A dark-haired man walked on the pedestrian area holding a folder written with "Riverglace High School graduation certificate: Shaan Devansh". It seemed that graduation day was the most anticipated day for all the students of Riverglace School, since they were one step closer to their goals.
Many of Shaan’s classmates were already talking about their plans after school. There were those who wanted to pursue higher education, some started looking for jobs and others were planning to start a business. However, Shaan was different. He only wanted to become a Daemonist who was prepared to protect the city from all the terrible threats that appeared behind the mysterious portal.
Nobody knew where the portal came from, but since Shaan was a child, it had existed until now. Strangely enough, the portal only appears at midnight, so many people call the mysterious portal the Midnight Gate. The portal’s existence can also be regarded as a disaster because the portal was directly connected to a mysterious world filled with dark creatures trying to get out to take over the world.
"I will try to persuade Grandma once again. I’m sure she’ll agree with me this time."
Shaan immediately accelerated his footsteps until he finally arrived in front of a small house with a small sign hanging that read "Isabel’s flower shop." He slowly opened the door and saw an old lady with long hair watering her flowers.
"Oh, Shaan. You’re back from school already." Grandma Isabel smiled, revealing a slight dimple in her cheek. "Have you considered what you’re going to do after graduation?"
"I... I don’t know, Grandma. I haven’t thought about it at all." Shaan sighed deeply. "Maybe I’ll try to work and earn some extra money."
"Good, I’m very happy to hear that," Grandma Isabel agreed. "Have you thought about what kind of job you want?"
"Uhm... about that...." Shaan was silent for a moment. "I’ll plan to become a Daemonist."
Hearing that statement, Grandma Isabel immediately fell silent. "Shaan, how many times have I told you? Becoming a Daemonist is not an easy job, and it’s very dangerous."
"Yes, Grandma, I know, I know. But, it feels like being a Daemonist is a dream job to me," Shaan explained, trying to strengthened his reason ."Defeating the monstrous creatures that have appeared at Midnight Gate will be cool, and of course, I can earn enough money to help our economy."
"Shaan, stop dreaming. That job isn’t for you, and it could cost you your life." Grandma Isabel walked closer to him. "You can choose any job here, but not Daemonist. I don’t agree with that at all."
"That’s enough!" The atmosphere instantly became quiet. Grandma Isabel exhaled and hugged Shaan’s body. "I’m sorry, Shaan. I... I just don’t want you to be in danger. I just want to keep you safe, just like your parents’ message to me before they disappeared."
"Y-yeah, Grandma. I understand," Shaan spoke in a weak voice.
"Alright, now go to your room and clean yourself up first." Grandma Isabel patted Shaan’s shoulder gently. "I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare some food. You must be pretty hungry already, right?"
As Shaan walked to his room, his face remained downcast. In his little heart, he wondered how many times he had tried to persuade Grandma Isabel to choose his choice, but the result was always the same rejection, rejection, and rejection.
Honestly, sometimes Shaan was irritated by Grandma Isabel’s words, which somehow he felt his life was too controlled. It felt like he was never given the freedom to choose his options, even though he knew that he was old enough to make his own decisions. However, on the other side, Shaan felt that Grandma Isabel was doing all these things because she loved and cared about him., He also did not want her to feel sad because of his actions.
"Ah, never mind, instead of thinking about it, I’d better get myself cleaned up." Shaan opened the door to his room and went in.
Piles of magazines welcomed Shaan as soon as he opened the door. They were all arranged very neatly, and almost all of them were about Daemonists. He had liked the dangerous job from a few years ago and even kept up to date with the latest news about Daemonists that were always popping up on social media.
"Alright, before I take a shower. I’d better put my phone down first," he took out a cell phone and slowly placed it on the table. "Now, I have to hurry before grandma-"
Both of Shaan’s eyeballs instantly widened as he received a notification on his handheld cell phone when he saw the latest news about Daemonist. His face briefly tightened when he saw the news that the number of Midnight gate portals was increasing and the limited number of Daemonist members was getting overwhelmed.
’Gosh, why do Midnight gates keep popping up? There must be something that triggered it, but what?’
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
"Shaan, are you done yet?" shouted Grandma Isabel from outside her bedroom door.
"Uhm... just a bit more. I just need a few more minutes to clean myself up."
"Alright, hurry up. The soup is almost done, and it won’t taste good if it’s cold."
"Yes, Grandma, I know."
Without waiting long, Shaan quickly took a shower and changed his clothes. He then walked as quickly as possible to the dining room and smelled the strong aroma of spices as Grandma Isabel opened the lid of the pot that was right on the dining table.
’This scent... I’m sure grandma must be making chicken vegetable soup.’
"Oh, Shaan. What perfect timing. I’ve just finished cooking the vegetable chicken soup," Grandmother Isabel smiled. "Come on, sit down and eat before the soup gets cold."
When Shaan sipped the soup, he could only remain silent. He was speechless when he found out that it still tasted just as good as before. Even though this soup was a vegetable soup, which would be synonymous with bitterness and bad taste, Grandma was able to break that preconception and make it different. Vegetable soup tasted even better, and this was one of Shaan’s favorite foods.
"Shaan, what’s wrong?" Grandma Isabel furrowed her brow. "Is there something wrong with my soup?"
"No, no, Grandma, there’s nothing wrong at all. However, I’m...I’m just wondering why it still tastes the same from then until now. How do you manage to maintain the flavor?"
Grandma Isabel flashed a smile. "Don’t worry, one day I’ll teach you how to make soup like-"
’Knock! Knock! Knock!’
Shaan was quiet for a moment. "Huh? Who’s that?" He turned his gaze toward Grandmother. "Grandma, is it possible that it’s your customer?"
"No, no, no. All my customers have taken their flower orders."
"Strange. Who is it?" Shaan furrowed his brow. "Wait, Grandma. I’ll check it out," Shaan said, standing up and walking toward the door.
When Shaan opened the door, a red-haired man wearing a black and white uniform was at his door. He was also seen holding a dark blue folder that read "List of names of the youngsters in the town of Riverglace." Strange, who exactly was this man.
"Is your name Shaan Devansh?"
"Good, my name is Aiden, and I am a special member of the government tasked with picking you up. I’ll give you a few minutes to get ready before we head to the training grounds."
’Training? What does this man mean?’