- A Certain Room, Xuan Family Manor -

"Have you killed him yet?" a male voice asked quietly.

The man who spoke these words was Xuan Yang, current patriarch of the Xuan family. He was a vile man, able to abandon his morality completely in order to achieve what he wants.

"No, not yet," a second voice responded with a carefree tone.

This person was a powerful member of the Midnight Syndicate. His alias is Plague, but his true name remains unknown. He specializes in using poison to assassinate people, rather than cold steel. After forming a deal with Xuan Yang, he accepted the task to kill a certain 14-year-old boy.

"...Why haven't you? He's just a kid. Shouldn't be too hard for someone of your level, no?" Xuan Yang asked impatiently, evidently annoyed.

"That may be so, but he is far stronger than normal 'kids'," Plague replied. "I have encountered him once already, and he was able to escape. That is more than enough to prove his strength."

Of course, the truth was, Plague merely didn't want to chase the boy further. However, if he said so, his true intentions would be spilled, and that could pose a problem.

"Tch...you mean you can't kill him? Don't give me that crap," Xuan Yang muttered angrily.

"No, I just need some time," Plague responded casually. "I will be sure to bring you his head, worry not."

"Hmph...you better hurry the hell up," Xuan Yang demanded, then turned on his heel. "Tomorrow night is the latest I will give you. Don't let me down, Plague."

Plague bowed his head slightly. "...As you wish."

*****

(Xuan Kai's Perspective)

"Mei Gui, I need to talk to you," I said quietly.

We had just finished school, and were currently resting in our dorm room. However, it wasn't as relaxing as I hoped it to be. A certain something kept nagging at my mind, and I decided it was time to settle it once and for all.

"What is it, Master?" Mei Gui asked, walking over and sitting down next to me on the couch.

"...You remember what I said about getting revenge, correct?"

She nodded. "As clear as day, Master."

I smiled devilishly. "Well then...you see, it keeps bugging me at the back of my head, and it's quite an uncomfortable feeling. That's why..."

"...You want to end things with them as soon as possible," Mei Gui finished.

"Precisely. I want to infiltrate the Xuan family manor this Saturday night. Since it's the weekend, security will be relatively more lax than usual."

"I agree, Master," Mei Gui replied. "Very well, we shall spend the time from today up until Saturday for planning."

I bowed my head. "Thank you...and sorry."

"Master, I am doing this of my own free will," Mei Gui said in a comforting tone. "There is no need for you to apologize or express gratitude."

"Nah...if I don't say something in this situation, it just won't sit right with me," I chuckled.

"..." Mei Gui fell silent, and I sighed.

"Anyway...the first step, as always, is to gather information, yeah?"

"Information?" Mei Gui tilted her head.

I grinned. "What do you say we go on a reconnaissance mission?"

"R-Right now?"

Oh, that's the first, no, second time I've heard her stutter. She's usually always so calm and composed...when was the first time again? Ah, right, that time she couldn't get the shower to work by herself. Man...that was pretty funny.

"Yeah, right now," I replied with a snicker. "C'mon, let's go."

I slipped on my cloak, put on my ring, and grabbed my mask to complete the set. I glanced back at Mei Gui, who had already finished changing into her new outfit we bought at the Coastal Metropolis a few days ago. It was a black cloak similar to mine, and for some reason she also put on a mask.

"Heh. We look like some cult members," I said after pulling her into the bathroom and looking at our reflections in the mirror.

Mei Gui averted her gaze quickly, and didn't speak.

"What, feeling embarrassed?"

"N-No..."

Oh, third time of stuttering. If you're going to be embarrassed about this, then don't put it on in the first place...

"Well, the first time I put this on, I was kind of embarrassed as well," I comforted her. "You'll get used to it."

Just as I turned around and prepared to head out, however, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Mei Gui?"

"D-Do I look good, Master...?" she murmured quietly, looking up at me with big sad puppy dog eyes.

"O-Oh, yeah, you look great," I replied, a little caught off guard by her sudden cute act. Usually, she was all stoic and expressionless, but sometimes, quite unexpectedly, she has these cute moments as well.

But still...that's four stutters now. Wait, why am I keeping track?

"Okay...let's go, Master," Mei Gui shook her head and return back to her normal, deadpan self.

"Yeah...let's go."

*****

- Around 20 Minutes Later, The Xuan Family Manor -

The two of us soon arrived at the Xuan family manor. It was just as how I remembered it to be - grand and beautiful. But the people living within it...were not. After making sure no one was looking, I climbed up on a nearby tree to get a better view of the entire area, and then pulled Mei Gui up as well.

Surprisingly enough, no magic barrier was in place. This was very strange to me, since from what I remember, the manor was supposed to have a huge barrier surrounding it to protect it from outside invaders, thieves, etc. The protection didn't extend to where my parents and I were living in though, unfortunately. Hence why the assassins were able to get in...but to be honest, I found something about that fishy. This is just a baseless assumption, but I think Xuan Yang disabled the barrier on purpose during that timeframe.

Which is why...could it be the same this time? Why is the barrier disabled? Don't tell me...that bastard Xuan Yang is up to something again?

I quickly ran a Detect Presence on the area, and frowned when it turned up empty. There should've been plenty of guards, and yet...my scan didn't pick up on any of them. However, I definitely could sense a certain someone...

"Master...something is off," Mei Gui said quietly.

"Yeah...I can feel it," I replied. "The manor...it seems...almost lifeless."

"Be careful, Master. I sense a powerful mage within the vicinity."

"So you detected it too, huh? He's currently not hiding his aura, so we're able to tell, but when he chooses to conceal himself, we won't have any way to find him. What a fearsome opponent..." I muttered.

"Master...is he the one who attacked you that night?" Mei Gui asked with concern.

I nodded. "I managed to escape, but...I have a feeling he purposely let me get away."

"Master, he's coming out," Mei Gui suddenly lowered her tone and said.

I glanced at where Mei Gui was looking. Indeed, a man clad in black robes had just emerged from the main door of the manor, and was heading towards these gates. He looked slightly different from when I saw him that night since it would be troublesome for him if his Midnight Syndicate branding was seen in public, but his black plague mask was unmistakable. This was the same man who had attacked me a few days ago.

He strolled along gracefully without a care in the world, casually stopping by some flower bushes to inspect them. However, he then suddenly snapped the rose he had picked up within his hands, and slowly, like a old creaky robot, tilted his head...to look straight at where Mei Gui and I were crouching, atop a tree branch.

"Master, run!"

"Tch...!" I grabbed Mei Gui's hand and jumped down the tree, pulling her with me. I then quickly cast Flight on my self as Mei Gui did the same. Together, the two of us flew off hurriedly, too panicked to even look back to see if anyone was following us.

*****

- Back at the Dorms -

"Hah...hah...you...okay?" I panted, leaning against the wall. We had just gotten back to the dorms, and entered my room.

"I'm fine...Master..." Mei Gui replied, but she was similarly evidently exhausted from flying at maximum speed non-stop for god knows how long. We just kept flying and kept flying...even when we arrived at the dorms, we continued to run, up the stairs and towards my room. Who the hell would keep track of time in that situation?

"Sorry...I panicked back there," I said guiltily after both of us had finally caught our breaths. We had taken off our cloaks and masks, and were currently resting on the couch.

"No, Master. You made the right choice," Mei Gui replied. "If we had stayed there any longer, there was a good chance we wouldn't have been able to escape at all."

"Yeah...but what bothers me is how he was able to see us," I said, frustrated. "Both of us had cast Conceal Presence on ourselves, and yet..."

"We did indeed conceal our presences, but unfortunately that meager spell is not effective against masters at all."

"Even with the power of Chaos...?"

Mei Gui nodded. "Even with the amplification affects of the Primordial Chaos, the spell would still be ineffective against masters Golden Monarch and above."

"Golden Monarch...so I was right. He's at least on Ghosteye's level."

"Ghosteye...the other Midnight Syndicate member Master defeated a while ago?" Mei Gui asked, resting her chin on her hand in a thinking gesture.

"Yeah...wait, how do you know about that?"

"I retain all of my memories from my stone form," Mei Gui explained. "Although they are a little bit hazy, I know everything you did before my true form was awoken by you, Master."

...Creepy. I know she doesn't have any bad intentions, but...being told by someone they know everything you've done, is...quite uncomfortable, to say to the least.

"Also...this is just mere speculation, but I think what occured back at the manor wasn't as simple as you panicking, Master..."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean...?"

Mei Gui sighed. "Again, this is just my guess, but...I believe that man may have used a fear-inducing technique on the two of us."

"A fear-inducing technique..." I echoed pensively.

"Correct. However, I do not know what spell exactly he used, since there are many methods to induce fear into one's enemy," Mei Gui explained. "For example, directly 'injecting' fear into someone would fall under Curse Magic, but inadvertently causing fear such as creating a terrifying illusion or something that triggers one's phobia would fall under the Shadow Magic category."

"...I see," I said after a long while. "Either way, one thing is certain - that man is dangerous - and what is even more so, is the fact that we probably will have to face him in the near future."

Mei Gui nodded. "Master...I will always remain by your side."

I smiled and patted her head. "Thank you, Mei Gui...I'll need it."