The receptionist blinked, she still held the paperwork of her current client.

  Speaking of, he grabbed my shoulder and forced me to look up at him. “Hey kid, I don't give a shit about your bad attitude. But if you think—“

  I summoned a clone behind him and it swung. He managed to dodge it with a stumble. I then summoned another, and another, and another.

  Until there were six of them beating him to a pulp, everyone took several steps back with wild expressions. I watched with that same blank expression.

  “Lafayette stop!” Daniel entered the guild with a hand outstretched.

  I ignored him and turned my attention to the receptionist. “I asked you a question. Where. Is. She?”

  “She’s at home!” The woman blurted. “She knew you were coming back today so she left to cook dinner for you!”

  I let out a huff and smiled. Then I turned to face Daniel and his gang. “See, that’s real love.” I laughed and dispelled my water clones.

  Daniel watched me with gritted teeth as I exited the guild. “Kid, you think she’ll wanna see you when you look like that?!”

  I looked over my shoulder as I stood at the door. “You did to me, remember that.” I left.

  Daniel slammed a fist against the wall and turned his attention to the beaten mercenary.

  He rolled on the ground and held his swollen face.

  Vis sighed. “I’ll check on him.” She approached the man.

  Louise looked outside where I departed.

  — — —

  Outside I looked upon the crowded streets with impatience. I wasn’t going to waste time wading through this.

  “If you don’t want to drown, move.”

  No one listened.

  Well, I warned them.

  I raised my hands and summoned a supermassive waterball. The thing easily expanded to the size of a building.

  That seemed to catch people’s attention. But it was too late to flee. I lowered my hands and fired.

  The waterball smashed into the center of the street and surged.

  My water flooded the streets like a tidal wave. It pushed people and carts against buildings and into the adjacent streets.

  People screamed and scrambled up rooftops. I stepped through the cleared streets. My boots splashed against the water as it settled.

  Plop.

  Plop.

  Plop.

  People stared at me like I was insane. Some shouted at me, others ran. But no one stopped me.

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  Louise emerged from the guild to see the chaos and placed a hand over her mouth.

  It wasn’t long before I reached Kalie’s residence. The blacksmith shop below was empty. Felix and the old man must’ve run when they heard me coming.

  Oh well.

  I walked to the steps to Kalie's door and knocked. The dragon spoke to me. “Boy, something feels off.”

  Shut up.

  After a second the door unlocked with a click.

  The inside of Kalie’s home was quiet and dark. I stepped inside and that’s when I saw Kalie with her hands bound together and a gag in her mouth.

  “Kalie?” The name left my tongue with fear and hesitation. It was soon replaced with rage.

  “Who did this to you!”

  She let out a muffled shout as someone shoved me from behind.

  The side of my head slammed against the floor and that’s when I saw Felix and the old man.

  Bloodied and dead.

  A large man draped in a trench coat stood over the bodies. A mask obscured his face.

  My hands were tied behind my back. I struggled to break free.

  However, I soon recognized why I couldn’t. It was Ouro suppressing weave. The same kind Lilith used.

  “Ha, what did I tell ya, right in the palm of our hands.”

  That voice.

  The masked man hummed.

  “Indeed. Though I must admit when I heard the commotion outside I suspected we were found out. I see that wasn’t the case.”

  “Who the hell are you?!”

  The man looked down on me and crouched. “Who am I?” He chuckled softly. “I’m the new owner of a very expensive core.”

  He looked up and saw Jax, who loomed over me with a grin. “Grab the boy and let’s go. That commotion he caused has undoubtedly drawn attention.”

  Jax glanced over at Kalie. “And what about her, boss? We can’t leave a witness. And you know, after bringing you a prize like this don’t you agree that I deserve a little reward?”

  He licked his lips.

  “You lay a finger on her and you’re dead!”

  Jax stomped my head. “Shut it, brat! You gave up the chance to tell me what to do a long time ago!”

  He then turned his attention back to the masked man. “So, can I take her?”

  The man in the mask sighed. “Consider your debt paid…”

  Jax grinned as he scrambled toward Kalie, she let out a muffled scream. I gritted my teeth.

  But before anything happened, Jax dropped like a puppet without its strings. His head splattered across the walls.

  I looked back at the masked man, he had two fingers pointed where Jax's head had been.

  “…with your life.” He finished.

  The masked man stood to his feet and kicked Jax’s corpse aside. He then ripped the gag out of Kalie’s mouth and held her head up by her hair.

  “Listen well, girl. I’ll be taking this boy, you have two choices. Either you can die here, or you can live and ensure the guild never gets involved.”

  He leaned close. “You have five seconds.”

  She didn’t even hesitate.

  “I chose to live! I want to live, I swear the guild won’t know anything about this.”

  My eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Smart girl.” He tossed her aside and walked over to me.

  I didn’t look at him. I looked at Kalie. She avoided my gaze, a look of shame and sadness on her features.

  How could she sell me out like that? After everything I’ve done, what we’ve done.

  The world seemed to slow and I felt my heart… break.

  The masked man scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. As we stepped outside Louise was the first to see us.

  The moment she did, she clasped her hands together and fired a beam of blood.

  The masked man raised a hand and effortlessly summoned a gust of wind.

  The blood beam was sent flying off course and smashed into a nearby building.

  “Blood manipulation,” he mused. “A shame I can’t have you too.”

  Louise prepared another spell but the man threw down his hand and we were launched into the air.

  Louise tracked us with her hands but we were out of her range. By the time Daniel and Vis caught up, the masked man and I were gone.

  — — —

  “What the hell happened?!” Daniel rushed onto the scene, both blades drawn.

  Louise pointed into the sky. “A-a man took him, a man in a white mask with a wind affinity.”

  Daniel gritted his teeth before his attention was caught by Kalie’s open door. “Kalie!” He rushed up the stairs and barged inside.

  He looked around, his expression darkened at the bodies. “Kalie, what happened?” He knelt beside her and cut her free.

  She massaged her wrists. “Nothing happened.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing happened, just a local dispute that got out of hand.” She spoke with a soft shame.

  Daniel gestured outside. “Louise said she saw a man take Lafayette. This couldn’t have just been a dispute.”

  He looked down at Jax's corpse. “And if that bastard was involved it must’ve been something shady.”

  Kalie glared at Daniel. “Are you questioning my account? I’ll have you blacklisted from every guild on the continent if you keep pushing this.”

  Daniel leaned back. “What’s gotten into you? Lafayette was just kidnapped.”

  Kalie stood to her feet. “He wasn’t.”

  Vis stepped into the room. “Leave her alone, Daniel. She’s not gonna tell us anything.”

  Daniel stood to his feet. “Why not?”

  Vis stared at Kalie in her eyes. “Because she values her life more than his. If the guild goes after our masked man, he’ll come after her.”

  Daniel glared at her. “So she’s a coward?! She lets a kid get kidnapped because she doesn’t wanna die? How do you think Lafayette feels?”

  Vis chuckled.

  Daniel turned his glare on her. “What’s so funny?!”

  She shook her head. “It’s just, you sounded so much like him, Lafayette. When we sold those hounds he said the same thing.”

  Daniel swallowed hard as he took a step back and covered his mouth.

  “No, that was… different.”

  “It’s really not,” Vis replied. “Anyway what’s done is done, let’s get out of here.”

  She turned and exited the room. Kalie followed after her.

  Daniel stayed and looked down at the bodies.

  “I really am a piece of shit.”

  After a long sigh, he left the room.

  Once he was outside, Louise marched up to him with tears in her eyes. “Vis said we’re not going after him, but that’s not true, right?”

  Daniel felt a pang of guilt in his chest. “I’m sorry, kiddo, I wouldn't even begin to know where to start.”

  “Besides you barely knew him,” Vis chimed.

  Louise looked horrified. “N-no…”

  Daniel pulled her into an embrace and massaged her scalp. “It’s okay.”

  Louise wept into his chest as she gripped his tunic. “I-it’s not okay! I understand you have to be pragmatic sometimes, but he’s just like me, Daniel! Would you have left me if it got too hard?”

  Daniel squeezed her. “No, of course not!”

  “Then why abandon Lafayette?! I know he’s still alive! I can sense his racing heart even now!”

  “Lou, don’t be ridiculous, you— wait, your blood is still in him, right?”

  Louise nodded fervently.

  Vis snatched Daniel’s chin. “Daniel, no.”

  Daniel looked into her eyes.

  “Vis, you’re a smart woman so I won’t ask you to come with us. But I’m telling you this now, I’m saving that kid. I owe it to him and Louise.”