The woman was gone, her presence fading as if she had never been there. The whispers of the city resumed around them, the world moving as though nothing had changed. But it had.
Hikaru adjusted his glasses, flicking a card between his fingers. "Well. That was fun."
Budi ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "We just got hunted by a shadow-walker who decided—mid-mission—not to kill us. That's not 'fun.' That's terrifying."
Selene pulled her cloak tighter around herself, her silver eyes sharp. "She didn't decide. Someone made that decision for her."
Hikaru grinned. "Exactly. And that's what makes it interesting."
Budi groaned. "This is the part where you start enjoying the chaos, isn't it?"
Hikaru spread his hands. "Come on. Someone powerful enough to override a Magisterium kill order? That means we have another player in the game."
Selene didn't look convinced. "A player we don't know, can't predict, and might be worse than the Magisterium."
Hikaru tucked the card into his sleeve. "All the more reason to figure out who they are before they decide to change their mind."
Budi exhaled. "Great. So what's the plan, oh wise trickster?"
Hikaru smirked. "We make them show their hand."
The city streets blurred past them as they moved. The Crooked Hand was too obvious. The Magisterium already knew it was a haven for liars and fugitives. Instead, they needed a place out of sight, off the record.
Hikaru led them to the Old Archive District.
Most scholars of the kingdom worked in the pristine halls of the Magisterium, but the true historians—the ones who weren't afraid of dangerous knowledge—stayed here. It was a cluster of forgotten buildings, buried beneath layers of dust, where scribes and heretics alike had once worked.
Most of them had been erased.
But their books remained.
The building Hikaru chose was barely standing. Rotting wood. Faded banners. A sign that had long since lost its name. But the doors were intact, and the second floor had a window that overlooked the alley—perfect for an escape route.
They stepped inside.
Budi looked around. "So this is our new hideout?"
Hikaru smiled. "It's temporary. I like keeping things temporary."
Selene moved toward the bookshelves, running her fingers over the worn leather spines. "The Magisterium tried to burn these records."
Hikaru nodded. "Which means we're exactly where we should be."
Budi sighed. "I hate that you make that sound like a good thing."
Hikaru sat on the edge of an old desk, pulling out the stolen book. The pages rustled beneath his fingertips, ancient words bleeding through the fragile paper. The more he read, the more the pieces didn't add up.
The Forgotten Ones weren't just sealed away.
They had been sealed away by something stronger.
Selene spoke without looking up. "We need to decide our next move."
Hikaru tapped the book. "We already made it."
Budi frowned. "What does that mean?"
Hikaru's grin widened. "We gave the Magisterium exactly what they didn't want. Now? We wait for them to panic."
Budi crossed his arms. "And if they don't?"
Hikaru smirked. "Then we make them."
The city would be waking up soon. By morning, Renholt would spread the discovery. And when he did, the Magisterium would react.
Hikaru didn't need to fight them.
He just needed them to make mistakes.
And Hikaru Kageyama was very, very good at making people doubt themselves.