The blue-haired woman remained near the edge of the park beneath the shadow of one of the towering steel support pillars, while lantern light reflected faintly across the polished sheath of the saber resting at her side.
Even from this distance—
she could still see them clearly.
The cloaked figure seated silently beneath the massive support arch.
And beside him—
the young man lazily holding a bottle while staring out toward the distant skyline.
Neither of them had moved much.
Neither had spoken for a long time now.
No violence.
No attack.
No sudden massacre.
Just silence.
Wind drifted softly through the trees lining the pathways while elevated transit rails thundered somewhere overhead. The city's endless mechanical heartbeat echoed faintly through the air.
People continued walking past normally.
Couples.
Travelers.
Hunters returning from contracts.
No one seemed to realize how dangerous the atmosphere surrounding those two men actually felt.
The blue-haired woman slowly exhaled through her nose.
*…Maybe I overreacted.*
The incident at the guild replayed itself in her mind once again.
That pressure.
That killing intent.
The blood leaking from beneath the hood.
For a brief moment back there—
it had genuinely felt as though the entire guild hall was about to become a slaughterhouse.
But now?
They were simply sitting there.
Quietly.
Not moving.
Not threatening anyone.
The one carrying the sword even looked half asleep.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
*Maybe it really was some kind of mana sickness…*
The thought sounded ridiculous.
But Blackwater was a city built on ridiculous things.
Curses.
Mana corruption.
Experimental augmentations.
Illegal enhancement drugs.
Half the population survived by pretending not to notice things that should have terrified them.
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
"…Yeah."
A pause followed.
"I'm probably overthinking it."
For the first time since leaving the guild, her grip around the saber relaxed slightly.
Then—
she straightened away from the pillar.
Decision made.
Enough wasting time.
If necessary, she could report the disturbance at the guild later.
But shadowing two suspicious strangers across the city all day clearly wasn't accomplishing anything.
Especially when neither of them had actually done anything wrong.
Her gaze shifted toward the cloaked figure one final time.
The faint crimson glow beneath the hood was still barely visible.
Unsettling.
But controlled.
Contained.
The black cat resting against his shoulder suddenly opened one purple eye.
Draven remained seated beneath the massive steel support arch.
Still.
Silent.
The crimson glow beneath the hood had dimmed slightly now.
Controlled once more.
Beside him—
Aldric rolled the empty bottle lazily between his fingers before tossing it into a nearby waste unit without even looking.
Perfect throw.
Honestly irritating.
Then—
a faint pulse echoed from the small communication earring hidden beneath Draven's hood.
Vaelith's calm voice flowed quietly through the connection.
"My lord."
A brief pause followed.
"We have departed from the city successfully, as ordered."
The distant hum of the ship's engines echoed faintly through the transmission.
"Heading west."
Another short silence passed before she added calmly,
"Young miss and young master are both well cared for."
Somewhere in the background—
Lucifer immediately nearly crashed into something metallic.
A second later—
Elenya somehow made the situation even worse.
Vaelith released a soft sigh.
Then the connection steadied once again.
Draven's voice remained low and steady.
"Alright."
Silence lingered briefly.
Then—
"I'll reconnect once I'm done here."
"Understood, my lord."
The communication link faded.
Quiet settled beneath the steel arch once more.
Aldric glanced sideways at him before stretching both arms overhead lazily as he rose from the bench.
"…Well."
A pause.
"Guess it's time to move."
Draven slowly stood beneath the dark cloak.
The black cat shifted lightly against his shoulder while its purple eyes opened fully once more.
Aldric shoved both hands into his coat pockets while staring out across the glowing park pathways.
"…Alright then."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Far too relaxed for someone who was clearly preparing to participate in violence.
"Let's go collect some debts from old acquaintances."
Behind the distant support pillar—
the blue-haired woman's eyes sharpened instantly.
They were moving.
Finally.
She pushed herself away from the steel pillar just as Draven and Aldric began walking calmly across the park pathways beneath the drifting lantern light.
At first—
nothing looked unusual.
Just two cloaked figures moving casually through the evening crowds.
Travelers passed beside them.
Hunters crossed the elevated walkways overhead.
A distant transit rail thundered across the skyline while wind stirred softly through the trees.
Then—
Draven suddenly stepped onto the edge of one of the elevated pathways.
And jumped.
No hesitation.
No warning.
He simply dropped over the side.
Aldric followed immediately after him.
The blue-haired woman's eyes widened slightly.
"…What—"
She rushed forward toward the edge just in time to see both figures descending several stories through the open industrial air before landing lightly atop a lower steel support beam beneath the layered transit structures.
Then they moved again.
Fast.
Far faster than normal humans should have been capable of moving.
Aldric kicked off the beam first, clearing the distance toward another suspended maintenance platform while Draven followed silently beside him beneath the dark cloak.
Neither of them even looked down.
The woman clicked her tongue softly.
"…Damn it."
Then she jumped after them.
Wind tore upward around her hair as she descended through the layered city structures before landing against a lower transit support rail with practiced precision.
Her boots scraped lightly across the metal.
No wasted movement.
She immediately pushed forward again while carefully maintaining her distance.
Professional tracking instincts quickly took over.
Don't get too close.
Don't lose sight.
Don't become noticeable.
Ahead—
Draven and Aldric moved rapidly through Blackwater's sprawling lower districts.
Leaping between steel frameworks.
Crossing suspended maintenance walkways.
Dropping through narrow industrial gaps where steam burst violently from overhead pipes.
The city blurred around them.
Neon signs flashed through drifting smoke.
Cargo rails thundered overhead.
Far below—
crowded streets crawled endlessly with life, completely unaware of what moved through the darkness above them.
The blue-haired woman narrowed her eyes while silently keeping pace behind them.
*Where are they going…?*
This no longer looked random.
They were moving with direction now.
Purpose.
Then—
her instincts suddenly tightened.
Not because of Draven.
Not because of Aldric.
But because she realized something else.
She wasn't the only person following them.
Her gaze shifted briefly toward a parallel support structure several levels higher.
A figure moved there.
Dark coat.
Masked face.
Fast.
Another shadow flickered briefly across a lower maintenance rail beneath drifting steam.
Then another.
Three.
Three separate followers.
All keeping their distance.
All tracking the same targets.
The woman's expression hardened immediately.
*Who the hell are they?*
Mercenaries?
Guild scouts?
Assassins?
No—
their movements felt far too disciplined for ordinary hunters.
Ahead—
Aldric suddenly glanced sideways without slowing down.
"…Looks like your fan club's getting bigger."
Draven gave no response.
The faint crimson glow beneath the hood flickered softly through the darkness.
Below them—
Blackwater stretched endlessly through smoke, steel, and neon light while multiple shadows moved silently through the industrial maze behind them.
And somewhere ahead—
whatever Draven intended to do next was already waiting in the darkness of the city.