I’ve begun production on an extremely concentrated variety of Prophecy. Making even a single pill of it is going to be expensive, but if it lets me predict what will happen between me and these intruders? It will be worth it.

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 48th Entry

The next day, AxEl stood on the curb with Anagen, waiting. She wore sunglasses despite the weather and they both watched out for anyone walking past. The snowy weather had begun to recede a bit, which AxEl preferred. Living near Barksight had acclimated him to a certain type of weather, and that weather normally didn’t involve inches of snow. It hardly involved any, in fact.

“Nook’s still busy?” AxEl asked.

“He said he wanted to go check one of the shops out.”

“Or maybe he just doesn’t want to be near me…” AxEl said out loud, confessing. Anagen put a hand to his shoulder.

“He’s your friend, AxEl. He’ll come around,” Anagen reassured him. People kept walking past them and when they spotted a certain group, Anagen let her hand down. Lex and OkIx were dressed in their normal garb– caps and jackets included– as they closed in on AxEl.

“Boss,” Lex greeted him and brought out a package.

“Brought some more of those vials for ya. Along with something extra,” Lex said as he handed over the package to AxEl. Anagen took it instead and stuffed it inside of her purse, which prompted a look of amusement from Lex.

“You’re looking as great as ever, Miss Anagen,” he said. OkIx looked irate at his partner’s comments, but did nothing more than glare.

“Thank you, Lex. What about the other men that were supposed to arrive today?”

“Already settled in. We’re ready to go at your command, Ma’am,” Lex answered in a more professional tone. AxEl leaned over and saw some cars moving along the road towards their direction. They’ve really ramped up the patrols, haven’t they?

“Get going, you two. There’s more work for the both of you to be doing,” AxEl ordered, pointing a finger in the direction of the car.

“Understood, boss,” OkIx replied, placing a hand on Lex and directing him away. Lex was the one to have annoyance apparent on his face this time, yet he listened.

“We’d be best off going too, Ana,” AxEl said and Ana nodded. They took off down the street, back towards where their hotel would be.

“So, what’s going to be our next move?” AxEl asked her.

“Me? You’re the one running the operation, AxEl. You should know,” Anagen replied.

“And look how that’s turned out. HuedoLupan, and who knows what organization after them, has Prophecy now.”

“So, how are you going to answer that?” Anagen asked. They turned a corner to a pizza place, where a boy was tying some boxes to a scooter. There was a man yelling at them, which momentarily distracted them, but they moved on from the scene.

“I can’t keep making decisions alone, can I?” AxEl asked her with a smile. Anagen smiled back, satisfied.

“We need a way to get in. Close to HoonUl and the people working under him,” Anagen said. “Just enough so that we know how he operates and from where. We could send in a spy or… there’s a party happening in three days.”

“He knows my face. He knows yours and Nook’s too, probably. We can’t send one of us in,” AxEl countered. They crossed a street after the cars had stopped. There was a small group on their side so it didn’t take long to get to the other side of the street.

“We send in someone else. He doesn’t know everyone who works for us. We can send in a spy, start him off as a low-level dealer and let him work his way up,” Anagen proposed, scratching her chin.

“It would take too long. The party though, where is it happening?” AxEl asked.

“A venue owned entirely by him. And it has a guest list a mile long,” Anagen offered.

“No way he’s searching through that entire thing himself to find us. I think I could get us admitted to it.”

They’d arrived at the hotel finally, walking up the steps and opening the door. AxEl waited for a moment to make sure no one was there to surprise him this time, then moved forward. Anagen and AxEl put the conversation on hold until they reached his room.

Inside the cramped room, they hashed out the details of the plan. Anagen made some calls and got back to AxEl with a renewed interest.

“HoonUl’s parties apparently are known for being a hotbed of Magical Bullet abuse,” Anagen told him.

“Which means someone or something must be delivering the product to the venue. If we find them?”

“We find where they’re sending it out from,” Anagen finished. The smiles on their faces lasted only as long as the door remained closed. They dropped the expression once it opened and they saw a figure walking in.

Nook looked to be in a sour mood, so he squinted his eyes when all attention was on him.

“What’s with the both of you?” he asked them.

“You want to chauffer?” AxEl asked.

****

Nook’s answer had been no. He had no particular inclination to get himself involved in whatever plan Anagen and AxEl had come up with in their time alone. But it seemed his opinion on the matter didn’t matter too much.

That’s why he was swaddled in a black tuxedo, a golden shawl over his shoulder as he drove under the lamplight of the streets. AxEl and Anagen sat in the back of the fine vehicle they had acquired somehow. AxEl wore a similar grey tuxedo, though the sides of his own shawl hung across his neck. The colour of his shawl bled from white to sky blue from each side.

Anagen wore a black dress that hung open at the back. Her sleeves extended towards her hand, where they ringed around her middle finger. Begrudgingly, he admitted the both of them had dressed well for the night. The only thing Nook really had control over was the radio, so he had set it to a jazzy tune that he found pleasing.

Lights passed overhead as they drove down to the venue. None were on in the car, so the passengers inside were only illuminated when they passed under the street lamps. Anagen and AxEl wore expressions that didn’t befit a night of enjoyment, however. They talked among themselves of how to best approach the party, what they would investigate, who they would need to mingle with. Nook had tuned out the conversation until Anagen addressed him.

His part in all this was quite simple, actually, so Nook just drove until they final arrived at the hall the party was to take place at. It wasn’t easy to miss as spotlights shined far into the sky and the building itself looked to be illuminated from a million different points.

Hundreds of cars, shining and filled with other chauffeurs stopped near the venue and clogged the street. Nook got distracted for a moment looking at the cars. He admired the sheen on them. How expensive are these ones? He thought as he pulled the car in front of the entrance.

There was a short gold carpet extending to a set of double doors twice their height. A man stood near a podium, dressed professionally. Muscles bulged under his dress, making the sight comical.

“Both of you be careful in there, okay?” Nook said, looking backwards.

“We will, Nook,” Anagen replied. AxEl gave him a nod and Nook returned it. AxEl stepped out of the car first, extending his full frame and stretching. He extended a hand to Anagen, who took it while stepping out. The sound of the music from inside the halls of the building breached through to them and AxEl felt a new fear of nervousness go through him.

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

This better work, he thought to himself as he stepped forward. A hand appeared in front of him and the guard present looked at him with a mean glare. On the podium near him was a board and there were several papers on it. Names were listed in print.

“Names, please?” the guard asked them.

“AxEl and Anagen Vanatel,” AxEl told the man. He searched the board top to bottom, flipping through several pages.

“I… don’t see an AxEl and Anagen Vanatel,” the guard replied, scrutinizing them. Anagen let out an exaggerated sigh and put a finger on the board.

“Have you looked at the end?” she said, flipping through to the last page. The guard squinted to look at the board again and retracted his gaze.

“Ah, apologies. Lots of names here. You’re free to go,” The man answered and Anagen and AxEl proceeded forward. While they stepped towards the entrance to the building, they saw two more men positioned there. When they approached, the guards dragged the doors open, letting a wave of heat out from inside of the building.

Anagen’s dress billowed a bit, but she tamed it before they entered. Despite their own wealth, AxEl was amazed to see so much of it on display. The reception area itself had its own tables filled with a buffet. There were people, some AxEl recognized, who were talking with each other.

Chelere Afton, a famous newscaster, The tech mongul Varno Kemetri and near him the owner of a famous restaurant chain, Venemeth. AxEl stared for a moment longer than he needed to and Anagen dragged him forward. She held his hand while she did and AxEl blushed.

She looks beautiful, the thought popped into his head. He knew he shouldn’t have, but the dress fit her nicely. Should I tell her that? AxEl considered for a moment as they entered into the main hall. There was a piano placed on a raised platform on the left side. It was so large AxEl wondered how it had been moved inside. It extended into the high ceiling of the hall, letting everyone observe the black colouring of it.

“Ana,” he said, getting her attention. She was looking around the hall and at the various people gathered there. Groups split off from each other, mingling with only a few others. Some other people went to the buffet, and there was a large group concentrated at the back, where two sets of stairs coiled around each other towards the second floor.

“Hm?” Anagen said, looking at him.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he told her, smiling. Anagen looked at him for a few moment longer, placing a hand on his cheek. She took him towards one of the walls.

“Your contact is a bit off. Someone’s going to notice,” she replied, trying to adjust it herself quietly.

“Oh…” he muttered. He raised his hand to his face, trying to adjust the lens as more people passed him by.

“Better?” he asked, hiding his eye under his hand.

“Better. Someone would have noticed before,” she said.

“Really? Who? The Questor?” AxEl asked.

“No, he left the day after the Prophecy bust. It’s the one factor we can remove for now,” Anagen said, holding out a handkerchief for him. She had brought a different purse this time, this one being smaller. Honestly? AxEl preferred the last one.

AxEl wiped his fingers and returned the cloth. They both turned towards the floor, where most of their time was going to be spent. There were multiple doors that led off one way or another. An obsession with mazes, maybe? AxEl thought as he took in the entire room. Surprisingly, it didn’t faze him. He thought he would have been in more awe of the sights that he’d seen, but he’d… grown used to it. What part of that was his focus on his mission and his own apathy towards the finer things in life, AxEl had no time to compliment.

Anagen grabbed a plate from the table, bringing it over to the finger food. She grabbed it at random, picking two or three things from the buffet.

“You like the fish fingers too?” a girl asked from beside her and Anagen looked over.

“It’s the most tolerable thing here,” Anagen chuckled and the girl chuckled. She had on a yellow dress that reached down to her knees. She wore white gloves and had a dark complexion with orange and smooth hair. She glanced at Anagen’s head and flashed a smile back.

“I love your hair, by the way,” she told her. She had a plate in her left hand, so she switched it over to the other before holding it out for Anagen to shake. Anagen took the hand in hers.

“Anagen Vanatel.”

“EssErn,” the woman replied. “I haven’t seen you before. Is this your first party?” she asked Anagen. Anagen and EssErn walked away from the buffet and she offered a reply.

“You caught me. I’m a total neophyte,” Anagen told her.

“You’ll get the hang of these functions. It’s just an excuse to talk and mingle for these people. My mother included,” EssErn said. She seemed to be avoiding the left side of the hall for some reason.

“She keeps bringing me to them even when I don’t want to. What about you?” EssErn asked.

“Oh, I’m here with my…” Anagen said, pointing back towards where she last saw AxEl. He was surrounded by a group of other men though. Anagen worried for a moment they had figured AxEl out, but he didn’t seem to be in trouble.

“Hmm?” EssErn replied, poking her head out from behind Ana’s hand. “Husband? Boyfriend?....” she paused for a moment and looked Anagen up and down, “Brother?”

“…Husband,” Anagen answered and EssErn nodded.

“Ah, okay, totally,” she replied.

“Totally,” Anagen reiterated and left a silence. Then she broke out in a chuckle even she hadn’t expected. Her and EssErn seemed to get on well enough. Throughout the night they talked and walked, enjoying each other’s company while AxEl dealt with a separate kind of problem.

Damn these visions. AxEl knew the Prophecy visions were a problem, but at least he hid them well. Though he could deal with the visions better than most, when so many people were talking to and at him, he had trouble sorting the information. Especially when the same line would be repeated twice, once in his Phantoms.

“You’ve got mighty wide shoulders, boy!” one of the men said. He was a short and white haired fellow whose beard hid his mouth.

“Got it from my father,” AxEl replied.

“A fine job he did,” the man added, patting AxEl once more on the back. He pulled away and another man, one with a long pale face and shaggy white hair joined in.

“So, what is that you do?”

“What I do? I don’t do much of anything, really,” AxEl said and the men in the group burst into laughter. AxEl joined with a light chuckle and the long-faced man placed a hand on his shoulders.

“I’m not asking what farm you live on, kid!” he said, redoubling his laughter. AxEl’s laughter grew a bit more awkward as the men continued. Luckily, Anagen came by soon after and grabbed him by the hand.

“Ah, sorry, I really need to borrow him for a moment,” Anagen said, giving a pleasant smile to the group.

“Alright, Alright, but before you leave, I really am curious of your business,” the long-faced man said, swirling around the wine in his glass. He waited for AxEl to answer, but Anagen spoke before him.

“We run a number of transport services around the country. Equipment, raw materials, oil, whatever you want. If you ever need our services,” Anagen said, pulling a card out of her purse. Faceless bless you, you paranoid woman, AxEl thought, but now Anagen was trapped.

The man turned the card over in his hand and hummed. “I can’t believe We’ve never met. Tell me, are you from Tano, per chance?” he asked and seemed to shock Anagen.

“Well, yes, technically, but…” and Anagen launched into a sort of tirade. AxEl was keen on paying attention, but he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that got his attention instead. He saw a man with dark skin walking through one of the doors. The size of the man, the beard he glimpsed, it all screamed to AxEl that it was HoonUl.

What’s he up to? AxEl thought. He looked back at the group, who were invested in whatever tale Anagen had been spinning.

“Excuse me, I need to go… do something,” AxEl said as he broke off and walked to the same door. A hallway extended beyond it, one with much lower walls. The hallway broke off into three directions and AxEl turned down one of them randomly.

He stalked through those halls, seeing people mingle and talk and enter rooms. Sconces were placed intermittently in the halls and large lights shined overhead, leaving no room for darkness. Where did he go? AxEl thought to himself. His Phantoms showed him nothing either, only speeding up his search ever so slightly.

Then, in the middle of the hallway, he locked up. A stench permeated his nose. Like chalk and just as powdery. The paralysis was slight but noticable. He had trouble moving his arms. The most damning thing was that his Phantoms had stopped. I need to move, he thought to himself as he moved out of the hallway and back into the venue proper. Anagen saw him and rushed over immediately, placing a hand on his chest.

“What’s wrong? You’re moving weird,” Anagen said.

“M-my fingers… they’re locking up,” he told her, raising his hand. The digits on it twitched.

“A-and I can’t see them…. T-the Phantoms,” AxEl stuttered out. Anagen widened her eyes. She looked at the giant room they were in, noticing the vents above her for the first time.

“Rootreveal… It paralyzes people who use Magic Bullets,” she muttered.

“W-why is it… here?” AxEl asked, and he began to weigh in on Anagen, She took him to a corner where he held himself up against a wall but even that provided little help.

“Someone must be pumping it into the hall. But why?” Anagen replied.

AxEl struggled against the increasing weight of his own body. His whole body froze and AxEl fell off balance. He fell to the ground with a thud. When he tried to move his mouth, it wouldn’t listen. He darted his eyes around to see what was happening, but only Anagen was crouched near him. A crowd began to form as well and two men popped out of it.

The men lifted AxEl up by his shoulders and started moving past the crowd. That’s when AxEl saw him, HoonUl. He was stood behind the crowd with his hands folded behind him. He smiled in a knowing way as the guards carried AxEl deeper into the room. AxEl tried to struggle out of his way, but one of the guards gripped onto him.

“We’re trying to help you,” he muttered, annoyed.

“Sorry about that, gentleman. Our friend here seems to have fallen to some illness of a sort. I will take care of him for now, so the rest of you can carry on,” he said, and started tailing AxEl. Anagen ran towards him and grabbed him by the coat, and everyone’s eyes focused on her.

“Thank you for your hospitality, HoonUl, but I can take care of my husband myself,” she told him.

“Really, I must insist. He’ll be back in no time, and in great condition,” HoonUl told her, putting her hands down. He held onto them with such force Anagen winced. Anagen looked back, but the crowd was beginning to break apart. People split into groups again and walked to every corner of the room.

Anagen ripped her arm away from HoonUl and gave him a stare. HoonUl returned it with a smile and walked away, hands still clasped behind his back.