For the third time, the woman with him gave Melmarc an odd look.

"You're sure you haven't been here before?" she asked, skeptical.

Melmarc nodded. "I did my mentorship program here, but I didn't stay for the entire duration. I ran into a bit of a mishap."

The woman's jaw twitched and Melmarc knew that she didn't believe him. He couldn't blame her for it. It was often an impossible thing to believe a piece of information when everything happening in front of you said the opposite.

They came to a junction in the hallway. Two paths led in opposing directions. One went left and the other went right. They approached it in casual steps and Melmarc noticed how the woman's steps slowed gently. He would've laughed at her attempt if he wasn't also intrigued by what was happening to him.

He gave the road the same attention he would give his stairs at home. It was a simple thing, like muscle memory. When you were at home, you did not think of how to get to the kitchen, you simply thought of going to the kitchen and your body and mind did the rest. In the same way, he simply thought of going to Naymond as he had done for the last few minutes.

Strolling down the hallway, he took the left turn where his mind told him that everything was right.

"You have got to be playing some kind of game," the woman muttered, unhappy at the thought of being lied to.

Melmarc still didn't understand what was really happening. When he had gone a certain distance away from the office his mother had gone into with the superintendent, he had received a notification. Even now, he could still pull it up. It had read:

[Prisoner of War is within distance.]

[Would you like to locate Prisoner of War?]

The option of yes or no was gone now that he had already agreed to find Naymond. But the moment he had agreed, he had simply known. When the woman currently with him had walked up to him, telling him that she was there to take him to Naymond, Melmarc had already known where the [Sage] was.

Still, he had accepted her help. Because while he knew where Naymond was, he did not know if there were doors between him and the [Sage] that needed things like key cards to open.

The woman had introduced herself as Naomi and now had angry lines on her forehead. Melmarc refused to believe his knowledge of their destination was all that angered her. Regardless, he kept his curiosity to himself and continued forward.

It wasn't long before they came upon a door that needed a key card to access. The woman moved over to the door, slipped a card out of her pocket and paused.

She looked back at him. "Just out of curiosity, do you have one?"

"A key card?" Melmarc asked, fairly certain that it was what she was asking for.

"Yes," she nodded, holding up the card. "Do you have one of these?"

It was a card that was completely black with a red dot placed in the middle the size of a pinprick.

Melmarc shook his head.

The woman kept her eyes on him a moment longer, as one would when taking the measure of a person, before nodding. She waved the card past the front of the door in a flourish and the electronic keypad situated beside the door lit up in a green color.

There was a clicking sound, like a lock being turned, then the door slid open to the side.

"Come on then," Naomi said. "The [Sage] is just down this way."

Melmarc followed without objection, not that he had any. Once they were on the other side of the door, it slid itself shut behind them.

On this side of the door, the building was different. The first thing Melmarc noticed was that where the walls had been a milky white on the other side, it was something of a blend of dark and ash on this side. It leaned more on the darker side of things, though.

The second thing he noticed as they walked was the absolute absence of doors on any side of the hallway, only one that was situated on the other side of the path. Then there was the light. Melmarc saw no light source, yet the hallways was sufficiently lit. The floor beneath their feet was covered in black carpet and muffled the sound of their steps as they walked. It made it so that Melmarc had to strain his ears to hear his own footsteps.

"On the other side," Naomi said when they got to the door at the end of the path. "You'll see the [Sage] there. If you need anything, I'll be right here. Just knock on the door and I'll open it."

Melmarc looked from her to the door, then back to her. The door didn't have any door handle.

The woman raised the key card again and waved it in front of the door. Like the door before it, it made an unlocking sound before sliding to the side.

"A complicated thing," Naomi said in explanation. "The precinct had it made by someone with the [Crafter] class. Can't get in or out without a key card. I heard it can withstand a blast from a rocket launcher but…" she shrugged. "Well, no one's stupid enough to check if that's true."

Melmarc wasn't surprised. The door looked like nothing more than a simple wooden door. It looked like something that would come crashing down if he ran into it with just the right amount of force.

"Thanks," he said, then walked through the doorway.

His mind told him that Naymond was on the other side. He barely took three steps before he turned and began walking down a path. Melmarc wondered at this new thing happening to him. If he granted enough people sanctuary, did it mean that whenever he was close enough to them he would know where they were?

The thought cracked in his mind as he walked into an area filled with cells but not occupants. While the cells were enough to hold his attention, they were not what held his attention. Instead, it was the sight of a man outside the cell with a sword in each hand.

He was standing ready for a fight while inscriptions on the blade of each sword glowed different colors. One glowed a strong orange while the other glowed a gentle blue. Melmarc knew exactly what they were.

Enchanted swords.

Things like these were sold to Delvers but you needed a license of some kind to own one of them. If Melmarc remembered correctly, there were two types of man-made enchanted items: items that those with the [Enchanter] class used their skills of enchantment on and those crafted by a person with the [Crafter] class assisted by a person with the [Enchanter] class.

The swords he was looking at looked too well made so he guessed they were created by two people with the two required classes.

A slight frown touched the man's face, somehow usurping the worried seriousness Melmarc had noticed on him when he'd walked in.

"Mr. Lockwood?" A voice filled the room, wrought with confusion.

Melmarc turned his head and found Naymond standing behind one of the cells. It was the one that the man with the swords was standing in front of.

Looking at him, Melmarc noticed an odd look on Naymond's face. It was a mix of relief and confusion.

He has the [World of Insight] skill, though, Melmarc thought. Naymond wasn't supposed to be surprised at his presence.

He waved awkwardly. "Hello, Mr. Hitchcock."

The man with the swords looked from Naymond to him then back. His frown deepened.

"Is this the person?" he asked, confused. "He's just a kid."

Naymond was quick to shake his head. "It's not who I thought it was, but it's the person."

"You were scared of a kid?" the man laughed heartily, enjoying himself suddenly. "That's a good one. I got to tell my wife this one. The great Naymond is terrified of a kid."

He swung the swords in a short arc and their glows disappeared. After that, he spun the swords and seemed to sheath them into his waist. Both swords disappeared into the man's coat. But Melmarc was paying attention to them. They hadn't actually disappeared or been sheathed. Instead, they had slipped into the belt loops of the man's pants and just… turned into belts?

Melmarc wasn't sure how exactly it worked but the belt the man was currently wearing was his two enchanted swords.

Melmarc wondered how the man pulled them out whenever he wanted to.

"I'll just deny it," Naymond was saying when Melmarc returned his attention to them. "Wait, today's Alfa's hearing?"

The man nodded then moved his eyes over to Melmarc.

"Sorry about the weapons," he said, sounding apologetic. "Your [Sage] over here got spooked by something and was jumping in his pants." He stepped forward, closing the distance between him and Melmarc and held his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Dantani. Detective Dantani."

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Melmarc took the man's hand in his and shook it.

A firm handshake is always a good sign, he thought. With his skills and stats and upgrades, he tried to be gentle even in his firmness. He was at a point in his life where he literally didn't know his own strength.

They shook once as he introduced himself. "Melmarc."

The man, Dantani nodded once as he took his hand away. To Melmarc's dismay, the man rubbed his hand softly.

"Quite the grip you've got there, Melmarc."

"Call him Marc," Naymond said from his cell. "He prefers that."

Dantani looked at Naymond then back at Melmarc with a question in his eyes. Melmarc's reply to the question was a nod.

"I prefer Marc," he said, verifying Naymond's words. "Melmarc's a bit long for people."

Dantani took Melmarc in after his words, then took a step back. It was an intentional one and the man was sure to apologize for it.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said amiably. "I'm sure you get this a lot but you're a tall kid, and I'm a bit bothered when I stand too close to tall people."

Melmarc nodded in understanding, appreciating the directness of the man. He'd met a lot of people who were uncomfortable standing so close to him or Ark or their father. They never said anything. Instead, they did their best to create some level of subtle distance between them as if they wouldn't notice. Their mother said it was their method of politely handling their discomfort. Melmarc had never liked it until he had simply gotten accustomed to it.

It was always the guys that had this issue, very rarely was it a woman that was uncomfortable with their size.

Melmarc found that he preferred Detective Dantani's approach to things. Direct and simple.

As things should be.

"So, what brings you here, kid?" Dantani leaned to the side to look past Melmarc to the way he'd come from. "I can't say that you have the necessary clearances to be here."

"Kid's not like you, Danny," Naymond said smugly. "He doesn't have to go through hoops to get into places."

Dantani cocked a brow at that and Melmarc shook his head.

"I'm not special," he said quickly. His parents were the ones that were special. And his uncle. But that was a different story. "I just wanted to see Mr. Hitchcock and the superintendent had someone send me here."

"Oh." Dantani paused. He looked thoughtful. After a very short moment, he stepped aside. "The [Sage] is all yours."

Melmarc was a bit confused. Dantani had not seemed the slightest bit bothered by how Naymond had been acting, and Naymond had been very free. Were they friends or was Dantani just another person that had spent too much time with Naymond and now knew not to let the man's eccentricities bother him?

Nodding in acceptance, Melmarc moved over to the cell with Naymond in it. He took Naymond in and wrinkled his nose involuntarily.

"Not the best sight," Naymond grinned. "Jail isn't supposed to make people look good."

Melmarc was inclined to agree with Naymond. They hadn't even gotten him out of the clothes that he'd come out of the portal with. Melmarc could still see the tears and the blood stains. For a moment it took him back to the time he'd been in the portal. The chaos, the fights for his life… The death.

He held his breath until he could hear his heart beat. Then he breathed slowly, allowing the air into his lungs in controlled breaths.

Naymond gave him an odd look. "Looks tough."

"It tends to," Melmarc muttered before he could stop himself.

"It tends to be tough or it tends to look tough?" Naymond asked, a vague seriousness in his voice.

"It tends to look tough," Melmarc said. "It's usually easy to deal with smells if you take your time."

Naymond's brows furrowed for a moment. It took him a moment before he burst into laughter.

"Didn't your mother tell you that it's not nice to make fun of a prisoner?" he asked, chuckling. "I swear you were nicer during your mentorship program."

Melmarc smiled. "And you were not."

There was something calming about talking to Naymond when their lives weren't in any form of danger.

"So," Naymond said, folding his arms and stepping away from the bars. "Who did you come with? Mom or dad?"

"Mom," Melmarc answered. "I left her talking with the superintendent."

"That's good," Naymond mused. "Alfa'll have a better chance with your mom."

Melmarc wasn't sure he agreed with that. His mother could be very difficult when she chose to be. He knew this much from experience, and the things his father's teammates had told him over the years. Apparently, her punishments were always very fitting.

"And your dad?" Naymond asked.

Melmarc wondered if he imagined the slight shake in Naymond's voice. Now that he thought about it, Naymond had also been very… subdued around his father when they had met in the portal.

"At home," he answered. "He didn't come."

Naymond nodded, a slight tension easing from his shoulders. "That would make sense. With no more portals to go into, he won't really have anything to do."

Melmarc agreed. Looking left and right, he wondered how exactly they were supposed to open the door. He checked the bars and found that they had no locks, no place to put a key. Was it electronic?

It also did not escape him that Naymond was the only prisoner here.

"I've got the key," Dantani said from where he was standing. "But he's not getting out without legal permission."

Melmarc cocked a brow at that but did not look away from Naymond. "Legal permission?"

Was there really another way for him to…

He frowned. "Mr. Hitchcock?"

Naymond smiled sheepishly. "I may or may not have bounced around the idea of breaking out to our fine detective over there."

"May or may not have?" Dantani snorted. "You all but tried to convince me of it." He paused, frowned. "What am I saying? You did try to convince me."

Melmarc sighed in relief. For a moment he thought Naymond had actually tried to break out of the place.

It was in this moment that he remembered something.

"Mr. Hitchcock."

"Oh, please," Naymond waved a dismissive hand. "We've been through a portal together. You can call me Nay. What's up?"

Melmarc leaned in. "Do you know where David Swan is?"

Dantani was immediately by his side as if summoned by the simple question. The man had an odd look on his face, like a cat finding food after starving for days.

"Did you just say David Swan?" he asked. Melmarc wouldn't have been able to tell that the detective was desperate from how calm and collected his voice was.

Still, Melmarc nodded. "Do you know where he is?"

Dantani shook his head. "I was hoping that you would."

"I guess I was right," Naymond muttered.

Melmarc was confused. "Right about what?"

"Did you by any chance tell any of your parents about David?"

"I did."

"And what did you tell them about him?"

"Everything," Melmarc answered easily. "That he's your confidential informant and that he sold me off to the trafficker of human parts."

Naymond pressed his lips into a thin line. He looked at Dantani. "Drop your case, old friend's husband. If you follow it to the end, you'll lose your life for it."

"Why?" Dantani asked with a frown. "You know who exactly this is?"

"I told you it was a [Mage]."

"But you weren't a hundred percent certain." Dantani folded his arms over his chest in a petulant manner. "You are sure now?"

Naymond nodded. "There was once a woman in a group with a liking for her boss. It wasn't anything deep, just a simple crush. Her boss had a wife and three kids, and she took an especial liking to one of the kids."

"A special liking," Dantani corrected.

"My story, my lexicon, ass-wipe," Naymond snapped with a smile. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the kid. Now, this particular woman was a [Mage]. But that isn't very important. What's important is that she was powerful and had a liking for this child because of his innocence—an innocence she was disillusioned from not too long after."

Melmarc's brows furrowed. Is he talking about me?

"Before the child, she was known by her name and her government sanctioned code name to her friends and family and her teammates. However, after the birth of her Boss' child—the one she had taken a liking to—so ardent was her favor for the child that her teammates gave her a new name, for looking for the child's trouble was apt to draw her to chaos. They do not call her this to her face, only behind her back."

"I'm guessing Marc over here's the child," Dantani said with some air of impatience. "And who's the woman?"

Naymond smirked. "A [Mage] working for one of his parent's… possibly. To her teammates, she is called the 'Crazy Aunty.'"

Melmarc had heard that name once before. It was at a small party held at his house many years ago. His father's teammates had visited. As always, Deoti had been very doting and fun. He remembered Fendor calling her by that monicker in a hushed voice.

"What did… she do?" he asked, stopping himself from mentioning her name.

If Naymond wasn't mentioning her name in front of the detective he had called a husband to his friend, it was safe to assume that Naymond didn't want him to know for good reason. Then again, Naymond might just have been being very dramatic.

Naymond gave him a friendly smile. "She's looking for David Swan."

Melmarc's mind went back to the phone call his mother had made when he'd told her about David Swan in her room a few days ago. The call had been short and quick with very vague instructions.

His mother had set Deoti on David Swan. Melmarc almost laughed. David Swan had no chance if Deoti was after him. An S-rank [Mage] was not an easy opponent to survive.

"Oh." It was all he could say.

Naymond nodded. "Oh, is right. She can be quite insane and unforgiving on subjects concerning you."

Melmarc knew that, however, ever since the portal, she'd been acting funny. And when he said since the portal, he actually meant in the portal. She had started looking at him apologetically. She'd also gotten a little distant. He'd always wondered why.

It seemed like Naymond knew the reason.

"What do you mean when you said that she was disillusioned?" he asked.

"She always hoped you would stay un-Gifted," Naymond answered easily. "Or at least get something like the [Brewer] or [Baker] class. Something normal and non-combat. Now that you're Gifted and combat oriented, she feels kind of bad for ever praying for you not to get what she's always known you wanted."

That didn't sound so disillusioning to Melmarc. People wanted what they thought was best for the people they cherished, even though they knew that those people wanted something different. For instance, Melmarc still had a small space in his mind and heart that wanted Ninra to become a Gifted. Obviously he didn't want it to be anything dangerous. Just something simple.

Ninra might not want to be Gifted, but Melmarc was of the opinion that it was best to possess a quality you never have to use than to not possess a quality when you might have to use it.

He never said this to Ninra, however. Most of him knew it would be a bad idea if she ever found out.

"So… she's going after David?" he asked Naymond.

"Yep."

Dantani looked from Naymond to Melmarc, then back. "Who is she?"

"Narnia," Naymond said with a smile.

Melmarc had no idea what that was.

Dantani, too, because he blanked and asked, "What's that?"

Naymond's smile stretched into an impish grin. "None-ya-business."

Melmarc made an odd sound from holding back his sudden burst of laughter. Dantani frowned and dragged a hand down his face.

"You're a fucking child," he muttered. "I can't believe I'm trying to help you get out of here."

Naymond, on his part, was laughing. "Gets you guys every time."

Melmarc had no idea what that was. In fact, now that time had passed, he was sure that he didn't really get the joke. Still, at the moment, it had been funny. It was probably the kind of joke that was funny in the moment, when you didn't really think about it.

"You might be getting released today," he said, changing the subject. Now that he knew that Deoti was looking for David Swan, he was confident that he would be found. So there was no need to worry about it. "I actually stopped by to get my things. I think mom's here for more but she's not telling me."

Naymond shrugged. "We'll just have to wait for your mom to get here. Because, personally, I don't think Detective Dantani over here will be willing to give you the keys."

Both of them looked at Dantani and the man shook his head.

"I am not willing," he said matter-of-factly.

"Figures, stick in the mud," Naymond muttered.

Melmarc looked between the both of them. They had to be friends. No one bantered back and forth with Naymond, not even Alfa.

"Now, I've got a question for you Mister Lockwood," Naymond said into the silence.

Melmarc started, surprised by the seriousness in the [Sage]'s voice. When he looked at Naymond, the man's face was as serious as the tone of his voice.

Melmarc wasn't entirely sure what was happening.

"I'm listening," he said very slowly.

"Good. Because it is a very important question."

Melmarc nodded and waited for Naymond to ask it.

"Now tell me." Naymond leaned forward, took hold of the bars in both hands and looked Melmarc in the eye. "How do you know the man with the silver eyes?"

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