Meeting my mentor
1271 Words
Raven gave Jason the grand tour-though 'Grand' wasn't the right word. Above ground, the agency looked like any top-tier intelligence facility. But below the surface... that's where the real world existed.
Beneath layers of steel and secrecy was the true core of the organization-a brutal training ground for assassins. As they descended, Raven explained the ranks, the rules, and the reality: this place wasn't about saving the world-it was about doing what others couldn't.
Jason's journey began that day.
Now, one year later, the time had come-his first official ranking.
D-rank. The bottom of the barrel.
It stung.
Despite a year of sweat, bruises, and near-death drills, Jason was still labeled a rookie. Worse? Everyone in the agency already had an opinion of him. Arrogant. Rude. Uncooperative. He wasn't exactly making friends-and he didn't care to.
They ignored him. Some mocked him. Most just hoped he'd quit.
But Jason? He had no intention of backing down. Because deep down, he knew something they didn't-
'He wasn't meant to stay at the bottom'.
Jason sat alone in the cafeteria-like always-poking at his food, lost in thought. The chatter around him buzzed, but no one dared come close.
Until someone did.
"Hey, D-rank," a calm voice said behind him. "Mind if I join you?"
Jason didn't even look up. He figured it was another clown trying to get a laugh at his expense.
"Get lost, would you?" he muttered. "I'm not in the mood for games."
But when he finally glanced up, his words froze.
The guy standing there wasn't just anyone-he was wearing a black badge. S-Rank.
Jason's eyes narrowed. "What's an S-Rank doing down here? Don't you have elite missions or something?"
The stranger chuckled and sat down anyway. "Can't a guy take a break without getting interrogated? Name's Simon."
Jason leaned back, unconvinced. "Yeah, sure. Spare me the friendly act. You know exactly who I am. I've got a reputation around here-bad enough that half the room's probably whispering about me right now."
Simon gave a smirk of his own. "That's exactly why I'm here."
Jason narrowed his eyes. "What's that suppose to mean?"
Simon leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, calm but direct. "You stand out. Not because you're D-rank, but because you don't care that you're D-rank. You walk around here like you're untouchable... like the system doesn't apply to you."
Jason scoffed. "Because it doesn't. The system's rigged for people like me to fail."
Simon tilted his head slightly, amused. "Or... it's built to see who can break it."
Jason paused, the words hanging in the air.
Simon continued, "I was like you once. Loud, angry, alone. Then I figured something out: people fear what they don't understand. You've already got that part down. Now you just need control."
Jason looked at him, skeptical but listening. "Why are you telling me this? You don't even know me."
Simon smiled. "Not yet. But I know potential when I see it. You've got fire-raw and untamed. I just want to see what happens if someone actually fans it instead of putting it out."
Jason looked down at his tray, then back at Simon. For the first time in a long while, he didn't feel completely alone.
"...So what, you're offering to train me or something?"
Simon paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know... I was actually hoping we could be friends. Companions, at least."
He gave a half-awkward laugh, trying to downplay the sincerity. "So... what do you say? Wanna be friends?"
Jason blinked, caught completely off guard. 'Friends?'His cheeks were already warming up-not that he'd admit it.
He scoffed, trying to mask the blush. "Why would I want to be friends with someone like you?"
Simon smirked, clearly seeing through the act. "Alright, alright..." he said dramatically, standing up like he was offended. "If you're gonna break my heart, I'll just leave."
"Wait!" Jason blurted out, a little too fast. He looked away, flustered. "I mean... if you're serious, I wouldn't 'hate' the idea. I... I guess I wouldn't mind being your friend."
Before he could finish, Simon grabbed him in a sudden side hug. "That's it-we're best buds now!"
Jason's face went scarlet. He shoved Simon off with a scowl. "Hey! Who said you could just jump on me like that? I said we could be friends-not start a bromance!"
Simon laughed, backing off with his hands up. "Alright, alright! No bromance. Just a solid handshake and maybe a fist bump."
He reached out jokingly. "Or a hug? Just a little one?"
Jason narrowed his eyes, instantly suspicious. "Touch me again and I'll break your leg."
"Fair enough," Simon said with a grin-just before Jason lightly kicked him in the shin.
"Ow-yep, I deserved that."
Jason chuckled-for the first time since joining the agency.
And just like that, a real connection had begun.
Four years. That's how long it had been since Jason became friends with Simon.
Four years of grinding, training, and being constantly overlooked.
And yet... he was still a D-Rank.
Frustrated and restless, Jason knew something had to change. If the system wouldn't lift him, he'd find out why-and there was only one person he trusted enough to ask.
He found Simon in the gear locker, suiting up-fully armed, dressed in all black. He was prepping for something big.
An S-Rank mission.
Jason's eyes lit up as he approached. "I'm coming with you," he said, sparkles of hope in his voice.
Simon froze, then turned sharply. "What? No way!" he barked. "This isn't some training run, Jason-it's an S-Rank mission. You can't just tag along.This mission's classified S-Rank only, your still a D "
He ruffled Jason's hair, trying to lighten the mood. "Your time will come, man. You're gonna be great-I know it."
But Jason wasn't having it. "No, I'm done waiting. I've been here for years cleaning up after higher ranks-doing garbage work. I want a real mission. I need to prove I'm more than a D-Rank."
Simon's face tightened. "You know that's not how this works. It's risky, you step out of line and you get kicked out. And you know what happens to people who get tossed."
Jason clenched his fists, then sighed. "...Fine. Guess I'll go train. Again."
As the S-Rank team prepared to leave-Amelia one of Simon's trusted allies, walked over to Jason, she had seen the whole thing
"Hey," she said, offering a soft smile. "Don't let it get to you. Simon'll be back before you know it... and when he is, you'd better be ready for the hardest training of your life."
Jason forced a grin. "Thanks, Amelia," he muttered, though it didn't reach his eyes.
Amelia turned to Simon. "Come on-we're up."
The team moved out, leaving Jason standing there, surrounded by silence... and frustration.
But just as the door closed behind them, Jason's eyes locked onto the large black case by the exit-the weapons crate for the mission.
His heart raced. Don't think. Just move.
Without a second thought, Jason cracked open the lid, climbed inside, and sealed it shut from within.
He was going. No matter what.
His heart pounded. Logic screamed no-but his gut said go.
Without a second thought, Jason pried the crate open and slipped inside, sealing it shut from the inside.
He was going.
But in the shadows above, perched silently on a beam near the ceiling, a figure watched him-a girl with piercing eyes and silver braids.
She smirked to herself.
"Bold move, D-Rank."
And just like that, Jason was smuggled into his first real mission-
and someone else had just taken an interest in him.
- Writer
