Thalen stood at its center, shoulders tight, sweat glistening along his brow. His Harlequins circled him—four of them now—each a flickering silhouette of cloth and mask. Three had been Dusks only hours before. Now they twitched, their tragedy-smile faces stitched together, pale eyes glowing faintly in the grey light.
It had cost him, as he was the most exhausted he'd ever been. His chest rose and fell, his breath uneven. For the first time, he was not empty. For the first time, something had answered his call.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound echoed across the void.
Thalen froze. His Harlequins halted as one, their masks twitching side to side.
From the darkness bloomed a corridor, spilling oily black light across the ground. A man stepped out, tall and lean, red hair spiking like fire itself. Green eyes glittered with mischief beneath markings under his eyes.
"Well, would you look at that," the stranger drawled, clapping lazily as if grading a student. "I've been chasing whispers for days, and here you are. Kid, you don't know how much trouble you just saved me by sending out that wave of emptiness."
He spread his arms theatrically. "Name's Axel. Got it memorized?"
Thalen blinked, stiff, unsure how to respond. "…Are you Helios' friend?"
Axel's grin widened, sharp and knowing. "Friend, huh? You could say we were the closest of friends once. Closest he ever had, anyway."
He strolled forward, casual as a man in a park, then crouched so his eyes met Thalen's. He stretched out a gloved hand. "And who might you be?"
"Thalen," came the hesitant reply.
Axel chuckled low, fingers snapping shut as though sealing the name away. "Thalen. Right. So you're a Nobody, too. Just checking, I gotta be sure and all."
Thalen nodded uncertainly.
"Well, well," Axel said, his voice almost delighted. "Looks like I've found my target."
Thalen's body stiffened, the Harlequins circling closer like a protective wall. "Target?"
Axel tilted his head. "Relax. I'm not here to hurt or kill you. Quite the opposite. I'm here to make you an offer. See, there's a place for people like us. An Organization. Nobodies who actually matter. How'd you like to meet the rest of us?"
Thalen hesitated, glancing at his Harlequins. "I… I should ask Helios first."
That earned a bark of laughter. Axel shook his head, hair swaying. "Figures. Always hiding behind him." He straightened, shoulders rolling. "Well, that's the easy way. Guess we're doing this the hard way."
He snapped his fingers.
The air split open. Shadows surged across the ground. One by one, Assassins slithered into being—long-limbed, segmented Nobodies with spiked arms and cloth draped like broken wings. Ten appeared. Then fifteen. Then twenty, circling like sharks scenting blood.
Thalen felt a cold and hollow chill in his chest. Still, he forced himself to speak: "Attack."
The Harlequins moved.
The Assassins struck first, vanishing into ground and bursting upward in spearing dives. Thalen's Harlequins flickered, their bodies stuttering like skipped frames, and the first wave of blades passed harmlessly through.
They reappeared in a blur, jagged limbs lashing. One Assassin shrieked, torn in two by a blade that wasn't there a moment before. Another was whipped off balance by a spectral chain and slammed into the stone with a crunch.
But the Assassins were hunters. They regrouped fast. Five folded into spinning chakram-like discs, slicing across the ground, shredding at the Harlequins' legs. Cloth tore. One stumbled, shrieking as its body unraveled into motes of pale thread.
Thalen flinched, clutching his chest as if stabbed himself.
"Feel that, huh?" Axel called, lounging with arms crossed as if enjoying a show. "Good. That means you're really linked to them. But can you handle the pain of their death? You need to if you want to fit in at the Organization."
Thalen grit his teeth. "Keep fighting!"
The Harlequins obeyed.
Two phased forward, their masks twitching. Assassins lunged, and Echo Mimicry answered. Cloth hardened into blades, striking in perfect counter as blows landed. Both sides shrieked—but only the Assassins collapsed into dust.
The remaining Harlequins circled, dangling chains clinking, masks grinning and weeping at once. Thalen raised a trembling hand. "Bind them!"
Chains erupted. Ghostly links snared three Assassins mid-leap, yanking them downward with brutal force. The ground shook as they slammed into the floor. The Harlequins tore into them, unraveling the Nobodies into scraps of darkness.
But the Assassins were too many. They surged all at once, overwhelming, tearing into another Harlequin. Its death scream echoed like static, motes lashing out one last time before fading.
Only two remained.
Thalen dropped to his knees, sweat dripping, heart pounding in his ears. "No, no, no…"
Axel sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Kid, you're not half-bad. But Nobodies who hesitate don't live long. Gotta commit. Gotta own them and the pain they bring."
Another Assassin dived for Thalen. For a moment, Thalen froze as his instinct snapped.
"Protect me!" he roared.
The Harlequins blurred into place. Their bodies twisted, forming into shields of cloth and chain. The Assassin's spike slammed against them and ricocheted away. The Harlequins countered in perfect sync: one lashed with blades, the other phased behind and bound the Assassin in chains before tearing it apart.
The field was chaos—Assassins gliding, striking, retreating, while Harlequins flickered in and out, answering with eerie, precise violence.
For the first time, they weren't just following orders. They anticipated.
Chains snagged another Assassin from underground. Echo blades struck in harmony. Their movements mirrored Thalen's own heartbeat, jagged but growing steadier.
Axel's smirk faded, just slightly. His arms uncrossed. "Huh. Look at that."
Only five Assassins remained, circling warily.
Axel snapped his fingers. In a rush of shadow, they vanished.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Thalen collapsed, panting, chest heaving, staring at the motes of cloth from his fallen Harlequins. Only two survivors hovered at his side, twitchy but loyal, their masks flickering pale light.
Axel strolled closer, hands in pockets, gaze sharp. "You're rough. Untrained. But you've got bite. And that—" he gestured to the Harlequins, "that's rare."
He leaned down, voice quieter, heavier. "Gotta go no since I sense someone trying to open a corridor here. I'll be back later. Whether you like it or not. The Organization doesn't ignore talent. Got it memorized?"
Before Thalen could answer, he snapped his fingers. The corridor swallowed him whole, leaving only silence.
Thalen stayed on his knees, trembling. He reached out a hand, and the two Harlequins bowed their heads toward him, chains clinking faintly.