"Whaaa—! I didn't know the Triangle was in Orange River…"
Maya's voice was full of wonder as she pressed herself against the glass, drinking in the city outside.
It was the first time she'd set foot in a proper city since entering the Triangle.
"The Triangle isn't in Orange River," I corrected. "Why do you think we had to pay ten merits to use the transporter?"
While Maya admired the view with stars in her eyes, I was locked in mortal combat with the city map.
'What kind of psychopath can read this mess…?'
Orange River City.
A small city where one of the farthest Triangle branches was located.
Also, coincidentally, a place where the underworld quietly ruled from the shadows.
Perfect.
"Hey, Maya," I asked, still squinting at the map. "You ever been here before?"
She nodded, still facing the large windows that overlooked the Triangle branch's courtyard.
"Good," I said. "That makes this easier."
I took her hand and led her out through the branch's main exit and onto a wide, clean avenue.
Shops lined both sides of the street, people moved in clusters, cars passed occasionally.
Normal, peaceful.
A very pretty lie.
"We need to get to District 13," I said.
Maya whipped her head toward me.
"Huh? District 13? That place is pretty dangerous."
She pulled out her brand new phone and started tapping quickly. After a few seconds, she grabbed my wrist with her free hand.
"This way," she said, tugging me toward a turn off the main road.
"A phone really is useful," I muttered, fingers brushing over my pocket where my own rested inside a small item pouch.
"Just to make sure… who are you?" I asked.
We stood in a forgotten alleyway that smelled faintly of damp concrete and dust, the world outside feeling very far away.
Maya looked back at me through a white mask with soft pink and blue accents.
"I am Rose," she said, voice muffled. "Third Black Sky, the Cloudy Sky."
She was dressed in full black: fitted uniform, hooded coat, gloves. Only her eyes were visible.
"And who am I?" I asked.
She studied my mask — matte black with thin red lines like cracks of lightning — and replied after a moment:
"You are Dragon. First Black Sky, the Stormy Sky."
We matched now — two shadows in identical black uniforms, faceless in an alleyway no one wanted to walk into.
These were the places people pretended didn't exist.
Corners of the city that the light never reached.
No cameras.
No patrols.
No witnesses.
I adjusted my cap to make sure my hair was fully covered and gave Rose a small wave.
She waved back nervously.
We walked deeper into the alley until we stood before a weathered wooden door nearly swallowed by darkness. If you didn't step all the way in, you'd never see it.
I raised my hand and knocked.
Tap. Tap. Tap… tap.
Rhythm mattered.
A small panel slid open with a scratchy sound, revealing a pair of dark, suspicious eyes.
"What do you want?" a gravelly voice asked.
I ignored the intimidation attempt.
"Read my fortune," I said calmly.
The eyes narrowed, shifting from black to a pale blue under the dim light, as if sensing something.
The panel slid shut.
A few moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a stocky man in a black suit.
"You may come in," he said.
I nodded and stepped inside, Maya following silently behind me.
The door closed heavily, and a narrow staircase stretched upward.
I slipped a hand into my item bag and pulled out a small black book with a blue flame on the cover.
"I want to sell this magic control in your auction," I said, holding it out.
The man's bored expression shattered.
His gaze locked onto the book like a starving beast spotting meat.
"W–wait here," he stammered. "I'll… I'll inform the boss immediately!"
He rushed up the stairs, almost tripping in his haste.
I glanced at Maya. She stayed in character, posture straight, eyes hidden, saying nothing.
She definitely has a thousand questions… but not now.
The man returned, breathing a little faster, face tighter but more respectful.
"Mr. Gomez will see you now," he said, bowing slightly and gesturing up the stairs. "Please follow me."
We climbed.
Corridors bled into more steps. The deeper we went, the more the air changed: the smell of expensive cologne and polished wood replacing dust.
Finally, he pushed open a door at the top.
Light poured out.
A spacious, luxurious salon awaited us — bright, modern, sleek. Velvet sofas, glass tables, paintings on the walls. Completely different from the cold minimalism the rest of the world had adopted.
The man stepped aside with a small smile.
"Welcome to the leader's room."
Chapter 102 – Lawless Domain Arc.
That was the point in the novel where Lucas infiltrated the League of Shadows and, with his faction, destroyed one of the major underworld organizations.
That's a story for later.
Right now, the League of Shadows ruled just one district.
The man sitting behind the main desk was clearly anxious, bouncing one leg rapidly.
Black hair, dark eyes, thick lips like overstuffed sausages, and a small heart tattoo near his left eye.
Maximus Sagaza.
He tried to appear calm as he stood and stepped around the desk, hand outstretched.
"May I see it?" he asked, not bothering with introductions.
I knew exactly what he wanted.
I placed the magic control in his palm.
He examined it carefully, flipping through the pages, then sat on the edge of his desk, hand resting on his chin as he sank into thought.
"I've never heard of you," he said finally, closing the book. "May I ask your names?"
His tone had changed the moment he confirmed it was real — a genuine magic control. From his evaluation, it was at least mid-grade.
No sane individual sold something like this through the underworld.
Unless they weren't acting as individuals.
"Forgive my rudeness." I inclined my head slightly. "I am Dragon."
I gestured to Maya, who still looked more fascinated by the furnishings than the man talking to us.
"And this is Rose. We are from Black Heavens, an organization from the Lawless Domain."
Shock erupted across his face.
The Lawless Domain.
The dream of every ambitious criminal — a territory where races mixed freely, no single power ruled, and laws didn't exist.
To survive there as an organization…
"It is an honor," Maximus said carefully. "May I ask what brings such esteemed guests to the League of Shadows? If anyone has offended you, we sincerely apologize."
I smiled behind the mask.
"I'm only here to sell this magic control," I said. "Nothing more."
"Oh? And the price?"
Instead of answering, I pulled out a chair in front of his desk and gestured for Maya to sit. Once she did, I sat beside her.
"You are the price, Maximus Sagaza."
His eyes widened instantly.
No one in this city was supposed to know his family name.
But I did.
"…What do you mean?" he asked slowly, narrowing his eyes.
"Black Heavens intends to expand into the human domain," I said. "We've chosen you to lead our human branch."
Silence stretched for several seconds.
He was smart. He understood the weight of what I'd just said.
"Why me?" he asked.
"No special reason." I shrugged. "If you fail our test, we'll simply destroy this organization and recruit someone else."
His expression turned dark.
He slammed his hands on the desk.
BAM.
"Are you threatening me?" he snarled.
His hands sank into the wood with the force.
Before he could say more, Maya silently lifted her hand. Thin blue energy formed into a blade in the air, humming beside her fingers.
Maximus froze.
His eyes trembled.
"Wait, Rose," I said calmly, placing my hand over hers and lowering it. "Don't kill him."
She nodded obediently and let the metaphysical blade dissolve.
Maximus stared at the space where the weapon had just been.
That was the power of misinformation.
He didn't know our exact strength.
Only that someone sitting casually across from him could manifest metaphysical energy like it was nothing.
"Your physical strength is at the peak of humanity, Maximus," I said. "But you have no magic control. Your status has already hit its limit. Don't you want something more? This is your chance."
He snapped his fingers.
The door swung open and ten armed guards rushed in, surrounding the room.
He straightened, trying to reclaim some dignity.
"And if I refuse?" he asked.
This time, I placed both hands on the table and let my magic circulate.
The air around me grew hotter.
Not enough to burn — just enough to remind everyone it could.
"You know," I said quietly, "that the moment I spoke your family name… you lost the right to refuse."
Maximus Sagaza.
A fugitive from an Original family.
Even if he tried to run, he only had around 100 magic energy. Using his concealment skill would drain him quickly.
He knew it.
I knew it.
He dug into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips.
"Where's my lighter?" he snapped at one of the guards.
I extended a finger.
A tiny flame danced at the tip and lit the cigarette.
He watched the fire carefully before taking a drag.
He might be the strongest in the room physically, but thanks to our uniforms and the gap in magic control, he had no way to read our true power.
"What's the test?" he asked finally. "And what do I gain if I pass?"
"It's simple," I said. "With your current strength, you've managed to rule District 13. With magic control, if you can unify the entire underworld of Orange River, you pass."
I leaned back in my chair, smiling beneath the mask.
"As for your reward… you'll become the Eighth Black Sky — the Misty Sky."
"Eighth… Sky?" he repeated, confused.
"What kind of prestige does that give me?"
I stood up.
"Then let me introduce myself properly," I said. "I am Dragon, the First Black Sky — the Stormy Sky. And this is Rose, the Third Black Sky — the Cloudy Sky."
His confusion deepened, but I didn't explain further.
I took Rose's hand and helped her to her feet.
"If you want to learn more about Black Heavens, complete the test," I said. "You have thirty days."
Then we left the same way we'd come.
On the way back toward the Triangle's branch building, Maya looked like her brain was running at full speed.
Dreyden was already mysterious to her.
Now, he probably felt like an unsolvable puzzle.
"If you have questions," I said at last, "ask."
She sighed.
"I have a few," she admitted. "First… Black Heavens. Does it actually exist?"
"It does now," I answered.
She held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded.
"Alright. I trust you," she said softly.
She squeezed my hand, then tilted her head.
"One more thing. Did you really give him the magic control?"
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Of course not," I said. "That was a variation."
"Variation…?" she echoed.
"A modified, weaker version of the original," I explained.
She frowned slightly, thinking that over.
"And how did you make that?"
"…"
I looked at her and said nothing.
I wanted to answer. To explain. To share everything.
But I couldn't.
I'm just copying what you did in the novel, I thought.
In the original story, once Lucas discovered that magic control could increase his stat cap, he deeply regretted selling his own manual.
That's when Maya created a variation of her original controller and gave it to him.
The same type of variation that was now in Maximus's hands.
"Do you think he'll manage it?" Maya asked. "Even if he's from an original family… he's still a fugitive."
My expression hardened.
"He'll make it," I said simply.
Because in the novel, there was a line I could never forget:
"Not even she, 29th in the official world esper rankings, could break his concealment."
That was the power of an Original family.
I couldn't help but wonder which identity Maya would eventually assume now that the plot had shifted.
"Let's leave the future to the future," I said, looking toward the horizon. "For now, we focus on the present."
We kept walking.
Back toward the Triangle.
Back toward the story I was already changing.