Before Falco arrived to rescue him, and after the betting had finally stopped, the man who called himself Cobra leaned close to Lucian and whispered, his breath brushing against his ear.

  “I know what happened that night.”

  Lucian’s thoughts collapsed into static. His heartbeat roared in his ears, drowning out everything except that single sentence.

  What happened that night? Why did he live in that illusion for three years?

  Questions rose and fell. But no answer was there for him to pick.

  Now, this stranger was claiming he knew everything. The truth behind the greatest mystery of Lucian’s miserable life.

  Lucian didn’t want to believe him. But he wanted the answers even more.

  His voice cracked. “W-What?! What happened?!”

  Cobra’s smile deepened.

  “I want to tell you. But you see… I’m an information broker. Knowledge has a price. A fair one, I assure you…if you’re willing to pay.”

  Lucian swallowed. “What do you want?” he rasped. “Just—tell me.”

  “Nothing too serious. Join my organisation.”

  *****

  The morning sunlight had grown warmer as the rising sun drenched the ruined facility in gold.

  Falco stood at a deliberate distance from Mr. Snake. Between them was the bald man, still upright, still breathing only because a living serpent connected to Mr. Snake was sunk into his neck. A few steps away, Silas kept his revolver leveled at Mr. Snake’s head, his expression unreadable. The air around them felt dense, heavy enough to choke.

  Lucian stood with Jack’s help. Even from across the clearing, he could taste the tension.

  “Tsk. This is why I hate missions like these,” Falco muttered.

  He raised his left hand. A Codex materialized in his palm, nothing like Lucian’s worn, darkened relic that looked abandoned for decades.

  Falco’s Codex gleamed with green leather, intricate patterns embossed in deeper hues. Elegant. A piece of art.

  It flipped open on its own, pages rustling as though caught in an invisible wind, stopping precisely where he wanted.

  Falco glanced back at Silas.

  “He’s way beyond you. Don’t attack him. Just take out that guy. Well, what’s left of him. Aim for the head. The snake’s controlling him with poison.”

  At the word “Control”, Mr. Snake smiled. Another serpent slithered out of his back, coiling around his neck with a low hiss.

  Falco lowered his gaze to his Codex. “Chapter Three… locked on.”

  He tightened his grip behind his back, then slammed the book shut. It vanished.

  The ground exploded beneath his feet as he launched forward, leaving a crater and cloud of dust.

  A shockwave rippled through the air.

  Mr. Snake’s pupils narrowed. “So fast—” was all he managed before Falco appeared in front of him and drove a kick deep into his abdomen.

  The kick sank into his gut with a deep, meaty thud, folding him around Falco’s knee. Mr. Snake shot backward like a ragdoll, smashing through debris and disappearing in a cloud of dust.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The bald man, still under control, raised his weapon to fire poison darts, but a bullet pierced his skull before he could move. The snake attached to him dissolved into smoke.

  Lucian was flabbergasted. Not just by Falco’s speed, but by Silas’s impossible accuracy.

  “Is he a Librarian?” Lucian asked.

  Jack chuckled. “No, not at all.”

  “Eh!... he’s not?!”

  “No. Normally, non-Librarians can’t harm an Unread or a Librarian. But Silas uses something called a Spirit Metal bullet. It’s the only thing that can hurt them. The rest is pure skill.”

  ‘Impressive!!’ Lucian admired him silently.

  The dust finally cleared. Mr. Snake emerged, casually brushing dirt from his clothes.

  “Is that truly an Arcana-type ability?” he asked.

  Falco clicked his tongue. “Tsk! Has your organisation been operating on the western side?”

  “Western side?” Mr. Snake tilted his head. “Ahh… so that’s it. You’re still clinging to those people.You want to know if they’re alive or—”

  Before he could finish, Falco was already on him.

  ‘I can't even follow his movements!!’ Lucian in excitement had forgotten his own pain.

  In the time it took Lucian to blink, Falco had already struck Mr. Snake several times. So fast the impacts blurred into one.

  “Is it over…?” Lucian whispered, still trying to comprehend Falco’s speed.

  Jack shook his head. “No… not yet.”

  Somehow, Mr. Snake had slipped past every attack with the simplest, laziest movements.

  His movements were like a snake.

  Then one of his fingers twisted, flesh elongated into a serpent and snapped upward in a vicious strike.

  But Falco was already above him.

  Then he vanished.

  In less than a heartbeat, Falco reappeared around Mr. Snake again and again. Each time landing a kick Lucian could barely follow.

  But something was wrong.

  Mr. Snake looked… distorted. His body shimmered like a reflection on disturbed water. Each time Falco struck, his form blurred, then solidified again as if nothing had happened.

  “Hehehe…” Mr. Snake laughed, the serpent on his back hissing continuously.

  Falco vanished again, reappearing beside the others.

  “So? You can't win?” Silas asked.

  “Tsk… no.” Falco frowned.

  Silas glanced toward the writhing wall of serpents.

  “I doubt my bullets can do anything.”

  “Nor my kicks,” Falco admitted.

  “I can’t help either,” Jack added with a sigh.

  ‘I doubt they need your help,’ Lucian mocked silently.

  “Damn it. Where the hell is he?” Falco frowned.

  “Most likely lost,” Silas replied.

  “What now?” Jack asked the question none of them wanted to say aloud.

  “You don’t need to do anything,” a calm voice answered.

  Mr. Snake walked toward them slowly. “Rest easy. I will take care of everything.”

  Silas looked at Lucian, making his stomach sink.

  “Why is he after you?”

  “Yeah. Did you steal something, you little brat?” Falco said.

  ‘Little brat?’

  Lucian eyed the man who was clearly shorter than him.

  “Probably something I can no longer offer,” Lucian said, a heavy, nameless emotion tightening in his chest.

  “Whatever. We—”

  Before Falco could finish, a serpent burst out of the ground and sank its fangs into his hand.

  In the next moment, he collapsed with no resistance.

  “Argh—!”

  Before the other two could react, more snakes erupted from the earth, biting them and sending both men crashing to their knees in pain.

  “W-What?!” Lucian looked around in confusion.

  “Just poison,” a voice answered coldly behind him.

  Lucian spun around. Mr. Snake stood there without a shred of emotion. Just the silence surrounding him felt alive. Now it was about to devour Lucian.

  Mr. Snake extended a finger toward him. It twisted instantly, turning into a serpent that bit into Lucian’s right shoulder.

  “Now show me your Codex,” he commanded.

  Lucian’s hands moved on their own. He tried to speak, but his mouth refused to obey. His left hand lifted, palm opening like an unfurling petal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the three men trembling on the ground, unable to rise.

  There was no saving anyone now.

  From the center of his palm, the ancient Codex materialized, its darkened leather cover twisting open.

  Mr. Snake’s lips curved into a delighted smile.

  “Incredible… I wonder what remains inside the Codex of the last Lysander.”

  “I doubt you’ll ever know.”

  A new voice echoed behind him. Mr. Snake’s eyes widened.

  He turned sharply.

  A tall man stood there with his arms folded. His hair was the color of ash after a wildfire, and his eyes glowed gold, predatory, like a tiger’s.

  A flash split the air.

  The serpent connected to Lucian was severed, freeing him instantly.

  Mr. Snake blurred away, appearing several meters back.

  Lucian fell but quickly steadied himself, staring at the newcomer.

  ‘Is he… a tiger?’

  What a weird things to think about a human. But that was the first thought that crossed his mind.

  The man shifted his gaze from the fallen trio to Mr. Snake.

  “Oh my. An Editor. This got quite difficult all of a sudden.”

  For the first time, Lucian saw emotion flicker across Mr. Snake’s face. He tried to study them. Confusion, irritation, surprise… and a disturbing joy.

  “Well then,” Mr. Snake said, “shall we begin?”

  “Not today,” the man replied calmly.

  Multiple shadows appeared around them, surrounding the area.

  Lucian tried to turn his head, but it barely moved.

  He looked toward Mr. Snake as it was his only option.

  With a disgruntled expression, Mr. Snake’s form dissolved into dozens of smaller serpents.

  That was the last thing Lucian saw before the world went dark.