Helana's father remained silent. Clad in a long cloak, he moved down the street quickly, weaving past the crowds of people who moved through the bustling city corner. At this time of day, the Indulgence District seemed a lot more populous than when I first arrived—and it was only about twenty minutes ago. I moved forward, under the guise and usefulness of spiritual invisibility.

  I followed Helana's father as he rounded a corner, stepping into a portion of the district much darker than the rest. Overhead, the alleyway was blanketed by cloth and blankets, concealing the area below. They seemed to act as a makeshift roof. The man walked for a little while longer before stopping at a door. He knocked three times in succession.

  The door, embedded into the walls of the alleyway, slowly opened with a creak. Yellow light filtered through the open door, giving it a homey feeling. I quickly followed behind him, but I felt a pang of hesitance. The last time I went somewhere without explicit permission or an idea of the area, I was captured by a malevolent evil creature.

  The door shut in front of me, secluding me from the inside. Luckily, the door had a slit I could use to peer inside. At this moment, I closely acknowledged the condition and material of the door. It was made of metal—rusty and mottled. If I were to make any moves, it would surely screech and whine due to the friction and rust condition.

  Drawing a low, quiet sigh, I pressed my ear to the door, listening closely.

  "Peering where you shouldn't?" A voice sounded in my mind. I turned my head, watching as the Umbridge manifested before me.

  Clad in their illusory black robe, they looked at the metal door and scoffed. "They'll wonder why you're listening."

  I replied with a little hesitancy in my voice. "Something told me I should listen up on this. Helana's father offered me a job, so I should have the right to know as much as I can about a potential boss."

  I listened closer, closing my mouth as I began to concentrate. The thickness of the door made most noises through the wall unable to properly go through, but I could manage to hear a few things. Behind the door, I heard the shuffling of objects, alongside the clinking of drinks. A low laugh echoed, followed by the sound of sipping drinks.

  "A new partner? Tell me more."

  Another voice sounded behind the door, a little deeper than the other one. It sounded like it belonged to a man.

  "He's scrawny, yet he has the formality and manners of a noble. He recently gave my family Katshinese currency, a currency we'll use to do all sorts of things."

  I raised an eyebrow, instinctively pressing further into the door.

  The other voice chuckled. "You're not one to hire children. You know our job would make any young one run away, crying to their mother for protection."

  "It appears you don't truly know the capacity of the heart. We all know deep down, everyone is evil to an extent."

  I heard drinking glasses clink together, a toast to something unknown.

  "You wouldn't hire a kid for no reason. You'd have to bring him here to prove he's of value for this cause of ours. What makes him so special? Can he move nimbly and pick-pocket? Is he one of those people with magical ability and hoo-haa?"

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  At this moment, the room became deathly silent, the only sound permeating was a low, almost conspiratorial whisper.

  "You damn fool. You actually found another one, the type with those fancy horns?"

  A glass abruptly slammed to the ground, the sound of shattering making me flinch slightly. Just then, I heard a loud laugh. The man with the deeper voice—the voice I didn't recognize—scoffed.

  "Are you sure he'd fall for such a lousy trap? You know damn well we don't actually have a job for him, right?"

  "Kids are easy to manipulate. You could tell em' to burn the world down on the promise of a piece of candy. He, on the other hand, is a little older, a little smarter than the usual minority in the kingdom. Someone like that, wandering around with horns on their head like a damn demon, must be eliminated if we are to keep my little kingdom free of pests."

  I stepped back from the door, my eyes widening more as I pressed my back to the wall. My chest rose and fell in succession as I began to hyperventilate. At this moment, the residual effects of the Blood-Moon Charm rushed through me, calming my nerves to a certain extent. I turned to the Umbridge, scoffing.

  "T-those bastards... w-want to do something to me."

  I instantly recalled the words of the post office worker, how the latter had detailed supremacists in the kingdom, those who believed they were the superior race and species. I was still a human, but I had horns on my head. I may look evil, but I surely wasn't. But judging from what they said, they wouldn't care how much I reasoned with them.

  I'd surely be tortured and killed.

  A myriad of thoughts encircled my mind. Just then, an idea washed over me. I could inform the Pollinators of the predicament and have this group arrested. They were powerful, official law enforcers in Seraphis Kingdom; they'd get the job done rather quickly!

  But then, another bone-chilling realization came to mind. I also remembered the concept of the Requiters, those who tortured and killed on behalf of the cause of the Mother Nature church. They could also deem me evil, capture me, and torture me to death. The post office man had described them as heartless, almost mechanical. They didn't care less whether you were a child or an adult. They knew you were evil, and they had their orders.

  Shivering, I turned back to look at the Umbridge. "What should I do?"

  The enigmatic figure, clad in their illusory robe, sighed softly and began to speak. "You can't fight them on your own. If you wish to make a good impression on everyone, including the Pollinators, if they do get involved, refrain from using mystical abilities for the most part."

  "How would I do that?" I asked, feeling puzzled and a little sick in my stomach.

  The Umbridge's eyes lit up with crimson energy. Within their eyes, I could see an aerial view of the kingdom, a position from where I was standing. A string of energy ran through the roads, leading to an ordinary-looking building in the outskirts of the kingdom.

  "Visit them, you'll find someone of interest."

  ...

  At last, the clearing of evergreens passed, allowing Humphrey and Shinso to finally look at something aside from the same trees over and over as they walked. The clearing was wide, a field filled with snow, with the occasional stalk of wheat erecting mere centimeters from the blanket of icy-white. The tall, dark-skinned man put his hands in his pockets as he moved forward, observing the fields with an almost analytical expression.

  "There'd usually be food here to eat, but the snow has piled high and I can't see anything," he commented.

  "Could this be linked to the current economic struggles?" Shinso, catching his breath, asked as he leaned against a tree.

  Humphrey looked back at him, remaining silent for a brief moment. "Perhaps. The agricultural portion of the Pollinators haven't received many reports from the farmers that live out here. We either suspect the weather prevents ample communication, or there's other issues."

  He paused in the center of the field, taking out a small wooden object from his satchel. It was tube-like in shape, and he planted it into the snow. At this moment, the object emitted a faint, radiant green light. Humphrey's eyes suddenly turned an illusory green shade as he mumbled under his breath for a few seconds.

  Shinso watched from the sidelines, crossing his arms over his chest. He tilted his head a little the moment Humphrey's expression regained its lucidity.

  "The snowfall has heavily increased, over a meter in a matter of days. I can see why we've received no reports."

  He looked to the sky, noticing the clouds rolling in overhead. They were dark in color, bordering on iron-black. Humphrey grumbled under his breath, looking back to Shinso.

  "We can either continue this journey and risk being trampled by snow, or we can head back to Seraphis Kingdom. Either option would take us hours."

  "W-we're stopping, now of all times?"

  Humphrey nodded. "Indeed. We can't let the snow pile up higher; we'll freeze to death out here."

  "So... Seekers can freeze to death like normal people?" Shinso couldn't help but feel a ruse of blatant amusement.

  "We can. Just because we have powers doesn't render us invincible. We can gather the rest of your ingredients another day."

  "Damn it," Shinso grumbled.

  The duo began to walk back into the forest, when a sudden sound caught their attention. A low rumble that sounded and shook the trees and leaves, causing birds to scurry from their nests, ascending above the clouds while frantically cawing. Humphrey watched them, his eyes inconspicuously narrowing as he sniffed the air.

  Just then, his eyes widened as he turned around. Before them was a towering creature, its body made of rock, moss, and wood. Two horns, made of discarded deer antlers, were perched atop its head. Its eyes were made of blue crystalline objects, and within its mouth were countless miscellaneous animal teeth. Humphrey took a step back, habitually reaching for his sword and gun.