Rhen equipped his new violet black cloak–ranked third lowest–in case anyone was still lying in wait.
He doubted it since it had been hours since he was attacked.
Mazeweald's twisted trees blurred past as he moved, a streak of black in the mist.
Halfway to the border, his enhanced mana senses prickled.
Rhen's five senses along with his mana senses were improved. He could detect a wide area if there was no interference.
Knowing people were approaching, Rhen stayed in place, waiting to see who they were.
They reached his view and he identified them upon seeing their hand bands.
'Union Members… They probably came here due to the surge of energy I released.'
'That means the Union is setting their eyes on Mazeweald again.'
They passed beneath him without noticing. Rhen didn't relax until the city walls loomed ahead.
He slipped inside through his usual gap in the defenses and made for the northeast.
As he slipped deeper into the city, the slums greeted him—cracked streets, smoke-choked air, and the stench of waste clinging like a curse.
Factory chimneys already belched grey into the morning sky—a daily reminder of where the Union believed the weak belonged.
After taking off his cloak, Rhen reached a large, battered house.
The walls were cracked, the broken windows covered with clothes, and kids gathered around, doing their morning chores
The kids froze mid-chore, eyes widening the moment they saw Rhen.
"Boss!" They yelled.
"The boss is back."
"Ah, this is going to be stressful," Rhen murmured.
The kids, numbering ten that barely reached Rhen's shoulder, gathered around looking at him like a treasure.
"Boss, we missed you!" a boy with a bandage stuck on his face said.
"I-I thought we lost you!" a girl with two ponytails cried out.
"Are you fine?"
As they asked, they stared at Rhen intently.
A smile crossed Rhen's face.
"Do I look unwell? Stop crying, I'm fine."
"I told you guys, nothing can stop the boss if he doesn't want to be stopped!" a girl standing a distance from the gathering yelled.
Looking at the red and yellow haired girl, Rhen sighed.
"Selina, you should act mature and stop mocking the young ones."
Selina's face twisted into a scowl, a sharp contrast to the proud expression she wore earlier.
"Your damn tongue. This is why Big sis hates you."
'Hate me?'
Rhen wondered and asked, "Where's Nina? Oscar? Einar?"
"Big sis is upstairs. I don't know where the boys are."
"Alright, kids. Get back to work, I have things to do."
"Yes sir!"
Rhen gave the crying girl a pat on her head before following Selina into the building.
Climbing the stairs, Rhen reached a bedroom.
On the creaking bed sat Nina, sharpening her blade with a rasping sound that cut through the silence.
The orange haired girl wanted to ignore him, but she couldn't help but look up.
"What happened to you?"
Pulling a nearby chair, Rhen sat and replied, "What happened to me?"
"You changed. You're…stronger."
Rhen smiled. "Do you indulge in stories? Stories where a person visits the death door and gets rewarded for daring such."
Nina remained silent. At the doorway, Selina watched curiously.
"Let's not focus on the details, Nina. Trust me," Rhen said.
"Tsk." Nina hissed and turned her attention back to sharpening the sword.
Curious as she was, pride kept her from asking.
"Why are you so grum–"
Before Rhen could ask, someone appeared behind Selina—a five-foot-ten male with curly dark-blue hair, sharp blue eyes, and round glasses.
Oscar appeared with a forced smile, pushing his glasses up nervously, "Boss. A certain someone got Nina angry, that's why she's tense this morning."
'Someone can make Nina angry? Nina, the most stoic of us all?'
"Who did–"
Seeing Rhen about to ask the obvious, Oscar hurriedly interrupted, "Oh well, let's put that aside for now. We have other matters to attend to. Jake has come for revenge."
"Jake?"
"Poison tongue's brother is what you call him."
"Oh, that guy."
Rhen didn't remember Jake as one of the many slum kids he had taught morals to, but as the child whose elder brother had been killed because of Rhen's cunning.
In hindsight, Rhen understood Jake's thirst for revenge. He had indirectly caused the brother's death, and Rhen was the easiest target to unleash that anger on.
"You were keeping tabs on him and you lost him. Where did he suddenly come from again?" Rhen asked.
Oscar adjusted his glasses and instructed Selina, still young to be into matters like this, to help the kids with their chores.
After Selina acquiesced, Oscar explained:
"Based on what I managed to figure out, he awakened last year, a B-rank talent, and showed skill at wielding it. The Union recruited him and he was under tabs for a while. Now, a year later, he's out of the shadows and has time for his personal revenge."
Rhen digested the information and turned to Nina.
"What would you advise me to do?"
Having slowed down her sharpening to reduce noise, Nina raised her gaze up a bit.
"Jake, like everyone else, doesn't know we have Oscar at our side. He doesn't know that we know." She paused for a bit. "Let's attack before he attacks."
Oscar, despite being an A-rank Talent holder, shook nervously.
"Do we really need to attack?" He turned to Rhen, who was less violent. "Boss, hear this, you're strong now, that's no hidden secret to all that's here. I say we pick up the kids and move elsewhere.
"Mazeweald is in an unusual state, if we use your knowledge, we can hunt some beasts, sell them, and use the money to pay for transport."
"That's a wise idea," Rhen said, making Oscar heave a sigh while Nina frowned.
"What if Jake is adamant and still comes after us? Do you want us to drop our guard down and let them catch us then?"
At Nina's words, Rhen waved his hand and chuckled softly. "Let me finish, grumpy."
Oscar's face turned fearful, remembering that although Nina was violent and straightforward, Rhen was a complex fox.
"I can't leave here, Oscar. I have goals. If Jake plans to intervene… we'll just have to get rid of him."
A chill ran through Oscar, someone who knew how power corrupted.
Fallen Angel? No—that title no longer fit. What he saw before him was the birth of something greater… and far more terrifying.