The room felt too small for a moment like this.
Lian Ye sat on a narrow wooden chair, the legs slightly uneven, making it creak under even the smallest shift of his weight. His fingers couldn't stay still—tapping, rubbing, dragging across the edges of the seat. Every movement was an attempt to calm the thundering inside his chest. It didn't work. His thumb kept circling around the bone of his wrist, brushing where the thin bruise from the train tracks had faded.
He hated how quiet the room was.
He hated the way his own breathing sounded loud enough to expose him.
Across from him, Suyin leaned against a desk cluttered with guns, lighters, cigarettes, files, and a tablet that flickered every few seconds. The man's expression was a strange mix of boredom and sharp attention, like he was listening to three conversations at once while pretending to focus only on Lian Ye.
Suyin flicked a glance at Lian Ye's restless hands.
"You'll wear off your fingerprints at this rate," he said casually.
Lian Ye froze for half a second before forcing himself to stop fidgeting. It only lasted two seconds before his fingers started tapping again.
Suyin sighed. "Relax. You look like someone's about to tell you they've discovered nine new taxes."
Lian Ye didn't laugh. His throat felt tight.
That was when Suyin finally pushed himself off the desk and stepped closer.
"Look," he said, softer than usual. "There's no need to be so nervous. This process is meant to show you what's already inside you. Nothing here is trying to hurt you."
Lian Ye swallowed. "...Right."
He didn't believe him—not fully. But Suyin didn't call him out on it.
Instead, he placed two fingers on Lian Ye's forehead.
A soft warmth seeped through Lian Ye's skin.
"Deep breath."
Lian Ye inhaled.
The world dimmed.
"Good," Suyin murmured. "Sleep."
And like a cord being cut, his consciousness slipped under.
---
Darkness didn't hit him—it flowed in, quietly, like ink drifting through water.
Then the world formed around him.
A street stretched ahead, narrow, dusty, and familiar in a way that hurt. Faded signboards hung from old shops. The smell of warm bread and iron lingered, but not a single person was in sight. Even the wind felt like it was holding its breath.
Lian Ye turned slowly.
I know this place… why do I know this place?
He took a step forward, shoes scraping against the stone tiles—and that tiny sound echoed like a shout in an empty hall.
The silence shattered.
A sharp presence cut through the air behind him.
Before he could think, his body reacted—turning, raising an arm.
A bullet shot out of thin air.
The invisible projectile sliced through the shadows, hitting something with a dull thud. A figure staggered back, blurred, featureless, collapsing into dust that dissolved before it touched the ground.
Lian Ye stared at his own hand.
"What…?"
A gunless shot?
A bullet made of air—pressure, force, instinct?
Before he could process, the street twisted again.
This time, broken buildings appeared—shifting, stacking on top of one another, like the dream was stitching pieces of memory and imagination without caring if they fit.
From the rooftops, multiple attackers leaped at him.
His body moved before his mind could keep up.
He ducked. Slid. Spun. Dodged an incoming strike with the kind of reaction speed he'd never had awake.
He weaved through blows like he'd trained for years—yet he knew he hadn't.
Another figure rushed from the left, blade aimed for his throat.
Lian Ye's hand reached out—reflexively.
Light shimmered.
A thin blade slashed his chest cutting through his clothes and slashing into his chest but he jumped back instantly to try stop the bleeding but was shocked. His skin wasn't even scratched.
But the dream didn't give him time to analyze.
More figures approached—blurry, faceless, unreal.
But as fast as they appeared, the dream began to tear itself apart, dissolving into white.
Something—someone unseen—seemed to hold back the rest of the dream, as if refusing to reveal the full truth.
A ringing sound echoed.
The world unraveled.
And Lian Ye woke up.
---
Back to Reality
His eyes opened slowly.
The first thing he felt was… calm.
Not normal calm.
A strange, unnatural calm—as if someone had poured cool water through his veins and washed out the panic.
He blinked, adjusting to the dim light of the room. Suyin was seated again, legs crossed, scribbling casually in a notebook.
"You're back," Suyin said without looking up.
Lian Ye sat up. "...Yeah."
"Well?" Suyin asked, eyes finally meeting his. "What did you see?"
Lian Ye took a breath.
He couldn't say everything.
He shouldn't say everything.
The dream wasn't supposed to be fully understood—not yet.
So he spoke slowly, choosing his words with care.
"I saw… three things."
Suyin raised a brow.
"First… I think I can heal myself. Not anything big, I think, but—I couldn't feel the wounds on me."
"Mm." Suyin noted it down.
"Second… I shot something."
He hesitated.
"Not with a gun. With air."
Suyin's writing slowed.
"And third," Lian Ye continued, "I moved fast. Fast enough to dodge something like bullets."
Silence settled between them.
Suyin stared at him—calm, but unimpressed in a way that made Lian Ye feel like his explanation was the least believable lie ever spoken.
"That's it?" Suyin asked flatly.
"…Yes."
A pause.
Then Suyin leaned back, placing the notebook down.
"Fine." Tel suyin said but he still looked like he didn't fully trust Lian ye, like he knew Lian ye was lying to him but chose to brush it off.
Lian Ye's shoulders tensed.
"But," Suyin added, pointing a finger at him, "I should warn you—your abilities won't stabilize for a few days. Until then, you're under observation."
He turned slightly, lifting a hand toward someone standing quietly behind him.
"Your partner will watch you."
Lian Ye turned.
Rin Shen stood at the door, one hand in his pocket, the other holding an apple-flavored candy he was unwrapping with unnecessary care. His white hair fell slightly over his green eyes, which calmly studied Lian Ye as if trying to read every thought.
Suyin gestured. "Rin Shen. Make it official."
Rin Shen flicked the candy into his mouth and stepped forward.
"I'm Rin Shen," he said lazily. "We met earlier but I guess this is the proper introduction."
Lian Ye nodded.
Suyin waved them off. "You two can go. Rin Shen—give him the rundown."
Rin Shen jerked his chin toward the door, signaling Lian Ye to follow.
---
The hallway outside was dim, lit only by a few flickering wall lamps. Rin Shen walked ahead, hands behind his head, whistling softly.
Lian Ye walked beside him, waiting for him to speak.
It didn't take long.
"Alright," Rin Shen said, "let's start with the basics. You're in the Freedom Order. Our area is one of the more… chaotic branches."
"Chaotic?" Lian Ye echoed.
"Yeah." Rin shrugged. "Freedom Order lets people do what they want. Which is cool until everyone's 'doing what they want' at the same time and someone ends up losing a limb."
They turned a corner.
"Rule one," Rin said, lifting a finger, "You can do whatever you want as long as you don't do it under the faction's name or the name they give you. You play hero or villain? Your business. Just don't drag us into it."
"Okay…"
"Rule two," Rin continued, "Don't kill other members of our faction while using the faction name. Not unless you wanna be killed by the faction ."
"…Right."
"Rule three: everyone has a partner. That's me, until you learn how keep yourself from dying alone or you become a captain and choose to work alone."
"Anyway," Rin continued, "about the structure. Freedom Order has five main factions."
He held up a hand, counting them off.
"One: Assassin Faction. Straightforward—people who kill for a living."
"Two: Informant Faction. The eyes and ears of the order. They know too much and say too little."
"Three: Misfit Faction. That's us. People with incompatible abilities, mixed background, or who didn't get to join any other faction. The misfit faction gets us before other factions can."
"Four: Mind Faction. weirdos who mess with thoughts, illusions, or subconscious stuff. Vice captain Tel suyin is from there."
"And five: Inner Faction. The leadership. All the captains report to them."
They reached a wider hallway, this one more lively—people moving in and out of rooms, some training, some arguing, some eating at a bench.
Lian Ye's eyes drifted around.
"Hey." Rin nudged him. "Don't worry. You'll get used to all this."
Lian Ye looked at him. "What about your abilities?"
Rin stopped walking.
His expression shifted—calmer, more serious.
"I control poison and explosions," he said. "Anything toxic, gaseous, corrosive, or destructive."
Lian Ye looked to the side as if not wanting to make eye contact if Rin Shen was to turn back instantly. "That sounds… strong."
"It is," Rin said. "But it has a price." He tapped the white tips of his hair.
"The more I use it, the more poison builds up in my body. My hair and eyes go back to their original colors when it gets bad. Eventually I get weak. Hard to breathe. Hard to stay awake."
Lian Ye stared. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"It is," Rin said simply. "Every few weeks I have to go through a full treatment—drip, injections, the whole thing."
He shrugged lightly. "But that's the job. We all pay something."
They walked again, slower this time.
Rin shoved his hands in his pockets. "Anyway, you'll learn more once your ability stabilizes. For now, you stick with me, and don't do anything stupid."
"…I wasn't planning on it." Rin Shen looked at him then turns back "Good. Keep it that way."