Rescuing Constantine

In a quiet, dark neighborhood nestled deep within the city's underbelly, Kento moved cautiously, staying mindful of his surroundings as he approached a seemingly ordinary wall between apartment buildings. The door he sought was hidden from ordinary eyes, but Kento was far from ordinary. He knocked in a specific rhythm, a code that announced his arrival and that it was safe to open.

The door creaked open to reveal a room that was a littered with piles of books and relics, adorned with vintage furniture. Seated amidst this chaos was Marcus. He looked up, his face a mask of anticipation mixed with concern.

"Kento," Marcus greeted, his tone a mixture of warmth and a mentor's critical eye. "You coming here ahead of schedule... I take it the mission was either a resounding success or we're on the brink of disaster."

Kento, ever the image of stoicism, placed a thick ledger on Marcus's cluttered desk.

"Thorne won't be troubling us anymore," he said.

"This ledger," he tapped the leather-bound book, "contains more than we bargained for. It's a network of names, transactions, secrets. Far more valuable than any artifact."

Marcus's interest piqued as he flipped through the pages, each one revealing numerous transactions and deals, listing the services he had provided in detail. "Intriguing," he said. 

"Did you inform the others about this?" he asked.

"I gave Shift a detailed report, I'm sure she'll tell the rest." Kento replied, furrowing his brow.

"So, what did you discover?" Marcus asked.

"Constantine St. John," Kento stated, his voice void of emotion.

"He's still alive, in Silver Haven Mental Hospital. I think it's imperative we extract him tonight. He's the key to understanding our enemies' next moves."

"Silver Haven," Marcus repeated, his voice dropping a notch as he read the ledger.

"This place is practically a fortress. IF you read the ledger, you know as well as I that a direct assault on Silver Haven is a bad idea. Their defenses..."

"Are why we'll use aether barriers," Kento interjected, his voice cutting through the potential for any objections. "I've secured a route. We can cloak our approach and disable their wards, make their magic turn a blind eye to us."

Marcus leaned back, assessing Kento with a renewed gaze. "Risky, but ingenious. Explain your plan."

Kento outlined his strategy with precision. "We infiltrate under the cover of darkness. Their surveillance is intense, but with the aether barrier, we'll be ghosts. You will handle the barrier; I'll deal with any... interruptions."

"And if we're discovered?" Marcus challenged, not out of doubt, but out of the necessity of considering all outcomes.

"Our objective remains unchanged. Extraction over engagement. We avoid confrontation unless absolutely necessary. Our advantage lies in being underestimated," Kento replied, his plan clear and devoid of hesitation.

Marcus nodded, already moving to gather various items from around the room. "It's audacious, I'll give you that. Get weapons and clothes from the armory. We have a narrow window, and preparation is key." Marcus said, in a rare acknowledgment of Kento's methodical nature.

Kento gave a curt nod, heading inside Marcus' armory.

"I'll scout our approach route and ensure our exit is secure," Kento said.

"Prepare yourself, Kento." Marcus replied.

"Tonight's going to be a long night."

Kento went ahead to prepare. Marcus watched him go, a mix of pride and concern in his eyes. He had a habit of testing Kento by challenging his plans; not to mess with him but to make sure he was thorough and ready to lead – especially in missions as dangerous as this one. A part of him was worried about his cold nature; the losses he has suffered have left him emotionally stunted to begin with and this was amplified with the Cost of his Reality Break. Marcus had to ensure Kento retained as much humanity as possible. Tonight, however, they would rely entirely on his planning.

Later that night, under the cloak of an ink-black sky, Marcus and Kento made their stealthy approach towards Silver Haven. Unlike their previous missions, this time, they weren't there to fight, but to rescue Constantine – hopefully as painlessly as humanly possible. As they neared the outer boundary of Silver Haven, Marcus signaled a halt, his eyes scanning the perimeter. "We can forget about extraction over engagement," he said. A group of several mages were guarding the courtyard. They both knew they had to take them out, as quickly as possible.

"Remember, stay within my radius. My barrier will distort their spells, giving us the opening we need." Marcus said.

Kento nodded, his focus sharp. "I'll layer our approach with illusions. They won't see us coming until it's too late."

In unison, they activated their powers. Marcus extended his hands, the air around them shimmering as he twisted the fabric of space, creating a bubble that warped reality within its confines. Simultaneously, Kento whispered an incantation, and the night air filled with phantom shadows, masking their movements.

They breached the perimeter with ease, the dark mages' wards fooled and nullified by Marcus's spatial distortions. But as they infiltrated deeper, a sudden flare of magical energy erupted. The mages had been alerted, their preparations for an ambush evident in their quick reaction.

A circle of mages quickly formed; their hands aglow with destructive spells. Marcus reacted instantly, compressing the space between them, his power creating a vortex that swallowed the incoming spells, rendering them harmless. "Kento, now!" he shouted, maintaining his focus on the vortex.

Seizing the moment, Kento unleashed a barrage of illusions, each one more terrifying than the last. The mages found themselves surrounded by their worst fears made manifest, their concentration shattered. This psychological warfare gave Marcus and Kento the upper hand, as the mages turned their spells on the illusions, believing them to be real threats.

However, one of the mages seemed impervious to the illusions. With a wave of his hand, he dispelled them, his eyes locking onto Marcus and Kento. "Your tricks end here," he declared.

"Shit, an Archmage!" Marcus exclaimed. "Kento, we're switching tactics!"

Marcus tightened his grip, the air around him crackling as he prepared to unleash a more direct attack. Space itself seemed to bend to his will, as he created a series of spatial blades, sharp enough to cut through magic itself. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them slicing towards the archmage, each one aimed with deadly precision.

The archmage countered, erecting barriers of dark energy, but Marcus's spatial blades cut through them with ease. Yet, for every barrier that fell, another rose, as if his opponent had an endless supply of mana. Kento, realizing the stalemate, shifted his strategy. With a whispered incantation, he crafted an illusion of Marcus and himself, drawing the attention of the archmage and his subordinates. Marcus, picking up on his plan, bent the space around them to make them invisible. The real Marcus and Kento, now cloaked, maneuvered into position.

With a nod from Marcus, they launched their final assault. Marcus compressed the space around the archmage, trapping him in a bubble of distorted space, while Kento amplified the illusions, making it appear as though an army had suddenly surrounded them. Overwhelmed and unable to concentrate, the archmage's defenses faltered. Marcus seized the moment, collapsing the bubble of space with the mage leader at its center, effectively erasing him.

The remaining mages scattered, their resolve broken. However, Kento didn't like to leave loose ends. With incredible speed, he reached the group of fleeing mages, pulled out his twin daggers, and mercilessly dispatched them. It was over. Marcus and Kento stood victorious, but their mission was now at risk.

As the dust settled, Marcus looked to Kento, a nod of respect shared between them. "Let's clean up here and make sure there's no more ambushes waiting for us tonight. You fought really well, Kento." Marcus said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Kento, his illusions dissipating, revealed a soft smile. "You too. Let's make sure we won't have any more surprises tonight."

Together, they slowly walked towards the courtyard of Silver Haven. The plan was already at risk. This was just a small victory; they both knew that their true mission still awaited - rescuing Constantine St. John from the clutches of their enemies.

However, before they could delve deeper into the courtyard, a sudden surge of energy erupted from within the hospital, drawing their attention.

"Looks like we stirred up quite a hornet's nest," Kento remarked, his voice smooth and calm.

Marcus nodded solemnly. "Indeed. The mages won't take kindly to our interference. If they noticed us Constantine may be at risk."

"Or worse, he's the cause of the disturbance."

As they spoke, a commotion erupted from within the hospital, the sound of raised voices and hurried footsteps echoing through the night air. Light from spells shone through the windows and both of them felt a surge of aether coming from within.

"After him, he escaped!" they heard a mage shout from inside.

"We should make our move now," Marcus said, his gaze flickering towards the building. "The new guy seems like a handful already if he managed to escape without us." he sighed.

Kento nodded in agreement, his eyes quickly scanning the environment, his senses already in alert. "Agreed. We should approach quickly. I'd personally prefer if he had stayed put so we could extract him smoothly but him escaping on his own and causing a diversion works too. Either way things are going to get really messy tonight." he concluded.

Marcus looked at the direction of the commotion, sighing again. This mission got more complicated by the minute and a large scale battle seemed unavoidable.

"We should've brought Darryl along." he muttered.

"It can't be helped now." Kento replied. "Besides," he continued with a smirk, "someone had to stay back and look after the calamity."

Marcus sighed again, then calmly walked towards the commotion.

"Let's see where this evening takes us." he said.