I washed up briefly and then collapsed into sleep. The female staff seriously debated whether I was gravely ill because I refused the dried persimmons they'd brought, but I simply had no strength; my body was doing its utmost to hold onto that plate.
"…Leave it there…you'll eat it when you wake up…"
They finally quieted down only after setting the plate above my head. Balancing something on my skull might look awkward, but with my training-honed experience, it wasn't hard to keep steady.
"What do I look like?"
"What are you even saying?"
"Do you know why I'm so unsettled?"
"How should I know? You can read ten feet into water, but a single human heart remains a mystery."
For some reason, my stomach turned sick with irritation. I'd sliced up the Black Cloud Society operatives and arrested them—so why this disquiet?
"It's not guilt or anything."
I'd stashed away such luxuries long ago. Only if I'd slaughtered some innocent child would that switch flip.
"…Team Leader. Good morning."
"It's three A.M. 'Good morning' my ass."
"Consider it breakfast pleasantries. So…haaaave you found anything?"
"Not much. It looks like they used a cell phone, but all call logs are wiped. Someone got to it first."
They'd already covered their tracks—true to their reputation. The whole thing felt like chasing a shadow.
"Tch. That Hongru fellow—he's the one making the calls. At least a Wakashu operative."
"We did dig up some info. Hongru is in his twenties, origin unknown, race Draconian, stationed in Wakashu."
"That's it? You call that 'info'?"
"Hey now—these guys won't open their mouths. That is significant intel."
…I suppose. But it felt trivial.
"Like it or not, we've stuck our hands in the hornet's nest. It wouldn't surprise anyone if blood is spilled. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah…loud and clear."
Why would enemies who'd hidden themselves so desperately be so damn close today? I hate to admit it, but I suspect they came out on purpose—or rather, were ordered out by Hongru.
"…I don't like this."
If they had any sense, they wouldn't touch Talulah, Chen, Swire, or Lin. Instead…
"Noya, Nora! Team Leader's stepping out!"
The positions of those two children had been compromised.
"Noya! Nora!! You there? Answer me!"
There was no reply in that familiar alley. My anxiety doubled—had something happened while I slept?
'Stay calm. It's too soon to assume the worst.'
Right. No signs of a fight. Perhaps they were confronted by armed adults, so the children never resisted.
'If only we had traces of a group departure…'
That would at least reveal size and direction.
"Ugh…who's making all that racket?"
"Hah! Time to teach someone a lesson?"
"Hey you. Tell me where the kids went."
A pack of unknown thugs had swarmed the alley that Noya and the others had fought so hard to secure.
"What are you? Some brat…"
schick!
"Not talking? Okay. Next."
"Ugh?! Agh! My hand!!"
"Eeek!!"
"You! The one with the leg. Answer or it comes off."
"I-I don't know! I swear!!"
"Names of any who'd know and their locations."
In this back alley, conventional law holds no sway. Here, the alley's code rules—and I was the elite student who'd lived and enforced it.
'Before dawn, I'll find them.'
I work even while asleep, it seems.
"You sure you don't know?"
"R- really don't!!"
No luck here. On to the next.
"B-but I've got a hunch!"
"Spill it. Where?"
"R-Rat King…some say they saw him leading the children away!"
"…That old coot?"
Why would he take the kids? What gain?
"Where can I find Rat King?"
He sometimes meets at Mr. Dong's, but only because of his friendship with Dong. I'd never tracked him myself.
"T-The candy shop! The one on the outskirts of Dragon Gate! That's all I know!"
A candy shop? A front for a secret hideout, no doubt.
"Thanks."
The Magpie vanished like a gust of wind.
'Candy shop on the Dragon Gate outskirts. Close by.'
A standalone candy shop is rare, especially on the fringe.
I used that momentum to slam the door from above. The hinges held, but it didn't budge.
"…Kid, disturbing an old man's nap, are you?"
The hulking rat sat in an armchair, rising as if he'd been expecting me.
"I heard you took my friends."
"Ha! You caught on fast, at this ungodly hour."
"Old men don't sleep at night. No complaints there."
"You rascal."
Talking to Rat King eased my fear. If the kids were truly with him, at least the worst-case scenario wasn't realized.
"In this slum, word always reaches my ears. Come for a walk?"
"…Fine. Let's catch our breath."
He rose—twice my height—and ambled off casually. No sign of wariness; I suppose he had no reason to fear me.
"So…you tore through the alley to find the kids?"
"Yes. What else?"
"You were anxious—afraid your mistake would cost innocent lives. Right?"
"…I just didn't want my weakness exposed."
Come to think of it, I joined the Sword Sect after fighting the Black Cloud Society here in my territory.
"…Alright. I won't touch that organization. But mark my words: your path is a death march. One day you'll lose something precious."
"Is that a curse?"
"Hear this well and think hard. If one day you're swallowed by that road…then you and I won't be walking side by side…"
Sand grains at my feet swirled into a rising warning.
"We'll meet head-on."
"…I understand. And…"
"Huh? Trying to detain me longer?"
Tch. He's mocking me, but respect commands my bow.
"Thank you—for keeping my friends safe."
I bowed. Why did this simple gesture feel so awkward…
"Kid. Next time come when I open shop. Sorry, no candy for someone so polite at this hour."
He slipped a small, hard candy into my hand and drifted away.
"…Cinnamon flavor. Damn rat."
The candy rolled on the floor, exuding a bitter cinnamon aroma. Dawn was breaking, the light enveloping me.
"…Impressive."
In the dimness—no sun yet—a man with eyes half-lacquered in jade watched in awe.
"I adapted Ursus technology to craft this. We'll begin inducing it among the Wakashu first. Do you like it?"
"Like it…?"
Hongru didn't answer. He drew his blade and eyed the newcomer as if looking at a toy who rushed in unawares.
"P-please… spare me!"
—thunk!
Under the dark sky split by a lunar halo, an obsidian cloud blackened the heavens. From his blade sprang the Black Cloud, slicing the supplicant's toy form as if cleaving a soul. Blood spurted abnormally from the single wound.
"…Perfect."
"We're still at the starting line. Don't be startled by this."
And the shadows yet untouched by sunrise stirred to life. Thus began Baekhyun's unbreakable nightmare for the rest of his days on Terra.