One by one, the children stepped forward.
Some moved quickly, desperate to escape the sight of the boy on the floor. Others hesitated before the wooden crates, their fingers hovering over the bracelets as if making the wrong choice would cost them their lives. Perhaps it would. No one knew the rules of this underworld yet.
Mayex reached into the crate and pulled out a red bracelet. He slipped it onto his left wrist and took a step back, staring at the band.
That woman is insane, he thought, his chest tight. I just want to sleep.
As he stared down at the colored band, a shadow fell over him. He looked up.
A girl stood directly in front of him. She hadn't made a single sound as she approached. She wasn't looking at him; instead, her eyes were fixed on an invisible point slightly past his shoulder, completely detached from the reality around them. She simply stood there like a statue.
Mayex looked down at her wrist.
Red.
A wide, genuine grin broke across his face. "So you're my partner!!!"
Without thinking, he grabbed both of her hands.
She didn't react. She didn't flinch, pull back, or acknowledge his touch. Her eyes remained anchored to that distant, empty void—a vacancy so deep it made Mayex's smile falter for a fleeting second.
"Hello? You in there?"
Nothing. Mayex dropped his hands and straightened up, clearing his throat. "Well—whatever! I'm sure we'll get along great. I'm honestly so happy I got a cu—" He caught himself instantly, his face warming. "I meant nice. Nice was the word. A nice partner. Yeah. That's what I meant. Please don't take that wrong."
She offered no reply.
Once every child had secured a match, the room fell into a heavy, suffocating stillness. The fear hadn't vanished; it had simply retreated beneath their skin, waiting.
Melon Violet clapped her hands together. "How wonderful~ All of you found each other." She folded her hands neatly across her dress. "Now, let me be entirely clear about what this means for your future."
She began to pace slowly between the rows of children, her heels echoing sharply.
"You are now the property and members of the Brown Organisation. You will carry out our missions—theft, smuggling, collections, and occasionally… rougher work. The contracts vary, but they pay well. We earn money, and money is the blood that keeps this family alive." She paused, her smile widening. "In time, you will learn to love it too."
She gestured toward the ceiling.
"You are currently underground. Specifically, we are standing beneath a fully operational monastery. It is open to the public, and not a soul on the outside suspects what lies beneath their feet. No one ever will." She turned gracefully toward the heavy exit doors. "Down here, you have everything you require: barracks, baths, training grounds, and even a room for recreation. Make yourselves comfortable."
She rested her hand against the iron frame of the doorway. "Tomorrow is a big day. Get some rest."
She stopped, remaining perfectly still without turning around.
"Oh. One more thing."
Her tone dropped its melody, turning ice-cold.
"No one leaves without my permission."
With that, she slipped through the doorway and vanished.
The room sat in stunned silence for a long moment before the children began to whisper and move.
"Wow. That was a long speech," Mayex muttered, turning to the girl beside him. "…Right, partner?"
She was already staring off into nothing again.
"Oh—I forgot, I never introduced myself." He stepped around to face her properly. "My name is Mayex. And yours?"
Silence followed. One minute turned into two, then three, the quiet stretching out until it felt structural.
Then, a tiny, quiet whisper cut through. "…Elara."
Mayex blinked, then his face illuminated with a bright smile. "What a wonderful name!!!"
Elara didn't respond. Inside her mind, there was only a vast, infinite darkness—a void without edges, floors, or exits. The real Elara was buried deep beneath that heavy layer of shadow, entirely unreachable by the voices of the outside world. Not a single drop of light could penetrate it.
Mayex watched her for another second, then gave a light shrug. "Well—let's go then."
They walked out of the hall together. Mayex set the pace, while Elara simply drifted beside him like a phantom.
On their way toward the sleeping quarters, Mayex's eyes were drawn to a massive bulletin board mounted to the concrete wall. It was cluttered with documents and handwritten notes—mission files, he assumed—though he couldn't read most of it. His English was strictly conversational; reading the script was an entirely different hurdle.
But there was one item on the board that required no translation.
It was a photograph. A young girl, roughly his own age, with striking red hair, vivid green eyes, and a light scattering of freckles across her face. Below the image sat bold, dark text he couldn't decode. But the layout of the page and the fact that it sat elevated above every other document spoke for itself.
Most wanted. His gut knew the format instantly.
She looks exactly my age, he thought, his brow furrowing. Why would a kid be a high-priority target for an organization like this?
He stared a second longer than he intended to. The vibrant red hair was unusual, anchoring his attention with an odd, unnameable feeling. He finally pulled his gaze away and forced his feet to move.
As he walked away, he noticed Boran.
The boy was standing completely motionless in front of the board, his eyes locked onto the exact same photograph. He wasn't moving a muscle.
Mayex watched him for a fraction of a second, noted the intensity in Boran's posture, and kept walking.
"I'm so excited for tomorrow! I bet it'll be interesting—right, Elara?" He turned his head to smile at her.
She was already several meters ahead of him, walking at a mechanical, steady pace as if he hadn't spoken at all.
"Hey—wait for me!!!" Mayex called out, breaking into a light jog to catch up.
Behind them, at the far edge of the corridor, Melon Violet stood in the shadows and watched them go. Her eyes followed the boy as he ran—loud, animated, and entirely out of place in a facility designed to harbor broken spirits.
"That boy…" she murmured softly to herself, tilting her head. "He's energetic. I hope he can keep that down here~"
She smiled a dark, private smile and turned back into the darkness.