Sighing, Julian checked his watch. It was 1:40 pm and his guests were currently 10 minutes late. While not everyone shared his attitude towards punctuality, being a full 10 minutes late for something as important as the current meeting he had set up was unacceptable.

He leaned back in his chair, his bored gaze floating around the room. From the table he sat at, set for 5, to the quiet dining hall around him, and then to the elegant dark rich coloring of the traditional styled furniture in the room lit up by the bronze chandelier hanging from the ceiling. And finally, his gaze stopped on the doors directly in front of him.

As soon as they did, the door slowly creaked open and Rita walked in. His daughter and student combed back her short messy red hair and cleared her throat.

“Your guests are here. A guard is showing them in.” She said.

Julian nodded and looked at Rita’s outfit up and down. “Jeans and a sweatshirt Rita?” He said disapprovingly “While this meeting isn’t formal, it at least grants a more appropriate outfit than what you’re wearing.”

Rita looked down at her clothes and then back up at Julian “I’ll change quickly, sorry Boss.“

“You don’t need to call me Boss when we’re not conducting business.”

“Sorry, a force of habit Dad. We’re almost always doing business lately.”

“It’s alright,” He said with a soft smile, “Change into something more appropriate and come back, alright?”

Rita nodded and left the room. Julian leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he waited patiently for his guests. He soon felt himself fall into a meditative trance, relaxed and calm. But Julian’s tranquility was broken by the sound of the door flying open and slamming against the wall. Julian frowned and opened his eyes, feeling annoyed and irritated by the sight of a panicked guard. Julian stood up and walked towards the guard as he shouted.

“Boss! We have Sentinels com-!”

Julian flicked his hand, slamming the guard with a wave of mana. Julian watched with a slight scowl the guard’s warning got cut off by a scream as he slammed into the walls next to the doors.

“You don’t enter a room without knocking, you idiot.” He growled, keeping the man suspended against the wall. “Something tells me you don’t value your life.”

“I do hope you don’t plan on committing murder in front of me, Julian.”

Julian glanced at the doorway and quickly laid eyes on the speaker. A dark-eyed woman with her long black hair tucked under a dark blue cap. She was dressed in a uniform that consisted of dark blue pants and a jacket, lined in red. Her lapel was decorated with an assortment of medals and a cape hanged off of her left shoulder. She was flanked by a younger woman and a man, both dressed in similar uniforms, but less ornate. The woman who spoke took a step forward, clutching a sword by her side.

“If you do, I’ll gladly take you in for murder.”

Julian smiled and released the guard. “Now, that would be foolish of me Alexandra. For me to commit a crime in front of Sentinal’s finest.” He said, nodding towards the two soldiers flanking Alexandra. “Cyrus, Selena. I hope you both are doing well”

The male- Cyrus- smiled, his gold hair bobbing slightly as he nodded politely in return. Selena gave him a small smile as Cyrus spoke up “Thank you, we’re both doing great.”

“Selena! You’re here!” Rita cheered, darting into the dining room dressed in more appropriate clothing. She hugged the silver-haired Selena with a happy smile.

Julian smiled as Rita took her seat next to him, smiling and waving at Cyrus and Selena. “Now, since we’re all here. How about we eat and discuss the reason the three of you came here?” Julian said, clapping his hands twice. The doors swung open and a group of servants bustled in, each pushing a cart.

“I hope you don’t mind. But I have taken the liberty to customize each meal to your individual tastes,” he continued, smiling charmingly “A creamy mushroom tomato risotto with a blueberry black tea for Cyrus. A Blue King Lobster flavored with herbs and lemon, paired with water infused with oranges, lemons, limes, and cucumbers to give a refreshing aftertaste for Selena. And lastly, for the ever-hotheaded Alexandra, spicy shrimp curry with a refreshing classic lemonade.”

Cyrus and Selena both smile in appreciation, eagerly digging into their meals. But Alexandra refrained.

She scoffed crossing her arms as she fixed Julian with a steely glare. “No way I’m eating here at your house.”

Julian sighed, picking up his fork and knife, cutting into his steak “Why must you wound me so, Lexa? Were we not friends as children?”

“You lost my friendship when you chose the path you did.”

“Captain Alexandra.” Cyrus sighed, “Please, we’re trying to be civil here.” Selena gently taps the table with her fingers, holding up a small chalkboard. Written on it was, “Plus, he did get our taste right. We all know you can’t say no to shrimp.”

Rita chuckled as Alexandra’s scowl only depended. Julian smirked and winked, blowing her a kiss as he proudly added “I’ve been told I’m excellent at judging a lady’s taste”

“I do not care to even consider the implications behind that Julian” She growled, glaring at her subordinate for confirming Julian’s suspicions. Selena rolled her eyes and flipped the chalkboard around, clearing the surface with a rag and jotting down a new sentence.

“If you won’t eat, then let him tell us why we came, Captain.”

Crossing her arms, Alexandra turned her glare to Julian and stayed silent. Julian unperturbed, waited patiently for her to stop glaring, as he continued to eat his food. He swallowed and wiped his mouth “Your commanding officer asked for my help with your latest case. The one regarding the emergence of Black Boxes.”

Alexandra nodded “Yes, I’m assuming you called us over because you’ve got more information?”

“Yes, you would be correct. I managed to locate where the weapons are being created and stored. Rita, would you mind telling me what exactly a Black Box is and why it’s considered illegal?”

Rita jumped, startled by the sudden question, and stammered “Aah, a Black Box is a magic weapon that um, increases the mana one can emit and produce by acting as both an amplifier and a battery of sorts.” She said as if she were reciting the answer for a test. “As useful as they are, they’re illegal because of the main ingredient needed to create them. A child’s heart.”

“Why a child?” Julian asked, smiling softly as Rita answered.

“Between the ages of 4 and 12, children haven’t discovered their talents, like mine with healing or yours with defensive magic. Because their mana core hasn’t really stabilized, they make excellent catalysts for Black Boxes. And since the mana core is located in the heart, that’s why they’re used. So…yeah.” She finished weakly.

Julain nodded, smiling in approval “Good, I’m glad you’ve been keeping up with your studies Rita.”

Rita grinned and gave her father a lazy salute as Alexandra spoke “Enough with the lesson, You said you knew where their base was. We need to make a plan.”

“Yes, they’ve boxed themselves into a warehouse near the docks in the southern district under the premise of refurbishing old ships. They’ve hidden well.”

“Good, so I’ll call over a squadron and we’ll raid them,” Alexandra said firmly.

“Ah, it won’t be that simple.” Julain sighed “They have heavy security around the area. A big group will be quickly noticed and they’ll flee.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Yes, I do.” He said “The five of us here will attack them. We should be able to take them on fairly easy, there aren’t many of them there.” He smiled and continued eating his meal.

“I’m sorry, we need to talk this plan over with HQ Julian. We have protocols we have to follow.” Cyrus said, frowning slightly.

“Yes, we can’t go in guns blazing without a care in the world like you.” Alexandra snarked. Julain shrugged, not reacting in the slightest to Alexandra’s taunt.

“Then go back to the base of stuffy old men and talk things over with them. But that’s the only way I’ll offer my services and divulge the location of the warehouse.”

Alexandra glared at Julain “Are you serious?”

“Entirely.”

“You smug prick” Alexandra hissed as she stood up “I’ll make a call, excuse me.” She said, glaring at Julain as she stormed out of the dining room.

Julian snickered as he watched her march off. He heard a tapping noise and glanced over at Selena. She held up her slate “You really shouldn’t antagonize her like that. Not that it isn’t funny.” She wrote, with a smile.

“Selena! It isn’t at all!” Cyrus scolded.

“Yes, it is.” She insisted.

Julian grinned as he finished his meal. He snapped his fingers, summoning the servants back into the room to clear away the empty plates. Watching amused as the twins bickered with each other about their captain. Soon enough, the captain in question re-entered the dining room, making her way towards Julian, her face still set in a scowl.

“Since the commander seems to think that your help is oh so essential to the success of this operation,” She seethed, her glare turning deadly as she fixed it on the source of her frustrations “They’ve agreed to your stupid idea. And since I don’t want to spend any longer than I have to in your company- despite how well our subordinates get along- we’re doing this now.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

And with that, she grabbed Julian’s arm and yanked him out of his seat. Julian stumbled and frowned, murmuring. “Hmm, something is different about you……”

“There’s nothing different about me, let’s get moving.”

Realization dawned on Julian’s face. “You’re wearing heels. You know they’re not practical to fight in, right?”

Alexandra flinched “There’s no rule saying I can’t wear them.”

Julian chuckled “I completely understand, you just like to look down at me. So you wear heels. And you say I’m the arrogant one! It’s only a 3-inch difference.”

Rita burst out laughing while Selena simply smiled, Cyrus covered his eyes, sighing. Alexandra blushed and let go. She tightly gripped the handle of the sword by her side “That’s IT! I’m going to cut off your head!”

Alexandra drew out her sword in one swift movement and swung her blade at his throat. Julian quickly brought his hand up, blocking the blade with his fingers that were coated in protective mana. “I don’t think your commander would appreciate my head being decapitated, Lexa.”

“Don’t care.” She growled, “I would.”

Julian smiled as he gently pushed the blade away from his neck. “My my, you’re asking quite a lot from me, Lexa. Can I consider this a proposal? And we haven’t even been on a date!”

“Why you-”

“Captain, we should get going,” said Cyrus, as he stood up along with both Rita and Selena.

Julian nodded in agreement snapping his fingers and catching a cane that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He combed his dark wavy hair back as he opened up the doors and stepped into the hallway.

“I’ll lead the way.” He said with a smug smile “Be thankful that your commander talked me into helping you.”

**************

“What possessed me to allow your commander to talk me into this?” Julian muttered as his gaze assessed the situation he, Alexandra, and their subordinates were in. Selena was unconscious, bleeding profusely from a wound on her head while a frantic Rita tended to her. Cyrus was standing in front of the pair, his fists clenched as he stood protectively over his sister's body. And Alexandra, by his side, her sword held up menacingly.

“Now is not the time to be whining,” Alexandra said “We need to get these three out of here. Selena’s hurt and Cyrus isn’t much better”

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” He mussed “Oh, I know. Maybe it’s because we’re backed into a corner, surrounded?”

The group was pinned to the wall, the only way out of the dead-end they had boxed themselves into was blocked by a hoard of mages. Julian was proud of his strength, and he knew Alexandra- despite all his teasing- was no slouch either. But even the two of them combined couldn’t hope to stand up to more than 15 mages, not only armed with firearms, but some also carried the illegal weapons they came looking for; Black Boxes. All while protecting the three younger mages.

“We need to open a path for the three of them, Julian.” Said Alexandra.

“Well, it’s not like we can force our way through them that fast. Not if we want to protect them.”

“Well well well. When I was told we had intruders, I wasn’t expecting A Mage from Sentinel or an infamous crime lord! It’s my lucky day!”

Julian turned to the speaker and saw a man whom he instantly disliked. Maybe it was his unkempt clothes and hair, the stubble growing in awkward patches, or the overall disappointment he felt at the appearance of his new competitor. He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t like him.

Julian felt a tap on his shoulder and heard Alexandra cautiously whispering in his ear “Hey, is it possible for you to do a reforming spell here?” She asked.

Keeping his gaze on the ranting villain, he nodded “I can.” He said hesitantly. His eyes flashed as he quickly caught on to her plan with a smile “Whenever you’re ready.”

He felt her give his shoulder a quick squeeze before her hand moved away. Julian tensed, barely a handful of seconds went by before he heard Alexandra yell out “Now!”

He snapped into action, swinging out his hand in a wide arch as he let out a wave of unfocused mana, knocking back the enemy group. He heard a deafening explosion behind him, the ground quaked and he stumbled forward “Switch!”

He spun around, ducking around a charging Alexandra. Julian dashed to the wall that had now been reduced to rubble thanks to Alexandra’s attack, waving his hand through the billowing dust. Beyond the gaping hole, he saw Rita and Cyrus each supporting the still-unconscious Selena making their way over crumbled cement and warped metal. Rita turned back, her face filled with worry and unease. He gave her a brief reassuring smile before snapping his finger and yanking his hand back, watching as bits of rock flew back into place, the metal rods slotted back into their previous positions. Soon, the wall was whole again, and young mages were safe on the other side. Assured by this fact, Julian turned back to the enemy mages and their leader, who looked mildly annoyed. Julian chuckled and stepped next to Alexandra.

“Well, the children are gone dear, shall the adults have their fun?” He asked, holding his hand out as his cane materialized in his grasp. Alexandra hummed, pointing her sword at the man who had spoken to them earlier. “Sure,” She said “Mind leaving the scruffy-looking one to me? He’s the one the General wanted.”

“Not a problem, what was his name again? Sullivan? Stewart? I’m certain it started with an S”

“I think it was Steve” She shrugged “But it doesn’t really matter at this point.”

Julian snorted “True enough, just be careful. A little under half of them have Black Boxes from what I can see.”

Alexandra glanced at him “Are you worried I might be beaten by barbaric contraptions that use children's hearts?”

“No, but they are receiving a significant boost from them. Don’t get cocky.”

“Hmm, never thought I’d see the day you actually worried about someone other than yourself,” Alexandra commented, walking ahead of Julian, her blade glowing faintly, coated in mana. “Now you know that isn’t the slightest bit true Alexandra.” He said softly, twirling his cane between his fingers as he followed behind her “I’m not that heartless. Unlike Steve the child killer here.”

Alexandra rolled her eyes “Whatever, let’s just get this over with.”

“Hey! You two assholes have been completely ignoring me this whole time! Do you two want to fucking die?” The man-Steve yelled at them, enraged “And stop fucking calling me Steve! My name is-“

“No, you’re Steve. That’s what we’ll be calling you. Tell your jailer your real name because. We. Don’t. Care!” Alexandra snapped. With a sudden roar, she charged forward. Her blade slashed viciously through the air, mowing down the gun-wielding men before they could even pull their triggers. Panicked shouts rang out from the group and they reacted, the remaining few with guns raised them and started firing while the mages let loose bolt after bolt of mana.

Julian let out a soft curse as he quickly covered his body with mana to form a shield to protect himself from the onslaught of attacks. Clutching his cane tightly in his hand, he ran headfirst into the fray. His mind fell into autopilot as he used his cane as a makeshift weapon, deflecting mana stikes and slamming the decorative handle into whatever body part he could reach. Amidst the chaos, he soon quickly lost track of Alexandra, but he couldn’t hear her crying out in distress, so he wasn’t too worried.

Jullian kicked aside a mage as he felt the hairs on his neck rise up. He reacted and lunged as far as he could to his left falling to his knees, out of the corner of his eyes he saw a blinding ray shoot through where he once stood, the enemy combatants who were near him were vaporized. Not even able to let out a single scream before their sudden deaths. The only trace was the molten red path left, gouged into the floor.

Julian heard Steve laugh maniacally “That’s it, run Sentinal bitch! One hit from me and there won’t be anything left for your boss to put in the damn casket!”

Julian felt his heart drop as Steve’s words sunk into his head. It only dropped further as he heard a familiar voice cry out in pain. He surged to his feet, scanning the room for Alexandra. He spotted her, a few feet away, sprawled out on the floor, one of her feet exposed and covered in angry red blistering burns. And in front of her, stood Steve holding a strange-looking staff that split off into four claw-like protrusions at the top, cradling a large black cube, a Black Box.

Steve smiled triumphantly, pointing the staff at Alexandra. A flickering pure white orb was already forming, growing larger by the second. Julian’s vision narrowed, all he could see was the orb and its intended target, Alexandra.

He ran towards Alexandra and threw his cane towards the staff in Steve’s hand. The cane hit the staff with a solid smack but only pushed it aside. Already, Steve was moving it back towards Alexandra. Julian grit his teeth, and with a sudden burst of speed, he managed to put himself in between the glowing orb and Alexandra.

Steve laughed “Aww, you’re trying to protect her. How sweet! It doesn’t matter, I’ll burn through you both!” He roared, the glowing orb firing the deadly beam.

Julian’s hands snapped out in front of him as he formed a barrier, pouring every bit of mana he had into the shield. He felt the flaming beam slam into it, slowly pushing him back. It spread out along the length of the shield, flickering and lashing out. Tounges of white flame broke away, melting into the floor. Julian could feel the mana he put into the shield, normally fluid and malleable like water, harden like glass, turning brittle and slowly chipping away. Small ribbons of fire made their way past the protective wall, landing on Julian’s arms and brushing his face, he saw a white flash on his right, then nothing.

It felt like ice at first, so cold and numbing. But then the pain set in, and it was agony. Like someone shoved a hundred needles all into his flesh. The numbing, burning sensation covered the right side of his face and numerous spots on his arms and legs. He screamed, his hands and legs shaking, threatening to give up on him. But he couldn’t, not with Alexandra behind him. He swallowed back his screams and grit his teeth, grimly holding back the blast.

Soon, the flames trickled down and Steven looked at him, his eyes wide with disbelief “Ho-How did you survive that?!? You should be dead!”

“I’m….really…..good at……defense” He managed to get out. The vision in his left eye blurred and blackened as the ground rushed up to meet him. He gasped as his injured skin hit the floor. He could only watch helplessly as he saw Steve turn tail and start to run.

He tried to raise his arm, he tried to call upon even the smallest bit of mana. He tried to do something, anything to stop the fleeing man. But he couldn’t.

He was startled as his sight of Steve was blocked, he looked up and saw a very angry Alexandra raising an open hand toward the fleeing man. Her hand flashed red and Julian heard Steve let out a startled squeak, followed by a thud “There, got the slimy bastard.” She grumbled. She looked down at Julian and her face softened. “Well,” She said, “you look like shit.”

He let out a huff “Th-thanks..”

Alexandra smiled, limping over to him, using her sword as a crutch “You're welcome. Now, let’s head back. After this, we both need a check-up.”

**************

Julian sighed “Rita,” He said “Can I please take these band-aides off my hands? They weren’t even burnt that badly” He asked, holding up his overly wrapped hands “My nose itches and I can’t scratch it like this!”

Rita scowled and shook her head stubbornly. Glaring at him as he sat behind his desk “No, you’re keeping them on. Besides, you should be resting! It’s only been two days, you should be in bed! Not out here in your office!” She said, waving her hands around, gesturing to his personal office, decorated much like his dining room: Victorian, dark, and elegant.

“Ah, but if I were in bed who would be managing my territory? I need to make sure none of Steve’s men are hiding. That and I need to be up to receive this shipment.” Said Julian as he held still, allowing Rita to check the progress of his wounds.

“His name was Xander, not Steve” She murmured absentmindedly “And what shipment?”

A knock interrupted their conversation. Julian smiled as the doors to his small office opened. Three of his men came in, two carrying a long rectangular crate, while the other had a single crate. “Perfect.” Julian beamed. He pushed himself out of his chair and carefully made his way around his desk and stopped in front of the crates.

“What’s in them?” Rita asked, looking at them curiously.

Julian patiently waited for one of the men who brought the boxes to produce a crowbar and pried open the longer box first. He reached into the crate and pulled out a black staff that held a black cube in its clawed tip. “The black boxes and staff that our friends Steve and his men used.” Said Julian.

“Xander. Wait, weren’t those in Sentinel's evidence lockers?” Rita asked.

“They were.” He said, waving the staff around “But they weren’t going to do any good collecting dust in some musty underground storage. So I did the liberty of taking them.”

“What if they notice? And I thought you didn’t like Black Boxes.”

“Like I said,” Julian assured her “it was collecting dust. They won’t notice. And on the off chance they do, well.” He laughs, smiling broadly “I can’t wait for that meeting. They always seem to forget I’m the bad guy here. Besides, I’m not above using whatever I can to strengthen myself.”

“I understand. Now please sit back down so I can finish?” Rita said, gently pushing him towards his chair.

Julian allowed himself to be pushed, sitting down as he hummed pleased with himself. After everything that happened, he decided, he could relax. He earned it.