Ayumi could not recall how long she had been training for, but when she raised the blindfold, the mid-day sun had permeated the thick clouds. Outside, it continued to snow. She blinked a few times, almost falling backwards from dizziness. She tossed the crimson-colored blindfold aside, the piece of cloth landing on the hardwood floor.

  Her gaze drifted to the furniture around her, but she immediately feigned disappointment upon noticing no qualitative changes regarding her environment. Had she done something wrong—had the Prism Warden potion malfunctioned for some reason? Before she could assess these questions, she felt her stomach rumble, a wave of hunger immediately washing over her.

  Ayumi quickly approached the closet and changed into something more approachable, an open-collar shirt and thick leggings that could protect herself against the harsh winter. She also slipped on a pair of white gloves to accentuate her hair. As she walked down the stairs, she immediately noticed the contradictory atmosphere. In the lobby, there were a lot more patrons than usual. On a regular morning, it was usually Ayumi and her friends getting a bite to eat.

  She approached the counter, snagging a small biscuit to eat and sitting down at a small, round table. At the same table were a few other individuals—all men with neat appearances and long coats. They all had similar dishes.

  “May I ask how you’re enjoying your food?” A voice suddenly emanated from behind the three men.

  They all turned around to face the source of the voice. It was a boy who looked about eight or nine years old. He was clad in servants’ attire and held a plate with small pastries to refill on the counter.

  The three men sitting in front of Ayumi all had similar reactions, acknowledging the taste, consistency, and texture of the meals they had been given for breakfast. Hearing this, the young servant smiled and nodded in response.

  Before he left, Ayumi suddenly stood up and approached the waiter, tapping him on the shoulder. “May I ask where the servant Wilfred is?”

  The servant turned around to face her, the young boy's expression quickly turning complex. “I’m afraid he quit a few weeks ago.”

  “What?” Hearing this, Ayumi’s eyes widened.

  He nodded. “Wilfred left servanthood about three weeks ago on behalf of his higher-up.”

  “Higher up…” Ayumi fell silent, contemplating and reminiscing on his words for a few moments.

  She suddenly remembered a critical detail she had learned upon first coming to the apartment—Raymond was Wilfred’s higher up; he owned the entire apartment!

  After bidding the servant farewell, she made her way down the hallway, turning down through corridors and making her way to the owner's private quarters. Ayumi took a moment to collect herself, taking a deep breath as she steeled herself to knock on the door. Before she could, a gentle voice sounded behind it.

  “Enter, please.”

  Ayumi watched as the door opened inwards. The office was a small room with a singular chair and desk. On the desk were a few memorabilia items she didn’t recognize.

  “I… didn’t know Raymond liked bugs.” Ayumi internally shivered upon seeing a multi-colored bug-exoskeleton preserved inside a wooden box sitting on the desk.

  The person behind the counter was a woman, she had brown hair and brown eyes. Within her hair were two fox-like ears and a bushy tail.

  “Raymond? The previous owner?” She inquired.

  “Wait… he left too? Who are you exactly?” Ayumi’s brows furrowed in palpable confusion.

  She stood up, adjusting her cravat in a professional manner before looking at Ayumi, extending her hand.

  “My name is Perola, agent of the Indun Empire, commissioned to help out with things around here.”

  Ayumi hesitantly shook her hand, noticing how her hands looked more like paws. “A-a pleasure.”

  Following that, Perola sat back down and smiled. “I’m guessing you came here looking for Raymond? You mentioned his name the moment you came here.”

  “Correct.” Ayumi adjusted her collar and continued. “Why’d he quit?”

  “I don’t know exactly.” Perola shrugged her shoulders.

  Following that, she dug into the pocket of her shirt and took out an iron cigar case, lighting a pipe which she held in her other hand. The vulpur blew into the tube, before puffing out a small, viscous trail of black smoke into the air.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “When I asked about getting a job here, they simply shrugged and led me to the office. Of course, I had to exemplify that I met all conditions to get the job to begin with.”

  “So… Raymond left without explanation?”

  “From what I know, most likely.”

  “Do you know anything regarding his current whereabouts?” Ayumi asked.

  Perola nodded. “Yes. When I received the job here, he had left a note on the desk. On the note, he told me his address in case any issues arose, and he even left me a small complementary snack.”

  Ayumi felt a surge of curiosity. “Do you still have the note?”

  Perola knelt down, opening the drawer of the desk and taking out a neatly-folded piece of paper. She handed it to Ayumi with a smile. Ayumi thanked her as she took it, before opening it up and reading the contents inside.

  “Raymond lives in the rich part of town?”

  “It’s expected from the owner of an apartment complex,” Perola said with a subtle smirk.

  …

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Ayumi knocked three times in succession. When she had approached the gate, their servant had let her in without question—a detail she found strange to an extent. She waited in the cold for another minute before the doorknob clicked, followed by it opening inwards. She was a woman, her hair tousled into an extravagant bun above her head.

  Her face was heavy with makeup and adorned with sharp features. Additionally, an inhuman amount of blush coated her pale-white cheeks. Clad in a fur-collared pelisse, Madame Fitzgerald smiled at the visitor.

  “Hello, dear.”

  Ayumi habitually bowed to the madame, smiling softly. “Hello, Madame Fitzgerald.”

  Madame Fitzgerald suddenly chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. “There’s no need for that, dear. I’m not royalty.”

  “Well… I thought you’d like that.”

  Before Madame Fitzgerald could speak once more, another figure came into view. It was a young boy about eight or nine years of age. His eyes and hair were a deep brown, and he wore a casual expression. When he caught sight of Ayumi, his lips twitched into a smile.

  “A-Ayumi?”

  Seeing this boy, Ayumi’s eyes widened. It was Wilfred—the boy looked entirely different from their last encounter. His eyebags were gone and he wore much more fitting attire.

  “W-Wilfred? I almost didn’t recognize you there!”

  The young boy blushed, chuckling sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Since I quit my job, I’ve seen myself improve these past few weeks.”

  “And you’re also talking with more people, I hope?”

  Wilfred nodded. “My mother would often have the servants walk me through town, letting me congregate as I pleased. She’d also arrange cordial visits with other established families in this city.”

  Ayumi felt her chest warm upon hearing of Wilfred’s improved situation. “That’s good to hear!”

  She stepped into the manor, brushing her boots against the carpet to remove any residual snow. “Though, I came here to ask about Raymond. He disappeared and someone else took his position as owner of his apartment.”

  Madame Fitzgerald sighed heavily, taking out her pocket fan to wave in front of her face. “I’m afraid Raymond departed from this house entirely. While I was sad to see him leave, he is a responsible young man with a fitting career and possesses a good future.”

  “He… just left, just like that?” Ayumi snapped her fingers to exemplify her statement.

  The women with extravagant makeup nodded. “He said he’d either move to the Adligon territories or somewhere else. But god forbid if he comes back with a spear in hand.”

  Madame Fitzgerald internally shivered at the thought of the Adligon clans. She had grown well aware of their tendencies and habits—over the past few centuries they were among the highest-running players in the game of militaristic and weapons manufacturing. If someone as sophisticated as Raymond were to stop by, the possibility of him turning violent and chaotic was one the madame had considered countless times.

  “Good fortune to my brother, he had taught me all the skills I needed to live in life before he left us. Though, my brother Bertram continues to act weird overall.”

  Following the Blood Moon, Isaac had filled her in regarding Isaiah Walls’s actions regarding the lobotomies and surgical operations. Upon remembering the cause of Bertram’s abnormalities, she shivered and brushed the subject off her shoulders.

  “Do you know the woman running the apartment now? She had ears and a tail and everything.”

  Madame Fitzgerald suddenly froze, her eyes widening. She dropped her fan to the floor, the metallic object hitting the marble floor with a dull clatter.

  “Darling, repeat their appearance for me?”

  Ayumi nodded, though she was slightly taken aback by the madame’s sudden change in emotion. “She had fluffy ears and a tail.”

  “A vulpur?” Madame Fitzgerald mumbled under her breath, her gaze falling to the floor.

  “Mother, are you alright?” Wilfred approached his mother, tugging at the hem of her small dress.

  “A tail-back took my son’s position?” The extravagant woman suddenly looked up, her emerald eyes ablaze with solemn fury.

  Ayumi took a step back. “I-is that a problem?”

  Without saying anything else, Madame Fitzgerald stormed forward, opening the doors leading into her courtyard. She made her way to the portion of the garden filled with stone statues of numerous figures. With an abrupt shove, she suddenly pushed a stone statue of a cat to the ground, the polished and exuberant piece of architecture scattering in countless large fragments across the garden.

  “Mother!” Wilfred bolted into the garden, running up to his mother.

  Unexpectedly, Madame Fitzgerald turned around, shoving the boy back into the snow.

  “Shit!” Ayumi’s instincts moved into overtime as she moved forward, grabbing hold of Wilfred and helping him up.

  Madame Fitzgerald—in a sudden, instinctual fit of rage—let out an almost human shriek of rage as she brought her palm down to Ayumi. The girl closed her eyes, holding Wilfred tight. They suddenly heard the sound of energy condensing around them.

  When Ayumi opened her eyes, she caught sight of what had happened. A prism made of orange and yellow light had formed around her and Wilfred, shielding them from the women’s mad assault. Outside this illusory barrier, Madame Fitzgerald continued to pound down onto the shield, growing and making noises like a wild animal.

  "W-what's happening?” Wilfred gasped, both horrified and entranced by the surroundings.

  ‘I-is this the Prism Warden abilities mentioned?’ Ayumi thought to herself.

  At that moment, Ayumi extended her palm, letting out a burst of radiant light that blinded Madame Fitzgerald, sending the latter stumbling back and falling into the snow, clutching her eyes and writhing around.

  “M-mother!” Wilfred trembled violently, but he refused to move from his spot.

  Ayumi looked to the door, where a servant could be seen, watching the entire ordeal with a horrified look.

  “Contact the Pollinators! Now!”