Moving did not really pose much of a problem. He did not have to go through the hassle of hiring a moving company. All he simply had to do was teleport back and forth with some of his most important stuff, and within half an hour, he was basically done. He settled in nicely with the siblings, and began to look to the future with hope as the three of them prepared for their new life.
It was a whole new dynamic. That night, the three of them felt like a proper family for the first time in forever. As girls who had been orphaned young, subconsciously, they craved the comfort and stability a family system provided. Now, with the wise Alex and the capable Scarlett together as a couple, and Eliana as their dependent, they all actually felt a lot more happier than they thought they would.
But then again, the proverbial fates that ruled over the affairs of men, picked that particular time in their lives to stir the waters a little.
The very next day, barely twenty four hours after he had officially moved in, a knock came at the door. Even before the visitor's finger came in contact with the oak door, Alex sensed the unusual energy. It percolated through the walls, and saturated the air like a light fog. The knock came in the form of a gentle tap- twice.
Alex, at the time had been busy with stacking up his books on the rack, tensed a few moments before the knock came. Scarlett picked up on his vibe immediately. She was a perceptive one, and did not bother with inordinate questions. One look from Alex was enough to know that something was up.
"Go, I'll get the door." He whispered; "Get Eliana and hide right away. Don't come out till I come get you myself."
Scarlett had never been one to cower while another person took to battle. But Alex had proved himself to be more than capable within the short period she had known him. This had nothing to do with toxic masculinity. She had seen his abilities firsthand and therefore acknowledged him as a formiddable person. So, she nodded and headed off to get her sister to safety;
"Be careful Alex. Don't die."
It was more of a formality than a wish really. She trusted in him.
The visitors, whoever they were, were a patient bunch. They waited between intervals, and timed their knocks intermittently. Alex edged towards the door and took a deep breath before opening.
They were two- a man and a woman. His senses had not been off at all. These were no ordinary people. But they did not appear to be hostile- well, not to him anyways. The woman with the serious set of eyes addressed him immediately without bothering to check him out. Almost as if she knew him.
"Good morning gentleman. My name is Mina," she pointed to the other man behind her; "And this is Stephen." Stephen grunted in a low tone. He looked every inch a douchebag. Who wears dark sunglasses indoors? Alex wondered.
"Can I help you?"
The woman was obviously the one in charge. She was seriously giving off 'boss lady' vibes. And it was not just the dark suit and black turtleneck, or the fact that her face appeared to be permanently locked in a frown.
"We saw you at the magic show mister Alex. That's why we're here."
"You say that like it's supposed to mean something to me. I'm pretty sure you know I was not the only one there that day. Or did you go visiting every single person that attended the show as well?"
Stephen scoffed and made as though he wanted to say something provocative. But one look from the lady checked him, and put him in his place.
"Mister Alex..." She began diplomatically; "I believe you know why we're here. You performed a magic trick that day. We know you were the one responsible for that bit with the raindrops."
Alex was not normally one to play passive aggressive. But there was god killer on the loose, and he simply could not afford to take anything for granted. Besides, he had only just changed his address less than twenty four hours ago, and yet, these two had found him effortlessly. Asides from their unusual energy, that fact alone was more than enough to be on edge.
He disagreed.
"Well, if you were there, you would have known that Angelia was the performer that day, not me."
Mina narrowed her eyes and gauged his words carefully. She knew instantly that she was dealing with a smart one. From what he had just said, he did not expressly deny the fact that he had indeed been the one behind that performance. His words merely said Angelia had performed that day.
"I'm not here to play semantics mister Alex. I believe by now, if you're who you we think you are, you would have sensed our presence already, and discerned that we're not ordinary people."
She focused her eyes on him in a particularly piercing manner. "That's why you took so long to answer the door, isn't it? We know you can work magic mister Alex, that part is obvious. What is also obvious is that you're currently not affiliated with any organization. How such a talent like yours has managed to remain of the grid is also another puzzle."
Alex could not detect any kind of hostility from either of them. The Stephen guy was just putting on a hostile front, but that was probably because he was one of those guys who had to play 'bad cop' while their partners remained diplomatic.
So, he eased up a bit, and asked the lady his follow up question;
"You've told me your names, but you still haven't told me who you are."
Stephen cursed under his breath, and Mina gave him a sharp reprimanding look. Clearly, he thought they were wasting time on a small fish like Alex who did not deserve their attention. It irked Stephen that this young man was acting like such a big shot when he was yet to prove his worth
"Forgive my colleague for being so unprofessional." The lady apologized.
Alex willfully ignored him and did not so much as glance in his direction. She went on to answer him patiently;
"We both belong to an organization called The Guardians. Have you heard about us before?"
"Can't say I have."
"Good. That's because we work outside the scope of regular job market, and operate within the exclusivity of a certain group of individuals. What I can tell you at this point however is that we believe in the guidance of the gods and guards of the order of the underworld."
He fought to maintain a poker face, but the fact was that he was pleased to hear this. The fact that there was a certain group on earth that still walked in the old ways was music to Alex's ears. This was exactly what he had been searching for during his early days of exile here on earth. He still remembered how frustrating it had been to comb through religious buildings and not find anything or anyone with true knowledge.
Unaware of Alex's line of thought, Mina continued with her short expose′ in a narrative voice;
"...however, where there's a yang, I'm afraid there's sure to be a yin. In this case, the polar opposite of our organization happens to be a sinister group called the New Order."
Honestly, if thunder and lightning had chosen that exact moment to strike, Alex would not have been surprised.
"These guys are bad news. I mean really bad news. They represent everything we stand against. The founding fathers of this organization were fallen mages who had been excommunicated because of their inclination towards darkness. And so, they pooled forces together and founded the New Order, an organization that continues to propagate the ideology of working with demons!"
She threw out the word 'demons' like it was an unholy thing.
"But, reports have shown that a new organization is now in play. This one is called Alpha, and they are an independent faction. While they do not expressly believe in the gods or in their guidance, they also don't cooperate with demons. They are the very definition of the phrase 'chaotic neutral.' …