The midnight moon dusted the Solaris Trading Capital with a dreamlike haze. Karma dodged the sight of men and light as he loped through the silent city, drawing ever close to the safety of his residence.

A warm shower and a soft bed—their promised comfort dwarfs the harsh forest a thousandfold; why do I continuously chase risk when I lack nothing?

Somehow, the question stung more than the injuries plaguing his body; at least those were ephemeral, susceptible to the cleansing of time. Finding inner Meaning was no such simple affair. It was a desperate grasp of the elusive and uncertain; to search for Meaning is to hollow out the self—a process most painful.

I've erred. My merits and deficits are mine to determine. To a beggar, I lack nothing; to a primordial, I lack everything.

His bruises flared as he ducked a routine patrol.

But what is it I crave most within the multitude of infinity? An imperative I seek more than life itself?

An observer's divine sense wormed between streets and alleyways, forcing Karma to scale up the side of a smithy.

Is it a feeling? My feats of daring all shared risk, but I face danger even now, and no excitement mars my veins. Dominance? Victory? What drives me?

He unlatched a window, entering a hall of sleek black doors.

Whatever it is, I must find it. A man without purpose has no hope—no reason to pursue the eternal.

Swinging open his apartment door, the luxurious flat temporarily placated Karma's inner troubles. His arms raised past his shoulders—like an imperial welcoming their subjects' adulation.

"Worry not, dear Renzy, for I have returned!"

"A most joyous development," answered an unexpected visitor.

Karma stiffened, his nerves firing sirens of panic.

"Ah, hey there, Lance. What brings you to my humble abode?"

A brown-robed man with auburn hair waded over, swirling a murky glass of red wine.

"To visit a friend, of course," leaning close, Lance whispered, "Keep this quiet, but I do fancy a drink once in a while ..."

"Mm, you and Lorenzö both. I notice he isn't around—did you, you know?"

Karma punched the air, then mimed an explosion at his breast.

Cough.

Lance choked, waving vigorously while smacking his chest.

"Fortunately, he did not," came a voice from Karma's rear. "Thank you for your heartfelt consideration."

"Ai, I'm a softy; what can I say?" said Karma, nonchalantly skipping over to his favorite sofa.

Lance, having cleared his windpipe, smilingly replied, "A most outstanding quality. Your altruism is a beacon illuminating this cruel world of ours."

"On this night alone," Karma casually remarked, "I've committed murder, plunder, and arson."

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"Deeds are like coins—criminal to some, heroic to others—dependent entirely upon which side faces its beholder."

Karma rubbed his chin, inquiring, "A coin lands before you; what do you see?"

Lance's smile became wolfish.

"I see a coin."

Lorenzö cleared his throat, drawing two sets of eyes.

"Could someone explain the metaphors in case some of us don't understand?"

"Sure!" merrily said Karma, "Your conniving boss is extorting me but refuses to say what he wants—"

"And our friend here," interrupted Lance, "raided my family's vault, killed a promising young woman, and stole a priceless treasure—one personally secured by an Earthly Monarch powerhouse."

Stumbling, Lorenzö wheezed, "I'm going to die, aren't I? I knew this troublemaker would get me killed; I thought I had more time."

His head whipped toward Karma, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You couldn't let me live another day or two? I haven't said goodbye to my fiancé ..."

Lorenzö knelt before Lance with his head bowed.

"Just do it. I'm ready."

...

"What are you doing?" asked a perplexed voice.

"Eh?"

Peeking upward, Lorenzö found his "executioner" quizzically staring down at him.

"Ahaha—" Karma clutched his belly, "he did this to me, too! The masochist is always so quick to accept his death."

Lorenzö, ignoring Karma, shakily asked, "You're not going to kill me? I didn't live up to your instructions—just like Cindy."

Lance hummed. "I see the confusion. You failed me, so—in principle—you deserve to die."

Lorenzö shrank.

"However, given your status as a hostage, I have withheld that judgement."

"I'm a hostage?"

Scrunching his nose, Lance gestured between Lorenzö and Karma.

"I was under the assumption you two grew close; my agents reported the use of playful nicknames. Was I mistaken?"

Karma doubled over; between fits of laughter, he declared, "You can be my hostage—but only if you ask nicely."

With a solemn visage, Lorenzö turned to Lance and intoned, "Please proceed with the execution."

Lance waved him off, his tone hardening.

"Enough foolishness. Let us begin drafting the terms of our transaction."

Doffing his harlequin demeanor, Karma replied with equal seriousness, "Careful. You cannot kill me—your betters can attest to that."

"That goes both ways."

"There are worse tribulations than death."

Abyssal wisps manifested in Lance's vision, ominously brushing against his throat. They felt so real, no matter how he convinced himself otherwise.

He clenched his teeth, snapping, "But are they quick enough to silence me? Our fates are linked—for better or worse."

Karma entered a pensive stillness.

"What do you want?"

Exhaling through his nose, Lance spoke measuredly,

"Using my own conjectures, as well as Lorenzö and Cindy's accounts, I have deduced that you wield unimaginable power—not in the realm of man—but of information."

"Your request?"

"An answer to a single question."

Caught slightly off-kilter, Karma murmured unintelligibly to himself before enunciating, "I refuse anything that compromises my interests."

"Deal—"

"But."

Lance's lips thinned in a line.

"To complete our bargain, we must eradicate the threat you—and your father—pose to my safety."

"You would have me commit patricide?"

"Promises can be broken; they are worthless. Sincerity is what I ask of you; is that not fair?"

As Lance stewed in turmoil, Karma turned to the dumbstruck Lorenzö and winked, mouthing: "Having fun?"

Am I having fun? Fuck! You! inwardly roared Lorenzö, betraying no reaction.

"I accept your proposal."

I'm finished. Kaput. I wish I died; who knows how I'll suffer now that I've hitched my wagon with these—these maniacs!

"Oh? Maniacs, you say?"

"I'm prepared, please, do me the honour—"

Smack.

"I'll be quiet."

**

Lorenzö retired to his bedroom, leaving Karma and Lance to discuss.

"Assassinating Frederick is challenging, even considering our familial ties. Are you certain you wish to proceed? I can swear oaths so binding even the thought of breaking them would annihilate my soul."

"You think yourself so clever that no one else can discover my involvement? Would you wager your life on that belief?"

Lance sighed, shifting gears. "He does not partake in proclivities nor sentiment. Given a choice between an inch of advancement and his kin, he would unhesitantly choose the former."

"Your point?"

"I have trouble imagining a path to success."

Karma grinned.

"Then, I'll ask you right back: Is the information you desire worth it? I fight to escape death, yet you seek it out. Why?"

Gaze unfocused, Lance's soft voice carried disquieting passion,

"I don't experience the world through a lens centered on the present. I am ambitious, immeasurably so. My future and present are one; to not realize my potential is to taint my life—to kill my life."

Karma's heart shuddered.

Despite his ruthlessness, Lance is a man at peace. He has found his Meaning. When can I?