7:10 p.m. Forgenate District, an overgrown abandoned building.
Zavi crawled along the wall to the right of the entrance, while Ren stayed to the left, observing the situation as he waited for instructions from the woman who had spoken to him earlier.
Two minutes later, an explosion erupted from inside the building. Black smoke billowed out through two rusted chimneys. The next blast sent out a shockwave, shattering a row of glass windows above the entrance.
The sound of breaking glass rang sharply. Zavi, standing beneath it, reflexively looked up, staring at the small shards about to rain down on him.
He leaped sideways on instinct, his body slamming into the thick grass and crushing it beneath him.
Glass fragments scattered into the creeping vines that clung to the building's walls. Zavi's eyes widened; the vines glowed beautifully, emitting a soft blue light between their leaves.
Before he could appreciate the strange glow, he heard a cold whisper from his brother, ordering him to follow immediately.
Ren sprinted along the left side of the building, with Zavi close behind, heading toward a small staircase leading to the upper floor.
The moment their feet touched the second floor, another explosion thundered through the air. This one was far louder than before, powerful enough to make the occupants scream in unison. Zavi halted abruptly, as did Ren on the first step.
"Look over there!" Zavi exclaimed in shock. He pointed toward the road.
From where they stood, they saw a line of lanterns approaching, a trail of light following the path toward the bush-covered building, a place that should have been abandoned.
Unbeknownst to them, a group of robed figures was hiding inside, holding several residents hostage.
Ren clicked his tongue in irritation. He realized that the woman's actions had drawn too much attention. He turned and signaled Zavi to follow him at once.
As fast as possible. They had to free the hostages before it was too late.
They exchanged glances, then continued upward. They were almost at the top. The door to the second floor stood open, and they entered, walking along a dim iron corridor with only faint light seeping through cracks in the walls.
Ren slipped a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it open. A small flame appeared, illuminating part of the narrow corridor to the left and the dark space below them.
They kept moving, despite the darkness and the rising heat in the air as they advanced.
Soon, they saw a bright light ahead. Ren froze at the sight, quickly shoving his hand back into his coat, gripping his pistol tightly, ready to draw it.
Zavi was slightly startled when he realized Ren had a pistol in his pocket, something neither he nor their family knew about. He let out a small laugh, choosing to watch what Ren would do next.
The light drew closer, and ten seconds later, they arrived. Ren pocketed the lighter in his left coat pocket and surveyed the room before him.
The room was spacious enough to host a party of a hundred people. The building had once belonged to one of the most influential nobles in the Kingdom of Norn, though it had been abandoned for more than eight years.
At the far right stood a massive iron door over two meters tall. In front of it were two guards, watching the hostages while keeping the room under surveillance.
Elsewhere, their companions were still occupied with the explosions caused by the woman Ren had sent earlier.
A large chandelier hung firmly from the ceiling. Old bookshelves and cabinets draped in cobwebs lined part of the room.
Ren drew his pistol without hesitation. He checked every corner before executing his plan. He did not spare a thought for how his sister or mother might question where he had obtained the gun.
Unnoticed by him, Zavi watched with an odd smile. He had been curious ever since his first direct conversation with Ren and was eager to see what he would do next.
They waited for the right moment to strike. Half a minute later, after quietly discussing their roles.
Ren ordered Zavi to stay put and wait for instructions. He would handle the two guards, while Zavi would free the hostages and lead them out of the building.
From the perspective of the hostages and the two robed guards, Ren was confident they were unaware of his presence. The chandelier's light did not reach the corridor, allowing him to act with ease.
He chuckled softly, raised his pistol toward the ceiling, aiming at the chandelier. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The room plunged into chaos. Panic erupted among the hostages, echoed by the shouts of the two robed guards.
From the corridor, Ren leaped down without pause, aiming his pistol directly at the panicking guards.
In the darkness, with only moonlight and starlight filtering in, Ren could see clearly.
Unlike Zavi, the hostages and the guards could not. Sensing something wrong, one guard rushed to the door, intending to alert the others.
Ren's lips twitched. Without hesitation, he shot the guard's hand as it grasped the doorknob.
Bang! Bang!
A scream followed, fresh blood dripping slowly, forming a small pool beneath him.
"Damn it! Where are you? You want to die?" the other robed guard shouted, sweeping his gaze through the darkness.
Ren darted sideways, searching for space to return fire.
Bang!
The shot rang out, this time aimed upward. Meanwhile, from the corridor, Zavi heard the instructions Ren had given earlier.
He wanted to jump, but hesitated for a moment. With no other choice, Zavi leaped recklessly from the corridor to the floor nearly ten meters below.
Thud!
His shoes scraped against the ground, producing a sharp sound. With the room now dark, his vision was limited.
However, he remembered that the hostages were gathered on the left side of the room. After a brief pause, Zavi moved carefully, hands feeling his way forward.
His effort paid off. He sensed someone standing before him. Several silhouettes moved in his direction.
He swallowed reflexively. Not out of fear, but surprise. To be sure, he gathered his courage and spoke.
"Who are you?" He paused. "Are you all merchants from the market?" he asked, holding his breath.
Several seconds passed with no reply. Then, one of the bluish silhouettes stepped closer.
In the darkness, a woman he knew all too well appeared, her hands bound. It was his mother, Mei Actitus, followed by several others.
Zavi froze. Relief washed over him as he saw her face.
"Mother?" he whispered, stepping closer.
Without thinking, he hugged her tightly, momentarily forgetting the task Ren had given him.
A man wearing a bowler hat, his hands tied, stepped forward.
He lowered his hat and said, "Thank you for helping us."
Zavi released the hug and stepped back two paces. He counted eleven people, including his mother, three women, and eight men.
"Alright, let me free them," Liam said as he cut their bindings one by one using shards of broken glass he had found earlier.
Bang! Bang!
"Huh? What was that gunshot? Is someone else here besides you?" one of the men asked after his hands were freed.
Zavi turned before replying. "Don't worry. We should get out of here now."
After freeing all the hostages, he led the eleven of them out of the room, searching for a safe place to hide while waiting for Ren.
One of the hostages, a bearded man, discovered a wooden door beneath the corridor, with an old cabinet beside it.
Unable to open it and hearing continuous gunfire behind them, panic left him no choice but to break it down.
He asked the others, including Zavi, to help. Four men, Zavi among them, agreed.
Five seconds later, the door tore loose from its hinges and fell, revealing a fairly wide corridor lined with candles mounted along the walls.
Without hesitation, upon seeing a possible escape route, five people, four men and one woman, rushed into the corridor, desperate to go home regardless of what lay ahead.
Zavi hesitated briefly, but the panic on his mother's face erased his doubts.
"Calm down, Mom," he said, trying to soothe her.
"But how did you know I was here?" she asked hoarsely.
His entire body froze. His eyes widened.
"Ah… Ren and I were at the square and saw the chaos there. So we came here after getting information from an old woman," Zavi replied calmly, careful not to raise suspicion.
Mei's blue eyes studied her son's face intensely. She raised her right hand and gently placed it against his cheek.
Her hand felt cold. She had been here too long. Time was short, and Zavi wanted to get them out immediately.
But how? He paused to think.
The place he considered safest was the upper corridor, and he looked up. But gunfire was still echoing relentlessly.
Left with no choice, he headed into the corridor ahead. After a moment's thought, he committed to it.
Six people waited for his decision, wary of what lay inside. Zavi turned and met the hopeful faces of the five others.
There was no time. He had to take the risk. Zavi ordered them to follow him closely and stay alert as they entered the corridor.
They all nodded and proceeded down the passage in search of an exit.
Meanwhile, Ren was still fighting the remaining guard. The others had died minutes earlier, but this opponent was agile, giving Ren trouble for the first time.
Agility alone did not guarantee victory. The robed man had no advantage here, unable to locate his enemy.
Ren, on the other hand, moved freely through the darkness. Right on cue, the woman Ren had met earlier arrived, entering through a window.
Both heard the sound of shattering glass. The robed man, with his sharp hearing, rushed toward the source.
With speed and precision, he caught the woman and immediately wrapped his hand around her throat.
"Come out now, unless you want her dead," he shouted.
The woman screamed in pain, her voice ringing clearly in Ren's ears.
"Hmph. Did she finish her task? If so, I'll kill that brat right away." Ren recalled his pistol, and the bullets embedded in the walls flew back, refilling the magazine.
He smiled, aimed the gun directly at the robed man's head, and prepared to fire.