The guards started to restrain the woman and the boy, placing blindfolds over their eyes. If anything, it looked more like a kidnapping than a lawful arrest. As all of that unfolded, the crowd grew increasingly irritated—but careful not to act. Even among the crowd, they knew that speaking up would be met with physical harm.
Eventually, nothing but insults were hurled from all directions.
A younger guard grew agitated and yelled,
"Insolence! Don't you have any respect for the Founders?!"
But a more senior guard—who seemed like the leader—held his arm out in front of the agitated one, preventing any further action. A surprisingly measured move, though heavily shadowed by the cruelty they were committing.
The leading guard turned to the noble.
"We have the woman and the kid. What shall we do with the man?"
The noble scoffed.
"Law 6.8: Any party unable to meet the dues imposed by another shall be subject to whatever punishment the imposing party deems fit."
The noble paused and looked at the commoner—already broken from having his family taken.
"Kill him."
The leading guard froze. At first, he was clearly distraught, hesitant. His hand hovered at the hilt of his sword, as though unsure if he had heard correctly.
The noble noticed the hesitation and spoke again.
"Are you hesitating? You know, your wife wandered the gardens the other day. She seemed… well."
That statement was a clear threat. A reminder that the noble had control—and could do whatever he pleased.
"I'm sorry…" the guard muttered under his breath, raising his sword with no more hesitation.
Lucid, watching everything, had to do something, at least anything indirectly. His hand hovered over a card, debating on whether he should use it and run.
That is, until something caught his eye.
A figure dashed across the edge of his vision and knocked out the guard before the execution could be carried out. A smoke bomb detonated, and the crowd scattered in panic.
It all happened fast—surreal, like time itself had bent.
But for Lucid, a man used to watching through the scope of a sniper rifle, trained in long periods of stillness and observation, he saw it all. His perception, honed to the highest level, told him exactly what had happened.
Thank god... someone intervened, he thought.
Although he didn't know whether they had the man's best interests at heart, he could only hope it would work out for the better.
The noble, now shaken, shouted in distress.
"What—who are you?!"
Another noble, who had kept his handkerchief over his mouth, stepped forward—unaware it had been taken.
"Reveal yourself at once!"
From the thinning smoke, a figure rose slowly to their feet in front of the father.
They wore a long black suit, fitted with minimal armor that clung tightly to their frame, defining their body's shape. A long scarf fluttered, and a head covering masked their hair. The only visible feature?
Their eyes.
Lucid's breath caught in his throat.
"It can't be…" he muttered.
The person raised their hand, revealing the noble's handkerchief—then tore it apart with a dagger midair, letting the shreds get dragged by the wind.
The noble finally realized what had been taken from him. Enraged, he screamed:
"GUARDS! Kill this person at once!"
But there were none.
All of the guards were already unconscious.
The masked figure replied calmly.
"They don't deserve to die. Some of them are just trying to provide for their families… by working for bastards like you."
They glanced briefly at the fallen guards.
"How noble…" they added, voice laced with cold irony.
The nobles finally realized who they were facing. Panic spread among them. They were in a commoner's sector, surrounded by people who hated them—with no guards to protect them—and worst of all, they were potentially face to face with the most wanted person in Andorrea.
Lucid observed it all, chilled by the silence that followed. Still, a part of him was curious.
What is Yu going to do? Let them go? Beat them up? Tie them down?
But what followed…
It was one of the most heart-wrenching things Lucid had ever seen. Lucid considered himself someone experienced, someone who could handle blood. But this—The figure, presumably none other than Yu Sakamoto, decapitated one of the nobles after realising what was inside one of their carriage. A blind folded mother and a child huddled together sparked something inside Yu.
"What the—" Lucid uttered, unable to stop the words.
The other noble, realizing what had just happened after a solid second, fell backward—covered in blood, squealing in terror.
Yu stood over him and looked down.
"The answers you give me may very well decide whether you live or die."
"Don't be stupid" they added
The noble was in utter shock, shaking from fear. He reached behind him and pressed something—a hidden orb.
Lucid's eyes narrowed.
This can't be good...
Yu reacted instantly. They took their dagger and stabbed the noble's hand, pinning it into the wooden frame of the carriage.
The man screamed in agony.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he sobbed, voice cracking as he shook.
Yu this time kneeling down and leaning their covered face close to the nobel said
"What did I tell you now? Don't be stupid" they said indifferent
"Please, let me live! I'll give you anything—money, women—anything!"
Yu ignored his begging.
"Answer my questions."
Their voice was colder now.
"When is the next descent?"
The noble struggled to speak.
"I-In two weeks… the first of September…"
Yu stared at him, unblinking.
"Which sector?" they asked
The man was in utter terror; he couldn't even speak or form words. But it didn't take a second for Yu to decide what to do with him
"Useless." They muttered
With a swift motion, they finished him.
Lucid didn't even look at how they did it, he was already sick to his stomach.
But he knew.
They killed him.
When Lucid finally looked back, he found himself face to face with Yu Sakamoto. Lucid flinched but got a sharp dagger pointed at his throat, before he could reach for anything.
How careless of me… I was in the open!
"You seem to enjoy the show," while moving closer they whispered, running their fingers along Lucid's glass mask.
"I was planning on stopping them," Lucid replied—knowing damn well he hadn't planned to do anything. He'd only stood there, a spectator.
Yu pinned him against the wall with one hand against his chest, slowly moving their head besides his ear.
"Oh, were you now?"
Lucid remained composed. Luckily for him, staying calm under pressure came naturally. It was the same steadiness he had while pulling a trigger.
"Yes," he answered.
After an intense moment of silence, Yu let him go and stepped back.
Yu looked directly into Lucid's eyes.
"There's an Archmage about a kilometer away. Can you help me get the family out of here?"
Lucid was taken aback.
He had expected them to kill him the moment they let go.
"Sure… I know a tavern in a distant sector from here," he replied, still recovering from the shock.
Yu studied him carefully.
"Pretty glass mask," they murmured.
Then yu turned.
"Okay. Let's get moving."