On January 21st at 11 AM, the Amon HQ was in an uproar. It was no longer a secret that Jacob Raider had organized the coup d'état.

*Toc toc toc* “Come in,” said Jacob. A young woman with green eyes and brown hair that worked for him entered his office. Two guards in dark blue suits followed her.

“I’m sorry Jacob!” she apologized.

Jacob struck his desk and yelled, “Why would you do that? Are you dumb?!”

“It’s because you told me to take care of him by any means…”

“Yes, but by ‘HIM’ I meant Aaron. For your own sake, you better hope that Rico is somehow still alive. Even if his survival isn’t crucial for my plan’s success, he’d be a great pawn!”

He looked at the guards. “Take her to a cell! If it turns out you killed Rico, I will personally execute you!” Of course, Rico and Aaron had survived the fall, but he would have to wait a couple of hours before finding that out.

The woman got carried out of the office. “Jacob! Your schemes won’t stay hidden for long! Sooner or later, the Democratic Alliance WILL catch you!” The door was shut.

…

A few hours later, in the northern part of the Amon guild, Aaron woke up on a mattress and found himself in a blue patient gown. “Where am I? Oh, right. Rico and I managed to survive by grappling to a building and Miss Han…

“We must be in a hospital right now. We were both badly injured after crashing into that window, but, I no longer feel hurt at all.”

Rico was sleeping next to him on another bed.

Aaron checked to see how much he had recuperated. “Uh! only about 20% of my mana has refilled”

For Aaron, it would normally take about 8 hours of good and healthy sleep to refill his mana. Mana only refills when entering deep sleep. Aaron could tell it had only been at most 3 hours since the bus fell.

“Huh?!” Looking towards the hallway, Aaron saw a mask peaking inside the room. It was half green and half brown.

The mask grinned. “So you’re awake! I don’t think I need to explain what I am about to do here then.”

“Zomb!” Aaron recognized his uncle’s murderer.

Zomb took out a golden knife. “You should have killed me back at your uncle’s house!”

He was being cautious. The illusionist knew that they had picked up the firearm that he had left behind.

Aaron thought. “Oh no. The last time, I only managed to injure him since I took him by surprise. I have a bit of mana, but I don't know how to use magic very well.”

He took a deep breath. “Wait, this is probably not his real body.”

Zomb approached him, wondering why Aaron stood still. “Hey, what are you doing? Also, where is the gun that you stole from me?”

As soon as Zomb said that, another voice appeared from the corner of the room. To Aaron’s right, a man was sitting on a small bench. He was wearing fine dark clothes and a blue beanie. His name was Marc. He was bald and had grey eyebrows and golden eyes which glowed blue when using mana since he was a water elemental mage.

“It’s right here,” he answered.

Marc pointed the blue pistol at Zomb, stood up, and shot. However, just like Aaron suspected, Zomb was an illusion.

The bullet passed through his dissipating body and struck a wall. “Where did he go? The bullet passed right through him!” Marc was shocked. He firmly held the gun in his right hand and carefully listened for any strange noise.

*Woosh* Zomb appeared behind him with a knife. Zomb waved his arm upwards and began progressing the knife towards Marc’s head. In a flash, Marc halted Zomb’s arm motion over his shoulder and shot a bullet, but missed. Zomb still landed a punch on his ribs, though Marc reduced the damage by hardening his muscles.

At that instant, Marc turned his body 180 degrees and tried to hit him back with momentum. Zomb dashed backwards, then poked at the air with his golden knife while Marc avoided it.

*Skchhh!* A stream of water came out of Marc’s left hand and his eyes turned blue. “I can’t stall this, I’ll need to use magic!”

At the room’s entrance, one of Zomb’s partners, Crow, decided to intervene. Transforming his legs into air currents, he quickly flew towards Marc.

*Shwap!* Marc was repelled onto the wall so fast that tens of cracks appeared.

Marc dropped the pistol to the ground. His hands, his arms, his back and his head were hurting.

He coughed blood, then wiped his mouth with his left sleeve. “Fine then. Both of you, come at me!” Marc’s eyes glowed blue again. He wasn’t going to get beaten so effortlessly.