"Stop! Don't run!"
On the streets of Sin City, two masked men were being chased by dozens of city guards. According to the complainant, the two had harassed and attempted to rob her in a back alley, only for the guards to arrive in time and prevent the "crime" from escalating.
What no one realized was that the so-called robbery was actually an unfortunate misunderstanding—a bizarre offshoot of a poorly conceived plan.
"I still don't get it—if we didn't do anything wrong, why the hell are we running?!" Mo Yan panted as he ran.
"I don't know! But in a situation like that, you think anyone's gonna believe us if we try to explain?!" Zhao Heng shouted, breathing heavily. "Just find Kaelin—if she can explain it, we're good!"
The two rounded a corner at full speed, thinking they'd finally shaken their pursuers—until a sudden bolt of lightning crashed down in front of them.
"WAH!"
They skidded to a halt—barely a step from where the thunderstrike had landed. Embedded in the ground before them was a glowing sword, still crackling with electricity.
"A sword?" Mo Yan blinked.
Then came the sound of footsteps. From the shadows stepped a familiar purple-haired woman, her pistol already aimed between Mo Yan's eyes.
"Don't move. One more step and I blow your heads off," she said coldly.
Mo Yan gave a stiff, awkward smile. "Ahaha… Officer Clorinde, right? H-hello. Don't shoot, it's just us."
That voice…
Clorinde narrowed her eyes, then yanked the masks off their faces. The moment she saw who they were, her expression froze.
"…You again?"
Mo Yan raised both hands sheepishly. "Would you believe me if I said this was all a misunderstanding?"
Clorinde sighed heavily and lowered her weapon. "Start talking. What's going on?"
Mo Yan slowly straightened up. "This wasn't supposed to happen. It was all Kaelin's idea. She figured if we staged a robbery, Evilbane might show up. So we planned to fake a mugging in an alley. It was just a skit! But before we could even start, someone saw us and thought it was real…"
He sounded so defeated even Clorinde had to avert her eyes.
She sighed again. "Alright. I think I get the gist. But do you realize the consequences of what you've done? You caused a public disturbance. Under Black Domain law, that's a 15-day detainment."
Mo Yan's jaw dropped. "Fifteen days?!"
"Of course," Clorinde said sternly. "However… considering it's your first offense—and out of respect for Lord Moon Saint—I'll let it go this once. But don't push your luck again."
"Understood!" Mo Yan forced a tight-lipped smile.
She nodded, then turned to Zhao Heng. "You too. Take that mask off. Wearing something like that around here will only get you in trouble."
Zhao Heng nodded and quickly removed his mask.
Clorinde, now somewhat satisfied, gave them a curt nod. "Until we locate Miss Kaelin and Miss Zixuan, I'll have to ask you both to wait at the station."
The two exchanged glances and silently agreed.
And so, they were escorted—again—to the station. To their surprise, Kaelin and Zixuan were already there, sitting in the waiting area.
The moment the four of them locked eyes, the room grew heavy with tension.
No one dared speak first—for fear of getting scolded or blamed.
Thankfully, the tension broke when Obsidian strolled in, laughing so hard she nearly keeled over.
"Pfft—Hahahahaha!!"
"Obsidian, what's so funny…?" Kaelin asked awkwardly.
Obsidian wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still giggling. "I'm sorry, I really am—but it's just too funny. You four dressed up to lure out Evilbane, and instead got mistaken for actual robbers. You pretended to be victims, and then ran into real ones! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never believe it! Hahahaha!"
Kaelin crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "Hey, that's not fair! How were we supposed to know things would go so sideways? Looks like this plan needs a serious overhaul…"
Obsidian waved dismissively. "Honestly, you might as well give up. If Evilbane were that easy to draw out, he wouldn't have been a guardian for the past 5,000 years. You're not the first to try something like this."
"You mean… other people have tried?" Kaelin asked, surprised.
"Of course. But Evilbane won't act unless he senses real malicious intent. That's why, when you were actually attacked last night, I showed up—not him. As his contracted enforcer, and someone aligned with evil-type energy myself, I can sense true malice. And I was nearby."
Kaelin's face fell. "So… that means we might never get another chance to meet him?"
Obsidian nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, that's likely the case. But don't get too discouraged. You never know—maybe he will appear before you someday. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow."
After parting ways with Obsidian, Kaelin was visibly dejected. After two straight days of chaos, she just wanted to crawl into bed and pretend the world didn't exist.
But as they stepped through the inn's doors and climbed the stairs, a familiar figure stood waiting at their room door.
It was Tianlang—already back, arms crossed, looking very much like he'd been expecting them.
"You're finally back!" Tianlang rushed up to them. "I came back half an hour ago and the innkeeper said you all left an hour before that. What happened?"
"Uhh… it's kind of a long story," Kaelin muttered, scratching her head. "But seriously, where the heck were you all day? We couldn't find you anywhere. Don't tell me you were hiding something?"
"Excuse me? I think I was the one asking you that question," Tianlang shot back. Then, his expression turned sly. "Oh right—while I was waiting here, I happened to hear some rumors. Apparently, there were two incidents in town tonight. One involved a pair of masked robbers, the other, a mugging. Strangely enough, the suspects and victims sound a lot like you guys. Hmm… coincidence?"
The four looked horrified.
Yup. Confirmed. This guy was definitely a troll.
"Where the hell did you hear that nonsense?!" Kaelin snapped.
Tianlang smirked, arms crossed. "Oh, you know—just a little hearsay. Unless, of course, it was you?"
"Fine, I admit it already! Happy now?!" Kaelin fumed. "We were trying to draw out Evilbane, but things went off the rails, and we almost got thrown in jail! And now you're mocking us on top of it?!"
Tianlang chuckled. "Pfft—ha! That does sound like something you'd come up with. But really, if Evilbane were so easily lured, he wouldn't have remained guardian here for five millennia."
"Why do you sound exactly like Obsidian now?!" Kaelin groaned.
Zixuan spoke up next. "She told us the same thing. That we'd never meet Evilbane unless he chose to reveal himself. So now we're stuck figuring out what to do next."
Tianlang nodded sagely, putting on a wise expression. "I see… in that case, why not seek help from a professional?"
"…A professional?" Kaelin raised an eyebrow. "You mean you?"
"Obviously," Tianlang said, grinning. "What did you think I've been doing all day?"
The four of them stared at him, skeptical.
"…So you're saying—" Mo Yan began.
But Tianlang cut him off with a smirk.
"Yep. Just like you're thinking.
I met Evilbane."
~~------------------------
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