Seren, Javier, and Theo walked toward the Backdoor Collective's building at a relaxed pace, their disguises hiding their true identities. Seren whispered to Javier, his nervous energy spilling over.

"Do you think we look convincing enough? I mean, what if someone sees through our disguises? What if—"

Javier shot him a scrutinizing look, his silence heavy with disapproval.

"Right, right, I'll be quiet," Seren muttered, glancing around as if wary of everything. "But what if they ask us questions? I can't think on my feet like you can. And what if they—"

"Seren," Javier interrupted.

Seren paused for a moment, then continued in a hushed voice, "I know, I know. But seriously, what if we run into someone who knows the real people we're impersonating? Or what if there's a secret password we don't know about? Or—"

"Seren," Javier growled, his patience wearing thin.

"Sorry," Seren said quickly. "I talk too much when I'm nervous."

Behind them, Theo, staying out of sight, released a small bird into the shadows. The bird instantly shot up into the dark sky before circling above the Backdoor Collective’s building and surveying it. It spotted a courtyard inside with trimmed grass, at the center of which lay a tower-like structure. The bird noticed a chimney sticking out of the tower and darted toward it, disappearing within.

…

As the trio neared the entrance, they noticed a long line of eager customers waiting to get inside. Two guards stood watch, allowing entry only when someone exited. Seren exchanged a glance with Javier, and without a word, they decided against joining the queue. They strode confidently up the stairs, ignoring the guards as if they were mere obstacles.

Just as they reached the entrance, a voice called out from behind a desk, “Wait!”.

All three halted, their hearts skipping a beat. Seren, the most convincingly disguised, turned to face the guard with a cold stare.

“ID cards,” the guard demanded.

Seren, followed by Javier, approached him with a menacing glare. "You should know who you’re dealing with," Seren acted the part of an executive guest as he growled, sliding an ID card across the table—the face on it belonging to a man Seren had killed earlier.

The guard’s eyes flicked to the card and unease crept into his features as he recognized the man on it. He glanced at Javier and Theo, then hesitated, "And theirs?"

Without warning, Seren grabbed the guard by his shirt, yanking him off his chair. His voice dripped with anger, "Didn’t I fucking tell you to know your place?!"

The second guard, standing at the entrance, instinctively reached for his sword, uncertainty etched on his face. But before he could act, Javier stepped in front of him and warned in an icy tone, “Back off”.

The first guard, now visibly shaken, looked into Seren’s furious eyes.

“These are my people! If you have a problem with them, you have a problem with me,” Seren declared, his grip tightening.

The guard in Seren’s grasp, now terrified, nodded frantically. "O-okay. Please, forgive me, sir. L-let them through." He glanced at his partner, who wore a troubled expression, and reluctantly stepped aside.

With a dismissive shove, Seren released the guard, who stumbled back into his chair. “You’re going to regret this,” Javier sneered as he passed through the door, his tone dripping with menace.

Theo followed silently, not sparing a glance at the guards as they entered the building.

Once inside the dimly lit interior of the Backdoor Collective with crowd upon crowds of customers, Seren then let out a long sigh of relief. “I was so scared back there,” he admitted, his voice a mix of anxiety and exhilaration.

Theo chuckled in response. “Honestly, I thought your acting was pretty good. For a second, I was convinced you might actually work here,” he teased, nudging Seren lightly.

Seren scratched the back of his head, a blush creeping onto his cheeks at the unexpected praise. “Thanks, I guess. I had to do it because you guys didn’t have any ID cards,” he mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.

But before he could respond further, Javier interrupted with an annoyed tone. “Shut up. Focus on the task at hand,” he said, already moving deeper into the building.

Seren pouted in response, but he didn’t argue. Theo gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't mind him. You'll get used to it," he said before following Javier.

As both of them moved further into the collective, oblivious to the tension behind them, Seren’s expression transformed. The childish facade melted away, replaced by a cold, icy glare. His eyes eerily watched Theo and Javier with an intensity that belied his youthful appearance. They had no idea of the true nature of the boy they regarded as just a 15-year-old.

…

Theo moved swiftly through the bustling crowd, his eyes scanning the scene with vigilance. The shop was chaotic, filled with people shouting prices for the various sets of clothes on display. Most of them were ordinary folk, but a few were Lexarchs, their presence an oddity considering the shop's mundane wares. Even stranger were the Lexarch guards stationed at every corner of the mansion-like store, a level of security far beyond what seemed necessary.

Theo, with Javier and Seren close behind, navigated through the throng with ease as they carefully made sure to slip past the various gazes of the guards posted around the shop.

Javier was starting to get impatient as there seemed to be no end to the shop and they still hadn’t figured out where the Collective kept the relics. Grabbing Theo’s shoulder he whispered, "Where do we go from here? The store is too big to scout properly, there are too many gazes around us and we have no fucking clue where the hell we even are".

Theo’s eyes darted around, tension tightening his features. He agreed with Javier. He didn’t have the full layout of the building—only the front section where they were now. If they wanted to go further, they would have to take a risk. After a brief moment of contemplation, Theo turned to Javier. "I'm going to need you to do something for me."

…

One of the guards stationed within the shop yawned, feeling tired from standing all day, doing nothing. The guard stood rigid, his expression impassive as he watched over the crowd. Suddenly, a voice called out to him, "Guard, help me here for a second."

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

The guard turned, his gaze landing on Javier and Seren, with Theo lingering behind them. Javier stepped forward, adopting the authoritative tone of someone in charge. "I came here to deliver a shipment of relics, but no one informed me I’d be stuck in this maze-like shop. Guide me to where I should deliver the relics."

The guard stared at Javier, then at Seren, his face unreadable. After a brief pause, he responded, "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not sure what you're talking about. The Backdoor Collective doesn’t deal in relics. Only the Ravens do."

Javier’s expression darkened, irritation clear as he clicked his tongue.

'Playing dumb, are we?'

He then brought forth the briefcase he had taken from the man he killed earlier. The guard glanced at it, disinterested at first. But when Javier opened the case to reveal three relics, each shimmering with energy, the guard’s eyes lit up.

"Guide me," Javier demanded.

The guard hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Follow me." He led them towards a distant shelf lined with thick clothes. Pushing aside the garments, he revealed a hidden passage. The group followed him into the concealed space.

This hidden section of the building was entirely different, tall ceilings, statues upon statues of creatures that Seren hadn’t seen before, and empty hallways with occasional guards passing by.

As the guard led them, Javier behind, secretly leaned in to whisper to Seren and Theo as he said, “Once we reach our destination, Seren you distract him with your acting while I strike him from behind. If we let him go back, it creates more variable as he tells his colleagues about us”. Javier suggested with apprehension. Seren and Theo had no qualms about this as both nodded.

"Oh, who are these people?"

Javier and the other two heard an unfamiliar voice and turned to see a man in casual clothing who had suddenly appeared before them.

The guard straightened up immediately, his posture stiffening as he tried to impress the higher-up. "Good morning, supervisor," he said, adopting a professional tone. "These three individuals are here to deliver relics, and I was just guiding them to the—"

The supervisor cut him off, waving a dismissive hand. "Alright, I get it. You can leave."

The guard was first taken aback by the bland response to his acting but he obeyed without question, leaving the four of them alone, the silence heavy and tense. Theo, Javier, and Seren exchanged anxious glances. This supervisor wouldn’t be as easy to fool or deal with as the guards outside. This wasn’t a simple situation anymore; they were facing a genuine threat.

"Which one of you is the leader?" the supervisor asked, his gaze sweeping over them.

After a brief hesitation, Seren stepped forward. "I am, sir," he said, keeping his voice respectful.

The supervisor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Show me the goods you brought," he said, a hint of intrigue crossing his voice.

Seren gestured to Javier, who stepped forward with the briefcase. As Javier moved closer, the supervisor suddenly raised a hand. "Wait. Open the case from there," he ordered, stopping Javier in his tracks.

Javier was momentarily confused but did as he was told. He opened the briefcase, revealing the three Grade 1 relics inside. Then, to their shock, the supervisor flicked his finger, and the relics floated out of the case, hovering in mid-air as they drifted toward him.

Seren and Theo tensed, their anxiety spiking. They hadn’t expected the supervisor to reveal his his relic’s power so blatantly. The supervisor inspected the relics with a satisfied nod before sending them back into the case. Without a word, he walked past Javier, a smile on his face as he addressed Seren.

"The relics are good. Just walk forward a bit, and you’ll find yourself in our courtyard. Head to the tower at the center, you will find what you’re looking for there" he said.

Seren bowed and thanked the supervisor.

The supervisor chuckled before leaning in close and whispering softly so only Seren could hear. "No need to thank me. You've done a lot for us, so the manager thought it’d be a great idea to give you guys a present after this mission"

Seren’s eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the information. The supervisor chuckled and waved them off. "Go on, I have work to attend to."

As soon as the supervisor left, Theo visibly relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief as today had been an unusually tense day.

"What did he tell you?" he asked Seren curiously.

"He said we’d be receiving a gift for our service," Seren replied, his voice carrying a note of confusion.

Theo was momentarily surprised, then burst into laughter. "That’s great! We’ll take the relics and the gift they’ve been preparing for us." He seemed genuinely happy as this meant they would get extra rewards after this mission is done.

But Javier’s sudden curse shattered the moment. "Fuck!" he spat, his voice laced with anger.

Theo’s laughter died instantly. "What’s wrong?"

"That piece of shit Zane never told me the supervisor would be a Rank 2 Lexarch as well!" Javier growled, his expression dark.

Seren frowned, confused. "How did you know he was Rank 2?"

Theo sighed, the earlier optimism drained from his voice as he said in a somber tone. "While I’m a Rank 1 Intermediate Lexarch, Javier is Rank 1 Superior. At this stage, a Lexarch can sense another’s rank when they use their powers. When the supervisor used his abilities back there, Javier could tell he was Rank 2."

Seren’s eyes widened in realization. This was new to him, something not covered in the Academy’s books. "But what’s so bad about it? He’s only Rank 2, and there’s three of us. Javier’s even a Rank 1 Superior Lexarch."

Theo shook his head and said in a resigned tone. "Seren, you don’t get it. A person might overcome differences in small realms with hard work and talent, but it’s completely different once a Lexarch advances through a major realm. A Rank 2 Lexarch can easily handle three, maybe even five Superior Rank 1s. This gap only widens as the ranks increase."

Seren’s earlier confidence vanished, replaced by a gnawing apprehension. The odds weren’t in their favor anymore. If they faced the supervisor in a fight, their chances of survival were slim.

"Stop dawdling and let’s get the hell out of here! We have already wasted enough time!" Javier snapped, his urgency clear as he sped ahead.

Seren and Theo followed, the tension between them thick and suffocating as they hurried toward the tower, knowing the longer they stayed, the faster they would be found out.

…

"Zane, do you have a personal vendetta against Theo?" Oliver asked, his tone calm but laced with curiosity. He sat on a plush couch in the opulent restaurant, the lavish surroundings doing little to ease the tension between them. Across from him, Zane reclined on a leather couch with one leg draped over the other. He stared at the ceiling, his expression unreadable, as the light artifact above cast shifting shadows across his face.

"Oliver, you're perceptive," Zane finally responded, his voice bored and detached. "But vendettas are for the narrow-minded. What I have... is more refined." His gaze remained fixed on the ceiling, as if the conversation was of little consequence to him.

Oliver leaned in slightly, intrigued. "Refined? So, what is it then? Why Theo? You make his life hell. It's like you're trying to break him."

Zane chuckled softly. "No, Oliver, you have got it all wrong. Breaking implies a desire to fix something afterward. I’m not interested in fixing. I’m interested in understanding."

"Understanding what?" Oliver pressed.

Zane fell silent, his eyes narrowing as if focusing on something only he could see. After a moment, he finally tore his gaze from the ceiling and leaned forward, locking eyes with Oliver. A smirk played on his lips. "First, why don't you tell me why, whenever I make things difficult for Theo, you, his so-called friend, just stand on the sidelines and let it all happen? You do nothing for your precious friend and now you’re sitting in front of me, pretending to care about him. Why didn’t you ever step up and try to stop me?."

Oliver’s eyes darkened as he considered Zane’s question. He looked down, lost in thought. After a moment, he lifted his gaze, meeting Zane’s eyes with a determined look. "It's because—"

Before he could finish, Jace approached them urgently. "The manager's here." His tone was serious.

Zane glanced at Jace, then back at Oliver, his smirk widening. "We'll continue this chat some other time," he said, rising from the couch. He stretched his arms lazily, then his voice turned sharp as he cracked his knuckles.

"Alright, boys, the fish has taken the bait. It's time to reel in the hook and make a fucking dinner out of him."

Oliver sighed, pulling out his chatterbeast.

Plick Pluck

"Oliver reporting. Silverflash has arrived on the scene. Requesting permission to engage."

"..."

After a few seconds, Ronan’s voice came through the chatterbeast.

“Permission granted”