The weather began to change during the fourth month.
The mornings were colder.
Frost clung to the forest when we woke up, and the ground outside the hideout often felt hard and frozen beneath our boots. Snow was falling now, covering the world in quiet layers of brilliant white.
Winter had arrived.
Cold became a new obstacle in training.
Running in the morning made the air burn in my lungs. My fingers sometimes stiffened when gripping the sword during early practice. Even holding the water buckets felt different when the metal handles were cold.
But the cold did not slow Spiro down.
If anything, it gave him new ideas.
"Your bodies must work in every condition," he said one morning.
So we ran through frost-covered paths.
We practiced sword swings until our breath turned white in front of our faces.
We sparred until our arms felt numb.
At first, the cold bothered me.
But after a few days, something else happened.
The numbness became familiar.
Cold dulled certain things.
Pain felt less sharp.
And when my body focused on warmth and movement, other thoughts stayed quiet.
Still, the cold training did not last very long.
One morning, Spiro gathered us after breakfast.
"Pack your equipment," he said.
"How long?" Margaretha asked.
"More than a month."
Theo groaned immediately.
"A month?"
Spiro nodded.
"Travel mission."
A quiet tension settled in my chest when he said that.
Long missions meant unfamiliar places.
New roads.
Unknown people.
My eyes began scanning the room automatically.
Counting everyone present.
Checking where weapons were placed.
Where the exits were.
Theo noticed.
"You're doing the counting thing again," he said.
"I always do."
"Yes, but now you're doing it faster."
Margaretha crossed her arms.
"Rick gets nervous before long trips."
"I'm not nervous."
Theo raised an eyebrow.
"You just checked the door three times."
Pritha looked at me carefully.
"Are you worried something will happen?"
I hesitated.
"I don't know."
That was the most honest answer.
The feeling wasn't exactly fear.
It was more like a quiet pressure inside my chest.
A constant awareness that something might happen.
Robert stood nearby, adjusting his armor straps.
"Being cautious is not wrong," he said.
Theo sighed.
"Robert, you are encouraging him."
Robert smiled faintly.
"Rick will be fine."
***
The journey took several days.
We traveled on horseback this time, moving quickly along the forest roads before winter closed them.
The destination surprised me.
Paris City.
The capital of the Francis Duchy.
Even from far away, the city looked enormous.
Tall walls surrounded it, and towers rose above the rooftops like stone spears. Smoke drifted upward from hundreds of chimneys, and the roads leading toward the gates were filled with travelers, merchants, and wagons.
The noise alone felt overwhelming.
People.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Carts rolling over stone.
Animals calling.
My eyes moved constantly.
Too many faces.
Too many places someone could hide.
Too many sounds are blending together.
Theo noticed my silence while we passed through the gates.
"First time in a big city?" he asked.
"Yes."
"It gets worse the deeper we go."
"That is not comforting."
Theo shrugged.
"Cities are chaotic. But chaos is useful."
"For assassins?"
"For people hiding things."
That made sense.
***
We arrived at our clan's hideout. It was a two-story old building that also acted as an inn.
The familiar face of the bartender, one of Theo's clan members, nodded after seeing us and pointed toward a door behind the bar.
The basement was small.
Only one corridor with three doors.
Right.
Left.
Front.
The front door opened from the inside.
Seyren Duvent stepped out, followed by another man with the same green hair.
Eremes Duvent.
Margaretha's other brother.
"Brother! How are you…"
Margaretha started greeting them, but Seyren brushed past her without stopping.
Her words died halfway.
I saw her face tighten.
Both brothers had dense mana.
Thick.
Heavy.
Even without using my eyes, I could feel it pressing slightly against the air.
"Welcome here," Seyren said calmly.
"Right now, the situation is a bit chaotic. We receive persistent resistance from the current underworld ruler."
He paused briefly.
"It seems some noble outside this city is backing them."
Spiro stared at him before speaking.
"Let the children rest first. Then we start our strategy."
Seyren and Eremes nodded.
"Go rest above," Spiro told us.
"I'll stay here for the mission."
He glanced at us and gave a small motion with his head.
A silent order.
I didn't fully understand their conversation.
But I wasn't interested enough to ask.
So I just followed the command, turned around, and headed toward the stairs.
The others followed.
Margaretha walked slowly behind us.
She was unusually quiet.
No smile.
No energy.
I wanted to say something.
But I didn't know what.
Pritha solved the problem before I could.
She wrapped her arms around Margaretha while walking.
Margaretha blinked in surprise.
Then she forced a small smile.
"It's okay," she said. Then we walk slowly upstairs to our room.
"Brother will meet me secretly later and apologize." Margaretha started the talk first without waiting for us to ask as we arrived in our room.
Pritha looked at her with worried eyes.
"But it still hurts," Margaretha continued softly.
Her voice trembled slightly.
Pritha hugged her tighter.
The room felt awkward.
No one spoke.
Theo finally broke the silence.
"Robert, where are you going?" he asked when Robert started walking toward the door.
Robert had already picked up his sword.
Theo grinned slightly.
"Running away from emotional conversation?"
"Smart strategy."
Pritha glared at him.
Theo raised both hands.
"What? I'm helping lighten the mood."
Robert ignored the exchange.
"I'm going to training," he said calmly.
Then he left.
"Me too. I'm going."
I followed him almost immediately.
The cold air outside felt better than the room.
We moved to the empty courtyard behind the inn.
Robert began swinging his sword without speaking.
The sound of metal cutting the air was steady.
Controlled.
I drew my sword and joined him.
For a while, we trained without talking.
Only the rhythm of movement.
Swing.
Step.
Breath.
Swing again.
Training was easier than conversations.
After some time, Robert spoke.
"You noticed something."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"The underworld resistance."
Robert nodded.
"And Margaretha's brothers."
"Yes."
"They didn't greet her properly."
We both stopped briefly.
Then continued swinging.
"Family can be complicated," Robert said.
"I wouldn't know."
He didn't respond.
We kept training until the sky turned dark.
Pritha eventually appeared near the courtyard door.
"Dinner," she called.
We returned to the inn together.
The main hall was already empty.
Only one lantern burned near the bar.
Theo sat there spinning a coin across the wooden table.
Agni leaned back in his chair.
Margaretha looked calmer now.
But her eyes were slightly red.
The bartender placed several bowls of hot stew in front of us.
Steam rose slowly.
For a while, we ate quietly.
Then Theo spoke.
"So."
He tapped the coin.
"Underworld war."
"Sounds interesting."
Theo looked toward me.
"What do you think, Rick?"
I finished swallowing before answering.
"The resistance is organized."
Everyone looked at me.
"They're not just criminals," I continued.
"They have backing."
"Money."
"Information."
"Maybe soldiers."
Theo's grin widened.
"Look at that."
"Our quiet Rick is thinking like a strategist."
I ignored him.
Robert spoke next.
"Which means the missions won't be simple."
"No," I said.
"They won't."
I didn't know exactly what kind of war was happening in this city.
But I could feel it.
The tension.
The hidden movement beneath the surface.
Cities always looked peaceful from the outside.
But sometimes the most dangerous battles happened where no one could see them.
And tonight, we were stepping into that darkness.