When Izabel walked out from the private room she arrived at, she saw both Barnett and Pestilence already running towards her. Baskerville was leaning against a wall, seemingly having a serious conversation with her Mirror Avatar.

  “I saw your message. What happened?”

  “I found a lead,” Izabel said, simply. “Close to the site of the shattered sky’s ground zero in E, two Primeras are carving a hole on the dome. I don’t see any spires, but this might be important.”

  “The location of the spire? Another vision…” Baskerville was still deeply engrossed in a conversation with her Mirror Avatar. “Sure, I’ll tell them. Don’t be reckless, Adler. If you can find Desolation, let them know about it..”

  “Alright,” Baskerville took a deep breath. “Adler likely won’t come here, as she’s still busy gathering some information.” She explained. “Did you say something about a hole?”

  Izabel explained what she saw, and as time passed, Baskerville, Pestilence, and Barnett’s expressions turned serious. Baskerville, in particular, has a bitter frown, likely due to something that Adler had told her beforehand. Regardless, none missed the gravity of the situation.

  “Should we go in, then?” Barnett asked. “I don’t think we have time to dawdle. I don’t know the specifics of the whole thing, but it’s…” She paused for a bit, listening to what her Mirror Avatar had to say, “safer to assume that they have the means to close it.”

  “Risky. I asked the bedhead guy, and we’re short of people. If we have a lot more, the odds might go our way, but then again, you all know what they can do? More people means more targets for them to break down.” Pestilence said.

  “As unfortunate as it is, Pestilence is right,” Baskerville concluded. “With Hunter, Pestilence, me, and you, Barnett, we will have to do a two-on-one. The most dangerous part of this is that we don’t know their abilities. Adler tried to use her ability and no information about that, but there is one concerning thing. They might have a,” Baskerville spat with distaste, “pet that will help in combat.”

  “Sounds like fun,” A voice, tinged with easygoing pride, spoke from behind them. “Would you mind if I get involved? We have a common goal here, after all.”

  The four of them turned around to see a silhouette standing nearby. Though their voice was still obscured, there was something familiar about them. Something that Baskerville certainly noticed.

  “It’s you. What do you want?” Baskerville asked, her voice terse.

  “Oh, don’t be so hard on me before I get the chance to introduce myself,” they replied. “Anyway, you may know me before, but hello again, regardless. My codename is–”

  With their command the static surrounding their noise, along with the shadows hiding their true appearance started to dissipate, revealing a woman with flaxen hair that she tied and placed on her left shoulder. Her eyes were a brilliant, glimmering green that shone with a hint of something that needed to be pursued with their curiosity. Closer to the roots, her hair faded into a hue of pale pink, a contrast to the rest of her hair. She wore a formal attire that hugged her form, emphasizing her curves.

  Next to her, a woman with long, pink hair stands with an unflappable smile. Her bright golden eyes looked soft, and with the rest of her attire being a perfect white suit without blemish, her eyes became her most striking feature. In response to Izabel’s stare, she waved her hand, lips uttering something that Izabel could not interpret.

  “Eye.”

  “As I thought,” Baskerville said. “If you want to settle your weird score with Adler? She’s not here.”

  “Keep it down, you’re going to stink up the place.” Eye responded, her expression as serene as ever. Baskerville said nothing, but she gripped her hand until her knuckles turned white. It was obvious that the woman found Eye rather unpleasant. “To answer your question, no, I am more concerned with something else, though.”

  With a flick of her wrist, Eye created a desk and a comfortable chair behind her, her expression staying even as she did. “I can help provide, as you say, ‘numbers’ for you to go chase those two Primeras. In return…”

  Eye produced a card between her fingers. The same card that Izabel had received on their first meeting.

  “I would like you to find my teammate, the one that goes by the name of [Brecher#189], and give this to her.”

  “Is it really that simple?” Pestilence narrowed her eyes, obviously unconvinced.

  “You wounded my fragile heart, fallen noble,” Eye replied, her gaze directed towards Pestilence. While Valerie herself was puzzled, Izabel saw from the corner of her eyes that Pestilence, the Mirror Avatar, looked tense, a definite change from his usual carefree behavior. Valerie reacted quickly and took a step back, ignoring Eye in favor of talking to her Mirror Avatar.

  “No, Pestilence is right,” Izabel spoke up. “I find it hard to believe that you’d be helping with such a simple favor.”

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Next to Izabel, Hunter’s silhouette was staring at Eye with a thoughtful look. From their link, Izabel could sense that Hunter was suspicious of something, but held her thoughts back for some reason, and if Izabel had to guess, she would go with ‘lack of evidence’. Meanwhile, Eye’s Mirror Avatar was acting as if neither her nor her host was being the center of attention, as her expression stayed the same neutral, mildly gleeful smile that is bordering on nauseating–

  No, perhaps that was not the correct expression.

  Perhaps ‘unnerving’ would be more accurate. Her smile was one of exceeding pleasantness, as though she was talking to a being not sentient enough to comprehend doing a mildly inconvenient harm.

  Regardless, looking at her too long makes Izabel feel enraged, for some reason.

  “Call it a… personal business. Something outsiders don’t need to know,” Eye twirled the card with a smile. “Let a lady have her secrets. So, how about it? I’ll even concede a loss to that Adler, if you really want it that much.”

  As she spoke, Eye glanced at Baskerville.

  “That’s enough talking from you, Eye,” Izabel said, barely hiding her distaste. “So, give the card to that Brecher and you’ll help?”

  “That’s right. Really, I’m not hard to please,” Eye smiled. “So, how about it?”

  “Eye, you damned witch,” A familiar voice spat out through gritted teeth. Baskerville was the first to look, then followed by Izabel and Pestilence, right to the direction of the voice. It was Adler, followed by a pair of silhouettes, a tall man, and a hooded figure balancing on a mechanized platform. “If you really want to resolve your problem with Brecher that badly, follow us, then. Don’t just sit on the sidelines. Didn’t you boast about your fighting abilities before?”

  “Oh no, I wouldn’t dream of it, kid,” Eye replied, her voice still as easy as usual. “So, why come now? Bored because you have to sit in an exhibit?”

  “You–”

  “Adler, we don’t have much time,” someone reminded her. They were shrouded in the familiar black shadows that made it difficult to discern most of their features.

  “Just give me this, Lapin. You’ve seen how annoying that Eye is,” Adler replied. “Didn’t you promise you’ll assist us if we look into Geltona of The Seven for you?”

  “The Seven?” Barnett piped up.

  “Nothing you should worry about. That will be my business with Lapin,” Adler waved her hand. “Back to the topic at hand. Eye, you follow them, then. Don’t stand behind and let everyone else do your hard work. We all take risks, and if you want to accomplish anything, get it done yourself. Deal with that Brecher, then. From the sounds of it, you need something from Brecher that no one else can give. So, come on, put your worth where your mouth is.”

  “Are you always this keen on disturbing someone else’s business?” Eye spat. Though she was still smiling, the annoyance in her voice was apparent this time, the cracks of her facade beginning to show.

  “Not really, but someone needs a little taste of their crap from the other end,” Adler answered, her expression smug.

  Eye ignored Adler, and looked at Izabel. “As for you, why I want to seek Brecher is irrelevant. I just want you to give this card to her, and I’ll give you the support you want. Watch this.”

  Eye waved her hand, and from her sleeve, cards started to fall and scatter to the floor. When she snapped her fingers, the cards started to shift and move, spawning effigies made of a strange, pure white-colored material that is both durable and easy to bend. Pink colors flow within the veins of the effigies, glowing and giving them a distinct look.

  “They are not the smartest, but they can overwhelm,” Eye continued.

  “Hunter?” Izabel called out.

  “Yes, you can test it. I was about to suggest we do so,” Hunter replied.

  Izabel held out her hand and concentrated, and soon after, the familiar feeling of a gun on her hand returned. She gestured for everyone to give some distance as she gathered power in the weapon, shooting right as everyone around her was a safe distance away.

  The smell of acrid smoke soon filled the air, and with it, the disintegration of one of the effigies’ heads. There was something unsettling about its appearance, it looked like a candle that had stopped burning midway, still dripping with pure white wax, only for it to start squirming and reform the head into its former shape.

  “They are called P-dolls,” Eye helpfully offered, her eyes shining in the same golden as her Mirror Avatar. “You’re welcome, by the way. They should serve as a distraction.”

  “Hmm, so, we just have to give the card to this Brecher you’re looking for?”

  “Yep! Easy, right? Just like most of you, I have some skin in this little rebellion game~” Eye replied. “Don’t tell me just giving a card is too difficult for you?”

  “Sure thing, then.”

  “Hunter!” As one would have expected, resistance came from Baskerville first, followed by Adler. The latter seemed enraged, and clicked her tongue. “I don’t think you need to just let her–”

  Izabel looked at Adler, and then, the words died in the latter’s throat. Her confusion didn’t last long, as she huffed at Izabel, her tone unamused. “You know what, sure, do what you want. The whole thing isn’t your problem anyway.”

  Before anyone could ask her to wait, Adler has made herself scarce, disappearing from the virtual space.

  “Pestilence? Barnett?” Izabel asked.

  “We need all the help we can get, so as much as I don’t trust her…” Barnett said.

  “I don’t mind, as well,” Pestilence shrugged. “After all, we’re all here for the same thing. I don’t trust many things, but that part should be something we could agree on.”

  “Baskerville?”

  Baskerville only shot Izabel a look. Izabel sighed, and continued. “That’s settled, then. I accept your condition, Eye.”

  “That’s what I’d like to hear,” Eye waved her hand, and the effigies shrunk back, each turning into a card. With another gesture from Eye, the cards gathered on her hand, forming a stack. “Then, here’s 50 of them. I look forward to you completing the end of your deal, Hunter.”

  Eye gave a small smirk.

  “Make sure Brecher receives that card.”

  “Will do, Miss Eye,” Izabel replied. Perhaps, to most people, Izabel’s tone would sound cordial, but to those more discerning, there was an undercurrent of rebellion behind her tone.

  Satisfied with the deal, Eye turned around with a flourish, while her Mirror Avatar gave a small smirk as they left. “Well then, I’ll see you all around. Good luck~”

  Everyone was silent until they could no longer hear Eye’s footsteps. Only then did they exhale a sigh, finally breaking the palpable silence. Then, Izabel spoke first.

  “Baskerville? Why did you stay silent?”

  “Adler won’t usually concede like that, I’ve worked with her before” she explained. “After all, she’s my team’s leader, even if we still have that mess between Lapin and Desolation…”

  Baskerville waved her hand, and then, following her gesture, a pack of skeletal, massive beasts rose from around the ground she stood on. Their appearance was similar to the predator animals owned by some of the inhabitants, except that they were much bigger, and they seemed as if they had been torn apart before coming here, hanging tissues and remains of muscles smattering their bodies.

  “... I’ll do anything to see the Primeras driven away from this place.”

  For a moment, a skeletal half-mask with the shape of a long muzzle appeared on Baskerville’s face, before it disappeared again.

  “There’s no need to wait. Let’s go.”