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.
Black: What?! We need to gather information about this city anyway so we can understand why we're here, right? The intel will help us with preparations too, won't it?
Fahd (surprised): Preparations?! Preparations for what?
Black: Just tell me what's going on here.
Sorrow and anger appeared on Fahd's face.
Fahd: He's the worst emperor ever… Emperor Akira. He killed his own father and seized the throne. Now he's trying to kill his younger brother, Prince Harry, whom the people love and want as their ruler. But Harry managed to escape. Akira has allied with evil gangs, allowing them to do whatever they want in the empire in exchange for massive amounts of money and their help in crushing any rebellion—especially if people try to rise up or protect the prince. Many of us have died already.
Jack sat on the couch, drinking water indifferently, but he was listening to extract information about the Guardian Empire.
Fahd: It's been five years since he took power, and he has brought nothing but misery. These gangs rob and kill at will. Education is now a privilege for the rich and strong only—schools and universities are off-limits to most. Even learning to use one's abilities is forbidden unless you're recruited. Our city is just one of seventeen that want to rebel because of the oppression. A plague has spread through more than three cities, but the gangs have forbidden doctors from treating people unless they pay a huge amount. If they can't pay, they die.
Black: What? That's horrible!
Jack: Why don't you just fight back?
Fahd (with a bitter smile): Because the emperor has a powerful gang backing him. When the rebels rose, he didn't even send his soldiers. He sent the Alice gang
(its name means "Resident Evil.")
He looked at them with a sad smile and continued.
Fahd: Do you know what they did? They didn't just kill the rebels. They brought their entire families—young and old—and scattered their body parts across the seventeen cities.
Fahd wiped away a tear and continued.
Fahd: Since then, no one has dared to fight him or his soldiers. But we will. We just need to find someone strong enough to face those bastards in the Alice gang.
(With concern)
Fahd: You've already killed many of the emperor's soldiers, so be very careful.
Jack (coldly): We will. Good luck to you.
Fahd: Thank you.
Fahd left the house, then turned to look back at it with hope.
Fahd (smiling): I think I've found the ones who can fight them.
Inside the house
Black: Jack...
Jack (interrupting): I know what's happening to them is unjust. But we have our own war to fight. Don't forget—they probably already know our training is over, and they'll be coming for us soon. If we get distracted now, we won't have time to prepare. Got it, B?
Black: Got it.
Jack patted her head.
Jack: Good girl. Now, let's secure this house.
They explored the house thoroughly and found it equipped with security systems—surveillance cameras, sensors, and other defenses.
Black: This place has a pretty advanced security system.
Jack: Yeah. That's great.
They checked the surroundings too.
---
Fahd returned home.
He went to his room and picked up a photo resting on a small dresser beside the bed.
It showed four people. He gently ran his hand over their faces.
Fahd: I'll avenge you very soon...
---
At Jack and Black's house
Jack: Black, we need a way to reach each other if we get separated or lost, okay?
(With a warning tone)
Jack: And from now on, never go out without me—like you do early in the morning.
Black (smiling): What can I do? I just want to go out when I wake up early.
Jack: Well, that's absolutely forbidden here. If you do it again, I'll hang you on the door.
She couldn't hide her smile.
Jack (smiling): Laugh all you want. We'll see.
Black: What do you think about energy chips?
Jack: But they—
Black (interrupting): Don't worry about me. I'll be fine.
Jack: Alright.
They each created an energy chip from their own power.
Water gathered in Black's hand, forming a small chip.
Jack did the same, shaping one from fire.
Black placed her hand on Jack's chest to implant the chip but hesitated, worried it would hurt.
Black: Jack, this will sting a bit. Please bear with it.
She was reluctant, knowing it would feel like a bullet to the heart. But he grabbed her hand and held it firmly against his chest.
Jack: Don't worry. Do it—I won't feel a thing.
She placed the chip in his chest. He felt pain but didn't show it. But she felt his attempt.
When it was his turn to implant hers, he cast an illusion around her. Suddenly, Black found herself surrounded by a vast ocean and huge whales. She adored whales—and Jack was a master of illusion.
Something struck her chest—a fish bumping into her.
Black (smiling): Hello, little fish.
She didn't notice when he inserted the chip.
Jack looked at her with love, happy to see her enjoying the illusion and not feeling pain.
Black (surprised): Wait—I was just in the house! How did I get... Ugh! Jack, you tricked me!
The illusion faded.
Black: Jack! Why'd you do that?
Jack: So you wouldn't feel the pain.
Black (annoyed): Jaaaack! Don't treat me like a kid! I'm not a little girl!
He ruffled her hair.
Jack: Alright, alright, little one.
Black got mad and smacked him with a pillow.
Black: You're so annoying! I'm going to sleep.
Jack (laughing): Don't sleep yet—you haven't eaten anything all day. I'll make something quick.
Black (sleepily): No, I just want to sleep...
Jack: Just five minutes, okay?
He went to the kitchen to look for food but found nothing. When he returned to tell her he'd go buy something, he found her already asleep on the couch.
Jack (whispering): You fell asleep...
He gently carried her to her room, tucked her in, adjusted the air conditioner, then secured the house and surrounding area again. From their point of view, the house was fully equipped and needed no changes.
He sat in the living room, writing notes about the place and the events of the day. He drew three circles labeled: The Organization, The New Trainer, The Guardian Empire, and in the center, one big circle:
Jack: The organization, the new trainer, the Guardian Empire... and Master Gara. What connects them?
He looked one last time at Black's room.
Jack: I'll go out and try to find out.
He changed into stealth gear and left.
-----
The sky was dark, and a cold breeze blew.
Jack moved silently through the city, tracking the gangs and their actions.
From the rooftop of a building, his face covered in a black mask:
Jack: So... the gangs rule this city.
(Thinking)
Jack: Gara taught us a lot about this empire, but that was six years ago.
He looked around at everything happening.
Jack: Time to update what we know.
Just as he was about to head back, a child's scream stopped him.
He sneaked toward the sound and saw gang members trying to drag a woman away. Her children were clinging to her, trying to protect her as the criminals yanked her hair violently.
Three children. One had green hair, red eyes, worn-out clothes, and looked about 12.
His name was...
Zaher (shouting): Leave my mother alone! Let her go, you bastard! I won't let you kill her!
Zaher attacked the gang members fiercely, but his efforts were nothing against them.
One of them grabbed him by the neck and began choking him.
Nizar: You filthy brat! You dare attack members of the Kruger gang? You're going to die today.
Mother (screaming): No, please! Let go of my son!
Zaher (choking): Maybe someone will see you and kill you first...
The two remaining kids—one clung to their mother, the other to Zaher—cried and screamed louder.
Children: Let go of our brother! Leave our mom alone!
Nizar (mocking): Don't dream too big, kid.
Zaher (bravely): Why shouldn't I? Two people showed up in the city today and killed many of you and the emperor's soldiers.
Jack (to himself): I shouldn't interfere in this… what happened so far is enough.
He turned to leave the place.
Zaher continued, screaming with pain, grief, and tears:
Zaher: Maybe this will be your end, you criminalssss!
Nizar (furious): You insolent little brat!
He tightened his grip on the boy's neck to the point it felt like it would snap.
Jack clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white.
To be continued…