Chapter 22The teleportation circle beneath them flared once, twice, and then the familiar dizzying pull yanked at Lux's gut, the world folding and unfolding around him in a blur of light and pressure.When it finally settled, he was standing exactly where he'd started a week ago — Clement Clevates' study, rows of ancient bookshelves lining the walls, the same six specific volumes still slightly out of alignment from where they'd been pulled and pushed back into place."Welcome back, Lords." Clement rose from behind his desk the moment the chamber's hidden panel slid shut behind them, his expression carefully composed, respectful in that deliberate, practiced way of someone who understood exactly how much power stood in his study and exactly how little of it he was allowed to ask about."Clement." Twilight inclined his head slightly, the barest acknowledgment."I trust the trip went well?" Clement asked, hands folded neatly behind his back, gaze flicking briefly toward Lux — still sl

The mall looked entirely ordinary from the outside — glass storefronts, escalators, the faint smell of fried food drifting from a distant food court. Exactly the kind of place Lux had walked past a hundred times without a second thought."This is where we're getting gear?" Lux asked, glancing around at families with shopping bags, teenagers clustered near a phone kiosk, absolutely nothing that suggested hidden magical infrastructure."Third floor," Twilight said simply, already walking toward the escalator. "Most people never notice the store between the shoe outlet and the bookshop."Sure enough, tucked between two painfully mundane storefronts sat a narrow entrance with a hand-painted sign reading simply: Ferro & Sons. No advertising, no window displays, just a plain wooden door that somehow every passing shopper seemed to walk right past without registering.Inside, the space expanded far beyond what the mall's floor plan should have physically allowed — rows of gleaming armor, rac

The Central Government Tower rose high above the surrounding skyline, all sharp glass angles and quiet, unassuming authority, nothing about its exterior hinting at anything beyond ordinary bureaucracy. Pedestrians walked past without a second glance, entirely unaware of what actually operated beneath the building's polished floors."Government's involved in the totem world?" Lux asked as they approached the main entrance, the words only now fully settling into something he had to reckon with. "Like, actually involved? Not just aware it exists?""Extensively," Twilight said, not slowing his pace. "Enrollment for the tournament runs through them. It's how they track rogue wielders — those unaffiliated with any faction.""And if they find one?""Recruit or restrain, depending on cooperation," Twilight said simply. "Unaffiliated power is unpredictable power. Governments tend to prefer neither, historically speaking. A wielder with no oversight and no accountability

The envelope contained a single embossed card, elegant cursive script curling across cream-colored paper.You are cordially invited to the Ashworth Charity Gala. Formal attire. Masks required. A night of connection among the city's finest."Fancy," Danzai said, reading over Lux's shoulder, already reaching for a stray pastry someone had left on the reception desk."It's tonight," Lux said, checking the date. "As in, tonight tonight.""Guess you're going, then. Company representative and all.""We're going," Lux corrected. "You're my assistant."Danzai froze mid-bite. "I'm sorry, my what?""Secretary. Assistant. Whatever sounds professional." Lux was already scrolling through his phone for formal wear options among the pictures of clothes Twililight picked out for him. "I'm not walking into a room full of business elites alone.""I don't know the first thing about being a secretary.""You know how to lie convincingly and improvise under pressure. That's ninety percent of the job."Danz

Wind wrapped around Danzai's legs, yanking both of them clean off the ground."Hold on," he said. Too late for that.They shot through the night, the city below blurring into a smear of concrete and light. The wind screamed so loudly Lux couldn't hear his own thoughts. He gripped Beltaro's hilt until his knuckles turned white, holding onto the only solid thing in a world spinning out of control. Danzai didn't say a word the whole way. No jokes. No chatter about food. Just a locked jaw and a cold, dead stare fixed straight ahead, like he’d completely checked out and left a ghost in charge.___Thirty minutes later, the Sungate estate came into view. A massive stone manor, sprawling grounds, and hedges trimmed way too perfectly for anyone who actually worked for a living. Soft yellow lanterns lined paths cut through grass that had probably never seen a single weed.Danzai didn't even slow down.They slammed straight into the central courtyard.The impact split the stone beneath them in