Night was nearly gone when the warehouse door opened.

  Rin was the first to step outside.

  Hands free. No chains. No guards.

  Mika followed her, looking around.

  — Nobody’s here, — Mika whispered.

  — Too easy, — added Rin, clenching her fists.

  — I don’t like this, — said Mika.

  They walked a few streets before seeing a familiar figure.

  Kael stood under a lantern.

  Calm.

  But his clothes were torn in several places, and a dark mark showed on his chest.

  Mika rushed to him.

  — You’re hurt! — she exclaimed.

  — Nothing serious, — he replied, trying to smile.

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  Rin approached slowly.

  — You idiot.

  — Maybe, — Kael said calmly.

  — You could have died.

  — Didn’t you realize it was a trap? — she asked.

  — But I didn’t, — Kael answered, meeting her gaze.

  Mika came from the other side, tilting her head.

  — Is he strong? — she asked, looking at him closely.

  — Yes.

  — Stronger than you?

  — For now, — Kael admitted.

  Rin crossed her arms.

  — We’ll have to prepare more seriously, — she said.

  That admission hung like a heavy weight.

  Later. Tavern.

  Nika and Elf were waiting for them. They met, and Elf scolded Kael.

  — You tricked us, going there alone, — she said.

  Nika was furious with Kael.

  — If you ever do that again, — she said, — forget about us.

  The room was quiet.

  Nika was bandaging Kael’s wound, keeping a vigilant gaze.

  — Ice contract spirit… — she muttered. — This is already the level of ancient pacts.

  — And the eye, — Kael added. — The artifact. He called it Mannora.

  Elf suddenly lifted her head, her eyes sparking.

  — Mannora… This is no ordinary artifact. If the boss uses it like this… we are dealing with something bigger.

  Kael looked at her.

  — What does that mean?

  — Mannora is one of the ancient fragments, — Elf explained. — They say such things strengthen the connection with another dimension. But at a price.

  — What price? — Nika asked, frowning.

  — Nobody knows exactly, — Elf replied.

  Silence.

  Kael lowered his gaze.

  — He saw the future.

  — Then it’s not just an artifact, — Nika said quietly.

  — This is a level we will have to reckon with, — added Elf.

  Night

  Everyone slept.

  Except Kael.

  He sat by the window.

  The wind slowly passed through the cracks.

  The artifact.

  Contract spirits.

  The foresight eye.

  — If he has this level of power… — Nika muttered nearby, as if to herself.

  — Then there are others, — Elf added softly, almost a whisper.

  Kael clenched his fist.

  Interest.

  Not fear.

  Interest.

  — Where to find them? — he thought.

  — How to obtain them?

  — Can power be awakened without a contract?

  He didn’t even notice how he took the first step into someone else’s game.

  In the dark, far from the tavern, the boss stood on a rooftop.

  And quietly smiled.

  — He has begun searching.

  The plan had already worked