‘You know it was always pretty difficult for me, the holidays, the reunions… family’

Vinnie Romano sat at the head of the table, a goblet of wine in one hand, eating utensil in the other, surrounded by family members who looked more like suspects than relatives. The Romano family was a family of Enforcers that exclusively lived in Glowhaven for work-related reasons, though most of the members were retired and lived a normal life down here. Its family dinners were a lot like a day’s job at the syndicate—tense, unpredictable, and always a chance someone might meet an untimely end.

‘But dealing with these people was my specialty… every fucking year’

Vinnie leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, surveying the spread of food like a captain sizing up a new recruit.

"Family gatherings," Vinnie started, his voice low and gruff, "they're like a job for the organization. You never know who's gonna turn on you."

His mother, at the opposite end of the table, shot him a sharp look, her hands busy serving pasta, but her eyes sharper than any blade in the kitchen. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing, Ma!" Vinnie grinned, grabbing a meatball off his plate. "Just admiring your... culinary skills." He smirked, leaning forward to spear another chunk of food.

Aunt Rita, her voice a raspy whisper from too many decades of cheap alcohol. "You should really try the lasagna! It's to die for!"

Vinnie glanced at her, deadpan. "That's the problem, Aunt Rita. I'm tryin' not to die tonight." He popped the meatball into his mouth, chewing slowly, his eyes narrowing as his mother sighed in exasperation.

"Watch your mouth, Vinnie! This is family!" His mother's tone was sharp, but not unkind—just the kind of sharp that'd make anyone else feel the need to apologize. But not Vinnie. Vinnie didn't apologize unless he was on the job and it involved a shovel.

"Family?" Vinnie snorted. "You mean the people who keep asking me when I'm gettin' married? Like I'm some kinda prized relic? You think they're carving me up, Ma?"

His uncle Tony, already on his third glass of wine and leaning too far back in his chair, chuckled. "Hey, I got married! Look how great that turned out!"

Vinnie didn't even have to look at Aunt Gina to know she was rolling her eyes from across the table. He glanced at Uncle Tony, unimpressed. "Yeah, Uncle Tony, you're livin' proof that love can be as dangerous as a loaded weapon."

Aunt May, ever the romantic, chimed in, her eyes wide with confusion. "What do you mean? Love is beautiful!"

Vinnie turned to her, poker-faced. "Sure, until it comes with a side of a broken heart and a long trip to the village therapist."

The table was silent for a moment, and then the laughter erupted—except from his mother, who was glaring at him over a steaming bowl of pasta.

"You're bein' ridiculous!" she snapped.

"Ridiculous?" Vinnie raised an eyebrow. "Ma, I'm just sayin' what everyone else is thinkin'. Like Uncle Joe over there—he's been eyein' that lasagna like it owes him money."

Uncle Joe, caught mid-chew, looked up defensively. "Hey! I'm just hungry!"

Vinnie nodded, his expression serious. "Right. Hungry enough to commit a food crime. Just remember, Joe: if you take the last piece, I'll have to make you disappear."

The table erupted again, a mix of nervous and genuine laughter, though his mother was less than amused. She shook her head, clearly at the end of her patience. "Stop it! You're gonna scare everyone away!"

Vinnie leaned back, grinning. "Good! Less people means less questions about my love life. Besides, who needs a therapist when you got family?"

Stephanie, his mother's overly cheerful friend from down the street, piped up, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, come on, Vinnie! Family is everything!"

Vinnie leaned forward, his smirk turning into a grin. "Everything? Like that time Cousin Vinny borrowed my artifact and returned it... on fire? Yeah, family is definitely something."

Aunt Carol, who had been silent for most of the meal, looked genuinely curious. "What happened to Vinny?"

Vinnie shrugged. "He's fine… as long as he stays outta my way."

The laughter around the table was awkward this time, like no one quite knew if he was joking or not. They never did with Vinnie. He liked it that way.

His mother shook her head again, exasperated. "You know what? You need to be more grateful for your family!"

Vinnie sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "Grateful? Ma, I'm grateful every day that I don't have to share blood with any of these knuckleheads." He gestured toward the table, his eyes lingering on Uncle Tony, who was now muttering something under his breath.

"I heard that!" Tony exclaimed.

Vinnie smirked, leaning back again. "And that's why family gatherings are my favorite. It's the one time a year I can pretend to be thankful while plottin' my escape."

For a moment, the room went silent. And then, like the punchline of a joke they weren't sure they should laugh at, the whole table burst into laughter, a little too loud, a little too relieved.

Vinnie stood up, grabbing his plate. "Alright, I'm off." He gave a mock salute. "Remember folks: family's like pasta—sometimes it sticks together, and sometimes it just gets messy."

He pushed his chair back and started toward the door, leaving the table in stunned silence behind him. As he reached the doorway, his mother called out, her voice sharp but with an undercurrent of concern. "Vincent! You better come back next week!"

Vinnie paused at the door, glancing back with a small grin. "We'll see, Ma. We'll see."

With that, he stepped out of the house, the door clicking shut behind him. Vinnie looked up at the sky, filled with glowing fireflies that twinkled like stars in the darkness, a small smile tugging at his lips.

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Phur Phur Phur... Phur Phur Phur...

Suddenly, a sound echoed from his pocket. He frowned slightly as he pulled out the chatterbeast.

Plick Pluck

Vinnie spoke into the chatterbeast, "Vinny? Why are you calling me on my day off? I had to cover for you at the family dinner this time!"

As he listened to his cousin's response, Vinnie's expression turned serious. "Wait... what? The Black Hand and the Ravens?"

After a brief pause for thought, he replied firmly, "...Alright, I’ll be there in five."

He tucked the chatterbeast away with a sigh, preparing to leave. Now he regretted not indulging more at the family dinner.

…

Crash!

A glowing shrapnel crashed into the ground on the street, sending shards of light scattering like fireflies in the night.

“Faster!” Theo yelled, his voice strained as he urged the tiger beast to push beyond its limits. The creature's muscles rippled beneath him, but it was already at its maximum speed. “Damn it…” Theo’s heart raced as he glanced back, anxiety clawing at his chest.

Three shadowy figures were hurtling toward them, leaping effortlessly over rooftops, their eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger.

Seren raised his hand. An eerie blue light enveloped his palm.

Moon Blade!

A half-crescent moonblade shot forth from his hand, slicing through the air with a haunting whistle. Yet the three figures moved in sync, dodging the attack perfectly.

As they closed in, Theo felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. His strongest relic was already devoted to their escape, while he lacked the raw power of Javier. “Focus on escaping for now and getting to Berkeley Pub. I will take care of these pests,” Seren said with a steady voice.

Theo’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shot back, “How?! There are three of them! They must be at least Rank 1 Superior to chase us like this! You’re only a Lesser Rank 1!”

Seren met his gaze with an unwavering calmness. “Yes, under normal circumstances, I would be in trouble. But they can’t use their relics to their fullest abilities while chasing us. I have a chance”

Crash!

Another glowing shard of debris exploded onto the street as the tiger beast swiftly sidestepped it. “Tch,” one of the figures clicked their tongue in frustration.

Theo looked at Seren deeply for a moment, weighing their options. Then finally he turned his attention to controlling the beast as he said without looking, “...If it gets too dangerous, then forget about attacking them and just focus on saving yourself,”

Seren remained silent for a heartbeat before turning his attention back to the pursuing guards. The air whizzed past him as his long silvery hair billowed in the wind like a banner of defiance. ‘Three Superior Rank 1 Lexarchs…’ he thought. ‘Considering that last moonblade, I can only shoot out nine more before my soul energy runs dry and they’ll likely dodge all of them easily anyway.’

His mind raced through his arsenal of relics. ‘Although my Luminar crystal is low-cost, it’s only effective at close range right now. There isn’t enough light around me to create light bullets. I don’t even want to consider my other relics…’

Seeing how much his Luminar grade was affecting him now, Seren felt an even greater urge to escape this curse. If this fight had been on the surface where he could freely use his Luminar Crystal relic, those three guards would have dropped dead like flies.

Seren smiled coldly. ‘Then close range it is!’

He quickly took a lantern from his storage artifact and hung it around Theo's neck. “Hold onto this for a while as I take care of them and make the tiger weave through the alleyways in a zigzag pattern.”

Theo didn’t understand what Seren was planning, but he knew better than to ask questions now. He nodded, and the tiger beast quickly changed directions, leaping into one of the alleys. The beast disappeared from the three guards' vision.

The guard leaping across the rooftops quickly followed, staying on top of the buildings to survey the scene below. One of the guards spotted the beast running in the alley and shouted, “Shrapnel Star Relic!” A shrapnel formed in mid-air before shooting out like a star at Seren.

Seren watched with a deadpan look as the shrapnel got close to him. Just before it could hit, the beast suddenly changed direction in the alley and dashed away. The shrapnel struck the corner of a building, destroying it.

The guards quickly increased their speed and were over Seren and the beast again. This time, all three used their Shrapnel Star relics, but before the shards could hit them, the same thing happened: the beast abruptly changed direction, using the buildings as cover to dodge the attacks.

This pattern repeated itself as they continued to evade their pursuers. The guards realized what Seren's strategy was and exchanged grim looks. Nodding in unison, all three split up in different directions, jumping down into the alley to chase on foot. One guard positioned himself on the left side of the beast while another took up position on the right, leaving one to stay directly behind.

Panic surged through Theo. “Seren, I can’t change directions anymore!” he said urgently, but Seren didn’t respond, remaining eerily quiet with a deadpan look on his face.

Gritting his teeth, Theo pressed forward, feeling trapped.

The guard trailing them was relentless, his determination fueled by the thrill of the chase. “Shrapnel Star!” he shouted, unleashing a barrage of glowing shards aimed directly at Seren and the tiger beast. Theo felt his heart race as he urged the tiger to dodge, but the beast barely managed to evade the first wave of attacks.

“Seren! We won’t last long at this rate!” Theo shouted, panic creeping into his voice. He glanced back, hoping for a reassuring response from Seren, but he remained eerily quiet and still, almost like a statue.

The guard closed in, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Seren’s emotionless gaze. It was unsettling for some reason and he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Unable to shake the feeling, he made a split-second decision. “I’ll take you down first!” he snarled, launching another Shrapnel Star directly at Seren.

“Dodge!” Theo yelled, desperation lacing his voice, but Seren didn’t move. The shard pierced through Seren's chest. as if he were made of air, leaving no trace of blood or injury. Theo’s eyes widened in disbelief—not because the attack had connected but there was no trace of blood or injury. The shrapnel had simply passed through him.

“What?!” The guard stammered, bewildered by the surreal sight before him. Seren stood there like a ghost. Suddenly, from the shadows, a figure pounced at the guard.

The guard screamed in horror as something climbed onto his back. He turned to look and froze at the sight of Seren staring intently at him with a cruel smile spreading across his face. Like ice poured over his back; something about that smile made him tremble despite being two realms higher than his opponent.

Before he could react, Seren elegantly placed a hand over the guard’s mouth, silencing him. With a swift motion, he drew a short knife and silently slit the guard's throat. The guard’s eyes widened in shock, tears streamed down his face, soaking Seren's hand as he looked at his crimson eyes in horror.

He didn’t even realize his throat had been slit, he was too terrified of Seren to pay mind to his own life.

His breathing grew ragged rapidly before finally ceasing altogether as his body crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Splat

The sound echoed in the alley as blood pooled around him while Seren stood over the body with calm crimson eyes, utterly unfazed by the site before him.

Theo turned back just in time to see the other Seren dissolve into nothingness beside him while this new version loomed over the fallen guard. Confusion swirled in Theo’s mind; he couldn’t comprehend what had just transpired or what kind of relic could create such a picture perfect illusion of Seren.

Drawing in a cold breath, Theo vowed never to cross Seren again, even if someone tried to force him. The person he had thought to be the weakest among them had revealed himself to be the most dangerous. Even though Javier had displayed immense strength during his fight with the supervisor, compared to Seren, it was simply too crude. A sharpened blade is much more dangerous than a dull hammer; even a dull blade kills more efficiently than any hammer could ever do.

Seren then put the short knife away and activated his Vortex Whirl relic. With superhuman-like strength, he leaped onto the roof of a nearby building, quickly setting off after the other two guards who remained oblivious to what had just happened to their colleague.