body and act independently. And second, it allowed his spirit to inhabit soone else’s body and control them.
Just like he had done with the naless monster.
After he finished writing down his journal entries, he rose to his feet and walked towards the mirror. Then, he activated his Hallmark as he pushed the diary straight through the surface of the mirror!
After his diary had completely disappeared from the real world, Abel’s lips curled up into a light smirk. "I guess this could also be considered one of my abilities."
The youth now stored all his valuable items in his bedroom in the mirror world!
"Heh, so cool!" He turned around and grabbed his flat cap hanging on the coat stand. Then, he tucked his shirt in and fastened his suspenders.
After that, he grabbed his wallet and left the flat. The weather was bright and sunny outside, so he decided to go for a long walk. He would also visit a coffee shop later and grab a hearty lunch.
"Life is good." He whisteled rrily as he exited the building.
Just as he took a right turn, he ca across a familiar face. But soon, his brows creased together when he saw the man’s appearance.
What’s gotten into him? He thought as he approached the man.
Even though Abel was standing right beside him, the latter wasn’t even aware of his presence.
"Mr. Petrov, you don’t look so well."
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