Blake Black, manager of Zalcien's branch of the Black, one of the countless heirs of one of the most infamous cursed families, was currently loudly chewing popcorn scooped up from a bowl placed on his lap, his back and behind resting on the devilishly comfortable throne-like seat of his desk, turned to face the hybrid of a magic mirror and screen that occupied all of one of the four walls of his office. The said wall was currently displaying VictoryTV, one of the local channels, more specifically their broadcast Zalcien Views. The black humanoid on the screen was impossible to miss, and even harder to misidentify for those familiar with him.

"Ah, Silhouette made a name of himself earlier than I thought."

The celestial entity standing next to him, a creature twice as tall as he was standing with porcelain-like skin covered by a white toga and wings of silver feathers, spoke up.

"Should this be considered as a setback to your plan, master?"

The young heir turned to his faceless assistant with a smile as he shook his head.

"No, do not worry, Nanyet. Our new friend making waves was expected, and if anything getting in the good graces of the media is a wonderful thing. It's hard to label someone as a bloodthirsty monster when they're willing to have an interview."

"I believe many would agree to call Sir Sylvester such a thing, and yet he was gladly accepting to discuss with journalists."

"I said it was hard, not impossible. Besides, you know what I meant: this is proof Silhouette isn't a beast, but a person. That goes a long way, trust me."

"If you say so, master."

"Not to mention, people will now believe he was about to repel Abrakaboom, one way or another. That should be enough to keep the petty criminals at bay for a while, and to worry the big shots enough to wait a little longer to see if it was a fluke."

"Was it, master?"

"Well... Alright, I knew he would try something, and I knew despite his mental state he'd be intelligent enough to prioritize saving his missing friend over ending our shadowy friend. I didn't think he'd make such a show of teaching Silhouette a lesson though. Not that it matters, few are those who could rightly guess what happened."

"I cannot deny the sense of curiosity that comes to mind regarding Silhouette's thoughts on the matter. Do you not fear he might see the lack of assistance as a betrayal on your part?"

The Black shrugged before throwing a single piece from his bowl into his mouth.

"Eh, he's smart enough to know I couldn't do much. I already gave him the lecture about power plays back on that day on the Block. I already have to go faster in greasing hands for his business thanks to that TV stunt, I'll throw him something nice in as well. What I'm more worried about is the little bird that put their beak where they shouldn't."

"The alchemist. They are intriguing. They chose to ally with the enemy of their group, and yet there was no retaliation, no doubt."

"Mercury is a tricky one. I can't do much against them, we are one of their contracted proxies after all. I can't cut ties or taunt them into doing it without serious repercussions, not to mention the angry clients that would follow suit. As for Wicked Witchcraft, they won't do anything to their golden goose. They need that elixir of youth. At worst, they'll keep the alchemist confined to their lab for a while, but they won't have the manpower to keep doing that for long."

"The Hivines and the Empress' machines have already begun moving, forcing the wielders of magic to revise their resource usage. But what is it you worry might happen, master? The alchemist has yet to betray their own, aside from their preparations for new accommodations when the end comes."

Blake picked up an unpopped kernel from the bowl with a scowl, and gently threw it to the towering celestial who easily caught it in one of their hands.

"That old bird has been around for too long. You don't get to survive stuff like that multiple times by being a good fellow, especially not alone."

Nanyet lifted the solid piece of plant life to the halo of flowing mercury above their featureless head and let it drop in the moving liquid metal.

"You fear they have ulterior motives."

"I know they do. What I'm afraid of is how necessary Silhouette being alive and free is to their scheme."

Mercury, alchemist extraordinaire, observed the fantastical sight before them. Here, deep underground, surrounded by pipes of all sizes and materials, including some translucent enough to reveal the colorful liquids and gasses running through them, they were free to do as they pleased. This small section of their greater lab was off-limits to the unauthorized, only their most trusted assistants and workers were allowed to gaze upon the master of potions' latest experiment. Those they knew for a fact wouldn't dream of betraying them, and not even the other members of the cabal's council couldn't sway them.

Speaking of, the scientist could feel the telltale sign of mana gathering close by, not for a spell, but for a specific being to take shape. They called out to one of those standing in the room alongside them and ordered the worker to go fetch their guest from the only place in the entire complex capable of letting them teleport through. None of the others questioned the order and simply obeyed when their leader had them obfuscate the glass they had been viewing their latest project through.

Before long, the human dressed in white clothes came back, accompanied by a being composed of transparent blue light taking on a human shape, though devoid of details other than the simplistic silhouette.

"Ether, it is always a pleasure to you dear."

"Get your interns out of here."

"Of course, of course. We will continue this discussion alone, everyone."

The workers complied, simply bowing to their masked superior before leaving the two behind.

"We need to talk, Mercury."

"Indeed!"

"We can't find Abrakaboom. He doesn't register on any of our detectors. And that Silhouette guy is still alive, and talked to journalists."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I am aware. Contrary to popular belief, I know how to operate more than alchemy equipment and am familiar with moving picture shows."

"Now isn't the time for messing around, Mercury. We know you went to see that shadow guy."

"I do believe I made my intent rather clear when I left our last meeting, yes."

"The others are worried you gave him something to use against Abrakaboom. Something that worked."

"Ether, dear, if I had the means to strike down foes on the same level as our beloved figurehead, we wouldn't need him in the first place. All I gave our dark friend was a free sample of my de-aging elixir and a simple brew that would at worst erase the drive for vengeance of the pyromaniac. Besides, failing to locate someone doesn't equal their demise dear."

The aethereal being paused.

"You said something like that about Runar. You know what's going on."

"I had a little theory. Abrakaboom's disappearance leads me to believe I was right."

"Mercury, stop with the riddles. We need to know what's going on."

"Runar was a survivor. He wasn't the sort of fellow to fight to the bitter end. Either he was killed before he could flee, or he used one of those teleportation crystals he took with him when he left. All of his holdings are in Zalcien, so the fact he hasn't reemerged yet leads me to think he was either too weakened, or his escape was sabotaged. Ether, dear, you are the expert here. What are the consequences of meddling with a teleportation crystal before usage?"

The humanoid of light took a step back out of shock.

"Runar got displaced, and Abrakaboom went looking for him."

"Exactly! His visit to Silhouette was merely a way to vent his frustration and verify this line of thought. By now he's probably on some grand quest between the realms and dimensions to find his lost friend."

"Which means we're defenseless. The Empress and the Biflora are going to annihilate us."

"Do not forget the Blood Angels and the other upstarts, dear! However, it will take some time before a true extermination campaign begins. It wouldn't be the first time our beloved exploding enthusiast becomes discreet for an extended period, and we still would put up enough of a fight to weaken any attacking party enough for them to become easy prey for the others. They will wait to be sure he is truly gone and for our members to realize this and run."

The echoey voice of Ether rang out with an accusatory tone.

"Like you are doing now?"

The alchemist looked at their colleague in silence before chuckling.

"Ether, dear. You all knew me before I joined this merry band. I am as much of a survivor as Runar. Wicked Witchcraft will fall, and I am preparing my future in accordance. Tell me, do you truly wish to lay down your life for them? Or would you rather join me for a brighter future?"

"I don't need your potions."

"I know, dear, I know. It simply means we can work on equal footing, no dependency on either side."

"What of the others? You'd leave them to die?"

"Dear, they are free to make their own choices. I simply offer to keep collaborating once this cabal is done. Besides, you are the most sensible one of the lot. You do not have that lust for power the others share, nor that greed. We are both creators, ever seeking to improve our craft and reach greater heights."

"..."

"You are free to refuse now and reconsider later dear. We both have the lifespan to afford some time to think."

"Does your offer extend to the others too?"

"I won't push away those who wish to continue working together. I simply won't offer the same degree of trust as I show you, dear."

"I didn't know you thought so highly of me, Mercury.

"Oh, dear, you are far too harsh on yourself. Say, I have a little something I could show as a token of trust, so long as it is kept secret."

Ether's curiosity was picked, especially now after the alchemist's praises. And, as unhinged as they could be, they rarely disappointed with their works.

"Fine. What is it?"

The masked figure chuckled in their robe before stepping to the side and pulling down a lever. In turn, the veil that had robbed the wall of glass before the duo of its translucence disappeared, revealing what lay on the other side. The being of light's hand went to cover a non-existent mouth, magical senses running wild at the discovery of what Mercury wished to show.

There, in a different room, was a small black something. A wriggling shadow escaping from the ground to become a solid something, like a worm digging through layers of reality. It was minuscule, barely the length of a teen's pinkie finger, and yet its Aspects shone through the glass: each of those nine primordial forces was present in this little creature, a feat that even the greatest minds thought impossible. It simply dangled from the ground, dancing to a random pattern without any thought distinguishable or logic. It also reeked of dark energies, its shadow mana potent enough for Ether to struggle differentiating it from the thing's physical body.

"Mercury, what the hell is that?"

"I would love to claim it as my work, but it would be nothing but deception on my part. This, dear, is a sample I recovered during my visit, more specifically while our beloved Abrakaboom was busy having fun with his detonations."

"Silhouette."

"Indeed! I am quite curious as to the identity of his creator, but it wouldn't do to inquire now. The grown specimen has not fully mastered its abilities, but it shares the same potential as this figment. Well, they are technically one and the same. Were it not for the ego-affecting enchantments laid about, it would still be trying to reunite with the rest of his body. I am currently working on a way to discriminate it from the rest of his soul after a small incident in a cloning test, but even if we should fail, well... There are more applications for such a discovery than clones and homunculi, no?"

Ether couldn't look away from the black thing mindlessly wiggling in the other room.

"Do you see now, dear? Change is on the horizon, and this, this is our guarantee of a brighter tomorrow."

As he finished watching the little reportage about him those journalists put together, James only had one thing in mind.

I just hope this doesn't bring unwanted attention.

After surviving his encounter with Abrakaboom, he wasn't all there. The experience was incredibly taxing, and he had been knocked for at least a day after the duo left, having only woken up an hour earlier, that short time being spent reassuring his children and catching up on what his forces had been up to without him. Not much, admittedly, without any ongoing war with a crime lord things were rather simple.

Well, while he would have preferred being more clear-headed to handle any interview, and although he likely would have asked his two visitors to come back later down the line when he was better prepared, he wasn't fully unsatisfied with his performance. He sounded more cold than confident, and he couldn't deny that he looked rather suspicious on the screen. Still, he didn't come across as threatening, and hopefully, people would be curious enough about his wares to come and take a look once he opened. Happy customers would then go on to be much better advertisers than he was. He was a pizza delivery boy in his previous life, not a marketing expert.

Well, journalism aside, James also had to look back on his encounter with one of the three most powerful Villains in Zalcien: Abrakaboom, supposedly the greatest wizard in town. He had toyed with him with ease and even the deus ex machina he had been given by his unsettling would-be ally had done nothing. Hell, even the primitive immortality potion he had been gifted had been destroyed in the fight, if the beatdown could be called a fight at all.

Not that he would have risked using the concoction in the first place. The dependency it created, if everything he had been told was true, was enough to make him distrust it, and he had no doubt there was more that went unsaid. He wasn't about to trust the magic drink a stranger gave him, doubly so when said stranger was also an important figure in a criminal organization, no matter how polite they had been when they met.

To go back to the fight itself, he considered himself lucky there had been no damage to his soul. Getting blown up over and over was a painful experience, but at least after a long rest, everything was fine. He wondered if this result was because the mage did not share the ability to damage the mind and soul the demon Sydakors had, or if perhaps Abrakaboom had been sparing him. Considering the fact the most agonizing strikes were those flashes of light he only used on James when he stopped trying to resist, it wasn't impossible.

Was there anything James could have done differently? Not really. Not as he was now. Nothing he could do even phased the man. Judging by his parting words, not even the Techzooka would have been all that effective.

He had done his best to become stronger, and he still was working on improving itself, but that visit completely threw his current objective out the window. He knew monsters like Abrakaboom were few, but one of them was already interested in him, and it was possible the others would follow suit. He needed to be better.

Abrakaboom could have razed the facility, and that would have killed the ratlings.

James' need for an apartment away from his workplace rose higher on his to-do list. It already was one of his priorities since it was a necessary requirement for their schooling, but things were growing dire.

Thankfully, there was a bit of good news for him. Wonderful words that came from his phone, spoken in that harsh Draskian accent.

"Mister Silhouette? Come to the basement, please. I believe the new reactor is ready for a test.