Volume 1 — Chapter 9
Part 0: Departures
A boy was walking along a deserted road.
Installed on his delivery motorcycle – a machine without wheels, floating a few centimeters from the ground – he sped along at high speed without seeming to feel the biting cold of the air. He looked like a teenager. A helmet hid his features, black glasses hid his eyes, and his uniform stamped with the letter Y flapped gently in the wind.
He reached his final destination: a several-story inn, sober but imposing, standing on the side of the road like a silent witness.
Without stopping at the reception on the right - content with a brief wave of his hand - he entered and headed towards the double revolution staircase, designed to facilitate comings and goings. He climbed the steps quickly, almost urgently, to the fifth floor.
Corridor.
Door n°55.
He adjusted the spherical box he held under his arm and knocked.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
Muffled voices echoed behind the door, then it opened.
A white-haired teenager appeared. His gaze was lively, almost mischievous.
— It took you a long time, Nice! Between !
- Sorry.
He crossed the threshold. The door closed.
The room was occupied by a motley but organized group. Without missing a beat, Nice began the distribution:
— Spicy meatballs for Aliss.
— Grilled fish for Tora.
— Shrimp for Emma Red.
— Nutritious soup for Skull.
— Special puree for Luó Xuán.
—And burgers for us.
The Five Fifth — five boys of the same age — were gathered around a coffee table.
Nice, still in delivery outfit.
Rudo, coat thrown over his shoulders.
Rin, in basketball outfit.
Frost, black leather jacket.
Cod, carefully buttoned white shirt.
Cod held out his hand. Nice threw him a small black box. He caught it without difficulty.
—It was perfect. How ?
Nice gave a smile.
— Precision and synchronization.
The explanations poured out:
"They stuck with us as soon as you asked them to send us," Cod said.
"Their machines were versatile, almost impossible to plant," Frost added.
"But we knew that wasn't your wish, princess," Rin added.
"So I replaced a delivery guy in the area," Nice explained. Blind spot in a sharp turn. Temporary disappearance. Substitution.
"We covered all the axes," Rudo continued.
— Tunnel. Flash grenades. Electromagnetic impulses, concludes Cod.
— Exchange with human-sized dolls. They believed in automatons.
A satisfied silence followed.
"We made sure, princess," Nice finished.
Aliss observed the contents delivered. His gaze shone.
- Yes. You even exceeded my expectations.
She took out a makeshift monocle—a single lens extending from her glasses—and carefully examined the painting.
— "The Lady of the Lake", by Merlan Ers… Authentic.
She nodded, then the work disappeared in a discreet distortion.
At that moment, the window suddenly opened. Oz entered, without ceremony.
—Are we partying here?
— Do you want to eat? Cod asked.
- No.
Aliss took the black box containing the treasures. With Oz, she opened a rabbit's foot-shaped passage in the air itself. A soft and luminous breach.
Then they disappeared.
---
Silence fell again.
Luó Xuán, lying on the bed, stared at the ceiling.
"Well… she's gone. You should do the same, right? If it's too difficult, I can show you the way out.
Rudo sighed.
— I rented this place urgently...
"Surely they're not blind," Frost added. They will come back here.
"All the more reason to leave," Luó replied calmly.
Emma rolled her eyes.
— To hear you, it sounds like we're bothering you.
—It's just an impression.
Skull said:
— As nonchalant as ever... It almost seems like arrogance.
A slight quiver.
Tora, lying there, opened his eyes. Her feline ears twitched. In one fluid motion, he stood up, an energy blade appearing in his hand.
— I wonder... Do you think you're stronger than us?
Luó didn't move.
—I'm at least stronger than you without your necklace.
A burst of laughter split the room.
- Sorry. Bad reflex. What I hate the most is an arrogant look...
His voice became lower.
—…I've seen so many.
He twirled a hoop between his fingers, infusing it with golden energy. The object vibrated, then transformed into a space portal. A miniature whirlpool opened at its center.
Tora took off her necklace.
A golden light exploded.
When it went out, a cat was standing in its place. He looked at Luó one last time... then jumped into the portal, which immediately closed.
---
The Five Fifth had already left the room.
— We must not miss our train. Bye and bye, called Frost from the corridor.
The vampires remained.
Emma smiles.
- Damage. We won't see each other for a while. Take advantage of being closest to the mistress.
Skull concludes:
— We are going to bathe in a pool of blood to be reborn.
Their bodies instantly liquefied into two thin, dark puddles... which evaporated silently.
---
Alone.
Luó stared into space.
— An old vampire expression… "Bathing in blood"… Cultivate your internal energy to increase your Individual Power. Do we still say that today?
He shrugged his shoulders slightly.
Then he activated Elemental Fusion.
His body dissipated, its contours fragmented, mingling with the air. It became a light breeze, invisible, elusive.
Room 55 remained empty.
And the inn regained its calm.
End of Part 0 — Volume 1, Chapter 9