Episode 8: The Rogue and the Glow-in-the-Dark Disaster

Felix was balancing on the back two legs of his chair, watching Zira try to juggle three slightly cursed apples (one of them occasionally barked like a dog).

The door creaked open — quietly this time — and a rogue slinked in. Hood up, face half-covered, practically dripping with "I'm mysterious and cool" energy.

Felix didn't even bother sitting up. "Let me guess. You want a stealth enchantment."

The rogue froze mid-creep. "...How did you know?"

Zira didn't look up. "Buddy, you're wearing all black in broad daylight and smell like bad decisions. It wasn't hard."

The rogue huffed. "I'm Shade. Master of shadows."

Felix snorted. "Oh, one of those."

Shade slammed a pouch of coins on the counter. "I need a potion or an item to make me truly invisible — unseen by all."

Felix stood up, stretching. "Alright, let's ruin this guy's day. One 'unseen' enchantment, coming right up."

---

Twenty minutes later…

Felix set a small, glowing crystal on the counter.

"This baby's top-tier stealth magic. Makes you undetectable to the naked eye."

Shade leaned in, his voice low and gravelly. "So I'll be like a shadow in the wind?"

Felix blinked. "...Sure, let's go with that."

Shade grabbed the crystal, activated it, and grinned smugly. "At last… I am one with the dark."

He vanished.

Sort of.

The room lit up with a blinding neon pink glow. Shade was still there — now outlined like a living, pulsating stick figure. He raised his hand to wave, leaving a trail of sparkling pink light behind him like a malfunctioning rave dancer.

Felix stared. Zira stared.

Shade blinked. "...Why am I glowing?"

Felix coughed, trying very hard not to laugh. "Uh… technically, no one can see you. They can just see a vaguely rogue-shaped beacon of pink light. Sooo… mission accomplished?"

Shade stared at his glowing hand. "I'm a walking target!"

Zira fell over, howling with laughter. "You're a rogue… but you look like a festival parade float!"

Shade growled. "Fix. This."

Felix tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well… it's technically stealthy if your enemies are too blinded to fight you."

Shade's eye twitched. "I swear, I'm going to—"

The door flew open, and a pair of city guards burst in.

"There he is!" one pointed. "Shade the Silent! We've been looking for him for weeks!"

Shade froze.

Felix leaned on the counter. "Silent, huh? You should update that to Shade the Shiny."

The guards squinted at the rogue's glowing figure. "...Should we chase him or… wait for him to stop looking ridiculous?"

Shade snarled, sprinting out the door — leaving behind a bright pink, sparkling afterimage.

Felix called after him, grinning. "Tell your friends where you got that enchantment!"

---

Zira wiped tears from her eyes. "Felix, that was the best thing you've ever sold."

Felix smirked. "Give it a minute. Someone weirder's bound to show up next."