A man and a butterfly stared at each other with bodies lying in between.
At the same time, the two of them started moving, slowly getting closer in silence.
Once they were within reach, Cyril quickly moved his hand, placing it in front of him.
Morpho, in a habitual motion, landed there and twitched her antennae in a solemn way.
"So? When did you succeed?" Cyril asked with narrowed eyes.
The butterfly became still for a few moments, then suddenly started fluttering her wings excitedly, as if celebrating.
"She was first," Rhamn said with pretend seriousness, while holding back a smile.
"Morpho succeeded just 2 minutes faster." Selene suddenly walked out from the woods, her hands behind her back.
"Which should mean her victory," she said with a nod towards Morpho.
Cyril stared at Morpho for a few seconds more, observing her glee over the victory.
"Congratulations," he finally said with a smile.
It was close, and it felt weird losing to a butterfly.
But seeing Morpho happily circling around him, basically radiating pure joy, the feeling slowly melted away.
He felt glad for her.
"I knew I should've trusted my gut..." A quiet whisper broke through the light-hearted scene.
Cyril turned to the source of the voice and discovered a thug in a grey worker's uniform lying on the floor, staring at the sky with blank eyes.
It seems the man thought no one would hear him, because seeing everyone suddenly pay attention to him, he became startled.
"I give up! Please, young knight, spare my life!" The man raised his hands and lowered his head.
Cyril walked up to the man and crouched down, staring him in the eyes.
"What were you doing here?" He asked with curiosity.
Seeing that he was in no immediate danger, the man visibly relaxed.
"We were trading our supply of Atropa to the Power Society, nothing more than that." He quickly said.
"What is Atropa?" Cyril replied with confusion.
He never heard of a name like that.
"It's a new drug that's popular on the streets right now. Damn addictive too." The man explained with no issues.
Cyril didn't reply, instead moving towards the conspicuous briefcase on the ground.
He opened it and looked inside. The paper bag was still quietly lying there.
Cyril grabbed it and poured its contents all inside the briefcase, curious how it looked at least.
A pile of white, stone-like fragments fell out, looking clean like glass.
The moment Cyril saw them, a particularly noxious smell hit him; he quickly moved away and gasped for fresh air. He almost threw up.
"That is disgusting! How can anyone even come close to this?" Rhamn was in the same state nearby.
The thug stared at this with some confusion but didn't say anything at the moment.
Once he recovered, Cyril threw a fireball at the drug, destroying it completely.
The thug could only helplessly stare at his money being burned up; he didn't dare complain.
"You!" But someone else dared.
Surprisingly, the thug with a bald spot managed to stand up on his feet, though his stance was wobbly.
"You really want to go against the Power Society!?" He threateningly pointed with his finger.
Cyril crossed his arms and, after thinking for a few seconds, shook his head.
"I don't know a group with that name. Are you famous?" He honestly replied.
The thug's expression twisted for a second, and he almost fell, but in the end he said through gritted teeth.
"Are you living under a rock or something?! Everyone around here knows us! We are the toughest gang in the city!"
Selene at this moment cut in, moving near Cyril.
"Power Society is a large criminal organization loosely held together only by its boss, Graw the Stubborn. Without that fool, this rabble would scatter like rats," she said with a slight frown.
Hearing this, the thug's face became bright red from anger.
"How dare you say that about the boss?! If he were here, he'd kick your ass so hard, not even your mother would recognize you!" Spit flew from his mouth as he yelled.
"I doubt that," said Selene in a prideful manner, and jabbed the thug.
The man who was red with anger lost his consciousness completely, dropping on the floor with a loud thud.
"Their group has grown a bit in the last few years, but they are nothing to be afraid of," Selene said while turning back to Cyril.
He could only nod in indifference. Cyril didn't plan on fighting them, unless, of course, Myra suddenly said they are related to the end of the world.
I wouldn't be surprised...
"The Empire has so many enemies, maybe it's just time for it to go," Rhamn jokingly said with her hands spread.
Cyril got rid of the distracting thoughts and switched his attention back to Morpho.
"Alright, I admit my loss. What do you want?" He awaited her response.
Cyril was really curious what she wished for. It shouldn't be too bad.
Considering Rhamn also wanted that, there were a few guesses in his mind already.
Morpho gradually calmed down and froze. She stared back with her compound eyes.
It's a pity Cyril couldn't directly communicate with her.
He looked slightly to the side, waiting to hear from Rhamn.
"She wants a sister, of course!" Rhamn exclaimed with her hands on her hips.
This caused Cyril to go silent, trying to think over this proposal.
What's wrong with Tigris? Why does she want a sister? He thought with some confusion.
Speaking of. A small tiger finally reached this place, jumping out of some bushes.
Upon seeing Cyril, he immediately ran up to him, with tears glistening in his eyes.
He pawed at his leg, asking to be picked up.
Cyril had to scoop him up with his free hand, letting him rest in his arm. Tigris went to sleep immediately.
"There is nothing wrong with Tigris, of course! He is great. Only..." Rhamn trailed off with an awkward expression.
"Morpho says she needs a rival of sorts, someone as passionate about fighting as she, but Tigris is... well... not," she said while staring at the seemingly sleeping kitten.
I can see where she is coming from...