"Five days," Spiro said.
This time, his tone left no room for interpretation. It was not a suggestion, not a flexible plan, just a fixed interval. We waited.
The routine returned immediately, as if it had never left. In the mornings, we trained under the pale, cold light. Our breaths turned into mist as we swung our weapons again and again, the rhythm steady, mechanical. No one spoke much. Words had become unnecessary.
Afternoons were quieter. We sat, sometimes together, sometimes apart. There was no real rest, only pauses. Moments where our bodies were still, but our minds were not.
At night, we swung again.
Relentlessly.
Until our arms gave out.
Until our legs collapsed beneath us.
Until we woke up back in bed, as if the world refused to let us break completely.
***
The city was changing.
The rumors had shifted.
They were no longer uncertain whispers, but confident claims.
In the market, voices carried a different tone now.
"Old Guard has been defeated. Completely."
"All their territory belongs to Black Rose now."
"Another gambling house got attacked."
"Apex Exchange must be furious."
"I heard there's an elite unit behind all this."
"They kill you before you even notice."
"Even the city guards can't find them."
I walked past them in silence, listening without reacting.
It seemed Seyren's unit was active as well. Their presence was beginning to dominate the narrative. Their rumors were replacing ours.
That was good.
The more confusion there was, the safer we remained.
***
Five days passed.
The mission came.
The target was another gambling house in the slums.
From the outside, it looked like an abandoned store. No light. No movement. No sign of life.
But appearances meant nothing anymore.
I activated my Avenir eyes and began scanning carefully.
"There is no gambling activity," I reported.
Spiro nodded slightly. "Continue."
"There are ten guards on the first basement level."
I paused.
"The second basement is protected by mana. I cannot see inside."
That immediately drew attention.
Theo frowned. "Blocked?"
"Yes."
Spiro's gaze sharpened. "And the guards?"
"One of them has dense mana," I said. "The others are average."
I hesitated briefly.
"The strongest one… his mana density is close to yours, Spiro."
A brief silence followed.
Theo exhaled quietly. "That is still manageable."
Spiro nodded once.
"We attack tonight."
As we walked away, Margaretha spoke.
"They are changing their strategy."
No one responded immediately.
"Fewer numbers," she continued. "Stronger individuals."
Robert added, "That means they are learning."
Theo gave a faint smirk. "Or setting bait."
The word lingered.
Bait.
I felt a slight unease, but it passed quickly.
Spiro did not slow his steps. "We proceed with caution."
That ended the discussion.
***
Night came.
The cold was sharper than usual, and snow fell slowly, covering the ground in silence.
The slum felt still.
Too still.
I scanned again.
"No changes," I said. "Ten guards. No activity."
"The strongest guard remains in the far room with one other. The rest are divided into groups."
Spiro nodded.
"No flames. We go in directly."
There was only one entrance.
Once we entered, there would be no easy exit.
We exchanged glances, then moved.
BRACK
The door broke open with a loud crack as we kicked it down.
We rushed inside and split immediately.
Spiro, Agni, and Pritha went left.
Theo and I went right.
Robert and Margaretha went straight toward the central room.
***
The guards in our room were unprepared.
They were talking when we entered.
Their reactions were slow.
Theo moved first, appearing beside one of them and cutting his throat before he could even stand.
The man collapsed instantly.
The others panicked.
Weapons drawn.
Too late.
I stepped forward and drove my blade into another guard's chest. He gasped, blood filling his mouth as he fell.
A third tried to attack me, but I intercepted him, pushing forward and striking his side.
Theo reappeared behind the fourth and ended him in a single motion.
The room fell silent in seconds.
Theo exhaled lightly. "This is becoming too easy."
Something about that statement felt wrong.
Too easy.
It should not have been this easy.
They should be prepared…
But we moved anyway.
We reached the main room.
Robert and Margaretha were already fighting the strongest guard.
The man stood tall, composed, as if he had expected us.
"So it is just children," he said calmly.
His movements were precise. He blocked Robert's heavy strikes and avoided Margaretha's attacks without strain.
"You do not know who you are dealing with."
His companion was already dead, but he showed no concern.
Theo attempted an ambush from behind.
The guard blocked it instantly.
"Oh," he said, almost amused. "A bloodline child."
His eyes scanned us.
"That explains your skill."
He was not struggling.
Not even slightly.
A cold feeling crept into my chest.
Something was wrong.
I focused my vision again, scanning everything around us.
Walls.
Floor.
Air.
Everything is normal, but my brain tells me it's not.
"Here comes the leader," the man said as Spiro's group entered the room.
"All of you are quite young."
He moved his hand.
Without warning, he threw an object to the ground.
An explosion followed.
Thick smoke spread instantly, filling the room.
It was suffocating.
I could not breathe.
Instinct took over, and I retreated out of the room, coughing.
The others did the same.
Then I heard it.
A small, sharp sound.
CLICK
"They have seven members," the guard said calmly. "One older, the rest are children."
Another voice answered.
Deeper.
From below.
"My hunch was right. There is someone who can sense mana. That must be the Avenir blood."
More voices followed.
"They are valuable."
"Very valuable."
"Jackpot."
"Don't forget, the leader has to be alive…"
My heart pounded.
I forced my vision through the smoke.
The barrier…
It was opening.
Figures emerged.
More than before.
Stronger than before.
"THERE ARE TEN MORE DENSE MANA FROM INSIDE!" I shouted.
The realization came all at once.
This was not a defensive setup.
It was a trap.
They had been waiting.
Spiro's voice cut through the chaos.
"RUN!" Spiro's voice cut through everything.
"OUTSIDE! NOW!"
We quickly moved.
No hesitation.
No formation.
Just survival.