He ran down the alley. Shadows followed his steps and morphed into fiendish shapes under the moon’s light. No stars were visible. The night grew darker, moister. He had been trapped in a labyrinth of despair, chased by fear. Fingers, that were not there, strangled him. He was out of breath. Somebody was watching him. Somebody was mocking him. That wild laughter could wake up the death, echoing through the tarnished buildings. He collapsed. His knees hit the puddle of mud underneath. Splashes of dirty water stained his clothes. He hit his head on the solid ground. Blood rushed out from a scratch, coloring his lips red.

The corners of his mouth stretched into a smile.

“You’re never going to give up, are you?”

“Never” a womanly voice answered him. A gunshot followed suit.

The moon disappeared under the first solitary cloud.

⚜

Joon took pity in animals. Most of them could bring joy during storms. They were the fragrant flowers in a tiny garden, reminiscent of better ages; with delicate petals and frail bodies, they could disappear during his very eyes. That season, only some particular types could survive the gradual decrease in temperature. Joon could see the same in the eyes of stray dogs. Wet after last night’s heavy rain, the abandoned pet held its head high as Joon approached it. Joon lowered the bowl of food and pressed his hand in comfort over the dog's head, its damp fur. His new friend accepted the proposal without hesitation, wiggling its tail in delight. There was no collar to indicate a master or a name.

“Should I kidnap you? You might enjoy it later”

He got distracted by the sudden buzz in his ear. He reached for the wireless headset hidden behind his hair. An almost inaudible ‘click’ announced a successful connection. He crossed the street and pressed again, while pulling out the headset and letting it slip inside his coat’s pocket. He made his way inside a clothes shop. He hurried to the accessories area and picked up a cheap fleur-de-lis medallion. Joon had no need for the elaborate cut and details on top. He turned it around and memorized the five digits before dropping it back inside the basket. The cashier followed his actions, tapping her nails over the cash register. He returned the look. His footsteps were muffled by the song playing on the radio. He leaned forward and murmured the five digits. The cashier introduced them into the cash register. She muttered a welcome speech, feeling the edge of the table with her stomach and fingertips. Her thumb flicked a switch and the door behind her opened for Joon’s needs.

Joon thanked her and stepped forward. He pushed to the side the heavy curtain guardian the entrance. His palm caressed her shoulder, letting behind a heavy exhale from the girl. She flicked the switch again once Joon’s body sank deep inside the dim lit room. She continued to tap the cash register, eyes transfixed on the pictures hanging on the walls; most of spider lilies, red tentacles spreading from the ground as bringers of afterlife.

⚜

Incense sticks and candles, glowing as fairies, filled the space with a mild odor. Their smoke delighted Joon’s nose. There was something off about it because it did not have the same effect when inhaled. It soothed him, in a way that alerted his only unaltered senses. Tied together by a thin string, dried plants burned along. A round sofa with a round coffee table centered the whole area. She was using her tricks again. The illusion of a secured shelter deceived anybody crossing her hideout. She was wearing a crimson dress with a butterfly brooch resting on her chest. He wasn’t surprised of her loosen position, stretched all over the sofa while casually reading a light novel.

“Is our boss still wearing that awful leopard jacket?”

Joon didn’t move a muscle, stranded in a sea of miasma. There was nothing pleasant in being toyed with.

“Since when does the Jupiter Legion bow down to the Sun Legion?”

Ga-In smirked. The Jupiter Legion, infamous in th