The building behind him was already roaring with flame by the time Kai blurred down the street. He didn't look back. He didn't have to as the firelight painted the night in shades of orange and regret.
Once he was several blocks away, he ducked into an alley and changed out of the pizza delivery uniform and shaking his head as the glamour finally flickered off, revealing his usual black jacket, dark jeans, and the faint shimmer of residual spellwork fading from his skin.
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. Then, loudly —
"FUUUUUCK!"
The echo bounced off the walls.
"That fucking bitch and her fucking rapist of a son," he growled, kicking an empty can. "Both of them deserve to be turned into a goddamn art piece. Maybe something abstract with lots of red in it."
He sighed, muttering to himself as he walked. "All that power, and the best thing they can think to do is make mortal lives a game and do nothing else but to mind-control a bunch of worshippers into getting themselves killed. Unbelievable. Total waste."
A few blocks later, he was on the other side of the city, blending into the flow of late-night traffic and neon. He slipped his phone out and dialed.
"Marina," he said as soon as she picked up.
She didn't sound pleased. "Calling back so soon? That was fast."
Kai's tone was dry. "Yeah, it was a dead end, Marina. Emphasis on dead."
She blinked audibly. "…What?"
He chuckled. "Well, it went like this, they invited me in which I have to say was very polite, then they proceeded to invite me to eat as well I mean really kind of them. Then before i knew it I was nearly blasted into a wall and somehow their bitch goddess decided to puppet one of the ladies mid-dinner."
The silence on the line was heavy.
Kai kept talking. "Apparently Persephone's been protecting Raynard, even though he's killing her worshippers. Real mother-of-the-year energy there."
"You're serious?" Marina finally said.
"Oh, dead serious," Kai replied. "And speaking of dead, I had to kill them all. Possessed, obviously. Got messy." He sighed. "Total waste of good wine and excellent interior design. I mean honestly I got blood on their exquisite rug. What a barbaric thing and an absolute loss of a good piece."
Marina made a strangled sound. "…Did anyone ever tell you that you might be psychotic?"
Kai gasped dramatically. "Okay, ow. That was hurtful. Right in the feelings, Marina."
"Feelings," she muttered. "You murdered six possessed innocent women and your main concern is—?"
"Their rug," Kai interrupted smoothly.
"Their rug," she repeated flatly.
He nodded to himself. "Persian, too. Very nice pattern. Real craftsmanship."
There was a pause. Then, almost against her better judgment, Marina asked, "…Wait what kind of rug did you say it was again?"
Kai smirked. "Persian, deep red with a perfect texture but I got blood on it and now it's ruined."
"Oh shit," Marina muttered. "Those things are expensive. How'd they even afford that on a normal salary?"
"No idea," Kai said.
"You at least saved it, right?"
Kai hesitated, glancing off to the side. "…Uhhh." He lowered the phone and muttered, "Shit." Then back into the receiver: "I might've… burned it. Along with the house. And the bodies."
Dead silence.
"…Marina?"
She finally spoke. "You absolute fucking moron."
Kai winced. "You say the sweetest things."
"Better luck with the next group," she said tightly. "Because if Persephone's meddling this much, she'll definitely be expecting you again."
Kai's tone sobered. "Yeah. I'll have to either wait Raynard out or find a way to drag him out into the open."
Marina sighed. "And while you're doing that, we've got a more pressing matter which is the destabilization of magic. We can't protect ourselves if we can't cast properly.
Kai frowned. "That's… not good. That needs dealing with fast."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Fine," Kai said. "Watch your hedges. If Persephone's poking her divine nose in, your people are on her radar. Keep them off it."
"Noted."
He exhaled. "I'll swing by Brakebills. Maybe see what the nerds know."
He hung up before she could answer and immediately dialed another number.
"Larry."
"Boss, you done with the investigation already?"
"Unfortunately," Kai said. "All of then are... well they're dead now. So is their decor."
Larry groaned. "Christ, boss. You couldn't have avoided that particular outcome?."
Kai snorted. "Trust me, I didn't plan to kill them or burn down their house which I did against my wishes but their goddess took over and attacked me to protect her son. Also, heads-up that same goddess is now watching her flock."
"Copy that," Larry said. "Try not to burn down the next house boss?"
"No promises."
He ended the call, shaking his head. "What a shitshow," he muttered. Then, with a faint shimmer, he vanished.
—————————-
Brakebills. Common Room.
Students laughed, danced and drank beneath twinkling floating lights. Kai appeared at the edge of the room, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief as he looked at the reason behind the party.
"Oh yeah," he muttered. "He's still around."
Todd was, indeed, hosting what could only be described as a chaotic miracle of alcohol, glitter, and questionable spellwork.
Kai smirked. "Eliot's not gonna love this. Still… gotta admit, kid knows how to throw a party."
He poured himself a drink, swirled it, and took a sip. His brows rose. "Damn. That's actually good."
"Hey, amigo!" Todd's voice came from behind him. "Where the hell have you been hiding?"
Kai turned, smirking. "Magical Disneyland. Not the PG-13 version."
Todd laughed. "Sounds like a blast. How's the booze there?"
"Potent enough to make you touch rainbows and taste the stars," Kai said, sipping again.
Todd grinned. "Think you could hook me up?"
Kai was about to reply when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and the world blinked away.
The music vanished. The warmth vanished. In its place was cold, dim light, the faint hum of machinery and distant Russian music playing from an old radio.
Kai blinked, disoriented before looking back. "…Well hello to you too, Penny. May I ask why you've decided to kidnap me?"
Penny crossed his arms. "I need your help. With something… complicated."
Kai looked around the dim metal room. "Where the hell are we?"
Penny shrugged. "You weren't here for the trials, huh? This is…"
A gruff voice interrupted from the side. "Is Brakebills South"
Kai turned to see a heavyset man in a long coat, sipping from a flask.
Penny sighed. "Kai, meet Professor Mayakovsky."
Kai blinked, then muttered. "Oh, this might be fun."
Patreon.com/Fredozy