His muscles suddenly constricted, his arms extending to his sides and his toes reaching for the floor. He couldn’t turn to see Code, but he could hear the restrained grunts. While he fought the alien force restraining their bodies, Kaiz didn’t bother. He’d long stopped being surprised by the powerful titleds Reel kept in her company.

The ability to completely immobilize not just him but Code as well was alarming, but he’d seen more fearsome magic. The abilities of those that passed level [30] could sometimes be astonishing. Those that passed [40]?

As they crossed the doorframe, he watched as his body was pulled through two different barriers. That was new to Kaiz. He knew about the first one. It blocked all forms of reconnaissance and lightly shielded against mana-based attacks. They had a few similar, but weaker versions in their turf. The second barrier, however, was a complete mystery.

Past the layered barriers, the familiar art room greeted him. It was mostly empty. Designed for groups up to twenty, having only two occupants made the room feel much bigger than it was. The excess chairs and canvases lined the sides of the room, while two women remained in the center.

Reel was as he expected her to be, in her Starry Night form. Her skin and hair were pitch black, a perfect replica of the darkest of nights. Upon both her skin and hair were tiny spots of light. They weren’t bright, but they came in an assortment of colors. Light greens, dark blues, muted yellows, and bright reds, they dotted her body from head to toe. None remarkable in their own, they combined into a breathtaking cosmic tapestry. Her eyes added the final touch. White with bits or red and orange, they mimicked the sun. Attention-seeking and demanding, they tugged at the soul of anyone who peered at them. She was a mesmerizing sight.

Not to Kaiz though. Her form interested him for different reasons. Unlike those with regular eyes, he saw her form for what it was. A mana manifestation. Instead of seeing her Starry Night form, he saw her natural one with a faded image of that form layered on top. From his perspective, she wore the form like a transparent suit. That’s how a lot of illusions looked to him, either just the light of the mana they were derived from or a faint image superimposed on to something in reality.

Usually.

Kaiz’s eyes snapped open upon seeing Reel’s guest. She, or at least Kaiz believed they were a she, used an illusion as well. Contrary to what he knew to be true, he couldn’t see behind it.

What in the pits?

Suddenly, he was panicking just like Code. As cavalier as he was about the strength of those far above him, he didn’t respond well to what he knew as the fundamental laws of mana being broken. Not all illusions were based on sight, some fooled one’s sense of smell, some fooled one’s hearing. They were all at their core the same though, a trick. A fake mana construct.

He should have been able to see that mana construct, regardless of how powerful it may have been. With the ‘woman’ laying next to Reel however, he only knew ‘she’ was using an illusion because ‘she’ had done so sloppily. ‘Her’ skin notably lacked detail, to the point of looking more like a painted sculpture than a human. ‘She’ had chosen a very generic female form to mimic as well. Illusionists tended to have preset forms they took on, but the guest must have whipped theirs up on the spot.

“Kai!” Reel was all smiles, “How nice of you to stop by.”

The chains binding his body abruptly vanished. He tumbled to the floor, his feet not in the appropriate position to suddenly hold his body upright.

“That was petty.”

The mysterious ‘woman’ grinned, “They interrupted our fun.”

Kaiz immediately engaged the ‘get out of here right this second’ protocol, “I just came by to settle my debt.” He hurriedly grabbed Code and shoved him in front, “My friend here will be standing in for me.”

Code whispered, “What do you mean standing in for you? What kind of debts?”

Kaiz whispered back, “Some hot naked girls are going to test their massage technique on you, be happy.”

“Oh.”

The guest giggled, “ A sly one.”

Code went stock still. It was the same spell as before, but Kaiz glimpsed it this time. They were a voiceless castor, but Kaiz didn’t need to hear their voice to see the mana at work. As he expected, everything was foreign to him. That didn’t bother him too much though, he at least confirmed it was them casting the spell. If it was somehow the guard outside, he wouldn’t even know what to think.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

As Code was casually levitated out of the room, he moved to follow suit, “With that settled, I’ll take my lea—”

He froze in place. He realized too late that ‘she’ never released ‘her’ spell.

“No, no.”

His limbs were restrained but this time he could speak freely, “Excuse me Frau, It was not my intention to interrupt you two. I—”

‘She’ slid off the lounge seat and walked towards him, “But it was. You were given two options. To wait, or to interrupt. You made a choice.”

She heard?

“I had approached your...attendant outside, but before I could say a word you pulled us in. If they had told us you were busy, I would have waited.”

In lieu of a response, they walked up to him and placed a hand on his chin. It was probably supposed to be a gentle move, but he could see the spell they were forming. It was far more familiar, in fact he’d seen a nigh identical version. There were a few symbols different here and there, but it was a close match to the spell title scanners evoked.

Kaiz didn’t know people could use such a spell, but ‘she’ did a lot of things he didn’t understand. This was just another on the list. It was taking a relatively long time as far as individual spells go, so at least ‘she’ wasn’t pulling it off with ease.

You’re going to be disappointed, I’m a tanlar.

To Kaiz’s surprise, the look on ‘her’ face when the spell finished was anything but disappointment.

‘She’ turned towards Reel instantly, “I’m taking him.”

“Wa—”

His whole body was magically bound again.

What?! Why? I’m just a tanlar! Can she tell I can see mana?!

Reel just shook her head, “You just arrived. At least wait a few days before you start kidnapping my customers.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

Reel sighed, “The Emerald Javelin is his adopted mother. If he disappears, she’ll know and she won’t ignore it.”

Thank you Lyn!

‘She’ released him. This time he was prepared. Though he stumbled a bit, he was on his feet. He immediately started backing up. Not in too much of a rush, that wouldn’t be a good look, but he steadily inched away.

“Finish your business, little one. When you’re done, we’ll talk.”

Not given a chance to refute or rebut, ‘she’ walked right past him and closed the door.

How quick were those strides?!

Reel let a heavy breath escape her lungs, “So selfish.”

Weighing the odds, Kaiz figured it was better to oblige than to try and run away. They were interested in him, that was fine. Good, even. Maybe. As long as it wasn’t some form of concealed enslavement, he wouldn’t mind listening to their offer. There was also the fact he couldn’t realistically get away, nor even begin to mount a defence if they attacked. He focused on the positives, though.

“So...uh. That. Who was that?”

“Someone too powerful to mess with. Too powerful. Say whatever you need to say to get her to leave you alone for now.”

Kaiz blinked.

…

Then rubbed his eyes.

So definitely above level [50]. She is a she, so what? A Duchess? Princess? She has to be royalty right? She has the attitude of nobility, but with that level she has to be at the summit. Wait. She just arrived. The gates are open. Huge crowd. Is she connected? Maybe royalty just arrived and she’s their protection? Why would she be here though? Spy? Assassin? No, she’s a terrible illusionist. Goddamn it! I don’t have enough pieces!

“Kai?”

Kaiz snapped out of it, “Sorry. I’ll come back a different day.”

“I won’t be available for weeks, maybe months. Is it urgent?”

Shit.

{—————}

Amalie casually sipped on Reel’s wine. She lounged on a seat in her office as she waited for Kaizer to finish. When she offered for him to proceed with his business first, it was to buy time. She wanted to confirm if what Reel said was true. She trusted her, but she also knew about her intense sense of loyalty. It was admirable, but she wouldn’t understand the weight of what Amalie may have just discovered.

Unfortunately, she was being honest. Kaizer wasn’t just the son and disciple of the Emerald Javelin, he was in business with a number of other key individuals in the city. If she hadn’t been given the task she was currently on, she’d nab him anyway. As things were, she couldn’t. The weight of her current responsibility was of more immediate concern. She’d get him eventually, she’d just have to wait.

You’ll rue your mistake Em—

“Duchess.” A misty form manifested to her left, “We’ve arrived at the manor.”

Oh?

She looked at her watch.

I’ve lost track of time.

Finishing the rest of her wine, she walked towards a window, “I’m on my way. Tell Emir to stay here. He’s to shadow the boy.”