"You, my little brother, are going to retrieve sothing for —sothing that'll let conquer this world."
"..."
"..."
"...what?"
Kaisen was prepared to hear so outrageous sche, but the words that ca out of Kayden's mouth were the verbal equivalent of static.
What could he possibly do to help this lunatic conquer the world? He had a nagging suspicion it had sothing to do with the ga.
And if that was the case, maybe, just maybe, it was worth hearing out.
"This sword," Kayden said, raising the blade like it was Excalibur, "is called
Lightless
. It's only one part of a sword. There's another half out there that, when combined, unlocks the full power of the blade. With it, I can envelop this entire world in EMP, effectively turning the Authority into a bunch of clueless caven."
"..."
Kaisen was speechless. Again. He didn't care much about what happened to this world as long as his people—his friends, the ones he actually gave a damn about—were safe.
But of course, this was leading sowhere, and he knew exactly where.
"So where's this other half of the sword?" Kaisen asked, already sensing the impending doom of his involvent.
Kayden shrugged nonchalantly, like he was talking about finding a missing sock.
"The VR headsets that didn't get transported that day? Useless. And using soone else's headset? Also useless."
Kaisen felt his stomach drop. Of course. Of course, Kayden had already tried that angle, sending poor Kara on a wild goose chase only to be t with the unsurprising result: VR headsets were tied to their players.
Anyone else trying to use them might as well be trying to crack open a safe with a rubber chicken.
"So, you're telling the other half of the sword is in the ga world, huh?"
Kaisen asked, stating the obvious as if he were pointing out that the sky is, indeed, blue. Kayden nodded with the enthusiasm of a salesman who just found his perfect mark.
Kaisen sighed deeply, the kind of sigh you let out when you realize you're the only one with the brain cells to solve a problem, knowing full well that Kayden really did need his help.
But there were still questions gnawing at him like a persistent mosquito.
"Why ?"
Kaisen asked, cutting straight to the point. Kayden could easily get a hundred n to do his bidding.
Hell, if the new emperor declared it necessary to defeat the Authority, every poor soul with a headset would jump at the chance without a second thought.
After all, hatred for the Authority was a universal language spoken fluently by the downtrodden.
Kayden blinked twice, then, in a performance worthy of an over-the-top soap opera, removed his hand from Kaisen's shoulder only to dramatically place it back again.
"Because my trust in my brother is imasurable, of course," Kayden said, his eyes turning into the kind of puppy eyes that belonged on a greeting card, not on a self-proclaid emperor.
Kaisen's eye twitched—a signal that Kayden's antics were more irritating than endearing. With a swift motion, he slapped Kayden's hand away and took a step back, creating so much-needed distance.
"Yeah, right. You're knee-deep in this rat hole, and I'm your only way out. That's the truth, isn't it? You don't trust your companions, do you?"
Kaisen's words cut through the charade, leaving Kayden's expression to drop from dramatic to dead serious in a heartbeat.
Kayden stepped closer, his tone shifting to sothing more grounded, more desperate.
"I do trust them. But not as much as I trust you. And they're limited, Kaisen. They can't do what you can. You know how things work in that world, and you have connections. Friends. And...like you said, you're a survivor. Only you can help with this. Co on, this is for the greater good."
Kaisen raised an eyebrow.
"The greater good? Or just your greater good?"
Kayden didn't flinch.
"Does it really matter if we both get what we want?"
Kaisen shook his head, a mix of exasperation and impatience etched across his face. He was waiting for the magic words, the golden ticket that would get him on board.
'Just say it, Kayden. Say the one thing that'll make this worth my while, and I'm in.'
"Nah. Not interested in so 'greater good' nonsense or your heroic BS. I just want to kick back on an island with my girls, sipping sothing cold while the world burns or doesn't—doesn't really matter to ."
Kaisen said, crossing his arms and staring Kayden down with the intensity of a man who's already ntally checked out to paradise.
Kayden bit his lip, clearly searching for the right hook to reel his brother back in. After a mont, he sighed, leaning into the nostalgia like a desperate salesman leaning on a dusty old product.
"Co on, brother. Do it for . Just like the old days. You and , taking on the world together."
Kaisen responded with a nonchalant hum, shaking his head like a disappointed teacher. He didn't even bother to look at Kayden, as if his brother's plea was as appealing as yesterday's cold leftovers.
"Co on, na your price. What do you want, brother? Just say it," Kayden pressed, his voice tinged with desperation.
Kaisen finally turned to look at him, his expression shifting to sothing more serious.
"Let's hold off on the price talk for a sec, okay? How the hell do you plan to activate the headset? I've already tried it, and it's deader than disco. Unless you've got sothing magical up your sleeve like that sword of yours, I suggest you forget the whole thing."
He eyed Kayden with a look of bored disinterest, but inside, his thoughts were a maelstrom of excitent and fear. The possibility of returning to the ga world, his world, was a tantalizing thought. But he couldn't let Kayden see that.
He couldn't show even a hint of how much he needed this, not more than Kayden needed him. No, he had to play it cool, like a poker player with a full house, hiding his cards until the perfect mont.
"Oh, that? That's child's play," Kayden said with the smug confidence of a kid showing off his latest trick.
"How do you think I tested those VR headsets, huh? Of course, I know the others can't use them right now, but I can. I can activate your VR headset and send you back to your world, brother."
Kaisen felt an electric jolt of excitent surge through him, so strong he nearly considered jumping off the balcony and break-dancing on the street below.
'That bastard can actually do it! Finally!'
But no, he couldn't let Kayden see him lose his cool like that. Instead, he put on his best poker face, leaning casually against the railing as if they were discussing the weather.
"Is that so? And why would I do that, even if you can send back? Why do you think I'd want to return to that hellhole, huh? A place where death lurks around every corner? Nah, not interested."
Kayden raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the act, but he played along anyway. With a sigh, he said,
"Na your price, brother. I'm asking you again. Na your price."
Kayden spoke like a man who had conquered the world and was now offering it on a silver platter.
"Whatever you want, it'll be yours. You want those entertainnt actresses as your servants? Done. You want a castle to yourself? Consider it built. You want to live in luxury? I'll make it happen. As long as you bring that sword, I'll make sure it's all in your hands."
He made his promises with the confidence of a king who believed he could bend reality to his will.
Kaisen, not missing a beat, shrugged his shoulders and looked up at the sky, pretending to ponder, like he was considering which flavor of ice cream to order instead of potentially reshaping the fate of two worlds.
"You know, there is one thing I've really wanted ever since this whole circus kicked off."
Kaisen said, his voice dripping with a mix of mischief and seriousness. Kayden's smirk widened like a shark sensing blood in the water.
"Na it," Kayden replied, leaning in with the confidence of a man who believed he could buy the moon if he fancied it.
"It's a simple desire, really," Kaisen began, his tone deceptively casual. "But it's not sothing you can just hand over, Kayden."
Kayden's smirk didn't falter.
"Try ."
"Alright, consider this a test to see if you're really a man of your word, soone truly fit to be an emperor. If you can fulfill this request, I'll list the other things I want."
Kayden, ever the confident one, smiled and nodded.
"Do tell," he prompted, expecting so grandiose demand for wealth or power.
Kaisen grinned wickedly, the kind of grin that could make even a devil pause.
"Helena. I want your girlfriend to warm my bed."
The words hung in the air like a bomb just waiting to go off, the most diabolical thing he could think of. Kayden's face, once so full of confidence, froze, his smirk vanishing faster than a cockroach when the lights co on.
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