In a tall building
Gara entered to meet a masked man, who was standing with his back to him, gazing out the window.
Masked man, smiling: "It's been far too long, Gara."
Gara, coldly: "I've completed my mission. Now it's your turn."
The masked man continued speaking without turning around.
Masked man: "I've prepared the stage long ago. Everything is in place."
Gara looked to where the masked man was gazing and saw Jack and Black talking below.
Gara tried to hide his concern.
Gara: "You'll be watching over them from now on."
Masked man, indifferently: "It's not your place to ask anymore."
A flicker of irritation appeared on Gara's face but quickly vanished.
Gara, coldly: "You're right. But..."
He stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes.
Gara, threateningly: "If they die, I'll kill you. Don't forget that."
Then he left without waiting for a reply.
The masked man watched him leave, then smiled and turned back to look at Jack and Black.
---
Down below
Jack and Black looked at each other and smiled—they each knew what the other was thinking. Then Jack turned to find someone asking them where they were.
He stopped a passerby to ask.
Jack: "Excuse me, what is the name of this city?"
Man: "This is Torhan City."
Jack: "Which empire is it in?"
The man looked at them strangely—who were these people who didn't even know where they were?
Man: "It's in the Guardian Empire."
Jack: "Sorry, but is there a bank nearby?"
Man: "Yes, at the end of this road, then turn left. You'll find a bank there."
Jack: "Thank you very much."
Black: "Let's go, Ji."
Jack looked around suspiciously, starting to observe the surroundings.
Jack: "Let's go."
---
Elsewhere
A window opened, and a message carried by the wind flew inside a house and landed in the hands of a mysterious person.
He opened the envelope, smiled, and then burned it.
The man: "It's time to act."
Then he headed outside.
---
Back with Jack and Black
They went to the bank, deposited all their money into a bank account, and kept some for rent and essentials for the month. They had decided to work and rely on themselves.
After leaving the bank, they strolled through the city looking for a place to live.
Jack: "Bee, let's go to a restaurant for lunch, then we can continue looking for a house to rent—or a hotel to stay in for the night."
Black: "Alright, let's go."
They searched for a restaurant, found one, and sat outside to eat. While waiting for their food:
Black: "Jack, this city doesn't seem normal, does it?"
Jack: "Yeah, something seems off."
Black: "Why did Uncle Gara bring us here? Is there something we're supposed to do?"
Jack: "Maybe. That's why finding a house would be better than a hotel. We'd be able to stay longer."
A waiter brought their food but had overheard their conversation.
Waiter: "Excuse me, are you looking for a place to rent?"
Jack: "Yes."
Waiter: "The restaurant owner recently put up a house for rent. It's ready to move into immediately. But it's far from the residential areas—more like surrounded by trees, a bit outside the city."
Black, excited: "Really?"
Waiter: "Yes, and the rent is quite cheap."
Jack: "Can we talk to the owner?"
Waiter: "Of course."
Jack: "Alright, we'll finish lunch and go see him. Is he here?"
Waiter: "Yes, I'll let him know to expect you."
Jack: "Alright."
The waiter placed the food in front of them and went inside to inform the owner.
---
Inside
The waiter told the restaurant owner about the potential tenants.
Owner, surprised: "New people?!"
Waiter: "Yes."
Owner: "Since when did our empire attract anyone to move here?"
Then added, "It's fine. Let me know when they finish. I want to meet them."
Waiter: "Alright."
The owner remained deep in thought over this unexpected event.
Owner: "I just hope they don't get involved in trouble and leave here peacefully."
---
Outside
Just as Jack and Black began eating, they noticed a boy running past so fast they barely caught sight of him.
He came back, confused.
Boy: "Wait... you saw me? How?"
Suddenly, the sound of soldiers approached. The boy ran off and hid behind the restaurant.
The soldiers arrived and asked the customers if they had seen a boy running. Everyone answered no.
When they reached Jack and Black's table, one soldier questioned Jack, while the other focused on Black.
First soldier: "Did you see someone run by here?"
Jack: "No."
He answered without even looking up and continued eating calmly.
Second soldier: "Hey beautiful, are you new here?"
Black: "Yes, soldier. I'm new here."
First soldier: "Come on, fool. We don't have time for games. We need to find that rebel before he escapes."
Second soldier: "Yeah, but we could take her with us to keep us company."
Black's smile disappeared and turned into a look of annoyance.
Jack looked at the soldier coldly and calmly put down his spoon. Black immediately knew—these soldiers wouldn't leave alive. She glanced around.
Soldier, mockingly: "Looking for someone to help you, beautiful? Don't bother. No one dares interfere—we're royal palace soldiers."
Black, raising an eyebrow: "Wow. But I'm not looking for help—I'm just trying to estimate the cost of repairs."
The soldiers looked at each other, confused.
Black, smiling: "Don't worry. You'll understand soon enough."
Suddenly, Jack stood up. The soldiers thought he was afraid and going to leave. But instead, he looked at them coldly.
Jack: "What do you want her to do?"
Soldier, challenging: "What? Didn't like what he said?"
Soldier was about to punch him, but instead grabbed the soldier's head and slammed it onto the table, splitting it and everything on it.
The atmosphere turned completely tense.
The second soldier tried to attack Jack, but Black intercepted and knocked him down with a punch. More soldiers surrounded them, ready to kill.
Everyone in the restaurant fled—palace soldiers don't spare anyone.
The fast boy was frozen in shock, emerging from his hiding spot.
Boy: "No, don't fight them. They're palace soldiers! They won't let you go... They're... really strong..."
His face changed, and his voice faltered. He saw palace soldiers falling like birds.
Jack grabbed one and threw him into the restaurant's glass front, shattering it. Another soldier tried to attack Black—she dodged and broke his arm. One created three iron arrows and aimed at her, but Jack caught them mid-air and threw them back, hitting him and two others.
Black created a water cyclone and knocked down five soldiers.
The fight lasted only five minutes—they had taken down 20 soldiers.
Black, smiling: "I defeated seven. You're only three ahead."
Jack approached her and brushed the dust from her hair and face.
Jack: "Try harder next time. Are you okay?"
Black: "Mmm."
The boy came up to them, a wide smile on his shocked face.
Boy: "Hi! I'm Fahd. Who are you two, so strong?"
Black smiled at the amazement on his face.
Jack: "No need for you to know."
The restaurant owner stood, staring—what had they just done?
Jack approached him, recognizing him as the owner since the waiter and staff were behind him. Everyone else had fled.
Jack: "What I did to your restaurant—I'll pay for it."
Owner: "Are you the new people?"
Jack: "Yes."
Owner, seriously: "Then you need to leave. Now."
Jack: "Why?"
Fahd: "Because those men are ruthless. They'll come back to kill you. They won't let you get away with attacking palace soldiers."
Black: "But they were the ones who harassed us."
Fahd: "It doesn't matter. You were probably caught on security cameras—they'll find you quickly."
Black: "What cameras?"
Fahd: "Those cameras..."
He turned to the cameras but found them all burned—none were working.
Fahd, shocked: "When... did you do this?"
Owner: "Go now."
Jack: "We can't."
Waiter: Sir, these are the ones looking for a house to rent.
Restaurant Owner: Alright, it's yours. Go now. Fahd, show them the way, and don't let anyone know where they are.
Fahd: Sir, why don't we ask them to join us?
Restaurant Owner: No. They're not from here and have nothing to do with what's going on. Go now.
Jack: What's your name, sir?
Restaurant Owner: Call me Gabriel.
Black: Nice to meet you.
Jack: Let's go, Bee.
Fahd went with them to show them the way, using routes without any surveillance cameras until they reached the house.
It was far from the city, just as the waiter had said — exactly what they wanted to prepare well for the organization and other things.
Fahd: Do you need anything?
Jack looked at him and saw a young man, probably their age, with black hair tinged with blue at the ends and blue eyes. He replied:
Jack: No, thank you. But how much is the rent for this house?
Fahd: You can talk to Uncle Gabriel about that later — and I mean later. Don't go to him or his restaurant now, or you'll get him into more trouble.
Black (inquiring): Excuse me, Fahd, but can you tell us what's going on here?
Jack: Black...
To be continued...