Silent Ravens

Dazai leaned back in his chair, the faintest trace of a yawn escaping his lips. His tone carried that familiar blend of exhaustion and authority as his gaze flicked lazily toward Maria.

"Mmm… Has Richard arrived yet? Or has something inconvenient happened?"

Maria's crimson nails drummed softly against the polished surface beside her, a low hum escaping her throat before she replied.

"I reached out to him. He said he'll be arriving tomorrow—seems he's currently tied up in the kingdom, presenting your Bio-Touch device, my beloved."

Dazai chuckled, the sound low and almost hollow, stretching his arms with a casual grace. Before he could speak again, the door creaked open, and Akatsuki stepped inside—Mard Geer slung over his shoulder like a rag doll, a delicate necklace dangling from his fingers. His voice carried the weight of fatigue, though there was a thread of dry humor beneath it.

"Finally got the necklace back… and I brought Mard Geer with me. Still paralyzed, by the way. You really wrecked his mana points. Bastard's practically a statue."

Dazai sighed, a slow clap echoing through the room as his eyes briefly flicked over Mard Geer's limp form.

"Expected. A man like him always comes with a price tag attached. No doubt his bounty's climbed, and his reputation with it… though reputation only gets you so far."

With a subtle shift in the air, Dazai's expression darkened slightly as he turned his attention back to Akatsuki.

"First things first—let me fill you in."

He recounted every detail of the twisted conversation with Eve, the demon now bound within Akatsuki, her presence a silent threat lingering in his veins. When the explanation concluded, Dazai clapped his hands again, the sound sharp in the stillness.

"I'll bind the lifeline between you and Eve with Authority. It'll keep her from slithering her way out—and I might even find a way to channel her abilities into crafting some… specialized weaponry for you."

His gaze shifted to Maria.

"Maria, keep an eye on Eve. I doubt those chains will fail, but you know how slippery demons can be."

He adjusted the scarf draped around his neck, the shift in posture signaling his transition into his guild persona—Noir Renegade. Akatsuki, still cradling the motionless Mard Geer, simply nodded and fell into step beside him as they made their way toward the guild. The quiet hum of the forest surrounded them, though Akatsuki's voice eventually cut through the silence.

"Hey… when are you gonna make me my own gun? We had a deal, remember?"

Dazai's chuckle was soft, almost dismissive, his hand waving lazily in the air.

"Patience. I haven't forgotten. You'll get your gun soon enough. I plan to forge it using Eve's power—The Sin of Deception herself. Consider it a piece worthy of a future legend."

Akatsuki sighed but said nothing more, the two continuing their march until the heavy wooden doors of the guild creaked open before them.

The moment they stepped inside, all eyes turned their way. Conversations dulled into whispers. Glances flicked between the Noir Renegade and Akatsuki, then fell to the motionless figure slung across Akatsuki's back.

Dazai smirked beneath his scarf, the predatory curve of it hidden from all but those who knew him best. His boots carried him across the room with an unhurried confidence, stopping only when he reached the front desk where Levi stood.

"Well, well… Seems fate has a sense of humor after all."

His gloved hand gestured toward Mard Geer with a flourish.

"Care to guess who my friend here is carrying? None other than the illustrious ringleader of the Men in Black. The same pests who've been stirring up trouble in the capital—and now daring to crawl through our forest."

A bead of sweat traced down Levi's temple as her gaze locked onto Mard Geer's still form.

Dazai's fingers danced in the air before signaling Akatsuki to drop the unconscious man at Levi's feet. Mard Geer hit the floor with a dull thud. Dazai's chuckle followed soon after, low and cold.

"Now then, Levi… let's talk business, shall we?"

--

Elsewhere – The Obsidian Depths

Far beneath the earth, hidden within the veins of the world itself, lay the Obsidian Depths—an underground kingdom where light was a stranger and shadows had names. Within its darkest recess stood a guild shrouded in both fear and legend—The Silent Ravens.

A lone figure stood before its entrance, clad entirely in immaculate white. His pale skin was almost translucent beneath the dim glow of violet mana veins pulsing along the walls. Black hair cascaded over his shoulders, framing a face carved from cold indifference. His brown eyes, though ordinary in shade, held a weight capable of freezing lesser souls in place.

A second figure materialized before him, kneeling so low his forehead nearly touched the obsidian floor. The silence between them stretched, thick and suffocating, until the man in white spoke—his voice the whisper of a blade sliding free of its sheath.

"Tell me… why is Mard Geer taking so long?"

The kneeling figure trembled, but remained silent.

The man's expression didn't change, but the temperature around them dropped noticeably.

"Or would you rather I take your head first?"

The kneeling figure's breath quickened, words fumbling free in a rush of panic.

"My lord, I— I will find him. Please, grant me one more chance!"

The man in white said nothing. Only the faint flicker of disgust crossed his features before he turned his back on the pathetic excuse for a subordinate.

"You have until the next shadow falls."

The figure disappeared into the dark, leaving only silence—and the certainty that failure would be rewarded with death.