I'd been right. Uncle Wolf had shown up with the cleanup team. He and two other men had entered the demolished room to find me crouched in front of the corpse of Bradley Sturm. There was a long moment of silence as the three men took in the scene before them. A wrecked room, two dead bodies and a large pile of webbing and debris on the far side of the room. It was not what any of them were expecting to find tonight.

  "That one's still alive. Buried in the webbing. Might be passed out by now." I said, turning to face Uncle Wolf as I rose from my crouched position.

  Uncle Wolf's eyes narrowed as he took in my words, his gaze sweeping over the carnage before settling back on me. "Aiden," he said, his voice a mix of concern and professional detachment, "are you alright?"

  I nodded, feeling the adrenaline starting to ebb away, leaving me with a bone-deep weariness. "I'm fine. It was... messy, but necessary."

  One of the men with Uncle Wolf moved towards the pile of webbing, while the other began examining the bodies. Uncle Wolf stepped closer to me, his voice low. "What happened here?"

  I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts. "The one with the broken neck, and the one stuck in the webs are Vish Enforcers, as far as I can tell." I glanced at the corpses, a twinge of something—Satisfaction?—twisting in my gut. "They were coming for Sturm already, arrived while he and I were having a chat about what he did to Sean. Didn't leave me much choice."

  Uncle Wolf's expression hardened, his eyes flashing with a mix of anger and pride. "You did what you had to do, son. But this... this is going to complicate things." A groan from the webbing pile interrupted us. The man digging through it had unearthed Steafnie’s head. The enforcer's eyes fluttered, unfocused and dazed for a moment before settling.

  "Got a live one here, sir," the man called out to Uncle Wolf.

  I tensed, ready for anything, but Uncle Wolf put a steadying hand on my shoulder. "Easy, Aiden. We've got this under control now."

  The other man examining the bodies looked up. "This one's definitely Sturm. Matches the description we had. The other... well, he's not going to be identified easily."

  "I don't know about the two that were Sturms. I hit the other two with [Analyze], so I got their names. The broken neck and the one in the webs are Stefanie Dumont and Kyler Reilly."

  Uncle Wolf nodded, his expression grim. "Well done, kid. That information will be useful." He turned to the men, issuing rapid-fire orders. "Secure the survivor. We'll need to question her. And get forensics in here ASAP."

  As the men moved to comply, Uncle Wolf guided me towards the door. "Let's step outside for a moment. I need a full rundown of what happened." We exited the demolished room, the sounds of the cleanup team fading behind us. In the hallway, I leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that had transpired. Uncle Wolf stood before me, his eyes searching my face.

  "Both Argyle and David already called me about Sean," He took a moment to give me a disapproving look, as if he was irritated I hadn't called him myself. "But start from the beginning. What brought you here tonight?"

  "I was in a meeting when I got a call from Vicky. She was in tears, saying Sean was in the hospital from some kind of overdose." I began to explain the sequence of events that had led to me being here in a room with several unconscious people and a pair of dead bodies.

  ——-

  Fortunately, I didn't end up having to explain the entire thing from one end to the other. A large portion had already been explained when Argyle had called both Uncle Wolf and David himself. Interestingly, both Argyle and Isabella were applying some pressure to make the whole thing go away, so to speak.

  Not that it took much.

  Apparently, neither of the two major magical factions liked the Vish much, for some reasons that were obvious and some that were not. Politics was a large part of it, as always. In the end, the debrief never materialized, and I didn't even receive a slap on the wrist.

  I breathed a sigh of relief as Uncle Wolf finished relaying the news. "So, no official repercussions?" I asked. No matter how many times I turned the idea over in my mind, it wouldn't quite settle into place. Having grown up with the idea that the rule of law was meant to be firm, though it could be bent with money and power, it was strange to be on the side that benefited for once. I still hadn't quite accepted that I was someone who had power now. Logically, I knew it was true, but changes like that take time to settle in your psyche. Not to mention the other demons, new and old, that battled in my mind on a regular basis.

  He shook his head, a wry smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Not this time. But don't make a habit of it, kid. The Banner might look the other way when it comes to the Vish, but we can't have Rankers going around leaving bodies in their wake without consequences."

  I nodded, understanding the implicit warning in his words. The warning fell somewhat flat; if it hadn't been the Vish, something from the strange new magical world I found myself a part of, I didn't think I would have reacted as strongly. At least I think I would have been able to accept less direct action against them. Maybe. "Understood. So what happens now?"

  Uncle Wolf's expression turned serious. "Now, we focus on Sean. He's stable, but we need to figure out exactly what Sturm did to him. The Vish have been experimenting with some nasty concoctions lately, and if Sean was their guinea pig..."

  He trailed off, but I could fill in the blanks. My fists clenched at my sides, the rage that simmered just below the surface came roaring back with a vengeance. "I should have made Sturm suffer more," I growled.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "Easy," Uncle Wolf cautioned. "What's done is done. We need to move forward." He paused, seeming to weigh his next words carefully. "The potion you gave him seems to have stripped the worst of it out of his system, but there might still be some complications. Being exposed to so much mana in so short a time, we're fairly certain he'll become a Ranker sometime in the near future, as soon as his body crosses the threshold."

  I felt a mix of emotions at Uncle Wolf's words. Relief that Sean was out of immediate danger, but also a deep concern for what his future might hold. Becoming a Ranker wasn't something to be taken lightly.

  "What does that mean for Sean?" I asked, my voice low. "He's... he's not exactly the most stable person, not that I’m a paragon of stability either. Giving him access to The System, to magic... is that safe?"

  Uncle Wolf's expression softened slightly. "I understand your concerns, Aiden. But we don't have much choice in the matter now; the process has already begun, and it's just a matter of time. The best we can do is prepare him, guide him. He'll need you more than ever."

  I nodded, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on my shoulders. "I was never very good at being the guiding older brother, but I did better as the one cleaning up the messes afterwards," I said with a sigh. Such was the history of the Kaesor family. Sean got himself into trouble one way or another, and I dug him out, one way or another. I'd never had the foresight needed where he was concerned to prevent issues before they became problems. Just enough muscle and anger to beat them until they went away.

  Uncle Wolf placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but reassuring. "You've always been there for the family, Aiden. That's what matters. And now, you have more tools at your disposal to help him."

  I nodded, trying to push aside my doubts. "So what's the next step? How do we prepare him for this?"

  "First, we wait for him to stabilize completely," Uncle Wolf explained. "Once he's out of the hospital, we'll bring him in for an assessment. The Banner has protocols for new Rankers; you dove into things headfirst, so you didn't see much of them. Particularly for those who come into their abilities under more... unusual circumstances."

  I couldn't help but snort at that. "Unusual circumstances. That's one way to put it."

  Uncle Wolf's lips twitched in a brief smile before his expression turned serious again. "Then there will be a choice to make: wait or accelerate. We can either wait for his connection to the system to develop normally, or we could make it move faster. "

  "By pushing him into a dungeon, right?" I remembered the conversation we'd had previously about how Rankers were made, usually involving environments with increased mana. Just like a dungeon.

  "We do have specialized rooms that would work as well, but for some reason, the results tend to be better going the dungeon route. We've been unable to figure out why." Uncle Wolf said with a shrug before turning serious. "There's something else you should know, Aiden. The disturbance up north? It's getting worse."

  My brow furrowed. "Worse how?"

  "Reports are coming in of increased dungeon activity. More and more are forming, some with creatures we’ve never seen before, and others drawn from farther and farther back in our history."

  A chill ran down my spine. New monsters meant unpredictability, and unpredictability in our line of work often led to casualties. "Any theories on what's causing it?"

  Uncle Wolf shook his head. "Nothing concrete yet. But there's talk of sending another team to investigate. Given your recent... performance, your name has come up as a potential candidate for the team."

  I felt a mix of surprise and uncertainty at Uncle Wolf's words. "Me? I'm not sure I'm qualified for something like that. I've barely scratched the surface of what I can do and what this new world is like."

  Uncle Wolf's eyes held a glimmer of pride. "You've shown remarkable growth in a short time, Aiden. Your handling of the Sturm situation, while messy, demonstrated your ability to think on your feet and deal with unexpected threats."

  I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the decision before me. "What about Sean? I can't just leave him when he's about to go through such a major change."

  "I understand your concern," Uncle Wolf said, his voice softening. "But nothing is certain yet. Honestly, the only reason the banner is even considering it is because so many of our Rankers are already tied up dealing with the issue in the first place. Otherwise, they'd rather send their own people."

  I nodded slowly, seeing the logic in his words. It made sense. If most of their combat teams were already engaged, dealing with other issues, then they'd look at the teams that weren't engaged as well as outsiders. They might even try to make it a joint venture with the Unseen, but that seemed unlikely given the tension between the two factions. They were friendly enough with each other, but were still rivals with a long history behind them. "When would this mission take place?"

  "Not for a few weeks yet if at all. We're still gathering intelligence and assembling the team. You'd have time to see Sean through the initial stages of his recovery and transition."

  I took a deep breath, weighing my options. The thought of venturing into unknown territory, facing new challenges, was both exciting and terrifying. But the possibility of gaining knowledge that could help protect Sean and others like him...

  "Alright," I said finally. "I'm in, we'll have to talk pay at some point, but I'll do it. I'd like part of my pay to be access to the archives and a training room, to train while we're on standby." I let out a heavy sigh. "This fight showed me the areas I'm lacking in. I'm a physical powerhouse to be sure, but I lack a lot of the things that can help bridge gaps in Skill and power."

  Uncle Wolf nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes. "That can be arranged. The Banner's resources will be at your disposal. We'll set you up with access to the archives and training facilities." He paused, his expression turning thoughtful. "As for your payment, we'll discuss the details later, but I can assure you it will be more than fair."

  I felt a surge of determination. This was an opportunity to grow stronger, to better protect those I cared about. "Thank you. I'll make the most of it."

  "I know you will," Uncle Wolf said, his voice filled with confidence. "Now, there's one more thing we need to discuss." He paused, his expression growing serious. "The Vish aren't going to take this lying down. They've lost two enforcers and a valuable asset in Sturm. You need to be prepared for potential retaliation."

  A cold anger settled in my gut. "Let them try," I growled. "I'll be ready." The thought of the Vish attacking my family directly brought the monster that settled in my gut roaring back to life; it called for blood and violence. It took me a moment to settle it back into calm. Uncle Wolf remained silent, watching me, as if wondering if he'd have to clean up another mess soon.

  I let out a sigh, "There's one last thing, I'd like you to come by the house tomorrow or the day after. It's time I introduced the family to their new reality." The family was a problem right now. I wasn't necessarily against keeping them in the dark on a lot of what was going on, but it was rapidly becoming less and less practical as a solution. Sean's condition, especially, would strain the bounds of what my family would accept going forward. "We won't be able to hide it from them any longer."

  Uncle Wolf nodded solemnly. "You're right. It's time they knew. I'll be there." He paused, his eyes searching my face. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Aiden? Once they know, there's no going back."

  I let out a humourless chuckle. "Ready? No. But necessary? Absolutely." I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the decision. "They deserve to know what's really going on, especially with Sean's situation. And if the Vish decide to retaliate... they need to be prepared." From where I stood, it simply wasn't possible to keep them in the dark any longer. Briefly, I wondered if this was what it felt like to be handling a big case in law enforcement or something similar.

  "Fair enough," Uncle Wolf agreed. "Take tomorrow to think about it, do some training. If you still want to bring them into the fold, I'll bring some basic protective gear for them, just in case. And we'll need to discuss setting up some wards around your property."

  I nodded, grateful for his support. "Thanks, I think I can handle the wards, it'll be good practice for me. I won't say no to having someone from the Banner add some more, though. Thanks, Uncle Wolf, for everything."

  As we wrapped up our conversation, I couldn't help but feel a mix of dread and anticipation for what was to come. Tomorrow, I'd have to shatter my family's perception of reality. I'd have to explain monsters, magic, and a world hidden just beneath the surface of their everyday lives. And somehow, I'd have to make them understand the danger we were all in now.

  Uncle Wolf arranged a ride home for me in one of the Banner's blacked out and armoured SUV's saying it was probably better that I wasn't out and about on my own for a day or two. I accepted, the ride would give me time to think, my mind was already racing with how to approach the conversation that was drawing closer like an oncoming freight train. How do you tell your family that their youngest son is about to become something more than human? That their oldest has been fighting monsters and risking his life? That a shadowy organization might be gunning for us all. Uncle Wolf's advice to take a day to think about things was sounding better and better by the moment.