Chapter 31:

“Here’s the plan,” I said, “I sneak in, karate chop some people in the back of the neck to knock them out, then Draven, you swoop in and pull the bodies out while Gale and Mira drop in from the ceiling.”

Draven and Mirabelle looked at me. Gale pinched the bridge of his nose, his mouth barely catching a laugh. He rubbed my head. The hell? Why was everyone looking at me like that? This was literally a perfect plan. 

“I think we could make some adjustments,” Mirabelle said.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The plan sucks,” Draven said, before Mirabelle pinched the underside of his arm.

“Do not be mean to her.”

I looked over my compatriots. Why did I feel like I was being treated like a toddler? I had played stealth games before, I was practically an expert! And besides, I was exaggerating for comedic effect. Mostly. 

“Gale, you get me, don’t you?”

“Uh,” He said, “I get what you’re trying to go for…I guess.”

 I crossed my arms in triumph. “See? It’s settled then.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Draven said. 

“What’s your plan then?”

He smiled. “I think you vetoed my plan earlier.”

“We’re not killing an entire building full of people.”

Mirabelle stepped forward. “Perhaps we could come to a compromise?”

I blinked. What was a compromise between being a ghost and slaughtering a building full of people? I gestured for her to continue.

“Why don’t,” She said, “We simply enter through the ventilation system and dispose of those in our way?”

I looked at her. 

I rubbed my nose and stared at my feet. “That’s pretty good.”

Gale crossed his arms, a smirk dancing across his lips. “Are you upset because you didn’t come up with the idea first?”

“No,” I lied. “Besides, how are we even going to get in the vents? Won’t we be seen?”

“Hm,” Draven said, “If only we had someone with shadow magic.”

My eyes flew wide open. I grinned. “I have shadow magic!”

Mirabelle looked at me in surprise. “When did you get that?” 

“Last night.”

Draven smiled. “Good, that makes this easier. Do you know how high your affinity is?”

“The highest, I think.”

“Then jumping should be simple for you.”

“Jumping?” I looked at him. That sounded…so damn cool!

He stepped into a nearby shadow. His body was enveloped in darkness before he appeared a few feet away, in a different shade.

“My affinity is low,” He said, “So I can’t travel with anyone, and I can only jump a few feet. Yours should be much stronger. I would guess you could jump with one other person.”

Gale looked at me, his face a pale sweat as my hand shot towards him, a grasping claw. He tried to back up at the last second. “Aria, wai—”

We jumped. The feeling of inky coldness enveloped us as we moved to the spot I held in my mind’s eye. We appeared behind Draven, and I flicked the back of his neck. 

“Omae wa—” I couldn’t finish the phrase before Gale pulled me into a headlock.

“Aria,” He said.

My voice came out in a squeak, compressed by his arms. “Yes?”

“Don’t pull me into the void without my consent.”

“Got it.”

I pulled my head from his arms, and brushed my hair back into place. I shot Gale a stinging glare. Brute! Savage! See if I didn’t drop him off in a jail cell with my new power. So many shenanigans, so little time. I smiled. That could wait, though. I looked at the warehouse. 

The people who had stabbed me, huh? I still didn’t hold a grudge. The phantom pain of the wound tingled, though. I’d be a bit more miffed if I didn’t have healing powers. A bonus point for the system? No, that would be giving it too much credit. 

We circled the building until a vent entered our view. There were a number of people patrolling the entrance, covering the doors and exits. Just what were they hiding here? My eyes followed their movements, before moving back to a vent. Could I jump inside of it? What would happen if I tried to jump somewhere that already had something there? I pictured myself jumping in the way of a stray fly, fusing with it in a monstrous fashion. I shivered. Surely there was some hand-wavey nonsense?

I closed my eyes, sensing the shadow magic’s range. It came to me intuitively, like I’d always known I could do it, but had forgotten. I sensed that, by myself and without practice, I could probably jump at least thirty feet, if not a bit more. With a person, maybe half that? How far could I reach with a proper teacher? Healing magic was like it was built into me, but shadow magic felt like a muscle that, though talented, needed training. 

“Should I scout ahead? Open a door?” I asked.

“That could work,” Gale said.

Draven rubbed his chin. “If she doesn’t alert the whole place.” 

“Let her try it,” Mirabelle said, “And if anything goes wrong, we are here to help.”

I needed little encouragement. Teleporting through shadows had always been a childhood fantasy. I pecked Gale’s lips with a kiss before disappearing in a flash of darkness. 

It was disorienting to be standing one moment, splayed out in a dirty vent the next. Cold metal met my arms, hands and legs, making me hiss a the chill of it. The grainy texture of dirt rubbed on my fingers, and a scent of metal and dust filled my nose. 

I was thankful I’d been wearing pants. If I were wearing my usual number, I don’t think I’d be able to feel clean for a month. I crawled forward. 

The romance of crawling through a vent like a spy wore out quickly. I went from feeling like a secret agent to a secret dumbass. Why did I volunteer for this? Were they counting on me charging forward into danger without a second thought? I need a shower…

The metal moved at my touch, denting in slightly as I crawled forward. It made no loud sounds, which I was grateful for, and I could only guess at the reason being my weight. 

I slowed my pace as I neared an opening in the bottom of the vent. It was grated, but I could see into the building for the first time. I crawled to it, and peered inside. It looked like an office. A man sat at the desk, writing something on his desk table. He was severe looking, with neat hair and immaculate clothing, something like a suit. Piles of documents littered the table. 

I watched for a minute. Could this be where we would find what we needed? I could jump directly in the room, but I’d have to wait until the man left. 

Did I have time to wait? Would the others stall until I gave the signal or assume I had fucked up and charge in? 

Probably the latter. Why did it feel like my party had no faith in me? I was literally the best. A knock rang at the door. I instinctively lowered myself, despite not being visible. 

“Come in,” A deep voice, from the suited man, answered.

The door clicked open. A woman entered. My eyes widened. Her! The one who stabbed me! She looked great. How’d she get her hair like that? 

“Ah. You.” The man said.

“Sir.”

“What is it?”

She tentatively closed the door behind herself and inched forwards. She wrung her hands behind her back. Why was she so nervous?

“I was wondering,” She said, “If you would give me another chance.”

“Another chance?” The man leaned forward, casually putting his weight on his forearm.

“You were given the chance to prove yourself worthy. And you failed. Miserably, might I add. Be grateful I haven’t tossed you back into your parents arms, like the rest of the filth.”

She knelt, holding her hands up in a clasping plea. “I won’t fail Father again, I swear it!”

The man stood. He walked to her side, puling a dagger from the table. She shivered at his feet. 

“Trust,” He said, holding the dagger out, “Requires sacrifice.”

She took the dagger. No! Was she about to do something crazy…? Should I jump in, stop her from stabbing herself? I was still debating when she, in one smooth motion, lifted her hair and cut it at the root. The loose strands fell to the floor. 

“I give my all to Father.”

The man nodded. He reached out, gently brushing a lock of fallen hair from her shoulder, before clasping it. 

“You will be given redemption. Now go, prove yourself to the Family.”

She stood, energetic, smiling, and flew towards the door.

The man’s voice halted her. “Wait.”

She looked back, curious.

“Sweep that up first. It’s disgusting.”