"What the hell is this?" Cyrus wondered as he flew through the endless void of redness that surrounded him. "I feel like I've been here before."
As far as dreams went, this was way more realistic than what the freckle-faced teen was used to. Actually, the fact that he was dreaming at all was a real novelty within itself. Ever since he was a kid, Cyrus had rarely ever dreamed. And on the rare occasions that he did, the young man could never remember what they were even about.
This, however, was completely different, though. This dream felt way too...real. Almost as if Cyrus was actually floating in an endless blood-red void. If he had to take a guess, Cyrus would assume that this was some form of a lucid dream. One of those weird dreams where you were fully conscious and aware of the fact that you were dreaming.
'That means I should be able to control everything that goes on in here, right?' The man thought to himself before a chill went down his spine. 'What the-'
Seemingly on instinct, Cyrus turned his body around and was immediately met with quite the sight.
Looming over the young man was what could only be described as some sort of demonic figure. One that was well over a hundred feet tall, with six vertical horns protruding out of its head. The being also had two sets of large, bat-like wings that were stretched out on either side. And to finish it off, the thing was radiating some weird type of mana that Cyrus had never felt before. It was much different from the kind that humans and cryptids had. This kind of mana felt more...sinister, more suffocating.
"What the hell?" The words came out of Cyrus' mouth as he further inspected the creature. 'What the fuck am I even dreaming about? What is this?'
"Hmmm..." The being hummed in a way that made the bones in Cyrus's body briefly rattle. "You appear to be progressing at an acceptable rate, mortal. You should be ready by the time we're ready to open the gate."
"What?" Cyrus couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
"My subordinate said that she hasn't gotten in contact with you yet. Apparently, she wants to wait until a later time. I don't know why she's chosen to do so, but her choice doesn't interfere with our plans at the moment."
"What are you talking about?"
"You need not concern yourself with that, mortal. All you need to do is worry about staying alive. If you were to lose your life, then centuries of careful planning would have been for nothing. And I would have to wait another fifteen years for someone with your magic to appear in the human world. Such a thing would simply be unacceptable."
"You want my magic?" Cyrus questions the creature.
Instead of a response, what the young 'tree magic' user received from the unknown creature was a flash of black and red light that blinded him before everything went dark.
-(o)-
"Ugh..." Cyrus groaned as he pulled himself up from under his sheets. "What the hell?"
He didn't know why, but the young man felt even more groggy than usual after waking up from a full night's sleep. Well, technically, it should be considered a full day's sleep since it was actually now six in the afternoon. Something that might have contributed to his current predicament.
Since he was going to be up all night, Cyrus and everyone else who was working the fundraiser tonight were sent home early to get some much-needed rest before having to report in for duty. Fortunately, everyone was also going to be getting the day off tomorrow to get their sleeping schedules back in order. So, at least there was one positive thing that could be pulled from this entire situation.
'Freddy and the others said they were going to be here by seven.' Cyrus thought to himself as he slowly willed himself out of bed. 'That should give me more than enough time to shower and eat. Ugh...I really want to go back to sleep.'
The young man then unceremoniously dragged himself out of bed and made a beeline straight for the kitchen. Silently hoping that some much-needed "breakfast" and a hot shower would help wake him up.
-(o)-
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Valerie called out to Maria with a friendly wave as the raven-haired teen slowly approached the vehicle.
"What's up?" Freddy greeted his teammate with a wave of his own.
Maria paused for a moment as she took in the sight before her. "We're taking a van?"
The vehicle in question was a black passenger van with tinted windows that were obviously skirting the line on what could be considered legal. The vehicle was more than large enough to fit eight people if needed. Something that seemed a bit excessive in the young 'beast magic' user's opinion.
"Yeah, unfortunately...." Valerie replied with a shrug. "Aunt Zoe- I mean, the Chief said that we had to use this one tonight. Apparently, it would be unprofessional if we just used the regular vehicles. Or let Evan and Elizabeth drive to the fundraiser themselves. We are supposed to be bodyguards after all."
"I see..."
Hoping to stay ahead of schedule, the trio hopped into the vehicle and began driving to their next destination. They still had to go pick up Cyrus before it was time for them to arrive at the twins' house.
"You okay?" Freddy asked Maria after noticing the usually stoic woman seemed a bit more lethargic than what he was used to seeing.
"Yeah." The woman replied in a tired tone of voice. "I just got done feeding my companions. I'll be fine in a few minutes."
"I still find it weird that you can fully sustain the cryptids you have with just your mana. Magic like yours has always intrigued me."
"Oh yeah!" Valerie suddenly said while looking back at the other woman. "That reminds me, is it true that you have a dragon-type cryptid?"
"Yes."
"Aren't those, like, incredibly rare? Last I heard, there's only a handful of them in existence."
"That's what I was told." Maria replied.
Freddy then decided to put in his two cents. "I remember Cyrus was doing some research into them a while back. I think he said that there are only two in North America, excluding yours. One is in the possession of the Conley family, and the other belongs to a Canadian sorcerer."
"Speaking of Cyrus..." Valerie interjected while looking at the 'dark magic' user. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"Do you know what's up with his magic?"
Now that certainly got Maria's attention. She, too, was curious about their teammate's magic ever since she first met the guy. Her strongest companion had a pretty peculiar reaction to it upon sensing it for the first time, and it had her wondering. Obviously not enough for the woman to ask him directly, though.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't." Freddy gave the tall blonde a confused shrug. "I do know that there's something weird about it, but that's it. I asked Watanabe about it once, and she said that it was classified information. Only she and the Chief are in the know. Why do you ask?"
Valerie took a moment to try and find the right way to word her response before answering. "I first noticed it after we took down that ghoul. But it got me thinking again after we were partnered up on a mission a few days ago. The guy never lets anyone touch any of the trees that he creates after he makes them. I remember he said that his magic is reactive to mana, but it's definitely something more than that."
Now, the entire group was replaying all the interactions that they'd previously had with the 'tree magic' user. Valerie was right, Cyrus never let anyone touch his creations. He even went as far as to immediately get rid of them whenever the job was done. Something was definitely up with that, but what it was, neither of them could figure out.
"Maybe he has a secret ability." Maria proposed out of nowhere.
"Like what?" Valerie questioned.
"Who knows?"
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure he has a reason for not telling anybody." Freddy then said. "Hell, he already has a bit of a target on his back since the Blair family probably knows about his powers. You know how their family gets when it comes to unique 'plant magic' variants. Even Alyssa and Solomon took a special interest in it when we were at the beach."
"I guess now I see why the Chief was so excited about the two of you joining our station. We have a dragon user and a guy with crazy super-secret 'plant magic'."
"And with Deputy Chief Mubele with us, it's no wonder why we always have the Commissioner's eyes on our unit."
Valerie then decided to change topics. "Next question! For you, Ortega."
"Okay?" The raven-haired teen quirked an eyebrow.
"How did you get your dragon? I doubt you captured it naturally since they hardly ever spawn like regular cryptids. So you had to get it some other way."
For a brief moment, Maria's face adopted a somber expression. Her mind was instantly flooded with a combination of both happy and sad memories from a time she wished she could go back to. A time when her father was still alive and her family was whole. She was quickly able to regain herself, though, and decided to give the tall blonde a response that she felt would satisfy her.
"It was a gift from my father."
"Wow! Your dad must be a total badass if he's able to get his hands on one of those."
"Seriously!" Freddy echoed. "From what I read, the last known dragon cryptid appeared somewhere in Japan a couple of years ago, and it took three S-rank sorcerers to take it down. The thing ended up incinerating an entire forest before that, though. Your dad must be quite the guy."
"Yeah...he was..."
With that, the conversation between the group quickly died down as they let the sounds of the radio fill the air between them. Tonight was guaranteed to be quite the spectacle, so they were planning to get as much relaxation in as possible before all the craziness kicked off. And with any luck, they would be in and out without any hassle.
-(o)-
The quartet of junior agents arrived at the MacNamara residence barely a few minutes before they were scheduled to meet up with the twins. With no reason to delay the inevitable, they quickly exited the van and made their way to the front door.
The group still had a bit of trouble adjusting to the fact that the twins lived in such a massive residence all by themselves. But considering that the twins' grandfather was one of the richest men in America, such an abode was actually quite tame when you really think about it.
"Door's open. Make yourselves at home! We'll be down in a second." Elizabeth spoke through the speaker on the mechanical doorbell, prompting the group to enter the building and quickly shutting the door behind them.
"Man...I still can't believe how big this place is!" Valerie said with no small amount of amazement as the group walked through the hallway en route to the living room. "This place might as well be a palace."
"Seriously." Maria quietly replied. The woman could hardly believe that there were people who actually lived like this. It put the tiny two-bedroom apartment she grew up in to shame.
Freddy let out a quick chuckle before speaking. "I would think that you'd be used to this. You're from a big sorcerer family, too. Don't the McKennas have places like this all over California?"
"As if!" Valerie waved off the comment. "Our main family compound has a lot of houses, but they're all regular-sized. And none of them can hold a candle to this."
"You should see our grandfather's house. His place practically puts this one to shame. It's still not as big as the Biltmore, though. And don't even get me started on our sister's home."
The group collectively turned their heads toward the voice that said those words and were immediately met with quite the sight. There, floating a few feet above the ground, were both Evan and Elizabeth dressed in their outfits for the night.
"Nice to see you guys." Cyrus was the first to greet the duo with a smile and a friendly wave.
"You too." Elizabeth replied with an elegant smile of her own.
'HOLY SHIT!' Valerie and Freddy thought in unison upon laying their eyes on the heavenly figure that was known as Evan MacNamra.
The young 'wind magic' user was dressed in a form-fitting tuxedo with a turquoise collar that perfectly complemented his athletic build. Not only that, but his perfectly twisted dreadlocks were tied into a high ponytail with two parallel bangs that left his perfectly crafted face partially obscured. All in all, the man looked like something pulled right out of a magazine cover.
As for Elizabeth, the young woman's elegantly crafted turquoise dress was even further complemented by the luxurious, thick braid that draped over her right shoulder. Along with a few strands that were brushed to the side while handing directly over her right eye.
To say that the twins looked like a million bucks would be putting it mildly. In fact, a million dollars might even be a low-balled evaluation of how they chose to present themselves.
'HOW THE FUCK CAN HE BE SO DAMN FINE!' Valerie internally screamed while taking in the sight of Evan. Honestly, it was like the guy was made for the sole purpose of being nothing but eye candy. And the fact that he was currently floating in the air made him look like something right out of one of those cheesy erotica novels that her mother loved to read.
The sight of the two made the others feel like they were underdressed for the event that they were going to. All of the agents were sporting their usual suits that they typically wore on an average workday.
Cyrus was wearing his preferred grey suit with a white shirt and dark green tie, along with a pair of dark brown loafers.
Valerie was sporting her favorite navy blue pantsuit with a white shirt, minus the tie, complemented by a pair of light brown flats.
Maria chose to stick with her standard all-black suit and tie combination.
As for Freddy, he chose to be a bit more daring with his khaki suit, black shirt, black shoes, and plaid tie. Even though they all made sure to look presentable for the evening, none of them could hold a candle to either of the twins.
"You two certainly dress to impress." Freddy jokes after regaining his composure.
"Naturally!" Elizabeth said with a confident smirk and flip of her hair. "The son and daughter of the DPA Commissioner can't go anywhere looking anything less than amazing. Our mother would bury us up to our necks in granite if we showed up at this fundraiser looking shabby."
"I'm still not sold on the color, though." Evan commented while adjusting his collar. "Turquoise clashes with my eyes."
"Stop complaining." Elizabeth shoved her brother while rolling her eyes.
"You made those outfits yourself?" Cyrus inquired.
"Indeed, I did."
"I can see why Alyssa Blair was so excited to have you make her dress. You definitely have a lot of skill."
"Thank you." The 'earth magic' user couldn't help but feel glad that her talents were being appreciated.
Seeing as they still had a bit of time before they had to leave, the group chose to sit down and relax in the living room for a bit before departing. Something that gave them a chance to do some much-needed game-planning before arriving at the fundraiser.
"So..." Evan began while sipping on a bottle of water. "According to our sister, all we need to do is just stand around, look pretty, and not say anything stupid to anyone important while we're at the event. A few people are bound to try and approach us, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue as long as we keep the conversations short and sweet."
"Sounds easy enough." Cyrus replied while scrolling through his phone.
"Our dad sent us the guest list ahead of time, so we already know who we need to talk to and who to avoid." Elizabeth then added.
Freddy couldn't help but ask. "Who to avoid? Like who?"
"Mainly any of the businessmen that show up. No doubt someone's going to try and get our grandfather or sister's contact information from us, so we need to stay away from them."
"Sounds like a pain in the ass."
"Which is why we're going to be sticking close to either Lucas or Chief Zoe the whole time we're there."
"That makes sense." Cyrus nodded in understanding.
"Theo was going to be our first choice for a shield. But since he's on vacation right now, we have to make do with what we have." Evan then said.
"We also have our own booth for when the auction starts. So, no one's going to bother us for the entire time that's going on."
"You guys seem to have this all figured out."
"As much as I'd like to take credit for this, Elaine was the one who gave us the game plan. This has pretty much been her strategy for when she goes to these things."
Maria then looked directly above Elizabeth's head, where a large family photo was framed on the nearby wall. One of the twins, their sister, and their parents. The raven-haired woman recognized the Commissioner based on the photos of him that could be seen back at the station, but this was her first time seeing the man's wife. The woman, Joanna, if she remembered correctly, was beautiful with a slender frame, silky black hair, and pale green eyes. Much like that of her son and daughter.
'Yeah...like I thought, everyone in their family is good-looking.'
Evan then continued speaking. "The minute the banquet is over with, all we have to do is slip out the door before anyone notices us, and we'll be home free!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Valerie said with a smile. The tall blonde was more than happy to get out of the fundraiser as soon as possible. Mainly because she was ready to get an early start on her day off.
The group spent the next few minutes chatting about basically nothing before they decided it was time to head out. The sooner they showed up, the sooner they could leave. And since it was a Friday night, they wanted to avoid the late-night traffic that was bound to happen on account of everyone in the city enjoying their weekend.
'Alright, let's get this party started.' Cyrus said to himself while entering the van. Silently hoping that the night went off without any issues.
-(o)-
"Is everything ready?" Hannah looked to her two partners.
"Yes." Aaron, her younger brother, nodded. "All of the necessary pieces are in place."
"Good."
"Our guy on the inside is waiting on the green light. Hopefully, he doesn't fuck this up." Mikayla groaned while leaning back in her seat.
The 'bone magic' user was starting to get restless after sitting in the same spot for the last thirty minutes. Why they had to leave so damn early just to camp out behind some random building was a complete mystery to her. But the young woman knew there was no point in complaining about it now. They were already here, so the best option was just to accept it and try to get as comfortable as possible.
"With how much we're paying him to complete this job, it shouldn't be that big of a deal." The lone male of the trio said in his usual stoic fashion.
"So what?! That's still money that we had to spend!" The brunette shot him a death glare from across the backseat of the blacked-out truck they were currently sitting in. "I know we only paid him half up front, but it still doesn't guarantee that he'll do his job correctly."
"Mikayla, relax." Hannah attempted to calm down her friend. "Once we're done with the job and collect our cash from the boss, we'll make up for the expenses ten times over."
The 'bone magic' user attempted to shoot another menacing glare at the two siblings. But in the end, she acquiesced. It was pointless anyway. The damage was already done. Besides, the strawberry blonde was right. They were about to be rolling in cash by the end of the night. So, Mikayla found it in her heart to tolerate having to spend over three thousand dollars on some scumbag that was probably going to be dead before sunrise.
"Anyway..." Hannah then spoke. "Let's remember that we need to be careful. Remember to play your parts well."
The 'ice magic' user then handed the other two their masks. They were nothing special, just a set of black balaclavas that she picked up from the store a few days ago.
"That reminds me." Mikayla then looked at Aaron. "You already tested the poison from that snake cryptid, right?"
The stoic man gave her a blank stare. "I did. And it works even better than we hoped."
"Sweet!"
"If you two are done, can you please quiet down?" The leader of the group interjected. "I'm about to radio the others."
"Alright..." Both Aaron and Mikayla nodded.
Hannah then held up a walkie-talkie to her lips. "All units, please report."
After all of their minions checked in, the woman let out a satisfied smile. They were officially ready to go. All they had to do now was wait for the text from their soon-to-be-dead co-conspirator, and the fun would start. Although Hannah still had a few doubts concerning this plan of hers, she was confident that she and her crew would be successful. It wasn't like they had that much of a choice anyway. As far as she was concerned, this operation was just another test that she needed to pass. Another step towards achieving her ultimate goal.