We landed on cracked and overgrown asphalt. Before us, a art-deco panel indicated that we were at the ‘Pelleport’ metropolitan stop, although the only thing that testified to the presence of a metro line were worn plastic benches on either side of the sign.
“What the hell?!” I yelled at Hyeonmin. I would have launched an attack at them as well, had they not transformed into a shadow and slithered a good ten meters away.
“This is where he was taken!” They pointed towards an opening in the ground.
“How is that my problem?!” I yelled back, more of a need to be contrarian than actual anger.
Hyeonmin and Dong-hyuk were a package deal, I didn’t have much reason to fear just one of them, especially not the weaker one whose skills my ‘Mind Stop’ could and had been blocking this entire time. I also had no reason to care about one of their disappearances. If anything, this only held consequences for Huang, who wouldn’t be able to achieve immortality without help from both the twins, and later defeat the self-proclaimed sixth Lord Zhang –
“Fine, I’ll help you find him,” I spoke, as I remembered the plot of the second book, “But know that I find your trick extremely rude.”
Hyeonmin scoffed, and muttered something too quietly for me to hear.
“Give me your phone,” I demanded, as I approached them.
“Why?” They had the audacity to ask with suspicion and disgust.
“To text my boyfriend and C – my cousin.” I gestured for them to hurry up.
“I will hand it to you after you tell me everything you know about my brother’s whereabouts.” They replied instead.
I rolled my eyes.
“What makes you think I know where he is? Huh? Last time I saw him was when the two of you came to conduct your shady business at my workplace.”
Instead of elaborating, the very nonchalantly caught a vial of yellow liquid that dropped out of their holding void, and drank its contents.
Mind Stop
Effects of True Sight Negated
They gave me an annoyed look. Before I could say anything, a second System window appeared before my eyes.
Mind Stop
Effects of Wondering Mind negated.
“By the Lords, stop!” I exclaimed, grabbing them by the shoulders. “Just talk to me like a normal person, why are you doing this? I outrank you, and-” I cut myself off, realising that I perhaps shouldn’t reveal too much about my skills, considering how persistent they’ve been at trying to get inside my head.
They slapped my hand away.
“Many men and women outrank me, you are not special. But, even you hadn’t insisted, it seems I don’t have much of a choice than to explain my position to you.”
I almost asked them to also start talking normally, while they were at it. The only thing that prevented me doing so was doubt brought on by the workings of my translation skill. For all I knew the problem was on my end.
I crossed my arms over my chest, firmly holding Namura in one hand, as I waited for them to continue.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“You have been hiding a lot of information from me, but my little brother thought it was just a coincidence. He believed that everything that had led us to this godforsaken city was a coincidence. So when the incident happened, and they mentioned the barer of an artefact, I understood it to be false, and that you were at the centre of it all.”
Only the knowledge of the city-wide genocide that might happen if these two didn’t join Huang was what stopped me from turning around and walking away. When they didn’t elaborate on any of that, I rolled my eyes.
“Pretend this is a business meeting and give me the memo notes. Bullet points only. Who, where, when, why. It’s not that I mind sight-seeing this lively desolate side of Paris with you-”
A howl came from somewhere within the circular hole we’d been standing by. It was a bone-chilling cries of a monster being ripped to shreds by something larger, and not particularly hungry judging by the almost two full minutes the cries had lasted for.
“Do you see now what kind of danger my brother is in?” Hyeonmin spoke.
I was frozen in place eyes wide with fear, as I glanced down the vertical shaft. It was about 10 meters in width, and I could just about make out smudges of blood at the bottom, their cold grey tone standing out from the surrounding darkness.
“He’s probably dead.” I quietly mumbled.
Of course there was always a chance that this place was a Wild Lands that just somehow happened to look like a giant concrete plaza with the remnants of the ‘Pelleport’ metro-station on it. Mut the much more likely scenario was that this Part of Paris had been lost to the Wild Lands during the War. I glanced around once more, noticing nothing but concrete tiles, dead trees, and a dark fog that seemed to delimit this little pocket of unruly magic.
When my gaze returned to Hyeonmin, they had finally dropped from their high-horses, their expression full of sincere concern. I was rather taken aback by how sudden the change had been, and how it had seemed to have only been set off by my words, and not whatever had happened earlier, or the monster noises.
“Or he’s alive, he’s got plenty of useful skills…” I spoke, not fully believing in what I was saying. From what I remembered, he had a few persuasion, and a few light combat skills. But then again, I had already gotten his and his sibling’s skills mixed up earlier.
“You …” They glanced down, trying to collect themselves, “You need to tell me everything you know right this moment.” Their tone did not come off as authoritative as they might have wanted.
I sighed. In an overly dramatic way which hopefully encompasses the extent of my frustration.
“I think you’re a prick. Outside of this,” I gestured around, “I think you’re a prick back home as well, and although I have no experience running a company, I know you and your sibling are getting too much blood on the carpets, and too much money under the table.” Hyeonmin stared at me in shock, which was quickly replaced with a familiar disdain. “But I will help you, because you and your brother play an important role in the future.”
“So you do know about Lady Furi.” They stated.
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb now. Concealing your true-”
“Just stop! Speak normally, Lords be damned!” I couldn’t help myself this time.
They looked away, rubbing their eyes, in frustration, before elaborating:
“The First Seer. The greatest Oracle. In this country you call her the daughter of Manto. She has predicted that-” they looked up at me, and I could have sworn I saw a spark of malice in their eyes, “When my brother and I were born, in the year 17932, she came to our parents and predicted that Dong-hyuk will change the world by discovering a long-lost secret. He would then proceed to achieve many other great things, all of which I shall not list to spare your evidentially thinning patience.”
I nodded along. The existence of an oracle powerful enough to see Huang’s team gaining immortality, and all the shenanigans that followed seemed plausible enough.
“Was Cain in it?” I asked, curious about the rules and implications of this future that Lady Furi had predicted.
“Huh?”
“A teenager with red hair, who can transform into a bunch of animals and monsters. An S-ranking shifter. Was he part of the team you and your brother were destined to join?”
“I was never destined to be a part of this future.” They shook their head. They bit their lip, their expressions turning bitter, as they mumbled, “I am unfit for such prestige in more ways than one.”
I unconsciously nodded, remembering this part of their character ark. They were the only B ranker in a family of A’s, and their parents never let them forget that. I couldn’t recall if their personality was this insufferable in the book, but that certainly didn’t help.
“Back to your brother?” I asked, refocusing the conversation.
“You’re the one who changed the subject.” They clicked their tong.
I facepalmed myself.
“Do you know what? Screw you. I am going to go look for Dong-hyuk.” I decided. I tried quickly snatching their phone out of their pocket to text Etienne, but they transformed into a shadow and slithered away as I did so.
I made a discontent noise, before glancing down the opening. I couldn’t see or hear anything move at the bottom, so I assumed it was safe enough to drop down.
Short voyage
MP - 10
image [https://i.imgur.com/gDPRxsB.png]