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Ezra leaned forward with a slight smile. "Is it just me or do you guys also think that it sure could be worse than it currently is?" He asked, trying to inject some optimism into the room.

Gen nodded in agreement, a confident glint in her eyes. "Absolutely. Uniting the two gangs will be easy," she asserted. "We're vampires. That's like asking a lion to hunt prey. Count Griffin made it sound like we would be holding up the sky or something."

Ezra's mind wandered as Gen spoke. He couldn't believe his luck. The two gangs they would be taking over were the Red Orphan and the Three Axe gang.

He grinned as his mind went to the night he had been stabbed by a Red Orphan member, bleeding to death in the streets of Southside. That was the same night Gen and Olivia had turned him, saving his life. He was looking forward to meeting that gang member again, with a very different outcome in mind. Just you wait. I'm coming for you.

As for the Three Axe gang, they were the ones he owed millions of credits. The idea of taking them over and writing off his debt was incredibly appealing.

To make things even better, the city district they were tasked with uniting was Southside, the place where his old apartment was. It felt oddly poetic. Coming home as the liberator. He liked the sound of that.

Gen continued, her voice brimming with confidence. "We have two months. I think that's plenty of time to handle this mission. We just need to be strategic about it. A few uses of our Aura here, a few public beatings there and we're done. Easy."

Olivia, who had been listening quietly, shook her head. "This is a punishment, Gen. It's designed to be difficult. The mission is much harder than you think."

Gen laughed, a light, carefree sound. "What could possibly be so hard about uniting two gangs of humans?"

Olivia laughed too, but her laughter was humorless and dark. "Completing the mission means starting a gang war."

Both Ezra and Gen looked at her, confusion etched on their faces. Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't using our Auras be enough to stop any fighting?"

Olivia sighed and leaned forward, her expression serious. "Think about it. Southside is currently no man's land. It belongs to the City Lord. There's no Count ruling over it, which means a few vampires have interests there. Uniting the gangs will disrupt the balance and provoke these vampires."

She paused, letting her words sink in. "There's a high likelihood that these gangs have hidden vampire owners. It's almost certain. Free land equals free money after all."

Ezra felt a chill run down his spine as he processed what Olivia was saying. The idea of facing off against other vampires had not been part of his initial calculations. What if one of the gangs belonged to the other two Counts. He knew he was now strong but he still wasn't sure how strong. Can I face two Counts as I am now? Something was telling him he couldn't.

"These vampire owners will not part with their gangs without a fight," Olivia continued. "They've built their power structures and livelihoods around these human gangs. They won't just let go because we show up and demand it."

Understanding dawned on Ezra and Gen simultaneously. He sat back, thinking about it. "Shouldn't they leave Southside when they discover that this is a mission from the City Lord himself?"

"It's not that simple." Olivia stared him in the eyes. "Count Griffin knows it. He can't just handle this himself. That's why he gave us as a punishment. This means one of the other two counts are involved."

Shit. Ezra stared into the air. He'd be facing vampires whose strength he didn't know. Powerful vampires. He'd learnt that not all Count level vampires were actual Counts. Some were subjects or coven leaders.

He paused. Even with the challenges, he felt a surge of confidence. "Don't worry. I have Valaren," he assured them, his voice steady. So far it's not the City Lord, I can face them one after the other.

Olivia shook her head, her expression serious. "Valaren is powerful, yes, but you still don't have complete control over it," she pointed out. "And there's more at stake here. You're missing something completely."

"What could I be missing?"

"I expected you of all people to know, Ezra. The gang war will surely have an impact on the ordinary people living in Southside."

Ezra froze in shock. How did I not consider this? His thoughts drifted back to his days in Southside. It had not been that long ago. A time marked by tension and fear during periods of gang violence.

He remembered the constant anxiety, the way every loud noise made him jump, the unease of walking down streets that could erupt into chaos at any moment.

His mind went back to a particularly day when a neighbour had been caught in the crossfire of a gang fight. The man's terrified screams, the blood pooling on the pavement. Those memories were etched into his mind. How had he forgotten?

His excitement about the mission began to sour as he sat back. He'd been treating everything like a game, forgetting that his actions had real-world consequences. Shit. He stared at his hands. What am I turning into?

Olivia's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. "What we need to do is to minimize collateral damage and protect civilians," she stressed. "We can't afford to let innocent people get hurt because of our actions."

Ezra stood and walked to the window of the penthouse, staring out at the skyline of First City. The city lights shimmered like a sea of stars. It felt like each light was a soul from Southside, staring at him in accusation. He felt a heavy responsibility settle on his shoulders.

"What choice do we have?" he asked, his voice tinged with resignation. "The punishment for failure is death."

Olivia joined him at the window and placed a hand on his back. "None," she replied. "We have to do this, but we have to do it right. The lives of the people in Southside depend on us."

Gen, who had been uncharacteristically silent joined them at the window. She stood at Ezra's other side. "Alright," she said, her voice firm. "We do this together, and we do it right. No shortcuts, no unnecessary risks."

"Yes." Ezra crossed his arms. "We do it right."