Chapter 401 — Trial Mission
**Sanctuary of Whispers.**
Brakk was still staring at the rune on his hand.
It glowed faintly… then changed color.
— Why is it changing color?
Mister Mind answered calmly:
— Danger indicator.
The rune shifted from blue… to violet.
Brakk turned pale.
— Violet means what?
Nightmare looked at the rune.
— Statistically?
— Yes.
— You're going to suffer.
Brakk:
— THAT'S NOT A STATISTIC.
Haya stretched.
— Well. First mission.
Brakk raised his hand.
— I signed thirty seconds ago!
— Exactly.
— Isn't there an integration period?
Bloodweaver replied:
— Yes.
— Ah!
— It lasts about… five minutes.
Brakk looked around.
— How long has it been?
Mira counted on her fingers.
— Six minutes.
Brakk:
— I'VE BEEN SCAMMED.
Samael rose from his stone seat.
The air changed immediately.
When the Angel of Death stood… it was rarely to ask for tea.
— An anomaly has been reported.
Mister Mind conjured a dimensional map.
A zone blinked red.
Brakk squinted.
— Where is that?
— An old temple in a secondary dimension.
Nightmare read the data.
— Presence of unknown entity.
Narrative distortion.
Probability of death: 73%.
Brakk:
— WHY DO YOU SAY THAT SO CALMLY?!
Haya shrugged.
— Because the average is usually 90%.
Brakk:
— OH GREAT.
Mira tugged Bloodweaver's sleeve.
— Can we take him?
— Who?
— Brakk.
— Why?
— To see how long he survives.
Brakk:
— I'M RIGHT HERE.
Nightmare placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Courage.
— YOU SAY THAT LIKE I'M GOING TO DIE.
— Because it's statistically plausible.
---
**Meanwhile… in the desert.**
Evans walked ahead of the group.
Silent.
Very silent.
Valentine whispered to Delta:
— He's sulking.
Delta nodded.
— Clearly.
Xander watched the clouds.
— Or recharging.
Ryn sighed.
— I'd prefer sulking.
Evans suddenly stopped.
— You know I can hear you.
Valentine smiled.
— We hoped so.
Lya appeared, strolling casually behind them.
— So, Pikachu, recovered from your crisis?
Evans froze.
The group held its breath.
A small spark appeared above his head.
Zap.
Valentine burst out laughing.
— Karma's fast today.
Evans sighed.
— If anyone repeats that nickname…
Another mini spark.
Zap.
Xander murmured:
— The multiverse is definitely against him.
---
**Sanctuary of Whispers.**
A dimensional portal opened.
Haya cracked her fingers.
— Well. Let's go.
Brakk stepped back.
— Wait… we're leaving now?
Mister Mind nodded.
— Yes.
— Without preparation?
Bloodweaver thought.
— Hmm…
— YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT NOW?!
— No, it's fine, he said finally. We can improvise.
Brakk:
— THAT'S NOT REASSURING.
They crossed the portal.
---
**Moments later… Abandoned Temple.**
Broken columns.
Cracked statues.
A black mist floated in the air.
Brakk whispered:
— Okay… this is clearly a trap.
Nightmare studied the runes on the ground.
— No.
— What?
— A very bad trap.
Mira jumped onto a stone.
— Hello mysterious entity!
Silence.
Haya sighed.
— Mira.
— Yes?
— We don't greet anomalies.
The mist shifted.
A deep voice echoed.
— Who dares enter my domain?
Brakk stepped back.
— Oh no…
A gigantic silhouette emerged from the shadows.
Three meters tall.
Body of shadow.
Red eyes.
It roared:
— I AM THE ANCIEN—
BOOM.
The creature flew through three columns.
Everyone turned their heads.
Bloodweaver blew on his fist.
— Sorry.
Brakk blinked.
— What?
Bloodweaver looked at the unconscious creature.
— Reflex.
Haya sighed.
— Well.
She looked at Brakk.
— Pedagogical mission number one.
— What?
— Tie it up.
Brakk stared at the gigantic monster.
Then at the group.
Then back at the monster.
— It's three meters tall.
Mira raised her hand.
— I can absorb it.
Everyone:
— NO.
---
**The narrator concluded:**
Brakk's first mission.
Total duration: forty-two seconds.
The ancient creature?
Knocked out.
The Guild?
Still just as strange.
And Brakk had just realized one essential truth:
The danger in this group…
wasn't the monsters.
It was his teammates.
Chapter 402 — Bad First Impression
**Abandoned Temple.**
The gigantic creature was still unconscious… tied up with what looked like a mix of shadow chains, organic threads, and a rope Brakk had found on the ground.
Brakk stepped back two paces.
— There… it's done.
He looked at the monster.
Then at the group.
— Can we go home now?
Bloodweaver raised a finger.
— Question.
Brakk sighed.
— What now…
— Did you check if it was really unconscious?
Brakk:
— Of course not.
Haya:
— Wrong answer.
The creature opened one eye.
Red.
Very red.
Brakk froze.
— …it just opened an eye.
Nightmare looked calmly.
— Yes.
— AND YOU'RE NOT REACTING?!
The creature pulled on the chains.
CRACK.
The runes shattered.
The thing rose slowly.
— MISERABLE INSECTS… YOU DARED—
BAM.
Mira kicked it in the knee.
The creature immediately folded its leg with a horrible sound.
— …okay, said Brakk. I'm starting to understand the group dynamic.
The creature roared.
A dark aura exploded around it.
The temple shook.
Statues shattered.
Brakk felt crushing pressure.
— Oh no… it's a final boss.
Haya tilted her head.
— No.
— What?
— Mini-boss.
Brakk:
— THAT'S WORSE.
The creature raised its arms.
A sphere of black energy appeared.
— I WILL REDUCE YOU TO ASHES!
Bloodweaver sighed.
— Always the same speeches.
Nightmare nodded.
— Lack of originality.
Brakk shouted:
— HE'S GOING TO KILL US!
Mister Mind raised a finger.
The energy sphere… vanished.
The creature looked at its hand.
Then at the air around it.
— …where's my attack?
Mister Mind answered calmly:
— I moved it.
Brakk:
— Where to?
A gigantic BOOM echoed behind the temple.
The whole mountain exploded.
Brakk stared at the crater in the distance.
— Ah.
The creature panicked.
— IMPOSSIBLE! WHO ARE YOU?!
Mira raised her hand.
— I'm Mira.
She pointed at Nightmare.
— He's the old guy.
Nightmare:
— I'm only a few hours older.
Mira:
— So old.
Brakk muttered:
— I joined a psychopathic daycare…
The creature tried another attack.
Shadow spears surged from the ground.
Haya simply raised a finger.
Time slowed.
The spears stopped a few centimeters from her face.
She looked at Brakk.
— Pedagogical observation number two.
— What?
She made a small gesture.
The spears reversed… and pierced the creature.
BOOM.
Silence.
Brakk stared at the collapsing body.
— You just killed a dimensional boss.
Haya shrugged.
— Yes.
— …easily.
— Yes.
— …
Brakk turned to Mister Mind.
— Why am I here?
Mister Mind answered calmly:
— To learn.
Mira looked at the dead creature.
— Can we eat it?
Everyone:
— NO.
Brakk sat on a stone.
— I think I understand.
Bloodweaver smiled.
— Oh?
— The monsters here aren't dangerous.
— Correct.
— The danger… is you.
Nightmare nodded.
— Accurate analysis.
Suddenly…
The monster's body trembled.
A black light burst from its chest.
An ancient voice echoed in the temple.
— YOU THINK YOU HAVE WON…
The group looked at the light.
It took the form of a gigantic specter.
— I AM THE AVATAR OF AN ANCIENT GOD—
SLAP.
Samael had just appeared behind it… and slapped it on the head.
The specter instantly dissipated.
Silence.
Brakk slowly opened his mouth.
— …you just slapped a god?
Samael adjusted his cloak.
— False.
He looked at the spectral dust.
— I slapped his voicemail.
The group stayed silent.
Then Haya sighed.
— Well.
— Mission complete.
Brakk looked around.
Temple destroyed.
Mountain exploded.
God humiliated.
— …
— This is… a simple mission?
Bloodweaver replied:
— Yes.
Brakk slowly stood up.
— I'm going to die in this job.
Nightmare placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Probable.
Far away…
in the desert…
Evans suddenly sneezed.
A lightning bolt struck a dune.
Valentine raised an eyebrow.
— You just electrocuted the sand.
Evans looked at his hand.
— Bad omen.
Lya smiled.
— Someone somewhere must be having a very bad day.
Far away…
Brakk shouted:
— WHY DID I SIGN THIS CONTRACT?!
**The narrator concluded:**
Brakk had just survived his first mission.
But in Samael's Guild…
surviving the first mission…
did not guarantee the second. 😌
Chapter 403 — Family Reunion (and Trauma for Brakk)
**Sanctuary of Whispers.**
The hall was silent again.
Samael walked ahead, his black cloak drifting behind him like a living shadow.
Behind him, Brakk dragged his feet.
— Samael said calmly:
— Brakk. Your first mission was a success.
Brakk blinked.
— …excuse me?
— Mission accomplished.
Brakk threw up his arms.
— BUT I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!
He pointed at the group.
— She stopped time!
— He moved the attacks!
— He does weird experiments!
— And the slime wanted to eat me!
Mira raised her hand.
— I'm still open to the idea.
Nightmare sighed.
— Mira…
Samael simply shrugged.
— Doesn't matter.
Brakk:
— What do you mean "doesn't matter"?!
— I don't want to hear it. Understood.
Haya frowned.
— Father… what exactly are you trying to do?
Samael turned his head toward her.
— You, be quiet.
Silence.
— I'm not talking to you, my daughter.
He pointed at Brakk.
— I'm talking to my new employee.
Brakk:
— …I don't like that word.
Bloodweaver crossed his arms.
— All this for an artifact… it's insane.
He glanced at the object in Brakk's hand.
— Whatever it is… it must be impressive.
Brakk sighed.
— Reminder: I'm the one holding it.
Haya answered immediately:
— Temporarily.
Brakk gripped the artifact tighter.
— That doesn't reassure me at all.
Mister Mind tapped his temple.
— I think we should return to the guild.
Samael smiled.
— Excellent idea, my son.
Haya made a mudra.
A dimensional portal opened.
Brakk muttered:
— I should've become a baker…
They stepped through the portal.
It closed behind them with a suction sound.
They were spat back into the solemn gloom of the Sanctuary of Whispers.
Brakk collapsed immediately to the floor.
— …I resign.
No one answered.
Samael was already walking toward a corridor.
— Brakk. The object.
Brakk sighed and pulled the artifact from his pocket.
The rune on his hand turned deep violet.
— You had your forty-two second mission.
He raised the artifact.
— Now someone explain why everyone wants this thing?
Samael stopped.
Silence.
They arrived before massive black wooden double doors.
An oppressive aura seeped from behind them.
Even Brakk, not very skilled in magical perception… felt something instantly.
— …there are monsters behind that door.
Mister Mind answered calmly.
— No.
— Worse.
Samael opened the doors.
The hinges groaned.
The hall was immense.
Three silhouettes stood within.
Brakk couldn't see their faces.
Only shadowy forms with glowing eyes.
Two were standing.
The third… seated.
Brakk opened his mouth.
— …I regret my life.
Mister Mind spoke quietly.
— These are my elder brothers.
He pointed to the seated figure.
— Seth.
Then one of the standing ones.
— Ariel.
Then the other.
— Azrael.
Brakk looked slowly.
— Wait…
— YOU'RE A FAMILY???
Samael:
— Yes.
Brakk:
— BUT YOU'RE ALL PSYCHOPATHS!
Silence.
Bloodweaver murmured:
— That's a rather harsh diagnosis.
The silhouettes stepped out of the shadows.
Brakk could finally see them.
Seth sat in a wheelchair.
He looked about thirty.
Calm.
Too calm.
Ariel looked like a perfect warrior.
Tall.
Calm.
Terrifying.
And Azrael…
Azrael looked at Brakk with a smile that clearly said:
"I could kill you for fun."
Brakk whispered:
— Great.
— A family reunion of demons.
Samael spoke.
— Seth is the eldest.
— Ariel is twenty-five.
— Azrael twenty-two.
Brakk raised his hand.
— Question.
No one answered.
— Why am I here?
Azrael replied:
— Good question.
He studied Brakk.
— Why is he here?
Brakk:
— THANK YOU!
Seth, in his chair, finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
— Because he holds the artifact.
All eyes turned to Brakk.
Brakk stepped back.
— No no no.
— Look… I can put it on the ground.
— You take it.
— And I forget you exist.
Azrael burst out laughing.
— I like him.
Haya sighed.
— He's funny.
Seth extended his hand.
— The artifact.
Brakk hesitated.
Then handed it over.
The room fell silent.
Seth studied the object.
His eyes glowed faintly.
Ariel frowned.
— Just as I thought.
Azrael murmured:
— Seriously?
Brakk:
— WHAT?
— WHAT "SERIOUSLY"??
Seth looked up at Samael.
— Where did you find this?
Samael answered simply:
— In the desert.
Haya burst out laughing.
— Technically true.
Brakk:
— BUT THAT EXPLAINS NOTHING!!
Seth placed the artifact on the table.
— This object…
He paused.
The whole hall waited.
— Can rewrite certain laws of the world.
Total silence.
Brakk turned pale.
— …
— …EXCUSE ME?
Azrael smiled.
— Congratulations.
— You carried an object capable of breaking reality.
Brakk:
— …
— …I WANT A PAY RAISE.
Bloodweaver burst out laughing.
Mira raised her hand.
— Question.
Everyone looked at her.
— Can we eat the artifact?
Everyone:
— NO.
Mira shrugged.
— Shame.
Brakk looked at the family.
The assassins.
The slime.
The curse psychopath.
The shadow manipulator.
The god of death.
Then the artifact.
Then Seth.
He sighed deeply.
— Fine.
— I accept my fate.
Haya smiled.
— Which one?
Brakk replied:
— Dying young.
**The narrator concluded:**
Brakk had just discovered three important things.
The artifact was dangerous.
Samael's family was even more dangerous.
And now he worked for both.
And somewhere in the desert…
Evans sneezed again.
Lya looked at the sky.
— Someone is having a very bad day.
Far away…
Brakk shouted:
— I WANT VACATION! 😭
Chapter 404 — The Most Dangerous Job Interview in the World
Silence reigned in the great hall of the Sanctuary of Whispers.
At the center of the black table rested the artifact.
No one spoke.
No one… except Brakk.
— Well.
He timidly raised his hand.
— Can someone explain why I was hired into the most dangerous assassin guild in the world… when I'm probably the least qualified person here?
Azrael answered immediately.
— Because you survived.
Brakk blinked.
— …that's the criterion?
Haya crossed her arms.
— In this guild? Yes.
Nightmare added calmly:
— Most candidates die before the interview.
Mira raised her hand.
— Or during.
Brakk:
— THAT'S NOT REASSURING!
Seth was still observing the artifact.
Silent.
His eyes seemed to analyze something no one else could see.
Ariel finally spoke.
— This object isn't just powerful.
He placed a hand on the table.
— It's unstable.
Bloodweaver tilted his head.
— Unstable how?
Ariel replied calmly.
— It reacts to the will of whoever possesses it.
Brakk turned pale.
— …oh no.
Everyone looked at him.
— What?
Brakk swallowed.
— I think very stupid things sometimes.
Azrael burst out laughing.
— Perfect.
— We're going to die because of an idiotic thought.
Samael watched the scene with an amused smile.
— That's why I brought it back.
Haya rolled her eyes.
— You mean you have no idea how to control the artifact.
Samael:
— Exactly.
Haya sighed.
— Great.
— Our leader improvises with an object capable of rewriting the laws of reality.
Bloodweaver murmured:
— Very much his style.
Brakk looked at Seth.
— So…
He pointed at the artifact.
— What exactly can it do?
Seth answered calmly.
— That depends.
— On what?
— On what you imagine.
Silence.
Brakk:
— …
— That's the worst possible answer.
Mister Mind approached the table.
— To be precise…
He placed a finger on the artifact.
— This object amplifies an intention.
— It transforms a will into alteration of the laws.
Mira's eyes widened.
— So if I think really hard about cake…
Haya answered immediately.
— You'll probably destroy a galaxy.
Mira stayed silent.
— …
— I'll stop thinking.
Azrael looked at Brakk.
— Do a test.
Brakk stepped back.
— NO.
— Why?
— Because I've known you for forty minutes and you're all insane.
Haya raised her hand.
— False.
— I'm perfectly sane.
Bloodweaver:
— You tried to turn a dragon into a chair yesterday.
Haya:
— That was scientific.
Seth looked at Brakk.
— Calm down.
His voice was surprisingly gentle.
— The artifact doesn't activate easily.
Brakk exhaled.
— Ah.
— It requires an extremely strong will.
Brakk breathed.
— Perfect.
— I'm very indecisive.
Azrael replied:
— Shame.
— We were hoping for fireworks.
Samael crossed his arms.
— Anyway…
He looked at Brakk.
— You're now part of the guild.
Brakk raised his hand.
— Question.
— No.
— But I haven't asked—
— No.
Brakk sighed.
— I'll try anyway.
— Can I resign?
The whole room burst out laughing.
Samael:
— No.
Mira approached Brakk.
— Don't worry.
— We're nice.
Brakk:
— You literally offered to eat me.
Mira thought.
— Yes.
— But politely.
Brakk:
— That's worse.
Ariel was still watching the artifact.
— One thing is certain.
Everyone turned to him.
— Many people will try to take this object.
Azrael smiled.
— Good.
— I needed some exercise.
Haya sighed.
— He only thinks about fighting.
Azrael replied:
— And you only think about blowing things up.
Haya:
— That's false.
— Sometimes I dissolve them.
Seth looked at Brakk.
— One last thing.
Brakk tensed.
— Yes?
— As long as you carry this artifact…
— You're a target.
Brakk looked around the room.
Then at the artifact.
Then at Samael.
Then at Mira.
Then at Azrael.
Then at Haya.
Then at Nightmare.
Then at Bloodweaver.
He stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then sighed deeply.
— Well.
Everyone waited.
Brakk declared:
— I'm going to die.
Mira answered immediately.
— Maybe.
Azrael added:
— Probably.
Haya:
— Statistically yes.
Bloodweaver:
— But it'll be interesting.
Samael placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Courage, Brakk.
Brakk looked at the ceiling.
— I should've become a baker.
Far away in the desert…
Evans sneezed again.
Nova checked the instruments.
— Strange.
Lya tilted her head.
— What?
Nova replied:
— Someone somewhere just made a very stupid decision.
**The narrator concluded:**
And for Brakk…
This was only the beginning of his new job.