Knock knock.

"Come in."

A slight metallic tang wafted into the corridor as Clarissa pulled open the creaky oak door. She adjusted her glasses smartly and walked in.

"I greet the Court Wizard." Clarissa bowed, her floating staff behind her likewise tilting slightly.

"You've been working for me long enough to know I don't like such pleasantries." Gerome furrowed his brows as he spoke. Perhaps it might be due to the mountains of paperwork, or the breezy draft from the broken window, but he seemed quite perturbed, Clarissa thought.

As Clarissa walked into Gerome's office, she couldn't help but notice that the room was unusually messy. It was different from the organised messiness Gerome claims helps him think, but more like the messiness after of a fight. Torn and singed pieces of paper, broken glass shards from the window, as well as the occasional whirlpool-like distortion in the air spoke of an intense battle that finished not long ago.

"Them again, Sir Gerome?" Clarissa inquired. She grasped her staff and waved it over the broken glass, causing the shards to float back and reform at the windowpane.

"Who else? They're the only ones who are so persistent." Gerome huffed and slammed his staff on the ground. A dispelling wave of arcane energy washed away the magical distortions in the air.

"I am having second thoughts on Glossian Industries," Gerome said as he tapped the reformed window. "They say their windows are shatterproof and exceptionally durable against spells, but I have broken at least thirteen, no fourteen, windows this month."

"Your current situation is a special one." Clarissa was busy organising the papers strewn around the room. "Most of their clients don't have the Organisation coming after them every two or three days. I suggest we just wall it up?"

"The broken windows are insured. A broken wall though, the finance department made it painfully clear to me this morning that they are ill-disposed towards the crack on the wall from last week."

"Alas Sir, even the empire's most powerful magician fears bureaucracy." As Clarissa placed the papers on the table, Gerome was busy flipping and rearranging them.

"Don't sass me Clarissa," Gerome bristled. "I am not afraid of the finance team, I am just annoyed about the paperwork." Pain flashed in his eyes as he imagined the amount of forms and documents he needed to rewrite.

"My condolences," Clarissa empathised with her boss' pain.

"Anyway, what brings you here?" Gerome sat back in his chair. "If you are itching to fight, I'm afraid you will need to reconstruct their bodies or chase the heavily naked guy in the In-Between."

"Unfortunately..." Clarissa plonked down another stack of papers on Gerome's table. He groaned.

"You really know how to spoil my mood." Gerome sighed. He flipped through a few sheets before tossing them onto the table. "Give me the short version."

Clarissa took the papers and placed them inside a silver metallic box with a transparent glass top. A blue light inside the box scanned the papers from top to bottom and projected a hologram in the office.

"We received some reports from Cormed." Clarissa flicked across the hologram and stopped on a map of the village. "While we still cannot identify what caused the disturbance last week, our investigators said that asides from some memory loss, there are no other effects on the villagers and nearby surroundings. However, they ran into several members of the Organisation during their investigations."

Gerome furrowed his brows. "Damn cockroaches."

"I whole-heartedly agree." Clarissa calmly continued. "Which leads me to this." She flicked through the hologram, stopping at the drawing of spherical dome covering a valley.

"This valley is two hours away from the village. We were unable to take any images as it was already gone when we went there. This was drawn by one of the men we captured after some coercion."

"According to several of their men, the Organisation was monitoring someone staying inside the barrier. However, the barrier popped two days ago. No one was inside."

Gerome leaned in his chair and gazed at the images of Cormed alongside the drawing of the barrier. "Have we investigated this?"

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"Yes. We went to the location and only found an old cabin." Clarissa zoomed in on a video of someone walking around a very run-down wooden structure. "We couldn't find any spell residues."

"There must be a connection between my previous memory loss, the incident in Cormed, and whoever was supposed to be in the cabin." Gerome pondered. "Do you have any ideas?"

"No, but we have a lead." A blurred photo of two men were shown on the hologram. "Two of the Organisation's higher-ups, known as Mouthless and Earless, were seen in Dalmuth yesterday."

"Interesting, and why, is this important?" Gerome asked.

"We tracked the assassins you allowed to escape. At least eight of them were seen in towns near, or heading towards, Dalmuth," Clarissa replied.

Gerome drummed his fingers rhythmically on the table. He swiftly made up his mind when he saw the paperwork around him.

Noticing his expression, Clarissa asked: "Should I delegate your office tasks and clear your schedule?"

"The Emperor won't be pleased, but he can't deny that I need another much-deserved holiday after all these shoddy assassins." Gerome slowly voiced his thoughts. "Go make the necessary arrangements, I will speak to the Emperor."

Clarissa nodded. "I will make travel arrangements for us to leave in three days."

"Us? You're coming?" Gerome asked in surprise. He knowingly nodded upon Clarissa's stares on the paper mountains around them.

* * *

What? Mouthless asked in annoyance when Earless pulled his sleeves. Wearing the same grey trench coats and face scarfs, they were were walking alongside a busy road surrounded by pedestrians, hawkers, and various sorts of transportations.

"I feel that someone is fo-, ouch! What was that for?" Earless was interrupted Mouthless slapped the back of his head.

Use your hands idiot! Don't speak so loudly! Mouthless gestured. Some of the people nearby were giving them odd glances, but turned back to focus on whatever they were originally doing.

"Oka.." Okay okay! Earless gestured back with an added finger for expletives. I sensed someone following us recently.

Enemies? Mouthless asked. He considered casting a detection spell, but abandoned it halfway as it seemed too risky now.

No idea, but their heartbeats are too... rhythmic. Earless gestured. Their magic seem average though.

Might be the Empire's spies, or Magic Tower's agents. When did you first noticed them?

Two days ago? It was after we met one of the failed assassins. We can't tell who they belong to until we actually fight, though. Mouthless stopped as they waited patiently in line for the tram.

Mouthless helped an old lady alight the tram as they were boarding, earning both hers and the conductor's praises in exchange. Mouthless and Earless went to sit at the back of tram..

Earless nudged Mouthless and nodded towards the last passenger - a plain-looking women holding a handbag. The tram started moving the moment she sat down.

Cover me. Mouthless signalled to Earless.

Earless took out a pen from his pocket. As he removed the cover, ink gushed out its tip, forming a glistening black barrier around their bodies. Neither the passengers nor the driver noticed anything.

After walking up and down the carriage to check the passengers' reactions, Mouthless nodded in satisfaction and walked back to his seat. He pulled down his face scarf and mouthed: "Reveal."

The feelings and emotions of the passengers manifested formed coloured auras around their bodies. Most of them showed the typical drab brown of boredom, some showed the bright yellow of happiness, while one or two sad souls were covered in dark blue. Five passengers, including the women dressed in brown, were covered in a translucent shade of light blue intermingled with dark crimson.

There's more than we expected. Mouthless gestured to Earless. Try leaking some of your aura.

Earless nodded and deliberately allowed part of his aura to leak through the inky barrier. Mouthless noticed the five passengers' auras quickly changed to become completely dark crimson and undoubtedly hostile intentions. While none of them swung around to look at Mouthless and Earless, Mouthless could see the women slowly reaching into her handbag.

The Magic Towerr, Mouthless thought as he quickly covered his face. After deactivating his spell, he channeled the the ink barrier surrounding his body to his right fist. Noticing Mouthless' actions, Earless immediately deactivated his barrier and quickly scribbled something on the windowpane next to him.

The women suddenly stood up and threw an emerald knife towards Mouthless. However, Mouthless deflected the knife and punched the ground. The ink instantly spread throughout the carriage, turning all the reflective surfaces black.

The driver cussed and quickly stopped the tram. Before he could turn around, an oily black tentacle with toothy suction cups shot out from the window next to him and strangled him. Chaos broke out inside the tram as thick and oily tentacles appeared from all the windows and attacked the passengers indiscriminately.

Nimbly avoiding the flailing passengers and tentacles, Mouthless sauntered to join Earless at the back of the tram. The window Earless scribbled on was still normal. However, just before he could crack the glass, another emerald knife brushed past his cheek and shattered the window.

Mouthless turned and looked towards the lady who was viciously charging and cutting down the tentacles and passengers. He calmly picked up the first emerald knife from the floor and hurled it back to her, inflicting a deep gash across her shoulder.

Satisfied, Mouthless turned back and rejoined Earless who was waiting by the broken window. The two of them quickly leapt out onto the street. The tram was wobbling dangerously from the outside. Shrieks and screams of terror were heard from the carriage, much to the horror of the nearby pedestrians.

Mouthless and Earless left and entered a deserted alleyway. The Boss was already there puffing a cigar.

"Done?" Boss asked. Mouthless and Earless nodded.

"Good. That should keep Gerome's men busy. Let's go." After the Boss crusheing the cigar with his foot, the three of them walked away into the darkness, the sirens and screams echoing in the distance.