Classes were over, and the students were slowly gathering to go home. Apostle was also packing his things. He had one thought in his head all day. He finally had someone he could call a friend. It was obvious that he wanted to spend some time with her. He took a deep breath.

  "Would you like to go somewhere?" The question was sincere, as he abandoned his act and spoke from the heart. The girl looked at her interlocutor, and after a moment her eyes lit up.

  "A patrol in search of enemies?" She jumped to her feet.

  "No... I meant..." He sighed. However, he was unable to suggest spending time together in the usual way. "Yes, a patrol." He lowered his gaze.

  "Unfortunately." She shook her head. "I have to submit a report to headquarters today. They'll be delighted. After all, I recruited someone so powerful!" She laughed, imagining the praise.

  You gonna get fired, girl...

  "When I get back, I'll tell you what happened." She jumped onto the windowsill and opened the glass window. It wasn't a normal view, as they were on the fourth floor. However, Lesteria jumped carefree onto the green grass. The impact seemed as light as if she weighed nothing. The boy just hoped that no one had seen it.

  The great hero walked sadly toward his home. It was Friday, and he had to sit alone. He wandered the cobbled streets looking for anything to do. Despite his efforts, he ended up back in front of his apartment. He stared briefly at the tall navy blue house, which seemed squeezed between the nearby buildings.

  "I'm back,"he greeted the meowing cat. They spent the rest of the day together searching the internet. Perhaps this way he would find some information about other worlds. Before he knew it, it was morning. He had fallen asleep on the warm keyboard.

  He stretched, feeling that his bones had suffered greatly. As was his custom, he fed the Scarlet Link of Destruction. He sincerely wanted to lie down for the rest of the day, but he had to go out. This time, he couldn't wear earrings or other jewelry. He snorted with laughter, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He looked so uninteresting. The only signs of deviation from the norm were the color of his hair and eyes. In order to be able to work casually, he had to stand out as little as possible. He left the house and was there in five minutes. The beautiful brick café, as usual, welcomed him with its cozy atmosphere.

  A few tables right in front of the café were occupied, because Saturday meant heavy traffic. As he entered, he was greeted by a colleague from work. Guy which name he couldn't remmember was already wearing his dark suit-like uniform. As usual, his brown fringe combed to the left attracted the attention of the opposite sex. His above-average appearance made him a real idol.

  "Punctual, Apostole... Of... Whatever the hell you are!" He praised his younger colleague. He was just coming back with an empty tray, which he had emptied at a nearby table. He nodded toward the back room, where he was supposed to change. Apostle returned ready to work. Standing at the counter, he saw a familiar face.

  "Are we going on patrol?"asked a beaming Lesteria. The boy looked skeptical.

  "I'm working now," he replied, adjusting his bow tie.

  "You... work!?" She looked shocked. "You!? But you're a powerfu..."

  "Still, I have to pay my bills." He interrupted her. "Would you like anything?" He asked, now as an employee. The girl looked at the pictures hanging on the nearby wall. A large ice cream sundae caught her attention.

  "I want that!" She pointed her finger like a child.

  "Do you even have any money?" He was already scanning her purchase at the register.

  "No" she replied with an unchanging smile. The apostle covered his face with his hands. Apparently, his friend was not adapted to life in the modern world.

  "I'll pay for you this once," he sighed." Here's your number."He handed her the receipt and the ticket. Without taking her eyes off the gift, she headed for a free table.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Strange..." His colleague watched the situation unfold. "But pretty. I'm happy for you." He gave her a thumbs up. The Apostle ignored him and proceeded to fulfill the order. After a moment, he approached the place where his assistant was sitting. He placed the cup on the counter, and to his surprise, instead of joy, great sadness appeared on her face. She clutched the receipt tightly in her hand.

  "I let you down... I don't understand this reading at all!" She was close to tears, and the boy was trying not to laugh. He pushed the ice cream under her nose. Her mood immediately improved. He sat down opposite her. His friend was quite understanding and had no problem with a short break.

  "How did the meeting go?" He asked.

  "Great!" She replied with her mouth full. "With you, we now have three people who can lead the organization... We aim for ten. Of course, no one is as strong as you..." She munched on the waffle. "But they are still powerful."

  "I see." He stood up. Now I have to get back to work, so once you've finished eating, go about your business.

  "Yes, sir!" She saluted without taking her eyes off her dessert.

  After a moment, he couldn't see her in the room anymore. While performing his duties, he wondered what interesting missions the girl was undertaking. Unfortunately, he had to sit here until six o'clock. He wondered who the other people joining Sphinxphere were. He doubted that they were frauds like him, which meant that sooner or later he would have to talk to real monsters as an equal. The very thought made him feel sick, because they probably considered him an authority figure. It was with these dilemmas that he ended his workday.

  On his way back, he decided to visit the candy store. He whistled in admiration when he saw that the entire building had been renovated. He patted the freshly painted wall. A heavy weight had just been lifted from his heart. He still felt guilty for the damage. Fortunately, Albert was able to return to work. He went inside and grabbed a packet of his favorite jelly beans.

  "Are you back from work?" asked the man.

  "Yeah." He looked around the room.

  "Where's the kid?"

  "Where do you mean?" He smiled to himself. "He's fighting evil." The Apostle of Destruction grimaced slightly. Once, that answer would have been enough for him. Now, however, he knew what dangers could lurk in this city.

  "It looks nice." He praised the new decor. The blue walls made the room seem larger. Small, colorful lights hung from the ceiling. Perhaps the incident had been good for business.

  "Yeah... I see you're following in my footsteps."

  "What do you mean?" Apostole raised his eyebrows.

  "Today, a furniture truck driver was looking for your address." The Apostle froze. This was the first he had heard of any initiative related to rearranging the furniture. After all, he lived alone and he was the one who decided how the apartment looked.

  "I have to go!" He ran out of the store, heading for home.

  The boy couldn't believe his eyes. A beautifully crafted wooden sign hung on his door. On the left side was a logo depicting a blue sphere, partially covered by a shadow forming the image of a raven.

  Sphinxphere Office?

  He read the carefully carved text. With his mind blank, he pushed the already open door. His eyes widened when he saw a hallway completely different from the one he had seen last time. The place resembled a doctor's waiting room. The mess was gone, replaced by elegantly arranged armchairs leaning against a snow-white wall. He touched the beige seat. The surface was so soft that he wanted to take a nap there. He looked at the paintings hanging on the wall, depicting beautiful fantasy worlds. He also glanced at the door to the previously empty room. It was completely different from the previous one. Spruce wood surrounded a glass mosaic.

  "Do you like it?" Lesteria smiled from ear to ear. She was wearing a gray suit and a skirt of the same color. It was the first time he had seen her with her hair up.

  "You didn't renovate upstairs, did you?" he asked firmly, pointing to the dark stairs. It was surprising that in this whole abstract situation, this was what he attached the most importance to.

  "No." She sensed his seriousness.

  "Good," he sighed. "Now explain to me what this means." He entered the living room, relieved to find that it remained unchanged.

  "We need a command center in this world. If anyone has any business, they'll come to us." She noticed the boy's grimace. "Of course, the organization took care of everything!" She patted the corner of the exclusive armchair.

  "You could have discussed it with me" he replied sadly. "This house is important to me. It's good that she at least showed some restraint. Just the hallway and an empty room. I'll be fine..." He stroked the cat that was rubbing against him. Lesteria didn't know where she had gone wrong, so she looked around the room. In a hurry, she touched the wall.

  "Don't you like white?" She looked at him, embarrassed.

  "No, it's fine." He gave her a thumbs up. He honestly thought the place looked great, but he had reservations about the whole initiative. The girl handed him a dark package. He looked at her questioningly.

  "This is a small gift from people who want the organization to get started." The Apostle opened the package and saw a gold credit card. His eyes lit up instantly.

  That's more like it...

  A thousand or more would certainly help him, as he was having financial problems. He smiled and then walked confidently toward the newly installed door. Like a appeased child, his tone of voice changed. Lesteria breathed a sigh of relief at his enthusiasm.

  "What's in there?" He grabbed the doorknob, but the girl immediately stopped him.

  "One more thing..." She handed him a piece of paper. He glanced quickly at the document. "They're waiting inside... Clients"

  The Apostle of Destruction raised an eyebrow.