The sound of the alarm clock broke the silence of the room.
I slowly opened my eyes.
For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling.
"Another day..."
I sat up slowly.
The mark was no longer burning.
At least...
Not for now.
That was a good sign.
It meant Justin and Jack weren't making any moves that I could detect.
Or at least...
None that would trigger the mark.
I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
As I got ready for school, I mentally reviewed everything that had happened the night before.
The second date.
The evasive answers.
Those overly measured smiles.
And the mark's sudden reaction.
It had been enough to confirm one thing.
Justin and Jack were hiding far more than they let on.
The problem was the same as always.
I had no proof.
And without proof...
I couldn't make a move.
Not yet.
Besides...
I had no intention of starting another war against a supernatural entity.
The Purple Entity was already more than enough.
Opening another front would be a mistake.
One that could cost me my life.
---
Classes dragged on as usual.
The teacher wrote formulas across the blackboard.
The students copied every word with quiet resignation.
I barely paid attention.
Not because the lesson was difficult.
But because my mind was occupied with far more important matters.
I had made a mistake.
A small one.
But an important one.
Fortunately...
I planned to fix it today.
As I absentmindedly stared out the window, another thought crossed my mind.
When all of this is over...
When I finally eliminate the Purple Entity...
Maybe I should take a vacation.
After all...
I've been running from one problem to another for far too long.
The idea didn't sound bad at all.
---
When classes ended, I headed straight for the football field.
Coach Brock was already waiting for the team.
Whistle in hand.
"Move!"
"Today we're working on routes and coordination!"
The wide receivers gathered at one end of the field.
For the next hour, we repeated the fundamentals.
Catching passes.
Changing direction.
Acceleration.
Stopping.
Coordination.
With every repetition, my body adapted a little more to the sport.
Even so...
I continued holding back.
I could do much better.
Much, much better.
But standing out too much would only make more people start paying attention to me.
And that was exactly what I wanted to avoid.
When one round of drills ended, Brock walked over to me.
"Ryan."
"Yes, Coach?"
He crossed his arms.
"You learn fast."
"I like that."
I smiled slightly.
"Thank you."
He held my gaze for several seconds.
"But don't get cocky."
"Talent means very little without discipline."
I nodded.
"I understand."
Brock gave my shoulder a firm pat before walking away.
I watched him leave.
He was definitely starting to pay too much attention to me.
---
Several yards away...
Victor watched practice alongside a few teammates.
When our eyes met...
He raised a hand in greeting.
I returned the gesture.
The tension between us seemed to have faded.
At least for now.
And I was perfectly fine with that.
I didn't need to turn another classmate into an enemy.
I already had more than enough enemies outside of school.
---
After practice, I went straight home.
I dropped my backpack beside my desk.
Then I turned on my computer.
Several Nexum-related windows appeared on the screen.
I stared at them for a few moments.
Then slowly shook my head.
"First things first."
I opened one of the desk drawers.
Inside were four small black coins.
At first glance, they looked completely ordinary.
But each one was engraved with a tiny circle of magical runes.
I had prepared them several days ago.
They only needed to be activated.
I extended my hand over them.
A faint purple glow slowly spread across the metal.
The runes began to shine.
For several seconds...
The room fell completely silent.
When the light finally faded...
The coins had changed.
Now they were magically linked together.
Any message sent through them would reach me directly.
I smiled in satisfaction.
"Much better."
It wasn't a perfect system.
But it was discreet.
Secure.
And more than enough to get us started.
---
At the same time...
At Vivian's house.
The living room was filled with pizza boxes and bottles of soda.
Ana placed another pizza box on the table.
"I hope you're all hungry."
Madeleine smiled.
"I'm always hungry."
Brittany let out a small laugh.
Even Vivian looked much more relaxed.
For the first time since this strange mission had begun...
The four of them could talk freely.
Without Justin.
Without Jack.
And without pretending.
Ana grabbed a slice of pizza.
"So..."
"How did it go?"
Vivian exchanged a glance with Brittany.
"Strange."
"Very strange."
Brittany nodded.
"They're nice."
"Too nice."
Madeleine frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Vivian set her slice back onto her plate.
"Every time we asked an important question..."
"They answered."
"But they never gave us the complete answer."
Ana rested her elbows on the table.
"So they avoided the details?"
"Exactly."
Brittany continued.
"They always found an elegant way to change the subject."
"It never sounded improvised."
"It was as if they'd practiced those answers for years."
The four girls fell silent.
Then...
Knock.
Knock.
Something gently tapped against the window.
All four looked up at the same time.
Vivian smiled with quiet resignation.
"It's here."
She opened the window.
A balloon shaped like a dog floated slowly inside.
Hanging beneath it was a small wooden box.
And an envelope.
Vivian picked them both up.
"It's from the Clown."
The four girls gathered around the table.
Vivian opened the envelope and began reading aloud.
---
My Esteemed Employees:
First of all...
Good work.
You have successfully completed the first stages of the mission.
Now I need to correct one mistake.
I forgot to establish a way for you to communicate with me.
That oversight was entirely my fault.
Inside the box, you will find four coins.
Each one belongs to one of you.
Whenever you need to send me a report, write your message on a sheet of paper.
Place one of the coins on top of it.
Then say the word:
"Report."
The message will be delivered directly to me.
Use them only when the information is important.
And yes...
Your payment will arrive very soon.
Along with the bonus I promised.
Keep up the good work.
— The Clown
---
For several seconds...
No one said a word.
Madeleine slowly opened the box.
Inside rested four black coins.
Each one bore a different engraved symbol.
"Magic...?" Ana murmured.
Vivian picked one up.
It was cold.
Far colder than any ordinary piece of metal should have been.
"I think so."
Brittany examined her coin with curiosity.
"At least now we'll be able to warn him if we discover anything."
Ana slipped hers into her pocket.
"That'll make everything much easier."
Vivian looked back at the letter.
Then she smiled.
"There's something interesting."
The other three looked at her.
"What is it?"
Vivian slightly raised the envelope.
"He apologized."
Brittany, Ana, and Madeleine blinked.
She was right.
The Clown had never tried to pretend he was perfect.
He had openly admitted his mistake without making excuses.
Brittany let out a small laugh.
"I guess even mysterious bosses make mistakes sometimes."
The four girls laughed.
For the first time in several days...
The tension eased, if only for a little while.
---
Meanwhile...
Back in my room.
One of the coins began to emit a faint glow.
I smiled.
"Perfect."
They've received them.
Everything had worked exactly as planned.
Communication was finally established.
One less problem to worry about.
I leaned back in my chair and slowly closed my eyes.
There was still a great deal left to do.
Discover who Justin and Jack really were.
Find out whether they served the Purple Entity...
Or someone entirely different.
And above all...
Locate the Purple Entity's hiding place before it found me.
The game had just changed.
But for the first time since I had started this improvised organization...
I felt like I wasn't fighting completely alone anymore.
Little by little...
It was beginning to feel like a real team.
And that...
Was exactly what I would need to survive what was coming next.