Kain's muscles were still tense from the fight. The weight of the Cipher Lords' gazes pressed down on him like a noose tightening around his throat.
Magnus's golden mask gleamed in the dim chamber light. "Tell me—what exactly are you?"
The wrong answer could get him killed.
Kain kept his expression neutral. "What do you mean?"
Lady Sylva's voice was sharper this time. "Do not play coy. You should not have won that battle."
She stood, descending from her throne. "A Cipherless should not be able to analyze a Rogue's ability in real-time, exploit its weakness, and execute a perfect counter."
Her cold gaze flickered over him. "Unless, of course, you are lying about being Cipherless."
Kain's pulse pounded, but he controlled his breathing. Think, damn it. Think.
He needed to give them a believable answer—one that didn't expose his Cipher Vision but still made him valuable enough to keep alive.
He let out a slow breath. "I've always been able to… notice things."
Magnus tilted his head. "Explain."
Kain feigned hesitation, then continued. "When people use their Ciphers, there are… patterns. Small distortions. Flaws. It's not something I understand fully. It's just—there."
A half-truth.
Lord Veyne chuckled. "So, an 'instinct' for Cipher weaknesses?"
Kain nodded. "I wouldn't call it that exactly, but… maybe."
The room fell into silence.
Then, Magnus spoke. "A rare talent. Unrefined, but useful."
Lady Sylva scoffed. "A Cipherless with an 'instinct' for breaking Cipher abilities? That is not talent. It is a threat."
Kain stiffened slightly. This was dangerous.
Veyne seemed amused. Magnus seemed… intrigued. But Sylva? She saw him as a problem that needed to be eliminated.
He had to redirect the conversation.
"If I were a threat, I wouldn't have let myself get captured in the first place."
That made Veyne laugh. Magnus simply watched him. Sylva, however, wasn't convinced.
"You are not one of us," she said, stepping closer. "No Cipher. No backing. No protection."
Her eyes gleamed beneath her mask. "The only reason you are still alive is because Magnus is entertaining himself."
Kain clenched his fists. He needed to turn this situation in his favor. Fast.
"Then give me another mission," he said suddenly.
Sylva paused.
"What?"
Kain looked Magnus in the eye. "You want to test me, right? If my abilities are useful?" He exhaled sharply. "Then send me on another hunt."
Magnus's fingers drummed against his armrest. "Interesting proposal."
Veyne smirked. "You want to prove your worth?"
Kain nodded. "You dropped me into the last mission blind. I still succeeded."
He met Sylva's gaze. "You don't trust me. Fine. Then give me an assignment I can't survive."
Sylva's lips curled slightly. "And if you fail?"
Kain shrugged. "Then I die, and you get rid of your 'threat.'"
A long silence filled the chamber.
Then, Magnus spoke.
"Very well."
Kain tensed.
"You will have your second hunt."
A screen of golden light materialized before him.
—━━━[Cipher Mission Assigned]━━━—
Objective: Infiltrate the Veil District. Locate and neutralize the target known as 'The Wraith.'
Threat Level: Extreme.
Failure Consequence: Death.
—━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━—
Kain's jaw tightened.
He had no idea who The Wraith was. But the fact that even the Cipher Lords labeled them an extreme threat meant this was no ordinary enemy.
Sylva smiled.
"Let us see if your luck holds out, Cipherless."
Kain swallowed his nerves.
This time, he wasn't just fighting to survive. He was fighting for control over his own fate.