The letter sat like a specter on the wooden table.
its crimson seal broken, the parchment unfurled and staring back at them as if daring anyone to read it aloud again. Its presence alone had turned the air in the cabin thick with tension. No one spoke. No one moved.
Izuma stood slightly apart from the others, arms folded, eyes fixed on the text as if it would leap up and claw at him. His thoughts swirled.
/Monologue Begin/
Another meeting... with the Council.
Did they not get enough the first time? Did I miss something? Did they find out something else?
What if this is it?
What if this is the day they decide I'm too much of a variable?
I need to be ready.
/Monologue End/
He stepped back from the table slowly, as if distancing himself might help him think clearer. Then he turned to the corner of the room where his makeshift mask lay. The same full-face piece he himself made as a last ditch effort to blend in.
He picked it up, tying it around his head with calm precision. The fabric felt heavier now.
Adia raised a brow.
"You're not seriously wearing that again, are you?"
Lira blinked twice.
"We need another mask for you."
Rinji, arms folded, let out a breath like he was preparing to be the bearer of bad news.
"Listen. When we went for that stroll earlier, no one batted an eye because it was morning rush hour. Crowded. Loud. Distracted. But this..."
He tapped the parchment.
"We're heading to the Council's palace. The main center of attention. Everyone will notice everything."
Izuma paused.
"So you're saying—"
"You're gonna stand out more if you try to hide in plain sight."
Rinji said cutting him off.
"Oh."
Lira stepped forward, drawing a glyph with her fingers that shimmered for a moment before sinking into his face like water disappearing into sand.
"Here. That's an unrecognition spell,"
she said.
"Only enough to blur the details. Won't last more than a few hours. Won't trigger any magic alarms for the professionals either."
Izuma blinked.
"Wait... so you could've done that this whole time?"
She shrugged.
"I like watching you suffer."
Adia giggled into her sleeve.
Rinji rolled his shoulders.
"Alright. I know a place. Follow me."
They left the cabin, cutting through the winding side roads like shadows under the mid-afternoon sun. The city's buzz had already started to rise—merchants shouting from booths, carts creaking under produce, adventurers clinking past in mismatched armor.
Five minutes later, they reached a small shop nestled between two larger buildings, almost camouflaged by design. The exterior looked humble, its wooden panels weathered but lovingly maintained, like an antique passed through generations. The sign above was carved in an unfamiliar script, indecipherable even to Izuma's Earth-trained eyes.
They stepped inside.
The scent of cedarwood and old parchment filled the air.
It was quiet, the kind of quiet that invited whispers and made every footstep feel intrusive.
Behind the counter stood an old man—spine slightly bent, beard wispy white, eyes sharp despite his age. Rinji approached him with a smile and grasped his hand in greeting.
"Still alive, you fossil?"
The man chuckled.
"And still prettier than you, brat."
They leaned in.
Rinji whispered something. The man listened, nodded once. Then twice. After Rinji finished, the old man gave a final solemn nod.
Izuma's gut twisted.
/Monologue Begin/
Why does this feel like I'm being sold?
Why do I always walk into things half-aware of what's happening?
And why do I feel like I'm about to....die?
/Monologue End/
The old man motioned toward a curtain behind the counter.
"Come,"
he said. His voice was warm.
"Just you."
Izuma turned around. No one followed.
Adia gave a small wave.
Lira offered a thumbs-up.
Rinji just watched, unreadable.
Izuma nodded slowly and stepped through the curtain.
He entered a room lined with masks.
Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands.
Each wall was a gallery of identities, expressions, souls carved and painted into form. They hung like silent sentinels, watching him.
Some were smooth, minimalist. Just slits for eyes and the vaguest suggestion of a nose.
Others were monstrous—jagged teeth, horns, swirling motifs that made the eye lose focus.
A pale white one bore a painted frown, tears of sapphire lacquer dripping down from its eye sockets.
A bronze one was etched with tiny runes that glowed faintly when he looked at them too long.
Then...
He saw it.
/Monologue Begin/
That one.
It's shaped like a shield... almost like it's meant to block more than just a face.
Two eye shapes—cat-like. Predatory. Calm but dangerous.
The design splits it—gray on one side, black on the other. A red spiral cuts through the middle like a wave.
And one of the eyes... has a break in it. A scar? No, it's etched in. Deep. Like it remembers pain.
It's... perfect.
/Monologue End/
He reached out. The mask was cool to the touch.
He slipped it on.
The world shifted. Just slightly.
He looked into the mirror on the far wall. Saw himself. The shield-mask. The red spiral. The break.
He looked... threatening.
Dangerous.
Unapproachable.
Like, Rinji.
He smiled behind the mask.
"This one,"
he said.
The old man gave a grin, in a grumbly voice he muttered.
"Good eye. That one comes with a scarf."
He handed him a short scarf—red and orange, dotted like embers frozen mid-flame.
"They're a set. That specific one makes you seem more threatening. People see more than they should. Trick of the enchantment."
He patted the scarf.
"This enhances it. Adds an extra layer. Highlights the danger."
Izuma's eyes widened a bit.
He liked that.
He wanted to be seen that way.
Feared, maybe. Or just... respected.
"Thank you,"
Izuma said quietly.
"Good luck."
the old man replied.
Izuma stepped outside.
Everyone turned.
Adia took a step back.
Lira blinked like she'd seen a ghost.
Even she looked mildly impressed.
"What the hell is that supposed to be? A mask for robbing the adventurers guild?"
Izuma gave a slow nod.
"Heh....Its a mask for threatening people."
He started to remove it.
But Rinji stepped forward and pushed it back onto his face.
His voice was low. Serious.
"This suits you. Never take it off."
Izuma nodded once.
The pouch clinked against the counter as Rinji dropped coins onto it.
The old man bowed his head.
"May your face be feared."
And then they were off.
The walk toward the palace was slower. Tense. Every footstep carried purpose.
And then—gates.
Grand, gilded, watched by two guards in gleaming armor.
One stepped forward as they approached. He bowed—not deeply, but enough.
"We've been expecting you."
He turned.
The gates creaked open. No one reached for Izuma. No one grabbed him.
They just waited.
Adia, Lira, and Rinji gave him small nods.
He looked at them.
Breathed in.
Then out.
And stepped through the gates.
/ Monologue Begin /
Alright.
They want a meeting?
I'll give them one.
One goal.
Survive.
/ Monologue. End. /