Eihk-Huellastar. I’ve been searching the records of this clan for ages, and what I’ve found is that no matter where they went, there were people hunting them down. And yet each time, they would escape before a single drop of blood was shed. It is clear to me that their enemies knew of the potential of Prophecy, and decided that they needed its power as well.

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 26th Entry

AxEl finished another batch of Prophecy and popped the pills out of their container onto the awaiting cloth. They’d learned how to make it much faster now that they’d put their mind to it. Their efficiency had increased many times over.

So had their business. AxEl felt at the bundle of cash left in his pocket and smiled. It’d been a while since he’d had so much just on his person at a time. AxEl heard Nook open the door to the house as he walked in.

“How much did you make tonight?” AxEl asked as he continued to pop the pills out of the sockets.

“Two thousand Laro,” Nook replied as he set the cash down on the counter. AxEl whistled at the amount.

“Tired now. I’m going to sleep for the night,” Nook replied as he set his bag down on an unoccupied table. Both he and AxEl had rapidly earned enough so that both of them could afford their own.

“Actually, there’s something that I need your help with…”

****

Nook fell on his backside onto the grass. He looked up angrily at AxEl, who wore a smirk that he tried to hide.

“Sorry about that Nook, didn’t think you’d go down so fast,” he said.

“Of course you did! You’re way bigger than me, how can you not!” Nook accused him. He walked up to him and AxEl held up his arms in response.

“Wait, wait! Your turn, okay?” AxEl conceded. He handed Nook another pill of Prophecy and the both of them continued their spar. Nook’s vision expanded to include those Phantoms once more.

He looked at AxEl with growing ash eyes and readied his fists. AxEl looked a bit scared once he realized that Nook wasn’t planning on holding back.

“How about we both use it, actually?” AxEl suggested.

“Doesn’t work when we do that, AxEl. You know that,” Nook replied, and began his assault in earnest. The timer started and he took swipes at AxEl. The images were disorienting still, distracting him when he should have been wiping the floor with AxEl.

AxEl brushed off the hook that came for him, but the kick that came at his unprotected side took the wind out of him. Nook struggled with the images, and jumped at AxEl once more. It was in his distraction that he did not notice that his focus was entirely on the images instead of his reality. Nook missed his punch, which let AxEl take advantage of him and trip him up. Nook fell on the ground with a thud and looked back up at AxEl with incredulity.

“How did you….”

“I…I don’t know? You were open and I just, took the opportunity,” AxEl answered. Nook threw his hands in the air.

“I give up. You’re better at using the drug than me. I can’t deal with how distracting it is,” Nook said. The power was still with him, though he didn’t use it. That was entirely due to Nook’s efforts. The new pills they were making lasted longer than the old variety.

“Don’t be so disappointed, Nook. You’re better off in other things,” AxEl consoled him. He held an arm up to Nook, who took it graciously and stood up.

“Now, really, I’m tired,” Nook said.

“Meet back here tomorrow?” AxEl suggested.

“Sure thing,” Nook replied. The two friends then walked home together, brothers in arms.

****

Another day of selling. Much more hectic than it’s ever been. AxEl’s eyes had dark bags under them. He looked around at his customers and sighed, looking at the number. He and Nook had synthesized a hefty amount of them, but the problem was actually selling them.

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It wasn’t as though their product was unpopular. On the contrary, AxEl had many more people to sell to than ever before. The problem was finding the time to sell the product. People would only be available at certain times, at certain places. If they all crowded around him in the middle of the street, he’d attract more attention than he could ever want.

He handed the last person of the night some pills before taking the money and brushing off the rest of the junkies that surrounded him. It was a struggle pushing past them, but AxEl’s unfriendly look gave him some space.

He looked at the time, wincing at how late it had become. His mother would scold him for this, even if he rushed to the house to drop off the bag. Something he couldn’t afford considering how secretive he needed to keep the location.

One misstep, one stalker, one little drug abuser who followed him there, and his entire revenue scheme would come crashing down on him.

But what he was doing now? This was barely as sustainable. You need rest, a voice inside him said. A telltale sign of madness, if that wasn’t how his mind already addressed him. As he dropped the bag, AxEl looked over to the pile of leftover pills in the lab and came to a realization.

He needed to expand. There was no way he could maintain his current rate if he didn’t. And he knew just who to expand it with.

****

Class was boring. How he’d ever sat through one of these lectures, AxEl didn’t understand. He’d kept up with his studies in his own time, so he barely needed to bother with taking notes.

He looked over at the guy next to him and realized with shock that he barely recognized what was written down on his notebook. Maybe I should do some revision, AxEl thought to himself.

He pulled out a pen and actually tried paying attention to the lecture after that, noting what his weaknesses were with the subject of mathematics. When the bell rang and the teacher left the room was when AxEl took his next move.

He saw her standing next to her usual posse. AxEl walked up to HinEn, which garnered a few glances from the other girls surrounding her.

“Hey, HinEn, can I talk to you in private?” he asked.

“Really?”

“It’s important,” AxEl added. She gave him a sly grin, beautiful even, before following him out of the classroom. Much to his chagrin, he could hear the others already whispering.

“Now what was so important you needed to drag me out?” HinEn asked.

“How are you doing on cash right now?” AxEl asked.

“AxEl, I’m not lending you money,” HinEn said as her smile dropped.

“What if I could give you money, instead, then?” AxEl said.

“I’m…listening.”

AxEl looked around the hallway to find it filled with noise and people. Many people, either listening to music, chatting with others or organizing their lockers. He felt it safe enough to explain.

“I sell something different than Firewire now. Safer too. I can’t be the only one selling it though. Not enough hands-on deck for that. But if you were helping us, I could cut you into a share of the profits.”

HinEn considered his offer for a second. Her face was scrunched up in concentration and…was that disappointment?

“How much do you earn in a night?” HinEn asked.

“Think around two to three thousand per night,” AxEl said.

“Rich boy, aren’t you?”

“Just tell me if you want in. If you don’t, keep your mouth closed about it, alright?” AxEl said. He knew HinEn well enough that he thought she wouldn’t rat him out, but the fear was always present.

“Fine, but you better give me a good cut of it,” HinEn said.

“Meet me and Nook by the…the swings.”

“I thought you were going to ask me out on a date, not a playdate,” HinEn remarked as she walked away. That was one person secured, but there would be others he needed to convince if he really wanted his business to flourish.

****

It was an awkward sight to find so many people gathered there in one place, but AxEl didn’t mind. Maybe if they stuck around for too long, it might attract a bystander or curious officer, but he didn’t plan on spending so much time with these people tonight. Perhaps meeting in a dank alley wasn’t the best, but AxEl could worry about decorum another time.

They looked at him with intrigued gazes as he arrived, standing in the middle of them. They were a rough looking group, some with ripped clothing and marred faces. HinEn was there too, but didn’t seem to be in the mood to tease as was usual.

“I don’t want to waste any time, so unless someone has something to say, I’ll start,” AxEl said. He looked around for anyone asking a question, but none spoke up.

“You’ve all tried Prophecy. Some of you might have even seen how much Laro I pocket every day from the business. But the problem is that I can’t maintain that rate anymore. We’ve an abundance of product but a lack of manpower,” AxEl explained. Set the groundwork, then lure them in.

“Now if you keep quiet about this, and peddle the Prophecy in my place, I’d be willing to let you in on a cut of the profits.”

The group’s eyes all lifted up. One of them started to speak. He was wearing a thick coat and had a mean clean shaven mug. “And how much would the cut be?”

“Twenty to you, eighty to me. You get the product for free, so I think it’s fair,” AxEl said. It was the same rate he’d been offered when Kel gave him the deal and he’d taken that.

“Fourty sixty,” the man argued. Drag me to the Icebox, why don’t you? AxEl thought.

“Thirty fifty,” AxEl shot back.

“Too low. We’re not working for free here,” the man said, rallying the others behind him.

“Well, if you don’t want in on all the money I’m earning, that suits me fine. I can always find another group willing to take me up,” AxEl said as he turned and started to walk away. When he’d reached a few steps from the group, he looked back and spoke again.

“And if you’re going to reconsider, do it now or the next time I see you it’s going to be twenty eighty.”

His shoes were the only sound he heard for the next few steps when he heard a shout. “Fine!” the same man who’d been arguing before said. AxEl smirked in victory and stopped. Then, looking back towards the group, he walked up to the front man.

“Let’s discuss terms.”