After the commotion caused by Kairo settled down, many Card Mage officers came to him with questions about what he had just done. In the Card Mage Police, almost everyone was curious about Card Magic — this was one of the most common traits among them. After humbly answering all their questions, Kairo was allowed to leave the mass.
"Thank you, Kairo. This was very impressive. I have one question, though. Can we control the type of card we awaken by knowing more about that inner self? I wonder why it's not that well known," an officer asked, perplexed.
"This is not a certain draw. Card Magic is unpredictable in its own ways," Kairo answered without giving up more. Although he knew how it functioned, only those at the captain level knew that information. He had learned back in the day that it was because of how dangerous this information could be when misused.
Kairo imagined what would happen if someone knew how to awaken the exact cards they wanted and, after the awakening ceremony, vanished without joining the Card Mage Police. Who knew the sort of chaos it would create? The surgeon's understanding of that was the reason Jed and all the others had been transformed into those monsters. Thus, Kairo felt he would continue keeping the secret for his father and the others, for the moment. Although the card created was never the exact same thing one had in mind, it was sometimes related to it — or might even be the opposite. Like in Kairo's case, instead of a shield, he got two swords.
"You're one of the few officers here who hasn't changed. Most of the others, after getting to the fourth star, get overly silent about almost everything that concerns Card Magic — as if it were some sort of bombshell they held... hahah, whatever. See you." The officer walked away.
"I can't stand people who lie to others to their face. But on this one, I must stay strong," Kairo said inwardly. Months earlier, before the Card Mage Police, he would have never kept something like this to himself — and would have 'rightfully' informed others. But the more he learned about Card Magic and its mysteries, the more he felt certain things were better left the way they were.
On his way out, he didn't notice Nyx anywhere, and after asking, there was still no news of her.
Kairo returned to the gym afterward, taking some minutes to stretch his body before leaving. Right now, his arsenal had grown in diversity — but that would only make his next deck composition more complex for him.
"I'll have to be careful in the selection of my cards this time around," he said to himself.
Kairo then spent the rest of the afternoon training his aura. For now, they had no new mission in sight, and all they could do at headquarters was loiter around and rest. Kairo felt he might as well continue training his aura here.
To train a mage's aura was quite simple. The longer one could hold their cards in hand without activating them, the better they would get at it — and their aura would also increase. Next came the physical conditioning of the body, for more athletic mages.
There was no clear distinction — certain Card Mages' abilities were a mixture of close and ranged combat. Thus, trained muscles were an essential part of their training. Others still relied purely on Card Magic for fighting. A good example was Harid and his cards. He barely moved — unlike Kairo, who had tactical brilliance ideal for all sorts of combat. But that didn't make Harid weak. Far from it — he had given them a hard time at the moment.
Kairo then went to perform a series of exercises — a hundred squats, push-ups — then ran a few hours around the training gym while keeping his cards in his hands but not activating them.
After a few hours, Kairo stopped his training, covered in sweat. He returned his cards back to their equipment, about to take a bath and leave, when he saw a message on his phone:
"Let's talk over dinner tonight, Kairo."
The message was simple and direct. A smile on his face, Kairo picked up his things and walked out. This was what he had been waiting for. Mirelle was finally ready for a talk.
I think I should notify Nyx first," Kairo caught himself midway.
In a certain way, they weren't exactly living together, but they spent most of their evenings at the villa. Leaving her a message was the least he could do after being away for the entire day. This was the very first time they had been separated for so long when not on a mission. Furthermore, he did ask her to wait—she was surely waiting for his reply.
Kairo left the Card Mage Police in the evening. At this time, very few souls could be seen roaming within. Most had gone back home to their families or friends. After the day of work ended, they returned to their normal routine. In the past, Kairo would have felt no urge to get back home. His father was never at home, and his mother before today didn't exist. However, with Nyx now present in his life, Kairo actually wanted to get back home.
As Kairo got closer to his car, he noticed something strange. There were shadows approaching from the side on the rear mirrors, their movement deaf to Kairo's ears.
However, with all the fighting he had gone through, Kairo's instinct had been honed to feel danger even when he could not see it with his own eyes. Kairo was ready to use Animate when he felt a tissue slide across his face. And the next thing he knew, he felt dizzy.
...
"Where am I?" Kairo asked with a frown.
Seated in what felt like a waiting room, Kairo observed the area with caution. He noticed his hands weren't tied, nor were his legs. Nothing. Furthermore, there was a bottle of whisky and a glass on the table next to him, as if inviting him to have fun while he waited.
"Strange… this doesn't look like kidnapping. Or is this only a trap?" Kairo stared, tried to get up, and found no actual resistance.
"Are these amateurs or something?" Kairo felt the urge to laugh. What kind of lousy kidnapping was this?
Kairo swept his gaze around the room and suddenly his face darkened. There was no door! As if this space was isolated from the real world.
"A card realm," Kairo analyzed instantly.
His feeling reminded him of his very first days in the Card Mage Police. They had fought exactly in one of these places. Here, there was no logic that applied—simply the will of the card mage.
"With this, there is no need for any form of restraint," Kairo said.
He hadn't seen a card realm in a long time. This was mainly because not all cards could create a card realm. One had to be lucky and talented to get this kind of ability. Lucky in that one could not just wish for it to happen, and talented in that it related to the mage's capacity to actually summon the card realm from the card.
Kairo had no choice but to return to his seat and wait patiently. Right now, he had no idea nor method to get out of this space.
"Is this Selis?" Kairo thought but shook his head.
Although he was valuable, he wasn't the main target—the Seruth monster was. Only he knew about the location of the card Chosen Destiny.
Time didn't flow the way Kairo expected it. Minutes or maybe hours went by without him noticing. He was growing impatient.
From within one of the four walls, a door materialized out of nowhere. And with a soft clicking sound, it opened on its own—a clear invitation for Kairo to leave.
Kairo found himself in a completely new space. A cozy office located at the top of one of the highest skyscrapers of the town. Seated across the table was Sam, glued to his chair like a king receiving his vassals. Next to him was Luve, standing behind like a bodyguard.
"The ICMA again," Kairo said inwardly.
"You both don't listen to plain language. I said I'm not mixing my cards with both of you. This was very stupid. How did you even get into the Card Mage Police headquarters? If someone had caught you—" Kairo was both angry and perplexed. The HQ was located in a different space created by the card safe vault. It was impossible to get inside without being part of it or being authorized.
"Love one of our special cards, Kairo. You could get one of these if you joined us. It's a pair of twin cards—Lucky Draw and Lucky Mark," Luve said with a smile.
"All those on whom the Lucky Mark is can be teleported into the safe chamber and brought to me at will. Love it?" Luve said proudly, her voice emphasizing every word as if trying to make Kairo understand what he was losing by refusing their offer.
A pair of twin cards exactly like the one Nyx got, Kairo was slightly shaken. He knew how rare this type of card was. Given Luve possessed twin cards meant her card magic was not to be underestimated.
"Twin cards work in tandem. Does that mean you had activated it long before this moment? That day at the park, I guess." Kairo saw through the trick. This was why the name "Lucky" came from. They could either fail or succeed, depending on a condition Kairo had no idea of.
"As sharp as his father. Not surprising you piece everything this easily. The Lucky Draw has a slight possibility of failing if the target finds the Lucky Mark on himself. But given how loaded you had been with all what was going on, you were a perfect candidate," Sam joined the conversation.
"Whatever. What do you want from me? If my father finds out I'm here, things wouldn't end right for you."
"I need your help, Kairo," Sam said with a serious expression. Nothing with his real or calm attitude from the interview Kairo had seen—it was more of the plea of a father.