"Fuck... who the hell took off F-299’s collar?!"
Elias sighed as he combed back his dark brown hair with his hands, clearly stressed by the situation.
As he and his team slowly and carefully treaded up the seemingly never-ending staircase, they whispered amongst themselves, their voices occasionally turning into small arguments.
"U-um... it was Marcus who last had F-299..."
The youngest of their team, Jonathan, said tiredly as he continued walking up the stairs.
His physique wasn’t that great compared to everyone else, so he was easily tired by the seemingly never-ending staircase.
Marcus, who had been blamed, simply grinned and rolled his eyes.
"Don’t pass the blame onto me. I’m not dumb enough to take off a ghost entity’s collar."
There was a small smack on his shoulder as Clara hit him.
Wearing plain ordinary jeans and a shirt, she looked quite clean and had a healthy build.
"It took us over six months to finally acquire ourselves a supernatural entity so we wouldn’t be stuck with cleaning duties or paperwork..."
Clara sighed.
"But now that we lost it after only having it with us for two missions, how are we supposed to gain credibility now?"
Elias spoke up as well after seeing his team become more chaotic.
"Since neither of us took off the collar on the entity, we can presume it was a problem with the entity itself..."
He paused for a moment, deeply thinking about the situation.
"Clara, can you open up the document on F-299 again?"
Following their "team leader’s" orders, Clara only sighed as she opened up her phone and opened up a document, which she then handed over to Elias.
...
[Purple Owl (F-299)]
Appearance:
The Purple Owl possesses the exact same physical physiology as a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), a species commonly found within the temperate forests of ██████████ Its body, facial structure, eyes, talons, and wings are almost entirely identical to those of an ordinary Great Horned Owl.
The only notable difference is its feathers, which possess a distinct purple coloration. The exact shade appears to vary depending on lighting, ranging from a dull violet to a deep, almost black purple.
Description:
The Purple Owl is a seemingly ordinary owl aside from its anomalous coloration and abilities. Despite its appearance, the entity demonstrates a noticeable degree of friendliness toward humans.
It has been observed approaching researchers without displaying signs of aggression and will occasionally perch on their shoulders or nearby surfaces. Attempts to determine whether this behavior is genuine affection or simply another aspect of its anomalous nature have so far been inconclusive.
Abilities:
The Purple Owl possesses the ability to stalk a designated victim during nighttime, seemingly without ever losing track of its target once it has chosen them.
The entity does not need to remain within visual range of its target. It has been observed following individuals across considerable distances while remaining completely undetected.
Once a target has been selected, the owl appears to become unusually persistent, continuing to observe them for several consecutive nights.
The entity has never been observed directly attacking its targets.
Cases:
Victims of the Purple Owl have consistently reported feeling as though they are being watched while the entity is nearby. Most describe the sensation as "eyes constantly following me", despite being unable to locate the source.
Extended exposure has resulted in increasing discomfort, paranoia, and difficulty sleeping.
Several victims have reported becoming listless after multiple nights of being stalked. In the most severe cases, victims were unable to sleep for several days despite showing no apparent physical abnormalities.
No permanent physical or psychological damage has currently been confirmed.
Warnings:
The Purple Owl must be contained within a relatively large enclosure to provide it with what researchers believe to be a "sense of freedom."
The enclosure must contain a sufficient number of small animals and insects for the entity to stalk. These animals do not necessarily need to be hunted or killed, and the Purple Owl has demonstrated no consistent interest in consuming its targets.
The animals within the enclosure must be replaced once every two weeks.
Failure to provide sufficient targets has resulted in the Purple Owl becoming increasingly restless and attempting to escape its enclosure.
Ranking: F
Reasoning:
Spiritual detection tests have indicated that the Purple Owl possesses an anomalous presence bordering between F and E Rank.
However, its anomalous abilities have demonstrated no direct capacity to physically harm its targets. The primary effects observed are prolonged discomfort, paranoia, and insomnia.
As such, the Purple Owl has been classified as F Rank.
...
Rereading the document once again, Elias finally nodded.
"Since the document didn’t state that the ghost entity, F-299, was capable of taking off its collar through supernatural means, then we can push the blame onto the researchers and gain some leeway at least...."
Clara frowned.
"But wouldn’t they investigate?"
"Of course they will."
Elias handed the phone back to her.
"But if we can prove that the entity itself was responsible, then at the very least, we won’t be held responsible for losing it."
Marcus shrugged.
"That’s assuming we can even get out of here first."
All of them went silent.
Jonathan, who had been listening to their conversation while trying to catch his breath, was about to ask if they could take a break when a hand suddenly grabbed him.
He flinched slightly.
But when he looked back, he saw that it was Elias.
Their team leader had grabbed his arm, a bit of vigilance present on his face as he looked up the staircase.
Jonathan followed his gaze.
Behind him, Marcus and Clara had also stopped.
Both of them were frozen in place, looking up the staircase as well.
A realization hit Jonathan.
He immediately turned his head towards the staircase.
Standing there...
Was a young man dressed in a sharply tailored black suit, the clothes fitted neatly against his well-built frame.
His dark hair was carefully combed to the side, each strand arranged with almost obsessive neatness.
A long, prominent scar stretched across his right eye, the skin around it appearing rough and damaged. The eye itself was completely white, devoid of any visible iris or pupil, making it appear as though he had been completely blinded.
His remaining eye was a deep, almost pitch-black color, staring down at them with an unnervingly empty gaze.
His pale face held no expression whatsoever.
The combination of his perfectly fitted suit, neatly styled hair, scarred face, and completely white eye gave him an appearance that was strangely elegant yet deeply unsettling.
His remaining eye was dark and blank, staring down at them as though he could see right through them.
All of them froze completely, not daring to move.
They simply stared at the figure standing above them.
Elias’ eyes slowly shifted sideways towards Clara.
Clara understood immediately.
She briefly tilted the small device in her hand towards Elias before whispering.
"It’s a supernatural entity..."
Sweat poured down the entire team’s heads.
Standing at the top of the staircase, the man simply stared.