Morning came too quickly.
Raze woke to pale sunlight filtering through his room's grimy window. His body protested movement. Every muscle ached from yesterday's running and fighting.
But he pushed through. Stood. Stretched. Splashed water on his face from the basin.
Today he needed to look presentable. Not wealthy. Just... clean. Respectable. The kind of person a noble might deign to speak with.
He'd kept his best clothes hidden. Simple but well maintained. Dark pants. A shirt that had been patched but cleanly. His hair was the real asset. White and striking. He combed it with his fingers, pulling it back from his face.
The reflection in the warped metal showed someone who could almost pass for minor nobility. If you didn't look too closely at the worn fabric or the callused hands.
Good enough.
Raze grabbed his remaining coins. Headed downstairs.
The common room was busy with breakfast crowd. Mary stood behind the bar, serving plates of eggs and bread. She looked up as he descended.
"You're up early. And dressed nice." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you planning?"
"Job opportunity. Need to make a good impression."
"Another courier job?"
"Something like that."
Mary didn't look convinced but didn't press. Just slid a plate of food across the bar. "Eat first. Whatever you're doing, do it on a full stomach."
Raze ate quickly. The food sat heavy but warm. Fortifying.
"Mary." He caught her attention as she passed. "I might be late tonight. Don't hold dinner."
"How late?"
"Very late. Possibly not back until morning."
Now her concern was obvious. "Raze, what kind of job keeps you out all night?"
"The kind that pays well." The lie came easily. "I promise I'm being careful. And it's important."
Mary studied his face. Searching for something. Finally sighed.
"Just come back safe. Sophie's been asking about you. Says you promised to visit again."
Guilt twisted in Raze's stomach. "I'll visit her this morning. Before the job."
"Good." Mary squeezed his shoulder as she passed. "Be careful out there."
Raze finished eating. Left coins on the bar for the meal. Headed out into the morning streets.
The Healing Hall was his first stop. He needed to see Sophie. Ground himself in why he was doing this. Remind himself what was at stake.
The walk took twenty minutes through increasingly clean streets. The architecture improved. Stone replaced wood. Gardens appeared in front of buildings.
The Healing Hall's white stone gleamed in the morning light.
Raze pushed through the heavy doors.
Beatrice sat at her desk, same as always. She looked up. Recognition flickered across her face.
"Mr. Dragonheart. Here to see your sister?"
"Yes."
"She's awake. Eating breakfast, actually. Her recovery has been remarkable." Beatrice's professional mask slipped slightly. Showed genuine warmth. "Whatever treatment you provided, it's working better than anything we've done."
"Thank you."
"Room fourteen. You know the way."
Raze climbed the stairs. His heart beat faster with each step. Hope and fear mixing.
The door to room fourteen was open. Sunlight streamed through the window.
Sophie sat propped against pillows. A breakfast tray on her lap. Real food. Eggs. Bread. Fruit.
She looked up as he entered. Her face lit up.
"Raze!"
He crossed the room quickly. Pulled the chair close to her bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"So much better!" Her voice was stronger. Clear. "Look!" She held up her arm. The black veins were gone. Completely. Her skin showed healthy pink color. "Miss Helen says it's a miracle."
"It's medicine," Raze corrected gently. "Good medicine."
"Your medicine." Sophie set down her fork. Looked at him with those too perceptive blue eyes. "The healers are upset. I heard them talking in the hallway. They said what you did was illegal."
"It might be. But it saved you. That's what matters."
"Will you get in trouble?"
"Maybe. But I can handle it."
Sophie reached out and took his hand. Her grip was warm. Strong. Nothing like the cold, weak touch from before.
"You're different," she said quietly. "Since you started working on the medicine. You seem... stronger. More sure of yourself."
Raze felt a flash of panic. Had she noticed? Could she tell he wasn't entirely the brother she remembered?
"I just have a goal now," he said carefully. "Purpose. That makes everything clearer."
"I'm glad." She squeezed his hand. "The old you always seemed sad. Like you'd given up. I like this version better."
The words hit harder than they should have. The original Raze had given up. On life. On hope. On fighting. And Sophie had noticed. Had carried that knowledge even while she was dying.
"I'm not giving up anymore," Raze promised. "On anything. Especially not on you."
Sophie smiled. That genuine, trusting smile that made everything worthwhile.
They talked for another half hour. She told him about the other patients. About Miss Helen teaching her card games. About the view from her window and the birds that landed on the sill.
Normal things. Happy things. The concerns of a child who expected to live.
Eventually a bell chimed. End of visiting hours.
"I have to go," Raze said. "But I'll be back soon. A few days."
"Another job?"
"Something like that."
"Be careful." Sophie hugged him. Her arms wrapped around his neck. "I love you, big brother."
The words squeezed his heart. "I love you too, Sophie."
He left before emotion could overwhelm him.
The hallway was empty. Most visitors had already gone. Raze walked quickly toward the stairs.
Then stopped.
Miss Helen stood in an alcove. Beckoning.
He approached cautiously.
"Mr. Dragonheart." Her voice was low. Urgent. "I need to warn you. Mortens sent a message to someone last night. After we treated Sophie. I don't know who, but it wasn't official city business."
"The Syndicate," Raze said quietly.
Miss Helen's eyes widened. "You know about them?"
"I know enough. Thank you for the warning."
"Be careful. And..." She hesitated. "The other parents. They're getting desperate. Some of them have the fifteen gold you mentioned. They're planning to find you. Demand treatment for their children."
"Tell them three days. We need three days to prepare more medicine. Then we'll start treating the others."
"Can you really cure all of them?"
"If we're allowed to. If the Syndicate doesn't kill us first." Raze met her eyes. "But we're going to try."
Miss Helen nodded slowly. "Then I'll do what I can from here. Slow down any investigations. Buy you time."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. Just succeed. Save these children. That's thanks enough."
Raze left the Healing Hall. The morning sun was higher now. Warm on his face.
Three hours until Mariabel's usual time at the tea house. He needed better clothes. Something presentable.
The Market Quarter had used clothing stalls. Merchants who sold garments from estates. Servants' castoffs. Sometimes noble children's outgrown clothes.
Raze spent an hour searching. Haggling. Finally found what he needed.
A dark blue coat. Well made. Only slightly worn. The merchant swore it came from a merchant family's son. Grown too tall for it.
Dark pants. Clean. Pressed.
A simple white shirt. No patches. No stains.
Total cost: Two gold, fifty silver.
More than he wanted to spend. But necessary.
He changed in a public bath house. Paid extra for hot water. Scrubbed away days of grime and sweat. Combed his white hair properly. Let it fall naturally around his face.
The reflection in the bath house mirror showed a different person. Still striking. Still noticeable. But now looking like someone who might belong in the upper district.
Good enough to at least get Mariabel's attention.
Raze paid the bath attendant. Stepped back into the street.
Two hours until the tea house. Time to scout the location. Learn the layout. Plan his approach.
The Silver Lotus tea house sat in the heart of the noble district. Three stories of elegant architecture. White stone with silver trim. Actual gardens in front with rare flowers.
Raze watched from across the street. Noting the entrance. The windows. The flow of customers.
All nobles. Or wealthy merchants trying to look noble. The kind of place where someone like him would normally be thrown out on sight.
But his appearance worked in his favor. White hair was rare. His face was distinctive. And the clean clothes gave him just enough legitimacy to not be immediately dismissed as a vagrant.
He waited. Watching. Learning patterns.
At exactly two in the afternoon, a carriage pulled up. Black. Well maintained. No family crest. The mark of a disgraced noble who'd been stripped of their symbols.
The door opened.
A woman stepped out.
Raze's breath caught.
Mariabel Valtee.
She was exactly as he remembered from the game's character models. But seeing her in person was different.
Tall. Graceful. Long black hair that cascaded down her back in perfect waves. Pale skin. Blood red lips. Dressed in dark purple silk that probably cost more than most people earned in a year.
But it was her eyes that struck him. Amber. Almost golden. They swept across the street with barely concealed boredom.
His Inspect skill activated automatically.
[Mariabel Valtee]
Name: Mariabel Valtee
Age: 22
Rank: Expert (Low)
Core: Refined (Mid)
Authority: Flame Authority (Awakened)
Mana: S
Strength: C
Agility: B
Perception: A
Charm: S
Status: Bored, Restless, Searching
The S rank stats made his stomach drop. She was leagues beyond him in raw power.
Mariabel walked toward the tea house entrance. Her movements lazy. Like a cat that couldn't decide if anything was worth the effort of hunting.
This was his chance.
Raze crossed the street. Timed his approach to intersect her path naturally. Not obviously following. Just... happening to arrive at the same moment.
He reached the door first. Opened it. Held it.
Mariabel paused. Those amber eyes focused on him for the first time.
For one long moment, they stared at each other.
Raze saw her Perception working. Analyzing him. Taking in the white hair. The blue eyes. The striking features. The clean but not wealthy clothes.
Something flickered in her expression. Interest. Brief but undeniable.
"Thank you," she said. Her voice was smooth. Rich. The kind of voice that could command or seduce with equal ease.
"My pleasure." Raze kept his own voice polite. Respectful. Not overeager.
Mariabel entered. He followed. The staff inside eyed him suspiciously but said nothing. His appearance bought him the benefit of doubt.
The tea house interior was elegant. Silk curtains. Carved wooden furniture. The smell of expensive tea and pastries.
Mariabel moved to a private table near the window. Her usual spot, probably.
Raze took a table nearby. Not too close. Not obviously pursuing. Just... present.
He ordered tea. Paid with silver coins. Received a delicate porcelain cup filled with something that smelled floral and cost more than a meal.
Mariabel sat at her table. Ordered with casual disinterest. The staff treated her with careful respect. The kind reserved for nobles who might be down but weren't out.
Raze sipped his tea. Watched her peripherally. Waited.
This was the dangerous part. The approach had to seem natural. Organic. If she sensed manipulation, she'd shut down or worse.
Mariabel's tea arrived. She drank slowly. Her eyes wandered. Looking at other patrons. At the street beyond the window. Anywhere but at something interesting.
Because nothing here was interesting to her. These were the same people she saw every day. The same conversations. The same safe, boring existence.
Raze finished his tea. Stood to leave.
As he passed her table, he paused. Just for a moment.
"You look incredibly bored."
The words came out before he could second guess them. Direct. Almost rude. Certainly forward.
Mariabel's eyes snapped to him. Surprise flickering across her perfect features.
Then interest. Real interest.
"I am," she said simply. "Bored beyond measure. Do you have a solution?"
Raze smiled. "Actually, I might."
"Oh?" She gestured to the empty chair across from her. "Then sit. Tell me about this solution. But be warned." Those amber eyes glinted. "If you're wasting my time, I'll set your coat on fire."
Not a joke. The small flames dancing on her fingertips made that clear.
Raze sat. His heart hammering. But his face remained calm.
"My name is Raze. And I'm planning something dangerous. Possibly stupid. Definitely illegal." He met her eyes directly. "Something that requires real power. The kind of power most people can't even imagine."
Mariabel's smile was slow. Predatory. "Now you have my attention."