Liam pushed open the door to Director Elena’s office, the familiar creak of the hinges cutting through the quiet hallway.
Beatrix, Crya, Olivia, and Pyra filed in right behind him, their footsteps soft on the worn carpet.
The room smelled like old books and strong coffee, same as always, but the second Liam looked at Elena he knew something was off.
She sat behind her desk with her shoulders slumped, her face dark and heavy like a storm cloud that wouldn’t break.
Her eyes, usually sharp and focused, looked tired and pinched at the corners.
"What’s wrong?" Liam asked, keeping his voice steady even though worry already twisted in his gut.
Elena let out a long sigh and rubbed her temples with two fingers.
"I already confronted Simon. Accused him right to his face of infiltrating the Ark Academy and siding with demons."
Liam stayed quiet, waiting for the rest. The girls shifted behind him, but no one spoke.
"But here’s the part that’s got me stuck," Elena continued, her voice flat.
"He wasn’t alone. More than twenty national-level hunters backed him up on the spot.
And the evidence from that underground alley? It’s gone.
Every single photo, every recording, every witness statement, vanished like it never existed."
Liam’s heart hammered hard against his ribs. He felt the blood rush in his ears.
This is happening sooner than I thought, he realized.
In his past life, the top awakeners turning on humanity and siding with the monster races didn’t start until his second year at the academy.
It had been slow at first, whispers and small betrayals. But this? Twenty national-level hunters already in on it?
He shook his head once, trying to push the panic down.
No point dwelling on the timeline now. He had to focus on what was in front of him.
"So what’s wrong?" he asked again, quieter this time.
"Because if that was the whole story, you wouldn’t look this beat up."
Elena leaned back in her chair and gave another tired sigh.
"Ugh, the thing is I’ve got connections too. Some weight I can pull in this city.
The city leader agreed he’d convict Simon... but only if I said yes to one of his requests."
Liam blinked. "The city leader?" In his memories from before, that person had always stayed in the shadows.
Never showed up in public, even after the walls came crashing down.
Yet everyone whispered that he, or she, was the strongest fighter Lumina City had.
Liam hadn’t expected the name to come up so early.
Elena nodded. "Yeah. And what the city leader wants..."
She paused, like the words tasted bad. "It’s her game.
She wants some people to join her in her games. And she’s set her eyes on you and the girls."
Beatrix crossed her arms tight over her chest, her jaw set.
"Games? A city leader has time to play around and not take things seriously?
Even with a slave auction running under the goddamn city?"
Elena shrugged, her shoulders rising and falling like she had no answer left.
"Beat me to it. I don’t know what’s inside that woman’s head."
Crya flipped her long hair back with a quick toss of her hand.
"Anyway, what type of games does she want to do? I’m too good at games myself."
Elena’s next sigh was deeper, heavier. "Death type."
Crya’s mouth snapped shut. The confident spark in her eyes faded fast, and she stared at the floor.
Olivia stepped closer and gently tugged on Liam’s arm.
She looked straight at Elena, her voice calm but firm.
"We would do it. If it’s the only way we can get back the rights of those slave girls and put someone nasty like Simon behind bars."
She turned her head and met Liam’s eyes. "Isn’t that right?"
Liam felt the weight of everyone watching him.
His mind raced, images of the scared faces in the underground alley, the chains, the fear, but he knew Olivia was right.
They couldn’t let Simon walk. Not after everything. He gave a small nod. "Yeah. Olivia’s right."
He looked back at Elena. "Now, do you know where we could meet the city leader?"
Elena sighed again, but this time there was a hint of something almost like relief in it.
"You need to stay here. Then she’ll come soon. She told me to call her the second you accept."
Pyra tilted her head, her braid swinging slightly. "Wait, she knew we were gonna accept the deal? How?"
Elena shrugged one more time, and a short laugh slipped out of her. "I know her ways of doing things. Always different."
She turned her gaze toward the big window behind her desk, sunlight cutting across the room in sharp lines. "Hmm. Speaking of the devil."
A loud BOOM shook the office.
Glass exploded inward in a shower of sharp pieces. Liam jerked back, one arm instinctively coming up to shield his face.
When the dust and shards settled, a woman stood right in the middle of the wreckage like she had just stepped through an open door instead of a broken window.
She wore a tight red dress that hugged every curve, and she casually held a black umbrella over one shoulder. Her lips curved into a bright smile.
She gave Liam and the girls a quick wink and flashed a peace sign with two fingers.
"Helooooo! My name is Sylvia, the city leader!!! I came here the moment I heard you guys accepted my offer!"
Elena stared at her with a completely deadpan expression. "You would pay the price of reparations, get it?"
Sylvia laughed, light and easy, like they were talking about the weather.
"Oh Elena, always so stiff with rules. That explains why you still suck at the archmage level and can’t advance."
She twirled the umbrella once. "You know, sometimes a person needs to just let it loose."
Elena glared hard enough that Liam could feel the heat from across the room.
"You don’t have to bring it in front of kids."
Sylvia waved the comment away with a flick of her hand.
"Pff, kids? I can tell this guy, " she pointed straight at Liam " has already had sex with one and another one sucking his dick like candies all the time."
Olivia’s cheeks flushed bright red. She reached over and pushed Liam’s head down gently, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Beatrix let out a low whistle and suddenly found the far wall very interesting, staring at it like it held the answers to life.
Liam felt his own face heat up, but he forced himself to look Sylvia in the eye. He kept his voice even.
"I heard you like death games and that would be the only way to convict Simon. So... we want to join."
Behind him the girls burst out at the exact same time, their voices overlapping in a loud, determined shout. "Yes!"
Sylvia’s smile grew wider, pleased. "I liked all you guys’ enthusiasm.
But I decided to change the theme of the games and added my own touch."
She placed one hand on her hip, the red dress shifting with the motion. "The game would be an island themes."