The plan sounded awfully simple: sneak into the private manse through the waterways, kill Forseti, then escape to the winding backstreets of Vielarsburgh.

But assassinations were never quite so cut-and-dry... much less so when one's target was a government official. Especially when said government official seemingly paid enough money to close off his mansion from the rest of Vielarsburgh. Feal could understand building a high wall around the mansion, but even he had to admit that constructing a private waterway to isolate one's abode from the rest of the city was frivolous.

It was all thanks to the king's men that they managed to track down the entrance to the waterways quickly, though part of him wished that they would stick around to help him in more than just the initial planning. Still, Feal wasn't too surprised that King Baldur would forbid his men from interfering with his business any further, what with all the pain and losses that he had suffered in the hands of the ministry.

Getting into the waterways wasn't too complicated of a manner either. Forseti barely spared any thoughts in investing better security in the rotting buildings sitting along the coast of the great blue lake of Vielarsburgh. Any unfortunate guard that had happened to sight them had been permanently silenced by a single grace of his dagger.

It was once they got into the manor that the plan took a sudden turn in complexity. The group had prepared several backup plans for their grand escape. Using the waterways leading to the great lake would be far too predictable, though he didn't particularly like the chances of success their backup plans have.

The main plan was to have Nadrien secure an escape route through the manor's back garden, which led to the local business district in Vielarsburgh.

If by some unlucky chance that plan failed, they could either make a run for it through the main gate (with a high risk of blowing their cover away) or go through the path which they used to enter the mansion once more (with a high risk of intervention on the other side of the waterways). The party decided that the first would make them less susceptible to a pincer attack.

Feal supposed he could reduce the chances of having to use either plan by not alerting anyone once they'd finally taken care of the old hyrrean. After all, it was just one old man, in the dead of night.

It shouldn't be too difficult of a plan.

"Sorry for making the two of you wait in that damp and cold pipeline. Let's just finish this quick and get out of here already."

Magni's sudden gruff whispers snapped him out of his thoughts. His scarlet eyes flashed towards the elderly hyrrean, catching the small glint of light that reflected off his metal arm.

"I second that. I can't wait to finally annoy Mira again." Nadrien chuckled as she leaned her back against the cellar walls, with a lack of concern unbefitting of their dire mission. The furrows between Feal's brow deepened by a smidgen. Missions were to be conducted with the utmost care each and every time, no matter how much of a veteran one was. It was their duty to their client and to the soon-to-be departed, though his comrades did not seem to share his sentiment.

Feal brushed away the dust accumulated on his coat from their long walk in the pipelines. Without a word exchanged from his part, he merely gave a nod.

"The old senator has holed himself up in the bedroom. You could probably locate his bedroom through the loudness of his snores," Magni joked as he led the way. He paused to glance back towards Feal "There are no guards on standby. This should end faster than your last run through Roditerre."

"Well, that's comforting," Feal said as he leaned down to tap on Magni's obnoxiously short shoulder.

He looked towards the masked sniper, whose face was completely covered by a solid white mask devoid of any embellishments. It was a rare occurrence for a member of the Scarlet Masks to don such a plain mask — seeing as their masks were part of their individual identities to the outside world.

"Do secure the escape route for us. If it does fail, send us the signal and we will all regroup in the main hall," he ordered.

"Noted." Nadrien stood up straight. "Let's just get this over with."

The trio left the cellar to put their vile plan in motion. If Magni's information was accurate, there should be little to no obstacle standing in their way between the cellar to their respective destinations. He'd like to avoid collateral damage when possible — he'd rather not make a mess out of the smooth marble floors with spilled blood.

After several hours of trudging along a squalid waterway with a wretched stink, Feal found the manor's clean and well-decorated hallways to be a welcome change. Had he been here for a leisurely visit, he would have liked to appreciate the aesthetics. Fine paintings hung from the smooth walls. Statues carved with a staggering amount of detail looked upon them with their cold, stony eyes. The hyrreans had a good reason to brag for their superior craftsmanship. He'd never seen this level of artistic intricacy in any other nations he'd visited.

"Fealtanis," a low voice whispered. The brown-haired yildean woman was now walking in tandem beside him, close enough to him to speak without Magni overhearing them. He could not see what expression she held under that plain white mask. "May I ask you a question?"

"And what question would that be...?"

A flicker passed over her viridian eyes. "What is Mirathiel to you?"

Feal gave a small start, unsure if he had heard her right. His senses never lied, not during a mission.

"I'm sorry, but you're genuinely asking me this?" Feal furrowed his brows and curled his lips into a frown. "That's your question?"

He wasn't sure if Nadrien intended to confuse him or to anger him. Why now, of all times, would she ask such a ludicrous question?

"What, you're expecting it to be a trick question? Yes, it is genuinely a question and I am genuinely curious."

Feal rolled his eyes beneath his horned mask. "Absolutely ridiculous..."

"What?"

"There are better times to ask trivial questions such as these." He glanced sideways towards the brunette. "And tonight is no such time. Save this question for once this mission is done then I might just answer it."

"If I gave you my lifetime supply of bloodwine, will you answer it then?" Nadrien slightly tilted her head in mischief, though Feal could sense some annoyance in her voice.

"I don't drink." Feal continued to follow Magni's path. "Please just save this question for later."

Ridiculous question. Absolutely ridiculous timing to be asking such questions. He had never liked Nadrien much — he had reason to believe that the feeling was mutual — but he had to admit that she'd had a good head on her shoulders. Perhaps it was a misjudgment on his part.

Mirathiel was an indispensable asset to the Scarlet Masks. Dare he pushed it a bit further, he would say she was his closest and most trusted comrade. They had been friends for a long time and regarded each other as such.

Absolutely nothing more.

"Come on, just a one-word answer is fine, Feal. I'll shut up after this, I promise."

Oh, stars shining above, she was absolutely relentless. "Nadrien, know that your trivial questions may be one of the reasons for us to fail this mission tonight."

"But, hey, you know how to stop me from asking these questions."

By the gods. Fine. "She's my closest friend. Nothing more."

"Just friends?"

Feal quickened his pace, hoping to stay as far away from the loquacious sniper. "Just. Friends," he further emphasized, though for a split second, something deep inside him had faltered when he tried to get those words out.

"Good."

Feal turned back to face the sharpshooter. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said nothing."

Whatever, he thought. It was probably nothing too important anyways.

Thankfully, after that, Nadrien seemed to be satisfied with his answers as she left him alone and continued to walk in silence. For someone with enough money to build their own privatized waterway and build a great wall that separated the rest of his manor from the outside world, the interior of the manor itself had a suspicious lack of guards.

It was possible that the old senator was far too confident with the height of his mansion's walls that he didn't even bother to invest in security within the mansion itself. Or that the old senator simply hated social interactions.

As someone who despised noise and chaos, he could relate to the second reasoning.

But something deep within his gut told him that it wasn't the case. He should've been jumping in joy at the lack of guards on what was supposed to be a difficult mission, but he couldn't help but feel disquiet at the lack of conflict in this particular task and the lack of living soul in the manor. At this point, he'd welcome an ambush just to get rid of the uneasy feeling deep within his mind.

He moved closer to the elderly hyrrean. "So, this lack of guards..."

"I know nothing about it if that's what you're wondering. Though, according to most locals, there is a possible theory that might explain it."

Feal raised his light eyebrows beneath the mask. "Do enlighten me on this."

"Rumor has it that the senator has a peculiar illness. A highly infectious illness mind you. "

Oh great, now they had one more thing to worry about other than a potential ambush.

"And to prevent more people from getting infected he decided to reduce the number of guards in his manor?"

"It seems that he's doing it to prevent others from suffering the same pain as him. Well, according to his most ardent supporters, that is."

"I doubt that, considering that he is the man who ordered a baby to be assassinated," Feal whispered in contempt. By all means, he's an assassin, but even an absolute scum like him had some principles to live by.

"Hey, I think I should split away now." Nadrien interrupted their conversation suddenly. "I should be securing the escape route after all."

"Of course," the silver-haired yildean said. "Keep your eyes open. Something's unusual about this place."

Nadrien sucked in a deep breath. "Thank the stars I'm not the only one who noticed. You two also tread carefully in there."

And with that, she opened the doors leading to the gardens and disappeared behind the shrubbery.

The two remaining members continued their journey silently. The uneasy feeling only continued to grow within Feal's mind. He tried to distract himself from the unsettling feeling by observing the elegant works of art around him, but even that failed to rid him of his unease

"Turn back."

Feal froze in his tracks. The voice was familiar, far too familiar... and it wasn't Magni.

"Turn back and run away."

The pale, faceless woman stood in the middle of the hallway. Feal stopped in his tracks, his hand instinctively clasped to the hilt of his sword. His lips quivered, his eyes widened in fear, but he lost the voice and will to speak out against the phantom.

She tilted her featureless head downwards, at his claws which tightly gripped his sword. "Fool, you know better than anyone that mortal weapons cannot lay a scratch on me." The faceless figure edged closer towards him, her footsteps making no noise on the polished marble floor.

Feal stepped back in terror. No, no, no, don't come closer to me—

"I do not wish to harm you."

Liar. You tormented me for years without end.

"Did I? I feel that all that I did was offer some advice to help you. But, you refused."

Spare me the nonsense.

The pale nightmare laughed, her shrill voice echoing throughout the empty hallway, "Ah, here it is, the same defiance you've always shown me. How many times must I teach you to listen."

Her words were like acid being poured into his ears, burning everything inside his head. Feal swayed and tilted, his shoulder crashing into the wall.

"Now, listen to me and turn back. Run away, run far away from Vielarsburgh, and return to your birthplace. Prove to me that you're still worth keeping."

I have nothing to prove to you, Feal retorted in silence, trying to stay defiant, but even his soul knew that he was failing at it. Gods, just leave me be, leave me alone—!

"Fealtanis!"

The world swam back into focus. The face of a very concerned hyrrean filled his field of vision. "I— I was..."

"By Hyrresh's flaming beard, what— are you alright?"

The yildean gritted his teeth and pushed himself away from the wall. "I'm fine, we should continue on. There is nothing to worry about."

The hyrrean pursed his lips as if he had tasted something sour. "We should abandon this task. You may be a man of many talents, Fealtanis, but the gods know that was a terrible lie."

Feal flared his eyes in anger, brushing away the calloused hand on his sleeve. "Abandon the mission, if you want. Take Nadrien with you, if that pleases you, but I refuse to abandon this mission."

"For the love of Hyrresh, just stop pretending that you are an invulnerable stalwart would you?"

"Magni—"

"Do not cut me off, boy," Magni growled. "Fealtanis, please. Just listen to me this one time. It is fine to back off and admit defeat. Other opportunities will arise. I will bet my life on it. Stop pretending that you are fine and perfect because you aren't."

Feal turned his gaze away from Magni, suddenly feeling as if he was back as a child, being scolded by this man. "You are right. I am far from perfect and I certainly am not fine," he said. "But that doesn't mean that I will be willing to abandon this task. What do you think the king will do, should I come back to him empty-handed?"

"King Baldur? Hah, I doubt that he'd even say anything," Magni said, almost incredulous that the king should be the biggest of his worries. "But good grief, what is it with you and your thick head? There is no convincing you to delay the old man's murder, is there?"

Considering that he willingly killed an innocent child, the sooner he's removed from the surface of this continent the better, he thought, but he refused to say that out loud.

"No, there isn't."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Magni pinched the bridge of his nose. "The same stubbornness your father showed me decades ago. Good to know that his most defining trait got carried over."

Feal stiffened at the mention of his father. His right hand suddenly felt numb. Before the most vivid memory of his deceased father could overwhelm him, he quickly pushed it out. He focused on Magni, the man who had been more of a father than his own ever was.

"Besides, Magni, if anything goes wrong..." His lips curled to form a faint smile. "You'll be here to haul me out of an onslaught of arrows and bullets."

"Me? Carrying you out? Hah, you'd wish."

They walked another few paces before Magni stopped short. "Wait, wait, wait. Stop, we're here."

The yildean turned to his left, spotting a closed mahogany door. "This is the door to the bedroom?"

"Yep. No guards, just as I said earlier."

Feal frowned, suddenly feeling his heartbeat quicken. He took a deep breath, approaching the door with nary a sound.

"Well? Kind of too late to turn back and run away, isn't it? The night is still young after all," he said.

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Chapter Writer: Fiona_jessie

AN: [From VeryBigMess] Also, remember when I said I posted the last chapter to not hold my co-writer back? Well, I got distracted editing and posting this chapter for a week or two XD