Talis' hideout was… underwhelming.
It wasn't some underground lair. It wasn't a high-tech facility. It wasn't even a shady tavern filled with secret informants.
It was a bakery.
A completely normal, totally unassuming, smells-like-fresh-bread bakery.
Zoren stared at the sign above the entrance. "Talis' Tasty Treats"
He turned to Talis. "…Your hideout is a bakery?"
Talis crossed his arms proudly. "Yeah. You think the Titan Council expects criminals to hide in a bakery?"
Linda sighed. "They really should, considering how often we do it."
Elizabeth adjusted her glasses. "Strategically speaking, I hate that this makes sense."
Inside, the group sat around a large wooden table. Freshly baked bread sat between them like a peace offering.
Aiden took a bite, chewed, and then froze. He stared at Talis.
"This… is actually good."
Talis smirked. "Damn right it is. You think I'd run a bakery and NOT know how to bake?"
Elyria took a bite and gave a thumbs-up. "I respect a man with diverse talents."
Ivar dipped a piece into soup, nodding approvingly. "Could use more spice, but solid texture. I'll allow it."
Talis rolled his eyes. "I love how my safe house has turned into a food review session."
Zoren sighed, looking at his ragtag allies. After everything they had been through, this moment felt… peaceful.
Which made what came next even harder.
Aiden stretched, cracking his neck. "Alright, as much fun as this has been, it's time we split up."
Franklin nodded. "Agreed. The longer we stay in one place, the more likely we get caught."
Zoren frowned. "So that's it? We're just going separate ways?"
Elizabeth pushed up her glasses. "For now. But let's be honest—our paths will cross again."
Elyria smirked. "Destiny and all that nonsense, right?"
Aiden patted Zoren's shoulder. "Plus, let's be real. You attract chaos. If anything, we'll accidentally run into you in the middle of another disaster."
Zoren groaned. "That's… fair."
Linda tapped her chin. "Wait, hold on. Before you all leave—"
She pointed at Aiden. "You still owe Talis for the bread."
Silence.
Aiden's eye twitched. "I just helped you guys escape an entire military force."
Talis shrugged. "Yeah, and?"
"AND you're still charging me for bread?"
Talis nodded. "Business is business."
Ivar burst into laughter. "I respect this level of pettiness."
Aiden grumbled, pulling out a few Titan Core Shards and slamming them on the table. "There. Paid."
Talis examined the shards, then nodded. "Pleasure doing business."
Aiden glared at him. "I hope your next batch burns."
Elyria stood, stretching. "Alright, I'm off before this gets dumber. Later, Zoren. Try not to die."
Zoren smirked. "No promises."
Elizabeth nodded to him. "Stay sharp. And for the love of logic, think before you act sometimes."
Zoren looked at her, deadpan. "That feels targeted."
"It is."
Franklin smiled nervously. "I hope we can meet again under less dangerous circumstances."
Ivar grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"
With that, the group split, each walking their own path into the city.
Zoren watched them go, then turned back to Talis and Linda.
"So… what's the plan now?"
Talis leaned back in his chair, grinning.
"Well, first—"
He tossed Zoren another piece of bread.
"—you eat. Then we figure out how to stop you from dying before the next disaster finds you."
Zoren caught the bread, sighing.
"…Again, fair."
And so, the adventure continued.
Because knowing Zoren's luck?
This was just the calm before the next storm.
---
The Titan Council branch in Titan Council Branch – The War Room of was in a state of chaos. Messengers ran through the halls, officers bickered over reports, and tension filled the air like a storm about to break.
At the center of it all, Captain Brask stormed into the command chamber, his expression locked in a grimace. His armor was scuffed, his cape torn—not a good sign.
Behind a massive desk stood Commander Orwin, a hulking figure of discipline and barely restrained rage. His piercing eyes bore into Brask like drills.
"Report," Orwin ordered, voice like distant thunder.
Brask took a deep breath. This was going to be bad.
"Sir, as per orders, we monitored the Dungeon of Illusion."
Orwin folded his arms. "And?"
Brask hesitated. "…Fifteen entered."
Silence.
Then Orwin's brow twitched. "Fifteen. And how many returned?"
Brask clenched his fist.
"…Six."
A long pause.
A nearby officer coughed awkwardly. Someone dropped a pen.
Orwin's fingers flexed, as if resisting the urge to break the desk in half.
"Six," he repeated. "Out of fifteen?"
Brask nodded. "Yes, sir. Six individuals emerged." He took out a notepad and began listing them.
Zoren Arthur
Ivar pendrol
Aiden Pendrol
Elizabeth Kierane
Elyria
Franklin Scorch
Orwin's grip on the desk tightened.
Brask continued. "Sir, we attempted to detain them for questioning, but… we were intercepted."
Orwin's eye twitched. "Intercepted? By who?"
Brask exhaled sharply. "Talis and Linda. They caused a city-wide Ether disruption, allowing the six to escape."
CRACK!
The desk split slightly under Orwin's fingers.
He let out a slow, dangerous breath. "So, let me summarize: Not only did you fail to contain six unknown variables emerging from a dungeon that has never returned survivors before… but you also allowed them to escape… in broad daylight?"
Brask, wisely, said nothing.
The silence stretched.
Orwin turned to the nearest officer.
"Lock. The. City. Down."
The room exploded into movement.
Alarms blared. Runners dashed off with urgent messages. The entire Titan Council branch became a maelstrom of orders, yelling, and frantic planning.
Brask swallowed. "Sir, what are our directives for engaging them?"
Orwin's eyes burned like embers.
"We are not letting them leave this city. Find them. Isolate them. And if they resist…"
His voice dropped into a growl.
"Make sure they never leave again."
---
The hideout wasn't just any hideout. It was a bakery.
Well, technically, a bakery with a hidden backroom where illegal dealings took place, but a bakery nonetheless. The air was thick with the scent of fresh bread, flour dust, and questionable life choices.
And at the center of it all—Zoren.
MUNCH.
Zoren took a massive bite out of a thick, crunchy loaf. His cheeks were stuffed to the brim like a chipmunk preparing for war.
Across from him, Talis and Linda watched with a mixture of fascination and mild horror.
"Does he even have a stomach, or is it just an endless void?" Talis whispered.
Linda crossed her arms. "I bet if we threw a chair at him, he'd eat that too."
Zoren ignored them, dipping his bread into the warm brothy soup beside him and devouring it like a man possessed.
Linda sighed and leaned against the counter. "Alright, Zoren, chew and listen at the same time—we found Nyssa."
Zoren froze mid-chew.
He swallowed instantly, nearly choking. "Where?!"
Linda rolled her eyes. "At the market district in ruins. The place you were supposed to meet before you decided to jump into a cursed dungeon like a reckless idiot."
Zoren blinked. "Oh. Right."
Talis slapped his forehead. "Wow. The awareness on this guy."
Linda ignored them and continued. "She was in bad shape. Seriously bad. We had to carry her to this rundown apothecary—Doctor Drey's place."
Zoren's expression darkened. "Who is he?" "sorry, How bad?"
Linda tapped the counter. "She was cursed."
Silence.
Zoren's grip tightened on his bread.
Talis frowned. "Okay, I get being upset, but please don't crush the bread. It's innocent in all this."
Zoren exhaled, easing his grip. "What kind of curse?"
Linda leaned back. "A nasty one. It doesn't want to heal because the one who cast it is still alive."
Zoren's fingers twitched. "Then I'll—"
BONK!
A loaf of bread whacked him on the head.
Linda smirked. "I knew that was coming."
Zoren rubbed his head. "What was that for?!"
Talis grinned. "For being predictable."
Linda crossed her arms. "Relax. She's recovering well. But here's the fun part—she won't sit still."
Zoren groaned. "Of course she won't."
Talis smirked. "She's already trying to train."
Zoren facepalmed. "Let me guess—Doctor Drey is furious?"
Linda nodded. "Beyond furious. Every time Nyssa tries to move too much, she gets smacked with a wooden spoon."
Talis chuckled. "The doctor has perfect aim. Knocked her straight on her ass yesterday."
Zoren couldn't help but laugh.
Linda smirked. "So, yeah. She's fine. Just incredibly stubborn."
Zoren exhaled, finally relaxing. "Good. That's good."
Talis leaned forward. "Alright, now that you've devoured half the bakery, what's next?"
Zoren grinned.
"First, we check on Nyssa. Then… we shake things up."
---
Zoren leaned back, the warmth of freshly baked bread and hot soup settling in his stomach. It was the first decent meal he'd had in a while, and for a brief moment, everything felt… peaceful.
Too bad that moment lasted about five seconds.
Across from him, Linda sat with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed at him like a hawk sizing up its prey.
Talis, watching from the counter, was smirking like he had front-row seats to the best show in town.
Zoren, finally sensing the dangerous atmosphere, cleared his throat. "Uh… something wrong?"
Linda tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand. "Who was that girl?"
Zoren blinked. "Huh?"
Linda's eye twitched. "The one looking at you like you were a fresh loaf of bread."
Talis choked on his laughter.
Zoren scratched his cheek. "You mean Elizabeth?"
Linda nodded slowly. "Right. And why was she looking at you like that?"
Zoren frowned. "I… don't know? Maybe because we fought together?"
Linda leaned in. "Oh? Fought together? Is that what they call soul-staring these days?"
Zoren hesitated. "...Soul-staring?"
Linda huffed. "Yes, soul-staring! She had that look! The 'oh wow, fate has intertwined our lives in a grand destiny' look!"
Talis whistled. "That's dangerous, my guy."
Zoren sighed. "I seriously think you're overthinking this—"
Linda pointed at him. "Did she say the words 'fate' or 'destiny' at any point?"
Zoren froze.
Talis: "Ohooo… he's remembering."
Zoren coughed. "...Maybe once?"
Linda threw up her hands. "SEE?! IT BEGINS!"
Zoren groaned, rubbing his face. "It was just a conversation—"
Linda narrowed her eyes. "Do I get a destiny speech?"
Zoren turned red. "W-WHAT?"
Talis whistled again. "This just got good."
Linda leaned even closer, her eyes locked on his. "Do I get a 'soul connection' speech? Or am I just the annoying girl who feeds you and makes sure you don't die?"
Zoren's face heated up. "That's… that's not fair! You know I—!"
Linda raised an eyebrow. "You what?"
Zoren looked away, flustered.
Talis muttered, "He's folding."
Linda leaned even closer, her voice teasing but with a hint of something real behind it. "Go on. Say it. I dare you."
Zoren scratched his head furiously, clearly panicking.
Finally, he grumbled, "You know I care about you."
Linda grinned. "See? Was that so hard?"
Zoren covered his face. "Why are you like this?"
Talis, now wiping tears from laughing, patted Zoren on the back. "Congrats, You survived. Barely."
Linda, smug as ever, leaned back. "Alright, I'm satisfied… for now. But if 'destiny girl' shows up again, I'm watching."
Zoren sighed. "I figured."
Talis whispered, "She's so gonna fight her."
Zoren groaned again.
---
The Titan Council's branch in Veyrith wasn't exactly a picture of peace and quiet. The large, stone chamber was filled with whispers, murmurs, and the clatter of paperwork being shuffled. It was chaos—but official chaos, the kind that came with power, authority, and absolutely no idea what was going on.
Commander Orwin, a gruff man with a permanent scowl, paced back and forth in front of a giant map of Verythin pinned to the wall. The map looked like it had seen better days—holes and scribbles everywhere.
Across the room, a table of higher-ups, each one with a cup of some form of extravagant beverage, were trying their best to look important while half-heartedly listening to Orwin's latest report.
Commander Orwin slammed a fist onto the table, rattling the cups. "Six of them came out of the Dungeon of Illusion!"
The higher-ups, who had been mid-swig of some fancy drink, all froze and slowly turned toward him. Their eyes went wide with surprise—either at the news or the loud noise. Maybe both.
One of them, a frail-looking man with glasses, adjusted his glasses and blinked. "Wait, six? Wasn't there only supposed to be fifteen?"
Orwin nodded sharply. "Yeah, well, six made it out—" he glanced down at a piece of paper. "Zoren, Ivar, Aiden Pendrol, Elizabeth, Elyria, and Franklin."
Another officer, who looked like he'd just come out of a sleep-deprived nightmare, raised a hand. "Hold on, Franklin? Wasn't he the guy who couldn't even… run without tripping over his own feet?"
Orwin grumbled. "Yeah, but he made it out, alright. Weird, huh?"
One of the higher-ups, a chubby woman with way too many accessories, scoffed. "So, what? They just walk out of a deadly dungeon like it's a stroll through the park? No! This is bad! This is really bad!"
Orwin, having had enough, slammed a fist onto the table again, nearly sending the drinks flying. "Listen, it gets worse!" He pointed at the map. "**We've got Veilborn crawling all over the place, and now we've got these six… who were clearly involved with something bigger."
Another higher-up, a tall, overly serious man with a monocle, tapped his chin thoughtfully. "We can't let them leave the city. Not yet. We need to hold them here until we know what's going on. I'll contact the Titan Hunter Federation. They're tied up with the Veilborn , but they'll prioritize this."
Orwin looked like he was about to explode, but he sighs loudly. "They're too busy with the Veilborn to care about six random dungeon survivors, but fine. Let them deal with it."
A very scruffy officer at the end of the table piped up, clearly not having been listening. "Wait, so we're gonna hold these six here? All of them? Including Franklin, the guy who can barely talk without stumbling?"
Orwin snorted. "Yes. Especially Franklin. We need to figure out what they know. The last thing we need is them causing more chaos. Who knows what they've been through?"
One of the higher-ups, a tall woman with an exaggeratedly long ponytail, looked over at Orwin, who was rubbing his temples. "Do we even know what they were doing in the Dungeon of Illusion?"
Orwin threw his hands up. "They barely told us anything! They came out, looking all confused, and then disappeared into the city like rats fleeing the sinking ship!"
The chubby woman with the accessories gasped. "Rats?"
The tall woman with the ponytail rolled her eyes. "Can we get back on track here? Do we have a plan or not?"
Orwin grunted. "I'm just saying, we need to be prepared. If these six are involved in anything shady, we need to act fast."
A voice from the back suddenly rang out—Franklin himself, standing in the doorway with a ridiculous grin on his face.
"Ahem! I couldn't help but overhear… Were you talking about me? The man of mystery? The one who survived the dungeon against all odds? The guy who's clearly not tripping over his feet anymore?**"
Everyone in the room stared at him for a long, awkward moment. Then, without missing a beat, the frail man with glasses turned to Orwin.
"I think we're in more trouble than we thought…"
---
To be continued