Rubber knives and wooden staves clanked on the floor while half a dozen people fell flat on their backs on the dark folding mats. One loud thump after another, the training ground slowly emptied, until there was only one last man stood up against Felix.

Out of breath, an auburn-haired man spoke, “Felix, come on. Everyone knows what you can do, so take it easy on us.”

“I was going easy on you. Any more and that would’ve been an insult to you as a fighter.” Felix replied, trying to hide his smug grin.

“Heh, an insult is being repeatedly knocked down. You know if David was here, he’d give you a taste of your own medicine.”

Felix clenched his fist and forced out an irritated smile, “Who?”

“Don’t be an ass, Felix.” The man grinned in annoyance as he wiped off his sweat and tried to calm his breathing.

“You’re the one who tried to hit a low-blow, Lance.” Felix shot back.

“Whatever it takes to win. Anyway, I’m gonna hit the showers.”

“Good, you reek.” The blue-eyed man gestured fanning his smell away.

As Felix’s last sparring partner headed to the showers, he was left to clean up the training room alone. He strolled around, picking up the equipment. His eyes were drawn to the dents on the worn-out punching bag hanging in the center.

He picked up a wooden staff and struck the punching bag playfully. Yet without a hint or notice, a familiar voice called out.

“What’s this? So you do know how to socialize!”

Sat atop a crate, Maria spoke, dressed in sparring clothes. Her legs swung back and forth, while a strawberry was popped between her confident, smirking lips.

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough... I see the scratch on your face has healed up already.” She commented as she pointed to her own cheek.

“Is your head okay?”

“You calling me crazy?”

“That’s not what — Sigh. Never mind, you seem okay to me.”

“Nothing leaves a scar on us, remember?”

“Right. Why are you here then? Weren’t you mad at me?” Felix asked while putting back the weapons to the side of the room.

“Mhm…a little.”

“Sorry about earlier, it’s just… how my mentor used to wake me up, so I wasn’t really thinking.” He admitted.

“Apology not accepted, you really should start thinking for yourself.”

Felix scratched his cheek, “Right. So what did the chief need you for?”

“Just tried to decrypt some files. It was a bit of a hassle. But enough about that, let’s talk about you… talking.”

“Lance is an old sparring buddy. And, well, I guess your silliness rubbed off on me.”

“Hoh? The stoic and somewhat sassy Felix telling an aspiring agent inspiring yet gentle words. Pretty out of character if you ask me.” She replied gleefully with wide gestures.

“Nobody asked you. Also, you’re the only one who calls me those things.” He retorted as he continued to wipe the sweat from the back of his head.

“Cause I’m the only one here who has the balls to do so. I’m not particularly good at hand-to-hand combat, but how about it, wanna go for a round?” She confidently approached him with arms wide open.

“Why?”

“Thought you might wanna polish up a bit, I mean, after all… Didn’t you say you wanted to be the best?” She insisted as she picked up one of the fake knives from the table.

“Don’t twist my words to your favor. Besides, your wounds might reopen.”

“All right then, I was told that you were a natural but had little to no experience. Was your first time really that scary for you?” She smirked, waving the rubber knife back and forth.

“You’re still mad, aren’t you?”

“Take a wild guess!”

Keeping her head low, she lunged for the first blow, quickly closing the distance between them. She struck with a right, a left, and followed with a straight kick, all of which Felix effortlessly blocked.

She smirked. She raised her arms once more and threw an ax kick, which he once again dodged before preparing with a counter attack. He had his arm set back, but before his blow could land, his hand was stopped in the space between her head and his fist.

A cold sweat dripped down Felix. It was almost as if he couldn’t push forward or pull back his fist.

His mismatched eyes widened as he noticed Maria’s foot stomping on his. She smiled and hopped away. As soon as there was distance between them, he felt like he could move his arm again.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Felix let out a light gasp and he brought back his guard, more cautious than before.

She once again sprung forward.

This time her strike was swift, direct and predictable. Felix dodged and prepared another counter, but his body suddenly stiffened to the point where even his fingers weighed a ton. The second strike followed. The knife in her hand twirled unpredictably. Something about it just moved the way she wanted it to.

Felix raised his guard, but his arms felt locked in place. His eyes widened, and his right eye shined bright. With a burst of blue, he quickly bounced out of the way.

After activating the power on command, a tinge of excitement ran through his veins.

“It’s working…” He muttered in a small voice.

But he couldn’t even let out a sigh of relief. In the half-second he celebrated, Maria had once again closed the gap.

As soon as they made contact with each other, he felt a familiar sensation under his skin. Like a sharp current coursed through his veins.

Before he even realized it, he was already on the floor.

She put all her weight to keep him while holding the knife against his throat. His mind suddenly exploded with rapid thoughts. He felt like a rat, caught and pinned down by a serpent.

My body was…

The first two strikes were a diversion to get me off balance. Her movements weren’t bad, but they were amateurish, and easy to follow. Yet she knocked me down.

She knocked me down, and I couldn’t move. She knocked me down.

I knew she was strong… but this wasn’t the same. Strength isn’t the right word for what she did. She’s… I don’t know how to describe it. It’s almost like she cheated somehow.

It’s the same sensation I felt when I faced Luna… and against David.

The same power.

Yet somehow, this was a million times worse. It wasn’t a pressure forced upon me. It was creeping under my skin. Like my body became a prison from within.

It was the same. But it was different. More than that… where was it? Where was the light… the energy?

With a vibrant and satisfied smile on her face, Maria poked the tip of the knife on Felix’s nose, “Boop.”

Never mind, I was still facing Marie after all.

“What just… how did—?” He said dumbfounded. The glow in his right eye faded.

“It didn’t take much to knock you down a peg. Here I expected better from the Black Cat of Ruin.” She teased.

“I thought you were just a computer cracker. How did you do that?”

“… There’s a reason why I’m an Elite Agent, y’know?”

“Right, the Venom Vanguard... You didn’t lace my coffee with poison, did you?” He scoffed.

“We all have our experiences. The world is an ocean, and I’m the biggest fish there is.” The dark-haired girl brazenly boasted.

“I’ve been trained by the best of them. I don’t think a lack of experience was all there is to it.”

She reached out her hand and lifted Felix up, “Tell that to Harbinger.”

“That was… different.”

“Sure, it was.” She placed her hands on her chin, “Tell me, when you fought Harbinger, you went on all fours, and started fighting him like a wild animal. Why is that?”

Felix’s gaze shifted downward and gave it a few seconds of thought, but nothing came to mind and he answered, “No idea.”

“Does it have anything to do with you being called Black Cat? Gonna have to investigate.” She muttered to herself, “Anyways, you’ll figure it out soon enough with Blue Mode, Mister Child of Stars.”

As she uttered those words, he remembered the warm touch of the girl with crisp, red eyes, as well as her remark.

“Speaking of, does my eye look like a flower to you?”

She turns her head toward him with a gaze full of disgust, “If you’re trying to make yourself look better, I’m just gonna tell you that sounded really self-absorbed.”

“Ugh, I meant literally. It’s something that white-haired girl said.”

“Just take a good long look in the mirror.”

“I just wanted a second opinion.”

“Sheesh, you really don’t have a clue, do you?”

“Hm… about what?”

She stretched out her arms as she walked away, “…How to flirt with a girl, idiot.”

Felix looked at her with annoyance and defeat, but as she walked away, the training room doors opened.

An agent with old gray hair and a black suit entered with a clipboard in hand, “Sir Felix, the chief wanted to—”

Before the man could finish, Felix pointed his finger towards the agent’s feet, “No shoes in the training ground, Murphy.”

“I apologize, sir. I simply came to hand you your next assignment.” Murphy awkwardly responded as he took off his shoes and placed it at the side of the entrance.

“A mission?” Felix muttered as he went over the documents.

“Indeed, sir. You are to leave shortly.”

“Welp, my moods’ ruined. Looks like we’ll have to settle this another time.” Maria shrugged.

“You know we’re gonna have a rematch someday.” Felix declared before following after her.

“Sure.”

With the spar cut short, the two agents were immediately sent off to their next mission.

*

In a cramped, moist room with dimly lit red lights sat two figures. Above them hung a mesh work of leaking pipes, and staring rats that skittered through the shadows, and beneath them was the stained concrete floor full of dark puddles that echoed with every drop.

“So, which card is this?” Asked a young man with orange hair wearing a brown, fur-collared jacket. His voice sounded high with giddy excitement as he held up a card from the deck he was holding.

“Eight of Clubs.” Answered the older, sharply dressed man with blond hair, who wore sunglasses that reflected light from the smartphone in his hand.

“How do you keep doing that? You weren’t even looking!”

“Don’t you get tired of—”

“How about now!” The young man thrust another card at his face.

“Queen of hearts.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be cheating, would you?” There was a hint of distrust in his voice.

The blond man sighed, his expression was cold behind his sunglasses, “Of course I am, you’ll just never figure it out.”

“Ah, that so…” The orange-haired man’s expression soured, and he started to shuffle the cards, the sound of cardboard slapping together filled the damp room, “So Julius, has Harbinger answered yet?”

“It’s been a week since I last heard from him. It’s possible that he’s been compromised.” The blond man dismissively responded as he put his phone down on the table, “Here I thought he was one of the stronger ones.”

“Maybe someone stronger was in the way? Or maybe I didn’t fill him up with enough steroids?” The orange-haired young man mused, his voice dripping with hostile glee.

“Any more drugs and you would have left him mentally impaired.”

The young man pressed his back against the brown couch he sat on, making himself comfortable on the old, grimy leather, “So, what now?”

“We continue moving forward. I’ll have to find someone new. In the meantime, would you get rid of the freeloaders? Try not to leave a mess.” The older man said with a hint of exasperation.

“Right.” The orange-haired young man walked over to the room behind him, one that was not lit, and was in near total darkness.

“Please… don’t hurt me…” A woman with dark hair pleaded, her body shivered while her heart raced.

“Sorry, miss. But your husband has failed and is probably dead, and unfortunately, rent is due.” The young man cocked the gun.

“Wait, please! I’ll do anything you want!” She cried out.

“Okay then! I’ll spare your life, if you answer this one question.” He smiled brightly and pulled out a deck from his back pocket, and picked out a card, “Which card is this?”

“K-King of Hearts?” Tears blurred her vision, and she closed her eyes.

He flipped the card in his hand, revealing a red joker, “Wrong answer.”

An unfortunate sound echoed in the dark room.

He then looked at the rest of the cards and added, “Well, you wouldn’t have gotten it anyway.” All the cards in his hands were red jokers.

~