Chapter 4: Black Prediction
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“Hhhmmm…” Lily hummed as she gazed down on her ‘Prime’ that took the form of her name sake. Her eyes narrowed at the black spot that appeared on the flower just an hour ago. “How interesting,” She added ominously, her glasses glinting.

She had been observing the black spot for a while now. It appeared earlier but it wasn’t as big as it was currently right now. It had spread. And with the power of Divination that her Prime gifted to her, it can only mean that the influence of the source of the blackness has spread.

‘It has spread,’ Lily thought. ‘This is…bad.’

She haven’t seen anything like this before. This was new. And somehow, that blackness wasn’t giving Lily any good feelings about the situation. She tried divining what it was but all she received was a deep scream, an image of the moon and incoherent information. All she got from that attempt was a small ringing noise inside her head.

She stood up from where she was sitting and began to stride out of the garden she was currently resting in. She had been sitting for a while now in one of the many stone benches that dotted the La Carmina Garden. It was supposed to be her day off but it seemed like it just wasn’t meant to be. There’s really no rest for the wicked, it seems.

Now, with purpose in her steps, she began to move along the path leading towards the exit. Her heels making small purposeful clicking noises as she stepped on the paved road that snaked around the flower-filled garden, which the majority were of the rose variety and other red colored flowers.

It seemed her relaxing time had to be cut short. She had to check up on things. Information was power and for a person like her, it was the greatest weapon she wielded.

After all, it was her job as one of the Leaders of Sin City, the Flower Lady of the South District, to keep watch of the dangers that might harm the city and protect the people that she now calls her own.

As she was passing by a particular tree that slightly bent towards the path, Lily’s eyes briefly flicked to it and then at her Prime for confirmation. She saw nothing but her instincts whispered at the back of her head. What she sees within the petals of Leilani, her Prime that manifested as a lily flower, confirmed her guess.

She didn’t even pause or slow down as she talked to what seemed to be like thin air. “Anwir, follow me,” She said, no, ordered to the person she knew was there with her.

Anwir grabbed his Prime, Asrar, which took the form of a mask. After taking the mask off, he became visible again to the naked eye. He was wearing an immaculate suit with a blue tie and a fedora on his head as he stepped out seemingly from out of nowhere. With a lazy smirk on his face, he obediently followed after his Boss after stepping out of the tree’s shadow.

A second later, another pair of footsteps appeared behind Lily. Without even looking behind her, Lily knew that it was Anwir, her second-in-command.

 “What is it, Lily?” Anwir asked with his fingers in his pockets. He looked relaxed but you shouldn’t believe what you see when it regards him. The truth was that he was alert, ready to retaliate to any hint of attack or aggression, and defend Lily from any attempt on her life. His body’s actions and tells were all lies or what he wanted people to see. There’s a reason why his Prime was called ‘Asrar’ after all.

“There’s a problem,” Lily stated straight to the point in a serious tone.

Anwir’s steps stumbled a little bit but it was so brief that it wasn’t even worth of notice to the two. “What sort of problem?” He asked, deceptively low, his fingers lightly twitching alertly.

“I don’t know,” Lily replied, her voice betraying her with a hint of something. Maybe worry? Or irritation?

“What? How?” Anwir asked, his eyebrow climbing his forehead.

Lily was known for her power of divination. For her of all people to not know, well, it was bad. Like really, really bad.

“I’m not sure. I can’t see it clearly enough,” Lily admitted. “My divination is being blocked somehow.”

“That’s impossible!” Anwir exclaimed after hearing her response. “That’s…” His voice trailed off as his mind raced furiously into tangents at what her words might mean for her and for the rest of them.

“I’m telling the truth, Anwir,” Lily shook her head briefly. They crossed the metal gate and turned a corner. “You know that my divination, while the strongest in the whole city, isn’t perfect nor absolute. Deviations can happen. You know this,” She gave him a look which conveyed many, many secrets shared between the two of them. “I can see that something happened, something big, but I can’t get a good read as to what it exactly is,” She admitted as she moved her glasses into a more comfortable position.

After a few more seconds of silence, Anwir managed to wrestle back his composure. Panic or disbelief would be of no use. He needed to be calm and rational at that moment to be of use to the woman he had decided to dedicate his life to.

“What do you need me to do, Boss Lily?” He asked, cutting straight to heart of the matter.

The two saw their headquarters and after a minute of powerwalking, they’ve arrived in front of it. It was a casino. Yes, their headquarters, the heart of the South District of Sin City was a casino.

They paused in front of the big sign that said ‘Chrysanthemum Casino’. And for the first time since they’ve started to walk together, Lily turned around to face her subordinate and friend.

The usual smile on Lily’s face wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She was serious and only terrible occasions or situations with great impacts to the city can make her drop her lovely smile. The light glinting off her glasses hid Lily’s narrowed eyes. Her black side split satin maxi skirt, pink silk stand collar blouse and black wool wide brim floppy hat fluttered at the sudden strong winds that blew past them.

“Anwir,” She uttered his name with a command on her tongue. “I need you to go gather info for me. Check your informants. Bring me any information that you can get that happened within the past few hours. Anything, no matter how useless it might be, bring them to me,” She ordered.

“As the Boss commands,” Anwir smirked, bowed theatrically, and with a flourish of his hand, a mask crafted out of what seemed to be mirrors appeared in his hands.

“Don’t fail me, Anwir,” Lily added and then turned around. “This might affect the whole of Sin City,” She said as she took her first step in entering her base. “Or maybe…even all of us…” She whispered lowly to herself, her mind flying to the spreading blackness on Leilani’s petals.

“Of course,” Anwir nodded professionally, he then wore Asrar and like a ghost, as if he had never been there, he disappeared.

“Boss Lily!” Aster called out as he saw who was walking towards their direction.

“Leader!” Sasuke exclaimed, his lazy posture straightening in a snap.

“Aster. Sasuke,” Lily said their names in greeting but with less exuberance than the two men. She nodded at them as they moved to open the large doors of the Chrysanthemum Casino for the owner of the building itself. “I need you to do something for me.”

“What is it Boss Lily?” Aster asked, willingness flashing brightly in his eyes. He had always wanted to be of service to the head honcho and this was his chance.

“How can we be of service to you, Leader?” Sasuke seconded his friend. While not as loud or excited as his friend might be, he was just as willing.

“Call for my Inner Circle and tell them I need them,” Lily stated which made Aster and Sasuke paused for a second. “ASAP.”

They gulped and exchanged looks. They were hesitant now. Their earlier fire now doused with heavy responsibility.

To call for her Inner Circle… This was important.

“The South District’s Leader’s Inner Council?” Sasuke repeated, his voice filled with nervousness.

“Yes,” This was Lily’s last words as she entered the elevator exclusive only to her and her Inner Circle.

There was an intense look on her eyes as the doors of the elevator closed. Her mind flashing to different information and the divinations she had made earlier that day.

Sasuke and Aster exchanged looks for a second before turning around and walking with brisk steps towards the doors of the casino.

They have their orders. The only thing they needed to do now was to execute them.

“I’ll take Miss Carol, Miss Allison, Mister Carson and Mister CC,” Sasuke said after thinking of the members that made up Boss Lily’s Inner Circle.

“I guess I’ll take Miss Hether, Mister Cain and Mister Setsuna,” Aster said a moment later.

“What about Miss Brunhilde?” Sasuke asked after he noticed that her name wasn’t in the list of names that his friend recited.

Aster shook his head. “It seemed that she’s not exactly in the city right now. I heard from Ivy that she saw her go out a few hours ago. She must have went out to hunt.”

“But how will we notify her about the meeting?”

Aster thought it over before snapping his fingers as a great idea appeared in his head. “I’ll just tell the guard to tell it to her when she arrives. I think its Jay who’s guarding the Southern Main Gate right now.”

They nodded at each other before separating at the intersection just outside of the casino.

They don’t know what exactly was happening but it must be important if the Inner Circle was being convened for a meeting.

Aster and Sasuke might not be important members of the South District or even Sin City itself but they still were a part of it. They have their duties and they were willing to do them.

For Sin City.

For their home.

For the people they have come to care for ever since they found themselves in this world.

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