HoloMyth Initiative

Chapter 3 - Before the Myth

Mori Calliope always lived in small apartments for the months she spend in the realm of the living. Her current one was located in downtown. But not the downtown you may think of. It was the downtown, where the entrance to the underworld was located near the subway station.

This day was a day free of work. That is why Calli did her best to relax. Something she was not good at, because she always needed something to do. At noon, she decided to go to the grocery store nearby. Dressed in her sport suit, was she on her way. But halfway to the store, something strange happened.

The rap queen of the underworld was used to get the attention of passers-by. She was a famous celebrity in the realm of the dead after all. The odd thing was, that nearly all living people on the street recognized her. The moment Calli reached the store, a giant mass of fans and bloggers was at her heels and asked about photos and her involvement in the fight against the greed demons in the mall a few days earlier. The rap queen did not knew how to react.

All that Calli wanted was to enter the store. Sadly, the gigantic crowd was all around her. Seeing no other way out, the reaper shrouded herself in shadows and disappeared in thin air, only to reappear again in her safe apartment. From there, Calli quickly called Enma.

Takanashi Kiara, dressed in her work uniform, was at her office that day. In her break, first thing she did was taking a short flight with her pet bird Kotori, which she fed afterwards. While feeding her beloved companion, the phoenix watched some news.

Avaritia Midas, the greed-demon himself, held a press conference in the name of his company Avarice Corp. Every word he spoke with his golden tongue was said in an arrogant tone. His smile was diabolic as always. But it was not how he talked, but rather about what he talked that made Kiaras blood boil.

"My dear friends and costumers of Avarice Corp. I talk to you today, because of the recent rumors about my friendly rival in the business world Takanashi Kiara."

The phoenix laughed loud about this comment.

"As you know, Miss Takanashi was involved in a fight against two INDEPENDENT greed demons only a few days prior. She fought against those villains together with her friends, among which are Mori Calliope and Watson Amelia. Since then, everyone speculates if Miss Takanashi and her friends are part of the superhero agency Hololive." Midas' smile widened. "Thanks to my contacts inside said company, which provided me with photographs and insights, am I able assure you that those rumors are in fact true. All evidence can be read in my online blog 'Stealing the truth'."

The phoenix was more confused as shocked about this revelation, because she did not understand why her adversary would do such a thing.

"I, Aavaritia Midas, am excited to see what heroic deeds the CEO of KFP will accomplish in the future. Miss Takanashi probably knows that her costumers will be disappointed, if she prefers her company over her job as superhero." The greed-demon ended the press conference with narcissistic laughter.

Suddenly, Kiara's burning wings appeared together with fire in her eyes. Thankfully, her office did not had a fire alarm anymore, because of a similar accident some years ago. While still burning, the phoenix called Enma.

Ace-detective Watson Amelia, dressed in her trench coat, was on the prowl. She was a time traveler, yes, but this did not mean that all her cases were in the past or future. Some just required a quick drive through the city.

Ame's target was working at his office. The detective climbed up a tall tree in a park nearby to get a better look at him. There she lay relaxed under the trees shadows. But while the ace-detective observed the man who was accused of doing shady business in downtown (the real one this time), the impossible happened. The detective always wore a fake mustache as disguise, if she had a case in the present. That way, no one ever recognized her in public.