That night, the city of Ardel was far quieter than usual. Normally, every corner of the street would be filled with merchants closing their stalls, the ringing of wagon wheels, or drunkards shouting as they stumbled home. But tonight the air felt heavier. A thin layer of fog hung low over the ground, making the dim yellow streetlights look blurry and unstable as the wind brushed past.
Old brick buildings towered like silent giants, watching over anyone who dared walk through.
At the center of the city, a small café called Enzo's Lounge was still full of life. From the outside, warm light spilled through its windows, revealing silhouettes of people laughing, clinking glasses, and swaying to music. Soft acoustic tunes mixed with the scraping of chairs and the steady rhythm of footsteps going in and out. The city may have been quiet, but the café was bursting with warmth and noise.
Morry stood in front of the café door for a long moment before finally stepping inside. As soon as he pushed the door open, a rush of noise hit him—laughter, chatter, clinking glasses. Heat wrapped around him instantly. The smell of toasted bread, cigarette smoke, and alcohol filled the air. He scanned the room with mixed feelings.
At the center table, Arden sat with his legs crossed, face slightly flushed from a few drinks earlier. He was laughing loudly with Elliot, who looked just as drunk. Arden
slammed the table and said,
"And you should've seen Kael face! He looked like he was about to pass out!"
Elliot burst into laughter. "I swear he went pale like a ghost during the mission!"
Some other members laughed along. Morry exhaled slowly. He knew Arden wasn't seriously mocking him—this was just how he lightened the mood. Still, it stung hearing his failures turned into entertainment.
He didn't interrupt. There was no point.
Instead, he took a seat at the table nearest the wall and grabbed a glass of water, though he didn't drink it. His hands trembled slightly. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. Confusion, fear, embarrassment, anxiety—everything tangled together.
A few members passed by and waved. One patted him on the shoulder. "Why? Are you getting weaker?"
Morry forced a small smile, though his expression was still tight.
He set the glass down and stood again. The café was too loud, too warm, too crowded.
Arden paused mid-laugh and noticed him. His smile faded a little.
"Kael? Where are you going? Hey!"
Morry raised a hand without turning back. "Air's a bit stuffy. I'm stepping out."
Arden frowned but didn't push it.
"Fine, just don't take too long. We might get new intel tonight."
Morry nodded and slipped outside. The door closed behind him, muting all the laughter and music. The cold air hit his face, sharp but refreshing. He took the steps down from the café and walked aimlessly along the street.
His footsteps echoed softly on the stone pavement. Each breath formed little puffs of white mist. He looked down at his shadow, sliced apart by the streetlights. The figure staring back at him felt foreign. He still hadn't fully adjusted to seeing Kael Mortis' body in mirrors.
He tried clearing his mind, but the sense of uselessness from the previous mission clung to him. The way people expected greatness from Kael and the way he failed to meet that expectation gnawed at him until his chest felt tight.
He wandered deeper into darker streets. The café noise faded away, replaced by the wind whistling between buildings. Ardel had many narrow alleys, all of them looking like passages that led nowhere but deeper into darkness.
As he walked, he suddenly heard a sound from the alley to his left. At first, it was just a faint gasp. Morry stopped and turned his head.
Seconds later, the sound became a scream.
"Let go! Please!"
Morry's heart jolted. He squinted into the alley, but it was too dark. Only the voice guided him.
Another scream came louder, more desperate.
"Help!"
Without thinking, Morry stepped into the alley.
The light behind him dimmed the deeper he walked. But a faint glow was enough to show a woman struggling against a large man. The man gripped her arm violently and pushed her against the wall. The impact echoed sharply in the narrow space.
"Shut up!" he shouted.
The woman tried to pull away, her breath ragged, her hair disheveled, face twisted in fear.
Morry gathered what little courage he had. His knees trembled, but he stepped forward.
"Stop," Morry said, trying to sound firm. A slight tremble betrayed him.
The man turned, annoyed. "What's your problem?"
"Let her go."
The man scoffed, stepping closer. "Or what?"
Morry opened his mouth, but no words came. Kael Mortis could scare people with just a stare. But Morry wasn't Kael. He had no clue how to handle this.
The man grinned as he got closer. "Walk away before I break you."
But then something strange happened.
The woman suddenly went still. The panic vanished instantly. Her expression became blank but sharp. Her eyes focused on Morry, not like a victim, but like a predator sizing up prey.
Morry froze. "What…?"
The man's grin widened, cruel. "You really walked straight into it, kid."
Morry realized too late the alley was a dead end.
A trap.
"What do you want…?" Morry whispered.
The woman stepped forward, her tone cold. "You're not Kael. I can tell."
Morry's eyes widened. "How do you—"
"But that body is still Kael's," the man added, licking his lips. "And we need it."
Morry backed up until his shoulders hit the wall. His hands shook violently. His breaths became quick and shallow.
They approached him from both sides slow, precise, practiced.
Then a voice echoed inside his head.
Calm. Deep. Neither male nor female.
"You're not alone."
Morry's eyes widened.
A dark glow appeared beneath his feet, forming a red-black magic circle swirling slowly. The air thickened around them, heavy and cold.
The two attackers stopped.
"W-what is this?!" the man stuttered.
A card rose from the circle—black, spinning slowly. A red eye glowed in its center, staring directly at Morry.
Morry's breath caught.
"My… card?"
A name surfaced in his mind like a memory he had always known.
"Azaroth."
The card cracked and shattered into red-black shards of light, circling Morry's body. The alley dissolved into a shadowy void with no walls, only darkness.
A calm voice echoed:
"State the law of your domain."
Morry hesitated. He didn't know how Kael used this ability. Instinct guided him.
"Do not kill."
The dark space trembled. A force pushed onto the attackers. They staggered, choking as if an invisible weight crushed them.
"W-why can't I move?!"
Morry said nothing. His eyes glowed faintly with Azaroth's power. The woman tried stepping forward but was pulled back as if by unseen chains.
The law didn't hurt them.
It simply forbade them from killing and it bound them accordingly.
When the domain faded and the magic circle vanished, the attackers fell to their knees, gasping, then scrambled out of the alley in terror.
Morry stood trembling, barely breathing.
"I… I did that…"
He placed a hand on his chest, trying to steady himself. His card had manifested his own power, not Kael's memory.
Before he could gather his thoughts, footsteps approached.
Arden appeared at the entrance of the alley, breathing hard, eyes sharp.
"Kael! There you—"
He stopped, staring at the faint residual markings on the ground and Kael pale face.