“Vengeance is sweet. Vengeance taken when the vengee isn’t sure who the venger is, is sweeter still.” - Gary D. Schmidt (The Wednesday Wars)


    * * * *


    Sera has no idea what time it even is at the moment.


    Probably a few hours before dawn breaks, even.


    It was nearly three o’clock in the morning before the rest of Aegis had turned in for the night, but Sera knew her people well enough to know that none of them would be having very restful nights.


    As for Sera herself, after more than an hour of tossing and turning to no avail, she finally decided to get up and search for information regarding the smuggling ring that Alexis had mentioned.


    But like what Raul had said, even the Black Network didn’t even have so much as a whiff about those rumours. However if whoever is behind this smuggling ring is insane enough to delve into human trafficking in Eldario, then they would also be cunning enough to hide all traces of it.


    She had managed to get in contact with Ethan, and even he wasn’t able to uncover anything. All that he managed to find out was that the hunters seemed to be up to something again.


    Zest too wasn’t able to find anything, though he had promised to keep an ear out on the ground.


    And then again…


    Sera frowned, leaning back against the couch.


    “Is there really one?” she wondered out loud. She’s been in the underground scene all her life. She knows exactly how it goes. Even for something like this, no matter how tightly guarded it is, there are bound to be rumours of some sort.


    But there’s nothing.


    Sera rubbed at the back of her neck even as she tilted her head backwards so that she was looking at the ceiling. She raised her left hand so that she was partially covering her vision of the ceiling.


    “…Chris…”


    “…My name’s Chris—”


    “…How much time left?”


    “Nine hours…!”


    “…Let’s make a promise. You have to live. No matter what, you have to. And should we both survive, let’s meet again on the outside…”


    “Sera?”


    A muffled voice from behind the front door of the boathouse shook Sera out of her inner thoughts just then.


    She blinked. Has she been that lost in her thoughts? She hadn’t thought about the past for a long time.


    “Sera, you in there?” A knock sounded on the door. “The lights are on, so I know there’s someone.”


    “Hang on.”


    Sera unlocked the front door and opened it only to reveal an exhausted Alexis who had bags visible beneath his eyes.


    “It’s nearly five in the morning.” Sera looked at the clock in a corner. “Have you slept at all since leaving us earlier?”


    “Pot, meet kettle.” Alexis deadpanned, and Sera tried to hide a smile. “I’ve been investigating.” He followed Sera in and closed the door behind him with a nudge of his foot, sinking into the couch with a relieved sigh. Sera meanwhile busied herself with preparing a cup of coffee for Alexis. “I also got Ethan on board.” He grimaced, before taking the cup of coffee from Sera with a relieved thanks. “I don’t like him, but he’s the best when it comes to information.”


    “Yeah. I too agree that we need to handle this fast, especially if it concerns human trafficking.” Sera pointed out. “But we need more information before we can do anything. I’m not going into this blind.”


    Especially not when the rest of Aegis are involving themselves as well. Sera is fine with risking herself, but she will never risk her friends.


    “About that, we’re in luck,” Alexis said, stifling a yawn. “Hayder got in contact with me earlier. There is an informant that might have the information you need – number of smugglers, their motives, how many children are held, and even their exact locations since they tend to move bases every few months.” Sera raised an eyebrow incredulously. “Thing is, from what I know from Hayder, this informant is a bit on the…eccentric side. Very unlike Ethan. He’ll only meet you in a place of his choosing. And he’ll only see you. You have to come alone.”


    Sera’s eyebrows only rose higher with this statement. This is getting more and more suspicious to her.


    “…Am I the only one who smelt a rat here?” Sera deadpanned at last.


    Alexis let out a short bark of laughter. “Yeah, you’re not the only one. I felt the same way too when Hayder passed on the message to me when he received this bit of intel. I think it’s one of the Enforcers who passed on this piece of information to him. But the truth is that most informants are quite secretive. Ethan is the odd one out as he doesn’t bother to hide his identity at all. But then again, that guy can easily handle himself in combat.” Alexis frowned. “The saying that information is worth more than gold is truer than you think. It’s why the well-known informants can pick which clients to take on and fix their prices.”


    “Regardless, if this piece of intel is true, and if there is a smuggling ring out there somewhere, we can’t ignore it.” Sera declared tiredly, and Alexis nodded. “…Tell me the time and place.”


    * * * *


    ~The Black Cat Tavern; Zalfari~


    Leroy exchanged incredulous looks with Alisa over Sera’s head even as he tried to process what he’d just heard.


    It had been a busy year for him since he’d taken up the mantle of being the protector of Zalfari. And like what Sera had told him when he’d first told her about it, people did flock to him when he had started putting out feelers for assistance to rebuild the town of Zalfari.


    Now, nearly a year later, Zalfari is a bustling town well known for its connections to the underground and the black market, though one must also know which vendors to approach, and the passwords they use to gain access to the more ‘special’ products.


    As such, it had also been nearly a year since Leroy had even seen his old friend.


    Leroy groaned even as he buried his face into his hands, much to Alisa’s amusement. Even the bartender behind the counter looked amused.


    “I hadn’t seen you for nearly a year; and granted, it might be my fault too that I hadn’t contacted you for a year—but the moment I take my eyes off you, you get caught up in something like this?” Leroy ran his fingers roughly through his hair until it stood on the ends. “Am I the only one to find this situation fishy?”


    It is currently noon, and thus, The Black Cat is pretty much silent save for the three of them and the bartender. From what Alisa had explained, it seems like the apartment above the bar is where Leroy and Alisa have their flats. Heck, they were the ones to help build said bar; so, in a way, they were co-owners in the business.


    “No. I find it strange too.” Sera admitted. “I can’t find anything about this so-called smuggling ring. Not even Raul could when he reached out to the Black Network. Ethan too can’t find anything.”


    “That’s strange.” Alisa agreed with a frown, and the other two agreed. Blade had prior encounters with Raul before the entire mess with Dragonfly and has even met Ethan numerous times before. Both Leroy and Alisa knew that both Raul and Ethan could uncover and gain information that most were unable to. If even the both of them can’t uncover anything…


    “You said it’s a request made by Hayder? With Alexis playing the part of messenger?” Leroy asked at last after several long moments of silence, and Sera nodded, a contemplative look on her face.


    “Leroy, what’s wrong?” Alisa wanted to know.


    “We will know if something like a smuggling ring is going on, Alisa,” Leroy informed the girl, a frown on his face, “especially in a place like Zalfari. Even in the underground, if someone is doing something like this, no matter how quiet they keep it, there will be rumours or something like that. It’s impossible to keep something like this under wraps, regardless of the mess that the underground is in at the moment.” He added the last part.


    Last that Leroy had heard, Larissa and her Enforcers were handling the upheaval on their side which is probably the reason why she’d asked Sera to handle this. It’ll likely be another year before they can even fix the entire mess with the underground caused by the loss of Blade, Dragonfly and even Whirlwind—three of the major street gangs wiped out in just a year.


    “As a general rule, the underground doesn’t take kindly to smugglers. Especially those smuggling children. Drugs and smuggling are two things that are not permitted to be carried out on Eldario soil.” Alisa pointed out with a frown. “It’s a universal law here. No one is insane enough to pit themselves against Larissa and the entire underground scene. Not even the worst crime boss. The rest of the underground will be obliged by underground law to hunt them down, even if Larissa won’t do anything.” She added the last part. “Are you sure it’s a valid request?” Alisa asked Sera bluntly.


    “Something very weird is going on.” Leroy agreed.


    * * * *


    “Well, we’ve set out the bait. Now, we just have to wait and see if she takes it.”


    A huff, and white tobacco smoke wafted in the air.


    “She will. If it’s her that is behind this entire Aegis business, she will show herself. If there’s one thing that the Death Reaper and the Black Demon have in common, it is that they don’t tolerate drugs and human trafficking, especially when it comes to children.”


    A scoff.


    “A couple of bleeding hearts like that, being the leaders of Eldario’s most infamous street gang?”


    “You’ll be in a world of pain if you underestimate them, Mathis. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”


    “They’re both going to die. They’ve been massive thorns in our side for years now. And just as we thought we’d gotten rid of them, this entire Aegis business surfaced and started fucking with us once more. You set the bait for them. We’ll handle the rest.”


    “Don’t underestimate them.”


    “Even they won’t stand a chance against six squads of highly trained hunters.”


    A black-clad figure remained hidden behind a wall even as the pair parted ways. He, however, remained hiding, clenching his hands into fists even as he tried to contemplate what he’d just heard.


    “…Sera…” He murmured. “I will not lose any more of my friends.”


    * * * *


    Sera could almost hear Leroy’s mocking voice in her head, going, “I told you so.”


    She knew it was a bad idea from the start; opting to go alone instead of informing at least her old Blade comrades or even Letha, Raul, or Laura that she was going to meet some informant who might have information on what they want.


    From the start, it smells fishy, and Sera knows that it is entirely likely to be some kind of trap.


    The ‘meeting place’ is in the northern part of the forest about five miles east of Zhane City—and even when Sera had heard about the where and when from Alexis, it had already started ringing alarms in her head.


    Sera sighed, slouching slightly with her hands tucked within the pockets of her jacket, looking around her surroundings at the thirty or so hunters surrounding her, armed with weapons of all kinds.


    “I really wish I could say that I’m surprised, but I’m not,” Sera said nonchalantly, her mismatched gaze falling on a particular familiar individual. “So how much did they pay you to be the one to lure me here, Ale?”


    ‘Ale’, and to this day, Sera is relatively sure that it is an alias of some sort rather than his real name, only shrugged, accepting a thick wad of cash from the lead hunter.


    “I need to eat and put food on my table,” he responded. “Don’t blame me for this. Most wouldn’t do any differently.”


    No, they wouldn’t, Sera thought to herself inwardly. No informant worth their weight in salt would sell out someone of the underground to the hunters and even the ESA. To do so would result in the entire underground hunting them down. It is one of the underground’s most absolute laws, and why they were so furious over what Dragonfly had done to Raul.


    “You’d better find a very good hiding place, Ale. Or better yet, get the fuck out of Eldario as soon as you can.” Sera said without moving, even as Ale stepped past her to leave the forest. From how the sounds of footsteps stopped, she knew that Ale had stopped in his tracks. “Because I will hunt you down and kill you, assuming of course, that Leroy and Alisa don’t get to you first.” Or even Zest.


    At least with Leroy and Alisa, they would make it quick. If it’s Zest who got to Ale first, however, the latter would be begging for death even before Zest is done with him.


    “You talk like you’re going to leave this place alive.”


    Sera didn’t respond even as Ale resumed his trek out of the forest, never removing her eyes from the surrounding hunters who were starting to get unnerved by her stony gaze.


    “Oh, I will,” Sera responded in response to Ale’s statement. “No hunter will ever get the best of me. I earned my reputation for a reason, and it’s high time they get reminded of that fact.”


    “You talk like you could beat us all.” One of the hunters—Sera has no idea which one had just spoken, trying to sound brave, but Sera could easily hear the waver in his voice.


    “New rookie, I’m assuming?” Sera looked in the direction where the voice had come from, only to see a particularly young-looking hunter flush red. He’s probably not all that much older than Sera. “Well, I don’t have all day, so let’s get down to it. I hope you hunters have all gotten your affairs in order because I don’t plan on letting any of you leave alive.”


    The hunters tensed even as Sera hooked the littlest finger of her left hand in the hoop of the dagger by her side and drew it out of the holster by her hip, twirling the dagger about with ease before grasping it by the handle.


    “Let’s get this show on the road.”


    No one knew who was the first to move.


    But the hunters were all moving in a synchronised and practised formation when the screams echoed around the forest, and two of their numbers were already down on the ground—eyes blank and with bloody gashes visible on their necks.


    “Keep moving! Surround her! Gun her down!”


    Sera easily dodged the bullets, stopping it in mid-air with her Gift, and ‘sending’ it back to the recipients who soon joined the first two on the ground.


    “You’re a fool if you think superior numbers can work against me.” Sera sneered, moving out of the way of a thrown dagger by the rookie hunter from earlier. And before the latter could move or respond, Sera was in front of him, one hand wrapped around his neck before snapping it cleanly and letting the body fall to the ground.


    “Damn it! How is she doing this?! We outnumber her!”


    ‘Still about twenty or so of them left. And all in close quarters.’ Sera mused to herself, easily navigating herself and dodging another hunter, and letting the one behind her get shot in the head. ‘It’s going to be tough, but…’


    BANG!


    The sound of a gunshot echoed around the forest, sounding unnaturally loud. And almost in slow motion, a hunter that had been creeping up behind Sera collapsed to the ground with wide eyes, and with his head practically blown apart.


    As one, Sera and the remaining hunters looked towards the sound of the gunshot. Sera had to squint and let her vision focus before she spotted two dark figures perched atop one of the tree boughs on a nearby tree.


    It wasn’t long before she recognised the two arrivals.


    “Leroy! Alisa!”


    Leroy gave a shark-like grin, flicking back the safety of his gun before he leapt down to the ground with ease, landing lightly on his feet. Alisa followed his actions, also with a gun visible in her hand.


    “Are you sure you aren’t losing your touch, Sera?” Leroy taunted lightly, eyes flickering around the gobsmacked hunters who suddenly all looked very nervous. At least a good half of them recognised Leroy and Alisa. “These guys shouldn’t be a match for you, even without your Gift!”


    “We got Ethan to keep tabs on Ale for us,” Alisa answered, eyes flickering around. “He won’t let Ale escape our net.”


    Sera nodded, not feeling all that surprised that Leroy and Alisa had done what she needed.


    “Former Blade members?” The lead hunter finally found his voice. “What are they doing here?”


    “Blade don’t abandon our own.” Alisa countered, flicking back the safety of her gun. “You hunters might have gotten the best of us that one time, but we don’t repeat the same mistake twice.” A cold smile tugged at the ends of her lips. “Unfortunately for you, you didn’t get all of us that night. The third one is on his way here after taking care of your ‘backup’. And from my impression, he isn’t too happy with you right now.”


    “The ‘third one’?” One of the hunters echoed cautiously.


    The sounds of thuds echoed around the forest even as three bodies were dropped down unceremoniously from above—all of them dressed in obvious hunter garb, and with deep gashes visible across their throats.


    The remaining hunters paled, before a dark figure dropped down from above, landing lightly on his feet beside Sera. Zest eyed the hunter coolly, a dagger visible in his left hand, and with a small smirk tugging at the ends of his lips.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    “Third.” Zest agreed coolly.


    Leroy felt relief settle in him immediately upon catching sight of Zest. Sure, he’d heard about it from Sera—that Zest did survive that night as well, and he’d even exchanged messages with him when he was on the way to aid Sera. But it is a huge relief to be able to see Zest in the flesh with his own eyes.


    “Zest…” Leroy was relieved.


    “You’re alive!” Alisa smiled.


    “The Black Demon, Zexter Mifaelen!” The lead hunter snarled, his expression morphing into something horrid the moment he had laid eyes on Zest. “So, you’re still alive, after all!”


    “I haven’t gone by that name for a long time.” Zest was unfazed. “My name is Zest now. And if you know who I am, then you know what I can do. Do you seriously want to take me on?” The look in his eyes made even Leroy and Alisa nervous. It reminds them too much of the first time they met Zest in the streets of Zephys.


    The remaining hunters too were very obviously nervous. Only some of the older hunters recognised Zest, and they looked horrified—a reason that probably, only Sera knew.


    Zest had his reputation amongst the hunters for a reason, and not a good one. There is a reason why he had ultimately turned on them and left.


    “You…traitor!” Spittle flew from the mouth of the lead hunter, even as his hands shook, as he tried to steady his hold on his gun. More than any of the other hunters currently present, he knew just how dangerous Zest could be. The latter had a hit and bounty on his head amongst the hunters for a reason, with a flee-on-sight order for novice hunters.


    “To be a traitor means that I first have to be loyal to you.” Zest’s face was unsmiling. “You’re now facing the survivors of Blade, hunters. The members of the inner circle. Do you still want to take us on?” He challenged.


    “It’s not like we can let them leave alive anyway, Zest.” Leroy shrugged nonchalantly. “Especially not with what they tried to pull.”


    “True that.” Zest rubbed at the back of his neck. “Just like old times, huh?”


    “I hope you hunters have your affairs in order,” Sera commented, eyes flickering around. “You won’t be leaving this place alive.”


    And then as one, the four of them moved.


    * * * *


    The first rays of dawn were peeking over the horizon even as Leroy was making a few calls to the Cleaners—a specific group within the underground that ‘cleans up’ the activities of the street gangs for a fee. Alisa meanwhile was poking at one of the dead hunters with the toe of her boot. Whereas Zest and Sera weren’t too far away, talking in low tones.


    It didn’t take too long for the former members of Blade to deal with the hunters. They were some of the top members of the infamous street gang for a reason.


    “I’ll say ‘I told you so’, but I think you learned your lesson well enough.” Zest deadpanned whilst leaning against the nearby tree trunk, arms crossed over his chest.


    Sera only flushed with embarrassment, scratching idly at her cheek with one finger. “Sorry.”


    Zest only sighed. “I won’t try to reprimand you because I know that is what you are like. You’re the type to always take things on yourself, and never ask for help. Heck, I’m the same way,” he grumbled. “But Sera, you’re not alone. You know that. Even if not us, you can always ask your current crew for help.” He pointed out.


    “Zest’s right, you know?” Alisa called out from where she was, having overheard the conversation. “I hadn’t had the chance to meet any of them yet, but considering that Raul and even Letha are part of your current group, I got a faint guess of what they are like. If they’re anything like how we used to be, they wouldn’t mind giving you a hand.” Alisa gave Sera a hard look. “We said this countless times even back during our days as Blade. Stop taking on all your burdens by yourself. We’re here to help. We wouldn’t mind.”


    Sera sighed, raking a hand through her hair. It’s a bad habit of hers since her Blade days, she knew. She always tries to handle her problems by herself. It is something that Leroy, Zest, and all the others have grumbled about from time to time.


    “I really should stop repeating the mistakes of the past, huh?” Sera murmured. “Though if I know my guys at all, they probably already knew about this, and I’m in for a rolling once I’m back.”


    It wouldn’t take Raul all that long to get information, after all. And that is if Alexis or Ethan hadn’t seen fit to inform Aegis about what she is up to.


    Alisa only snorted. “You got that coming,” she said bluntly, and not far away, Leroy only laughed, hanging up his phone. “How is it, Leroy?”


    “Cleaner squad is on their way. Thirty minutes out.” Leroy reported. “They only asked for us to stay put until they arrive.”


    If so we won’t have anyone accidentally stumbling upon this scene, were the words that went unsaid. If some random civilian comes across a forest clearing full of dead hunters, it will end up as a fuss that will be impossible to cover up.


    Worst case scenario: there will be a war between the underground and the hunters.


    “Though it seems like this ‘request’ is nothing more than a trap.” Zest pointed out, drawing quotation marks in the air with his finger.


    Next to him, Sera nodded in agreement. All of them had their suspicions when Alexis had first brought this request to Aegis. She isn’t the only one to find the lack of information suspicious. Raul had found it fishy. So did Laura and Letha.


    “This means that the hunters are on the move.” Alisa pointed out grimly. “And they know that Sera is alive.”


    “This also means that the rest of us need to be careful,” Zest concluded slowly. “If the attack on Blade nearly two years ago is the catalyst to everything, considering what had fallen upon Whirlwind and even Dragonfly barely a year after the attack on Blade…” He trailed off slowly, a calculating look on his face. “The hunters are up to something.”


    “Nothing new.” Leroy scoffed, waving a hand about. “They’re always up to something.”


    “But first, we need to handle this mess,” Sera said grimly. “If someone high up in the hierarchy of the Abyss is behind this non-existent request, it means that they’re compromised. And Larissa needs to handle that leak. The last thing we want is for hunters to infiltrate the Abyss and the underground system.”


    Especially since they’ve already done that with the ESA and the ruling council, were the words that went unsaid.


    “…There’ll be nowhere for the Gifted to run to if that is the case,” Zest concluded grimly, feeling coldness grip his heart at the mere thought of such a scenario.


    “…Hold up. Hold up.” Leroy spoke again after several moments passed. He looked directly at Sera from where he still stood not far from Alisa. “Didn’t you mention that this non-existent request was passed onto you by Hayder?” Sera nodded. “The head of the Enforcers? The second-in-command of the Abyss and the entire underground scene? Has Hayder been compromised too? If yes, it isn’t good news.” Leroy swallowed nervously.


    Sera groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. This has all the potential to blow up in their faces!


    “We need to deal with this clusterfuck.” She muttered irritably beneath her breath.


    Slight movements out of the corner of their eye caught the attention of all four former Blade members. As one, they turned only to see one of the downed hunters whom they thought dead getting to his feet, with a gun in his hands.


    It was one of the senior hunters, with blood covering one side of his face. He looks as if he’s barely standing, but his eyes are clear with determination, even as he points his shaking gun at Sera and Zest.


    “Fuck! I thought that I’d killed him!” Alisa cursed, reaching for her gun by her side, but already knew that she was too late.


    “Sera! Zest!”


    “Die, abominations!” The hunter screeched.


    Sera threw herself to the side, with Zest doing the same thing, even as the sound of a loud gunshot echoed through the air and sent several birds taking flight from the nearby trees.


    She was however quick to get to her feet after a quick roll, ignoring the dead leaves currently sticking to her jacket and the pained howls of the hunter, only to see the distinct sight of a knife currently in the right hand of the hunter, and with his gun on the forest bed. A quick look at the nearby trees soon identified a gunshot mark on the trunk of a tree not far away.


    “Not today, you piece of scum!” Alisa’s face twisted up in an ugly scowl even as she pointed her gun at the head of the hunter. “Die!”


    The sound of a gunshot rang throughout the forest once more. And then, almost as if in slow motion, the motionless body of the hunter collapsed to the ground with a light thud—the visible sight of a gunshot on his temple, with his eyes wide opened with shock.


    This time, he is dead for sure.


    “Hey, you both okay?” Leroy hollered, also with his gun out and covering the hunter even though he was dead. He did a double-check over the bodies of the hunters currently littering the forest bed to ensure that they wouldn’t be getting another surprise.


    “Y-Yeah, we’re both fine.” Zest coughed, even as he got to his feet. Sera only gave him a worried look. Zest after all had only just come out of a long coma. He isn’t back to a hundred percent yet. “That knife, though…” He approached the dead hunter carefully, with Sera close behind him.


    Sera narrowed her eyes as she noted the angle of how the silver knife had gone through the hunter’s hand, thus also causing him to lose grip of the gun and potentially sparing both Zest and Sera. But that’s not all.


    “Is it me, or does that knife look familiar to anyone else?” Leroy questioned with a frown, tilting his head to one side.


    “Not to mention the angle…” Zest murmured, bending down, and closing his fingers around the hilt of the knife. With the way it had gone through the hunter’s hand, the knife had to be thrown from somewhere high up. “And this knife…” He pulled it out of the hunter’s hand, wiping off the blood on the hunter’s shirt.


    “You know, now that you mention it, it does look familiar,” Alisa noted with a frown.


    Sera had a calculating look on her face, even as she eyed the knife carefully. Zest looked up towards the treetops surrounding them. His sharp eyes noted a shadow filtering away.


    ‘Jamie?’


    * * * *


    Hayder Beck was expecting lots of things when he’d first gotten up that morning.


    Having his office door all but kicked in, and having four of Blade’s survivors threatening him at knife and gunpoint isn’t one of them.


    Hayder let his eyes go towards the shaking and shivering form of Ale on the floor before him. The normally arrogant informant seems to be a shadow of his normal self at the moment, and he is clutching at the stump of what was once his right hand.


    Only members of the underground understood what was done to Ale.


    Years ago, it was an old punishment implemented for betrayers or traitors to the underground scene by removing a limb. If the person survives it, it will mark them everywhere they go. The mark of an Oathbreaker.


    Remnants of the old system of the underground back when the Abyss didn’t have laws and rules governing them.


    “We would like some answers, Hayder.” Zest was smiling even as he eyed Hayder down by leaning over his desk. His smile is however cold, and his red eyes even colder. “Perhaps you would like to explain why this non-existent request that you asked Sera to take on ultimately leads to her walking into a meeting with over thirty hunters!”


    Everyone present in the room nearly winced as one when Zest slammed his hand down onto the table so hard that no one would be surprised if a crack had formed down it. Outside Hayder’s office, there was already more than one head peeking in through the doorway where there was once a door.


    “And this sorry excuse of an informant had the guts to sell one of our own out to hunters of all people!” Leroy sneered, slamming one foot onto Ale’s back whilst ignoring his pained cries and whimpers.


    “If I don’t like your answers, Hayder, then I hope you had your affairs in order,” Sera spoke up, her eyes cold. She isn’t new to people trying to kill her. But if it is machinated by someone who is one of the very few whom she trusted…


    “Look, it isn’t me.” Hayder raised both hands. “Do you think I’m suicidal enough to target you, Sera? I’m not suicidal! Besides, why on earth do I want you dead?”


    The four former Blade members eyed Hayder without blinking for several moments, with the latter not even daring to move or blink.


    “Swear on the name of the Goddess that you had nothing to do with this,” Zest growled finally. “Swear that you didn’t order this, hoping to get Sera killed and that you’re working with the hunters.”


    Hayder didn’t hesitate even as he met Zest’s eyes. “I swear on the name of the Goddess and the honour of the Abyss that I did not order this,” he swore, “and that I’ve never, not once in my entire life, had ever plotted against anyone of the underground.”


    Sera nodded slowly as she didn’t remove her gaze from Hayder. She can tell when someone is lying or withholding details from her. And Hayder is telling the truth.


    “He’s not lying,” she said simply. “Hayder’s not the mastermind.”


    Hayder gave a sigh of relief when Zest straightened to his feet and slotted his gun back into the holster by his hip. Not far from Sera and Zest, Leroy and Alisa did the same thing.


    “It seems like we’ve all been played.” A soft voice came from the doorway. As one, everyone in the room turned only to see Larissa walking into Hayder’s office, a stern look on her normally beautiful face, even as her eyes flickered towards the broken form of Ale on the office floor.


    “Boss,” Hayder murmured.


    “Larissa.” Sera nodded to the woman politely. “It’s been a while.”


    “Indeed, it has been.” Larissa gave Sera a small smile. “We should find the time to catch up soon, but that time is not now.” Her eyes flickered towards Ale on the ground before turning her attention back towards Sera. “Do you mind if I handle Ale? His actions can’t go without punishment, and I do want to learn more about his interactions with the hunters.” Her eyes are cold.


    Sera looked as if she wanted to say something to that effect, but her self-preservation instincts were kicking in, and she only nodded.


    “Excellent.” With a snap of Larissa’s fingers, two men whom Sera recognised as part of those serving as the Abyss’ guards entered the room and pulled Ale to his feet, dragging him out. Ale was pleading and screaming the entire way until they could hear him no more.


    The former Blade members exchanged looks. Wherever they’re taking Ale to, and whatever they’re going to do, they are all relatively certain that the informant wouldn’t be leaving alive.


    Regardless of how the underground conducts their business these days, they still have rules and laws to follow, and Ale just broke one of the most absolute ones.


    Sera cleared her throat to break the uneasy silence. The former Blade leader is looking at Hayder. “I heard from Alexis that you were the one to ask me to take on this non-existent request,” she said coolly. “Who told you about this to begin with? The false information that ultimately leads to you making this request?”


    Hayder hesitated, and Larissa frowned.


    “Hayder, answer Sera,” Larissa said sharply. “Who fed you false information?”


    Hayder gave a sharp look at the eavesdroppers currently hanging outside his office, and they immediately scampered. Finally, he looked from Sera to Larissa and then to Zest. The latter’s eyes were stormy, and Hayder had no sympathy for the mastermind once Zest catches them.


    That is if Larissa and the other Enforcers don’t get to them first.


    “…One of the Enforcers,” Hayder answered at last reluctantly, eyes moving from face to face. “Ebis.” Sera frowned, exchanging looks with Zest. Not far from them, Leroy was frowning, looking as if he was trying to remember something. “She’s our covert agent. She has never given us bad or false information, so I didn’t doubt it.”


    Larissa nodded, not giving anything away from the impassive look on her face. She looked towards the doorway, and another Abyss guard appeared. “Get Ebis for me,” she ordered before the guard nodded and left.


    “Ebis. Ebis.” Zest murmured. “This name is familiar…”


    “I met her in Abyss over a year ago when Larissa summoned me.” Leroy volunteered the information. “That was my first time meeting her, but something about her gives me the creeps.”


    “If it’s you who’s saying it, Leroy…” Alisa murmured. She would have elaborated more on her statement, but the same Abyss guard from earlier returned at that moment with a young woman close behind him.


    “You called for me, Premier?” Ebis, the young woman, questioned politely. Her eyes flickered towards the former Blade members, and a flicker of some emotion flashed through her eyes so quickly that hardly anyone caught it.


    Sera however frowned, studying the new arrival carefully.


    “I’ve heard quite the interesting story today, Ebis,” Larissa said pleasantly. Sera however wasn’t fooled. She knew Larissa well enough to detect the steel in her voice. Hayder noticed the same thing as well, with the way he got to his feet silently and without attracting attention from the others in the room. “It seems like you set up Hayder with false information that leads to him requesting Sera here that ultimately nearly ended up in getting her killed by hunters.”


    SLAM!


    Half the room flinched with the loud sound as Larissa smacked her hand against the surface of Hayder’s desk.


    “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Larissa’s eyes were cold.


    All those present in the room now know exactly how the Abyss functions, especially the Enforcers. As their name suggests, they enforce the rules and laws of the underground and make sure that it is followed to the letter. They only interfere when a crew or a member of the underground is making a show of themselves or breaking those laws and carrying out the will of the Premier. Essentially, they are the equivalent of the ESA for the underground.


    As a result, the last thing that an Enforcer would be is incompetent. There is no way that Ebis, an Enforcer and their covert agent, will give Hayder false information by accident.


    Ebis let out a huff, her eyes cold as she turned her gaze onto Sera who was leaning against the side of Hayder’s desk, watching the events play out. “To think that thirty hunters can’t even take you down. The reputation of the Death Reaper is well-earned.”


    “Ebis…” Hayder growled. “So, it’s true then. You tried to set Sera up.”


    “She’s a Gifted.” Ebis almost spat the last word out like it was a curse. “A freak of nature! An abomination! What does it matter if one or two Gifted gets taken out—”


    SLAP!


    Even Sera was taken aback when Ebis’ venomous words were cut off suddenly by a harsh slap dealt out to her by Larissa.


    “B-Boss…” Hayder was speechless. For as long as he’d followed Larissa, he had never seen her this furious before.


    “You have my apologies for this, Sera,” Larissa said formally, turning towards Sera. “It’s my people who are involved in this hare-brained scheme. But I am as much guilty for trusting them unconditionally. As you’re the wronged party in this case, I’ll leave it to you to decide her punishment.”


    “You’re leaving a freak of nature to decide my fate—”


    “The only freak here that I see is you,” Hayder cut off Ebis’ venomous words, feeling quite sick to his stomach to realise that he had allowed Ebis free reign amongst the Abyss for years, with a good half of its residents being Gifted. Did she say or do anything to them? Is her failed plot against Sera even the first? How had he never realised that Ebis loathed the Gifted to such an extent? “The very sight of you turns my stomach. And to think that I once counted you amongst my allies.”


    “That’s not what had me concerned right now, Hayder,” Zest spoke at last.


    “What?”


    “Tell me something, Ebis.” Zest ignored the questioning looks from the others in the room, never removing his gaze from Ebis who is starting to look uncomfortable. “When was it when you started working for the hunters? Were you one of them from the start?”


    That statement caused shocks to go through the entire room.


    “‘For’?” Leroy and Alisa echoed.


    Sera nodded with agreement, getting what Zest was driving at. “You don’t harbour that much hatred for the Gifted when none of them did anything to you unless it’s something taught to you from early childhood,” she reminded.


    It’s part of why the Gifted is so ostracised in Eldario right now, mainly due to the propaganda by the hunters for decades. The only place where they could be safe at the moment is just the Abyss. Sure, there are always certain members of the underground who also dislike Gifted, but unlike the civilians and the hunters, they don’t harbour extreme hatred for them. The people of the underground values power, and most Gifted have that in spades.


    “Even amongst the common civilians—it is true that the majority of them dislike and feared us.” Sera uncrossed her arms, studying Ebis intently. “But even they know better than to try to kill a Gifted.” It is after all common knowledge by now that a Gifted’s gifts will lash out and try to protect them in times of great duress. There is always the odd one out, true, but most of the time, they never survive long to regret their actions. The incident with Lucie when hunters and ESA agents alike have cornered her in the town of Agnis is living proof of that. “There is however only one exception to that.” Sera narrowed her eyes at Ebis who was starting to look nervous. “For example… If you’re born in a hunter family and raised as a hunter. Isn’t that right, Ebis Ivanor?”


    Half the occupants in the room paled with that statement.


    “I-Ivanor?” Leroy spluttered with shock. “That hunter family?”


    “Hayder, you brought a hunter into the Abyss?” Larissa was outraged. Though it now explains the leak and even the problems that the Abyss and the underground have been having in recent years.


    “Look Boss, I didn’t know!”


    Sera and Zest in the meantime ignored the small commotion going on around them and merely focused their attention on Ebis. It however didn’t escape Leroy’s attention how Zest seems to be the only one of them who didn’t seem surprised by Sera’s statement.


    “…What gave me away?” Ebis wanted to know. Her face is however nonchalant.


    “Something has been bothering me since the attack on Blade nearly two years ago now,” Sera answered, closing her eyes briefly. “It was chaotic that night, and even raining, but I remember the faces of the people that attacked us. One of them in particular seems familiar to me, but I can never put my finger on it. And yet, I could swear that I’ve seen that person somewhere before. I remember now. You’re one of the hunters from that night.”


    Hayder only raised a confused eyebrow, looking from one person to the next. It was common knowledge amongst the underground that the attack on Blade and the town of Zephys was an unsanctioned mission by ESA agents. And yet, here Sera is claiming that it was really by hunters?


    From the looks on the faces of the other Blade survivors, it is apparent that they too knew that the attackers were hunters, as none of them looked all that surprised.


    “Sera don’t forget faces once she’d seen one,” Alisa commented, answering the unasked question. “And unsanctioned or not, the ESA won’t dare to attack Zephys then. Just like how Zalfari was off-limits. So, we suspected that it was hunters, even from the beginning. Not even the most bull-headed ESA agent would want to pick a fight against the underground street gangs.” She added.


    “I see.” Larissa closed her eyes briefly, her quick mind putting the small clues together. “You joined us as an Enforcer nearly five years ago now, claiming to be a member of one of the street gangs that we’ve lost to the hunters around that time. You climbed up the ranks quickly and became an Enforcer. You’re the leak that we have. The problems we have in the Abyss and the underground system… You’re the one behind it.”


    “To get hunters infiltrating the Abyss.” Hayder finished the statement. He made a mental note to do a full house cleaning after this entire mess. Abyss will go into lockdown for however long this house cleaning is going to take. The last thing he wants is for hunters to infiltrate the Abyss! “But to do that, you need to take out the biggest threat you have. Blade in particular is especially good at sniffing out hunters. That’s why the hunters went after them. Take out the Gifted’s greatest protectors, and one of the pillars of the Abyss and the underground system. It’s not just because of Sera. Or Zest.”


    The two mentioned twitched slightly but said nothing to that comment.


    “Dragonfly. And even Whirlwind. Zalfari too.” Larissa closed her eyes slightly. “Two of the other street gangs that are not just allied with Blade, but also one of the three main pillars of the entire underground system and the Abyss. The attacks on them took place not even a year after the one on Blade.”


    And without the three main pillars of the underground, needless to say, it is probably entirely too easy for Ebis and whoever she had been in contact with to mess about with the underground. Even though Leroy is now the new guardian of Zalfari, he can’t do everything by himself. Not without his crew.


    Sera, Klein of Whirlwind and even Yusa of Dragonfly command much respect amongst the underground for a reason. The fact that two out of three of them are dead now explains a lot. And even why Sera has to go into deep hiding.


    Aegis’ existence so far is assisting in that regard, but even they could only do so much.


    Zest let out a loud sigh, breaking the uneasy silence, and causing all attention to fall on him. “This doesn’t seem like Nicolosi’s plan,” he remarked. “Too reckless, and not well-thought-out. Were you acting on your own, Ebis?”


    Ebis snarled. “You don’t get to address me, traitor!” she spat. “We took you in, raised you, and how did you repay us?”


    “You turned Zest into a weapon for your sake.” Sera cut off Ebis’ tirade, narrowing her eyes at the woman. “Don’t pretend that you did what you did for Zest’s own good. You were doing it for your own sake. You hunters…” She shook her head. “You are all the same. You’re poison. Every single one of you. You just did whatever you wanted without considering the consequences, or how it affects others. I’m sick of it.”


    “Sera…” Alisa murmured.


    “How long have you been a hunter?” Hayder wanted to know.


    “They start their training early, especially those born in hunter families.” Zest supplied the information.


    “I was always one.” Ebis ignored Zest, answering Hayder’s question. “I was one when I was born. And I will be one when I die. I will live up to the legacy of the great Gene Alescio!”


    There were sharp intakes of breath from every single person in the room, and Sera’s fingers twitched—like she was itching to reach for a weapon.


    “You dare mention that man’s name in this place?!” Leroy snarled; his face twisted into an ugly scowl. “Especially after what he’s done?!”


    “He’s a hero!”


    “He’s a monster!” Alisa countered those words, one hand resting by her side where her gun rested in the holster. “Don’t even speak his name! Especially not in the Abyss!”


    “Hold!” Larissa placed a hand on Hayder’s arm to stop him from drawing his gun, considering how furious he looked.


    The underground was never a fan of the hunters to begin with. But there are always that few that the underground wholly detests because of what they did, and Gene Alescio is one of those, even if the man is now long dead. To this day, Larissa is fairly sure that the ‘accident’ that killed the man and his wife isn’t one at all.


    “Larissa?”


    “You dare mention that man’s name. So, you’re indeed a hunter.” Not that Larissa had any doubts about what Sera had said. “You did quite well in pulling the wool over our eyes—not an easy feat. It answers a lot of questions about why and how our intel kept getting leaked to the hunters, though. Who would have thought that one of the Enforcers would be a double agent?” Larissa’s eyes were cold.


    Ebis sneered at Larissa. “How does it feel, Larissa? To execute numerous of your people loyal to you just because you thought they were traitors?”


    There were sharp intakes of breath, and Zest and Sera exchanged quick looks. Even they’ve heard about those incidents over the years. Discoveries of ‘traitors’ within the Abyss’ ranks, with those traitors being given a quick and quiet execution.


    It didn’t take long for Sera to put the pieces together. It must be a plot machinated by Ebis. To solidify her position within the Abyss’ ranks and to have Hayder and Larissa trust her.


    Hayder turned pale with the same realisation.


    “…The ‘evidence’ that condemned them…” Hayder closed his eyes with grief. “It came from you. You ‘presented’ it. You were the one to raise doubts about their loyalty. That’s how you attained your position. Because you ‘proved’ yourself. And those ‘witnesses’ you gathered… I’ll bet they’re either your informants or even fellow hunters. Is that right, Ebis? Was it fun for you? Plotting the deaths of innocent men and women just to get what you want? And you call the Gifted monsters.”


    Hayder just wants to see the end of the day at this point and curl up in his bed and cry.


    Ebis said nothing, but the malicious glint visible in her eyes told everyone what they needed to know. Out of the corner of her eye, Sera noted how Leroy and Alisa had very carefully shifted themselves so that they were standing on either side of the broken doorway—probably so that they would be in a good position to stop Ebis if she tried to run or do something.


    Larissa let out a sigh, turning towards Sera. “What do you want to do, Sera?” she questioned bluntly. “By our laws, you are within the right to demand retribution on her. She might be a huntress, but right now, she is still an Enforcer. And as such, she falls under our brand of justice and laws.”


    The colour practically drained out of Ebis’ face with Larissa’s words. And it didn’t escape anyone’s notice how Larissa didn’t even bother to use Ebis’ name.


    The underground, or the Abyss’ brand of justice and their laws can be considered cruel and ruthless, especially for civilians. But every single member of the underground knew that those laws were there for a reason and followed it to the letter. It was actually eons better than decades ago back when there were literally no laws and rules for the underground at all.


    “You can’t do that! I’m a hunter! I will not be subjected to your laws!”


    Click.


    The loud click of Hayder flicking back the safety of his gun caught everyone’s attention. The expression on his face was grim and terrible, and Sera knew that it wouldn’t take much to have Hayder kill Ebis right now in his office.


    “Don’t make me shoot you, Ebis,” Hayder warned.


    Sera who is still leaning against the side of Hayder’s desk only eyed Ebis carefully before turning her attention back to Larissa. “Even if we report this to the hunters or even the ESA, and she’s tried by Eldario’s legal system, nothing will come of it anyway,” she said simply. “We all know that.”


    That is the truth, and everyone in Eldario knows it. The amount of influence and control that the hunters have over the legal system in Eldario had been concerning for not just the underground, but also the ESA, for years. And even in the ESA, it is almost an open secret at this point that there are different factions within them. The Gifted Task Force, for instance, is almost entirely tasked by hunter sympathisers, if not hunters themselves.


    “Indeed.” Larissa agreed. “So, what do you want to do, Sera?”


    Knowing Blade’s former leader the way she does, Larissa is relatively certain that there is no way that Sera will just let Ebis off.


    Sera was silent for several long moments, merely eyeing Ebis in a way that it looked as if she was trying to decide whether to charbroil her alive or not. Finally, her mismatched eyes swivelled towards Larissa, and even she flinched at the cold look in those eyes.


    “…A duel,” Sera said at last. “One to the death. I challenge her to the Pit.” Sharp intakes of breath could be heard from every single person present in the room. Whatever colour there still is in Ebis’ face drained immediately. Even the hunter knows what the Pit means. “She had my people killed. And tried to kill me. Would probably have succeeded the second time if not for Leroy, Alisa, and Zest. Maybe if she faces me with nothing but her own power, she might just understand what she’s getting herself into.” Ebis flinched when Sera turned her gaze upon her. “I might dislike the name of the Death Reaper, but I earned that reputation for a reason. You’ll be facing me in a one-on-one battle, hunter. And if I’m you, I’ll get my affairs in order.”


    Larissa only nodded. “Very well, a duel to the death,” she remarked, showing none of her unease. “Name your second.”