Something exploded, and the door swung open, but it was still whole. Karina looked at May, puzzled by the sight, but Wren jumped ahead, out of the room. The man knew that being cornered in the room could be the worst scenario possible. In the hall, they at least had a small chance of being able to run.

  Karina and May followed Wren into the hall. They needed to give the boy some support if they wanted to have any chance of surviving. Out of the room, two figures wore long black capes as they stood tall. One of the figures stood ahead and spoke.

  "Oh, finally, finally! We're all here!" A high-pitched voice gave Karina chills. "I wanted to knock and be polite and all that stuff. But my friend here, oh, he's anxious. Right, Moritz?"

  "Shut up, you filthy lady." The other figure answered with a low voice, filled with anger.

  Wren stood in front of Karina and May, as he wanted to protect them. He was a rank above, so it was his responsibility. Especially after everything wrong with the mission.

  "Who are you?" He shouted to the figures. "And what the hell are you doing? Aren't you afraid of exposure?"

  The mysterious figure, the one who spoke first, came forward. She pushed her cape back, and it revealed her to be a young woman. Not older than Karina and May. Her hair was cut in a bizarre way, with long locks intertwined with short ones. It was key lime green. It made the girl have a punk appearance. She wore a goth-like makeup on her face, and her eyes were as wide as possible.

  "We're disciples, I'm Bianka. We serve our one and only master, right, Moritz?"

  The other figure stepped ahead and pulled his cape back, too. He was a middle-aged man with a dark complexion. His eyes were fiery red, and the lack of hair on his head was compensated by the curious design of his eyebrows - they were shaped in circles and stylized.

  "You filthy, nasty woman. I don't think I should repeat myself to you."

  But the woman laughed, uncontrollably, and hugged her own belly. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. It was like the man had told her the greatest joke of all time. Once she stopped laughing, Wren asked again:

  "I still don't get who you are, and who is your master. But I will ask once again, aren't you afraid of the exposition?"

  This time, the woman didn't laugh, but she had a malicious smile on her face.

  "Should I be afraid? Would I be cuter as a scared little girl?" She looked right in Wren's eyes. "I don't have to worry if no one's here. And even if someone did-"

  "You should shut your mouth, woman. You speak too much, you might end up revealing more than you should."

  The woman put her hand on her mouth. Her eyes even wider, her mouth formed an 'O' shape. But something in her expression was excessively exaggerated to be genuine.

  "Let's get it over with." The woman said. "I guess you probably know by now that we already know about you three. And everything you've been doing here. You think you were the smart ones? You don't know how wrong you were. But that is something you won't have to wait too much to discover."

  The mysterious man, Moritz, was about to say something again. But he decided to remain silent this time.

  "I don't know what you're talking about. But if you get out of our way, we promise to leave this place without giving you trouble."

  "Don't you think it's too late for that, little Wren?" Bianka said, her voice even sharper than before. "Oh, don't be so surprised, I told you, we already know everything. And if I may add, you never had the option to leave. From the moment you decided to step inside here, you closed the door behind you."

  "I must say, since you already seem to know a lot. The disappearance of three hunters will not go unnoticed by the Agency."

  "Oh, that little and cute Agency of yours. Do you think they scare us? You don't even know how deep in trouble you are. It's they who should be scared of us."

  "You take too much time explaining frivolous things, woman. You should make your point." Moritz said, and he tapped his foot on the ground.

  For the first time, the woman seemed annoyed with the man. She rolled her eyes back and gestured behind.

  May observed the situation, and she tried to grasp how much magical power the people in front of her had. But she wasn't able to feel it. She was sure they had magic because they had made that explosion on the door. Also, May felt the pressure, the kind of sensation only a strong magical flow could produce.

  Bianka bounced back and forth with a smile on her face.

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  "Oh, looks like someone is trying to figure us out. Poor little girls, your use of magic is so rough. It's so easy to read your intentions."

  May stood silent for a moment before she looked at Karina.

  "I don't know what I did wrong. I simply tried to grasp her magical power."

  Karina didn't have time to answer before Bianka interjected.

  "I wouldn't say it's something you did wrong." The other girl laughed. "I would say it's more what you didn't do right."

  "May, don't pay attention to her. She's completely delusional. I bet there's some trick related to this place."

  It seemed that Bianka was about to say something, but Moritz stepped in front of her.

  "You were about to speak what you shouldn't, woman. Once again. If it weren't for the master, I swear I would have already smashed your brains out."

  "Oh, Moritz. You should know better than anyone else that I'm just playing. What would I be without a little fun? You're always so serious."

  "I like doing my duty in a professional way."

  May, Karina, and Wren observed the banter; the three of them thought about ways they could escape. If they tried running in the other direction in the hall. There would be a chance they could get away from the two people. If they took into account where the hall led, they would soon find themselves in the main entrance.

  But deep down, Wren knew they wouldn't be able to run. No, that idea was delusional. He wasn't a fool. He could tell how strong the two people in front of him were. Even if the three of them fight against only one of the duo, they would probably lose.

  It was then that he decided something, in a split second. Wren couldn't trust that his plan would go unnoticed. Not if they could read the trio movements before they even execute them. So, the only chance they had was putting all their money on the surprise factor. He hoped that as soon as he attacked, May and Karina would understand the plan. The girls would have to run, while he served as a distraction. He didn't know what would be of him, but that was their only chance. Once the girls were out of this damn place, they could report to the Agency and bring support.

  Wren jumped; he used the wind to propel himself forward. He gathered gusts in his fists, and he was ready to punch full force into the man. Somehow, he felt that between the two, the man was the stronger one. At least by how he kept threatening his companion.

  Everything happened so fast that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to distinguish what had happened. In a second, the man's eyes focused on Wren; he was angry. With a single hand, he stopped Wren's attack.

  "They're quite bold, Moritz. I thought the people at the Agency would be more careful. But I guess they don't make hunters like before."

  Wren tried to move, but something about the man was magnetic. His magical energy pulled the hunter in. With his other hand open, Moritz knocked Wren with full force into the ground. Karina screamed.

  "Wren! Are you okay? What did you do to him?" She tried to run, to get to her friend. But May grabbed her arm.

  "Didn't you watch what happened? If you try to go there, they will knock you down, too."

  "Hey, little girl, you should listen to your friend." Bianka laughed hysterically.

  "I guess this will help teach you manners. To stop and listen when someone is talking to you, young man."

  In the ground, Wren fought for air. Breathing had become a torture, and he felt like he was about to faint.

  "See, woman? I hate dealing with brats like you. But I would never disobey a command given by the master. No, I know better than that. And this will teach them not to take me lightly, to not think even for a second that they can fool me and get out of here."

  Bianka pouted, her face pinkish, when she said:

  "But I'm a good girl, I'm not a brat. I'm the most faithful to the master. He knows how far I'd go for him. That's why he trusts me with the most important missions."

  Karina, still frozen in place, in shock, wasn't able to say anything.

  "What do you want from us? We promise we're going to collaborate and won't do anything. Please, spare our friend." May said, and even though she trembled, she tried to sound as diplomatic as possible.

  Moritz focused his red eyes on May, like he was trying to read her. Whatever conclusion he gathered from it, it made a shadow of a smile appear on his face.

  "You're smart, young woman. You know when to listen and how to answer. But please don't be worried, although my anger may mask some things about me. I wouldn't kill your friend. At least not right now, and not when the Master needs the three of you."

  Bianka got in front of Moritz before he kept speaking.

  "Hey, I told you before. I wanted to be the one telling them."

  "You're too slow, woman. I think I prefer being more objective."

  "But that's not cool. What's the fun of a mission if you can't play a little?"

  "Missions are not your playground. They're a means to get the Master closer to his goals and dreams."

  "And who said we can't do that without having a little fun?"

  "I don't like your kind of fun. And you, Blondie, I would advise you not to do what you're thinking of doing. You'll just end up lying on the ground like your friend here. And I guess by now you should be well aware of our capacities and yours."

  Karina, terrified, gave a step back. May hadn't even noticed how tense her friend's muscles were. Like she was about to leap forward.

  "Now that's so much better. You see, unlike your friend here, though, I'm not here to fight. At least not yet. The Master is a very good man, but also very methodical. He's been keeping up with your little antics here, and he finds everything amusing. He spoke to his disciples, Why not give you a chance? You've been fighting so hard for it, you earned it, or so he said." The man gestured with his hands. "And the Master said, 'No, let them come to me, let them try. If they're able to, I'm sure to grant them an audience. I shall give them all their answers.' And who was I to disagree with the Master? To not let you ants run in the hands of giants."

  Bianka, who had been quiet for a moment, gave a step ahead, a grin on her face, while she said:

  "That gives you girls, and your friend here on the ground, a chance. To comply with the orders or to try and fight. I guess it's not that hard to decide, is it?"