I pocketed my phone and returned to the atrium where Selena and Adam waited. As expected, Selena was teasing the hell out of Adam, her laughter echoing through the chamber. Adam, for his part, looked like he was contemplating an escape route but couldn’t muster the courage to bolt.

“Selena,” I said, cutting through the banter, “you need to focus. If your bloodline technique is going to work, it needs to resonate with your soulmate first. And for that to happen, it needs to evacuate properly.”

She stopped mid-tease, tilting her head in curiosity. “Evacuate? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have to align your aura flow completely with his,” I replied, gesturing toward Adam, who stiffened under the scrutiny.

Selena smirked, clearly enjoying the prospect. “Sounds intimate. I’m in.”

Adam groaned softly, muttering something under his breath, but I ignored it. “I’m heading out to pick up our fourth and fifth members,” I continued.

Selena raised an eyebrow. “Fourth and fifth? How many members are we stopping at?”

“Five,” I answered simply.

She burst into laughter. “Five? That’s it? We’re supposed to be replacing the World Order, right? And you think five people are enough to do that?”

“For now,” I replied, keeping my tone even.

Selena’s laughter faded into a chuckle, and she shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

Ignoring her jab, I turned to Adam. “Tell us about your Gift.”

Adam shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between Selena and me. “Uh… I can heal people with my aura.”

I sighed, rubbing my temple. “And redistribute life force,” I added.

Adam blinked, his expression resembling a fish out of water.

Selena snickered, leaning closer to him. “Get used to it. Reynard knows everything. Or at least, he likes to act like he does.”

“I wish,” I muttered under my breath.

Adam sighed in resignation. “Fine. My Gift is called Life Bridge. It lets me take life force from one person and give it to another. But I can’t use it on myself. I can only redistribute the life force I’ve taken or use my own to heal others. It’s like… I have this separate ‘vase’ where I store the life force I take. From there, I can give it away with a touch or even from a distance using my aura.”

Selena looked genuinely intrigued. “So you can kill and heal with a flick of your aura? That’s terrifying.”

Adam frowned. “I wouldn’t say it like that. I try not to…”

“You try not to kill,” Selena finished for him, smirking. “Admirable, but not always practical.”

“Enough,” I said, cutting off the brewing debate. “Selena, help Adam collect life force over the next three days.”

Adam’s eyes widened. “Collect? For what?”

“There’s going to be a showdown in the capital city,” I explained. “Three days from now. Ulrich will be there.”

The mention of Ulrich silenced both of them. Selena’s smirk vanished, replaced by a steely determination. Adam, meanwhile, looked uneasy but nodded nonetheless.

“Three days,” I repeated. “Be ready.”

The pieces were finally falling into place.

I reached into my other pocket and tossed a different phone to Selena. She caught it easily, her reflexes as sharp as ever despite her recent resurrection.

“Contact Atropos,” I instructed, watching her fiddle with the device. “Use the World Path to get where you need to go.”

Adam looked between us, his confusion evident. “Where are we going?”

Selena didn’t even look up from the phone as she answered with a smirk. “The Forbidden Region. We’re collecting life force, remember?”

Adam blinked. “The Forbidden Region? That’ll be my first time.”

Selena finally glanced up, her smirk widening. “Oh, you’ll have a lot of first times with me.”

I coughed, cutting off whatever teasing she was about to unleash. “You two should get going. Time’s short.”

They exchanged a glance—Adam looking flustered and Selena clearly amused—before heading toward the exit. I watched them leave, their voices fading into the distance, and turned my attention back to the task at hand.

For the next hour, I combed through the research archives stored in the base. Five years of accumulated data, some of it invaluable to the Government and the Hunter Association, all of it dangerous in the wrong hands. I systematically wiped every trace, erasing files, dismantling connections, and destroying backups.

When I was sure nothing remained, I activated the self-destruct protocol. A soft hum began to resonate through the base, growing louder as the countdown started.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I left without hesitation, exiting through a hidden passage that led into the adjacent forest. From there, I waited, standing amidst the shadows of the trees as the minutes ticked down.

The explosion came suddenly, the mountaintop erupting into a fiery spectacle of destruction. The ground trembled beneath my feet, and the sky lit up with flames and debris. The base, and everything it had held, was no more.

I stayed for a moment longer, watching the inferno consume the mountain. Then, without a second glance, I turned and walked away.

There was still much to do.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Atropos. The line clicked after the first ring, and her familiar voice greeted me with a mixture of curiosity and exasperation.

“Reynard,” she said. “What is it now?”

“Have Adam and Selena gone through you yet?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

She hummed softly. “Yes, they’ve already passed through. Selena seemed… lively, to say the least. Are you really going through with this, Reynard?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes. I don’t have much of a choice.”

Atropos sighed, and I could almost picture her shaking her head on the other end. “I heard from Reina about your ailment.”

That made me stop in my tracks. My fingers tightened around the phone as I suppressed a groan. “Of course she knows,” I muttered. “And here I thought Sarah’s promise to keep it quiet would hold.”

“She only told me because she’s worried,” Atropos said gently. “We all are. This path you’re walking…”

I didn’t let her finish. “I’m already on it. No turning back now.”

I reached an open stretch of land, the trees thinning out as the path widened. Looking up at the sky, I sighed. “Just zap me.”

“You know,” Atropos said, her voice tinged with amusement, “you’re using the World Path like a taxi service. Every time it’s activated, it burns through an absurd amount of energy. Even the richest corporation in the world would go bankrupt after a few uses.”

“I know,” I replied, my tone apologetic but firm. “I’m sorry.”

She sighed again, a mix of resignation and affection. “Fine. Brace yourself.”

The air around me shimmered, a low hum building as the World Path activated. In an instant, I was engulfed in a brilliant flash of light.

When the glow faded, I found myself standing in the lush garden of HAHQ. The familiar scents of blooming flowers and freshly trimmed grass filled the air. I put my phone back in my pocket, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. Atropos’s words lingered in my mind, but I shook them off.

There was no time for second-guessing. The next step was already waiting.

The Hunter Association’s HQ had grown livelier in recent years, teeming with new recruits thanks to the hunter boom. But despite the influx, the garden remained untouched—a sanctuary reserved for someone like me, slipping in and out without attracting attention.

I moved quietly, skirting the pathways and avoiding any wandering eyes, until I reached the main building. The corridors were familiar, and soon enough, I found myself outside the HA President’s office.

Inside, Bob and Atropos were waiting.

“You’re late,” Atropos remarked, holding up a sleek, metallic arm. “But at least I managed to finish this in time.”

I stepped closer, taking in the craftsmanship. “This is the final product?”

She nodded. “A collaboration between me and a certain airship captain. Go on, let’s get you fitted.”

I extended the stump of my missing arm, and Atropos got to work. The mechanical arm locked into place with a faint hiss, its components syncing seamlessly with my nervous system… and it was painful.

“Try it,” she urged.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the artificial limb respond as if it were my own. The grip was firm, the movement fluid.

“It’s designed to work with any aura state,” Atropos explained, pride evident in her tone. “Durable enough to withstand your recklessness and equipped with a built-in battery to store aura. Just don’t break it in a week, okay?”

Bob leaned back in his chair, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Would be a pity if you went through all this trouble just to kick the bucket.”

I ignored the jab. “Do you have what I asked for?”

Bob didn’t move immediately. Instead, he leaned forward, his fingers steepled. “The deal still stands. If you survive whatever madness you’re planning, you’ll owe me a stint at the Academy.”

I met his gaze evenly. “Fine. Just give it to me.”

With a dramatic sigh, Bob slid a file across the desk. “The location of your fifth member,” he said.

I picked up the file and began flipping through it. The details were sparse but sufficient. Just as I closed it, a knock sounded at the door.

Bob frowned. “I don’t have any further appointments.”

Atropos glanced at the monitors. “It’s Diamond Black,” she said casually. “Or Jacob Black, as he’s used to being called recently.”

The name brought a faint smile to my face. Black—still the same, it seemed.

Switching to a Telekinesis-build, I opened the door from a distance. Black stepped in, dressed in a sharp dark tuxedo. The diamond tattoo under his right eye now had a twin under his left. He still wore those dark shades, exuding the same quiet confidence I remembered.

“Reynard,” he said, his voice as steady as ever.

“Black,” I replied, rising to greet him. “Right on time.”

He glanced at the others, his expression unreadable behind the shades. “You called. I came.”

He was meant to be my fourth member. And from the look of him, he was rather welcome of the idea of being able to kill more devils… or cryptids of any kind as of recently.

Bob leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with a mix of curiosity and exasperation. “So, where to next, Reynard?”

I hefted the file he had just handed over. “To get our fifth member.”

Atropos raised an eyebrow. “Who’s lucky number five?”

“Silhouette,” I replied, flipping open the file. Inside were sparse but precise details—coordinates, a recent sighting, and a brief dossier. “One of the Seven Extremes. The Seat of Trickster.”

Black let out a low whistle. “Going after the big guns, aren’t we?”

“It’s not a choice,” I said simply. “We need someone like… him.”

Bob sighed, rubbing his temples. “You’ve got a knack for finding trouble, Reynard. You know he’s a wildcard, right? No one’s seen him in months. Even the Hunter Association’s been cautious about pursuing him.”

“That’s why we’re doing it,” I said, snapping the file shut. “We don’t have the luxury of playing it safe.”

Bob stared at me for a long moment, then finally shook his head. “Fine. But don’t drag the Association’s name into whatever chaos you’re about to stir.”

I smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“And how are you planning to get there?” Bob asked.

I met his gaze evenly. “The World Path.”

Bob groaned, leaning forward to plant his elbows on the desk. “You’ve been treating that thing like your personal teleportation service. Do you even understand how much energy it burns every time it’s used?”

“Enough to bankrupt a corporation,” I said dryly. “Atropos mentioned it before.”

“Then why—”

“Because we don’t have time to waste,” I interrupted.

Bob let out a heavy sigh, throwing his hands in the air. “Fine. You have permission to use it. But only in the garden. And if Atropos gives me any grief about this, I’m sending her straight to you.”

Atropos smirked. “Don’t worry, Bob. I’m already plenty mad at him.”

I ignored her jab and turned toward the door. “Thanks for the assist. Let’s hope it’s worth it.”

As I made my way back through the garden, I felt the weight of the mission settling over me. Silhouette wasn’t just a name; she was a force of nature. If we could convince her to join us, it would be a game-changer.

If.

Reaching the center of the garden, I pulled out my phone and keyed in the activation sequence for the World Path. The air around me shimmered, a faint hum growing louder as the portal began to form.

Time to find the fifth piece.