Mina furious, dragged Noah around the side of the UNPA building into a narrow service alleyway. The air around her already felt superheated, smelling faint smoke. She shoved him back against a wall of dumpster-level steel, her face a mask of rage.
"What the hell are you doing, Noah?!" Mina's voice was a low, dangerous hiss, controlled only by years of Player-mandated discipline. Sparks of hot, yellow fire danced around her tight fists, and the asphalt beneath her sneakers began to smoke slightly.
"I set an example for the young kids," Noah said, his own voice unnervingly calm, a stark contrast to her anger.
Mina stepped closer, forcing him to feel the radiating heat. "You do know that the absolute least worst outcome you can expect is getting fired, right? The actual consequence is prison, Noah! You can be arrested and there's going to be no way for me to save you because that spoiled idiot you just shot is the son of Senator McMillian—a man who basically owns half the C-Rank Guilds in the region!"
Noah shrugged, dismissing the entire political establishment. "Well, if it comes to that, the security cameras can see for themselves. That guy started the whole charade. He and his little goon squad have been at it with me since I started working here three years ago. They see the Mop Man as free entertainment. And you know what? I never complained a thing about it. Because they were just annoying, pathetic teens."
"So what changed?" Mina demanded, the sparks around her intensifying. "Why did you suddenly decide to pull a gun and shoot him in the leg?"
Noah's face went utterly straight, all trace of the earlier smirk vanishing. "He threatened to rape Mirai."
Mina froze. The sparks around her died instantly, replaced by a deep, terrifying crimson glow that enveloped her entirely. "WHAT?!" The single word was a raw roar of pure parental and sisterly aggression. Even Noah, standing next to her, felt the surrounding air warp with the intensity of her contained anger.
Noah continued, calm and methodical, detailing the threat that had pushed him over the edge. "Yeah. They said they'd party with her, put sleeping dust on her, and then, you know…" He trailed off, knowing he didn't need to finish the crude gesture.
Mina didn't speak. She was momentarily completely enveloped by the violent red fire, her silhouette shimmering in the alley. She was holding it in, using every ounce of her Pyromancer control to prevent herself from burning the entire sector to ash. After a long, agonizing moment, the flames receded, though her eyes still glowed.
"Those fucking bastards!" she spat out, the words laced with cold venom.
"Which is why I shot him in the leg," Noah said. "Though he definitely deserved to be skinned alive and fed to a void beast, I figured a permanent limp would work just as well."
Mina, still seething, managed to take several slow, shuddering breaths, regaining control of her power. "Just leave for the time being, Noah. Go home. I'll handle this. I'll make sure that arrogant piece of filth goes down, and his father with him. Senator McMillian will learn that the we do not take threats lightly." She pulled out her phone. "I'll text you what happens."
Noah exhaled in relief, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. "Alright. Alright. If I'm lucky, I'll only get fired. I'll have to stay home from now on. Mom needs the company anyway."
Mina nodded, glancing at him with a look that was equal parts concern and exasperation.
Later that afternoon, Noah stood outside the UNPA building, clutching a worn gym bag that now contained his few personal effects. The management, under the intense and highly effective persuasion of his sister, had managed to flip the table entirely on Senator McMillian.
Mina, utilizing her guild connections and the undeniable PR nightmare of a powerful Player sexually threatening an Unawakened Civilian's family member in a System-controlled zone, had played the situation perfectly. Hundreds of hours of CCTV footage detailing Casey's three years of harassment toward Noah—as well as the crystal-clear audio recording of the attempted assault threat, were used as political leverage.
It would've been a waste of resources for the UNPA to push a criminal case against Casey McMillian and the optics of Player oppression in the middle of the Last Trial were too dangerous. Dividing humanity and Players would break out a huge pain in the ass. The System demanded unity, not a new class war.
The compromise was swift and devastating for the McMillians: Noah was fired, effective immediately, with a generous severance package (paid for by the Senator). Casey, however, was given a five-year suspension on his Player license and ordered to wear a System-sanctioned tracker. The tracker wasn't just physical; it monitored his voice and every movement within a fifty-mile radius. It was no different than house arrest, but the UNPA had made sure that Casey couldn't go on a path of revenge and cause trouble for the Chambers Family. Mina was nothing if not thorough.
———————————————————————-
Noah sat down at a lonely waiting shed across town, ready to catch the bus back to the farm. His cellphone rang.
"Hello?" he answered. It was his mother.
"Honey, is it true about your job?" Lanilla's voice was initially soft and concerned.
"Yeah. It was my fault, Mom. I let my instinct get the better of me. I got off lucky, though. Mina's a genius."
Lanilla's voice hardened slightly. "No, honey. Protecting your family is not the wrong thing you can do." Her tone shifted, becoming disturbingly placid. "But your mistake was, you didn't make him suffer."
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning his head back. "Okay, Mom."
"If it was me," Lanilla continued, her voice full of unsettling conviction, "I'd trap him on a sealed chamber—perhaps a nice Treant stomach—and poison him slowly, until the last flesh in his body fell off, all while he's conscious."
"Yeah, Mom, I understand, just keep your cool, okay?" Noah interrupted, fighting a laugh of both terror and familiarity.
Lanilla exhaled, forcing herself back to reality. "I apologize. I was just upset hearing about it. Shall I call for your father to—"
Noah cut her off quickly. "No! No, I'll—I'll be fine. I think I'll just hang out in the city for a bit. Get some fresh air, enjoy the view. I'll be there before 6."
"Alright, honey. I'll cook some turkey for dinner. Don't tell your father about it, though," Lanilla instructed. "He has the worst self-control. He might 'accidentally' hammer the entire McMillian family into a pile of scrap metal. That's going to be a stain on our reputation."
Noah scoffed, looking at the city skyline. "You might be too late for that. Rumors have been spreading about what happened. He might have already heard about it. I'm pretty sure his co-workers and Hephaestus himself have him contained for now."
Lanilla chuckled darkly. "Don't worry about that, honey. I'll be sure to concoct a strong sleeping potion for your dad when arrives, so he'll sleep through the night with ease."
"Alright, Ma."
"What about your sister, though? How did she handle it?"
"Mina's pretty good at handling her rage. She channeled it into political vengeance pretty well."
"Alright, that's good. That's good. Call me when you need something, okay? Be safe."
"Alright, Ma, bye." Noah turned off the call and clipped the phone back onto his jeans. He exhaled a long breath, finally free from the soul-crushing routine of cleaning up after E-Rank brats.
Then, a sound cut through the ambient city noise—a high-pitched, insistent shriek that wasn't a siren. Not just Noah, but everyone nearby flinched, instinctively knowing the noise meant danger. Their phones started glowing red, and expressions immediately changed to fear.
Noah snatched his phone and saw the blinding red alert filling the screen.
EMERGENCY ALERT: B-RANK GATE BREACH. REAL SPACE VIOLATION DETECTED 307 METERS SOUTH OF YOUR LOCATION. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.
Noah paled, reading the coordinates and checking his own location on the faded map of the city's defense sectors. "Oh no," he whispered, the pit in his stomach dropping. "That's where George and his guild are located."