Seven years ago, the Bureau launched an intensive subjugation of 'Notorious Awakeners'.
OPERATION BLACK NOVEMBER.
Two hundred and seventy million XPs. Completely funded, sanctioned, and quietly endorsed by the federal government under the previous administration.
In its early months, the Bill slid through Congress like a shadow, gathering just enough votes to authorize execution. A handful of congressmen condemned it, branding the agenda 'Unconstitutional. Treasonous. Anti-Awakeners.'
Heated debates followed.
"There needs to be a system that controls the Awakeners"
"We can't fight telekinesis with guns"
"Superhuman Crimes have surpassed 200%"
The Bill passed with overwhelming force, and soon after—it vanished.
Completely Buried.
The Silence lasted months, till November.
BLACK NOVEMBER.
A total of Two thousand Bureau-tagged Awakeners were assassinated in coordinated strikes. Hundreds more were arrested overnight.
The slums were raided without warrants, without mercy, without warning.
The country collapsed into a war zone.
Awakeners vs The Bureau.
Any Awakener who refused to submit to Bureau regulation was Tagged, Hunted, Executed.
The Bureau Task Forces swept the streets; house to house, alley to alley, slum to slum. Riots ignited. Protesters flooded the streets. The Government answered with gunfire.
Total chaos.
The anarchy lasted only one month.
But the casualties numbered in the thousands.
Then a new system was born.
'RANKERS'
Awakeners who submitted, who bent the knee, who accepted the laws of the Bureau and the authority of the State.
The law mandates All Awakeners Must be Registered into the Bureau's System. (The Fourth Amendment)
Some rejected registration and control. They hated order and consequence. They formed their own union. Their own order. Their own society.
THE UNDERWORLD.
A haven for rogues, criminals, fugitives, and terrorists. A world for villains who despised the system.
The Underworld exists. Around us.
Today, Numerous Awakeners affiliated with the Underworld walk freely in the open; undetected, unidentified, unknown.
But they know themselves.
.
.
.
.
*Train rattles*
A voice crackled over the speakers: "We'll be approaching Hansburg shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts"
John slouched on his seat, with Crow in the window-seat, talking to him. Mind absent, as usual. His eyes fixed to the train ceiling, admiring the dim glow of the cabin lights. His expression was calm , but his fingers drummed nervously on the armrest, with tension for the new experience.
The city appeared slowly from the windows. Towers, factories, busy market streets. The air smelled faintly of metal and rain. Everything signalled Chaos.
Hansburg was the biggest city in the country.
70% of its landmass is occupied for commercial and industrial use. The all famous BLACK MARKET. The city swarmed with millions of people. The saying "Everything, Anything— the black market" had pulled traders and buyers from all over the world to Hansburg.
Hansburg sells a large majority of all the magical equipment, weapons, and mystical items in the entire world. But, Hansburg was notorious for other reasons too. Millions of fugitive awakeners ran from The Bureau and the system here; it serves as the capital of the Underworld. The other saying goes "As Legal as Evil"
...
"John, John!!"
"Uhh, what?"
"You didn't hear anything I said, did you?" Crow's beady eyes narrowed, clearly annoyed.
"Nah, I was—"
"Come on, John, I've been speaking for an hour now !",Crow hopped onto the armrest, tilting his head impatiently.
John let out a soft sigh, "I'm listening… sort of."
"Sort of ? Johnny, we're heading to the black market, I need you not doing anything stupid !" Crow flapped his wings, almost knocking over John's water bottle.
John leaned back, watching the city slowly appear outside the window. "yeah, yeah. Just a quick in-and-out, no much trouble"
Crow screeched in disbelief. "In-and-out ?? The last time you said that, you sold drugs to a Metal-head-junkie, and crashed a club to doom !"
Before John could reply, a shadow fell across their seats. A tall man in a dark coat leaned against the aisle, eyes scanning the carriage. He carried himself like someone used to being noticed. He's definitely a Ranker. Maybe a member of a big Guild.
The train rattle seemed to fade as his gaze fixed on John.
Crow hissed, feathers bristling. "Uh… Johnny… I don't like the look of him."
John calmly raised an eyebrow. A quick glance at the man. Mid twenties, fresh looking, nice suit, and a completely unnecessary overcoat. It's summer. So he's either rich or stupid.
The man smiled.
"Am I seeing a talking bird ?" a small pause, casually put his hands into his pocket, then said "How much ?"
John grew irritated, "Rich and Stupid !"
Crow ruffled his feathers, cackling softly. "Don't forget Blind"
A mocking smirk on John's face, as he turns to the man. "Blind, Rich and Stupid…. Anything more ?"
The man's smile widened.
"I've seen a lot of magical beasts, but your bird is quite peculiar. Is he a demonic kind ?" he spoke lightly, stepping closer down the aisle. He kept staring at Crow, with his stare growing from simply-weird to definitely-uncomfortable.
Crow flapped his wings, feathers puffed up like a tiny black shield. "Johnny… this dude is creepy."
John leaned back, fingers drumming lightly on the armrest. "You heard the bird. You're Creepy !" his eyes fixed on the man. Iris tracing on him every piece of data— his movements, energy signals, posture.
The stranger stopped a few feet away, "You see, I am actually quite a fan of demonic beasts. Your bird seems to have drawn my interest. I like him! What does he do? Fire?...Transform?"
"Careful, he bites," John said, smirking.
Crow hopped to the armrest, glaring at the man.
He nodded at Crow, who squawked indignantly.
"A melancholic cripple and a sharp-tongued bird… You really can find anything in Hansburg", He laughed.
"And you ?" John asked sharply. He sized the man up from head to toe. He continued, voice dripping with disdain, "A walking joke."
Crow cawed, "Oo! And garlic-breath!" Crow stared up at the man. "Work on that. Please. You have the money."
The man chuckled—but it wasn't a smile. He turned, another low chuckle escaping him. "Tch!" Then, walked away.
Crow squawked sharply, wings flaring. "Johnny! Something about that guy… he's trouble. Big trouble!"
John leaned back, eyes on Hansburg cityscape—gloomy clouds, factory smoke, neon flickering across the streets. "Tsss… trouble. I like trouble."
....
They stopped at the station. The doors hissed open. You could taste the air. Sweat, metal, burnt.
Crow flew up to the board displaying a map.
"Ok. We are a few miles from the Blacksmith's Village."
John shrugged "lead the way"
Crow flew a few paces ahead, glancing back to make sure John was following. John trailed behind, eyes constantly drawn to the chaos of the market. Every stall, every glimmering item, pulled at his attention like a magnet.
Before they even reached the blacksmith, John had already raided multiple shops, squandering money with reckless enthusiasm. Crow kept nagging, flapping around him, but John kept buying:
4,000 XPs on clothes.
2,000 XPs on recovery potions.
5,000 XPs on new lab tools and equipment.
"Are all these necessary, John ?"
"Yes, very—" John replied, stuffing everything into his pocket dimension. "Potions, so I don't die on the field," he added, tossing a vial up and catching it. "Clothes, so I don't die naked."
Crow grunted, rolling his eyes.
After a few more stops, distractions, and impulsive purchases, they finally reached Blacksmith's Village. The entire street was lined with blacksmiths of every skill level and material type. Most of them were dwarfs, hammering, forging, and shouting over the roar of furnaces and clanging metal.
The clang of hammers rang like war drums through the street. Sparks flew from molten metal, and the smell of hot iron mixed with smoke and sweat. Blacksmiths shouted prices, argued over materials, and banged away at anvils like the heartbeat of the city itself.
Crow hovered above John, wings spread, scanning every forge and workbench. "Johnny… remember, we're here for one thing. Don't get distracted," he warned, feathers ruffling with irritation.
John's eyes, of course, immediately darted to a rack of enchanted blades glimmering under the sun. "Hmm… that one's nice… oh, and that one!" His hand twitched, itching to inspect everything.
Crow groaned. "John ! Focus !!"
A dwarf smith noticed John staring and waved him over. "Ah! A customer with taste! Looking for weapons, tools,— anything? "
John replied, "Something better"
He pulled out a small notebook. He had sketches of mechanical arms, intricate framing and sensory systems, and complicated gearing designs—things far beyond the usual forges of Hansburg. Every line bristled with possibility, powered by magic circuits and hidden mechanisms.
"This!!"
The dwarf chuckled, hammering a final blow on a sword. "Leave, lad. You want a prosthetic arm, you go to a hospital." He frowned, dismissing them. "We don't do that kind of work here."
John grunted in disappointment, "Urrh," picked up his sketches.
They wandered through the bustling streets of Blacksmith's Village, sketches clutched in hand. Every shop he approached ended the same way: dismissive dwarfs shaking their heads, throwing back their hammers, or muttering something about "we don't handle that kind of nonsense here."
"Johnny… we're not getting anywhere," Crow hissed.
John just smirked. "Just one. We just need one." No amount of rejection could crush his hope.
Deep inside the labyrinth of alleys, past the clanging forges and shouting smiths, they stumbled upon an abandoned shop. Dusty windows, faint smell of oil and metal, no customers, no signs of life except for the faint glow of a single lantern.
Inside, a dwarf emerged from the shadows, squinting at the sketches. "Baron," he said, his voice gruff but sharp. The name carried weight. He was legendary among smiths for experimental designs and near-magical craftsmanship. A Failure.
Baron scanned the notebook. His eyes widened slightly. "Ah… now this is interesting," he said, tracing a finger along John's intricate designs. He leaned back, chuckling. "Most smiths wouldn't touch this with a hundred hammers. But I… I enjoy a challenge."
John grinned, letting Crow perch on his shoulder. "Glad to hear it."
They went over the design for hours, discussing every detail of the mechanical arms, the magical circuits, and hidden mechanisms. Baron suggested changes—slight improvements, and John agreed, nodding along.
The energy between them was electric, two minds in sync over impossible designs.
Finally, Baron leaned back and fixed John with a serious look. "20,000 XPs. No less. Everything important for this design."
Crow's wings flared in outrage. "TWENTY THOUSAND?!Johnny! Are you insane?!"
John shrugged, calm as ever. "I trust him. This is worth it."
"He's a scam, Johnny, listen!!"
John pulled out 17,000 XPs from his window, the rest of the amount heavy on his mind.
"I'll pay the remaining later," John offered.
Baron shook his head, firm. "No. I need everything now. Anything missing, and the design falls apart. Everything important must be here."
"John!!! Common, this guy is a fraud. No one is at his shop" Crow kept shouting.
John's eyes never left his designs. Trying to convince him was hopeless.
Crow's feathers ruffled, and he squawked in dismay. He reached into his own plumage and retrieved a single silver coin he had gotten from Jumper. Silver coin worth high. With a small toss, he dropped it onto the counter.
Baron examined it, then nodded. "Payment completed. Everything is here. I'd start immediately."
He placed a firm hand on the sketches. "Come back in one month. Don't miss it, or I scrap the whole thing."
John, with a satisfied smirk on his face. "One month it is."
Crow muttered under his breath, feathers still bristling. "I swear… you just throw money around like it grows on trees."
John chuckled, stepping out into the street. "Not all trees actually, some coins come from birds"
Crow screeched, "You fuc—"
They left.
The Blacksmiths Village, the clang of distant hammers fading behind them, as they walked into market crowd.
John fumbled around for directions while Crow relaxed on his shoulder.
"You fool, thats not the way!!"
"We're lost, aren't we?"
"No.. I sure its—"
They were lost.
In Hansburg.