{We should inform the Archduke.}

    Arabella''s voice crackled through their communicator, bringing them back to the present.

    "We will," Apollo replied, still distracted by the Artisan''s final words. "But first, do you guys have any intel on the warehouse he mentioned?"

    The map Apollo and Alicia had in hand showed several suspicious warehouses that were located on the city''s outskirts, so they needed more information to narrow it down. One that could tell them the specific target of their mission.

    {I think I know the one he''s referring to,} McKenzie said. A map flashed on their communicator bracelets. {Start with this area. I''m pretty sure that''s the place.}

    "Thanks," Alicia said, glancing at Apollo, who seemed lost in thought.

    "We need to move fast," Apollo said quietly, shaking off the lingering confusion. "If they''ve already created one vessel, there''s no telling how soon they''ll make their move."

    Alicia nodded, her expression grim. "Let''s hope we can stop them before it''s too late."

    As the sun slowly descended below the horizon, it began to cast long shadows across the bustling city streets, Apollo and Alicia who were being followed decided to make another appearance and change the path they were taking.

    And so the two pretended to return to their inn and create doubles that would act as them. Then they create another identity that will help them blend in.

    {Let will teleport the two of you, it''s much that way since the city is being guarded by an artifact} Aarron suggested which the two did not decline.

    "Do it" they said, with their approval golden shards of light began to dance until the space surrounding them bent and took them right near their supposed destination.

    They arrived at the edge of the district, where old, some even decaying warehouses stood like they hadn''t been used for a long time. The place was eerily quiet, with only the occasional rustling of loose tin roof and wind hasase noise you can hear. The duo then found a spot hidden from view and crouched low, surveying the area.

    {Good luck!} Aaron said after the successful teleport, and after that Mckenzie took over the communicator.

    {You two ready?} he asked.

    "Yeah, which one was the one you referring to again" Apollo asked waiting for his friend to clarify the target. Jeremiah already scanned the area however due to the artifact the data was inaccurate.

    {That one you see among the warehouses the least noticeable, the most plain and ordinary looking}

    The two felt confused since all the warehouses were close to collapse. Then among the clutter of old storehouses, they noticed the least suspicious one, it wasn''t eye-catching and seemed invincible instead. It was not too broken or too fixed.

    "That one?" this time it was Alicia who asked.

    {Yeah that''s the one}

    "Good then we will go now"

    "Another door again" Apollo couldn''t help but groan since the warehouse felt like a labyrinth instead.

    "Let''s just head inside" Alicia argued dragging the shadow Apollo with her.

    Inside, a large room revealed a grim scene, a young boy, no older than Apollo, strapped to an altar, his body wrapped in glowing chains of energy. Around him, robed figures chanted, their voices rising and falling in a steady rhythm. At the center of the altar, ancient runes glow like subtly pulses of heartbeat, feeding power into the bound vessel.

    Alicia''s eyes narrowed. "That must be the vessel," she whispered. "We can''t just barge in and take them out. It''ll raise too many questions."

    Apollo''s mind raced. They needed to sabotage the operation without directly confronting the guards or leaving evidence of their presence.

    "Jeremiah scanned the altar and all the magic being used here, give me something I can use to make this look like an accident," Apollo whispered. "There''s a lot of unstable magic being used here. Can we overload the ritual, will it be capable of destroying everything without anyone suspecting foul play."

    Jeremiah began analyzing and testing if his Creator''s theory could actually work.

    [I have scanned the runes and also the ancient way of their chanting. Creator if we slowly alter one of the runes on the alter we can create the overload you wanted. We could also interfere with the incantation resulting in the flow of mana going everywhere.

    Should we proceed with that?]

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    Apollo then nodded and relayed that information to his partner.

    Alicia just nodded thoughtfully. "That was smart, If we break the right parts of the magic circle, the feedback could cause an explosion. It''ll look like they made a mistake. No one will ever suspect us."

    Apollo grinned while signalling Jeremiah to assist them. "Let''s do it."

    They moved closer to the ritual, staying hidden in their shadow form. Alicia focused her magic on the glowing runes that surrounded the vessel. She carefully probed the spell work according to Apollo''s instructions, identifying the key points where the energy flow could be disrupted.

    Her hands glowed faintly as she began to tamper with the delicate structure of the ritual, making subtle adjustments that wouldn''t be noticed by the robed figures.

    "It''s almost ready," Alicia whispered after a few minutes.

    "Once I destabilize the last rune, it''ll take a few minutes for the energy to overload. We need to be out of here before that happens."

    Apollo glanced around the room and approached one of the robe men. "Continue let me just ask this guy."

    With a nod, Alicia made the final adjustment to the ritual. The energy in the room shifted, a faint hum growing louder as the magic began to destabilize. The robed figures continued chanting, oblivious to the danger they were in.

    Apollo moved quickly, utilizing the power of Mystics and space to isolate his target. After the two authorities have been established, Apollo immediately transforms into a human.

    "Hey," he called out softly, his voice calm and non-threatening.