Morry sat quietly in the passenger seat as the car moved through the foggy streets. Streetlights slid past the window like blurred stars, but his mind was far from calm. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the road ahead, his thoughts kept circling back to one thing.
Cards.
Abilities born from belief. Power shaped by desire.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.
"Arden," Morry said at last, turning his head slightly. "There's something I want to ask you."
Arden kept his eyes on the road. "Go on."
Morry hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing, choosing his words carefully.
"I think I might've lost part of my memory," he said casually. "Could you explain the whole Card thing again Or whatever you think is important."
Arden raised an eyebrow, casting him a brief, suspicious glance.
"You're seriously saying you forgot"
"Yes. Seriously," Morry replied quickly.
Arden stared at him for another second, then sighed. One hand left the steering wheel to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"…Fine."
He leaned back slightly, his voice shifting into something more explanatory.
"Cards are simple in concept," Arden began. "They're usually divided into four types."
Morry listened closely, memorizing every word.
"First is the Summon type. Like the name suggests, it appears when someone truly believes they're not alone. When they feel protected by something, or someone, even if it doesn't exist. The Card manifests that belief. Summons vary a lot depending on the user's desire and imagination."
The car turned onto a darker street.
"Second is the Buff type," Arden continued. "This one enhances the user directly. Strength, speed, perception, instincts. If your Card was something like Berserker, for example, it'd boost your physical power to match that idea. These Cards usually come from people who believe they need power within themselves, above everything else."
Morry swallowed.
"The third is the Space type," Arden said, his tone growing slightly heavier. "This one's dangerous. It creates a space. A room. Anyone dragged inside is subject to the rules of that place. What happens in there depends on the user's belief, trauma, or obsession. These Cards tend to be unstable."
"And the last," Arden finished, "is the Weapon type. Cards that manifest weapons beyond human logic. Guns, blades, things that shouldn't exist. They're born from strong attachment. Love for a weapon. Trust in it. Sometimes even grief."
The explanation settled heavily in Morry's chest.
"…That's insane," he muttered.
Arden shrugged. "That's this world."
The car slowed to a stop at a red light. Arden glanced at Morry.
"Since you're so curious," he said, "I'll show you mine."
Before Morry could respond, Arden snapped his fingers.
There was no flash, no explosion. Just a subtle shift in the air.
Arden's pupils sharpened, glowing faintly for a split second.
"My Card is a Buff type," he said calmly. "Vitality."
Morry frowned. "Vitality"
"I can see vital points," Arden explained. "Weak spots. Pressure points. Arteries. It's clearer the closer I am."
Morry felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"So you always know where to hit"
"Exactly."
The light changed. The car moved again.
Minutes later, Arden pulled over in front of a gun shop. The sign flickered weakly above the entrance. The windows were reinforced, scratched, and stained with age.
"We need supplies," Arden said. "And information."
They stepped out of the car.
The moment they entered the shop, Morry sensed it. The tension. Six men loitered inside, scattered around the shelves. Loose clothes. Hard eyes. The kind of people who didn't belong anywhere else.
Berandalan lepas.
One of them turned and smirked. "Well look at this. Fresh customers."
Before Morry could react, Arden moved.
Fast.
A step forward. A strike to the neck. Another man dropped before he even understood what happened. Arden flowed through them like he'd already mapped their bodies in his head. Every punch landed exactly where it needed to.
Morry stayed back.
His feet felt heavy.
Six of them.
He watched from behind as Arden dismantled them one by one. Not reckless. Precise. Efficient.
Within moments, only one man remained, pressed against the counter, breathing hard.
Arden grabbed him by the collar and lifted him slightly off the ground.
"Octo," Arden said calmly. "Where is he"
The man's eyes shook with fear.
Morry stood frozen behind them, heart pounding.
The man trembled in Arden's grip, his breath uneven, eyes darting wildly as if searching for a way out that did not exist. Arden's gaze remained calm, focused, his Card still active, eyes tracing invisible lines across the man's body.
"I asked you something," Arden said quietly. "Don't make me repeat it."
The man swallowed hard. "A Ardel," he stammered. "He's in Ardel City. I swear. He moved there two days ago."
Arden loosened his grip just enough. "Why Ardel"
"Business," the man replied quickly. "Entertainment deals. Underground shows. He's trying to make contact with people tied to Happines."
Arden studied him for another moment, then released him. The man collapsed to the floor, coughing and scrambling away without looking back.
Arden turned toward Morry. "That's enough."
They left the shop in silence. The cold night air hit Morry's face as the door closed behind them. The fog had thickened, swallowing the street once again. Arden walked with the same steady pace, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
They got back into the car. The engine started, and the vehicle pulled away from the dim storefront.
Ardel City.
The name echoed in Morry's mind.
As the road stretched out before them, Morry finally spoke.
"…You're really good at that."
Arden glanced at him briefly. "At what"
"Reading people," Morry said. "Knowing exactly where to hit. You ended it before things got messy."
Arden let out a quiet breath, almost a scoff. "That's just experience."
Morry leaned back in his seat, watching the city fade behind them. "Still," he added, "it's impressive."
Arden didn't respond right away. His eyes remained on the road, focused, calculating.
"Get some rest," he said after a moment. "Ardel isn't forgiving."
The car continued forward, cutting through the fog, leaving one city behind as another waited ahead.
And somewhere in Ardel, Octo was already moving.