17

Beyond the Veil: Kiran's Supernatural Hunt

Chapter 17: Burning Desire

A few minutes later, Kiran had managed to calm down, but his expression showed the fury he felt, and somehow he had to direct all that hatred, guilt, and anger towards something, or he wouldn't be able to forgive himself that burden.

Since he joined the special forces squad that would fight against dark entities, he has discovered the greatest truth hidden from the public.

In this world, not more than fifty years ago, dark entities began to appear more frequently. They were categorized by the United Nations Association Against Dark Entities, ranging from a large wolf capable of killing a hundred men before being wounded to beasts taken from stories used to scare innocent children.

Beasts or creatures from lakes, deformed birds with human faces, and the most terrifying thing Kiran has luckily avoided are monsters capable of establishing a domain.

In life, something similar would be the eukaryotic domains, which basically consist of the terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial domains of animals and nature. But something very different developed with corporeal supernatural beings. It could be seen about four months ago in the Canary Islands, where a fire that spread over a perimeter of more than 60 kilometers, affecting more than eight municipalities on the island, shocked the world.

Only typical information about how the fire could have started was disclosed, but it was never reported that this fire was caused by a dark entity unleashing its domain on the world. The beast was very similar to a salamander, with a length of 18 meters and a weight of over three tons. According to researchers, the beast unleashed its domain by setting everything in its path on fire.

The dark entity could not be neutralized by the government of the Canary Islands, and although the losses were minimal, the damages would take years to recover. This terrifying, dark entity died naturally without being injured or killed by humans.

In such a scenario, the world's largest government organizations called on all nations to discuss a plan against these phenomena.

The countries around the world are numerous; counting those that were not recognized, regardless of what world organizations say, there are at least more than two hundred countries.

Everyone should be taken into account no matter what; world leaders knew that they should act united if they wanted to find out where the monsters that had recently attacked different parts of the world more frequently came from.

In the meeting, the richest and most powerful people in current society were also invited. Therefore, for this unprecedented movement, anyone who received the invitation and decided not to attend was agreed to be forcefully sentenced, both nations and individuals.

Of all the countries, everyone was aware that something was changing in the world. This "something" was growing rapidly, and they didn't know how to control it.

Smaller countries with a minuscule military force had no reason to refuse. Therefore, no one missed the secret meeting that took place at that time.

At the end of the meeting, all nations agreed on a strategic peace, and for the moment, their union is classified as the "United Nations Association Against Dark Entities." They agreed to work together to make advances in military weaponry and research on discoveries.

With the danger posed by a dark entity, the Association of Light declared a secret worldwide truce. Every member must adhere to the rules and shared interests; the only function is to share information, support militarily weaker nations, maintain secrecy, and do everything for cover-ups.

With everyone united, they discovered a lot about the monsters, but so far, all they have found are the different types of dark entities and the extent of their destruction.

With the continued growth of dark entities appearing, countries with less military power were supported with weaponry and new military bases to contain threats and continue to maintain control.

To this day, the organization "United Nations Association Against Dark Entities," under the command of the Association of Light, declared that it was not the time to announce to the public the perplexing situation about dark entities and to keep the secret until an optimal plan is devised.

Over the years, thousands of military personnel have died under the claws of supernatural beings. Some countries even resorted to more powerful weaponry to eliminate dark entities that were too strong.

Common people labeled humans as the worst beasts and claimed that in a few years, the world would come to an end thanks to human stupidity.

Pollution and new wars are used to justify human casualties and military losses. Terrorist attacks and supposedly biological attacks hid everything about anomalies.

Many researchers from all fields providing information to nations worldwide asserted that this first disaster, where the beast unleashed its domain, was the declaration of war by anomalies against humans. The salamander, according to ancient texts, was used in heraldry, which basically demonstrates the declaration of war and a show of power that the enemy can unleash against malicious forces.

In this world, only a few special forces have military power, and a select few knew about the existence of these anomalies. Nations worldwide would gain absolutely nothing by deciding to reveal these secrets to modern society. In such a scenario where the information could not be contained, panic would ensue among the people.

And if, in that wave of protests and panic, a dark entity were to erupt, they could not calculate the losses or prepare for its elimination if part of their power and concern is to contain the people.

Kiran had been selected to become a captain of a competent special forces squad that would fight against the dark entities for the S.G.C. organization, and its location was throughout the country of South Korea. However, just over a week ago, his team was exterminated due to a logistics error by the NIS.

During the raid, they only ensured it was a beast resembling a monkey. But when the raid began, Kiran and his team were ambushed by two more anomalies that were beyond the received data.

Seeing how his team was being massacred, as captain and leader, he had the responsibility to secure as many lives as possible. With no other options, Kiran used the serum of variant HDW-37, which is capable of granting explosive strength and speed.

The dark entities in that night's raid resembled sloths. Kiran remembers that they quickly noticed something unusual, and when their attention focused on him, they detected him as a threat and started moving faster.

However, Kiran still remembers the adrenaline rush he was in. Furious at losing too many members of his team, with the help of the remaining members, they managed to contain the second dark entity in the trio.

What he didn't calculate was that the last one, realizing its imminent death, quickly escaped from the factory at top speed.

At this point, Kiran vaguely remembers having two options: wait for help and try to save the wounded by letting that beast escape in a frenzy, or pursue the dark entity quickly.

With no more options, he had to hunt down the monster as soon as possible. In the pursuit, the dark entity was about to reach a place where there were a large number of people, but in the final stand, its injuries were severe, and it was subdued by the last bullets from Kiran's weapon. It was then that he encountered Colin in his quest for help.

The strangest thing was that in all this time, no dark entity was seen or detected by civilians. Now that Kiran remembered everything, he was undecided about returning as a captain and continuing to kill those beasts along with the others.

"Am I the right one to continue with this job?" Kiran asked himself.

Kiran sat on the sofa and thought deeply. He decided to go as far as his body asks and allows, only to protect his loved ones and the families of all those soldiers who sacrificed themselves for a better world.

At that moment, the sound of Kiran's cellphone echoed in the room, pulling him out of his deepest thoughts.

Kiran stood up, grabbed the phone, and, seeing that it was Colonel Edmund, put on a serious face while answering the call. "Captain Kiran Jones, sir..."

"It seems your recovery was miraculous. If you have time, you should come to see the graves of your subordinates. It's the least you can do in your situation. We will talk under proper conditions once you arrive." Edmund said as he hung up the phone.

"I'm glad to talk. Can't he say goodbye?" Kiran looked at Edmund's message and turned off the phone. He quickly took a shower and went down to the building's parking lot.

Although he lived in a rented apartment, he had a luxurious 2011 Dodge Charger and a large Hyosung GD2OR motorcycle. Since he could no longer play baseball, he developed a taste for speed on wheels.

After taking the Hyosung GD2OR motorcycle, Kiran started the engine and headed to the place Edmund had mentioned. Rgh!

The sound of the Hyosung motorcycle's engine roared pleasantly as Kiran drove at full speed. Half an hour later, he parked outside a building. Two soldiers were waiting for him at the entrance.

Kiran turned off the engine and removed his helmet.

"Salute!" said the two soldiers as they saluted.

"Is the Colonel inside?" Kiran asked as he dismounted from the motorcycle.

"Yes, sir. The Colonel is waiting for you inside," replied the soldier, guiding the way to the entrance.

This place was completely different from any ash cemetery. Looking around, Kiran could see that the deceased in this place were all military. Upon reaching a room, one of the accompanying soldiers knocked twice on the door before opening it. "Sir, the captain is here..."

"Tell him to come in."