“There she is.” A man says, his form blending into the shadows of the wall.

“Alright. Let's move in. Remember. Take her alive.” Someone else says.

Serah sits next to a table, drinking some iced tea, with Samantha, when suddenly, two men materialize from the shadows with swords in their hands.

The two men immediately rush to Serah and lunge in to pierce her with their swords.

Serah's eyes widen. She leaps up and immediately dodges.

Samantha's eyes widen. She also leaps up, ready to do battle.

Then, for some reason, the black-robed man appears. “Stop!” He yells.

The two men dressed in dark clothes stop and look at the black-robed man. “What are you doing here?” One of them asks.

“You two can go back. This one’s under my protection.” The black-robed man says with a wave of his hand.

“We’ll have to report this to Mr. Red. He had plans for this one.” The man says.

The black-robed man waves his hand again. “Whatever. Just go.” He says.

The two men shrug their shoulders and walk away.

Serah’s eyes widen. “What’s going on!? Who are you?” She asks.

The black-robed man lets out a chuckle. “No one important. I’m just that black-robed dude. Anyways, you two come with me.” He says, gesturing for them to follow.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Nickie walks out the door. “Hey! Where are you guys going?” She asks.

Serah looks to Nickie, and Samantha looks to the black-robed man.

The black-robed man lets out a sigh. “Yeah, you too.” He says before walking away.

…

…

“Okay, cool. For some reason there’s three of you, but that’s fine. Whatever.” The black-robed man says as he leads the way out of the college, and into the city. “You can all join. I don’t care. The Shadow Order needs more people. Probably. Or something.” He says without a care. He stops on the side of the road, and hails a cab.

A carriage, seeing the black-robed dude stops. “Where to young man?” He asks.

“Oh, it’s not far. There’s a bar I like to frequent. Over at Sultan Road.” He says before throwing a bag of coins at the man.

The man catches the bag and feels the weight. “Awesome. Hop in, good sir.” He says with a smile.

“Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.” He says before climbing onto the carriage.

Samantha looks to Serah. “Are we going to a bar?” He asks.

“I don’t know. But I could use a drink.” Serah says before following.

Samantha walks forward and also climbs on.

Nickie lets out a sigh. “Why do you seem closer than previously?” She asks, somewhat dissatisfied before walking forward onto the carriage.

The black-robed man crosses his legs and leans back. “Anyways, welcome to the Shadow Order. It’s a weird organization that likes to mess with people because its funny. Or that’s how I like to think of it. Anyways, just mind your business while you’re here and everything should be cool. I’m not familiar with a bunch of the shit the organization does, but no one needs to know that. The organization does what it does. Just stay in your lane and you’ll be fine.” He says as he looks to the group of girls.

“Ugh… What should we expect exactly?” Serah asks.

“Well, first. Training. You know, all that good stuff. Learn what you need to know, then use it as necessary. Who knows what the organization will have you do. But one thing’s for sure, money is super important. Or something.” The black-robed man says before letting out a chuckle and looking out the window.

“Where are we going?” Serah asks.

Samantha and Nickie sit quietly, also waiting for an answer.

The black-robed man smiles. “It’s a bar. A shadow organization bar. There’s places like this in random places. You can find work there, and food, or wine. As for me, I'm in it for some alcohol.” He says.

Samantha frowns. “Is this really a good time to drink? Shouldn’t you be explaining the rules or maybe purpose of this organization?” Samantha asks.

The black-robed man uncrosses his legs. “I don't know. Aren’t those type of things self-explanatory.” He says as he looks out the window. “You do what you want to do. Sometimes there’s a price and sometimes there’s a reward. Like what you did back in Riot Kingdom. You let the exiles go. Most people would have just killed them because that’s the job. But I guess that idea was offensive to you guys and you let them go. That’s what you’ll be doing in the organization. You’ll be acting based on your own will, on the Shadow Order’s behalf. There’s some authority that comes with that but you guys don’t have to worry about that right now.” The man says with a smile.

“Does the Shadow Order have any enemies that we should be aware of?” Serah asks.

The black-robed man continues to smile. “Probably. And you’ll probably make enemies of your own. But whatever. It comes with the job. Just enjoy yourselves.” He says, satisfied.