Ed woke up to the buzzing of his phone on the nightstand, notifying him of a message. He yawned and reached out for his phone. Must be Wilfred.

Turning his phone on, he sat up as he opened his messages. There was a message from Wilfred telling him that a car would be sent to pick him up.

Stretching the kinks out of his neck, Ed got out of bed and went about getting ready for the day. After a quick shower he sat down on the balcony enjoying some toast.

I guess they’ve probably found whoever sent that assassin. I’m not sure what they need me for though. I’ve done everything I can, and she’s surely got people to do everything for her.

The same car as before pulled up in front of his house a few minutes after he finished his breakfast.

Looks like it’s time to find out, I guess. Getting up from the balcony seat, he was about to head back inside when an idea struck him. I don’t need to bring anything with me except for my phone and wallet, so... He looked over the balcony, eying the ground below him.

Taking a moment to think things through, he used his threads to firmly hold his stuff in his pocket before leaping over the balcony railing.

Threads shot out of his feet, striking firmly into the ground as he used this to lower himself to the ground. Double checking that his phone was still safe, he sat down in the car.

A little wonky, but still a lot faster than using the front door. Wait. Fuck! The balcony doors still unlocked.

Before the car could drive away, he rolled the window down slightly and shot a thread back up to the balcony. Sliding it in through a small gap, he thickened the thread at the end to lock the door from the inside.

Phew. He leant back into the seat, pulling the thread back into his body as the car started to drive off. That was close. At least I know I can get back in if I ever lose my keys.

The car drove into the estate, and once again Ed was led into the princess’ palace by a servant. But this time, instead of being brought to the same dining room as before, he was led past it and brought into a meeting room with a few chairs lined around a table, facing a large fireplace. A stone statue stood tall along one of the side walls.

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The familiar faces were already in the room, surrounding the table; Lola and Wilfred were locked in a heated discussion while Princess Elaine sat quietly at the head of the table.

“Why can’t I just go and kill this guy!” Lola asked, clearly frustrated.

Wilfred rubbed his temples as he tried to explain to her. “You’ve already been seen out in public with her Majesty on more than one occasion. Thus, you are subject to the same rules as the rest of us and can’t just go off openly killing someone in other people’s territory. It would be unbecoming of us to openly flaunt the rules established by Lord Superbia and would reflect poorly on Her Majesty.”

That last line seemed to do the trick, as Lola calmed down significantly. “Fine. But it doesn’t change the fact that I want to make that bastard pay.” She said as she slumped back into her chair.

“He will get what he deserves, there is no doubt about that.” Elaine said, easing Lola’s mind.

With the discussion settled Wilfred turned to the door to address Ed. “Good morning, Edward. We’ve gathered some information on the mastermind behind the attack. We’ve locked in on his general location and have more information coming in as we speak. We need to send someone without any known ties to the estate, so you will be sent as part of a small team to take down this criminal.”

“Lucky.” Lola said, still annoyed.

“Prepare yourself for a trip to Envy. Here’s all the information we have so far.” Wilfred said, nodding to the table.

Ed joined the group around the table, memorising the few scraps of information they had obtained so far. I don’t know why they need to send me. Surely, they’ve got people better suited for this sort of thing that they can fully trust. But I don’t think I have much of a say in this. Might as well enjoy the sights while I’m out. I wonder what Envy is like?

Ed reached out his hand to pick up another piece of paper, only for someone else to get to it first. Looking up, he almost jumped back in surprise. Without him noticing, a fifth person had joined them around the table. What the fuck? When did he get here?

The man had a sharp, chiselled jawline and was built like a brick wall. His arm was bigger than Ed’s thigh, and he looked as if he could tear someone in half with just his bare hands. His skin was a dull grey, as were his clothes, which seemed to be completely static despite his fluid movements.

Having not heard the door open after he stepped in, Ed scanned the room for another entrance. He couldn’t find one, but it felt like something was missing. Scanning the room once more, his eyes froze on the side wall where he swore had something there before, but now the area was completely empty.

“This is Ulric, he will be heading into Envy with you.” Wilfred introduced him to Ed, covering up Ed’s reaction before anyone else noticed.

Ulric looked up and nodded at Ed before turning his attention back to the paper.

With introductions out of the way, the two finished up on reading everything before Wilfred briefed them on the details of the mission. “You’ll be taking one of the public teleporters to Envy. From there you will combine with the rest of the team to locate and strike down the target.”