~~~

Shadow stopped his car at the PRISM underground parking and went out feeling dizzy, his head as heavy as an iron pot. He was already late by a couple of hours, but it was painful to exist, let alone to be quick. He should have listened to Aoi and stayed home—not only was the clash one of the most energy-consuming events for the last year, but also his anemia was eating him up alongside the nightmare.

He leaned his elbow on the car and took out his smart with the other hand to check the time. Eleven. Alright, it means the Cat might be open by now. He found the needed number in the Net and called it: a girl answered him in the most cheerful manner. Shadow guessed it was Rebecca May, an enforcer and a celebrity of Six Color Olympics who worked part-time in her mother’s pub. The question of how to contact Dasnor clearly took her by surprise, so she didn't even hide that he was right next to her. Shadow asked as politely as possible to put his sibling on. For half a minute he listened only to some hisses and grunts, and in the end the voice with familiar hoarseness grumbled: “Yeah?”

“A fine day to you, Dasnor. It’s me.”

“I know, alright? What’s the deal?”

“Nothing much, just wonder how things are with you after all the events.”

Silence. Shadow felt almost physically how Dasnor had gone stupefied. Finally, the enforcer said, “You’re playing big brother now? Come on, out with it.”

“I just…” Shadow kicked a pebble in the road with the toe of his white boot. “You know, Satoru’s comeback… it’s just bothering me. He was out of reach for twenty years. Why did he come back to New Tokyo, alter his appearance, build up the Children business, steal relics, even arrange a terrorist attack? There must be a solid reason behind it all.”

“How am I to know? You should have asked him before chopping his head off.”

“You know very well that he wasn’t in a condition to talk to. But… maybe he’d said something to you before we came? I know you don’t have to report to PRISM according to our agreements, yet still… if there’s anything, maybe a tiny little detail that could hint at his motives… or at our mother's disappearance… could you tell me… please?”

The reciprocal silence became even longer. The healer’s heart was beating so hard that he imagined Dasnor could hear it thumping through the audio channel. It wasn’t hard to guess that his brother was seriously considering his answer. And that meant he had something to hide.

“Whatever he said,” the Lackluster replied, “it doesn’t matter. The man lost it.”

“So, he did say something?”

“I’m telling you,” the voice became even more harsh, “it was nothing but threats and raving. I just… I don’t even remember.”

“Dasnor! It could be important!”

“Well I’m sorry, but I had more important things to do than listen to that crazy Viol rubbish, so I didn’t bother.”

“Dasnor!” Shadow lost his control. “It’s not about a crazy Viol. It’s about the man who might know what happened to our mother! What if she was the reason why he returned?”

“Stop imagining things. I’ve told you already. All his words were nonsense. Forget it.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I’m begging you, Dasnor! You might think what he said was irrelevant, but in fact—”

Beeps. He just disconnected. How typical of Dasnor. Even if Satoru had told him something important, Shadow would never know it. The man who’d saved him from his father's torture was no more, and the mystery of Elveit Hunt’s demise had died with him. Shadow brushed his long hair back from his face and hurried off to the office.

~~~

“No, Sunny, she is not just a Viol. She’s cursed because the relic gave her the power of a wrong color. This… this is different.”

Dasnor didn’t sound like himself at all, but nobody paid attention to it.

“So you knew who she was?” Beckz asked.

“True. Sorry you were left in the dark for so long.”

The leader of the team watched carefully the reaction of his audience. Rebecca was surprised beyond measure, though she wasn’t easily impressed after serving in the army. Viktor shrugged his muscular shoulders like saying he didn’t care much. Sacred muttered that he had always felt a curse in Niji—it was hard to tell whether it was really the case or if he was simply showing off his Exorcist competence. And the pink-haired girl, Sunny, was so taken aback that she exploded with a tirade about dirty lies. Mirabelle was absent as no one wanted to get the elf-like girl involved in the bloody—in every sense—affairs.

“Her curse is progressing, but there’s still some hope,” Dammit backed up his leader. “Freyja says we need the Tamatebako—Shell’s artifact that PRISM put their hands on… guess it’s the only way we can take this shit out of her.”

“Unfortunately, we’re late,” Dasnor continued. “Black and whites will come for her eventually, because one of them had seen her abilities last night. They won’t care what kind of Viol she is. There’s only one way they treat the Cursed, and we all know which one.”

“But Grumpy, are you sure that the cops know all this stuff? Shadow didn’t say anything about Niji when he called.”

“Would you, in his place?”

“So why is she still here?” Rebecca was growing worried. “We must hide her somewhere!”

“No point,” Dasnor shook his head. “Sooner or later they’ll find her, but we won’t be there to help. What’s more, they don’t have any proof—she is a Crimson according to the test, and radar scans will tell them the same. Officially, Niji has a certain immunity as a member of M.A.G.E. But if they start a fight...”

He looked at his audience: the face of each mage expressed an extreme degree of anxiety, even Viktor, the stronghold of composure, was clearly not at ease.

“I’m not giving her to them,” Dasnor stated firmly. “But we are not as rebellious as we used to be. I can’t ask you to defend a Violet… However, if you want to join the battle and stand up for a member of our team, I… I’d be very grateful.”

“We are the defenders of justice, aren’t we, Dasnor?!” Rebecca jumped up from her seat. “Of course I root for you and Niji! Cops won’t get our blood, and it doesn’t matter which color it is!” She slammed her fist on the table.

The healer adjusted the cat ears on his hat and said, “Well, you know, I’m already too invested to give up now.”

“Where Dammit goes, I follow,” Viktor smiled and the shorty gave him a high five.

Sacred and Sunny didn’t say anything. Dasnor looked at the Celestial first. “Jun… I know that the Exorcist’s duty is—”

“Ah, forget it. No one left behind, right? There’s no big difference whether I betray a friend or a vow to serve the Light.”

“Thank you,” said the Lackluster and turned to Sunny. “Yui… I see you’re in doubt. Once again, I’m not forcing you to help me. I want it to be a personal choice.”

She examined her teammates who were impatiently awaiting her decision, and asked with uncertainty, “So… Fiber is aware she’s a Viol?”

“Yes,” Dasnor answered.

“And… he’s okay with it?”

“That’s a long story. But I’m sure he will hand her to black and whites if they demand it.”

“That means… he has no idea what we’re plotting?”

“Exactly.”

“And you… do you understand that if I agree I kinda betray him? The man who is everything to me. And for what—a random Viol?”

“She is NOT a random Viol. She is a part of our team.”

“Team, huh…” her voice began trembling. “Everybody’s been so hyped about her, like she’s something special. Oh, now I see why—she is a poor Cursed and must be saved at all costs, what a surprise.”

“Yui-chan…”

“C’mon Sunny, let’s kick their asses!” Beckz slapped the mage girl on the back. “You’re a daughter of Violets, now you can have your revenge!”

The Amber twitched at Rebecca’s mentioning her parents and something broke inside her. “This is bullshit. Everyone goes like ‘yeah, whatever, let’s do it even if we get wrecked after.’ But… nobody ever protected my parents! Ever!”

Sunny dashed out of the Blue Cat like an arrow, wiping away her tears midway, and no one stopped her. The mages didn’t speak a word, they just looked at each other and sighed heavily, anticipating all the major drama yet to come.