In the loft, Gellert was exploring his new abilities. He snapped his fingers, and a small, perfect, stable ball of white light ignited, hovering over his palm.
"Whoa," Soma said from the bottom of the stairs. "What's that?"
"Lumos," Gellert replied. His voice was no longer the familiar echo of Zero's; it was a smooth, accented baritone, filled with a natural, chilling charisma.
"You don't even have a wand," Legolas observed from his corner, where he was stitching a new leather sheath.
"I don't need one," Gellert said, closing his hand. The light vanished. "For such simple things."
"That's cool," Zero said, coming over, his eyes bright with academic curiosity. "Do the Abyssal magic."
Gellert obliged. He wove his hand in the air. A spark of fractured, geometric orange energy—the mark of Kaecilius—flickered at his fingertips. Then, the familiar blue strings of the Abyssal Weave emerged, wrapping around the orange energy, stabilizing it, and connecting to it flawlessly. Zero, watching intently, copied the gesture. He felt his own strings, but they were clumsy by comparison. Gellert's proficiency with the Weave had skyrocketed since absorbing the new cards.
"The fundamental is different," Gellert mused, his eyes losing focus. He stopped, closed his eyes, and went perfectly still, meditating.
"Gel?" Legolas called out. "Gell."
Gellert didn't respond. He stood as still as a statue for almost a full minute. Suddenly, the ding of the bell on the café's front door echoed up the stairs.
Zero, Soma, and Legolas all looked at each other, confused. The café was closed. Zero went to the railing and looked down.
"Sebas?"
Sebas stood just inside the doorway, in his full butler uniform, looking up. "Young Master Gellert called me."
As if summoned by his name, Gellert opened his eyes, the concentration broken, and walked to the top of the stairs. "Thank you for coming, Sebas."
"Can't you just use the Hub for a chat?" Soma called down, annoyed by the interruption.
"No," Gellert replied curtly. "This required a physical test." He descended the stairs, his new, long coat sweeping behind him. "May I check your pulse?"
Sebas, ever the loyal servant, offered his gloved right wrist. "By all means."
Gellert placed two fingers on Sebas's pulse point, closing his eyes and pushing a small, diagnostic thread of his own mana into the butler's system. He was scanning him. After a moment, he opened his eyes. "Can you use your Qi?"
"Any specific use?" Sebas asked.
"A simple manifestation."
Sebas raised his left hand and pointed with two fingers. A sharp, pale blue wisp of energy—pure Qi—coated his fingertips, stable and dangerous. Gellert watched the interaction between his scanning-mana and Sebas's active Qi.
"Hmmm. Interesting," Gellert said. He let go of Sebas's wrist, then raised his own hand and, with a thought, cast Lumos again, studying the light as if seeing it for the first time.
"Okay, what is going on?" Soma demanded, his patience gone. "You're being all cryptic."
Gellert extinguished the light. "Sebas has his Qi from the Sebas Tian card," he explained. "Soma, you have your 'Hearth of Cooks' from this world."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Soma said.
"Think," Gellert said, his voice sharp with the excitement of his discovery. "Did your card give you the 'Hearth of Cooks,' or did this world already have a 'Hearth' system that your card simply allowed you to access?"
Soma's brow furrowed. "This world had to have it first. Sal mentioned the Master Chef ranks before I ever showed up."
"Exactly," Gellert said, a triumphant gleam in his mismatched eyes. He turned to Sebas. "Kai. When he uses his Qi... is it truly Qi, born from a dantian? Or is it his Aura, his innate life force, merely acting like Qi, mimicking the system your card introduced?"
"It is true Qi," Sebas confirmed. "One that is similar to, and compatible with, my own system."
Zero, who had been listening intently, finally spoke, the pieces of the puzzle crashing together in his mind. "So... the card isn't just a skin. It's a key. It's... it's adjusting itself to the physical laws of this world. It's... it's porting the power system over, making it a new, fundamental law."
Gellert's smile was thin and brilliant. He raised his left hand. A fractured, orange mandala of Eldritch magic, the Mystic Arts of Kamar-Taj, spun into existence. He then raised his right hand. A bright, pure-white ball of light, the Wandless Magic of the Wizarding World, ignited.
"Two different magical systems," he said, his voice a low, captivated whisper. "Two different sets of universal laws. Both from different worlds. How can they both exist in my hands, in this world, without their native principles to support them?"
Zero stared at him, his mind flashing back to their own paradox. "How," he whispered, "does one be the stem... and the branch... at the same time?"
Gellert extinguished both magical lights, the answer to their impossible question finally clear.
"Abyssal," he said.
Sebas, who had been watching the entire exchange, finally understood the scope of their breakthrough. He gave a low, respectful bow. "Congratulations on the breakthrough, Masters." He then turned, and as silently as he had arrived, he left the café.
Soma and Legolas were left standing in the wake of the revelation, completely bewildered. They looked at each other.
Soma just shrugged. "I have no idea what just happened."
"Not a single word," Legolas agreed.
…
The next morning, the bright Evercrest sun hit Zero's eyes from the loft window. He yawned, stretching his arms high above his head, his hands brushing against his horns. He focused for a moment, pointing his fingers at his long, messy hair. A faint, blue Abyssal thread emerged from his fingertips and tried to wrap around the hair, attempting to tie it into a bun. The moment he let his concentration lapse, the thread became undone, and his hair fell back into his face.
Zero sighed. "Next objective," he muttered to himself. "Manifestation."
"So you're still not helping me on the café floor?" Soma's voice called up leaning from the door frame.
"You know what," Zero says, making a snap decision. "I've been too focused on this. Gellert can do the heavy-lifting on the research from now on. Let's pump the brake. I'll be there."
A wide, genuine grin spread across Soma's face. "You got it, boss."
Zero got up from his bed, ready to take a bath and start a normal day.
On the café floor, Soma had just finished his morning prep, the chairs still up on the tables, when the front door chimed. "Can you wait?" he called out, annoyed. "We're still getting ready."
He looked up and saw Officer Monet Montallet, looking absolutely exhausted in her uniform.
"Whoa, Monet," Soma said, his tone softening instantly. "What happened to you?"
Monet trudged over and sat heavily on a barstool. "I haven't eaten," she said, her voice a low, tired groan, "since yesterday evening."
"Let me guess," Soma said, leaning on the counter. "Night shift?"
Monet just dropped her head onto the cool, polished wood of the bar. "I couldn't even stop to take a break all night," she moaned. "Huuuuu..."
Soma smiled, a soft, sympathetic expression on his face. He reached out and gently patted her head, his hand lingering for a second on her soft, disheveled hair. "Hang in there," he said. "Wanna egg drop soup?"
Monet lifted her head just enough to look at him. "You're making that today?"
Soma winked. "I don't. But I can make one for a sleepless officer."
A small, tired smile touched her lips. "Two of those, please..."
"Chuckle. Coming right up," Soma said, his own voice cheerful. He turned and headed for the kitchen.
The invisible ghost of Gusteu floated beside him as he entered the kitchen, the spectral chef's arms crossed. "Ah, l'amour! Love is in the air, Soma!" Gusteu declared. "Grab the moment! Show your emotions!"
Soma, whose face was already turning a bright red, looked at the ghost incredulously, but he couldn't talk back without Monet hearing him. He just looked at his right hand, the one that had patted her head. He could still faintly smell her hair. He quickly washed his hands, the cold water doing nothing to cool his burning cheeks, and started preparing the food.
Halfway through the cooking, Zero came downstairs, refreshed and dressed for the day. He saw Monet at the bar, her head down again, looking half-asleep.
"Good morning, Officer Monet," Zero said, his tone light and teasing.
Monet lifted her head. "Oh, hi, boss. You're... you're working today."
"I am," Zero said, moving behind the bar to the espresso machine. "You want a drink to wake you up, or one to make you comfortable?"
"Just comfortable, please," Monet mumbled. "I just... I want to sleep as soon as I eat this."
As Zero prepared the drink, he said, "You know, it's not good to sleep right after eating."
"You're not my mom," Monet mumbled into the bar top.
Zero chuckled, placing the warm, non-caffeinated drink in front of her.
Soma came out of the kitchen, carrying a large, steaming bowl of soup. "Here you go," he said, setting it down. "Eat. Or else the criminals win."
Monet let out a huge yawn. "Aaaahhhhh... I'm not a rookie anymore. Bring it on," she bantered, her words slurring with exhaustion.
Soma smiled, placing a spoon in her hand. "Here. Eat."
"Thank you, Soma," Monet said, her smile genuine and warm.
Soma felt his face heat up again. "Just... just eat it all!" he said, a little too loudly, and then hurried back into the kitchen.
Zero watched the entire interaction, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. He filed the moment away. Now he finally had more good ammunition to tease Soma with. Hehe.
…
Sebas's plan was working, perhaps too well. The rumor he'd planted—that Guilon of the Cardinal Wolves had the secret favor of the royal family—was tearing the underworld apart. It had caused more loss than benefit for Guilon in a single night. Allies, feeling jealous and left out of this supposed new arrangement, became foes. Foes, believing Guilon was consolidating power for a hostile takeover, became bolder in their opposition.
In Guilon's new, opulent office, Amanzio, playing his role, slammed his hand on the desk. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded, his voice a perfect blend of outrage and fear. "The whole city is up in arms, and I look like a fool!"
Guilon, who was staring at his new, prince-approved ledger, sneered at him. "You better watch it, Amanzio," he said, not even looking up. "I tolerate your presence here. I do not welcome it."
Amanzio, feigning a surge of his old pride, stood up in anger. "That's it. I'm done." He turned his back, walking toward the door.
"Go on," Guilon's voice was a low, threatening growl. "Go. And where will you go? Back to the Hao Pavilion? That dark elf bitch will have your head on a spike in a heartbeat. Especially if I tell her you've been telling me all their little secrets."
Amanzio stopped, his hand on the doorknob. This was it. The final, locking mechanism. He turned, his face a flawless mask of a man who has just been truly, deeply cornered and betrayed. "You... you wouldn't."
Guilon smiled, a cruel, victorious expression. He finally felt in total control. "Do what I say," he said, "and I'll give you half of your old territory back."
"Half!" Amanzio shouted, the rage in his voice sounding completely real. "You said you'd help me get back what was mine! All of it!"
"Things change!" Guilon roared, slamming his own fist on the desk. "We live in a world where, in four days, a god is going to try and eat us all! So you will do exactly what I say, or I will personally drag you outside the city barrier and feed you to the Silent Night!"
Amanzio's head dropped, his shoulders slumping. Unseen by Guilon, a small, cold smile touched his lips. 'How, how does Master Sebas know?' he thought, his mind reeling. 'He knew he would resort to a threat. He even knew he would use the Silent Night.'
Amanzio, acting as if he'd lost all hope, let out a long, defeated sigh. "I'll do... I'll do what you say."
Guilon walked over to him, his arrogant smile returning. He patted Amanzio on the cheek, a demeaning, proprietary gesture. "Good boy." He then walked past him and out of the room, leaving Amanzio alone in his false defeat.
…
That evening, Amanzio arrived back at the Hao Pavilion and took the private lift to the top floor. He entered the secret room on the 31st floor, knocking gently. Sebas was in his usual meditation, and Misela was at her desk, sorting through network reports from her "spiders."
Sebas opened his eyes, his meditation unbroken. "You bring news."
"The 2nd phase is ready," Amanzio said simply. "He believes he is in complete control."
Sebas smiled beneath his veil. He turned his head to Misela. "Bring the girls to the streets in two hours," he commanded. "The parade will be as scheduled."
Misela stood, her own predatory smile in place. She gave a deep, respectful bow. "Yes, Master." She then left, a new, confident sway in her hips.
"You can sit down, Amanzio," Sebas said.
Amanzio sat, the tension from the day's performance finally leaving him. Sebas retrieved a bottle of expensive, aged whiskey and two crystal glasses, placing them on the low table. Amanzio, knowing the ritual, took the bottle, poured a glass for Sebas first, and then one for himself. Sebas took his glass, and they lightly touched them together in a silent toast.
Amanzio took a long sip, the smooth, smoky liquid burning a welcome trail down his throat. "Haaah," he sighed. "That was good."
"Are you good now?" Sebas asked.
Amanzio looked into his glass. "Haaah... I don't know. Acting like... like a pussy who can't even fight back..." He shook his head. "In the past, I would have died before letting a man like Guilon pat me on the cheek. But now... I'd be dead if I didn't do it anyway. So I can't complain."
Sebas chuckled, a low, soft sound. "Don't worry, Amanzio. Guilon's entire area... it will all be yours, when the time comes."
Amanzio, who was in the middle of taking another drink, choked, spraying whiskey back into his glass. He coughed, his eyes wide with shock. "What?!"
**A/N**
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**A/N**