The moment the demon guards stepped into position outside the warehouse, Reider's eyes changed.
Not dramatically.
Not with spectacle.
Just enough.
A faint, controlled glow stirred in the depths of his crimson irises as mana threaded outward—silent, precise, unseen. The air itself seemed to tighten around him as his consciousness reached beyond walls and shadow.
And found her.
Eryndra.
The connection clicked into place like a blade locking into a sheath.
"Change of plans. Don't kill them."
Outside, steel flashed.
Eryndra had already been mid-strike—dagger arcing toward a demon guard's exposed throat.
She stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
The blade hovered a breath away from drawing blood.
"…What?" her voice slid through the mental link, laced with disbelief. "But I was just getting to the fun part."
Her lips curved, but the excitement dimmed just slightly.
Inside, crouched behind stacked crates and dim lanternlight, Reider didn't blink.
"We need them alive. At least for now."
Outside, a guard roared and swung a jagged blade toward Eryndra's side.
She twisted around it effortlessly, boots gliding over gravel as though she were dancing instead of fighting.
"Ugh," she groaned through the link while narrowly avoiding a second strike. "You're so boring sometimes, you know that?"
Her heel snapped out and slammed into a guard's chest, sending him skidding backward into a wooden crate.
She could have ended him.
She didn't.
"Fine, fine," she said aloud, grin returning as she spun her dagger lazily between her fingers. "No killing… for now."
Inside the warehouse, Reider moved.
Swift.
Measured.
The cloaked figure and the merchant were still deep in hushed discussion, unaware that death had already stood within their reach.
A marked map lay unfolded across the table.
Trade routes.
Supply caches.
Demon encampments.
Reider slipped forward, silent as smoke, and lifted one of the marked documents.
His gaze sharpened.
We need to know what they know before we make any moves.
Outside, Eryndra let out a soft hum and abruptly threw a small metal sphere to the ground.
It burst with a violent POOF.
Smoke erupted, thick and black, swallowing the guards in seconds.
"Argh! Where did she—?!" one shouted blindly.
By the time they stumbled through the haze, she was already gone.
Or so they thought.
She landed lightly atop a nearby rooftop, flipping once before settling into a crouch.
From above, she could see the warehouse entrance clearly.
"Alright, genius," she murmured through the link, swinging her legs over the edge casually. "What's next?"
Inside, Reider lowered his profile and made his way toward the open window.
"I'm almost done here. Stay hidden and watch their response."
Silence followed.
Then—
The cloaked figure inside paused mid-sentence.
The air shifted.
"…Something's wrong," the figure muttered.
The merchant swallowed audibly. "You don't think—?"
Reider froze.
Mana.
Sharp.
Rising.
The cloaked figure's presence sharpened like a drawn blade.
They're catching on too quickly.
Outside, Eryndra leaned back on her hands, watching through the window gap.
"You're taking your sweet time," she teased mentally. "Want me to make a distraction?"
Inside, Reider calculated.
If they panicked, they would burn the documents.
If they burned the documents, the night would be wasted.
"Not yet. If we draw too much attention, we'll have more demons swarming this place."
Too late.
The cloaked figure snapped her gaze toward the table.
"Burn everything. Now."
The merchant went pale.
"Wait, but—!"
"Now!" she snarled, slamming her hand onto the table.
Her eyes flashed red beneath the hood.
The merchant scrambled, grabbing a torch from the wall rack.
Reider's eyes widened slightly.
They're trying to destroy the evidence.
The torch dropped toward the maps.
Before flame could spread—
Reider placed his palm against the wooden floor.
Mana rippled outward, subtle and controlled.
The heat drained.
Absorbed.
The flicker of flame died mid-birth.
The torch sputtered uselessly.
Outside, Eryndra tilted her head.
"They're really panicking in there," she noted. "Should I at least break someone's arm? You know, to keep them from running?"
Inside, Reider exhaled slowly.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…Fine. But one arm. And don't make it obvious."
Her grin returned in full force.
"Oho~! You're finally letting me have some fun!"
She leapt from the rooftop.
Landing directly in front of the disoriented guards.
"You again?!" one growled.
She cracked her knuckles.
"Oops," she said sweetly. "My hand slipped."
In a single fluid motion, she stepped inside his guard, seized his wrist, rotated—
CRACK.
The sound echoed sharply.
The guard screamed, collapsing to his knees, arm hanging uselessly.
Reider, slipping out of the building's side entrance, facepalmed.
"That was obvious," he said dryly through the link.
"He'll live," she replied with a shrug. "Probably."
The second guard rushed to help his injured comrade.
Eryndra vanished back into shadow.
Inside, chaos simmered—but not fully erupted.
Reider slipped away unnoticed.
Mission complete.
They regrouped in the narrow shadows of an alley.
Reider held up the stolen documents.
"We have what we need."
Eryndra gave him an exaggerated thumbs-up.
"Great teamwork, boss."
He glanced at her, unimpressed.
"Remind me to never let you 'assist' in gathering intel again."
She winked.
"No promises."
Behind them, the warehouse flared with rising tension.
Inside, the cloaked figure stood amidst scattered guards and ruined plans.
Her fist clenched.
"Find them. Now."
The guards scattered.
She gritted her teeth.
"Useless fools. I'll have to report this to—"
The rest of her sentence never finished.
A violent gust of wind tore through the room.
Papers exploded into the air.
Lanterns flickered violently.
Her instincts screamed.
She spun—
Too slow.
A hand seized her wrist.
Cold.
Unyielding.
Her eyes widened.
"Wha—?!"
The world distorted.
Buildings blurred into streaks of shadow and light.
Wind roared past her ears.
The ground vanished beneath her feet.
Then—
Silence.
They stood at the outskirts of the city.
She stumbled, disoriented, lungs burning.
"What… just happened?!"
Reider stood a few steps away.
Arms crossed.
Calm.
Watching.
She straightened quickly, forcing composure back into her posture.
"You think you can scare me, human?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"…You were screaming the whole way here."
Her face twitched.
A faint blush crept beneath her hood.
"T-That was just… surprise! Not fear!"
A soft laugh echoed from above.
"Oh-ho~ Is Reider kidnapping women now? Should I be jealous?"
Eryndra dropped from a rooftop, landing beside him with feline grace.
Reider ignored her completely.
"You work for the demon lords."
The cloaked girl stiffened.
"And if I do?"
Eryndra stepped closer, eyes gleaming.
"Listen, sweetheart," she purred. "You're already in his hands. You really think acting tough is gonna help you now?"
The demon girl clicked her tongue but avoided direct eye contact.
Reider stepped forward.
His presence pressed down like gravity.
"I don't need you dead. I need information."
Eryndra nudged him.
"He means yet."
The demon girl shot her an annoyed glare.
"You're really annoying."
Eryndra slung an arm around Reider's shoulder.
"You get used to me. I mean, he did."
Reider removed her arm calmly.
"Barely."
She clutched her chest dramatically.
"Wow. Stab me in the heart why don't you?"
The demon girl watched the exchange in bewilderment.
They're… strangely casual about all of this.
Reider's tone hardened again.
"Let's make this simple. You tell me what I need to know, and I don't let Eryndra have 'fun' with you."
Eryndra cracked her knuckles with theatrical enthusiasm.
"Oh please say no."
The demon girl's eyes flickered between them.
Confidence eroded.
"…Tch. What do you want to know?"
Reider's gaze remained steady.
"Everything."
A silence stretched between them.
Eryndra leaned close to him and whispered teasingly,
"You know, if you keep kidnapping women, people are gonna start calling you a villain."
"Noted."
She studied him with amusement.
"…You're fun when you act cold."
He glanced sideways at her.
"And you're quiet when you're asleep."
Her jaw dropped theatrically.
"Did you just make a joke? I think I'm in love!"
The demon girl blinked.
Who are these people…?
Reider exhaled.
He stepped closer to her.
"Let's start with your name."
She hesitated.
Her pride battled with survival.
Finally—
"…Sylva."
He nodded once.
"Good."
The night wind moved softly through the trees at the city's edge.
"Now," Reider said quietly, eyes locking onto hers.
"Tell me everything about the demon king's plans."
Sylva swallowed.
For the first time that evening—
She felt something close to fear.
And she knew—
This might be the worst situation she had ever been in.