Chapter 154: The Founders of Aleyros (Part 5)
“So what’s my assignment?” asks Damon as Key walks back into the main dining area. “I’m not a citizen of Iasa, so it’ll be difficult for me to go undercover by getting a job.”
“Oh, just work here for the time being,” says Key, lifting back up a knocked-over table on her way toward the closest corpse. “The boys are all busy with work, but Pola and I can hook you up with a fake ID, no problem.”
“You trust me too?”
“Yeah. I mean, if Kane does, why shouldn’t I?” replies Key as she touches the corpse.
Suddenly disappearing, Key reappears a moment later underneath the open doorway.
Realizing he’s acquainted himself with some powerful individuals, a fire lights under Damon that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Letting a smile slip out, Damon thinks about how he not only feels the urge to work with Kane and Key but also the desire to step up his game to rise to their level.
“So besides you two, are you working with any others? You mentioned somebody named Pola,” says Damon, starting to clean up the diner along with Kane while Key continues transporting corpses out of the room.
“There are three others, one of whom is a woman named Pola,” replies Kane. “The other two guys are named Zeris and Leo. You’ll meet ‘em all eventually, but we’re kind of split up right now.”
“Pretty small group considering what you’re trying to do,” says Damon.
“It’s better this way. We all trust each other, and we’re all advanced wielders. You’re an evolved wielder, but I can see your core is not too far from breaking through to advanced, so don’t feel like you’re not on equal footing with us. Anyway, nobody suspects us, and when we do eventually strike, we’ll be able to hold our own and not have to worry about anybody slowing us down.”
“So it’ll just be us six? After the Amlovos, I agree that a smaller team is better and more efficient, but this is Queen Divine we’re talking about. It won’t be easy to take her out and depose the government she’s installed without the support of the public.”
“We’ll take our chances,” says Kane while Key returns after transporting the last body.
“Damon and I will be able to clean the rest up,” says Key.
Putting his cap back on and pulling his hood over, Kane says, “Catch him up on everything while you’re at it. I’m taking the back way out.”
“Wait, are you going to visit ‘em again?” asks Key
Kane averts his gaze for a moment, “Probably.”
Key sighs, “Kane… I think–”
“I’ll decide when I move on,” interrupts Kane, starting toward the open door.
“Wait,” voices Key, walking over to the bar and grabbing a bottle off the shelf.
She tosses the bottle, and Kane catches it, confused. Looking at the bottle, Kane realizes it’s Chardonnay, Aley’s favorite drink.
“If you’re going, I’m not letting you go empty-handed,” says Key, and Kane meets her eyes. “Tell Aley I say hi… and that I miss her.”
Kane nods and passes under the open doorway.
“Wait. Every group has a name, right? What are you guys called?” asks Damon.
“The Founders of Aleyros,” replies Kane, disappearing from Key and Damon’s sight.
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Turning to Key, Damon asks, “Whose Aley?”
Key smiles and walks over to another chair that has fallen over. “I’ll tell you everything after we get this place fixed up. We gotta make sure it’s ready for the dinner rush.”
“Oh, okay,” says Damon, picking up a table.
“And Damon,” says Key. “It’s nice to have you on the team. Welcome.”
Opening a secret back door, Kane first checks to ensure nobody is around before popping out onto an empty alleyway. Using Ventus Surge, Kane takes off into the skies and arrives at a cemetery on the outskirts of Saneth. After determining nobody is nearby, Kane lands in the open.
Looking down at the headstone of his fallen comrade, Aley Destin, Kane channels his iris into his hand to unscrew the bottle of Chardonnay.
“I don’t consider Damon your replacement. There’s not a chance in hell that guy will ever fill your shoes,” says Kane, kneeling in front of the headstone. “He just reminded me of you and what you stood for. And you know, when he brought up that he had a daughter…”
Kane drags a hand over his mouth and sniffles, “I couldn’t help but think of you. And Hailey. And how you were willing to do whatever it took to give Hailey the best life possible. Just like I would’ve done anything for Alex. It’s kind of why this whole scheme of ours started…”
Tears well in Kane’s eyes, and he sniffles again, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect your daughter. I know you’re probably sick of me apologizing, but… I should’ve been able to protect her. After you died, I should’ve done more to ensure Hailey wouldn’t. I promised I would, and…”
Kane shakes his head and drinks from the Chardonnay bottle, “I feel like… with Damon, man… I’m such a f*cking selfish bastard. But I feel like with him… I have a chance to redeem myself in some way. Like today… for two seconds, I felt like I wasn’t such a piece of shit. I’m still trying to take down Divine for you, we all are, and I know how f*cked this is… because I broke my promise and your daughter died… but maybe there’s something there with Damon that– makes me feel like there’s a way out of this.”
Looking over at the headstone beside Aley’s, the name ‘Hailey Destin’ is inscribed across it, and Kane wipes at his tears, “I feel like I’m right next to you, suffocating and trapped in a grave that I haven’t been able to climb out of for years. And every time I get close to somebody, and they almost pull me out of this place, it’s like I drag them in the grave with me. The thing is, I still keep breathing while you guys… don’t. You, Marissa, Hailey… I don’t want Alex, Zeris, or the others to meet the same fate. And now Damon has shown up, and I feel like he’s offering his hand now like you did, and… even though I know what happened to you guys, I grabbed on.”
Kane sniffles again and takes another drink, “Aley, was I just being selfish dragging him into all my shit? Or was this maybe… a turning point? No, I’m sorry. I’ve already caused you so much pain, don’t even think about answering that damn question…”
Taking a few seconds to compose himself, Kane says, “We’re close. After years of careful preparation, I think we’re going to go for it. Racafi’s knocking on the door, and Divine is distracted. We just need to make sure we do things right… can't mess up the timing.”
Taking a step forward, Kane turns the bottle over and pours all the wine out on Aley’s headstone, “Key says hi, and I bet the others do as well. I hope you enjoy the drink. We miss you.”
Kane sets the empty bottle down and looks at Hailey’s grave, saying, “I’m going to make things right. I promise.”
Standing up, Kane walks across the cemetery to his wife’s headstone. After only staring at it briefly, Kane takes off into the skies again.
With a quick stop by his cabin to shower and change out of his grimy clothes back into his military uniform, Kane packs himself a small bag of a few spare outfits. He then flies out to a hidden cottage in sector six, where Zeris lives during the first stage of the 44th annual trials of Iasa.
When Kane arrives, he finds Zeris speaking with four of the survivors. As Kane enters the room, he mentally notes that they all look competent and deserving enough to have passed stage one. When Kane steps up next to Zeris, each survivor steps back except for Ember.
“Is he awake?” asks Kane, cutting to the chase.
“Which one?” replies Zeris, and Kane’s gaze sharpens.
Zeris gets the memo, “No. But you can find him in room twelve. Walk out, take the first left, and then the second right. The room will be on your left.”
Shuffling out of the room, Kane leaves behind his bag as he follows Zeris’s directions to room twelve. Walking inside, Armaros is still unconscious and lying down on the bed in the corner of the room. Walking over to the bed, Kane’s eyes begin to glow gold, and he raises his hand slightly. Stopping in front of Armaros, Kane stands there, his willpower being tested as he glares at Armaros’s grimacing, twitching face.
Kane’s hand begins to shake, and he stands there for a few more seconds before finally lowering his arm back to his side. With his eyes returning to normal, Kane walks over to the opposite side of the room and sets himself down against the wall. Looking at the young man, assassin, and public hero to Racafi, who had killed Hailey and been the main reason his wife died, Kane thinks to himself.
I can wait a little longer ‘til he wakes up.