...Riley's PoV...

Should I laugh or should I cry?

Either way, this situation is simply too unbelievable. I replay the video on the tiny magical device in my hand, a dusty stone tablet engraved with a few obsolescent runes.

I can't believe it no matter how much I watch the video. I'd recognize that voice anywhere and, while the voice can be faked, theses weapons certainly cannot.

The 'Prometheus' who caused an uproar on the HiddenNet and probably in some very private circles is John.

John, the friend I made back when I was pretending to be an ordinary student, back when maintaining my cover had a purpose...

Those were simpler times, and I kind of wish to go back to them. Everything was simpler back then, although the current situation shows how much we were on the brink of catastrophic events. I thought that letting him know about the Hidden World would not cause any harm...

Boy was I wrong. My mother used to warn me about the ingenuity of Humans; she cited their devastating World Wars as a good example of the might they could unleash despite being voluntarily kept away from magical matters.

But I didn't believe her.

John, who looked to be the perfectly normal student, if a bit of a loner, turned out to be quite the mad scientist.

His guns are a good example. These things would make even the most black-hearted Enforcer think twice about using this kind of technology, but John instead used them on every single enemy he faced.

Granted, he probably doesn't have a lot of magical potential, so that locks him out of most of the spells.

So why is the situation like this? After seeing what the magical world was capable of, any sane person would have simply refrained from antagonizing the people who fight by hurling exploding stars at each other.

But not John. He somehow survived this long and accomplished so much without any prior experience, and he became a master enchanter in less than a few days. He also created even more fearsome weapons that make the Strategic Spells of the past look like a wet fart.

Not to mention that he somehow became the leader of his own army, and if his soldiers are at least as half as competent as him, then the Enforcers stand no chance.

When I think about it, his level of competency is bordering on the supernatural...

I refrain from sighing as I look around, we are hiding in an abandoned construction site in the middle of nowhere. The last Wolfheart warehouses have been taken over by the Empire, and we were forced to run away.

The casualties we suffered that fateful night still haunts my dreams. I can still see the faces of the people who used to be my friends, now their corpses are either rotting under piles of rubbles, or the Empire has erased all traces of their existence.

If any good thing will come out of this shitshow, then the destruction of the Stonecrusher Empire is going to be one of them. These ruthless bastards are conquering territory so fast that it's almost comical.

...In hindsight, letting another Family handle all our equipment was a terrible decision on our part, no wonder that the Wolfheart Family exploded as it did. We were caught with our pants down, so to speak.

My eyes glance over the surroundings. What used to be the pride of the Family is now huddled in a decrepit construction site in the middle of nowhere while scavenging for food and supplies. The few survivors are but a shadow of their former selves, we are all tired beyond measures and malnourished.

How far the mighty have fallen.

And this was all caused by me. My irresponsibility made me ignore my mother's warnings, and I introduced John to the Hidden World. His unexpected actions repeatedly upset the fragile balance of power until the entire system broke down. Most people will say that the tipping point was the Beelzebub Incident, but I know the truth.

We were all doomed as soon as I invited John to that damn party.

I would give anything to be able to go back and correct my mistakes... I would do anything to have a family again, to spare my people the misery that their lives have become.

But nothing ever works out, right?

I hold back tears as the events of the last few weeks replay in my head. I need to stay strong, or the already abysmal morale will plummet. My loyal men need me, so I can't show my weakness to them or anyone for that matter. I carry the legacy of the Wolfheart within my veins, and the Family will live on as long as we exist.

Which shouldn't be too long with how things are progressing. The Empire cracked down on rebellious groups within their territories, and it's not going to be long before-

"It must be hard, no?" a sudden feminine voice echoes in the air, and I jump from my chair. Who could this be, and how did they slip past our guards?

"Do not worry, little wolf. I am here and not here at the same time, so you will not see me, but I can see you." The sultry voice continues.

I growl, an invisible assassin? Those are annoying to deal with, but-

"I'm not here to harm you." The voice continues.

I look at my men in the distance, but I can deduce by their lack of reaction that I'm the only one who can hear this mysterious woman.

"Do not worry about them; I speak directly to your mind." The voice replies.

I sigh. Great, I finally lost it, and I hear voices in my head.

"Your face tells me that you don't believe me, maybe this will change your mind." It says. I feel a sudden surge of energy coursing all over my body, every cell of my body is overflowing with mana and-

The surge of power is gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Will you believe me?" I answer the voice with a nod; there's no reason to alarm my men and make them think that their leader has gone off the deep end.

"Now little wolf, you seem to have lost a lot." The voice says. "In fact, fate seems to hate you as you've lost your mother, your family, your friends... Even your own brother betrayed-"

I barely restrain my growl, and it makes the voice pause.

"It looks like those are sensitive topics." The voice declares, "But tell me, little wolf. Don't you want to avenge your family? To honor the memories of the brave warriors who sacrificed their lives for you?"

I know where this is going, so get to the point! If I could freely wield the power that I felt a moment ago, then nobody would be able to tell what we would be able to do.

We could kick out the Empire and so much more.

"What do I have to do?" I ask the voice. I need to know, this power could be the key to salvation for our doomed group, so I need to know more. I'm ready to pay the hefty cost that will come with such a boon, for I don't have anything left to lose at this point.

The voice giggles, it sounds weirdly melodic.

"Good, little wolf. It seems that you understand your situation and made a wise decision." The voice replies. "I don't ask for much, so listen carefully since I'm not going to repeat myself."

I gulp as the mysterious telepath gives me her conditions, and there's a lot of them.

"I accept," I say as soon as she finishes. The conditions she imposed are not that bad considering the situation, and it's not like I can decline anyway.

Honestly, I just hope that making this deal will not bite me in the ass later.