Jane was lying on her bed, casually scrolling through the website when she noticed something. The job request she had been rejecting had new details.
Please help us. Our country is under attack by the Atlantian Legacy. Any amount is payable.
Jane's eyes widened. She sat up immediately and called Eva and Peter to her room.
Peter walked in, yawning. "What's up?"
Jane handed him the phone. Eva stood behind him to read over his shoulder. Jane's eye twitched at how close Eva was standing to him, but she said nothing.
Peter and Eva's expressions turned serious as they finished reading.
"What do you think?" Jane asked.
"We should take this mission," Eva said without hesitation.
Jane raised a brow. "Why? Won't it make you lose sleep?" she asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Eva smirked. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to complain when it's over."
They exchanged glares before Peter spoke up.
"How are we supposed to handle something this big?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Jane and Eva turned to him. Jane sat beside him. "Are you worried?" she asked.
"A bit," Peter admitted. "What if we fail? The whole country is depending on us."
Eva nodded, her tone calm. "It's reasonable. The Atlantian Legacy is powerful, with thousands of roots whose abilities we still don't know. And they've never failed to take over a country once they set their sights on it. Nobody would blame you if we lost."
"Eva," Jane said.
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
Eva fell silent when she noticed Peter looked even more anxious.
Jane sighed. "I can't promise we'll win, but we're not trying to take them down alone. We're just helping. We'll do our best, and if we fail, at least we'll learn something about them."
Peter nodded, though he still felt uneasy.
"I'll accept the mission and do some research on the Atlantian Legacy," Jane continued. "Peter, get some rest. And Eva… I don't care what you do."
Eva rolled her eyes and walked off to her room.
As Jane turned to leave, she gently ran her fingers over Peter's hand. Peter froze, his face heating up.
Once she was gone, he stared at his hand, then smiled uncertainly.
"This means she likes me, right?"
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The next day, Andrew arrived to pick them up. They had finally tracked down the rogue root.
Peter, Eva, and Jane packed their bags quickly before leaving the hotel. This time, they weren't traveling alone—Mr. and Mrs. Grey, Andrew, Anthony, Justin, and Chester all boarded the jet with them.
"Where are we heading?" Jane asked Anthony.
"California," Anthony answered.
Jane nodded, already thinking ahead. She had spent the entire night researching the Atlantian Legacy, while Peter had been too nervous to sleep at all. Now, both of them dozed off as soon as they settled into their seats.
Meanwhile, Eva—who had slept perfectly fine—stayed awake, watching JustAlex's latest videos.
The flight was quick. As soon as they landed, Andrew got a phone call. He listened for a moment before turning to the group.
"She's leaving the hotel," he informed them.
Peter immediately handed his bag to Jane.
"Got it," he said. Then he leaned his forehead against Eva's, and in a flash of white light, the two merged.
Justin and Chester grinned at each other before slapping their hands together, merging as well.
Their fused form looked mostly like Chester, but fiery markings ran along his face, arms, and legs. His eyes glowed red, and his hair was now longer and spikier.
Justin turned to look at Peter's merged form and was caught off guard. Peter looked almost identical to the angels when they merged—long white hair and an aura that radiated power.
"How'd you lose your shirt?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.
Peter shrugged and pushed his hair back. "This always happens when we merge."
Jane reached out, running her fingers through his long hair. "You need a haircut," she muttered.
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Peter nodded. "I'll remind her."
Mr. Grey crossed his arms and gave them a firm look. "Try not to get any civilians involved."
Peter and Justin both nodded in understanding.
Without another word, Peter summoned the wind and lifted off the ground, soaring into the sky. Justin smirked before igniting flames under his feet and taking off after him.
"Race you," Justin challenged before blasting ahead.
Peter blinked in surprise before grinning and pushing himself faster. He quickly caught up, then surged past Justin, his speed cutting through the air like a blade.
As Peter arrived at the hotel, his eyes locked onto the rogue root. He was just about to swoop down and grab her when Justin suddenly accelerated, snatching the girl and lifting her into the air.
"Damn, he's fast," Peter muttered as he pushed himself to catch up.
The rogue root thrashed in Justin's grip, twisting to look him in the eyes.
"Release me," she commanded.
Justin's eyes glazed over for a brief moment before his fingers loosened.
Realizing what was happening, Peter cursed under his breath. "Idiot!"
The rogue root screamed as she plummeted, but Peter was faster. He dived down, catching her just before she hit the ground. Without wasting a second, he adjusted his grip and shot toward the meeting point.
"Let go of me!" she ordered again, her voice filled with authority.
"Yeah, that won't work on me," Peter replied casually.
She gritted her teeth and tried summoning a gust of wind to disrupt his flight, but Peter easily countered it, dispersing the air currents with a flick of his fingers.
Within moments, they reached the meeting point. Peter landed smoothly and set her down before pressing his forehead to undo the merge. Eva separated from him as Justin landed beside them.
"Damn it. You only won because I wasn't ready," Justin grumbled, clapping his hands to undo his own merge.
Eva smirked and took a step away from Peter. "A loss is a loss."
Peter smirked back. "If it makes you feel better, you weren't that slow."
Justin shot him a glare. "Shut up."
The Greys surrounded the rogue root, their expressions hard and unyielding. Anne stood at the front, arms crossed, glaring.
"Hey, cancel this scam deal between us," she demanded.
The rogue root met her eyes and laughed. "Why would I do that? This deal works out very well for me."
"You knew she wasn't fit to be a diabolist, yet you approached her. Why?" Mr. Grey asked, his voice sharp.
The rogue root scoffed. "Do you have any idea how long I waited for her to be born?"
Chester and Eva tensed at her words, their instincts immediately on high alert.
Anne frowned. "What?"
"You have no idea how much you owe me," the rogue root continued. "You wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me."
Anne took a step back, confusion twisting her features. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I owe you nothing!"
"Did she save your life or something?" Anthony asked, genuinely puzzled.
Unnoticed by most, Eva and Chester had inched closer to the rogue root. Jane, standing slightly behind, perked up as she sensed something—this root was about to reveal something important. Something about the roots themselves.
The rogue root smirked, opening her mouth to speak. "Let me tell you, I am—"
Before she could finish, Chester grabbed her by the collar and hurled her into the air. In perfect sync, Eva raised her hand and unleashed a torrent of black flames, engulfing the root completely.
The attack was swift, almost too smooth—like they had planned it beforehand. But there was one problem.
Roots couldn't control their power.
The fire, meant to only incinerate the rogue root, didn't stop. Instead, it grew, roaring higher and hotter. The Greys staggered back, shielding their faces from the heat as the flames spiraled out of control.
Peter reacted instantly. He dashed forward, pressing his forehead against Eva's, forcing a merge. The moment their forms combined, the fire vanished, snuffed out in an instant.
Anthony exhaled sharply. "What the hell?"
Peter touched his forehead, undoing the merge, then turned to Chester.
Chester dusted off his hands. "Don't worry about your sister. Now that the root is dead, she's safe." Without another word, he walked away.
Jane, still shaken, stared at Eva. "Why did you do that?"
Peter turned to Eva as well. "Yeah, why?"
Eva avoided his gaze. "No reason." Then she turned and walked off.
Peter ran a hand down his face, sighing in frustration.
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Justin poured three glasses of wine and brought them over to the table where Peter and Jane sat. He took a seat, swirling the drink in his glass before taking a sip.
"I'm guessing this is your first time seeing something like that," he said casually.
Jane turned to him. "You've seen this happen before?"
"Yeah." Justin leaned back in his chair. "Roots are real secretive about where they come from. Anytime one of them tries to spill the truth, they get taken out before they can."
"Why?" Peter frowned. "Aren't they all from the same place? Shouldn't they be helping each other?"
Jane tapped her fingers on the table. "So even the Legion diabolists don't know where roots come from?"
Justin shook his head and downed the rest of his drink. "Nope. Whatever they're hiding, I don't think it puts their diabolists in danger. But beyond that? No clue."
Jane sat in silence, deep in thought, before rubbing her temples in frustration. With a sigh, she stood up.
"Where are the Greys?" she asked.
Justin raised a brow. "Why?"
"We're leaving," Jane replied without hesitation.
"Wait, now?" Justin asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we've got another job," Peter added.
Justin exhaled, sounding disappointed. "Oh… right."
Peter caught the shift in his tone. "Something wrong?"
Justin hesitated, then leaned forward slightly. "Well… would you guys be interested in joining Legion?"
"No, thanks," Jane said immediately.
Justin let out a small chuckle. "You could at least check the place out before rejecting my offer."
"No," Jane said flatly.
Peter scratched the back of his head, awkwardly trying to soften the rejection. "We just prefer working on our own. But we appreciate the offer."
Jane spotted Andrew nearby and walked over with Peter close behind.
"The job is done. Please send the payment," Jane said, her tone businesslike.
Andrew looked slightly caught off guard but nodded, pulling out his phone. "I'll have it transferred right away."
After making the call, he turned back to them. "Are you leaving so soon?"
"Yes," Jane answered simply.
Andrew gave a small nod. "I see… Thank you for your help."
Jane gave him a brief nod in return before turning away. Peter waved as he followed her out.
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Andrew walked back to his family. Anne sat in shock while their mother comforted her. Anthony, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered, casually scrolling through his phone. Without warning, Andrew grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the room.
"Hey! What the hell? Let go!" Anthony protested, struggling in Andrew’s grip.
Once they were far enough away, Andrew finally released him.
"What was that for?" Anthony snapped, rubbing his throat.
"I just paid the Hoods for their service," Andrew said.
"So? Did you really have to strangle me over it?" Anthony grumbled.
"You owe me six million. Pay up," Andrew said, his tone firm.
Anthony froze. "Uh… How about this? I forgive you for nearly choking me, and in return, you forget about the six million. Sound fair?" He forced a hopeful smile.
"No," Andrew said flatly.
"Too late, I’ve already forgiven you," Anthony shot back, trying to slip away.
Andrew caught him by the collar again. "I’m not joking."
Anthony groaned. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? You have way more money than me. And weren’t you the one who said we should spare no expense to save Anne?"
"Yes, but you’re the one who placed the order, not me," Andrew countered.
Anthony shrank back. "Can I pay in installments?"
"No," Andrew said without hesitation.