Phong had drifted to the far edge of the amphitheater, away from the lanterns and noise of the auction floor. The stone wall there overlooked the dark river below Lyon, the city lights flickering softly against the night sky.
He stood quietly with a paper cup of coffee in his hands.
For a while, he just stared into the dark.
His thoughts were still tangled around what Em had said.
The idea that someone, something, could casually rewrite Alex's memories had hit a place in his mind he tried very hard not to touch.
Loss.
Helplessness.
That old fear that no matter how much he built, how many plants he grew, how many allies he gathered—
Someone stronger could still take everything away.
He didn't even notice when a small shadow crept up beside him.
Rico.
The raccoon slowly reached for the coffee.
Carefully.
Delicately.
Normally, Phong would have reacted right away.
This time he didn't move.
Rico paused mid-theft.
Then slowly looked up.
Even Rico could tell something was wrong.
He lowered the cup slightly.
"…You okay?"
Phong blinked.
The question sounded faintly absurd coming from a raccoon.
He exhaled quietly.
"Thinking."
Rico crossed his arms with full drama.
"That bad?"
Phong didn't answer.
The raccoon thought for a moment.
Then tried again.
"You know… you could just expand."
Phong glanced down.
"Expand what?"
"Your allies."
Rico gestured wildly with both paws.
"If one camp can get overpowered by a floor boss…"
"…then make friends with another."
"Then you have backups."
The logic was… annoyingly straightforward.
Phong stared at him for a few seconds.
Then chuckled quietly.
"Well."
"I must have hit rock bottom if I'm taking strategic advice from you."
Rico ignored the insult completely.
He grabbed the coffee.
"Tribute accepted."
Phong shook his head and reached down to pat him once on the head.
"Still…"
"…thanks."
Rico took a victorious sip.
---
Later that night, the group regrouped near the entrance of the amphitheater.
Everyone compared what they had managed to buy.
Dominic flexed his new gloves again.
"These are still the best purchase."
Janet gave him a look.
"You say that about every new toy."
Joanne was still talking excitedly about the ring-scope idea she planned to recreate later.
Jake showed off his acid-resistant boots.
Séline and Camille proudly displayed their new mana crossbows.
Alex held the small pouch of strange seeds she had bought.
Even Rico had something now.
Phong had quietly bought him a tiny mana-powered stun baton.
Small enough for a raccoon to use.
Strong enough to knock someone out if needed.
"Self-defense only," Phong warned.
"I don't trust you with lethal weapons."
Rico spun the baton dramatically.
"Justice tool."
Dominic laughed.
"That raccoon now has more gear than half the diver association."
After a moment, Dominic sighed.
"Still annoyed about the shield, though."
Phong raised a brow.
"You lost?"
"Yeah."
Dominic rubbed the back of his neck.
"Cash-only auction."
"And we didn't bring enough."
Janet shrugged.
"Next time."
They were about to leave when the auctioneer suddenly raised his voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"Before the night ends…"
"We present the final item."
The crowd quieted at once.
A velvet cloth was whisked away.
The weapon beneath it glowed faintly under the lantern light.
A long sword.
Elegant.
Sharp.
Its edge shimmered with mana.
The auctioneer spoke with theatrical delight.
"This blade once belonged to a level 47 Killer Rabbit."
Séline and Camille froze.
Dominic's expression hardened.
The auctioneer went on.
"The captain of a rabbit cavalry squad encountered on Floor One."
"A coalition raid by four of Paris's strongest guilds managed to lure the creature into an ambush."
He paused for effect.
"Casualties numbered in the dozens."
"The creature was eventually slain."
Phong felt something cold settle in his stomach.
The auctioneer lifted the sword slightly.
"This weapon carries a rare property."
"A Vorpal Sword."
"Any wound made by this blade…"
"…cannot stop bleeding."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
It was a horrible effect.
Even a shallow cut could turn fatal.
Alex stepped forward at once.
"I'm buying it."
Dominic glanced at her.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Her voice was firm.
"That sword belongs to the Greencap Kingdom."
The bidding started.
Within minutes, the problem was obvious.
They did not have enough cash.
Not even close.
This auction did not take cards.
No transfers.
No favors.
Only hard money.
The price climbed.
Higher.
Then higher.
Dominic clenched his fists.
"Damn it."
Janet calculated in silence.
Still not enough.
At last the hammer came down.
"Sold."
The group watched in silence as an assistant carried the sword away.
Alex's jaw tightened.
Then she overheard two staff members whispering behind the stage.
One spoke quietly to the other.
"Prepare the shipping crate."
"Destination confirmed."
"Private delivery."
"To Mr. Olen."
The words landed like a stone.
Dominic cursed under his breath.
Jake shook his head.
"That bastard again."
Alex stared at the empty pedestal.
The sword of a Greencap captain…
Now belonged to the man who had already tried to kill Phong twice.
And suddenly, the night in Lyon felt much less peaceful.
---
Phong woke with a sharp breath.
For a second, he didn't know where he was.
The room was dark except for the faint orange streetlight leaking through the curtains of Maison Delacroix. Somewhere outside, distant traffic murmured through the quiet Lyon night.
His chest rose too fast.
His heart pounded.
The dream was still vivid.
Too vivid.
In it, Em had done exactly what it threatened.
Alex had looked straight at him with strange eyes.
No recognition.
No warmth.
No memory of him at all.
But that wasn't even the worst part.
Phong rubbed his face slowly.
The nightmare had kept going.
Dominic.
Janet.
Jake and Jack.
Séline.
Camille.
Joanne.
Even the animals.
One by one, they had turned against him.
Not from hatred.
Because their minds had been twisted.
Controlled.
And they had marched straight into the garden he built.
Into Camp Stymphalian.
Into the plants.
He could still see it.
The garden reacting to overwhelming pressure.
The lime-oak.
The bonktatoes.
The chili launchers.
The mushrooms.
All mutating under raw survival instinct.
Becoming something monstrous.
A living war machine.
And in the dream, the plants had slaughtered everyone.
The people he loved.
The friends who trusted him.
All dying in the garden he had made to protect them.
Phong shivered.
He remembered what Mr. Vogel had said the day he ate lunch at Alex's place.
Emotions don't obey logic.
He understood that now.
Even with the dragon.
Even with the others trying to reassure him.
The fear had still found its way into his sleep.
Beside him, Alex stirred.
She was only half awake, voice soft with sleep.
"You're shaking."
Phong hadn't realized.
She rolled onto her side and looked at him.
Even in the dim light, she read him easily.
"Bad dream."
He nodded.
Alex sighed softly and rested her head against his shoulder.
"Everything's fine," she murmured.
"If Em actually tried something like that…"
"…the dragon would step in."
She traced one finger lightly down his arm.
"I'd be back in my right mind in minutes."
Phong stared at the ceiling.
"It wasn't just you."
She blinked sleepily.
"What do you mean?"
"In the dream… it didn't stop with you."
He swallowed slowly.
"It changed Dominic."
"The others."
"The animals."
"They all turned."
His voice dropped lower.
"You… and the others… ran into the garden."
"And the plants…"
He stopped.
Alex understood the rest without needing to hear it.
Silence hung for a moment.
Then Alex pouted slightly.
"Come here."
Before he could react, she pushed him gently back onto the mattress and pinned him down with a determined look.
The conversation ended there.
Some time later, the room had gone quiet again.
Phong lay on the bed staring at the ceiling like a man who had just wrestled a bear.
Or several bears.
Or maybe an entire dungeon floor.
Alex rested beside him looking extremely pleased with herself.
"That," she said smugly, "should stop the overthinking."
Phong turned his head weakly.
"You weaponized exhaustion."
"Correct."
She smiled sweetly.
"If you're too tired to think, you won't spiral into stupid worst-case scenarios."
He groaned softly.
"You're terrifying."
"I know."
They lay there in silence for a while, just enjoying the calm.
Eventually, Alex's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
Her expression went flat immediately.
"Olen."
Phong sighed.
"What now?"
She opened the message.
It was long.
Predictably self-righteous.
Olen proudly explaining how he had encountered the mysterious entity called Em.
How it had offered him Alexandra.
How he had refused, out of respect for her autonomy.
How that proved he truly cared about her.
Alex stared at the message for a few seconds.
Then locked the phone.
She tossed it aside without replying.
Phong raised a brow.
"No response?"
"None."
She turned back toward him and ran her fingers gently through his hair.
"That idiot does not deserve my time."
She shifted closer and rested her head on his chest.
Her voice softened again.
"Right now I'm busy."
"With what?"
She smiled faintly.
"Taking care of my boyfriend."
And just like that, Olen's message became completely meaningless.
Exhaustion eventually pulled Phong back under.
Alex stayed still beside him for a while, listening to his breathing slowly settle. His hand rested loosely against her arm. The tension had finally left his shoulders.
She brushed a strand of hair from his face.
"Sleep," she whispered.
For him, the warmth of the bed and the steadiness of her presence were enough. His body finally let go of the fear that had poisoned his dream.
But Alex…
Alexandra Vogel was not calm.
Under the quiet face she had shown him earlier, anger had been simmering the whole time.
Now that Phong was asleep, it came rushing back.
Her jaw tightened.
Her fists curled.
She did not enjoy being used like that.
Not by Olen.
And definitely not by something like Em.
Being treated as a bargaining chip.
A prize.
A damsel.
And worst of all—
Watching the man she loved spiral into fear because of it.
Her eyes flashed.
"Not happening," she muttered.
Carefully, she slipped out of bed.
Moved quietly, making sure not to wake Phong.
Then she crossed to the window.
Opened it.
And stepped out.
---
The backyard of Maison Delacroix was quiet under the moonlight.
The huge lime-oak tree cast long shadows across the grass.
Alex landed lightly.
Barely took two steps before stopping.
The yard was not empty.
Dominic.
The four Js.
Séline and Camille.
The animals.
All of them were there.
Dominic was doing exaggerated push-ups.
Jake and Jack were fake sparring.
Joanne was stretching like she had suddenly taken up midnight fitness.
It was so obviously staged that Alex just stared.
"…Really?"
Everyone froze.
Dominic slowly stood up and coughed awkwardly.
"Well."
He pointed at the raccoon.
"Rico woke us up."
All eyes shifted to the culprit.
Rico raised both paws.
"I heard screaming."
Phong's nightmare.
The raccoon scratched the back of his head.
"So I gathered everyone."
Dominic nodded.
"We came to check."
Jake rubbed his neck.
"But when we got here…"
Jack finished for him.
"…we realized we were late."
Alex's face reddened slightly.
They had arrived just in time to hear her weaponizing exhaustion.
Unfortunately for them, that had not been a good time to interrupt.
Dominic raised both hands.
"We made the executive decision to retreat."
Alex sighed.
"…Good call."
Then she cracked her knuckles.
Her eyes sharpened.
"I'm furious."
The group didn't even pretend to misunderstand.
Em.
Olen.
All of it.
Alex looked at them evenly.
"I need to vent."
Dominic stepped back at once.
"Oh no."
"Not me."
Janet crossed her arms.
"You're not using us as punching bags again."
Alex glanced toward the city lights of Lyon.
"Not here."
Then she looked back at Séline and Camille.
"City patrol?"
Both French girls grinned immediately.
"Oh, absolutely."
Camille adjusted her jacket.
"I know the good neighborhoods."
Rico raised his tiny stun baton dramatically.
"I am ready."
Bruno's tail started wagging.
Nyx flicked hers in quiet approval.
Dominic raised a brow.
"You're going vigilante?"
Alex shrugged.
"Just a little."
"Nothing serious."
Dominic pointed at himself and the others.
"We can't go."
Jake nodded.
"Too recognizable."
Jack added dryly,
"And we'd cause a diplomatic incident."
Janet stepped forward and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"One rule."
Alex tilted her head.
Janet's face turned serious.
"No psychic constructs."
Alex sighed with great suffering.
"But those are the fun part."
"Telekinesis only," Janet said firmly.
"No floating weapons."
"No glowing rapier."
"No anime boss fights."
Alex thought about it.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
Janet stepped back.
"Good."
Alex rolled her shoulders once.
Séline cracked her knuckles.
Camille checked her crossbow.
Rico hopped onto Alex's shoulder like a tiny masked sidekick.
"Justice patrol."
Dominic shook his head as they started toward the street.
"Lyon is about to have a very weird night."
Janet watched them disappear into the dark.
Then sighed.
"At least they're not in the dungeon."
Dominic folded his arms.
"Give them twenty minutes."
"Someone's getting arrested."
The lime-oak rustled softly over them.
And somewhere in the quiet streets of Lyon…
A very angry Mindblade and her very strange companions began their midnight vigilante patrol.