West side of Cardio City.
Lexer and his subordinates huddled around Nick's glowing, phantom smartphone, watching the ghostly replay unfold on its screen. The spectral figures of Asher and Noah stood watchfully on the distant rooftop.
"You're right, they were watching from up there," Seth confirmed, pointing at the screen.
"Can you tell who they are, Elliot?" Lexer asked, his voice tight with anticipation.
"Not with this one," Elliot said, squinting at the small figures. "Too small. I can't see their face properly."
"Wait, let me zoom in first!" Nick said, grabbing his phone back. His fingers danced across the screen, expanding the image.
"Alright, how about now?" Nick asked as he showed his phone screen back to Elliot. The faces of the rooftop observers were now larger, clearer.
Elliot nodded, leaning closer, his eyes losing focus as his power engaged. "That's much better," he said. "Let's see... The one with a Mohawk is called Asher," Elliot said, identifying the distinct hairstyle. "And the handsome one is called Noah. They're members of Joker Roulette."
"As I expected," Lexer said, a predatory glint in his eyes. "So another member was waiting somewhere." His jaw tightened slightly.
"Wait, there's more!" Elliot said suddenly, his brow furrowing deeper as he concentrated on Noah's image.
"What? It better be an important detail," Lexer said, his voice dropping lower, sensing something significant.
"This Noah guy," Elliot said, his tone hesitant, "it seems like he was offered to join by Twisted Fire. And... just yesterday it seems like they offered him..." Elliot gulped, bracing himself. "A position of a Commander," he said.
"What? Are you joking?!" Lexer roared, exploding forward. He grabbed Elliot's shirtfront with both hands, yanking him close, his earlier calm shattered. His face was inches from Elliot's, eyes blazing.
Lexer was pretty sensitive about rank. After all, he was stuck in the position of Vice Commander for years. The frustration of stalled ambition burned deep. That's why he hated Zack too. Just because he was the nephew of the boss, Zack quickly got promoted and was just a step away from the Vice Commander position. A position Lexer both despised for its limitations and was fiercely proud of holding.
"I-I'm just saying what I saw," Elliot stammered, terrified. "I swear!"
Lexer pushed him away roughly, sending Elliot staggering back. He snorted, a sound of pure contempt.
"They're planning to give such a high position to a random guy from an unknown place like this?" Lexer said. "Are they stupid?" His voice dripped with disbelief and outrage.
"Well, probably in Twisted Fire, they didn't care much about rank," Seth offered cautiously, trying to placate his furious leader.
"That's possible," Lexer conceded, though his expression remained stormy. He stopped pacing, glaring at the phantom image of Noah still frozen on Nick's screen. "But that just doesn't make sense. No matter how carefree they are, I doubt they're willingly letting a new guy take such a high rank immediately."
"Uh... maybe he was a family member of their boss?" Elliot ventured weakly, rubbing his chest where Lexer had shoved him.
"That's possible too," Lexer said, his expression darkening further. The injustice stung. "Just because they're family members, they're given special treatment."
Or he was just that strong.
The unspoken thought hung heavy in the air between Seth, Nick, and Elliot. They exchanged quick, uneasy glances. But nobody dared to say it out loud.
"Anyway, forget it for now," Lexer said, forcing a semblance of control. He took a deep breath, smoothing his jacket. "Let's go back. Soon we will start our move." He turned away from the screen, a cold determination settling over him. "And when we meet, I will see for myself how great this Noah guy is."
---
At the same time, at Noah's secret place.
The atmosphere was a stark contrast to the tense street. Soft lighting illuminated the comfortable, modern living room.
Noah, Asher, Zell, and Lilian were lounging on the plush sofas. The remnants of takeout containers sat on the low coffee table.
"Twisted Fire offered you the position of Commander, and you rejected it?" Zell said, his incredulity bubbling over into loud laughter. He slapped his knee. "You're really something else!"
Noah shrugged, completely unfazed as he sipped from a can of soda. "I don't care about rank," he said simply.
"So... how important is the Commander position?" Asher asked, genuinely curious. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I mean, it must be important, that's why that Will guy offered it in the first place. But how important exactly?"
"Oh man," Zell laughed again, shaking his head. "You didn't even know that?"
"Well, sorry about that," Asher said, snorted. He threw a mock glare at Zell.
"Alright, alright," Zell chuckled, settling down. "I don't know who started this, but the other two decided to copy it. The structure of the organization of the Big Three is mostly like this," Zell explained, holding up a hand to count off. "First, there's the boss, and then his closest aide, Elite Guardians: an elite guard that consists of 1 to 3 people, depending on the group."
"And then below them are five commanders," Zell continued, emphasizing the number. "Below each commander are two vice commanders. And below each of them are around 50-100 members." He gestured expansively to indicate the scale.
"I see!" Asher said, his eyes widening as he processed it. He whistled softly. "So they're holding one-fifth of the whole organization. That's a big deal!"
"Of course it is!" Zell confirmed, his laughter returning, tinged with disbelief at Noah's nonchalance. "No normal person will get such an offer. Especially for a new member." He looked pointedly at Noah, who just raised an eyebrow.
"Forget about that," Noah said, waving a dismissive hand. "Instead, what about the stuff that I asked you before?" He looked expectantly at Zell and Lilian.
"Ah, about that," Zell said, his grin fading into an apologetic wince. He scratched the back of his head. "Things just didn't work well. After they captured Bog back, it seems the Arcane Keepers are getting more motivated to capture us back. Patrols are tighter, they're watching known spots..." He shrugged helplessly. "So we had little chance to go around unnoticed."
"Sorry," Lilian said softly, dropping her gaze to her lap, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"Oh well, I guess that's to be expected," Noah said, his tone surprisingly mild. He leaned back against the sofa cushions. "It's fine, let's just take our time."
"What did you ask them to do?" Asher asked, looking between Noah and the others.
"That was—"
Noah's phone ringing cut him off, its sharp trill slicing through the relaxed atmosphere.
He pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and answered. "What's up, old man?" Noah said casually.
Landon said something, his voice faint and distorted through the receiver.
"Wait, I can't hear you," Noah said, frowning slightly. He tapped the screen. "Let me use loudspeaker."
From the phone, old man Landon's voice crackled out, urgent and strained: "My men saw around fifty members of Serpent's Slaughter just arrived at the pier! They're here! They're here to hunt you guys down!"
"What?!" Asher exclaimed, bolting upright on the sofa, his eyes wide with shock.
Noah, on the other hand, didn't move. A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face as Landon's words hung in the suddenly tense air of the room.
"Cool," he said.
---