"No. 1412, please report!"

The tiny radio attached to Balamb Garden's old model of the junction device broadcast an urgent message, echoing throughout a narrow cave made of teal rocks. Attracted by the loud noise, a baby Cockatrice abandoned the tasty mineral water treat in a nearby puddle created by dripping water from the cave ceiling and cautiously approached the junction device.

"No. 1412, please report back! This is an urgent request!"

The baby Cockatrice came closer to the sound source, tilted its head, almost poking the radio. However, its attempt to tamper was disrupted by a loud crack noise from behind. It immediately turned around, ready in a fighting stance against a potential ambush by a Grendel.

"Last call! Please respond! Please…"

The Cockatrice found nothing and returned to the noisy junction device. It took a big leap, aiming at the blinking green tiny LED light that flickered as the female voice escaped the device.

"Please! You can't die!"

Thud!

"Is someone there?" the female voice asked, sounding hopeful as she detected a quiet thud. "Answer me!"

Soon, she heard the shrieking screams that quickly died out, followed by the sound of fresh roughly torn apart. though curious, the Garden Staff chose to remain silent, even closing her eyes and holding her breath, trying to picture the actions.

After the weak struggling was completely over, she reached out again.

"Is anyone there?"

Whoever picked up the function device with his hand covered in fresh blood spit out a couple of bird feathers stick to his mouth before answering.

"Aye aye."

"You!" Anger rose from the other side. "Why did it take you a Hynedamn year to pick up?"

"Geez, turn down your volume, Xu!" the man winced and moved the radio away from his ears. "I just woke up."

"From which Hyne's brothel?" Xu yelled.

"I did indeed just wake up on an expensive bed next to a yummy chick," he looked back at the fragmented crystals and the Cockatrice's remains scattered red on the teal ground.

"I thought you were dead!" Xu growled. "I'm not paying for the brothel's stay."

"Like I need your pennies," the man frowned. "What's the urgency?"

"Right... We're very fucked actually."

Xu updated the long-dispatched SeeD with Balamb Garden's situation. There was a growing number of missing SeeDs in recent months. Although Balamb Garden's staff had managed to conceal this phenomenon by graduating more SeeDs, it had reached a critical point where they needed to uncover the mystery, fearing a war would break out soon if the news of missing SeeDs spread..

"What are the theories?" the man asked.

"I don't know," Xu said. "I hope they're not dead. They completed their missions as confirmed by clients. Somehow, they never returned."

"And AWOL never crosses your mind?"

"Of course, that was our first thought, that's why we hadn't started the investigation earlier."

"But?"

"Someone had recently gone missing too."

"And that was...?"

Xu didn't respond immediately. She always had her reasons.

"I see. You don't trust me," the man smirked.

Xu sighed. "Z, don't take it personally. You see, even Solo SeeDs like you who have gone on top-secret missions have disappeared."

"You suspect foul play on the inside?" the man asked.

"Very likely so," Xu confirmed her suspicion.

"Fair," the man scoffed. "Give me the next mission then."

"No, I need you to come back here."

"For what?"

"Z," Xu took a deep breath, trying not to yell an order. "I need your GF to return to Balamb Garden."

The man scoffed again, about to protest, but Xu's revelation immediately changed his mind.

"The last missing was Zell."

Any intention to drop a joke escaped the man's mind.

"You understand what this means, right?"

"I'll take the first train."