“That’s it. Now you tell us what those crazy bitches want from you,” said the half-shaved girl, lost somewhere behind the bar.

“No idea.” Niji sighed and observed the surroundings.

It was a reasonably sized billiard room with different pool tables, each lit with a lamp. Cue holders and switched off LCD screens crowded on green walls, but the leading positions were taken by retro posters promoting pinups, alcohol and other fun. On the other side there was the bar with strange music muttering, something between elaborate jazz and drum ’n’ bass.

Niji and Rem were seated on a spacious leather sofa in the corner of the room. Viktor sank next to them with a mug of beer, and Beckz was busy searching for the ingredients. Strangely enough for this time of the day, no other clients were to be seen.

“Who are they, exactly?” Rem was watching Rebecca, who was checking on potpourri.

“The Gray Sisters Order,” Viktor replied. “A magical sect; kinda religious business.”

“I thought it was a scary story for children…” the Lackluster frowned.

“They don’t attack for no reason,” Rebecca said. “What’s more, it doesn’t look like they wanted to kill you.”

“Yeah, they would succeed otherwise.” Viktor rolled his eyes. “Professional mage-assassins, the whole net of Lackluster spies, non-legal poisons and other stuff… like in a movie, right? If Sisters want someone dead, they act fast, efficient and, most importantly, silent. But they exposed themselves. Like they needed you alive.”

“Looks like it.” Beckz nodded and sat down with a bowl of some goo. “They also hunt the artifacts. Maybe you have some in stock?”

“How come? Me and Rem just graduated from the Academy. Never seen a single Sister before.”

“Welp then, why were you lookin’ for us? Wanna become enforcers?”

“We need to find Miss Freyja. Could you help us?” Rem inquired.

“Freyja…”

The M.A.G.E. guys looked at each other with doubt. Viktor shrugged and Rebecca continued, “She left us years ago. I’m afraid nobody knows where she is now. Why?”

Niji fidgeted on the sofa and stared upon the poster with a pinup witch girl in a super short robe and a pointy hat. Despite the fact that she liked her new acquaintances, she preferred to stay vigilant and replied cautiously, “We need her guidance.”

“Sounds pretty vague,” said somebody above them in a melancholy voice.

A tall young man was descending from a carved wooden staircase. Niji felt a strong smell of tobacco, peculiar in the age of e-cigs. The guy was wearing jeans and a black shirt, unbuttoned so far that one could catch a glimpse of a teal medallion, engraved with two triangles. His longish dark hair was in rough order with a band, and a couple of strands had already escaped. The stranger looked sleepy and disgruntled.

“You missed all the fun, Dasnor,” Beckz said as she shook her head. “And where’s my freakin’ rosemary?”

“Go and buy it yourself. You’re speaking to a man who’s spent three sleepless nights in order to catch a wild Violet. Who are these guys?”

“Niji Murasaki and Rem Oswaldt, students of the Academy,” answered Viktor.

“Ex-students of the Academy,” Niji corrected. “We graduated. And we don’t want to be a part of PRISM.”

“If it were for me, I’d stick to the boring snobs rather than be killed by crazy fanatics… urgh, I’m not sure, though.” Viktor laughed and sipped some beer.

“So, you’re looking for Freyja, right?” Dasnor inquired.

Despite his grumpy look, he spoke in a calm, softly vibrating voice. He looked down upon Rem, whose wounds were already being taken care of by Beckz, and then spoke to Niji only, “If there’s someone who might know her whereabouts, it’s her closest friend. My father. But I need to make sure he’s not bothered over nothing.”

Niji felt uncomfortable under his heavy stare. Nevertheless, she bravely locked her eyes with Dasnor’s, yellowish brown against gray.

“This is a matter of life and death.”

~~~

In the meantime, the two Gray Sisters who had attacked Niji and Rem were watching the pub’s entrance from the rooftop of the house beside it. The Crimson mage pushed her fingers to her right ear and reported, “The target was intercepted by M.A.G.E. Traced to enforcers’ downtown HQ.”

“This is unacceptable, Andrea,” a walkie-talkie hissed on her with a strict female voice.

“I deeply regret this, my Mistress. We were outnumbered. Furthermore, the amplifier works as you predicted. That complicated things.”

“I see. I am surprised she managed to slip past the Academy. We cannot allow them to take this gal in. Still… we can deal with this turn of events. Let M.A.G.E. look after her, for the time being. We will wait until she manifests her true self.”

“Any further instructions?”

“Continue tracking. Get in touch with Sacred and sell him the info I’ll send to your smart in ten minutes. I will also give a couple of hypotheses about Murasaki. Free of charge.”