Chapter 12: The Explosive Truth
The journey back to the Black Frost Guild headquarters was quieter than Rin had expected. The weight of his mission still clung to him, despite the victory over the balloon bomber. His mind was restless, swirling with unanswered questions. The guild, the Wall, the government's experiments—each piece seemed to fit into a puzzle larger than he could yet comprehend.
As the chariot rattled over the cobbled roads, Rin turned to Chad. "Tell me more about Engine and the others," he said, his voice low but firm.
Chad glanced at him with a knowing smirk. "Curious, aren't you?" he mused, adjusting his pristine suit. "But some things you need to learn on your own. That's your mission."
Rin frowned but said nothing. He had expected as much. The guild had secrets, and knowledge was earned, not given.
The conversation ended as a sudden, violent gust of wind tore through the street, bringing with it a scream and a blur of motion. Rin barely had time to register the figure dashing between the alleyways before Ray was already in pursuit.
The bomber.
She was fast. Too fast. Her movements were unnatural, her speed defying human limits. She twisted through the streets like a phantom, her ragged cloak billowing behind her.
Ray moved just as swiftly, his boots skimming the ground as he closed the distance with terrifying precision. Rin had seen him fight before, but watching him now—fully unleashed—was something else entirely. He was a force of nature, his speed an extension of his intent.
The chase streaked through the market district, knocking over carts, scattering bystanders. Then, abruptly, the bomber skidded to a halt, turning sharply to face Ray.
"Stay back," she rasped, her fingers twitching over the detonator in her grasp. "I'll blow this entire block to dust!"
Ray, uncharacteristically, stopped in his tracks. His sharp eyes flickered with calculation. He wasn't afraid—no, fear had no place in him—but even he knew when to hold his ground.
Before either could move, a shadow descended from above.
Engine.
He landed as if the laws of gravity were mere suggestions, his hands still tucked into his pockets, his red, thorned umbrella resting lightly over his shoulder. His smirk was lazy, his stance relaxed—completely unbothered by the volatile situation unfolding before him.
"Well, well," Engine drawled, tilting his head. "Quite the mess you've made."
The bomber's breath hitched. She tightened her grip on the switch.
"Don't take another step!" she shrieked.
Engine simply raised an eyebrow. "Or what? You'll set off your toys?" He tapped his chin, feigning deep thought. "That'd be quite the problem… if Sonia hadn't already hacked them."
A sharp beep echoed from the detonator. The bomber's eyes widened as she realized—none of the explosives had gone off.
"No… No, that's impossible!" she gasped, frantically pressing the switch over and over.
Sonia's voice crackled over a hidden communicator. "You really think I'd let you have control over your own bombs? Please."
Rin watched as the bomber's desperation shifted into something more dangerous. He saw the decision flicker in her eyes before she acted.
She ripped open her coat. Beneath the fabric, a pulsating device was embedded in her chest.
"Try hacking this," she spat.
Without hesitation, she slammed her fist against it.
The explosion should have consumed the entire street.
But it didn't.
In the split second between detonation and disaster, Ray's box snapped open, releasing a strange, foam-like substance that expanded at lightning speed. The foam engulfed the area, swallowing the blast before it could reach them. At the same time, Engine flicked his umbrella open,as it morphed with the thorny side elongating a little shielding them from any remaining force.
The moment passed. Silence fell.
The bomber lay lifeless in the foam, her final act amounting to nothing.
Ray exhaled, eyeing the strange material. "So, this is one of the government's 'series' tech…" He ran a hand over the foam, intrigued. "Made from vibranium-like compounds, huh…"
Engine closed his umbrella with a satisfied click. "Neat, isn't it?"
Rin, still reeling, turned to Chad. "That's not magic?"
Chad chuckled. "No, kid. That's science—science that does things magic only dreams of."
Later that evening, Rin stood before Chad once more.
"You earned your reward," Chad said, his usual jovial demeanor edged with something more serious. "Your next step is to meet the White Witch."
"The White Witch?" Rin repeated. "Who is she?"
Chad leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "She's… an enigma. A scientist, a visionary, a relic of a time when magic was more than just myth. But here's the thing, Rin—magic is forbidden."
"In both worlds," Rin muttered, recalling the warnings.
Chad nodded. "And yet, technology has evolved to a point where it surpasses magic itself."
To demonstrate, he pulled out two small vials of liquid. "Watch closely," he instructed.
He poured the contents together.
A shimmering bubble formed, weightless, drifting upward.
It floated to the table, and for a brief moment, Rin saw something impossible—it carried the keys lying on the wood, lifting them as if by unseen hands.
But as soon as the bubble rose into the air, it popped, and the keys clattered back down.
Rin's brows furrowed. "What was that?"
Chad smiled. "That, my friend, is an example of technology mimicking magic. We have created the impossible through science. And the White Witch? She is the master of this art."
Rin absorbed the words carefully. If magic was outlawed, and science had taken its place, then what did that mean for the world he was now a part of?
And more importantly—what did that mean for him?
Chad leaned forward. "She's expecting you."
The mission was far from over.
As Rin left Chad's office, he felt the weight of the guild's secrets pressing down on him.
Engine, Ray, Sonia, Chad—their powers, their knowledge, all of it painted a picture far more complex than he had imagined.
The bomber was dead. The mission was complete.
But Rin knew, deep down, that this was only the beginning.
The Black Frost Guild was more than just a name.
It was a world of its own. And Rin had just stepped into its deepest shadows "the families? yes,I want them all"