Kain didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t when he felt the danger of a mysterious organization closing in.
He activated his communicator and sent out short, vague ssages. The words were deliberately plain, disguised as harmless phrases that would look like everyday updates if soone else read them. A request to "close the southern accounts." A reminder about "returning for unfinished ledger work."
But to Darius, Malzahir, and the others, the aning was clear. Report. Imdiately.
Then he waited.
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They arrived within a couple of days, which was already incredibly fast when travelling by land from the Southern Province, the strenuous journey evident in their ragged appearance. Darius looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week, his coat frayed and stained with dust. Malzahir carried himself stiffly, clearly injured but refusing to show weakness in front of Kain. The others in their group —Jax, Lira, Miya, and Garret— bore the sa weariness, their eyes sharp despite exhaustion.
"Kain," Darius greeted, his voice low. "We’ve brought what you asked for."
They didn’t waste ti with pleasantries. Once seated, Darius withdrew a small case from his satchel and slid it across the table. Inside were notes, photos, transcribed records, and even a few fragnts of correspondence stolen at great risk.
Kain leafed through them quickly, his eyes narrowing.
"She’s with them," Darius confird grimly. "Not just in passing. Deeply. She attends their etings, is the lead when carrying out assignnts. They trust her—though not fully. Her current position is a little tenuous...in part due to us. When she was about to leave for the auction, as we told you she would, we saw the arrival of a new batch of ’experintal subjects’—"
"So looked no older than six! The sick bastards!" the red-headed Miya interjected.
"—ahem, so we took it upon ourselves to report the hidden facility to the authorities, triggering a raid of the compound. At the ti, we felt like it was right, but I realize now that preventing her from attending the auction may have disrupted your plans—" Darius was cut off by a wave of Kain’s hand.
"I completely agree with your decision. You made the right call."
Darius relaxed after having his decision affird. Although ethically, he didn’t regret his choice, considering that Kain had given them all such an imnse gift by becoming beast-tars, but they hadn’t yet given him much in return, they worried about overstepping their bounds and dissatisfying him. Thankfully, their new boss’ moral compass didn’t differ much from their own.
Heart relieved, he continued:
"Anyways, from what we could gather, her position in the organization was at risk. But despite that, she tried to downplay any connection to you, but it didn’t work. They dug into her past and found the link. Instead of cutting her loose or ’silencing’ her, they saw opportunity."
Malzahir leaned forward, his tone harsh, and accent thick, but he clearly had picked up the Imperial Language after spending ti with Darrius and the others. "They’re calling themselves the Black Dawn. That’s the na we heard in the organization when we infiltrated their lowest ranks. Based on what we were able to gather by eavesdropping on so of the higher-level mbers’ conversations was that they believe your sister is a ’bridge.’ Their words, not ours. A bridge to you."
Kain felt his jaw tighten.
"She didn’t offer up?" he asked carefully.
"Not openly," Darius admitted. "But she didn’t deny the connection either. And once they uncovered it, she didn’t resist when they decided to use her for leverage."
The words were knives, each sharper than the last.
Kain had expected betrayal. But a small part of him had hoped—hoped she might have shielded him, even in secret. Instead, she had allowed herself to beco their tool.
But at least now he had proof of her true identity. Although the director and Bridge trusted him, it was one thing to take his word for it, and another to see it for themselves.
When Bridge and the Director arrived, Kain presented the findings. Darius and Malzahir laid everything bare, spreading papers across the table: coded eting logs, intercepted mos, and photographs with eyewitness accounts from their tailing.
The room grew heavier with every word.
The Director’s face paled as he read one of the notes aloud. "Airalai—mid‑level mber overseeing experintal laboratory B12 under Bishop Marrowe’s oversight. Considered promising enough for future promotion, though her standing remains tied to how useful she is judged to be by her superiors. However, another failed mission and she may need to be discarded." His voice cracked on the last word. He set the paper down with shaking fingers.
Bridge slamd his fist into the table hard enough to rattle the cups. "Discarded? Our family? How could she—how could they—"
"Bridge," Kain said, his tone flat. "This is why I warned you. She isn’t the sa person you rember. And the Black Dawn doesn’t care about family. They care about control and results."
The Director leaned back heavily, his features drawn. "My niece... after all these years, this is what she’s beco." His eyes glistened, but his voice was steady. "You were right, Kain. As much as it hurts, you were right."
Bridge’s face twisted with frustration. He looked at Kain with a mixture of hurt and disbelief. "So what? You want us to just abandon her? Pretend she’s nothing?!"
Kain’s voice cut sharp as steel. "I want us to survive. You saw and heard what Cherry and Gabriel went through when they were taken. She’s working for an organization that kidnaps children and tears them apart in experints. Do you want that at our doorstep? A house full of orphans is practically like a buffet of at laid out before starving wolves—impossible for them to resist."
Bridge’s protest died in his throat.
Kain turned to Darrius and the others who were waiting quietly at the side so as not to interrupt the tense family mont. "Your mission changes. For now, you’ll guard this house. The children, the Director, Gabriel. No one in or out without my say-so. If Airalai or anyone connected to her approaches, you keep them away. Even by lethal ans."
Darius nodded without hesitation. Malzahir cracked his knuckles. "Understood."
Bridge opened his mouth again, but the Director silenced him with a look. "Enough. Kain’s decision is the correct."
Bridge slumped back into his chair, his face tight with unhappiness. He didn’t argue further—he rarely ever went against Kain, and the fact he was doing so now was a testant to how much the Airalai matter bothered him—but the way his fists stayed clenched on his knees showed how much it hurt him to let the matter go.
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With his family’s safety reinforced, Kain finally allowed his thoughts to shift. The College’s vaults. Dark Moon’s promised reward for his performance in the National Tournant was entry into their private storage like last year—treasures that could not be bought or exchanged for credits, only earned by making a great contribution to the school.
Since the amount he could exchange was limited—only 3 last year, and likely slightly more this year—Normally, he would have taken his ti, weighing options carefully. But now, urgency burned in his chest.
He needed strength. More strength than he already had. Enough to ensure he could face Airalai, protect his family, and whatever the Black Dawn threw at him.
And beyond his own power, he needed sothing else. A way to shield the Director and Gabriel. Their spiritual signatures were liabilities. If Airalai sensed them, the Black Dawn would descend like vultures. Concealnt was no longer a luxury—it was a necessity.
Kain pushed away from the table. "Tomorrow, I’ll head to the College vaults. If there’s anything there that can strengthen —or sothing that can cloak spiritual power—it will be mine."
The Director’s brows furrowed. "And if there isn’t?"
"Then I’ll keep searching," Kain answered. "I refuse to leave this family exposed."
The room was silent for a long mont, the weight of his words settling like stone.
Finally, Kain stood, his chair scraping softly against the floor. He looked at Darius, Malzahir, then at the Director and Bridge.
"Keep everyone inside. Don’t let your guard down."
The Director gave a grave nod, and even Bridge, though still unhappy, didn’t argue further. The orders were set. Darrius and the others straightened, already treating the household like a battlefield periter. It was ti to show their full worth to Kain.
Kain turned and strode for the door, the lamplight casting his shadow long across the floor. The cool night air rushed against him through a window left open, but he barely felt it. His eyes fixed toward the direction of Dark Moon College, determination hardening in his chest.
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The next morning, Kain, after explaining why he was there, was escorted to where he could receive his ’reward’.
His gaze swept the surroundings—eyes wide, pupils shaking. His face went still before twisting in disbelief.
"What the heck is this?!" he exclaid, voice echoing through the surroundings.
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