Zhang Tian’s mouth curved into the faintest sneer. “That is an excellent point,” he said, his gaze fixed on Primarchs Konrad and Diocletian.

  “Indeed,” Oluwaseun agreed, tone measured. “It has been on my mind as well. You both managed to anticipate our enemy’s movement? How?”

  “And to relocate the intended target beforehand?” Vikram added, one brow rising in quiet skepticism.

  The two Primarchs exchanged a glance, then drew slow, steady breaths.

  “It’s true—we knew our enemies would act,” Konrad began. He leaned forward, fingers crossing. “But the details remain unknown, even to us.”

  “Unknown? And yet,” Vikram pressed, deliberate and calm, “you moved Vi from the place our enemies expected him to be. You gathered his family, brought them where protection would be strongest.”

  “You even summoned forces from multiple regions,” Gerrald noted. “And not light ones either. All, heavy hitters.”

  “Not that he needed protecting,” Zhang Tian muttered, the sneer returning.

  “Yes, we did,” Diocletian said evenly, ignoring the remark. “We didn’t know the exact date—only a window. Vi and his family arrived shortly before midnight on the twelfth. The enemy missed them by around a day.”

  “As we have said,” Konrad continued softly. “The important details, we still remain ignorant of. Waiting for certainty would have meant arriving too late. Even a correct decision becomes wrong when it is too late, so, we acted.”

  Zhang Tian tilted his head, voice sharp and leading. “Then how did you know when to act?”

  Silence followed. A silence that settled over the chamber—deep, stretching. The air itself seemed it was also waiting for a response.

  “You have an informant,” Alexei said at last, the statement more verdict than question.

  Konrad’s answer came slow but steady. “Hmm. Of a sort,” confirming what everyone else had suspected.

  “I see. A person from the other side then?” Oluwaseun nodded slightly. “May we meet with him? or her?”

  “Meeting him is—impossible,” Konrad said after he pondered for a few seconds.

  “And why not?” Gerrald asked. “Could you not have taken him in?”

  “First of all, he came to us,” Diocletian replied. “Brought warning that our enemy would move, gave us only a rough estimate of time, our window of opportunity, so to speak, and nothing more.”

  “The other question still stands,” Zhang Tian’s voice cut through again, cold and precise. “Couldn’t you have taken him in?”

  “Paying someone who has helped you by throwing them in prison is a poor way of repaying them,” Konrad said matter-of-factly.

  “Hrargh! You and your morals, and values, and virtues!” Zhang Tian snapped angrily, spitting the words like they were poison. “They are the enemy! They have taken much from us! From my ancestors! From me!”

  Konrad could only nod sadly at the anger and frustration being directed at him. “I know.”

  “Calm, friend. Peace. We are, all allies here,” Oluwaseun said gently, raising a hand. Zhang Tian growled, exhaled sharply and turned aside, but said nothing more.

  “No one denies the offenses they have given your family, or your losses, Tian,” Oluwaseun continued his tone firm but kind, giving the man a nod, before turning back towards Konrad. “Primarch Konrad, did you take into account, that your informant or our enemies, wanted you to take Vi there instead?”

  “Yes, we both did,” Konrad replied simply.

  “And?” Zhang Tian impatiently demanded. “It never occurred to you that he might be a double agent?”

  “They already betrayed one group,” Alexei intoned, his voice low. “What’s to stop them from doing the same to us?”

  Konrad and Diocletian looked at each other and exchanged puzzled glances.

  “We never said he was from the other side,” Diocletian said at last, eyes sweeping the table.

  The revelation hit like a dropped blade, a shock to everyone present. A third faction. For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then, Kuuko baa-san’s hand settled lightly on my shoulder — a small gesture, but everyone noticed.

  “Do you have something to add?” Oluwaseun asked, motioning toward me with an open hand.

  I met Nana baa-san’s eyes. For a long, quiet moment, she said nothing — then nodded once.

  “The thing is,” I began slowly, choosing my words carefully. “The people here, I mean the group invited, mostly from the Japanese side, we all share a connection to Reika. You know, Nana baa’s granddaughter. Ichirou’s daughter—and his paramour’s.”

  A ripple of shock moved around the table, quickly replaced by grim concern.

  “Damn,” Gerrald muttered under his breath. “If they get involved we’re fucked. The whole world’s fucked.”

  “Things are indeed, stirring,” Oluwaseun said gravely, the corners of his mouth tightening.

  “Back to your, informant, I don’t know why you two are protecting him,” Gerrald went on, voice weary. “We all see it, you’re hiding something.”

  “And it doesn’t take a genius to see these threads are connected,” Vikram added.

  “Everything will be revealed in time,” Konrad said calmly. “Even we are in the dark much like everyone. The only difference is that we were told first. Nothing more.”

  “All we ask is patience,” Diocletian said before adding, “Though, as we’ve done so far, it never hurts to err on the side of caution.”

  That sentiment found quiet agreement from all around. After that, silence — heavy, almost unbearable. I wanted to shout, just to break it.

  “Then, if that’s all from us, perhaps a shift in perspective is due?” Oluwaseun suggested and heads nodded. “Vi, your thoughts?”

  “Ah, yeah, and I’ve given this whole thing a fair bit of thought,” I replied scratching the back of my head. “Well, they used my name, and they know where I live.”

  The room stilled again. Konrad leaned back slightly, Diocletian’s shoulders eased, while Alexei and Oluwaseun watched with the stillness of judges.

  “So,” I continued, “I used an old Lego set I’d turned into a familiar to watch the area. I hid them up in the trees I used to climb when I was a kid. They can work like compound eyes, or detectors, depending on how I tune them. I activated them while my father was giving me a lecture.”

  “Smart,” Oluwaseun said, a hint of admiration in his voice. “A familiar could be sensed, true — but with the bricks scattered, and so small, they’d detect almost nothing.”

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  “And?” Zhang Tian pressed, impatience sharpening his tone. “What did it find? Are they still nearby?”

  “No. They already left. No traces as well,” I replied with a shrug. “They must have guessed that I would come running and bolted. I bugged the entirety of the routes I usually take, even the ones leading to the capital. And I am getting no pings at the moment.”

  “Hmm, a group that is either thorough and clean, elite,” Alexei mused, “or a diversion.”

  “What could they be after?” Vikram asked, worry creeping into his voice. “This isn’t their usual pattern. Are they targeting the legacies or Vi’s family, or himself?”

  “True. They’re shifting tactics again,” Gerrald agreed, turning toward Konrad and Diocletian. “If that’s the case, it’s a good thing you acted when you did.”

  Diocletian inclined his head. “We weren’t certain at first either, but we did what we could.”

  “They’re testing our defenses,” Zhang Tian suggested.

  “Close,” I said quietly and everyone’s attention came back to me. “The fact that they used my name, and that they are no longer in the area, means that the likelihood they are used as a diversion, is high. Taking into account the previous 30 incursions, you said it yourself Primarch Oluwaseun, the attacks are increasing.”

  Konrad nodded. “I see what you mean Vi. They are testing our defenses true, but their immediate goal might be to try and overwhelm our senses.”

  The table fell silent as everyone absorbed that.

  “To keep us blind and guessing,” Oluwaseun said slowly, leaning forward and steepling his fingers. “A good tactic. Strike at every front at once, while concealing the real objective. But that sacrifice, would be too high, even for them.”

  “Or the reverse, since they are testing our senses,” Vikram countered. “I would attack in force to draw attention, using the place where we are least focused the most, to send an elite strike force to seize the target.”

  “I can imagine a dozen ways they might play this,” I said before raising one finger. “But, everyone missed one crucial detail.”

  “And what would that be?” asked Oluwaseun uncertainly.

  “They know where I live,” I said lightly and let the words hang in the air.

  “Hmm. Vi, the only people who know where you live, your address, are right here,” Oluwaseun said slowly, pointing toward Konrad, Diocletian, Kuuko baa-san, and Nana baa-san. “Unless you are implying that they leaked—”

  He didn’t finish his words, his mouth hung open before closing as realization dawned on him, a realization that spread like a slow-burning flame around the table.

  BAAAM!!

  Zhang Tian slammed both hands onto the table, the sound cracking through the chamber. “That traitor is still alive!?” he roared with fury, however, grim satisfaction slowly mingled in his eyes.

  “We thought he’d been swallowed by the hells,” Vikram said as frowns creased faces around the table. “No one could have survived there.”

  “We found no trace, not his body, nothing, that is why we thought that he might have been,” Gerrald agreed. “Now we have to rethink that. Possibly, on an island somewhere, anywhere to lie low.”

  “This is bigger than we imagined,” Konrad admitted while he stroked his beard.

  “Indeed, old friend. And that would also mean, we are lucky for that informant of yours,” Oluwaseun said before turning to Nana. “The traitor has shown his face again, possibly aligned himself with our enemies and more. He might have informed them of the young lady’s circumstance as well.”

  “We know that much,” Nana baa-san replied. “The question is, what will you do now? We’ve already alerted our forces.”

  “We shall do the same,” Oluwaseun answered with conviction, a sentiment shared by most. Considering what happened last time, everyone would be on high alert.

  Talk continued, talks of strengthening of forces, more joint exercises, stepped-up surveillance despite the ideological war going in the West. Even Remy was offering suggestions. So much talk, until everyone had nothing left to say. For the most part, however, I remained silent.

  My duty was clear.

  “Now then, if that is all, I shall take my leave,” Zhang Tian said at last. He stood up and faced me, “I cannot forgive you, even if you are not wholly to blame.”

  I stayed neutral, my expression, everything. I preferred it this way, much easier to hate myself and motivate me at the same time, than everyone pitying me.

  “But,” he said slowly. A rare thin smile appeared on his face. “If you bring me that traitor alive — and I know you want him as much as I do — with as much of his sanity intact, I would not oppose voting for your ascension into that chair.”

  He nodded toward the vacant seat across from him, draped in black.

  “Think about it,” he said curtly before he vanished in a flash of flame. The others in the room stood frozen with shock. Remy whistled softly.

  ========================================================================

  When Zhang Tian’s consciousness returned, not one second had passed. He had been in his personal office, perched on the 77th floor of a skyscraper in Hong Kong’s central business district. The high-end personal office embodied modern luxury and executive prestige.

  The room smelled faintly of sandalwood and incense; it was the calm of power. The design balances refinement and calm, polished marble floors flow into warm wood finishes, while discreet lighting and acoustic panels create a serene atmosphere high above the city below.

  Inside, a spacious executive desk anchors the room, complemented by a private lounge area with plush seating for informal meetings or quiet reflection.

  He had been preparing to receive a client that would have netted two hundred million dollars over five years when the summons came. But now, with news that the traitor lived, that fortune felt trivial.

  He sent a mental command, a summons that rang through the minds of those under his command like signal flares. Ten seconds later men and women in black suits appeared in flashes of flame and knelt before his desk: twelve Archons, four Tetrarchs, and his two sons — his Dominarch and Lexarch.

  He raised his right hand and in a flash of fire a jade tablet as big as a laptop appeared on the table. It was an unassuming piece save for a circular mirror set into its center. He then brought a finger to the side of his head and a few seconds of concentrating, he pulled.

  On the tip was a little spec of light barely larger than a grain of sand, it was a shard of memory. He plunged the tip into the mirror, breaking the surface and rippling like water. And when he pulled out, the shard was no longer there.

  With a casual gesture the tablet rose and floated toward his firstborn, Haoran, who received it with both hands.

  “Fei,” he said, his voice relaxed and brimming with joy that did not try to hide itself.

  His second son, Fei, rose and moved forward, awaiting his father’s command.

  “Arrange a trip to Brazil,” he commanded calmly. “I am going to need Primarch Gabriela’s unique— pets.”

  ========================================================================

  “Considering how he normally is, that’s practically an apology,” Gerrald said surprised, though with a wry smile. “Vi, get your affairs in order. And if you need help—ask.”

  He offered an encouraging grin, then bade farewell to the rest before leaving in the same manner as Zhang Tian. It can’t be helped, they are running fairly large businesses that demand they be on time.

  “Really, those two have forgotten about manners,” Vikram shaking his head, rose next, giving each of us a courteous nod before walking out of the door.

  Alexei stood at the same time but paused beside me. His massive hand settled on my shoulder.

  “Grandfather said he’s jealous your father met the other two before he did,” he said with a chuckle. “So, a trip might be in order. Or, you can expect him to scour your country until he finds you.”

  He left with that rather ominous line. What in the hells is that old man thinking?

  “As for you two,” Oluwaseun said, turning toward Ryan and Arnault, “I trust you’ll inform your leaders of what transpired here?”

  Arnault nodded firmly, offered his goodbyes, and departed.

  “Uh, hey, Teach,” Ryan said hesitantly. “Any chance you could—uhm—you know—do something—about our leaders?”

  “Unfortunately, I cannot,” Oluwaseun replied, smiling faintly. “As the English would say, it is too gauche, for a third party to come between a family much less a husband and wife. Besides, I must inform Primarch Gabriela of today’s events.”

  “Oh, of all the rotten luck,” Ryan sighed, turning for the door. “Had to try, though. Thanks anyway, teach.”

  “Kwame was asking about you, just the other day,” Oluwaseun called after him.

  “If he ever so much as cracks a grin, I’ll treat him to a schooner,” Ryan said, not looking back before waving a hand and closing the door. Oluwaseun was shaking his head, a small grin on his face.

  Wilhelm gave his farewells soon after and followed him out. When I looked again, only a few of us remained and Oluwaseun was standing before me.

  “Vi,” he began softly. “I cannot bring myself to chastise Tian’s actions, but neither can I fault you. Both of you have been hurt, deeply and badly, with wounds not easily healed.”

  He sighed.

  “Even in my long life, I had not amassed the kind of knowledge to help you. I cannot do anything with that hatred you have, nor do I know how you can move past your guilt nor the madness you bear. But I do know this,” he said kindly before he looked me in the eyes.

  “What happened was a tragedy the likes of which none of us, or even the Order have faced nor experienced. But that chair—” he said tilting his head towards the untouched chair draped in black. “—would want you as its master. You are their legacy. I do hope you understand this.”

  I said nothing. I did understand. But understanding was far easier than accepting. Hatred and guilt were simpler companions than forgiveness.

  “I do hope, you can come to forgive yourself—someday,” he said gently, gripping my shoulder tightly before placing his right hand over his heart. “As parting words — may your journey always lead you back, to warm sands.”

  Despite myself, I nodded, smiled and returned the gesture. “May you sleep under starry skies.”

  Oluwaseun smiled and nodded to his fellows, before also going out of the door. That left me, my hotel roomies and Kuuko baa-san.

  “Well then,” Konrad said, a faint smile crossing his face, “shall we head back?”

  Nana baa-san and I nodded.

  ========================================================================

  When time returned to normal for me again, I was greeted with a rather weird question.

  “What’s this about a marriage between you and the young lady Shizuku?” Father asked, wearing his usual what-in-the-nine-hells-have-you-done-this-time expression.

  Oh.

  Yeah.

  There was that.

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