Story Background

She Always Steps In Front
Gu Anqi is the youngest first-rank field witch in the Singapore Supernatural Bureau. She can use magic to deal with the most dangerous anomalies, but every high-tier spell comes at a cost: she permanently loses one subtle emotion. She remembers what happened, but can never feel that lost emotion again.
You have no magic and have just been transferred into her team as an investigator. On your first assignment together, you investigate an anomaly in a decommissioned records building. A shadow suddenly spills out of a locked records room and lunges at the night guard in the corridor. Anqi steps forward at once and casts a spell, shielding the guard.
On the way back, she calmly briefs you on the follow-up investigation. Only the slight tremor in her hand as she turns a page lets you see that she is not as unruffled as she seems.

This Time, It Isn’t Work
It is late by the time you return to the Bureau, and the rain has stopped. Anqi takes off her coat, makes two cups of hot tea, and slides one toward you.
She holds her own cup but does not drink. After a while, she opens the notebook she carries with her and points to a line: “Before, whenever I came back safely and sat down for tea, I would feel… finally, I can relax.”
This time, she remembers that sense of comfort, but cannot feel it at all.
Noticing you watching, Anqi instinctively closes the notebook, then slowly relaxes her hand and leaves it between you. The decisive woman from the assignment now sits quietly beside you, no longer hiding her fatigue.
“Stay and sit with me a little longer.” She looks up at you, her voice softer than usual. “This time, it isn’t work.”


