[Evan and his Entourage]
Dumbbell: Cyrus!
Dumbbell: Aunt Zoe said you're coming back in a couple of days!
Tree: Yeah. I am.
Dumbbell: Awesome!
Computer Chip: About time.
Computer Chip: It feels like forever since we've seen you.
Spool: I was convinced that our sister wasn't going to let you leave.
Tree: So, what have you guys been up to?
Dumbbell: Training. A lot of training.
Snake: Same
Computer Chip: Work. Mostly.
Spool: Drowning in orders.
Tree: Really?
Spool: Yup
Computer Chip: Elizabeth got a flood of new requests to make some clothes ever since our sister's dress at the award show caught a ton of attention.
Computer Chip: Don't let her fool you. She's actually really happy about it.
Tree: Did you guys ever work out a way to fix Valerie's flying issue?
Dumbbell: We sure did!
Dumbbell: I still can't do it like the rest of you.
Dumbbell: But Evan found a way to make it so that I can use the enchantment without crashing headfirst into a wall.
Snake: What about you?
Tree: Not to sound like I'm bragging. But…
Tree: I can use overdrive now.
Computer Chip: Really?
Spool: Seriously?
Dumbbell: For real?
Snake: You actually have one?
Tree: Sure do!
Computer Chip: Well, don't keep us in suspense here! What can it do?
Tree: It's a secret.
Computer Chip: Lame.
Tree: I can also make runes now, too. They're not all that great, though.
Spool: Yeah…I expected as much. I knew Elaine was going to show you how to do it.
Spool: I didn't expect you to learn it this fast, though.
Dumbbell: And here I thought I made a lot of progress.
Dumbbell: Don't worry. I have a new move that'll definitely show you up!
Tree: I look forward to seeing it.
Snake: When are you coming back to work?
Tree: Friday morning.
Snake: Cool.
Computer Chip: Well, hopefully you guys can resolve this whole Iznana situation pretty soon.
Spool: Seriously.
Spool: Those lunatics need to be put behind bars as soon as possible.
Tree: Anyways…
Tree: I'll talk to you guys later. Have fun.
Dumbbell: You too!
Snake: Yeah.
Computer Chip: Have a good one!
Spool: Have a nice night.
-(o)-
[Later That Week]
"I'd say that this was a rather productive vacation, wouldn't you agree?" Elaine said to Cyrus with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Well…you're not wrong." Cyrus rubbed the back of his head. "I did accomplish a lot by coming here."
The two sorcerers were currently standing in the middle of Elaine's office. The room where she typically handles most of her career-related work. Cyrus was getting ready to leave in a few hours alongside Nick and Quintin, but the Iznana Branch Head wanted to have one more talk with him before he left her care.
"Don't worry, you're more than strong enough to deal with Hannah, Aaron, and Mikayla now. You should be able to get your revenge without any issue." The woman then said before sitting down on her large, mahogany desk.
"Right…" Cyrus replied with a slight bit of edge in his voice.
"Something wrong?"
"Aside from the fact that I still don't trust you, or whatever plan you have in the works for me?"
Cyrus wasn't stupid. He knew very well that this was far from the end of his involvement with Elaine and her crew of criminals. The woman wouldn't go through all of this trouble just for him to do this one job and leave it at that. It was clear to him that they would be seeing a lot more of each other in the future.
Elaine let out a slight chuckle after hearing that. "I assure you, Cyrus, I simply want what's best for you. You are a valuable asset to my overall goals, after all."
"But you're still not going to tell me what that goal is, are you?"
"Not unless you agree to join me in Iznana as my newest lieutenant!"
Needless to say, something like that was never going to happen. Not in a million years. Sure, he may have already bent his morals by agreeing to train under the woman and her friends for the past few weeks. But there wasn't a single chance in hell that he was ever going to outright join them in whatever scheme they had in the works.
"Have I ever told you that all of this extended interaction really messes up the idealized version of you that I had in my head?" Cyrus quickly tried to change topics.
"Hmm…" Elaine playfully held her hand up to the side of her face. "Y'know, Quintin and Reyna said the same thing after they started working for me."
"Anyways…" The young 'tree magic' user then said. "What exactly do you need me to do after I deal with that little flunkie of yours?"
"Just give me a call. After that, I'll come to you so that I can uphold my end of the deal." Elaine replied.
"That's it?"
"Yup!"
"And what if I just so happen to tell Chief Zoe about this and have you set up the moment you come near me?"
Elaine laughed at the statement. The kind of laugh that made it clear that something like that wasn't going to happen. "Come on now, Cyrus, we both know that you're not dumb enough to do something like that! Besides, if you do that, I'll have no choice but to go on a rampage to keep myself safe. And none of us wants that!"
"Yeah…I guess you're right…."
Cyrus wasn't a fool. He knew that this woman was more than capable enough to avoid being arrested for her actions. As things stood, the only person that he could think of who could reliably take the woman down was Deputy Chief Mubele. And even then, a fight between the two of them would be way too chaotic. Plus, the end result wasn't even a guarantee.
"You're really okay with me just killing Hannah?"
"I am." Elaine declared in a tone that was way too unsettling in Cyrus's opinion. "Like I said before, she crossed the line with what she did to you. I can't have someone like that walking around. I may be an international criminal, but I have standards. And Hannah signed her own death warrant the moment she betrayed my trust. I already told you, either you were going to be the one to do, or I was."
"Sure, whatever you say…."
Cyrus decided to just leave it that for now. There was no point in any further questions. He got what he came here for, and then some. All he really needed to concern himself with now was taking down Hannah and finally putting an end to this whole debacle. He could worry about what to do regarding Elaine and her friends at a later date.
"Now then!" The woman then clapped her hands together with a smile. "Enough of the chit-chat! It's time for lunch! We're having a small feast in your honor, and I'm absolutely starving."
'Man, this lady is fucking weird.' Cyrus thought as he followed the woman out of the office en route to the mansion's comically large dining room.
All the drama aside, Cyrus was still grateful for the opportunity he had been given. He didn't know why, but he was glad that Elaine took the time out of her life to help him with his recovery. It had given him the chance to do something that he doubted he would've been able to accomplish without her help. And he was determined to make the most of it and do what his mind was set on accomplishing.
Unfortunately for Cyrus, he was unaware of just how deep he was regarding Elaine and her schemes. Or the fact that the woman already had him in her clutches in a way that he could've never imagined.
-(o)-
[Some Time Later]
In the basement level of the MacNamara mansion, a part of the house where Cyrus wasn't allowed to enter during his time here, sat Elaine MacNamara. The woman whom many regarded as one of the most dangerous people on the planet, and for good reason.
The bottom layer of the house was far different from what the rest of the place looked like. In fact, different might not have even been a good enough word to describe it.
The entire room could only be described as a veritable witch's lair with the way that the place was set up. One packed with all manner of curiosities and trinkets that would make even the most hardcore of occult enthusiasts gush with excitement.
But even with all of the rare artifacts and collectibles that lined the walls and shelves around the place, there was an eerie feeling permeating through the air. And the fact that Elaine herself was steadily pushing out waves after waves of her own mana into the atmosphere did little to tone down the almost sinister feeling that surrounded her.
The massive enchantment circle with a dead dog on the ground in front of her certainly didn't help things either….
With Cyrus's recent departure from her lavish estate, it was finally time for the Iznana Branch Head to do something that she had been planning on for quite some time. Something that needed to be done in order for her grand scheme to move forward.
"What's the status of your progress?" A dark and booming voice echoed inside of the 'wind magic' user's head. A voice that would've sounded very familiar to a certain 'tree magic' user if he were able to hear it for himself.
"We're moving along just fine." Elaine replied in a polite tone of voice that was only reserved for those she deemed worthy of her esteem. "Everything is proceeding just as we predicted."
"And what about those two?"
"Cyrus is already in my net, so we won't need to worry about him. But securing Desmond Reed is going to take some time. I can't get too close to him just yet without raising suspicion."
The voice paused for a moment before speaking. "How much longer do you think you'll need?"
"Everything will be handled within the year, assuming things go as I predicted." Elaine said with a serious expression on her face. But even with that declaration, the woman knew that she was making a lot of dangerous assumptions with it.
"Excellent."
"What about things on your end?" The woman then asked.
"I've already informed my underlings as to what my intentions are. One of them is being difficult, but the rest have decided to comply for the time being." The voice told her with no small amount of confidence.
"Good. Good."
The voice suddenly adopted a serious, almost threatening, tone before speaking again. "Do well to remember, mortal, this plan of ours will require careful execution. We will not get another chance like this for many years."
"I know." Elaine nodded to the empty air in front of her. "But just in case things go wrong, I've already secured a way for us to create a new 'tree magic' user in the event that Cyrus is lost. And I plan to do the same for making a new 'sound magic' user as well."
"I see…"
"Is there anything else you wish to discuss, my lord?"
"No." The voice quickly answered. "I will be moving forward with the preparations on my end. And I will inform you when we are ready to connect to the gate. Until then, don't expect any direct contact from me for some time. I have a rogue element in my domain that needs to be dealt with."
"Understood."
"Now then, I must take my leave. I look forward to hearing about your continued progress, mortal. Be sure not to allow any blunders to delay our plans."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
The moment those words came out of her mouth, the mental connection had been cut, leaving Elaine to quickly deactivate her mana and shake off the feeling of dread that was currently permeating throughout her entire body. Even as an S-rank sorcerer, it was hard for her to keep something like that up for long. Trying to do so without making the proper preparations would end up costing the woman her sanity if she wasn't careful.
Once Elaine had gotten herself in order, the woman stood up from her seat and quickly made her way back up to the floor level of the house. There, she found her faithful assistant standing near the kitchen while he snacked away on a bowl of fresh strawberries. A habit that he seems to have inherited from his brother.
"Nick, send a message to Oscar and Bonnie. Tell them that I need them to stir up some trouble in their region. I need to get Theo far away from here as soon as possible." Ealine said to the clean-cut young man without missing a beat.
"Got it." Nick answered with a mock salute in between bites of his fruit. "Anything else?"
"Let DeSean know that I'll need an update on Desmond Reed by the end of the week. I don't care if he just had a baby; I need consistent updates, and he's been slacking lately."
"Understood."
"Thanks."
And with that, Elaine returned to her room to rest and relax for the rest of the evening. It wouldn't be long now before her plan finally came to fruition and the world that she dreamed of became a reality, especially now that she had Cyrus firmly under her thumb. All she had to do now was simply bide her time and wait for the right moment to strike. Until then, she just needed to sustain the current state of her operations and keep her head down. But even doing that much was going to require a bit of effort on her part.
But for now, the woman chose to disregard all of that and enjoy the comfort of her massive, double king-sized bed.
All good things come to those who wait. And Elaine MacNamara was nothing if not a patient woman. One who was about to change the world for the better, whether everyone else wanted it to change or not….