It wasn’t rare to see Elena Ivanov leading a raid or mission. But it was rare to see her do so with such a serious expression. 

“I’m worried for our lives...Seeing such an expression on MY mother’s face.” Natasha sighed as she walked over to Elena and hugged her. They both wore matching outfits. They were a mix of the Belarusian military outfits and the clothes the followers of the black tortoise temple wore.

“You needn’t worry about that. I can handle just about anything and all of the four are here… everything should be fine.” Elena murmured, she was still expressionless though.

“What are you worried about then?” Natasha asked, walking with Elena and Alexei on their way to the building the Mage Association had prepared for the meeting.

“I’m not sure...I just have a bad feeling. Be careful.” Elena murmured.

“Maybe you should tell the others about this?” Alexei murmured as he walked beside the mother and daughter. He wore his standard uniform since he was attending the meeting specifically as a lord. Two other Lords also joined them but they didn’t dare stand too close

“I will…” Elena responded, pulling on some gloves before reaching out to touch the door of the Meeting place.

“Mother!” 

Elena turned around at the sound of Viktor’s voice and smiled softly as she saw Viktor and Yue getting out of their carriage and walking toward them.

“Your clothes look great,” Elena said to both of them and hugged Viktor as he came up to her.

“Thank you... for the gem,” Yue said with an awkward smile, pointing to the black gem on his collar.

“It’s the least I could do, I heard that you weren’t respected by the other people at the meeting in Academy City and I just couldn’t stand it,” Elena murmured and patted Yue’s head. Yue seemed embarrassed by the gesture and froze but he moved on.

“Let’s go inside, they must be waiting for us-!?” Alexei started before he and his four companions suddenly froze. 

Alexei couldn’t even comprehend what he just felt before he suddenly found Natasha in front of him, guarding him with her sword drawn and a magic shield up. Natasha relaxed her shield after a second and looked at Alexei worriedly. She checked that Alexei was alright before looking up.

Viktor, Yue, and Elena had made it up to the top of the building and were looking off in the distance. 

“What the hell…” Elena murmured, her eyes wide. She and Yue had enhanced their vision with magic so they could see what was the cause of the sudden pulse of mana. They had assumed that it would be the dungeons but the reaction was so strong that they panicked a little.

“1,000 kilometers away...and it still...made this much of an impact,” Yue murmured.

“This is nothing like the two dungeons in the United Kingdom…” Elena said and looked at Viktor and Yue. The air had completely changed in seconds and now the mana in the air was extremely thick.

“Vitenka…?” Elena asked as she saw Viktor’s expression. He looked shocked but more than she and Yue did. Yue turned to Viktor as well after hearing Elena’s worried voice.

“They’re less than 5 feet away from one another.” Viktor murmured, “Those dungeons are right beside one another…”

Viktor’s glowing eyes turned to Elena and Yue as he spoke.

“The people who couldn’t leave Italy…” Yue murmured, his hand going up to his mouth in horror.

What is the biggest enemy of a mage trying to clear a dungeon?

Is it the boss?

No.

It’s the civilians that are stuck in the area of the dungeon.

“W-What else can you see?” Yue asked. Viktor’s insight allowed him to see much more than he could with his magic.

“Hundun is there, they’re all around the dungeons and some of them are going inside while others and rushing out to other areas around the city,” Viktor explained.

“The Lich is there...Some other strong-looking mages as well…” Viktor added.

“I-Is he there?” Yue asked, his resolve wavering as he imagined Li ChaoXiang’s face. Elena was shocked to see his expression and wanted to touch his shoulder to try and comfort him or find out why he had such an expression but Viktor stopped her by giving her a meaningful glance.

“Yes. Li ChaoXiang is there.” Viktor murmured, seeing the scarred man that Yue had described to him filled him with an indescribable kind of feeling.

‘I wish I could destroy him myself…’ Viktor thought to himself and looked back in the direction of the dungeons. Yue held onto his sleeve for a second after hearing that but he let go and composed himself shortly afterward.

“The people...How are the people doing?” Elena asked, glazing between Viktor and Yue.

“They’re either becoming the Lich’s skeletons, getting killed by the mages, or suffocating under the mana density,” Viktor said and winced.

The mages that had been inside the building waiting for the meeting to start started to flow out of the building after recovering from the shock the pulse of magic had caused.

“What in the world is going on?!”

“This mana density…”

The mages murmuring to themselves only stopped when they noticed Elena, Yue, and Viktor on the rooftop. Mai, Huy, and Aylin were also among the mages and they looked confused. They were unsure of whether they should go up to the others or not. They decided to just stand beside Natasha and Alexei in the end.

“Your majesty! What is going on?!” 

Elena gritted her teeth a little and then turned to look over the edge of the rooftop at the mages.

“Two dungeons appeared around Naples! We can’t have a normal meeting anymore so we’ll be starting the meeting officially now! Please plan to leave for Naples around 15:00!” Elena called out, using magic to make her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

Elena leading a mission wasn’t rare so no one dared to complain. The other mages straightened up and looked to her for orders.

“Not only have two dungeons appeared but a criminal organization has also started to take advantage of the chaos to kill people and hurt people. Two groups will go into the dungeons to clear them and everyone else will be tasked with dealing with the organization and monsters  or taking care of civilians.” Elena explained.

“Lady Kaplan and I will be one team. The other team will be my daughter and the Belarusian Lords. Anyone with high-level healing, purification, and barrier abilities will follow my son to section off the city border and create a safe zone. Everyone else please section yourselves off based on how much you can handle. If you can’t handle the mana density please stick to long-range when fighting, if not go short range if possible. Select a leader amongst yourselves.” Elena said and jumped down from the roof with Viktor and Yue following after her. 

Viktor was grumpy over being forced to lead a mostly noncombatant group but Yue was very relieved.

‘Yue. I’m giving you a very specific assignment.’ 

Yue was surprised to suddenly hear Elena using telepathy to communicate with him.

‘Yes?’ He responded, he hadn’t told Elena about his involvement with Hundun so he was wondering if she had figured it out from what he had asked Viktor.

‘You and Hundun have history, right? Destroy whoever you need to destroy. I’ll agree with your judgment.’ 

Yue had an awkward expression as he heard this but he responded as he noticed Elena looking at him with a slight smile.

‘Thank you.’ Yue said through telepathy and flashed an awkward smile.

‘Just make sure to hide your appearance. And make sure to stay safe. At least for my son’s sake.’  Elena said and went off to talk to the mages who were trying to get more information from her.

Yue stopped for a second and watched Elena walk away. He was wondering if he of all people could guarantee that he’d stay safe. He had nodded in response to Elena's words before she walked away. Even Elena couldn’t help but feel uncertain when she looked at his expression though. She hid that uncertainty when she started talking to others but it weighed in the back of her mind when she glanced at Yue.

--

The Ivanov manor was full of people rushing. The servants that had just set down Elena’s bags were already rushing to unpack them and get the magic items and gear that she had prepared. The same servants were also trying to get Viktor and Yue ready as well.

“Let me borrow some of your clothes,” Yue said to Viktor as the maids rushed into the room to drop off his magic items.

Viktor almost dropped the earring he was trying to put on when he heard that but he glanced at Yue for a second and then responded. 

“Uh alright.” He felt a bit awkward for silently wishing they weren’t supposed to be getting ready for battle.

“What would you like to borrow, My lady?” Anya asked, helping Yue remove his cape.

“Something like what he’s wearing right now. It can’t have any sort of insignia though and it can’t look too Belarusian. I need to be able to blend in with the other mages and not be recognized.” Yue explained.

Anya nodded and went to go get something that fit what Yue was looking for.

“Planning on using a lot of power?” Viktor asked, he knew the answer was obviously yes but he asked anyway.

“Yeah. Your mother is letting me do whatever I want...so I’m going to do just that.” Yue murmured, sitting down in front of the vanity in the room and brushing his hair.

“Hmm…” Viktor hummed. He watched Yue for a while before he took the brush. He started brushing his hair carefully before beginning to braid it.

“What are you doing...?” Yue asked, trying to see what Viktor was doing.

“Don’t worry I’m good at doing hair.” Viktor chuckled, continuing his work on Yue’s long hair.

Yue was surprised when he looked in the mirror when Viktor finished doing his hair. From the front, his hair looked short while the back was braided and pinned back. It looked like a standard masculine haircut as long as you didn’t see the braided back part. Yue would have to wear a hood so it was fine this way.

“If you’re trying to hide your appearance then this much is good. My clothes will make you look very different as well.” Viktor said and smiled as he looked at Yue in the mirror.

“Thank you,” Yue murmured and turned to look at Viktor.

“Be safe,” Viktor murmured, wrapping his arms around Yue’s waist. Yue grinned and kissed Viktor on the lips chastely

“You too.” 

Yue stood up from his chair when Anya returned to the room with the clothes he asked for. And he went off to get dressed for the expedition. It was getting close to the time of their departure for Naples.

—

“You scared?”

Mai jumped a little and stared at the person talking to her. Huy recognized them immediately but it took Mai some time to realize. 

“Yu-!?” Mai exclaimed, shocked as she stared at Yue’s eyes.

“Shush it’s a disguise for a reason,” Viktor said and hushed Mai quickly as he walked up to them right after Yue.

Yue was grinning, he was wearing a white hood over the clothes he had borrowed from Viktor. He just looked like a normal guy. He didn’t look very feminine at all since his hair was hidden.

“You look so different...are you going off on your own to attack?” Mai whispered. She was actually wearing her expedition uniform but with a red tie to mark that she was with Huy.

Yue nodded, “I’m jumping out in a few minutes.”

The whole group of mages that were going on the mission were on an airship at the moment. Mr. Wagner was leading some mages to help fuel the airship with enough magic to get through the dense mana in Italy. Elena was surrounded by mages, some that were informing her of their teams and some that were trying to get her to reconsider her decision to go to the dungeon with only a two-person team.

“We’re not in Naples yet though? This is around the place Viktor’s group will be.” Huy murmured, tilting his head a little.

“I’m starting my blitz from here. To help clear anyone trying to breach the barrier.” Yue said and smiled.

“So you’re protecting your man in the end.” Mai giggled.

Yue just nodded, he couldn’t touch Viktor because he was hiding his identity but he wanted to. Joking around before a fight felt a little strange after so long. They were usually so serious around times like this.

Viktor laughed a little but he was honestly feeling a bit burdened by Yue’s recent drive to protect him. It reminded him of their “argument” not too long ago.

Yue and Viktor waved and went on their way to the drop area of the airship. Yue blended in with Viktor’s group as they dropped out but he disappeared from sight before they reached the ground. 

Viktor watched him leave and just sighed a little.

“I’m more worried for you than me.” 

—

Yue smiled a little as he watched the sunset. He felt a little nostalgic as he looked at the scene around him. If he hadn’t killed all of these Hundun members this would’ve been exactly like his times traveling with Fei Xiang. Battling thieves and demonic cultivators often created scenes like these.

“Ah, I miss fighting in my Hanfu. It just felt right.” Yue sighed and threw his sword at a mage who had moved a little. He pulled the sword out of the mage and looked toward the direction he had come from. It was quiet. That was good.

Viktor was safe if it was quiet.

Mana was loud. Both in feeling and in sound. The flow of Mana from shield spells and healing spells was quiet though. That was the kind of sound he heard from over there.

Yue turned back to face forward and went on his way again.

—

“This...feels like it’ll be a long battle,” Mai whispered to Huy. The sun had set but their fire magic was lighting up the areas around them.

“It likely will be. It’s alright though. My storage items are full of supplies. Just tell me when you’re tired.” Huy responded and rubbed his shoulder. Fighting without his wings out was uncomfortable, but people were around so he couldn’t reveal them. They had been killing monsters for hours now so the aching of his wings had gotten stronger.

“You should relax and fight how you want to fight later. I know it hurts…” Mai murmured and smiled softly as she looked at Huy’s back.

Huy nodded with a slight smile, and they ended their small break. They moved forward, continuing with their quest to destroy monsters and help find any civilians who might be hiding or struggling.

-

“Geez, so many lovebirds…” Mr. Anderson chuckled as he watched Mai and Huy. He and Mr. Wagner were on a rooftop, looking over the area as they decided the direction where they’ll go next.

“Like you’re one to talk, Matthew.” Mr. Wagner murmured as he used a few mana crystals.

Mr. Anderson chuckled and just smiled at Mr. Wagner for a second.

“Now...I wonder where Ms. Xia has wandered off to…?” Mr. Anderson murmured as he looked in the direction of Viktor’s group.

“Those two would never willingly stay outside of the front lines but I didn’t expect her to leave her prince to wallow in his boredom at the barrier.” Mr. Anderson said and chuckled as he enhanced his sight to watch Viktor’s bored expression as he healed someone without even looking at them.

“Her majesty probably assigned her somewhere in private,” Mr. Wagner murmured. “Stop being nosy and let’s get back to work.”

Mr. Anderson faked a dejected sigh before smiling and following after Mr. Wagner as he jumped over to a different building. 

“Oh to be young again~” 

—

Elena flicked her sword to get the blood off of it as she stood in front of the dungeon gate.

“Let’s go.” She said to Aylin and glanced at Natasha and Alexei’s team.

‘Be safe’ she mouthed to them as they looked over to her as well when they finished clearing out the Hundun mages guarding their dungeon. 

Natasha responded the same way and smiled. Alexei just smiled as well.

Both groups went into the dungeons almost at the same time but what they saw in the dungeons was drastically different. The dungeon that Elena and Aylin entered was full of Hundun’s mages. They were immediately thrown into battle. 

On the other hand, Natasha’s dungeon was eerily quiet.

“I expected there to be mages…” Alexei murmured. The other group members agreed but before Natasha could say anything she lunged forward to catch something.

A silver heart-shaped locket that she always wore around her neck suddenly snapped and almost fell to the floor. She immediately caught it but she still stared at the locket in her hands for a second.

“This...feels ominous…” Natasha mumbled, opening the locket.

In the locket, there were two pictures. One of Natasha, Viktor, and their parents, and one of Natasha, Alexei, and their son.

“...It’ll be alright. I’m sure of it.” Alexei said and put the necklace back around Natasha’s neck, using magic to heat up the metal of the chain so it would bond back together again.

—

Viktor frowned as he looked outside of the barrier. He had noticed that the wind had picked up a little so he couldn’t help but feel dejected as he stood around. He was surrounded by civilians and mages who were focused on either showing him up or impressing him.  It would’ve honestly been less tiring to fight through the dungeons than to sit through this.

‘Did I remember to tell him to send a hostage over to me somehow for information?’ Viktor wondered to himself as he thought of what Yue might be doing right now.

He couldn’t just look up to see because his sight was blocked by a slew of buildings. One building would be easy to see through with his ability but many buildings would block his sight just like they blocked a normal person’s eyes.

‘He probably figured it out himself…probably.’ He said to himself silently. He was a little flustered that he couldn’t remember whether or not he told Yue about it but he moved on. Yue would probably do it regardless.

“The night is long, don’t overuse your magic,” Viktor said to his group as he saw them wasting their energy on a tiny wound.

“Y-Yes Sir!”