The chairs of the round table were empty. In the early hours of the morning not even the candles that normally illuminated the lair were lit. All the members were absent except one. Abraham waited patiently in the darkness, sitting in his chair elevated above all the others. His head was lowered. His mask was not placed on his face. His silence cried out that something was not right.

Hours passed and the sun's rays finally gave some light to the gloomy corner of the murderers. Abraham's peace was disturbed by the people and horses passing over the brothel. He had no choice but to get up, put aside his silver rapier and go over the missions that were still waiting to be accomplished. But there was only one left on his file table. That one mission that had preoccupied him from the moment he saw it, there it was. The red colour of the letter that accompanied it made Wolf's body unable to stand on its own.

"I've been hearing the same thing in the other kingdoms... Some red letters mysteriously appearing in the main adventurer's guilds. No one knows where they come from or who delivers them. But it's suspiciously similar to... Fuck..." Abraham's hand struggled to reach for a bottle of whisky. Only a swig could soothe his nerves. "No, it doesn't mean anything that we picked it up. Anyone could have gotten it, it was just a fluke. It's impossible that..."

Abraham's heart almost stopped as he heard the front door creak. But it was only Jane and Cerberus. They were surprised to see the tenebrous atmosphere of the place, but more surprised to see Wolf's pale face and his passion for alcohol slightly out of control. He did not salute, he did not even say anything. He only sighed when he didn't see Noir among them.

"Fuck, Wolf. Your face is so white you look like you've seen a ghost. Have you seen one?" Cerberus asked.

"No... Ghosts don't exist, and there are far worse things in this world. Take a seat, I would like to discuss something very important." They obeyed his command seeing he wasn't joking. Abraham walked up the two stairs to his seat with the documents in one hand. He looked towards the door for a while to make sure they would be the only ones to hear that conversation. "Last week's mission was successful. We managed to escape despite the setbacks and DeLoire's death has had a positive impact on the public. The nobles, especially those who were there that night, are now scared and alert not to suffer the same fate. You could say that it all went according to plan."

"Yes, it did. There were difficulties, but at the end of the day we are a team. We did it by working together. Is there anything else to reflect on? I think we can put it aside and get on with this streak." Cerberus replied, brief and practical with his words.

"The authorities do not forget our actions, so neither should we. Look at this." The letter moved from one end of the table to the other. Jane stopped it by putting a finger on it. "That's the mysterious letter that came with the third mission. I have heard of others receiving an identical letter in Laffrith and Grymoria. Uncertainty has grown among veteran and not-so-veteran adventurers. It seems everyone remembers what happened five years ago with The Infamous. Do you see where I'm going?"

"The Infamous, the mercenary group that was destroyed by... Wait. You think they suspect us?" Jane added, alternating glances between Cerberus and Abraham. The leader nodded only once, but his gesture was so ambiguous that Jane didn't quite understand.

"I don't know. And I hate not knowing. There is no clue that can lead them directly to us. We have been as careful in our steps as possible, even in the most unfavourable situations. It's impossible for them to know who we are just from a stupid letter. But that's not what worries me. Jane, remember the favour I asked you before Noir's first mission? What happened to the poison darts?"

Jane opened her eyes wide, only to close them completely and frown afterwards. Despite the weeks that had passed she still kept them with her. "He didn't pass the test, Wolf. When he went berserk he dropped the darts and didn't even bother to ask what had happened with them. I had to pick them up."

"I see... Good to know. That's the next topic I'd like to discuss." His cough worsened again at the most inopportune moment. The veteran mercenary walked quickly to the drawers where he kept his medicine. He ended up with two small bottles in two gulps. "Precisely that... I believe I have discovered the source of my illness. It's because of Noir. The substance generated by his powers is harmful to humans. It is actually miasma in solid and liquid form. I don't understand why it hasn't affected you, but it is true. It has been difficult to find out, as almost all these side effects disappeared with the eradication of the demonic powers. I wonder why he wasn't treated..."

"That sounds plausible. But what do you mean by that?" Abraham didn't want to answer Cerberus' question yet.

"That boy hasn't known how to control his powers either. I tried to express my concern in the most reasonable way, but I'm afraid it hasn't worked. He is emotionally unstable, and the inexperience he has in the use of his powers is as much a danger to the targets as it is to us. And all the clues he could have left at the crime scenes... There are hardly any demons left with those powers. That's a problem." Abraham put both hands on the table. He wanted to hear the mercenaries' opinions.

"Now that you mention it... It's possible you're right. Those powers in the hands of a rookie are even more dangerous and could be a good lead for them. But kicking him out of the team is even worse than keeping him in. We should watch his every move and make him learn the hard way. What do you think, Jane?"

The woman sighed and rested her head on her hand. "Sometimes I don't understand you, guys. Why do you always have to be so drastic? Noir made a mistake and put us in trouble. So what? You've made mistakes too. I've made mistakes. Your solutions are always... quick and practical, especially Wolf's. But people don't work that way. We should talk to him and make him see reason." She turned her gaze to Abraham. "Wolf, you know I admire you as a mercenary and as a leader. But I've been forced to question your decisions many times. That's why I know you've thought about killing him before you even asked us. Am I wrong?"

Jane was not afraid of the possible reprisals such an accusation might bring. Cerberus was taken aback by the audacity and turned to glare warningly at Jane. Still, Abraham was not upset. As he once said, she was his moral guide. "You are right. It would be the easiest and quickest thing to do... But I also wonder what opinion you would have of me. Would I be a monster in your eyes? A heartless person? Something worse than a demon?" To Jane's surprise, Abraham knelt down in front of her and took her hands. "Am I a bad person, Jane? Am I a monster to you?"

"What are you talking about...? No, you're not. It's just... Sometimes you forget what's really important. Oh, I know! Why don't I bring Noir in so we can all talk together? No prejudice, no hate. Let's try to work this out. What do you say, Wolf?"

Abraham's smile melted Jane's heart. Despite his sadness and illness, he was a handsome man, with soft, refined features, with a face that a smile made look even more unique. He was like an angel in eternal sorrow for being banished from paradise. "That's fine with me, Jane. That's fine with me."

"Awesome, Wolf. Thanks for listening to me. I'll be back in a jiffy!" Jane, happy with the leader's decision, didn't waste a second and hurried out of the guild in search of the troublesome boy. But she didn't have to look anywhere for trouble. Trouble came on its own and crashed into her at the entrance.

"Ouch... That hurt. Jane? Are you okay?"

Before them appeared without warning the unmistakable grey-eyed boy. Though the fright had changed his expression, the agitation he brought with him hadn't gone away one bit. He was in as much of a hurry as Jane for something he had momentarily forgotten, but which upon recalling captured on his face the exact definition of despair.

"I'm sorry about that, but I don't have time to waste. Wolf, I need to talk to you! It's an emergency!" The weakened leader tried to come to him as fast as his illness would allow. Noir fell to his knees and, with tears in his eyes, pleaded for his help as he grabbed his hand. "You have to help me, Wolf. What has happened is too serious to just let it go. Please...!"

"All right, all right. Calm down, Noir. You want to explain to me what happened?"

Fury broke through the other feelings in his heart at that moment. His eyes showed incomparable hatred as they still let tears fall. "Some thugs beat up Evie. They stole everything she had and cut her clothes off... She didn't want to tell me what else happened. We have to go after them, Wolf! I'll give you everything I earned from the previous missions if I have to! I'm begging you!"

An hour earlier.

Noir was called to the clinic of a family friend's doctor for an emergency. He was not allowed to enter the room where his girlfriend was being treated until further notice. While he was waiting on a bench, his quill kept moving over his little notebook. The waiting was causing him too much stress and he thought it would be a good idea to distract himself by remembering everything that had happened lately.

On the last mission something very strange happened to me. I've had bizarre, incoherent and even terrifying dreams, but nothing like that had ever happened to me before. What happened wasn't a dream, though. It was very real. A voice spoke to me as I was about to kill William. Everything it told me made me lose control of my powers. I don't remember much of the moment, but I'm frustrated that it ended like that. Wolf had a lot of confidence in me and I failed him.

But there's nothing I can do about it now. The slaves we freed managed to escape the city and we got paid. Now our deed has made its way into every home of this city, even if people don't know our names or our faces. For them, knowing that there is a force opposing the invincible nobles is enough. For me it is more than enough. Contrary to what that voice said, I'm sure Castiel would be proud of me.

Speaking of Castiel... That voice also mentioned something that caught my attention. It said that the only power I should use is the power I inherited from Castiel. But since he died I haven't heard anything about it. It resides in me, it's part of my soul, but I never knew how to awaken it. Maybe Castiel didn't think about it and forgot to tell me? I doubt it, he never forgot anything. He taught me so many things in so many ways that maybe he kept that information from me on purpose. But then... What should I do with my current powers? What are the consequences supposed to be? The questions are piling up and there is no one to answer them. I hope that voice can shed some light on the matter, if it appears again.

The sudden movement of the door of the room where Evie was resting caught Noir's attention. One of the nurses came out with some bloody towels and told him he could come in. Concerned, Noir put away his notebook and hurried to see the love of his life. He felt a stab in his heart when he saw the state she was in. Numerous bandages hid her beautiful skin. Her face was full of bruises and cuts. Some of her hair had been forcibly pulled out. Her happiness was completely absent.

"She has not wanted to talk to anyone since she arrived. Despite her condition she has been mumbling your name all the time. We've only been able to calm her down by telling her you were coming." Wayne accompanied the young woman holding her hand. Noir shyly approached him, tearfully watching his beloved. "She'll wake up any minute. It would be nice if you could talk to her for a while. Come, sit in my chair."

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you for taking care of her." Noir took a seat and was quick to grab Evie's weak hands. His lips rested on her skin for a good while. "I'm so sorry, my love. I have done so much to help others, but I have not been able to help you, my most loved one. I promise this won't stay like this."

Evie's caramel-coloured eyes slowly opened at the sound of Noir's voice. The boy was glad that his girlfriend was able to wake up without much trouble, but his excitement was no match for the emotion Evie felt when she saw him. Tears of joy and sorrow mingled together with a smile she struggled to express. "Noir... You've come... Thank you..."

"Yes, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay with you and take care of you until you can go home." Noir caressed her brown hair. Evie showed some pain because her wounds hadn't healed, but she didn't want to give up the warmth of his hand. "I know this is very sudden, but I need to know all the details of what happened. Tell me everything you can remember."

Evie's smile fell and a worried grimace took its place. "Please don't do anything crazy. I know what you're thinking right now and I don't like it at all. Stay with me and forget all that. Our lives are more important than everything I've lost."

"No, I... I don't plan to do anything. I want to report this to the authorities, nothing more. So that no one else has to suffer this in the future. Do you trust me?" Evie didn't hesitate for a moment to answer yes, but her concern was always going to be there. She knew Noir and how impulsive he could be.

"I don't remember many details of what happened... There were five people, I think one of them was a woman. They wore paper masks and were very tall. They took a long time to decide what they were going to steal from me. But they showed no mercy in beating me. They used sticks and whips. They threw me on the ground and took all my things like a stray dog. They cut off my clothes to humiliate me and..." Evie couldn't hold back the tears. "Going into details won't help much. I remember they had a Laffrithian accent. They looked like nobles in a way. Their clothes might be proof of that."

"That's more than enough for a start. Thank you, Evie. I'll be back soon." Evie's eyes widened further at the sight of Noir leaving her so suddenly. She clutched at his clothes and almost fell off the bed but for Noir reacting in time to catch her. She cried out in pain and slapped him, though with her strength she could barely hurt him. "Evie... What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with you? You said you'd be with me until I could get out of here. You told me you wouldn't take revenge, but your haste proves me otherwise. Why are you always like this? Why must you always take revenge on everyone? You've made the same mistake since Amelia... and I don't want that to happen again."

"You said you'd trust me and you're not. Now we're both lying." They both looked at each other for a moment. Evie sighed and realised that she couldn't beat Noir's stubbornness.

"There's something else besides what I've told you. They also wore a steel badge in the centre of their suits. A red bull with a scar over its right eye. They wanted me to see it directly for some reason." Noir was petrified to hear that last. He returned to the chair in complete silence and stared into nothingness thinking about too many things at once. Evie passed her hand in front of him without getting any reaction. "Are you okay, Noir? Did I say something weird?"

"No... You didn't say anything wrong. Those bastards..." The boy lowered his head and hid his face with his arms. He didn't want Evie to see his expression of anger and sadness. "Somehow they've found me... So you want to play that game? Then I'll have the same mercy I had with William."