"Mr. Sam Cort, you haven't been active in a long time. What brings you and the ICMA back after such a long period of quiet?"
"Well, we haven't quit—just been busy handling real issues that plague our world. Some criminals our clients asked us to catch, or finding lost people, Sometimes solving interesting crimes like murder. You know, doing the job of the Card Mage Police in essence," Sam said, leaning on his chair. From his words, it looked like he felt the ICMA was better than the Card Mage Police but wasn't stating it outright.
"Well, that is hard to question after looking at your track record. All your missions end with at least a 90% success rate. Quite impressive compared to the recent issue with the prisoner escape. What do you think of it?" the journalist asked.
"I don't want to sound biased, but we have all seen it ourselves. Magnus is really powerful—that's undeniable. Flares of Victory was terrifying in those videos. But leadership is not only about strength, you know. There are other aspects that come into play. That's all I can say," Sam said like an elder advising his junior—despite Magnus being way older than him.
Listening on his tablet, Kairo's face grew more and more annoyed. He had done some research on what happened during the incident with the submarine. His father and the others had been on the train with other officers and had also been attacked.
Kairo immediately thought of a two-flank attack—that was what Selis and her people had done. The initial bait had worked. They had no idea which convoy had the real prisoners, so they could only gamble on attacking both. This was also why there were only three of them at the submarine—otherwise, they would have been far more numerous, and things might have gone differently for Kairo and his people.
"This is the first time I see Flares of Victory… no wonder he is the head of the Card Mage Police," Nyx said in awe, observing the short video.
Kairo, too, felt a wave of pride rise in his heart. Since the entire event had been followed by the media, they had first-hand images of what had happened on the train. At one moment, the sky had been filled with numerous creatures—like a swarm of monsters from an abyss. On each of those monsters were card masters from Selis' army, ready to take down the train. Their number alone was such that in a full-scale fight, the officers on the train would have had serious trouble surviving. But fortunately, things didn't go that way.
When Magnus stepped out of the train and used Flares of Victory, the entire world was dazzled. Flames so magnificent they covered the entire sky appeared. The beauty of those flames was not the only thing that captivated the media and the world—it was what they implied. Flares of Victory was a special card that dictated the chances of victory a person had against an opponent. It was said the brighter the flames, the higher the chance of victory—and the smaller the flames, the smaller the chance became in turn.
But on that day, on the train, the entire sky was tainted in bright flames so dazzling it was hard to look at them from below.
This had been a deterrent so powerful that the army didn't even dare get close to the train. And the first few daredevils who dove down with their creatures had a horrible fate. Several meters away from Magnus, their bodies turned to ashes—consumed by Flares of Victory. A single word Magnus had said—"Retreat." That was all it took to ensure not even the journalists were touched.
The fight had ended pretty quickly on that side, and Magnus's shadow became even larger in the Card Mage circles.
''As long as he stands with the Card Mage Police, people like you will have a hard time in this business. He has led them through numerous missions, and the Card Mage Police officers are developing a batch of incredible talents. That Kairo, for example, or even his partner Nyx. Even in the older generation, that Danzna, Fabian... Mirelle is the real deal. The last stand left us all speechless. The moment at the cathedral is a good reminder of it. What do you think, Sam?'' the journalist asked after the video ended.
''They are kids, well surrounded. Of course, they would shine more than they should. However, the ICMA has a lot of rising stars too. Very soon you shall find out about a few of them,'' Sam said with pride, not the least bit intimidated by the sheer scale of the Card Mage Police and its four departments.
Kairo could not listen anymore and put the tablet down. ''He talks like he was older than them. This hypocrite,'' he said, shaking his head. ''What the hell is even the ICMA? Any idea, Nyx?'' Kairo asked. Prior to this moment, he had never heard about these people nor what they were doing.
''Hey, my favorite lovers... you're back!''
Kairo suddenly felt someone's arms wrap around his neck, dragging him close to Nyx, almost causing them to hit their heads on each other. In between them, the lively face of Leli popped out with a smirk.
''Want to strangle us alive?'' Nyx said, freeing herself from Leli's grip.
''Oh come on, I missed you so much. Our mission on the train ended so fast, there was almost no fun in it. Your father is a real monster, Kairo. You should have seen the Flare of Victory for yourself. He burned their decks with so much ease,'' Leli spoke with enthusiasm, genuinely happy to see them.
''Happy to see you as energetic as ever,'' Kairo added. After the incident at the rehabilitation center, his relationship with Leli had become strained, but slowly it was regaining its colors. Kairo was happy how things were returning.
''Nice to see you. Looking forward to hearing all the details about what happened on the train. What have you been doing?'' Nyx asked.
''Bored to death at the intel department. No action, no fighting like the last time with you guys. I miss that moment. Hey wait, isn't this the clowns from the ICMA?'' Leli cut herself midway, looking at the person on the tablet. She got closer and picked it up in her hands.
''Yeah, you know them?'' Kairo asked.
''They are an independent organization of Card Mages that want to rival the Card Mage Police. You should know that the Card Mage Police can operate effectively because it has resources and credibility — all of which is directly related to the public opinion of our force. These people want their own share of the golden spoon, and Sam has created the ICMA: Independent Card Mage Association. They do all sorts of things — from escorting, to solving mysteries, or catching criminals. Some even claim they drag their cards into assassinations, but no one can really prove it,'' Leli said.
''So that's their role,'' Kairo said. He instinctively took a look at how huge their kitchen was. It was huge, to say the least. The Card Mage officers enjoyed a better-than-average living standard, even for the rookie officers. No wonder some fools thought they could compete with them.
''They are of little importance. They can't compete with us. I just find it strange — why do they all wear an earring?'' Kairo was perplexed. In the interview, he had noticed another person talking to Sam in their ear, and the person was a girl wearing the exact same earring as Sam.
''They believe that Card Mages should not only be powerful — they must also be classy. Thus, they wear this expensive stuff, everyone, no discrimination of gender. And are always in suits. Although I don't really like them, they are good, Kairo. Some of the grade four criminals you were escorting had been delivered here by Sam and his team,'' Leli said seriously.
"I get it," Kairo said, taking a closer look at Sam's face now. If that was the case, they might not all be clowns, and some of them had real power to back their claims. Despite that, Kairo was not worried. No one would be able to shake Magnus and Flares of Victory. In terms of scale, only Sky Tears was as impressive as that one. And that was just one part of his arsenal.
"Now Nyx, get changed. I'm taking all of you out. You've been under stress for so long—time for fun," Leli said, dragging Nyx off her chair and pushing her upstairs.
"Wait, are we obliged to go? I just want to lie down and sleep the whole day," Nyx said.
"No, let's arrange that face of yours. You look like the last card in a pile. Go, go upstairs," Leli continuously pushed Nyx upstairs. She cast an almost pleading look at Kairo, but Kairo simply smiled. This was not a bad idea — he felt some fresh air might be good.