The city was alive with whispers. Word traveled fast in the underbelly of Velmoria, and by now, Hikaru was sure every informant, bounty hunter, and opportunistic mercenary in the kingdom knew someone was on the run. Whether they knew it was him specifically was still uncertain, but it wouldn't take long.
The streets were quieter now. Fewer people lingered in the alleyways, fewer lights flickered in the homes above the shops. It was the kind of quiet that only existed when something dangerous was moving through the city.
Hikaru adjusted his glasses, flicking a card between his fingers as they walked. "So, just to recap: We stole from the Magisterium, ran into a man who shouldn't exist, nearly released an entity we definitely shouldn't have, got into a fight with the kingdom's strongest knight, and now the entire city is looking for us. Did I miss anything?"
Budi rolled his shoulders. "You forgot the part where we nearly died. Several times."
Selene, moving slightly behind them, exhaled through her nose. "And the part where we don't have a plan."
Hikaru grinned. "Wrong. We don't have a plan. I do."
Budi shot him a look. "I already hate it."
Hikaru ignored him and turned down a narrow side street. They needed to disappear—fast. Running blindly wouldn't work. The Magisterium's reach extended beyond the royal knights and the Golden Order. They had spies in the guilds, informants in the nobility, and enough resources to turn the entire city against them if necessary.
They needed to stop running and start playing the game.
The Crooked Hand was exactly as Hikaru remembered—a hole-in-the-wall tavern that somehow hadn't collapsed yet. It reeked of stale ale, cheap tobacco, and unwashed cloaks. The clientele was just as charming. Men in battered armor, cloaked figures who whispered too quietly, and a few hired blades who were too drunk to stand but somehow still had their weapons in hand.
Hikaru strolled in like he belonged.
Gregor, the massive, scarred bartender, barely looked up from the mug he was cleaning. His expression darkened the moment he saw Hikaru. "Not you again."
Hikaru grinned. "Miss me?"
Gregor sighed and rubbed his temple. "What do you want?"
"A room. Safe. No questions asked."
Gregor stared at him. Then at Budi. Then at Selene, who looked two seconds away from collapsing. He grunted. "Upstairs. Last door on the right."
Hikaru flicked a coin onto the counter. "And some information."
Gregor took the coin and pocketed it without breaking eye contact. "That depends on the question."
Hikaru leaned in slightly. "How loud is the Magisterium about us?"
Gregor exhaled. "Loud enough. You've made it onto the watch list. The royal knights are looking. The guilds are pretending not to care, but they're listening. And…" He lowered his voice. "There are whispers that something else is watching, too."
Budi straightened. "Something else?"
Gregor nodded toward a hooded figure at the far end of the room. They sat alone, hood drawn, sipping a drink but not drinking it.
Hikaru didn't look directly, but he noted the way the figure's cloak didn't quite sit right. Like they weren't entirely in this world.
Shroud's people, maybe.
Or something worse.
Hikaru clicked his tongue. "Fantastic."
Gregor grumbled. "You should leave the city."
Hikaru smirked. "Now where's the fun in that?"
Gregor shook his head. "One day, you'll push too far, trickster."
Hikaru picked up the key to their room. "Maybe."
Budi followed him up the stairs, muttering, "I don't like this."
"Good," Hikaru said. "Means we're doing something right."
The room was barely holding together. Wooden floors warped from age, a small bed that looked ready to collapse, and a window covered by an old cloth. It smelled of dust and ink, as if someone had been scribbling secrets in the walls long before they arrived.
Selene sat on the bed without a word, cradling her wrist. She hadn't complained once, but even Hikaru could tell she was at her limit.
Budi leaned against the door. "Alright. So what's this plan of yours?"
Hikaru pulled out the stolen book from his coat. "We don't just run. We make them chase shadows."
Selene frowned. "Elaborate."
Hikaru flipped through the pages. Some passages were too faded to read, but one section stood out.
"The Forgotten Ones were not erased by time. They were buried beneath it."
"If they return, the world shall fold."
Hikaru tapped the words. "They tried to erase the Forgotten Ones. But the real question is: who did the erasing?"
Budi sighed. "And how does that help us not die?"
Hikaru smirked. "Because the Magisterium isn't just looking for us. They're hiding something."
Selene's gaze sharpened. "You're suggesting we expose them?"
Hikaru shrugged. "Not exactly. Just… make them paranoid. If they're too busy watching their own backs, they won't be able to focus on us."
Budi crossed his arms. "And how do we do that?"
Hikaru's grin widened. "We feed the city a story."
He turned to Selene. "You said the Magisterium doesn't just erase history—they rewrite it. So what happens when the rewritten version starts falling apart?"
Selene considered this. "…Panic."
"Exactly." Hikaru flicked a card between his fingers. "We don't just make them chase us. We make them chase ghosts."
Budi exhaled. "You're talking about starting rumors."
Hikaru wiggled his fingers. "Not just rumors. False trails. Fake discoveries. 'Accidental' leaks. We make it seem like people are learning things they were never supposed to."
Selene nodded slowly. "If done correctly, the Magisterium will turn on itself."
Budi cracked his neck. "And if done incorrectly?"
Hikaru smirked. "Then we all die."
Budi groaned. "I hate your plans."
Hikaru patted his shoulder. "And yet, here you are."
Selene stood, adjusting her coat over her injured wrist. "I assume you have a first target in mind?"
Hikaru tossed the stolen book onto the table. "There's a scholar in the guild district—Renholt, former Magisterium researcher. Left under… mysterious circumstances. He's been looking for proof that the kingdom rewrote history."
Budi raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess: You plan to accidentally let him find something?"
Hikaru grinned. "Exactly."
Selene pulled her hood up. "Then let's begin."
Hikaru adjusted his glasses, feeling the weight of the cards in his palm. This wasn't just about survival anymore.
It was about turning the game against the ones who thought they controlled it.
And Hikaru was very good at that.