The Next Morning
Claire slowly woke up.
She instinctively checked herself for any injuries, running her hands along her arms and body—but thankfully, there was nothing. She was unharmed.
Her eyes darted around the room as she immediately searched for Damon and Phoebe. But neither of them was there.
She tried to recall everything that had happened the night before, but all she could remember was her vision going blurry—then total darkness.
Claire stared blankly at her surroundings, and after a few seconds, tears began to fall from her eyes.
Just last night, she had been overwhelmed with happiness—meeting and speaking with the person she had admired for so long. And now, in an instant, he was taken right in front of her... and she hadn't been able to do anything.
She couldn't help but blame herself. Maybe it was her fault that all this happened.
Maybe if she hadn't approached Damon… if she had stayed a quiet supporter from afar… things wouldn't have turned out like this.
Tears streamed down her face, and she cried silently—until she suddenly noticed something in her left hand.
It was Damon's card.
She was still holding his tarot card, even now.
She quickly wiped her tears away, clenched the card tightly, and whispered to herself with determination:
"I'll do whatever it takes to find them. No matter how impossible it seems—even without any powers of my own—I won't stop until I figure out where Damon and Phoebe are... and bring them back."
— Meanwhile in the Guadalupe area —
"Alfie!" Loren called out as she slowly approached her fiancé, carrying food for the two of them to have breakfast.
Alfie, who had been quietly staring out the window of the condo unit they were currently staying in, suddenly brightened up and smiled widely at the sight of Loren's smiling face as she walked toward him.
Loren placed down the carbonara she had brought—one for each of them—and they began to eat together, as if it was their first time enjoying a proper meal in a peaceful place they could call home.
While they ate, Loren spoke up.
"Finally, Alfie... our dream is coming true. We're getting our lives back on track and starting over. At last, we no longer have to live on the streets or wander from place to place."
"With the abilities we have, we don't need to beg from anyone anymore. We can rebuild our lives and return to our families. And we can finally move forward with our wedding." Her voice was filled with joy and hope.
Alfie, also happy about their current situation, couldn't hide a subtle sadness in his eyes. He was deeply thankful for the people who helped them—especially Kevin, a fellow Arcana who had supported them—but something still didn't sit right with him.
Every time the government called on them to kill someone or cover up the crimes of a politician, they were expected to obey without question. Their freedom came at the cost of other people's lives.
Even though they couldn't die—no matter what the government or anyone else tried to do to eliminate them—Alfie still couldn't shake the deep pain he felt whenever his fiancée, Loren, suffered because of him.
For Alfie, his ability felt more like a curse.
Every time he got hurt, he didn't feel a thing—but Loren did. She took on all the pain he was supposed to feel. It was the burden tied to the Lovers card in their possession.
Just recently, they were sent on a mission to eliminate a group of drug lords who were evading taxes under the protection of a well-known politician. Before that mission could be completed, Alfie had been stabbed and shot multiple times. And yet, not once did he feel any pain.
But he couldn't begin to imagine how much agony Loren must have felt in his place—how much her body had endured. Still, Loren never showed him any sign that she was struggling or in pain.
During every mission, Loren would stay inside the car while Alfie went in to handle everything himself—confident that no physical harm would come to him… but fully aware of who would bear the pain for him.
And now, they were given a mission they weren't even sure how to execute.
Their next target was a well-known vigilante.
They had no clue how to approach it—or what abilities their target truly possessed.
The only thing Kevin told them was that this person had the power to control anyone's body… just by making eye contact.
Alfie felt a growing fear for Loren.
Even though her body could heal quickly, he wasn't certain how much pain she could tolerate before it became too much.
What made it worse was the fact that Alfie actually agreed with their target's cause.
Their next mission was to take down none other than The Fool.
Based on everything Alfie had researched, The Fool only went after the corrupt—people who truly deserved to die. Politicians, criminals, abusers.
To him, The Fool was doing the right thing.
But orders were orders.
The government that supported them now—feeding them, hiding them, and keeping them alive—had spoken. And if they disobeyed? Everything would be taken from them. Worse, Kevin himself would come for them.
Kevin, their fellow Arcana, was not someone you could escape from. They both knew that.
So with no real choice left, the couple was forced to follow orders… and simply enjoy the fleeting happiness they had, while it still lasted.