Arin shifted uncomfortably in the leather chair he sat in. He had only just reached the legal age to drink, but he wasn’t convinced this was the right moment to try it for the first time. Instead, he continued to examine every inch of the room. This place was completely isolated from the chaotic, sweat- and alcohol-scented atmosphere of the club. There was no sound. Time even seemed to flow more slowly here.

The space was surprisingly elegant. Black lacquered furniture, shelves adorned with expensive stones, strange objects displayed inside glass domes… Some were expensive pieces belonging to renowned artists, others relics from cultures long extinct. The soft light from the ceiling lamps cast a golden glow over everything in the room. On the wall, dozens of security camera feeds monitored every corner of the club. The monitors flickered and occasionally shimmered.

He wondered if this room was being monitored as well, and if the men guarding the door would simply let them leave if they decided to go.

Malachi sat behind his massive desk. The surface was neat and tidy, carved from a tree he had never seen before, with cracks running through its natural burgundy finish. A few of the ornamental patterns on it looked familiar to Arin; they were symbols from the old Imperial era. Malachi had a certain taste, it had to be acknowledged. Whether good or bad was debatable.

“So, now… feeling a bit more relaxed?” Malachi said, his voice laced with mockery. He leaned back in the large chair that seemed like it could swallow him whole and fixed his gaze on Kael. “I won’t lie; I was surprised when I heard you were coming to see me. When was the last time we met, two years ago?”

Kael looked tense from his seat. “Yes, exactly two years ago,” he replied simply.

“The changes on you are barely noticeable with the naked eye. Must have been done by an artist,” Malachi said, leaning forward slowly, squinting as if appraising an antique vase.

Ignoring the disrespectful comment, Kael said, “The Empire always offers the best to those who serve it.”

Malachi paused for a moment before bursting out laughing. Finally, he said, “You really are your father’s son, brother.”

This time, Kael avoided her gaze with unease.

The word ‘brother’ echoed again in Arin’s mind. Were they really blood-related? Or was it just empty words?

“If you’ve come this far, you must be desperate, Kael,” Malachi said, taking a sip of his drink. “What do you want? Tell me, brother. Or have you come here on behalf of our father?” He didn’t take his eyes off Kael, as if reading his reaction.

Arin wondered how these two could be brothers by looking at them.

“He’s capable of handling his own business, you know that. Also, if you were working for him, it would be much more direct for our father to call you instead of sending me,” Kael’s voice was the cold, emotionless Kael he had heard on duty before.

A dark shadow passed over Malachi’s face, but he said nothing, merely took another sip of his drink.

“I want equipment from you,” Kael said. “And information.”

Malachi slowly set his glass down on the desk. Then he tilted his head slightly, as if unsure he heard correctly. A half-mocking, half-curious smile crept to the corner of his lips.

“Information’s easy, but equipment, huh?”

“Since when did the Empire’s golden boys beg for equipment in the city’s swamp?”

Kael said nothing. His face remained as immobile as stone.

Malachi leaned back, fingers interlaced. “What kind of equipment?”

Kael’s gaze shifted briefly and almost imperceptibly to Arin, then back to Malachi.

“Something I can use in the field that will protect both of us. From magic and technology. Whatever you can find.” His eyes scanned the items on the shelves. “But I’m not looking for trinkets like these. It has to actually work.”

“Since you’ve come in place of our precious Empire, things must really be going south,” Malachi said, examining Kael’s face with curiosity. “Blind loyalty has been replaced by survival instinct.”

Arin shifted uncomfortably in his seat; this guy’s tongue was truly poisonous.

“My loyalty is still intact, but this time I have to act according to factors that disrupt the balance,” Kael said.

Malachi’s gaze immediately shifted to Arin. “Don’t sacrifice yourself again trying to be the hero, brother.”

“For this guy we came all this way? Screw it, let’s go,” Arin said, barely believing he’d said it himself but feeling ready to send this pretentious jerk back to whatever hole he came from.

Malachi stared in surprise for a moment, then laughed. “Your little cat has quite the tongue, who would have guessed?” he said chuckling, leaning back.

Arin suddenly brought his hand to his ring. “What cat, damn it!” he said, jumping up, but Kael raised his arm to stop him.

“On behalf of my brother, I apologize, Arin. He has a bad habit of pushing people’s limits,” Kael said, looking defiantly at Malachi.

Malachi was no longer smiling. “So be it, brother,” he said. Then he smiled slyly. “Come on, let’s get you what you want.” Suddenly, he stood up and pressed a button behind his desk. A hidden door slid open. Malachi didn’t wait and stepped inside.

Arin looked at Kael, sensing the air in the room rapidly change. He only shook his head.

“I can’t wait around all day for you two, brother,” Malachi’s voice echoed.

Unintentionally, Arin stepped behind Kael. The threshold they crossed opened into a completely different world. Unlike the elegant and lavish office just before, this place was much colder, far more functional. The lights were dim, but neon lines sliced through the darkness in certain spots, leaving patterns on the floor that looked like seals.

Shelves… Shelves stretched up to the ceiling, and each was packed to the brim.

Colorful crystals, all sorts of talismans, glass spheres with dust swirling inside.

As Arin examined everything, he suddenly noticed a long black sword hanging separately, made of an unknown metal. Approaching it, he realized the handle had tiny needles. Like all supernatural things, this sword also demanded a price: blood.

Malachi quickly came to Arin’s side. Without warning, he linked his arm through Arin's, making him stiffen in surprise at the unexpected contact. “Our little jinn hunter has already found his weapon,” he said. Arin tried in vain to hide his ringed hand, slipping deftly out of Malachi’s arm with a controlled motion, but he had never owned a real jinn hunter’s weapon before. Normally, it would have been passed down from his family, but his family had been forced to surrender it to the Empire during the civil war. He looked at the sword again, asking tensely, “What’s the special feature of this sword?”

Malachi took it from the shelf carefully, avoiding the handle. “With every bite it takes from its wielder, it multiplies the power of its strike,” he said. “But Mors Silentium is infamous for its greed; it can quietly bring death not only to its opponent but also to its master.”

Azimushan groaned softly. “Be careful, master.”

Kael headed to the shelf lined with technological devices. He guessed most were experimental, prototypes only. While inspecting some, he could guess their uses, but many remained a complete mystery to him.

Malachi approached eagerly like a street vendor. “Reflectors, energy shields, active cybernetic boosters, thermal camouflage modules, weapons that emit electromagnetic pulses, sensor jammers, and micro drone kits… All here. Whether you want stealth or direct defense, choose what you need, brother.”

Kael directed his gaze to a device further into the room. “What about that one?” he asked.

When Malachi understood what he meant, he smiled. “Ah, you’re going to love that one.”

***

When they returned to the room, Arin held his new weapon tightly, eager to train with his sword wrapped in black cloth.

Kael had packed his new technological gear into a bag; Arin definitely hadn’t expected him to take so much. He shivered once again at the scale of the danger that awaited them.

“Equipment’s settled, now for your other request,” Malachi said.

Kael’s expression turned serious quickly. “I suspect someone in the city is after either the owned jinn or the jinn hunters. I need to find out if anyone’s heard anything.”

Malachi exhaled deeply, as if this matter didn’t interest him in the slightest. “Anything else?”

“That’s all,” Kael said.

“Got it. I’ll send you a bird soon,” Malachi said, winking.

Then suddenly, he clapped his hands, and the tattoos on his arm rippled. “Now, let’s get to my favorite part: payment. Should we charge what you took to our father’s account, or will you pay for it yourself, brother?”

Kael answered without hesitation. “This has nothing to do with my father. Also, I don’t want to owe him. I’ll pay in cash.”

Malachi smiled with satisfaction. "It's always a pleasure working with you, brother." He then reached out, cupping Kael's jaw with a light touch, and delivered a fleeting, almost dismissive kiss to his cheek. For a split second, Kael's usual impassivity faltered, a fleeting flicker of discomfort crossing his face. Malachi's eyes, glinting with a familiar, mocking amusement, flickered to Arin for a brief moment before he added, "Do be careful on your way out."